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I think she's on to me. - May 01, 2009
I think Sara is starting to adapt to my tricks.
Eggo waffles are one of the few things the kids agree on for breakfast. But recently Sara has come to the conclusion that the edges of the waffle are not edible.
"Just f'n great" I say to myself. Like we needed *another* food aversion from my kids.
So to combat this, I slice the waffle up in smaller pieces and mix them up. Now the edges are nearly indistinguishable from the normal pieces. WIN DAD!
But today she asks for her waffle to remain in a circle.
I'm going to need a bigger boat.
My Message Is Not Getting Through - January 26, 2009
Sometimes I get upset with the kids for things they do. Because it really doesn't happen very often, they often don't react immediately. In my parental myopic belief that my kids are basically good and not manipulative, my opinion is that I don't think they immediately recognize when I'm being serious.
Today Sara was working on a project coloring with felt-tip markers on the floor. Our floor is wood. I was not in the room watching.
Later I returned to the room to find markings on the floor. The hair started to stand up on my neck as neatness (actually lack of neatness) with markers has in the past been a source of disciplinary action. So when I saw markings on the floor I thought that "bad daddy" would need to make an appearance.
Me: "Sara! There are green markings on the floor. What did we tell you about using markers?"
Sara: "That's not green Daddy, it's blue."
Smackdown by an 8 year old - January 19, 2009
I've got an "itchy" spot on my upper back right between my shoulder blades. For some time now I've been apply some steroid cream to it to quell the itchiness.
My employer does not test for steroids, so I'm ok on that front.
This morning, Garrett was in the bathroom with me while I bent my arm to apply the cream my back.
He looked at me and said "What's that Daddy, hair care product?".
Self Inflicted Punishment - September 19, 2008
Sara was dying to have a pre-school year sleepover, just to celebrate the end of summer.
We went along with it.
Everybody who was invited made it, and we ended up with 11 kids ranging from 6 to 8 years old - 8 girls, 3 boys.
They made some crafty thing, decorated cupcakes, and then made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.
Honestly, it was great fun.
Another round of humiliation - September 18, 2008
Forgot to post this in a timely manner, but here is the kids 1st day of school photo. Garrett is in 3rd grade, and Sara is in 1st.
I'd Better Get Used to It - March 22, 2008
Sara displays that she is truly Marie's daughter...
Sara: Daddy, should I wear the purple one or the green one?
Me (not really caring as they were essentially identical): The purple one.
Sara: I think I'll wear the green one.
Me (under my breath): Glad to be of service.
1st Practice - March 19, 2008
The weather held up this afternoon to get our first baseball practice in. All but one of the boys showed up. We got sprinkled on just a little, and there was lots of squishy ground and mud on our shoes, but I think it went well.
It looks like we've got a pretty good set of kids. All seemed attentive, and eager for the season to start. I've got just about all their names memorized except for the brothers. They are not identical twins, but I struggled keeping them straight. I think I'll be bumbling a lot this year as I've got a Jack, Jake and Josh. Then there is Blake, Ryan, Nathan, Kyle, Garrett and Sean. Nine kids total, so we won't have any bench riding this year.
Fielding should be an interesting experience - as it usually is with 7/8 year olds. I've got some real work on three boys who seem to have forgotten how to throw. But that should be fun as you can really see the improvement from the beginning to the end of the season.
Hitting wise I don't think I've got much work to do - except to get out of the way! Several of the boys hit the ball really well today. Probably two of the younger boys will need some special help - but even they hit it hard when they did get it.
The exciting thing is that I actually have another Dad on the team who has volunteered to help coach. That's great except that now I have to communicate rather than just go off the top of my head.
I think the season is going to be even more fun than last year.
Little League Time - March 14, 2008
Spring is in the air and so it is time once again for Little League baseball.
Despite my reservations, I have once again volunteered to manage two teams - T-Ball with Sara, the "Coast" for Garrett ("Coast" is 1-step above T-Ball where the coaches pitch).
I did the same thing last year, and when the season was over, I wasn't sure that I would do it again. It was a lot of work. But in the end, I had to admit I enjoyed the experience. There were good games and bad, but I think the kids had fun.
This year however, I will be enlisting more parent help - almost requiring it. I understand why more parents don't volunteer - it is a commitment of time, but it works out to about 3-4 hours per week. Since I have two teams, its 6-8 hours per week.
One of the other things I'm going to use this year is TeamSnap.com. I found this site last year towards the end of the season and wished I had seen it earlier. This year I'm not making the same mistake. It hosts the team rosters, phone numbers, files, pictures, and the game schedule.
One of the things that is really neat is the "Availability" area where players can indicate which games they are going to miss. What got me grumpy last year is when people wouldn't show up for games, requiring me to adjust the lineup on the fly. Hopefully people will use this function on the site and not forget to tell me when they will be unable to play (or maybe I forgot that they told me - whatever). This way before the game when I'm making the lineup, I can just check the site to see who's going to show up.
The other thing that I will use is the "Refreshments" function. This is where parents can volunteer to be responsible for bringing treats for the aftergame feast. I will also use this for parents to volunteer to be the base coach for a game. So my policy will be that each family needs to volunteer for "treats" for two games, and must volunteer as "parent helper" for two games. That should give me coverage for base coaches for each game.
That's the plan anyway.
Competitive Nature - March 11, 2008
In days gone by, I was an athlete. While excelling at few, most sports I could play well enough for competitive recreational purposes. While Father Time and my expanding waistline have curtailed an active sport lifestyle, I still consider myself a competitor. Winning has never been the most important part for me - in fact I'm a good (and unfortunately experienced) loser - but trying your best is critical. I want to instill this competitive nature in my kids.
At our house, we play lots of games with the kids. Sorry, Life, Wii Sports, Yahtzee, etc. When we do, Marie will often let them win. I do not. I try to teach them strategy on how to win while they are losing. I also make sure they know I'm trying to win. When they do beat me, or when they make a good strategic choice in a game, I feel really good. When I win, I celebrate modestly. When they win I sulk a little for effect, but celebrate with them too.
I think a lot of parents are too easy on their kids these days. Especially when it comes to giving praise for a perfectly mediocre performance. I think too many kids have received this feedback all their lives and it prevents the child from striving to do better. Positive affirmation is important, but it has to be combined with constructive criticism and the encouragement for them to do better.
Garrett and I were at Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center this weekend, and while Garrett was off bumping in the Bumper Boat area, I was watching the miniature golfers. One woman caught my attention. She was probably in her late 50's, golfing with a pair of pre-teens. On this particular hole, the kids went first and left their balls well short of the hole. When this woman put her putt within a foot of the hole, she did the Tiger Woods fist pump, and a hushed "Yesssss" as if she was on her way to winning an event on tour.
A First Day of School Ritual - September 05, 2006
When I was a kid, Mom always had to get a picture of my sister and I on the first day of school. Most of the time, it was on the front porch. We lived on a busy street those days, so as JJ and I got older, it was a source of great embarassment.
Well, now I get to do it to my kids. Except, now it's not just the neighbors that get to see it - it's the whole world wide web!
Click for larger photo, or here for a really big one.
Garrett, First Grade, Scholls Heights Elementary, Mrs. Burning. New shoes, new backpack, old clothes (sorry Mom!).
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