Tag Archives: Madeline

Wii Golf Pros

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Jared and Laura graciously let us borrow their Wii gaming system when I came home from visiting them. Having it “on loan only” has been a great way for us to play without committing to video games becoming a part of our lives.

However, that doesn’t mean our kids haven’t flocked to this particular entertainment medium like white on rice.

Jake's turn

In fact they can’t get enough. Especially Maddie. Almost every day she asks if she can play Golf.

Maddie's turn

But before you agree that practicing virtually is okay because it prepares you for real life play, think again. Maddie has her own flair for the sport. Not only does she have a backhand serve suited more to tennis but her main goal in playing is to have her golf ball land in the sand trap. As in she aims for it. Or the water. Whenever her ball falls in she yells, “kerSPLOOSH!” If the ball reaches her intended destination she shrieks with joy, ” I DID IT!” We are, of course, quite proud of her accomplishments, blazing new paths in the world of golf. She also enjoys coaching, if you’re interested.

Maddie coaches Joey

Jake and Joey don’t have the same drive (ba dum bum) to reach any goals, in particular, but they sure love to play. They are (mostly) really good at waiting and taking turns. It’s easier since they know to wait until they see their little avatars, one dressed in blue (Jake) and the other green (Joe).

Jake's avatar

Good old video games. A colossal waste of time that never gets old.

I foresee many tears when our loaner system heads back to its original owners.

Monster Hunters

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While I was gone on my trip to Boston, and Colin was left to fend for himself with four little squirrely kids, he decided to distract them with creative play. Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and the need to placate active little bodies led to the creation of a new game: Monster Hunters. Little hunters seek out the terrible, ferocious Daddy Monster, wherever he may be hiding. Here are the rules, in case you want to play:

1. Seekers find a safe “base” and count to 10 while the “monster” hides in a distant location.

Safe at the base

2. Brave seekers venture out slowly to hunt the monster, sometimes in packs, sometimes solo.

Brave seekers

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3. Once the monster is located he barges out of hiding and chases down the little seekers as they squeal in delight terror.

Monster Hunter - Page 004 Monster Hunter - Page 005 Monster chases

4. Repeat the process about 20 times over.

Everyday Cooking with Maddie & Jeannie

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I don’t really know how we stumbled on it but Maddie and I have become quite fond of watching Everyday Food with Sarah Carey cooking videos. It was probably because I was looking up some recipe and Maddie spied the video icon while glancing over my shoulder. The girl cannot resist media in any form. She begged to watch one and one turned into three and three into six.

Pretty soon we’d seen nearly all of the recipe demos. But that doesn’t stop Maddie from asking for more almost daily. I don’t mind, though. I enjoy Sarah’s style, she’s quirky and fun, and I find her recipes quite tasty. I’ve made several after seeing them on the screen. Our favorite has been the Bacon and Escarole Pizza. Oh, mama! Bacon? On pizza? Yes, please! Other goodies are the Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai, the Beef Skewers with Scallions, and the Croque Madame Sandwiches.

Many times, after we’ve watched one together, we’ll head over to our kitchen and try an easy one out or just make an old stand by that we love. Usually a cookie one because who can resist making cookies, really?

Cooking with Maddie and Jeannie

I love this little pastime we’ve started together.

Indoor Activities

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I know I vowed to stay current on this blog, so please ignore the fact that I have yet to post about Christmas, Colin’s birthday, or Valentine’s Day.

Instead, I give you images of my kids. I hope that makes up for the 3 month loss.

Warren has been on mid-winter break this week. And despite the amazingly mild season, with more sunny days, and less precipitation than I feared, today was cold, wet, and dreary. So what better time than now to try some Pinterest ideas for indoor play?

Behold the “Ninja training course” that lasted all of about 2 minutes once Jake and Joe came upstairs.

Spy training

Warren designed and taped it up using string he then recycled into a number of different macabre props.

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Then I thought I’d take advantage of the great light that (thankfully) comes through even on cloudy days and take some portrait shots. But for every sweet (albeit blurry) picture I’d get…

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I’d get about twenty more like this…

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At least they were having fun.

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Maddie Turns Four!

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Maddie's birthday "cake" Disappointed by her choice

Madeline is now four years old… going on fourteen! Her emotional state can be quite fragile these days. She was excited for her birthday to come but when it did, and her last minute request for brownies over chocolate cake with pink frosting was realized, she anguished at the horror of it. Her surliness can know no bounds sometimes. She didn’t want us to sing to her, or look at her, or even put candles in her chocolate treat. Someone once told me that the behaviors you see expressed in your toddler will be the ones to resurface in the teenage years. Heaven help me.

Most of the day was good, however. I bought her flowers from Trader Joe’s that she was proud to hold throughout the store. Grandma Tuki bought her a cupcake making kit, complete with pink measuring cups and spoons and her own apron. Aunt Melissa gave her a pink purse with a monogram “M” which was extremely well-received. Hotda sent her a ladybug music box that plays, “What a Wonderful World,” which she plays before she goes to sleep each night. We got her a little toy horse and grooming kit. She ate lasagna for dinner and strawberry ice cream for dessert. All Maddie-pleasing items she did enjoy.

Maddie’s likes at age four: pink, baby dolls, olives, animals of all varieties but especially kitties, babies, lasagna, reading books, tricycles, milk, “Hickory Dickory Dock,” Halloween, shoes, macaroni & cheese, playing with her brothers, bugging her brothers, purses, salt, “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” gum, drawing, sweets of all kinds, and Playdough.

Little Maddie, you are such a sweet girl. We love your silliness and sparkle. You are funny and know how to make your brothers laugh. We love how much you want to help and exert your independence. For now, we’ll look past your peskiness, sneakiness, and tendency to find everyone’s “buttons” to push toward aggravation. We’ll chalk it up to determination, curiosity, and tenacity, all which will be channeled for good by the time you reach adulthood, I’m sure of it. We are blessed beyond measure to have you, our tough, fighter, miracle girl, in our family. We love you to pieces!

Maddie turns four!

All Hallow’s Eve

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Captured Moments by Crystal

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. You can tell by my past posts that I love any excuse to decorate and dress up in something creative.

Life might be hectic right now and we may be in transition, but that didn’t stop us from celebrating right. We put out our favorite decorations:

Played our spooky music playlist:

Everything from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to several “Harry Potter Soundtrack” pieces from the various movies to a true gem that I found called “Classical Music from the Dark” (49 songs for $2.39 and all without words, as not to get too burned out since we listened to them all day long, over and over again). “Turn on the Halloween songs, please!” was the first thing out of Maddie’s mouth each morning. The kids could not get enough of Thriller, which you can see here, if you want to invest the time:

Little Zombies Dance to Thriller from Jeannie @ Live. Laugh. Learn on Vimeo.

We carved pumpkins picked at a local farm (though my heart ached for our Avila Valley Barn and sunny weather):

No real candles to place inside this year since they’re packed away in some box somewhere between our bedroom and the rented storage unit.

And, of course, there were the costumes:

There is no way we could top the two-headed monster costume Jake and Joey wore last year, but we gave it a shot. Jake was a UPS delivery guy and Joey his little package.

We upped the ante by creating a UPS truck that Colin and I were both supposed to wear but couldn’t because someone had to shepherd the boys around. I ended up being the lone “driver” for the evening. Colin conceived of, designed, and created the truck himself. It turned out even better than the picture shows. Nice work, Colin!

Warren and Maddie had their own gigs as an army guy and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, respectively. They’ve never been on board with the family theme idea. All costumes were well-received.

We attended our church’s Trunk or Treat, with games and plenty of treats inside the cultural hall, and trick or treating out in the pouring rain among the cars. Warren went for it, Colin manned our car’s trunk, but I chickened out with the Maddie, Jake, and Joe. I kept them indoors and tried to convince them that eating the two mini chocolates they got before I herded them back inside was the height of the experience. I’m sure I’ll get used to events being soggy but this year was too soon.

On the actual Halloween day we took it easy since a) it was still raining hard and b) the kids were wiped out from returning home so late the night before. We went to the city-sponsored indoor trick or treating event at the town hall. Did they get as much loot as they would have hitting the streets? Probably not. But we were done in an hour and completely dry so don’t judge.

It was another great year of fun traditions. I love this silly, pointless holiday.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Enjoy pilfering your child(ren)’s candy!

Captain Jack Sparrow (A.K.A. The Boogie Man)

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In the “sleeping room” (formerly known as Renny’s bedroom) where all four children bunk, there is a large poster of the pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, taped to the closet door. We brought it back for Warren as a souvenir from our outing to see the original “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie when it was re-released in the theaters.

This picture puts the fear in Maddie. She eyes it with suspicion. Clearly, pirates are bad so naturally she should avoid them at all costs. It doesn’t matter that Johnny Depp’s portrayal is comical and is his loose interpretation of a drunken Keith Richards. To Maddie, Captain Jack Sparrow is tantamount to the boogie man.

So, when I send her to her bed to sit for a time out after some naughty behavior or another, she pauses and asks with wide eyes, “You mean the one by Captain Jack Sparrow?” When I confirm that it is indeed the bed by Captain Jack Sparrow, she lets out a whimper and reluctantly sits on her bed with her head buried under the covers. Oftentimes, the mere threat of being in his presence is enough to curb her deviant behavior.

Who said having a pirate around is all bad?

Toilet Trained: Check!

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Sound the trumpets! Jump for joy! Shout hallelujah! Madeline is toilet trained.

Let me tell you, though, it was not easy.

We decided that we needed to give her a deadline. Once she reached a certain date on the calendar, that was it. No more diapers. We told her it would be after I finished my triathlon.

We knew she was physically ready. She was just being stubborn about it. She was still refusing to go #2 on the pot. We reminded her she was not a baby anymore and she didn’t need diapers to poop. She repeated that phrase many times, probably trying to believe it’s truthfulness.

With the promise of as many sticks of gum as deposits in the porcelain bowl, a party with the cake of her choice, viewing Yogi Bear, and pretty much anything under the sun that she wanted, we set out for the challenge.

It was an epic battle.

We had a poop showdown on Sunday afternoon. She sat there, on the seat, for over an hour crying and holding it in just because she didn’t want to. Finally, when she could hold it no longer, she gave in. We cheered! We promised to hold the celebratory party the next night for Family Home Evening.

Monday came and she still refused to go on her own. She finally sat down after many attempts to get her in the bathroom and proceeded to scream for another hour. It didn’t matter that she’d already done it. She flat out refused again.

But the pendulum always swings back.

When Colin mentioned that he would take her to 7-11 to pick out a candy if she could use the toilet without crying, it must have been all the motivation she needed. Tuesday morning, while I was in the shower even, she went all by herself into the bathroom, did her business, and calmly told me she was done. No crying. Not even a whine. We all cheered.

A few nighttime accidents later, she is completely trained, though I’m not kidding myself that I’ve done the last load of soiled sheets. But she’s there. She’s really there.

And then some.

Now she likes to head to the WC three, sometimes four times a day to go poop. (Prior to this turnaround, she would usually go once or twice in diapers.) She’ll often spend several minutes at a time in there. She sometimes brings reading materials.

But I’m not complaining. She is a diaper-free and chonies-wearing girl. We’re so proud of you, Maddie!

We all had fun celebrating with you… especially eating this white cake with strawberries and cream frosting.

Two down, two to go…

Girls’ Night In

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With Colin and Warren going to Fathers and Sons Camp Out, I decided to have a Girls’ Night In with Maddie, complete with movie (points to you if you guessed “Hey There, Yogi Bear“), popcorn, Peanut M&Ms, the works. We’d put the boys down a little early and start it up.

The problem was I made the mistake of telling Maddie about this plan earlier that morning. All day long she asked when we would watch the movie. Like. all. day. long. Apparently, Colin and Warren could not get out the door fast enough, dinner could not be eaten sooner, and Jake and Joey could not hit the pillow any quicker. She wanted Girls’ Night to start and she wanted it right away.

We did start it. We did eat popcorn with olive oil and oregano. We did eat M&Ms. We even cuddled a bit on the couch. It was a good evening. I’m glad I got to spend some one-on-one time with my girl.