Friday, March 9, 2018

7 Quick Takes about Creepy-Crawly Things Kids Love, Hard Times at the Circulation Desk, and Faking Your Way Through a Basketball Quiz

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

1


Well, friends, I'm struggling to stay awake today. I'm still recovering from the other night when I got as much sleep as the mom of a newborn, except instead of a cute baby waking me up it was the alarms on the fridge and our home security system going off every 30 minutes.

We had a snowstorm in New England, which always knocks out the power because of all the trees falling on the lines, and every time the power flickered off and back on again everything started beeping.

It was super-annoying, but at least maybe while the kids are out playing in it today I can squeeze in a nap.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

2


I take my toddler and preschooler to this community playgroup that's pretty awesome, especially during the winter months. It's just a huge room filled with toys so they can get all their excess energy out.

I never think much about this ride-on toy there that my kids love, but I really looked at it this week and realized it was probably the weirdest ride-on ever.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

I can't tell you how much it would creep me out having that toy in my house. Just thinking about having to pick it up and move it after the kids go to bed at night gives me the willies.

Also, as a toy it doesn't even make sense. Ride-on trucks or motorcycles or ponies I get; kids are obsessed with them and they actually can be ridden. But who was the guy who said, "Yeah, but you know what kids would really love? Riding on a giant worm." Where does an idea like that even come from?

3


Someone told my 4-year-old that you die without sleep, and it's all he can talk about now. I tried to explain that you would only die if you went for a long time, like a week, without any sleep at all, but I don't think he gets it. Every time I say it's naptime, he nods sagely and says "So we don't die."

On one hand, I don't want him to be scared that he'll keel over the next time he skips a nap. On the other hand, it's an excellent bargaining chip. So I'm torn.

4


Our public library is getting new shelves in the children's room so everything is totally locked down and off-limits, which we unfortunately didn't learn until we were already there and my boys were both ready for some quality time with the train table.

They took it pretty well, and although they were confused at why we had to turn around and leave as soon as we got there, there was no screaming. Which is always a plus when you're in the quietest place on earth.

At dinner that night as I described the process of boxing up all the books and then putting them back on the new shelves, my 6-year-old said "Being a librarian must be HARD! That's why I'm going to be a gymnast."

Which is, now that I think about it, probably why there are so few librarians that make it to the Olympics.

5


My 9-year-old has been taking apart electronics to see how they work. It's pretty fun because his newest interest means I get to hunt for electronic and mechanical devices at our transfer station every time I drop off the recycling. (We have a little shed where you can leave such items, so don't go crazy imaging me diving headfirst into dumpsters or anything.)

I brought home a random VHS tape for him to dismantle and almost died laughing at how the kids crowded around me oohing and ahhing over it because they'd never seen one before.

Generally speaking, I support and encourage his curiosity, but I have to admit it sort of hurt my writer's heart to see him destroying this keyboard. Even if it was already broken.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}


Now whenever anything breaks around the house, my son pounces on us asking if he can ferret it away to the basement and take it apart.

6


My 13-year-old had a basketball-themed night for her weekly church youth group. She got the 3rd highest score on the "basketball quiz," and I couldn't help but wonder how in the world that happened, since she knows absolutely nothing about basketball.

She showed me the quiz and it turns out she figured out most of the answers by guessing or with inductive reasoning, and she answered the question "Name a professional basketball player NOT previously named in the quiz" with the name of a basketball player from the next question. Because technically, he wasn't previously named.

So she may never make it to the WNBA, but she can kick your butt in a court of law by exploiting your loopholes any day of the week.

7


Phillip and I and a couple of the kids went to our 11-year-old's orchestra concert. We sat in what I thought would be the best place to see our daughter as she performed, which also happened to be right next to the fancy audio recording equipment.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

I was terrified that we would make noise and ruin the recording. Even though we'd left the two youngest at home, we are a family of talkers. If we think of something funny or interesting, we just have to say it right then. We'll die if we don't.

(I say "we," but I actually mean "me and the kids." Phillip doesn't even like watching movies with me because I'm leaning over making sarcastic comments the whole time while he's trying to enjoy it. And apparently it's genetic because our kids have it, too.)

Anyway, I'm happy to report that we kept our stream-of-consciousness commentary to a minimum during the concert. I'm unhappy to report that from where we sat, our daughter's face was 100% blocked by a music stand, anyway.

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6 comments:

PurpleSlob said...

Haha, nice nap bargaining chip!! I need to tell PP about dying with no sleep!!
And sounds like your 9 yo will support you and Phillip well, in your old age, with her enormous lawyering salary!!

Ann-Marie Ulczynski said...

Thanks a lot. Now I’m creeped out by the worm.

happyme said...

I had one of those inch-worm rider things when I was little. It was fun until my mom got rid of it. Maybe for the same reason you would?

Kimberly said...

Having 4 string players in our family, we have been to many orchestra concerts. Sometimes I’ve even manag d to be able to actually SEE my child performing. It’s an orchestra thing.

Rosie said...

#3! That sounds just like my 3-year-old. Although he doesn't nap anymore... Maybe I should tell him he might die? ;)

Jenny Evans said...

I dunno, maybe it's worth a shot??