The Cookie Family

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

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...

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

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

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

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??!?

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...

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

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.

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.

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

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

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!!

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?

well now you have...

Plant Parts

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

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

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!