SuburbanDaddy

There are two types of parents: those who give their kids bad stuff to make their own lives easier, and those who say they don’t.

Here are some of the things I know may not be the greatest for kids, but I am very thankful for them.

Wii
Car DVD players
Oreos
Ice cream
Oreo ice cream
Nintendo DS
Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies
Wii
Angry Birds
Chuck E Cheese
Chicken Nuggets
Microwavable Mac N Cheese
Fruit snacks
McDonalds Happy Meals
Looney Tunes
French fries
And did I mention Wii?

Thing 4 is a great sleeper. At two years old she actually asks to go to bed when she’s tired, usually just before 8pm, and the bedtime routine is literally 30 seconds. It’s a nice contrast with Thing 3 whose bedtime routine can take 30 minutes.

There is one slight problem, though, with Thing 4’s otherwise good sleeping habits. She wakes up at 5am. Every day. And she isn’t the type to snuggle in bed, watch a show, and wake up slowly. No, at 5 o’clock she is ready to go go go. And she is loud, which wakes her brothers up.

As I write this, it’s 8:30am on a Saturday and we’ve been up for three and a half hours. I’m all out of play ideas for the day.

And so, I’m ready for what could turn out to be a major mistake. I just brought up the big girl bed from the basement.

With the boys, we waited as long as possible before letting them out of their cage crib. And then it was a long adjustment to get them to stay put at bedtime.

So this could turn out to be a huge mistake with Thing 4. But at this point I’m willing to try anything. What’s the worst that can happen?

Children have a wonderful curiosity about the world around them. And, like a typical 4 year old, there is no end to Thing 3’s curiosity.

And there is no end to his questions. From the moment he wakes until he finally drifts off to sleep, there is a constant stream of talking and questions.

Sometimes, he gets into what I call The Zone. It seems to happen when he’s in a good mood. There will be a flurry of random, curious, imaginative, unrelated questions and it will be impossible to keep a straight face.

Here is a sampling of The Zone from today. These were all said within just a few minutes. And these are just the ones we could remember afterwards.

Mommy, will you go to India with me?

Mommy, are we going to watch boxing?

Mommy, can I go inside a volcano?

Mommy, where do astronauts go after outer space?

Mommy, when does the library open?

Mommy, how do you play hockey?

Thing 3: Mommy, can I climb the beanstalk up to the clouds with a giant?

SuburbanMommy: Sure. Do you know any giants?

Thing 3: Eli Manning!

Oh. And Thing 3 also likes to put fruit snacks on his face. Why? He says he is being Yoshi. No, it doesn’t make any sense. Except to Thing 3.

Presidents Day means a day off from school and work. Well, a day away from the office at least. There is plenty of work.

We spent the afternoon bowling with SuburbanCousins. Followed by Sweet Frog frozen yogurt by the pound. And finally an impromptu game of freeze tag in the somewhat mild February weather.

We had a Disney first today. No, not that Disney first. I’m nowhere near ready for Disney World with the 4 Things, although I am sure that day will come. No, today we experienced our first Disney On Ice.

It was a milestone in that we took all four kids to the event. We rarely do anything that involves the entire family. It’s usually divide and conquer planned around nap schedule.

The day went well. Thing 3 probably enjoyed it the most. Thing 1 was too busy eating donuts and cotton candy and popcorn to notice he was watching Disney characters and not a sporting event.

Thing 4 was very squirmy and didn’t want to stay seated, but all things considered she was well behaved. Again, the donuts didn’t hurt.

And this is what Thing 3 looks like, wearing his Mickey Mouse crown that comes free with a $12 cotton candy, after a 2 hour ride home because it took 45 minutes to get out of the parking garage and we had to stop at SuburbanUncle’s house so Thing 3 could go potty.

You know the expression What do you have in there? Rocks?

Well, in the case of Thing 3, the answer would be yes.

This is what I pulled from his coat pocket today. He said he was collecting “treasures”. Tomorrow, when he finds out his treasures are gone, I’m sure he will pick up some new ones. I can’t wait.

It reminds me of the movie The Shawshank Redemption. It may take him a few years, but Thing 3 is digging his way out of preschool.

Thing 2 is anxiously awaiting his first visit from the tooth fairy tonight. Let’s hope she doesn’t get too tired tonight and forget like when Thing 1 lost a tooth.