Author: suburbandaddy

Can’t Find A Match

We have these Glad containers all over the fricken house.? I am constantly stepping on them, seeing them on the deck, in the basement, bedrooms, and in drawers all over the house.? That’s because getting into, playing with, and moving containers are one of Thing 3’s favorite activities.? Which is all fine and good until you actually need to find a matching pair.

I just don’t get it.? These things don’t come in that many sizes.? How can I have all these tops and bottoms, with NOT A SINGLE MATCH?!? It is soooo frustrating.

Terrible Three’s Takes Over

The terrible three’s are upon us.? I don’t care what they say, the supposed terrible 2’s are nothing compared to the strengthening will and independence of a three year old.

I don’t know if it will quite reach the level we went through with Thing 1, but it is starting to look very familiar.

Thing 2, who used to love taking a bath and getting wet, now refuses to step foot in the bath tub.? We’ve reached the point where he will at least stand in the tub, but it takes a lot of coaxing.

I took him to get a haircut yesterday and it may as well have been the first time. Continue reading Terrible Three’s Takes Over

How Long Do I Keep This Stuff?

Like most kids their age, The Things love to make art projects.? Coloring, painting, collages, and many other works of junk art they produce in preschool.? Tape a piece of yarn to a popsicle stick and, presto, it’s a fishing rod.

Last weekend we went to Home Depot’s Kids Workshop.? Once a month they have ready to assemble wood projects where the kids hammer, sand, glue, hammer, and hammer.? Did I mention there is a lot hammering?? It gets quite loud, but it’s a fun outing and it’s free.

This week we made flag holders.? I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do with them.? I guess we can paint them this weekend.? But then can I throw them away?

What about the dozens of projects they bring home from preschool each week?? Sure, there are the one or two which are worth hanging on the refrigerator or in my office.? But then there are also many works entitled “Three Scribbles on a Piece of Paper”.? Often, the preschool gives them recycled office printouts to write on, so it isn’t even a clean piece of paper.

How long before it’s ok to throw this stuff away?? What will my kids think when they find one in the garbage?

Kids And The City

Considering the name of this website, it’s no surprise that my kids are 100% suburban.? They are very much at home in a Target or Home Depot.? They know the difference between Panera and Starbucks.

We are only about 30 miles outside of a large city, Washington DC, but it may as well be 300 miles or some make believe place on television, since we stay mostly within our suburban world.? So we try to expose them to surroundings outside the suburbs, taking trips to the National Zoo or museums.

Last week we went to the National Museum of Natural History.? The museum was interesting enough to The Things.? The dinosaur skeletons are always a big hit.? But by far the highlights of the trip were the city elements we encountered.? To them, it was like an adventure to some far away place. Continue reading Kids And The City

Parenting Mystery Solved

The parenting mystery is solved.? There were several partial correct answers, but monoceros came closest.? The garbage can wasn’t a difficult one to guess.? It’s an obivous object of interest to little kids.

The key in my situation is that Thing 3 has just learned to walk, so objects that used to be out of his reach, like the top of a garbage can, are now within his grasp.? He likes to open and close the cover.? Stick his hands in.? Take garbage out.? And, as I caught him in the act in this picture, he likes to put non-trash items into the garbage, so we search for hours for missing toys and cups. Continue reading Parenting Mystery Solved

The Daddy Rules

Kids are always complaining that there are too many rules to follow.? No running in the house.? No fighting with your brother.? No putting your fingers up your nose.

As I picked up the Things at daycare one day, I realized there are an awful lot of rules that I have to follow, too.

Rule #1: Bring snacks for the ride home.? Sure, it may not be the best idea before dinner, but it isn’t worth the price of crying and whining I’ll pay if I don’t have them.

Rule #2: Snacks must be the same, and that means the same size. God forbid Thing 1 or Thing 2 thinks they have the smaller snack.? If snacks are a sandwich bag of animal crackers, for example, the bags need to have the same number of crackers in them.

Rule #3: Go to Thing 1’s classroom before Thing 2’s.? I don’t know if it’s the break from the routine, or, more likely, that Thing 1 thinks he “wins” if he is first.? Failure to follow Rule #3 would most certainly result in another four year old meltdown.

Rule #4: There will be a fight to be first into the car. Not so much a rule as a statement of fact.? Thing 1 and 2 will push, claw, and grab each other to get into the car first.? Followed by the winner’s taunting of “I win”, to the loser’s crying.? Luckily I have something of value to hold over them to get them to quiet down (see Rule #1).

Rule #5: Daddy Eats Dinner Last. The kids eat first.? Then there are baths to be given.? Fights to be broken up.? Finally, after Thing 3 is down for the night, I can start to make my dinner.? Of course, as soon as Thing 1 and Thing 2 see it, they want some.? Which brings us to…

Rule #6: Always make more food than I can eat because I will end up giving most away.

I think I’d rather have the kids’ rules.