Would sir like a mint?

So today, on the way home from school, Jellybean made a subway car of passengers laugh out loud.

How?

Well, as C2 related to me, he was holding Jellybean in his arms, standing in a somewhat crowded subway car, when she leaned in and sweetly told him he had "orangutan breath."

Is that a mouse in the wall?

Yesterday I was putting something by the door when a noxious smell overtook me. It was so gross I started inspecting (even sniffing) all 8 gazillion pairs of shoes and boots, to see if someone had stepped in dog poop and tracked it into the apartment. Then I had the sinking suspicion that a mouse had died inside the walls, and we'd be forced to endure the smell as the wee rodent's body rotted, then dried into inoffensive nothingness, over weeks if not months of time.

But no. The offending smell was.......Jellybean's backpack.

So we're (still! agh) potty training Jellybean. Some days she's damn near perfect. And....other days I end up washing out multiple sets of poopy underwear.

Each day at school, the Montessori sends home any accidents (poop or pee) - usually in a balled up, inside-out latex glove that holds the offending clothing inside of it. Pretty ingenious, if you ask me - but also kind of a pain to unravel.

Monday through Friday I have a wonderful babysitter, C2, that helps. He's very vigilant about taking the accidents out of the bag, so they don't linger in Jellybean's backpack.

And I check, too, when I pack her bag in the morning with her lunch.

Except somehow we missed two of them. They were tucked into a rarely used pocket of the backpack (which has more folds and fissures than the face of a nonagenarian living in Texas and eschewing sunblock).

Eeuw.

I'm not usually grossed out by things. I grew up discussing surgery at the dinner table with my mom (trained as a public health nurse), or helping to clean fish with my dad (the avid outdoorsman). If I had time, I'd actually watch the TV shows that film surgeries; I think that stuff is cool.

Smells, however? That is tougher. When I was pregnant, I could barely handle walking around outside in the summer, as sweaty folks walking past me smelled so repugnant it would make me gag.

I started to unwrap the balled up gloves....but I couldn't do it. Epic fail.

I wavered in my determination. My eyes watered and my courage failed me: I tossed them out. Sorry kid - those Hello Kitty undies went to a better place!

SNOW DAY

Today was a snow day.

A seriously GREAT snow day. We got 19 inches of snow in Central Park last night. Do you realize how much snow that is?

Monkey's friend came over, and we went out to play. King of the Mountain was a favorite. As was leaping from a 8 foot high pile of snow into the snow below. It was awesome.

Ballet Recital

Bath time

Goodnight, moon

So with the girls sharing a room, sometimes the bedtime routine gets a bit messed up. One girl will stay up later than she should, and keep the other one wide awake.

Sometimes they even yell at each other.

But most nights? Most nights they are a comfort to one another.

Recently we got a LED moon for Monkey. She takes it to bed, and the light is sufficient to make her feel safe, but not so bright as to wake up her little sister (who goes to bed before her, and needs the lights out). We love this moon. It's made nighttimes easier.

But the other night? For whatever reason, Jellybean just wouldn't got to sleep. I blame it on the excitement of having grandma in town. She was PSYCHED. And, consequently, was wide awake at 9:30pm. (monkey was sound asleep)

I walked into their room. She perked up, rolled over and said "hi mama!" I used the mom-voice and intoned "Jellybean?" (translation.....you are in trouble, dude). So, smart cookie that she is?

She said "ok mama, good night." Like - get outta here, I get it.

I think she fell asleep 30 minutes later. Total stinker.

Christmas presents....

A dear friend asked me if the girls enjoyed Christmas (yes), and whether or not they got a favorite present.

So I thought about the BEST present they got. My answer? The girls got a toddler table (you know, short to the ground) and chairs just their size for the front room. M and I LOVE it because now they aren't fighting to be on the same, adult-sized chair at the desk that used to be in that room....said fighting led to some bumps and bruises. Toddlers falling off of chairs is bad. Being able to leave the room for a few minutes (to um, oh I don’t know, do something phenomenal like use the bathroom without needing to take everyone with me) is good!

But then, I thought about how the girls might have answered.

I bet that Monkey would tell us her favorite present is the safety light on a stick that "Santa" (aka Granddad) included as a stocking stuffer. It flashes! It can be annoyingly blinding to sisters and moms alike! You can whirl it on its string as a weapon!

And I bet that Jellybean would pick the talking book: she turns the pages, and Grandma and Andpa's voices narrate the pages! Loudly! Again and again and again and again and again!

It's all relative, right?

Post vacation blahs....

We were fortunate enough to spend time (on vacation in DC) with one set of grandparents over the recent holidays. Monkey and Jellybean LOVED it. 

Unfortunately, they are now profoundly disappointed to realize that:

1. they must now walk again like a commoner (versus a princess), as granddad isn't here to carry them around;  and
2. my pockets are NOT full of candy, like Nana’s are!

Bummer. Real life is soooo boring (to quote Monkey).