Overheard on Longfellow

Q6: Mumma, let's walk home as fast as we can.
Me: Sure. Why?
Q6: I have to feed my birds.
Me: What birds?
Q6: The birds in my room [this was recently moved from C7's room to Q6's]
Me: Oh, the birds.
C7: Q6, those birds aren't real.
Q6: Yes, they are.
C7: NO, they are NOT.
[minor kerfuffle ensues]
Me: C7, Q6's birds are real, just like your stuffie dogs are real.
C7: No, she's imagining it. I'm not.
Me:

What's missing?

New photos of Q6's room.

Besides the obvious unusual feature of it being relatively CLEAN ... the big difference is we took out her bed. Q6 has always liked sleeping on the floor, especially next to the air vent. Plus, it was difficult to keep under her bed free of books, stuffies, hair clips, craft items, pens, pencils, paper, library books, bags, clothes, and toys. And dust. So, I finally realized that she wouldn't be any unhappier without a bed (nobody likes cleaning under it, nobody wanted to sleep on it), and now she has more room to play. 

As for sleep, she recently had taken an old crib comforter (Used by both girls, and most recently by me in the winter to top my side of the bed to give me the extra degrees that C42 doesn't want), put almost ALL of her stuffies inside it, and had been sleeping inside it like a giant uncomfortable sleeping bag filled with stuffed animals. Last night when I took her to the bathroom and she got back into her "bed"  I asked if she wanted to be on the floor or her bed and she said "The floor. it's oh so cozy."

So I took down that hideous stuffie hanging thing that was always in the way, took the last 3 stuffies out of it that she hadn't been able to reach, and put them inside the comforter cover. I put the whole thing next to the air vent with her pillows, her "husband" (the pillow with arms, in case you haven't heard that term), and big elephant (who is wrapped in princess blankie). And that is where she is sleeping tonight.




The bed frame is in the attic, and the mattress is under our bed wrapped in a sheet, just in case she wants it again. In the meantime, however, it's the floor.

Still biking

Yes, we've finally gotten Q6 on board. She was a little bit lukewarm about it ... probably because the bike she was using was too small and difficult to use. But we got her on the bigger bike and she picked it right up.

When the day started Q6 was still having some difficulties starting the bike, but she didn't want help. I have many many videos like this as I tried to capture her biking, but instead capture her trying to get started.

She eventually gets going, sometimes a little wobbly.

Then it is all we can do to get her to stop.

And C7? She is that speck in the distance in this video. She was biking around and around the trail in the park. And eventually Q6 was doing it too.

By the end of yesterday she was saying "I"m GREAT at this" and proceeded to ride all around the park. She saw a friend who was impressed that she was going around the loop (about 1/3 of a mile) by herself. That made her feel great.

C7 is quite proficient on the bike now, although she's gotten so confident that she wants to go FAST. So she goes FAST. And then tried to take corners FAST. and she falls. She hit the ground and gotten pinned under her bike at least three times yesterday. But she is as determined as ever, and has been picking herself up (with some help; her bike IS really heavy) and getting on again to ride some more. Yay!

Biking update

Here's how the biking went.

Wait, C7 renamed her blog AlphaCanisMinoris (ha!) but you can still see it at http://floorofdogs.blogspot.com/

She has some comments on how to learn a bike there. Here are my comments.

Sunday, day 1. Lots of running by me, holding bikes, letting them glide, helping them start and ride. Tiring.
Monday, day 2. Wet, biking in the rain. Nobody wanted to go but I forced them for just 20 minutes or so.
Tuesday, day 3. Another short practice, there was a girl learning how to drive around the parking lot too. Can you smell disaster? But both girls getting better, less holding, but nobody can QUITE do it, and confidence is shaky.
Wednesday, a day off.
Thursday, day 4. C7 got it! Then she practiced starting by herself, back and forth, back and forth, and finally in giant patterns around the area. Q5 also mostly has it but her bike is a wee bit too small. Difficult for her to bike. She does better on C7's bike, but the seat is too high.
Friday, day 5, she took C42 to the parking lot so he could see her. And here she is (sorry about the wind noises).

Today we picked up a 2nd hand bike with hand brakes and bigger wheels for C7. Just need to pump up the tires and get pedals, although I'm not sure how long it will last. Then Q6 can use the other bigger bike that C7 has been riding and we can get rid of the 12 inch wheel bike. Yippee!

field day

I spent most of Q6's field day wrapping hotdogs, handing out Rice Krispie Treats and waters. But there were a few moments when I got to see Q6 in action.




And doing this hula game. Fun, but the kindergarteners had a hard time with it. They kept letting go and even if they didn't, their neighbor would let go and use his or her hand to get the hula hoop over their heads! Cooperation!!!

Hell on wheels (aka bikes) part two

Yesterday I asked the kids if they'd do something for me on Mother's Day (today) and Q6 immediately said "yes" and C7 said "Maybe. What do you want?" I cajoled her into saying yes and then I told them I wanted to go down to the park to learn how to bike.

Chorus of "Nooooo!" and "Scoooooters!" came back at me, but nevertheless, this morning I put the bikes in the car (forgot the helmets and had to send C42 back for them) and headed to the park.

It went better than I thought it would. C7 did a great job on the basketball court.

That is, until she fell and hurt her elbow. She dismissed our suggestions of elbow and knee pads (ugly looking) but reluctantly agreed to get back on the bike and try again once. We  pushed it to about 3 more times on the basketball court and then a 2-3 more times on the grass.

Q6 also did really well. Her bike is too small for her ... she was better riding C7's bike, actually. But initially she and I rode around the court, she'd then shimmy up the basketball pole, then ride around again on her little bike. She got her stride on the grass on C7s bike, though. And her is me going pedal pedal pedal!

and here I am picking up the bike after a spill.

Hell on wheels (aka scooters)

In an attempt to get the kids out on bikes we ended up on scooters Thursday night after coming home from Massachusetts. Nobody wanted to ride a bike, but consented to a swing around the neighborhood on scooters.

Q6 initially started with bare feet until I sent her home. Not that she cared. Her little three wheeled scooter didn't go so fast.





C7's 2 wheeled scooter CAN go fast. I love this thing, perhaps more than C7 does. If she outgrows it I'm raising the handles and scootering around. C7 scootered all the way down to the park and around the loop and came home. Look at how helmeted she is!! Safety gear!!

Gardening

More on that beautiful day. I did some gardening. Not much, but I did something I've wanted to for a long time. Whenever we go to a colonial era house (like Mt Vernon, or at Williamsburg, or Sturbridge Village) I like to go through the gardens. I am desperately in love with espaliered apple trees, but that is going to be a rather substantial chore. I've also fallen in love with using sticks for bean poles. Yes, that's it. Sticks for bean poles. And yes, it has taken me how many years to pull this off? Let's round it to 10.








And something C42 has wanted for a number of years? Artichoke. Got it!

Today was a glorious day. Actually, a little over glorious. Sweaty, even. So, we couldn't stay on the playground to play -- Q was wearing tights and a long sleeved shirt. And for reasons best not to explain she could not take the tights off.

So, we went home and spent all afternoon outside playing. C7 made leaf dolls and wandered around, climbed trees. And here is what Q6 did:

They both they started making soups and stews and things for dinner. Mmmm-mmm delish.