Want an excuse to get those photos off your phone? Play along with LauraC!

Am I the lamest mom in the world, or do other people hate it when their kids want to get on the swings?  Seriously, when you’re climbing or going down the slide, I can just watch.  With the swing, it’s all the lifting in and pushing and lifting out and getting shoes stuck and various annoying things.  Yes, I’m a lazy parent.

Anyways, this week I made a way-overdue change to our backyard playscape and removed the baby swings that have been hanging on the swingset for a year and a half.  I was tired of them, and the kids were getting bigger and heavier and we kept losing shoes on the dismount.  And both of them are perfectly capable of sitting on a normal swing.

I put the swings almost as low as they get so that the kids can get in and out on their own (furthering my lazy-ass parenting their independence).  Rebecca has mastered pulling herself up by holding onto the chains, but Daniel and his less-coordinated, less-body-aware self hasn’t quite figured it out.  Daniel was a little distressed at first because of the way the swing can sometimes twist around instead of going straight back and forth.  But he got over it and, completely without my intervention, managed to learn every little boy’s favorite playground trick entirely on his own:

Yes, this video is from my phone.  As a combined birthday/anniversary gift, M decided I should go upgrade to the newer iPhone.  It is, to quote the great Fresh Prince, the new hotness. What’s that, you say?  You want ANOTHER phone video just for some extra special cuteness?  Well, alright.  Since you asked so nicely.

For those who didn’t know the reference from Sunday’s post, the quote was from a Backyardigans Episode, Race Around the World. M and I have had it stuck in our heads ALL. WEEK. LONG.

At any rate, here we are for another installment of Thursday Theater!  Mr. Linky is not super cooperative these days, so if you’re joining the party, just say so in the comments.

I took this video over the weekend.  Hat tip to my friend Jane for the idea, when she busted out some big buckets and a hose the last time we had a playdate at her house.  It seemed to be a hit, so I found two 5-gallon buckets in the garage and the sand toys my in-laws got to go with the sandbox (containers pilfered from the recycling bin work just as well).  Obviously, it’s an activity for a warm day, and you simply have to accept the fact that they’re going to be soaked within minutes.

We all know that toddlers have notoriously short attention spans.  For Rebecca, apparently, one major exception is this type of water activity.  It was unreal how long she continued to play with two big buckets and a couple of smaller pouring implements.

Water buckets from Goddess in Progress on Vimeo.

And you thought bunnies reproduced quickly.

It all started innocently enough.  There was the swingset, a much-loved hand-me-down from my aunt that the kids use every day it isn’t raining or snowing.

And late last summer we took Snickollet up on an offer for some free outdoor push toys.  The kids were big fans.

After much drama, we added the play house from my mom.

Then we were housebound for a few months while everything was buried under a foot of snow and ice.  But eventually it melted, and just like my hastas get miraculously larger every single year, so does the population of kiddie stuff in our yard.  The newest additions include the wagon we scored at the twin club sale.

And the bench my dad couldn’t resist buying on a trip to Lowe’s (at least it isn’t plastic).

Plus, a kid-sized picnic table, which theoretically sits eight. Hey, when nearly all of your mom friends have twins, it doesn’t take long to add up a playdate to that kind of number.

And then my in-laws came to town. And went a little nuts in Toys R Us.  What with the crab-shaped sandbox…

And the dueling Cozy Coupes they’ve been wanting to get for a year.

Thank goodness I have a giant yard, but it’s beginning to look a bit over-run.  I at least try to “park” some of the toys in a more out-of-the way corner of the yard.  Not like I could hide the fact that a pair of toddlers live here, but at least I don’t have to look like I’m constantly prepping for or recovering from a yard sale.

I’ll tell you, I almost didn’t do Thursday Theater at all today.  Between the weekend away and the insanity that followed, I haven’t taken any new video, nor have I had time to put anything together.  But, hey, what the heck…. the in-laws are off at graduation today and I have a bit of quiet time while the kids are napping.  Plus, I’m finding the video editing is getting a lot quicker.  Hooray for practice!

Anyways, this is just a little extra footage from the same day as last week’s video.  Kiddos were spontaneously playing under the hammock. Rebecca was quite clear on whose wheel was whose, the dog tried to retrieve her toy from on top of the hammock, and then… best of all… daddy came home.  Enjoy!

Under the Hammock from Goddess in Progress on Vimeo.

Hiya!  It’s Thursday, must be video time!  Mr. Linky has been having some issues, so if you’re joining in the fun and posting your own video today, let us know in the comments.

I took this (and a lot of other footage, actually) last Friday when it was warm and gorgeous and we spent the whole afternoon in the backyard. (Unlike today, which is fricking cold and rainy. Stupid New England.)  I was lounging in the hammock, and had taken my shoes off.  As we all know, toddlers can have a very clear sense of order and the way things should be.  They did not like that I had taken my shoes off.  So, I asked them to help me put them back on.  Easier said than done, apparently…

Shoe Helpers from Goddess in Progress on Vimeo.

We’re only halfway through Memorial Day weekend, but we’ve already had a bit of fun and a bit of tantruming.  Both of the kids are having some rather defiant days, but hey, what can you do?  We’re also enjoying the good weather.  Friday was another hot day, so afternoon snack was a “special tweet!”: popsicles!  What a mess.

But we were having so much fun outside that I decided dinner would be an impromptu backyard picnic.  While M isn’t a huge fan of eating amongst the bugs, he humored me.  Mmm, bratwurst…

There was practically uninteruppted playtime out in the yard from the time they woke up from their nap until we hauled them upstairs to the tub.  Yay for nice days!

Yesterday was a cranky day, but we all survived.  Today there was a threat of rain, so we decided to hit the aquarium.  It was not exactly deserted, and I was ever so glad to have our membership and just skip right past the long lines.  (And not feel bad about leaving quickly when meltdowns occurred.) It’s really hard to get good photos in the very low light of the indoor aquarium, but I managed a couple of good ones with the much beloved jellyfish exhibit.

And the kids enjoyed saying hello to the turtles in the first aid area.

Now they’re sleeping, I’m going to hit the sewing machine, and we’re going to hope that the threat of severe thunderstorms doesn’t ruin our afternoon barbeque plans with friends…. fingers crossed.

Welcome back! Just because it’s been a sparse posting week for me doesn’t mean I’m going to neglect Thursday Theater!  What about you? Will you play along this week?  Add your video link to Mr. Linky!

This week’s challenge was to add music to your video.  Adding a fun bit of music can make a video clip that much more enjoyable, and I love hunting through my iTunes library to find something that fits.  See the end of the post for next week’s challenge/theme.

My video was from Wednesday morning, a blessedly warm and sunny one after a rather rainy and horrifically toddler-esque Tuesday.  We went for a stroll at a nearby pond, and the kids had a grand time attempting to walk the dog, push the stroller, and make as big a mess out of as small a puddle as they could manage.  By the time we got home, I actually had to just throw their shoes in the washing machine.  At any rate, it was a nice break from the tantrums that have otherwise taken over this particular stage.  And in an effort at either optimism or irony, my musical choice is the “Nothin’ Blues” from this session’s Music Together CD.  Heh.  Enjoy.

Springtime Pond Walk from Goddess in Progress on Vimeo.

Next week’s optional theme: Mad Skillz. What kinds of abilities or tricks do you (or your kids) have to show off? Get that video camera out and share it with us!

Welcome to Thursday Theater!  Please add your link to Mr. Linky and play along. This week’s optional theme: Furry Friends! Check the end of the post for next week’s theme.

It’s been a rough week here, on the illness and productivity front (thought my stomach bug was gone? Wrong!!).  I didn’t even manange to play along with my own theme, unless you count my dog’s brief cameo at the end of this video.  Alas, best laid plans…

I had the kids at the playground the other day and got to talking to another mom with a similarly-aged toddler and an older child.  She shared an exasperated look with me and made a comment about how this age makes for a heart-attack-inducing summer at the playground. So much energy and enthusiasm, not quite enough balance and coordination.  Next summer, she said, would be better.

In honor of her wisdom, I share with you just a few of the kids’ hijinks from a morning in our yard.  They love to swing, climb, run, ride, and crash… all day long. It’ll be a miracle if we make it through the season with only minimal injury.

Let the summer begin from Goddess in Progress on Vimeo.

As you can see, I had a bit of fun and added some music to this clip (maybe because I’m sick of hearing my own voice?). So that’s your challenge for next week: add a soundtrack!

[See more of Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!]

To say I’m tired of winter is a vast understatement.  I miss going outside, I miss the fresh air.  I’m tired of winter jackets and losing little mittens.  Much of the snow has finally melted, and while I’m glad for that, it makes right now about the ugliest time of year.  Dead grass, mud, no leaves on the trees, and lots of leftover salt and sand on the sidewalks.  And still cold.  Today, though, is one of those random lucky days in February in New England. It was in the high 50s and sunny before lunchtime today.  I could almost forget how ugly my backyard looks, because the kids were so thrilled to be outside without jackets, and without freezing their little noses right off.

It’s not to last. It’s only a few hours later, and the clouds have rolled back in.  Tomorrow’s high is back down to 40, and it’ll be back below freezing for the next several days after that.  Just makes me all the more happy that we took advantage of the sun while it was out.

Oh, and I’m so in love with these little sweatsuits that I just bought them!  They’re from Old Navy, they’re on sale, and I am going to have to buy them again in another color. I wanted to get more sweatpants for them to wear to gymnastics class.  Plus, they’re perfect for playing outside before it’s warm enough to ditch another layer. (Here’s where to find Daniel’s sweatshirt and pants, as well as Rebecca’s sweatshirt and pants.)

We had a snowy last day of 2008 here in Massachusetts.  M ended up working from home due to an urgent client call and the accelerating snowfall.  To keep the kids out of his hair while he was on a conference call, I took them outside to play in the snow.  Thankfully, I managed to time it before it got windy and started coming down too hard.  They weren’t too keen on the boots, but eventually realized they could walk in them just fine. And they won’t let a little thing like snow and cold get in the way of backyard fun.