There are things in life you want. Sometimes it's a job, sometimes it's a person, sometimes it's a material object. What I've always wanted though, actually happened to me last weekend.
It may sound corny, but since my boys were born, I've always wanted to do certain things with them. Yes, there are the obligatory wrestling matches, teaching them how to ride bikes and coaching them in sports. I've done all of that. But this past Sunday was different. It was a beautifully perfect fall day in New England. T-shirt and windpants weather, perfect for outdoor sports.
They wanted to ride their bikes to a friends house and when we knew he was home, they took off and I followed behind. When we got there the boys wanted to play football. So it was their friend and his father vs the T of A and me.
And that's when it happened. Here I was in a huddle with my boys drawing up passing routes on my hand like we all did when we were kids. Who doesn't remember "ok, you go to the car and turnaround, you go to the rock and cut across and you just go deep and I'll hit whoever is open"? A wave of emotion came over me for a moment and I had to stop, compose myself and continue telling them where they needed to go for the play.
I had the best time just playing outside with them and their friend. So much so we lost track of time. About 3 hours went by and we realized we needed to start heading home for dinner (the street lights were about to come on).
They say that childhood goes by quickly so you need to take pictures to remember certain events. I don't need a picture of that huddle. I'll never forget it.
Rock Fists
Showing posts with label firsts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label firsts. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Everyone Remembers Their First
Everyone remembers their first.. That sentence is usually tied to one's first sexual experience. But it doesn't matter what first you're talking about. Whether that be your first pet, your first kiss or first concert, these are things that humans tend to lock away deep in their memories and can recall at a moment's notice.
Well maybe you have heard there is this little band called the Foo Fighters who this past weekend played this little ballpark called Fenway. I've seen a number of shows there and I'll be honest, the acoustics aren't great. And, as long as we're being honest, it's not that great for watching a ballgame either. It's an amazing park, but the seats suck, they don't even face the field half the time and more often than not the product on the field isn't even worth watching. But I digress..
For a long time it has been a goal of mine, a bucket list item if you will, to sit front row at a concert. And unless you count being belly up to the stage for Letters to Cleo and Bare Naked Ladies at Smith College in the mid 90s front row (which I don't), it was still on the list. Until Saturday.
I was lucky enough to go to this show with my wife and 2 friends and sat front row, right in front of a wall of bass amplifiers. I truly thought my heart was going to explode during the Mighty Mighty Bosstones set. Thankfully, the Foo Fighters are not a bass heavy band and Taylor Hawkins, the drummer was set on the opposite side of the stage. Again, having never officially sat that close for a show before I had no idea what I was in for. I was able to see small interactions between the band as well as between the band and friends that were offstage which was interesting.
I had always wondered what it was like to sit front row, and now I know.. it's LOUD! Thankfully we were wearing ear plugs because we're not that young anymore and actually value our hearing.. But it was such a different perspective, turning around and looking at tens of thousands of people behind me was weird. And although I enjoyed it, I don't need to do it again. I can cross it off the bucket list and move on to something else.
And that something else was enjoying a Foo Fighters concert with my boys. They are still young (8 in September), however they have been listening to the Foo Fighters since they've been alive. We always told ourselves that we would not succumb to the Barney and Disney Radio crap.. If we were driving, they were going to listen to what we listened to. Hence, their music library consists of all sorts of music. (See earlier blog entitled Müzik, Μουσική, Musiikki) For example, their favorite song right now is Fire by Jimi Hendrix. A friend's son is learning drums and he made a birthday mix of good drum songs and handed it out at the party. My boys listen to it every time they're in the car. Sadly, they have been asking if they can see Jimi in concert. I told them that unfortunately he is dead and has been for a long time. But, I know there are many people right there with them who would like to see him in concert.
Thankfully I am in a position where I was able to take them to this show and share their first concert experience with them. Everyone plays the game. You know, "what was your first concert"? Mine was Steve Miller Band at Great Woods (known by no other name) in the summer of 1992. We were CIT's at summer camp in NH and as a special night out trip we all got tickets to the show. We sat on what was known back then as "The Lawn". Great Woods is an amphitheater in Mansfield, MA that holds about 19K people. 10K in the lower seating area and then another 9K up on the lawn. This was pre cell phone days where you met someone at a place at a time and you went there. There was no "text me when you get there" or "change of plans we're going here instead". You had to wade through thousands of people just to get the side of the lawn to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, etc. There are very large cement poles that tell you what section you're in if you are in the lower bowl area. Well people on the lawn used to use those as markers so you knew about where you were. And then you used that pole and and an approximation of how far up the lawn you were so you could meet back up with your group. An inexact science at best, yet we always seemed to manage to meet back up with our friends. But after numerous iterations of "the lawn" going from grass, to mulch, to sand, etc they have now turned it into actual rows of seats which makes it more difficult for larger groups to sit together, dance, etc. Oh well, another part of my youth gone..
But everyone has a first concert and everyone has that conversation with people regardless of who they are. And it doesn't matter what it was. Oftentimes kids were taken to a show by their parents because either a) they thought it would be a nice night out or b) the parents had tickets and couldn't get a babysitter. But this show was something I knew the boys would want to see and I wanted to share it with them. Again, they've grown up listening to this band and know about 10-11 songs. That is probably more than some of the people that were there to be honest. They were able to sing along to some of the them and had no problem dancing around and just being mesmerized at the live performance that was happening right in front of them.
As I've said before, life is full of experiences and this opportunity was one I was not about to pass up.
Cross another one off my bucket list too. It's something that they will never ever forget, nor will I.
Well maybe you have heard there is this little band called the Foo Fighters who this past weekend played this little ballpark called Fenway. I've seen a number of shows there and I'll be honest, the acoustics aren't great. And, as long as we're being honest, it's not that great for watching a ballgame either. It's an amazing park, but the seats suck, they don't even face the field half the time and more often than not the product on the field isn't even worth watching. But I digress..
For a long time it has been a goal of mine, a bucket list item if you will, to sit front row at a concert. And unless you count being belly up to the stage for Letters to Cleo and Bare Naked Ladies at Smith College in the mid 90s front row (which I don't), it was still on the list. Until Saturday.
I was lucky enough to go to this show with my wife and 2 friends and sat front row, right in front of a wall of bass amplifiers. I truly thought my heart was going to explode during the Mighty Mighty Bosstones set. Thankfully, the Foo Fighters are not a bass heavy band and Taylor Hawkins, the drummer was set on the opposite side of the stage. Again, having never officially sat that close for a show before I had no idea what I was in for. I was able to see small interactions between the band as well as between the band and friends that were offstage which was interesting.
I had always wondered what it was like to sit front row, and now I know.. it's LOUD! Thankfully we were wearing ear plugs because we're not that young anymore and actually value our hearing.. But it was such a different perspective, turning around and looking at tens of thousands of people behind me was weird. And although I enjoyed it, I don't need to do it again. I can cross it off the bucket list and move on to something else.
And that something else was enjoying a Foo Fighters concert with my boys. They are still young (8 in September), however they have been listening to the Foo Fighters since they've been alive. We always told ourselves that we would not succumb to the Barney and Disney Radio crap.. If we were driving, they were going to listen to what we listened to. Hence, their music library consists of all sorts of music. (See earlier blog entitled Müzik, Μουσική, Musiikki) For example, their favorite song right now is Fire by Jimi Hendrix. A friend's son is learning drums and he made a birthday mix of good drum songs and handed it out at the party. My boys listen to it every time they're in the car. Sadly, they have been asking if they can see Jimi in concert. I told them that unfortunately he is dead and has been for a long time. But, I know there are many people right there with them who would like to see him in concert.
Thankfully I am in a position where I was able to take them to this show and share their first concert experience with them. Everyone plays the game. You know, "what was your first concert"? Mine was Steve Miller Band at Great Woods (known by no other name) in the summer of 1992. We were CIT's at summer camp in NH and as a special night out trip we all got tickets to the show. We sat on what was known back then as "The Lawn". Great Woods is an amphitheater in Mansfield, MA that holds about 19K people. 10K in the lower seating area and then another 9K up on the lawn. This was pre cell phone days where you met someone at a place at a time and you went there. There was no "text me when you get there" or "change of plans we're going here instead". You had to wade through thousands of people just to get the side of the lawn to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, etc. There are very large cement poles that tell you what section you're in if you are in the lower bowl area. Well people on the lawn used to use those as markers so you knew about where you were. And then you used that pole and and an approximation of how far up the lawn you were so you could meet back up with your group. An inexact science at best, yet we always seemed to manage to meet back up with our friends. But after numerous iterations of "the lawn" going from grass, to mulch, to sand, etc they have now turned it into actual rows of seats which makes it more difficult for larger groups to sit together, dance, etc. Oh well, another part of my youth gone..
But everyone has a first concert and everyone has that conversation with people regardless of who they are. And it doesn't matter what it was. Oftentimes kids were taken to a show by their parents because either a) they thought it would be a nice night out or b) the parents had tickets and couldn't get a babysitter. But this show was something I knew the boys would want to see and I wanted to share it with them. Again, they've grown up listening to this band and know about 10-11 songs. That is probably more than some of the people that were there to be honest. They were able to sing along to some of the them and had no problem dancing around and just being mesmerized at the live performance that was happening right in front of them.
As I've said before, life is full of experiences and this opportunity was one I was not about to pass up.
Cross another one off my bucket list too. It's something that they will never ever forget, nor will I.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
The Kick is Up and It's Good!
Everybody remembers this game..
You made the football out of a piece of paper and used your hands as the goalposts.. You slid the paper across the desk and if it landed across the edge and teetered, but didn't fall, it was a touchdown. Then you flicked the paper football (however you felt comfortable holding it) through the "uprights" for the extra point. Indoor recess would never be the same once we found out about this game. That was 30 years ago. And now, the Twins of Anarchy have discovered paper football..
There's just one twist.. You can now purchase a paper football "kit". It comes with a triangular football, however it is not paper, it is rubber. And it comes with a goalpost that is plastic and sits on a spring that is loaded into a base so it is flexible, for whatever reason.
Before you ask, no I did not purchase this for my boys. However, one of their favorite places to go eat is the Charlie Horse. They love the arcade games there and the food is decent. So they know the rule is that if they eat their dinner, they can go and play games for a bit. Their favorite is this cool Batman game. And they have the gas pedal rigged so you don't need to press on it.. That is a huge help for parents who have kids who can't reach the pedals.. But I digress..
With certain games, you can earn tickets. We convinced them to keep saving their tickets and maybe pool them together at some point when there is something they really want and we can redeem the tickets for it. Unfortunately, they both saw the "paper football kit" and wanted to redeem their tickets so they could each get one. This way they would each have a goalpost and a football.
Well, when we got back home and started to play, the rubber football didn't exactly careen across the table like a paper football does. In fact, it doesn't move at all. So all they end up doing is flicking the rubber triangle through the plastic uprights.. BLASPHEMY I SAID!
I took out a piece of paper, made a paper football and removed the plastic goalposts. I showed them how to really play and then we started flicking extra points.. The first one I flicked right into Mitch's face..
Welcome to Paper Football Mitch.
You made the football out of a piece of paper and used your hands as the goalposts.. You slid the paper across the desk and if it landed across the edge and teetered, but didn't fall, it was a touchdown. Then you flicked the paper football (however you felt comfortable holding it) through the "uprights" for the extra point. Indoor recess would never be the same once we found out about this game. That was 30 years ago. And now, the Twins of Anarchy have discovered paper football..
There's just one twist.. You can now purchase a paper football "kit". It comes with a triangular football, however it is not paper, it is rubber. And it comes with a goalpost that is plastic and sits on a spring that is loaded into a base so it is flexible, for whatever reason.
Before you ask, no I did not purchase this for my boys. However, one of their favorite places to go eat is the Charlie Horse. They love the arcade games there and the food is decent. So they know the rule is that if they eat their dinner, they can go and play games for a bit. Their favorite is this cool Batman game. And they have the gas pedal rigged so you don't need to press on it.. That is a huge help for parents who have kids who can't reach the pedals.. But I digress..
With certain games, you can earn tickets. We convinced them to keep saving their tickets and maybe pool them together at some point when there is something they really want and we can redeem the tickets for it. Unfortunately, they both saw the "paper football kit" and wanted to redeem their tickets so they could each get one. This way they would each have a goalpost and a football.
Well, when we got back home and started to play, the rubber football didn't exactly careen across the table like a paper football does. In fact, it doesn't move at all. So all they end up doing is flicking the rubber triangle through the plastic uprights.. BLASPHEMY I SAID!
I took out a piece of paper, made a paper football and removed the plastic goalposts. I showed them how to really play and then we started flicking extra points.. The first one I flicked right into Mitch's face..
Welcome to Paper Football Mitch.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Now batting....
It's official! The Twins of Anarchy have been signed by the Red Sox!! Well, not the Boston Red Sox unfortunately, the Little League version of the Red Sox.. But hey, still better than being on the Yankees..
And it's so amazing to see them be on the field, taking grounders, catching pop ups, hitting off a tee against the backstop. It seems like just the other day Max was moving the toys away from Mitch because he couldn't crawl and therefore would have no toys to play with.. Now I can just envision them being in the middle of a 6-4-3 double play..
I'm just wondering when this happened... I mean, I throw grounders to them in the yard and we work on pop ups and hitting off a tee. However they never played T-Ball. There's something different when they're actually physically on a baseball diamond, in an infield position fielding ground balls.
Their first practice of the season was on Monday. And here is one of them, with his hat backwards in the ready position to field the ground ball. He watches it into his glove, scoops it up and takes it out and throws it right back into my glove like he had done it a thousand times.. I said "great job, that's the way to field a ground ball" while pointing my glove at him.. He points back with his glove in acknowledgement and starts to jog to the end of the line..
It was one of those moments that makes you proud to be a father.. But it was also kind of scary realizing that they're not always going to be my little boys.. They are going to grow up, and faster that I would like them to. They're already almost 8 which if you've been following this blog and/or just know their story, is an amazing feat in and of itself.
So I'll keep my dream alive of course of watching them at Fenway turning the double play for the Red Sox. But for now, I'll just enjoy pointing gloves at each other and being proud.
And it's so amazing to see them be on the field, taking grounders, catching pop ups, hitting off a tee against the backstop. It seems like just the other day Max was moving the toys away from Mitch because he couldn't crawl and therefore would have no toys to play with.. Now I can just envision them being in the middle of a 6-4-3 double play..
I'm just wondering when this happened... I mean, I throw grounders to them in the yard and we work on pop ups and hitting off a tee. However they never played T-Ball. There's something different when they're actually physically on a baseball diamond, in an infield position fielding ground balls.
Their first practice of the season was on Monday. And here is one of them, with his hat backwards in the ready position to field the ground ball. He watches it into his glove, scoops it up and takes it out and throws it right back into my glove like he had done it a thousand times.. I said "great job, that's the way to field a ground ball" while pointing my glove at him.. He points back with his glove in acknowledgement and starts to jog to the end of the line..
It was one of those moments that makes you proud to be a father.. But it was also kind of scary realizing that they're not always going to be my little boys.. They are going to grow up, and faster that I would like them to. They're already almost 8 which if you've been following this blog and/or just know their story, is an amazing feat in and of itself.
So I'll keep my dream alive of course of watching them at Fenway turning the double play for the Red Sox. But for now, I'll just enjoy pointing gloves at each other and being proud.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Timing is Everything
Let's just say, comedic timing is not Max's forte. Cute kid, pretty good at sports, very good at math, loves to create things.. But he will never, ever be a stand up comedian. And that's ok..
However, every dog has his day..
We ended up having a bonus Hanukkah night as my parents were away over the holiday. So on Christmas Eve my family, my parents and my sister's family all got together for dinner and to celebrate.
During dinner, Mitchell leans over and says "Dada, are we getting presents tonight?" So naturally I said "Mitchell, is getting presents the only reason for Hanukkah?" He answers with "No?" Of course I should have responded with if he was asking me or telling me, but I'll let that go. I did respond with "Good answer."
After a few seconds go by, Mitchell leans in again and says "so, are we getting presents"? And as we're all laughing Max chimes in perfectly and says "Well played Mitch. Well played".
The room was in hysterics not only because of the initial laughter of the question and not only from what Max had said but the fact that his timing was impeccable and it was the first time ever he had nailed it.. We were all so proud of him!
It may not seem like much, but to see the interaction of the boys with adults and starting to use more adult phrases that we use is amazing to watch. They are only 7 and I have to keep that in mind, but the difference just between 6 and 7 has been astronomical. They are like real little people now. #ImARealLittleBoy
However, every dog has his day..
We ended up having a bonus Hanukkah night as my parents were away over the holiday. So on Christmas Eve my family, my parents and my sister's family all got together for dinner and to celebrate.
During dinner, Mitchell leans over and says "Dada, are we getting presents tonight?" So naturally I said "Mitchell, is getting presents the only reason for Hanukkah?" He answers with "No?" Of course I should have responded with if he was asking me or telling me, but I'll let that go. I did respond with "Good answer."
After a few seconds go by, Mitchell leans in again and says "so, are we getting presents"? And as we're all laughing Max chimes in perfectly and says "Well played Mitch. Well played".
The room was in hysterics not only because of the initial laughter of the question and not only from what Max had said but the fact that his timing was impeccable and it was the first time ever he had nailed it.. We were all so proud of him!
It may not seem like much, but to see the interaction of the boys with adults and starting to use more adult phrases that we use is amazing to watch. They are only 7 and I have to keep that in mind, but the difference just between 6 and 7 has been astronomical. They are like real little people now. #ImARealLittleBoy
Friday, June 6, 2014
Reading Is Fun
I've been telling my kids since I felt they could comprehend it, "If you can read, you can do anything". It's true. Think about it. Back during slavery, they wouldn't allow the slaves to have access to books or learn to read for fear they would become educated. It was a way of keeping control. So I explain to them, "if you can read, you can do anything".
Well they are six now and while we've been working hard with them, reading to them forever as well as working with them on spelling, sounding out words, etc, you can't push it. If you push it, they can become frustrated and shut down. Then they'll see it as more of a chore and not learn to enjoy reading. As a parent or as anyone who is teaching someone something, you really have to walk that fine line of knowing when to push someone and when to back off.
Well, it turns out that Mitch can read. We'd be walking in a store and he would just point to a sign and read it. Or we'd be at the kitchen table and he would point to a magazine and read a few words. Turns out, that while at parent teacher conferences a little ways back, his teacher gave us a list of words each Kindergartner should know by the end of the school year. He knows them all. I'm not saying he's reading novels or anything, but this is a child who hasn't exactly done things on what we would call the "normal" timetable. He never crawled. He didn't walk until he was 19 months old. He was about 6 before being fully potty-trained. Granted the kid has had it a little rough, so we were thinking more often than not he would do whatever it was at his own pace. Well, I'm glad if something was relatively accelerated, it was this.
And he's excited about it too. A new book from school every week and he's excited to read it at night. We get them both new books all the time and they make it part of their routine before going to sleep to make sure we read at least 1 book. And, now that Mitch is doing well reading and how much praise he's getting, Max is starting to step up his game.
So hopefully, perhaps by the end of the calendar year they'll be reading books to us instead of the other way around. And once that happens, it's a whole new world.
Update: I wrote this awhile ago and never posted it. Since then, Max is definitely better at reading, but just shy about reading out loud. Mitch however will read out loud to himself or to anyone. He'll read anything including magazines, shopping circulars, it doesn't matter. He actually calms down at night but taking out his flashlight and reading a book to himself, out loud before going to bed. I couldn't be more proud.
Well they are six now and while we've been working hard with them, reading to them forever as well as working with them on spelling, sounding out words, etc, you can't push it. If you push it, they can become frustrated and shut down. Then they'll see it as more of a chore and not learn to enjoy reading. As a parent or as anyone who is teaching someone something, you really have to walk that fine line of knowing when to push someone and when to back off.
Well, it turns out that Mitch can read. We'd be walking in a store and he would just point to a sign and read it. Or we'd be at the kitchen table and he would point to a magazine and read a few words. Turns out, that while at parent teacher conferences a little ways back, his teacher gave us a list of words each Kindergartner should know by the end of the school year. He knows them all. I'm not saying he's reading novels or anything, but this is a child who hasn't exactly done things on what we would call the "normal" timetable. He never crawled. He didn't walk until he was 19 months old. He was about 6 before being fully potty-trained. Granted the kid has had it a little rough, so we were thinking more often than not he would do whatever it was at his own pace. Well, I'm glad if something was relatively accelerated, it was this.
And he's excited about it too. A new book from school every week and he's excited to read it at night. We get them both new books all the time and they make it part of their routine before going to sleep to make sure we read at least 1 book. And, now that Mitch is doing well reading and how much praise he's getting, Max is starting to step up his game.
So hopefully, perhaps by the end of the calendar year they'll be reading books to us instead of the other way around. And once that happens, it's a whole new world.
Update: I wrote this awhile ago and never posted it. Since then, Max is definitely better at reading, but just shy about reading out loud. Mitch however will read out loud to himself or to anyone. He'll read anything including magazines, shopping circulars, it doesn't matter. He actually calms down at night but taking out his flashlight and reading a book to himself, out loud before going to bed. I couldn't be more proud.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
I Got This..
It's a simple phrase really.. I got this.. It could mean many things.. It could mean someone taking care of a meal.. It could mean someone grabbing a round of beers.. Or it could mean that you'll handle something and don't worry about it.. All relatively common uses for the phrase, but when it comes out of your six year old, time to step on the brakes and pull a George Costanza:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d0uUFw5ggM
So recently we had another common occurrence, a separated birthday party.. Meaning, one twin was invited because it was a classmate of his and the other was not invited because more than likely the birthday girl doesn't even know he has a brother, much less a twin. And we're totally fine with this. In fact, we even like it. The reason is because it gives us a rare opportunity to have some one on one time.
It's at the movies and is a drop off birthday party (a whole new world for us). Mitch is the only boy out of about 10 girls. As my wife relayed the story to me, his parting words were "Don't worry mom; I got this".
Oh crap..
My 6 year old is telling my wife "I got this"? I'm not ready for this.. Granted this is the child that is much more independent. Although he still doesn't like to go upstairs when no one is up there, he's much more apt to play alone than need someone to play with him. And he's getting better..
But if at 6 he feels no fear heading into a birthday party full of 10 girls, what else will he feel no fear about?
First day of Junior High, the beginning of potentially the most awkward 2 years of any boys' life? Don't worry, I got this.
First day of High School? Don't worry, I got this.
That big game? Don't worry coach, I got this.
First day of college? Don't worry, I got this.
First big presentation at work? Don't worry boss, I got this.
We overtly want our children to be independent so they do not have to rely on us for everything.. However, we covertly wish they would stay young and innocent forever. Maybe that way we wouldn't have to hear the words "Don't worry, I got this". As Dr. Seuss so aptly put it, "Kid, you'll move mountains!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d0uUFw5ggM
So recently we had another common occurrence, a separated birthday party.. Meaning, one twin was invited because it was a classmate of his and the other was not invited because more than likely the birthday girl doesn't even know he has a brother, much less a twin. And we're totally fine with this. In fact, we even like it. The reason is because it gives us a rare opportunity to have some one on one time.
It's at the movies and is a drop off birthday party (a whole new world for us). Mitch is the only boy out of about 10 girls. As my wife relayed the story to me, his parting words were "Don't worry mom; I got this".
Oh crap..
My 6 year old is telling my wife "I got this"? I'm not ready for this.. Granted this is the child that is much more independent. Although he still doesn't like to go upstairs when no one is up there, he's much more apt to play alone than need someone to play with him. And he's getting better..
But if at 6 he feels no fear heading into a birthday party full of 10 girls, what else will he feel no fear about?
First day of Junior High, the beginning of potentially the most awkward 2 years of any boys' life? Don't worry, I got this.
First day of High School? Don't worry, I got this.
That big game? Don't worry coach, I got this.
First day of college? Don't worry, I got this.
First big presentation at work? Don't worry boss, I got this.
We overtly want our children to be independent so they do not have to rely on us for everything.. However, we covertly wish they would stay young and innocent forever. Maybe that way we wouldn't have to hear the words "Don't worry, I got this". As Dr. Seuss so aptly put it, "Kid, you'll move mountains!"
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
Well, technically it was Saturday, Saturday, Saturday.. A seemingly innocuous ritual for little kids is going to see the monster trucks.. Somehow this ritual seemed to have eluded me in my childhood, but not to fear, I have 2 boys! So off we went to see the Monster Trucks on Saturday.
Our seats were great, however it was so loud! Of course the boys had noise canceling headphones, but it was still loud.. I wish I had a pair! It was cool for the boys to see the monster trucks they had essentially come to life, but I think the better response was with the Motocross bikers doing tricks, flips, etc..
Overall, it was very cool and a lot of fun, especially when a marriage proposal on the jumbotron captured the Kraken and me sitting right next to them (across the aisle)! http://instagram.com/p/kc4ruCj_Ww/
But the Kraken had had enough towards the end.. It was just too loud for him.. So we went out to the concourse where while it wasn't as loud, it was still pretty loud.. Loud enough that he kept his headphones on. While on the concourse I ran in to my friend Josh Hoch who was with his two little ones and his brother in law. We talked for a bit and both commented on how loud it was. I said I couldn't believe how many kids in there, especially little ones that didn't have ear protection. And he said it should be mandatory. Hmm..
With the roads as they were Saturday night, I did not think about it during our 3 hour trip back from Worcester that should have normally taken about 1 hour. However for the rest of the weekend I did think about it. I'm not a big "mandatory" or "force things on people" kind of person, but when you think about how children are still developing everything at this young age, ear protection at an event like this would be the intelligent thing to do. It can't be up to the child as they are not old enough know for the most part. If it is within their control, it is the parent's responsibility to ensure their child is protected.
I recently took the Twinado ice skating for the first time. Now I grew up in the 80s where not only did we not wear bike helmets, but our parents had no idea where the hell we were for a good 10 hours during the day. They said go play outside and I'll yell for you to come home for dinner. If we came home for lunch then we came home for lunch.. Otherwise, when you heard your mom's very distinctive yell or saw the street lights come on, you knew it was time to go home.. And you went home. If you fell off your bike and skinned your knee, elbow, etc you could go home for some treatment. Then it was right back out there. I also had very large backyard when I was growing up and part of it was woods, so in the winter we would go skating. Lots of downed trees and ponds on the property. We never wore helmets and we didn't even wear skates. Just sneakers. Did we fall down sometimes? Yup. And did we even fall in sometimes? Yup.
All of that aside however, I did not hesitate one second to make sure I put their bike helmets in the car so I wouldn't forget to bring them skating. They had no issues wearing them as they just think this is what you do. And man am I glad they had them on. Within 5 minutes of skating, the Kraken took a spill and hit his head on the ice. With the helmet, he's back up and skating within 30 seconds.. Without the helmet, we're more than likely at the ER facing a concussion, possible stitches and who knows what else. And later, this little shit thinking he's the next NHL star (which he won't be because he fell more than we did) totally takes us out as we're all holding hands skating.. So again, the helmet saved them. For those curious, no I did not fall. :)
I am curious though what people think about this topic. What do people think about helmets in general? Should they be mandatory for everyone riding a bike, ice skating, etc or just kids? If just kids, for what ages? Under 18? 13? What would be the cut off? What about the headphones or at the very least something to cover their ears while at an event such as the Monster Trucks? Should those be mandatory for everyone? Just kids? Should they be maybe included in the price of the ticket and given out at the event?
Let me know your thoughts. Post them on my FaceBook at www.facebook.com/ben.thaler.9 and on Twitter @bdthaler or @TwinsOfAnarchy
Our seats were great, however it was so loud! Of course the boys had noise canceling headphones, but it was still loud.. I wish I had a pair! It was cool for the boys to see the monster trucks they had essentially come to life, but I think the better response was with the Motocross bikers doing tricks, flips, etc..
Overall, it was very cool and a lot of fun, especially when a marriage proposal on the jumbotron captured the Kraken and me sitting right next to them (across the aisle)! http://instagram.com/p/kc4ruCj_Ww/
But the Kraken had had enough towards the end.. It was just too loud for him.. So we went out to the concourse where while it wasn't as loud, it was still pretty loud.. Loud enough that he kept his headphones on. While on the concourse I ran in to my friend Josh Hoch who was with his two little ones and his brother in law. We talked for a bit and both commented on how loud it was. I said I couldn't believe how many kids in there, especially little ones that didn't have ear protection. And he said it should be mandatory. Hmm..
With the roads as they were Saturday night, I did not think about it during our 3 hour trip back from Worcester that should have normally taken about 1 hour. However for the rest of the weekend I did think about it. I'm not a big "mandatory" or "force things on people" kind of person, but when you think about how children are still developing everything at this young age, ear protection at an event like this would be the intelligent thing to do. It can't be up to the child as they are not old enough know for the most part. If it is within their control, it is the parent's responsibility to ensure their child is protected.
I recently took the Twinado ice skating for the first time. Now I grew up in the 80s where not only did we not wear bike helmets, but our parents had no idea where the hell we were for a good 10 hours during the day. They said go play outside and I'll yell for you to come home for dinner. If we came home for lunch then we came home for lunch.. Otherwise, when you heard your mom's very distinctive yell or saw the street lights come on, you knew it was time to go home.. And you went home. If you fell off your bike and skinned your knee, elbow, etc you could go home for some treatment. Then it was right back out there. I also had very large backyard when I was growing up and part of it was woods, so in the winter we would go skating. Lots of downed trees and ponds on the property. We never wore helmets and we didn't even wear skates. Just sneakers. Did we fall down sometimes? Yup. And did we even fall in sometimes? Yup.
All of that aside however, I did not hesitate one second to make sure I put their bike helmets in the car so I wouldn't forget to bring them skating. They had no issues wearing them as they just think this is what you do. And man am I glad they had them on. Within 5 minutes of skating, the Kraken took a spill and hit his head on the ice. With the helmet, he's back up and skating within 30 seconds.. Without the helmet, we're more than likely at the ER facing a concussion, possible stitches and who knows what else. And later, this little shit thinking he's the next NHL star (which he won't be because he fell more than we did) totally takes us out as we're all holding hands skating.. So again, the helmet saved them. For those curious, no I did not fall. :)
I am curious though what people think about this topic. What do people think about helmets in general? Should they be mandatory for everyone riding a bike, ice skating, etc or just kids? If just kids, for what ages? Under 18? 13? What would be the cut off? What about the headphones or at the very least something to cover their ears while at an event such as the Monster Trucks? Should those be mandatory for everyone? Just kids? Should they be maybe included in the price of the ticket and given out at the event?
Let me know your thoughts. Post them on my FaceBook at www.facebook.com/ben.thaler.9 and on Twitter @bdthaler or @TwinsOfAnarchy
Thursday, February 13, 2014
I keep forgetting..
You started to sing that Michael McDonald song, didn't you? Go on, admit it.. Sorry about that..
Anyway, remember in Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery where Austin sleeps with the Italian bird Alotta, Alotta Fagina? And when he tells Vanessa she explains to him he's going to be very lonely. Austin then spends the entire night drinking Tab so he can stay awake and tries to figure out everything he's missed in the last 30 years.. He's missed a lot including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of apartheid and the US putting a man on the moon.
Well, that's where this post comes in. One of the boys is keeping a Night Sky Journal and at the end of the month each child will compare their Night Sky Journal to what they see in the sky during the day. Cool idea. I just wish it was the fall or spring so it wasn't so damn cold out when we're standing out there looking at the sky.. But I digress..
We're charting the phases of the moon so he can see how they change as the month progresses.. And we look at some of the constellations and talk about what he sees. Currently the most notable fascination is with Orion the Hunter and his infamous belt. So we go back in and draw, color and write down what we see.
As we're looking up at the sky the other night, I hear "I'm going go to the moon one day". I said ok, you can become an astronaut. Did you know we've actually walked on the moon? They must have gotten whiplash with how quickly their heads spun around and like a minion asked "whaaaaaat?" I said yeah, on July 20th, 1969 (and no I did not have to look that up; Mr. Macini, my Space and Astronomy teacher in 9th grade did a really good job) Neil Armstrong became the first human being ever to walk on the moon. And after him there were 11 other people who walked on the moon. They thought that was the coolest thing ever. (Another cool fun fact is that my uncle was one of the engineers who worked on the guidance system of the Saturn V rocket that took Apollo 11 to the moon. True story)
But as parents we need to remember that our kids don't know everything we know (contrary to what they think). There are the obvious things like walking, feeding themselves, potty training, etc that we clearly need to teach them (see previous blog called Blank Slate).. But the other cool stuff like we've walked on the moon that we take that knowledge for granted, they have no idea. You just never know what information about which subject is going to pique their interest. And then you never know where that may lead. Information is power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f_DPrSEOEo
Anyway, remember in Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery where Austin sleeps with the Italian bird Alotta, Alotta Fagina? And when he tells Vanessa she explains to him he's going to be very lonely. Austin then spends the entire night drinking Tab so he can stay awake and tries to figure out everything he's missed in the last 30 years.. He's missed a lot including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of apartheid and the US putting a man on the moon.
Well, that's where this post comes in. One of the boys is keeping a Night Sky Journal and at the end of the month each child will compare their Night Sky Journal to what they see in the sky during the day. Cool idea. I just wish it was the fall or spring so it wasn't so damn cold out when we're standing out there looking at the sky.. But I digress..
We're charting the phases of the moon so he can see how they change as the month progresses.. And we look at some of the constellations and talk about what he sees. Currently the most notable fascination is with Orion the Hunter and his infamous belt. So we go back in and draw, color and write down what we see.
As we're looking up at the sky the other night, I hear "I'm going go to the moon one day". I said ok, you can become an astronaut. Did you know we've actually walked on the moon? They must have gotten whiplash with how quickly their heads spun around and like a minion asked "whaaaaaat?" I said yeah, on July 20th, 1969 (and no I did not have to look that up; Mr. Macini, my Space and Astronomy teacher in 9th grade did a really good job) Neil Armstrong became the first human being ever to walk on the moon. And after him there were 11 other people who walked on the moon. They thought that was the coolest thing ever. (Another cool fun fact is that my uncle was one of the engineers who worked on the guidance system of the Saturn V rocket that took Apollo 11 to the moon. True story)
But as parents we need to remember that our kids don't know everything we know (contrary to what they think). There are the obvious things like walking, feeding themselves, potty training, etc that we clearly need to teach them (see previous blog called Blank Slate).. But the other cool stuff like we've walked on the moon that we take that knowledge for granted, they have no idea. You just never know what information about which subject is going to pique their interest. And then you never know where that may lead. Information is power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f_DPrSEOEo
Friday, January 10, 2014
Müzik, Μουσική, Musiikki
It doesn't matter what language you say it in, whether it be Turkish, Greek or Finnish, I truly believe that music has magical properties.. The type of music is also irrelevant, it just needs to be the type of music that appeals to you. Whether it's listening to Enya while you have a migraine (I know someone who does that) or listening to heavy metal while you study (I know people who did that too) there's something about music that resonates with everyone.
Think about your life. When a song comes on the radio many people have an association with an event, a person or something in their life that is traced back to that song. It could have been that first dance at your middle school dance or the popular song that summer you lived in the city or your wedding song or even that time on that college road trip when.. hmm, better leave that one out..
But you get the point. Music has that ability to somehow transcend the aural and manages to connect directly to your emotions. And that is what I am hoping happens with boys. At a very early age we wanted to make sure they listened to music. (You can listen to Jimi, but you can't hear him- White Men Can't Jump, anyone?) Ok, moving on..
They had the mobiles in their cribs when they were babies, until one of them tore it down and that was the end of that one. But we then discovered Rock A Bye Baby, which is rock music of all different bands (Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Green Day, U2, Zeppelin, Beatles, etc) all played like lullaby's. It is very cool, very soothing and they liked it a lot as did we. They still listen to it to this day.
But we also said to ourselves that we will not be beholden to the kids music when we're driving. I'll admit, we had the 40th Anniversary CD's of Sesame Street and we would listen to them in the car. The boys liked it and calmed them down on long road trips. It was also nostalgic for us hearing the songs that we remember from watching Sesame Street as kids. (See, it all comes back to music association) But when they were old enough, we started making them listen to our music. Hey, if we were going to be in the car with them for a while and they could keep themselves busy by looking out the window and playing games, we were going to listen to what we wanted. So they started enjoying some of our music.
I go old school and make them mix CD's. I have an ipod which I could create playlists, but it's not connecting in my car for some reason so it's just easier this way.. Plus, the boys look forward to when daddy creates a new CD..
I've made 4 or 5 of them. While there are still a few of the artists below that they haven't heard yet, here is a list of the artists that have been on these mix CD's:
Green Day, Foo Fighters, Dropkick Murphy's, John Cougar, AFI, Incubus, Dazz Band, Dave Matthews Band, Big & Rich, Of Monsters & Men, The Police, Beastie Boys, Airborne Toxic Event, The Beatles, Elvis, Cheap Trick, Fratellis, The Libertines, Imagine Dragons, Zeppelin, Toby Keith, The Black Crowes, Ben E. King, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Run DMC, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tears For Fears, Clapton, The Lumineers, Metallica, Van Halen, Neon Trees, Puscifer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Twisted Sister, Queen, Black Keys, MGMT, ACDC, Nirvana, KISS, The Ramones, Bruno Mars, Blues Traveler, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REM, Talking Heads, Blur.
Now obviously some of these artists have a particular popular song that is more than likely the song I put on the CD. But others are not what you may think. It was not always the popular song for a well known band we played for them. We want them to appreciate the band/artist for their music and not just have them know the "popular, mainstream" song for which the band may be known. But the goal here, as you can see is to broaden their musical horizons with old, new, blues, rock, alternative, rap, 80s, punk and everything in between. Just giving them a taste of whatever we can find and see what they like and don't like. They are really taking it all in and want more. They're kind of like Neo with the training simulation in The Matrix.
My ultimate goal with this project? That "a-ha" moment. We've all seen those Top 100 "Fill in the Blank" shows on VH1 or some network that counts down the top 100 greatest rock songs or guitar riffs, etc. There's invariably one critic or artist that says "I remember the first time I heard _____. I said to myself, what the hell is that?" I want at least one, if not both of my kids to have that kind of moment when they hear something.. Whether it be a guitar riff, a song or drum solo, it doesn't matter.. It will make it all worthwhile.
PS - It happened. With the Kraken. And Metallica. Is anyone really that surprised?
Think about your life. When a song comes on the radio many people have an association with an event, a person or something in their life that is traced back to that song. It could have been that first dance at your middle school dance or the popular song that summer you lived in the city or your wedding song or even that time on that college road trip when.. hmm, better leave that one out..
But you get the point. Music has that ability to somehow transcend the aural and manages to connect directly to your emotions. And that is what I am hoping happens with boys. At a very early age we wanted to make sure they listened to music. (You can listen to Jimi, but you can't hear him- White Men Can't Jump, anyone?) Ok, moving on..
They had the mobiles in their cribs when they were babies, until one of them tore it down and that was the end of that one. But we then discovered Rock A Bye Baby, which is rock music of all different bands (Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Green Day, U2, Zeppelin, Beatles, etc) all played like lullaby's. It is very cool, very soothing and they liked it a lot as did we. They still listen to it to this day.
But we also said to ourselves that we will not be beholden to the kids music when we're driving. I'll admit, we had the 40th Anniversary CD's of Sesame Street and we would listen to them in the car. The boys liked it and calmed them down on long road trips. It was also nostalgic for us hearing the songs that we remember from watching Sesame Street as kids. (See, it all comes back to music association) But when they were old enough, we started making them listen to our music. Hey, if we were going to be in the car with them for a while and they could keep themselves busy by looking out the window and playing games, we were going to listen to what we wanted. So they started enjoying some of our music.
I go old school and make them mix CD's. I have an ipod which I could create playlists, but it's not connecting in my car for some reason so it's just easier this way.. Plus, the boys look forward to when daddy creates a new CD..
I've made 4 or 5 of them. While there are still a few of the artists below that they haven't heard yet, here is a list of the artists that have been on these mix CD's:
Green Day, Foo Fighters, Dropkick Murphy's, John Cougar, AFI, Incubus, Dazz Band, Dave Matthews Band, Big & Rich, Of Monsters & Men, The Police, Beastie Boys, Airborne Toxic Event, The Beatles, Elvis, Cheap Trick, Fratellis, The Libertines, Imagine Dragons, Zeppelin, Toby Keith, The Black Crowes, Ben E. King, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Run DMC, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tears For Fears, Clapton, The Lumineers, Metallica, Van Halen, Neon Trees, Puscifer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Twisted Sister, Queen, Black Keys, MGMT, ACDC, Nirvana, KISS, The Ramones, Bruno Mars, Blues Traveler, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REM, Talking Heads, Blur.
Now obviously some of these artists have a particular popular song that is more than likely the song I put on the CD. But others are not what you may think. It was not always the popular song for a well known band we played for them. We want them to appreciate the band/artist for their music and not just have them know the "popular, mainstream" song for which the band may be known. But the goal here, as you can see is to broaden their musical horizons with old, new, blues, rock, alternative, rap, 80s, punk and everything in between. Just giving them a taste of whatever we can find and see what they like and don't like. They are really taking it all in and want more. They're kind of like Neo with the training simulation in The Matrix.
My ultimate goal with this project? That "a-ha" moment. We've all seen those Top 100 "Fill in the Blank" shows on VH1 or some network that counts down the top 100 greatest rock songs or guitar riffs, etc. There's invariably one critic or artist that says "I remember the first time I heard _____. I said to myself, what the hell is that?" I want at least one, if not both of my kids to have that kind of moment when they hear something.. Whether it be a guitar riff, a song or drum solo, it doesn't matter.. It will make it all worthwhile.
PS - It happened. With the Kraken. And Metallica. Is anyone really that surprised?
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Parent Teacher Conferences?
Did I really just come back from my 6 year old's parent teacher conference? It was a pretty surreal experience.
I recall being that age and my parents going to my teacher conferences.. Of course these were at night and the one I went to was in the middle of the afternoon, but let that go..
My parents would get a babysitter for my sister and me and they would go to the school.. Then they'd come home and report back to us what our teacher said and what we had to work on and what we were doing well. Of course they would always have glowing reports from my teachers because I never did anything wrong.
It is a little weird to hear all about your child from someone who spends more time with them overall than you do. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. But we try to have conversations with them about what they did during the day. They're getting better, but they usually go something like this:
Me: So, tell me about your day? (Anyone who has read one of those Pigeon books must be laughing)
TofA: It was good.
Me: What did you do?
TofA: Stuff
But after the conferences I am 100% confident both boys are in very good hands.
However, next year I am dreading that first grade homework!
I recall being that age and my parents going to my teacher conferences.. Of course these were at night and the one I went to was in the middle of the afternoon, but let that go..
My parents would get a babysitter for my sister and me and they would go to the school.. Then they'd come home and report back to us what our teacher said and what we had to work on and what we were doing well. Of course they would always have glowing reports from my teachers because I never did anything wrong.
It is a little weird to hear all about your child from someone who spends more time with them overall than you do. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. But we try to have conversations with them about what they did during the day. They're getting better, but they usually go something like this:
Me: So, tell me about your day? (Anyone who has read one of those Pigeon books must be laughing)
TofA: It was good.
Me: What did you do?
TofA: Stuff
But after the conferences I am 100% confident both boys are in very good hands.
However, next year I am dreading that first grade homework!
Friday, June 28, 2013
I Can Do That
It really is amazing to watch little kids attempt to do something and fail miserably, only to see their faces light up with such pride when they come back to you having mastered it.
For example, Daniel had difficulty for awhile on the monkey bars. He just couldn't get past the first one and would hang, get scared and fall. Slowly but surely he would do 2 and then 3 and before we knew it, he was coming home with blisters on his hands because he kept doing the monkey bars over and over again.. He didn't care that got blisters.. He knew he had mastered the monkey bars and that, for him was like acing a test is for a student or a promotion is for an employee.
Recently, he's gotten big into snapping. So I showed him how to do it and of course, he couldn't.. But when I tell you that kid was snapping day and night, I'm not kidding. Everywhere he is snapping or least attempting to. And then one day, he comes to me and shows me how he can snap.. And quite well I might add! And with both hands, which is not easy at that age (at least I don't think).
You have never seen a child so happy and proud for an accomplishment as this kid is from learning how to snap. He shows everybody.
It doesn't matter how little the achievement may be or how mundane the activity.. Remember, everything is new for them. But I am sure these are not the first goals he will set out to achieve and succeed. Far from it.
For example, Daniel had difficulty for awhile on the monkey bars. He just couldn't get past the first one and would hang, get scared and fall. Slowly but surely he would do 2 and then 3 and before we knew it, he was coming home with blisters on his hands because he kept doing the monkey bars over and over again.. He didn't care that got blisters.. He knew he had mastered the monkey bars and that, for him was like acing a test is for a student or a promotion is for an employee.
Recently, he's gotten big into snapping. So I showed him how to do it and of course, he couldn't.. But when I tell you that kid was snapping day and night, I'm not kidding. Everywhere he is snapping or least attempting to. And then one day, he comes to me and shows me how he can snap.. And quite well I might add! And with both hands, which is not easy at that age (at least I don't think).
You have never seen a child so happy and proud for an accomplishment as this kid is from learning how to snap. He shows everybody.
It doesn't matter how little the achievement may be or how mundane the activity.. Remember, everything is new for them. But I am sure these are not the first goals he will set out to achieve and succeed. Far from it.
Monday, June 24, 2013
1st Day of Camp
So today was the first day of camp. Since the 1st week of January, 2008 the Twinado has always gone to the same daycare a minimum of 3 times a week, sometimes even 4. During the summer it turns into a de facto camp, but it's limited to certain activities on a smaller scale due to space. But since our move, the hour and a half drive (each way plus another 45 each way to and from work) 3 times a week to bring them to school for the past 5 weeks has been a major strain on my car and my stress level.
It is now almost 5 1/2 years later and today, they start camp. Much closer to the house. The Twinado definitely inherited my sleeping habits (thankfully) but due to that they aren't the easiest to get up in the morning. Not so today. Right out of bed and dressed and downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, upstairs to brush their teeth and backpacks on. Normally this would be fantastic, but it was only 720a and the bus wasn't coming until 810a! However, as I always tell them "early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable." So I will never say being ready 50 minutes early is a bad thing (especially when we have Kindergarten coming in the fall). Oy, seriously?
As we rocked out to a little ACDC and Incubus while waiting for the bus, I had to make sure they had sunscreen on before getting on the bus. So I brought them out around 8a to spray them down. Then, a few minutes after finishing, the bus came and they were so excited!! Ever since they learned what a yellow school bus was, they have wanted to go on one. It was literally a dream come true for them.
Douglas, being the little guy he is needed some help reaching the first step of the bus. But the bus counselors were great and helped him on and got them to their seats. As we're waiting for the bus to leave, a mother who was there sending her son off asked me if they were twins and I said yes.. First time at camp? Yes.. She also admitted they were watching me spray the boys down and were flabbergasted at how jacked Douglas was (her word, not mine). Yeah well, HGH will do that to a kid, but I just said thanks.. Also not the first time that word has been used to describe him.
She also said her son was curious about the sunscreen because after rubbing it in on their heads (gotta protect the top of the head if there is no hat), ears and face, my hands were going to be all sticky and gross. He was interested to know what I would do and that was when I busted out the bottle of water and shirt from my car to wash them off.. This is not my first rodeo, kid.. I got this shit down..
Of course the Twinado was not on the bus for more than 5 minutes when the bus counselor had to come off and talk to me. Here's how the conversation went:
Bus Counselor: "So you're the twins' dad right?
Me: "Yes".
Bus Counselor: "I asked them if they knew what group they were in and they said no". (Even though we went over it this morning). "So I asked them if they thought their daddy would know and I just got a shoulder shrug".
Me: "Poodles. They're in Poodles."
Bus Counselor: "OK, thanks!"
As the bus pulled away and I'm dreading my still hour long commute, I'm reminded of where they started from 5 and a half years ago when I dropped them off at daycare for the first time and where they are today. It's amazing and exciting and man I hope the the camp is still standing by the end of the week.
It is now almost 5 1/2 years later and today, they start camp. Much closer to the house. The Twinado definitely inherited my sleeping habits (thankfully) but due to that they aren't the easiest to get up in the morning. Not so today. Right out of bed and dressed and downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, upstairs to brush their teeth and backpacks on. Normally this would be fantastic, but it was only 720a and the bus wasn't coming until 810a! However, as I always tell them "early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable." So I will never say being ready 50 minutes early is a bad thing (especially when we have Kindergarten coming in the fall). Oy, seriously?
As we rocked out to a little ACDC and Incubus while waiting for the bus, I had to make sure they had sunscreen on before getting on the bus. So I brought them out around 8a to spray them down. Then, a few minutes after finishing, the bus came and they were so excited!! Ever since they learned what a yellow school bus was, they have wanted to go on one. It was literally a dream come true for them.
Douglas, being the little guy he is needed some help reaching the first step of the bus. But the bus counselors were great and helped him on and got them to their seats. As we're waiting for the bus to leave, a mother who was there sending her son off asked me if they were twins and I said yes.. First time at camp? Yes.. She also admitted they were watching me spray the boys down and were flabbergasted at how jacked Douglas was (her word, not mine). Yeah well, HGH will do that to a kid, but I just said thanks.. Also not the first time that word has been used to describe him.
She also said her son was curious about the sunscreen because after rubbing it in on their heads (gotta protect the top of the head if there is no hat), ears and face, my hands were going to be all sticky and gross. He was interested to know what I would do and that was when I busted out the bottle of water and shirt from my car to wash them off.. This is not my first rodeo, kid.. I got this shit down..
Of course the Twinado was not on the bus for more than 5 minutes when the bus counselor had to come off and talk to me. Here's how the conversation went:
Bus Counselor: "So you're the twins' dad right?
Me: "Yes".
Bus Counselor: "I asked them if they knew what group they were in and they said no". (Even though we went over it this morning). "So I asked them if they thought their daddy would know and I just got a shoulder shrug".
Me: "Poodles. They're in Poodles."
Bus Counselor: "OK, thanks!"
As the bus pulled away and I'm dreading my still hour long commute, I'm reminded of where they started from 5 and a half years ago when I dropped them off at daycare for the first time and where they are today. It's amazing and exciting and man I hope the the camp is still standing by the end of the week.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Spoiled
So my job comes with some perks like sporting event tickets, concerts, restaurant gift certificates, etc.. But this perk I got on my own.
I won a weekend stay at a Hilton Hotel in Philadelphia from a raffle. Coincidentally enough, I happen to know the manager of the hotel. My family and I were heading down to NY for our annual cousins weekend and then we were going to continue on to Philadelphia for a family vacation. We'd do some historical tours in Philly, take in a Phillies game, go to the zoo, etc. But we needed to change the raffle award to weeknights instead of a weekend to accommodate the dates we would be there.
I was not only able to get a great deal on 3 nights at the hotel, but got upgraded to a suite. So when we finally got to the hotel, we walk in and to the right was a small kitchen, to the left an enormous bathroom and a King size bed. There were couches, chairs and a work area as well. Then, we took the boys to the adjoining room which was to be theirs. They found a TV, a bathroom and a queen size bed all for them! Needless to say they were super psyched. That was also the weekend that Douglas started pooping in the potty.. I doubt there's any correlation, but you never know.
The reason for the back story is because that was the first time they had ever been to a hotel. Just like the first time they ever gone to a Red Sox game, they were in a luxury box. (They're first Bruins game was in a box too). They literally ate their way through 4 innings of the game and we practically had to roll them out to the car. I hope they don't think that every sporting event is like that..
So we were in NY recently for my twin cousins' Bat Mitzvah and we were staying in a hotel. We opened up the door to the room which was just a standard room with 2 queen beds, etc, nothing fancy. Immediately, we hear:
Daniel: "Where are you guys sleeping"?
Douglas: "Where's the kitchen"?
Ugh.. Looks like I have some un-spoiling to do..
I won a weekend stay at a Hilton Hotel in Philadelphia from a raffle. Coincidentally enough, I happen to know the manager of the hotel. My family and I were heading down to NY for our annual cousins weekend and then we were going to continue on to Philadelphia for a family vacation. We'd do some historical tours in Philly, take in a Phillies game, go to the zoo, etc. But we needed to change the raffle award to weeknights instead of a weekend to accommodate the dates we would be there.
I was not only able to get a great deal on 3 nights at the hotel, but got upgraded to a suite. So when we finally got to the hotel, we walk in and to the right was a small kitchen, to the left an enormous bathroom and a King size bed. There were couches, chairs and a work area as well. Then, we took the boys to the adjoining room which was to be theirs. They found a TV, a bathroom and a queen size bed all for them! Needless to say they were super psyched. That was also the weekend that Douglas started pooping in the potty.. I doubt there's any correlation, but you never know.
The reason for the back story is because that was the first time they had ever been to a hotel. Just like the first time they ever gone to a Red Sox game, they were in a luxury box. (They're first Bruins game was in a box too). They literally ate their way through 4 innings of the game and we practically had to roll them out to the car. I hope they don't think that every sporting event is like that..
So we were in NY recently for my twin cousins' Bat Mitzvah and we were staying in a hotel. We opened up the door to the room which was just a standard room with 2 queen beds, etc, nothing fancy. Immediately, we hear:
Daniel: "Where are you guys sleeping"?
Douglas: "Where's the kitchen"?
Ugh.. Looks like I have some un-spoiling to do..
Monday, April 29, 2013
Times, They Are A Changin?
There's definitely something weird going on.. Not sure what it is though. Daniel has always been big into Superman and Douglas into Batman. It's like blasphemy if you even look at it as the other one will freak out saying "no that's mine"! Same way with some stuffed animals. Douglas has this puppy which he affectionately calls, well, puppy. And Daniel this very soft and cuddly blue bear, appropriately named, well, blue bear. Daniel also has this white pound puppy he just calls white. I don't know where they come up with these names.
Now it gets weird. Earlier this past week, Daniel actually gave, not traded mind you, gave his blue bear to Douglas for him to have in his bed while he sleeps. This is the blue bear that goes with him to his grandparent's house every weekend. He cannot sleep without it. Instead he wants to take this alligator.
This alone, while a little weird, would not have been such a big deal.
However, this past Saturday he allowed Douglas to wear his long sleeve Superman shirt. Ok, he's being nice and sharing his shirt. But then, in a stunning turn of events, said that he could keep it in his drawer! I had to ask him 3 times to make sure I was hearing it correctly. This essentially means that he will no longer wear it. Because they wear the same size shirts, their drawers are kind of interchangeable, however they do have "their" shirts that only they wear. The Superman shirt was definitely one of those and is now being discarded like an expired coupon. Douglas then gave his Batman shirt to Daniel which is now his to wear along with puppy to sleep with.
It gets even weirder. I went in to tuck them in before I went to bed and didn't even realize until the next morning that they had switched beds!!
Are they growing up realizing they want different things? Are they just going through a phase? What are they going to do next say that they don't want to wear Angry Birds, Ninja Turtles or Phineas and Ferb underwear anymore? Oh, that is going to be a sad day..
Now it gets weird. Earlier this past week, Daniel actually gave, not traded mind you, gave his blue bear to Douglas for him to have in his bed while he sleeps. This is the blue bear that goes with him to his grandparent's house every weekend. He cannot sleep without it. Instead he wants to take this alligator.
This alone, while a little weird, would not have been such a big deal.
However, this past Saturday he allowed Douglas to wear his long sleeve Superman shirt. Ok, he's being nice and sharing his shirt. But then, in a stunning turn of events, said that he could keep it in his drawer! I had to ask him 3 times to make sure I was hearing it correctly. This essentially means that he will no longer wear it. Because they wear the same size shirts, their drawers are kind of interchangeable, however they do have "their" shirts that only they wear. The Superman shirt was definitely one of those and is now being discarded like an expired coupon. Douglas then gave his Batman shirt to Daniel which is now his to wear along with puppy to sleep with.
It gets even weirder. I went in to tuck them in before I went to bed and didn't even realize until the next morning that they had switched beds!!
Are they growing up realizing they want different things? Are they just going through a phase? What are they going to do next say that they don't want to wear Angry Birds, Ninja Turtles or Phineas and Ferb underwear anymore? Oh, that is going to be a sad day..
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Explosion!
Not sure how many people that are reading this watch How I Met Your Mother, but recently there was an episode where Marshall and Lilly's son Marvin had a huge poop explosion. Anyone who is a parent has probably had this happen. My story is a little different.
The boys were still in the NICU at Brigham and Women's and we were spending one of the many Sunday's we spent at the hospital in the fall of 2007. They had finally been moved to NICU A, which was a step up from NICU B. It meant they weren't as critical which is always a good thing. There was also a little more room as there weren't as many isolettes.
They were still very young, about 8 weeks old or so I would guess (my memory of that time is a little fuzzy). Amy was over hanging out with Daniel and I was with Douglas. And of course, as luck would have it, it was time to change him. So of course I get everything prepared and open up the isolette. Now that they were in NICU A we didn't have to reach through these holes anymore. We could actually just open up the side of the isolette and put our whole arms in which was nice.
So I had everything prepared for the changing. I had the new diaper under the old one, wipes next to me all set to go. Now at this point, they weren't even in regular diapers. They were in these things called wee-pees. I'm not joking, they were so small because they boys were only about 4 pounds or so each, their bodies would have just been swallowed by a regular diaper. So I take off the tabs on the sides of the dirty diaper and lift up his legs to remove and.......
SSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!
That is my best attempt at onomatopoeia.. He unloaded this vile, green and brown fecal matter everywhere and it just wouldn't stop!! I mean all over my arm, the floor, the entire isolette, the wires, the monitor that was monitoring his heart rate, BP, O2 levels, etc.. Literally everywhere it could possibly be, it was.. So I'm standing there with poop all over the place trying not to yell for someone to help because you need to keep your voices down while in the NICU.. So I'm yelling at the highest level I can, which is about a normal talking level.. nurse... Nurse.. NURSE!! Finally I just couldn't deal anymore and a nurse came over and immediately doubled over in laughter.. Yeah, real funny.. although, I'm sure it had happened to her before which is probably why she was laughing.. She knew what it felt like..
So a janitor was called to clean up the floor and take the isolette away and have it hosed down.. Douglas had a quick bath while a new isolette was retrieved and set up. I cleaned up, but we left shortly thereafter.
Let's just say, we made sure there was always a nurse around every time we changed him from then on.
Looking on the bright side, changing diapers for many years for two boys, I was never ever once peed on. So I have that going for me.
The boys were still in the NICU at Brigham and Women's and we were spending one of the many Sunday's we spent at the hospital in the fall of 2007. They had finally been moved to NICU A, which was a step up from NICU B. It meant they weren't as critical which is always a good thing. There was also a little more room as there weren't as many isolettes.
They were still very young, about 8 weeks old or so I would guess (my memory of that time is a little fuzzy). Amy was over hanging out with Daniel and I was with Douglas. And of course, as luck would have it, it was time to change him. So of course I get everything prepared and open up the isolette. Now that they were in NICU A we didn't have to reach through these holes anymore. We could actually just open up the side of the isolette and put our whole arms in which was nice.
So I had everything prepared for the changing. I had the new diaper under the old one, wipes next to me all set to go. Now at this point, they weren't even in regular diapers. They were in these things called wee-pees. I'm not joking, they were so small because they boys were only about 4 pounds or so each, their bodies would have just been swallowed by a regular diaper. So I take off the tabs on the sides of the dirty diaper and lift up his legs to remove and.......
SSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!
That is my best attempt at onomatopoeia.. He unloaded this vile, green and brown fecal matter everywhere and it just wouldn't stop!! I mean all over my arm, the floor, the entire isolette, the wires, the monitor that was monitoring his heart rate, BP, O2 levels, etc.. Literally everywhere it could possibly be, it was.. So I'm standing there with poop all over the place trying not to yell for someone to help because you need to keep your voices down while in the NICU.. So I'm yelling at the highest level I can, which is about a normal talking level.. nurse... Nurse.. NURSE!! Finally I just couldn't deal anymore and a nurse came over and immediately doubled over in laughter.. Yeah, real funny.. although, I'm sure it had happened to her before which is probably why she was laughing.. She knew what it felt like..
So a janitor was called to clean up the floor and take the isolette away and have it hosed down.. Douglas had a quick bath while a new isolette was retrieved and set up. I cleaned up, but we left shortly thereafter.
Let's just say, we made sure there was always a nurse around every time we changed him from then on.
Looking on the bright side, changing diapers for many years for two boys, I was never ever once peed on. So I have that going for me.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Nail Biter
Not what you think.. I'm actually ADVOCATING for my children to be nail biters.. Well, not so much finger nails, but toe nails.. Yes, I know, gross..
But have you ever tried to cut a child's toe nails? Not the easiest task is it? Now try to cut that child's toe nails when he's on steroids?! And not figuratively, literally on the juice. Yeah, whole different ball game.. (no pun intended). Ok, pun intended.
The trick seems to be sitting on the off leg, as well as some of the 2nd leg while holding the foot of the nails you want to cut. Also, letting them smack you in the butt seems to be a good way of distracting them while you cut their nails. Plus, they think it's funny and concentrate less on you clipping. Trust me, whatever works.
Either way, I will be super happy when the day comes that they can cut their own nails. And shower. And wipe. And tie their shoes. And brush their teeth. And..
But have you ever tried to cut a child's toe nails? Not the easiest task is it? Now try to cut that child's toe nails when he's on steroids?! And not figuratively, literally on the juice. Yeah, whole different ball game.. (no pun intended). Ok, pun intended.
The trick seems to be sitting on the off leg, as well as some of the 2nd leg while holding the foot of the nails you want to cut. Also, letting them smack you in the butt seems to be a good way of distracting them while you cut their nails. Plus, they think it's funny and concentrate less on you clipping. Trust me, whatever works.
Either way, I will be super happy when the day comes that they can cut their own nails. And shower. And wipe. And tie their shoes. And brush their teeth. And..
Monday, March 11, 2013
Baby-Proofing
Should you do it? Yes you should. Is it necessary to wrap everything in your house with bubble wrap? No. Kids need to learn boundaries.
Take the proper precautions like putting covers on the outlets. We put safety locks on the cabinets in the kitchen that they could reach. We made sure to tell them what was and what was not acceptable. What they could open and what they couldn't. However, that only goes so far depending on your kids.
We were at a friend's house one day when my boys were about 18 months or so. Then one of mine comes up to me with the lock that was on my friend's entertainment center cabinet and hands it to me. So much for that child proofing!
But we have a coffee table that has some sharp corners. I think I've gotten hurt on them more than the boys have. But if they did get hurt, they would learn to be careful and not to play around the coffee table.
I'm not advocating doing nothing and just letting them go nuts all over the house and get hurt all the time. Take the necessary precautions when they start becoming mobile, but leave some things off the list and test them. Tell them no and that they are off limits and see how it goes. If they listen and understand, then slowly remove certain things as they get older. Before you know it, it'll be a non-issue for both the kids and the parents.
Take the proper precautions like putting covers on the outlets. We put safety locks on the cabinets in the kitchen that they could reach. We made sure to tell them what was and what was not acceptable. What they could open and what they couldn't. However, that only goes so far depending on your kids.
We were at a friend's house one day when my boys were about 18 months or so. Then one of mine comes up to me with the lock that was on my friend's entertainment center cabinet and hands it to me. So much for that child proofing!
But we have a coffee table that has some sharp corners. I think I've gotten hurt on them more than the boys have. But if they did get hurt, they would learn to be careful and not to play around the coffee table.
I'm not advocating doing nothing and just letting them go nuts all over the house and get hurt all the time. Take the necessary precautions when they start becoming mobile, but leave some things off the list and test them. Tell them no and that they are off limits and see how it goes. If they listen and understand, then slowly remove certain things as they get older. Before you know it, it'll be a non-issue for both the kids and the parents.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Running with Scissors
I have to admit, we're pretty lucky. Having twins enables us to sleep because they always have someone to play with. I also will not complain because if there is one thing we were blessed with it is good sleeping kids. On any given night they'll sleep 10 hours, straight through. And based on everything we've been through, we deserve at least that.
So we've conditioned them from a very young age that Saturdays and Sundays are for sleeping. So when they wake up, they usually either go downstairs to the playroom, go to the kitchen table and play with whatever game is available, or stay in their rooms and play with cars, build forts, etc.. But they know that Saturday and Sunday is for sleeping. Unless there's something going on, we can usually get to 8am, which is usually unheard of when you have kids.
After feeling my heart in my throat, I took a deep breath knowing that they were fine so clearly nothing bad had happened. I asked them to show me what they did. They walked me into the kitchen, opened the kitchen drawer and pulled out the pair of scissors they used. They even said, "and we carried it like you showed us", which is with your hand over the closed blades. Hey, I gotta give them points for at least listening. Since their hands are not strong enough to open the scissors, it looks like it was a team effort. They got the cellophane open, put the scissors back, shut the drawer and played the game.
Now, there is no way I can be mad really. I WANT them to be more self-sufficient. I WANT them to be independent and take care of things I know they can. I WANT them to work together to come up with solutions to problems. I just didn't think it would happen so quickly!
So I explained to them that while I was very impressed at what they did, that they always needed to be careful when utilizing scissors or any sharp object and never to run with them. They understood.
Now, if I could only get them to pour their milk for their cereal...
So we've conditioned them from a very young age that Saturdays and Sundays are for sleeping. So when they wake up, they usually either go downstairs to the playroom, go to the kitchen table and play with whatever game is available, or stay in their rooms and play with cars, build forts, etc.. But they know that Saturday and Sunday is for sleeping. Unless there's something going on, we can usually get to 8am, which is usually unheard of when you have kids.
So for Hanukkah the boys got Trouble and Sorry as gifts. How apropos, right? Anyway, Trouble was already opened and played ad nauseum, although it is a fun game. Sorry was still in the cellophane wrapping. They came into our bedroom Saturday morning and asked if we could come downstairs, open it and play. It was too early so we said play Trouble for a bit and well come down soon, open Sorry and we'll play. I came downstairs shortly thereafter to walk the dog only to find the Sorry board game open, set up on the living room floor with the two of them quietly playing. Reluctantly, I asked how they got the game open. And of course, the answer was "with scissors".
After feeling my heart in my throat, I took a deep breath knowing that they were fine so clearly nothing bad had happened. I asked them to show me what they did. They walked me into the kitchen, opened the kitchen drawer and pulled out the pair of scissors they used. They even said, "and we carried it like you showed us", which is with your hand over the closed blades. Hey, I gotta give them points for at least listening. Since their hands are not strong enough to open the scissors, it looks like it was a team effort. They got the cellophane open, put the scissors back, shut the drawer and played the game.
Now, there is no way I can be mad really. I WANT them to be more self-sufficient. I WANT them to be independent and take care of things I know they can. I WANT them to work together to come up with solutions to problems. I just didn't think it would happen so quickly!
So I explained to them that while I was very impressed at what they did, that they always needed to be careful when utilizing scissors or any sharp object and never to run with them. They understood.
Now, if I could only get them to pour their milk for their cereal...
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Beach, Part 2
I wrote a blog about 6 weeks ago called The Beach. This is Part 2.
The boys have pretty much always had tie-sneakers. We wanted them to get in the habit of having to have their shoes tied (whether by us or eventually themselves) and not always rely on velcro. Otherwise, it might be harder to break them of the habit later on. However, 1 pair was getting too small, very small and the other child's was falling apart. We had received a pair of sneakers for each from a relative who works in the industry, unfortunately they were too big. Like clown shoes. Even stuffing newspaper in the top would not have helped.
So I had to set out and find sneakers. I got the last 2 pairs of sneakers at Target that were their sizes, but they were velcro. No big deal, I'm sure it'll be fine.
They liked their new sneakers which is good. And the first day they came home from school I ask, like I always do "Did you play outside today"? And they answered how the usually do "yes". I said ok, you know what to do.. This means go sit on the front steps and take off your sneakers and shake them out from all the sand that we all know somehow accumulates in their sneakers (and usually ends up all over the house).
Well, I am then told that they don't have any sand. I said you played outside right? They said yes, so I said well then you have to have sand in there. It's only happened every day since they've been going to school there so why should today be any different.
I don't know what magical properties these velcro sneakers have but wouldn't you know it the little buggers were right.. NO SAND!!! And they haven't had sand in their sneakers 1 day since switching to velcro.
If I had known that velcro sneakers were the secret to not having sand all over my house, I certainly would not have worried about them wearing tie shoes.
Next up though is teaching them how to tie their shoes. However I should not be the one to do this. But that is another blog for another day.
The boys have pretty much always had tie-sneakers. We wanted them to get in the habit of having to have their shoes tied (whether by us or eventually themselves) and not always rely on velcro. Otherwise, it might be harder to break them of the habit later on. However, 1 pair was getting too small, very small and the other child's was falling apart. We had received a pair of sneakers for each from a relative who works in the industry, unfortunately they were too big. Like clown shoes. Even stuffing newspaper in the top would not have helped.
So I had to set out and find sneakers. I got the last 2 pairs of sneakers at Target that were their sizes, but they were velcro. No big deal, I'm sure it'll be fine.
They liked their new sneakers which is good. And the first day they came home from school I ask, like I always do "Did you play outside today"? And they answered how the usually do "yes". I said ok, you know what to do.. This means go sit on the front steps and take off your sneakers and shake them out from all the sand that we all know somehow accumulates in their sneakers (and usually ends up all over the house).
Well, I am then told that they don't have any sand. I said you played outside right? They said yes, so I said well then you have to have sand in there. It's only happened every day since they've been going to school there so why should today be any different.
I don't know what magical properties these velcro sneakers have but wouldn't you know it the little buggers were right.. NO SAND!!! And they haven't had sand in their sneakers 1 day since switching to velcro.
If I had known that velcro sneakers were the secret to not having sand all over my house, I certainly would not have worried about them wearing tie shoes.
Next up though is teaching them how to tie their shoes. However I should not be the one to do this. But that is another blog for another day.
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