Christmas Travel: Part 2

You know what I noticed this week while driving back and forth from NE Wisconsin to southern Illinois...I have a story, or memory, or at least a thought at just about every Interstate exit along the 500 mile drive.  We've been driving that route for so long, that it is all so familiar.

This exit has a Subway we always stop at.
This is the gas station with the gross bathroom.
This is where the dog got loose that one year.
This is where we bought those raisinets.
This one has the McDonalds with the huge play area.
This exit has no bathrooms.
That exit has the hotel with the pool that was way too cold to swim in.

and on and on and on it goes.

Gives me something to think about during the drive.

I also noticed several cities with connections to friends and family.
Drove through Neenah, WI...where my wife's college roommate is from.
Spent the night in Bloomington, Il....where my cousin lives.
Stopped for supper in Beloit, WI...really close to where one of my college roommates is from.
Saw a sign for Freeport, Il....where another of my college roommates lives now.
Went past Rantoul, Il....where I got married.   :)

All in all, it was a fun Midwestern 2011 Holiday Trek!

Christmas Travel

It's Christmastime...let the travel begin!
Today we're driving to Iowa.
Next week we're driving to Illinois.

Before we had kids (and even when we did have kids and before they started school), my wife and I would take about 10 vacation days, and drive from Minnesota to Iowa and Illinois all in one great midwestern Holiday trek.

Now that we have school schedules to contend with and work responsibilities have changed, the trek has been shortened or missed all together some years.  But this year it's back in a two phase configuration!  A long weekend in Iowa now, and a mid week jaunt to Illinois between Christmas and New Year's.

I'm so glad an 8 hour day in the car doesn't bother our kids.  They've been doing it their whole lives....it's just normal to them.  As long as we have a bag of snacks and the portable DVD player, we're good.

Sometimes I get jealous of friends who talk about the 20 minute drive to grandma's house and the cousins that have to drive all the way from Wausau.  Not having to travel so much might be convenient....but somehow I think I would miss it.  Lots of good memories have been made on the road.

Merry Christmas everybody.  And safe Travels!

Things I do for them (or are they things I do for me?)

I butter and cut my daughter's eggos every morning.
I fold and put away their laundry.  (most of the time....but always their shirts.  They don't do hangers.)
(Speaking of hangers....I still use the toddler hangers for their shirts, even though they aren't big enough.  I can't seem to bring myself to admit they need adult size hangers.)
I drive my son to school, and we live 3 blocks from the school.

Are these things I do for them....or to keep myself relevant as their father?

Tide "Dad-Mom" commercial.

This commercial would be awesome if not for the "Dad-Mom" title.  Can't he just be "Dad"?  Kind of ruffles my feathers a bit.

I like this one better.

Santa Claus and the Real World

I've thought about writing something about Santa Claus for a while now, but I don't want to offend any one or come across too preachy.  So I'll just use Santa as an example in another direction....

In our family, we don't do Santa Claus.  Our kids have never had gifts that were from Santa, and we've never said things like "maybe Santa will get that for you" while looking at toys in the store, or "be good, Santa's watching."

We've always taught them that Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus being born and we give presents to people that we love as a way of celebrating.

But as we all know, you can't avoid Santa out in the "real world."  And even now, our son will say things like "If we don't have a chimney, how does Santa get in?" or "I'm not sure Santa is real...what do you think?"

The Santa issue doesn't actually worry me that much....it's the thought of what other ideas the "real world" is putting in their heads.  I guess it all comes down to the fact that no matter how much I want to keep them young forever and shelter them from the world, at some point the world will get to them, and I hope they can find their way.

Which I guess comes down to a recurring theme of my blog.....I don't know what I'm doing as a parent, but we're doing ok.

And on a related note for those of you in Northeast Wisconsin....whose idea was St. Nick's night?  What's up with that anyway?

Shouldn't I just let her sleep?

Today my daughter wasn't feeling well and came home early from school.  She also has a dentist appointment for this afternoon.  Are the two events related?

She gave vague "my tummy hurts" symptoms to the school nurse.  Sounds suspicious.

She came home and went right to sleep....which she never does.  She hasn't napped since she was about 3 days old.  Not so suspicious I guess.

But what to do about the dentist appointment?  Can we still go?  And by that I mean, I'm still going to make her go.  Is that wrong?  How sick is too sick for the dentist?  What if she throws up on him?

Shouldn't I just let her sleep?

Why can't there be an instrument you stick in their ear that tells you exactly how sick they are?  Like a thermometer, only way better.

Dad Blinders On

On Monday nights, I help out in my daughter's Christian Education class at church.  Basically, I sit at a table with a bunch of 5th graders and try to keep them on task.  I have discovered that there is a very wide range of maturity levels at that age.

Last Monday night, several of the kids that were there early were talking about things like dating, rumors about friends kissing, and how they were breaking up with their boyfriends/girlfriends.

Needless to say, my head exploded.  And I proceeded to cover my ears and scream "I can't hear you!  I can't hear you!" for the rest of the night.

I'll keep my daughter right where she is (asking for Barbies for Christmas, and watching Disney Jr. before school) as long as I can.

When she's 40, we'll talk about dating.

I wish I had the enthusiasm and optimism of my daughter.

As you've seen here before, I've written some short stories based on things I've done with my children.  I've also written a few other children's stories that they like.  Last night, my daughter drew more pictures for the Raindrops story that I posted a couple of weeks ago.  (If you want to check those out, go here: Raindrops)  My favorite picture is of Dewey, the smaller, timid raindrop, sitting on the cloud listening to Walter explain how fun it will be when they leave the cloud.  I just love how she drew the scene.

Also last night she asked me about another story we worked on together last spring.  She and her friends play a game at recess they call "Mystical Creatures."  They pretend to be unicorns, dragons, fairies, etc. and have adventures.  The same group of her friends has been playing together for several years now.  And last spring, she asked me to right a story about it.  So with her help and guidance, I wrote a story about the twin sister queens (one good and one evil) fighting to control the newly born baby dragon that they have foreseen has the power to destroy the evil queen once and for all.  (sounds awesome, right?!?!?!)

Last night, my daughter asked me if I had sent it in to any publishers yet.  She said, "And then they'll make it into a movie!"

I immediately wanted to tell her that our little story has no chance of being a movie, or even a book.  We can enjoy it ourselves, but that is about it.  But why should I rain on her parade?  Why should I dash the optimistic spirit of an 11 year old that loves unicorns and fairies and dragons?

So I think we're going to edit it a bit and send it in to some publishers.  Maybe we'll even get a nice polite rejection letter for her to put in a scrapbook.   :)

Or maybe she'll draw the pictures for that story too...and self publish it....and someday make it into a movie on her own.

New workout video series?

My wife (who is AWESOME) has a series of workout DVDs.  I don't claim to do them everyday, or in any way to be in any kind of good shape....but I do occasionally pop one in the DVD player and follow along as best I can.  Today's video was "Shoulders and Back" and it got me thinking....what might the at-home-parent work out series look like?

from the good old fashioned: "Walking The Dog"
to classics such as "Laundry and Groceries" and "Vacuuming and Mowing"
or even "Rearranging the Living Room"
and my favorite, working on balance and agility - "Changing The Sheets On The Top Bunk"

Raindrops

The idea was to have my daughter illustrate this story.....but when school started, the project got pushed behind homework, and ballet, and soccer, and "Wizards Of Waverly Place" episodes.  So there are only a couple drawings to go with the story.

UPDATE:  Allison cranked out several more drawings last night.   :)

RAINDROPS

“Are you ready to go, Dewey?”  Walter, a large raindrop leaned over to the smaller raindrop waiting next to him.

On a late spring afternoon, rain clouds were beginning to gather while the raindrops nervously waited.

“I don’t think I am ready,” the tiny raindrop answered.  “How do we know when to go?”

“I think we’ll just know,” Walter encouraged.  

“Do you think it will be much longer?” Dewey asked.

A low rumble of thunder shook the cloud.

“I’m not sure,” Walter said.  “But I think it will be soon.”  He could tell that Dewey was not very excited about the upcoming events.

“I hope we fall in a forest,” Walter described hopefully.  “With lots of tall trees and a stream.  Squirrels, birds, and maybe some chipmunks.  I’d like to glisten on a leaf after we’re down.”

“Why can’t we just stay up here?” Dewey closed his eyes as if he was wishing he could make it all stop.  “I like it here in our cloud.”

“I’ve also been thinking about falling in a city,” Walter said.  “With lots of people and cars.  Maybe on a bus or train.  Or we could make a puddle on the street for kids to jump in and for cars to splash through as they pass.”

“Can we come back if we don’t like it down there?” Dewey asked.  “Will we be able to come back?”

Walter smiled and gently shook his head.  He continued with a longing sigh, “Maybe our cloud will be over a garden.  We could be watering some flowers or vegetables.  Wouldn’t that be great?  Soft dirt with some worms crawling around sounds fun to me.”

“What will it be like down there?” Dewey looked at Walter for more encouragement.  “Will we be all right?”

“I think it will be wonderful.  It’s what we are meant to do,”  Walter reassured Dewey.  “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to land in a lake or maybe even the ocean.” 

Walter looked down to see if he could tell where they were.  “Or I might try to land on an umbrella,” Walter laughed as he spoke.  “Maybe someone waiting at a bus stop or walking to school.”

A cold gust of wind blew through the cloud and shook the drops as they huddled closer together.

“If it’s cold enough, we might turn to snow,” Walter said.  We’ll float gently down and might even end up as part of a snowman.”  

Dewey just shrugged.  “Will it hurt when we land?” he asked softly.

“Not at all,” Walter said confidently.  “I imagine it might tickle just a bit.”  He could see Dewey start to relax.

“We might fall on a playground full of children.  Maybe at a school during recess time.  With kids jumping rope and kicking balls.”

For a second Dewey almost forgot how nervous he was.  He smiled at the thought of laughing kids running and splashing around him.

“I wonder if it will just be a few of us.  Maybe just a small passing shower.”  Walter wondered.  “Or will it be all of us at once.  With lightning, thunder, and wind blowing us everywhere.”

“Can I stay beside you, Walter?”  Dewey moved in close beside the bigger raindrop.

Another rumble of thunder and the cloud shook again.

“It’s time!”  Walter said excitedly.  “Are you ready?”

Dewey nodded. 

“Let’s go!”

Eleven Years Ago Today.....

I had no idea what I was getting in to.

When you are expecting your first child, all anyone ever talks about is the baby stuff.  For me, the baby stuff was fun.  I was good at the baby stuff (ok, maybe not right away.....that first night in the hospital I had to hit the nurse call button to help change a diaper....but soon after that).

Nobody ever talks about all the stuff that comes later....handling homework tears....or pet frogs dying....or getting them to clean their rooms...or any of the other millions of things I have no clue about today.  But somehow we're getting through it.

Today is my daughter's 11th birthday....and I have her fooled.  Somehow, she thinks I'm a good dad.   :)

Seven Year Itch?

Wow,  I'm into my 7th school year as a stay-at-home-dad.  That's weird.  I had my "real" job for 11 years, and it seems like I did that forever and I just started doing this.  But the calendar doesn't  lie.

This school year feels different from the others though.  Let's review:

05-06 - Allison was in Pre-K four afternoons a week, so I had Andrew home all the time and both kids every morning and all day on Fridays.  Lots of nap time, mostly for me....some for Andrew.

06-07 - Allison in Kindergarten, Andrew in Pre-K.  Andrew was home every morning and all day on Mondays (or Fridays....I forget....I'm getting old.)  Lots more nap time while Andrew was at pre-K.

07-08 - Allison 1st Grade, Andrew Kindergarten.  Both kids in school all day.  I volunteered in Andrew's class regularly and also in the school lunch room two days a week.  Morning naps become very common this year.

08-09 - Allison 2nd Grade, Andrew 1st Grade.  I started working at Target part-time.  Was hoping to just work during the days when they were both in school.  And for the most part, I did....with a bunch of weekend nights mixed in.  Still napping on my off days from Target.

09-10 - Allison 3rd, Andrew 2nd.  Part-time some days at Target.  Napping the other days.

10-11 - Allison 4th, Andrew 3rd.  Regular volunteering in Allison's class.  Still working at Target, still napping.

11-12 - Allison 5th, Andrew 4th.  So far, no volunteering at school...but that could still come, it's early in the year.  Also, so far only two days of working at Target while they are in school.  The part-time day hours are just not what they used to be.  So for the most part, I'm home with the dog all day...napping.

So maybe it's just the extra time at home, or maybe the fact that the kids don't need me as much even when they are home, but I've been looking a lot more at the classified ads.

Do I want a new job with more hours?
What if I'm not home as much with my kids?
Does that mean I'm not a SAHD anymore?
Does that mean I have to go back to being a computer programmer?  (I'll be honest, I REALLY miss that paycheck).
Do I have to start napping less?

Maybe a publisher will see the stories I put out here way back when, or the few I have that I plan on putting out here soon and I'll make my millions that way and I can continue my current nap schedule.

Here, use a pen.

Me:  Andrew, you should use a pen to write your name on that poster for school.
Andrew:  I want to use pencil.
Me:  No, a pen will show up better.
Andrew:  I want to use pencil.
Me:  No, here's a pen for you to use.
(5 seconds later)
Andrew (crying):  Why did you make me use pen?  I spelled my name wrong!


Sometimes, I really don't have a clue.

Rock Of Life

Last night we took the kids to a Rick Springfield concert.  I've been a fan since I was as old as my kids are now.  One of the highlights for me was the song "Rock Of Life" which came out when I was in High School.  I enjoyed it then, but like many things, I enjoy it more now that I get it.  It was written after the birth of his first child and talks about the emotional response, both good and bad, to that life changing event.  Sometimes I still feel like I'm waiting for the boy to leave and the man to enter in my own fatherhood journey.  (and the video is cool too....lots of stuff blowing up)


Well I pick up my guitar, (I tune up)
I look in the mirror 
It's like a stranger in my hand (the baby is crying) 
There comes a time when the boy must leave (get up) 
And the man has to enter 
For the soul to understand (all of the changes) 
As if it ain't hard enough this life I'm living in 
I was caught with my guard down 
When the world came knocking

I feel the big beat, the Rock Of Life 
Big beat talk to me 
I feel the back beat, the Rock Of Life
Waking up blind with the house on fire

Is it something in my head (look up) 
Or the time of season 
Or the little boy in my hands (must be a reason) 
Yeah, there's new meaning in my life (a shake-up) 
But there's pain and confusion 
And I'm trying to understand (all of the changes) 
I've been cut so deep but I can't make it bleed 
I was caught with my head in the sand 
When the world came knocking

I feel the big beat, the Rock Of Life 
Big beat talk to me 
I feel the back beat, the Rock Of Life


It ain't no perfect life 
This one I'm living in 
And I was caught with my guard down 
When the world came knocking

I feel the big beat, the Rock Of Life 
Big beat talk to me 
I feel the back beat, the Rock Of Life

My daughter loves school

I am so grateful that my daughter loves school.  She is in 5th grade now, and her love for school is just as great now as those first few days of pre-k when all they did was build with blocks and color pictures.  If it was up to here, school would go 350 days a year (she does enjoy an occasional sleep in and wear PJs all day at home).

Last night these little math cards popped up all over the house.  She is using them as a way to learn the multiplication facts she still has trouble with.  Her rule is that she can't use the item next to the card until she answers the problem.

And her enthusiasm is contagious.  My son, who would rather go to school about 15 days a year, just to check in with his friends, saw what she had done and asked if he could do it too!

She is awesome!  Thank you to all of her AWESOME TEACHERS, past and present, for nurturing her love for school!

Curious George and the School Bus

School has started, and my hours at Target have not picked up yet, so I'm left with more free time.  I think I need to get out more...I just spent a good chunk of my morning playing with Curious George on the PBS kids website.

Click here if you want to help the animals in the zoo.


My daughter rides the bus to school for the first time this year.  She was worried all summer about it and thought it would be scary.  After one day she was over that fear.  But I'm finding I don't like it so much.  I have this weird disconnected feeling that she goes off to some unseen school and does mysterious things.  Even though I've seen her class room and met her teacher and I know where her locker is.....it's just kind of an unexpected weird feeling not dropping her off at school every day.

The Rembrandts - Goodnight

Here's one of those songs that is really cool....and then you have kids it becomes even cooler.

When you need someone, that you can turn to
Honey don't you know-You can turn to me
And if you need a hand, to help you hold on
Honey don't you know-You can hold on me
Because you've given me the moon
Oh of this you're unaware
And you'll be moving on so soon
To the life that's waiting out there
Goodnight my sweet angel-It's time to close your eyes
Goodnight my sweet angel-I'll see you when you rise

Conflict Resolution

I am not good at conflict.  I avoid it whenever I can.  And playing referee when the kids fight is not really a strength of mine.
I seem to have two main strategies:
     1 - yell until both kids are crying.
     2 - ignore it and hope it goes away.  Neither of these seems to work very well.

Option 1 usually leads to all three of us in tears and grumpy with nobody talking to anybody.
Option 2 usually leads to escalating fighting until I resort to option 1.

In this morning's Wii related conflict, magically Option 1 lead to Option 2, which lead to a peaceful and happy resolution.  They are playing together and being nice to each other....and this after I made them both madder when I tried to help and eventually gave up and left them to fight it out.

What does all of this mean?  It means that after nearly 11 years as a dad, I still don't really know what I'm doing.....and I'm wondering if I ever will.  But somehow, it all seems to work out.

The Dad Who Cried Wolf.

I like to be on time.  I have to be on time.  I really do not like being late.  

Back when I worked in an office, if I had a meeting at 9:00, I was always the first person in the room, probably at about 8:45.

Church starts at 8:30 so we get there at about 8:15.

The movie is at 6:30, so we're in the lobby buying our popcorn at 6:10.

I tend to spend my mornings during the school year yelling things like "Hurry up, we're going to be late!" or "Get dressed so we can go!!!!" or the all-time great "I'm leaving in 2 minutes with or without you!!!!  (like I'd ever leave without them....that would make them late.)

In the six years I've been getting my kids ready for school, we've never been late.  We've probably never even been close to being late.  But, none the less, every morning finds me yelling the warnings as if the sky were falling.

And my kids are on to me.

This week my daughter is going to Girl Scout day camp.  We live about a 3 minute drive from the camp and it starts at 9:00.    This morning I yelled kindly urged her to get dressed.  It was 8:20 and we had to leave RIGHT AWAY!  She just mumbled something like "relax dad," and kept watching TV in her PJs.  

She got dressed.  We made it in plenty of time.  The sky didn't fall.  

Passing Time

What in the world did Stay-At-Home parents do all day before Bejeweled Blitz?

Summer Math

The kids are staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house this week so it gave me a chance to get the living room de-toyed.  Under a pile of notebooks, art projects, and random drawings, I found the math workbook I bought for my kids at the beginning of summer.  The plan was to work through it a little each week to keep all the math skills they had learned during the school year from dwindling.  We even took the book on our van ride to Florida in June.  In my head we were going to pass the hours on the road with fun math activities.  Spend fun summer mornings at the kitchen table with story problems.

Looking back, that may have been a bit overly optimistic.  But look at the book cover.  Look how happy those kids are....how much fun they are having.  I assumed it would be like that for us too.

As it is, we're well into August, and the kids have competed exactly two pages each in the math book.  The last page my son did was his 0's and 1's multiplication facts...so basically he can still count to 10.
My intentions were good, but my follow through was a little weak.

Music

I'm questioning what it says about my parenting when my 10 year old daughter is singing with the radio in the car and yells out the phrase "call me up if you a gangsta!"

um....maybe I'll change the station.

Lunch for Breakfast?

My daughter's choice for breakfast today was a Cheese Pizza Lunchable.  I started to tell her to choose something else until I realized my main issue was the word "Lunch" on the box.  How can you have that for breakfast?  Once I got over that, everybody was happy.  I mean, it's probably I step up from the Hot Fudge Sundae Pop-tarts she usually has, right?

Staying Home

Today I realized I am giving new meaning to the term "stay-at-home-dad" this summer.
Today, the kids are at Vacation Bible School, while I stay home.
During June and July, the kids had summer school, while I stayed home.
Next week the kids are spending a week with Grandpa and Grandma, while I stay home.

Maybe I need to come up with a new name for what I do.......

"Cab driver" is too obvious.
"Lazy Dad" is too accurate.
"Part-time working-laundry doing-hot dog cooking-lawn mower" doesn't really have a good ring to it.
Maybe I'll go with "Dog watcher".

"Hey Nathan, what are you doing today?"
"Oh, I'm just staying home with the dog.  You know, he may need to go outside and stuff."

I think I'll go with that, unless you have a better suggestion.

Mid Summer Thoughts

We bought our school supplies the other day (I know, it's too early to do that, but you've got to get there before they sell out of yellow folders.) so I thought I'd look at where we are at the mid summer mark....

We went to Six Flags for my birthday earlier this month.  (I turned somewhere between 15 and 101, depending on the day.)  I'm not sure why my kids like going there so much.  They don't especially like any of the rides.  Although we got them on more this time than last year...they'd just as soon spend the whole time on the merry-go-round.

Soccer season came and went.  My daughter is so much better now that we ever thought she would be after her first season.  She spent that first summer looking at bugs and picking flowers and occasionally running away from the ball.  Now she is honest to goodness good at playing defense.  Way Cool.  

My son loves to play too but isn't so much interested in being involved in any actual soccer.  He has developed quite a knack for running parallel to the action.  Or circling around the other players, sort of patrolling the perimeter in case a stray ball shoots out to him.  But he has fun, which is what it's about at his age.

He also played baseball again this year.  Last summer he did not enjoy baseball and was not at all disappointed to have his season cut short by a broken arm.  This year he is playing in a YMCA league where the games are more like two team practices.  Everybody bats, everybody plays the field, there are no strike outs.  He is having a lot more fun this year.  

Bought a new car last week, daughter did not take it well.  (as I've written in this space before, she get emotionally attached to things....gummy worms anybody?)  She cried, and cried, and cried.  She wanted to keep a part of it, so we let her keep the little plastic black thing that held the owner's manual.  She got upset when when my wife suggested we pick out a name for the new van because "we never named the old car, why should we treat the new one so special?"  I think we're over it.....but we'll see what happens the next time we see a dark blue Dodge Grand Caravan on the road.

My son had Ninja camp at the YMCA for a week.  I don't know for sure what they did, but how cool is it to tell people you went to Ninja Camp?  Way cool!

We've also been busy with percussion lessons, Nature Nuts class, and a couple of triathlons.

My family is way cool!

At the kids triathlon

 My birthday at Six Flags

Having trouble letting go.

July 4th: Then and Now

I grew up in Clear Lake, Iowa....well at least I lived there from 2nd grade through 10th grade (some very important years) but I'm not sure when/if I ever "grew up"....and Clear Lake knows how to celebrate Independence Day.  There is a week long carnival, parade, fireworks over the lake.  It's a great time.  I haven't been back for a July 4th since my family moved away back when I was in High School.  This year, almost entirely due to facebook, I am wishing I could go back.   Lots of people I know either still live in the area or are going back to town for the holiday.  All the talk about it all made me long for the old days.  So I started thinking....maybe next year we'll go back.  I'll take the kids to the carnival.  We'll watch the parade.  We'll play at the beach.  We'll watch the fireworks from one of the docks out on the lake....just like when I was a kid.  It'll be great!

But then I thought some more.  We live in Kaukauna, Wisconsin now.  And there is a 5k race every year on July 4th.  Every year we volunteer....we make an apple pie to hand out to the finishers, the kids hand out american flags at the finish line.  There is music, fireworks, skydivers, and lots of food and fun.  And maybe some day me kids will be telling their kids about the cool Independence Days in Kaukauna.

So I guess I won't force my childhood on my kids....I'll let them have their own.

Hidden Mickeys

On our recent trip to Disney World, we all had fun searching for "Hidden Mickeys."  Here are several of our favorites.

 In the pop century lobby.  Found this one as I was checking in.

 On the floor of the pop century food court.

 Hard to see in the picture, but this was on one of the pop century buildings.  White outline in the center of the picture.

  the fan and two white helmets

 the coins on the table (upside down mickey outline)

 his ear ring (upside down Mickey outline)

 in the rock formation

 profile in the eye, in the animal mural at Animal Kingdom

 profile on the planet

 This one was made of rocks at the bottom of the aquarium in The Seas at EPCOT.

 Pearls

 Red plants at The Land at EPCOT

The end of George Washington's sword, at the Hall Of Presidents.  Kind of small and hard to see in this picture.

When did Summer School become so cool?

Back in my day....wow, did that just make me sound old?....summer school was a bad thing.  It was the punishment teachers held over you to get you to pay attention toward the end of the school year.

"If you don't finish that report, you'll be writing it again in summer school!"
"We'll just see how funny you think that tack on my chair was when I see you in summer school!"
"Maybe you can learn the answer in summer school, while your friends are all out playing baseball!"

When my daughter was finishing up Pre-K a few years back, she brought home a note about signing up for summer school, which I of course ignored.  Summer school is for the bad kids.  Over the course of that summer we learned about all the cool classes her friends were doing.  Cooking, art, science projects that blew stuff up....we were missing out on all the fun.

This year my son is taking what has to be the coolest class in the history of summer school.  It's called "Legos & Computers-ROBOLAB."  That name alone is awesome!  He gets to build lego projects that have motors other moving pieces.  He came home the first day like he had just had Christmas morning, his birthday and a surprise visit from Spongebob in class.  He talked excitedly about it for about 17 minutes without taking a breath.

How do teachers get the kids to behave at the end of the school year now?  Threaten to take away summer school?

Stay-at-home thoughts as summer vacation approaches...

When you're a stay-at-home-dad and your kids are in school all day, there is a lot of time to wonder if you should be doing something else.  And I've been doing that a lot lately.

But now that we're down to just a handful of days left in the school year, I am reminded why I quit my job six years ago.  I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to spend so much time with my kids.

We get to make trips to the library and the pool, or just spend lazy mornings in our PJs.  We can drive up to the zoo, or over to the kids museum, or hit the mini-golf course.

When fall rolls around and another school year starts, I'll go back to figuring out what I want to be when I grow up.  But for the summer, I get to be a dad.   :)

The capital of Kentucky is...

My fourth grade daughter had a quiz today on the southern states and their capitals.  We worked on them last night and for the most part she had them down.  There were a couple she just couldn't remember, one of those was Kentucky.

So to help her remember, I reminded her that Grandpa Rick lives right next to Kentucky, and she always likes going over the river into Kentucky.

That helped.
She correctly identified Kentucky on the quiz today.

We also worked on remembering Kentucky's capital of Frankfort because it has a boy's name in it and so does Kentucky.  I hoped she would remember "Frank" and "Kent."

She listed the capital of Kentucky as Rick.    :)

Left Over Spaghetti O's lesson

Today my daughter helped me make some Spaghetti O's to send to school in her lunch to test out the new thermos we got for her.  I left the extras in a bowl on the counter while I took the kids to school.  This led to the discovery that when cats eat Spaghetti O's they puke orange.  And that is really hard to get out of light colored carpet.  Too bad we rented to Rug Doctor to clean the carpets last weekend....a lot of good that did us.

Cereal Launcher

Wow.  Somebody sat in a meeting at General Mills and suggested, "Let's encourage kids to plink their cereal across the room.  That will go over well with the parents!"

Here is the back of our Lucky Charms box.

And sure, that does sound like fun, but I think I'll wait and launch my cereal while the kids are at school...I don't want to encourage any food flicking habits.  As long as the dog eats all the marshmallows I have it all cleaned up before they get home, we won't have a problem.