Category: NHL

The Search For A Baby Boy Doll

JSL, NHL, Toys

P1020990Back when B was pregnant with JSL, we wanted NHL to get ready for being a big brother.  We decided to get him a small baby boy doll to help him practice.  It wasn’t easy, but we finally tracked one down in a local Toys ‘R Us.  NHL named him Howie Harry.  Howie after Howie Mandell, host of Deal or No Deal, and Harry from Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, a favorite TV show of his at the time.  (It’s standard practice in Judaism not to name after the living, but seeing as Howie Harry’s not a real baby, I don’t think there’s a problem.)  Anyway, Howie Harry became a loved member of our family and gave NHL lots of practice.

Fast forward to the present day.  JSL now wants a "Howie Harry" of his own.  No, B’s not pregnant again.  He’s just obsessed with having a little baby of his own.  We decided that he has some Chanukah gift cards (not to mention some unused ones from his birthday last year).  We’ll let him use them to buy a little boy doll.

That is, if we can find a little boy doll.  On Saturday night, we checked two stores for a doll to no avail.  On Sunday, I called four more stores and checked in four other stores.  All I found were baby girl dolls.  We did find one baby boy doll in one store, but was quite pricy.  It’s one of the ones that coos and wets its diaper.  All we want is a basic baby boy doll.  Is that too much to ask for?

Apparently, toy manufacturers and toy store owners think that: 1) Only girls play with dolls (note that the doll aisle is all pink whereas the other aisles are more "gender-neutral" colors) and 2) girls only want to play with little girl dolls.  Why can’t little boys play with dolls?  And why can’t boys and girls play with baby boy dolls?

Have you ever seen a baby boy doll in the doll aisle?

Bunk Beds, Angry Birds and Traditional Christmas Chinese Food Dinner

Holidays, JSL, Life, NHL, Painting

This weekend was quite busy.  We started out shopping for bunk beds.  You see, JSL is still in his toddler bed.  However, despite our insisting, he’s growing up.  He’s going to need a regular bed.  Unfortunately, the boys’ room is too small for two twin-sized beds.  So we’re going to have to go vertical.

We think we’ve made our decision, so now we just need to purchase it.  Then, the fun part will be preparing the boys’ room for the bunk bed arrival and setup.  I’ll need to dismantle NHL’s current bed, JSL’s current bed, move a ton of stuffed animals, move toys out of the way, remove some Cars wall clings (that the bunk will likely just cover up), etc.  Of course, I can’t do all this too early or the boys will have nowhere to sleep.

In addition, to looking at bunk beds, we needed to pick up NHL’s painted Angry Bird.  I knew that the colors would be more vibrant once it was finished, but I was still quite impressed.

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The boys begged to do some more projects right then and there, but the store was closing in a few hours and we had to get home (refrigerator/freezer groceries in the trunk).

The next day, however, was a lazy day in.  It was Christmas Day and, while we don’t celebrate, we decided to make it a family day.  Ok, the fact that most stores are closed might have factored into it.  Plus, the laziness thing.  Having a lazy day in every once in a while is good.

We mainly spent the day playing computer games and watching TV, including the Disney Parks Christmas Parade.  The boys love parades, though they repeatedly expressed frustration over this one.  Too much singing and not enough characters.  Oh, and when NHL saw Justin Bieber, he let out a loud "Yuck!"  I was so proud. *wipes away a tear*

We ended Christmas Day with our traditional Jewish Christmas Day Dinner: Chinese food.  I lobbied to go out to eat.  Either to a nice, sit-down restaurant or to a buffet.  I even tried inviting B’s parents to come with us, figuring that would help push us to get ready.  Still, though the boys were dressed, B and I were still in our PJs.  (Like I said: Lazy day!)  So we ordered takeout.  I tossed on some clothes and picked it up.

Pretty soon, JSL was munching on rice with sweet and sour chicken sans sauce. (We call it "Chinese Chicken Nuggets" to get JSL to eat it.)  NHL had the sweet and sour chicken and some chicken and broccoli.  B and I shared some steamed vegetable dumplings, vegetable egg rolls, and General Tso’s Bean Curd.  (Bean curd is tofu and tastes better than it sounds!)  Behold, my Christmas Dinner:

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Yes, I know what you’re thinking.  Jews eating Chinese food for Christmas dinner.  How stereotypical!  Well, it’s our tradition and I’m a sucker for tradition (and Chinese food).

Hope your Christmas weekend was wonderful no matter how you celebrated it!

Fun Times Painting an Angry Bird

Art, NHL, Painting

On Sunday, JSL had a birthday party to go to.  So, when I picked NHL up from Hebrew school, it was just the two of us.  What to do, what to do.  Luckily, B came up with a great idea to leverage NHL’s love of art class: Pottery painting.

After going out to lunch (at a favorite of NHL’s and mine, Five Guys), we went to a nearby pottery painting location.  The staff member who greeted us explained the setup.  We would get to pick out whatever we wanted to paint.  When we were done, we would be charged for the item plus a fee per painter per hour.  Paints, equipment, and firing was included in those fees.  NHL and I looked over the selection and a few items stood out.  Finally, though, NHL found exactly what he wanted.

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An Angry Birds pencil holder.

Sorry for the poor photo quality.  I had, in my rush to pick NHL up, forgotten to take my camera with me.  I was limited to my cell phone camera.  (This isn’t the first time I’ve forgotten my camera recently.  Clearly, I need more sleep!)

We filled out the paperwork and were brought a bird for NHL to paint.  The first step was to wash our project.  This removed dust and other items that might interfere with the paint.

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When this was done, we were given a tutorial in painting by another staff member.  You would think painting is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s actually quite complicated.  Simply putting one coat of paint on the bird would result in a washed-out looking bird.  You need to dry the paint first (by using some fans they have set up) and then apply two or three coats.  In addition, the paints don’t seem as vibrant when they go on as they are after the project is fired.

NHL was actually very patient through this.  I expected him to be antsy and trying to run off to paint.  Instead, he listened to all of the possibilities and pitfalls.  He even asked a few questions and pointed a few things out.

Then, it was paint time.  We chose some colors based on the paints on the wall.  (Tiles pre-painted and fired to show you what the colors would look like when done.)  NHL chose five that he liked and they were brought to him.  As they were brought over, NHL chose some brushes and sponges to work with.

We got back to the table and NHL began painting.

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Slowly, but surely, the bird began to take shape.

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Finally, NHL’s bird was done.

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This is one colorful bird.  Don’t worry, though, pigs.  This guy’s not about to fling himself at you.  (I was quite clear about that with NHL.)  Instead, we left him to be fired and finished.  He’ll be done Saturday, so we’ll return then.  NHL and I both can’t wait to see the finished product.

NHL had a blast with the painting.  We wound up only staying for an hour, but he loved every minute of it.  Still, it isn’t an inexpensive endeavor.  The entire project (bird and one hour of painting) cost us $28.  This obviously isn’t something we’ll do on a weekly basis, but for special events, I could definitely see us doing this again.

Review: A Magical Time with Melissa and Doug’s Deluxe Magic Set

NHL, Play, Review

Ever since NHL, JSL and B saw a magician during the summer, NHL has been intrigued by magic.  He wanted to try doing magic himself right away.  Of course, he didn’t quite understand how to do magic.  He decided he really wanted a magic kit.  A cheap ($1) magic kit from Michaels didn’t seem to quench NHL’s thirst.  He wanted more.

Luckily, when Uncle I, Aunt M, Cousin S, and Cousin B came to visit, we exchanged Chanukah presents early.  Guess what NHL got.

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Yes, that is a Melissa and Doug magic set.  NHL begged to open it up.  At first, I was reluctant.  After all, Cousin B is only one and a half and there were some small pieces.  I soon relented, though.  Even I was intrigued by what was in the package.

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I opened the packaging up and took out a few of the tricks.  NHL excitedly looked at each and every piece, wondering what they did.  We were having difficulty figuring it all out until I got to the very last (and arguably most important) piece: the instruction manual.

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As you can see, it was sealed shut to prevent any non-magicians from learning the valuable secrets contained within.  I got to work looking over the magic tricks.  Finally, I found an easy one.  The disappearing scarves trick.

How did I do it?  Well, a magician never reveals his secrets.

NHL also quickly mastered the disappearing/reappearing ball trick and the magic number prediction trick.

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All in all, there are about 10 tricks for him to practice.  The entire set comes in a magic box that is used in one of the tricks and doubles as a storage case.

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The pieces feel very sturdy and are of very high quality (as Melissa and Doug products have a reputation for being).  About my only gripe would be the lack of some kind of latch on the magic box to prevent it from opening once closed.  Without a closing mechanism, the filled, closed box easily opens, spilling its contents all over.

Still, this is a minor complaint in an otherwise wonderful magic set.  I’m sure that NHL will have plenty of fun playing with it and learning the tricks (and, let’s face it, so will I).

Disclaimer: NHL got this toy as a gift from relatives.  We weren’t compensated for this review in any way.  I just wanted to share what I thought about it.

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