The boys have been behaving very very bad at school as of late.  In the morning, in the evenings, in the middle of the day, it really is bad.  Honestly, the mornings from 7 to 8 and the evenings from 4 to 5 are the worst.  Anyway, today Wayne had to go to the doc and asked me to go with him.  We had to take the boys because they can't be trusted to behave at school when I'm not there to crack the whip.  So, I'm trying to make the best of it.  Here's the best way to describe it:

We did the necessary stuff, then we had "Finese" at the newest Chinese buffet place in town.  When we were done, we all opened our cookies and read our "tags".  When I read the boys, the custom is that I make up something that fits them, then Wayne and I actually read them and have a good laugh.

Tonight, Walker's tag said something like "Hi, my name is Walker and I'm silly".  And, Jace's tag said, "Hi, my name is Jace and I'm very silly too."    In reality, Walker's tag said something about him being good at his work and Jace's tag said something along the lines of him being a good politician.  Whatever!

When I opened my tag, it said, "you are very contemplative and analytical by nature".  The translation to the children said something like "I am the mommy and my kids are making me crazy."  Wayne finally and I said that with exhaustion because that man eats a lot of "Fineese", the boys asked what his tag said.  Before he could read it, I said, "it says, 'I am the daddy and my kids are making me crazy'". 

In reality, Wayne opened his tag and it said, "you are very contemplative and analytical by nature."  So, in reality, yes, it said, "I am the daddy and my kids are driving me crazy". 

And, so it was, "Fineese" it was tonight!

Jace, of course, just turned 3.  He hates shoes and socks and apparently has no clue that it is cold weather.  Although, I'm not so convinced since I like it like this, just not colder.  My husband however, thinks he is in antartica or something at 60 degree.  Walker is like him, Jace like me, when it comes to cold weather. 

So, tonight when we were leaving, the boys had on short sleeve shirts.  Since Walker's teeth were removed, his speech is kind of funny.  So, he steps outside, shivers and comes back inside where he declares that "It is friggin' cold"...the translation is "it is freezing cold".  So, we got a hearty laugh out of that.

We went to eat and for some reason, Jace removed his shoes.  We made him walk to the car like that.  Before we arrived home, he had removed his socks.  When we park, he unbuckles and sticks his cute little head between the seats and says, "I want my fockin' shoes on" ...translation.."I want my socks and shoes on"...but my word if that didn't sound like he said, "I want my fuckin' shoes on"...I've never heard anything that did.....

My lovely adorable funny speaking kiddos!  Gawd I love them to pieces!

Jace was adament about being 3 and it being his "Happy Birthday".  And, so, I give you the day in photos...

Notice a recurring theme...no way to forget it was his 3rd birthday.  The last one is a pic of him on the way home on Sunday...pretty funny that he traveled most of the way down there and back with his hand on his armrest like that and on the way back, he refused to remove the hoodie.  Silly boy. 

Real party is Saturday...more pics then!

This time 3 years ago I was seriously pissed off, blood pressure was rising, contractions were continuing, and doc's keep wanting to give me a pill, no demoral, just a pill and send me home.  Then, urine comes back, proteins high, I was 35 weeks to the day and the decision was made, I was already 4 cm because I had been in pre-term labor so many times.  And so, the wait began....

Actually, since all of our clocks in our home have a different time, I'm about an hour early with my thoughts.  It was closer to 10 not 9 when the final decision was made.  And, so...the wait began then.  I was given some demoral after the decision was made and we waited some more.  Around midnight we were told that there were 2 that came in after me but were more of an emergency than me.  Actually I don't guess I was an emergency other than the fact that I did NOT want a VBAC and the neuro-surgeon had made the diagnosis involving the 3 herniated discs in my back and proclaimed no LABORING for me.  Still, not that much of an emergency as the pains weren't terrible (with demoral in me anyway) and we were left to wait.

Finally, around 2 we were wheeled around and sometime later we had a bouncy baby boy.  Five weeks early and still weighing 6 lbs and 6 oz.  He had apgars of 8 and 9 and never went to the NICU.  We had the scare a week later when he was diagnosed as failure to thrive but for the most part...a bump in the road of life that made Jace who he is....a freakin' fighter...determined and strong.

Now, for the comedy.  I told Jace several weeks back that he could not turn 3, have a party, have a cake, have presents, have balloons or anything if he didn't start to use the potty.  His reaction?  So what!  He did NOT care.

Last week I told him that he was having a party but I was getting him a cake shaped like a potty chair and putting toilet paper on the top of it.  His reaction?  So what!  He did NOT care.

Today, I started questioning him again about his cake.  This time, I did not even mention a potty chair cake.  I simply asked, "What do you want on your birthday cake?"  His reply....."A pull-up!"  I think the kid has made his point.  But what a point it is...agh.

Things are stil more tan a little chaotic with the employee and all the crap but for now, I'm trying to only be concerned with how it affects me and my daycare.  My biggest issue is the local police and their lack of concern for protecting her and my business.  But, I have a nice little letter ready to send to the Mayor and City Counsel and I will be asking for a warrant to be issued for him tomorrow.  That's that.

Other than that, all is ok.  Earlier I went to Walker's room where the boys were playing.  Walker was in the floor playing but Jace was laying on Walker's bed.  I asked him if he was sick.  He came to the living room to snuggle with me, I took his temp, 101.9.  We gave him some motrin and put him in a bath.  He is bed now..up until about 8 he had not put one piece of food in his mouth all day.  I don't know what is wrong but he has had diarhea too. 

Instead of doing the family Thanksgiving thing, we are going to the beach.  Not to my in-laws, but to the beach!  My AD and her kids left today going down and we will leave on Wednesday.  Woot Woot!  I think I prefer to spend every holiday like this...!

Ok, that's it from me, a tough three days ahead since AD is out all week.  See ya next time.

Somewhere, sometime, somehow, I kicked Karma in the ass.  And, you know what, she is living in mine right now.  In the span of four weeks, I've had to fire 2 employees, get the cops in on one of those, lost ten kids in the daycare, been diagnosed with diabetes, found out I have a Vitamin D deficiency as well as a Protein deficiency.  My cholesterol is bad, not as bad as it was, but still very bad, one employee is getting a divorce and her husband is being a tee-total ass to her, the ass has called DHR on me and my daycare for ignorant shit, had DHR get involved because she left their 9 year old at home for a couple of hours, caused her to have to spend 2500 bucks on a lawyer just for a retainer fee, had an Open House and saw only 3 existing parents and 1 new one, and completely failed at convincing my three old to use the potty.

I would elaborate but if you are bored enough to read that first paragragh, I can't imagine you are bored enough to listen to the details.  I will say that if Jace doesn't use the potty, I'm gonna go bizerk.  I never stressed over Walker learning to potty.  Of course he was barely 2 1/2 when he did it.  Jace will be three in a few weeks and that kid cries if you even mentioned it.  I threatened no birthday party, no balloons, no cake, no gifts, nothing if he didn't learn to use the potty.  His response was a smirk and a half-hearted, "ok" as if to say, "whatever mom, I don't care".  He doesn't care people.  He simply does not care. 

Today, I put him in underwear.  We begged, me, his teacher, his old teacher, the cook, the assistant director...we all beggged.  He cried when I pulled his underwear down in the bathroom and screamed when I urged him toward the potty.  He obviously isn't ready but by-damn I am ready.  I'm exhausted I'm so ready.  He went through four pair of underwear and pants today and poop in his pull-up as soon as it was put on him.  What the heck?

As for all that other stuff,  bah, I say bah! 

It seems Jace is at the age of cute Jace'isms.  It isn't that Walker is not saying and doing funnys things or remarkable things (like writing his name, you say so what? he is 4...well, he has been writing his name for sometime but he was writing it like this r e k l a W and he was starting with the W and working from right to left..but now, he can do it the right way..from left to right...my parent that is a kindergarten teacher looked at  it yesterday and was in awe....he was practicing the letter B and b and wanting to write his name on his own paper and the pre-k teacher (who is extra awesome I might add) let him.  The parent that is the K teacher at the local school loved it and gave him big kudos for it) it is just that Jace seems to be a royal clown.  And, so with all those parenthesis, I give you a few Jace-isms...

We were late coming home from school on Sunday night (we were painting by the way), we instructed both boys to "get a pull-up and get ready for bed RIGHT NOW".  Jace was dilly-dallying around when I said,

"Jace where is your pull-up? (meaning the one he wears at night)

Jace stuck out his butt, smacked it with his hand and quickly replied, "On my booty!"

I chuckled and chased him toward his room. 

10 minutes later he is sitting on the sofa.  His daddy says, "Jace where is your pull-up?" 

Jace looked at him as if he had no clue and held up his hands in gesture to say, "I don't know".  He didn't talk though, just gestured.  Wayne gave him a stern look and Jace replied, "In my room....MAYBE?"

Wayne chased him down the hall again.

Fast forward to the next night.  He is trying to undress to get in the bathtub.  He says, "my booty" as he shakes said body part.  I, in turn take the opportunity to call him a "naked booty" which we do a lot around here because he loves to be naked.  He quickly replied, "not yet". ...as in, I"m not a naked booty yet (do you really  need me to explain his jokes or are they as obvious they were to me?)

 

Anyway, when asked about potty training, the kid bows his head and gives you a frowned up look.  I'm certain that I will be changing his pull-up when he starts kindergarten.  The kid will be 3 next month guys.  THREE!  And, no inclination to potty train at all.  Someone mentioned a brand of pull-ups yesterday that get cold when they pee in them.  I've never heard of them.  Have you?  Do you know the name?  Where can I get some?  We have to break this child SOONER than later.

Seems there was one more Jace-ism that I wanted to share but for now, it escapes me.  I'm sure when I remember, you'll be the first to know!

Here is another one though, before I could even hit publish.  This is not the one I am trying to remember though.  Walker did not want to go to church with my mom on Sunday.  So, she took Jace instead.  At the end of the service, a lady got up to talk about the luncheon they were having and the reason for the celebration.  Before she could sit down, Jace was saying, "I wanna eat, I weady to eat!"  He progressively got louder.  After she spoke, a couple of others spoke before dismissal.  The entire time, they were greeted by the 2 year old in the crowd saying, "I want to eat, I weady to eat!".  I think he actually put some folks in high gear and they managed to speak less time than they usually do.  I mean, who can make a good speech while a small child is begging to go "eat"?

Anyway, the other thought still hasn't arrived in my brain so I'm gonna leave you with a question. 

If you had a small child and they either went to daycare at place x, y, z, or other, OR you wanted to enroll them but just had not done so yet, and you attended an open house at DAYCARE A - what would be selling points for you?

I am having an Open House at my daycare.  I need to encourage folks to sign-up and maybe lure some back to me that were previously enrolled but left for some reason or another.  We are having a bouncy house which will be ours.  We are buying one and will buy one that will fit in my extra room so that it can be used this winter when it it too cold or wet for the kids to go outside.  We will have face painting, we will have refreshments, I plan to give away a free week or something similar as a door prize as well as give my employees a gift certificate for the best costume (I think they are going to choose a nursery rhyme character - I haven't fully made up my mind, but I think), I am going to have my November newsletter ready to give out which will include information like schedules, lunch menus, sample lesson plans, philosophy of educating small children as well as disciplining them.  I will have copies of the state mandated minimum standards for people to take with them to review.  We've painted the daycare (and are still painting) a beautiful array of colors (see previous photos).  So, I'm curious as to what else you would want to see, hear or have available so that you would be convinced to bring your child to our center.  I will add that at the present moment, all of my tuition is $5 more than the only other daycare in town, but they are not licensed nor are they run by the State Dept of Education and USDA funded Food Program and we are.  We have to meet the minimum standards as well as serve meals that meet USDA standards.  It is a pretty hefty task to meet the USDA standards.  The minimum standards are just that, minimum.  But the USDA is a big deal.  I happen to know that the other daycare in town opens cans of spaghettios and gives them nothing else with it, no fruit, nothing but that and milk and doesn't always give them milk.  So, again, your thoughts on what would be impressing enough to either cause you to change or enroll your child?

Still can't remember the other Jace'ism so I am letting go.

Jace found this old pillow like thing that is shaped like a cat's head.  It was in the box to go to the salvation army here at school.  It is really soft and the insides are like beads.  Well, he loves that thing and is constantly asking for his "titty tat".  I can't help but laugh my head off at him!