Luke's First "Job" Interview

A recent article in the Des Moines Register was about incentives Iowa offers to filmakers and how it is drawing them here to make movies. Recently there was a movie called South Dakota that was casting a two year old boy. Mom encouraged me to submit Luke's picture, but we didn't hear anything.

So today I was rounding up my students at the end of our field trip and saw I had a missed call. I called back and it was the casting agency! They were auditioning for a two year old boy with brown eyes, which just happens to be the color of Luke's that people always comment on!

So I took Luke to talent agency director's house for Lukey's very first job "interview." Luke walked right in like he was going to grandma's or something. She gave him some directions to follow like "Can you stand on the x?", and "Can you walk over here?", and "Can you sit down on the x?" He followed directions great; now if he would always be that super-obedient at home!

Next she asked him to repeat things she said, like "ice cream" and "Can I have some ice cream?" Those turned out to be his lines and I have to say he aced them! She commented on how well he talked.

He didn't do so hot on the "copycat game." He didn't want to look sad for her, he told her he wanted to be happy. But later he got all quiet looking at her antique carousel that he couldn't play with and she asked him if he was sad so maybe that will work.

Then he just kind of played and chatted it up with her about Spiderman and sorts of stuff like that. He asked if he could rock on her rocking horse and he did that for a moment and was done. He heard traffic nearby and was asking about that. He just kind of was himself; typical two year old boy.

So it was pretty cool to see what that is all about. I was kind of blown away when I had a chance to read the info she sent me at home tonight. This is a real movie. It is starring Ellen Page from Juno, which I have been wanting to see and got great reviews and Cillian Murphy who was in The Girl With The Pearl Earring, which I havent seen, but recently put down as one of my favorite books on my profile.

So here is Ellen Page and my mom's recent scrapbook page about Luke's encounter with a real peacock at the zoo, which did I mention the name of the movie is "Peacock?" Do you think he could pass for her child?

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

The girls were excited about reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff at school this week. So here they are performing it.

Potty Mouths

The girls are doing great sounding out words these days. They were so excited to get books they could actually read from their last book order. They are reading everything. Cailey looked at my college sweatshirt the other day and said, "That says BULLDOGS!" Pretty cool.

Well today at lunch they were deciphering the word on the top of their cup. Now, it wasn't a word, but perhaps a item code or something. It said FK. So the girls' logic went like this.

"Well, it is a cup, so it's got to be like cup."

"Ffffff. Kkkkk."

"But it is like cup!"

"Fffff. Uh. Kkkk."

"FfffuhK."

"F**K!"

Now, haven't ever hearing that word and having no idea it was a bad word, they repeated it a couple times nice and loud, proud of themselves for sounding it out until Daddy told them it wasn't a nice word. Gotta love phonics!

Paper House

Ok, this blog needs some pictures. I'm going to post some pictures of how I'd like to decorate.

First is the girls's room. I've got the bedding already and this weekend I started to pick out the paint. I think I'll go lighter than this.


Possibly more like this, though I suppose they might be the same color, depending on the light.

For the living room, I'm thinking something like this-

Though, while looking for new furniture this weekend and watching David gravitate toward black and red leather, I think I'm in for a fight. I'd rather just keep my worn, comfy blue couch, but the kids have worn holes in it and it's faded.

For Lukey's room-




I'd like to have maybe khaki walls with navy or dark brown furniture.


The kids bathroom is tricky. It serves as a bathroom for guests, along with two girls and a boy. I'm thinking chocolate brown, and maybe white, and/or light blue. These are by Margot Curran. I'm not sure I like them as much as I did before though.


Or these by someone named Unel-


Or by Joelle Wolff-
Not this particular one, but to give you an idea of her style. But now I'm not sure if it would be too babyish. If I could open up a niche market, it would be fun shower curtains for kids. I get kind of tired of the frogs and ducks that you find everywhere. It is also hard to find something gender neutral.

Ok, enough of the game I call "paper house."

Kids Say the Darndest Things, part 2

So, this is my better late than never Easter post. We went to the late Saturday mass at Grandma's church to avoid trying to get three kids and two adults ready for church in the morning. Lukey was a little tired so I had to hold him the whole time and most of the mass was standing up so I was struggling to hold him. I had him on my hip and it wasn't comfortable for him.

I have to say the acoustics at that church are great, unfortunately. Here's everyone all solemn, silent, reflective and Lukey calls out, due to the way I was holding him, "My pee-pee hurts!"

He also repeatedly asked Neenah for a cracker and asked her "Where's your baby (doll)?" When I'd try to shush him he'd say, "I'm talking to Neenah!"

Then he was fascinated by the unique cross-shaped baptism pool in the isle. "I want on the stairs to see the water!" he said over and over as the priest and man climbed in for a baptism. I should of just let him and get his baptism taken care of!

Kid's Say the Darndest Things

When I taught kindergarten, I remember always thinking, "If their parents knew they told the class that!" when the kids revealed something. Well, Mia has become quite the participant in our catechism class discussions.

The last few weeks we touched briefly about the events leading up to Easter. Mia of course wants to know why it is called "Good Friday" and then proceeds to say something like, "We didn't go. We just stayed home. Right, mom?" It sounded worse the way Mia said it.

Tonight's topic for the last class was growth: physical, academic, spiritual etc. I asked what they can do now that they couldn't before. Mia shared that she can play outside now on her own and her little brother can't, like when she was little.

I don't really let them play on their own. I know when we were kids it was a different story, but I honestly don't let them out of my sight. Like I'll yell at them if they go around a clothing rack at a store. Maybe overprotective. I kind of wonder about the kids who grew up here with the high profile kidnapping cases of my generation. Are we all overprotective parents?

Anyway, sometimes I'll watch the girls from the window, but if Luke is out I have to be out there. Well, they've been begging me to play outside but it has been so wet. So yesterday it was drier, and Luke wasn't supposed to be home, so I told them they could play outside.

I was exhausted from battling middle schoolers. You know, because I'm totally out of line not allowing them to eat Cheetos while reading my books, talk on their cell phones, and a ba-zillion other complaints. I really just wanted to sit.

Luke ended up being home and as soon as he saw the girls go out he threw on his boots and coat and headed out too, so I stood outside and watched for awhile. After a while I just couldn't take standing out there anymore, so I brought him in. He sobbed and sobbed, so I broke down and sent him out and sat at the slider ready to dart out the door if need be. I ended up feeling too nervous about it and went back outside.

But Mia tonight shares that I sent Luke out to play saying, "Mommy was supposed to be watching us play, but she wasn't." Again, it sounded worse they way she said it.

Now I kind of wonder what she's shared with her kindergarten teacher!

I am Not an Octopus

How long does it take to unload and load the dishwasher? Apparently and hour and a half. That is because even though the kids aren't hungry and insist they don't want lunch yet, as soon as I step in the kitchen they are hungry.

So Luke wants chips and salsa, and even though I've said "ok" and am trying to get it, he cries over and over, "I want chips and salsa! I want chips and salsa. I want chips and salsa." So we did a nice lesson using the "caveman" form of talking.

"LUKE WANTS CHIPS AND SALSA," I say, acknowledging what he wants. "MOM SAYS YES! I GET CHIPS AND SALSA. LUKE SAYS CHIPS AND SALSA 1 TIME. NO MORE." It really does work. He didn't say it anymore after that. I try and unload the dishwasher.

Meanwhile, Cailey wants something (probably a cookie) but knows it might not be a good time to ask, so she keeps saying, "Mom?" And I say, "Yes Cailey?" and she says, "I love you." She does this a few times. I decide to go ahead and make lunch for everyone.

Mia is actually not hungry and is trying to use Word on the computer in her playroom. I've shown her how to use the spacebar, backspace, and enter as well as inserting a page break and clip art. But since it wasn't intended for a 6 year old to use, I have to keep going in to help her. I finally tell her I can't help her anymore because I'm trying to take care of the dishes, make lunch, deal with tired Lukey and I'm getting a little frustrated. Cailey says, "I know. We aren't octopusses!"

At this point Luke decides he's done. He has cheese dip all in his hair. So I wash it in the sink while he cries that I'm going to drop him.

I put lunches on the table. I get Luke in his chair. I go back to get drinks. Luke starts crying again. I realize he's crying because I didn't put his lunch on his tray and it is still sitting on the table. I ask Cailey to get it. She does. He's still crying. He wanted me to put it on his tray. I go back and take it off his tray, put it on the table for a moment, then put it back on his tray. Ok, now he's perfectly happy.

Thinking they will be content, I contine to work on the dishes. But alas, I forgot their drinks. Get the drinks. Give up on the dishes. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I decide to eat too.

Finally fed, they are off and I finish the dishes, though I have to stop a few times because Luke has decided to go back and eat some more, getting Doritos cheese all over his fingers. I wipe them once with a wet paper towel. However, when he reaches for them again, this just makes the cheese stick more. I get smart and put the chips up and wash his hands in the sink.

Somehow I get all the dishes unloaded and loaded. And now I'm sitting down for a break. Because I really am not on octopus.