Extreme Home Makeover: Toddler Edition

We recently inherited a third-hand molded plastic playhouse. You know, the kind that blend into the beauty of the natural landscape so well? Oh wait, I mean the kind that stick out like a sore thumb and proclaim "a child lives here!" to all passersby.

Yeah, one of those. We have one now.

It's actually pretty cool. Once Minh graciously agreed to allow it in his beautifully maintained garden, I allowed myself to get excited about it. And Tai loved it from the moment he laid eyes on it (before it was even assembled).

But, being third-hand, it came to us "well-loved" and sun-bleached. We probably would not have been concerned about this at all, if our neighbor hadn't suggested a fresh coat of paint might do it some good. Suddenly I was scheming another complicated painting project (what is it with me and paint?) I had grand ideas of bright primary colors, while Minh wanted to paint it like you would a real house -- beige with muted accents of green and blue, or maybe maroon.

First Minh blasted the entire house with sudsy water from the pressure washer. Then he painted the door dark red. And then we realized how much (a) time, (b) effort, and (c) paint it would take to do the whole house (he used two cans of spray paint on the door alone!) So we opted to just do the door and shutters--a slightly less "extreme" makeover than we first envisioned, but enough to breathe new life into an old playhouse.

Finally, we cleared out a spot in the back woods and laid a bed of woodchips over some weed-blocking cloth. And Tai really does enjoy it. He has even learned to say "house" when he sees it.

BEFORE

AFTER ----->

Two Words

Last night I discovered the key to getting Tai to let me cut his hair.
Two words: Ice Cream.

Fourth Annual Chipping Day

Despite a rocky start that included a chipper that wouldn't chip, and extra trip to Home Depot, and 2 hours of a babysitter gone to waste, the Fourth Annual Pheasant Lane Chipping day was indeed a success.

For those who don't know, each year we all "chip" in with our neighbors and rent a wood chipper that will chew through a branch up to 6" in diameter. Since we live in a woodsy area, everyone tends to have fallen branches and annoying saplings to get rid of each spring. Everyone works hard all day long, chipping up everyone's stuff, and then we have a big BBQ at the end of the day to celebrate a job well done.

Tai's still to little to pull his weight on Chipping Day (maybe next year?) but he did get to inspect the chipper the next morning, before we returned it.

They Really Do Say The Darndest Things...

Yesterday at a Mother's Day cookout, a bunch of us were talking about the fact that our friend once made a rather inappropriate joke one morning at day care drop-off. Several times folks mentioned "the joke" and then I witnessed this exchange between a woman and her 3 yr old daughter:

daughter to mom: "Can you tell me the joke?"
mom: "No, honey, it's just for grown-ups."
daughter: "Why?"
mom: "It's about adult humor and you wouldn't understand it anyway."

[about 2 minutes pass...someone tells a kid-friendly joke to make the girl feel included]

daughter: "I know a joke!"
mom: "Can you tell it to us?"
daughter: "No, it's just for kids."

White People Don't Order Squid

On Monday night, Minh and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with the traditional Chinese Take-Out. I gave him carte blanche to order whatever he wanted and told him that if he put it under my name I'd pick it up on my way home.

Apparently, he was halfway through giving them his order (which included duck and squid) when the guy from the restaurant asked, "Hey, are you Chinese?" Once Minh 'fessed up to being Asian, the guy became very friendly and even discouraged Minh from ordering the baby bok choy because it was not as fresh as the Chinese broccoli. (You know that they gladly sell the wilty bok choy to the white folks!)

Not knowing any of this transpired, I was impressed at how very friendly they were at this restaurant (to which I had never been before). My order was not quite ready when I arrived, so they gave me a seat at the bar and offered me some tea. And the guy who sold me the food small-talked with me about the fact that my husband called in the order and then commented on my lovely jade bracelet (which, in case you don't know, functions like a membership card at most Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants).

The lesson? Even if you don't want to eat it, ordering squid over the phone can have hidden benefits. Go on, try it!