Learning to Ride with a Balance Bike

At the suggestion of a friend a few years ago, I made a note to look into getting MetaBoy a balance bike when he turned 3. A balance bike is a lot like a traditional bike, except it doesn't have pedals. The idea behind this is that a pedal-free bike is that it allows a child to walk while seated on the bike, allowing him to learn to balance and steer. This action gives the child the ability and confidence to speed up, and before you know it, she's flying along with her feet off the ground, and your running behind her trying to keep up.

I saw several models, ranging in price from $50 to $350. I finally settled on a Skuut, primarily because I wanted to patronize my local toy store, and that's what they carry. A quick search online revealed that its price currently ranges from $90-100.

We bought it for my son's 3rd birthday. He was pretty excited, and on his first ride, he did well. He walked several blocks sitting on the bike. Then he lost interest completely, and I thought it was a lost cause. But one day, out of nowhere, he asked to ride his bike again. Whew!! He got on, and walked like before, but this time he was a little more confident. And he got better with each ride. Now, he sits and runs (think of how the Flintstones drive their cars), then picks up his feet and soars on the bike path...with one of us running and panting behind him.

The best part of this bike is that one day, he'll be able to make an easy transition to a bike with petals, and he won't have to endure training wheels (I hated training wheels!). At least, that's what they say. We're not there yet, so I can't say for sure. But for now, he's doing great, and he loves it. And MetaGirl, who is now 2, will get it when he graduates to a bike with petals.

As for the specific bike, I don't know that one is better than the other. Is the $300 one better than the $50 one? I don't know. But I know that a $50 price tag is much more accessible. And on that note, here's one I found at Costco for $50 (shipping included). And because it's Costco, you know that you can always return it if you don't like it.

If you can afford it, though, consider patronizing your local small toy store. You might pay a little more, but I'm sure they could use the business these days. And your dollars are the best way to assure that the stores you truly appreciate will be around when you need them.

Nature vs. Nurture...Bah!

I've heard that Royal/T in Culver City has an interesting menu, does a tea set, and is good for kids. I was checking them out on Yelp, when I saw this picture:

Photo by minda w.

Hello Kitty Sushi Bento Box Workshop w/ Sushi Girl

MetaGirl would go nuts...absolutely crazy...for this lunch. If it came with a set of bracelets, she'd be set.

If I ever had any doubts about nature vs. nurture, she's surely shown me the light. She's been turning toys into bracelets, necklaces, and hats since before she could walk or talk. Now that she's 20 months old, all bets are off. She has to accessorize before we leave, and even the mention of a hat is enough to generate a tantrum.

I, on the other hand, never wear hats, jewelry (other than my wedding ring and a cheap watch) or...any accessories. I just don't care. I might if I'm really trying, but 95% of the time, I don't. And I didn't care at all for the first year of her life. So where she got the obsession with bracelets (toy hooks, napkin rings) is beyond me. I love watching and encouraging all of the silliness, though. She has the collection of hats, and anything safe to use as a bracelet is fair game. But I'll be keeping an eye on her when my makeup is in the room...just in case.

MetaBoy's Budding Personality

A post from April that I forgot to actually post. MetaBoy has only become more of a character. Good fun!

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Found an old group picture of MetaDaddy, me, and several friend, two of whom had babies on their laps. He identified us, and then said "I can't see MetaGirl." I tried to explain that the picture was taken a long time ago, before MetaGirl or even he was born. He just stared at me blankly, mumbled "uh huh," and walked away. Guess it'll be a while before he understands the concept of "time" or "before you were born."

When we drive to places he's been before, he knows it. He says "laundry" when we pick up the dry cleaning and "shopping" when we go to the farmers' market. In fact, all we have to do is make a right on a particular street, and he assumes we're going shopping, which he will consider a good or bad thing depending on his current mood. One day, I was driving us home, but I wanted to finish listening to an interesting piece on the radio. So when we were a block from home, I passed our street so I could drive around for an other few minutes. Well, he went nuts. He was screaming "home, home!!" I started trying to console him saying we were going home, but he didn't calm down until we were physically heading back home. He definitely didn't get my wonky sense of direction, as MetaDaddy would attest to.

He likes sleeping with one of his little dolls. Be it Peter (Rabbit) or Wallace or Walden (Wubbzy's friend), he's never alone. But today he asked to sleep with...a water bottle filled with cold water. Brilliant business idea or pending disaster? TBD.

MetaDaddy Gets Home

MetaDaddy gets back today, Saturday. I'm so, so, so looking forward to seeing him, as is MetaBoy. He's been antsy for a few days.

MetaDaddy will likely be glad to be home after 10 days of intense business travel and jet lag (15 hour time difference between here and China).

The way I figure it, when he gets back, he'll find:

1. MetaGirl has grown (I'd swear she has)
2. I'm now strong enough to pick up both kids...and possibly him. Michelle Obama arms!
3. MetaBoy was 100% in diapers 10 days ago, but is now practically fully potty trained. I'd say he's successful 80-90% of his waking hours. He might be more successful if I wasn't so scared to move him from pull ups to underwear. I'm waiting for MetaDaddy to get back to make the full transition.

It's been all about survival these past 10 days. So close...so close!

Santa Monica Preschools: Oh, the Pain

As I've mentioned before, we live in Santa Monica. It's a nice area. The weather's pleasant, we tend to drive against traffic (people tend to drive to Santa Monica in the morning and vice versa in the evening), and the city has a lot of resources (it's a city independent of the behemoth City of Los Angeles). So MetaDaddy doesn't spend 3 hours commuting daily. And when there's a pothole or light out on our street, a quick call to the city gets the problem fixed within a week.

But I think a lot of people like Santa Monica. A lot of families, in fact. The real estate prices, even now, are a bit shocking. Some sellers are deluded. Did they not get the memo about the recession?

But I digress. My real point is: there are a lot of kids in Santa Monica. I found this out when I started looking for a preschool for MetaBoy. Knowing that I would be staying home to care for the kids, I didn't give it much thought early on. I'd get around to finding him a school when the time came. But when MetaGirl was on the way, we decided to find a place that would care for and stimulate MB earlier than I had anticipated. He was 1.5 at the time, and apparently, I was too late to find a school for him at the 2 year mark.

But there are few schools that allow kids to start at 2, which gave me solace. The number of schools from which to "choose" would vastly increase once he reached 3 years. So I didn't stress, and moved it to the back of my mind for a few months. After all, MetaGirl was my more pressing concern. Newborn! Eek!!

When I got back into the preschool groove, I refused to drive him very far, so I was really only interested in local options. I bought a guide with all of the local preschools listed; they weren't all there. I went to the library, but most of their resources were for K-12. I went online and found several websites promising me a comprehensive list of schools, but they didn't. Occasionally, I would drive by a place that had a sign: preschool. And of course, there's word of mouth. Essentially, I had to take all of these sources to find out which schools existed in our area. Then, the phone calls started.

I called dozens of schools, and I opted to tour the ones that seemed appropriate. I toured 13 schools. We submitted many applications, most requiring a fee. Ugh. One had an "admissions day," which required for the parents and child to show up for about an hour, play, and have a story read. Essentially, it was time to show pony. The only thing is...I think the parents were being judged, not the kids. "Are these the kind of people we want to deal with?" It was creepy, and we hated it.

When all was said and done, we were wait listed at 7 schools. I found a couple of schools that were acceptable and had space for MB, but at similar price points as others schools that had more bells and whistles (e.g., garden, music classes, fun art projects), we decided to wait and see if our position changed on any lists. I called the schools monthly for updates. Some appreciated my letting them know that we were still interested. Some were obviously annoyed by my persistence.

Finally, we were offered a spot in a sweet little school, and we're finally happy.

After this whole thing, I'm definitely annoyed at the mention of preschool admissions. Thoughts:

• There are very, very few schools that care for kids beyond a few hours (e.g., 9-noon or 1-4). That is, they're not intended to function as a day care. So if you work, you're going to have a really hard time finding a school that will be able to care for your child for the full work day. That's tough, and I'm grateful to not be in that position.
  
  
• Some of our local schools have a celebrity problem, in my opinion. There are a lot of parents who want to send their kids to the best schools, and if everyone's talking about a particular school, it must be the best. On that note, celebrities who live in Santa Monica send their kids to...preschools in Santa Monica! Everyone wants to send their little ones to the same school Ben & Jen sent their little Violet to. But really?!? I went on a couple of tours where you really got the impression that the director had some sort of superiority complex because of the power she wields.
  
  
• Besides requiring fees just to apply to a school (I found they ranged from $50 to $125, but I heard one charged $200), the more popular ones have long, complicated wait lists. By long, I mean they pretty much tell you it's unlikely you'll ever be offered a spot. By complicated, I mean that some don't use the application date as the only deciding factor, but also take into consideration information the exact age, sex, and diversity of the child to make sure that s/he will fit into that spot just right (e.g., I need a boy who is 2 years, 7 months). Since there are a lot more boys than girls applying to start in 2009 in the area, this practice meant that it was harder to find a spot for MB than it would have been for a girl.
  
  
• I went on several tours where the child to attend was in utero. That's right! The child had not been born!! The most impressive one, though, was the guy taking the tour who said that he and his wife were trying to conceive. The director told him to apply now, if possible. Application fee? Ya, $75.
  
  
• The school that made us show pony was just wrong. We didn't know what to expect when we went, but in hindsight, it sounds like it's not far off from the experiences in this movie, which looks hilarious and I will have to see it...eventually.
  
  
• As I understand it, preschools didn't used to be this expensive or elitist. When parents started hearing that attending preschool increases kids long term success, all bets were off. That movie mentions a preschool in New York City charging $20,000 per semester (does that mean twice a year for a $40,000 total?!?) for what I'm assuming is 3 hours in the morning. Whoa!?! At that rate, college is a bargain!
  
  
• I had to remind myself to not get frustrated and keep the goal in perspective. I wanted MB to socialize, have fun, and learn some fun new things. Preferably, the school would provide him with projects and opportunities that we can't replicate at home due to a lack of space, materials, or experience. But at the end of the day, it's just preschool. If he learns to socialize and gets a head start on elementary school, then he'll be fine. All of the extra bells and whistles are more for the parents than for the kids; things to impress us and make us feel that our child needs these experiences. Some parents need to say "my kid goes to XYZ preschool." Some parents think that their kid will be missing out on too much if s/he doesn't get into the "best" school. It's important to sift out the child's needs...while trying to avoid putting yourself into debt for a 3 year old ;-)

I hope things are easier where you are, but I'd love to hear any stories! Oh, and if you can relate to this post at all, at least check out the trailer to Nursery University. It looks hilarious in an appalling sort of way.

All Toddlers are Fussy Eaters

MetaBoy is a great eater, all things considered. He has a big appetite, which means he's on the end of the spectrum where I have a hard time finding enough food to feed him.

That said, even he becomes difficult sometimes. His favorite word is "no." Despite being hungry and liking the food in question, he'll reject it flat out if that's the mood he's in. We've found a few tricks to combat the "no" monster, but eh...nothing works 100% of the time.

• Dips - I don't know why, but he loves dipping food. He calls it "dip dip." If we pour a sauce right on top of his meal, he might refuse it. If you put a dollop on his plate, he'll dip everything into it. We've used various sauces, hummus, yogurt, maple syrup (for pancakes), and jam. He might not eat bread, but he will if he can dip it!
  
  
• Delivery - Sometimes, it's about changing up the delivery of a food. A food he might be bored with becomes more exciting if you change how it's eaten. Chicken and vegetables in a sandwich can be a lot more entertaining since MetaBoy doesn't get sandwiches often. A quiche with the same old food is another exciting escape. He also loves the occasional soup, which is loads of fun served in a small bowl with a small spoon. A little messy, but not too bad...especially if he's hungry ;-)
  
  
• Challenging Food - Sometimes, a new food is a great treat, especially when it's a challenge to eat. Artichokes, for example, are easy to cook and delicious, but can be intimidating to eat for novices. To eat it, you tear a leaf from a cooked artichoke and scrape off the fleshy part with your teeth (the part that was attached to the artichoke). If you like, dip it first (e.g., salad dressing). Once you've eaten as many of the leaves as you can, take out the tough choke (should tear right out), and eat the heart. Mmm...so very good. But that's me. Here's someone else's take on it. If you get baby artichokes, which might be a better way to go for kids, the choke should be tender enough to eat in its entirety. Test it out before releasing the kids on it.
  
  
• Seasoning - MetaBoy is much more inclined to eat if he gets to sprinkle even the smallest amount of salt on his food. Other sprinkles that rev up his appetite: paprika (fun color, mild flavor), lemon, and lime.
  
  
• Mini Food - Maybe it's just me, but I love mini food. I've found loads of wonderful mini vegetables at the farmers' market (e.g., mini zucchini, mini potatoes, mini squash, micro carrots...so small they make me wince with delight). I love to saute them all together and serve with something grilled (e.g., chicken, fish). But so many foods can be mini...pasta, sandwiches, cheese. If possible, just cut a larger food down to size and, depending on your kid, say (1) "isn't the food cute!!" or (2) "wow, you're a giant!!"

To be completely honest, these are just a few ideas to shake things up. Meals can get boring sometimes, so it's fun to introduce novelty. I've found the best tool with MetaBoy to be persistence. He may have a healthy appetite, but he's refused food in the past. My standard line is if you don't finish what's on your plate, I will assume you are not hungry, so you will not get anything else. I try to take his degree of hunger and level of cooperation into consideration, though. If he's eaten well at lunch, he doesn't necessarily have to eat that much at dinner to be full. In that case, as long as he eats a reasonable amount, I'm happy. He also has to try everything on his plate, even if he thinks he won't like it. He usually finds that he does like it. (We then stifle an "I told you so.") I might even chime in with "if you eat a bit, I'll eat a bite," which works for a couple of bites.

The biggest thing, in my book, is that I never make him a special meal just because he will not eat what we're eating. Once he started to eat non-mashed food, he ate the same food we ate. My take on it is that once he knows he can get a different meal out of me, he'll play that card every time. And if there's nothing wrong with our food, what's stopping him from eating it other than sheer stubbornness? They learn so fast, after all.

These days, he asks for a treat after every meal. Of course, that could be anything from fruit to a cookie. I think MetaDaddy's trying to convince him that leftover baby potatoes with a sprinkle of salt are just as good as a cookie. To be fair, to MetaDaddy, it is ;-)

Toddler Lunches Lead to...

I've been on the hunt for preschools for MetaBoy. Ugh!! More on that later.

In my search, I've discovered that I will likely have to send him off to school with a lunch. And while that prospect of getting everyone up and out by 8:30 is daunting, the threat of having to do that while providing him with a nutritious yet yummy lunch is...GASP!!

So, I've been looking around for hints and ideas. And it struck me. I didn't think I'd be doing this so early. I didn't think I'd have to be making him a lunch to have away from me until he was at least 5, possibly later. He's not even 3 yet, and here I am debating pasta salads. We're getting ready to send him off to have a daily meal away from me. I thought I'd have had more time to enjoy all of his meals :-o

Then, it occurred to me that in the not too distant future, I'll be sending MetaGirl off to her little classes with her little lunches.

It's all just to much to bear. We're practically empty nesters!!

At which point MetaDaddy pulled me back into reality by reminding me that we've only really had one hour of quiet away from the two. We couldn't be anything farther from empty nesters.

Touche.

But still.

*Sigh*

Ron Clark Academy

The kids from the Ron Clark Academy are back in the news are back in the news because they'll be performing at next week's inauguration.

I just think that the excitement about politics expressed by kids of this age is wonderful. Unfortunately, now I can't get that song out of my head.

Ron Clark Academy: You Can Vote However You Like

Geography Refresher

Annoyingly, I found I couldn't mentally place a couple of states this past week. So, I decided to search for a map online. Even better, I found a little U.S. geography quiz, along with various other geographical quizzes that have worked to sharpen my world geography. It's amazing how much I've forgotten! And it's amazing how unfamiliar I am with Eastern Europe. I'll have to take the quiz every so often as a refresher...since we won't be doing any serious travel for a while.

World Geography Quizzes

More U.S. Kids Growing Up Bilingual

I heard a piece on the radio today:
More U.S. kids growing up bilingual

Someone mentioned Language Lizard as a good source for dual language books, as well as audio books of stories in other languages. And if you're looking for a good reason to teach your kids a second language, how about this: research shows that it helps stave off dementia in later years.

Best to start 'em young!!

I still talk to MetaBoy in Spanish, though admittedly not as continuously as I'd like. We do try to get in a book in Spanish most days. His current choice is Ocho Monitos (Eight Monkeys). He definitely learns at a greater pace these days. However, given his greater exposure to English, with some Spanish thrown in for good measure, understanding him can be a bit challenging. It doesn't help that he is now listening to and repeating what he hears on the radio. One day, I caught him saying "get up, stand up." I only realized what he was saying when I heard Bob Marley in the background on the radio.

Mo Willems Captions

Do you know Mo Willems? He wrote Knuffle Bunny (a MetaToddler favorite) and the Pigeon books after winning 6 Emmys for his writing for Sesame Street.

Needless to say, he knows funny. He knows kids, too, but that's another post.

He's teamed up with NPR's All Things Considered for a caption contest. He drew and captioned four cartoons, but anyone can take a look and submit a caption of their own. It's cute and fun, so go on and check it out if you're looking for a few minutes of amusement :-)

My Italian Toddler

MetaToddler's speech is regressing. He went from being close to pronouncing a few words correctly (in English) to making them sound just that little bit more Italian.

Actual word --> Former Pronunciation --> Current Pronunciation

Down --> Dow --> Downah
Green --> Geen --> Geenah
Spoon --> Pooh --> Poonah
Brown --> Bwow --> Bwownah

I don't even speak to him in Italian. I speak to him in Spanish. Where's the Spanish?!?

I shutter to think of what's next. Greek? German? Swahili?

PhotoStory Friday: OCD in the Making

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I've probably mentioned a few little OCD habits I have. I chalk it up to being a Virgo, but others chalk it up to my being slightly anal. Eh, whatever. So I love my label maker. And I live and die by my lists. We all have our quirks :-)

But is it innate or learned?

MetaToddler was in his class, and with all the toys out to play, guess what he chose to do?



Yes, he lined those up...all by himself.

Parents Say the Darndest Things

Things we never quite thought we'd say.

"No, you can't have any wine. Or beer."
--In general, I don't think either of us thought we'd be limiting anyone's alcohol intake. Especially for a toddler. What is it about MetaDaddy's glass that looks so much more enticing than his own?

"Take your shoe out of your mouth."
--Daily.

"Are you stinky?"
--Do I really have to break this one down?

"Take the bird out of your mouth."
--They're life-sized wooden birds. He calls them "bee bee" (birdie) in that high pitched voice. He kisses them. He loves them. Sometimes, he loves them too much.

"A clue! A clue!!"
--Blue's Clues. And no, not just around the toddler.

I'm sure your every day life is different to ours. Any fun moments?

Bubble Blowing Booby Trap

As a toddler mommy, I exposed a fatal flaw today. We went to visit a friend who had a bottle of soap for blowing bubbles. I tried to blow some, and I failed. I mean, nothing was happening, besides splooshing suds on myself. And by on myself, I mean on the belly, the most prominent part of my current self.

BTW, I do not recommend this look. Well, unless you're pregnant, cuz that's the only time it will ever, ever be completely overlooked. So guys, you're out of luck here. That said, you don't have to endure labor. Who won that one?

Ya, I thought so.

So tonight at bath time, I took out a bottle of bubbles that I've put off opening. Obviously, I've been avoiding it for a reason. But now, I was on a mission.

Failure.

Failure.

Failure.

Ah, but wait...

I eventually got the blowing pressure better and started to get a few bubbles out. Small, but I'm not picky. MetaToddler was really, really patient because (1) he was exhausted and (2) he loves bubbles. If anything, he was trying to take the wand from me because...well, he makes better bubbles than I do. But hey, that's cool. One day someone will ask "did you teach that champion bubble blower how to blow bubbles," and I'll proudly say "no, he's just naturally fabulous."

In the meantime, I'll work on blowing more bubbles. Or learn to feign wrist pain and pass the wand on to MetaDaddy. Or buy some idiot-proof wand so we can actually enjoy the summery sunshine.

If you have any tips for the bubble impaired, please share. I've read around and figured this is a start.

Around the Internet

How to Trick the Autoflush Toilet Sensor in Public Restrooms - As potty training time approaches, stuff like this looms over me. So. Very. Scared.

Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit—And You Should Too - Such a clever idea. Bribe potential employees to see if they really care about the job. I'm all for anything that provides me, the customer, with better customer service. And Zappos...they're pretty good.

Whiten Your Teeth with Strawberries - Ah, strawberry season.

Big Feet PJs - Oh, if it wasn't too late for mother's day, I'd be all over these. Besides, they don't really do maternity sizing, so I'm not sure they'd work out right now.

Santa Monica: The Good, the Bad, and the Diva

Santa Monica's great, when it isn't being an overpopulated diva.

Things that have bugged me recently:

• I went tour a preschool. A person in our group asked "I was told to come do the tour because we're trying to get pregnant. At what point can I actually apply?" Apparently, getting on the wait list in utero is not uncommon.
• I parked on a street where the sign said something like *no parking from 7-2, except by permit.* This isn't uncommon. It's to discourage people from parking overnight unless they're residents. Well, that's how I read it, anyway. It turns out that it was 7AM to 2AM. WTF?!? Why not just say "No Parking." That's what they mean. I mean, who's going to park there from 2AM until 7AM? So, ya...I got a ticket. I'm not the first, and I'm not the last. It's how the city makes the gagillion dollars that it uses to fund the meter maids.
  
• The local community college has a public parent & me swim class. It's a nice idea, except there are 40 spots for thousands of interested residents. At least that's what the most unhelpful employee told me. He couldn't have cared less about my questions, nor about my application. Apparently, just submitting the thing was an exercise in futility.
• How much does an annual membership for a family membership to the YMCA cost in other places? Here? $900.

But on the bright side, cherries are in season at the farmers' market. The season is essentially mothers' day to fathers' day. And the peaches...oh, the peaches are marvelous. I haven't had a nectarine since last July, and I've been jonesing for one like you wouldn't believe. It turns out it was absolutely worth the wait.

And I heard on the radio the other day that the wait list for getting a pothole fixed in the city of Los Angeles is about 85 years. I kid you not. Here, if I call and complain about a street lamp on the blink, pothole, or any similar problem, it's usually fixed within a week. Big difference!!

Still, ugh.

MetaToddler Update

Went to the L.A. Zoo. He must have had a great time since even the extreme heat (~100F) didn't dampen his spirits. We saw elephants, gorillas, flamingos, and baa...um, I mean sheep. We didn't go around the whole zoo because it was too hot and I was melting. Besides, we bought a one-year membership, so we'll just pop on over every now and then to assure value for money. The kid loves animals!!

Guess who has a favorite new word. "Uh oh." He was in his crib settling for his nap, and the hiccups started. After every hiccup, "uh oh." We went to make photocopies of a book, and every time the machine scanned the page with it's green light, "uh oh." It got kind of old after 50 pages. Every time something drops, spills, or tumbles, "uh oh." It's still relatively cute, but...well...I can see it getting old soon.

Good old eagle-eye can spot a plane way in the distance, and that usually elicits a reaction. Much like his daddy. He loves signing "plane." MetaToddler, that is.

Besides salmon, which excites him well more than chocolate or other sweet thing, his current favorite food is this quinoa salad. I can't blame him. It's really quite tasty.

He won't say hi, or anything else to anyone that he's not pretty comfortable with. He will, however, say "bye bye." He'll say it to me, MetaDaddy, stuffed dolls, lamps, chairs, the car, fire trucks, strangers, and so on.

I send MetaDaddy messages every now and then on Yahoo IM. MetaToddler now calls the computer "da."

He knows how to sign "down," and it's his current favorite spoken and signed word. The minute we walk into his room in the morning or after his nap, "down." The minute we stop the car, the backseat driver says "down."

A True Irish Lad

How do we know MetaToddler's got Irish blood?

• When we ask him to say "da da," he says "da." As in "where's me da?" If you can't quite imagine it, just imagine Colin Farrel saying it.
  
  
• MetaDaddy loves fish, but salmon rules in his kingdom. In fact, his entire family would happily eat salmon for three meals on any given day. When we've all gone out to dinner, you can tell those not in the original nuclear family because we're the only ones not eating salmon. It's truly entertaining.
  
  So MetaDaddy has some salmon spread that he eats on toast, and he's occasionally given some to our lad. One day, he gave him some, and MetaToddler started signing "more fish." He was not told it was salmon, just bread. But he knew. Oh, he knew. And the other day, we had salmon for dinner. It was wild (translation: pretty expensive), so I didn't get much. We gave him a bit, and he was ravenous to get more. He LOVED it!!
  
  
• Fire engines in Ireland wail "mee maw, mee maw" when they're on route to an emergency call. MetaToddler now calls fire engines and other emergency vehicles "mee maw."
  
  
• When daddy has a beer, guess who wants a taste?
  

Life as Art

Sometimes, shopping is hard. MetaToddler was in a rather emotional mood today, but was a bit better after his nap and a snack. In a moment of...oh, I don't know...lunacy?...we went shopping. But we didn't go to Trader Joe's or some random mall. We went to Lakeshore. We went to a toy store.

He'd pick things up, put them down. Ignored me when convenient, acquiesced when indifferent. "Come here, have you seen this?" That usually got his attention. "Ooo...stuff I haven't seen!!" He'd scamper over curiously. Early on, he picked up something shaped like a shopping bag with a handle, and proceeded to carry it through most of the store. Until, that is, he came to a little play area. Ugh...that was our downfall. After a while, I had to tear him away crying. And it was nothing special. A sofa, chair, table, and plastic food, all of which he has ignored in the past. You just never know with an emotional toddler.

Oh well. We needed some paint supplies for him and a birthday gift for a friend. We got both. The paint supplies is a scary topic. I'm afraid to let him paint at home, so we've only done it in classes so far. But it's gotta happen eventually. He's gotta do all that "art" stuff. So, I got some paint, a set of no-spill jars & paintbrushes, and an apron. They carry several easels ranging from $29.99 for a tabletop version to $149.00 for a "Mobile Art Center." I'm going to check out IKEA first because they carry an easel for $19.99 and a 130 foot roll of drawing paper for $6.99. Of course, I'll need something to protect the floor. We don't have any sheets that I'm ready to part with, so I'll likely pick up a nice, heavy cotton drop cloth used by painters. I don't like plastic, PVC, or vinyl floor protectors as they're not environmentally friendly.

So, I hope he's in a better mood tomorrow. Much to do :-)