cardwell living

March 18, 2013

     Sometimes my spouse or I get stressed when the other one uses the bathroom.  Why?  Because it means we have all the kids, sometimes at dinner time, while the other one is gone.  Sometimes using the bathroom feels like I am in Hawaii.  Until someone is screaming at my door.

     Today was a good day.  I decided to play all day with the twins who are 2 years old.  Right after I got my two oldest off to school, my 7 year old second grader and my 5 year old kindergartener, and dressing the twins for the day I brought up puzzles.  They loved it.  I didn't check our bank account.  I didn't do the dishes.  I just played with the twins. 

     The puzzles went pretty well, even though most of the puzzles were missing a number of pieces.  The baby, 11 months, only bothered the puzzle making here or there.  We were having a good time.

     After puzzles, the baby went down for a morning nap and the twins and I went downstairs to play cars.  They hardly ever like to play in the basement alone, that includes with each other.  They will go down there sometimes for a little while, but often they like to be by me.  So we all went down and we played cars.  That turned into blocks and building a tower and that eventually turned into taking turns wearing the spiderman mask we have.  I even took some turns and would chase the twins.  One of the boys said "No scare." to me saying he didn't want me to scare him with it, but then he would smile and run when I came by them.

     After that we came upstairs, I gave them a snack, and put a Land Before Time Show on, called by them "The Dinosaurs."  We read books after that for a little while.

     Then it was lunch.  When my two oldest were both home, we all went outside and the four kids blew bubbles and chased them and played outside.  I sat down with the baby watching all of them.  I am glad it was nice outside.

     Then we came in, through the crazy dinner time where I tried to cook, someone was telling me about their necklace or picture, one of the twins was asking for a drink, and the baby is crawling around and once in a while wanting to be held here or there.

     After dinner it was the fiver year old's turn to clear the table.  We all clear our own plates, and then the parents will take off the pots or the bigger dinner dishes.  The five year old was not pleased at all and cried.  She felt it was not her turn to clear and she said she couldn't stop.  I was getting myself a treat of chocolate and was trying to get her to stop crying and clear.  When she came with one of the rounds of things to clear off, I stuck a spoonful of treat into her mouth after she promised she could continue without crying.  She did stop crying and got a few more spoonfuls when she returned a few more times.  I don't know how good that is or not or what kind of parenting that is, but she was happy, I was happy enough, and so I called it okay and good for that moment.

     I am glad I spent time playing with the twins today.  It is worth it, even though it can be hard.  Excuse me now, I have to take a bathroom break. :)  (I don't really, almost everyone is in bed now. :)