The Prince and the Papa

V-Day

2011-02-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

Be careful, Mommy...I'm told yours looks just like this one.

I just got the best Valentine's Day card ever. See?

needy.

2011-02-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

For all of you needy ones out there...

1. Declan started school. He loves his class and has a very nice teacher. He's truly excited about it.
2. Halloween!! Declan went as Luigi this year! We were going to do a store bought costume, but decided to make it ourselves. We think it turned out awesome and so does he!! ...plus the magic mushroom helps.
3. Thanksgiving time! Thanksgiving was a relative success this year. We didn't have to do a bird at all and as often as I see it, I will never understand why little kids eat so little on Turkey Day. i guess the voracious appetite kicks in in the teenage years!
4. Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Little man made out like a bandit this year. He now has all of the Dinosaur Train toys (which are AWESOME if I may say). Nana was sick, so we actually had a 2nd Christmas (well, third if you count the Christmas Eve/Day with Maribeth's parents). We actually had to prep the holiday season with a much needed toy purge to make room for the anticipated loot.
5. Happy Birthday Mommy!! Congrats on the first day off (on your bday) since we've been together!)
6. Happy New Year! we were planning on staying in, but ended up over at a nice little house party. Thanks, Carol, Jason, Jennie and Greg!
7. I have no idea what goes on in Janurary, but i know we were all anxious about the crap snow coming soon...well, all except for little man.
8. HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY, DECLAN!!! We celebrated the date with a trip to the Whitaker Center and a fine meal out at Red robin. We actually threw around some good ideas (hockey game, Crayloa 'factory' tour, Baltimore Aquarium. etc), but we feel we made an awesome choice. And so did Declan!

I think that brings everyone up to speed. I'm sure I missed some tantrums, elations, celebrations, and some other -tions too, but alas. Also, i was going to upload pictures, but i was a little rushed due to the popular demand of the readers :D

-Dad

It's been a while, but...

2011-02-11T10:13:00.002-05:00

The Prince and the Papa is BACK!!

My reason for stopping this wonderful blog was that Declan started school...and for some reason, I felt that made sense. So I am here to say that we are back...well, we aren't just back...we're actually back in a rainbow-slinky-tentacled, bespectacled, crazy-hair kind of way.

A Pictoral Review of Recent Happenings

2010-08-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

Better late than never. Here's a montage of photos of our goings on over the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Forget all of the living ones, Declan took a picture of a dead one.

Butterfly bushes are torturous for cats when they're right outside the window.

This guy almost got stepped on b/c he was warming up on the walkway at night.

Lil man earned his green belt. Awesome job, bud.

"What? The world's in peril? I eat peril for breakfast--one spoonful at a time."

Lil man LOVES taking pics of his toys and animals. We seem to have an entire catalog of his belongings.

Classic!! Right after the cat whacked him.

Two of the people that make things worth while. :)

The pen people hope you enjoyed your stay!! Til next time!

He got me!

2010-08-19T08:20:00.000-04:00

Lil man is turning in to quite the budding artist. While were out enjoying a nice Saturday lunch, he decided to draw me. And I must say...he's getting good.

Mr. McPiddlefingers

2010-08-12T07:45:00.000-04:00

[Legacy Post- Originally posted 10/08]

Tonight is the weekly, ever-anticipated Family Fun Night here at the Swarr household.

After we got home we made dinner and decided to play a board game while we ate. The game's called Frustration. It's a knock of the Milton Bradley game, Trouble. We just got it this past weekend at a consignment shop and little man loves it.

So there we were, playing and munching on the living room floor, when the smallest of our number began to wiggle around with his legs crossed. Maribeth, using her acute powers of observation asked, "Declan, do you need to go to the potty?"

"Mm hmm," was little man's reply. And with that he stood up and ran off to the bathroom.

We could hear everything from where we were. We heard the seat lift, his pants unsnap and get pulled down. The 4 second stream of whiz...

Then...Silence. A good 6 seconds of silence.

"Declan?"

"Whaaat?" came a little sing-song voice.

"What are you doing?"

"Um. Washing my hands," he said with a hint of that oh-crap-I'm-busted tone.

"I didn't hear the sink," Maribeth said as she got up and made her way to the bathroom, "did you wash your hands in the potty?"

"Um. Mm hmm," was his meek response.

"C'mon. Over to the sink. You have to wash your hands," Maribeth said.

"...but I already did..."

I love Family Fun Night.

Outsmarted by a man half my size!!

2010-08-10T07:40:00.001-04:00

[Legacy post- Originally posted 11/08]

I love to talk to little man when I take him to school in the mornings. Obviously because he's my son, but mainly because you never know what he's gonna say. Case in point:

This morning for instance, I tried my hand getting him to see things in different perspectives. We were driving by a pond and I accidentally called it a lake. But that got me thinking...how he views a tiny puddle is different than how an ant would view that same puddle. Seemingly pointless information, but it may give him something to think about; analytical thinking is high on my importance list for him. So the conversation went as follows:

Me: "Declan? Did you ever think about how a small puddle would look to an even smaller ant?"

Declan: "No."

Me: "Well...let's say you're standing near a tiny puddle. And because you're so big, it's just a tiny puddle, right?"

Declan: "Yeah. Because I'm sooo big and the puddle is sooo small."

Me: "Now, let's say a tiny little ant walked up and stood at that same puddle. What do you think he would see instead of a tiny little puddle?"

Declan: "He'd see me standing at the puddle."

My kid's got one up on you Dora the uh...whatever

2010-08-09T12:55:00.000-04:00

Dorer the Explorer? Dora the Explora? Well whatever it is, that show works on my nerves. Why is it that every character sounds like they're yelling all the time? How does saying 'Swiper, no swiping' actually stop the fox? When I repeat instructions to my child, over and over, it doesn't work! And what is Boots' name when he has his boots off?! Feet? Toes? Ok, deep breath. Sorry, I've been holding that stuff in for a long time (and please don't get me started on the cow and backpack).

Don't ask...

When Declan was younger I was one of those parents who always said, "I'll raise him right, watching Transformers, G.I. Joe and He-Man, none of this crap they have on now." But then reality sinks in (along with my wife's Mjöllnir of subtle influence), and he ends up watching good quality, age appropriate shows such as Blue's Clues, Calliou and Kipper. I was happy for a while, then the Dora kick started, followed by a long lasting disdain for pink shirts and orange shorts.

Eventually I saw a light at the end of the tunnel...but then her blasted cousin shows up and rekindles the black flame of despair.

However...just the other day, my hopes were met with irrefutable evidence that there will be life A.D. (After Dora, for those that were wondering).

Declan was watching Dora and the little bowl cut demon was summoning her map from the bowels of backpack (who, just in the last episode, ate map through the top of its head, by the way). So map pops up and Declan's looking at the screen and Dora repeats ten times where they need to go and how they're going to get there. And just before my eyes started to bleed Declan turns to me and says, "Daddy. I don't want to watch Dora anymore."

Clutching the sofa as not to fall, I swallowed my heart and said, "Ok. why not, buddy?"

He then looks at the screen and shaking his head, he says, "Because Dora's stupid. She has a map and she knows where to go, so why doesn't she just go around all the bad stuff? She's so dumb."

I held my child and cried as the angels sang down from the heavens.

So it begins

2010-08-03T08:13:00.000-04:00

This morning marks the first time that Declan has gone downstairs to watch cartoons while I lay upstairs, still asleep and dead to the world. He was so excited to have found this, he woke me up to tell me. Thanks, i guess...

I'm here to catch your cartoon memories...

2010-08-02T08:54:00.000-04:00

[be sure to click the links]

When I was a kid (and even now), I loved cartoons. My brother and I would devour them like the KiX cereal in our bowls every chance we had (both were kid tested, mother approved).

I know there were the norms such as Transformers and GI Joe, but sometimes it was the shorter lived cartoons that stuck with you, the ones that found themselves canceled prematurely or whose hopes were dashed by the whim of a studio exec on the other side of the country.

Some of the ones that I personally loved were Kissyfur, Rude Dog and the Dweebs and lest we not forget Inhumanoids and Visionaries. My list goes on and on all the way through the 90s

There are tons more that I remember snippets of and those, such as Inhumanoids which I thought went on forever, but were only one season. So I thought that it would be a good idea to keep a running tab of all of the cartoons that Declan loves, but have been seemingly (and some wrongfully, in my opinion) thrown in the back alley dumpster behind whatever studio brought them to life in the first place.

So here's the short list thus far (some are clickable..follow the click...you know you want to)

El Tigre
Jakers - best theme song as far as I'm concerned :)
Jacks Big Music Show
Toot and Puddle

As of now, there were four shows he absolutely loved and they've played an integral part in his youth thus far.

Little buddy, I know the list will grow as you get older, but know this: I'm keeping track for ya.

Why can't I feed the child?

2010-07-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Apparently I have no concept of how much food a growing boy needs to eat. The reason I say this is because yesterday after lunch (a healthy dose of mac n cheese...go me!), lil man had polished off his accompanying Capri Sun in one shot and I had given him a glass of water because he was still thirsty. Let me clarify, a glass of water. Say it with me, a glass of water.

So I sat yesterday where I am right now, updating the blog, when I hear a loud crack come from the other room. Not a crash or a smash- a crack. I waited a split second to see if there were any other indicating noises to follow. There was, it was..."help!"

So in the nanosecond it took me to traverse our grossly huge downstairs (did you hear the sarcasm?), I had about a million things running through my head as to what I might encounter. Nothing prepared me for this one. When I saw what the scene was, I physically had to stop to assess the situation.

I walked into the room to see Declan leaning over his water glass, which was still full of water. Over a dry table...over a dry floor. Then I saw the glass.

I asked him what happened and he said, "I bit it". Only after he said this did he spit the two remaining pieces of glass back into the cup. Amazingly, the kid didn't have a single scratch, splinter, slice or gouge. Tears, yes; blood, no.

Maybe today I'll try a three course lunch.

Sorry, readers.

2010-07-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

I wish I could say that I had a good reason for not updating this since May...but I can't because I don't.

I will say that sometimes it feels like I have a monkey on my back.

I will keep up if you promise to read (and comment too!). Deal?

TV Time and Kids

2010-05-04T08:35:00.004-04:00

I know there's a lot of back and forth on the subject of kids and TV. There has been for years. It happens in our house sometimes as I'm sure it does in yours as well.

Well today there was an article on Health.com about TV time and kids. Feel free to read it here. It discusses the effects TV has on young children and the potential adverse effect it has on them when they enter school.

The article focuses on a study done by the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal, in Quebec. They've concluded the following:

Each additional hour of TV that toddlers watch per week translates into poorer classroom behavior, lower math scores, less physical activity, and more snacking at age 10

Apparently they conducted their study over a 7 year period on 1,300 kids and followed up with them in fourth grade to see how they were doing. The findings, they said were thus:

Each additional hour spent in front of the TV per week at age two-and-a-half corresponded to a 7% decrease in classroom engagement, a 6% decrease in overall math achievement, and a 10% increase in being bullied by peers.

They go on to discuss the actual detriment of TV itself and how the "overexposure" impacts children. Although researchers can't seem to agree on the physical effects, researchers are seeming to agree that TV is just bad.

However, the article, which I must say is very balanced and well done, does continue on to the other side of the fence, which was expressing criticism of the study. Their red flag, which is often my soapbox, was that the study omitted one major factor: what the kids were watching. The opposing Dr. said,

parents should distinguish between mind-numbing cartoons and educational programs such as Sesame Street. “Parents need to know that the best-quality shows have a curriculum,” he says. “They’re trying to teach your child something, anything from the letter k to skills like how to share or how to handle a conflict.”

Parents, it seems that the jury is still out. Once again the TV is caught in the middle; one side stating that TV is just bad bad bad and the other side saying that it doesn't matter.

My two cents: I think that both sides of the fence can agree on one thing: make sure that your children are watching stimulating, age appropriate programming. Don't let them sit in front of the TV all day watching inappropriate shows. Watch with them and work with them. The television, like any other source of media (newspaper and books included) can and should be monitored by the parents. Yes, I said parents. It is our responsibility to ensure that kids have a chance to be kids. They only have one shot at this wonderful thing called childhood. Don't ruin it for them.

Mantises or Mantisi?

2010-04-29T12:22:00.003-04:00

The plural of mantis is actually mantes, but mantises is ok too. In case you're wondering why I need to know the plural of mantis, it's because we had well over 100 of these lil buggers erupt from the egg sack in our kitchen this morning.

And now I bet you're wondering why we had a mantis egg sack in our kitchen, huh? Well that answer is simple: Mommy had an awesome find which resulted in Declan getting a Praying Mantis Pagoda for his birthday. So we sent off for the egg sack and well, the rest you know.

So of the 100+ mantes (or mantises) we're going to keep about 12 of them (6 in 2 separate containers). the rest were released this morning and are more than likely bird food by now. So of that 12, I think we'll be able to keep just 1 through adulthood (as they will eat each other if left in the same enclosure).

Take a look and enjoy these pictures of the hatching. I'll have more to come so stay tuned.

Someone wanted a snack

2010-04-28T11:15:00.002-04:00

Declan insisted on having a lemon for a snack this morning. My only stipulation: I get it on camera. One bite was all he had.

Review: Elmo's Adventures in Grouchland

2010-04-22T08:43:00.004-04:00

I know what you all must be thinking, "Elmo? Grouchland? Really?" And the answer is...yes. To be honest, I'm a sucker for all things Henson. We actually started Declan on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show at a very early age. Now, thanks to our forced guidance, Declan loved not only Muppets, but puppets in almost all shapes and sizes.

So back to the movie. the opening sequence sets the tone. It's Ernie and Bert coming on screen and talking to the audience. They talk about audience participation and, of course, they have thier jibes back and forth. It totally sets the tone for the movie. ...And they make appearances throughout, stopping the movie in the process. It really draws you into the movie.

Then we go to Elmo's room and his day consists of a great wake up song. Overall the movie is just fun and the pacing is great for younger kids....it keeps moving. Once Elmo's blankie (yes, blankie) get's whisked away to Grouchland, the movie really takes off. Grouchland is a blast (who doesn't like Oscar?).

I know this is a quick review that really skims the surface, but you really should check it out. As in most Henson productions, there are a lot of subtle details that need to be seen, so I won't ruin it. to sum it up even more simply, it's just plain fun.

Oh...and wait until you see who plays the villain. Well, I'll just say this: he used to be looking for man man with six fingers on his right hand.

Soft Serve Syringe

2010-04-09T09:55:00.005-04:00

The pre-k physical is scheduled for this afternoon. Mommy and I have been prepping him by repeating that fact that he'll have to get shots. In the past, he's taken them like a champ. I don't think a single shot has made him cry (the anticipation is worse for him than the actual sticking).

However this time he is a little worried. I told him he'll probably have to get a few shots. He understands that being around more kids means being around more germs, so he's ok with the potential three or more stickings.

I know he's been thinking about it a lot because this morning, while we were sitting on the couch, he started rubbing his arm. I asked him what the matter was and he looked at me and said, "I wish getting shots didn't hurt. Getting a shot should feel like eating ice cream."

'I Spy: I Love You'...An Easy Cheater Book

2010-04-07T07:54:00.007-04:00

Please allow me to begin by stating that I absolutely love the I Spy and Can You See What I See? book series. If you have yet to do them with your kids, you're missing out. Declan spends countless hours scanning the pages looking for skulls, sandals, dinosaurs and just about anything else you could imagine. Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick have done an amazing job on the I Spy series (and a solo Walter Wick on the Can You See What I See? series). That's why, when we found the Easy Reader I Spy series, we were thrilled.

Declan grabbed the first one he saw, I Spy: I love You, Easy Reader Level 1. We opened it up, equally excited. Him for obvious reasons and me for the reason any parent would and should be excited for their child: they found a reason to learn to read! Now, please let me fill you in on something: Declan can read if he wants to. The problem is, well, he doesn't really want to, so he doesn't get practice. It's not laziness, it just is the way it is. He'd rather we read There's a Monster Eating My House (by Art Cummings) than him read Dick and Jane all by himself. Can you blame him? He's a little boy. He requires more thrills and chills than, "See Jane. See Spot. See Spot run. See Jane run after Spot."

Unfortunately the excitement that came over me, realizing that one of my son's favorite books had been paired with my parental want of educating my child, fizzled and popped from existence when I opened to the first page. I was heartily let down by what I saw: pictures of the word next to the word itself. Any intelligent kid (of which Declan is one), will realize that the book is a visual scavenger hunt. The page on the left lists the things to find in the scatter of the things on the right. So why would he read the word when he can just look for the picture of what he sees?

I understand the concept, but that does not promote reading. None of the other I Spy books are set up this way, so that tells me it is specific to the Easy Readers. That's not easy reading, it's a way out for those kids who are smart enough to find it. I guess we have to see Spot run after all.

The results of this year's trappings

2010-03-19T12:58:00.003-04:00

I don't have too much to say about the results of this year's leprechaun trap. I'll let the pictures tell this story:

The final count was 43 jelly beans, 12 'gold' coins and 8 peanut butter eggs. Bandit.

Who's Magical Now, Pointy Ears?

2010-03-17T15:28:00.006-04:00

Beginning last year, it became a tradition to catch a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day. Last year, we set the trap on St. Patrick's Day eve, but this year we decided to take advantage of the little bugger's want for beer and set our trap on St. Patty's Day (aka, Daddy didn't know when St. Patty's Day was this year and it sneaked up on him- oops).

No matter how you look at it, my alibi has merit: why catch a sober leprechaun on the way to a St. Patrick's Day party, when you can take advantage of one who's been thrown out on his shamrock for swimming in his Guinness well after last call and is now staggering home in a drunken stupor?

That being the premise of this year's trap, we decided to go with the good old standby: skulduggery. Here it is folks. The leprechaun trap for 2010...

I present you with The Pub Crawl:

We took an ordinary cardboard box and colored it to look like a bar:

Then I cut an 'x' in the door and angled the triangles inward, that way, he can fall in, but can't figure out how to get out (thanks, Mr. Guinness for the assist):

Next, we place the trap in the yard:

Followed by some authentic scenting:

And, as I stated last year, the leprechauns, once they know they've been trapped, are able to disappear, but only if they leave a treasure behind.

My hopes are high this year, so check back tomorrow to see what we scored!

'Ah-ne'

2010-03-16T11:12:00.000-04:00

As I stated previously, I'd be publishing some noteworthy posts from our old family blog. These are too good not to share.

[This is a legacy post from our previous family blog, originally posted 9/20/06]

Last night was just like any other night. We played with Declan, read him a story, gave him a bottle, said prayers, gave kisses and turned on his music to fall asleep. Declan got fussy as I left the room, but that is the norm. He will fall asleep.

I went back to our bedroom and sat there piddling around on my laptop. I had noticed that lil man had stopped fussing and that his CD had played through. Maribeth was already sleeping, so I went about my business of playing games on my laptop when I noticed little Declan noises coming from little Declan's room. Nothing alarming, but I stopped to listen. It sounded as though he had fallen asleep and was making noises while dreaming. I thought, "Hey...why not turn his music back on and let him sleep to it?". So over to his room I went.

I opened the door a little, sneaked over to the radio and turned on his Kermit CD. I turned to leave and I saw that Declan was standing up in his pack and play (his 'bed') with his bottle, making faces and making tiny little laughing noises. I walked over to him and said, "Hey, bud. What are you doing?". He glanced at me and then pointed across his room to the area where the radio and rocking chair were and said, "Ah-ne."

I looked in the direction he was pointing and thought that he meant "Ernie" because Kermit was singing (Jim Henson had been both Kermit and Ernie, so they sound similar). It didn't make sense to me though that he would think it was Ernie singing because we must have listed to those songs a hundred times and he knows that it is 'Termit' and not Ernie. I looked at him and said, "What?"

Once again, while still making faces and noises he pointed and said, "Ah-ne." I asked him, "Do you mean Ernie?". He replied with a cute little "Noo".

Then it clicked...He was imitating someone. You could tell. His attention was focused, he was making faces and little laughing noises.

He wasn't saying 'Ernie'. I took a deep breath and hesitantly asked, "Do you mean Arna?".

Without skipping a beat, he replied, "Yeah".

With an odd feeling, I kissed him goodnight, walked over to the door and said, "Tell Great Grandma not to keep you up all night" and pulled it shut. He didn't fuss at all.

_______________________________________________________

For those of you that may not know, Arna is Declan's great-grandma. She passed away some time ago and Declan had never met her before.

We had been over at my parent's house this weekend, and coincidentally enough we showed him a picture of her and had told him her name was Arna.

So that's the story in a nutshell...If it was you...thanks, Gramdma.

Good Initiative, Bad Judgment

2010-03-12T07:59:00.005-05:00

If you ask anyone, they'll probably be able to tell you about a half dozen words or phrases that they've heard which have stuck with them through their lives. Ask anyone who was or is in the military and they'll be able to tell you about three dozen, unfortunately, this being a blog about a father and son, I can't share most of them here.

Although, there is a phrase which, as of late, I've been using more than most others: good initiative, bad judgment. It means the obvious: you did good wanting to do what you did, your intentions were sound, however what you did wasn't the best choice. And, you guessed it, I've been using it with the little mister more and more lately.

The latest incident is definitely blog worthy. I had sent Declan upstairs to get dressed while I finished doing whatever it was I was doing downstairs. When I was done, I still heard the rattling of him trying to close his dresser drawers, so I went up to see if I could assist. Walking into his room I saw him standing there with his pants on and socks (good job so far), but he was putting his shirt on over his pajama shirt (huh?).

"Wait, wait, wait!" I said, walking into his room. "You have to take off your pajama shirt."
"No," he said moving away from my assisting reach, "I want to wear it under my clothes."
"What? Why?" I smiled questioningly. I braced myself for the awesome power of cute.
"If I wear my pajamas under my clothes, then I won't need to put them on tonight. I can just take these off and go to bed." He made a 'bloop bloop' noise as he mimed taking off his shirt and pants.

After I explained to him that wearing his pajamas under his clothes all day would render them obsolete as sleeping attire, I helped him change his shirt. However glancing around his room, I took note of the scattered clothing. Looking back at him, I simply pointed to his pants and cocked my head to the side.

He rolled his eyes as he slowly lifted his pant leg: a brightly colored, fish laden, pajama-covered leg came into view.

Good initiative, bad judgment, little man.

A bit of winter reflection

2010-03-10T09:09:00.005-05:00

As I sit here drinking my coffee and eating my whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, I'm looking out the kitchen window. I still see naked trees, piles of snow and the ground is covered in a bland, faded green. Visually, it still seems like winter is on its last legs, however I feel it is officially deceased and spring is upon us.

I've felt this way since last Thursday. I remember waking up and looking out the window. Everything was sunny, yet snow covered. But it was refreshing. It felt like spring. And with that feeling,all of the stir craziness, the cabin fever and the frosty stagnation just went away. It felt different. So the last week or so, I've been enjoying the days a lot more.

It's also given me a little bit of motivation for the upcoming months. Throughout the winter months, being home with Declan, I feel as thought we didn't do a lot. I won't sit here and say that it was a negative experience or that I have regrets, but I do feel that we could have done more through the winter (just take a look at the sparseness of the posts).

So what is coming? A trip to the science museum and the local natural history museum, a puppet theater, endless trips to the park, road trips and tons of spring and summer fun. I may even repost some of my ols favorites from the old family blog too.

I feel like we have to make these next two seasons count. After all this is his last summer before school starts. ;)

Banana on a stick...

2010-02-26T10:52:00.004-05:00

So it was snacktime this morning and we decided to get a little creative.

First we took a banana and cut it
in half,

then you dip it in yogurt,

roll it in sprinkles...

and enjoy!

I haven't tried it, but I'm told it tastes like a banana split...I think I'll take his word for it.

When the world was warm...

2010-02-17T08:31:00.006-05:00

As I've stated I have a few old posts which I've never published. If memory serves me, there from a time when the world we know was a little warmer...hence the photos of us rolling around in the yard. Soon enough it'll be warm again, and I can go back to acting like an idiot outdoors. But for now enjoy:

A little while ago, Declan and I became hooked on the Dollar Tree. Usually the toys aren't fantastic, but they can be fun if you look closely. And if you do happen to find something, as we did this time, the pay off is awesome.

We were searching up and down the aisles and we happened to see the glint of gold shining off of a dragon crested shield. After looking, we saw that there was also a helmet and a breastplate. But what good is a knighted hero without a villain? That's why we also found a dragon mask for Dad.

And yes, I do know that his sword is a paint stirrer, but alas, make due with what you have*.

So now, the ground shakes and the lands tremble. as these two do battle. What more could you ask for $3.00?

*since this post was written Declan has come across a shiny golden, plastic sword. One worthy of a true knight.

The Big O-5

2010-02-08T13:49:00.008-05:00

Well, Declan is officially 5. And even though, due to the white flakes of doom, we had to postpone his playdate/birthday party, Declan is one happy camper. I must say this entire weekend, snow and all was one big birthday bash.

We woke him up on Friday morning and, after a few gifts, breakfast in bed and of course getting dressed, we did one thing that is not normal for the beginning of February...we went swimming (indoors, of course).

We had a great birthday weekend. Declan ended up getting everything from a Dinosaur Train tshirt to a camera, Legos to a new handmade quilt and Transformers to a new set of bongos. Oh and lest we forget the pop up book of creatures, the new super awesome (dentist approved) toothbrush and the Lincoln Logs. Declan even made his own cake for his own party....hey, if he wants to do it, we're not gonna stop him.

Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate this past weekend. You know who you are :)

And again, Happy Birthday, little bud. Way to be 5.

We love you,
Mommy and Daddy

DECLAN...

2010-02-05T08:34:00.002-05:00

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BUDDY!!

...more birthday posting to come...

from the mouth of babes...

2010-01-28T10:43:00.007-05:00

So I had a little chat with Declan this morning about how his daddy is a total slacker an my lack of blog updates, or 'blupdates' as I call them. I told him that because we haven't posted for a while we should think of something to tell everyone who reads our blog. This is what he said:

"Hello everyone. I love you. sometimes you are a little frustrating, but I love you. And the cool thing about it is that um, I get to tell you what we're doing at school at my house for school. We actually do lots of fun fun stuff like um learn about clocks, practice my numbers and letters and we do arts and craft time. We have lots of fun and we watch some TV, but somedays it's really fun. I love you all."

So to recap the last two months for those out of the loop: a little before Christmas we got rear ended pretty good in the xB (pics below). The car is still in the shop and we'll hopefully be having a welcome home party for the Thundertank next week.

As for Christmas it was awesome. My parents got me an early gift which was a butt-kicking waffle maker (results below). Declan got tons of cool stuff including a Mario Kart race track and a barrage of movies from his uncle.

Regarding karate, Declan just tested last week and earned his high orange belt. Snap-kickingly awesome, lil man (yet again, pics below).

So that's about it in a nut shell. I'll have other things to post soon and a few old ones which I never published, so keep checking back...

Thanks,
The Management.

And by the way, I need to go start negotiations because my laundry basket full of clothes is now home to the sword in the stone. I don't know if I'm worthy enough to pull it out.

The Cookie Family

2009-12-10T11:00:00.004-05:00

Last night we all decided to decorate gingerbread cookies for Family Fun Night. I had a little trouble with the dough and ended up adding about an extra 1/3 cup of flour just to make it manageable. But alas, they turned out fine and we had a good time doing it.

...and we had a little hand cut surprise cookie for Declan to decorate.

Merry Christmas!

Swarr Family Theatre

2009-12-03T07:43:00.006-05:00

Last night was yet another amazing Family Fun night here at the Swarr household. The Swarr Family Theatre and The Popcorn/Candy Shoppe was open for business as well. For those that don't know, Maribeth and I decided long ago to dedicate one night a week (Wednesdays) to have a Famliy Fun Night, where we have fun as a family...der.
Last evening, we took advantage of the glorious Redbox and watched the not so glorious Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The movie started really slow, but upon the introduction of Buck (voiced beautifully by Simon Pegg), it ended up being fun. And I was also impressed by the ending. I think it was done well. The timing, the 'closure' of the story, etc. It was what it should have been. I've found endings to be important lately. The movie has to end well or it makes it seem like a waste of time.
Anyway...back to the theatre...Mommy and I showed up for our tickets and snacks first and Worker Declan was at the ready, candy and popcorn standing by. The movie poster, glowstick decorations and custom made tickets were all there. Then it was off to the register to make the purchase. Once we were all paid up, we were even escorted to our seats (to sit with the other plush movie goers). The lights went off and the movie began. Like I said, it was another amazing Swarr Family Fun Night.

This Orange Ain't Sunkist...

2009-11-26T10:57:00.007-05:00

For two months now, we've had Declan enrolled in Tae Kwon Do. He absolutely loves it and, I must say, we've noticed a huge difference in him (for the good). The school structure is fantastic and his teacher does a wonderful job, not only teaching them karate, but also interacting with them and knowing/understanding that they are kids. It's a fun yet enriching time.

Enrolling him was a definite good move on our part and I strongly recommend karate to anyone out there who has considered it. Go do it. If you'd like detailed info regarding the school we go to, let me know.

This past Tuesday Declan had his first formal testing. Personally, I think he did fantastic, but don't take my word for it. See for yourself:

**ignore the double postings of the videos, there's a technical issue with blogger it seems...

mmm...Octolunch

2009-11-18T13:30:00.002-05:00

It's been a little while since the last post. I am attributing this delay to the onset of Holiday Syndrome.

I just wanted to get back in the groove by posting little man's lunch for all to see. I've never seen an animal (or many animal byproducts for that matter) look so happy to be eaten!

A Crafty Haunted House

2009-10-28T11:55:00.004-04:00

For arts and crafts time today we made a fancy haunted house. We made a trip to Michael's a while back and found (for $2, I might add) a handy little pre-packaged craft.

It consisted of two sheets of balsa wood which are stamped, making easy to punch out pieces ready for assembly.

I punched them out and did minor sanding, then I passed them over to little man for coloring (he let me do a couple pieces). We then took our time assembling it (which was easier without the instructions) and viola...

Casa de fantasmas!!

TRAGEDY STRIKES THE FIRST ANNUAL LEGO BOAT REGALIA

2009-10-20T08:11:00.006-04:00

This just in, ladies and gentlemen. The First Annual Lego boat Regalia has suffered a major tragedy. Of the 5 boats entered in what was to be an historic event, only two boats and three amateur sailors have survived to tell the tale.

This cool, fall morning began as any other. A light, crisp breeze pushed across the waterfront and calming birdsong filled the air. The excitement began to build as block after block was assembled and the boats began to take shape. Once completed and fitted with sails, the shoreline became riddled with spectators who came to witness history in the making. As the day progressed, however, no one watching could have known that they would instead be witness to one of the greatest tragedies in Lego boating history.

Early reports received stated that upon entering the water, many of the boats began tipping and taking on water, ultimately resulting in the capsizing of three of the vessels, including the royal ship of Schtupidberg. We cannot confirm if any royalty was on board, however we are still investigating. Witnesses to the event have been cordoned off for questioning, but some witnesses were quoted as saying the accident was, "horrifying, unbelievable and scarring."

The only three surviving members of the event include West Virginia resident, Cleaven Onetooth and his boat, Yard Junk and the leather clad duo of Dicky and JJ with their boat, The Streisand.

"Amateur tapes have been confiscated by local authorities and the cause of the multitude of accidents is still under review," said Hans Blockenbuilden, the representative for the event. "Until then, we can only speculate as to the cause. Until the findings are determined, we can only pray for the families and those affected by this horrifying accident."

**We must warn you, the photographs below may be disturbing to some readers.

[this image removed due to its graphic nature]

Other representatives for the event, who spoke on the condition of anonyminity, stated that they believe the design of some of the ships may be to blame, but they too are speculating. However in traditional Lego fashion, Hans Blockenbuilden was quoted to say, "the fallen vessels will be stripped down and we'll give it another go. That's just what you do with the little blocks."

What's inside the box??!?

2009-10-16T19:13:00.004-04:00

Ok, well and envelope would be the more appropriate term, but I'm a fan of Weird Al and 'UHF'...so sue me.

Mommy opened the envelope and what was inside this spooky, makeshift package of doom?

A nice Halloween picture inside a home made frame for Mommy to put on her desk.

(and if you're curious...that's a trick-or-treat bag he's holding...der)

Window art and a surprise for Mommy...

2009-10-15T14:53:00.004-04:00

Today was a cold, rainy, Fall day. Perfect for making Fall decorations out of constriction paper. Everything we made was simple and easy to cut out, giving the little mister some practice with his ladybug safety scissors.

He cut them out, I helped him with the gluing and he decorated away! Just a few minutes ago he ran up to the window and said, "I can't believe we did all of these today. It's so awesome!"

And check in tomorrow to see what this little project for mommy is...you won't know until she does...

The Rainy Day Obstacle

2009-10-05T09:25:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago it was raining rain outside, but apparently (I was told) it was raining hot lava inside (I'm glad my son imagines things like Hellfire and brimstone).

Anyway, it got me thinking. What if it was raining hot lava? We couldn't exactly go outside to play, but we could get some of that energy out inside...we can make a pillow obstacle course. It;s fun and easy, takes 0 prep time and actually engages the problem solving process.

First, set a starting point and an ending point. Then, for round 1, throw a line of pillows across the floor. Hop, hop, hop...done. That was easy. Now for round 2: make a zig-zag pattern, but don't tell him how to do it. Let him figure it out. Hop, think, hop, think, hop, done. Good. Now for round 3, I got a little bit cynical. I gave him a pillow at the starting point and made a huuge gap from the start to the first pillow. The idea is that he's to throw down the first pillow where needed and go from there.

Overall, the game was a success. He played it for about 30 minutes, which is awesome. You can get really creatve too, make his socks lava proof, but only for 3 steps or one hop. If you have different colored pillows, set a path for him where hee has to hit a certain color combination. The possibilities aren't exactly endless, but you can do a lot with it.

So the next time you have a rainy day, pretend there's 1000 degrees of orange fiery death-liquid on the floor and have some fun!

Volcanoes are cool.

2009-10-01T19:17:00.004-04:00

The old vinegar/baking powder trick is an easy trick for an elevation to cool dad status.

take a little vinegar (and some food coloring)...

add a little baking powder (pay no mind to the use of a shot glass)...

and voila!

Dad wins.

2009-09-25T13:31:00.004-04:00

So a few days ago we ordered a Christmas gift for little man off of kids woot (which is a fantastic deal of the day site to watch by the way).

The tracking said that I'd get the package on Monday, the 28th, but alas, when I went to get the mail today there was a package waiting. And who should be with me? You guessed it.

I did tell him honestly that it was a Christmas gift for him and it would be a long wait until he can open it (I'm not sure why, but it seemed like a good idea at the time). The whole car ride home (all 2 minutes of it) he was looking at the box, curious as a kitten.

The plot will thicken soon, but let me preface by saying that we went to the bookstore this morning and he got a brand new Where's Waldo book (it's brand new to him, but the copyright is 1988...believe it, folks, we're getting older).

So we get home and I tell him that the package will stay in the car because my hands are 'full' and I can't carry it in right now (out of sight, out of mind).

We get inside and he turns to me and says, "Oh no. I left my Waldo book in the car!"

I tell him to go get it, but under no circumstances is he to look in that box (which I forgot to mention, the tape it coming off of the top and you can see inside a little).

So...I send him on his way. Then my Dadstincts kick in (which is completely different from my Dadstinks...). I grab the binoculars and my keys...then I head to the laundry room which gives me a clear view of the car and he can't see me very well.

He opens the door, climbs up and closes the door. Perfect for me. He grabs his book and turns back to leave. Good. Then he stops and looks at the house. Gears are turning. I see him lean toward the box. Not good. I lock my car and then push the panic button twice, causing my car to beep one single time. He heads back to the door. Good. He stops and stares at the house for a full ten seconds. Then he ducks down out of site. Not good. I push the panic button again allowing for two beeps this time. I see his little head pop up and his frustrated little hand hit the seat. He has given up.

He opens the door, hops out, closes the door and, with his head hung low, walks back to the house.

I win...and he has no clue that it was me.

Face Value

2009-09-25T07:56:00.004-04:00

During learning time Declan and I decided to get in touch with our emotions (no, we didn't sit around holding each other and crying over our cups of Mocha Chai Latte).

We talked about the different kinds of emotions that people experience and with the help of these super duper flash cards we were able to do a bunch of different exercises.

Obviously, the first would be to discuss the emotions individually, but rather than listing and explaining, I'd show him the emotion card and tell him a situation: Billy took your toy and threw it on the floor, breaking it...you'd feel...mad? more than mad...angry. That way he'd become familiar with scenarios for each and the differences between the emotions.

Then it came time for the game. I laid out all of the emotion cards and then gave him a scenario.
I wake up in the morning and I'm just not happy. everyone had better stay out of my way today: grumpy
All of my friends went home for the day and I wish I had someone to play with: lonely
I've decided to be an actor in a play and tonight is opening night where everyone comes to watch me: nervous

But it didn't stop there. Once he guessed my scenario and was able to put the card on his pile, I had him tell me a situation where he'd feel or where he'd felt that emotion.

And as an added bonus, we came up with a list of things to do when you're feeling an emotion other than normal:

1. ask yourself, "What am I feeling inside?"
2. "Why am I feeling this way?"
3. "What is something i can do to change the way I'm feeling?"
4. Do what you decided in number 3

All in all it was a very good exercise. The flash cards helped him identify his emotions, talking about them helped him understand that everyone feels that way at some point and using the list above can help him control himself and explain his emotions (rather than hitting or screaming).

Here's a list of the emotions/feelings I came up with:
Happy
Angry
Silly
Nervous
Normal
Sad
Scared
Mad
Frustrated
Lonely
Grumpy
Tired

Destructive fun

2009-09-24T08:09:00.005-04:00

When I was little I had a thing against mixing my toys. I would never take my GI Joe's and use them with my He-Man toys or my Ghostbusters and use them with my Thundercats. I guess it all started with the whole Transformers/GoBots/generic transforming robots situation: grandparents and the like would always get transforming robots and think there was no differnce between those and actual Transformers, but to an 8 year old boy...there was a big difference. A turquoise blue and silver peacock that transforms into a slender, feminine male robot just doesn't have the same appeal as a giant tank that transforms into a jet, a plane and an evil giant robot with guns.

Out of habit, I guess, I do the same thing with Declan. I try to keep toy integrity, but this time Declan got the best of me. He brought up a mixing of toys that I couldn't say no to. He looked at me with that evil boy twinkle in his eyes and said, "Can we build a giant wall of Legos and smash my monster truck through them?"

How could I say no to such boy-logic?

Fly, boy! Fly!!

2009-09-16T08:06:00.004-04:00

A child's imagination will never cease to amaze me. Innocence can create such determination when learning to fly. I hope it never goes away.

Have you ever seen a dried up glue stick?

2009-09-03T20:15:00.001-04:00

well now you have...

Plant Parts

2009-09-03T09:46:00.005-04:00

Following our nature walk last week, we decided to learn a little more about plants and their parts. I prepped most of this project, but the cool thing is that it involved reading, identification and art time for little man. A very well rounded project if I must say.

I took a few pieces of construction paper and cut them appropriately to make the stem, roots, leaves, sun and a rain cloud. The I labeled the papr with the corresponding parts and glued the main pieces together.

Then it was time for little man to read the parts, match them up, talk about them, and decorate the pieces before gluing them. It was some good learning time and fun to boot!

Don't look now, Mommy...Slugzilla is on the loose

2009-08-27T11:03:00.008-04:00

Today for learning time, Declan and I decided to take a nature hike and talk about all of the things we see. It was a great walk and for a kid with a treasure bucket to fill up, life doesn't get much better. We set off into the forest and, like all boys do, we kicked, cracked, pulled and prodded everything we could to dig up creepy crawlies, roley-poleys and slithery-slimeys.

The first pull provided an opportunity to talk about plants and how they work. Looking at a small plant, we talked about how the plants roots are like straws that drink water from the ground. That water goes up the stalk and out to the leaves. And, with Autumn approaching, we found some specimens to show what happens when trees don't send moisture to the leaves.

The next find was a creepy crawly one. We found some downed trees and under the bark we found a whole colony of ants, which at the sudden loss of their home were scrambling in a terrified frenzy trying to save what they could before doomsday. Cool, huh? Declan also spotted a macaroni log hiding in the woods. Good eye, bud.

We found spiders and worms, daddy long-leggers and worms, but I must say that Declan had the find of finds. We found a few cut logs which were decaying nicely and, with the walking stick, we poked some apart. We found two freaks of nature: Slugzilla and Mr. Roley-poley Giant (guess who named that one).

Monsters vs Aliens

2009-08-26T08:41:00.004-04:00

When Monsters vs Aliens came out in theaters we were on it like kids on Christmas. The concept wasn't original by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun nonetheless. Straight out of the 50s sci fi genre, the movie tells the tale of Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), a young bride to be who, you guessed it, gets hit by an asteroid, absorbs an extraterrestrial radiation, turns into a giant sized Susan and gets locked away in a secret government facility. Ok, so maybe you didn't guess that, but for all of the bad that happened to her, she gets a cool name out of it: Ginormica. Perfect.

While in the facility, Susan aka Ginormica meets a few other creatures that have been locked up over the decades, The Missing Link (aka Link), B.O.B. the blob, Insectosaurus (self explanatory name?), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. and who leads this rag tag group of creatures from his jet pack and perfectly pressed uniform? None other that General W.R. Monger (voiced beautifully by Kiefer Sutherland).

The villian in the movie is a semi-likeable alien named Galaxar (Rainn Wilson). He is in search of the substance that transformed our loving herione, Susan into Ginormica. He's not very threatening as far as villians go, but kids get the message that he's the bad guy.

The movie itself is beautifully done. The pacing is perfect, I think the voice acting is spot on and the story is just plain fun. To be honest...I'd watch this one even if I was home alone!

Two huge thumbs up for Monsters vs.Aliens!

Swimming Pools and Flys

2009-08-25T11:41:00.004-04:00

Today during learning time we perused the computer to answer Declan's most recent question: "How do you make a swimming pool?"

We found a few sites that had step by step pictures showing how they make pools, from marking and breaking ground, to filling it up and doing the landscaping. It was pretty cool (and makes me want a pool).

And regarding reading, we started reading 'A Fly Went By' together. Lil Mister's biggest problem is that he tries guessing the word without sounding out the letters or completing the sentence with what he sees in the picture. To offset that, I'm going to have to extract one word or sentence at a time from the book onto the dry erase board. Less distraction= more focus.

Arts and crafts time went with the whole pool theme and someone got to design their own bathing suit. I drew the outline and finished it off with a pipe cleaner string, but the rest, from coloring to cutting, was done by the master craftsman himself...

The Lego Factory

2009-08-20T15:14:00.002-04:00

Today I asked Declan what he wanted to know. I told him that each day he has to ask me something and I have to give him an answer. Anything from 'why is the sky blue' to 'where did the dinosaurs go.'

Today he asked how they make Legos.

My answer was this:

Whistle while we work

2009-08-20T11:01:00.005-04:00

Today during learning time we learned about chores. What are some chores and more importantly, why we do chores.

Before my time home with Declan began, I made some minor preparations, one of which was getting a chore chart (which I highly recommend doing some kind of organized chart for daily routine). The chore chart has different sections like 'take care of myself', 'take care of my room', 'around the house', etc. It's really a good thing.

Aside from chores for Declan, we learned about some of Mommy and Daddy's chores. Washing dishes, doing laundry, etc. And seeing as how today is trash gathering day, we learned about why we take the trash out. And what's a better learning tool than Shel Silverstein? We read of the perilous journey of good old Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout.

Then we took a trip around the house to make sure we did our chores. And he helped me with some of mine.

Legos are a boy's best friend

2009-08-19T12:57:00.004-04:00

In the mornings we always have playtime. Sometimes Little Mister wants to play games. Sometimes it's action figures, but most of the time...it's Legos.We play Legos so much that the little Lego people now have names.

Hours upon hours have been spent putting those little blocks together and I must admit, there are times that I continue to sift through the Lego bin long after someone has gone up for bed.

They are a truly fantastic way to be creative and also use your imagination.

Crossbows and Catapults

2009-08-17T08:09:00.005-04:00

When my brother and I were little we had a game called Crossbows and Catapults. We played the daylights out of this game. Day or night, rain or shine. We loved it.

The concept was simple. You had a small square, plastic mat and on this square you had to build your castle. The castle consisted of a single tower with a turret and a window and you also had about 10 or 12 blocks which you could position however you want to defend your castle. There was also a little flag for the top of the castle and you had about 8 or so little men too (which served no purpose really).

The objective: destroy your opponents castle using, you guessed it, your crossbow and catapult. 5 inches of plastic which could hurl and shoot discs across the battlefield and rain down plastic death for the little pointless men. The first one to get their flag toppled loses. It was awesome.

It was so awesome that I looked for this same game on ebay when the little man hit 4 years old. Building things, destroying things...what 4 year old wouldn't love it?

Much to my surprise, there was a recent revamp and re-release of the same game! Score! I snatched it up and we now play it all the time. They've dressed it up a bit though. The paint jobs are a lot nicer than the non existent ones of days past and they've redesigned the castles, added a cannon and also an extra catapult on top of the castle for added mayhem. And the castle has a rubber band loaded gate which, when hit, pops up and it 'catches' your castle on fire.

The game's instructions tried to turn it into a role playing game with movement based turns and such, but we're more primal in our destructive needs. We set it up and (taking turns) let 'er rip.

There are some small pieces to lose and I do recomend playing this on a hard, smooth surface, but the hours and hours of enjoyment are well worth it.

And who knows? Maybe someday we'll get around to reading the instructions. Maybe.

Reading success!!

2009-08-14T09:13:00.005-04:00

Every day, we have learning time and, being the age he is, the priority is reading...so we work on our letters. At first it was letter recognition, especially of the lower case ones. We also started working on word recognition for the more common words, 'the', 'in', 'at', etc. and also the common sounds '-un', '-at', '-ing' and so on. I do this all with the help of my handy dandy flash cards.

All in all, it's been a success. He's read sentences like 'the cat is fat' and 'the bat is a cat'. He's been really doing well. Lately, I've been pushing him to sound out the letters he sees instead of just saying the letter names and the results have been good.

This morning, he read the following with very minimal assistance from me. I think his biggest problem is that he tries to guess the word once he gets one of the word sounds.

Next week, I'll back off the whole word thing and start with sounds again...ease him back into it.

Nap tip no. 1

2009-08-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

I've been having some trouble getting the little mister down for naps. He eventually does take them, but it's a battle...bribery didn't work so well, so...

Nap tip number 1?

Exhaustion...

...worked like a charm.

Can you see the bunny?

2009-08-13T14:43:00.004-04:00

Little Eagle Eye spotted this on the way to the car this morning......and I can't wait to start the nature series I have in mind...

This little piggie went to market

2009-08-13T11:33:00.006-04:00

This morning we decided to go to the local market. After learning time we did arts and crafts. During arts and crafts we talked about what a market was and how it's different from a grocery store.

We talked about how farmers and bakers and candy makers can bring things to market to sell and how almost all of the stuff comes from our area.

We had a really good trip and, after a few decent buys, we'll have an even better supper tonight!

Hey, he wanted it.

2009-08-12T10:18:00.004-04:00

Over the last few days it hasn't exactly been too hot, but rather too humid. Every time we'd go outside, lil man was wearing a crown of sweaty hair in about two minutes.

So assessing the situation, I noticed that the little mister's hair looked like a 1970s high school kid's hair during gym class. Not cool.

So this morning we set aside some time for a haircut. I have a decent pair of clippers and I must say, this little $30 investment has saved hundreds of, and potentially over a thousand dollars, by cutting our own hair through the years, especially during my time in the military.

Your best bet is to set aside about 40 minutes (if you're just starting out, maybe 60 minutes) to do the whole thing. I strongly recommend a DVD, in this case, one about bugs we picked up from the library.

As for clean up, it was a dustpan and brush, a plastic grocery bag ad the good ole Swiffer. Not too shabby. As for cleaning up the little mister...a good shower did the trick.

I stripped down little man to his Superman undies, plopped him on a stool and, after wrapping him in a towel with a chip clip, went to work. I was just going to give him a little trim, but he wanted a "Marine haircut" like his daddy gets sometimes, so away I went.

The hair discussion as of late was to keep it longer on the top, but alas...he wanted it.

(I think the muscle shirt sets it off nicely)

Routine Routine Routine

2009-08-11T07:44:00.004-04:00

One thing I've learned only after a short while is that routine is key. Something else is that I need to play off of his mood. Yesterday, after nap, he was groggy and a little grumpy, but it was time to go to the library. So getting ready to go created a little tension for him and for me. That can be corrected not by yelling and time outs, but by simple schedule changes. We could have gone in the morning.

The balance regarding schedule can be a little frustrating, but I think we'll settle in just fine. I was thinking of introducing arts and crafts into the mix and I wanted to do it in the morning, but throwing my schedule against it too may require a little adjustment. So this week is experiment week, I believe.

I have my things I want/need to do, he has his things he wants/needs to do and we have our necessary things to do together, like learning, arts and crafts, getting out of the house, etc., so it's going to take a nice juggling act to settle in to the happy medium, but once we get there, we should be ok.

I'll check in later to let you know how it goes today with a heavy Dad list of things to do on my docket today...

Storytime Review: Can You See What I See?

2009-08-10T19:27:00.003-04:00

Our trip to the library this afternoon was fanTAStic! We tracked down some educational DVDs and a few other books, but the find upon finds was one of Walter Wick's Can You See What I See? books.

We do have the On a Scary Night edition and I must say, it is still in the top 10 chosen bedtime books since last Halloween.

These hidden pictures are a little more advanced than the typical early age look and find books, and the twelve detailed pictures are of actual hand crafted settings as opposed to hand drawn (or computer generated) pictures of the genre.

There are a total of eight Can You See What I See? setting based books, then there are a slew more of the Seymour and I Spy books out there. Each of the books in this series has a different theme (fairy tales, dreams, spooky stuff, etc.) and the text in the book, which tells you what to look for is very well done with a rhyming scheme and a loose story to follow.

All in all, these books are great for story time, day or night. They can take a little longer than your typical bedtime story, so I recommend setting a three page limit depending on time.

Two little thumbs up.

I lost.

2009-08-10T18:55:00.005-04:00

Day 1 wrapped up with a great Lego extravaganza, a trip to the library and a championship match of Don't Break the Ice. The game was going beautifully...

Then I was given the deathblow, which was accompanied by a tiny, evil laugh...

And we have ourselves a new champion...

The morning so far...

2009-08-10T09:46:00.008-04:00

So it's still morning one and I can tell I'm gonna need to get a tightrope and a long stick because it's gonna be a balancing act. I need to find the time to work on the necessary things around the house (i.e. clean, laundry, make the appropriate lists, etc.) and I have a little voice saying "Daddy come look at this" while he's having his play time.

But more on the balancing act later. We said goodbye to a (blurry) Mommy as she left and as an added bonus, we found a roley-poley. Aside from that, on our first day (which is mostly a pajama day), we watched the morning Curious George with breakfast and also Sid the Science Kid. Then the TV went off and it was learning time.

We went over the upper and lower case letters and he did great. The typical confusion ensues regarding the lower case mix ups, g/q, b/d, r/f...no worries though, he's doing awesome. We also learned the words, 'the', 'be' and 'it'. Letter sounds were A+ too.

This afternoon there's a trip to the library and maybe a quick stop for groceries, but that'll all be after nap, so wish me luck and I'll check in soon.

The Inaugural Post

2009-08-06T14:56:00.001-04:00

Two days. I've been told by some that my days of freedom are limited to just two days. Including today, that's how many 'working' days I have left until I'm a full time Dad.

Being a full time Dad is something I'm looking forward to, but let's not talk about the details just yet. Let's start with a heartfelt thank you. First and foremost, I need like to thank my wife. She is the most loving, kind and selfless person in the world. Because of her I am able to do this. Her patience and understanding is unparalleled.

The opportunities which led my wife and I to this point haven't been completely welcomed with open arms, but the outcome, I must say, is exciting. I, along with roughly 160,000 other men in the U.S., am truly a man of the house. I cook, I clean, I run errands and now, to add to my list, I watch our son from roughly 7 am to 6 pm.

Although he was in a very fine daycare program, my wife and I always wrestled with the fact that our son only spends four waking hours with us daily. The opportunities mentioned above coupled with the constant parental struggle of having an institution raise your kids until school age helped us make the decision to keep him at home.

No matter how you look at it though, this opportunity wouldn't be possible without the support of my wife. Because of this, I dedicate this blog, and the endless days of growth and nurturing to you, dear.

Thank you, honey. Truly.

-Husband

How to catch a leprechaun

2009-05-18T08:41:00.000-04:00

This St. Patrick's Day Declan was old enough to be introduced to the ancient sport of leprechaun trapping. Now this is something that my family takes seriously and Declan's first time was to be no exception.

He knew what a leprechaun was, so that was good. But that was about it. He had heard at school that leprechauns live in Ireland. This, obviously is not entirely true. I explained to him how leprechauns, who used to be indigenous to Ireland, were brought here by the Irish who immigrated during the potato famine in 1849. During the first migration in 1845, the Irish didn't bring them, but found living to be difficult. The leprechauns were then brought to ease the transition and to assist with reestablishment.

So the other thing he knew was that leprechauns liked candy. Again, not entirely true- they're Irish, think about this, folks. And lastly, I told him that although a person can trap a leprechaun, that doesn't necessarily mean they can see/grab/detain the elusive creature. I explained to him that once a leprechaun is trapped, they can disappear to escape, but their magic requires that they leave behind treasure when they do.

So...on to setting the trap. For this we will need the following:

a pair of scissors

a mug- in this case I used pewter. Physically and visually, the old style/material is more appealing to the leprechaun

a sturdy container, open on one end (I used an old file box without the lid)

a nice, level patch of grass

a stick (about 6-8 inches long) and a piece of string (about a foot)

Now that we've gathered our materials, let's set out to build our trap. I told Declan we need to be nonchalant about building the trap because, if we look like we're up to mischief it could draw the leprechauns out early before the trap is set. So...

Step 1:
tie one end of the string to the stick, the knot is most efficient when placed at the center

Step 2:
tie the other end of the string around the handle of the mug.

Step 3:
place the mug on a level patch and...

now for the bait: beer
normally I'd use a beer from Ireland, such as Harp, Guinness or Killian's, but since this trap was set in rural PA, leprechauns here aren't as picky as those who reside in urban areas near pubs.

When you pour the beer, you don't need to go for the 'perfect pour.' Leprechauns actually like a bit of good head...

...it gets stuck in their beards for later.

Place the container upside-down over the mug and prop one side up with the stick. Viola! The trap is set.

Now, since most leprechauns don't like to be seen or heard, except for the adolescent ones- they actually go out of their way to be noticed, we need to let our trap set over night.

We made out pretty good this time. Declan banked a huge bag full of candy, including green gummy frogs: