I don’t know what it is about staying home with kids that brings out the worst in me. Maybe I didn’t child proof the house enough? Why do the kids feel the need to fight over the same toy when my toy loving husband has created a playroom to rival Ricky Stratton’s in Silver Spoons?.

I guess if I were totally honest with myself, the reason we get along better when we are out somewhere is that I don’t have all the distractions that home brings. Besides checking my phone for emails or the occasional facebook surf, I’m much more devoted and willing to play with them without the kitchen, computer, or laundry room near by.

This morning was our third morning of quarantine due to Jack’s fever. I was happily making Chipotle Lentil Burgers from my new favorite cookbook, Appetite for Reduction, while the boys made a mess of the front room. For the zillionth time I heard Ben screaming and looked up to see Jack grabbing the toy he was playing with.

Instinctively I screamed at Jack, who quickly moved under the chair to avoid the confrontation. I went back to my burgers. A second later I heard Ben say, “Where is the Spider?”

A muffled reply from under the chair said, “It’s on the bottom, Ben.”

All of a sudden I realized that Ben had been asking for the spider and Jack had been trying to turn his toy over to show him. I felt terrible.

Jack, and perhaps all kids his age, has started to want to help. He can help with the cooking, carrying in the groceries, turning out the lights, and most endearingly, soothing and solving Ben’s problems. If Ben wants the stuffed animals from his crib, Jack will run to his room, hop over the crib railing and dutifully throw the animals at Ben while Ben gleefully yells for more.

Here was a case of Jack trying to help.

I dropped the burgers and apologized to Jack. Kneeling by the chair I said, “You were trying to help Ben find the spider, weren’t you?”

I could see relief in his big, beautiful brown eyes and the weight of being misunderstood fall from his shoulders.

Then I moved over to Ben. “Jack was just trying to help you. Do you want him to show you where the spider is?”

Ben let Jack take the toy but freaked out when he showed him the spider. Maybe he was asking so he would know where not to look. Ben is super articulate for a 2 year old and simply said. “No, Jack, the spider is scary.”

After that I sat down in the chair and spent a long time observing and commenting on any behavior I saw that was good to make up for my earlier outburst. You know what? There was a lot more good behavior than bad. You just had to be willing to put all the distractions away to notice. And really, what could be more important than that?

New Batman Shirt

Check out the Cape

How adorable is Jack’s new Batman shirt? It came with a cape Velcro-ed to the back. He loved it so much he asked if I could wash it tonight.

We spent some time this morning practicing some T-Ball with Jack. Later Ben found a guy in the park with a balloon on his head. He was so fascinated he followed him around, staring and pointing.

Balance!

The Boy & the Balloon

Finally the boy handed the balloon over to Ben. He tried to balance it on his head as well, with less success.

When we left we passed it over to the next little kid that was fascinated by it.

I’m hoping all this cuteness will forgive the embarrassing story I’m about to tell. On the way home from dinner at my new favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Hai Yen, as we strolled across Armitage, I saw that the man in the car patiently waiting for us to pass was our mohel, David Landau. Instinctively I made a cutting gesture with my fingers. I don’t think he appreciated it. As soon as I did it was knew it was wrong. Like flashing Halle Berry shortly after she filmed Swordfish.

Jack the Snake

The weather dropped 30 degrees over night. Instantly everything changed. An outdoor activity no longer required some sort of water splash area. We donned long sleeves and pants for the first time in months. And we decided it would be a perfect time to revisit the Brookfield Zoo.

Incredibly, most of what we did was completely different from our last visit. We took a very informative tram ride. We petted the sting rays. Ben was very interested in all the animals. Jack was interested in how great snow cones were because they didn’t drip all over you like ice cream on a stick.

As I mentioned before in a previous blog on the Brookfield Zoo, we bought the family membership. Now that we’ve gone twice, it has already saved us money. But we are planning to go back to see the pumpkin carvings and winter ice sculptures too before the membership is up!

Yesterday my very thoughtful and supportive husband treated me to the one thing I wanted most in my life. No, not massage, nor fancy clothes, or an expensive dinner. He treated me to an all day, private class at Digital Boot Camp.

I learned a lot of great things, like how to get more people to your website. Not that I need it for calisoff.com, but maybe one day I’ll be struck by some idea so brilliant I’ll feel the need to share it with the world.

Most importantly I learned how to back up this blog. It’s increasingly becoming the photo album/baby book for the next generation. I’d hate to lose it.

Hope you enjoy the new site!