Monday, May 16, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Procrastimaster
No, this is not a new piece of exercise equipment.
It's Hana's new nickname. And it is well-earned! I have never seen a human being master the art of procrastination with such subtlety and grace that you don't even notice it happening until it's too late and you are caught in its web.
New bedtime procrastination strategies include the following:
1) The Blanket Switch Up Routine. "No I want the other blanket. No the other one. No not that one, the green one! Mommy, can you get the blanket that's in the living room?"
2) The 'Drown Me in Milk' Approach. This involves drinking all her milk and asking for more. And more. And more.
3) Kiss Me, Hug Me. This one is the most mischievous and manipulative, because who can say no to a sweet request for a kiss or a hug?
4) Stories, Stories, Stories. We can no longer just read a story. Each page is accompanied by all kinds of questions and commentary. "Mommy why is the baby crying? Is the mommy going to pick the baby up? I think the baby's sad. She's crying. What's that (pointing to something)? What's that? What's that? Is that the baby's bed?" And on, and on, and on.
5) Just One More. This is the strategy of last resort and applies to #1-4 above. Just one more book, one more kiss, one more hug, one more whatever. Often it's a clearly desperate attempt to come up with just one more thing she can do to avoid bed - turn out the light, put the baby in the chair, put the shirt in the laundry, brush her teeth again - whatever last straw she can grasp at, she'll go for it. This one is the most insidious because while you are in the process of saying no, and explaining why, she's already moved on to 'just one more' of something else, and before you know it, you've been doing that for 5 minutes - Hana asking for 'just one more X' and you saying 'no, not tonight, sweetie, it's night night time' over and over.
We love our little procrastimaster!
It's Hana's new nickname. And it is well-earned! I have never seen a human being master the art of procrastination with such subtlety and grace that you don't even notice it happening until it's too late and you are caught in its web.
New bedtime procrastination strategies include the following:
1) The Blanket Switch Up Routine. "No I want the other blanket. No the other one. No not that one, the green one! Mommy, can you get the blanket that's in the living room?"
2) The 'Drown Me in Milk' Approach. This involves drinking all her milk and asking for more. And more. And more.
3) Kiss Me, Hug Me. This one is the most mischievous and manipulative, because who can say no to a sweet request for a kiss or a hug?
4) Stories, Stories, Stories. We can no longer just read a story. Each page is accompanied by all kinds of questions and commentary. "Mommy why is the baby crying? Is the mommy going to pick the baby up? I think the baby's sad. She's crying. What's that (pointing to something)? What's that? What's that? Is that the baby's bed?" And on, and on, and on.
5) Just One More. This is the strategy of last resort and applies to #1-4 above. Just one more book, one more kiss, one more hug, one more whatever. Often it's a clearly desperate attempt to come up with just one more thing she can do to avoid bed - turn out the light, put the baby in the chair, put the shirt in the laundry, brush her teeth again - whatever last straw she can grasp at, she'll go for it. This one is the most insidious because while you are in the process of saying no, and explaining why, she's already moved on to 'just one more' of something else, and before you know it, you've been doing that for 5 minutes - Hana asking for 'just one more X' and you saying 'no, not tonight, sweetie, it's night night time' over and over.
We love our little procrastimaster!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Baby or Kid?
Hana is experiencing some ambivalence about her impending birthday. She is very excited that she is going to "turn into a kid" in less than 2 months. At the same time, she is clinging to babyhood, as evidenced by the fact that she has begun to refer to herself in the third person as "The Baby," as in
"Pick The Baby up" and "The Baby wants some milk." In the car today, she made up her own Wheels on the Bus verse:
The Hana Baby says pick me up, pick me up, pick me up...
I have read about this ambivalence, and of course it's normal for kids to "regress" at times, but I never thought it would be quite so literal.
On another note, I am pleased to report that Hana did not inherit my terrible sense of direction. She now points and tells me which way to go when I am driving someplace, or instructs me to go up or down a hill, and she's always right. The other day while backseat driving she said, "Mommy, I'm helping you to go 'whee' [that's one of her words for driving] because I don't want you to get lost." She also knows the difference between red and green traffic lights and tells me when to stop and go.
Tomorrow we are going to try a morning of arts and crafts - pipe cleaners, sequins, homemade play doh, markers (washable), colored paper, glue, egg crates, etc. Check back here for pics of any masterpieces that Hana cooks up.
"Pick The Baby up" and "The Baby wants some milk." In the car today, she made up her own Wheels on the Bus verse:
The Hana Baby says pick me up, pick me up, pick me up...
I have read about this ambivalence, and of course it's normal for kids to "regress" at times, but I never thought it would be quite so literal.
On another note, I am pleased to report that Hana did not inherit my terrible sense of direction. She now points and tells me which way to go when I am driving someplace, or instructs me to go up or down a hill, and she's always right. The other day while backseat driving she said, "Mommy, I'm helping you to go 'whee' [that's one of her words for driving] because I don't want you to get lost." She also knows the difference between red and green traffic lights and tells me when to stop and go.
Tomorrow we are going to try a morning of arts and crafts - pipe cleaners, sequins, homemade play doh, markers (washable), colored paper, glue, egg crates, etc. Check back here for pics of any masterpieces that Hana cooks up.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Easter Trip to SoCal
Hana made the prettiest easter egg of all! (see last pic) She dipped it and rolled it around in 3 or 4 different colors and it came out with all different shades of blues and reds, perfectly blended.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
No Nap Hana
Picture this - walking down Piedmont Avenue, me carrying screaming Hana, who has fistfuls of my hair and is clawing my face and trying to bite me, and I'm screaming back "Ow, Hana STOP IT!!!!" and trying to pull her hands out of my hair while carrying my purse and her new bicycle helmet. (I'm only carrying her because just seconds earlier she refused to hold me hand and bolted into the street.) All the other families with nice calm children are staring at us like we are lunatics.
We did make it back to the car, barely. We got home, she dashed out of the car, and fell and skinned both her knees. HOWLED bloody murder. We went upstairs, I gave her some milk, and she went straight to bed. Haven't heard a peep.
Lesson learned: No matter what, Hana MUST have a nap.
We did make it back to the car, barely. We got home, she dashed out of the car, and fell and skinned both her knees. HOWLED bloody murder. We went upstairs, I gave her some milk, and she went straight to bed. Haven't heard a peep.
Lesson learned: No matter what, Hana MUST have a nap.
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