Whoa, What?

Things have been busy lately and the new work structure makes me work more and blog less which I suppose is a generally good thing. If you're my boss. Or I should say bosses since I technically now have eight bosses. I work at seven different schools with seven different principals and still have my director. Lots of bosses but it isn't a crappy Office Space situation.

Anyway, I'm working full-time and getting in increasingly long workouts as we've now entered less than two weeks to go time on my next triathlon. I've been training pretty consistently and pretty hard and feel confident in my fitness levels. I still need to work on my ocean swimming and transitions but I'm approaching this triathlon much like the last one. I'm not racing the people around me, I'm racing myself. If I race as well as I can then I truly do not care where I place (well, unless I'm DFL but that's unlikely).

And when I'm not working or training, I'm trying to give my wife a break from being on mom duty almost 24/7 with no school. They do have a bunch of stuff going which helps keep the day's moving but its still alot of work and very, very tiring especially since Sullivan basically does not stop making noise from the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to sleep. He is an amazing little chatterbox and, when he's not speaking, he's barking, grunting, singing or doing something else to make noise. It is relentless and wearing after several hours. But Sully is a delightful little kid so it is mostly dealable. Not always but that's when the ability to "tag" out is invaluable. I have no idea how single parents possibly cope with young children, especially two rambunctious boys. Without a break I would absolutely without question lose my mind despite the fact that I adore my boys more than anything else in the world.

Graydon has his own share of things going on right now. He's pouty, petulant, selective and sometimes just downright difficult. This is, of course, not his norm. He is most of the time a happy, playful, funny and wonderful boy. He's mischievous and has a flair for the dramatic, he'll make up dances, he'll put on magic tricks and then he'll get very, very shy when someone asks him to show them his trick or dance or whatever. Its kind of funny but I sometimes worry that he might be self-doubting and that's preventing him from performing his tricks. He is old enough now that he and I can sit and talk and try to work things out. He will often utter some very surprising observations that remind me of both how clever he is and how he misses almost nothing. And he delights in adding to his resume of skills.

How odd, this post was going to be a post of links of good stuff I've been reading online and turned into an update on my (mostly) happy little family. Yes, I skipped my wife, she doesn't care for me to discuss her too much on the blog. I will say she's been doing a Cross Fit type class at the gym and is really liking it, its also getting her in really good shape which helps everything else. I love having an active family, I love knowing that we've got camping trips and biking trips and kayaking and skiing (or snowboarding) and surfing and everything else ahead of us.

But I need to get some work done before packing it in. So many projects half done that its nearly impossible to know which one to work on at any time. The competing priorities make it hard to get started.

Oh, and one last note, the boys and I have been watching and really enjoying Avatar: The Last Airbender via Netflix to the tv. Great entertaining series. We're just about to finish Book Two and move on to Book Three. We are absolutely loving having Netflix accesible via the tv, its almost made up for the several years of barely used Netflix-ing we did. We'd get a movie in the mail and sit on it for six to eight weeks before eventually sending it back unwatched. Not anymore!

Off to the darkroom for some photo work, I think.

Obligatory Gangster Pose

Obligatory Gangster Pose.

No reason to post this aside from the fact that it makes me smile to look at my son goofing around. If the weather cooperates, we might get a little light trail riding in tomorrow, just me and Grady.

The search is on for a bike for Grady to upgrade to. He has clearly out grown the 12 incher here and will be much more capable on a 16 inch or even possibly a 20.

The Things Kid's Shows Make Me Think About

Pondering the relationship between participation in shows like Dora and Diego that repeatedly request responses and actions from viewers and the likelihood of susceptibility to mob mentality actions later in life.

If a child is highly responsive then does that make them more like to "lose" themselves in a mob of charged members? Are children being conditioned to be sheep?

Oddly appropriate today on the 30th anniversary of the mass "suicide" at Jonestown.

Bad Parenting 101

I had to make a trip up to Target earlier today as we needed some batteries for one of Grady's birthday presents. While I was there, I saw a couple of boys around 12 or 13 years old riding their BMX bikes through the parking lot.

They had no helmets on and, I learned quickly enough, no brakes on their bikes. A car started coming at them and, rather than squeeze a brake lever to slow down or back pedal to engage a coaster brake, they both dropped their feet on the ground and skidded to a halt.

Which made me wonder what kind of an idiot parent gets their kid a bike without brakes and lets them go riding it through a busy parking lot filled with distracted parents in enormous SUVs without wearing helmets?

I was reminded of an old motorcycle saying about helmets, "If you've got a five dollar head then get yourself a five dollar helmet." I guess those boys have zero dollar heads or their parents think they have zero dollar heads.

Happy Birthday to Grady

I can't believe this beautiful and funny and imaginative little guy is turning four today. He never ceases to amaze, amuse and awe me. He has a sharp memory, for example, he asked where his cousins were when we got into San Francisco the other day because that's the last place he saw them (he misses you, Andrew and Nic!). He can so sweet it just about melts your heart. He creates elaborate stories with his cars and even more elaborate scenes with dozens of cars involved (and don't you DARE move a one of them or he'll know!).

Happy Birthday, Graydon! You are one of the best parts of my life and I've truly treasured spending time with you, exploring the universe and laughing together.

You make me want to be the best dad I can be and I love you more than anything!

Strikes One, Two and Three

Just as I was leaving one of my schools yesterday, a parent parked her over-sized SUV in the lot. Nothing unusual, parents treat the staff and teacher parking lot as their own space. Its annoying but I'm pretty used to it by now.

In fact, the parking situation at all of my schools is almost an afterthought and wasn't terribly well thought out and the problem is exacerbated by thoughtless and/or self-absorbed parents.

Anyway, the parent and her son were headed on to campus when I muttered under my breath about what a great parking job she'd done. And it was noteworthy. She had parked in a handicapped space without a placard and was obviously not handicapped (at least not physically) but she'd done such a bad job of parking that she was halfway blocking the wheelchair access ramp. The same ramp I was about to use to get out of the lot and off campus.

She overheard me, apologized and came back to move her car. I didn't really care to wait and just rode off the curb leaving her to think of me as some kind of asshole. Which I am but that's not the point.

The point is she failed before she'd even turned off her car.
1. The parking lot is for teachers and school faculty. Not parents, not dropoffs, not losers in their Fast & Furious toy cars. Teachers and faculty and there aren't enough spaces for us as it is.
2. Parking in a handicapped space is a pretty clear sign that you're a complete asshole. Presuming you're not handicapped, of course. She wasn't yet still felt empowered to park where she had no right.
3. She parked so far over the line as to block the access way for any real handicapped people who might actually come to the campus (and have to park on the other side of the lot because this parent decided to take the handicapped space).

That's three quick and easy strikes she could have easily avoided by just removing her head from her ass before parking in the staff lot. The problem is that there's no way to effectively enforce the rules about not using the staff parking. Which means that the parents abuse the hell out of the system because there's no real way to stop them. Nor would they listen in the first place anyway. Which is where the kids get it from too, I'm sure.

The mentality of the parent's is galling sometimes. Especially when I hear from a teacher about a kid that's been a discipline issue since Kindergarten and the father decides that its his third grade teacher that is the problem. Um yeah, dude, actually YOU are the problem for not being a more active and participating parent.

An Annoying Repetition

In dealing with school kids everyday the exact same problems come up again and again and again. Usually one after the other, the exact same problem. And it doesn't matter in the least that I just explained the solution to the kid before them because they weren't paying attention.

And it gets exasperating. More so when they keep asking me to take them to the games.

Almost to the point I feel like recording a short explanation and just hitting replay everytime they ask me the same question.

But they will probably just ignore the recording and ask me again anyway.

If someone could come up with a way to make kids actually pay attention and listen, they'd become instant gajillionaires!

Stomp Rockets Rock

If you haven't gotten a chance to play with a stomp rocket then you haven't lived yet. Its a simple toy really, just an air bladder, hose, tripod and launch tube combined with a lightweight foam-tipped rocket.

Put the rocket on the launch tube and stomp on the bladder to achieve instant and gratifying liftoff. Big kids love them because it is easy to send a rocket fifty feet or more into the air. And little kids love them because they get a fantastic sense of accomplishment and empowerment in stomping and shooting a rocket across the yard.

I bought one at the store yesterday and couldn't wait to get it out of the box so Grady and Sully could stomp to their heart's content. And they did. And then the neighbors came out and they stomped and then the other neighbors came out and they stomped. And then the other neighbors came out and they stomped too. And then the bigger boys started stomping at each other. And then the dogs wanted to get in on the action and chased the rockets.

One of the neighbors grand daughters is this very cute but very, very shy little girl. She wouldn't play, at first, but she slowly got closer and closer until she was stepping on the bladder and launching her own rockets. Not very high at first but they went higher and higher as she became more and more confident. By the end, she was sending them as high as the other kids and feeling pretty darned good about herself for doing so. It was pretty sweet to see how much fun all the kids were having and just awesome in seeing how a simple toy could help instill confidence and self esteem.

And much, much merriment ensued. Well more than the mere $10 the stomp rockets cost. Really the only "improvement" I could see would be to add a whistle to the rockets so they scream across the sky when stomped. But that might get annoying after about seven seconds.

BFF

My wife was playing with Grady the other day and asked him if he had a best friend. And yeah, you guessed it, its me!

He's such a sweet little boy it just about kills me sometimes.

What's Worse Than The Sight of Your Own Blood?

Any parent knows the answer to this one.

The sight of your children's blood is ten times or a hundred times worse than your own. With an injury to yourself, you can deal with the pain and move on. With an injury to your children, especially the little, little ones, they are much harder to deal with. Aside from the panic it can induce, they don't like to sit still and get cuts cleaned out and bandaged up and babies do not, at least mine do not, like having bandaids on them.

Yesterday afternoon, Sully pushed one of the chairs from the table to counter and cut his thumb on a knife. It probably did not help that he squeezed a lemon and got juice in the cut since that magnifies the pain by quite alot.

He was most unhappy and I was rather freaked out, at first, but we got a paper towel on his thumb and then got the Neosporin and bandaids together. It took a couple of tries before we got things situated properly and the poor little guy had tears down his cheeks. But we did get him patched up and better and, in about five minutes, he was laughing and playing again like nothing had happened.

And, about a half hour later, my hands stopped shaking.

A Popsicle at the DriveIn

You'd think he was enjoying some Spongebob on the big screen but he's actually gesturing at a passing plane. I like how Grady has tucked his feet up on the car and I just think he's pretty darned adorable.

I derive such an amazing amount of joy from my two boys. When we wrestle together, they laugh long and loud and I can't help but join them. I will miss all of the time I've been able to spend with them once I start working regularly again.

Which means that I try to maximize our fun while I am still off. Not sure what we'll do today but I bet it'll be fun either way. I'm currently trying to get a ride along bike for Grady so Sully can ride up front in the Wee Ride and we can all go bicycling together. That will be super awesome!

Tent Within a Tent

Last week we bought a new and much larger tent to replace the one we had when there were only two of us. The new tent isn't one of those three room numbers but it is alot bigger than the one we had before.

I've been testing it out the last couple of nights by sleeping in it in the backyard. One thing I can say is that it never really gets quiet here. And my neighbors down the hill should go inside when they're been drinking and feel like shouting stuff.

Anyway, before we'd replaced the tent, we had the other one set up in the yard as well. And one day, Grady asked for a blanket and went and laid down on the air mattress in it and took a two and a half hour nap. I even put together the new tent not six feet from him and he barely stirred.

Well, the new tent is big enough to actually fit his cool little pop-up tent and his Thomas the Tank Engine inflatable bed and sleeping bag inside with a pretty good amount of space between it and the air mattress.

This morning he tested it out and seemed quite satisfied with his comfort level. Until I showed up and he thought it was more fun to jump around and wrestle with me on the air mattress. And he was right.

But I hope he takes a nap in his tent within a tent. If he does I'll snap some pics.

Bracing for Insanity

We're watching a couple of kids for some friends today. This means we'll have four children in the house under the age of 5. Which means things will be insane. I expect chaos and shouting will reign supreme this day.

But perhaps I'll get a chance to snap some photos as well. So far it doesn't look like the fog is going anywhere.

[Update: Sully woke up a few minutes after posting this. He'd wriggled his way out of his diaper and was dancing around his crib happily flapping around. Hard to not laugh.]

[Second Update: There are now four children in the living room pounding on drums, shaking shakers and doing as much as they can to make some noise. No meltdowns thus far and the Jellybean Jumper is a total success. So is the rubber horseshoe set for that matter (which is oddly no longer carried by Back to Basics Toys).]

[The Wrap Up: And now its almost time for the debrief.
Both extra kids have gone home. One of mine is crying himself down in his crib, the other is reading stories with mom and nearing unconsciousness.

The day was pretty ridiculously long and I've gotten more than my quote of whining in for the rest of the year. But it wasn't too awful overall. We had a good walk, we played at a park nearby, we played in the back yard, in the jumper and I put up the tent again. It was a good time but it looks like a herd of elephants ran through the living room, the devastation is pretty severe.

But we'll pick up tomorrow, its time for some rest now.]

The Epitome of Impossible

I defy any of you out there to prevent a 14 month old baby from treating a cat's temporary Elizabethan collar (put on to prevent her from chewing on her bandage from an abscess on her paw). I dare you, I double dog dare you. It is just not possible without removing them from each other's presence.

The kitty is resting, mostly, comfortably. Anytime she stands up she remembers she's got a club bandage for a right front paw and shakes it like a polaroid picture.

Luckily for her, Sully's attention span is reasonably short so he moved on to the next annoyance in short order. Have I mentioned that Sullivan is the world's smallest hurricane? He buzzes through a room and leaves devastation in his wake. Don't let him near a box of tissues or you will quickly end up with a box and a big pile of tissues. Same thing for wipes and toilet paper.

But he is, as Grady was, unbelievably sweet and has the most adorable happy-boy smile ever.

Graydon, by the way, has a couple of phrases right now that are just too cute. When I say, "I love you, Grady" he responds with, "I love you, Poppa" and there's nothing better in the whole world. One of our games we play is to make our hands into binoculars and find each other and say, "I see you, Grady" and then he'll do the same. He is just a sweetheart of a boy.

I just wish I could turn off his auto-repeat voice function. When he wants something he has a tendency to say it again and again and again until you arrive at Nutsville (i.e. he drives you nuts).

Sully Puts the Toy in Toilet

I know Grady went through his stage where he was fascinated with all things toilet. Heck, here's a photo of him standing in the toilet (and looking rather non-plussed about it). But he got through that stage pretty quickly or, at least, it seemed like it.

Sully, on the other hand, delights in finding a bathroom with the door open, going in, lifting the lid and splash, splash, splashing himself until he's thoroughly drenched.

And it occurred to me today that the word, toilet, sounds far too similar to the word, toy. Like its a little toy or a toy for girls. I don't know.

I do know I'm ready for him to be done with the toilet water. But it does make him screech with glee (yes, my little boy screeches like a banshee crossed with a hyena). The combination of Grady running around shouting with joy and then Sully chasing him, toddler style with lots of side to side and falling, screeching at levels high enough to shatter eardrums, or close to it, is entertaining as heck!

How Does My Son Eat a Graham Cracker?

I know its been a burning question for weeks and even months now. Just how does Grady eat a graham cracker?

He gnaws and scraps a hole in the middle of it. I don't know why but that's how he does it. Until the cracker breaks and then he'll go to town on it Cookie Monster style, including the avalanche of crumbs in his lap.

He has some fairly elaborate rules on the consumption of broken pieces of graham cracker too. As well as where he must play with his cars on the couch (i.e. right where his momma or poppa are sitting).

And Sully has learned, at the ripe old age of 14 months, how to eat with a fork.

[Update: Upon rereading this post I can see how easy it would be to think that I was talking about Sully in the first part of the post. I've amended it to be more easily understood. The graham cracker part was about Grady, the eating with a fork part is about the Sullivator.]

Gear Grinder

You know what grinds my gears?

Long and unskippable ads on DVD's for kids. Like the Thomas the Tank Engine DVD. There are long ads for the other DVDs in the series and then another ad for the book series. You can not skip them, you can only fast forward through them.

That sort of abrasive marketing should be stopped entirely. It makes me want to never buy another thing from the Thomas line (yes, I realize that that statement is utterly insane and likely impossible with two boys under the age of four).

Marketing to kids is always going to be a touchy subject and it should be approached cautiously and with consideration.

Forcing kids (and their parents) to sit through ads for the product you're about to watch is just plain rude.

And that isn't even touching on the pervasive Work is Good is Fun theme. Maybe another time on that.

Special on Gradybots at CostCo

Everyday this funny and fun little boy finds another way to have a good time. Sometimes it entails making a colossal mess, other times it entails just being a silly, little boy. His grin is like a shining beacon that warms my heart and soul.

It isn't all gravy, of course, but the predominance of the time, he is an absolute joy. Which makes his bad behaviour all the worse. But we are all learning and growing together.

Lately he's been listening really well, even while he's still testing the boundaries of what he can and cannot get away with.

Blind in One Eye and My Ears are Ringing But I Survived

We went to the Gilroy outlets this afternoon. A fun drive up and over Hecker Pass and then down into the oven-set-to-high that is Gilroy. I can't understand how people can survive there, the heat is just so oppressive.

I'm sure it is fantastic at night, much like Phoenix in the summertime at night. What a blast it was, out until four in the morning wearing shorts and a tank top, drunk as skunks, of course. But that was a long time ago in a state far, far away.

Today was Gilroy and the same dry heat. And that's fine, it makes you want to stay in the stores longer, oh, the lovely air conditioned stores. Of course, with a fidgety three year old, one place isn't going to do for too long. Unless that place is Chuck E Cheese and then its the adults that aren't going to last too long.

I felt like I was a ball in a pinball machine in the place. Actually, the best metaphor I can think of for Chuck E Cheese is that its Las Vegas in Training. The noises, lights and decorating scheme are all focused on getting those tokens out of your pockets and into the machines.

The tokens (which are worth a quarter or so, depending on how many you buy at once) are gobbled up with alarming speed. Granted that each game only costs a token but some of the games are pretty piss poor really. Not that it really matters all that much.

Because kids love the place. That is, until they have meltdowns from not getting a nap today. Up until that point, Grady was running around and really enjoying the heck out of himself. And the pizza wasn't bad at all. Overpriced for sure but pretty decently edible.

But I was happy to leave and start to let the ringing and flashing lights clear out of my brain.

And I did get a cool new pair of swim trunks that were on sale so that's something!

Mark This Day!

For today, June the First, my youngest child, Sullivan, took his very first steps! Unassisted and not too far but he most definitely did walk and both his mom and I were there to witness, enjoy and cheer him on.

Of course, this opens up a whole new can of worms for his mobility and ability to get into trouble. But it should also give him more capability in escaping his often rambunctious big brother.

Which reminds me, I need to give my own big brother a call and apologize for being such an annoying little brother when we were small. Because Sully delights in nothing more than just messing around with Grady's stuff, he knows it drives him nuts and that's the fun.

Congratulations Sullivan, you've taken your first steps with many, many more still to come!

[Update: By the end of the day, one or two steps has turned into seven, eight, nine and ten steps. Before long, he will be a speedy little guy. Much like his big brother, who seemed pretty unimpressed by the whole thing.]