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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Keep It Simple

Like any SAHM, I watch my children each day. Lately, though, I have tried to take a step back and really observe; taking note of the things that render both Giancarlo and Lucia utterly happy, sometimes sad, and completely in awe.

After weeks of almost scientific-like observations, this is what I have learned:

There is nothing better than being naked.

Each night, before and after their bath, my children are in complete bliss. They are perfectly content to run freely around our house in the buff. This is especially true for Lucia. As soon as the last stitch of clothing comes off of her little body, she is gone, running, laughing, and trying to hide. Granted, she always chooses our bedroom closet as her hiding spot, but “finding” her there never ceases to make us both laugh.

If you don’t like what you are eating, simply take it out of your mouth.

Do this without delay. If the particular healthy vegetable or snack does not agree with your palate, simply open your mouth and let it drop out. Another option would be to stick your hand in your mouth and scrape the contents off of your tongue. Both methods work equally as well and provide a rapid solution to the problem.

If you don’t like what your parents are trying to make you do, simply go boneless.

This is a new tactic for both my children. I am not sure who came up with this brilliant idea first, but in our household, once one child stumbles upon a successful technique, the other is sure to follow. The three of us have learned that this works particularly well in public places. Two boneless children are incredibly difficult to manage in a place like the grocery store.

The nightly bath time and bedtime ritual is bliss.

There is nothing better than being pampered, right? While I am lucky if I am able to remember to brush my teeth most days, my kids are bathed, in clean pajamas, have full tummies, and a bedtime story all before bed. It really is a wonderful way to go to sleep.

Other than to share this knowledge with the blogosphere, I am not quite sure what to do with the wisdom I have acquired. Perhaps it is enough to simply be reminded of the importance of keeping things simple and finding joy in life’s little pleasures...

-Francesca
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73 comments:

Kristina P. said...

Go boneless? Is this some sort of strange mommy talk that I'm not getting? That happens to me a lot.

Ali said...

Wow - I agree with all of them.

Being naked - oh yeah!

Removing disgusting food from mouth - duh.

Going boneless on my mother - still do that.

Bath time and bedtime - I live for them.

Cammie said...

this made me LOL....my kids are SO guilty of the food thing, the nakey thing, and ESPECIALLY the boneless thing.

ymK said...

My kids are usually eating from my plate, although I give them exactly the same stuff that I eat, I somehow end up feeding from my plate.
And when they take things out of their mouth, they don't care if it drops onto the stuff I was eating. Even if they didn't want to eat it, I did!

peewee said...

Awww....I wanna live in your house! And running around naked is my favorite part of the day too!

Lisa@saltandlightstudio said...

Boneless, ooooo thanks for that tip, I shall try that one out on my BabyMama soon. Very soon.

BlogBaby

The High Family said...

Oh Francesca! I couldn't agree more with everything you observed. The same exact thing happens with my two. I also have the pleasure of "Kara- the human vacuum" (she finds dirt from a mile away and will get to it quickly to snatch up and eat!)AND I've written about this many times on my blog...The RK Alliance. I swear at 3 and 10 months these two have their own language and devise plans to attack their poor mama when she is least expecting it every day! ;)

Oh and the boneless thing or as we like to call it "spagetti noodle"...don't just love it?! LOL

Kameron said...

I think those wonderful observations are pretty much true across the board. How is it such small beings can all figure this stuff out. The next time I'm at a restaurant and don't like something I'm just letting it fall on the table! ;o)

Ronnica said...

If I applied the first principle any more, I might freak out my roommate.

Sevi said...

Francesca, I love being naked!!! I love the summer because I can live in my swimsuits.

I want to meet your kids, they sound like so much fun and little balls of energy.

Oh and the notorious boob grabber is my neighbor Adam aka Vag.

Just SO said...

Aren't kids the best? They know what they like and what they don't.

B said...

You've got some brilliant children there, hope you know it. I especially LOVE the boneless idea. It made me burst out in laughter, but not because I know what it's like. No siree, my children never do that as they are perfect in every way when I am trying to get them to do things. Or something like that.

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

Yes, the all time great Boneless Technique. It is Even Better when your Boneless Child is a 2.5 year old 39 lb-er. Nothing like trying to lift THAT up off the grocery store floor.
Nakedness? Try it at Grandma's sometime. Is amazing at home, and Utterly Amazing doing at grandma and granpas (wow, that came out...wierd)

Okay, were are the pics to go with this?

Unknown said...

Great observations, my friend! Kids are a wonder to watch, aren't they?

Anonymous said...

who doesnt l♥ve running around naked!!!!

Kids are the smart ones arent they!

Heather said...

Oh yes, being naked. That is just like supreme happiness right there. Jake will run around naked hours on end if we'd allow it. I don't know what it is about it, I guess it's just so freeing.

Heidi said...

Love this post! Sorry I haven't been around lately--nothing personal.

Crazee Juls said...

I love the term "boneless" for children... Reminds me of the book Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems--which is a great book, and he's a great author with awesome illustrations...
Thanks for sharing your mommy wisdom--It reminds me of sweet days gone by...

Lady of Perpetual Chaos said...

Thanks for sharing! This post was a great reminder to me to just stop and really watch and be with my kids to get to know who they really are. Your kids sound absolutely adorable!

mary said...

That was funny! thanks! and so true!

Tulip Row said...

Excellent lessons, and I am glad to know that other people's children don't like the food they make or don't always behave like perfect angels in places such as the grocery store.... music to my ears!

theUngourmet said...

Oh, these are so funny and true! My kids did all of this!

Aren't little ones just the best! :0)

Jillene said...

Go boneless--BWWWHAHAHAHAHAHA!! LOVE IT!!

NovelTeaMommy said...

My son just turned 1 on Sunday, and my husband and I were talking about how he is exerting these self same attributes. Good to know we have way more of it to look forward to!

Shari @ A Psych Mommy said...

LOL--my son is only 7 months old and he loves being naked--he actually will cry when I try and dress him

Mainly a midwife said...

I agree with all of the above. How fun to be a kid and to be able to run around naked! woohoo!

Anonymous said...

These are great! I totally know the go-boneless move!

And when me and my brother were little we routinely got out of the tub and started running around the house naked yelling and pointing at each other "BARE NAKED BABBOON!". It was the best!

Barbaloot said...

Well, thanks heavens now I know what do to next time a piece of asparagus finds its way into my mouth.

Mrsbear said...

I think all of my kids at one point or another have used the go-limp strategy. 30 lbs of boneless toddler weight is impossible to lug in a public setting. My daughter used to love using this anytime we asked her to clean something up, she'd say she couldn't because her arms and legs were broken.

Banteringblonde said...

ah boneless ... yes this is my favorite of all the tricks! My boys are still comfortable in all their glory and have conversations in the nude with the window shades wide open - they don't see anything wrong with it!

Quiskaeya said...

Oh but of course nothing is more enjoyable than dancing, prancing and frolicking in the nude. But what makes that even sweeter is to leave a nice puddle on the floor for Mama to slip on a nearly break her noggin b/c said child went "pee-pee" on the floor. Awwwwww the joys and learning of Mamahood.

stephanie said...

I think the reminder of simple joys is powerful; thank you for that.

I too genuinely adored the bedtime ritual of bath & jammies & stories when my kids were younger - I still love to snuggle & read together but they let me nowhere near when bathing now...

Deb said...

This could be my kids, as well.

Princess and Dexy are so comfortable with nudity that it's beginning to make me uncomfortable. Dexy will stand there, one thumb in his mouth, the other hand exploring, for blissful minutes at a time...

Boneless? You bet. It's like a Ninja defense move.

Princess is too fastidious to let things just fall from her mouth. She looks at me in distress until I put my hand under her mouth, giving her an apparently acceptable place to spit. Dexy is like Tom Hanks in the caviar scene in "Big." In and out.

Mr. and Mrs. Nurse Boy said...

You are such a wise woman! Thanks for sharing the wisdom. I think I might try that whole letting the food fall out of my mouth the next time I have to go to a fancy dinner for Nurse Boy's work and they try to make me eat sushi. That'll teach 'em...oh, wait. That is EXACTLY what my kids are thinking. Huh.

I laughed out loud at the naked wisdom. So true. Whatever you do, DO NOT knock on our front door around 7:30 at night unless you want to be greeted by three little naked people.

Mrs. Nurse Boy

Heather of the EO said...

I love that Kristina was so confused. Boneless...yes, just like Trixie in the Knuffle Bunny books. They really all do go boneless.

And naked? My boys ADORE naked-ness too. I wonder when we lose that? I for one don't find so much joy and freedom in nudity these days...

Julie said...

Too funny!! I wish I had a pampering bedtime routine too...

Kailey said...

Haha...boneless! I remember kids doing that to me when I babysat. It scared me to death the first time it happened. I thought something was seriously wrong with the kid.

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

The last line in this post sums it all up. There's a reason we don't go completely insane... naked bums and boneless (I totally get that) grocery trips may turn our greasy hair gray, but in the big picture, those are the things we'll remember loving when they stop doing them.

Beautiful post.

*Monica said...

It is amazing that the boneless technique is as genetically programmed as suckling.

Jack combines boneless and naked for bonus points when I try to dress him after the bath.

Technodoll said...

Can I please be two years old again? Sigh. Good times, good times! :-D

ck said...

"If you don’t like what you are eating, simply take it out of your mouth."

This is the very reason why I no longer lend out my sweatshirts. My kids take stuff out of their mouths and hand it to me, or let it dribble down their chins and I wind up either stuffing it in my pockets or using my sleeves to "clean" up faces.

Gross. Frankly, I'm surprised I have friends left who still ask to borrow my clothes...

Megan said...

I know a couple of boys that would easily follow suit. The older of the two loves to run around nekkid. A lot. lol

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

I understand going boneless completely, I love trying to haul up children who seem to have lost all ability to stand!

And naked... we have a large window at the front of our house facing the street, my son(especially) loves to take a look out the window while naked. I am sure the neighbour across the street enjoys:)

mommy4life said...

I'd love to be as pampered as my kiddos! I also would prefer the spitting out of food to not be accompanied by "yuk"!

amanda said...

finding joy. i think that's the best.

Esther said...

You are so right, Francesca. Emma does the tounge scraping thing--it's so funny.
I think every child is born with the talent to go boneless. Next time my husband wants me to clean the house, I think I'll try it.

Unknown said...

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Counselormama said...

OMG, I could have written the same exact post about my kids! I was laughing so hard reading this!

Helene said...

You hit the nail on the head...all of it is SO true, esp the whole "go boneless" theory.

My kids LOVE being naked. Tonight, after dinner, one of my sons asked me to take his pants off...apparently, so he could take his own diaper off and run around the house naked. My husband yelled at me and said, "you're responsible for anything he pees or poops on". Guess what I'm doing at almost 10:00 at night? Washing my peed-on bed sheets in the washer.

The food thing is especially gross. What's even more disturbing is that my kids have no problem with sloppy seconds. If someone takes something out of their mouth that was deemed too disgusting to swallow, I can pretty much count on one of the other kids picking it up and eating it and finding absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Anonymous said...

you know spitting out your food if you don't like it has always been a good idea for me. I don't know if it's a bad habit but napkins always hide the food that I don;t like! BTW thanks for your kind words and let's keep spreading the word about good handwashing:)

Amy W said...

I absolutely hate it when my kids go boneless! It is a trick that they have perfected in my house. The naked thing is so true. :) Even my 9y.o. still loves to streak through the house, shaking his money maker at you as he whizzes by!

Whitney said...

Go boneless?! That's brilliant!! Why did I find this handy technique out 19 years too late? I would have been a boneless-two year old-terror. Maybe I shall try this when the hubs and I are out shopping and he won't let me get something . . . hee hee hee

Breanne said...

Loved this post! Totally true kid quirks!

And you're right - keeping it simple is nice! Why do we make that so hard sometimes?

Connie said...

Too funny! I love to watch and learn from my kids too... it is an amazing education. My kids do statues (completely rigid) rather than boneless.. although not much anymore as they are older. I do the boneless thing though.. they want to drag me off somewhere and I'll flop boneless on the floor. They think it is hilarious - no matter what - and will proceed to try and drag me around.

I taught my kids to spit things out in the garbage can to get rid of stuff. It never failed that gross food would end up in MY hand, not theirs, so I had to do something. Napkins were too complicated.

Becky said...

Love this post. Aren't kids just great?

Stacy Uncorked said...

I can absolutely relate to everything - particularly the 'boneless' part. :) As an added twist, Princess Nagger has been trying to get a 'free ride' up the stairs at bedtime - even if she's been running around like a crazy girl moments before, when it's bedtime she'll run over and lay on the couch and pretend to be sleeping in the hopes that one of us will carry her up the stairs... ;)

Mocha Dad said...

My kids also like to run naked. The problem I have is the huge picture window that they like to run past. Our neighbors have been flashed several times.

Grand Pooba said...

Oh wonderous being, I am prepared to do everything in my power to help you win the best damn contest ever.

I'm 4 real yo!

Unknown said...

The nakedness! You'd think I ran a nudie camp here! Apparently naked dancing is the ultimate experience for the under 5 crowd.

Anonymous said...

RE: I am not quite sure what to do with the wisdom I have acquired.

The Davis Grandpa says to store them in memory for when the child is older and does something that really annoys you...temper your temper with good memories...

Anonymous said...

PS from the Davis Grandpa further says...the go naked runs in the family. Especially with Giancarlo & Lucia's oldest uncle...might ask is he remembers...nah, won't go there!

Boy Mom said...

Ahh, what a delightful post. I'm just facing the reality that at some point my babies, the youngest is 4 and 1/2, will soon be outgrowing some of these delightful practices, then it will be up to Adorable Hubby and I to run through the house naked and giggling, dropping boneless to the floor occasionally.

Kelly Deneen Raymond said...

Boneless??? bwahaha! That is priceless. I do NOT look forward to that one. Lately I have been enocountering the back-arching fun when I try to strap Delia into something. Oy. ha!

lov said...

boy have i missed you while i was on my blogging hiatus! :)

i've got a lot of catching up to do! :)

Jo said...

I think you have stumbled onto the secret of true happiness. I love the evening routine happiness. I think I need to talk my Bald Man into doing that for me every night!

He & Me + 3 said...

Yes, I call it the fish flop...whenever my son doesn't want to do what he is supposed to, he immediately goes into the fish flop...all boneless on me too. Gotta love it! So easy to work with! yea, Big Fun!

Unknown said...

I think I might try some of these things myself. Going boneless is at the top of my list.

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey

Pam said...

All of your scientific-like observations are SO true. Every.Single.One.

My girls still love to run around in the buff at bathtime and they're 9 and 5! Er, well, maybe there's something wrong at that "old" kid age. Anyhoo, they love it just the same. It's like a game I guess.

tiburon said...

All fantastic things to know.

My kids have mastered - if you are done with it throw it on the floor.

tammy said...

That made me laugh. Especially the food one. I actually had something for dinner last night that made me want to do that.

Unknown said...

How is it possible that we are raising the same children??? All except for the "boneless" part. I have been spared that action (for the moment).

Nancy said...

LMBO!!! My kids turn boneless too!

Awesome post and excellent scientific observations.

I've had to nickname my 4 year old "The Streak" (I've blogged about him) because I can not keep clothes on that child.

Miranda said...

Sweetness.

We call it "baby jello" when you go to pick up your baby/toddler and they go limp LOL