Driving me nuts

Another snow day, rather an ice day....no school and I have miserably failed in replicating the school here....tried with projects, puzzles and toys. Nothing is hands off, you have to be on call

"Mommy where does this go?"

"Mommy does 'Caunteya' start with 'C' or 'K'?" (Did I tell you that I always had this question as to how a mother can name one son Amit and another Caunteya?)

Arnav is writing his name (or so he thinks). I asked him to spell his name, he goes

"A L O W, I can spell orange" in the tune of 'Are you sleeping (2), Brother John?', that's how Manav spells his colors, all credits to his day school. Here I think Arnav got the pointer at 'yellow' in his brain. I wonder a lot as to what goes on inside these little brains. All is pure magic. How else do you explain all the Spanish they learn from Dora/Diego. Yes, you got it, now I have resorted to the TV again !!

Last night Manav was very very angry and upset. I had him in timeout and he was yelling

"I am NOT going to talk to you ever mommy. I don't love anyone. I love my little brother. I will never listen to you. You told me to clean my nose, I will never do that. I will leave this house. This house is too old."

After that I was having a tough time convincing Arnav to relinquish control of his brush and let me have my turn. It wasn't working out and I yelled

"You're driving me nuts Arnav".

Arnav says "Mommy non't say that...non't say driving nuts, say driving car".

Just now Manav came over in his umpteenth attempt to check weather on the laptop and see if it was "summer  yet" so that he can wear shorts. Amazing how he can use the mouse and pull up the weather window from the taskbar below. But then they are taught computer in school.

He asks the same emotional question again "Mommy why isn't the weather changing? I checked in Papa's laptop also, it is the same"

Today morning Papa was trying to explain how if things get broken in the house, he is not going to replace them.

"Do you like to watch TV and DVD?"

"Yes"

"But you keep touching the screen and fiddling with the DVD player controls. If it gets broken, no TV no DVD for you"

"OK"

"And also the laptop, you keep checking weather, if that gets broken no weather for you"

"I got my weather chart papa"

 I have to tell you how this chart works and accurately too. Every morning and sometimes at night weatherman Manav looks out of the window and then runs to the patio door and touches the glass there and decides which quadrant the arrow should point to. True, who needs a laptop?

Over lunch (sphagetti) today, Arnav was busy cleaning the table. Arnav does that, he is more interested in cleaning than eating. And he got into Manav's fiercely guarded territory and word battle ensued culminating into Manav getting his toy parrot out (the awesome Furreal Macaw)

"My parrot will keep a watch on you Arnav, with its sharp talons."

Arnav cleaned the parrot's beaks (actually smeared it with sphagetti sauce), prompting Manav to move it to the extreme end of the table.

"My parrot will keep a watch on you from here with its eagle eyes"

This is before the cleaning began...

Earlier today they were playing the "dangerous" game, invented by Manav where you are supposed to hit, push, yell and kick. Manav was forced to take out 'Bite' from the game because as soon as Arnav hears 'bite' that's all he indulges in. Today's game was interspersed with Manav's  playful - "Arnav, raspberrys coming your way" and he would blow those in Arnav's tummy.

Happy laughter ringing everywhere.....sheer bliss.

What you cannot see here is the serious tooth and nail fights that these two angels have as that is the time I am intervening, can't possibly take pictures. So everything is not sheer bliss.