Starving for lunch

I have a big problem! The day care Tootsie goes to refuses to feed her lunch. They just starve my poor baby every day! Poor girl just cant catch a break here!

So every evening I pick Tootsie up from school and start on my hour long drive back home in traffic. This is usually our time to chat about our day! Or so I think. The first thing I do is hand her a snack and when she is done judging and going through all the different options for the day. Apparently I am a restaurant on Wheels! Anyway when she is done we can finally begin to share our day!

Usually one of the first questions I ask her is about her lunch. So here are a few examples of our conversations

Mom: Tootsie what did you eat for lunch today
(No Answer)
Mom: Tootsie what did you have for lunch today?
(No Answer)
Mom: Tootsie did you eat lunch today?
Tootsie: No
Mom: How come?
Mom: Tootsie did they give you any lunch today?
Tootsie: No
Mom: What about the other kids?
Tootsie: They ate lunch
Mom: What were you doing?
Tootsie: There was no place for me at the table, so I did not eat

Another day
Mom: Tootsie did your teacher give you any lunch today?
Tootsie: No
Mom: SO you did not get to sit a the table today?
Tootsie: Today I sat at the table, they did not give me lunch
Mom: What about the other kids?
Tootsie: No one got lunch today
Mom: So you did not eat anything today?
Tootsie: No I ate dessert
Mom: What did you eat for dessert?
Tootsie: Yoghurt

Yet Another Day
Mom: Tootsie did you eat lunch today?
Tootsie: No
Mom: But I saw them making lunch this morning
Tootsie: You did (I can hear the wheels turning at this point) 
Mom: I did, so don't tell me they did not give you lunch
Tootsie: They did give us lunch, but Mason was very hungry. And he ate it all up
Mom: What? Did your teacher not tell him anything?
Tootsie: She said "Mason don't eat from other's plates"
Mom: And...
Tootsie: He still ate it

And the next day
Mom: Tootsie did the give you lunch today?
Tootsie: Yes
Mom : Did you eat it?
Tootsie: Yes, Mason did not eat it today
Mom: What did you eat for lunch?
Tootsie: Rice and Bean ...
Mom thinking "Finally"
Tootsie: And Nuggets and hot dog and dal and rice and rice cakes and strawberry and broccoli and banana. I ate it all up.

Oh Boy! I give up officially... I would take back Cheeky's "I don't know" or "I don't remember" any day!!!

Driving Confessions

My car pool buddy and I have very intense conversations every night. There is something about sitting in the traffic for hours at end that will do it to you. It makes us philosophical. Besides that sometimes there are geography lessons to be had. And who is this driving buddy you ask? Why it is the little pixie called Tootsie. Tootsie has been a late bloomer when it comes to conversations. She is a talker alright, but she is a dreamy talker none of the cheekiness of the big brother. Here are some excerpts from our conversations

"Mommy, S is going to come to my home, take the princess clothes and give them away to Santa". S is the best friend and they so lovvveee each other. If you have a girl you know how that works. With Cheeky, the other kid was either a friend or not. And if he was a best friend they played together, if the kid was not a best friend they still played together every other day!! Life was simple. Now its all stories about "How will you feel if I do that to you" or "I am going to send a note home to your mommy. Then how will you feel" or "I am never going to be your friend again". There is so much drama involved.

Anyway so today's story was about the princess clothes. After trying unsuccessfully to tell her that S did not have the authority to do that, I decided to try another route.
"How does she know where Santa lives"
Tootsie - "Everyone knows where Santa lives"
How come I am not in on the secret then?
"Really? Where does he live?"
Tootsie - "He lives in a hotel"
"Which one?"
"The Hotel Santa"
"Where is that"
"It is where Santa lives on his sled and his reindeers live with him"
"Ok, do you know how to get there?"
"Of Course!"
"How?"
"You get there by car mommy"
"But how. What way do you take?"
"The road way mommy"
 "But do you know how to get there"
"I told you .. you drive in the car mommy" Exasperated voice
But I know to push it "How Tootsie?"
"Like this" says she turning the imaginary wheel round and round!!
"Oh that way. Now I get it"

Albeit slow, I am finally all caught up on Santa's co-ordinates. If you need help just ask Tootsie and her friend S.

The art of hiding!

Have you ever been faced with the daunting task of finding something so well hidden that it takes you weeks or months to unearth it? Well of course you have! And so have I. But not when I hid it on purpose!!

I have always been known as the google of the household. I can always find thing no matter how well hidden! Little did I know that the reverse was true as well. 

Anyway, the story goes like this! A year back Cheeky 's music teacher at school decided to teach the kids how to play the recorder! Now as parents of Cheeky we are in no doubts about where his artistic talents lie! Let's just say that gene skipped him! After sitting through a variety of concerts year after year we knew too well what to expect! ( hey I am not a bad parent... Just a realist! As is Cheeky... He will be the first to admit how tone deaf he is !)

So the concept of a group of 3 rd graders playing the recorder was daunting to say the least! So the 5$ was paid and the recorder was brought home to "practice"!! After the first week practice was limited to Cheeky's room. After week 3, the recorder never left the backpack!  What especially helped my cause was the 2 yr old Tootsie running away recorder in hand every time her brother brought it out! So in fear of damage, the brother kept it out of sight! 

On the day of the concert everyone dressed like for a black tie event and listened to what can only be described as sounds on the multitude of recorders!! We did make out the beginning of hot cross bins and/ or three blind mice to the music teacher's credit! 

Now back home and the fear all gone the recorder was out in the open with not 1 but 2 kids attempting to "play" the recorder. I did what every mom faced with this situation does ... I hid the recorder!! And I hid it well :)

Life has been peaceful this past year till the music teacher decided ... To teach the recorder again this year! And the hubs decided to teach Cheeky a life lesson to "waste not and what not"!! Cheeky pushed mom to find the recorder ofcourse at 7:45 on the day of music class! The recorder was no where to be found! Ofcourse!! 

Now a month later and no recorder I finally decided to take some pity on him and splurge! But not before I asked him "So what have you been doing the past few weeks at music?" 

Cheeky says "oh the teacher has me practice on a stick with markings"

"You think he will let you have it for 3$" I ask

"No" says Cheeky

"Well what about for 6$" ... Hey I don't have to hear a pretend stick right !!

Anyway 4 weeks later the money has still not been paid! This week we came close, in fear of Cheeky's wrath I asked a friend at school to lend him the 5$. She got it to him after Music. So until next week to convince Cheeky to buy the stick instead!

How old is old?? 3??

As I carried my daughter and walked towards Costco, Tootsie spent her time canvassing a movie she wanted to watch later. And then she let me in on a little secret. "Mommy I am old" says she, still stitting on my hip. "Really" I asked her "how old?"
"Old!!" came the reply... making her case to swipe my credit card at the store. And she is old.. 3 going on 13! I wonder what the future will bring!

And she has a plan! "When I turn 4  I will need to learn Dance, Jijitsu, Football and Swimming" says the diva. " At 3 I will just learn dance". Cheeky is all into MMA and UFC. So Tootsie wants to learn Jijitsu as long as it doesn't give her a "boo-boo". She might just whip out a contract here before we sign her up!

At school the little missy is learning to write her name. She misspells her name all the time, she repeats the same syllable over and over again. After weeks of correcting her and getting into trouble for it, we have given up. Every time we correct her she gets so mad at us! Whatever happened to parents admonishing children.. its the reverse in our household.

So the other day I went to pick her up at school and Tootsie showed me a picture she had drawn. Then she pointed to the rowdy syllable in her name. "See mommy I only wrote it twice" she said. Me being annoying me said "But princess you wrote it 3 times, see". The princess was mad! She walked out of school with a long drawn face with the dark storm clouds following us. To her credit she held herself till we got to the car and then let it loose at me "Mommy that's not fair! You and Daddy keep changing my name" she said! The troubles of my little princess are multifold indeed!

Christmas brought an interesting turn of events in Cheeky-ville. With a 9 yr old cynic and a 3 yr old believer, things sure got interesting here. Santa survived the trials and brought us the gifts. But not before we were no longer sure who was the believer and who the cynic. Just in case a trip to the mall was made, minus Cheeky who did not want "any part of the drama". [9 is officially a teen year now I think!] Tootsie all business like walked up to Santa and said "I want the Sophia toy. It is available at Costco".  She would have given him directions too if Santa hadn't distracted her asking her age. And then she launched into this long tale about how she was 3 but had to have a bday cake and a party when she turned 4. Only instead of the candles, she is just going to have 4 parties and 4 cakes! How convenient!!

Anyway, if you thought that Tootsie would not be satisfied, you are sooo wrong! Because then the mom had to be informed about the doll in Costco. And how it could be purchased day after Christmas. "And you have to pay before you can open it ok?" Yes Maam... we get the drift!

So as you can see between changing names and buying gifts, toosie-town is a happening place! Until next time.. Chao!!