Tater Tales

The Fat Lady Isn't Singing...Yet

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  This is Tater Tales...at least what's left of it.

Let me explain.

I've spent most of the summer staring at my computer trying to come up with something to write about, and all I have to show for it is two months' worth of nothing.  

I think  that ye old blog here might be coming to an end.  

It might be.

I can't make up my mind.

I have issues with severing ties with the internet which is why I haven't called it quits.  I did, however, choose not to renew my subscription with the old Typepad plan.  The yearly fee isn't worth it anymore.  I waited until the eleventh hour to cut bait because with Typepad's free plan there is only one design.

Let's say it together.  GAAAAACK.  I know.  It's not pretty on the eyes, but then again, FREE.  

While the fat lady is warming up, I haven't let her take the stage yet.

We shall see...

 

 

 

I Almost Forgot How To Log In

It's been a month since I last logged into my blog account.  So much for meeting my goal of blogging at least three times a week.

Life sort of got in the way.  Life in its finest forms of stomach bugs, ear infections, generic colds, and hundreds of loads of laundry.  Maybe thousands.  At some point I stopped counting.

This week is spring break for us.  I have grand plans to clean the house from top to bottom, one room at a time.  Your prayers are welcome.  

We may work in a couple of fun things if the weather lets us.  The Memphis Zoo and our Botanic Gardens are calling my name.

Plus, I just loaded three books onto my Kindle, which means my cleaning plans may fall apart.  I would say that I'll push through with the cleaning and sacrifice sleep for reading, but I think we all know that's a big joke.

For now, though, the washing machine and dryer are going at full speed and the back of my station wagon is already full of things headed to Goodwill.

I think that calls for a book break and a gigantic diet coke, don't you?

 

A Love Affair with Books

Tater Tot is turning into a little reader, and it is such a fun thing to see happening.  He comes from a long line of people who love to read, so it's thrilling to see that he loves reading like the rest of his family does.

Since he was born we've tried to surround him with books, and I started reading to him when he was about a week old.  Granted, I felt like an idiot at first, especially when I was pretty sure that he wasn't even old enough for his eyes to focus.  

For a while he tried to eat his books.

Then he went through phase where he and David read the Sunday paper together.  Tater Tot was especially interested in the circulars from Best Buy, as he and David love all things electronic.

When he got a little older, he started doing independent book studies.

Sometimes he liked to hang out and read in bed.  Green Eggs and Ham has always been one of his favorites and it's the first book he read to us all by himself.  Not at this age, of course.

Occasionally he invited his animals to sit and read with him.

David was even issued an invitation once or twice for an early morning story.

Soon he turned his interest to one of David's loves, National Geographic Magazine.  We eventually got him a subscription for their kids' magazines.

He managed to get Uncle Jim to read with him a time or two or ninety.

Oh, I could go on and on, but I'll stop.

You're welcome.

Tater Tot is sitting beside me with a book for bedtime.  Let the love affair continue. 

 

World's Largest Laundry Basket

What do you get when you cross two weeks' worth of laundry and no time to fold a lick of it?

The world's largest laundry basket.  Fools that we are, we thought its only use was as a crib.

The last two weekends and days in between have been so jam-packed that, while I've managed to keep up with washing clothes, I have failed miserably at folding them and putting them away.  Thank goodness David hasn't gotten around to taking the thing down or I may have had to take over one of the bathtubs.

Tater Tot woke up a couple of nights ago with a stomach bug and I'm at home with him today.  In addition to refilling his cup with Sprite and keeping a plate of crackers near him, my goal is to find the bottom of that crib if it kills me.  Which, as I'm sure you'd agree from the picture, just might happen.

 

The Poor Old Tooth Fairy

Tater Tot is losing teeth faster than the Tooth Fairy can keep up.  I mean, let's face it.  The Tooth Fairy and her somewhat faithful assistant are old.  I can say with all certainty that the Tooth Fairy has trouble with her remembery.

A week ago last Friday, David went to Tater Tot's school to have lunch with him.  Tater Tot had spent much of the night before showing us just how loose his tooth was by moving it back and forth with his tongue, a gesture that brings out all of my squeamishness.  (I hate the thought of loose teeth.  I think it's because of the recurring dream I have in which all of my teeth fall out at the same time.)

Where was I?

Oh, yes.  (I wasn't kidding about the bad remembery thing.)  Well, right there in the middle of lunch for all the senior kindergarteners to see, Tater Tot's little tooth popped right out.  I think he was a rock star for the rest of the day, what with having a slightly bloody mouth, a hole right where you can see it any time he smiles, and the promise of the Tooth Fairy's visit.  Not only that, apparently he's leading his class in the number of teeth lost so far.  Who knew there was a lost tooth leader board?  Tater Tot told us before going to bed that sure this had to be one of the greatest days of his life. 

I can't remember what happened that night, but we got busy doing something right around bedtime and all of us forgot to take the tooth out of Tater Tot's backpack.  When he realized his missed opportunity the next day he said, "Well, the Tooth Fairy doesn't come unless the tooth is actually under the pillow, so I'll just leave it for her tonight."  Later that night, we watched as he put the tooth in its little baggie carefully under his pillow and went to sleep with a snaggly-toothed smile on his face.

And then both of us left his room and promptly forgot all about donning our fairy costumes and returning to finish the job.

When we got up the next morning, Tater Tot sighed and said, "The Tooth Fairy didn't come," and I felt all the blood draining to my feet.  It was early.  I hadn't had coffee yet.  I stood there, kind of stunned and speechless as my old brain tried to concoct some story that a six year old might buy.

But then he glanced down and said, "I know why she didn't come.  My bag with my tooth fell onto the floor in the night, so the Tooth Fairy probably thought I forgot to put it under my pillow."

Bless that child.  

Bedtime rolled around again, and again the tooth was placed under the pillow.  And for the second night in a row, the Tooth Fairy's remembery failed.

The next morning was Monday, so I got up at the usual time and went through all of my normal morning routines.  Small Fry woke up on his own and wandered into the den to watch Mickey Mouse.  I started into Tater Tot's room to wake him up and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Pure panic set in.

I dashed out of his room and nearly knocked David down on my way to grab a dollar out of my purse. We had a whispered exchange that went something like this:

"What in the world is wrong with you, woman?"

"Ssssssshhhhhhhh!  The Tooth Fairy forgot AGAIN!  I'm trying to get back in there with some money before he wakes up!"

"Oh, hell.  We're unfit."

"Tell me something I don't already know.  Where's my purse?"

I grabbed the least tattered dollar bill I could find and David and I started for Tater Tot's room with David whispering instructions for me to go to the far side of the bed so that Tater Tot's head was turned from me.  He even gave me a little nudge when we got in his room, but then we realized that Tater Tot had turned over and was facing the side of the room I was being pushed toward.

"Oh, no!  Give it to me!" David whispered, and he slid the money under the pillow just as Tater Tot yawned and opened his eyes.

There we were...David on one side of his bed and me on the other, and both of us standing there wide-eyed and breathless.  This is not how Tater Tot usually wakes up.

"Hey, Mama.  Hey, Daddy.  What are you doing in here?" a groggy and somewhat surprised Tater Tot asked.

"Well, Daddy and I are soooooo anxious to see if the Tooth Fairy came that we wanted to come wake you up!  Why don't you check under that pillow?!"

He hopped up, felt around under his pillow, and did his little happy dance once his hand found the much awaited and nearly missed treasure.  David and I did our own happy dance at having escaped being put in the hot seat.

As the boys were getting dressed for school, I staggered into the kitchen to turn the coffee pot on and glanced at the clock.  It was 6:58, and this poor old tooth fairy was already exhausted.

Tater Tot came bounding into the room a few minutes later, waving his dollar around and singing, "Oh, mamaaaaaaa?  Guess whaaaaaat?  I think I have another tooth that is loose!"

.....sigh......

Poor old, tired Tooth Fairy.

 

 

Children's Books -- What's Not to Love?

One of my favorite parts of every school day is reading aloud to my second graders.  I can probably cover more reading skills -- questioning, predicting, drawing conclusions, problem solving, context clues and vocabulary, cause and effect -- in those twenty minutes that I can with an hour of traditional Language Arts instruction.  Truth be told, I've pretty much revamped our Language Arts activities to revolve around whatever chapter book we're reading at the time.  As far as I'm concerned we could throw the basal readers out the window.

When I was a new teacher, someone recommended reading The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.

Listen, it's a must read for any teacher.  Or any parent, for that matter.  We all know the importance of reading in a child's life and we all hope that children will love to read independently, but this book focuses on the importance of reading to children of all ages and the positive effects it has.  A revised edition of the book comes out in a few months.  I've already pre-ordered mine, and I can hardly wait until it gets here.

I thought I'd share a few read alouds that my students and I love.  

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate di Camillo

This may be my all-time favorite book to read to my students.  I almost always save it for the last read aloud of the year, because once you finish it, it's hard to find another one they love as much.  This year, though, I jumped the gun and read it in October.  It was a selfish move on my part.  I missed Edward and the characters he meets.  We have Library every other week, and we just happened to have it the week I started reading Edward Tulane aloud to my class.  When I picked them up that Wednesday from Library, six of my students had checked it out.  I would say that Edward Tulane is ideal to read aloud to second and third graders.  

I have a copy to keep at school, and I just ordered one to keep at home.  I can't wait to read it to the boys.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate di Camillo

I'm a huge fan of Kate di Camillo.  You can't go wrong with any of her books, and Despereaux does not disappoint.  Most of the kids have seen the movie, but it is nothing like the book, and I think most children will tell you, after having had the book read aloud to them, they like the book better.  I'm going to be one of those parents, in the case of Despereaux, who makes her children experience the book before the movie.  And yes, this one is waiting on our bookshelf for the right time to be read to Tater Tot and Small Fry.

** I recommend all of Kate di Cammilo's books.  I've read The Magician's Elephant and Because of Winn-Dixie to my classes, and they love both of them.  I used Winn-Dixie as a novel study with my higher reading group, and it was wonderful.  Right now I'm reading Tiger Rising to Tater Tot, and he's hooked.  The chapters are short, usually less than five pages, so it's perfect for holding a six-year-old's attention.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) by Roald Dahl

This is the first chapter book I read aloud to my students each year.  My friend, Tricia, put me on to this book over ten years ago when I was teaching at another school, and I absolutely adore it.  The BFG uses a vocabulary all his own with words like snozzcumbers (a nasty version of the cucumber), frobscottle (a carbonated drink that makes the bubbles go down, causing one to pass gas rather than burp -- a part of the book that second graders think is hilarious), and whizzpoppers (the name for what we would call passing gas).  The BFG is such a sweet and funny story that students fall in love immediately with the gentle giant.  Three of my students asked for -- and received -- a copy of the book for Christmas.  This is a MUST for any second or third grade teacher or parents of children in those grades.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

When our neice, Caroline, was in the third grade, her teacher read The Chronicles of Narnia to her class, and she was captivated by the stories.  I hate to admit that I never read the books as a child, and it was not until Caroline insisted that I read them to my third graders that discovered the magic of the series.  I made it through all seven books only once, which was the last year I taught third grade.  I think third grade is a great year for these to be read aloud.  That being said, I am reading them to my second graders this year.  It's taking a while because I have to do a lot of explaining and reviewing, but they are completely entranced.  After we finish each book, I give them the choice to pick up with the next book in the series or take a break and read something else for a while.  It never fails that all nineteen of them vote to keep going.  Right now we're a few chapters into Prince Caspian, and several of them are reading along with me from copies they've checked out from the library.

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

This is perhaps my new favorite picture book.  It's better suited for older children, probably in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, but I couldn't NOT buy it.  I tried reading it to my second graders and it went right over their heads, but I hope they'll read it later on and love it.  It's the story of a Masai village who, after hearing from one of their people who was in New York on 9/11, wanted to do something to show their sympathy for a grieving America.  This is a great website to give more information about the book and the story behind it.

Finally...

The Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak

The books in The Nutshell Library are ingrained in my memory, and I cannot help but smile when I think of them.  My grandparents had the set of little books, and I remember climbing into their laps with One Was Johnny or Chicken Soup with Rice, begging to hear them just one more time.  This is a wonderful little collection of stories that every child should have.  They're geared more toward preschoolers and kindergarteners, but I've been known to whip them out as a special treat for my older students, and they love the stories.

Experts will tell you to read books aloud to your children that are about two levels above their own reading level.  You'll see their vocabulary and listening comprehension skills take off!

But here's the thing.  It's not so much what's being read as it is that children are being read to every day.

See you around next time.  There are a couple of little boys who are waiting patiently with their bedtime books.

Bedtime for Dummies

We're playing a new game around our house at bedtime.  

It's called You Suckers Don't Really Think I'm Going to Sleep, Do You? and so far, Small Fry is in the lead.  

The object of the game is to do everything in your power to stay awake, dodging sleep at all costs.  If you happen to drive one of your parents nuts, you get extra points.  If you make BOTH of your parents raise their voices by one or more octives, you automatically advance to the highest level.

Small Fry starts off by getting out of the bed several times, first under the guise of having to go to the bathroom.  Then he gets out the bed -- multiple times -- for no apparent reason other than the joy it brings him to be herded back to his room.  You can almost read his little mind.  Oh, these people are lunatics if they think I'm staying in here by myself.  It's gonna take a lot more than that Mickey Mouse nightlight to keep me down.

We, and you know that "we" translates to I, explain that it's time to go to sleep and have sweet dreams, that our bodies need to rest up for all the playing we'll do tomorrow, and so on and so on.  I've even resorted to telling Small Fry that Santa is watching and that if he doesn't go to sleep, Santa will bring lumps of coal.  In eleven months.

We've tried the time-out route a few times, but all that does is give him an excuse to stay awake.  Go to time out?  Heck, yeah, man!  Time out is awesome!  No, time-out at bedtime doesn't do the trick.

We have a jar we keep in the kitchen called the Gem Jar.  When the boys do something extra nice or helpful, like putting their dishes in the sink without being asked or picking up their toys without being asked (or fussing when we do remind them), we let them put a marble in the jar.  Once it reaches a certain level, the boys get to pick something fun for all of us to do together, and they're only about ten marbles from their reward.  They picked bowling as this jar's prize, so once it's full, we're off to the bowling alley.  (What could be more fun than wearing used shoes and eating nacho cheese from a machine?  Who wouldn't love that?)

Anyway, the prospect of adding a marble to the jar usually goes a long way with Small Fry.  A few weeks ago I started beginning our bedtime routine by telling him that if he's quiet and still and goes to sleep without a fuss, he can put a marble in the jar when he wakes up the next morning.  For a while it worked like a charm.  So much so that I thought I might be named winner of the bedtime games.

A couple of weeks ago, Small Fry was particularly worked up around bedtime.  I'd already put him back in his room several times and was sitting in there with him when I decided to bribe him remind him of the gem jar.

"If you want to put a marble in the jar tomorrow morning, you have to be quiet and still."

That stinker sat straight up and said, "I don't."

Huh?  I'm sorry?  Did I hear what I think I heard?  Uh..uh...uh...

I was caught completely off guard.  While it may show a high level of stupidity on my part, I never thought for a moment that he would ever say that.  

Well played, Small Fry.  Well played.

As I'm learning from the three-year-old, bedtime with small children is not for the faint of heart.  

So, does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of Bedtime for Dummies?

 

 

 

 

I Wonder if Truvy is Hiring

The House of Tater has some pretty big issues, and the ones involving our hair are right there at the top of the list.

David and Small Fry have it a little easier than Tater Tot and I.  Their hair is nice and straight and generally behaves itself even when it gets a bit shaggy.

Tater Tot and I have obscenely thick hair that waves and curls and tends to resemble a lion's mane once it reaches a certain length.  Our hair doesn't just grow down.  It grows out and up.

The logical solution to the lion look is to just go get a haircut.  The only problem is that Tater Tot has developed an unreasonable fear of getting his hair cut.  He'll sit in the chair and let the stylist start, but once she gets close to his ears or neck, he comes undone.  As my Daddy would say, he has a complete and total come-apart.

We had to endure the experience Sunday afternoon when I could put off haircuts no longer.  Small Fry was starting to look like a little girl, and Tater Tot's hair looked something like a troll doll.  David went with me to take the boys to get their hair cut and offered to sit with Tater Tot while I sat with Small Fry.  God bless that man.

Small Fry, who fears nothing, sat through his haircut like a statue, waiting patiently for the sucker that comes at the end.

(Is it just me or does he remind you of the Home Alone kid, too?)

Anyway, while Small Fry sat quietly, his older brother went into the haircut hysterics and threw a fit of epic proportions that appeared to have no end in sight.  David, having had enough of the fit and at his wits' end, marched Tater Tot out of the shop, into the Jeep, and they were homeward bound.  (We drove separate cars because I had a couple of errands to run afterward.  I just wanted to clarify so you don't think David left Small Fry and me stranded at SportsClips.)

Tater Tot, exhausted from his fit, fell asleep for a couple of hours.  When he finally woke up, he told David he thought he could be brave enough to let me finish the haircut.

Um, what?

With all the confidence I could muster, I said that I would LOVE to cut Tater Tot's hair while channelling Annelle's character in Steel Magnolias where she asks Sally Field if her dress has to go over her head.  Except that in my version I'm asking, "Do you know if you have ANY kind of school pictures coming up?"

We found some scissors that looked like they might work on hair and set up shop in the bathroom.  As luck would have it, Tater Tot let me trim the hair over his ears and even up his neckline with only a minimal amount of twitching and flinching.  He didn't move too much, either.

I am happy to report that no tears, or blood, were shed.  Although I considered taking a nip at David when he walked by and said, "Aren't you going to shape some little sideburns?"  Smart man that he is, he immediately apologized and excused himself to the deck, far away from his scissor-wielding wife.

Here's our boy.

My work won't garner any remarks like, "Speaking of drawers, hang onto yours!  This is going in the hairdo hall of fame!"  But it'll have to do until it grows out again, at which time I might just tease it and make it look like a brown football helmet.

 

 

 

My Remembery Isn't What It Used to Be

The other day I was walking through the den on my way to another part of the house when I stopped and muttered aloud that I couldn't remember why I was heading in that direction.

Tater Tot replied, "Well, it's too bad that your remembery isn't as good as mine.  Because I have a great remembery."

Yes.  Until it's time to pick up and put away toys or brush teeth or wash hands or do anything he's been told to do four hundred times that doesn't fall into the FUN category.  Then his remembery resembles that of his father's. You know --- selective remembery.

Anyway, every night as I fall into bed I have the feeling that I meant to do something but can't remember what it was.  A little while ago I picked up my computer and thought about the blog and how I haven't paid much attention to it lately.  And then it hit me.  I keep meaning to blog, but I can't seem to remember it before I've collapsed for the night, unable to form complete sentences.

Tater Tales isn't a big blog.  I think readership may be in the negative numbers at this point.  But the truth is, I miss blogging regularly.  I'm neglecting the opportunity to keep some kind of record of life with two funny little boys who do and say funny things.  The little stuff is hard to remember as it is.

Especially when your remembery is as bad as mine.

The Forgotten Blog

I've neglected the blog for so long that I'm almost embarrassed to write anything.  What's even more embarrassing is admitting that our lives have been so dull that there was not a whole lot to write about.

Well, okay, things aren't ever really dull with two little boys running around, so maybe DULL isn't the best word.

Maybe it's best to characterize events around here as routine.  During the week things are pretty much the same -- work, school for the boys, and all the stuff that goes with getting from Monday to Friday without a major crisis.  And on the weekends we spend most of our time catching up on laundry and mundane house stuff like ironing and cleaning bathrooms.  You know, my favorites.........

Tater Tot played soccer for the first time, and David and I spent every Friday night laughing our heads off at his little team of six-year-olds running helter-skelter around the field.  We also spent a considerable amount of time trying to keep his little brother from running onto the field to help.

We muddled through Halloween with two little ninjas, or ninjers, as the boys said.  Thanksgiving rolled around and we celebrated with both sides of the family.

Then about four seconds later Christmas was upon us.  Ours was uneventfully eventful in that both boys came down with the flu the day before Christmas Eve, so we had to table our plans for Christmas with the family.  We've been hunkered down at home since then, and since the boys have been fever-free for barely a day, we have yet to make it home to see everyone.  

We're planning for a low-key New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and then it's back to work and school.

I'm sure 2013 will bring more of the same old same old, but I do hope to get better about checking in.

Happy New Year!