Lampy The Garbage Truck

Calvin is getting older and these days we read books instead of telling stories at bedtime. There is a good and a bad side to it. On one hand, the books we read are pretty enjoyable for me as well. We have read Charlotte's Web, Little House on the Prairie, and the whole Chronicles of Narnia series to name a few. On the other hand, sometimes I miss telling him stories. One night, when he was still getting bedtime stories, I asked him what he wanted the story to be about. He replied, "a garbage truck". I asked him what this garbage truck should be called he said, "Lampy", naturally. I assume that was in reference to Larry Boy and one of the villains in Bumblyburg. His name is Awful Alvin and his faithful sidekick is Lampy (a lamp). So anyways the name stuck and we have had many, many stories starring Lampy the garbage truck. Well, one night recently Corban asked for a bedtime story. So I told him one of the Lampy stories. Now, he can't get enough. He asks for a Lampy story every night now, and I am happy to oblige. And, because I am sure you are dying to hear one, here is a Lampy story for you:

One of the many adventures of Lampy the garbage truck.



One morning Lampy was out picking up the rubbish. He does that every morning; it is his job. But Lampy had become very familiar with his routine. He knew his route very well. This particular morning, Lampy was not paying very much attention to where he was going. He was too busy thinking about what he was going to do when work was done. He didn't even see the big nail sticking up in the road. All of a sudden, he heard a "POP." Lampy was hurt, and he couldn't move because his tire had popped. Lampy started to cry, loudly! "Oh, ouch I am hurt, what am I going to do", he wailed. A man who lived on that street came out of his house to see what had happened. "Lampy what's wrong?", he asked. But Lampy was hysterical, and couldn't even answer. Finally the man said, "Lampy, suck it up! Take a deep breath, tell me what happened." Lampy sucked it up, and took a deep breath. He was still whimpering but he told the man what happened. "I'm hurt, it hurts, so bad. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I ran over a nail, my tire is popped and I can't move. What am I going to do, what am I going to do?", Lampy asked.

"Lampy, it is going to be okay. We will call our friend Mike the Mechanic. He will come and fix your tire. But until he gets here I need you to be brave."

So they called Mike the Mechanic, who rushed over quickly. He fixed Lampy's tire. He put more air in it and patched it up. Lampy was a little scared still, but he was brave. When he had been fixed, he thanked his friend Mike, and he thanked the man who came outside to help him. Lampy said that from now on he would always pay attention to where he was going. And if something did happen, we would stay calm and call for help.

THE END





So that is one of our Lampy stories. There are many more, and I am sure they will popular here for years to come.

Gift giving guide

The holiday season is almost upon us. I know it can be difficult to find the perfect gift. So for those of you in need of assistance, I have compiled a little "catalogue." Some of these are so you know what NOT to give. I have scoured the internet for some of the most interesting gift ideas.

For the avid gardener in your life why not get the Bug Stopper Top. Stylish and effective!

Both in the category of most obnoxious things to wake up to:

It's the Drum Set Alarm. Wakes you up to a rousing drum solo. Drums not your thing? Try the Shocking Alarm Clock. It gives off a lovely alarm noise and when you touch it to turn it off it emits a jolt of electricity.

For the animal lover on your list: The Humunga Tongue! Want to play with your dog and humiliate him at the same time? Well, now you're in luck, it's a ball, it's a tongue, it's Humunga Tongue.

Feeling stressed out from the holidays? Can't get to the spa? Want to commnicate with extra-terrestrials? Here's your solution: The Head Spa.

Do you know someone who deserves some comfort, yet you do not want them to slack off when it comes to housework? Try these comfortable yet practical Mop Slippers.

Seriously, the fart machine #1 was so huge there had to be a #2?

Want to scare the poo out of someone when they go for some T.P? Here is the Talking Toilet Tissue Roll! Remind someone to replace the empty roll, or just give them a scare, you can record your message, and this device will activate and play it when the roll is pulled.

Are your hands tired out from old fashioned "rock-paper-scissors"? With this electronic Rock-Paper-Scissors, you will never get hand cramps again!

Busy, working woman? No time to bother with conventional panty-hose? With Nyce Legs you just spray and go! Yes, nylons in a can.

For the amateur scientist who has everything, and is not satisfied with his current dental hygeine products, the Create Your Own Toothpaste Kit. Really, what more can you say?

Believe it or not, all of these are real products. And are available for purchase at various web-stores. I hope this inspired you to find some creative gifts for your loved ones this year.

Times they are a-changin

Yes, time has changed. We set our clocks back an hour on Saturday night in observance of the end of Daylight Savings Time. I must say that it is not correct to state that we "gain" an hour. I heard many a "hooray an extra hour of sleep." Let me just tell you that 5 year olds and 2 year olds are rebellious. They do NOT follow that DST rule that you should fill that "extra" hour with sleep. On Sunday they were up at 6:30. And why not? It was light; they had all the hours of sleep required. So, now they are very, very tired by 6:30pm, and they still want to wake up at 6:30 am every morning. When will they adjust?

In the defense of DST I must admit, that when you HAVE to get up early it is easier to do so if it is not pitch dark. I was beginning to feel bad having to wake the kids up at 6:50 to get Calvin ready for school. It just felt so wrong.  It was so dark out and they were so tired. Now they are rarin' to go, even before the alarm goes off.

Here's a funny story:
When Zach and I were first married, we moved from Hawaii to Santa Barbara, California. Hawaii does not observe Daylight Savings Time. We had only been there a few months, we did not have TV or listen to the radio much. So when the time changed, we had no idea. One Sunday morning we woke up rushed as usual to get ready for church, and ran out the door without breakfast, so as not to be late. We got to church, and for some really strange reason the parking lot was still full and there was nobody outside. It took a while before we realised what had happened. We had gotten there and the first service was still in progress. So we went home and ate breakfast and came back at the new "right" time. I can assure you, that never happened again.

I guess over all the whole DST is a good thing. I just wish this family would hurry up and adjust.

Like Deja Vu, Only Better

You do not get many second chances in life. I am happy to say though this week, I did. About 8 years ago when Zach and I were living in Honolulu, we went to a Wynton Marsalis concert. By some crazy good luck we got seats in the 2nd row. You could almost feel the spit off his trumpet. It was fantastic. Unfortunately, I do not remember much more than that. I do remember he opened the show with the standard "Take the A Train." After that it is pretty much a blur. You see, I got a migraine. I did not want to leave the concert early. We paid good money for the tickets. Also I knew Zach had really been looking forward to it; I did not want to disappoint him. So, I spent the remainder of the evening closing my eyes, trying really hard not to cry or vomit. I succeeded in not vomiting, but I am sure I cried a little. As soon as the show was over we ran out of the arena and to the car. We ran into some acquaintances from Kauai, who I am sure thought we were terribly rude as we nearly ignored them.
So when we heard Wynton Marsalis was coming here to Roanoke, we could not pass up the chance to see him again. This time I was prepared though. I made sure that I carried medicine in my purse in case of any problems. Thankfully I did not have to use it. We enjoyed a fantastic concert, headache free! Our seats were not quite as good this time around, but it was good all the same.

Corban's 1st Hokie game

Yes, we took Corban to his first Virginia Tech football game. I wouldn't say it was a complete failure, but I wouldn't say it was entirely successful either. He had a great time tail-gating. What's not to like, all the food you can eat, most of it junk food? That sounds like Corban's dream come true. Unfortunately, by the time the game started he was about worn out. We got to the parking lot around around 10:30am, headed to the stadium around 12:45, kick-off was at 1:30. It also meant he would miss his nap; not a great idea when you combine that with extreme over stimulation. Calvin loves the excitement, the crowd, the noise, everything about it. Corban is not so much a people person. He was a little freaked out, I think. The band during the pre-game performance kept his interest. The Apache helicopter fly-over kept his interest. The Hokie bird (mascot) kept his interest, but that is about it. He climbed from person to person, over and over. With each person change he would try to lie down a little, then get distracted and move to someone else. Every time the Hokies scored, they fire the cannon. He jumped out of the arms of whoever was holding him each time. He just couldn't get used to that, and couldn't realize what made it happen. So, he made it (barely) till half-time. Zach and I took him back down to the car for some rest. Nana and Neds let Calvin stay in the stadium with them. He made it mid-way through the third quarter.
Over all, it was fun, and it was certainly a learning experience. I learned Corban will need to wait a few years before we try to take him again. I learned it is very difficult to pay attention to a football game when there is a toddler climbing all over you. And Zach learned it is not easy carrying a 45lb kid on your shoulders up many many flights of stairs.




The boys tail gating


Some people take this VERY seriously




The popcorn kept him busy for about 5 minutes



2 Apache helicopters doing a fly over

A few of the 66,000 in attendance, and the Highty Tighties

(Corp of Cadets) band on the field

Building and Growing

I took the kids to Lowe's this morning. Every other Saturday they have their "Build and Grow" workshops for kids. This is one of my favorite things to do with the boys. It's really a fantastic thing that Lowe's does for the community. They have little tables set up and they have pre packaged projects. In the bag they have all the pieces with pre drilled holes for the nails. They have a set of plans to follow and hammers for all the kids. They also give the kids aprons and safety goggles to keep. Each time you complete a project, they give you a patch to sew on your apron. Best of all, you get a snack and a juice box when you're done. And most importantly, it's free! There are all kinds of projects they've made: a squirrel feeder, a valentine mailbox, a few kinds of trucks, a measuring tape, a few different games, and today they made a firetruck. Some of the projects are pretty difficult for the carpentry challenged, like myself. But most of the time, they are pretty simple.
My boys really look forward to "Lowe's day" as they call it. Usually, I do Corban's first. On days I'm feeling really brave, I let him try to hammer a few of the nails. I do Corban's as a kind of a practice, because I usually mess it up a little, but learn how to do it right by the time I do Calvin's. So, while Corban is watching, and "helping" me, Calvin is talking to any other kid nearby who will listen. When I finish with Corban's, he then has a new toy that will keep him busy while I work with Calvin. Calvin has gotten pretty good with the hammer. He does all his own hammering. The only problem is that he gets distracted fairly easily. Sometimes he gets so caught up in what's going on around him, he forgets what he's doing. Unfortunately, he does not stop hammering. That generally makes for some sore fingers on my part! But when he keeps focused, he is pretty good. I really think it is a great thing to get kids interested in building. Even if they don't do a whole lot, they really feel like they've built it themselves. They are so proud of their creations. They love to get the patches and have me sew them on the aprons. Calvin has a box that he keeps all his Lowe's projects in, to keep them safe. They really get into it.

Child's Play

One of my favorite things is to watch my kids playing. I like to play with them too, but it is so much more fun to just observe, especially when they don't realize you are watching. That's how I get a lot of quotable Calvin material. I am always amazed with what, and how they play. I know that cliche, if you give a kid a fancy toy they play with the toy for ten minutes, then play with box for a week. Well, it is so true. While my kids enjoy their fancy toys, they find fun in the simplest of things. I could not even begin to count the number of hours they have spent playing with rocks in the creek. It really is one of their favorite activities. Sometimes they just like to throw them and watch the splash. Other times, they like to find different shapes and turn them into things. They like to find the really flat ones and pretend it's a blackboard, then find a pencil-like one to draw with. They've had many conversations on rock "cell phones" as well. The last time we were at the creek they each found one that looked (in their eyes) like a guitar. So, I took a "pencil" and drew strings and a sound hole and such. They sang and played guitar for a long time. Then we had a full day of puns about them being a "rock" band and such. Most boys have an uncanny ability to turn any object into a firearm. My boys do their share of that. But even more often they turn every object into a guitar. And in the event there is no object, they have both perfected their "air-guitar.". They like to have concerts and sing songs. Calvin has become pretty good at songwriting. A few weeks ago he was sitting around with his harmonica singing the blues. He spontaneously wrote a blues song for an attorney friend, Mr. Dan. He would sing a line something like this: "stuck in court all day long, don't got no way out". Then he would blow on the harmonica. I laughed so hard that I cried.

Now that Corban is talking more, his play is getting more fun too. He has a game where he will say, "Eat bugs?". He will pretend to eat like Cookie Monster. Then he will make his word for dirty which is mostly un-spellable, but would look something like this: "Cccchhhhhkkkk". He will then say, "Spit out". He can play that game all day.
The sad thing is, I feel I have missed so many opportunities to see them play. There have been so many times I felt too busy, like the dishes or laundry or whatever chore was so urgent or overwhelming. I know this stage of play won't last forever, so I'm trying hard to enjoy it as often as I can.