Ash & Ace: Caillou stinks but Mickey Mouse does not (and other random thoughts)

Sometimes my brain is like a tornado, with thoughts swirling around all over the place. So I apologize for the randomness of this post.

1. I hate Caillou.

Are you familiar with this show? I believe it airs on PBS and also on Sprout.

Let me give you a brief synopsis of every episode: Caillou wants something. Caillou's parents make a halfhearted attempt to discourage him. Caillou, unfazed, proceeds to whine until he gets his way. Parents allow this to happen while chuckling and shaking their heads in amusement.

It makes me crazy. I can't watch the show. Even my 7-year old comments on Caillou's behavior and asks why the parents don't punish him. Unfortunately the show has a catchy theme song (as far as preschool TV shows go) and my 21-month old perks right up when he hears it and even tries to sing along.

Sorry, kiddo, but I'm not letting Caillou come into this house.

2. I also hate PediaSure commercials.

Okay, so PediaSure is marketed as a supplemental drink for children to give them extra vitamins and minerals. Fair enough. If my kid is sick, then yes, I can accept PediaSure as a way to get him what he needs until he's able to eat real food again. If my child has some sort of developmental issue that prevents him from eating properly, or some medical reason he's unable to eat table food, then fine - PediaSure is great.

HOWEVER, the commercials show a different scenario. There is a child sitting at a dinner table. His mother puts a plate of healthy food in front of him (vegetables, etc.). The child smiles, shakes his head, and pushes the plate away. (Other versions of the commercial incorporate the child doing something "cute" as an effort to not eat the food.) The mother just shakes her head and smiles to herself. So what does she do? Does she make him eat the vegetables? Does she sit down and explain to him the importance of eating healthily, not to mention that it's very poor manners to refuse the food put in front of you? Does she tell him he can't leave the table until he has at least tried the food?

Nope. She just gives him PediaSure.

That would never fly in this house. I guess I'm a mean mom.

"I don't like healthy food. I'll just look miserable and refuse to eat it, even though much of the world has children just like me dying from starvation. I won't bother tasting it because I know my mom will bust out the PediaSure eventually."

"Oh, can you believe how she's dressed up like a fairy and trying to make my dinner disappear? She's so cute and funny! I won't make her eat it. I'll just give her PediaSure later."

3. I love Asa's toddler belly.

I'll take a break from the negative comments to focus instead the adorable thing that is my growing baby's toddler belly. It is the cutest thing ever. It's one of the few parts of him left that is babyish. The rest of him is growing and maturing too fast for my liking. But that belly... The way it pops out farther than his pants makes me giggle. And it's impossible not to kiss that soft little belly at every opportunity.

Rub the belly.

4. We're starting the second week of October, people, OCTOBER!

Seriously? Did September actually happen? Summer is gone? Unbelievable.

5. It pays to have patience.

Of course most everyone would agree patience is a virtue when it comes to raising children, work, relationships, etc. I'm sure you and I could come up with a thousand examples of how patience pays off in really important things.

You might think it's silly that I'm categorizing trips to Disney World as a really important thing.

This was us on our most recent trip to Disney, when I ran the Princess Half Marathon.

Here's the deal. We love going to Disney World. In fact, we would go every month if finances allowed. But everyone knows it is expensive to go to Disney World, especially when you stay on Disney property. So, we almost always plan our Disney trips around discounts. Unfortunately you never really know when those discounts are going to be offered, which leaves you at the mercy of the Walt Disney Company. Fortunately we homeschool and my husband works from home. That means our schedule allows us to vacation at any time of year.

We have Annual Passes that expire in early 2014. We were really hoping to go back to Disney World one more time before then, but the only way we could do it was to wait for one of Disney's 30% off resorts discounts.

So we waited, and waited, and waited. Let me tell you, it was brutal. I just wanted to book a trip. But I had to be patient.

Well guess what - a few days ago, Disney Visa Card holders were offered the discount we had been waiting for! Matt was on the phone with Disney World in a matter of minutes after the announcement came out, and we managed to book a stay in our favorite resort for the exact week we had been hoping for, for the discounted price. We saved about $1500 because we had patience.

6. All work and no play makes for a dull family.

Asher has been working hard in 2nd grade. We are currently about 5 weeks ahead of schedule because we started the school year early. I like having this cushion so that we can take time off throughout the year without feeling guilty about it.

Last week was one of those weeks. We got together with friends almost every day, and then on Friday we went to the state fair. We did a little bit of school, but mostly we played. It was wonderful! I love the flexibility homeschooling offers so we can take time off like this! The weather was gorgeous last week, and we would've missed it if Asher had been stuck inside a school classroom every day.