Smacksy Sunday Link: The Timer

We limit the TV watching time for our son Bob to no more than an hour a day. This was cause for some rough negotiations with the guy who “needed” to watch just a few more minutes of The Wiggles/Yo Gabba Gabba/Barney/Teletubbies/Thomas the Tank Engine/Toot and Puddle/Rev. Al Green Performing Live (Tivo’d) on the Grammy’s .

After months of tears and pleading (Bob), and threats and whining (me), I tried a new tactic that has been working beautifully. My new BFF: The Timer. When Bob sits down to watch a show, we set our kitchen timer for 20 minutes and when the bell rings, it’s time to turn the TV off. For some reason this seems reasonable to Bob and he will alert us that, “It ringed!” and move on to another activity. The 20 minute time frame allows for 2 more TV viewings at other times in the day but mostly, we never get to them.

After employing our new timer method for over a month now, it’s still holding up. Since then, we have only had cause to buy one new timer after the old one mysteriously ended up in the toilet.

I’m finding out that the timer idea is nothing new, just new to me. I found this post on www.wellgroundedlife.com. It has some great ideas using the timer for maximizing productivity and staying focused and other things you shouldn’t be worrying about until after the weekend.

Happy Sunday.

Potty Training Day 10: A One Act

It's day 10 and counting. Bob’s got the pee pee in the potty thing down. He lets us know when he’s got to go. He occasionally checks in to let us know when he doesn’t have to go, just to keep us in the pee pee loop. He will tell people behind us in line at Von's, "I'm dry!" He has even conquered his fear of public restrooms. (We’re still working on mine.) Lots of progress in the pees department, yet poops in the potty, are proving to be more elusive.

DAY 10

(4:15 PM. BOB and our dog DAISY are playing in the backyard. I enter the backyard from the house.)

ME

Hi guys. What are you doing?

BOB

(Running to greet ME)
Mama! I had a poo poo outside!

ME

You did? Oh no. Where did you do that?

BOB

(points to a small smear on the concrete)
Here!

ME

There's nothing there. Where's your poo poo?

BOB

It's in Daisy's tummy!

END SCENE

All the Beasts of the Field

I am absolutely not immune to the anxious, worried, first time parent thing. By “not immune” I mean I am an anxious, worried, first time parent. I frequently (constantly) check the developmental charts to determine how our son measures up. I understand that every child develops at his own rate and that average ages for developmental milestones vary from kid to kid but I like to know where he’s landing within the spectrum. I also know that I am a little insane in this area and resisted the urge to call the pediatrician when Bob still hadn’t mastered the use of a straw at 28 months. Like everything else, it happened. Eventually. When he was ready.

Bob is a sweet, smart, happy, guy so it took some real effort to find something to be concerned about. Last summer, I decided to start worrying about what I perceived as Bob’s lack of imagination. Bob enjoys facts. He likes to know the names of things. “What is that building called? What is that truck called? “What is that bird called?”

At a little over 2 years old, he went about systematically memorizing the names of the continents, the planets, the streets between the market and our house, the 7 wonders of the ancient world and, the countries on the globe. (Djibouti is his favorite. It’s fun to say Djibouti.)

As crazy advanced as Bob’s memory was, I worried that he did not seem capable of make-believe. I became somewhat (completely) fixated on the fact that he was not interested in naming his stuffed animals, but rather wanted to know their “real” names. When I told him that they did not have names yet and that he could name them anything he wanted, he stared at me exasperated, “No mama. What are they called?”

He was unwilling to create names for his toys and we weren't going to do it for him so, by default, they were known as black dog, small bunny, big bunny and the like. He was suspicious of me and annoyed that I wouldn’t just tell him the big sheep’s real name.

Fast forward to the beginning of this year. My mom received a small, plush, white pony from her bank as a gift for opening a new account. My mom gave the pony to Bob who loved it immediately and carried it through the house, showing the pony around. That evening while tucking Bob in for the night, he held up his new friend and said, “Say goodnight to Wallace.”

"Kenny" and "Kenny's Dad"

"Brick"

"Getty"

"Jeez-Louise"

"Gene"

"Willy" (Jeff thinks Bob's saying "Lilly")

"Cash"

"Uncle Thomas"

Smacksy Sunday Link: Ballon Hats

Bob turned 3 earlier this month. For his birthday, we had a house full of pre-schoolers over for pizza, cupcakes, and brilliant balloon hats.
(We're bold like that.)

Addi Somekh is a balloon genius and a really nice guy. His site www.balloonhat.com has some beautiful photos and describes some of the fascinating balloon hat projects he's working on.

Happy Sunday.

Potty Training Day 3: A One-Act

The potty training continues.

8 successes. 12 messes.

5 pots of coffee. 16 Advils.

DAY 3

(BOB runs from his bedroom into the living room.)

BOB

Mama! Mama!

ME

Yes Bob?

BOB

There is a poo poo on my floor.
(Whispers)
…And it smells like a faht.


END SCENE

Potty Training Day 2: A One-Act

Day 2 of potty training.

The training is working – on me. I am being trained to ask, “Are your pants dry? Are you dry? Are you still dry? Good for you for being dry. Yay! You’re dry! How about now? Are you dry?”

I hate the sound of my own voice.

DAY 2

(11:45am. BOB is standing in the living room, playing quietly.)

ME

Are your underpants dry, buddy?

BOB

Yes.

ME

Do you need to go pee pee?

BOB

Nope.
(Beat. Sound of urine hitting the floor.)

END SCENE

Potty Training Day 1: A One Act

Bob must be potty-trained in order to start pre-school in September. He has no interest in the potty and as the pages rip from the calendar, I worry. Online, I find an e-book titled, How to Potty Train Your Child in 3 Days. $17.00. Money back guarantee. Yeah, I know. But I'm desperate.

Here we go.

Together, Bob and I throw all of the remaining diapers in the garbage. He puts on his new big boy underpants. We are to role play using the potty over and over until the magic actually happens in the potty. We must then celebrate, throw a parade, call to report the event to Bob's inner circle (daddy, grandmas, aunties), and then role play some more. We are to do this all day. For three days. In a row. Without leaving the house.

So very desperate.

DAY 1

(10:30am. BOB is sitting on his potty.)

ME

Are you going pee pee?

BOB

I want to touch your eye.

ME

Are you going?

BOB

(Poking ME in the eye repeatedly)

It’s squishy squashy.

ME

Did you pee pee?

BOB

Let’s have candy!


END SCENE

Curious George: SVU

Old-school fairy tales are terrifying. A cannibal crone has an appetite for children. A mean lady is trying to kill the nice princess. All of the moms die and are replaced by evil stepmothers. Since our son Bob is just 3 years-old, we are still trying to avoid these types of plotlines. Enter, Curious George. Bob has a deep affection for this little monkey. George is sweet and curious and likes to get into mischief, all of which I believe Bob identifies with on a personal level. George takes over a pancake breakfast. So cute! George accidentally let the baby bunny out of her cage. Adorable!

On a recent trip to the library, we checked out some vintage George books (circa late 1960s) and we were surprised with the darker, tragedy laden, C.G. experience.

Curious George Goes to the Dentist introduces the concept of going to the dentist as a frightening journey filled with toothaches, shots, and crying. Lots of crying. We also discover that nurses are young and pretty. (Dear Penthouse Forum…)

Reading Curious George Learns the Alphabet, we discover:

“Alligators will eat you if you don’t watch out.” (Don't worry honey, we don’t live in Florida.)

“Bees might sting, and that would be bad.” (Ouch!)

“Crabs can be funny, but they can also pinch you.” (Really, ouch.)

“Dinosaurs have all died out.” (Ready to explain death to a pre-schooler?)

“Never fool the fire department, or you go to jail, and that’s not fun.” (Time to explain the prison system.)

“A goldfish lives in a glass bowl and looks gay.” (And now, a lesson about homonyms.)

“The lucky lion is having a leg of lamb for lunch.” (Not so lucky for the sweet baby lamb.)

“Two roosters will start a rumpus. They really can get rough”. (Yay! Cock fighting!)

In Curious George Goes to the Hospital, George swallows a puzzle piece and is admitted into the children's ward at the hospital. He is made to drink sweet, thick barium before his x-ray, meets a boy named Dave who is having a painful blood transfusion and a girl named Betsy who doesn’t smile. When George’s friend the man in the big yellow hat goes home, “George lays in bed and cries himself to sleep.”

Sweet dreams everyone.