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Happy groundhog’s day! Except, I don’t know whether there’s a day for groundhogs, or even any groundhogs, here in Spain. If there were, the hog would’ve seen its shadow but subsequently have been knocked flat on its tucchus by the strong (20 mph) cold (35 degree) winds blowing off the mountains. Although this weather is about to feel like Florida’s to Jon, who is next week headed to Moscow, where the highs some days are predicted to be zero. Zero farenheit, that is.

There are no major events to report this week, only minor child-related tales and a question. In no particular order…

1) As noted on Facebook and predicted in a previous blog post, we’re in the middle of full toddler bedtime rebellion. After discovering in December that he can get out of bed by himself, Seth’s become increasingly likely to peek his head of his room to report things like “I can’t find my phone,” “I forgot my tiny money,” and my personal favorite, “my light is on” (because he turned it on and can’t get it back off). This joy extends to naps, too, which are becoming scarce. Jon and I did learn from going through the exact same stage with child #1 and #2, and now have a policy of putting #3 back to bed only once per evening – after that, he’s on his own. This seems to be deterring some of the behavior, at least temporarily. However, you should look next week for the post titled “I’m writing this while holding the door shut on a screaming toddler to trap him in his room at bedtime.”

2) Perhaps related to issue #1, Seth is now the proud Starhill record-holder for longest temper tantrum. This feat was achieved today by screaming for 30 minutes about which parent should wipe his butt (Mommie, of course) and then, immediately thereafter, for another 60 about washing his hands after using the potty and before eating snack.

Being child #3, Seth’s comparative disadvantage is that his temper tantrums actually give Mommie a chance to spend quality time with the older children. During the bathroom portion of the tantrum, for instance, we simply closed the door (muffling the noise) and I got to supervise Nora’s math homework, help Nathan read a book in Spanish, and also prepare to head out the door to swimming. So from my perspective, tantrums actually work out very well for almost everyone involved.

Seth’s other comparative disadvantage is that we now have an iPad, bought in a moment of holiday recklessness (and frustration over the millions of not-intuitive buttons on the Kindle). This enabled Daddy to sit through Tantrum Part II while reading the New York Times (the big kids and I had left for swimming).

3) While I’m on the topic (well, not exactly on the topic; I’m free-association ranting now, as you can probably tell), let me take this opportunity to comment on a recent thread on the Arlington parents’ list re: toddlers and airplanes. Every few months, there’s a parent who writes in and asks “I’m going on a long airplane ride soon with my X-year-old. What can I do to make this experience easier?” There’s always some Mother Theresa-type (actually, usually several) who write in with the creative things they stow away in their backpack for cross-country trips: books, finger puppets, stickers, play-doh, stamps, card games, masking tape, magnets.

I pack one thing: My iPhone.

I did try, once upon a time, to be more conscientious about not polluting my children’s minds during FIVE-HOUR cross-country flights. I packed all these suggested items – and discovered that they occupied my child for approximately 5 minutes each. That means I’d require about 60 toys to keep my child occupied for the better portion of a flight. The weight/space implications of that statement are in conflict with my computer, which requires a large amount of my backpack. And servicing my child by prying things out of my backpack every 5 minutes conflicts with my work addiction on flights. After all, it’s the only time you’re not being emailed by everyone in the universe.

iPhones have gotten a lot better since the early days, when you could only hand them over and watch the kid having fun scrolling through your address book. By the time Nathan was a toddler, he could watch Elmo on long flights. Now, Seth has at his fingertips a half-dozen apps made specifically to keep toddlers occupied in such situations.

Some of the apps even claim to be educational. Which helps with the guilt, because this time, the Mother Theresa-type commented at the end of post that we mothers “Shouldn’t expect these airplane rides to be like the ones you took before kids, when you could kick back and read a magazine. Cross-country flights are time to form a special bond with your child.” As we said in the ‘80s, gag me with a spoon.

4) OK, now that that’s out of my system, a question. Several times over the past few weeks, Jon and I have been awakened from our work-induced mid-day trance by the sound of fireworks. Not just a few fireworks, a LOT of fireworks – sometimes ten minutes or more. What gives? I’m kind of doubting they’re in honor of groundhog day (although there’s enough minor holidays with major celebrations I guess I wouldn’t be surprised). Any ideas?