skip to main |
skip to sidebar
March Break . . . ugh.
Not so much of a break, really. I mean the boys aren't in school yet, but they do have a couple of activities each week to help them, and me, break the monotony.
But both preschool and playgroup have been cancelled this week. Because it's March Break. Ugh.
Yeah, I try to beat the boredom with exciting trips to the drug store, the accountant's office and the grocery store. But it's just not cutting it. Who knew?
And while the weather outside seems to be cooperating, the fact of the matter is, the warmth is enough to really get things melting, providing many puddles on top of the ice. And that means we last about 10 minutes in the great outdoors before someone slips and fills their pants and boots and mitts with ice water. Did I say ugh yet?
This morning, I've got two pair of soaking boots . . . well, two complete soaking outfits, and will likely have two young charges anxious to get outside. Supposed to rain this morning.
Do I sound like Eeyore? Feeling a little like him I guess. It's been a long freakin' winter, and we're only a little more than half-way through "the year of hell." I think I've mentioned the year of hell a few times, but for those that are unfamiliar, it's the year my wife must work regular shifts and then put in an equal amount of time doing homework and research. We're not seeing much of each other.
But this too shall pass.
Anyhoo, today is bath day. Oh joy. I must also get more stuff to the accountant so that we can get the taxes filed. And this year . . . drumroll please . . . we're actually getting a refund. First time in a few years. It's not enough to retire on or anything, but it beats the hell out of having to pay. So yay.
That's all I've got for today.
Have a great Tuesday!
Well, that's a surprise.
Sonwun, my fearless first-born, mild-mannered alter-ego of Batman Flash, the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, the dude with batropes, batarangs and other high-tech gadgets on his Bat Utility Belt fears . . . the Easter Bunny.
At playgroup Friday, the Easter Bunny made an appearance to hand out some candy and have his picture taken with the kids. Sontoo, the younger, took a moment away from his snack to walk over and have a look at the big bunny, and then returned to his little picnic table to enjoy the rest of his juice. Just really wasn't interested.
And I'm not one of those parents that is going to force him on to the lap of this giant, fluffy, freaky Hallmark creation just to get a "cute" picture of him screaming. Why do this?
Sonwun, on the other hand, found a spot in the gym as far from the long-eared devil as he could be. And then he came and hung out with me, keeping one eye on the creepy cottontail at all times and asking that I do my best to make sure it did not see him. And he remained with me until it left the building.
Couldn't get an explanation for this out of Sonwun, so I remain a little confused.
I mean I know why I fear the Easter Bunny, but it can't be for same reasons.
When I was growing up, the Easter Bunny was a fine, mythical character; never seen, existing only the minds of children, like the Tooth Fairy.
But over the years, it seems, profiteers have brought the bunny up out of the rabbit hole and into reality. Why? So that someone can set him up in the mall and charge $10 a pop for the kiddies to sit on his lap and have their picture taken. This was taking place here on the weekend.
In the case of the bunny at playgroup, though no money was exchanged, I couldn't help but notice he was wearing a large "Crayola" hat with the company logo prominently displayed.
Yeah, that's what the Easter Bunny needed: corporate branding.
And finally, I fear the old-school Easter Bunny because he brings gobs of chocolate into my home. And while I have no problem with my kids enjoying a little chocolate, the diabetic in my looks at it like a basket full of crack. I want it. I can't, or shouldn't, have it, but if it's lying around the house . . .
And while we're on the subject of chocolate death, I played host to a Parents and Tots board meeting Friday. Laid out a few goodies for the six members expected, including one of my all-time, pre-diabetic, favourite treats: nanaimo bars.
They didn't all get eaten, as only two board members showed up for the meeting. Plenty left over.
The following morning, Sonwun watched as I was cleaning up, and he spotted the nanaimos.
"What's that dad?" he asked.
"That," I answered, "is evil on a plate."
"I love evil."
Fears the Easter Bunny, loves evil. The teen years should be interesting times.
Have a great week!
Well, happy Monday!
I had big plans for this week, huge plans. Plans that would have been so very, very, very much fun. But some other bugger won the $40 million Lotto 649 jackpot, so I must once again put my big plans on hold.
So, new kid at playgroup. Turns out he's a friend of Sonwun from preschool and Sonwun was very excited to see him at playgroup. And I, therefore, was excited for him, ever so briefly.
The other kid? Let's call him, oh, I don't know, Fire.
And let's call Sonwun, um, Gasoline.
Now let's be clear. I have no delusions about my son. He's no angel. But, like gasoline, he's not too dangerous when properly controlled and contained. However, just below the surface he's a cauldron of potential energy just waiting to be ignited.
Enter Fire. Fire is, by nature, destructive. Left unattended, it grows and grows, consuming all in its path. And when it finds a can of gas . . .
Is that the karma train I'm hearing? Somewhere, some parent is blogging about Pit, my son, the Psycho in Training. Someone who has witnessed Fire and Gasoline careening about the bouncy house at playgroup with reckless disregard for their flying feet and the two-year-olds around them. Someone who watched the deadly duo take over the plastic playhouse and forbid entry to others. Someone whose readers are wondering, where is the parent?
Well, I'm there. And I'm doing my best to stay on top of the mayhem. But with the addition of fire, gasoline is occupying almost all of my time at playgroup, leaving little for the ever-clingy Sontoo.
My little gas can is still only 4. But I guess it's an opportunity to impart as many little life lessons as his little brain will absorb. Lessons about not following the crowd, about including others, about why flying tackles and headlocks are not generally welcome by strangers.
Anyhoo, that's my challenge in the coming weeks.
As for this week, instead of shopping for a nice condo in Whistler Village with my lottery winnings, I will be washing the vomit out of Sonwun's bedding, as this morning at 2, he woke up with a bad stomach. He's still asleep now, at 6:35 a.m., and here's hoping he feels better when he wakes up.
Neomom left half an hour ago for the airport and will be in Winnipeg for two days for court. Could be a long day.
In any case, have a great Monday, and a great week!
Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored.
I'm bored.
As scintillating as conversations with a 2- and 4-year-old can be, I'm finding myself in need of adult discourse. Which is, of course, why I try to use big words here once in a while. Makes me feel smarterer.
The boys have reached the "knock-knock" phase of their humour education. Well, maybe not so much humour as joke-telling.
Example from Sonwun's repertoire:
"Knock-knock daddy."
"Who's there?"
"Banana!"
"Banana who?"
"Banana nana, farkle, foogle, doodle face."
This is, of course, followed by gales of laughter from both of my young charges.
It was almost cute the first 400 times. And, to make matters worse, Sontoo has picked up on the hilarity and tries to follow suit.
Summer's coming, summer's coming, summer's coming . . . I hope.
After an unseasonably warm beginning to March, we're getting bitch-slapped by the weather gods again. I knew the +10 temperatures were just a big tease, but I held out hope nevertheless.
But, as expected, the temperatures will fall back to the mid -20s this week, trapping us once again inside the house of humour. As a stay-at-home dad, I think I'm beginning to understand why valium was so popular in the 60s, 70s and 80s with stay-at-home moms. I'm guessing sales were off the charts in the winter months.
Anyhoo, enough bitching for one morning. Yesterday was a particularly violent day at playgroup. Sonwun took a good belt from teeter-totter seat under the chin. Bruised, but not broken. No blood, all good.
Little Bitty had a rough day too. She ran up against an 18-month-old with an attitude almost as big as hers. Bitty was doing her slide domination routine and the little 18-month-old was having none of it. This sweet little angel wound up and delivered a right hook to Bitty's left eye that Ali would have been proud of.
I did my best not to laugh. But if mommy ain't gonna teach the rules, the playground will. Kids have a remarkably pure sense of right and wrong, as well as justice. It's sometimes quite refreshing to watch.
Anyhoo, that's been my week thus far.
Have a great Thursday. The weekend's almost here . . . and summer's coming.
You'll have to forgive me for dwelling on Sonwun's art, but I'm truly fascinated. In spite of the tongue-in-cheek "critiques" I've offered in the past, I do believe the art is a reflection of what's going on inside his little head. And I just think it's really, really cool to see it expressed on paper.
The latest evolution is stick figure stories.
Up until now, he's pretty much stuck to individual works, Rainbow Hands for example.
But yesterday he really started into the stick figure stories. And again, there was no prompting for it. He just sits at the dining room table and goes about his business while I clean or fold laundry or whatever.
He called me over and showed me his latest work. It was a stick figure standing beside a boxy-looking thing.
"What's that," I asked him.
"It's me, and that's a swing."
"Cool!"
"And I'm going to make you," he said, "so you can push me on the swing."
And he did. He drew a bigger stick figure which apparently represented me, standing on the other side of the swing. I just think that's cool.
This morning he drew another picture. This one of two stick figures, one larger, one smaller, standing on either side of a boxy-looking thing that seemed to have a knob or handle on it.
"What's that?"
"That's you and mommy," he said.
"And what's this," I asked, pointing to the box.
"It's the refrigerator. You're getting breakfast for me."
Okay, we don't have arms in the picture, which would make getting breakfast a little more of a challenge, but I do notice we're both smiling. That's kind of a relief for me, as I'm home all day, every day with the boys and, yes, I do get annoyed and frustrated at times with their antics. I'm not always smiling.
It's just nice that, inside that little head, and on paper, I'm still smiling.
Have a great Monday!
All righty then . . . it's 7:15 a.m., which means my body believes it to be 6:15 a.m. with the changing of the clocks.
Sonwun was up twice last night, each time to empty the contents of his stomach. First round required a change of bed linen. Second time I heard the whining tremors and managed to get him to the bathroom prior to eruption. Yay for me.
I stayed awake until . . . hell, I don't know . . . it was dark, I think one of the clocks said 3:30 but I don't know if it was one of the ones that we changed or not . . . doesn't matter, dark, no sleep, ugh. I was hoping to catch him before he filled the bed with round 3. Round 3 never came.
Anyhoo, bottom line, tired.
So yesterday we went to Paint Lake . . . it's where Thompsonites go to get out of Thompson. It's a provincial park about 20 minutes south of town. And we had a great time tobogganing and playing in the snow.
We collected about an hour of video of our adventure and I spent much of yesterday afternoon and evening putting together a five-minute video, complete with cool transitions and music, to share with all of you.
But I can't get the damn thing to upload. Maybe it's too big or something, I don't know. But trust me, it was really, really cool!
So, instead, I offer a few clips from the day.
Please do me a favour and sing "The Boys are Back in Town" by Bad Company as you watch, as that is the music I had in the five-minute movie. I also wanted to try Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" with it, so you can sing that one if you'd like. It probably works. It's a short clip, so just sing the chorus. Thank you.
In this clip, we hit a bump at the bottom of the hill and Sonwun goes flying out of the sled. You can't really see the exit, but you'll notice when we glide to a stop, he's no longer in the sled.
Okay, second clip. If you were singing The Boys are Back in Town on the first one, sing Celebration on this one. And vice versa. Neomom hits the same bump I did and, again, Sonwun gets the worst of it. But this time you can see it, AND, he managed to stay on the sled. Enjoy!
So let's start with a few updates:
1. Mom came through her surgery just fine Wednesday. I'm told they were able to get all of the tumour that had invaded her bowels. It was in fact cancerous and it had spread to her liver. There were two spots on the liver they were able to "zap" (still not sure what that means) and it's all looking pretty good.
Thanks all for the good vibes, prayers and positive energy.
2. Got the truck back. New engine installed, seems to be running great. No charge whatsoever, which I'm very happy to report. I know that the truck has a 3-year, 60,000K, bumper-to-bumper warranty and all that, but I guess the cynic in me just expects someone to tag on a fee, or a tax or something that's not covered by the warranty.
But nada. Not a dime. That's good. Almost, almost makes up for the fact that it took a little over a month to get done— and no loaner!
Anyhoo, it's Friday, playgroup day.
In the last couple of months, I was charged with changing Parents 'n' Tots playgroup to Thompson Parents 'n' Tots Inc.— a legally incorporated entity that could obtain insurance, accept donations and, hopefully, run with a little more organization.
That was accomplished this week.
The next step is to make it a legal, non-profit charity so that we can issue tax receipts to those kind enough to make donations.
It's a bit of a rough road, as I am finding it difficult to impress upon some of those running the show that we need to have regular meetings, keep minutes of those meetings, discuss EVERYTHING we intend to do and keep track of the money in a responsible and government approved way.
Hopefully, by the time I leave Thompson, everything will be in order and will continue to operate smoothly after I'm gone. But, as I said, long, rough road ahead.
Gotta admit, I had never even thought about incorporating anything and I enjoyed learning about the process, completing and filing the paperwork and having it all work out. As a stay-at-home parent, I haven't had too many opportunities to exercise my brain. Nice to know it still works.
So that's been my week. All in all, not too shabby.
Have a great weekend.
So . . . we didn't end up at Paint Lake yesterday. Instead, we headed to a toboggan hill in town, across from the Tim Horton's. Double bonus.
Went for a few runs, but the boys didn't seem too interested, as the hill was not very fast, due to the warm weather. Sonwun was also not terribly interested in the pull-your-own-toboggan-back-up-the-hill deal.
Neomom had pulled the boys to the hill in their little red wagon. I won it at the RCMP golf tournament a few years back and it has served us well. But the wheels are bent and the boys don't quite fit any more. Well, they fit, but they fight and whine over foot space, which makes our little walks more than annoying.
And so, armed with two Canadian Tire gift cards, we left the hill and headed for the store to replace said wagon. Too early. They had one type of wagon in stock and it was larger, but still plastic, with plastic wheels. And for the walks we intend to take come spring, we'll need something a little more sturdy. So the wagon will wait.
Instead, we used our gift cards to buy much needed dinnerware. The stuff we have, and have had for the last eight years, is badly chipped. Neomom's been searching for the right replacements for about six months now. And, believe it or not, we found something acceptable at Canadian Tire. (Not too many options up here— pretty much Canadian Tire or Walmart).
And, as we had the boys in tow, we got suckered into some Lightning McQueen dinnerware as well. Fair enough.
We followed that up with a trip to Quiznos for lunch, and the video store for some evening's entertainment.
All in all a good day. Neomom has a week "off" and will be working through it to catch up on her homework. But she took yesterday off off and spent it with us. Which was great!
But today, as I write this at 7 a.m., she's outside taking tire print measurements on the minivan. The weather cooperated last night and delivered a light snowfall, which makes getting the impressions and measurements possible. It's one more thing she can check off on the long list of assignments she must complete this year.
The boys and I will go grocery shopping this morning, Sonwun has preschool this afternoon. That's the plan.
Finally, please keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers. She is going in for surgery on the carcinoid (sp?) tumour tomorrow. No reason to think it won't go well, but all positive energy directed her way is appreciated.
Have a great Tuesday.
I admit it. I'm behind the times.
Thought I could keep up, but it's moving just a bit too fast these days.
So let's talk Youtube, shall we? Interesting concept, interesting place. People post videos of every kind, that they've created or re-recorded, for the world to see. And I do mean every kind.
But that's not what I'm thinking about today. Youtube is also a hosting site for videos that you don't want the world to see. And that's what I'm trying to use it for.
Not that I'm posting nasty stuff, I'm just not sure I want the world to see Sonwun and Sontoo just yet. At least not on that forum. Don't know why, maybe I'm just paranoid.
But when I create a video of the boys, I have a hard time emailing it to their aunts, uncles and grandparents. They are generally too big to email. Enter Youtube.
As I type this, I've attempted to upload my second video. I tried one earlier today, but apparently due to copyright laws, the music (5,000 Miles by the Proclaimers) was disallowed and removed from the video.
The video was of Sontoo's early walking experiences and the song made it work. Without the music, it just isn't near as much fun. So I deleted it.
The second video is of the boys at a playground, shot today. And it's more of an experiment to find out if I can do this, keep it private but share it with those I'm comfortable with.
- - - - -
That was a break for supper, bedtime and all that.
- - - - -
Didn't figure it out yesterday. It's now 6 a.m. and I will keep trying today, as the boys permit. I did manage to post the video and several family members were able to view it. But I can't do it, yet, when the video is private. Hmm.
Anyhoo, yesterday was a good dad day. I made peanut butter cookies, walked the boys to a park to play and managed their favourite supper, chicken fingers (home made), tater tots (not so much home made) and corn.
Plans may have already changed for today, as we are looking at going to Paint Lake to take advantage of the 10C weather. Time will tell.
Anyhoo, have a great week and, if you have any Youtube suggestions, let me know.
Well, March indeed came in like a lion. And I'm not talking about the weather.
I am talking about Sonwun and his art.
I have been tracking my young artist's work from the early days of scribblism, through dot-to-dotism, through realism and through attempts by "the system" to destroy his artist's heart and creativity. You'll find the journey chronicled here and here.
Go check 'em out. I'll wait here.
Anyhoo, true to form, last night Sonwun made another epoch-shattering explosion in the art world with the creation of his latest work, Rainbow Hands. And these works are his greatest leap forward since his first foray into realism with his piece "Me, Balancing on my Boinger."
And, just like the Boinger piece, this one came out of the blue.
Sontoo and I were going through the bedtime routine; warm milk in the living room, followed by stories, hugs and night-night upstairs. I noticed Sonwun was working in the living room as Sontoo had his milk, but I didn't pay attention.
He's been stuck in a bit of a creative rut of late and had reverted to monochromatic scribblism in, I believe, an attempt to get back to his artistic roots.
It happens to a lot of artists. They achieve a measure of commercial success, accolades, a prized spot on the Kenmore Art Gallery and they lose focus. It becomes about the money, the fame . . . not the art, for art's sake. Boinger had that affect on Sonwun's work.
But last night, after night-night for Sontoo, I returned to my comfy chair in the living room to watch Gordon Ramsey swear at people (it's okay, it was all bleeped out), when Sonwun presented me with "Rainbow Hands."
I was stunned. Speechless. It was beautiful.
Not only was it a complete departure from his earlier works, it demonstrated a new maturity for my young artist. Sure, he stayed within the lines, but the artist's heart was beating out a fresh and exciting form of expression.
Now, as his patron, I can fully appreciate his message in a way that the average observer, or critic, can not. Rainbow Hands speaks of Sonwun's desire for friends, his dissatisfaction with Michael Ignatieff's role as Leader of Canada's Official Opposition, his love of chicken fingers, his joy in Canada's gold medal victory in hockey, his desire for a clean, renewable energy source, his belief that Ford Canada should provide a loaner vehicle if a Ranger with 13,000 kilometres on it breaks down and needs a month worth of repairs, his love of Superhero movies and his prayer for peace in the Middle East.
It's all there, in multi-chromatic glory. We are many colours, one hand. Let's work together.
As I sit here this morning, I can hear the rattle of Crayola markers. Sonwun is up bright and early, anxious to continue his work, his message. And I can't wait to witness the next artistic evolution.
In the meantime I present, for the first time anywhere, Rainbow Hands:
Have a great weekend.
Let's talk toys today, shall we?
I've learned a fair bit about them in the last four years and it seems only right that I should share just in case any of you have young 'uns and are venturing into the marketing hell hole that is children's toys.
Sontoo just celebrated his second birthday Sunday. Well, technically, he won't even be celebrating his first birthday until 2012, as he is a leap year baby, born February 29. But we go through the motions each year anyway.
Anyhoo, Sontoo loves cars, specifically the Matchbox, Hotwheels size. And so, for his birthday, we purchased the Hotwheels Monster Jam Show-Off Showdown. It's a folding "hill" covered in obstacles that a little Hotwheels monster truck is supposed to race down. There are actually two lanes, so two trucks can race head to head.
Now, granted the toy is recommended for children ages 3+, so factor that into my critique.
And my critique begins with, IT'S CRAP.
Let's start with the fact that it only comes with one monster truck. Two lanes, one truck. That kind of thing pisses me off. It's kinda like the Nintendo Wii coming with only one Wiimote, or my old PS2 coming with one controller and without a memory card. I hate buying something that requires me to buy five more things to fully enjoy it.
But that is not my biggest beef with the Monster Jam Show-Off Showdown. It's biggest flaw is stability. When it is unfolded for play, the joints don't lock together in any meaningful way. And so, when played with, even by 4-year-old Sonwun, it collapses . . . a lot. And then it falls apart. That is frustrating, not only for the children, but for dad, who must reassemble it and set it back up every few minutes.
I suspect it would fair slightly better, but only slightly, on carpeted floors. But on hardwood, forget it.
Overall, don't buy it. Don't waste your money. It's flimsy, incomplete and frustrating. These are not highly sought-after virtues in toys.
It disappoints me on several levels. First and foremost, I paid money for it. Second, it's a Hotwheels product. And I thought, based on my own childhood experiences, I could trust the Hotwheels brand. Um . . . no. At least not this time. It's just crap.
Now, having provided a negative, allow me to finish with a positive. Geotrax. Worth every penny. It's an expandable train set made by Fisher Price. And I like almost everything about it.
The track pieces are solid, virtually unbreakable by two very active boys. They go together well, stay together well and provide hours of entertainment. You can start with a small set and build up with each birthday or holiday until you have enough track to cover the rec room floor.
And, both boys have loved it; Sonwun preferring the remote-controlled, battery-powered trains and Sontoo, who would rather push a non-powered train around the track by hand.
If it has a downside, it's battery consumption. The little train we have eats Duracells for breakfast and it goes through a fair number, even with the automatic shut-off that kicks in after a few minutes of use.
Anyhoo, those are my thoughts this morning. Monster Jam Show-Off Showdown bad, Geotrax good.
Have a great Tuesday!
What a great weekend!
On Friday night, my neighbour Dave called. Neomom answered.
"Is your husband free tomorrow for . . ."
"Yes! Take him! He needs to get out of the house!"
So, on Saturday morning, Dave and I climbed aboard a couple of snowmobiles and headed out to join a rally. It was fan-freakin-tastic! We covered about 80 miles during the day. The sun was shining, the temperature was just below freezing, the trails were beautiful, the lakes were covered by more than a foot of powder . . . I loved it!
When I stopped to think about it, I realized I had not been out of the house, alone, for recreational purposes, since we moved here in July. Didn't realize how much I needed it.
I hadn't been on a sled for about seven or eight years. But it all came back in a flash. Flying over the powder on a frozen lake at 80 mph . . . exhilarating! Winding through tree-lined trails at 70 mph . . . what a rush! And just cruising along, taking in the sights . . . relaxing!
And then, of course, came Sunday . . . the gold medal hockey game. Neomom and I were glued to the TV. We watched every gut-wrenching second of the game and celebrated with the rest of the nation as Sid the Kid put away the overtime winner.
It was, without a doubt, the perfect end, make that the only end, to a fantastic winter Olympics. We simply had to win that game. It was the last event, the finale and, after such an outstanding performance by our athletes, it just had to end with another Canadian gold medal.
As one commentator put it, it was like the game to decide who won the Olympics. I know, it wasn't, it just felt that way to many Canadians. Our neighbours to the south still collected most of the medals, but we had our best performance in history and it was felt from coast to coast. So very, very cool for a nation that is usually very subtle and subdued about its patriotism.
I'm not sure what to do today. For two weeks, it's been nothing but Olympic coverage on TV. I will miss it.
And as far as favourite Olympic moment . . . I have to go with Jon Montgomery's gold medal in skeleton. He was just so excited, so honest with his emotions and so well spoken. And he's from Manitoba.
I just loved his triumphant arrival in Whistler Village after the win. Someone handed him a pitcher of beer and he took a big ol' Canadian swig and kept it around throughout his interview.
Anyhoo . . . great weekend! Have a great week!
