Random Thoughts13 Aug 2008 02:26 pm

When I was in college, there was always a whiteboard by the soups in the cafeteria. Sometimes it looked like this:

“Soup” of the Day
Split Pea

Sometimes it looked like this:

Soup of the “Day”
Split Pea

And sometimes it looked like this:

Soup of the Day
“Split Pea”

No matter where they put the quotation marks, I never trusted the “soup”.
If you’ve ever chuckled at inappropriate quotation marks, you really need to check out The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. It’s almost as good as Engrish.

Family Fun08 Aug 2008 05:45 pm

Mascots-1

We are not sports people in this house. Really, we would astound you with our complete ignorance of all things sports. The one exception is the Olympics - particularly the summer Olympics (okay, and maybe the occasional baseball game). This is the first year Emmaline is really old enough to “get” the Olympics and I’m excited about watching with her. We’re looking forward to gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and the diving competitions, and tonight we’re ordering Chinese and watching the extravagant opening ceremony. The games haven’t even started yet and Emmie is already pronouncing herself an Olympic gymnast as she balances on the arms of the couches.

P.S. I found this nifty medal tracker to keep track of who’s winning what

.

Family Fun07 Aug 2008 09:04 pm

Img 1244

Today we got to visit my dad at the hospital where he works. I always enjoy visiting people’s workplaces because they spend so much time there - it’s nice to be able to picture your dad or husband at work, what his office looks like, what he does all day. PopPop took us on a grand tour, the highlight of which, for the kids, was the enclosed bridge from the parking garage to the hospital. Two train tracks run underneath and the kids got to look out for trains below. And of course, being wheeled around in high style made it all the more fun. We walked through the beautiful courtyard, got to meet some people he works with, then PopPop treated us to lunch in the hospital cafeteria and bought popsicles and chocolate tacos for dessert.
All these fun treats reminded me of being a kid and my dad taking me to the police station where he worked then. All I can remember about it are the colored lights on the switchboards and this nifty device to send papers across the room. And of course, that it’s tons of fun to visit Daddy’s (or PopPop’s) work.
Thanks, Daddy!

According to Micah...06 Aug 2008 12:16 pm

T: Hey, Micah, is Emmie the boss?

M: No. Emmie is the grumpiness!

According to Emmaline... and According to Micah...30 Jul 2008 09:36 pm

Emmie and Micah conspiring…

E: Here’s the plan. We’ll lay out a blanket and tell Daddy to sit on it. When he sits on it, we pull up the blanket up and tie it. Then we’ll drag him away.

While I was putting on my make-up…

E: Mommy, you look pretty.

A: Thanks, Emmie. You look pretty too.

E; Well… I always look pretty. But you look pretty now.

From the back seat of the car…

E: I had a lot of fond memories, but Micah squashed them all.

books and homeschooling25 Jul 2008 05:47 am

Showimage.AspxS4K Large

According to the Royal Shakespeare Company, “Shakespeare should be taught to children as young as four, before they have become intimidated by the language.” It turns out this is the thought of many educators, which is an encouragement to me since Shakespeare is one of the topics I’m assigned to teach at co-op thjs fall. Though I am a great lover of literature, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of introducing Shakespeare to kids as young as five - no, wait, as young as three (though theirs will be a much simplified version of the older kids’ class). Today, though, help arrived in the mail. Shakespeare for Kids is full of background information and craft ideas. I’ve flipped through it and it looks pretty good. Starting with Shakespeare had really impressed me. It’s custom made for introducing young children to Shakespeare’s work in a classroom setting, though it has me wishing I had weeks instead of hours to teach. Perhaps we’ll do a unit study on Shakespeare here at home. The teaching philosophies of the authors is sound and it offers real practical help on how to approach the works in a fun way as well as breaking down several plays into “kidspeak” with a touch of “shakespeak.”
Exciting year ahead.

Random Thoughts24 Jul 2008 06:38 am

Once upon a time, before we had children, we went on a trip to Canada. It seemed only proper to go dog sledding while in the frozen North, and though Trent and I were so allergic to the dogs that we had to ride with tears streaming out of our red, puffy, allergy-filled eyes, it was so much fun. We learned a lot about dog sledding on that trip, such as “mush” is what you do, not what you say. And the dogs are trained in some strange language to understand “Gee” and “Haw” instead of “right” and “left”. As we traveled through the woods with two dog-teams, we learned that the lead dog team was kind of slow and distracted. They were already ahead on the narrow trail, no need to hurry. The second dog-team, however, was always trying to get ahead. To them it was a competition, so they hustled. Ahead of us, the guide had to poke and prod his dogs to keep moving, but our team was very aware of the need to keep moving, not wanting to be left behind.
I never imagined I would use this lesson in parenting, but it’s amazing how much like sled dogs children can be. I often find myself behind them as we head out the door or up the aisle. Already in the lead, the kids meander and lolly-gag, not interested in moving ahead and distracted by everything. No amount of “Hike, hike! Walk faster!” from me will motivate them. However, if I can wiggle my way ahead of these wee ones, suddenly they think they may be left behind. They hustle just like that second team of dogs trying to keep up and (for the most part) leaving other distractions behind as long as I keep moving forward. It seems an easy lesson, but it took me a while to get this one and remember to always be the lead dog.

Random Thoughts23 Jul 2008 09:28 pm

Overheard this bit of advice from Trent on how to compliment a woman’s looks…

“More romance, less accuracy.”

ha!

Family Fun22 Jul 2008 06:11 am

Img 0019

“Mommy! Mommy! I went underwater!” Micah shouts as he bounces excitedly from the pool. We’ve been enjoying swimming lessons the past few weeks. Both kids are doing really well and enjoying it. Micah was a little fearful at first, but he’s learning the motions and feeling more and more confident. His teacher, Miss Beth, is amazingly sweet and patient. Emmaline is also having a great time. She has done so well that this week that she graduated to the next level and has now joined the “eel” class.
For my part, I enjoy sitting in the shade watching my two swimmers do their thing. So proud of them!

According to Micah...21 Jul 2008 06:31 am

After a full dinner, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a cup of milk, and a cup of frozen peas, Micah just could not stay in bed. He padded out of his room, peered around the corner, and in his saddest voice said, “I’m all the way hungry and it feels like monsters.”
Oh, I am such a sucker for his sad voice.
So we stayed up eating a late night snack, reading Little Golden books, and rocking in our rocking chair until the monsters went away.

Next Page »