Gemma and Time

Still working on time words...

SETTING: Gemma is in the office playing computer games. I come in.

N: How long have you been playing computer games?
G: About 1 hour.
N: We better stop then. An hour is a long time.
G: Hmm, maybe 2 hours. Is that shorter than 1 hour? (imploring expression)
N: Uh, no Gemma. That's even longer.
G: I know, 5 minutes. That's how long I've been playing.

Uh huh, Gemma. Whatever you say.

Birthday

A successful Totally Spies rescues the Princess party! Fun rescue mission, cake was good, thoughtful presents, and of course friends. It was a pretty exciting, long awaited day.

Squiggly

Still lots of love for the amazing Squiggly.

How do you explain to an almost 4 year old that NO, there is absolutely NO WAY we are bringing the fish to church? And that NO she can't touch him. She was trying to scoop him into a paper cup so we could change his water, and after multiple swoops around the bowl I intervened, saying 'you're scaring him!' To which she retorted, "He's not scared: I"M his mommy!!"

Birthday a coming...

Getting ready for the party of the year!

Gem is so excited, she wants to decorate and do everything now. I think I have blogged this before but we are having a Totally Spies rescue the Princess birthday. No games, just an elaborate rescue mission that will involve princesses, gadgets, monsters, and clues. Oh heaven, please give me energy!

Party is November 27 at 1pm.

Good for my ego...

I was telling Gemma we needed a new container for our magnets because the old lid doesn't stay on well and Guinness can dump them out at will, so I found a tupperware we can use and as I was showing Gemma the lid she said, "Brilliant idea, mommy!!!!"

Brilliant :)

Ah ha moment...

We let our kids watch TV. Not too much, but probably more than we should. And I discovered where this may become a problem: REALITY!

Like when we were at a waterfall in JiaoXi, and Gemma said, "I am going to skip over those rocks. I can!"

Umm, actually, you can't. I'll help you. My help is always met with resistence.

And then this week, she was telling me how great she was at something, and I was gently trying to bring her down a notch (or 5) and she trumped me with this; "Well, I can see invisible things."

Oh boy. I tried to explain that she couldn't actually see invisible things to no avail.

Soccer...

went pretty well, I think. Gemma had fun and obeyed the teacher, which was my number 1 concern. The park was mental busy; I don't think there is any way to explain to a Canadian just how busy a Taipei park can be on a good weather Sunday. Well, first imagine the sidewalk leading up to your local park. Now put people on it shoulder to shoulder, lined up in a steady stream. That is the traffic in and out of the park. Think Future Shop on Boxing Day, says Chris. Now imagine a play structure 5 or 6 times bigger than the ones in Saskatoon. The average play structure we saw at home had a few slides, a bridge or two, fire pole and two or three monkey bar systems coming up to it, and maybe a kitchen or fort or whatever underneath it. So we'll say 10 points of interest. Well, the new play structure at this park (Daan Park) has at least 30 ups and downs and ins and outs, and the line of children on it is steady. Every bridge and slide has a line, every staircase has children on it. So anyway, all to say the place was a zoo, so a bit hard to concentrate. (No we didn't have soccer on the play structure, but the whole park was busy; the grassy areas were busy, everywhere.) Also, it was the first class and the kids had no idea what to expect. But the drills were good and interesting and I think it was ok. Major problem was that they planned it to be 2 hours long. Well, my 3 year old is not going to do anything for 2 hours, so I don't that will work for us. And the time goes over when church starts so double no. I may check out different days and times, and see.

Going to check out a gymnastics place tomorrow at 4:30; The Perky Tiger its called. We'll see how that goes.

Songs and Soccer

Gemma is very into making up songs. They are usually about God or Jesus, and usually go something like this:

"God, we love you, you are so good and we love you in our hearts. And our hearts love you because you are nice, you are nice and good and big."

Today she did one I'll call "God is the biggest". It went a little like;

"God is so big, He is the biggest, the biggest, and the most... (thoughtful pause) power-est, He is bigger than the daddies, than the daddies, than the daddies."

Also in Gemma news; she will be attending her first soccer practice tomorrow. Some friends have found a preschool team and so we're checking it out tomorrow; we'll see how it goes. We talked a bit about it today, and I guess our sports education has not been so good.

"Gemma, are you excited to try soccer tomorrow?"

"Yes. But I don't have a ball."

"Well, that's ok. If you like it, maybe we can get one."

"Ok. But I'll need to practice before my game."

"Well, we can use another ball to practice."

"I will pick it up and throw it in the net"

"Uh, well, you see Gemma, what's interesting about soccer is that you can't use your hands. You just use your feet and kick the ball around."

"But how do I pick it up?"

"Well, you don't. You use your feet and kick it."

and then I started to get worried about tomorrow...

She asked what the net would look like and I explained it was rectangle and on the ground, and someone will stand there and block her shot, to which she said she would kick it over their head. This is part of her inability to grasp reality thing; she really thinks that she will be able to score goals very easily, and kick the ball where she wants it, etc. It is so hard to watch her try these things because she is truly so disappointed that she can't do it. She doesn't understand it at all. Then she gets frustrated and mad.

Tear Jerker Moment

FINALLY made it out to the water park today, my first time although the kids have gone already. It was sunny and hot; perfect for building water park anticipation! As the sprayers and fountains came into view, I said excitedly, "I'm so EXCITED to be here!" And Gemma replied, "I'm so excited to be here with YOU!!"

Aww!

Reality?

"Mommy, what would happen if a monster came in my room?"

"Well, Gemma, then I would think you were on a TV show or a movie because monsters aren't real."

"No, but Mommy, what if?"

"Hmm, well, I guess I would hope you had some of your super spy gadgets to help you."

"I don't. What would I do?" (her look is totally serious still)

"I think you should try and trick him. Like tell him 'Hey monster look over there,' and then run away."

(a moment of silence as she processes this... then she laughs.) "Yah!! Good idea."

So we start on a trail of 'good ideas'.

Mommy: "Or you could hide, Gemma."

Gemma: "Yah. Or I could turn invisible."

Mommy: "Um, yah, I guess. Or you could poke him in the eyes."

Gemma: "Or I could poke him with a porcupine. In the tummy! Or poke him in the tummy with a long sword"

Because even though 'gadgets' aren't real or possible, she may have a sword or a porcupine ready. :)

There was an old woman who tried to teach a three year old about jokes

So we've been saying some nursery rhymes because I got a bunch with some old flannelgraph at school. And one of my favorites, of course, is There was an old woman. In case you forget, it goes like this:

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do
She gave them some broth without any bread
And spanked them all soundly and sent them to bed!


So Gemma gave her rendition the other day:

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
He house was so STINKY she didn't know what to do!"

(because its a shoe, get it?)

We may have also entered the 'joke' era. On the bus to Green Bay yesterday, a kindergarten student was sitting with me and my Gemma at the front and she says,"Want to tell jokes?" Well, Gemma was totally into that idea, and she said "YAH!!!" and went forth with a monologue that went something like this:

"Banana pants! Banana pants on your head. Bananas pants head! Got some bananas on your head? Funny pants head banana man." etc... for about a minute or so, laughing the whole time like she was making the best jokes in the world. The 5 year old just stared at her. After a minute or so she either ran out of material or noticed the stunned silence on her playmate's and Gemma said, "Ok, you can talk now!"

Scropped

So Gemma and Nate were roughousing in the pool this weekend, and after Gemma showed me her arm and said, "This is where Nate scropped me." And I just said, Hmm, yah, where Nate scratched you. And she insisted, 'No mommy, where he SCROPPED me.' And I said, 'Oh, that's where he scraped you.' And she still persisted; "No mommy. SCROPPED."

What is to scrop? I don't know.

Other funny words;

"Mom, give me a hunt. (meaning a hint)

Handcuffing Chris' wrist with her hand, she pronounces, "Ha ha! Now we're engagement!!"

Tired of tantrums

Someone please tell me that just because my daughter is prone to tantrums now she will still grow up to be a wonderful person.

'I can speak...'

I know you wish I was going to finish this sentence with 'Chinese' but, sadly it is not so. I will try and repeat the conversation Gemma and I had on the way to the park tonight:

(biking past a small dog)

Me: "Gemma, look at the puppy!"

G: "Oh, its so cute! It's following us! It has no one to take care of it."

M: "No, I think it has someone to take care of it."

G "WE could take care of it. It could come on my bed and snuggle me."

M "Uh humm..."

G I could speak to it on dog language. I can speak dog language, mommy, do you want to hear me? ruff ruff (sort of higher pitched small dog sounds.) This is how I speak to little dogs. And this is how I speak to big dogs. Woof woof. WOOF."

(Gemma barks loudly at the dog now back in the distance. Then she barks at the next lady who walks by. A moment of silence and then Guinness is the front seat starts up; woof woof!)

Product review; Crayola Color Bath Dropz

So cool! Gemma got these from Annabelle, and these tablets (that look like Easter egg tablets but slightly bigger) fizz and make the water a funky bright color! One tablet was enough for a bath. Guinness thought it was so amazing, and Gemma loved looking at what her body parts looked like through the colored water.

5 stars.

Where is Grandpa?

Poor girl waited very patiently through 4 airports and 30 hours of flying. When we were in Saskatoon, that last customs line was when she finally started asking intensely; Where is Grandpa? Where is Baba? There were a few tantrums on the plane, but she slept ok on the last two flights and behaved well in the airports and lines. She;s waking up early but still getting about 8 hours at night so that's good, and she has a pretty heavy afternoon nap that we can hardly wake her up from but more sleep is better than not enough.

When tantrums and angry glares are so common now, this morning so blessed my heart. She presented herself to me at 6:20am beside my bed, all dressed. She said, Mommy I dressed myself!! It was very cute. And I was thrilled it was after 6. And I was thrilled because she slept all night upstairs by herself in her own room, and instead of laying in bed crying for me to come and get her when she woke up, she woke up and took care of herself and came downstairs to get me. We played very nicely all morning till Kaitlyn and Ian came over and then they all played nicely.

She's finding it quiet, too, and not sure where all her friends are. But we'll have a great summer, I'm sure!!!

Librarian

We got a lovely stack of books from a student of mine, and Gemma loves to unpack them and pack them and unpack them and pack them. She is playing librarian. She gets this from her favorite episode of Backyardigans; the Masked Retriever, who is really the librarian in disguise to get back that overdue book at all costs.

She loves packing things. She will pick up a plastic grocery bag and walk around her room filling it up with a little of this and a little of that. Then she'll switch it to her suitcase. Then she'll put some things in her treasure boxes. And take them out. And put new things in. Today we went on vacation to Mexico, and we both needed to pack a bag.

Tantrum

Gemma is sleeping right now...

sleeping on the floor outside her bedroom.

sleeping on the floor outside her bedroom because she locked it to prevent me from going in there during a HUGE tantrum right before bed about not being able to watch two episodes of Backyardigans. Well, that's what started it but I'm not sure really what she was so in a tizzy about. It got very escalated and crazy, and although one spanking was issued it didn't do much and I sort of just watched the storm unleash its fury.

I got to say I love you to her before she fell asleep. Not sure what set her off. Not sure what to do. Hmm...

Time to reflect

Gemma often wakes up in the morning with her reflections or commentary on the events the day before. Must just take her some time to process. On Wednesday I was home with the kids, so she unloaded on me her thoughts about Tuesday's music class:

"Mommy, that girl ______ was so mean, she kept trying to hit me with her jingle bell!!" (You'll have to imagine the indignation in her tone and on her face). "And so and so hit me on my brain with his Easter egg!!!" (meaning the egg shaker). But he hit her 'brain'; maybe to much time spent with Auntie Adrienne the science teacher's human body models.

Other funny quotes:

After be chastised for squeezing Guinness around the neck for the upteenth time today, she stomped off but turned back to retort; "Hmmph! But I just love him." stomp stomp stomp...

G: Can I rent a movie today?
M: No, Gemma
G: But mommy, don't say no. You think about it!!


(last night at my birthday dinner, singing...) There's a banana on my head, on my head! There's a banana on my head on my head! Hey, look at me guys!! Everyone, look at me!! There's a banana on my head, on my head..."

Play play play

Not so much blogging because it is so hard to keep up with Gem and all her fun ideas.

We've been watching Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses. (Yes, they look a bit weird, but they are very nice to eachother and sing beautifully, and I like the dancing. And that they use some real music; Mendelssohn. Still trying to figure out how old Genevieve is since she gets married at the end but whatever) I made 12 flower pictures and taped them in a circle in her room to be the 12 stones, and so we've been playing princesses a lot, trying out there different names and characters, saving poppa and going off to the magic land.

Silly sense of humor, too. Does a unicorn go on my nose? Does a unicorn go on a butterfly? Ha ha ha, laugh giggle giggle. All kinds of silly things like that.

The funniest was when she came out of her room, and climbed into my arms and said, "Now you carry me like this till the morning." I wish :)