Last year, we bought pumpkins but never got around to carving them. I wasn’t quite as lucky this year.
I like Halloween. I dislike the whole pumpkin thing.
It’s not so much the carving that I dislike, it’s gutting the gourd that I find gross. Stripping out all of those pumpkin guts is a dreadful job. It’s messy, smelly and slimy. No matter how careful you are, goop gets everywhere.
I took the boys to a pumpkin patch last week. We came home with a pair of pumpkins that were both the size of basketballs. They were a good size and shape for carving, though that didn’t make me any more excited about the job.
The only thing that did make me eager to take on the task was my sons’ enthusiasm. I have two boys. Peter is 23-months-old. Bubba is 3-years-old.
They had just one request for their pumpkins. “We want them to be scary,” they said.
I cut into the first pumpkin, thinking my older son would enjoy scooping out the orange innards. He was not at all interested. I didn’t even ask the youngest for assistance, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be any help.
When it came to carving, the boys scribbled their designs on paper. Then, I did my best to interpret those markings into frightening faces. The image above is what I came up with. I’m rather proud of them.
Of course, the 45-minute cleaning and carving was followed by a kitchen clean-up that lasted 2 hours. Pumpkin guts were everywhere. There was no way to avoid washing the floor. I find getting on my hands and knees to scrub floor tile far more frightening than anything I could carve into a pumpkin.
Here is a scenario that’s happened multiple times in our household over the last couple years. It may sound familiar to you.
We parents nag the kids about cleaning their rooms about 10 times (seems like a dozen).
You have even offered cash for the task. Meanwhile, important family things like nail clippers, the lid to a sports bottle, a dog leash, one of my slippers and my hairbrush have disappeared into the dark hole.
You know they are in there because you have checked all the other zones in the house.
Finally, you say, “I’ll help you clean your room.”
You slowly open the door and a new problem arises; it is so overwhelming, you don’t know where to start either.
I tell them, your great-grandmother (whom our youngest never met) would always say: “Make it do; Use it up; Wear it out; Do without.”
“If you like to waltz with potatoes;
Up and down the produce aisle…”
That’s how the VeggieTales Theme Song goes.
Generation after generation, the Veggie Tales have entertained kids of all denominations. Actually, scratch that; the Veggie Tales were introduced when our kids were babies, so it may not technically be considered “generation after generation.”
Our kids always enjoyed those videos and now the young relatives and kids that our kids work with on a regular basis are talking about the Veggie Tales. They are singing the Veggie Tales songs, too.
And that waltzing with potatoes line is exactly what we were singing one afternoon while processing two big bags of potatoes into curly fries to freeze and eat later.
Then, I remembered reading about the Idaho Potato Commission paying people to play a video game.
OMAHA, Neb. - I attended the At-Home Dad’s Convention (see group photo below) earlier this month. I left feeling like my batteries had been recharged. It’s a good thing too. The gray winter weather has set in even earlier this year. It’s going to take all the energy I’ve got to make it to spring.
Besides feeling reinvigorated towards my job, I also left with a notebook full of tidbits I thought were useful enough to write down. Here’s a glimpse inside my convention notes:
- Aaron Rochlen, a stay-at-home dad and researcher at the University of Texas, shared some of his latest findings as well as some of his personal experiences as an at-home dad. Among his first-hand stories, he noticed soon after the birth of his child that he seemed more adept at parenting than his wife. “I was the more skilled one. I was more patient with the newborn,” he said.
- In speaking about the stigma’s some dads face on the playground and elsewhere from stay-at-home moms, Rochlen said, “Most sexual predators are men, unfortunately. But most men are NOT sexual predators.”
- Speaking of stigmas faced by stay-at-home dads, Rochlen reminded the group that our working wives also face stigmas for going to work rather than tending to their children. He encouraged the group to recognize this stigma and address it accordingly.
- In the breakout session for dads with kids between 18-months-old and 3-years-old, one dad said that to deal with tantrums, he created a “safe room.” This allows the child to have his tantrum, but not within the designated room (in this case it was the kitchen). The child can throw a fit anywhere in the house, outside of the “safe room.” When tantrums erupt, the dad leaves and goes to the “safe room.” The child is free to join him, but only after he/she has calmed down.
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It’s normally a bad idea to stay up for the late-night talk shows. I’m a fan of both Conan O’Brien and David Letterman. However, I’m usually dragging the next day if I’m not in bed after the evening news.
Thursday night, I stayed up past my bed time and managed to catch Letterman’s Top 10 List. I’ve noticed Dave has become more of a family man since getting married to long-time gal pal, Regina, and having a child, Harry (pictured here). Regardless of the recent blackmail plot, interviews on Letterman’s couch seem to focus more on family with Dave opening up a bit about his own home life while asking celebrities to do the same.
The family theme continued on Letterman last night with the Top 10 List. The list is usually funny and last night was no exception. The topic: Top 10 Signs Your Child Watches Too Much Television.
10. He’s got a satellite dish on his crib
9. He wants Neil Patrick Harris to host his birthday party
8. Can count to 10/9 Central
7. At bedtime, asks you to read him the Nielsen Ratings
6. Instead of a security blanket, clutches a Shamwow
5. Keeps wanting to know why grandpa “got cancelled”
4. He weighs 135 lbs.
3. Thinks the capital of Montana is Hannah
2. Constantly implores you to have your pet spayed or neutered
1. His first words were, “Your local news starts now!”
When I was first sent a press release about kids in early childhood programs recycling, I asked myself how this would be different than recycling for kids of all ages?
Be really careful when handling glass.
Sort the plastics based on the number you see on the bottom of the container.
The process of recycling is preschool stuff, so next we ask why more people aren’t recycling? Not having curbside recycling is not an excuse, take it to River Valley Recycling.
Recycling is for the kids. It help the kids have a cleaner world when they get to the age of their parents and are raising our grandchildren.
The press release was about a program designed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is written for the youngsters so parents (and teachers) do not have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out games, ideas for motivating the kids to recycle and even craft ideas. Fun environmental projects, imagine that? (more…)
OMAHA, Neb. - I was a bit bummed to learn my flight was delayed yesterday. Had the flight been cancelled, I might have cried.
I was headed to Omaha, Neb. to attend the At-Home Dads Convention. I’m very excited about this trip. I attended the annual convention in 2006. I had a blast then, and I expect the same thing this time around.
I received a call on my cell phone from Southwest Airlines while waiting at the security checkpoint. On the other end of the line was a recording, informing me about the delay. I felt very important answering my cell phone in the airport. Like I was some sort of business traveler ironing out the details of a big deal just before visiting a client.
I’m traveling without the family this time (The Wife and our oldest son attended the previous convention). I feel a bit guilty for dumping my two sons on The Wife for the weekend. My intent is not to avoid the family. Rather, I feel like the convention is a way to charge my batteries before heading into a long winter.
I returned from the 2006 convention in Kansas City with a notebook full of story ideas. I also felt rejuvenated in my line of work. There’s something about surrounding yourself with others that can sympathize with your struggles and rejoice in your success that’s powerful. I’m expecting a similar experience this year.
The flight was delayed a mere 30 minutes. I arrived at my hotel slightly behind schedule. Still had enough time to make it to the meet-and-greet session. We watched a short film about the stay-at-home dad’s group in the Baltimore area and then headed to a steakhouse. I can now officially say I’ve had an Omaha Steak in Omaha, Neb.
Oh yeah, and it’s snowing here.
More to come…
Does anyone write letters to pen friends?
With so much concern about the lost art of handwriting and increased emphasis on typing skills, it makes this mom wonder.
Our youngest child has a pen pal, or pen friend (as his letter-writing pal in Ethiopia calls it) and commented that it is a neat surprise to get something in the mail.
His parents then add that it is a neat surprise to see something in the mail besides bills.
With the Internet, you can find a bunch of pen friends, but the challenge then comes of: “What do I write?”
The son, age 11, asks that question each time he gets a letter and is planning to “write back right away.”
Know any middle school students who have a similar problem?
Yes, even the 13-year-old faced that challenge when she was younger.
So I started asking the younger one a few things and told him I don’t need answers right away, I just want you to think about the answers. Then, I asked him, what did all of the things I said to you have in common?
“They are questions?” he said.
Yes. That is how you get a dialogue going. You ask lots of questions.
What are you curious about regarding their country and the way they live?
That will get those young brains working.
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Someone once told me that potty-training takes a long time. I anticipated one year of daily sheet washing and impromptu baths. But, that’s not the way it happened.
Potty-training does take a long time, but that’s because it happens in stages (at least that’s been my experience). This week, I feel we’ve entered into the final stages of potty-training. It seems to be going remarkably well, thanks to the help of a popular video game turned iPhone App called Frogger.
Bubba’s potty-training began when he was about 2 1/2-years-old. It was the early spring, and we were still trapped in the basement, waiting for warm weather to arrive. It was then that Bubba learned to go pee-pee on the potty. It took a couple of weeks, but soon he had No. 1 nailed down.
No. 2 was much more tricky. We continued to put Bubba in diapers both overnight and during naps. He usually woke up dirty and sometimes wet too. It quickly became apparent that Bubba was waiting to do his dirty work until he was in a diaper.
The situation wasn’t ideal, but I was fine with it. Bubba was accident-free in underwear most of the day. If I had to change two dirty diapers per day, that was OK.
About two weeks ago, The Wife forgot to put a diaper on Bubba before bedtime. This usually results in a wet bed, dirty underwear and a cursing husband. However, Bubba (who celebrated his third birthday in June) woke up clean and dry.
I was so happy. I bought him a toy Lightsaber and made a deal. He could play with the Star Wars weapon as long as he woke up clean and dry. This worked for a while, but soon the novelty wore off.
In desperate need of a new gimmick, I turned to an iPhone App. I had downloaded the classic arcade game Frogger recently. Bubba was crying because he didn’t want to sit on the potty. I broke out the game and let him play with the touch screen. He could play for two minutes and then owed me two squeezes of his bowels.
After a bit of back and forth, I heard a plop! I was very excited. Bubba was excited too. He continued to move the frog along the screen while I wiped. Apparently, this was great fun.
Now, Bubba poops about four times per day. I think about half of those times are really just an excuse to play Frogger. That’s fine with me. Who knew Frogger would be the key to potty-training?
A puppy he gave a Japanese name.
An interest in the martial arts and particularly the type of karate that began in Okinawa, Japan. That enthusiasm has lasted for nearly two years (on his own accord).
After all that, I should have seen the signs that our son would be glued to his Social Studies book when it came to the study of Japan.
Our sixth-grader has been fascinated by what he has learned about Japan and how different their world Is.
Have you ever heard of a capsule hotel? You could compare it to sleeping on a shelf in a closet. There is no room to stand up, barely room to sit up. People rent these for $25 a night instead of an entire room for $150.
Why? Because real estate prices (including rent) are among the highest in the world.
Overcrowding is a big problem.
“So many people commute to and from Tokyo that space on the trains must also be maximized. During peak travel periods, commuters are crammed into cars,” according to his textbook, “People, Places and Change” (Holt). “They are helped by workers hired to push as many people into the trains as possible.”
You take off your “street shoes” when you enter the school. Kind of like changing into a special pair of gym shoes that are never worn outside.
