Reason for the Blog

One of the reasons I started this was because of something my youngest daughter "W" did this week. Even though she got in trouble and was scolded, all I could think about was the hilarity of the whole scenario and that I wanted to write about it. So what better place to do that (since I don't publish weekly in a newpaper column) than a blog. So I opened one so that when weird things like this happen I can write about them and you can laugh with me in sharing the details of everyday life as a parent. So here is the story...

The other day W was supposed to be taking a nap. She is 3 1/2 yrs old and can sleep in her crib, toddler bed, or a twin bed in her big sister's room. She is able to climb out of the crib, but sometimes prefers to sleep there anyway (I think the rails make her feel more cozy and protected). Anyway, she was supposed to be taking a nap in her toddler bed, which unfortunately is not in the view of the video monitor we have set up in her room (the kid's rooms are upstairs while the master bedroom is downstairs, so I have always felt safer having a video of them instead of just an audio monitor so I could make sure they were safe and not heading towards the stairs). I was downstairs, and I could hear her moving around so I knew she wasn't sleeping yet, but I was kind of tired too so I was trying to take a nap in my bed and I figured I'd just let her be and eventually she would fall asleep (I did go up a few times during the first 30 min or so to remind her to take her nap though). On the monitor over the next 60min or so I could hear her talking to her toys so I knew she wasn't napping but, so be it, I let her be. BIG MISTAKE. A little while later her big sister and her friend come in and tell me they are going to go get W up so we can leave to go to dinner. They race upstairs and then on the monitor I hear "MOM! She cut her bear!" and the two older girls race down the stairs to tell me the shocking news. Obviously, I now know there is trouble and I head up the stairs only to find W in her room with the floor COVERED in brown teddy bear hair which she evidently has used scissors (that I had too low in her closet) to cut almost all the hair off of the face of the most adorable teddy bear we own. To say I am sad is an understatement. I spank her and put her in timeout in the rocking chair while I begin to clean up the mess and scold her. She then tells me, "but mom, its MY bear". Which I then calmly (and still sadly) inform her that ACTUALLY it is her older sister's bear , which I had bought for her on our first trip to Colorado. (It really is an adorable bear, and he kind of lays outstretched as if he is a rug-too cute). So, we get it cleaned up, she continues to get reminded/scolded that she is NOT to use scissors anymore and that I am VERY displeased with what she did (she doesn't seem to care too much though). We go to dinner, come home, and get ready for bed. This is when the really good stuff happens which makes me want to write a blog. The girls are laying in our bed with their daddy and our little beagle, Lucy. Before taking the girls to bed, I lean over and pet Lucy, only to notice that there are some strange markings in her fur that I never noticed before. I bend over... I look closer... I realize that our daughter not only cut the fur on her teddy bear , but she has also given our poor dog a haircut!!! "W, did you cut Lucy's hair too?" I ask. "Yep" and she is all giggles, and thinks its really cool. Obviously I discussed with her that she can't do this-what if she had poked Lucy in the eye while trying to trim her eyelashes?! But all the while, all I can think is, our poor Lucy. She loves our girls so much, she just let her cut her hair. How, I don't know, but she did. Crazy. Anyway, that is the silly adventure we had with W and the scissors this week. I'm still shaking my head. By the way, I took the crib down yesterday and moved the toddler bed over so I can see it now on the monitor-ugh!