Why?

I knew that children asked a lot of questions. Truth be told, it is one of the things that I love about kids. Their peculiar questions can be quite thought provoking and funny at times. I tend to encourage questions as much as I can. I just don't want my kids to be afraid to ask questions.

So, I was prepared for the question asking phenomenon; but, as is true with all things mothering, I wasn't completely prepared.

Kenzie and I have been working on "good why questions" and "bad why questions" as of late. Let me cue you in on the "good" variety:

Why is the rain falling?

Why does that smell funny?

Why are we a family?

Then there are the "bad" types that usually go down like this:

Mom: (We are trying to scurry out the door) Hey Kenzie will you go sit on the potty so that we don't have accidents when we go out today?

Kenzie: (with that whining irritated tone that seems to indicate that I have made an insanely awful request) Why mom!?

A New Label

My last posting about the overly abundant television expopsure that my children are currently enjoying kind of floored me. You see, at the end of the posting I was trying to decide what to "label" the posting for the blog. Right then I realized that Dora is an icon of sorts for the pre-school aged child, so I quickly added the new label of "pre-school years".

Then it kind of hit me how fast this whole parenting thing is happening. I've already been through some major stages of a child's life - the newborn, the toddler years, and now I am right in the midst of the pre-school years.

Now, I know I can't boast having gone too far due to the fact that I am yet to expereince the elementary years, the teenage years, the adult years, and hopefully those grandparent years that I have heard are quite the treat.

Time is flying. I hope I am doing a right good job of enjoying the ride.

The Girls Meet Dora

This sight has been all too common since we left our home in San Francisco.

While we have been in limbo we have stayed with friends and family that have something that is somewhat of a novelty to my children . . . Cable Television. Garrett and I are have somewhat of a sad combination, we are cheap AND lack self-control. (Which I do realize is somewhat of an oxymoron due to the fact that cheap people tend to have a little bit more self control than is usually reasonable, but hear me out . . .) You see, we are not only too cheap to pay for the monthly access to cable, but we also know that if we had the cable that we would lack the self-control to turn it off (which six weeks of staying in homes with cable television has indeed confirmed)

So, back to the three year old and one year old whom this post is actually about.

I'm a little bit worried about the day a week or so from now when my kids will no longer be enjoying the company of Dora once, twice, or even three times each day. I know they will adjust and life will go back to what they knew in their limited cartoon supply of a few morning cartoons on pbs kids (at least I hope the satellite TV works up here because those few cartoons afford me a shower and a few chores each and every day).

At first Kenzie was absolutely shocked at the idea that the tv could flip to three or four DIFFERENT cartoons all at the same time, but that has become old news for her now. Now she can practiclly name which show she wants to watch at which time of day.

I must admit that I carry a good load of guilt at the amount of tv they have watched during our San Francisco to Alaska transition, but I get some relief in knowing that come August 9 (the beloved anticipated day that we move into our HOUSE, that's right people, our apartment days are OVER)my children will have this constant flow of entertainment taken away.

So, for now I will just let them enjoy it while they've got it. I'm quite certain that the distraction of living in a house quadruple the size of the one they have always known will give them sufficient entertainment . . .