Wordless Wednesday: Jedi Tigger’s Not Afraid Of A Skeleton
Category: JSL
Have a Zombie Halloween
I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that B, NHL, JSL and I have been turned into zombies. The good news is that I’m going to use this opportunity to correct up a few zombie stereotypes.
First of all, zombies aren’t always calm, shuffling, hungry for brains folks. Sometimes we can be quite angry.
Especially if we don’t get the brains.
Secondly, zombies can also be quite thoughtful.
Mostly, we’re thinking about how to catch more people with tasty, tasty brains.
Finally, you might think that zombies don’t have any heart. While ours might not be beating, we still feel love. Zombie love.
After this photo was taken, we dined on the photographer’s tasty brains….. It was very romantic.
Well, I hope that’s cleared a few things up. I’ve got to shuffle off now. Here’s hoping you have a wonderful Halloween.
P.S. Remember to click on the photos for up close and personal zombie photos. We promise not to jump out of your screen at you… Maybe.
P.P.S. Zombification is thanks to Google Plus’s new photo editing tools (powered by Picnik).
Not Fair! Bedtime Battles
My checklist for getting ready is simple:
- Get in your PJs
- Go to the bathroom
- Brush your teeth
- Get into your bed
- Go to sleep
The battles start with Step 1. Oftentimes, we’ll tell the kids to get in their PJs before bedtime. This way, when bedtime arrives, we won’t be yelling at them to hurry. However, the kids are never quite ready to start getting ready for sleep. They’ll cry about how early it is, how they can still see the sun (applicable in the summer when the sun seems to set at around midnight), or how they’re in the middle of their TV program.
When they get their PJs, they insist on changing in the living room. Remember that TV program they were watching? That becomes a distraction. Left to their own devices, they’ll sit half undressed watching Dora’s latest attempt to ward off Swiper’s kleptomania.
Finally, with the kids in bed, the time comes for Steps 2 and 3. Go potty and brush your teeth. We have only one bathroom downstairs and it is too small for one person to be performing Step 2 while another person does Step 3. This means that someone needs to go first.
Most times, when it comes to boys, asking “who wants to [INSERT SOMETHING HERE] first?” will result in the boys jockeying to claim the right to be the first. It doesn’t matter if the first and second place both get identical ice cream sandwiches, carbon-copy coins, or twin toys. The goal is to be the first one to get the item or get to do the activity.
Except for bed time.
They never want to be first for bed time.
A few weeks ago, in a fit of cleverness, I devised a system. I told NHL and JSL that we’d go by odd numbered days and even numbered days. Since NHL was our 1st child and the number 1 is odd, NHL has to go first on odd numbered days. Since JSL was our 2nd child and the number 2 is even, he goes first on even numbered days. (I wonder what will happen when NHL realizes that there are more odd numbered days in a year than even numbered ones thanks to 31 day months.)
This seems to work pretty well. They still protest, but I just say “It’s an odd/even day so you go first.” Usually, that will quiet them down.
Now that we’re up to Step 4, things tend to quiet down a bit. JSL needs to say good night to everyone and give them kisses and hugs, NHL is content to just jump into his bed. Battle won? No, just lulling us into a false sense of security.
Now comes time to go to sleep. This is where they pull out the big guns. First, JSL will need a nightly drink of water. (Which must be taken when the lights are out and after he’s laid down to sleep for some reason.) NHL will try to talk to us about his day or some random TV show plot. JSL will claim to have had nightmares (before he actually falls asleep). And so on and so on.
Eventually, the bed time music and dark room turn the tide and the kids lose the bedtime battle. Still, we emerge, not victorious, but frazzled and weary. How many more battles must we wage before they go to bed without complaining?
My Weekend With The Boys While TheAngelForever Was At #SheStreams, Part 2
I woke up on Sunday morning to the sound of a kid out of bed. This is a usual affair. NHL will wake up at 6am and ask if he can watch TV. When I opened my eyes, though, I saw two kids looking at me. JSL was out of bed also. I approved them going to watch TV on the couch and tried to get some more sleep.
I gave up soon, though, realizing that I needed to get moving. NHL has Hebrew school every Sunday morning at 9:30am. This meant I needed to get the kids fed, get the kids dressed, get myself showered, get myself dressed, and get us all out of the house by 9:15am. I decided that we would all wear matching Perry the Platypus shirts.
Dropping NHL off at Hebrew school, I found out just how many people were Phineas and Ferb fans. As we walked up the steps, NHL in front and JSL and I behind, I heard someone singing “doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-wa”. They had spotted NHL’s shirt and were expressing approval. Then, as JSL and I came into view, they stopped. Their appreciation was quite apparent. For the record, these weren’t kids. These were adults. To rephrase my statement above: I found out just how many parents in our temple are Phineas and Ferb fans!
After NHL was in Hebrew school, JSL and I did some grocery shopping. Then we picked NHL back up, stopped by the house because I had forgotten my camera (bad camera geek!), and headed to lunch.
My first thought for lunch was Cici’s. However, eating pizza the night before had soured me on the thought of an all-you-can-eat pizza lunch. Instead, we went to Moe’s Southwest Grill. There, the boys each had a Mini Masterpiece (kids cheese quesadilla). I opted out of my usual Homewrecker (beans, seasoned rice, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, tofu and guacamole on a whole wheat tortilla), deciding instead to get an Art Vandalay. This burrito has everything that the Homewrecker has except for the tofu and is $1 cheaper.
While they were making mine, they asked if I wanted grilled veggies. That sounded good so in went grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms. When it came time to roll it up, the guy somehow succeeded. I have no clue how they do this. If I were rolling that burrito, the tortilla would rip, toppings would leak out of all sides, and the burrito wouldn’t be able to be closed. It’d be a mess. A delicious mess, but still a mess.
This guy somehow fit all of those toppings into a rolled up tortilla that by all rights shouldn’t have been able to hold them all. The end result was so delicious that the Art Vandalay with grilled veggies has now replaced the Homewrecker as my new favorite Moe’s burrito.
After lunch, I figured that the boys needed some time running around. So to the park we went. First up, was the hedge maze. This is a favorite of the boys. They run around hiding from each other (and from me) and having a blast. I tried taking photos of them, but was only partially successful. They were just too busy having a good time to wait for dad’s camera.
With the hedge maze run through (multiple times), it was time for the boys to tackle the playground. JSL and NHL had fun on the slides, swings, and various other fun activities.
A favorite of theirs was the telephone. There is a hollow pipe which winds under the playground to two separate locations. Through either end, you can talk and be heard on the other side. At first, NHL and JSL spoke to each other. Then, as NHL lost interest and went on to other activities, JSL found himself talking to other kids. He would chat for a short while and then shout “I’m coming over to see you!” At this point, he’d dart as fast as his little legs could take him across the playground to say hi to his new friend.
I noticed that our time was running low, so I herded the boys to the lake. There were ducks, fish, geese, and even remote controlled boats.
Before long, our dad and kids time was coming to an end. We had to go get B from the train station. Reluctantly, we left the park and went to the train station (stopping by briefly to buy an iced tea for B since she texted that she was thirsty).
Despite my worrying that we’d get there late, we arrived with plenty of time to spare. The boys got busy looking around in wonder at the train tracks below. We spotted a train pull up and then pull back. NHL worried that the train was leaving without dropping B off. I reassured him that B’s train wouldn’t leave her behind. Sure enough, B’s train (a different one than the one we saw earlier) pulled in a few minutes later.
We looked as people came out and suddenly I saw a familiar figure. B was back!
(Click to enlarge and see the returning Angel.)
The boys ran up and hugged B and off we went back home.
I want to thank the folks from SheStreams for taking such good care of my wonderful wife. You tired her out, but in a good way. She returned with lots of new ideas and excited about her blogging future. Best of all, from the kids’ point of view, she brought back gifts!
My Weekend With The Boys While TheAngelForever Was At #SheStreams, Part 1
On Friday, we all woke up early and took B to the train station. She was off to SheStreams and my weekend with the boys had begun. Ok, technically speaking, it wouldn’t begin for quite a few hours more. First, I needed to drop NHL off at school, drop JSL off at school, go to work, work a lot, come back from work to B’s parents’ house to pick up the boys (they picked them up from school) and then bring them home… THEN our all-boys weekend began.
The weekend started pretty uneventfully. After a quick dinner, I gave the boys each a big brownie that I had brought home for them. NHL devoured his, but JSL didn’t want his. He was acting funny and I asked him if he was tired. He said he was so I wrapped his brownie for later and got the boys ready for bed. JSL fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
The next morning, I slept late. In this house, this means that I slept until 7:30am. At about 7:45am, I was trying to justify staying in bed longer when the doorbell rang. I quickly tossed on some pants and a shirt (no answering the door in my PJs) and went to the door. Nobody was there. But there was a package there for B. I took that as a sign to get up and get moving.
Our main restriction for Saturday was that I celebrate Shabbat. Mainly, this meant I wouldn’t drive them anywhere. It’s kind of hard to go out and do things when you’re limited to walking distance only. (At least it is where we live.) That was ok, though. I noticed that the living room could use a good cleaning. Then, NHL asked to watch Roku and we couldn’t find the remote. That was the final straw. Off I went on a cleaning bender. I tried to get the boys to help, but quickly gave up on this. (Though JSL came back from time to time to help until he tired of the task.) Toys got put away, papers got stacked neatly. The couch was even moved to dispose of hidden dust bunnies (and retrieve lost toys). Oh, and I found the Roku remote hidden under the couch cushions.
As my cleaning wound down, and after we ate lunch, I decided we should go for a walk. NHL resisted (of course). He demanded that we should stay in the house watching TV. (Because, apparently, half a day spent in your PJs watching TV and playing Nintendo DS isn’t enough quality time with your electronic buddies.) I offered that we could walk to B’s parents’ house. (Yes, they’re within walking distance. A bit far, perhaps, but doable.) He relented and agreed to go.
Only then did it dawn on me: What if they were out? Another Shabbat restriction is that I won’t use the phone. So I couldn’t call them to see if they were there. For all I knew, we could walk all the way over there only to have to head all the way back when we found out they were out shopping. I asked NHL if he wanted to call B’s parents and he jumped at the chance.
I talked him through how to use the phone and he called them up. It was around here that I lost control of the situation. Nobody was really dressed yet and I figured we’d walk over together. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Again, I rushed to put on some presentable clothes. At the door this time was B’s father, ready to drive us over. Apparently, NHL told him that they wanted to come over RIGHT NOW and have dinner there. B’s father saw we weren’t ready to leave yet and left to go to the mall with B’s mother for a couple of hours.
After he left, we all got clothes on and headed outside. After a quick run-in with a big spider (wonder what kind this was), we I got the boys’ helmets on and they had some biking fun.
A month or so ago, I’d removed NHL’s training wheels and he still doesn’t know how to balance properly, so I spent the time holding him steady. Supporting him if he leaned over, guiding him to a slow, safe fall if he leaned too far, and trying to remind him to keep his mind on riding the bike and not singing various songs while biking. Meanwhile, JSL was on his big wheel burning rubber…. or plastic as the case may be.
After some biking, the boys and I decided to play something else. Out came the balls for some soccer fun. (Where “soccer” really means “kicking the ball aimlessly up and down the block without any clearly defined goals in mind.”)
Finally, it was time to go to B’s parents’ house (driven by B’s parents). There, the boys played and we had dinner (pizza). As the day ended, B’s father drove us back home and I got them into bed. Our boys’ day together was at an end. The next day, would bring more fun and picking B up, but that story will need to wait for tomorrow.