I Love Saturdays!

YEA!! It's Saturday & the kids let me sleep in a little later this morning! I love it that cartoons will keep them happy for a bit while I get more rest!!

And, I always find that I sleep better & more soundly when I know I'll be waking up to a clean house. Is anybody else like this? Last night, after I put the kids to bed, I finished the laundry, I swept & mopped our entire first floor (which is all tile... ugh!), I cleaned the kitchen & I put fresh sheets on my bed. Climbing into my bed never felt better! And, knowing that I didn't have tons of housework waiting for me when I woke up made me very happy! Today, I'm working on the upstairs. The kids' sheets are already in the wash and I think we'll clean out some more toys today. It seems that children's toys multiply overnight! My rule is that all their toys must fit into our one large toybox we keep in the guest room. However, they have quickly gotten out of control. We have some work ahead of us...

Yesterday, the kids & I went to the Library. We went straight to the kids' section, as we always do. I figure they're a little more lenient there with kids that don't whisper & don't always obey their mommies. Which is the case with Nicholas. I never remember the twins being so loud & disruptive in the Library when they were his age. For the most part, they were obedient & would quietly sit down to read a book in the children's department. Nicholas is an entirely different species! He can't remember to whisper & he likes to run around playing with all the different toys. I can threaten, I can use a mean whispery voice, I can swat his leg... it doesn't matter! He is a spirited kid! (Isn't that a nice way to say "stubborn & loud"?) However, my whole point of telling the Library story is to share the good news that we had a very friendly librarian check us out! Maybe it's just me, but most librarians I come across in the public libraries do not seem very happy to be there. (And, yes, I made this observation even before I brought my rowdy kids with me...) But, this librarian was so sweet & helpful. She was patient with the kids & smiled at them the entire time. I was completely impressed with her attitude. It was so refreshing!

On the way home, I couldn't get Nick's carseat to latch closed. It worked on the way there, but for some odd reason, would not latch at all when we got back in. I tried everything to make it work, but could not get it to lock in the buckle. So, I just had to settle with the plastic buckle that fastens at his chest. However, the kids did not like this one bit. They tend to get a little dramatic if the car is moving & not everyone is completely buckled. (I guess we taught them well!) Sydney was very worried that a policeman was going to stop us because we were not "following the rules". I told her that I thought a policeman would understand that Nick's buckle is broken and he wouldn't give us a ticket. (In this area, though, that's probably not completely true. These policemen are ruthless!) Talking about policemen prompted Nick to say something that he's said before. I've explained to the kids several times how policemen are here to protect us & to help us. We talk in the car about different ways that they do that... protecting us from bad guys, helping us find our way if we're lost, etc. Nicholas has it in his head that the policemen are going to help him in the potty. I have no idea where he got that from, but he is adamant! So, yesterday, as Sydney was worrying about the police stopping us, Nicholas piped up, "The policeman is going to help me potty." He's sure of it! Maybe I need to have Sammy dress as a police officer to "help" Nick finally master the big potty!! Doubtful...

Happy Saturday!