Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Well, despite my best efforts we were unable to secure e-tickets to the White House Easter Egg Roll (or "eggroll tickets" as they've become known in our house). I won't dwell on the fact that on-line tickets seemed like a good idea, how it beats getting up before dawn to stand in the rain for hours, or how it seems like we as a society should have figured out how to run an effective ticketing website that doesn't crash repeatedly. Maybe next year.

So, we headed out to Great Country Farms after soccer today for their Marshmallow Harvest and Easter Egg Hunt. I thought the marshmallow harvest idea seemed kind of hokey until I roasted a freshly "picked" marshmallow, bringing back memories of ooey gooey tasty goodness. Emily seemed to enjoy "harvesting" the peeps growing on nearby bushes and "cooking" them over the campfire. She was especially thrilled to eat what she called "candy" before lunch.

After lunch, we met the Easter Bunny and "hunted" for eggs. Ah, preschool egg hunts--more like egg pick-ups. I think the parents were more interested in filling the baskets than the kids were. We probably all have something to learn from these kids, stopping at each egg to examine its color and give it a shake before putting it in the basket. No one even seemed to notice it had been raining all day.

Rainy Day Fun

For a rainy weekend, we actually got a lot done. Saturday was Emily's first soccer "class" so we had a first class breakfast on the way there -- drive thru McDonald's eaten at Chick-fil-a. (How's that for compromise?) We picked up a few plants for the yard, and Emily fell asleep on the way home. During her nap I picked up all the sticks in the front yard and planted the new flowers on the stoop. I soon began to rain, and didn't really stop for the rest of the weekend, but after nap we headed back out to pick up dry cleaning, drop off library books, and hit the grocery store. (Pretty much summarizing most weekends around here.)

I had planned to spend today at home--cleaning. Where's the fun in that? I did manage to get three toilets, two sinks, a shower, and the kitchen floor scrubbed. Caught up on dishes, and Andy finished the laundry and vacuumed.

So, Emily and I had a lunch date at the mall. What ever did we do before mall play areas? She had a blast sliding down the tree trunk and climbing on giant alphabet blocks. Then we went to see the fish at LL Bean. She loves to point out the catfish; the others are "goldfish," though they aren't gold and I'm pretty sure they're some kind of bass. We had a lovely "lady's" luncheon at Nordstrom Cafe where all the kids' food groups are represented on the menu: mac and cheese, pizza, chicken fingers, fruit and cheese plate.

I'm on wheels!

I have no idea what she meant, but Emily was yelling, "I'm on wheels!" over and over again as she raced through the house in only her pull-up on Sunday night. She was in a particularly fiesty mood. She didn't want to do anything that might please me: eat dinner, sit on the potty, put on pajamas, move her toys back to the playroom, etc. We finally had to tell her that she was missing her favorite shows with all of her shenanigans--the longer it continued, the more TV time ticked away (it goes pretty quickly when you only see a half hour a day). I think the message finally sunk in when she was down to a single episode of Caillou. She was better tonight, but we've got to do something before we end up with a kid with an exaggerated sense of entitlement.

I've read that taking things away is not effective for toddlers -- the key is earning privileges rather than losing them. So, I'm thinking I've got to start some kind of reward chart. This led me to simplemom.net, which has a pretty cool downloadable chore chart. I'm debating whether to wrap potty training into the chart too or whether that'd just be too much for Emily to understand. Andy and I might start charts for ourselves too with stickers for working out, picking up, and washing dishes. I've been looking for some local art for my walls lately, maybe this is just the ticket!

Gearing up for four days on

I vaguely remember the days when a four-day weekend meant four days off work, days to do what I wanted without being bothered by tasking from others. During this BC (before child) era, I also left work each day in the early evening and didn't go back until the morning. I remember looking forward to "my" time. I now joke with single co-workers when I leave in the evening that I'm heading off to my other job -- one that's paid in "sugars" and "big hugs." (In any market, an investment with a much higher yield.)

I must confess, though, I look toward this long weekend with a bit of trepidation. Four whole days in a row with a toddler, and it's COLD outside. I think part of the problem is that this toddler is accustomed to a complex, structured day -- yoga on Mondays, music on Wednesdays, nap routines, puppet shows, breakfast/lunch/snack carefully timed, play time, craft time, reading time, potty time. I can't compete with that. I simply can't bear the thought of staying home for four whole days. I feel like I should have a lesson plan -- or at least a stockpile of craft supplies.