Words Of Wisdom

Tonight's words of wisdom comes from Calvin. As I was lovingly tucking him into bed tonight he looked at me and said,"Grandparents are waaaaaay better than parents, because they let you do things that your parents won't."

Thanks for the love son!

Words Of Wisdom

Welcome to the newest feature on the Donna Reed Experiment:"Words Of Wisdom." Every week I will feature the best quote from one of my kids. I wanted to call it "Deep Thoughts", but I figured that phrase was probably copyrighted somehow (especially in this context), by Jack Handy. So, without further ado, I give you this week's "Words Of Wisdom", brought to you by Corban:
"If you waugh a wot evwey day, you will wose your waugh, wight?"

Roughly translated, "If you laugh a lot every day, you will lose your laugh, right?"

I have to type it phonetically as he says it, otherwise I think it loses some of it's charm.

Breaking All The Rules

I am a rule person, I like rules. I may not have always been that way, but I am now. Rules help one keep focused and on track and give one direction. Even more than I like rules, I like when other people follow the rules. For instance, when I see a sign at the grocery store that says "20 items or less" I will dutifully count my items and if I have more than 20, I will go to the regular check out. And yes, I admit that I will count other peoples items and if they have more than the allotted number of items; I may count them out loud. Or I may even talk out loud to myself, so the offender can hear about having 20 items or less. So, the other night as I was getting ready to check out my grocery order, I found myself faced with a dilemma. Should I wait behind the guy with 2 baskets full and 800 coupons at the only open register? Or, should I cheat and go to the express lane, even though I clearly had more than 15 items? Well, I opted for the express with my big order. Almost immediately, I felt bad as a lady came behind me holding 2 things in her hands. I thought about letting her go in front of me, but I decided not to. I did look at her apologetically though. And luckily, she did not start counting my items out loud. Technically, I actually was not breaking any rules though. I did actually have two separate orders, each containing less than 15 items. But I was the only customer buying a total of more than 15 items.

I have decided to let myself off for the technicality this time... But next time, I will suck it up and get in the regular line, so as not to cause myself any more ethical dilemmas. And maybe the next time I am behind someone in the express lane with more items than the limit, I'll be a bit more relaxed and not huff and puff behind them about the "express lane" sign... Although, I probably will still count their number of groceries out loud.

On the blog again

I've taken a break from the blog for just about a year now. I'd like to tell you that it was for some soul searching, deep meaningful reason. But alas, no. Life has just been so crazy. Warp speed! To be perfectly honest, Facebook probably had some small role in it ;-) I hardly realized a year had passed. I've not written a post, nor have I read my favorite blogs.
But for the last month or so, I've been really feeling like it's time to get back on. Blogging was something I really enjoyed, and I've missed it.

So here it is, the last year of life in a nutshell:
Calvin is six now and moved up to first grade, and is "too old" to let me hug him or hold his hand in public. Corban is four and still wants to be carried and held. I have gone from being a stay-at-home mom for 6 years, to working full-time. Life moves so fast, and yes, I know it is cliche. But really, every time I blink my eyes another month has gone by!

Hopefully, after all this time I still have some readers. Now, I need to see if my editor is still willing to help me out.

S.P.L.A.T

Let me just start this off by saying unequivocally, I HATE STINKBUGS! I am so tired of them coming into my house. We are killing roughly 10-15 per day. They have been a problem for a while now. Even as I typed these few sentences, I have gotten up to get 2 of them. While I know they are not terribly harmful to people they, still give me the creeps. Just imagining the dirt and germs they carry is enough to make me want them gone---not to mention the smell! While I have smelled fouler things in my life, it is pretty unpleasant. I have cleaned out items in my carport only to find 15-20 stinkbugs residing in the cracks---things like lawn chairs and car seats---really not fun! So, I decided to do a little research on them, during the course of which I became increasingly paranoid that they were crawling all over me!
So here are some facts about these stinky critters:

*The species we have here in the Roanoke Valley is the brown marmorated stinkbug. Introduced into the U.S from Asia, first found near Allentown, PA. Currently making their way across the states. They have conveniently left behind their natural predators. There are over 5,000 species of stinkbugs.
*They are attracted to plants, light and warmth. This is why they come into your home. They will come in through any crack in your home, around window and door frames, tiles shingles etc.
*They emit an odor as self-defense. The odor can linger on surfaces for up to 6 months. It also serves as an attractant to other stinkbugs, telling them to come and take up residence. It also can lead them back to places they have used for hibernation in the past.
*The good news:they cannot reproduce indoors.

So what do I do about them? A friend of mine came up with a brilliant idea: S.P.L.A.T. Or Stinkbug Population Limitation & Annihilation Team. So if you hate them as much as me, join me in this worthy cause. So my fellow S.P.L.A.Ters, how do we proceed in our combat? Here are some tips I found:

This should already be obvious-DO NOT squish them, they will stink. You could vacuum them up, but seriously who is going to keep their vacuum with them at the ready all day. And then have to get them out of the canister after? No thank you. Flushing seems to work, but we have gone through an unprecedented amount of tissue and toilet paper by doing that with every single bug. I have heard that a spray bottle filled with soapy water will kill them. But then you still have to pick them up with a tissue and throw away or flush them. I read one home remedy that called for crushing a pack of cigarettes, steeping the tobacco, draining several times through cheesecloth, then adding a few teaspoons of dish soap, and using that to spray them. Unless you have hundreds of them , I can't imagine going to all that trouble. One of the funner and more satisfying solutions I read was to use a can of compressed air. Turn it upside down and spray and freeze them instantly. Apparently they freeze so fast that do not have time to emit their stench. One of the more dangerous methods (which I DO NOT recommend) was using a small torch (that just seems like a bad idea).   I must admit there would be a certain level of satisfaction in it.

As far as prevention goes the only thing you can do is seal up your house like Fort Knox. Caulk and seal all cracks and around windows and doors. And if you are so inclined you can spray around those types of areas with a pesticide. In my research it has become clear that if you have a large infestation, do not use a bomb or pesticide inside. If you do, more harmful insects will be attracted to the carcasses and do much of worse damage.

Unfortunately, it looks as if these bugs are here to stay. So S.P.L.A.T.-ers unite! Kill the stinkbugs!

I've Created a Monster!

This evening in the car I was flipping the dial on the radio. I happened to come across "Ice Ice Baby", by Vanilla Ice. For nostalgia sake I could not turn it off. At the risk of personal embarassment, I will admit that I still remember EVERY word to that song. My kids, however, were thouroughly impressed with my skills, Calvin in particular. Corban was not quite sure what to make of mommy rapping. Calvin was super into it and was going on and on about how cool that song was. He continued singing "ice ice baby do do do duhduh duh", all the way home. I explained to him that that style of music is called "rap". Well, he proceded to "rap" every thought that came into his head. With somewhat amusing results. He informed me that tomorrow at school he will "see how cool my buddies are by who can do the best rap". He also asked me if was okay for him to keep rapping in his bed until he fell asleep. I told him it would be better if he waited until tomorrow to continue rapping. It is pretty funny listening to the things he tries to rhyme. Unfortunately his rapping skills are about as good as his beat-boxing skills (which also loves to do).
For those of you who may have forgotten: please enjoy "Ice Ice Baby".

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Happy Birthday Corban

Well, my little baby Corban turned three yesterday.  On Sunday evening we had a "birthday party" for him.  It was really just our family, but we called it a birthday party anyways.  Almost every day for the last three months he had been asking if it was time for his birthday party yet.  So, I felt compelled to do something for him.  He had been asking for a "Star Wars" birthday party...I know, HUGE surprise there!  So I decided that I would bake him "Star Wars" birthday cake.  What possesses me to do this kind of thing is beyond me.  I have zero cake decorating skills, but I would like to believe that I have at least a moderate level of artistic ability.  Somehow, that ought to translate to the confectionery arts. Not-so-much!  But none the less, I went for it.  It took me all day.  After I went to the store and got what I thought was everything, I got home and realized that I had no eggs.  A minor setback.  So, I packed up the kids and went back and got eggs.  I got started mixing the ingredients for my cake.  Then, I found that I did not have enough oil.  I could have cried... but I didn't!  I called my neighbor and luckily she had some she could spare.  So I finished the cake and made all the icing.  I went to turn the cake out of the pan and it cracked almost completely in half.  So, I had to change my cake plan.  I had originally planned on making an "R2D2" cake.  I know, go big or go home right?  So, I finally decided to make a cake comprised of two crossed light sabers.  Easier said than done.  Of course, the cake was a disaster.  Although, not necessarily any less of a disaster than my R2D2 cake would have been.  Fortunately for me three-year-olds are not the most discriminating demographic when it comes to cake.  As long as they get to eat it, then it is good enough for them.  Someone at church asked Corban what kind of cake he was going to have and his answer was "mine", if that tells you anything.  At least it tasted good; I guess that is all that matters.  I have pondered starting a tradition of making terribly ugly, but well intentioned birthday cakes for my kids every year.  Or at least, that's what I can claim when they come out like this last one.  I even contemplated posting a picture of it, but to be perfectly honest, I'm a little embarrassed.

All is Vanity

I really enjoy seeing vanity license plates. I even have one of my own. It can be fun when people get creative with them. I've seen some really funny ones lately, and I always want to take a picture. However, it feels slightly awkward pulling out your phone, trying to be subtle about taking a picture of someone's car. That would be a difficult one to explain if you got caught. But as many funny or clever ones there are, there are some that make think the owner of the vehicle should drive themselves to get some help. Now, I wish I had pictures for proof, but all these that follow are actual plates I've seen here in Virginia.


APSYCHO- Now, you could give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are a mental health professional, but gauging from the pick-up truck I saw this on, I highly doubt it.

POO GRL- Most likely this girl really loves Winnie the Pooh. But really the "H" on the end of the word POO would be pretty critical to that theory. Perhaps it is a mom who has a sense of humor about the number of diapers she has to change?

SPEEDR- I bet they don't get pulled over often!

CHIKNPI- I love chicken pie as much as the next guy, but you would have to really have an affection for it to take it to this kind of extreme. Or, perhaps they run a business selling chicken pies. In which case a bumper sticker would probably be more effective.

JAGRBMB- For those of you unfamiliar with a jagerbomb it is a cocktail made of Jagermeister (a German-made herbal liqueur) and Red Bull (an energy drink). If you had maybe invented this cocktail you might put it on your license plate, but I just can't fathom going around with it on your vehicle just because you find it to be an enjoyable beverage. I love many beverages, but none of them enough to make that kind of a statement.

2 2MANY- We have all seen the vanity plates that say: MOMX12 or KTSMOM, or many other statements about ones progeny. But if this means what I think it means, then that is pretty sad!
And I did see it on a van, which is historically a family vehicle.

FUDPUKR- This one could probably be interpreted in a couple different ways, but when I look at it all I see is food puker. This is pretty disturbing, so I am hoping my interpretation is wrong!
And to be totally honest I did not actually see this one; Zach and David did. I am pretty sure they didn't make it up.

H82CLN- Now, this is something I can relate to. Although I don't think I would go advertising my lack of hygiene.


Lastly, if any of these belong to you, I mean no offense. And I hope I did not misrepresent anybody. However, that being said, some of these look a little disturbing at best.

Things nobody told me

I have been thinking lately. About all the things nobody ever tells you about parenting. When you are pregnant, or have a newborn people are always giving you advice. Most of the time unsolicited. But still it is pretty constant. Some people even seem to like to scare the mothers-to-be with horrible stories of 49 hour labor and that kind of thing. People will tell you how often you will have to change poopy diapers. But i do not remember anyone telling me that in a few short years there would be times I would have to hose down my child to get the diarrhea off of his head. Nobody told me I would be standing outside in 20 degree weather cleaning vomit out of my car. Granted, most kids do not throw up as much as Calvin. Come to think of it, I have never met anyone of any age who throws up as much as Calvin! But nobody tells you this kind of stuff, like how many times a day you have to use the phrase" ____ (fill-in-the-blank) does not belong in your pants!" One might think that it would be common sense, but apparently even 5-year-olds have trouble with that. I never knew that is was possible for a person to get so incredibly dirty during the course of daily activities. I mean, I don't think my kids go rolling in the mud when I am not looking, but I would have to bathe them and change their clothes at least 5 times a day if I wanted them to stay perfectly clean. I never imagined it would be so difficult to do every day things like simply getting to the car. I thought once they could walk and do some things on their own, it would get easier. I thought once they could feed themselves, meals would be easier. I also thought that once they were potty trained, it meant that all subsequent potty would be in the toilet. And what I have learned is that it does not necessarily get easier, because with each phase you just have different challenges.

Maybe there were people telling me and I was not listening. Perhaps I just tuned it out because it did not pertain to me at the time. But the good news is: as hard as things can be, there is much joy! My kids are so fun, and they can almost always make me laugh, even when I am mad. Corban can look at me, cock his head to the side and ask, "are you angry?" And if I was angry, it just melts away.

I can't even begin to imagine what nobody is telling me about teenagers!

Blog envy

As you may have noticed, I do not update my blog very frequently. I look at my blog every day. Most days, I even think about posting. Some days I have a great idea for post, but am too lazy to do it. But I do get a little jealous of others' blogging abilities. One blogger I read, updates almost every day. I do not know how she does it. And she can take the most mundane things and make it very funny. Another one of my friends blog, has an incredible gift for extracting great spiritual truths out of every day, simple things. Another friend always has interesting creative projects, that I love to follow the progress of. One friend of mine has a blog about the incredible, life changing things he and his family are doing in a third-world country.

And then there is me! Sometimes I think I have a great idea for a post and it just does not translate when I try to write. Or sometimes, I just flat out forget what I was going to write.

I guess in times like these, what can you do but put up a fun video clip.

Incredible Pizza

I was playing with Corban this morning. He came up to me with his Incredible Hulk mask on. So naturally assuming he was playing Incredible Hulk I asked, "How are you, Incredible Hulk?" He looked at me incredulously and said, "I not redble ulk, I pizza man." So playing along I asked if I could please have some pizza. To which he replied, "I no have pizza, I have pop tarts."

I don't think I get this game! But I must admit, it is a welcome break from Star Wars. Both Calvin and Corban are entirely obsessed with Star Wars. It is the only thing they talk about. It is the only thing they play. From morning to night, it gets a little old. A few weeks ago we had been out really late. While driving home Calvin was almost asleep. He kept trying to tell me something about Star Wars. I wanted him to rest so I had to keep telling him he could tell me later. Well, the very first words out of his mouth the next morning were a continuation of what he had started the night before. So, apparently he thought about it all night. Corban is the same way, though. He will come into our room first thing in the morning listing all the Star Wars characters he knows, telling us who is a bad guy and who is a good guy. They also watch the movies constantly (which may be my fault). Calvin got the set of the first three movies for Christmas and has nearly worn them out. Every time I let them watch a movie, it is a given that they will pick Star Wars.

I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a phase and it will pass. In a couple of years I might miss the sound of my boys beating each other with foam light sabers. Perhaps I might be able to use some of this information for things like trivia.  For instance, I now know that the Millennium Falcon did the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs.

And there are always worse things that they could be obsessed with. I might have really lost my mind by now if they had become obsessed with Barney.

Quotable Calvin.....And Corban

I know it's been a long time since I've done a Quotable Calvin post, and it's not by any means for lack of material. It's only because I forget to write things down. But the good news is, now I can start including some Corban quotes. While not as sophisticated as Calvin's, Corban's are pretty funny. Enjoy:



A few nights ago Corban was running around saying, "Ooh ooh, aah aah". I asked him if he was a monkey. He looked at me with a look that said, "huh?" and he said, "No, I'm a butterfly."



Calvin and Zach were having a pretty deep conversation about the word infinite, and about things that are infinite. So I decided to see what he had learned. I asked him the definition of the word, and he answered really well. I then asked him what kind of things are infinite. He started off good, but quickly took another direction. He replied, "Numbers are infinite, and God is infinite; what if you were a Star Wars guy and lined up all the bad guys in a row and shot them."



Also in the category of randomness: I was busy in the kitchen and Calvin asked if slime could be any color. I launched into an explanation of how different things affect the color outcome of slime. To which he said, "Well, if slime was fruit colored, it would be a rainbow."



Before the bath one evening, the kids were being particularly silly. I looked at Corban and told him I thought he was funny. He said, "I not funny, I weird."



When I was putting Calvin to bed one night, he was still apprehensive about the idea of getting a flu shot. He asked when they would get it, where would they get it, how bad would it hurt, and many more. Then he said, "I wish they only had flu shots in Texas." Apparently that is the most remote/exotic or removed location he could think of.



While Zach was driving home one night over a particularly curvy road, Calvin half asleep in the back seat said, "These dangerous curves are really freakin' me out."

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.

Where have I been?

I know It has been a while since I have posted. Things have been just slightly overwhelming the last few weeks. Calvin started school last week. Of course, he loves it. I on the other hand am having a hard time dealing with it. It is difficult on so many levels. I am getting more used to it though. Things are better this week. The first week my plan was to just keep really busy. So, I kind of drowned myself in activities. By Thursday, I was really regretting that tactic. I was then not only overwhelmed emotionally, but physically as well. So, I decided this week to slow it down, a lot! You might think as much as Calvin talks, he would have a lot to say about his days at school. Well, contrary to logic, trying to get any information out of him is nearly impossible. So far, all I know is that he wants to marry the girl who sits across from him, because he is in love with her. Anytime I ask about what he learned, he is suddenly at a loss for words. First he tried to tell me that his teacher did not even try to teach anything. I said if that were the case I would have to call her and ask why she was not teaching anything. So, then he said she did teach things, but he just could not remember them. I have heard that this non-communication is pretty typical, I just never expected it from Calvin.
Corban on the other hand. Well, he cries every morning when we drop Calvin off. He says he wants to go too. I do not buy that for a second. He does not understand that it would mean having to leave mom, while also entrusting himself to the care of people who are not mom. And in Corban's world, that would be panic inducing. If I so much as make a move towards my shoes he starts to hyperventilate and convulse. That is really not an exaggeration. I will say though, that since Calvin has started school Corban is a different kid, at least while his brother is gone. He is so quiet and mellow you would hardly believe it. But he really does miss him. He gets all excited when it is time to go pick him up. Which is strange given the way they treat each other the second they are reunited.
It will be interesting to see how things continue to develop as the year goes on. Hopefully it won't take that long for us to all get used to all these changes.