Ah Family

In the spirit of the season and things to be grateful for, I thought I would share a few really funny vignettes about my lovely little family. (I.e., this is a cheap way to do multiple posts as one catch all.) I am sure I'll have more stories to tell after we return from our Thanksgiving adventures in Kansas.

So on to the first- Ryan and I have begun discussing the idea of earning an allowance with Isabel. We explained to her that in exchange for doing a set group of chores every week, she could earn some money. She could then spend that money as she saw fit. (We tried to explain that if she kept her money from week to week, she could save up to buy herself something really good.) I am all for the allowance and giving Iz some responsibilities around the house. We experimented with this idea last year using the Melissa and Doug responsibility chart. Iz was pretty responsive to it, but frankly, Ryan and I lost interest faster than she did. (Please imagine a frowning emoticon here.) This whole discussion about allowances happened on the fly after Izzy tried to strongly suggest we buy her a heinous and giant snow globe featuring the Disney princesses dancing around a equally heinous and giant Christmas tree to the sound of untuneful Christmas carols that she spied in Home Depot this past weekend. The whole experience brought home the fact that Ryan should NEVER hold discussions on the fly. He's just not good on his feet, unless it's a quick barb or witty repartee. But unconsidered parenting advice? Absolutely not. To be fair, I am pretty sure that it was Ryan that introduced the idea of an allowance, which you have to give him snaps for. Unfortunately he followed it with the following line- "Iz, you can earn up to a whole dollar a month." For Pete's sake, what century does he live in? I know she's only 4 but hello, Ebeneezer! Fortunately, he quickly reconsidered after I shot him one of my famous death rays and said "wait- how about a quarter a chore." With four chores, it equals to a dollar a week, which is a bit more in line with what I was thinking to start with. Then he starts ticking off what might be good chores for her to handle. On the top of his list- the cat box! So maybe he's not Ebeneezer but Cinderella's wicked stepmother?! I wouldn't let my worst enemy near that fecund mess of clay. (Never mind the aforementioned in a previous post problem the cats have with using the litter box.) Here I was thinking Izzy can clear the table after dinner, help fold some laundry, help her sister with her toothbrush and Ryan goes for the jugular. All in all, it wasn't a shining moment in dad history. I think mom will have to be in charge of this one. (Imagine smiling emoticon here.)

Second tidbit of the day- last night we hosted a dinner party for a friend of mine who we haven't seen in ages. I admit to getting hyperactive (as is my way) about the dinner party since I wanted it to go well and make a good impression. And I thought we were successful. The kids got along and behaved nicely. The guests ate much of the dinner and, of course, were gracious about the food even if they hated it. Folks left at a decent hour so I wasn't left to shout my goodbyes as I tried to wrestle the girls to bed- which I have done before on several occasions. So, all in all, a success- or so I thought. After everyone left and Ryan and I were cleaning up the plates, I noticed there was a chunk of the pot roast left that I had made for dinner. I thought I might give it to the cats as a treat. Please keep in mind that these are the same cats who have been known to eat crackers, popcorn, apple sauce, and whatever deconstructed food particles the girls leave laying around. So I shredded some of the roast and put it down in front of Coco, who is the main offender of said eating (and non-compliant pooping habits.) She took one sniff of the meat and started making forceful scratching motions towards it, as if she was covering it up in her litter box (which she does not use.) I was actually speechless although I do believe I shrieked.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!