Busytown: A wee development
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The packaging is one thing, but not as odd as the fact that it looks very much like Wellington's Oriental Bay in the background of the photos on the box...
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Is it Oriental Bay? I thought it looked like it, but wasn't sure enough to say so.
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It's a Swiss design, albeit made in China. So it probably is Oriental Bay!
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Inflation has clearly been at work. When we toilet-trained our firstborn two years ago, the rate was a direct correlation between the activity and the corresponding reward, expressed as jellybeans (which provide a nicely granular reward system). I may have to update the metrics when we get volume 2 towards the glorious milestone, somewhere around this time next year.
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Looking again at the photos: yes, it's definitely Oriental Bay, taken from around the carpark by Freyberg pool. That's really odd.
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So one for #1 and two for #2? (Just clarifying, because I initially read that as a granular jellybean for #2, and presumably a liquefied jellybean for the other).
Our exchange rate was set very unscientifically. Because he has two favourite colours now, that was the minimum coinage. And for the big jobs, he held up all five fingers and said "That's how much." I suspect the favourable exchange rate correlated pretty tightly with the alacrity with which somebody was down with the program.
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The third picture in the instructions confuses me.
1. You're not supposed to wave your foot up in the air? OK, fair enough.
2. You're not supposed to put your foot on the standing on place? OK, where do you stand then? Is it a push with hands and run along behind jobbie?Because he has two favourite colours now, that was the minimum coinage. And for the big jobs, he held up all five fingers and said "That's how much."
What the hell are you doing running this "trainee determines the reward level" programme? You'll price every other parent out of the market! Children talk y'know.
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Looking again at the photos: yes, it's definitely Oriental Bay, taken from around the carpark by Freyberg pool. That's really odd.
Very odd; were the pictures shot on location, or is it cut and paste? And what does it mean?
Those renegade wee New Zealanders, with their barefoot helmetless scootering and their wanton backyard trampolining and whatnot...
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What the hell are you doing running this "trainee determines the reward level" programme? You'll price every other parent out of the market! Children talk y'know.
Uh, fair trade? Er, I was trying to um... glut the market? On the "go ahead and smoke the whole packet" principle? (IANAEconomist, clearly).
The third picture in the instructions confuses me.
The whole graphic instruction sheet was very amusing. The three year old was seriously disappointed that when he hit the brakes, flames did not shoot out and burn his finger. But the picture of the scooter wheels getting struck in the train tracks got the biggest laugh, for some reason.
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1. You're not supposed to wave your foot up in the air? OK, fair enough.
2. You're not supposed to put your foot on the standing on place? OK, where do you stand then? Is it a push with hands and run along behind jobbie?3. Do not use if your foot is bigger than your head. Either foot.
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Very odd; were the pictures shot on location, or is it cut and paste? And what does it mean?
I'd guess that it was either designed by someone here (possible), or that someone designed the packaging by rummaging through Flickr for clip-art (more likely IMHO).
Certainly, I've seen those scooters here on the mean streets of Wellington.
So one for #1 and two for #2?
Yup. The jellybeans only become liquid after we hand them over.
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What have the marketers got
against bare feet?Must get one of them scooters for youngest grandnephew-
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Ur Jolissa - do you know one of the Scots meanings for 'jobbie'? Just askin'-
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OOps. sorry, that was to Kyle, who undoubtedly does-
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Congratulations. Too, too sweet. And please carry on exploiting them mercilessly. It makes for lovely, lovely reading. Oh, and there is the added bonus, of course, that if, no make that when , you move back here, you are assured that there will be plenty of surrogate aunties and uncles for babysitting puposes.
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I bribed my oldest with stickers and chocloate but as soon as I tried to phase out the rewards he (very sensibly in hindsight) went on strike. With my second I resolved not to do the reward thing. Thankfully he was a fan of naked afternoons and, with very minimal parental input, figured it out all by himself.
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Our eldest got up the day after her second birthday and said, "No Mummy. No nappies today. Today I wear purple knickers."
Right then. Purple knickers it was. Fortunately we had some in the drawer, waiting for the right moment.
Not so good with our younger daughters, but that's classic twin behaviour. But it all happened, in their own sweet time, in the summer after their second birthday (they are winter babies).
And, I want one of those scooters.
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The phone call made by this guy:
Do I win?
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Nice one! What's your favourite colour jellybean? I am so looking forward to that movie.
The clip reminded me of the day the older child, aged about 3, casually said, "Hey Daddy, I know what fucking is!"
Daddy pulled over to the side of the road and said "Uh huh?"
"It's... it's.... it's what you say when you're really, really grumpy about something."
Phew.
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I bribed my oldest with stickers and chocloate but as soon as I tried to phase out the rewards he (very sensibly in hindsight) went on strike.
Isabel, I'm worried! We've got five jellybeans left. Does this mean I have to restock the jar?
Deborah, I knew there was always a good reason to have purple undies on hand.
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I bribed my oldest with stickers and chocloate but as soon as I tried to phase out the rewards he (very sensibly in hindsight) went on strike.
I bribed my oldest (must have been 3 I guess?) with getting him out of nappies for overnights. I put a bit of paper with 12 boxes on the wall and every night he made it through we ticked a box. Once they were all full he got taken to toyworld. Voila, worked like magic.
Now, every couple of years he says "do you remember that time when we had the bit of paper and if I got all the boxes filled up I got to go to Toyworld? Could we do that for... [thing that I'm currently trying to teach him to do]?" Most recently at 10!
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Because I am a Very Good Mother and wish to avoid the internet ducking stool
Your descriptions of your family are wonderful, and emphatically do not qualify you for that ducking stool reserved for Very Bad Mothers.
Your descriptions are beautifully written, funny, affectionate and I'm left with a strong sense of the characters you're describing - an impression that you are indeed raising real live humans that have the capacity to surprise you with their own take on the world.
You sound like you don't put your children on a pedestal, from which anyone up there eventually falls. Far better than that: your writing tells me you respect them as human beings.
That other mother, whose name escapes me - published stuff about her son Jake - she writes like she once had a cute pet that no longer behaves as she wishes. She gives the impression that that disappointment gives her license to write what amounts to a character assassination of her own son.
I believe the young man's Dad has a place on the ducking stool too, as he blamed Jake for the attitudes and behaviour of the younger siblings.
Jolisia, this is not even related to what you do - you are providing a glimpse into a charmed and charming world for those of us out here without children (er, rather in my case grandchildren at this point) of our own. No ducking stool for you.
Though I'm pissed off you got your pony by post. I'm holding out for a damned unicorn. Are you listening RB?
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Though I'm pissed off you got your pony by post. I'm holding out for a damned unicorn. Are you listening RB?
Oh now you're just being silly. Anyone can post a pony. Takes magic to post a unicorn.
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I haz new baby!
I feel the need to tell the PA community since most of the stuff for which I'm not remunerated and genuinely care about is documented here. I'd tell you all about my wife's heroics... but it's her story (it's impressive but, 'cor, what a woman).
Sleeplessness, I fear thee not for I have Foxtel and the Ashes starts soon!
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Paul - that's awesome. Congrats to all involved :-)
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