I Heart the Internet

I just survived two very long weeks without the Internet. There were times when I thought it was so nice to not have any distractions around and maybe we should never get the Internet hooked up [Note: we have been trying to get the Internet but it has been a ridiculous ordeal that even included a router that started smoking!]. Then there were times when I was going crazy and could have really used at least 5 minutes of blog therapy. Overall, I learned one very important thing: I never could have raised kids in the days before the Internet. I use it for everything. How to make hummus, how to prune a bush, how to get rid of pet odor (did I mention the previous owners had two HUGE dogs), how to make homemade fingerpaints, etc., etc. I don't know how people survived before having all the information they could ever want at their fingertips.

Anyway, I just needed to record a few things that have happened the past two weeks. We are mostly moved in although we have a long "eventually to-do" list that includes lots of fun projects we look forward to tackling in the upcoming months and years. The kids love the backyard and found a hidden passage in the basement within the first 5 minutes of being in the house. Our neighbors are all very nice and there are lovely tree-lined streets everywhere which is one of the reasons I love Ann Arbor.

Last week, we were in World Market when Luke found a little green toy plane that he wanted me to buy. I have learned in the past that toys purchased at World Market are WAY over-priced and always break within a few minutes or days. Of course I said no. But he kept whining and whining and whining! So finally I told him that he could earn the money to buy it himself. It was 3.75 but I told him he needed to earn $3.00 to keep it simple. We wrote out what he would do: $1 for helping me make waffles for dinner, $1 for cleaning up his toys in the basement, and $1 for watering the plants.



This had a surprisingly profound effect on Luke. Although I wouldn't say his efforts were actually worth $3, he did go from job to job with extreme dedication. And as he worked, he would say out loud over and over, "#1 dollar I make waffles....#2 dollar I clean basement....#3 dollar I water plants," in his cute toddler voice. After he finished and earned his money (I only managed to get pictures of him victoriously playing with his money like a little miser :)), we went to World Market and he ran to get the cheap little green toy plane of his dreams. He threw the crumbled up dollars (they were literally crumbled into little balls) on the cashiers table and thanked her as we left.

I hope he learned something about working for what you want. Maybe he just learned that he should get paid for helping around the house. I've heard him tell a few people about it since then although I don't know if his explanation makes sense to anyone else. It is also important to note that it has been a week and the plane's propeller has already fallen off. Mom knows best!

The other night we were at the dinner table and Andrew was saying something about how he couldn't quite find his niche. Luke said, "Oh ya Dad, I am missing my niche too. It is far far away!" I love when he tries to jump in conversations like that. He doesn't even need to know what a niche is.

Cam has also been saying lots of cute things. He walks around the house a lot saying, "Bluth Clueth". I am so embarrassed to admit that the obsession has passed on to our younger son and now he requests it more than Luke. When I give in (because it melts my heart the way he says it with a lisp), he shouts out "YAY!" and claps his hands with laughter. 

A few nights ago Cam kept waking up in the middle of the night (probably teething pain). At one point he started asking for his shoes, "Shoe, shoe!". I told him that he couldn't have his shoes and he needed to go back to bed. To which he promptly responded, "Why?". PLEASE tell me that Cam is too young to be going through a 'why' stage! He really does pick up on everything Luke does. 

That's all for now.