Got My Vote

Apparently my husband has a new career plan that he didn't bother to clear with me first. Check it out here.

Disney Channel Temporarily Sucks

Apparently, Disney Channel is still on their summer schedule. And now that we no longer have Dish Network and are subsequently DVR-less *sniff*, we are subjected to watch whatever is determined by the powers that be in TV Land. It's hard times over here at the Buckland House. I have Jo, who will be four in November, and Oliver, 20 months old, at home with me. And the baby, of course, but she doesn't really pack in any substantial television watching at her age. That being said, I am not loving the programming schedule they currently have running. I started to worry that it might be permanent. But now I know it's only temporary and oodles of preschool shows will be returned to us the second week in September. Thank God, because right now we are subjected to hours, and I mean HOURS, of Hannah Montana and Zack and Cody. I believe I may have somehow stumbled into Hell.

Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-Hannah or Zack and Cody. I'm sure my kids will be avid viewers of these shows or something akin to them when they are a little bit older. But I am in no hurry to get my babies into watching those shows right now. Again, I'm sure they're wholesome teen shows, and if you let your kids watch these shows, I don't judge, yo. Just put them on at a more suitable time, is all I'm sayin'. Oh, and Nick Jr. is no better. Right now they're airing back to back episodes of Spongebob Squarepants. I like Spongebob, but the humor is a little over my toddlers' disproportionately over-sized heads.

I browsed around Disney's website in search for someone to whom I could send a "friendly" email, but didn't have any luck. Maybe they are completely out of touch and think that everyone in America has a DVR...Oh wait, maybe they do. Or maybe I just need to get of my lazy duff and get the kids outside more. And shut up and be patient until September 8. But for now we are forced to watch PBS. And I really don't know how much more Caillou I can handle.

A Boy and His Cord

As many of you know, my husband, Ren, is in the IT business. Translation: Our house is creatively decorated with miscellaneous power cords, power supplies, hard drives, broken down computers, printers, monitors, faxes, etc., at any given time. We have several drawers dedicated throughout the house to stashed power cords and plugs. Enter in a certain busy-bodied, incredibly mischievous 20 month old boy. You see where this is going. As I write this, he's sitting on the kitchen floor, helping himself to an entire box of Nilla Wafers that he himself pulled out of the pantry. Pulling random things out of cupboards, drawers, and pantries is a favorite pastime of his as of late. Oliver has also developed a love for power cords in particular. Put those two loves together and you have Buckland Toddler Boy Nirvana. He pulls them out, I put them away. This can happen anywhere from 20 to 437 times in one day.

He would rather play with a safe, kid-friendly pile of electrical wires than his own toys. Matchbox cars? Ha! Action figures? He laughs in their plastic little faces! He likes to hold on to said cords and carry them throughout the house. He drapes them around his shoulders and wears them like a prized piece of fashion, as is evidenced in the photo above. He even attempts (and is successful at times) to take a cord in the car with him when we go "Bye Bye." The most interesting place to which he's ever taken one of his cords was blueberry picking. Sometimes he wakes up in the morning and the first thing he says to us is, "I wahn mah coooord!" Any cord will do, in fact. However, he does have some cords that he loves more than others. Take Ren's white iPhone charger, for instance. This one we've literally had to pry out of his hands when it comes time to eat, bathe, or take a nap. This one has made Daddy very upset on more than one occasion.

I don't know what this says about our son. It appears that he not only looks like his daddy, but is also showing some signs that they may have the same personality as well. It has long been suspect that Oliver is actually Ren's clone. This latest development in his character may just be the proof of the pudding.

And I Cried

Friday was Isabel's first day of Kindergarten. After what I witnessed that morning and every morning since then, I now firmly believe we are making the right choice by sending her, and I am convinced she was tailor-made for school. She woke up promptly at 6:15 AM--that's actually normal for her, my little early bird. She came running out of her room, wide-eyed and ready to take on the world. As she ate breakfast, Ren and I explained some rules and regulations to be followed, gave her a loving pep talk, got her ready and she headed out the door to wait for the bus. Yes, the bus. We offered to drive her and walk her to her class, but she insisted on taking the bus to her new school. She wanted the whole public school experience from start to finish. I never rode the bus as a child, and I can't even imagine riding it the first day of a new school. But Isabel challenged that big, yellow, government vehicle with all the Buckland Confidence she could muster. And she was the victor. The bus came, stopped right in front of our house, she bounded down the driveway, climbed up and grabbed a seat, and we waved and smiled as she drove away.

I didn't cry when she drove away. And I didn't cry while she was at school. I was so busy with the other three at home that I barely had time to miss her. Before I knew it the big, yellow bus was bringing her safely back home. She told me all about her day and couldn't wait to go back.

But I did cry. What she doesn't know, is that very first morning I woke up before everyone else and couldn't go back to sleep until I prayed for my precious firstborn child. I cried and poured my heart out to God to bless my daughter with success, favor, and opportunities that I never had. Yeah, I know it's just Kindergarten. So maybe I am being a bit melodramatic. But it's a new beginning for her. And one that I hope and pray that, for her, will be a wonderful start.