Stretching the Boundaries

Recently Jared and Camryn have been taking advantage of their newly-honed bike-riding skills. They have taken to riding around our neighborhood, which has brought on the discussion of how far it is okay for them to ride by themselves. We even went so far as to draw a little map of our subdivision and show them which streets were okay and how far was off-limits. This whole concept is something that I've struggled with since I became a mom: How much is an appropriate amount of freedom to give your kids and how closely do they need to be watched? My mom says that when she was a child they got kicked outside to play and roamed for hours and hours without adult supervision (back in the day when that was acceptable). I remember as an older kid going from friend's house to friend's house with a group of kids (as long as they were withing a block or two of our house) and riding my bike around our neighborhood. Yet I still find it hard to square away my responsibility for keeping my children safe -and fears for the crazy world around us- with the need to give my children room to grow and explore (and my physical inability to be in two places at once). 

I know that it's a different world than my parents grew up in- or I grew up in (although sometimes I wonder if now we just know more about all the crazy stuff out there and it really has been there all along). I know you need to be careful, but the only way I can find to physically watch my kids at all times is to keep my kids inside watching TV or playing Wii. In that case, instead of being a bad parent for not watching my kids closely enough, I would be a bad parent for not making sure my kids get enough exercise and letting them watch too much TV. But if I take them outside and watch them the whole time, then I can't make dinner and they end up eating processed junk food and, again, I am a bad parent. There I go, complaining again. I guess sometimes I just feel like it is a catch-22: no matter what you do, you're a bad parent.

But back to bikes. Jared and Camryn went out bike-riding and Jared came back significantly earlier than Camryn did. I asked him if he'd seen her and she hadn't. I started to get worried and was just on the verge of getting everyone in the car to look for her when she finally got home. Camryn said something about riding her back by her friend Aubrey's house. Unfortunately I had specifically told her earlier that she couldn't ride as far as Aubrey's house. Our conversation went like this:

Me to Camryn: "Why did you ride farther on your bike than I said was okay?" 

Camryn: "It was an accident." 

Me: "How can that be an accident? "

Cam: "I accidentally wanted to."

Since then, Jared and Camryn have been better at sticking to our bike-riding limits. Now the problem is how to get Jackson from following them down the street on his big wheel, as fast as his two feet will carry him....

How to Ruin My Day in One Easy Step

Camryn: "Mommy, you look you're going to have a baby again really soon." Me: "That's not a nice thing to say!" Camryn: "But seriously, you do!"

I guess I can safely ascertain that 9 months is not long enough to undo 9 months of damage. Bummer. Some parts of having kids stink.

Last Day and Leopards

Today was the last day of school. I celebrated by trying to clean up the boatloads of papers and school supplies that the kids brought home and dumped on the floor yesterday. Camryn and Jared celebrated by having a massive 6-hour-long argument-and-teasing-fest, interrupted only by the 45 minutes that Camryn was in her dance class. The end of school simultaneously filled me with relief and dismay: no more mornings of trying to cram cereal down kids while combing crazy bed-heads in a sleepy haze, but if they fight like this the rest of the summer I may have to resort to covering their mouths with duct tape. Let's hope that today was just a transition day and that they will start settling into a summer routine soon!

In honor of the last day of school, I wanted to share a page from Jared's animal report on Leopards. We are not super-talented visual artists in our house, but I thought the report was really cute and the page entitled "About the Author" was classic.

Here is a quote from the page "About the Author":

Jared, age 8, grew up in [town we live in now-- I love how it is past tense.]. His birthday is [date]... 9:00 p.m. One book that he wrote that he remembers is "Two Cool Kids" based on the story by Spencer Adams. In his family, he has two sisters age 6 and 4 months. He also has a baby brother, age 2/3. His favorite pet he ever had was a female hamster. He's also had a praying mantis and a ladybug. And maybe trying to catch a bee wasn't such a good idea. [Wow, he almost makes it sound like his parents are pet-lovers!] His favorite school subject is Math. He just loves stacked addition. During his free time, he likes to make comic books. He likes making "Super Diaper Man." He also likes r.c. He wants to be an engineer when he grows up. he thinks his speciality is Humor. Too bad he couldn't add any in this book...

He finishes at the end of the report by saying, "Well, I guess it's time to wrap up. So, my three favorite facts were..." and then adds "Be sure to read my other books!" [He's learning self-promotion already....]

Twenty Questions

As we left for California, about 5 minutes into our trip Jared and Camryn were complaining that they were bored. We have a portable DVD player, but I refuse to plug them in the second we get in the car. Dave suggested we play 20 Questions to try to get some non-screen time.

"When it's your turn, think of a thing and then everyone else will ask 20 Questions to try to figure out what it is." Sounds simple enough. Jared went first.

Me: Is it alive? "No"
Dave: Does it run on electricity? "Yes"
Camryn: Is it your backpack? ---"Camryn," Dave said, "you're supposed to ask questions ABOUT the thing to help you figure out what it is. Don't just guess right away. Ask something to help you figure out how big it is.

Camryn: How big is it?
-- Dave: "No, Camryn, it has to be a yes or no question. Ask a question like this: Is it bigger than the cooler?" "Yes"
Camryn (interrupting): Is it my Webkinz? "No"

Me: Is it inside the car? "No"
Camryn: Is it Jackson?

Maybe we should have just had them watch a movie....

Jared on "Baby" Jackson

Today I was talking to Jared about Jackson and Jared said, "Mom, I think Jackson is the cutest and best baby ever." [It's nice to know that your kids like each other sometimes!]

He also says that Jackson's life is just like a video game called "Baby Adventure." He goes around the house trying to get in cupboards, discover new things and open new levels. I think he may be on to something. Somebody needs to come up with an interactive Wii "Baby Adventure" game for moms. It could be a great way to release frustration:
-Get extra points for opening the cupboard with glass stuff in it!
-Try to dump all of the food from your high chair tray on the floor before mom can stop you.
-Score a bonus for getting food on your new shirt and taking off your bib!
-Score big when you find an open door to the bathroom or get into the diaper pail.
-Unlock the entrance to big brother's room and try to eat his rock collection.
-Pull as many books off the shelf as fast as you can before mom catches you.

I don't know, I think it could be really big....

The Chef in the Family

Dave has a limited repertoire of things that he cooks. He can make his way around the kitchen well enough and what he does cook he cooks quite well, but he's not exactly the Iron Chef. But he makes the kids eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, candied nuts and other similar yummies. He also makes them crepes sometimes for breakfast on Saturday mornings, which they love.

Last week after church on Sunday Dave made the kids one of his specialties, "egg in a bubble" (eggs over easy), for lunch. Jared commented, "Dad makes us egg in a bubble and he makes crepes, so he is like the chef of the family."

Apparently, making pies with homemade crust, homemade breadsticks and rolls, Thai curries, Chicken Stuffed with Basil Walnut Butter, and other creative, delectable offerings does not make you the chef of the family. I'm not jealous... really, I'm not. ;)

Kid Quotes

It's been a while since I've posted about the two older kids. Here are a couple of funny quotes:

Jared: Mom, this boy Jack in my class at school has a "highly sense of humor".
Me: Why do you say that?
Jared: He thought up this joke himself: "One, toot, three, fart."

Camryn: What's "the force"?
Jared: "The force" is when like, you do this [holding his hand out in front of him and making a face] and you can lift things up.
Camryn: Oh, like the Incredibles.
Jared: No, the Incredibles don't have "the force." It's only in Star Wars.
Me: Camryn, "the force" is just in movies- it's fiction.
Jared: Well it could be true. Someone could invent it... or invent a machine to do it.

Need a babysitter?

Today Dave had the day off of work but the kids still had school (as a make-up day for one of our many snow days in December). I left to take Jared to school this morning with the two other kids in tow so Dave could hopefully catch a few minutes of extra sleep. As we pulled out of the garage Camryn asked, "Mommy, is Daddy old enough to be home by himself?"

Look for Jared and Camryn in the next Church News

From Dave's Mom:

Hi Family,
Today we invited Allessandra to go with Jared, Camryn, and I to the Church Museum of History and Art. I had heard from a friend that they had fun pioneer Christmas activities for kids at the Museum. When we arrived they were not only celebrating Christmas, but also had special activities to honor the birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Our first activity was to listen to "Lucy Mack Smith" tell the kids about when her son, Joseph, was 7 (Jared's age) and caught cholera. She told them about the infection in his leg that had to be cut out and had a crutch like the one he might have used for 3 years while his leg healed. Then they colored "stained glass windows" like the one depicting the First Vision. While they were coloring a photographer from the Church News walked up to the Museum guide and asked if he could take pictures of the children participating in the activities.

So, Jared, Camryn, and Allessandra sat and listened to Lucy Mack Smith talk while he snapped pictures. He also took pictures of them coloring. He took down their first names, ages, and where they were from. They felt quite important!

Upstairs the kids made some "pioneer" Christmas ornaments: They punched holes in tin stars and made little mangers to hang on the tree. There was also a nativity with lots of costumes for the kids to put on to be a part of the nativity scene. Altogether it was a great afternoon.

Quotable quotes:
Camryn to "Lucy Mack Smith": How old are you?
"Lucy": If I were still alive I'd be over 200 years old.
Cam: " No, how old are you really?"

Allessandra in the car driving home: "After our pictures are in the Church News people will want us to sign autographs! We'll be famous!"

Jared: "Yea, our families will be millionaires!"

A very Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Love,
Susan, Mom, Grama Susan

Fact or Fiction?

Camryn: Mom, is 'The Parent Trap' fiction or non-fiction?
Me: Fiction
Camryn: Yeah, kids couldn't really get into someone's tent and do all of those things while they were sleeping.

Just for Meg

At Meg's request, I am going to send a Jared and Camryn quote. (Meg told me that she was disappointed that I had recently left off her favorite part of my emails =p ).Of course sending a quote from them would require me thinking and actually remembering what they said. =] But I will exert myself... here's one from Tuesday:

We were at Quizno's ordering a sandwich for me. The kids had already had a happy meal for dinner (gotta love $1.25 night!). Jared had four quarters that were burning a hole in his pocket and was trying to decide if he should spend his own money to buy a bag of chips.

Me: "Jared, if you really want to buy the chips, I'm not going to stop you, but I wouldn't buy them if I were you. It's a waste of money. I thought you were saving up to buy a RAZR scooter. If you keep spending money on little things like chips, you won't ever have enough for your scooter."

Jared: "Well mom, it rains a lot in Oregon and when it rains, you can't go outside and ride a scooter, so I think maybe buying the scooter is a waste of money. Besides, you have to eat food or you'll die. You need food to survive, so it's not a waste of money."

That may well be true, but I still don't put Doritos in the "necessary for life" category.
...
On Friday we had some friends over for a playdate. Camryn said that she didn't like to eat something and Jared said, "You don't! Are you from Mars?" (This is what daddy says to him whenever mommy makes something particularly yummy and Jared says that he doesn't like it.) Camryn said indignantly, "I'm not from Mars! I'm from heaven!"