Make bicycle work = pedal

Posted May 30th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

This past Tuesday evening, B and I met after B’s workday at a local gym/spa for a tour. We discussed joining the gym facility over the prior weekend and anticipated joining after the tour, which we did join.

The kids are loving swimming daily. I really have missed swimming. Growing up through high school and college, we had a neighborhood pool and I could be found there most days after school. Wednesday was the first day I took the kids swimming. C remembered the pool from our beach vacation last year and jumped right into the water, no fear. It took J a little while to acclimate to the water, but after about a half hour was swimming on his own – of course with his floaty swimsuit. Both boys are learning the names of kids that they are seeing, since we are going to the pool about the same time every day.

The boys begin swimming lessons on Monday. I can’t wait!! They are also excited. I’ll blog about the lessons next week…

On Wednesday evening (I think), B went to the gym to exercise while the boys and I stayed home – it was near the kids’ bedtime, so B had time to relax on his own. He came home and told me about his experience. He wanted to try the mechanical bicycles – which happened to be on the first row of the exercise machines. He got on one and pressed the buttons to start it. Nothing happened. No one else was on any of the bicycles, so B tried another bike. Same thing. Nothing. After trying a third bike, and it not working, B was feeling quite conspicuous, thinking that all the other people exercising were watching him and wondering what he was possibly doing. After feeling conspicuous and none of the bikes working by B pressing the buttons, he went to ask if they were unplugged, or what he was doing wrong or what he needed to do to get the bicycles to work. The gym representative said, “Pedal the bike to make it work.” Duh… I got a good laugh out of the story. B felt pretty bad. However, understandably if you expect to program the settings on the stationary bike before starting, it makes since to have the buttons working.

I have to say that I am glad this experience happened to B and not to me. Now I know to try the machines to get them to work if the buttons don’t automatically start it. Thanks B for your willingness to try something new… (lets work on new foods, now?)

5.22.2008

Posted May 22nd, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

C had his last t-ball game of the season this evening. He hit another coach pitched ball really well. A lot of the other kids try to hit the coach pitch, but after 3 tries, end up using the tee. C has consistently hit the coach pitches. Great season, C! After the game, each team member received a bobble-head wildcat statue, similar to the bobble-head bulldog that C received last year.

After the game and awards ceremony, the boys and I went out to dinner at Chili’s. Since it was C’s last game, he got to pick where to eat. While at Chili’s, a waitress walked by the table. J smiled and waved at her (he is so not shy…). The waitress stopped and chatted with J for a second. After she left, J looked over at my coyly and said, “She likes me ’cause I’m handsome!”

I’m about to finish some housework while J is playing with play-doh at the kitchen table. C is playing Mario Kart Racing on the Wii.

It is going to be hard to get the boys to go to sleep tonight. B has been out of town all week and is to be home late tonight. I need the boys to go to bed so I can wrap the presents that B is to give them upon his return. B got C a Lego At-Ap and got J a fire airplane that can carry 3 die cast fire vehicles. Both boys should be very happy – that B is home and with the gifts.

Welcome home, B! Glad that you are on your way home!!!

C's 6th birthday

Posted May 21st, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

I have already mentioned the birthday celebration that C had with us at home. It was a good evening.

The celebrating continued when C had some of his school friends come over on Saturday for a party. The pinata was a great success. All the kids left with lunch sacks full of candy (sorry moms and dads!) in addition to the kids getting to pick their color of box for a party favor.

We only had a small group, but it was a good group – Jordan, Carlos, and Kendall, in addition to C and J. Instead of playing organized games, the kids enjoyed playing outside in the sandbox and in the fort. B went to the home improvement store and got sand for the sandbox, as the sand from last year got spread all over the yard last summer via J’s dump trucks. The weather has been so rainy and yucky lately that I think the kids were thrilled to just get to go outside and play!

For presents, Carlos gave C $10 to go shopping. This will come in handy with the other birthday monies that C has received. Kendall gave C two books – one all about motorcycles and one called The Thirsty Moose and Jordan gave C 2 Transformers – Swindle and Longarm. C sat with me at the kitchen table that evening and wrote his thank you notes for his gifts. I want him to learn that thank you notes are a nicety that everyone appreciates and are good manners.

On Sunday evening, we went to Chuck E. Cheese. C has been wanting to go there for a long time. I suggested another pizza place that is new to the area that has better games and a huge buffet, but the advertisers on television have done a good job in brainwashing C that he needs to go to Chuck E. Cheese. The pizza was a lot better than I remembered it to be in the past. We got a cheese pizza, my parents got a pizza loaded with veggies and meats, and Grandma and Grandpa got a pizza loaded with meats. It was great to share the pizzas and have a variety. (Thanks Daddy for paying for our pizza and tokens!)

The boys could not have been better Sunday evening! They sat and ate their pizza and C was very thankful for his presents, as was J – he got a few little treats as well. Grandma and Grandpa gave C a Star Wars Transformer ship that was yellow and gray. Nana and Pop gave C a Star Wars At-At, $10 since C told them “I like money” and an electronic light saber.

At Chuck E. Cheese, the Grandfathers spent their time with the boys playing the games (so I got to sit back and just watch – awesome for me!). C and J would trade up who was with Pop or Grandpa and poor Grandpa got his back very tired playing skeeball but it made the boys very happy. My Dad did a good job of keeping the coins in his pocket so J didn’t know exactly how much he had at a time. Next time we go to Chuck E. Cheese, I’m not going to get the extra tokens! Between C’s coupon for his birthday tokens and the tokens in the pizza package deal, the kids got to split 120 tokens! That is too many tokens for 2 kids! (I’m hearing the Grandfathers echo that sentiment!! ha ha!)

All in all, it was a great celebration for C. His birthday lasted from Thursday – the actual day – to the following Monday evening. C had a t-ball game on Monday evening and we brought cupcakes (not homemade this time, I made then on Thursday, but bought them for Monday). His teammates sang Happy Birthday to him and he enjoyed being the center of attention. BTW – at the game on Monday evening, Coach Jim pitched the ball to C instead of C using the tee. C whacked the ball high and hard into center field. It was a spectacular hit. Coach Jim had an open mouth as he raised his head to watch the ball soar overhead and into the outfield. Go C!

C has his last t-ball game on Thursday evening. I think C has really enjoyed this season. It has been great to watch him progress from using the tee to being pitched the ball. I am so proud of him. Coach pitch and riding his bicycle without training wheels – an amazing spring!! My baby is no longer a baby!!

Research no more

Posted May 21st, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

Here lately, we have been receiving a lot of phone calls from research companies. We are on the “do not call” lists for solicitations, but research companies apparently have a “free pass” to call. This evening when a research company called, I asked him (the person on the other end of the line) to take us off of their list. He told me the 800 number to call to get us off of the list and then was nice enough to tell me that if we didn’t qualify for the research, then our number would be automatically withdrawn from the list.

I allowed him to ask the first question and it had to do with if any member of our family was employed or affiliated with different organizations/businesses in addition to research firms. I asked him what the correct answer would be to get us disqualified and he said that he could only put down on the form what we answered. Therefore I lied and said that a member of our household was affiliated with a research firm. He thanked me for my time and said that we would not be eligible for the research questionnaire and that there was no need to call the 800 number.

I just thought you might like to know how to avoid/stop some of the annoying telephone calls.

Not that in any way am I encouraging you to lie or be deceitful. Like I frequently tell B, “Let your conscious be your guide.”

My conscious is clear.

One and a One and a One and a…

Posted May 21st, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

The other evening I sat at the kitchen table with C and helped him write his birthday “thank you” notes. C was responsible for writing the “Thank you” and signing his name. I wrote the rest/ the specifics of the gift received and addressed the envelopes.

Nana and Pop received their thank you note in the mail today and Nana called to inquire about part of it. They had given C his toy in addition to a box that had dollar bills in it. When I wrote part of the thank you note, I put on it, “thanks for the $7.” Nana told me that she thought there was $10 in it. I got C’s attention and asked him to bring me the box that had his money in it from Nana and Pop.

C brought the box to the living room whereby I asked him to count it. He got the paper money out and counted, “one and a one and a one and a one…” I asked him what he was doing and he said that they were all ones and that he could only buy something for $1.

I then counted the money and learned that it was indeed $10 and explained to C how the money added up. He is used to seeing the different denominations (the other day C wanted to go to the store and had boo-koodles of coins and I gave him a $10 bill for $10 in change) and is still learning how all the paper money and coins relate together. I thought it was really funny.

I haven’t been in a typing/chatty mood lately, but I will soon blog all about C’s party and his fun time at Chuck E. Cheese.

5.16.2008

Posted May 16th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

Today I sanded J’s wall for the last time. I then wiped the wall to remove the dust from the sanding and painted it. I just put the second coat of paint on J’s wall. It looks great! No one would know that there was ever a hole in J’s wall.

As I was painting the first coat, J was watching me – yes, he is a part of EVERY thing in this house, we should have named him Curious George – and, if you have ever painted before you know that the wet paint is always lighter in color than when it dries, and J asked me, “Mommy, is the wall going to be the same color?” Such a perfectionist in the making. Yes, sweet boy, your wall will look like the rest of your room in just a little bit.

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This morning when I took the boys to school, I brought a cookie cake with a rocket ship decorated on it for C to share with his class for snack time to celebrate his birthday. I also brought a cookie cake with butterflies decorated on it for J’s teacher, who had her birthday yesterday.

When I picked up C from his room, C told me that he had a very good day, with no warning. Mrs. W. , one of C’s teacher -laughing- told me that, “C said that he was the birthday boy today and that he wasn’t to get any warnings today.” Seriously though, he did have a very fun day. C got to bring some of his birthday gifts today to show the class and C also got to bring a book for his teacher to read. C was the star of the day since he was celebrating his birthday today.

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C had a very good birthday yesterday. We made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles. The cupcakes were to be taken to his t-ball game that he was to have Thursday evening, but the game was rained out. At C’s request, we ordered pizza for his birthday dinner. For C’s birthday he got the new Mario cart racing game for the Wii (yes, the game that B and I had already been playing…), a leapster “I Spy” game, kid friendly digital camera, old fashioned card games of Animal Rummy, Old Maid, and Go Fish, and some Star Wars legos and characters.

After school today I set up the Wii to a split screen so both boys could race Mario. They had a great time. This is why we got the extra steering wheel – so either B or I could play with the boys or they could play together.

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Tomorrow we will have Christopher’s school birthday party. We have invited his classmates over to celebrate. I have a baseball pinata filled with candy, a baseball cake – that is currently in the oven and will be decorated later tonight – ice cream, snack foods, and Chinese take out boxes filled with bubbles, candy, and toys for party favors. We are going to play a relay game with a jelly bean on a spoon game and Simon Says. I think it will be lots of fun. C has looked forward to tomorrow for several weeks.

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I’m off to finish doing a little cleaning. The boys have gone for a bike ride and I’m going to vacuum. Busy day tomorrow. B and I love Friday evenings – it is “game night” for the kids, meaning that we plop them in their beds with their hand held video games and then we have time together. Life is good.