Friday Talent Round-Up

No More Pencils, No More Books...


Finally!!! Clare's last day of first grade is here. I don't know why, but I haven't looked forward to a summer this much since I was a kid. Maybe it's because Clare is such a great age to have fun with, maybe it's because it was such a long winter, or maybe it's because of a tough couple of months earlier this year. Whatever the reason, I'm ready for it...but no, I won't be bringing drinks to Clare. She'll have to fetch her own...and I'll just clean up the mess after her.

Sixty-Nine, Dude

That's sixty-nine as in how many days there are before Clare starts second grade. Since I plan on having fun with Clare (and, yes, getting some work done) I probably won't want to spend a lot of time blogging this summer. But, this blog pretty much needs a kick in the pants and has for some time. That's when I got my big idea (apologies to Pinky Dinky Doo).

It's not such an orginal idea actually. PG at Annoyingly Boring is doing it for a whole year, and Alissa at Life's Little Adventures is great at it. "It" is photographing and posting pictures. Despite not having too much skill with a camera, I plan to post a picture for sixty-nine days to document our summer adventures. My first poor effort (Clare is too washed out) is of Clare walking away from the school bus up above. Check back, okay? I don't want becoming a photo blog (with a few real posts too) to be the death of Clare's Dad (I mean the blog, by the way, not me).

Jack Blacklisted

There have been marketing studies done (I can't find any evidence of them but trust me...really) to show that most young girls will go to movies featuring heroes who are boys (like Peter Pan, Finding Nemo, or Cars) but that boys generally won't go to movies in which girls are the main character (like Cinderella or The Little Mermaid).

I think there's some truth in this, but it also has its limits. I still can't get Clare interested in Star Wars—even after I pushed the princess angle. I also didn't expect her limits to be reached at an animated film directed at kids. But, showing once again that she's all girl, Clare has declared Kung Fu Panda to be a "boy movie" and doesn't want to go.

The reason this is significant? I kind of wanted to go. Can anyone give me a quick review?

Have a great weekend, everyone. And a great summer—it starts at 7:59 EDT tonight.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Weather Woes

I was right. Some of you did think we were wimps because Clare got half a day of school when the temperature got near 100 degrees earlier this week. I already told you—I agree. I'm sure in at least one June in the 1970s or 80s the temperature must have been as high, but I don't remember ever getting to go home early because of it.

I don't think the school superintendent would have cut school short if there weren't only a few days left. Then again, if there were more than a few days left, it wouldn't be June and probably wouldn't be that hot anyway.

Some others had a good point too. For any of you folks in the "heat belt" who think we overreacted, think about what your town would do if it snowed...even an inch. It takes at least three or four inches before snow affects us...and we still go out.

As for me though, I'd rather be accustomed to heat than snow. Is it too early for me to start complaining about winter?

My Nemesis

One thing I don't like about spring and summer is mowing, weeding and, inevitably, getting poison ivy. It happened last year and it happened again. I try to kill it, but year after year it comes back for me. I guess it's a hazard of having a house bordering the woods.

Fortunately, it isn't that bad at all this year—not like the year I got it all over my body. Yeah, my whole body.

For the record, I've gotten pretty good with our plants outside—I'm not killing them at least. After four years in this house, I've finally gotten the lawn and landscaping looking pretty good. Check out the roses near the mailbox. At least they only prick me—that's better than a poisonous rash.

The End Is Near

After today, Clare has only five school days left. The public schools in town close next Tuesday, but Clare's school goes until Friday because of extra days off. Is anybody else going this late? Or is it just us?

Have a great weekend, everyone. Happy Flag Day. Happy Dad's Day.

Friday (Yeah, I Know) Talent Round-Up

Clare at the Bar

No, that kind of bar...but it's the first kind I would have thought of too. To be correct, I should have spelled it barre.

Back in January, Clare began ballet lessons. I haven't blogged about Clare in ballet because I didn't really have much to say about Clare in ballet. The school prefers that parents not sit in on lessons and I agree with that policy as being best for the kids. (If parents insist, the school will allow it. It's also possible to peak in through the door or window, which I've done, but I never watched a whole class.)

Last week, I got to see what Clare has been learning. There was no recital, but an open class for the girls (and one boy) to finally show off. (I'm pretty glad that the school does it this way. I worked at a theater that hosts dance recitals where parents sit for two, three or even four hours to see their daughters on stage for ten or fifteen minutes. At Clare's school, there's no formal recital, but, at the last class of each semester, parents are able to watch a full hour of what their children have learned.)

I have to say that I was pretty impressed. Not only did the ballet instructor say that Clare's class as a whole was pretty advance for their age, but Clare was more focused than I've seen her before. The school insists on attentiveness, behavior, and respect and it showed. The class even performed their own version of Coppelia.

So, for once, the Talent Round-Up actually includes a story about a real talent.

Next We'll Be Sewing Our Own Clothes...Not

We're not really do-it-yourself'ers, or even grow-it-yourself'ers, but we're trying a little more gardening this year. For a few reasons including not much space and terrible soil, we don't have a garden in the ground, but we do have plants growing in a few pots this year. We're trying tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, arugula, basil, oregano, cilantro, rosemary and dill. If you don't read anything more about the vegetables and herbs, chance are we killed 'em all.

A Dietary Question

I haven't been doing so great at losing that ten to fifteen pounds that I've wanted to drop for a few months, but I'm still trying...or at least thinking about it. So I've got a question. If Clare and I are having a quick dinner and I microwave a Healthy Choice for myself, does it defeat the purpose if I eat two and then go out with Clare for ice cream?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

One of the Guys

Alltop has added me to their Alltop Dads page. In return, I promised to give them a little blog love.

It's actually a pretty cool concept they've got. They compile stories from “all the top” sites on the web in various topics. Some of those topics are serious—like education, economics, and politics— and some are not so much—like celebrities, fashion and wine. Then there are the Dads. The fact that anyone reads about our daily lives still boggles me.

Check out Alltop. There's an Alltop Moms page too.

Good Thing I Bought Those New Chucks

Last year's Nike Oregon Waffles are pretty beat up after a year of wear—which this morning included mowing and fertilizing wet grass and using up the last of that topsoil. That's right, the dirtpile is gone. Sorry to all you kids who didn't get here in time to play.

And Away We Go

After a tough and busy spring, this family is finally getting some time away. I'll tell you more about it when we get back.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Thirty-Ten

After nearly a two month hiatus, Friday Talent-Round Up returns today. And it's no ordinary Friday—it's the day-before-my-birthday Friday. That's right—tomorrow I turn the big 30-10. I suppose, to be honest, I should change my "about me" description, shouldn't I?

We don't have big plans for the birthday—just a lot of small plans. We're going to dinner with some friends tonight. Sunday, Clare, Clare's Mom and I are going to a pretty fancy place for lunch and then to some cousins for a party with my family—but I have to share the party with Mother's Day and my aunt and uncle's sixty-something anniversary. Tomorrow, the Big Day, Clare has a birthday party for two school friends in the afternoon who apparently didn't know that it was also my birthday. I haven't decided what I want to do the rest of the day. Any good suggestions?

Like My New Kicks?

I bought them for myself for my birthday. They're too white though—I need someone to step on them.

Birthday Complaints

Actually, I've got none. Turning thirty-ten isn't so bad. Why then, you may ask, am I avoiding the f-word and the number that actually comes between 39 and 41? Because it's my day and I want to, so give me a break, okay? I guess my only problem with the age is that I don't actually feel that age at all—and I definitely don't act it.

If I have any complaint about this year's birthday, it's that that school party will be cutting into my birthday time with Clare and Clare's Mom. But maybe if I'm lucky the birthday girls will give me a hat and piece of cake too.

I also have a complaint about getting my license renewed yesterday. No, it wasn't that it took forever at the DMV—I was actually out in less than fifteen minutes. My complaint is that because of a change in Connecticut law, my license for the first time is good for six years and not four. I know it's a good thing that I don't have to return to get it renewed as often, but this throws off the whole symmetry of my driver's license renewal falling in the same year as presidential elections and the summer Olympics. I suppose, as complaints go, that's a pretty minor one.

Have a great weekend, everyone. I hear there might be a surprise guest poster here tomorrow. A very happy Mother's Day to all the moms too.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Somebody Likes Me

Anyone who comments that I’m “in the zone” and “the last couple of posts have been some of [my] best” deserves a freebie link. And Greg at hopeless cases did that earlier this week. Thanks, Greg.

Funny, I thought this blog jumped the shark a few months ago—mostly because of tired and repetitive posts like the next one.

Tired of Hearing This Yet?

This past week the temperature flirted above freezing and the sun even shone strong a couple days. The grass won over the melting snow again and I could almost smell spring coming. So what’s happening today? Snow. All day. Up to ten inches of it. After returning to school for one day, Clare has a snow day. If we have any more, she’ll probably still be in school in July.

Are you as tired of hearing me complain about winter as I am?

I Could Be a Newscaster, But Not If It Involved Science

After doing pretty well on the Presidential Quiz earlier this week, I went looking for some other online fun. I think I’ve taken this test before, but I never posted the results.

That’s right, there’s a reason I didn’t make it through organic chemistry—I can barely pass eighth grade science anymore.

I’m a lot better at anything involving history or geography. TravelPod has a geography quiz that I found on Facebook, and you can also play or get it here. I’m probably even better at anything artistic—according to this quiz, my brain is ninety percent wired for creativity.

Another quiz I found on Facebook was pretty cool in its accuracy. After I answered a few questions about how I pronounce certain words, the quiz determined I have a northern American accent typical of New York and western New England. Another version of that quiz is available here. This one called the western New England accent the “one that news networks go for.” Funny, I didn’t realize I had an accent at all. How about you?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday (I Should Just Call It Saturday, Shouldn’t I) Talent Round-Up

Clare’s Movie Review: Hannah Montana

Clare’s Mom and I took Clare and her best friend to see the movie of the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour today. Both girls had the same review and it surprised me—they both were bored. They liked the movie, but wanted more of Hannah and less of Miley. Sorry, Miley, if you want to keep the career alive you might just have to stay Hannah Montana all your life.

Billy Ray always amazes too. No matter what that guy does with his hair it looks bad. In the movie he had kind of a Kristy McNichol shag going on.

I liked the movie. I should say, I guess, that I wasn’t as bored as I expected to be. It did a great job of capturing some of the excitement backstage and on stage at the concert. The girl can put on a show.

Like Daughter, Like Father

We told Clare a few weeks ago that we’d be going to the Hannah Montana movie. And we repeated over and over again that it was the movie we were going to and not the concert. Every few days though, Clare would say something to show that she just didn’t get that we’d only be seeing a movie. Just a few days ago she asked if I could take her backstage. If she hadn’t already, I guess she finally figured it out today.

Clare’s not the only one in the family who’s a little slow. Yesterday, Clare’s Mom got a call from 1-800-CONTACTS with a question about an order she placed online. The conversation ended something like this:

“She’s not home right now. But I can tell her to call you back,” I said.

“That would be great,” was the answer.

“Just give me the phone number,” I said.

“It’s 1-800-CONTACTS.”

“I know where you’re calling from. I just need the phone number,” I shot back.

“Sir, the phone number is 1-800-CONTACTS.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll leave the message,” I said, a little embarrassed.

Embarrassment didn’t make me any smarter though. As soon as I hung up I wrote the number down.

A State Divided

For a small state, Connecticut is divided on a lot of issues. We may be the third smallest in area, but we’re the fourth most densely populated. That and being between New York and Massachusetts gives us Yankees or Nutmeggers (I’m not even sure where that name came from) some diverse opinions.

Some of us live in the New York metropolitan area; others near the Massachusetts border and still others near the Rhode Island shores. Some hard core New Englanders don’t even think of us as part of them—possibly due to the state’s also being considered part of the tri-state area of New York-New Jersey-Connecticut. True, we’re not all cow farmers or clam diggers, but we are New Englanders. A lot of us are even Patriots or Red Sox fans.

Politically, we’re pretty evenly divided too. We’ve got a Republican governor, but the Democrats won the state in the past four presidential elections. (I think the county I live in voted for Bush in 2004 though.) Before that, the Republicans won for five presidential elections in a row. Historically, we’re probably thought of as old boy, old money Republicans in the country’s richest state. In reality, the majority of us are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. We do have some obscenely rich suburbs, but we’ve also got some depressed urban areas. The presidential candidates are actually spending some time here before the primary this Tuesday even though we only have seven electoral votes. It’ll be interesting to see how that turns out.

What probably divides us most though, what often pits brother against brother, is sports. Like I said, some of us in Connecticut support Boston teams. Others, especially those of us closer to New York than Boston (I’m almost equidistant, by the way), are fans of the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Knicks or other New York metropolitan teams. It can get ugly sometimes when even in families the support is divided.

So, after all this, where do I stand on this important weekend?

Go, Giants.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday(ish) Talent Round-Up

Thanks to the Writers Guild…

…for giving me the time to watch or re-watch some older shows on DVD. This week we’re watching Arrested Development. We also just watched the first season of 30 Rock again. I’m not a big fan of Alec Baldwin personally, but he’s hilarious on this show. Tina Fey is a riot too. She only added commentary to one of last season’s episodes on the DVD, but I’d watch a disc full of those if she made them.

I was just clued in by John at The Disney Blog that Tina Fey is Tinkerbell in this photo ad for Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams campaign. I love everything this woman does.

Thanks to Facebook…

…for hooking me up with a few dad blogging buddies and a couple other dad bloggers that I haven’t read much. I just created a Facebook group that's open to all other dad bloggers. I noticed that the moms had a group, so I figured why shouldn’t we? If you’re a dad blogger on Facebook, look it up and join. If you’re not on Facebook, no pressure, but why not? I just read somewhere (don’t make me look for it again) that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is thirty and forty-somethings. That’s probably because the twenty-somethings and teens were all on there already.

Thanks to Mom…

…for making me obsessed with throwing some things out and saving some pretty unusual things. We’re not rat packers by any sense—I hate having clutter around. But I do have a few boxes filled with things I’ve saved as far back as grade school.

A recent conversation with my Mom showed me where I might be headed.

“Clare’s got four wiggly teeth,” I told her.

“Are they almost ready to fall out?” she asked.

“Just about. The tooth fairy’ll be coming to our house.”

“I’ve still got your baby teeth,” she said. “You want to see them sometime?”

My jaw dropped. I think I’m going to start throwing more out.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

And the results...

...will be right after these messages. I just wanted to fool you like that.

I haven't gotten many comments on yesterday's meme where I hid two false facts in seven true ones, so I'll save the results for Monday. Check it out and let me know what facts you think I made up about myself.

What Would a Talent Round-Up Be Without My Complaining About the Weather

It got cold again this week. It hit 40 today, but a couple other days were 20s or lower. Monday was a snow day from school and today there was a two-hour delay. The roads were clear when we went out--except for ours that is. We live on a dead-end street about a quarter-mile from the edge of town, so we never get plowed early or very well.

Yesterday we even lost power and our internet/cable/telephone connection for a while. I had no idea what to do without the computer or TV. I'm not a big reader, but I picked up a book and luckily that was still working.

Birthday Weekend

Next Tuesday Clare's Mom celebrates the eleventh anniversary of her twenty-ninth birthday. Tonight we start the birthday celebration.

Clare and I are getting Chinese take-out for dinner tonight. Earlier in the week we picked up some Pirates of the Caribbean, scratch that, Johnny Depp plates, napkins and decorations. Maybe we can have a movie and bottle of wine after Clare gets to bed too.

Tomorrow, Clare's Mom gets a shopping trip to some outlets near the shore. Chances are Clare and I'll pick up some stuff too. I have some J. Crew gift cards from Christmas that are begging to be used.

We don't have big plans for most of Sunday, but we do have dinner reservations at a restaurant that Clare's Mom and I both love. I'm hoping that Clare will be behaving well.

Monday is a holiday for Clare and her Mom and we're having a birthday bash at Grampa's. Clare's Mom didn't want a big surprise party (I'm completely open to that idea in four months, by the way, Clare's Mom) so it's just a family gathering. Clare's Mom is even sharing her party with her thirty-nine year-old brother and her twelve year-old neice. In Clare's Mom's family, the birthdays come in clumps.

There are no big plans for the actual birthday on Tuesday. Clare's Mom will be back to work, but I'll have to think of something fun.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

January Thaw

It hit sixty degrees this week in New England. Thanks to the temperature and rain, most of our snow is melted. But that’s not really the kind of thaw I’m talking about. It’s more a thaw in my mood. I wouldn’t offically diagnose it seasonal depression, but this time of year usually brings me down. I’m fine through December because of the excitement of the holidays, but by January I’m ready for winter to end and the clocks to spring ahead again. It’s the cold (it was zero a couple mornings last week…that’s about -18 Celsius for the foreigners). It’s the dark mornings at the bus stop at 7 a.m. and the dark afternoons that begin around 5 p.m., even though the days are getting a bit longer already. It’s the dirty snow, the messy roads, the bare trees, the heavy coats and shoes that carry mud into the house. The extra weight from too many holiday dinners, Christmas cookies, and gingerbread and egg nog lattes probably doesn’t help either. In short, I hate January and February. Anyone else like this?

There are a couple highlights to look forward to though. With Clare now in first grade, we’re not taking a vacation this winter, but spring break is less than three months away. I’ve also found a couple other job prospects. My hopes aren’t up about the really good one I wanted, but I suppose it’s possible. Clare’s Mom’s big birthday is less than two weeks away too. I’m still trying to think of something really good (but not too expensive) to do with her and Clare. Any ideas? But be careful, she reads the blog.

The School Strikes Again

Clare’s school has ticked me off again. She came home with a note last night saying that her class is supposed to wear navy blue today for “Skittles Day.” There was no explanation of what Skittles Day is, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a navy blue Skittle anyway. The problem is that Miss Pink and Purple had nothing navy blue to wear—for a while she wouldn’t even wear jeans because they were a boy color. So, yesterday afternoon we took off to find her something. Ever try finding a girl’s shirt in navy blue? And a long sleeve one that’s in the stores in January but can also be worn in January? There was nothing. I tried to trick her into a getting a plain blue shirt that I found in the boys’ section, but she wouldn’t have it. In the end, we went with a short-sleeve blue polo with a long-sleeve white shirt under it. She looks pretty good in it, but can’t schools give more than eighteen hours notice when kids are supposed to wear something special? Is every school like this or just ours?

Orange You Glad…

Clare’s still taking karate and tonight she earns her orange belt. Orange will be her retirement color though. She’s giving up the gi for a tutu. In a couple weeks she’s starting ballet lessons. With the strictness at the school she’ll be going to, there are sure to be some fun blog posts about that. Stay tuned.

D + 1

According to Chris at Rude Cactus and Allisa at Life’s Little Adventures, yesterday was Official Delurker Day. I’m one day off, but if someone can make up Delurker Day then I can make up Delurker Weekend. What the heck, let’s just call it the start of Delurker Week for anyone who doesn’t get to this post until next week.

C’mon, post a comment. It’s a new year, isn’t it time to try new things? And if you delurk and have a blog I’ll make a promise. Comment on my blog and I’ll comment on yours. Who can pass up a deal like that?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up: Christmas Meme Edition

I was going to blog about Christmas today, but I saw this post that Jay had over at Triple Venti and decided to copy it. I won’t tag anyone, but feel free to take it and let us know if you’re posting it too.

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Santa wraps everything he brings to our house, so those are wrapped. I usually wrap presents for family too. At Christmas, I think there’s something special about tearing the wrapping paper off a gift rather than pulling it out of a gift bag. We did stick Clare’s teacher’s gift in a bag though, and I usually just bag gifts at other times of the year.

2. Real or artificial tree? When I was growing up, my family always had an artificial tree—one of those 1970s beasts that had color-coded wire branches where the color would rub off after a couple seasons and you’d be trying to figure out which was red, orange, red-orange or scarlet. I swore that when I grew up I’d have a real tree. When I lived alone in Manhattan, I’d always buy a little tree and decorate it with something like single-shot alcohol bottles or Star Wars action figures. Since Clare’s Mom and I have been married, we’ve always bought a real tree too. I have to admit that I’m considering getting an artificial one though—they look a lot better now than they did thirty years ago and are so much easier, especially if they come with lights already on them. I’d miss the real tree smell and feeling, but I wouldn’t miss the sappy hands and finding needles around the house until the Fourth of July.

3. When do you put up the tree? I love having the tree up, so I usually like to do it around St. Nicholas Day on December 6—or at least the weekend after.

4. When do you take down the tree? Did I say I love having the tree up? I like to keep it until at least January 6 which is the actual end of the Christmas season. (The twelve days of Christmas begin on December 25 and end on January 5 just before the Epiphany; they’re not December 13 through 25 despite what Toon Disney might think.)

5. Do you like eggnog? I do, but I also try to keep from pouring too much cow fat down my throat. Still, because I made the mistake of once saying I like eggnog, my family buys it every December and expects me to drink the carton.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don’t remember loving any toy or game more than another one. There is a story I remember though. One year, probably in the late 70s, I wanted this stupid table-top pool game called Pivot Pool. My Mom told me before Christmas that she couldn’t find it anywhere, but my Dad went out looking and came back a few hours and several stores later with it. I remember that it was snowing that night he went out too. I have no clue whatever happened to the game, but now that I have a child I appreciate what my Dad did a lot more. I’m sure I didn’t thank him well enough.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? We have two. One made by Lladro in Spain and another made by Fisher Price in China. Clare plays with the Fisher Price set all month and this year has moved them out of the stable and into other places, like the My Little Pony palace. In this photo, it actually looks like the angel could be playing Evita at the Casa Rosada.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Does a black eye count? I actually can’t remember any “worst” gift because I appreciate any effort that anyone puts into getting me a gift. I have gotten gifts from work that I didn’t like, like a fanny pack with the company initials on it or a paltry bonus.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mostly mail. I do email a few people that I’ve never mailed cards to though. Not that I’m keeping score, but I realized this year that we mail more Christmas cards than we get.

10. Favorite Christmas movie? There aren’t many things that I have one favorite of and this is no exception. I like A Christmas Story, but I’m an even bigger fan of the older classics—films like It’s a Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, and (no surprise) Christmas in Connecticut.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Tomorrow. Just kidding. Usually a week or so after Thanksgiving. When I was working though, I’d usually end up ordering online the week before Christmas and have to pay for rush devilvery.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Everything. My Mom is Italian, so we have fish on Christmas Eve. I didn’t eat all of it growing up, but now I do. I’m a big fan of fried smelts.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I like white lights, but Clare wanted colored this year so we did that. I still prefer white.

14. Favorite Christmas song? If I had to pick one favorite, it would be Silent Night. I guess I’m a simple, traditional kind of guy. I also like O Holy Night, The Little Drummer Boy, White Christmas, Blue Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (the Springsteen version).

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Both. This year, as we’ve done for the past couple of years, we’ll be with my family at my cousins’ on Christmas Eve and at home with Clare’s Mom’s family on Christmas Day.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes. I know the eight from A Visit From St. Nicholas, I know Rudolph and Olive, but I didn’t know as many facts on this as Jay did.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? We have an angel, but haven’t always. I think we looked for a topper that we liked for a few years; before that it was nothing or a bow that I tied to the top of the tree.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Both. We open presents with and from my family on Christmas Eve; we open presents from Santa and with Clare’s Mom’s family on Christmas Day.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Without a doubt the stores and every single person in them.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? We have a “hodge podge” of ornaments and colors. There are a few running themes though—we have several Disney ornaments that include princesses, castles, Mickeys and Poohs; we have a lot of beach-themed ornaments including sail boats, lobsters, seashells, lighthouses, and Santa and the Mrs. at the beach; and we also have a collection of ornaments from my college of some of the buildings there.

21. What do you leave for Santa? Milk and cookies with carrots for the reindeer.

22. Least favorite holiday song? I may sound like a Scrooge, but a lot of them annoy me. Some I don’t like are Jingle Bell Rock, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Marshmallow World (which I’ve heard a lot of this year), Dominic the Donkey, and anything by Karen Carpenter. I also had thought that The Christmas Shoes was the most overdone Christmas song ever until I heard Billy’s Christmas Wish on XM the other day. If you listen, you’ll either break down in tears or just be appalled.

23. Favorite ornament? I have a lot. Many of our ornaments are from vacations, so they’re tied to memories. I guess one of my favorite looking ones though is Dasher from a collection we bought at Pottery Barn a few years ago.

Have a great weekend and a great holiday, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up: The Week in Pictures

This sums it up—ice, snow and more snow. Clare’s up to three snow days off from school already. I’m not sure they had three all of last year. Today though the temperature hit a balmy 40 degrees—it actually felt warm.

I’ve also spent the week dealing with a broken snowblower (I know, I should have checked it before the first big snowfall), digging my Mom out and finding a flat tire on her car, decorating, seeing Santa, and finishing just about all of our Christmas shopping.

Thanks to everyone who backed me up on thinking that Clare’s school is out of line with that magazine fundraiser. I haven’t had a chance to talk to any other parents yet, but the Home & School Association will definitely hear my opinion on this.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Elmer to the Rescue

Clare had Monday off from school. We had some snow and ice overnight, but the roads were pretty clear by morning. I think our town was the only one in Connecticut to cancel school rather than just delay it. (I’m predicting that we’ll have a blizzard in April and they’ll have used up all their snow days.) Anyway, we spent the day running errands and then we built a gingerbread house.

Unlike last year, Clare had a pretty good sense of how she wanted to design the house. She followed a picture on the box and even asked me to help get the candies in all the right places. It really showed how she changed from a five year-old throwing candy at the house to a six year-old who wants everything in the right place. We should have put the house on the same square plate that we used last year, but I forgot we had it. Instead, we used a piece of cardboard from the box like the instructions said. What happened next’ll teach me not to always follow directions.

Clare had been decorating the living room and decided that the gingerbread house should be in there. Without asking for help, she picked it up off the kitchen counter. Then it happened. The cardboard bent, the house slipped, and it all fell to the floor breaking back into the pieces that we’d just put together.

I was going to yell at her for moving it too early and not asking for my help. But, Clare was crying so badly from breaking her masterpiece that all I could do was hug her and tell her we’d try to fix it.

Luckily, the sides and roof of the house hadn’t broken. I could put it back together, but I didn’t have much more of the icing that came with the kit and didn’t have the right ingredients to make more. I used the icing to hold the walls in place, then I finished it with glue. I thought that wood glue would be goopy enough to get where it needed to and be the best choice—wood, plants, food, they’re all related, right? The glue didn’t hold as well though and some of the pieces, especially the roof, slid out of place. Some of the candies on the roof fell inside and I just left them there—I was tired of working on this thing and just wanted it done.

It’s not such a bad gingerbread house. I think it’s still an improvement over last years—in some ways. Clare’s still proud of it. That’s all the matters, right?

Last Christmas

This isn’t about the Wham! song. (Sorry if I put that in your head.) It’s about the last Christmas that Clare may believe in Santa Claus.

A few months ago, someone (I don’t remember who so speak up if it was you) wrote a post about the “lasts” in our kids lives. We usually remember the firsts—steps, words, school days, lost teeth—but rarely the last time that they do anything as kids—things like the last diaper, the last bottle or sippy cup, the last meltdown in public (maybe there never is a last for that), the last time that we can easily pick them up and hold them in our arms. Before we even realize it, some of the things that we enjoy doing with our kids are gone.

I was in second grade when I realized that Santa didn’t come into our house on Christmas Eve and leave presents. Thanks to learning to read, questioning more, and the infamous “big kids” on the bus, children usually lose their belief in Santa sometime around 6, 7 or 8. (Kudos to any tweens or teens who’ve still got their parents buying presents from Santa. I’ve got a cousin who never admitted there wasn’t a Santa until he was 15 or 16. Once you can drive yourself to sit on Santa’s lap though, I think that tradition should be well over.)

So this year, knowing that Clare just might drop the “I know the truth” bomb on us next year, I’m treasuring every minute of this season. So, bad Christmas concerts and broken gingerbread houses aside, this is the best Christmas yet with Clare. I hope that she’ll always believe in the spirit of Santa and meaning of giving, but next year we might all believe in a little bit different, a little more grown up, kind of way.

Perfect?

I hate to toot my own horn (I don’t have to actually, Matthew did it for me) but I was honored with a Perfect Post Award for November. Matthew over at Child’s Play x2 thought that my post about how time slips past us while we’re watching the little changes in our kids deserved to be called perfect. Thanks, Matthew.

I don’t know about perfect, but once in a while I guess I write something that someone likes. We all do. That’s why I like reading about the little daily goings-on in your kids’ lives. Keep enjoying them.

Have a great weekend everyone. And Happy Hanukkah if you're celebrating. Spin the dreidel once for me.

Friday Talent Round-Up

We Knew You Were Coming

So we baked a cake. Two of them in fact. Clare’s been begging to use her Easy Bake Oven (which has probably been recalled), so we made these last night.

Believe me, they were as good as they look.

Any Club That Would Have Me as a Member

I think parent blogging and networking has really taken off. Is everyone else getting invitations to join new sites like Parentricity and cre8buzz? I’ve set up profiles at both of them, and I like them. But, long term, I’m not sure how much I can be on there.

There’s also a great dads forum at DadStaysHome.com. I joined earlier this year, but haven’t been on much lately. It isn’t a lack of interest, it’s just that the internet has, you know, so many pages. I’m also on Facebook, MyBlogLog and just about anything else I’ve found (except MySpace). All together, I could spend hours just surfing my own profiles. If only I could get paid to do that.

Anyone else feel overwhelmed by all the internet sites they’ve signed up for? Or am I the exception who joins just about everything that comes along?

In the Spirit…or Into the Spirits…One or the Other

Clare’s Christmas concert at school is tonight (I know, it’s still November) so we’re in the holiday mood. Not there yet? Go elf yourself. Seriously, at elfyourself.com you can turn into a dancing elf.

Clare, Clare’s Mom and I did it and the results are here. Now don’t be spreading us all over the internet or someone will have to pay.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

NaBloPoMo…and Mo…and Mo…and Mo

I’ve got a new reason for not posting so often. NaBloPoMo. National Blog Posting Month. (Shouldn’t it be International Blog Posting Month by the way?)

I know that NaBloPoMo means that I should be posting more, but I did that last year. A post a day is too much for me right now. But I have noticed that quite a few of you are doing it. So many in fact that if I miss a day of reading I come back to a few hundred posts in my Google reader. That doesn’t leave me much time to post anything here.

Good luck to everyone participating. But remember to not be too tough on the readers, okay?

Going to the Expert

“Why are you using my toothbrush?” Clare’s Mom asked me.

“I’m not. This is my toothbrush,” I answered.

“Not it’s not,” she said. “The dentist gave me that one.”

“Then I guess we’ve been using the same toothbrush. You should have gotten a girl color,” I suggested.

“It’s grey,” she answered. “Grey can be a girl color.”

“No it can’t,” I said. “You get pink and yellow. Or light purple. I’ll even give you red. But I get blue and green and grey. So, if I see a grey toothbrush, naturally I think it’s mine.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Clare’s Mom told me.

“Clare,” I called. When she came into the bathroom, I asked, “Is grey a girl color or a boy color?”

“It’s a boy color,” she answered and ran back out.

I rested my case.

Does your house have girl colors and boy colors?

Sorry Is Right

Clare and I have played Sorry! about four or five times so far this week. (Yeah, I’m really glad we’re done with Candyland and Hi Ho Cherry-O too.) And Clare has won every time. How am I supposed to teach her how to be a good loser if she never loses. By example? Screw that…I want to win too.

Have a great weekend, everyone. It’s starting to snow here…not much but it’s definitely snow. Did I ever mention how much I like summer?

Friday Talent Round-Up

Shouldn’t There Be a Warning?

Wednesday afternoon I put some fake cobwebs and spiders on our front porch for Halloween. I actually got a little tangled up in the stuff and kept getting it caught on my clothes, in my hair, and even across my face. It wasn’t really fun. That was nothing compared to taking it down though—when I was picking the spiders out I found a real one in there too. There should have been a warning on the bag that I could get freaked out like that.

Saint Who?

Like last year, Clare’s Catholic school had the younger kids wear costumes for All Saints Day yesterday. Last year, we found Clare a saint who was a princess. This year, Clare didn’t get to pick. Because first grade is the largest class with twenty-eight kids, they did An Alphabet of Saints—plus two angels. I’m not clear on whether the letter and saint were assigned or Clare picked it, but she ended up with O. Can’t think of one either? It’s Saint Odilia. I was in Catholic school for about twenty years and I never heard of her. As far I as know though, all saints wear robes and that’s what we went with.

Next year I’m pushing for Saint Joan—I still want to dress Clare in armor and tie her to a stake.

Whaddaya Mean You Don’t Watch TV All Day?

Clare had a half day of school today. She came home just after noon and asked me what cartoons were on. I told her that I didn’t know since she’s not usually home this early—and that I don’t sit around all day watching cartoons while she’s in school. She was confused—I guess she thought I did.

It’s actually a really nice day out. Good for finally cleaning up the lawn for the (ugh) winter.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Backpeddling

I’m taking a lot of heat for my post yesterday supporting the Red Sox. After posting yesterday, I even got attacked by a bear. (Okay, I wasn’t actually attacked, but there was a full-grown black bear on our back deck yesterday that was about four feet away from me when I opened the screen door to see what was out there. I slammed the door and it took off before I could get a camera.) It’s a time like this that a guy is happy he doesn’t have more readers. At least I didn’t put on a hat and call a press conference.

Like I said at the end of yesterday’s post, I can’t really stomach cheering for Boston out loud. I’m surrounded by Sox fax though—even among my own friends and family—so I’ll stick to how I ended up yesterday—I can’t bring myself to really cheer for the Sox, but I won’t actively cheer against them this Series either. I suppose that’s the political way of saying I don’t really care what happens.

You Should See What Didn’t Fit in the Picture

Quite a few of you commented that Clare took in a lot of gifts at her birthday party last weekend, but you only saw what was in the picture. There were a few other toys plus some gift cards. That’s what happens when you have eighteen kids at a birthday party. I don’t recommend it.

Next Thing You Know We’ll Be Singin’ the Alphabet

Last night after dinner, Clare watched an episode of Hannah Montana where Mylie learned all 206 bones in the human body for a biology test by writing a song to remember them. This isn’t new. Potsie Webber did the same thing years ago.

Clare didn’t believe me when I told her that I did it too. I upped the stakes though—I wrote songs to help me study for the New York bar exam. Actually, I only rewrote some lyrics and stole the music from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Billy Joel. So, I sat taking the test in the Javits Center in Manhattan with a few thousand others and humming songs like Born to Run to remember statutes of limitations, The Boxer for hearsay rules, and Always a Woman for divorce law. I also started a song about criminal law using Jane’s Addiction Been Caught Stealing, but I never finished it.

Using songs to remember stuff really works. Those songs are just about the only things I still remember from law school.

Peak Peeping

The leaves seem to be at about their autumn peak here in Northwest Connecticut. We had our first frost last night, so they should all be dying soon.

This morning, I took some pictures at a lake about a mile away from our house. I’m no photographer, but some didn’t come out so bad.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Thanks to everyone who commented on the post about using real names and pictures on a blog. It is a lot to think about. As I wrote to someone though, statistically it’s probably far more dangerous to take a kid to the mall than to post a picture on the internet. And to paraphrase what he wrote back, our kids will be so accustomed to having information about them on the web, not to mention Facebook or MySpace or whatever’s popular in a few years, that it might not even matter to them. Still, to the extent she can, I’d like Clare to control what’s out there about her. Maybe I’ll just keep blogging about her until she tells me it bothers her—and then I’ll change the password so she can’t figure it out.

Party On

Clare’s sixth birthday is in the beginning of November. But, because of early November weekends already being booked—and because we didn’t want to schedule around Halloween parties next weekend—we’re having a party for her school friends tomorrow.

For the first time in a couple years, the birthday theme won’t be princesses. Clare wanted a Hawaiian party. So, we bought up leis, bright plastic sunglasses, tropical fruit-flavored candy, and ordered four dozen (it’s a big class) cupcakes with hibiscus (could the plural be hibiscuses?) on them. We’re even having it at the YMCA so the kids can go swimming.

Check back in a few days to see if we survived the party.

Chores

I’ve still got a few things to pick up for the party tomorrow. And it’s raining. I could complain, but not after reading this great post by Matthew over at Childs Play x2. His southern Californian two-year old twins don’t remember ever seeing rain. When he looked at it through their eyes, they all enjoyed it more.

If they want to see snow, Matthew, send them out this way in a couple months. And have them bring shovels.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Aloha.

Friday Talent Round-Up

Welcome Home, Clare’s Mom

Clare’s Mom comes home today. Clare and I survived the week. We ate out a couple times—that was easier than cooking for just Clare and me. We also drank Hershey syrup straight from the bottle, stayed up late, and ate too much. (In unrelated healthy news, I went to the gym twice this week after not going for months. I'm determined to be in better shape by forty—so I've got seven months.)

I’ll be glad to have Clare’s Mom back. We missed her.

Notes from Watching TV

Clare has taken to ordering up episodes of Higglytown Heroes after dinner. A recent hero was a referee. Dentists and lawyers can’t be too far behind.

Has anyone noticed that on Friday and Saturday nights TV commercials are aimed at young parents and senior citizens? Are advertisers suggesting that these two groups keep the same hours?

We Did Send Her to Catholic School After All

I caught Clare singing to herself this week. It sounded like Farmer in the Dell, but the words weren’t right. When I asked her to sing louder, I realized that she was singing the Ten Commandments to the tune of Farmer in the Dell. And I caught her at Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery. I was too scared to ask her if she even knew what adultery meant.

Search Party

I’ve had a few interesting searches show up in the stats recently. Here are some of my favorites.

Kindergarten outfits: See something you like? Clare will be very excited that she’s a trend setter.

Orgo sucks: No f-ing kidding. It made me realize I didn't want to be a doctor bad enough to have to deal with science.

Education about eyeballs: Nothing to see here. I’m pretty sure you need orgo to be an ophthalmologist too.

Hong Kong Phooey catch phrases: I’ve never mentioned Hong Kong Phooey in the blog, as far as I remember, but it’s cool to be in this search.

European costume parades: Yeah…I’ve been meaning to blog about this too. You’re just a little early. Keep reading.

Monster flounder: This one stymied me at first too. But he’s not such a monstrous little guy.

Staying home gaps in resume man: I hear you, man, I’m dealing with it too.

Email preschoolers: I don’t recommend it. You’ll wait years for an intelligible reply.

Envoy SUV feminine: I hope not. I gave it a boy’s name.

High school musical back round: This is the often-missed scene where the basketball team sings Row Your Boat just before the big game.

Getting away from suburban life: Got any ideas?

Saint Dymphna costume: How about a cloak and a Harp? Yeah, I mean the beer.

And my favorite Google search ever:

Preppy porn: Thank you, J. Crew swimsuit issue.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friday (okay…Saturday) Talent Round-Up

Like last week, I missed posting Friday Talent Round Up early on Friday. This week I didn’t even get to it by Friday night. But I have an excuse…really…and it’s not that the dog ate my blog.

Yesterday was a beautiful fall New England day. And by beautiful I mean that the temperature was around 80 degrees. Today we may get to 85. I’m sorry for people who are waiting for cool fall weather, but—unlike the southern and western United States—temperatures in the Northeast in July and August were below normal. This is making up for it. So, my point is, I was outside most of yesterday.

Clare also had a half day of school yesterday. (It’s a first Friday of the month thing in some Catholic schools. Anyone else’s school do that?) When Clare got home, we did some playing, did some shopping, and visited my Mom—who broke bones in both of her hands from a nasty fall last week. She’ll have casts on for at least a month and Clare and I went to sign them yesterday and to see if she needed help with anything.

We were also out last night. Clare’s school had movie night. We packed some dinner, went to the school gym, and watched Hook. I’d give you Clare’s review, but she spent more time off talking to her friends than watching the movie.

Today, we’re headed off to a fair. I normally don’t like these things, but—since it’s going to be near 85 degrees—I guess I can handle being outside. Unless I can convince Clare’s Mom that we should go to the beach instead.