The Manipulation of Young Children

If you are parent, then you would be lying if you said you never manipulate your children. I know lots of people say that children are manipulated by cartoons, commercials, video games, etc. But really and truly, this responsibility lies in the hands of the parents. (I never saw a 3 yr old at Toys R Us with HER check card out buying a My Little Pony, or a 4 yr old with a Kroger Plus card buying the marshmallow cereal he saw on tv) How could you get through the 2-5 yr old years without manipulation? Notice the tone switch in teh following situations: "Would you like to go to the (lower voice to mumbling) the park (you really don't want to go it's really really hot) or (change tone to audible and obvious excited tones) or to the play place at the MALL?!!? "Honey, would you like to have (bland monotone lowering of voice) a grilled cheese sandwich (which requires prep and turning on the stove) OR (excited loud voice) pizza?!? (which I can get out of the freezer and nuke in the microwave). Again, notice the changes: "Son, would you rather stay here with mommy (making face like it would be SO boring bc mommy will just be taking a solo bath and reading a book) or GO to the store with DADDY??!?! (expression as if daddy would be going to the zoo rather than the home improvement store). We do this all the time. We want to give them choices, because what kind of parent would just DICTATE what their kids will do all the time...I mean we have to give them a sense of free-will here. But, doesn't it just make it a whole lot easier if they choose the one you wanted them to pick, if you WERE doing the picking?! Also...don't ever ever ever ask "What would you like to do today?" Especially if it is 4:30 on a weekday....when the choices are really kind of limited anyway. You will INEVITABLY receive the most outrageous and impossible answer they could think of. "Let's make doughnuts!" or, "Let's go see granny!" (who lives 2 hrs away). And, can you imagine what would happen if even for one day you did every single thing your child suggested? Imagine a day where you made up your mind, we are going to do whatever they want to do today, whatever it is! Imagine all the places you would go! Why do they choose those times to think of all those things they have been wanting to do that have been swimming around in their little heads!? And...if you ever TELL them yes, you are going to do a particular thing, you may as well have signed your name in blood! They will NEVER forget it! So, as easily manipulated as children can be...they certainly still maintain their intelligence when parents' set themselves up with those "gotcha" questions. "What do you want to do today...pick anything you want!" "WELL....SINCE you asked...I would very much like to make mud pies in the house and feed them to the neighbor's dog...and by the way...remember 5 months ago when you said we would go to the circus soon? How is that coming along mom?? "Well....do you really want to go to the CIRCUS?" (said with mangled facial expression and lowered tone as if it would be as fun as going to the dentist) or would you rather go to TARGET! They have My Little Ponies at TARGET!" (said with extreme happiness and glee!)

Fitted Sheets

So...I finally caught up on my laundry, which means my sheets finally got washed! We always have a set of sheets that is last thing to get washed...it stays at the bottom of the basket because clean clothes for the kids, and underwear is a greater priority than the big bulky set of sheets. I really do not enjoy folding sheets. Especially fitted sheets. It is an absolute impossibility to get them looking even halfway decent. The sides just won't be flat, or neat, or it's like it wasn't even meant to be folded. Maybe I am just not gifted in the folding arts...maybe I am just too short and my arms don't spread far enough...I don't know what it is, but they always end up being rolled up into a mass of mess. I guess it just doesn't bother me. I imagine my friend Bethany wants to get in her car and come right away to help me with my disability. I am sure the vision of a mess of sheets falling off the shelf in the linen closet is driving her batty. If it wasn't before, then it is now! lol. No one sees our sheets anyway. I guess if I died and someone had to go through my closet and see my poor sheets, I would hope they would be so sad about my being gone that they would just have pity. "Carrie never could fold sheets...boo hoo hoo!" ha ha. Another thing I hate to fold: kid's underwear. It's just too little! Kind of pointless really. What do you find little joy in folding?

You better straighten up.....

......if you want to get water in Adairsville! I was just remembering the other day when Corey and I first moved to Adairsville. Everything was in order, we were approved for an apartment, got the electricity going, etc. Then we had to go downtown and get the water switched to our names. Well, here we go. We walk into the little downtown office that housed two little old ladies who were gossiping about this and that and who and whatever. When we came in they looked at us with curiosity as we were CLEARLY outsiders, newcomers, that is. We were informed that there was a $150 deposit for water. WHAT?!?!? (Just for the record, you can buy a $127,000 house for NOTHING DOWN!). Also, we had to fill out an application. We actually had to take with us and fill it out to bring back because this was NO simple thing. They had to have both of our parents names, our last 3 residences, our last 3 jobs, our PARENTS residence and jobs, plus 2-3 OTHER references who did not live with us or were related! It was just short of a complete background check for WATER no less! So.....here's the moral of the story. You better straighten up and get it together if you want to get water in Adairsville. AND, be sure to bring your resume.

Caution: Road Work

I saw something quite funny the other day. It was annoying, ridiculous, laughable, and just plain silly all at the same time.

I was travelling to my Tuesday morning Mom's Bible study in Adairsville. While heading down Main Street ( a whole 3-4 blocks!) I saw signs warning me that I would soon approach some ever dreaded "road work." I sighed, seeing that I was already going to barely make it to the study on time, and prepared myself to wait. What I soon saw simply produced a chuckle and an eye-roll.

Standing in the road was the typical "guy with the stop/slow sign", "guy standing around the 12-14 orange cones," "other guy with the stop/slow sign in the opposite direction", "various guys standing around looking around as though about to do something important (I would estimate...eh...6-7 of these this particular go round), and then....*ta-da* the ONE guy actually doing something. And for once, I didn't feel sorry for him. Usually "said guy doing the work" is actually doing something...jackhammering, in a hole doing something mysterious, etc. I have to say this is the one time I was completely in awe and confusion as to what this guy was doing.

He had a paint roller in his hand, painting lines on the road. BY HAND!

This was not a paint rolling "tool." It was nothing electric, motor driven, fancy, or anything like that. It was a simple pain roller...and he was YES HE WAS applying yellow lines of paint to the road BY HAND! I was relieved that he had so many people watching his back...you never can be too careful painting. Especially with all the traffic headed to those 4 places downtown in Adairsville on Tuesdays at 9:30am.

I just don't know what else to say about this, except to share it with you. If you happen to attend the Locomotive Festival in Adairsville, check out the nice lines painted on the road....only in Adairsville will you find custom handpainted double yellow lines. What a unique town (in SO many ways...ask me about getting water around here another time!)

"Now let's just don't be silly," said the Mad Hatter.

This past weekend my husband and I traveled to Hahira, GA to help our friends move into their new home. Hahira is very near Valdosta. We left the kids to go camping with Nana and Poppa and headed off on our journey.

Traveling on the interstate is, in general, pretty boring. But, thanks to hotels and restaurants who put up ingenious billboards, we can have plenty to keep our minds busy...well...puzzled really.

Why is it that many hotels still advertise that they have cable tv and HBO? Do they really have to say that on their billboard? When is the last time anyone stayed in a hotel that didn't have the "luxury" of cable television? I know that billboard has been updated since then, so what in the world is up with that? Basically...I want to see a billboard that advertises "clean sheets and toilets" or "air conditioning works" or "real continental breakfast not just honey buns." I don't care one bit about what kind of tv service is available. I just want to sleep without bringing home a souvenier that keeps on giving if you know what I mean.

Another interesting billboard spotted was one for Burger King that boasted of their "drive-thru." Wow. We had been driving all night looking for some kind of fast food that had a drive thru, and we just weren't having any luck. I am SO glad they told us, now we can get some REAL on the road food in a real authentic drive thru facility.

Just plain craziness. But I guess they accomplished their goal since I am still talking about their billboards. I did not visit them. Well, the hotel we stayed in I am guessing had cable or HBO. I couldn't really say, I didn't turn on the tv.

By the way...if you are ever traveling interstate 75 south toward Florida..I know this really great place to eat...AND....it has a DRIVE THRU!!!!

Day to day musings...

Don't you just wish you could keep them young forever? This morning I was trying to wake up my husband (a great subject for another day...waking up the dead!), while my son was in the living room eating his 2nd breakfast (he usually has 2-3). My daughter comes through our bedroom and says she needs to go potty and goes on into the bathroom that connects to our bedroom. No biggie, apparently though my husband and I were selectively blind for a moment or so as you will see. In a couple of minutes we hear the annoucement "I pooped!" We both pause as usual to see which parent will volunteer to go do the honors. My husband responds and gets up to go help and upon entering the bathroom.....sees our lovely daughter...sitting on the toilet............* while eating her breakfast*(sliced banana). I had no idea she could multitask so well. She was even using a fork! Wow. Such great moments to relive. They used to tell us at school to not miss the "teachable moments" that randomly arise throughout the day. Now there's a GREAT one for you!