Productive day so far

I decided that I would be somewhat productive today. So, after the kids were fed, I parked the big girl in front of the tv and hauled baby boy to the bathroom, where I plopped him on the counter in front of the mirror and began torturing him. Or at least that's probably what the elderly neighbors next door thought, if they heard him.

I used Hubs' beard trimmer and gave baby boy a haircut. The beard trimmer is quieter than the clippers, so I hoped that it would be less annoying to subject. He was pretty agreeable for a long while - he played with a rubber duck, made faces at himself and me in the mirror, played with his toes, and was a pretty happy camper until I was about 2/3 of the way done. Then he started getting annoyed, by the noise and by my insistence that he not touch his head while I was trimming, and he started howling. When he howls, he starts getting hot and sweaty, and his fine hair becomes nearly impossible to trim because it's all sticking to his scalp. Ugh.

So I managed to finish up, and I think I got all of the straggly bits, and then I stripped him down for a bath to get the excess hair off. He had a grand time playing by himself with all of the ducks, squirting animal toys, cups, and the bar of soap (one of those great Johnson's Buddies bars - I still have a ton from that fabulous coupon that made them free). But the big girl heard us having fun and came in and wanted to take a bath too. She was frustrated that I wouldn't let her hop right in - I told her that there was too much hair in the water and that she could have her own bath after I got her brother clean and dressed. So she stood next to the tub impatiently until I got baby boy clean, dry, and dressed in one of his favorite shirts - it has a bear driving a train on the front - and a pair of hand-me-down jeans that still fit the slim big girl in the waist, but are now too short for her. He looks pretty cute, and I'll have to take a picture of him later (he's napping with a full belly now).

So the impatient big girl then got her own individual bath, with sole reign over the toys, and after her bath I trimmed her hair. I was apprehensive about doing this. I've always cut baby boy's hair, and sometimes I cut Hubs' hair, but big girl has long curly hair and that's a bit different. I've never tried it before. She has always gone to a salon - a kids' place called Peekado before we moved, and the lady who cuts my aunt's hair over here. With her, I can't use clippers that keep everything the same length, so I have to be more cautious, and I have to aim for a straight line while dealing with her wiley locks that curl up as soon as they start to dry.

Anyway, it took a long time, and she got frustrated with me for telling her to sit still when she wanted to wiggle and sing songs, but I cut off most of the split ends and uneven bits and she told me that her hair looked "so pretty" when I was done. I wonder if Hubs will notice.

After that, we rescued baby boy from his crib of torture - he kept saying "more" and "food" and doing the "more" baby sign that he learned from one of the nursery workers at church - and I started on the mac and cheese discussed in the previous post. I've done three loads of laundry and a load of dishes, made some phone calls, and arranged a mystery shop for next week which will give me a nice bonus. Now I just need to clean myself and get ready to teach tonight before the kids wake up...