How do you make love?

I was reading Jory a book tonight about giving a gift for Mom for Mothers Day. At the end of the book the boy gives his mother a box full of kisses filled with love. As I am finishing up the book, of course Jory knows the ending because I have read it to him a thousand times already, he asks me a question.

"How do you make love?"

Now this is not a question I was prepared to answer with a 5 year old and certainly not tonight. Of course my mind is thinking that I have to come up with something quite good to hold him over until he asks me again.

To my relief he tells me that love is hearts. You give hearts for love. Then he asks me if I know how to make love. Do "I" know what? Oh god, my heart was dropping. Then he asks if I know how to make love in a toaster.

A toaster? I asked him how?

"You take a long wooden stick and put a strawberry on it and put it in the toaster. Then it makes a spark and that makes love."

Phewww.

I guess that was better than him asking how he got in my belly to grow and how did he get out. And how did Mira get out of my belly. Oh, the questions.

Happy Valentine's Day

Nothing like a little heart shaped lollipop to start off a birthday party day!

Class of...

The SCSD (Syosset Central School District) sends out newsletters every couple of months with blurbs and accomplishments about the neighborhood schools.  Here is the opening paragraph of the Kindergarten Registration Reminder:

Syosset School Disctrict resident children who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2009 are entitled to begin kindergarten in September 2009.  These children will form the Syosset High School graduating class of 2022.

Wait, what?!  I guess I just never saw it written that way.  Well, I graduated in 92, so I guess we're right on schedule.

3 am body parts check

The other night started out very quiet and calm. The kids went to sleep with not much of a fight and Ryan and I were able to watch American Idol off the Tivo undisturbed. We were looking forward to a full night of peaceful sleep. I hear whining coming from Mira's room. Then crying and after that was screaming. This is when I mutter words of dislike to my offspring and she just screams my name. "MOMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY!" I look at my clock, 3 a.m. "Ugh!" is all I could say.

I crawl out of my very warm and comfy bed with a very big, fat cat sleeping soundly above my head. She keeps screaming until I open her door and then suddenly silence. She looks at me and smiles, says a few unrecognizable words and then I pick her up to sit in the rocking chair. This time she did NOT want to sit with me.

As soon as I turned towards the chair she pointed with a fierce determination to the door and yelled "Da-yee!" So, she wanted her daddy and I was in no mood to argue with her. I brought her to our bed and plopped her on my beloved. She was wide awake and I think the two of us were hoping the other would watch her while we slept. She would have none of that! She likes to lay on her mommy. She requested her favorite friend Elmo a few times but the answer was NO. Then she decided that she was going to inspect her parents. Maybe she was trying to make sure we were the same ones she had before going to bed. She squeezed Daddy's nose. Yup! Still there. She touched her own and then came over to mommy. Nose: Check! Then she went onto the other parts she knows. Ears: Check, check and check! We all had those, too. Eyes, mouth, teeth and whatever else she could find. By then we were a bit baffled and even more exhausted.

When she was done checking the parent figures out, she insisted on getting out of the bed. So I put her down on the floor to see where she would go. I was figuring she was going to lead me to her room to read her a gazillion books or to the kitchen for another cup or a snack. I was even thinking for a brief moment that she may try to go to the den to see if Elmo was possibly available there. Nope. She bolted straight for big brothers room. I have never seen her walk so fast to get somewhere. I could have been so tired that it seemed faster than it really was but she was, once again, determined.

Oh no! We do not bother Jory when he sleeps. She was not happy that Jory's door was shut and not to be opened. It did take a gazillion books before she stopped checking all my parts once again and back to sleep.

Disrobed

Today is a pretty busy day for me. I have a ton of calls and appointments to make as well as cleaning up breakfast and some major laundry projects need to be done or no one will have clothes to wear by the middle of the week. After I got home from dropping Jory off at his first day back to school after a long vacation and running some errands, I decided to put Mira in front of a Sesame Street so I can get things done. Of course she is happy as a pig in poop, so I know she is fine.

After a few phone calls and unloading and loading the dishwasher I get a visit from the little princess. She is happy and chatty and of course asking me for a cup and a cookie. You would think nothing of it. I turn around and I see this:


Then when she turned around to find me, I asked her, "What happened to your clothes?" and this is what she does:

There is never a dull moment here. Now I am beginning to wonder what Elmo is teaching her.

The grass is always greener...

A couple of weeks ago we had a few days, maybe weeks, where eating was a battle with Mira. She would refuse to eat everything and anything that was on her plate unless it was a potato chip or something chocolate. (Yes, I think it's a little too early for PMS indulgences). So in my frustration, I decided that if she wasn't going to eat dinner, I wasn't going to try. After potatoes and chicken pieces went flying across the room, I took her out of the highchair and told her to go play. She went right over to her Daddy, who just a few minutes before we sat down for dinner walked in from work. Its so nice to see that she wanted to be with him. She insisted on sitting on his lap. We knew this from her persistent grunting and squealing. She finally got what she wanted, Daddy's lap. It turns out that it wasn't HER dinner she wanted.

Daddy's Dinner from Randi Shapiro on Vimeo.

It's Hanukkah Time

It's that time of year and Jory's school has a special show for the mommy's and daddy's. This year they made themselves little candles and sang a bunch of Hanukah songs just for us. Our little pride and joy was the star of the show. He sang so wonderfully, we are going to sign him up for American Idol! (...just kidding)

School Hanukkah Party from Randi Shapiro on Vimeo.