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Why Do Kids Make So Much Noise?

I try not to show my age.  I really do, but sometimes having young children later in life takes its toll, on the ears.

I had great dinner with a girlfriend of mine the other night at Cameron Village.  We sometimes say we are twins separated at birth. She, too, was a journalist.  We had our first child in our late 30s, both boys. We are “only children” in our families, and we grew up in small North Carolina towns.  We were even working in the same office when we were pregnant with our sons, and both of us chose to stay home with our kids, full-time.  We have a lot in common.

On this night, we were talking parental woes. It’s not surprising that we both had the same complaint.

NOISE.

She has only one child.  I have two, but my youngest doesn’t really make noise.  My first child takes the “making noise honors” in our house.  Apparently, my friend’s child is just as noisy.

Saying goodbye to the noise as we leave our children with a sitter so we can
enjoy a nice, quiet dinner. 

I had to ask:  “Do you think it’s our age, and we just can’t tolerate the noise?”

It could be.

However, my friend thinks it could be the fact that we are only children and are not used to having constant noise around us.  She pointed out that we didn’t grow up with a lot of noise.

That’s a good point.  I didn’t. The only noise I really heard was the TV. I didn’t have a lot of kids in the neighborhood to play with, either.  I had a rather boring, quiet childhood.

This got me to thinking. Does our “only child” status make us less tolerant of noise?  Probably so.  

But I still think age may play a role, too.  Noise bothers me a lot more at 4 p.m. in the day as opposed to 10 a.m.  I think by 4 p.m, I am spent. Noise at 8 p.m. is just a downright crime. 

I. Can’t. Stand. It. By that point, I want to just run in my closet and hide. Either that, or I start to yell at my children like a crazy lunatic. And it’s not just the kid noise they make.  It’s TV noise.  Music noise. Toy noise.  It’s all sorts of noise that children generate.

My son loves to use my husband’s laptop while I’m writing.  It’s hooked up in our office adjacent to my desktop. I can’t stand the noise he makes while I’m on my computer. Some game dings. He’s humming. It drives me batty.  My husband actually brought out earphones for my son to use while in the same room as me the other night.


It was an improvement, but he was still making noise with his mouth.  Singing. Humming. Talking.  It’s nonstop.  I can’t think.  He is like the Energizer bunny of noise.

But I may have the solution.  I’m the one who needs the earplugs or headphones, not him.

What do you think?  Do you have quiet children? 



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The Book of Why?: Questions Parents May Have

My son has this great book called “The Book of Why?” It asks 50 questions and gives you the answers.  Questions like:

Why do stars twinkle?
Why can’t penguins fly?
Why do flutes have holes?
Why do whales sing?

He loves this book, but every time we read it I think of my own questions.  I just don’t have the answers. 


Leigh's Why Questions

1. Why are there hundreds of dollars of toys and electronics in my house, but yet my kids don’t know how to entertain themselves and leave me alone?

2. Why is it that kids only sneeze when they are buckled up in their car seats and you are driving down the highway?

3. Why is the tissue on the floorboard out of your reach when your children sneeze “big ones” while buckled up in their car seats?

4. Why is it when you schedule a date night with your husband and you want to look your best, it rains?
(Obviously, the rain bothers me more than this couple.)

Image Credit 
5. Why is it when you go on that same date night, the hostess in the restaurant wants to sit you next to a table with small children?

6. Why is it that when you are about to embark on a vacation out of town, your child becomes sick?

7. Why is it that on a day you need to be somewhere, you have to wake your child in the morning, but on the day that everyone in the house could sleep in, you get a pat on your shoulder at 6:55 a.m. with a little voice saying “I can’t sleep!”

8. Why is it when you realize your child needs to wear dress shoes for an event, you realize the shoes are too small just as they are about to get dressed? 

9. Why hasn’t someone invented a machine to fold and put away laundry?

10. Why do I feel that sometimes time stands still, but yet time flies, too?

11. Why is it that one minute my children drive me crazy, and the next minute I can’t get enough of them, all in the same hour? 



12. Why is being a parent the best thing ever?

Believe it or not, I actually know the answer to the last one. If you are a parent, I bet you do, too.  Feel free to enlighten me if you have the answers to any of my questions, or add any more questions that you may have.  I’m sure as a parent you may be asking why, too, on occasion. 





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Why a Leotard is a Royal Pain in My Prissy Crown

I remember the day so vividly.  Why wouldn’t I?  Everyone typically remembers the day when an ultrasound tech delivers the news of the sex of your unborn baby.  It’s a happy moment, but hearing “It’s a girl!” brought on a feeling of elation for me.

At 40, I knew she was going to be my last child, and to be told that I was going to be able to experience life having both a son and daughter was certainly a true blessing.  After two miscarriages and the diagnosis of “you’re just getting older, and it’s more difficult to find a good egg,” we really felt blessed just to be able to have a second child.  That was the miracle.  Having a girl, well, that was just icing on the cake.

And sweet icing it was, indeed!

Baby Diva, born in 2009

Growing up, I guess you could call me a prissy girl.  Even though I wasn’t big on wearing bows or dresses, dirt certainly wasn’t my friend.  Neither was any type of ball or physical education class, unless we learned a dance routine.  On those rare dance days, I didn’t fake a stomachache.

All I wanted in my life were tutus, pompoms, a baton, white majorette boots, a tiara, makeup, and a leotard.

Raising my son, we didn’t have any of those items in the house, except I did sneak in some pompoms one day.  Unfortunately, our fat cat kept eating the pompom strings, so I had to give them to my girlfriend’s daughter.  My son got to play with all of those items weekly when he went to his little girlfriend’s house, and some of my fondest memories are of him dressed in a tutu and a crown. 

So naturally when I heard, “It’s a girl!” visions of pompoms and tiaras danced in my head.

As a toddler, Baby Diva loves balls, climbing, and dirt, everything that her mommy didn’t. In fact, she likes all of that more than her brother, actually. But she loves to dance and tumble, too. 

Naturally, as soon as I could, the prissy side of me enrolled her in gymnastics classes.

I also couldn’t resist buying her a blue leotard.

She loves this leotard. 

What was I thinking? 

I should have bought pompoms instead to drive my husband crazy with the fall-out strands on the carpet.

But, no, I didn’t do that.  Instead, I bought a one-piece leotard for a diaper-wearing child, and this one piece of clothing has essentially become a royal pain in my prissy crown.

She loves the leotard.  She wants to wear it on Monday when gymnastics is on Wednesday.  She doesn’t want to take it off for me to change her diaper. 

She doesn’t want to put on pants over the leotard when it’s 45 degrees outside.

I have created a leotard-wearing monster.

But I think it’s made her ready for dance class.  And she may be the only girl I know that wears a leotard while shooting some baskets. 


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January CliffsNotes Plus Some New Tidbits on Moi

My son got his first report card on Friday, and it really dawned on me that his first school year is almost over.

Life is flying by.  Let’s face it: January flew by. 

In the blink of an eye, we went from singing “Jingle Bells” to buying Valentines.  Well, in my house, we’re still singing “Jingle Bells” because it’s Baby Diva’s favorite song, currently.  That and “Happy Birthday!”

Winter is almost over, and from the weather forecast in North Carolina as of late, Mother Nature thinks it is spring.

Come on, really?  A high of 67 degrees in January.

But, this is what I really want to say. You know it.  I know it.  Life is busy, and we just don’t have that much time on the Internet in between life’s chaos. 



I read a lot of blogs, and I’m finding myself just being able to hit one or two daily, a handful weekly, and some just monthly.  I know life is like that for you, too.

To make things simpler for our busy lifestyles, I’m going to update you some on my posts.  Let’s call it the Hines-Sight Blog CliffsNotes.  I also used to joke about my past career in TV news because our stories were always like “CliffsNotes.”  You would need to read the newspaper to get the full story.

Earlier this month, I reported on how “Santa Saved Our Marriage.”  We are still in love with our smartphones, and they actually make us smarter right on the spot.  Will and I went to the Raleigh Times Bar for dinner on Saturday before the N.C. State game. 

Raleigh Times Bar.  Enjoying a nice, Highland Black Mocha Stout

Over a delicious black mocha stout brewed in Asheville, N.C., I asked, “Wonder what the cheap seats are selling for when Elton John comes to town in March.”

Without blinking an eye, he says, “Let’s see!”

Yeah, he loves that little phone.

We were then given the trivial knowledge that for $27 you could see Sir Elton, or maybe not? The seats are probably behind the stage.  How on earth would we have survived dinner had we not had this profound knowledge at our fingertips?  Just fine, I’m sure. 

Pancuito will be our destination in February
But while at this restaurant, we did set up another dinner with my mother-in-law for February at Panciuto in Hillsborough, N.C., via a few emails.

We’re going to drive an hour to eat at this well-ranked restaurant outside of Chapel Hill, N.C., and we think it’s going to be so worth it.  The owner/chef, a North Carolina native, has received many national accolades as of late.

 It would have been a tragedy to wait two more days to make the reservation had we not had our phones.  Someone could have nabbed our reservation time slot.  Do you think?

I cannot wait to try all the new recipes that have been linked up with my post, “Let’s Eat Some Mac and Cheese, Y’all,” this month.  There are some great ones, including my own scrumptious macaroni and cheese.

Daphne from Flip Flops and Pearls and I will have the next linkup Feb. 24.  In the meantime, I do put recipes in the news feeds on Facebook each Friday,  and you can also check out this great savory pie recipe from earlier this month.



It’s my way of giving you more kitchen clutter.  Right?  I still haven’t done anything about that, either.

I’m really trying to hold to my goals in the post, “Let’s Burn Some Butter.”  It’s hard to choose exercise in the morning, but I’ve stayed on target with my goals — most days.  I have not cut back my food intake, though, and from the photo you saw from the Raleigh Times Bar, I still have a weakness for some high-calorie items.


With that said, I have lost about two pounds this month, only if I continue to drink lots of water, even if my glass of water is not as pretty as in the photo above.  If I slack off on water, I’m like a bloated bullfrog, and those pounds plus more are back on the scale.

In travel news, almost everyone said they would plan a beach vacation over a ski vacation if they were planning a trip right now. Of course, I did make you choose between two Four Seasons Resorts.  I mean, really, how could you possibly choose?  I gave you tons of tips this month on using Tripadvisor, which I hope will help make your vacation planning easier.


See you back in here in February, and for the record, we’re still giving up our leisurely Saturday mornings, but are bringing Krispy Kreme doughnuts home each week, and apparently Baby Diva sensed why I was not ready for potty.  She’s lost all interest.  And of course you know where to find me every Wednesday night now, and, hopefully, I’ve learned some lessons in parenting along the way.

I also hope that Dee in Charlotte is doing some Southern cooking.  She won the cookbook from the post, "Recipes from the Best Place to Live in America."

And that’s January’s CliffsNotes!  Congrats; In just one post, you’re caught up now.

Join me on Facebook, Twitter, Google Friends, or get my posts via e-mail.  I'm also on Google +, but that one is my newest learning curve. 




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Oh, Fudge! Don't Mess with my TV Show

I am very loyal to my TV shows.  Golden Globe winner “Modern Family” is the first show I watch off my DVR each week.  If you don’t have a DVR, it comes on live on ABC every Wednesday at 9 p.m.  Not too late in the evening, but not too early, either.

Last week, the sitcom dropped a bomb, so to speak, that stirred up a lot of controversy.  Lily, the 2-year-old daughter of gay parents Cam and Mitchell, innocently said the “F” word several times on the show.  The bleeped-out F word was really the word “fudge.” The 4-year-old actress who plays Lily never really cursed, but through bleep and blurry editing, the writers, once again, hysterically portrayed how parents deal with real-life situations.
ABC TV
 Cam, the lovable and flamboyant character, giggled as soon as he heard it and had to walk away.  Mitchell’s mouth flew wide open.  That is the humor in this storyline.  How do we react as parents to the unexpected?

Every parent at some time or another has had to deal with this sort of thing. 

I am not proud of it, but I have had my own giggle moments.  No one has dropped the F-bomb in my house yet, but just the other day I inappropriately laughed when my son made a remark.

His dad and I were in my daughter’s room after their baths, and he ran into the room while we were dressing her.  All he had on his body was a hooded-dragon towel.  He stated, “My pee pee is like a little person that is always cutting in line.”  Of course, he positioned his body as if there was indeed another little person in the room, cutting in line.

It caught me off guard.  Like Cam, I giggled.  My husband, who has more control, told him to get dressed and quit clowning around.  He passed.  I failed.

As parents, we deal with the unexpected.  Sometimes good!  Sometimes bad!   This show captured it beautifully, and more importantly, it is just a show to provide adults who are also parents with some much-needed laughs.  Parenting is a tough, hard job, and we just need a good laugh after the kids go to bed.

The Parents Television Council criticized the show by saying that more and more children will be trying to emulate that behavior, so they were against this plotline.  A no-cuss club was, too.  Just because the show has kids in it does not mean it is a show for children.  First off, it comes on TV on a school night.  It runs at 9 p.m.  Kids shouldn’t be watching this show in the first place.

 My thoughts: Kids, go the fudge to bed. It’s late, and it’s Mom and Dad’s TV time. 

What do you think?  Are you with me or against me? 



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Why I'm Not Ready for the Potty

What is it with people that once they find out you have a 2-year-old, then it is only a matter of time before they ask, “Is she using the potty?”

If you say no, then they look at you as if you aren’t doing your job.

If it is a grandmotherly-type woman, she’ll sigh, “Well, in the ’60s, my daughter was trained at 12 months.  She was using the potty way before the age of 2.  People just wait so long these days.”

Yeah, well.  We’re smarter now!

And if it is a first-time parent who thinks her child is a prodigy, she may say, “We’re finding that M&M’s work wonders.  She’s eaten a whole bag, and she has gone to the bathroom twice on the potty, but we’re still waiting for her to pooh.”

Well, then, give her a bag of raisins, and stand back!


I admit that I, too, was eager for my first child to use the potty.  I had a stubborn one on my hands, though.  As much as I tried when he turned 2, he wouldn’t even wear a pull-up, much less sit on the potty.  Out of desperation, I may have even given him an M&M to try.  But in hindsight, his stubbornness actually saved me from a long window of time filled with potty-training headaches.

Two days after his third birthday, the motto in my house was no more diapers.  The first two days were the pits.  I’ll keep it clean here, but you know what rhymes with pit?  It was that bad.  By the third day, he got the hang of it and was accident-free from that day forward.  He trained himself.  He didn’t sit on the potty 50 times a day eating an M&M.  He learned to listen to his body and did it quickly.


Things are a little different now with child No. 2.  She sees everyone using the potty in our house, and she wants to, too, on occasion, and let me emphasize on occasion.  It is not consistent, and she usually wants to do it at the most inopportune times on the planet.

It usually goes down like this:

I’m pouring myself a nice cup of tea, and I happen to glance at her taking off her diaper in the living room.  I turn in a panic and RUN.  She says, “Pooh! Pooh!”  And I yell, “No, No, No!” and grab her before she pulls off her diaper.  

Whew!  It’s empty.  We then go through the annoying potty-training motions.  She sits, and sits. She sings, “Happy Birthday!” I heat my tea while she sits some more.  She then unrolls the toilet paper, and she says, “Done!” 

My, what invisible poohs you have, my dear!  The toilet is completely empty, and I will further add that her diaper stays empty for several more hours. She didn’t have to pooh-pooh right then any more than I had a million dollars in my pocket.

Sure, these may be little signs that the real act is to come soon enough, but I now know we won’t be really successful until she can communicate with me and listen to her body.  She has to know the “feeling,” or else I am wasting a lot of energy and time cleaning up after her.

First-time parents, you’re going to gasp and frown at me for saying this, but potty training opens a whole new world of problems for you.  Diapers aren’t as bad as you think. So raise your glass, and salute the diaper.  Those absorbent things you think of as nuisances can be your best friend.


Because in diapers, you can enjoy that glass of wine in a restaurant, but if your potty-training child is in underwear, then be ready to make a mad dash to the public restroom as if you have Montezuma’s Revenge.

You also better hope that there is at least one stall empty or that the one-stall bathroom is not occupied.  And if you don’t get there in time, well, we all know that’s the pits! 

Car rides will never be the same, too.  Every potty-training child needs to pee-pee at least five minutes after you leave your house.  It’s a rite of passage, apparently.

So make sure you are totally ready before you say, “Goodbye, diapers! Hello, nasty public bathroom!” 

My 2-year-old may think she’s ready, but I’m certainly not ready yet.  Almost.  But, not quite yet. 




And on another note, just to make you a little hungry for some southern type recipes, here are some recipes you will find in the "Sharing Out Best" cookbook I'm giving away on the blog this week: Party Ham Biscuits, Shrimp and Grits, Squash casseroles, Brunswick Stew, my husband's favorite cornbread, Red Velvet cake, Aunt May's Applesauce cake, Pig Pickin' cake, Banana pudding, and my dad's famous Holiday buckeyes.  Don't forget the coconut cake! The deadline to enter is Jan. 16. 




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