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Mon, Mar 31, 2008 9:30 AM
Steve and I were invited to a dinner party on Saturday night. Earlier that day, he and Katie and I were out running errands. I had showered but not really "dressed"; I was in workout pants, a tank top, and a pullover hoodie with my glasses and no make-up. While walking with me in Target, Katie abruptly stopped, concerned. Looking me up and down, she said, "Lure wearing dat to da pawrty tonight?" I assured her that no, I would be getting changed into different clothes. But apparently that wasn't enough for her: "Djew need put on make-up, look cute," she told me as she nodded decisively.

At the dinner party, one of the other guests was talking about her daughter, Paige. (Paige is a year older than Katie, and Katie has already decided they will be seatmates on the school bus when Katie starts kindergarten in 2009. I am not kidding.) Anyway, Paige's mom made me feel a bit better about getting beauty tips from a preschooler. She said that every morning, Paige says, "OK, Mom, you're going to put on some lipstick before you get to work, right?"

Girls can be ROUGH!

Comments:
Katie H.: Makes me glad I have a boy! I can look pretty bad and I doubt he will ever care.

Sarah: I guess this is what I have to look forward to. Nothing like having a live-in fashion and beauty critic scrutinizing your every move!

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Fri, Mar 28, 2008 10:30 AM
Katie continues to enjoy helping in the kitchen. Whenever possible, I let her take ownership of a dish. Last week, we were having roasted asparagus with dinner, so I let her arrange the spears, drizzle the olive oil, and sprinkle the minced garlic. She did a great job, but she got quite a surprise when she put a SPOONFUL of the garlic in her mouth for a taste. (She spit it out rather quickly.)

Another "dish" she enjoyed preparing recently was yogurt with fruit. Normally she eats the Stonyfield Farm Yo Kids yogurts, which are pretty sweet. This time, we made our own using Greek yogurt with bananas and blueberries. She sliced her own banana and stirred everything together. I wasn't sure if she'd like the Greek yogurt (which is plain and comparatively tart), but she ate it all--probably because it was "her" recipe.

When she isn't able to contribute to the main meal, she will focus her endless energy on preparing Baby's dinner. One of Baby's favorites is mac and cheese, which Katie prepares by chopping up a cheese stick and placing it in a small bowl. She even blows on it to ensure Baby doesn't burn her tongue!

Comments:
Katie H.: I hope Casey enjoys

Sarah: I think it's cool how much you let Katie help out in the kitchen. It will serve her well in the long run, and I think it's good for kids to realize how much work goes into preparing meals!

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Thu, Mar 27, 2008 10:00 AM
A round-up of recent stories:

* To help Katie strengthen the association between individual letters and the sounds they make, I've been sounding things out when we read. For instance, when we're playing the animal book game, I'll say "buh-buh-buh-bear" so she gets the connection with "b." She seems to be "getting it," all right: The other morning she announced, "Dumding's comin' outta my hiney. Maybe a tuh-tuh-tuh-toot?!" (I could've died laughing.)

* From Steve's "This Kid's Gonna Have an Ulcer by Age Six" department... Katie still loves to watch The Sound of Music on DVD. But watching with her can be unnerving. She makes constant observations and asks all kinds of weird questions. The other day, while watching the opening sequence of Maria singing in the hills, she said, "Djee hab DJORT hair... What djee wearin' under her dress? Ohhhhh, tiiiights-iz?" She also worries excessively. For instance, she loves the early Leisl and Rolph scene, but frets about the rain. Last week, about a minute after the young lovers moved into that glass gazebo, she jerked up and said, "Oh no! Where Wolp's hat?" And then a bigger concern: "And hid bidycle?! It getting all wet!" I tried to convince her all would be fine. Sigh.

* The day before Easter, Katie suddenly started expressing wishes for what "da Eastuh Wabbit" might bring her. Her two requests: chocolate and make-up. And, fortunately, both bases were already covered. She got some 99-cent "Gossip" make-up from Target--two eye-shadow compacts, two tubs of lip balm, two lip-shaped containers of lip gloss, and two tubes of body glitter. Since Sunday, she has been playing with them in creative ways. In fact, I'm not sure what she enjoys more: putting the products on herself or organizing them into groups of two, all lined up in order on her dresser or vanity. I even found her vanity stool in the hall with the cosmetics placed in a circle around the perimter. She has also been experimenting with those lip glosses not on her lips but on her hair--like the Wonder Wax pomade that Steve uses. (Why a bald man needs $25 pomade remains a question for the ages.) It left Katie's hair looking greasy and smelling fruity.

Comments:
Kim: Oh my, that first story I can hear out of a little boys mouth but Ms. Katie - too funny! Made my night! Hope all is well with everyone!

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Sat, Mar 15, 2008 8:45 AM
For the most part, our house is no longer "child-proofed." To be honest, we really didn't do much of that to begin with. But one thing we DID do--and have left in place--are the cabinet locks that keep Katie away from the cleaning products. We aren't afraid she'll drink them. We're afraid she'll USE them.

Since she doesn't have ready access to the "real" stuff, Katie improvises with hair detangler. Almost daily, she removes all the make-up and accessories from her "banity," sprays it down with detangler, and then scrubs it clean with a washcloth.

The other night, I was working on laundry (our laundry room is upstairs, almost directly across from Katie's room). When I went into her room, I found her doing "laundry," too: She had spread several items of clothing flat on her bed and was "pre-treating stains" with her hair detangler! I chuckled when I saw her, and she said, "I ju't gettin' deez riiiiiiight out!"

She likes to organize, too. A couple of weeks ago, unbeknownst to me, she had shimmied up on to her bathroom counter. While I was tidying up upstairs, she completely reorganized her own medicine cabinet. It looked pretty good, too! Of course, I couldn't resist turning one item just a hair so the logo would show. But I was immediately corrected: "I don't wan' it like DAT!" And back it went to its original position... (Pardon me!)

Comments:
Aunt Peggy: Sounds like she has some of the Stivers side in her. Part Gran, Part Aunt Lynda and part Me (not me as as peggy, me as in grandmother)

Kevin W: Cleaning AND organizing! Are you sure this isn't Sarah you're talking about?

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Thu, Mar 13, 2008 2:30 PM
A few stories before I forget:

* Katie cut her own "tonytails" for the first time the other night. She is precise and careful--not like me. (I often draw blood.)

* We have no idea where she got the idea, but last week Katie made a "joke" about how Baby (her alter ego) ate dirty-diaper ice cream. Mmm... It's quite a visual, isn't it?

* One afternoon last week, I just wasn't in the mood to cook. So when Steve made his customary call on his way home, I said I wanted to go out to eat. When I asked Katie her opinion, her face lit up as she said, "We don't go to Longhorn lonnnnnng while!" When I mentioned Longhorn to Steve, he objected, saying he preferred something quick and easy (read: cheap). But then Katie objected to his objection: "No! I want go re'taruant, dit down, ORDUH!" (She is NOT a fan of fast food, even places like Panera Bread or Chipotle. She wants bonafide service.) When I tried to persuade Katie to consider a "non-restaurant," she just waggled her hand for the phone, and said, "Lemme talk-a him." Pacing in and out of the dining room, she persistently made her case. I truly wish I'd had a video camera to record her facial expressions and vocal tone during the "negotiation." I could only hear one side of the conversation, but Steve told me he made a pitch for IHOP (fast and cheap but with servers), and she rejected that. Then somehow they decided on Ruby Tuesday, but then I proposed Outback, and they both jumped at the chance to visit Danielle. And that's where we went and "dat" down to "ORDUH."

Comments:
Katie H.: I would have held out for Outback too. It's a personal favorite! Can anyone say bloomin' onion?

Sarah: A girl has to have her standards and stick to them!

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Tue, Mar 4, 2008 4:45 PM
Last Friday we had an incident that Paw-Paw has dubbed “Pajamagate.”

As regular readers know, we’re having some challenges with Katie’s listening (or lack thereof). We’re trying to praise her when she DOES listen, and when she doesn’t, we're trying to enforce a rapid, meaningful consequence. On Friday—the 100th Day of School celebration AND “Pajama Day”—Katie came into the bathroom while I was showering and removed my towel to the bedroom. When I stepped out of the shower—naked, wet, and cold, as you can imagine—I called for her to bring it back in. No response. I called a tad more loudly to make sure she could hear me. She could, but she was laughing instead of helping. I waited another 30 seconds or so and then walked into the bedroom and said, “Katie, either bring the towel to me now, or you will not wear pajamas to school today.” I walked back to the bathroom and waited.

Now, I wouldn’t want to wear my pajamas in public, but Pajama Day is a HUGE deal for Katie and her classmates. Even so, she didn’t comply. So I went back in the bedroom, finally took my towel back from her and told her she would not be participating in the special event. Of course, she started to cry and protest, but I just dried myself off and went into her room to put the selected pair of PJs back in her drawer. She followed me in, crying pitifully. I told her to choose a regular outfit and get dressed, and I went back to my room to do the same.

I was afraid she might be a wisenheimer and put on pajamas, anyway, but she didn’t. She chose a white Henley shirt, a pair of pink fleece sweatpants, and her red sparkly shoes. She was upset but generally subdued. At one point she said, “Why I can’t wear my ‘jamas ta goo?” and later “warned” me: “Tori not gon’ be happy I not wearin’ ‘jamas ta goo.” When we arrived at school, all her friends and teachers were dressed in their PJs and slippers.

When I picked her up from school, she didn’t say anything, and I let it drop, as well. It wasn’t until bedtime—when she was putting on her pajamas—that I said, “Did a lot of the kids wear their pajamas to school today?” She whimpered sadly, “Le-ah.” I said, “Did you?” And she whimpered again, “No-oo.” When I said, “How come?”—hoping to have a very brief discussion about her behavior and the consequences—her face lit up and she said, “I don’t know… Why?” Then she smirked and shrugged her shoulders and said, “Miss Tammy day dey [meaning her clothes] look like ‘jamas, anyway” and went about her business.

I immediately dropped it and felt a bit defeated…until Saturday morning when I was taking my shower and opened the door to find Katie smiling, arms outstretched with a gift: “Here lure towel, Mommy!!!”

Comments:
Sarah: Way to follow through! It must have been hard, but I'm sure she'll be better off in the long run. Sounds like you got through to her afterall.

Marbara: Good for you, Susan! And ultimately good for Katie, too!

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