So we're in the car recently and a song comes on the radio. Mitch says "Oh, I know this song." "It's Cecilia and the Satellite". I said that's correct and it's by Andrew McMahon. (I will forever believe that it should be sung by the band Phoenix, but I digress). Anyway, I said the scroll on my radio also says In The Wildnerness.
So naturally, I say that the word wilderness has a bonus letter. Quickly the conversation devolved into a 1st grade (now 2nd grade) grammar conversation about bonus letters, digraphs and the like. I asked what makes a bonus letter and the answer was it has to have a short vowel sound that precedes the double letter f, l, s and sometimes z. So we all took turns thinking of examples of bonus letter words.
The conversation between us went back and forth for a few minutes until Mitch finally says, "you know dad, sometimes I think we're the teachers and you're the student".
I couldn't agree more Mitch.. I couldn't agree more.
Rock Fists
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
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.
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.
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
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!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Relocation
So when I was 12 my parents built a house on the other side of town and we moved. But it wasn't just any ordinary move. To be honest, I really don't even remember packing anything. I don't remember packing up my clothes in bags or suitcases. I don't remember going through my toys seeing what I could donate, take with me or throw out. I really don't remember the house being in disarray from all the boxes, etc.
But what I do remember is that I left my old house to go to school on one school bus and came home to my new house on another school bus. So there I am, walking to the bus stop periodically looking back to the only home I'd ever known knowing I'd never step foot in that house again. (back then they actually had a designated bus stop where kids in the neighborhood would all congregate instead of everyone being picked up at the end of their driveway, but I digress)
The best thing though was that when I was 10 we went to Florida and Cape Canaveral. I was very much into space and I got a Space Shuttle sticker. I put it on my bedroom door as kids tend to do. However, when we sold the house, I tried to scrape it off. Yeah, not so much.. I went to school with the girl whose parents bought the house. She got my room and yelled at me because now she had this partially scratched off space shuttle sticker on her door.. She never spoke to me again. Oh well.
Back to the story. It was really weird. It's still weird to this day to be honest. However it got even weirder, I think when the same type of scenario happened recently. We sold our townhouse and as I'm driving the Twinado to school that last day I reminded them, as I had every day for the previous month that we were going to a different house. We took pictures on the front steps of the house before we left and once we got in the car and went to school, they had already forgotten all about it. They were picked up after school and it was no different than any other day, except they didn't go back to their old house, they went to the new one.
It really is amazing to watch the kids and what phases them and what doesn't. I didn't push, I didn't make a big deal out of it. I just let them deal with it in their own way, which turned out not to be a big deal at all..
But what I do remember is that I left my old house to go to school on one school bus and came home to my new house on another school bus. So there I am, walking to the bus stop periodically looking back to the only home I'd ever known knowing I'd never step foot in that house again. (back then they actually had a designated bus stop where kids in the neighborhood would all congregate instead of everyone being picked up at the end of their driveway, but I digress)
The best thing though was that when I was 10 we went to Florida and Cape Canaveral. I was very much into space and I got a Space Shuttle sticker. I put it on my bedroom door as kids tend to do. However, when we sold the house, I tried to scrape it off. Yeah, not so much.. I went to school with the girl whose parents bought the house. She got my room and yelled at me because now she had this partially scratched off space shuttle sticker on her door.. She never spoke to me again. Oh well.
Back to the story. It was really weird. It's still weird to this day to be honest. However it got even weirder, I think when the same type of scenario happened recently. We sold our townhouse and as I'm driving the Twinado to school that last day I reminded them, as I had every day for the previous month that we were going to a different house. We took pictures on the front steps of the house before we left and once we got in the car and went to school, they had already forgotten all about it. They were picked up after school and it was no different than any other day, except they didn't go back to their old house, they went to the new one.
It really is amazing to watch the kids and what phases them and what doesn't. I didn't push, I didn't make a big deal out of it. I just let them deal with it in their own way, which turned out not to be a big deal at all..
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Prodigy
Everyone thinks their kid is a prodigy of something.. Whether they can hit a golf ball at 2 (my son is the next Tiger Woods) or they can write their name at 3 (they're going to become the next great author), and so on and so forth.
Truth is, prodigal-type talent is mostly inherited. I have no concrete data to back that up, but just indulge me here. My guess is the reason Jason Bonham is such a kick ass drummer is because his father was such a kick ass drummer. And when you are around that type of environment when you are growing up, the part of you that inherited it comes out if fostered correctly. That doesn't mean that kids who don't have John Bonham as their father won't grow up to be amazing drummers, it just helps a little bit..
But don't worry if your child isn't exhibiting signs of being a prodigy of athletics, mathematics, science or anything for that matter. Sometimes a kid is just a kid. The majority of them are. I took the Twinado bowling by myself this Sat morning and then we spent a few hours outside at the playground, the soccer field and the track. Man, were they pooped! (and so was I). They got great exercise on a gorgeous early spring day and now they are relaxing because they are tired. Sometimes I think we push our kids too hard because it's important to have them try so many different things to figure out what they like and what the don't.
Sometimes we just need to let them be kids and I think they'll figure that out all in good time.
Oh, by the way, this is prodigy drummer I recently saw on the interwebs.. He's 6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g1qg9myFCqw
Truth is, prodigal-type talent is mostly inherited. I have no concrete data to back that up, but just indulge me here. My guess is the reason Jason Bonham is such a kick ass drummer is because his father was such a kick ass drummer. And when you are around that type of environment when you are growing up, the part of you that inherited it comes out if fostered correctly. That doesn't mean that kids who don't have John Bonham as their father won't grow up to be amazing drummers, it just helps a little bit..
But don't worry if your child isn't exhibiting signs of being a prodigy of athletics, mathematics, science or anything for that matter. Sometimes a kid is just a kid. The majority of them are. I took the Twinado bowling by myself this Sat morning and then we spent a few hours outside at the playground, the soccer field and the track. Man, were they pooped! (and so was I). They got great exercise on a gorgeous early spring day and now they are relaxing because they are tired. Sometimes I think we push our kids too hard because it's important to have them try so many different things to figure out what they like and what the don't.
Sometimes we just need to let them be kids and I think they'll figure that out all in good time.
Oh, by the way, this is prodigy drummer I recently saw on the interwebs.. He's 6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g1qg9myFCqw
Monday, February 25, 2013
Bottles for daycare
If you're sending your kids to daycare like we did, they need to have all the bottles made and ready for the entire day. This meant 2 kids, 6 bottles/day while at school = 12 bottles to make. Every day. Just for school.
So don't kill yourself making each bottle individually. Go get yourself a couple of pitchers. You can get them anywhere. You used to make strawberry daiquiris in them before you had twins, remember?
Make sure each child has his own pitcher and write his name on it so there is no confusion. The last thing you want to do is mix up the formulas. We had 1 child with a milk protein allergy so he was on Neutramegin, which was one of the most foul smelling odors I've ever smelled. I still can't even believe he drank it, but he did. The other one was on Enfamil AR, which is pretty common.
Mix the right amount of formula with water so there is enough for all 6 bottles. Do this the night before and put it in the fridge for the morning. Pour the bottles in the morning and you're good to go. Before going to bed that night (obviously after washing all 12 bottles and the pitcher), make the pitchers again and put in the fridge.
While it doesn't seem like much time is saved, believe it or not making the pitchers and not the individual bottles saved enough time for us to maybe eat breakfast in the morning or perhaps snooze once or twice.
And in the world of having children, not just twins, those two things are gold.
So don't kill yourself making each bottle individually. Go get yourself a couple of pitchers. You can get them anywhere. You used to make strawberry daiquiris in them before you had twins, remember?
Make sure each child has his own pitcher and write his name on it so there is no confusion. The last thing you want to do is mix up the formulas. We had 1 child with a milk protein allergy so he was on Neutramegin, which was one of the most foul smelling odors I've ever smelled. I still can't even believe he drank it, but he did. The other one was on Enfamil AR, which is pretty common.
Mix the right amount of formula with water so there is enough for all 6 bottles. Do this the night before and put it in the fridge for the morning. Pour the bottles in the morning and you're good to go. Before going to bed that night (obviously after washing all 12 bottles and the pitcher), make the pitchers again and put in the fridge.
While it doesn't seem like much time is saved, believe it or not making the pitchers and not the individual bottles saved enough time for us to maybe eat breakfast in the morning or perhaps snooze once or twice.
And in the world of having children, not just twins, those two things are gold.
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.
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Beach
No, not that awful movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, the real beach. You know the one I'm talking about.. No, not that one.. The one that appears inside your children's sneakers from daycare.
I never thought it would be possible to have a pound of sand in each shoe when they didn't really go to the beach. (While I didn't actually weigh it, by the amount that ends up in the dust buster, I can only imagine it's that much). Plus, their shoes aren't even that big! They are wearing sizes 9 and 9.5 in kids! How do they even have room for their feet with so much sand?! Yet, every day when they come home and rip off their sneakers, there they are on the tile in front of the door, piles of sand. It's kind of a running joke between many of the parents because we all know what we're talking about when we say "the beach". "Oh did you go to the beach today?" "No, the beach came to us!"
The good thing about the winter is the lack of sand in their shoes. However, then there's the snow. I guess the beach isn't so bad after all.
I never thought it would be possible to have a pound of sand in each shoe when they didn't really go to the beach. (While I didn't actually weigh it, by the amount that ends up in the dust buster, I can only imagine it's that much). Plus, their shoes aren't even that big! They are wearing sizes 9 and 9.5 in kids! How do they even have room for their feet with so much sand?! Yet, every day when they come home and rip off their sneakers, there they are on the tile in front of the door, piles of sand. It's kind of a running joke between many of the parents because we all know what we're talking about when we say "the beach". "Oh did you go to the beach today?" "No, the beach came to us!"
The good thing about the winter is the lack of sand in their shoes. However, then there's the snow. I guess the beach isn't so bad after all.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Best of You
We made a conscious decision when we had the boys (at some point when we were conscious, but I'm not quite sure I remember when that was) that the one place we had that was sacred was our cars. No kids music in our cars. Period. We were going to listen to what we liked and they were going to deal with it. And it actually worked. That decision has paid enormous dividends already as our kids go around singing Foo Fighters, Green Day, Beastie Boys (you gotta hear that shit, it's pretty funny). It makes long car rides that much more enjoyable when instead of Sesame Street we're listening to Marilyn Manson covering "This is Halloween" from Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas. For whatever reason, they're not scared.
So one day while on the way to school and listening to Foo Fighters, I told them that mommy and daddy have seen the Foo Fighters twice in concert. So naturally, the next question is "Can we go see the Foo Fighters?" Now, of course, these are the kids who used to go screaming from the vacuum cleaner because it was too loud.. They're supposed to sit through 3 hours of Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and company?
So naturally I said, "well, when you're older". But why? Do we shield our kids from certain things just because of their age too much? What if my boys were 10? Would it be ok then? Does everyone's first concert have to James Taylor or the Moody Blues? My first concert wasn't until I was 16 (Steve Miller Band on the lawn at Great Woods). But since there's no lawn anymore as well as it not being called Great Woods for many years, I don't go too often).
When I was 10 years old there was this huge pop star named Michael Jackson. You might have heard of him. He was kind of a big deal. He was coming to the Boston Garden on tour and my sister and I wanted to go. We were told no. Sorry mom, but looking back that would have been the most kick-ass show to say my first concert was Michael Jackson in the mid-80s. I'm over it, but I digress. The reason was because I was too young. But I think that an experience like that could shape people. What if going to that show at 10 years old brought out some love of music I didn't know I had. Maybe then I wouldn't have had to fake play the clarinet later that year in my elementary school concert because I had no idea what I was doing. We just don't know.
Life is all about experiences and what you take from them and make from them. So while taking my 4 year olds to see the Foo Fighters would probably be a little irresponsible, I'd say the show is quite possibly in their near future. Because you never know, maybe it'll open up something inside of them that makes them the next Dave Grohl. (Oh that would be so awesome).
So one day while on the way to school and listening to Foo Fighters, I told them that mommy and daddy have seen the Foo Fighters twice in concert. So naturally, the next question is "Can we go see the Foo Fighters?" Now, of course, these are the kids who used to go screaming from the vacuum cleaner because it was too loud.. They're supposed to sit through 3 hours of Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and company?
So naturally I said, "well, when you're older". But why? Do we shield our kids from certain things just because of their age too much? What if my boys were 10? Would it be ok then? Does everyone's first concert have to James Taylor or the Moody Blues? My first concert wasn't until I was 16 (Steve Miller Band on the lawn at Great Woods). But since there's no lawn anymore as well as it not being called Great Woods for many years, I don't go too often).
When I was 10 years old there was this huge pop star named Michael Jackson. You might have heard of him. He was kind of a big deal. He was coming to the Boston Garden on tour and my sister and I wanted to go. We were told no. Sorry mom, but looking back that would have been the most kick-ass show to say my first concert was Michael Jackson in the mid-80s. I'm over it, but I digress. The reason was because I was too young. But I think that an experience like that could shape people. What if going to that show at 10 years old brought out some love of music I didn't know I had. Maybe then I wouldn't have had to fake play the clarinet later that year in my elementary school concert because I had no idea what I was doing. We just don't know.
Life is all about experiences and what you take from them and make from them. So while taking my 4 year olds to see the Foo Fighters would probably be a little irresponsible, I'd say the show is quite possibly in their near future. Because you never know, maybe it'll open up something inside of them that makes them the next Dave Grohl. (Oh that would be so awesome).
Monday, June 18, 2012
Used Car Amenities
So a long time ago, somewhere around 1998 I graduated college.. I had gotten a job and needed a car. However, not just any car. I didn't want another used car with those used car amenities. I wanted a new car. You know, one that started when you turned the key and and when you turned on the AC cold air blew in instead of hot air.. I was stupid as all college graduates really are and I got a car with "new car amenities"..
However one thing I still could not have, regardless of the car I bought was the ability to listen to a song anytime I wanted. Or, better yet, be able to see what the song title was and who was singing it. I mean, that was futuristic stuff in the late 90s! (This was just starting to come out and was a top option in available models)
Fast forward 14 years and we have satellite radio, ipods and in many cars the text button. Press this and on some stations it will tell you what song is playing and who the artist is. This feature is standard for my children. They will never know what it is like not to know the title and/or artist of the song currently playing. And, for some reason if you are not blessed with this feature, yup there's an app for that. I have an app on my phone as a lot of people do where if you launch it and hold it up to the speaker, it will not only tell you what the name of the song is and who is singing it, but the title of the album, it will scroll the lyrics for you and you can also download the song to your itunes with the touch of a button. And, if you are so inclined to want to tell people what you are listening to, you can post it to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Crazy.. I love it.
But I feel like the boys are missing out. They'll never know what it's like only to have 5 or 6 channels. They'll never know what it's like to actually BE the remote control for someone (raise your hand if you ever sat close to the TV for the sole purpose of being close enough so when your parent or older sibling told you to change the channel, you didn't have to move that much). Keep em up.. That's right..
They'll never know what it's like to think "Argh, I forgot to set the VCR"! Or worse, you remembered to set the VCR, but forgot to rewind the tape! now not only do many people have DVR's, but you can set it from a computer and even your phone! They'll never know what it's like to sit in front of your boombox for half an hour because the DJ said that coming up was your favorite song. And while you're waiting you set up the cassette in the boombox all ready to hit play and record together so you can record your favorite song. And then when you want to play it, you can just hit rewind and then stop. Then play. Realize you still have about half the song to go and then rewind some more, stop. Play. Almost there. Rewind and stop. Play. Rewind stop! Rewind stop! Yeah you remember doing that..
Now my 4 year olds just go to the ipod, hit itunes and play (they even have their own playlist of songs and artists they like). For example, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys and Green Day are in heavy rotation. Or, take the ipad, turn on Pandora, choose a station and hit play. When they want to watch something? On mand (On Demand to the rest of us). For other shows and movies not on mand? Sure, why not. There's Netflix. Hit a few buttons on the remote and there you go! Instant Gratification.
I have a feeling that on the way to school on Tuesday, I just might not tell them who is singing the song on the radio. I gotta have a little fun right?
However one thing I still could not have, regardless of the car I bought was the ability to listen to a song anytime I wanted. Or, better yet, be able to see what the song title was and who was singing it. I mean, that was futuristic stuff in the late 90s! (This was just starting to come out and was a top option in available models)
Fast forward 14 years and we have satellite radio, ipods and in many cars the text button. Press this and on some stations it will tell you what song is playing and who the artist is. This feature is standard for my children. They will never know what it is like not to know the title and/or artist of the song currently playing. And, for some reason if you are not blessed with this feature, yup there's an app for that. I have an app on my phone as a lot of people do where if you launch it and hold it up to the speaker, it will not only tell you what the name of the song is and who is singing it, but the title of the album, it will scroll the lyrics for you and you can also download the song to your itunes with the touch of a button. And, if you are so inclined to want to tell people what you are listening to, you can post it to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Crazy.. I love it.
But I feel like the boys are missing out. They'll never know what it's like only to have 5 or 6 channels. They'll never know what it's like to actually BE the remote control for someone (raise your hand if you ever sat close to the TV for the sole purpose of being close enough so when your parent or older sibling told you to change the channel, you didn't have to move that much). Keep em up.. That's right..
They'll never know what it's like to think "Argh, I forgot to set the VCR"! Or worse, you remembered to set the VCR, but forgot to rewind the tape! now not only do many people have DVR's, but you can set it from a computer and even your phone! They'll never know what it's like to sit in front of your boombox for half an hour because the DJ said that coming up was your favorite song. And while you're waiting you set up the cassette in the boombox all ready to hit play and record together so you can record your favorite song. And then when you want to play it, you can just hit rewind and then stop. Then play. Realize you still have about half the song to go and then rewind some more, stop. Play. Almost there. Rewind and stop. Play. Rewind stop! Rewind stop! Yeah you remember doing that..
Now my 4 year olds just go to the ipod, hit itunes and play (they even have their own playlist of songs and artists they like). For example, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys and Green Day are in heavy rotation. Or, take the ipad, turn on Pandora, choose a station and hit play. When they want to watch something? On mand (On Demand to the rest of us). For other shows and movies not on mand? Sure, why not. There's Netflix. Hit a few buttons on the remote and there you go! Instant Gratification.
I have a feeling that on the way to school on Tuesday, I just might not tell them who is singing the song on the radio. I gotta have a little fun right?
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Perfect Day
Boys, it's time to get up! The Daniel and Douglas 500 has begun!!
Both kids hop out of bed with the anticipation of a great day ahead. They go potty all by themselves, including washing and drying their hands completely. They both handle getting dressed with no issues or whining, including those pesky socks. They head back into the bathroom to brush their teeth themselves. Now I'm starting to get curious.
They head downstairs and get bagels for breakfast. I help them spread the cream cheese and pour the milk. They eat and chat with no problems or spills. After they're finished they bring their plates and cups into the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. Now I'm starting to get intrigued.
They then put on their sneakers and I help them tie their shoes (they are still 4 after all). They put on their coats (including zippers), gloves and hats and get into the car. They buckle themselves in with no problems. Now I'm starting to get worried.
I make it to school right on time. They unbuckle themselves, grab their lunches from the front seat and head into school. They hang up their jackets on the proper hooks and put their lunches away. They give a cursory wave and say goodbye daddy as they dive into some legos.
I come home from work and the boys are already quietly eating dinner. After dinner it's upstairs and into the bath. There's no whining, no fighting, they willingly go into the bath and play. No problems washing and getting them into pajamas and all ready for bed. We read a few books and then they climb into bed, cover themselves and are out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. We shut the door and quietly say good night, but they are already asleep.
We look at each other in amazement and wonder if this was in fact the perfect d..
EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! SMACK!!!
Oh, it's 6am already? I shut off my alarm realizing that the perfect day was all a dream.
Ladies and Gentle-cars! It's time for today's Daniel and Douglas 500!!!
Boys, Start Your Engines!!!
Douglas : "Va-Roooooooooooom"!!!
Daniel : "Ugh".. Proceeds to roll over..
Yeah, that's more like it.
Both kids hop out of bed with the anticipation of a great day ahead. They go potty all by themselves, including washing and drying their hands completely. They both handle getting dressed with no issues or whining, including those pesky socks. They head back into the bathroom to brush their teeth themselves. Now I'm starting to get curious.
They head downstairs and get bagels for breakfast. I help them spread the cream cheese and pour the milk. They eat and chat with no problems or spills. After they're finished they bring their plates and cups into the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. Now I'm starting to get intrigued.
They then put on their sneakers and I help them tie their shoes (they are still 4 after all). They put on their coats (including zippers), gloves and hats and get into the car. They buckle themselves in with no problems. Now I'm starting to get worried.
I make it to school right on time. They unbuckle themselves, grab their lunches from the front seat and head into school. They hang up their jackets on the proper hooks and put their lunches away. They give a cursory wave and say goodbye daddy as they dive into some legos.
I come home from work and the boys are already quietly eating dinner. After dinner it's upstairs and into the bath. There's no whining, no fighting, they willingly go into the bath and play. No problems washing and getting them into pajamas and all ready for bed. We read a few books and then they climb into bed, cover themselves and are out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. We shut the door and quietly say good night, but they are already asleep.
We look at each other in amazement and wonder if this was in fact the perfect d..
EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! EH! SMACK!!!
Oh, it's 6am already? I shut off my alarm realizing that the perfect day was all a dream.
Ladies and Gentle-cars! It's time for today's Daniel and Douglas 500!!!
Boys, Start Your Engines!!!
Douglas : "Va-Roooooooooooom"!!!
Daniel : "Ugh".. Proceeds to roll over..
Yeah, that's more like it.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Max and Mitch 500
Door swings open.. Lights are flicked on..
"Ladies and Gentle-cars! It's Monday, December 12th and it's time for today's Max and Mitch 500!!"
"Boys, Start Your Engines!!!"
Mitch: "Va-Roooooooooooom"!!!
Max: "Ugh".. Proceeds to roll over..
Can you guess which one is the morning person?
"Ladies and Gentle-cars! It's Monday, December 12th and it's time for today's Max and Mitch 500!!"
"Boys, Start Your Engines!!!"
Mitch: "Va-Roooooooooooom"!!!
Max: "Ugh".. Proceeds to roll over..
Can you guess which one is the morning person?
Friday, October 21, 2011
Weekend at Thaler's
It's an All Testosterone weekend here at Casa de Thaler.. Amy is off with Cadi (our beloved 4 legged friend) to Maine for the weekend to visit friends for her birthday. A nice getaway she desperately needs and deserves..
Surprisingly enough the boys were in a great mood.. Usually by the end of the week they are so exhausted Friday nights are easy.. They're in bed pretty early and asleep not long after laying their cute little heads down on the Spiderman pillow cases.. However this week has been a little different..
Mitch had been running a high fever off and on since Sunday evening.. It would go up to 102 and then back down to 97. Max had a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning so when I went to drop him off, daycare told me that Mitch wasn't feeling well. They took his temp and it was 101.8. Looks like I was working from home. He slept for the afternoon and woke up drenched like one of those hot summer nights with no air conditioning. I figured his fever broke so he'd be good to go.
Unfortunately, he woke up Wednesday morning and his back could have lit a camp fire it was so hot.. I decided it was time to see what was up.. We sent Max to school and took Mitch to the doctor. He was such a rock star! Normally he's pretty good, but this was different. He was pleasant and courteous, he did everything the doctor asked him to and when it came time for the strep test, he just stuck out his tongue and said "ahh".. I was beginning to think this wasn't Mitch at all and he had been switched with some other kid.. But I digress.. It came back positive so he wasn't going anywhere for the rest of the day. Naturally, I was working from home again. This time, he did not sleep. He was eating, playing, jumping, had so much energy I didn't understand it.. Yes, he had a fever but he had all the energy of a normal 4 year old. Thankfully, he still allowed me to get work done because he plays well on his own. Had no problem also just chilling and watching a movie either. And then, he crashed.. Right in his SpongeBob Mac and Cheese.. Just passed out mid forkful while watching The Backyardigans. I didn't have the heart to move him (the fork was no longer in his mouth) so I just let him sleep for a bit..
Naturally, the phone rings and it's school. Max has a temp of 102 and needs to go home.. Well, I know where he's going instead; straight to the doctor for a rapid strep test. If Mitch has strep and his only symptom is a high fever, I can guarantee you that Max has strep too. I was more sure of this than I was the Patriots were going to cover the 14 point spread in the 02 Super Bowl.. (I even put $35 on it I was so sure).. Yes, I know.. lame..
So when Mitch woke up we went to pick up Max.. Sure enough, he comes bounding down the hallway, all excited, shows me the artwork he made and has no idea he's even sick.. We go to the doctor's office and while we're waiting I hear "Daddy, I gotta go pee". Ugh, OK. So the three of us cram into this little bathroom that an adult would have trouble fitting into never mind an adult and two 4 year olds.. So Mitch goes pee, which I guess I should just be happy he told me.. And we walk out and sure enough, they had called our name. So Max immediately says "I don't want a shot!".. I had to reassure him he wasn't getting a shot, he was just going to have a couple of large Q Tips shoved down this throat.. Hmm.. I wonder if the shot wasn't a better option..
Anyway, while waiting for the results, yes of course, Max says he has go to potty. Once again we cram into the bathroom the size of an apartment in the East Village and he does his business. Finally, the nurse comes out and says "Positive!" and I literally threw my arms up in the air in delight.. Listen, I don't want my kids to be sick, but if I have to be home anyway with one, it's only a matter of time before the other one gets it. I'd rather them be sick at the same time and start them on meds at the same time so they can be done at the same time. It just makes life easier. Like when parents send their kids to chicken pox parties.. Do parents still do that anymore?
Knowing I'd be home with Max all day Thursday, I let them sleep a little later hoping they would feel well when they woke up. We sent Mitch to school because it had almost been 24 hours since he started the meds and he had already had 3 doses by the time he went. Max however had to stay in the car because he had to stay away from school during his "contagious" period. You would have thought the world was ending.. Remember the scene in Just One of the Guys where the two aliens are picked to be on separate teams for gym dodge ball? Remember the awful nails on a blackboard, ear-drum puncturing screech they made while being pulled apart? Yeah, it was something like that.. They have absolutely zero separation anxiety from us (which I love), but from each other is a different story. Cute, yet sometimes a little annoying..
I had 2 RFP's (Request For Proposal) and a client pitch to work on while my boss is on vacation so at least there was nothing going on. Max for some reason wanted to watch the show Chuck. Not that prime program on NBC, this was a show about a truck named Chuck and his adventures with his friends. GENIUS! Just add that to another list of great ideas I didn't have. However since there was only 1 Chuck episode On Demand (or On Mand as they like to call it) he watched it 5 times in a row.. I thought of sticking a pen in my ears so I didn't have to hear the theme song anymore..
By the time Amy came home from picking Mitch up I was lying on the floor almost passed out while Max watched some movie I didn't know we owned. The Reef? Kind of like a budget Finding Nemo I think.. Never seen it before. They both went to school today and were totally fine. No problems at all. I completed my portion of 1 RFP and went to the client presentation. Just 1 more RFP to go.
And now, we get to tonight.. After work Amy drove to Maine with Cadi and it was chicken patties and homemade pizza bagels for dinner. Of course served with a healthy does of Super Hero Squad.
Surprisingly enough the boys were in a great mood.. Usually by the end of the week they are so exhausted Friday nights are easy.. They're in bed pretty early and asleep not long after laying their cute little heads down on the Spiderman pillow cases.. However this week has been a little different..
Mitch had been running a high fever off and on since Sunday evening.. It would go up to 102 and then back down to 97. Max had a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning so when I went to drop him off, daycare told me that Mitch wasn't feeling well. They took his temp and it was 101.8. Looks like I was working from home. He slept for the afternoon and woke up drenched like one of those hot summer nights with no air conditioning. I figured his fever broke so he'd be good to go.
Unfortunately, he woke up Wednesday morning and his back could have lit a camp fire it was so hot.. I decided it was time to see what was up.. We sent Max to school and took Mitch to the doctor. He was such a rock star! Normally he's pretty good, but this was different. He was pleasant and courteous, he did everything the doctor asked him to and when it came time for the strep test, he just stuck out his tongue and said "ahh".. I was beginning to think this wasn't Mitch at all and he had been switched with some other kid.. But I digress.. It came back positive so he wasn't going anywhere for the rest of the day. Naturally, I was working from home again. This time, he did not sleep. He was eating, playing, jumping, had so much energy I didn't understand it.. Yes, he had a fever but he had all the energy of a normal 4 year old. Thankfully, he still allowed me to get work done because he plays well on his own. Had no problem also just chilling and watching a movie either. And then, he crashed.. Right in his SpongeBob Mac and Cheese.. Just passed out mid forkful while watching The Backyardigans. I didn't have the heart to move him (the fork was no longer in his mouth) so I just let him sleep for a bit..
Naturally, the phone rings and it's school. Max has a temp of 102 and needs to go home.. Well, I know where he's going instead; straight to the doctor for a rapid strep test. If Mitch has strep and his only symptom is a high fever, I can guarantee you that Max has strep too. I was more sure of this than I was the Patriots were going to cover the 14 point spread in the 02 Super Bowl.. (I even put $35 on it I was so sure).. Yes, I know.. lame..
So when Mitch woke up we went to pick up Max.. Sure enough, he comes bounding down the hallway, all excited, shows me the artwork he made and has no idea he's even sick.. We go to the doctor's office and while we're waiting I hear "Daddy, I gotta go pee". Ugh, OK. So the three of us cram into this little bathroom that an adult would have trouble fitting into never mind an adult and two 4 year olds.. So Mitch goes pee, which I guess I should just be happy he told me.. And we walk out and sure enough, they had called our name. So Max immediately says "I don't want a shot!".. I had to reassure him he wasn't getting a shot, he was just going to have a couple of large Q Tips shoved down this throat.. Hmm.. I wonder if the shot wasn't a better option..
Anyway, while waiting for the results, yes of course, Max says he has go to potty. Once again we cram into the bathroom the size of an apartment in the East Village and he does his business. Finally, the nurse comes out and says "Positive!" and I literally threw my arms up in the air in delight.. Listen, I don't want my kids to be sick, but if I have to be home anyway with one, it's only a matter of time before the other one gets it. I'd rather them be sick at the same time and start them on meds at the same time so they can be done at the same time. It just makes life easier. Like when parents send their kids to chicken pox parties.. Do parents still do that anymore?
Knowing I'd be home with Max all day Thursday, I let them sleep a little later hoping they would feel well when they woke up. We sent Mitch to school because it had almost been 24 hours since he started the meds and he had already had 3 doses by the time he went. Max however had to stay in the car because he had to stay away from school during his "contagious" period. You would have thought the world was ending.. Remember the scene in Just One of the Guys where the two aliens are picked to be on separate teams for gym dodge ball? Remember the awful nails on a blackboard, ear-drum puncturing screech they made while being pulled apart? Yeah, it was something like that.. They have absolutely zero separation anxiety from us (which I love), but from each other is a different story. Cute, yet sometimes a little annoying..
I had 2 RFP's (Request For Proposal) and a client pitch to work on while my boss is on vacation so at least there was nothing going on. Max for some reason wanted to watch the show Chuck. Not that prime program on NBC, this was a show about a truck named Chuck and his adventures with his friends. GENIUS! Just add that to another list of great ideas I didn't have. However since there was only 1 Chuck episode On Demand (or On Mand as they like to call it) he watched it 5 times in a row.. I thought of sticking a pen in my ears so I didn't have to hear the theme song anymore..
By the time Amy came home from picking Mitch up I was lying on the floor almost passed out while Max watched some movie I didn't know we owned. The Reef? Kind of like a budget Finding Nemo I think.. Never seen it before. They both went to school today and were totally fine. No problems at all. I completed my portion of 1 RFP and went to the client presentation. Just 1 more RFP to go.
And now, we get to tonight.. After work Amy drove to Maine with Cadi and it was chicken patties and homemade pizza bagels for dinner. Of course served with a healthy does of Super Hero Squad.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Clown College
Took the boys to the circus recently. It is simply amazing the crap that they sell there, and what's even more amazing is the amount they charge for it! I will admit, I bought the boys these plastic cups with circus animals on them and they light up. They were just really big sno-cones. (FYI, the cups are still blinking, I think there is a date with the dumpster coming soon). It was just to stop the whining.. Like in Clue when Mr. Green (Michael McKeon) slaps Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) across the face and says the famous line "well I had to stop her from screaming!" Well I decided against the slapping (they kinda frown upon that) and just bought the sno-cones.. It worked.
Anyway, I never really went to the circus as a kid, not that I remember anyway.. So I believe this was only my second time there (my first being last year). My initial reaction last year was that there weren't as many animals as I had expected. And this year, there were even less. It's more of a Cirque Du Soliel show now than a circus. Trapeze artists, people hanging from the ceiling, people doing amazing stunts.. And then they mix in some elephants and lions.. But overall it was very cool.. The boys seemed to like it. Mitch was much more engaged this time than he was last year. It could be the age, they could be more mature, or perhaps he's interested in becoming a clown. And based on the rising costs of college tuition and what it's projected to be in 2024 when he's about to go (ugh, I did really just type that?) I wonder.. do they give scholarships for Clown College?
Anyway, I never really went to the circus as a kid, not that I remember anyway.. So I believe this was only my second time there (my first being last year). My initial reaction last year was that there weren't as many animals as I had expected. And this year, there were even less. It's more of a Cirque Du Soliel show now than a circus. Trapeze artists, people hanging from the ceiling, people doing amazing stunts.. And then they mix in some elephants and lions.. But overall it was very cool.. The boys seemed to like it. Mitch was much more engaged this time than he was last year. It could be the age, they could be more mature, or perhaps he's interested in becoming a clown. And based on the rising costs of college tuition and what it's projected to be in 2024 when he's about to go (ugh, I did really just type that?) I wonder.. do they give scholarships for Clown College?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Double Trouble
When I first found out we were having twins, the first thought that went through my head other than a big fat F bomb, was double everything. Double the diapers, double the clothes, double the cribs, double the Bar Mitzvah's.. Ok I jumped ahead on that one, but it's something you gotta think about.
But really right now, it's not so bad as they are pretty good at sharing so double the toys really isn't too necessary. They have their own beds and kinda share clothes now that they are the same relative size (more on that to come).
The real kicker right now is double the birthday parties.. And in more ways than one.. We decided to put them in separate classrooms. We felt that they relied on each other too much and wouldn't branch out socially if the other was always there. So when they became toddlers at school, we put them in separate classes and it seemed to work fine. However they do still wait for each other when it's time to go to the playground, and I'm ok with that. It's also kinda cute. But since they are in different classrooms, they are making different friends. Good so far. However different friends means more birthday parties.
So the standard pretty much is there are two kids, you get two presents. So if it's the boys' birthday party, more often than not they will receive 1 gift each from the child guest. If it's a close friend of ours obviously both boys will be invited and there will be two presents purchased for that birthday child. However, when it's another child's birthday say in Max's class, both boys will get invited because the parent knows they are twins. We're trying to move away from that and have Max invited to his friends' parties and vice versa for Mitch. It's challenging as they've pretty done everything and gone most everywhere together for the better part of 4 years, but if we don't do it now, it'll be harder to do when they are older.
Now, if we can only figure out how they can drive themselves there, we'd be all set.
But really right now, it's not so bad as they are pretty good at sharing so double the toys really isn't too necessary. They have their own beds and kinda share clothes now that they are the same relative size (more on that to come).
The real kicker right now is double the birthday parties.. And in more ways than one.. We decided to put them in separate classrooms. We felt that they relied on each other too much and wouldn't branch out socially if the other was always there. So when they became toddlers at school, we put them in separate classes and it seemed to work fine. However they do still wait for each other when it's time to go to the playground, and I'm ok with that. It's also kinda cute. But since they are in different classrooms, they are making different friends. Good so far. However different friends means more birthday parties.
So the standard pretty much is there are two kids, you get two presents. So if it's the boys' birthday party, more often than not they will receive 1 gift each from the child guest. If it's a close friend of ours obviously both boys will be invited and there will be two presents purchased for that birthday child. However, when it's another child's birthday say in Max's class, both boys will get invited because the parent knows they are twins. We're trying to move away from that and have Max invited to his friends' parties and vice versa for Mitch. It's challenging as they've pretty done everything and gone most everywhere together for the better part of 4 years, but if we don't do it now, it'll be harder to do when they are older.
Now, if we can only figure out how they can drive themselves there, we'd be all set.
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