Blue
Benja's cousins are visiting. They are having a great tim
e. Blue sand, remote control cars, swimming pool and endless access to PBS. I took my SIL to Chic-fil-a because I feel we should treat our guests to the finest. And she'd never been there before. I'd say C-f-a found another believer.
One of my earliest posts on my first blog, I posted about the color yellow. I think today I'll talk about blue.
I actually just have a couple of things to say about blue, and it being my favorite color isn't even one of them.
About a month ago I was lamenting to my friend about how unnecessarily expensive a water/sand table was. I had no assurance it would be utilized, but plenty of assurance that Big J wouldn't be too happy with me buying yet another thing to clutter our house. She suggested just buying two large Rubbermaids and filling one with water and one with sand. This is why I believe in complaining--you get answers! So, about 2 weeks ago I bought two bags of sand and two plastic bins. I was pretty thrilled with the cheap alternative and what a good mom these purchases were making me.
Cheap, short-lived thrill. Within minutes of setting up the CheapMama's Blue Sand Playland in a corner of our "porch", I was kicking myself. The kicking would have been hard and effective if I was capable of it. But
I had not yet joined the gym and begun my Body by Elliptical yet.
The only choices in sand were orange and blue and since I was afraid that one day of forgetting sunscreen, I might lose Benja and Avee in orange sand, I went with blue. Have you ever seen sand melt? Did you know it could melt? Welcome to Texas.
It also sticks to sticky sweaty kids. It was just dumb. And I can't bring myself to take away this gift I so bounteously and benevolently bestowed. While I applaud you Dawn for your resourcefulness in ideas and suggesting the alternative to a sand table, couldn't you, oh mother of three, been kind enough to remind me that no mother ever became better for buying her children sand?
Believe me, next time I cruise around a kid's toy website, I'm going to do it sitting nekkid in a bucket of blue sand. Some stupid things shouldn't be forgotten.
The other day while watching Sesame Street with my kids, I discovered two things. First, I believe I enjoy the show considerably more than either of my children. However, they do know the characters better. Once when I told Jay that the voice of Elmo was done by a middle-aged black man Benja piped up from the back seat, with a look of complete incredulity at such stupidity and said, "He is NOT, he's red!" I have given up sharing that interesting tidbit of information with others(the origins of Elmo's voice) because even now, Benja's on me like red on fuzzy monster when I dare suggest Elmo's color be anything other than the obvious.
The other thing I discovered is how very much I have in common with Cookie Monster. I don't have googly eyes and I'm not so much blue and furry as I am peach and fluffy, but other than that we are quite similar. I watched as he announced the letter of the day and held up the cookie with the "W" on it. He started talking himself out of wanting to eat it. Very similar to the, "You don't want sweet and sour shrimp Ang, you want lentils and cottage cheese soufflé" conversations I have with myself. "Me must not eat delicious MSG-laden Chinese heavenliness, must be strong, me must thing of other things. I know, I will think of Chinese food that is not delicious like this delicious sweet and sour shrimp I must not eat, must think of duck. And rubbery noodles, and watermelon picked last May. Me must think about dark meat that may or may not be chicken. Must think of sauces of questionable origin, and crab ragoon that's short on ragoon...Ohhhhhhhhhh it's no use! YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM!!!!" Exit fluffier, peach me, covered in sweet and sour sauce and a sorely disappointed Prairie Dawn, left to clean up my botched efforts with the diet of the day.
At least Cookie Monster is funny. If we could just do something about the colorful monster tendency to confuse pronouns.
Four things heard today while hanging out with 4 adorable children. Maybe you can guess who said what.
"My Name Is Jericho! Get Your Hands Off of Me!"
"BOY! That was a good nap. I sure needed it. Sorry about that trouble I gave you earlier mama"
"Let Angela know she has 15 more minutes before she has to give her goggles to me"
"Aaaack! Nooooooooooooooooo! Mom!Mom!Mom! hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"
e. Blue sand, remote control cars, swimming pool and endless access to PBS. I took my SIL to Chic-fil-a because I feel we should treat our guests to the finest. And she'd never been there before. I'd say C-f-a found another believer.One of my earliest posts on my first blog, I posted about the color yellow. I think today I'll talk about blue.
I actually just have a couple of things to say about blue, and it being my favorite color isn't even one of them.
About a month ago I was lamenting to my friend about how unnecessarily expensive a water/sand table was. I had no assurance it would be utilized, but plenty of assurance that Big J wouldn't be too happy with me buying yet another thing to clutter our house. She suggested just buying two large Rubbermaids and filling one with water and one with sand. This is why I believe in complaining--you get answers! So, about 2 weeks ago I bought two bags of sand and two plastic bins. I was pretty thrilled with the cheap alternative and what a good mom these purchases were making me.
Cheap, short-lived thrill. Within minutes of setting up the CheapMama's Blue Sand Playland in a corner of our "porch", I was kicking myself. The kicking would have been hard and effective if I was capable of it. But
I had not yet joined the gym and begun my Body by Elliptical yet.The only choices in sand were orange and blue and since I was afraid that one day of forgetting sunscreen, I might lose Benja and Avee in orange sand, I went with blue. Have you ever seen sand melt? Did you know it could melt? Welcome to Texas.
It also sticks to sticky sweaty kids. It was just dumb. And I can't bring myself to take away this gift I so bounteously and benevolently bestowed. While I applaud you Dawn for your resourcefulness in ideas and suggesting the alternative to a sand table, couldn't you, oh mother of three, been kind enough to remind me that no mother ever became better for buying her children sand?
Believe me, next time I cruise around a kid's toy website, I'm going to do it sitting nekkid in a bucket of blue sand. Some stupid things shouldn't be forgotten.
The other day while watching Sesame Street with my kids, I discovered two things. First, I believe I enjoy the show considerably more than either of my children. However, they do know the characters better. Once when I told Jay that the voice of Elmo was done by a middle-aged black man Benja piped up from the back seat, with a look of complete incredulity at such stupidity and said, "He is NOT, he's red!" I have given up sharing that interesting tidbit of information with others(the origins of Elmo's voice) because even now, Benja's on me like red on fuzzy monster when I dare suggest Elmo's color be anything other than the obvious.
The other thing I discovered is how very much I have in common with Cookie Monster. I don't have googly eyes and I'm not so much blue and furry as I am peach and fluffy, but other than that we are quite similar. I watched as he announced the letter of the day and held up the cookie with the "W" on it. He started talking himself out of wanting to eat it. Very similar to the, "You don't want sweet and sour shrimp Ang, you want lentils and cottage cheese soufflé" conversations I have with myself. "Me must not eat delicious MSG-laden Chinese heavenliness, must be strong, me must thing of other things. I know, I will think of Chinese food that is not delicious like this delicious sweet and sour shrimp I must not eat, must think of duck. And rubbery noodles, and watermelon picked last May. Me must think about dark meat that may or may not be chicken. Must think of sauces of questionable origin, and crab ragoon that's short on ragoon...Ohhhhhhhhhh it's no use! YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM!!!!" Exit fluffier, peach me, covered in sweet and sour sauce and a sorely disappointed Prairie Dawn, left to clean up my botched efforts with the diet of the day.
At least Cookie Monster is funny. If we could just do something about the colorful monster tendency to confuse pronouns.
Four things heard today while hanging out with 4 adorable children. Maybe you can guess who said what.
"My Name Is Jericho! Get Your Hands Off of Me!"
"BOY! That was a good nap. I sure needed it. Sorry about that trouble I gave you earlier mama"
"Let Angela know she has 15 more minutes before she has to give her goggles to me"
"Aaaack! Nooooooooooooooooo! Mom!Mom!Mom! hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"
The last one is definitely Avee. I know. No fair. I have the home court advantage. Sorry Cyndi.
Posted by
Big Jay |
Monday, August 21, 2006 11:03:00 PM
I agree with J last one is Avee- I was feeling jealous that they get to be there and not me enjoying the sun and pool ( and A&B) UNTIL the sand story. I despise SAND. IT a curse greater then playdo to me. If it wasn't for the awesome waves on one side and a lovely bed on the other I wouldn't have even touched the white fine sand in CANCUN. Of course I didn't have to clean up the sand in the room either:) and C...have fun with that lady she is a keeper:)but you can't have her.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 7:00:00 AM
"colorful monster tendency to confuse pronouns."
What a great line. Thanks for another hilarious post!
Posted by
T.S. Eliot |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 7:19:00 AM
I loved the day when Prairie Dawn finally caught on and said, "You're going to eat the cookie, aren't you?" to CM. Sesame Street needs to do an episode about PD in the "special class."
Sweet and sour shrimp? I'd have to fight off the temptation to eat Olive Garden's chocolate lasagna, but that's just me.
Posted by
Millie |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 8:17:00 AM
Okay, in my defense, I remember you being in a very bad mood and upset that the REALLY BIG SAND and WATER TABLE were something that the BIG J would not allow. I being your friend helped you find a solution to your problem. You did not ask me what would happen when you mixed the two together, you did not aske me how many time you have to vaccuum to get it up off the floors, or how many bottle of shampoo you would need to wash it out of your little orange haired monster..... PS don't forget to put the lid on the sand because spiders love sand as well :)
Posted by
Anonymous |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 9:52:00 AM
Oh nooooooooow you're here with the helpful advice... :)
Cyndi--I think you might be under the same impression as Aunt Emily, she is surprised at how much more Benja is talking since she saw him last, which is when YOU saw him last. He is the Jericho man! Sounds just like his cousins, eh?
S---thanks for bringing up Cancun while I'm drowning in my self-made pool of blue sand....
Millie--Chocolate lasagna---holy moley, where have I been!?
Granola Girl--thanks for appreciating my attempts at humor. That's all I really want in life. That and some chocolate lasagna.
Posted by
Angela |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 10:01:00 AM
LOL. I call those moments of trivia my "giving you useless information" phase. By the way, did you know that Elmo voice guy also does the voice of Hoots the Owl? Crazy.
And no, I didn't know sand could melt, but I've lived in Texas long enough to know to stay away from it for 11 months of the year LOL.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by
C.L |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 11:22:00 AM
Home Depot has normal colored sand and it's cheaper but it still sticks to sweaty kids. And amazingly finds its way into everywhere beside the sandbox... The vision of you remembering your stupidity by sitting in it while you shop online is priceless...
And the whole cookie monster interlude I was reading in HIS voice and it CRACKED me up. At least you have those conversations instead of remaining in denial that what you put into your mouth has any effect whatsoever on the size of your gut/thighs/butt. I just can't bring myself to face that reality. It makes me blue.
Posted by
Code Yellow Mom |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 12:49:00 PM
I LOVE Sesame Street! I think they make it as much for adults as children with their hilarious nuances that little kids could never comprehend!
Posted by
Unknown |
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 3:45:00 PM
Alright, who's been teaching my nephews to talk like that!!?? I think this next generation is going to blow all of you Smiths out of the sense of humor pool and soon. They are hilarious!! Andrew comes up with some funny things, but I haven't documented any of it - I guess I should. Good luck with the blue sand. I never knew it existed until this blog. I thought the regular color was bad enough.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 1:19:00 AM
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