Getting better; Fun-filled Friday
For the last few days, I’ve given Ty just a few seconds to make up his mind, and if it hasn’t been made up, I make it up for him. Then he starts on a tantrum, but telling him to be quiet and not cry seems to work. “Get over it,” is the prase I use.
I’ve also kept (or attempted to keep) the screaming to a minimum. I allow myself only two yells – which are top of my lung explosions – a day, which may seem two too many for some, but it’s far fewer than the norm around here.
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We got up at regular time and went to the library after doing some cleaning and playing. Ty borrowed an American history book and two early reading books (the short “O” and “U”). I read aloud while pointing to the words, giving him enough time to see the word and repeat it. Ty is pretty good and focused when he’s doing homeschooling. Kyle played with Taylor for the few minutes that it took us to read the short “U” sound book, then he went off to the picture book section and play with the toy there. It’s one of those gigantic roller coaster looking things with different colored beads and whatnot. Kids fight over it all the time. I’ve been telling Ty that the library is for reading books and not for playing in. He listens. He follows me toward the nonfiction books, which is on the opposite side of the children’s section, and selects two books to read. Kyle wanders to the picture books and plays with that toy. When Kyle is older, I’ll expect him to take two nonfiction books to read, too. So Ty follows me and puts his things down on the table next to my things and begins to read his books. When he’s done, he goes to the picture books to play with Kyle. Sometimes, I see moms and kids playing there, not reading books but just kind of hanging out.
We went to the mall so the kids could play. Ty likes running around. He’s got pretty good endurance. He likes to “Tag, you’re it!” anyone and everyone. Kyle got the wind knocked out of him pretty good. He was turning a corner (the rear end of a dinosaur) and ran into a girl who was turning the same corner. She was about 10 lbs. bigger and ran faster, so Kyle was knocked over. This happened in front of me, so I knew it was innocent. But the girl was called by her mom and was put in time-out. Kyle got the “One two three four five. Stay alert. Stay alive,” treatment from me, then proceeded to strut up to the girl and yell, “There’s no hitting, Girl!”
Taylor got inspired to crawl up a step and through a tunnel. It was a pretty high step, and it wasn’t even a smooth crawl. The play area has a dinosaur theme, where a cartoonish triceratop and tyrannosaur are both napping on opposite sides – in between, there are two flower pads and two tunnels, where Kyle likes to lay inside and suck his thumb. The tunnels are both four feet long and elevated on some tree-root looking things, which are about a foot tall. Taylor was looking like she’d like to climb into the tunnel, seeing that her brothers and the other kids are doing it, too. I went around the other side so that she could see me through the tunnel, and she started crawling. It took her a minute or two to get up. She almost gave up one time, but I told her not to. Keep doing it. Once she got inside the tunnel, it was smooth sailing.
We had lunch at the food court – I took apple butter and pita sandwiches. Speaking of which, I have to make bread RIGHT NOW!! Kyle ate about forty animal crackers while Taylor ate only two and then nursed. Ty ate his raisins and sandwiches and drank loads of water (he ran about two miles, I would say, in the play area). We went to the bathroom (the public bathroom, that’s spanish for “dirty”) and changed diapers after wiping everything down alcohol. The kids were told to keep their hands in the pockets, and after three or four times of getting their hands wiped with sanitizer, they got the message, “Keep hands in pockets.”
To MMW for a paycheck, yes, folks, I have a job, which was thankfully bigger then I thought it would be. Then to the bank, which we walked over to… that’s why this adventure took ALL DAY. gotta get the bread going. BACK to the car. To Publix. Ran into one of the ladies whom we saw in the play area of the mall. I think I’ll go to that Publix from now on. People live richly there.
Home. Started dinner. Some walking training with Isis. Wheeled the boys back and forth in the Radio Flyer wagon (can’t wait till they can ride bikes) and had sprint races with the kids across the yard. There was a little white kid who was playing with them. His parents were sitting, drinking coffee or whatever, across the street, watching. I would, too.
Had dinner. Tired as heck. Built a tower with the Mega-Bloks with Ty. Kyle played with cars and who knows what Taylor was doing. gotta get the bread going!!! Nursed Taylor about eleven times before putting her down. She cried some but fell asleep shortly. The boys continued playing, but after Dad walked in and demonstrated his male-booming voice, they quickly went to sleep.
It pays to have a man around.
