Mom's Homework

Now that Mitchell is in Kindergarten, he feels terribly grown up.  So far, he just loves getting his folder out immediately after school and digging out all his papers and gets started on his homework before I even get a chance to see it!  While Ben waits until he eats a snack, goofs around, complains a bit, claims he can't find his folder, goes to the bathroom, changes his shoes, and stares off into space a bit before finally getting down to homework, Mitchell is done before I get his snack ready!  I love the differences in my boys.  Always humorous to me.

Well, yesterday was a busy day and we just didn't have time to get homework done.  So we did it this morning.  I think I may do that more often!  Their focus was better and, for Mitchell, it got him into his hopping up and down, can't contain my ideas and creativity mood.  I love it when he is so amped about something he just can't stop hopping.

After finishing his homework, he immediately got out some paper and pencil and designed a special homework assignment for me.  

At the top was a picture of a jack-o-lantern.

Followed by some "writing/instructions."

Next was a line to write my FULL name, "not just mom, ok mom?  Your REAL name!"

Then a picture of a person, a door, and steps to another door.

The assignment was to write my FULL name, then count how many steps it took to walk from the front door to the family room.  But it didn't end there.  Once I completed that, I had to count how many hops it took.  Then skips.  Then giant steps.  Then baby steps.  Then crawling.  Then backwards steps.  Then  spinning.  

When I finally finished my homework, I got an enormous hug, a huge smile, and a hair bow.  

I think I'm going to have to plan some extra time into my morning if this is going to become a regular thing.  But it would be worth it for the amount of giggling and quality time all four of us spent hopping, skipping, crawling, spinning, and generally acting silly.

The Countdown

Jack has developed an interesting countdown.  First of all, I'm impressed with his ability to count backwards.  Secondly, and more importantly, I am impressed with his... embellishments!  It goes something like this:

10.. 9... 8... 5... 7... cereal... 4... 7... Mitchell... 1... BLAST OFF!!!

Let me tell you, it never gets old.  The more Ben and Mitchell laugh at it, the more encouraged Jack gets and the sillier and crazier the countdown gets.  At some point, it really just looses the ability to be called a countdown anymore and becomes a constant stream of silly words and giggling boys.

And of course, what sort of countdown can be considered complete without a space helmet to make it official.

Fetch, Fetch!

Ben came home in the funniest mood today. He was bursting with energy (more so than usual) and was being so contagiously silly. Where he gets the energy for this sort of thing in the second half of the day, I have no idea. It must be that getting-out-of-school freedom feeling. I remember it from my school days, but I also remember falling asleep in the car on the way home quite a bit too...

Anyways, like I said, he was being quite silly. So silly, in fact, that he decided he was going to be a dog the rest of the day and we were required to call him Fetch. Can you guess what Fetch's favorite game is? Fetch! Mitchell kept throwing a large stick for him, while I threw the frisbee. Ben would pick it up and come bounding back, drop it at our feet, and whine or bark for more with his tounge hanging out. Even Jack got in on the game by chasing him around yelling, "Fetch! Come, Fetch! Come here, doggy!" and petting him with "nice pets."

So when Matt asks what I did today, I can tell him I literally played fetch with my son, I mean, dog, Fetch!

Which Would You Rather?

Mitchell has started a new game, one that has caught on with Ben and now a day does not go by where I don't find them playing it. It is a silly game they play while they are supposed to be eating dinner and one they play while running endless errands with me in the car. It is called, "Would you rather?" and it goes something like this:

Hey Ben! Would you rather have no skin or eat poop?

Hey Mitchell! Would you rather live on the roof or in the Cheez-it box?

Would you rather ride in a cool car or fly yourself?

Would you rather be an orange or a stinky sock?

Would you rather eat stinky cheese or cucumbers?

Would you rather be eaten by a sharp tooth or smell a stinky flower?

Would you rather get a rock thrown at your head or be dropped by a dragon?

Would you rather get thrown off a dragon or sit down and relax?

(I promise these are the boys' very words. I just sat down with them and typed as they talked.)

The options get wilder and wilder and often depend on what their surroundings are. If we are in the car, the options are usually car-related. In the kitchen, we begin with food and just get sillier and sillier.

The funny thing is, I actually remember playing this game when I was a kid too! I didn't introduce them to this game though; it came from the mind of Mitchell, as many of our silliest practices do.