Wordless Wednesday: Tired, Post-Night Terror JSL
Category: JSL
Park Hawk and The Missing DSLR
On Sunday, NHL had a birthday party to go to. While he was having fun there with B, I decided that JSL and I should have a father-son day out. After all, he had just endured 8 days of Passover food and none of the food he usually likes.
After a quick lunch at Five Guys (grilled veggie sandwich for me and grilled cheese for JSL), we headed to a big park. There, JSL ran through the hedge maze, played tag with me in the big fields, led the way through a hike on the wooded path, and finally played on the playground.
As the time to leave approached, I let JSL know we’d only stay five minutes longer. While we were waiting for a swing to free up, suddenly, the playground was invaded. A hawk flew right behind the swinging kids and swooped towards a black bird on the ground nearby. The bird got away so the hawk then, without skipping a beat, flew back up to the branches of a nearby tree.
Usually, I’d have went over to take photos with my DSLR. However, in an effort to travel light, I decided to leave my DSLR at home. I had my new camera phone, but JSL really wanted to swing. So I resorted to that old parental standby: bribery. I told JSL that if he came with me to get some hawk photos, I’d not only restart our "countdown until we leave the park" timer, but I’d also add five extra minutes. JSL reluctantly left the swing area and came with me where I (and someone else with the same idea as me) took a few hawk photos.
Unfortunately, they didn’t come out great. Camera phones can take decent photos in some situations, but this wasn’t one of them. My DSLR would have taken a much better photo. Still, at least I got some record of the hawk that almost turned the playground into a feeding ground. I also learned an important lesson: The more times I can take my DSLR out with me, the better!
Aloha Friday: Picky Passover Progeny and Cuisine I Crave
Passover means that a lot of our favorite foods turn into shadows of their non-Passover selves. Cakes and cookies get replaced with bland knock-offs that use matzo meal instead of real flour. Bread is a big no-no. Pizza is just sauce and cheese slapped on matzo. The less said about “Passover Pasta” the better. (NOTE: Just because a food claims to be “Passover Pasta” doesn’t it will cook up anything even remotely resembling, much less tasting like, real pasta.)
As I posted earlier this week, JSL has had a hard time this year. He’s a very picky eater and all of his favorite foods are Passover no-nos. He is refusing to try new things. Why? Because he doesn’t try a food unless he already knows he likes the food. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Doesn’t make any sense. You try arguing with the 4 year old. I’ve already tried tons of times.) The few times he’s tried something (under heavy protest, mind you), he’s either spat it out or proclaimed that he loves it but doesn’t want to eat it ever again.
All this has got me thinking about what foods I miss. I certainly miss my usual breakfast of oatmeal and bananas. Bananas are fine, but replacing the oatmeal with matzo and cream cheese just isn’t the same. I also miss being able to use beans and corn. Most of all, I guess I miss the pasta and bread, though. So much of what I eat contains pasta or bread in some way, shape, or form that I couldn’t imagine not ever eating that again.
My Aloha Friday question for today is: What one food could you never give up for good?
P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #134
Blame the Matzoh
I don’t have a proper post ready for today. Yes, there’s this, but I don’t consider it a “proper post.” B and I have been wiped out since Thursday (if not earlier). You see, all that cleaning took a toll. Then, after finishing up some cleaning on Friday, I took the Passover items down from the attic. Then, B and I cooked for the Passover Seder. Then, the next day, we picked up a few remaining items we felt we needed before having a second Seder that night.
I was supposed to go to temple on Saturday morning and Sunday morning, but couldn’t drag myself out of bed on Saturday. Honestly, I was surprised that I got there on Sunday.
JSL, meanwhile, has had an awful Passover. All of his favorite foods (macaroni and cheese, “chocolate drink” – a protein drink he loves having for breakfast, pizza, grilled cheese) aren’t Kosher for Passover. Sure, you can make Matzoh pizza and you can melt cheese on Matzoh, but it isn’t the same. We gave him fish sticks (shaped like actual fish – more or less) last night, but he complained the whole time and went to bed hungry. The happiest I’ve seen him eating was when 1) he was eating melon and 2) he was eating Passover cookies and brownies at temple with me. (JSL: “This is my bestest day EVER because I get to eat a lot of chocolate!”)
As for NHL, he’s doing fine. He’s found out that he loves gefilte fish (though not horseradish) and he already knew that he loves hard boiled eggs. He even tried, loved, and devoured my quinoa pilaf. His dietary needs are being met.
I’ll try to fight off the Matzoh-carb-sleepiness tonight to get a proper post ready for tomorrow. If none appears, though, the Matzoh got me.
Video Game Catastrophe
NHL loves the Lego video game series for the Nintendo DS, especially the Lego Indiana Jones game that he recently got. He’ll sit down and play it for hours, shattering everything in sight and besting minifig enemies left and right. He prides himself on the progress made, new characters unlocked and new areas found.
Meanwhile, his younger brother loves doing what his older brother does. He doesn’t quite understand how to play the game well and he can’t read the menus, but he loves sitting down with the DS and playing his brother’s game.
Can you see the catastrophe coming?
A couple of nights ago, NHL sat down to play some DS, let out a scream, and began tearing up. We rushed over to see what was the matter. His game was at 0% completed. All of the hard work he had put into his game over the past two weeks was gone. All the unlocked levels and characters, erased. He was sent back to the very beginning and was understandably upset.
What happened was immediately obvious. JSL had started the game to play it, hit a bunch of buttons and somehow deleted NHL’s game. Of course, being upset, NHL yelled at his brother over this which sent his brother into tears (and running into his bed, JSL’s usual "hiding" spot when he’s upset). A parenting split-team play ensued. I soothed JSL and told him that we weren’t mad at him. However, I let him know that he did hurt NHL, even though it was unintentionally, and he should apologize. B reassured NHL that his brother didn’t mean to delete his game. She also let NHL know that he could get everything back by playing the game again.
There were some tense moments between the brothers as JSL obviously wanted things to go right back to normal and NHL didn’t want his brother around for fear he would somehow disrupt his game again. Thankfully, by the end of the night, they made up (hopefully for good). JSL will now refrain from playing that game and we’ll look for another Nintendo DS game for him.
Anyone know of a good Nintendo DS game for a nearly 5 year old?