A Small Lesson

Don't you just love being The Ultimate Referee Of All Time? You get to make the hard calls. Like:

- No, ice cream is not a breakfast food.

- Yes, you DID hit your sister and will do time in your room as punishment.

- No, the baby does not want you to sit on him.

- Yes, we can listen to the Yo Gabba Gabba CD- but only until I lose my sanity.

- No. No more Yo Gabba Gabba songs. I've had enough! You'll listen to my music. And you'll like it! 

- Yes, you can wear that shirt. But not the skirt. It's still winter, guys. Pants!

- Yes, you have to wear your sneakers instead of your sandals... it's fifty degrees outside.

- No, we're not going swimming in Grandma's pool. When it's 115, then I will happily plop you in there.

- No. We are not having Mac & Cheese AGAIN. Three nights in a row is plenty.

- Ok. You have eaten a sufficient amount of vegetables to get apple slices.

- Tomorrow we are not slated for a visit to Grandma's house. We are going to the grocery store- end of discussion!

- No- we are not eating dinner in the car, we will at least eat our fast food at the dining room table...

- No, we are not going to ride the carousel. Two dollars a kid is insane. Plus, I am not going load all three of you on the spinning platform by myself! That is at least a job for two people.

... all rulings final.

Most of the times my rulings are highly unpopular and illicit inordinate amounts of hand flailing, falling to the ground in dramatic agony, and heavy feet stomping.

However, there is one thing in which the girls usually have the last say on. And that is: if it is truly too cold/windy/hot/rainy/etc. outside to go play in the backyard. I want them to play in the yard! They (mostly) can't make too much of a mess (except when they find small rocks to stuff down the hose) and they are out of my hair! So I let them decide if the conditions are right to play. They can request jackets. I don't see how this could go wrong. The girls are usually hesitant about any type of inclimate weather- so it all works out!

There are still times in which they have to learn some things the hard way.

No matter how much you yearn to play outside before dinner...

... sometimes it's simply too cold and windy to make it worth the effort.