Could someone please inform my mother that we are living in the 21st century?

And while you're at it, clue her in on the miraculous advances in medicine in the last 65 years?

I took Gavin to the doctor today for a weird fever/rash type virus. It turns out that he has Scarlet Fever.
Well, you woulda thought we were living in the 1600s and I just told my mother he had the Bubonic Plague. Here is a snippet of the conversation:

Me: Gavin has Scarlet Fever.
Mother: Scarlet Fever! Oh my...well, when you get home you better strip ALL the beds in the house and put new sheets on. And throw out all those sippy cups. They are always drinking from each others cups. And spray the whole house with Lysol...
Me: Well the doctor put him on an antibiotic and said...
Mother: (cuts me off)Well, what about Aidan and Ciara?? Shouldn't they get antibiotics too?
Me: ??? What? Why?
Mother: They are going to get it. I bet my life they get it.
Me: You're right, they probably will.
Mother: (getting disgusted with me now) And you didn't ask the doctor what to do to prevent it??

And so it went for several more minutes.
In her defense, I suppose I should reveal the fact that my father had Scarlet Fever when he was a toddler and nearly died from it. He was quarantined to his room and no one saw him or my grandmother for close to a month. They left food at the bedroom door for them and that was that.

But that was in 1939.

Now, you get an antibiotic for 5 days and you're good to go.

Oh, the wonders of modern medicine.

So true, so true

Who ever would've thought a sandwich could say so much?

You Are a Turkey Sandwich

Conservative and a bit shy, you tend to stick with what you know and trust.You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible.Though you may be hard to know well, anyone who does know you considers you a true friend. Your best friend: The Ham Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Tuna Fish Sandwich

What kind of sandwich are you?

Oh, my scapula!

Thank you, Jimmy Neutron for introducing the word scapula into my 4 year olds' vocabulary.

I walked into the living room this morning and Gavin is sitting on the chair watching Jimmy with his brother.
"Mummy...(giggle, giggle)...you know what Shane just said?" (giggle, giggle)
"What did Shane just say?"
(giggle, giggle) "He said (giggle) 'ow! My scapula!'" (hysterical laughter ensues)

So, now they are running through the house chasing their little sister screaming "Oh, my scapula!" while breaking into more fits of hysterical laughter. What the heck is so funny about a scapula? And then it hits me that these are 4 year olds. They don't even know what a scapula is. But they have an idea. I just overheard them playing in Ciara's room, again exclaiming about their scapula. And then I hear Gavin say:
"Aidan....do you know what a scapula is? A penis!"

Ah, of course. What else would a 4 year old boy think it is?

The face of opposition

Don't let the adorable little innocent face fool you. Oh no. What you are looking at right now is the most contrary, stubborn little boy on the planet.


It does not matter what I ask Gavin to do or how I ask it. His usual response is "No" or "I don't want to do that" or "No thanks" (at least he is sometimes polite about it). Something as trivial as saying "Hey Gavin, let me put this placemat under your cereal bowl so the milk doesn't get all over the table" is met with "But I don't neeeed a placemat".


Here are other samples from my day:
"OK everyone, let's get our coats on because we are going outside." Ciara and Aidan scamper off to get their coats. Gavin says "Actually, I don't need a coat today".


Aidan: What are we doing today?
Me: Going to get haircuts.
Aidan: Yay!
Gavin: Not me. I don't need a haircut.


"Gavin, please don't stand on the chair like that, you might fall".
"NO, no I won't fall".
Falls seconds later and I must bite my tongue to keep from shouting "Told you so!"

There are a gazillion more examples but you get the general idea. No matter what I say, he must say the opposite. And heaven forbid he actually agree with me on something. You know, maybe it is just a normal thing that every preschooler goes through. I am sure that has something to do with it but I guess it doesn't help that he has a twin brother and little sister who are so compliant. I know you are not supposed to compare children but it is so gosh darn hard!

I ran across a quote once:
Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face a direction from the way the arranger desires.

That's Gavin. My little flower.

Baby girl