Shopping Cart Sally

 I went shopping a few weeks ago at the thrift store.  I always look in the Tupperware aisle. I'm on the hunt for more canisters, I don't know if I'll ever have enough!

So I was in the Tupperware aisle, and there was a woman ahead of me who was looking at all the Salt & Pepper shakers.  She'd pick up a set, examine them, put them down, grab another set... She was taking her time, & I was ok with that. It's very important to have GOOD salt & pepper shakers!

There was another woman who came up behind me, and started looking as well.  We'll call her Sally. Sally was probably in her late 50s I'd guess.  Suddenly I felt a shopping cart nudge my bum.  At first I ignored it. I figured it was an accidental nudge, perhaps Lily had been so engrossed with what she was looking at on the shelf that she didn't notice she had pushed her cart into my bum.  But the cart started pressing harder!  I turned to look at Sally. She was now pushing her cart into me quite insistently. I figured if I made eye contact, she'd stop for sure. Instead, Sally looked at me, then craned her head to look around me at the Salt & pepper lady, and kept pushing me with the cart.

At this point I'd had enough. So, I looked Sally in the eye, and said, "You can see that this lady is in front of me and I have nowhere to go. You don't have to keep bashing me with your cart."  Sally replied, "oh, sorry." Then she backed up, and went down the small aisle beside her. Unbelievable!  Perhaps too much time being cooped up at home is making people forget their manners...

A Lesson in Innocence

Saturday night we went out to dinner, & a few booths over, we saw a familiar face.  Chancery was trying to figure out who we were talking about, so she started pointing to various people.  We have tried teaching her that pointing at people is bad manners, so we were trying to discourage her pointing to everyone in our vicinity.

 

Asher decided to weigh in on the conversation, “And especially don’t point with your middle finger, Chancery.  It means a very bad word.  It means the ‘S’ word.  I don’t want to say it, but it’s S-T-U… you know what.”

Good Manners

Chancery had her Intro to Kindergarten day today.  Basically they give all the Kindergarten kids the day off so that the kids who will be in Kindergarten next year can come to school & see what the morning will be like.

 

As we walked the kids into the building to their classrooms, we were met at the doors by the Principal & the Assistant Principal.  When Chancery was next to the Principal she stuck out her hand.  He fumbled a bit, then took her hand & shook it.

 

“Oh, we’re starting off with a handshake!” he exclaimed, “I like it!”

 

I guess Chancery is just so used to shaking people’s hands as we go into church that she figured that’s why the Principal was there.

Explore

The weather has been warming up this last week.  By warming up I mean it’s up around 10° during the day.  After school today Asher & Chancery went out to play.  A short time later the front door opened & Asher asked, “Mum, is it ok if Chancery & I go on an explore all around?  We’ll just be gone for about 30, or 20 minutes.”

 

I gave them clear boundaries of where they needed to stay in the neighbourhood, & with strict instructions to stay together they were ready for adventure.

 

A little while later Asher came in the house, “Look what I found, Mum!  Someone lost this key!  It’s all muddy, can you clean it for me?  I found it in the neighbour’s yard!  Where the cat lives!  It was just under a rock!  Someone must have lost it!”

 

With strict instructions to put it back exactly where he found it & to stop digging in other people’s yards, he was off again, to find more adventure.

 

When the kids came back a little while later, Chancery told me that she found a tennis racket on someone’s lawn, but she left it there, even though she really wanted to play with it.

 

I love that we live in a neighbourhood that is safe enough for the kids to be able to wander freely in (within reason).  I remember having a lot of fun roaming around with my friends in my neighbourhood when I was younger, & I think it’s an important part of growing up & becoming independent.  Hopefully the kids remember to respect other people’s property & leave it alone!

Deep Thoughts

Chancery was lying in our bed this morning, & I could tell she was thinking some deep thoughts.  After a few minutes’ contemplation, she declared:

 

“Some people don’t even need hair.  Because they are bald!”

 

This statement wasn’t as out of the blue as you may think.  Just last Sunday whilst sitting in church, Asher announced quite loudly during a quiet part of the service:

 

“That man has no hair at all!”

 

The man in question was sitting directly in front of Asher, so there was no doubt he had missed what was said…

but I guess he doesn’t really need hair anyway.

The "Scents" of Smell

Every now & then, I like to check my parenting skills in extreme situations.

I take my kids into Bulk Barn.

By myself.

I usually need only one or two things, but strangely, we can’t seem to get in & out all that quickly.  Asher has a habit of turning all the scoops over, Chancery opens lids & takes free samples… it’s one thing after the other.

So, we were there once again about a week ago & Asher opened a lid to the chocolates.  I chastised him for doing so (you never know when a 4 year-old is going to sneeze, we take every precaution to NOT have it be in a bin of candies), & then he told me, “I just wanted to smell them, so I opened the lid & I can smell them, because I have a brain in my head full of the chocolates now.”

Spoke Too Soon

At dinner the other night, we had cookie for dessert.  Asher had finished his & said, “I would really like another cookie, please!”

 

I replied, “Of COURSE you may have another cookie!  That was a VERY polite way to ask for another!”

 

To which he replied (with a full mouth), “I have good manners tonight!”

 

Perhaps we should delve a little deeper into what constitutes good manners…

First Phone Call

Asher made his first unassisted phone call the other day.  He did pretty well, but I did have to jump in & translate for the person at the other end.
I told him to start off by saying his name & then asking for the person he wanted to talk to.
He said, “Hello, my name is Asher.  Can I talk to Miss A?”
The person who answered informed him that Miss A wasn’t there, so Asher inquired, “Who is this?”
He then proceeded to tell them the reason for the call.  We were borrowing some train tracks & trains from them & part of the bridge was missing, so his intent was to ask if they could look for it & bring it to church the next day.  Here’s what I heard:
“I need the ‘rap’ for the train… NO, the ‘RAP’, so the train can go up, and down, and up, and down a little bit and that’s it.”
He was having issues enunciating so the person on the other end could understand what it was he wanted, so I had to jump in & explain, but all in all, he did a pretty good job with minimal prompting.
Of course, once that phone call was over, he requested calling about 5 other people.  It’s a good thing we have a cheap phone plan!

Learning Patience

A few days ago, Asher kept asking when he could have a snack, & I told him he had to wait until the clock said 3:30.  He decided to pull up a chair & watch the clock until it was snack time.  He remained there for the next 15 minutes, & told me promptly when it was the correct time!

Sometimes snacktime just seems soooo far away!

What If?

We were on our way to the butcher shop yesterday & Asher asked, "Where are we going?"

I told him we were going to the meat shop (it's just easier that way).

Asher: "When we get there, I am going to ask the meater for a lollipop!"

(They have a box of them on the counter for the taking, so technically he doesn't have to ask them for one, but it's good manners, eh.)

Just to offer the suggestion, I asked him, "What if they say 'no'?"

Asher: "We'll just see if they say 'yes'."

That's positive thinking.

A Compelling Argument?

Dear Sir Sitting Ahead Of Us On The Plane Yesterday,

I, firstly, would like to apologize for my son kicking the back of your seat for the duration of the 4.5 hour flight. I was, however, doing my best to keep him from doing so, whilst also attending to the needs of my 10 month old daughter who was seated on my lap.

I found your approach to be a little counterproductive. If you would like the action to stop, perhaps you should not reward the infraction by grabbing & shaking the child's foot playfully each time he violates the "non-seat-kicking code of conduct".

Also, when you finally turned around to speak to the culprit, perhaps you should have first assessed his approximate age before you began your argument. Your plea that he should stop kicking your seat "because it bothers me when you kick my seat," while compelling, does not hold water with a nearly 3 year old boy.

Thank you for your understanding,
Dominee Huisvrouw

p.s. once you turned around to speak to us, it was your own fault that he saw fit to keep asking, "What is your name, Man?" and "What is your name, Man-Sitting-Up-There?" And, no, telling him your name once, really wasn't enough. Welcome to a day in my life.

Spring Planting

A few weeks ago we went to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank "Spring Planting" day. Though, I'm not sure they were planting anything, all I saw were a bunch of ploughs.

Asher really enjoyed getting to eat another hotdog, & we spent a few hours watching the old tractors & horses in the fields. Asher kept asking if he could go & ride the horses, so we had to explain that they were working & couldn't play with him at the moment.

After lunch we were listening to some of the entertainment, when the man beside us apparently burped.

Asher: "Daddy, that man had a burp."

Asher: "That man should say 'excuse me'."

Asher: "Man, say 'excuse me,' you had a burp."

Asher: "MAN! You had a burp, you should say, 'excuse me' now!"

I think the man heard just fine, but was studiously ignoring Asher's attempt to teach him good manners, we were at a farming demonstration after all, & if you can't openly burp there, where can you?

A Good Cook

One of our parishioners invited us over for dinner the other night & as we were seated around the table, she brought out a pan of lasange. Asher took one look at it & exclaimed, "It's COOKED!"

I guess it's possible that I have brought a dinner (or ten) to the table when it wasn't quite ready. We've had more than a few meals in the last month that have consisted of vegetables & rolls, & the next night we actually end up eating the main dish b/c it hasn't been cooked.... and not that it's just a LITTLE undercooked, more like it's blue rare.

It was a bit telling that Asher noticed that dinner was cooked. Maybe I should put him on the meat station.

A Time To Dance?

Clearly this guy is excited about his impending win, however he might have forgotten just what the score was.....

Hold Your Nose!

My parents are watching my brother's kids for a week & I called to see how it was going & have a little chat. My niece got on the phone & was telling me all about the muffins she had for breakfast. Asher ran into the room requesting to talk on the phone too, so I handed it to him so he & Meghan could talk to eachother.

"Hi, Meghan! I tooted in my pants so I said, 'excuse me!' Ok, bye!"

He then handed the phone back to me & ran away again. At least he has good manners!

That same night I was putting Chancery to bed & told Asher to stay in his room until I was finished. When I came in & was congratulating Asher on a job well done, then I noticed an odour, so I asked if he had pooed in his pants.

"Yes, I have poop in my pants & I stink like a skunk!"

That's putting it mildly & a fitting follow up to the afternoon's phone call.

A Questionable Motive?

What do you do if you have a friend that has ignored all attempts to keep in touch (facebook, email) who suddenly contacts you b/c they are going to be in the area & were wondering if they could stay w/ you for a few days?

Do you take that as a sign they want to keep in touch once again & they've just been busy? Do you mention their lack of communication until now? Do you think maybe they are just trying to get a free place to stay for a few days? What's your take?

Bargains Galore!

Yesterday we went to the Bargain Store. I haven't been to a Bargain Store in about 5 years, but it used to be on of my favourite stores. For those of you not familiar, it's like a dollar store, but things cost slightly more b/c they are (sometimes) a little bit better quality than your typical $1 items.

This particular store had the mini shopping carts, that are a bit difficult to manage w/ the 2 kids, but we did alright. I finally got the carseat situated so that it wasn't going to fall off the front & yet there was still room for Asher to sit on the seat. There was a tiny hole near the front of the cart that I could squeeze items into the cart through. We started off in the Christmas aisle, everything was 50% off. One of my favourite ways to say goodbye to the holidays is picking up bargains for next year! We slowly meandered through the aisles, narrow as they were, it's a good thing their carts are so small, but going around the end of the aisles was a bit tricky w/ the carseat across the front. I bashed into quite a few end-caps.

Near the back of the store Asher warned me to "Watch out for the lady, Mum." I told him that I would & thanked him for warning me. He then said again, "Watch out for that lady, Mum..... Lady, get out of the way!" I really can't blame him. In my baby book I'm recorded as saying, "Outta the way, Lady!" to a woman on the grocery store when I was about his age. But I did inform him that next time it would be more appropriate to say "excuse me!"

Thanks To The Man

Today I went to a Christmas sale & figured the best way to get around w/ the kids would be to use the double stroller. I'm not too experienced w/ said stroller, but I'm practicing in order to get better (and not bump into quite so many things!).

I had Asher in the front & Chancery's seat in the back. That way when we get to a door, I can have Asher push the button. We got to the door, Asher pushed, & pushed, & hit, & POUNDED the button to no avail. So I backed up, pulled the door open, held it w/ my foot, tried to push the stroller, but the wheels wouldn't go over the bump. So I took my other foot, pushed down on the rear axle, tipped the front of the stroller up, switched from holding the door w/ my foot, to holding it w/ my bum, & made it into the building!..... Well, through the first set of doors, we had to repeat the whole process again for the inside doors b/c the second button didn't work either.

I can't begin to imagine how those w/ disabilities manouver through when the buttons don't work. Those doors aren't light, & it can't be easy when you're in a chair, have a cane, or have other impediments.

On the way out I was hoping the buttons would work from the other direction (it has happened before), since I'd have to push the doors open which I find much more difficult to do. No such luck. The buttons seemed to be purely esthetic (but not all that pretty!). There were 2 sets of doors & as I was struggling to get out one set, a man walked around me & exited through the other doors. He walked a few paces, thought better of it & doubled back to hold the doors for me.

So to the man, whoever you might be, I say, "Thank you for being aware of the people around you (namely me)!"

Over at Clan Of The Cave Hair, she's promoting "National Hold The Door Day" December 23rd. Let's join forces & make a difference. Of course we could practice in the days before.... & the days after too!

Saying Sorry

Tonight Asher was playing w/ trucks w/ P. Chad in the living room. He wasn't looking where he was going & backed, quite forcefully, into the wall. It took a minute, & Asher realized that it hurt a little bit. He went to PC for a bit of comfort. PC asked if he was going to be ok & Asher said, "Yes, don't kiss it." So PC asked if the wall was ok. Asher didn't know, so they went to inspect it.

Apparently there was a small dent in the wall, so PC was telling Asher that he must have a really hard head & he should aplogize to the wall for hurting it. Asher said, "I can't say sorry to the wall! It doesn't have a face & eyes!"

I suppose that's a pretty good rule of thumb, you don't have to apologize to things that don't have a face & eyes.

Peep Show

One thing I have noticed as the mother of a new baby, is that people ALWAYS want to look at a baby. It doesn't matter if you are at Walmart w/ a misbehaving 2 year old & the baby is crying it's head off. People will still stop you in the isles to tell you how cute your baby is. It might be cute for them to see your baby crying for the 5 minutes they see her, but the next 1/2 hour of crying that you have to endure to get her calmed down again.

That's bad, but the thing that I find more amazing is that while I am trying to nurse, people are trying to get a look at Chancery. Usually all they can see are 2 little feet poking out of the blanket, but when she gets distracted from eating I usually have to pull the blanket back a little so I can get her back on course, and that's when it happens.....

I cannont tell you how many times I have noticed people staining their heads to see what's under that blanket. Well, I can assure them it's not a puppy under there, but PLEASE people. The blanket is there for a reason! I understand they just want to see the baby, but there are better times than when she's nursing to see her. Just be patient & she'll come out & burp for you. I'd rather not give a peep show.