A well-developed sense of fun October 28, 2007

DS2 is Mr. Fun. He was born with a twinkle in his eye and delights in nothing more than mischief and a good laugh. It seems that perhaps his sense of fun took up all the brain space normally allocated to the development of a healthy sense of fear and the idea that some things in life are, in fact, serious. Naturally, there is an up side and a down side to this. The down side of not taking things seriously is, well, he doesn’t take anything seriously.

This is about the upside, though. For starters, I’m 100% certain that he’ll never be a worrier. Nor do I think stress will ever be an issue for him. Mostly, though, the boy just makes me laugh with almost everything he does. He’s just funny.

To illustrate this point, exhibit A (in two parts). Video from a recent Target shopping trip, the purpose of which was to make good on a bribe incentive program. So, we were hanging out in the toy aisle where much negotiation was going on with everyone trying to decide which toy they would choose. DS2 discovers this totally pimped-out toy car … turn up the sound for the full amusement value.

first clip

second clip

This was shot from my phone so the video is really bad. But it makes me laugh just the same. This show went on for about 10 minutes, just pushing the button over and over. Naturally, I had to go back the next day and buy that car. It now sits on the top shelf of my closet waiting for Christmas. I’m sure we’ll all learn to hate “who let the dogs out”. Here’s hoping there are no requests for that to be put on the driving playlist on my ipod. ‘Cause it ain’t happenin’.

Nope, I still can’t listen October 24, 2007

to Bob Dylan.

I thought perhaps he or I had evolved enough that I might like his new music. Now, I wasn’t vested enough in this theory (or confident of it) that I’d actually have bought his new CD. However, since Starbucks put him in the song of the day free music pile, I picked up the card and eventually got around to actually downloading it.

Nope. Still feels like someone is poking sharp objects into my brain. Sorry, Bob. I guess I’m not hip enough.

Doggy, let’s play booty crash October 24, 2007

DS2 and DS3 were “sneaking” up to my office last night to say goodnight.  I say “sneaking” because I heard them from 40 feet.  Rather than hearing the customary “BOO!” as they jump into the doorway, I heard this “Doggy, let’s play booty crash”.  Which, of course, I just had to go observe.

Why “doggy”?  Well, that is because DS3 has been pretending to be a dog for, oh, the last 19 weeks or so.  All.The.Time.  Well, ok, presumably he knocks it off at least some of the time at preschool.  But, he is a dog named Rarfy.  And he refers to his meals as doggie food etc.  Much to the chagrin of DS1 who is more than a little tired of the routine.

But, anyway… the thing is, if you’re really looking for him to cooperate with something, your odds go way up if you address him as Rarfy or Doggy.  So, presumably, DS2 was just trying to play the odds and increase his chances of playing booty crash at the moment.  Naturally, I just had to find out what that would entail, exactly.

So, there they are in the hall about 6 feet apart facing away from each other.  They’re a little bent over with their butts sticking out in the direction of the other.  On cue, DS2 starts making his “heavy equipment backing up” cautionary beeping noise while DS3 is saying “boo-tay… boo-tay”… “boo-tay” and they backup quickly till … well, yeah, they crash butts.  Of course.  What else could it be?

This is, of course, followed by collapsing in a heap together on the floor and laughing hysterically.  I guess I should enjoy the easily-amused phase while it lasts.   I do realize that they will, of course, embarrass me in public with this at some point.  At the time, though, I cracked up.

A 7 year old learns about the need October 19, 2007

for redundancy.

DH’s job has been torturing us all lately – him because, well, they’re calling constantly all hours of day and night. He’s worked his 40 hours at least twice in the past week. Me, because I don’t especially enjoy single parenting. I’m starting to have violent physical reactions each time that #@$*ing phone goes off. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration but I certainly feel like having one. Like throwing it in a canal, for instance. And the boys because they’ve barely seen him for a week and most of when they have it’s been sitting at his computer sighing and cursing under his breath.

So, DS1 asks me the other day why Daddy has been working so much. I try to explain the scope of a global financial services company then explain to him that all these millions of transactions originate, or flow through in some way, this one fortress-like building that is supposed to never lose power. Except it did and the fallout continues still now – seven days later.

DS1 absorbs all this and being the little capitalist that he is and having me – who does not believe in cash – for his mother, knows all about how credit cards work. When I’m done explaining this he says “well maybe they should have, like, 3 or 5 different batteries or electricity lines hooked together so that if one goes out they’d still have power and this wouldn’t happen.

Yes, I was quite proud that when presented with the problem, my son figured out that redundancy is the answer.

(Turns out the large financial company that shall go unnamed had already thought of that. Too bad the switches that change the brains of the operation from one source to another when the first one fails were not made redundant.)

Funny things they say October 19, 2007

when they aren’t awake.

DS2 sleeptalks.  A lot.  I’ve finally figured this out and stopped running into his room when I hear voices calling out in the night and then nothing.  He’s also not a good waker-upper.  Aren’t they supposed to wait till the teen years (or at least close to them) before you have to move heaven and earth every morning in order to roust them from their bed?

Anyway, the other morning I’m trying to wake him up and he says something about birds.  I didn’t understand it so I asked him to repeat it.  Nothing.  And he’s given no indication, other than that, of being anywhere in the vicinity of awake yet.  I continue trying to get a response when he says, clear as day, “well, now, what in the heck am I going to do with all these penguins?”  LOL.  I bet he was glad to wake up and realize he didn’t actually have to solve that problem.

I’m a slacker mom and I don’t care October 15, 2007

<sung to the tune of Jimmy Crack Corn>

So, it’s finally cool enough to play outdoors without coming inside every five minutes saying it’s too hot out. That, and the first day I can open the windows (without dying) are when I declare it to be the Official Best Day of the Entire Year.

It is with enormous pleasure that I announce that day to be yesterday. So, today is Monday. All the boys have homework (yes, even the 4 y.o.’s in preschool have homework. What, exactly, is this world coming to??). I sent them out “for 10 minutes” to play while I cleaned up the kitchen so we could then have everyone do homework in an environment that didn’t closely resemble shambles.

Well, it’s been 45 minutes. They are out there playing and laughing and shrieking and, most importantly, NOT fighting and bickering. It’s 30 minutes till bathtime and we haven’t eaten. Or even looked at the afore-mentioned homework. And I don’t care. I think sometimes you just gotta let the boys run. Bedtime will wait. Homework will get done at some point.

If I weren’t a slacker mom, I would care about bedtime schedules and work before play, and being consistent and making sure that 10 minutes means 10 minutes etc. But I am. So I don’t. Tomorrow I might. But right now, I don’t.

Things that make you never want to let your kids out of your sight October 15, 2007

A friend in our local moms group posted this morning that her baby boy – he turned 1 in August – fell unnoticed into the pool while they were visiting family for a wedding. He was unresponsive when pulled from the pool but regained his pulse later after CPR / treatment. Now, though, she’s emailed that they’ve decided to remove him from life support tomorrow.

I cannot even imagine. I don’t know how you go on.

Damn it takes a lot o’ green to go green October 12, 2007

I’ve been on a mission to reduce my home energy usage lately. This was inspired by a book about the effects of global warming being currently studied as well as predicted, possible effects. Living in FL, well, let’s just say I think it’s plenty hot enough, TYVM. Well, actually, the *idea* to do this was inspired by the book. The kick in the butt that made me spring into action carrying out the plan was my last power bill which was 15% higher than my highest bill *ever* during a month when we were gone 8 days and the remaining days I’d been hyper-vigilant about turning stuff off (or, as appropriate, nagging the husband / children to do so).

So, I started with lights and went about replacing some bulbs with CFLs. During this home lighting survey, I realized the boys bath has two fixtures which have between them, count them, *sixteen* 60 watt bulbs. To make matters worse, the bath is in the back corner of the house and used by the small people who are also least likely to return the switch to the off position on their way out.

So, I go over to lowes.com and order 2 new fixtures with only 4 bulbs each. $200. When I pick them up I get 2 6 pks of CFL bulbs to put in them. They are on sale so this only sets me back $20. Then I call up my friend’s electrician husband to come swap them out. Before he gets here I realize that a motion sensing switch would be a good energy saver, also, since this light is frequently left on in the morning mad-rush to get out of the house on time. When that happens, it is entirely likely to stay on for 8 hours or more, unnoticed. So, I run by Lowes before heading home to meet the electrician. 2 switches. $64. (yes, I was a bit astonished at that price. It’s a freakin’ light switch, people!) The electrician is doing his thing and comes to ask me for bulbs. At that point I learn that these fixtures take those little candle flame bulbs. Off to google to see if they even make those in CFLs. Turns out they do. And I can get some for the small price of $6-8 each, plus shipping. $56. Now, most people would probably pay attention to that sort of thing before actually buying the fixture and putting it up. Sadly, when I get on these rampages I’m not prone to pay attention to that level of detail. I don’t tend to pay attention to details even when not on a rampage.

The electrician is done. I pay him $150. All together – more efficient bathroom lights: $470. It’s a good thing I feel good about reducing my carbon footprint because even my most creative justifications will never lead me to the conclusion that this mission of mine was cost-effective.

I should probably try not to think about the fact that there are 2 more such fixtures – only 6 bulbs each – in my master bath burning 720 watts each time the lights are turned on. I already know, though, it will bug me till I change them. At least this time I will try to choose a fixture that can use regular CFL bulbs. Not the $8, special order, ones.

In hindsight, I think a faulty thermostat that probably had my AC running for the better part of our vacation (it forgets to switch the AC off regardless of how freezing it gets in the house) is likely the actual culprit for the eye-popping electric bill. So, I guess there is a new thermostat in my future too. Maybe a wireless one for me to move from my office to bedroom, as needed.

The silver lining is all these changes will leave me so broke I won’t be able to buy gas to go anywhere – thereby further reducing my carbon footprint.

Free new music alert October 10, 2007

Well, OK, I think we all know how to get free music but this is also legal. Those of you with a crack Starbucks habit like mine will already know this. For those of you not so afflicted, you might want to develop a dependency. Each day, Starbucks has a selection of iTunes cards good for a free download of the song of the day – there are 3 or 4 new ones each day. Just when I’d managed to cut back from needing daily fixes. Now I’ve got a perfectly good reason to fall off the wagon.

I think I’ll pin the Keith Urban one on my bulletin board so I can enjoy the view after I’m done with the little code on the back.

I’m gonna have to assume this is an April Fool’s gag October 10, 2007

that just keeps on giving.

Two days a week my schedule is such that I am attempting to work in two hour chunks while sitting in Starbucks or other wifi hotspots in between taking children here and there. For the record, I am no where near organized and disciplined enough to do this effectively. Also, in case anyone is wondering, no, there are not any Starbucks or Panera’s in western Palm Beach county with an environment conducive to making phone calls. Which is unfortunate for me, since that is, essentially, what I do for a living. Talk on the phone.

So, in one of my little between-run blocks of “work” (and I use the term loosely) time, I decide it would work better for me to have wireless broadband and just go sit in a park where I could at least make calls. So I google “wireless broadband” to try to find out what my options are and just exactly how much cheaper subscribing would be than my extra 6 grande lattes / week. (Turns out, it’s about the same. But I think the wireless broadband would have fewer adverse health effects. Plus, it’s tax deductible. I’m pretty sure lattes that I consume by myself while surfing social networks, blogs and message boards are not.)

So, I see in the results a hit for google’s new free wireless broadband. I’m thinking wow – what’s the catch? So, I clicked.

http://www.google.com/tisp/

bwahahaha. Good one. Almost as good as NPR’s “story” about the USPS offering the option to buy a “prestigious zip code” or something like that. Even funnier, the support forum is still going strong – presumably 6+ months later. I’ve heard google is a fun place to work.

(No, I’m not going to give away the joke here. You have to click the link)