Cat Fight

Lots of people ask me if Sam picks on or bullies his sisters. I guess they figure since he is a boy and a couple inches taller than the girls, he would have the upper hand.

How wrong they are.

Here's some photographic evidence of the aftermath of Sam's latest attempt to pick on his sister.

He may have a height and weight advantage, but he underestimated a girl's secret weapon ...

Nails.

As in finger nails. That's right folks, a genuine cat fight. I'm hoping we won't have many more of these in our future, but I think that hope is futile. Of course this happened on the day before we attend preschool open house. I just hope the teachers don't run screaming from the room when we come in. Anyone have any good ideas for how to respond when they ask what happened to Sam's face? Anything has to sound better than, "His sister brutally clawed his face when he tried to push her."

Excuse me while I go apply more Neosporin to Sam's face (while simultaneously nursing his bruised ego).

Picture of the Week - August 29

I wanted to try and start a tradition of capturing and posting a "picture of the week" on this blog. I want this picture to simply be a moment or emotion that I want to remember from the week. Something that made me or someone in my family feel something significant, a facial expression I don't want to forget, or an image I want to remember forever. The images don't necessarily have to be monumental, they just have to elicit emotions and memories that I don't want to forget.

Peyton wants to give you a flower. She picked it all by herself (which is the way she likes to do things these days).

100 Posts!

I just happened to look at my blog menu today when signing in and I noticed that my last post was my 100th! Crazy!

So this is actually my 101st post ... but who's counting, right? Oh, I guess I am. Anyway ...

Since I'm always looking for some cause for celebration, perhaps I'll make this one of them. The kiddos are really into singing "Happy Birthday" right now and love to make pretend birthday cakes. Maybe we'll have something sweet to celebrate. I promise this isn't just a ploy to eat something sweet. Well, maybe it is ...

Happy Blog Birthday Clifford PALS!

Musings of a Sesame Street Mom

Being a mom to four toddlers means that the TV show options are pretty limited in my house. Oh I know they have tons of programming geared to kids this age, but they all pretty much fall under the same umbrella for me. It's either brightly colored animals singing or people dressed in brightly colored clothes singing - not too much variety if you ask me. I guess repetition is what kids this age crave and boy, the children's TV-making tycoons sure do know it. Lately, rather than tuning out, I've started to notice a few oddities in my kids' favorite shows. The kiddos don't really notice, but some of the things I have seen really threw me for a loop. Let's take a little trip down kiddie show lane and I'll tell you what I'm talking about.

Now I love all those monsters down on Sesame Street. Heck, I grew up watching them myself as did every other kid in America who had a pulse. But this good ole monster borough has some inhabitants with some questionable names if you ask me. For example, what is up with Cookie Monster's name? None of the other monsters (Elmo, Grover, Telly, etc.) has the term "monster" after their name. I thought the "monster" moniker was just understood. That being said, why doesn't he even have a real name before the "monster?" It's just "Cookie", which describes what he likes to eat. A cop out if you ask me. I think the Sesame Street writers were just tired of thinking up names and poor old Cookie Monster got the short end of the stick. I tried to give him some dignity back and started referring to him as C.C. ("C" is for cookie ... it fits, right?), but my kids wanted none of it.

Jim Henson - 1
Frustrated Monster-Naming Monger - 0

And while we're on the topic ... the same thing goes for Big Bird. The big 8-foot tall central character couldn't get a better name than that? I think I may have missed my career calling here. I know I could have thought up something better than Big (got to be one of the most common adjectives out there) and Bird (duh ... I know what an animal with lots of feathers is).

Mickey Mouse and his endless empire have recently entered our house. I don't think we can go a day without singing the "Hot Diggity Dog" song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. But I have also noticed some things out of whack with Walt and his animated creations. Now everyone knows that Goofy and Pluto are both dogs ... but how come Goofy gets to talk and Pluto is resorted to barking and acting like, well, a dog? There seems to be some funny business going on in the Magic Kingdom when one canine gets real lines and the other is relegated to whining and barking to get his message across. I may start some sort of union for Pluto in my spare time.

Another issue is the clothing of Donald Duck. Has anyone ever noticed that Donald only wears a shirt and no pants? Essentially, I'm ok with that. He's a duck, not a human, and if Disney feels the duck should go pantless then so be it. My problem is this: Have you ever noticed that when Donald gets out of the shower (OK, clearly I watch too much of this show if I have seen the duck shower multiple times) he puts a towel around his waist??? Why does he need to do this? He goes bare-bottomed out in public every day and then all of a sudden he gets modest in the privacy of his own bathroom? I'm thinking the every-day-Donald animator and the shower-scene-Donald animator must have gotten their wires crossed somewhere. I know it's a small detail, but it drives me nuts!

Now I've got Elmo and the Wiggles here together to point out a rather confusing (or brilliant) name issue. The sidekicks for both of these characters are named Dorothy (Elmo's fish and the Wiggles' dinosaur). At first, I thought, "C'mon people, can't you think up an original name for your characters here?" But then I thought that it could be a great marketing strategy. I don't know which Dorothy came first, but maybe the namers of the second Dorothy were trying to capitalize on the name's already adopted success. You know, trick the Dorothy-loving watchers of the Wiggles into watching Elmo because he's got a friend named Dorothy too. A stretch?? Maybe. But plausible? I think so.

And to sum it all up, here are a few more short and sweet observations

Weirdest show ever. Thought I was watching a pre-school rave when I first saw it (and still do). Makes me wonder what the makers of this one are smoking during their lunch break. Jack Black was once a guest on the show so that should sum it up pretty well.

Wonder Pets, definitely my fave. They kinda fall in the Donald Duck category seeing as they wear hats and no other clothes, but I can handle it. I am formulating a theory that the Wonder Pets are solely responsible for the creation of the TV show Glee, but I've yet to put it down in writing. They sing, they dance, and all with a little dialogue sandwiched in between. How is that not the same as Glee? It does bother me that Linny is a girl (with a name like that and having her wear a baseball hat ... last time I checked, toddlers don't understand what a tomboy is), but I can live with it based on my pure love of show tunes. I think we should all pepper our every day lives with random song breakouts ... are you with me?

Now excuse me while I go and update our DVR with the latest and greatest that TV Land has to offer our kids today. And if you now find yourself over-analyzing your kids TV shows, don't blame me ... blame the dog (whether it's Pluto or Goofy ... it's up to you to decide).

Picture of the Week - August 22

I wanted to try and start a tradition of capturing and posting a "picture of the week" on this blog.  I want this picture to simply be a moment or emotion that I want to remember from the week. Something that made me or someone in my family feel something significant, a facial expression I don't want to forget, or an image I want to remember forever. The images don't necessarily have to be monumental, they just have to elicit emotions and memories that I don't want to forget.

 Sampling some of our purchases from Saturday morning's farmer's
market...

Puddle Ducks

"Never forget that the subject is as important as your feeling; the mud puddle itself is as important as your pleasure in looking at it or splashing through it. Never let the mud puddle get lost in the poetry-because, in many ways, the mud puddle is the poetry." 

~Valerie Worth

C'mon Ride That Train

My parents visited us over the last few days and we all had a great time hanging out. They'd just gotten back from a European cruise and decided to spend the last few days of their vacation with us. I know what you're thinking ... they're nuts (that's what I thought)! Spending time in our house can definitely result in a fun vacation, but surely not a restful one. I'm sure they slept for a good 12-14 hours the night after they left (how I long for those days again!), but we all really did enjoy their company.

Besides the requisite visits to the ice cream shop and playing outside, we decided to take the plunge one day and take the kids to Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC. I had been there as a kid, so I remembered it a bit. This was the kids' first theme park experience, and I have to admit I was slightly petrified. Tweetsie is no Disney World, but it was a good way for us to break the kids in to the theme park experience. Unfortunately, Matt couldn't come with us (August and fun do not mix for him due to work), so my mom, dad, and I loaded up the kids early in the morning and made the quick trek over to Boone for the day.

Luckily we were blessed with an overcast, not too hot day. The first thing we saw when we stepped into the park was the main attraction ... the train! This is no kiddie train, it's the real deal complete with smoke, whistle, and several passenger cars. The kids wanted to get on it immediately and a temper tantrum ensued when it pulled out of the station without us on board (we were saving the train ride for later).

Instead, we took a walk around main street to get our bearings and figure out exactly what two year olds can handle at a theme park. Peyton really started acting up, so we did what any self-respecting guardians would do and had her thrown in the slammer.

Kidding, of course (though it did give me some ideas .... kidding again! Seriously y'all ...).

We did almost have a few fingers severed in the jail door. That's what happens when you have children with an affinity for slamming any and all open things (think doors, cabinets, toilet seats, etc). I must admit that I did feel funny showing them how to nicely close the jail cell door ... aren't those things only meant to be slammed in the first place? Oh well, life lessons trump what you see in the movies in this case.

We then decided to try some rides. I really only thought they'd be able to do the carousel and maybe one other thing. Well, they definitely proved me wrong. Sam was willing to try any ride. He looked a little scared the whole time he was riding, but he always wanted to try again. What a brave guy. Peyton, on the other hand, did not want to try anything new. She went on the carousel (she'd been on one before) and I convinced her to ride the Ferris wheel (only because she's seen Dora do it ... jeez!). Let me tell you, that Ferris wheel was nothing to laugh at. That thing went FAST! I like roller coasters and once the operator cranked that wheel up, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was a little scary for me the first time around, but I acted like it was oh so much fun, so the girls thought so too.

Lastly was Adah. This girl is apparently going to live on roller coasters. I guess I'd better buy her a season pass to Carowinds now in hopes that they offer a discount to kids her age. The girl seriously wanted to try everything. Heck, the Ferris wheel was like child's play to her. She is definitely our thrill seeker!

Check out her face in this one ... pure delight.

The park also happened to have a petting zoo and although those things kind of creep me out, the kids love them. We went and fed the goats, pigs, bunnies, etc. The kids enjoyed it and had fun chasing around a baby goat that they brought out for them to pet.

Luke is still at the age where he had to be in the stroller for most of the time. Poor guy. I felt bad that every time we let him out he just ran around with a look of absolute joy on his face because he was free. He was such a trooper though and did great. There's a lot to see at a park, so he was plenty occupied while we lugged his 28.5 pounds up and down the mountain. Yes, 28 pounds. The boy now weighs more than his older sisters and is gaining on his older brother. Somebody call Urban Meyer ...

After lunch we took in a show and got decked out for our final adventure, the train ride. We had to dress the part to get ready for the trip.

In all truthfulness, the train ride was more fun for us adults than the kids. Peyton didn't like the smoke from the train (I don't know why, she has no fire trauma in her past), Adah had a bad view, and Luke dropped his pacifier out the window about halfway through the ride. Sam enjoyed it, though I think he was sleep walking at that point because he was so tired. We made our way to the car and I was excited because things had gone so well and I was looking forward to the kids doing a little of this on the drive home ...

But I was only kidding myself. Instead I got to hear two whistles being blown in my ear while Sam continually asked for snacks. This was all in between Luke shouting, "Elmo!" (his new favorite word) every few minutes while pointing at the DVD player. I guess they were still wound up from all the events of the day, but it was worth it. They definitely slept well that night.

So, theme park level 1 ... mission accomplished. We are nowhere near ready for Disney, but it won't be too far away. With all the fun we had on this trip, it won't be long before we head back for another good time!

Picture of the Week - August 15

I wanted to try and start a tradition of capturing and posting a "picture of the week" on this blog.  I want this picture to simply be a moment or emotion that I want to remember from the week. Something that made me or someone in my family feel something significant, a facial expression I don't want to forget, or an image I want to remember forever. The images don't necessarily have to be monumental, they just have to elicit emotions and memories that I don't want to forget.

Bad quality photo because it was taken with my phone (again), but still priceless. I think Sam will regret having two sisters when he is older and looks back on photos.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

August in the Clifford house is traditionally a very busy month. It's Matt's busiest time at work and we are all winding down from summer and getting ready to head back to preschool. But we have been trying to sneak a little bit of fun in there when we have the time. This past weekend we headed out to a minor league baseball game. The triplets had been to one before, but it was too long ago for them to remember it. It was Luke's first time and everyone seemed to have fun.

Now the key to taking very young children to sporting events is to have somewhere they can run around and be active. Let's face it ... trying to take all four of them to a game and get them to sit in seats would be an absolute nightmare and utterly impossible. In reality, the baseball game is just background noise to them that they happen to look at every couple minutes or so. What they're really interested in is everything going on around them - the cotton candy sellers, the jumbo tron, the kid area with bounce houses that they can see in right field ... anything but the actual game. Luckily, we went with a large group and got to watch the game on a sectioned off and covered patio. This was great because it gave the kids plenty of room to run around and they didn't have to sit still in a seat.

Overall, they all four did great! They got some hats to wear so they would feel like real baseball players. We picked out all the colors on the players' uniforms and we watched in amazement for the advertising on the left field wall to magically change pictures every couple of minutes. We ate hot dogs and chips (but no cracker jacks!) and tried to drink lots of water because it was H.O.T.! We had a great time and the kids keep asking to go back every day! I can't wait to take them to some basketball and football games in the fall, I think they will have a really great time.

Here are a couple pictures of the game. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so these were taken with my phone. I apologize for the quality!

Eating hot dogs during the game ...

Our favorite activity of the night ... eating ice. I told you it was hot!

Luke is menacingly saying, "Nobody better come anywhere near MY ice!"

Peyton hydrating on the way to the car ...

Adah enjoying a last look at the game before we head home.

Picture of the Week - August 8

I wanted to try and start a tradition of capturing and posting a "picture of the week" on this blog.  I want this picture to simply be a moment or emotion that I want to remember from the week. Something that made me or someone in my family feel something significant, a facial expression I don't want to forget, or an image I want to remember forever. The images don't necessarily have to be monumental, they just have to elicit emotions and memories that I don't want to forget.

Apparently I have another little cleaner on my hands. Just like his older brother, Luke loves him some dust buster. He gets a huge grin on his face every time I take it out (which, frankly, is very often in our house). I'd like to think it's because he likes things to be neat and tidy, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the loud noise it makes. Oh well, if they'll clean something, I don't care what the motivation is behind it!

I think his expression in this picture is telling me, "Mom, seriously, do you really have to take a picture of me NOW? Can't you see I'm working woman?"

Random Thoughts of the Day

How does this so-called "heat index" thing work? I mean, I know it's something like the combination of the actual temperature and the humidity, but I still am struggling with it. For example, it's 94 degrees here today but it "feels like" 103 degrees. It may just be me, but if it "feels like" 103 degrees, it's 103 degrees! And I moved north from Florida for this ...

The triplets all have really different hair, which I find kind of odd. Peyton's is blond, but the kind of blond you can tell is going to turn into brown one day (much like mine did). Her hair is also as straight as a stick and very, very fine and thin. Adah has white blond hair - I actually think it may stay blond for her whole life. It's also still very curly and doesn't show any sign of straightening out any time soon. She's also been stuck with the thin, fine hair, much like Peyton. And then there's Sam ... lucky booger. He has this gorgeous light brown hair with natural blond highlights that I would kill for. His hair is thick and silky and he has so much of it - more than the girls do combined. I kinda feel bad that God wasted such nice hair on a stinky, sweaty little boy. The girls and I are going to envy him for decades. I guess it's just the plight of women to lust after hair we can't have. The jury is still out on Luke ... though we know he's not going to have the blond hair or curls like Adah.

While I'm on the subject of features, what the heck color are Luke's eyes? I am asked this on a daily basis and I have no answer. It kinda makes you feel like a bad mom when someone asks you what color his eyes are and you say, "Well, I don't really know ..." The doctors told me early on that they were definitely not going to be brown, so I thought they'd be blue like the triplets' eyes. Well, they are not blue either. They usually look brown in pictures, but they're more of a gray-greenish-y (technical, I know) color. What do you think?

I am slowly getting bored with my exercise routine. Right now I'm running 3-4 days a week and doing that dang eliptical machine 1 day a week. I want to keep exercising 4-5 days a week (it's my one hour a day respite from the kiddos and some good "me" time), but I need something new and different. I'm not really a class kind of girl (aerobics, etc), but I might be willing to try something new to spice things up a bit. Any good ideas? Has anyone done Zumba? Would I just be embarrassing myself? Be honest.

I have some birthday money to spend, but I don't have any good ideas for what to spend it on. I was actually thinking of getting a cool secretary (the furniture, not the person) or roll-top desk for our computer since it now sits in an overly large cabinet I don't like. But then I thought that this was a really boring birthday gift for myself that may be showing my age. So I need to think of something cooler to give myself ... does a corner bookshelf sound cooler?

I've decided that I like stream-of-consciousness blogging - it suits the way my mind works. I may have to try this more often! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Picture of the Week - August 1

I wanted to try and start a tradition of capturing and posting a "picture of the week" on this blog.  I want this picture to simply be a moment or emotion that I want to remember from the week. Something that made me or someone in my family feel something significant, a facial expression I don't want to forget, or an image I want to remember forever. The images don't necessarily have to be monumental, they just have to elicit emotions and memories that I don't want to forget.

The boys are already conspiring together on how to sneak out at night and roll the car out of the garage so we won't hear them start the engine. Should I be worried? They are also stealing a Mercedes, so I think their goals are already a little too lofty ...