We've been cooped up- rain. Mesmertv wears off, eventually.
The boys----jousted. One sat on his sister's rocking horse. The other sat on her pink, pink, pink, tricycle. They aimed collapsing plastic lightsabers at each other, and charged!
One knight wore a grey knit ski cap as a helmet. He wore a blue tunic with a fierce creature on it. ( His Dad's XL IceBats Hockey Tshirt) and carried a laundry basket lid as a shield. He's seven, btw
The other fierce knight wore a black tunic with a fierce creature on it ( His Dad's XL arena league ?I can't tell- it has teeth) and a grey baseball hat as a helmet. He, too, carried a laundry basket lid as a shield.
The black knight was howling " I am King Richard, the Lionhearted! I have never been defeated in battle!!!"
The fair princess (2) wore a too big sundress, and a plastic costume tiara.
I think the blue knight -carrying a blue plastic lightsaber- was someone special, too. Lancelot- king arthur? Someone kingly. They were both pretty regaled up.
After one was unseated, they would sword battle.
It was the most funny thing I've seen in a long, long time.
I hope you can picture it, too. It was perfectly ridiculous.
ari
__________________
Boo- yeah!
... a part of devotion and love is the self- discipline to grow a talent into a skill...
Didja get it on video?? Having many boy cousins, I can definitely picture it, as can dh who has two brothers. Man I'm glad I just have a knight and a princess
what are your kids up to? I would love to know what other kids are up to. We are cooped up here, with the rain. Also, King Richard the Lionhearted really is extraordinarily territorial, so I can't invite children over for him to play with. And now, I can't invite Lancelot's friends, either. His friends have been little toads, picking on the King. There are perfectly good kids *right*next*door* that they won't play with.
What are your prince and princess up to? dolls? tv? candyland? dressup? swim classes?
What are your kids up to, enchanting mama? I know they have to be scary brilliant, doing CSI, and the other school pictures that used to be in your signature area. Pretend I'm visiting you- I'd love to hear.
Scary brilliant...um, I wouldn't go so far as saying that, lol..but they are scary creative, how's that? They think a little off the beaten path, and come up with the wildest stuff...I am happy to foster it, cause original thinkers are the best people, imo!
Lately, they have been playing with fire. As in, we bought a little brazier, and they have been building fires in it everyday. Out there, collecting sticks, and twigs, and leaves, and figuring out how to lay them for the best fire, etc. And then getting to clean up the piles of ashes, while not turning black in the process. When they are not doing that, they have lately pulled out the magnifying glass, and have been practicing burning leaves and grass and paper, and whatever they can think of. Hopefully, they won't be having to practice their skills in putting OUT fires, anytime soon!
Oh, and dh bought the last game system we still didn't have over here, the PS2 (we have it in Hawaii, but not over here). So now, aside from the PS3, which is still too scary expensive, we have every single game system known to man. So they have been catching up on the games available only on that system. I spend a lot of time kicking them back outdoors, and off the dang things!
Ds is playing footy (rugby), but the season is about to end tomorrow, but then we are starting up with another league for a short while, just to extend it, cause everyone in the house minus me is footy mad!! Even dd has her favorite team that she follows, and knows all the names of, and has all the team gear, etc...I personally don't get it, but my view is there are WAY worse things a 13yo girl could be obsessed with!
And if you were really visiting us, you would be getting up close and personal with our new little puggle, aka pug-Jack Russell cross. Okay, he's 6 months, now, but he's still a little idiot, and the recent weeks on end of rain totally messed up the training, cause it was hard to get him outside into it on schedule. Ugh. But he's a cute little guy, and takes his guard duties WAY seriously, and would first growl his head off at you, til he figures out you are a friend, and then he will be ALL over you!! That's the other project the kids are up to...learn to take responsibility for another little person! Poor ds isn't adapting well, lol. He loves animals, but this little thing who is in his house, in his stuff, in his laps, and then he has to clean up the POOP! Well, not going over well! We tell him it's a DAM* good thing we didn't have a new baby, instead of a puppy!
And we actually plan on getting them into swim classes, too. And maybe the Little Nippers, which is like the junior lifeguard program over here. Lifeguards, aka lifesavers, are a HUGE thing over here. Being a beach nation, they are a national symbol and icon. And they wear the dorkiest outfits, I gotta say. Google Australia Surf Lifesavers, and get an eyeful of the little speedos with the cool matching beanie hat! But the children's program is a major thing, and will be good for them, increasing their awareness and safety in the ocean, which, since we are usually living near an ocean somewhere, is always a good thing! I just need to remember to sign up in time this year..I keep missing the darn cutoff date, cause it's like in the middle of winter, or stuff like that, and so cold, I am not even THINKING of water!
Um, okay, as usual, I am running on at the...fingers!! Stopping now!
Goddess and God Bless, ¨LISA¨
single, job-hunting, formerly-breastfeeding, pagan mama to: emily-anne elizabeth (04/29/03)
& ava marie victoria (09/07/05)
I have to say, boys have become like little aliens to me, since I only have 2 girls. I had one brother growing up, and had lots of male friends, but little boys are just little foreigners to me. It is a strange thing to realize.
__________________
"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
I have to say, boys have become like little aliens to me, since I only have 2 girls. I had one brother growing up, and had lots of male friends, but little boys are just little foreigners to me. It is a strange thing to realize.
I grew up with two sisters, and having boys really is a different kind of vibe, lol! Not to mention, you realize just how much nature vs nurture arguments are useless, heh! Sooo much of "boy" traits are hardwired in, and while some things can be nurtured, and trained in a certain bent, you are dreaming if you think they can be totally nurtured out, without completely messing with the way things are supposed to be, lol!
You know, their energy can leave me splayed out on the couch by the end of the day, virtually incoherent. But they are so sweet in a way that's different than girls.
It can be sort of heartbreaking, too. Like, ds1's friend is (was) a little girl. She came over and beat him up pretty badly once. Her mother was sitting in the living room telling me about how girls are gentle and nurturing and boys are so tough and unfeeling. Well, he'd let her do this, b/c he liked her, and she surprised him with her attack. They were five at the time. Like, she kicked him as hard as she could in the ribs. He was sore and slow for a weak. The mother saw a "fearless" and "independent" little girl, but if that had been my son, she's have seen a "violent" "thug" "future rapist." Her explanation was that she was trying to keep up with the boys in her preschool, and my son was a boy.....
No. They have not played together since.
I can see how parents can be extra- protective of a daughter, though. Biddle is called " my heart" She works so hard to be connected and snuggled and loved, that even though she's not showing any outsize talents she is special, just for showing up.
Ouch. I would have been hard pressed not to pick the little ...brat...up by the scruff of her neck and boot her out the door! My dd is "fearless" and "independent", and I would have kicked her butt if she ever did that to someone, esp to a friend, whose house we were visiting!!
And that explanation that she was just "keeping up with the boys" is crock. Suki has kept up with the boys her whole life, is rough and tumble, tough as nails, and still is caring, nurturing, and supersweet, in my own not so humble opinion. And Kalki is the sweetest little marshmallow, who can wrestle with the best of them, plays footy, and is all boy.
People who are sexist like that drive me NUTS. Sure, there are some traits that are more prevalent in one sex vs the other, but people are PEOPLE, and should be taken on an individual basis, on their OWN merits and personality, not judged to be something or other just because of the body they have, or whatever. Sorry, one of my hot buttons.
Your poor ds. I wouldn't have let that girl back, either.
I knid of wonder if that's one of the benefits of having a larger family- there is inescapable proof that people are people, and not so much gender theorizing. I mean, my dad is an only, and spouts off the most ridiculous theories about children. The mom in question was an only, and has an only.
It's strange stuff, too, Like, pre-printed Valentines? The boys ones all say " You're great!" not " I like you!" We had to make ones to share with ds's friends one year- he was crying, b/c he wanted one to say " I love you" to his best friend. Now he gets the pre- printed, and is careful to put hearts on the ones of his best friends.
And they do have a sense of teamwork and justice- it just sounds different than little girls ( I think, I don't know about little girls) Like, when the older one's friends came over for an end of the year party, the younger one was knocking down their pillow towers. They got together, and came up with " You can help us build a big tower. But if you knock ours down, we'll knock down your tower." They didn't say " you big destructive beast! How dare you! Bad! bad!" They came up with something that accepted the destructive possibilities. And they do play dress up- it's just not pink. It's dressing up as giant slugs (crawling under their bedspreads- it really is kind of spooky ) or jedis enrobed in bath towels, or dogs, or trains. or knights or dinosaur bones coming to life.
Every time I hear some snotty remark about little boys, or teenage boys, I think "please don't break my little boys heart"
Or, gosh, theatre. Boys aren't supposed to like theatre. Well, we've been. Granted, I had to promise a sword fight- delivered- but still, their friend's mom would not let him come, since " boys don't like theatre." And, hey, shakespeare has violence all over it.
Oh- the theater thing was cool! it was this provisional college troupe, just putting on a comedy during the summer. It was some sort of 16th century thing, with all sorts of misunderstandings. It was outdoors, free- they asked for donations- they used the student union as the stage, so there were students walking through their play, just talking away on their cellphones. They had two big plastic totes of props and costumes ( cheesy fake beards, rusty stage swords, fake mustaches, a velvet drape and a PVC shower frame, for "backstage" a fabric rose, a water pistol) They were dressed more or less in their day clothes- a prom dress, too, though. Oh, and that guy who married Demi Moore? The lead guy looked like him, and had his semi sheer shirt unbuttoned the whole time, and way low- slung jeans. Oh, my. (fanning, fanning, fanning)
Or, or, or clothes- they like clothes. They like hawaiian shirts, and shorts with hardware, and piratey things. That's all pretty decorative.
DD is teaching us lessons. She is the first girl grand on DH's side. Before her, there were five boys, with another one close after. There are now two more girls, but they are wee yet.
DD is right in there with the boys, but she is also different. She taught the boys things they never thought of, like climbing on chairs to get to things placed out of reach. And she was 2 at the time....
I think having big families might teach something of gender roles depending on the family. DH is one of 8, 4 girls and 4 boys. There are weird double standards there. And MIL is convinced that DD has been sexually abused because she is always talking about her body parts. She does it because she is the only girl among a bunch of boys, and they laugh and ask her more questions because she openly answers them (or they tease her and then she's running around trying to prove to them that she absolutely does have different body parts than them ) and they think it is hilarious. I don't hear talk of "'ginas" when we visit my family where there is a big ol' pack of little girls running around. It's not an issue. And, I haven't told MIL that the ONLY place she has been unsupervised with anyone is with her boy cousins at her house, so if she were "messed with" (MIL's words) it happened in her house at the hands of her grandsons.
But I so know that fear of having their little boy hearts broken. My nephew is 2 and half years older than DS#1, and every now and then, he'll start feeling like he needs attention and tell people DS was saying things about him, like "You're gay," or some such. We always know it's not the case because DS doesn't even know what that means and the words he uses simply aren't words DS would use (and I'm not just being blind, here; he has a little brother, and I know what he would say to someone if he were trying to make him feel badly, LOL). So, every time they get together, I get nervous, thinking, "Is this the time that someone's going to be mean because my DS likes to hug on his cousins?" And, "Is this the school year that kids start calling him gay because he stands too close?" (personal space issues) They are so, so precious, and I don't want their loving spirits to be squelched by people being jerks, YK? And I am so sad, because I just don't know if there is any way around it, YK? It's like I know it's going to happen eventually.
Anyway...I'll pass the Elmo now.
__________________ Jody
Mama to two boys (5-10-98 and 6-01-01), and two girls (11-18-03 and 1-11-07)
I knid of wonder if that's one of the benefits of having a larger family- there is inescapable proof that people are people, and not so much gender theorizing. I mean, my dad is an only, and spouts off the most ridiculous theories about children. The mom in question was an only, and has an only.
It's strange stuff, too, Like, pre-printed Valentines? The boys ones all say " You're great!" not " I like you!" We had to make ones to share with ds's friends one year- he was crying, b/c he wanted one to say " I love you" to his best friend. Now he gets the pre- printed, and is careful to put hearts on the ones of his best friends.
And they do have a sense of teamwork and justice- it just sounds different than little girls ( I think, I don't know about little girls) Like, when the older one's friends came over for an end of the year party, the younger one was knocking down their pillow towers. They got together, and came up with " You can help us build a big tower. But if you knock ours down, we'll knock down your tower." They didn't say " you big destructive beast! How dare you! Bad! bad!" They came up with something that accepted the destructive possibilities. And they do play dress up- it's just not pink. It's dressing up as giant slugs (crawling under their bedspreads- it really is kind of spooky ) or jedis enrobed in bath towels, or dogs, or trains. or knights or dinosaur bones coming to life.
Every time I hear some snotty remark about little boys, or teenage boys, I think "please don't break my little boys heart"
Or, gosh, theatre. Boys aren't supposed to like theatre. Well, we've been. Granted, I had to promise a sword fight- delivered- but still, their friend's mom would not let him come, since " boys don't like theatre." And, hey, shakespeare has violence all over it.
Oh- the theater thing was cool! it was this provisional college troupe, just putting on a comedy during the summer. It was some sort of 16th century thing, with all sorts of misunderstandings. It was outdoors, free- they asked for donations- they used the student union as the stage, so there were students walking through their play, just talking away on their cellphones. They had two big plastic totes of props and costumes ( cheesy fake beards, rusty stage swords, fake mustaches, a velvet drape and a PVC shower frame, for "backstage" a fabric rose, a water pistol) They were dressed more or less in their day clothes- a prom dress, too, though. Oh, and that guy who married Demi Moore? The lead guy looked like him, and had his semi sheer shirt unbuttoned the whole time, and way low- slung jeans. Oh, my. (fanning, fanning, fanning)
Or, or, or clothes- they like clothes. They like hawaiian shirts, and shorts with hardware, and piratey things. That's all pretty decorative.
ari
My poor ds...he was nine before he picked up the vibe that kissing his best friend on the cheek (a boy) was probably not the best idea. He is SOOO affectionate, and a little young and not very streetwise, so he naturally hugs and kisses people he loves. He's 10 now, and keeps it to an arm slung over the shoulder now. I am glad he was able to figure it out for himself, rather than have his friend yell ewww and shove him away.
I WILL say, at this point, both my ds and my dh would be bored to tears by theater. It's just not their thing. But dress up, oh my, ds has the BIGGEST imagination when it comes to that, lol! And dd is right in there, egging him on, indulging HER fondess for messing with makeup by painting scars and blood dripping off him!
And clothes, yes, he has been very particular about his clothes since he was 2!
Hey! Google "Faraday chemistry candle christmas" and you'll get this classic series of lectures, something like "the natural history of a candle' or something like that. It's a Christmas series of lectures given by Michael Faraday, way back when chemistry was both interesting and accessible. It would really work with the brazier, I think. He's got a great life story, too. If I remember it right, he was a young, starving lad at the start of the industrial revolution, and this great chemist let him live in the lab, as long as he worked 6 1/2 days a week, 12 hours a day. He became a brilliant chemist, I want to say with titles and merits, and so on. I think it's old enough to be gutenberg project, or equivalent. Your kids might like it.
Don't you think our kids would get along? Loud, florid imaginations, and tender hearts?
I hadn't thought about large families fixing stereotypes. I haven't seen many with children in large families.
And, ahh- I have to hide my makeup. My wonderful red lipstick and black eyeliner??? Vampires! And perfume, come to think of it. Ds sprays it on his hair. He likes the bottles. They disappear to the shrine in his room. It's the top of his bookshelf. It has a comic book, a snoopy sculpture, an ann taylor perfume bottle, his silver christening cup, a big fluffy duster,a penguin robot and his sports medals, his pictures of friends, lego ships.
I wonder if other mothers- like of our husbands and boyfriends- hoped we would not break their hearts, or crush their spirits? I mean, my grandmother treats my brother's life like the whole thing is a joke. My mom doesn't mention him liking a girl, or being nice, or anything. She's sort of looking at the girls like they are breeding stock, and he should choose a girl based on a wet nose, bright eyes, and good conformation. He'll say " But I don't like her--" and it's like he's talking a foreign language. And none of them take seriously that his heart is pretty bound up in his three closest friends. They have been closer than brothers to him, for over twenty years now. That's parties, high school, college,marriages,kids, divorces, bankruptcies, businesses, Katrina...... They have been more loyal and loving and knowledgeable about him, and he about them, than anyone at all in the whole family, me included. And that's invisible to the parents and the grands.
![](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bj7ekqHHcWs/SSWq84O_r2I/AAAAAAAAB94/Ch046JRhcx0/s288/Clare%20Xmas%202008_2.jpg")
So they have been catching up on the games available only on that system. I spend a lot of time kicking them back outdoors, and off the dang things! 
My dd is "fearless" and "independent", and I would have kicked her butt if she ever did that to someone, esp to a friend, whose house we were visiting!! 
) and they think it is hilarious. I don't hear talk of "'ginas" when we visit my family where there is a big ol' pack of little girls running around. It's not an issue. And, I haven't told MIL that the ONLY place she has been unsupervised with anyone is with her boy cousins at her house, so if she were "messed with" (MIL's words) it happened in her house at the hands of her grandsons. 
Jody
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