POSTS TAGGED : mommy laughs

Caillou Has Left the Building

Caillou Has Left the Building

It’s one of those days I’ve dreamed about for a good five years now. I honestly thought it would never come. But, it has. Oh yes, it has!

Caillou has left the building. As in the building, I am referring to my house. And I couldn’t be happier! If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know I have a hate-hate relationship with the little ball-headed whiney child. From the day he entered our lives, I wanted him out. But, my girls loved him. Correction, they were obsessed with him. They loved him so much, we got the doll, the tree house, and a few puzzles. We watched Caillou every night before bed. Every. Single. Night.

You’re probably asking yourself why I didn’t shut it down from the beginning. As a parent, you know you pick your battles. Watching the show made them happy. Playing with the toys made them happy too. They really weren’t hurting anyone or anything, except for my sanity. So, I let it run its course. It is a course that has now ended.

I can’t remember the last time we actually sat down to watch a Caillou episode. They have no interest. They’ve moved on to Nickelodeon shows like “Henry Danger” and “The Thundermans”. I can honestly say I enjoy “The Thundermans”. I can take “Henry Danger” in small doses. It’s a little unbelievable that no one can in Henry’s family can figure out that he’s also Kid Danger. But, that’s another topic for another blog.

Getting back to Caillou…my girls have actually muttered the words “I don’t want to watch Caillou. I don’t like him anymore.” It is sweet music to momma’s ears!

As parents it can make us sad when kids grow out of certain phases. But, not this one. I no longer have to hear that whiney voice when no one wants to play with Caillou at “play school”. First of all, it’s pre-school or daycare. No one calls it “play school”. Second of all, I wouldn’t want to play with him either if I were a four-year-old kid. I no longer have to answer my girls when they ask me why Caillou never grows hair. I don’t know! Truthfully, does anyone? I no longer have to worry about Caillou’s parents never changing their outfits or Caillou crying when he has to give his favorite shirt to his sister Rosie.

The reign of this little monster is over!  Peace out Caillou! Take your olive muddle and bad dance moves with you. If your child is still infatuated with this little monster, I’m sorry. I’m sure your day is coming too. Until then, just remember, He’s just a boy who’s four. Each day he grows some more (although it doesn’t look like it). He likes to explore. His name is Caillou.

There’s Milk in My Bed & It’s 4 a.m.

Kids are messy. Kids are noisy. Kids are…well…kids. Part of a being a parent is knowing to expect the unexpected. You just never know what’s going to happen. I never learned this lesson as much as I did at four o’clock this morning. Let me set the scene for you. My two-year-old was crying and yelling in her bed. Enter one child into mommy and daddy’s bed. The four-year-old hears the commotion. Enter child number two into mommy and daddy’s bed. Everyone falls asleep. Great. Then, some Gremlin must have poked my two-year-old. She started yelling for Caillou. We ignore it. She yells louder. Can you see why I have such a hateful attitude towards this character? Anyway, I proceed to put the TV on in hopes of calming her down and getting her back to sleep so everyone else can sleep again too.

Everything is going well. I’m drifting off. My husband is snoring. My four-year-old is sleeping. I don’t hear the two-year-old. I was wrong. She starts yelling for milk. We ignore it. She yells louder. I get up to get her milk. I don’t want you all to think she always gets what she wants, but when it’s four in the morning, sleep is the goal, not lesson teaching, so sue me!

She gets her milk. I go to the bathroom. I walk out and hear a “splat” followed by a cry…followed by another cry. I look at my two-year-old. Drops of milk are falling from her hair, dribbling down her face and all over her soaked pajamas. I start laughing. I wished I picked up my phone and snapped a picture. My daughter was so shocked and disgusted. It was classic. I guess someone didn’t put the lid on the sippy cup tight enough. What do you want from me? It was four in the morning and I did it with one eye open, without my glasses!

Then, my four-year-old starts to scream. “My Mickey Mouse jammies!! Mickey Mouse!!”

Girlfriend was flipping out because one of her favorite pairs of pj’s was now soaked with milk as well. Don’t cry over spilled milk child!

So, let’s recap…I have two milk-soaked children as well as a bed full of milk and two parents that don’t know if they should laugh some more or cry they are so tired. Did I mention it’s four in the morning? Yep…it is. So, we proceed to dry everyone ,change everyone and everything and regroup. This includes putting towels all over the bed so we can try to go back to sleep.  What a mess!

Once all is said and done, there’s more drama, tossing, turning, and re-locating, but everyone does get back to sleep.

So, what’s the morale of the story? Expect the unexpected…oh and, make sure you fasten that sippy cup lid!

The Little Bald Kid is Back…Guess Who?

He’s bald, each day he grows some more…he’s Caillou…and he’s back with a new season of fun to entertain children and annoy the fudge out of parents everywhere. Last weekend, a slew of new episodes premiered in a four hour whiney-action packed marathon. My girls watched parts of it. I wanted to poke my eyes out with a spork during every second.

Usually with a new season, characters look older or different in some way. Well, Caillou must be trapped in some kind of time warp where he doesn’t grow hair, doesn’t mature, and never changes his style of clothes. He is just as annoying as he was last season. Nothing has changed. He’s just put in different situations where he still whines until he gets his way.

The only character who seems to grow just one shoe size and slightly less annoying is little sister Rosie. At least this season she’s talking more and seems to have a better grasp of just how annoying her big brother really is. I’m hoping to see her use their cat Gilbert in some kind of hostile takeover  where Caillou somehow disappears into a polar vortex. Somehow.

Caillou’s mom has evolved as well this season. She’s taken up yoga. The poor woman probably needs a little zen dealing with that little annoying booger. I’m surprised she hasn’t taken up drinking as well. The only bright light she has is her little girl. Even her husband is annoying. Wonder where Caillou gets it from? The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Speaking of Caillou’s father, when have you seen a grown man in a massive bubble bath with his child’s rubber ducky? Weird with a capital “W” if you ask me. There’s one scene where Caillou opens the door to find daddy lathering up in the tub. They both giggle as Caillou shuts the door.

Other strange things happen in that tub too. Caillou has his equally annoying friend Leo over for a sleepover and the two little boys bathe together. First of all, I have never heard of friends taking a bath together during a sleepover. Secondly, if your sleepover buddy is so dirty he has to take a bath at your house, there’s a problem. Lastly, what’s wrong with his mother putting the two boys in the tub together? I think she’s done too many shoulder stands at yoga if you ask me. I don’t want my kids to think they are going to go over to their friend’s house and take a bath. Ever.

There has been one bright light during this new season. There was some new kid Andy (I think that’s his name) who didn’t want to be friends with Caillou. Alleluia Andy! I think he’s the only one who sees Caillou for what he is. I wouldn’t want to be friends with him either! Andy is the only one who’s had enough fruit snacks to stand up to our little bald headed beast.

As we continue to watch Caillou’s escapades, I am hoping to see him mature, even if it is just with one hair on his head. I will also be looking to see if he can stop whining for just one little episode. It would also be fantastic if his mother would finally just yell at him like all the rest of us parents out there want to. He’s your kid woman, just do it. And while you’re at it, take the rubber ducky and bubble away from your husband!

 

My Dad Does Tricks & I Have a Brother

I’ve always known my daughter has an active imagination. A very active imagination. She makes up friends, talks to them, plays with them, and sits next to them at the table. She’s crazy when it comes to stuff like that. I just never thought she would take it outside the walls of our house. I was wrong.

This morning, we had our first parent-teacher conference. I was wondering what the pre-school teacher was going to say. I know they have been doing Kindergarten readiness tests with the kids, so I was very curious to see how she scored. As a parent, I was obviously concerned and wanted to make sure she was on track with everyone else. Thankfully, we’re just where we need to be when it comes to the ABC’s of learning and ready for Kindergarten in the fall.

The fun part came when the teacher went over some answers to some simple questions. She asked her when her birthday was and how old she was. July and 4.

Great.

She asked if she had a birthday party. Yes. She even named some people who were there.

Great.

She asked how many brothers and sisters she has. She answered correctly about her sister and then added that she has a five-year-old brother named Michael.

Wait, what? My husband and I started laughing. She has no real brother. At home she has an imaginary brother who pops up every now and again. We can’t tell who he resembles, but he’s there and sometimes has dinner with us…when he’s good, my daughter says. But, I never thought she would tell her teacher about him.  Like I said, she has a very active imagination.

Next, she was asked what Daddy does and where he works. She got the place right, but said he does “tricks”. He’s not a magician, but he does do a lot of fun things with them that could be considered “tricks” I guess.  Thankfully she didn’t say mommy does anything with “tricks” because if she did we would have had a lot more to talk about!

Then, she asked what I do. My daughter said I work at the same place as Daddy. I don’t. I am a SAHM and do some freelance writing. I was really  afraid she told her teacher I shop because that’s what she came home and told me she said one day. My daughter also said she told her teacher I drink wine. Not a lie, but not something I need to talk about with her teacher!

I guess the saying, “from the mouths of babes” is true. You never really know what kids are going to say. I know it could have been much worse. At least we got some good laughs!

 

And What’s Your Name Little Girl?

Your name. It’s something you hear right from the moment you are born. You learn to answer to it. You learn to say it. You learn to write it. You learn to either love it or hate it. Apparently, if you’re my daughter, you also learn you can change it! Yeah, that’s right. I think my daughter is driving a one person petition to change her name. I don’t know why because I think she has a beautiful name. If we named her something ugly or stupid then maybe I could see her reasoning.

So, She goes around telling people her name is “Mina” (Mean-a). Her name doesn’t start with an “M” nor does it rhyme or sound anything like “Mina”. Still, she is “Mina”. She does it in the house. She does it in front of family. And now she’s starting to do it in public. This, folks, was my worst fear come true. At her cousin’s birthday party over the weekend, one of the worker’s at the little play gym went around the circle asking the kids their names. Since she can’t say her real name yet, I expected my husband to answer for her. But, before he could open his mouth she blurted out “I’m Mina.” I laughed. What else could I do? She knows her name is not Mina because I correct 100 times a day. Still, she’s Mina. Even when I yell at her she says, “No, I’m Mina.” So, then I yell at Mina too!

It’s all silly now, but I’m really afraid she’s going to call herself Mina when she goes to pre-school in the fall. The teacher is going to look on her list and realize she doesn’t have a Mina! She’ll make friends and they’ll call her Mina. She’s going to have split personalities. Ahh!!!

Everyone asks me where she got the name from. There is a show she watches and the lady’s name is “Nina”. So, I’m thinking she’s getting it from there. That is truly the only thing I can think of. I need to call Nina and tell her to change her name!

So what’s a mom to do in the “Mina time”? I guess I’ll keep correcting her and hope this is just one of those annoying phases!