The Newest Fad Toy

Try the New Sandbox Hero Game from Old Fashioned Arts!!!!

Stand in line for hours in the freezing cold. Tell your parents that all of the cool kids already have one. Ogle the gigantic 456 color package that screams 'Buy me'. Plunk down $159 dollars to buy the really cool toy for 2008. Get it home with eager antcipation and tear into the package. It comes complete with everything you need to plug and play. Your kid will spend hours enjoying this game.

Open the box and you find......... plastic pail, plastic busket, and three plastic sand molds.

But the chances are your kid may be the only kid on the block who has one.

Watching kids play

We have company this week and they have an equally energetic three year old. Watching the two of them wrestle play and laugh makes me realize that having friends is not easy. You have to learn to love them even after they push you down and hog all of the toys. Learning to share is harder for Nicole, since she spends so much time with just me. In time, she wil learn.

Best line of the day from the parents........"Don't throw Poo."

Pronoun Practice and santa Guilt

Our two year old looked at us last night and said "I am me and you are you." She also made the appropriate finger points. She has a future as a philosophy major.

I am also hoping we get another few years out of Santa guilt. We keep saying he won't come if she misbehaves, but I know better.

Emeril, no need to worry

I am not a good cook. But, I do most of the cooking anyway. My in-laws have come for the holidays and it is good to see them. I get along with them great and now I know why. I baked chicken and made my very unspecial parmesan potatoes and threw in a boiled vegetable for nutrition. It was horrible, maybe even beyond horrible, but I am not sure of a word for that. We'll go with horrible plus. My in-laws grimaced (trying to turn away) and ate it, smiling in my direction all the time. They really are good people, like we say in the south. My little food critic passed on a great review of my culinary delight as she piped up with "this is really bad." I had to agree with her two year old assessment. Two thumbs down for me.

I really ought to stick with reheating store bought rotisserie chicken, Digiorno, and cooking over open fire. Like most guys, I can grill. This is helped by the fact that my wife likes her food grilled to a delicate shade of black.

I just can't cook. My idea of spices is the Spice Girls, the early version, when they were still chunky. I actually like the chunky one that got fired for refusing to lose a few pounds. Not the anorexic group that is starting to tour again. And the former chunky one needs a cheeseburger (or fifty). The heck with UNICEF, I am going to send food to Posh, Mel B, and the girls.

Santa's Lap

I walk by a line of nerds waiting for the store's only Wii. Twenty seven people in line for one Wii. Somehow the math doesn't make sense. Luckily, I am not after one.
My two year old finally sat on Santa's lap this year. A scary enough proposition, since he smelled vaguely of Wild Turkey, or Aqua velva. She would get no more specific than 'presents'. Well, this non-drinking at the moment Santa was happy to here that.We buy her an art easel and an entire collection of paints, markers, crayons, etc. to decorate her artwork with. I have visions of repainting the walls every six months now.
Woohoo, got Xmas shopping done early!!! Until three days ago, she said she wanted a .......... pony. Oh my higher power!! We can't get a real pony and she understood that. So, we set off to find her a toy pony. Only one requirement....no lead painted toys from China.
On second thought, I think I will join the nerds in the Wii line..... I have a better chance of coming home with one.

Sick Toddlers

There is nothing more frustrating than a sick toddler.. One minute they are going 90 miles per hour and the next minute they are crying. Or, even worse, they are ralphing. Little ones have really mastered the art of projectile vomiting. My little one had an upset stomach all day yesterday. I had an inkling something was wrong when she took a three hour nap, just not normal I kept going back to check on her, but she was just snoozing away. The quote of the evening was when she said "I have a headache." Michele said "really, where does it hurt?" Nicole answered " I have a headache in my tummy." We smiled and realized tomorrow I might work on an anatomy lesson.

Object Permanence

The term object permanence stands for children knowing things are there even after they can no longer see them. Experts say that is one of the benefits of playing Peek-a-boo. If you live in the Mid-south, the game is called Peep-eye. Over the last few months I have become aware of the term in its use for toddlers. We allow the little one to watch an occasional video, but try to limit her daily viewing time. She has been obsessed lately with Cars (the movie). She knows how it is going to end, but she has watched it 39 times to be sure. Object Permanence.

My Daughter------Elmer Fudd

We see my wife off every morning as she goes down the stairs into our basement garage. About a month ago, Nicole pipes up with 'Drive Careflwee'. It is now a staple of the ritualistic morning good bye. I don't know if Michele drives any safer because of those words. But, I feel confident that it at least sends her off with a smile.

I don't want to work.......

Last night's trip home form the pizza place was eye opening.

I sing "I don't want to work, I just want to bang on the drum all day." Repeatedly.

Nicole sings "No one is sleeping on the night of Christmas eve, hoping that Santa will be here, Rocking around the Christmas tree." Repeatedly.

Our own little version of battle of the bands. Nicole pipes up with "Daddy, shut up" in a very polite tone.

Michele explains to her that it isn't nice to say shut up to people. Nicole sits alone for a minute than says "but you say it to daddy." I almost wreck as I am laughing so hard. I look at Michele and she is laughing also. Of course, for the next few weeks, she will think 'shut up' is funny.

In Michele's defense, she has probably said that to me three times in the past year (and it was deserved each time). Methinks the little one will never forget anything we say.

On a better note, I got my contract in the mail for my fourth book! Yeah!