Legion of Super-Pet Friends

Like most kids, my children have a fascination with stuffed animals.  This fascination ranges from one extreme (Gigi) to the other (Loki).  Gigi has close to 100 stuffed animals that she has collected over the years.  They live on her bed, under bed and for a time over her bed in a hammock that we constructed.  She has names for them all and has separated them into families.  She has her favorite (the aptly named Brown Dog-a 2001 Seadog Beanie Baby) who goes everywhere with her.  Loki (despite our best efforts) doesn't have a favorite.  She has a handful of friends (Mxyzptlk, Iris, Harvey, Ni Hao Kai Lan and Lotso Bear) who populate her crib, but her favorites (as of this post-it will change) are her Toy Story Woody and Jesse.

Smack dab in the middle of the stuffed animal spectrum is Lex and his Legion of Super-Pet Friends.  His small band of friends is heavily influenced by his parent's pop culture sensibilities (as are Loki's-Harvey is named after the Rabbit from the Jimmy Stewart film and Mxyzptlk is a trickster in the Superman comics.  Sense a theme?).  Here are the current members of the Legio of Super-Pet Friends:

Chewbacca- Chewie is a 2007 Super Deformed Plush.  He comes with a bandoleer, complete with a little Velcro pocket.  A fairly recent addition to the LOSPF, Lex tells me Chewie's the fighter of the group and that he knows Darth Vader.  

Ace- Ace is a Mary Meyer Petey Pup.  He has two siblings that also live us.  Loki and Gigi have a brown and tan version.  Ace is named for Batman's canine sidekick and he has a lot of his mentor's abilities.  Lex tells me Ace is the martial arts expert of the team and also owns a boat and likes doing puzzles.

Nemo- Nemo was a gift from Uncles Kevin & Brent.  Originally part of the Dream Disney Splasmates Bath Set, Nemo has found new purpose as a member of the LOSPF.  Nemo is the team's Aquaman analogue and is the only friend who is allowed to take baths with Lex.

Richard Parker- Mister Parker is a 2008 Animal Adventure Tiger.  Richard Parker is named for the tiger in Yann Martel's Life of Pi.  Richard Parker has the super power of flight.  When asked if he had a super roar as a power, I was told he did not.

Hannibal- Hannibal is a 2006 Precious Moments lamb.  Hannibal gets her name from Silence of the Lambs.  The only female member of the LOSPF, Hannibal appears to be a hacker or at least have the ability to erase any digital trail she may leave, because I can't find her online.  Lex tells me she has super strength and the ability to leap great distances.

Bolt- Bolt was a Disney Movie Rewards prize.  Bolt is the star of the Disney movie of the same name.  Lex's Bolt has the same powers (Superbark, Zoom Zoom, super strength and Laser Eyes) as his movie namesake.

Jimmy & O'Brien- Jimmy is a Douglas Bongo Monkey and O'Brien is an Imperial Toys plush (long since discontinued and only available at "junk stores" in Maine).  The Boys (all you comic fans are horrified) are the Superman and Batman of the LOSPF.  Jimmy is named for Jimmy Olsen and O'Brien is named after O'Brien of Monkeyman and O'Brien.  O'Brien is the brains of the outfit and Jimmy is Lex's all-time favorite.  Both have the innate monkey ability to climb.


The LOSPF are currently fighting BAD GUYS in the living room (and doing it quite loudly), but have been known to just have quiet nights.  Last Friday was Bolt's birthday party and the LOSPF invited all of Loki's friends and my two friends, Sparky (my SPF from when I was a kid) and Godzilla.  The party was interrupted by the appearance of a DUPLO dragon, but Godzilla was able to calm things down before any real trouble broke out.

Gigi's Big Adventure

Today was Gigi's last day with us.  The plan was to meet my ex-wife Melissa at the airport at 10:50 and hand her off.  I have been advocating that Gigi is getting to the point that she could fly solo as long as it was a direct flight.  Melissa has been dead set against this.

This morning, as I was running around trying to organize things for my mom who was watching Lex & Loki, the phone rang.  It was 8:20 and it was my ex.  I knew her flight was scheduled to depart at 8:30 (7:30 Central) and I had a feeling of dread.  I answered as usually do, saying hold on and immediately handing the phone to Gigi.  Studies have shown that exposure to radioactive waste and cigarette smoke can shorten your life-span.  Dealing with my ex falls squarely between those carcinogens.  As Gigi handed the phone back to me, the dread grew.

"They won't let me board the flight," she said.

"You mean you were late and missed your flight."  You know that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine tries to see what is in her medical chart?  The airlines have that kinda file on my ex.  She consistently and habitually pushes the envelope on getting to the airport on time.  The beauty of it is she now lives less than 10 minutes from the airport she uses, so she can't even use traffic as an excuse.

"Let's not argue.  I need you to tell her she's going to have to fly back alone."

"No, you're telling her."  I was not about to be the brunt of that emotional outburst.  Bad enough, I was the one who had to deal with the fallout.  I handed the phone back to Gigi and within seconds she was screaming and crying.  Then, conveniently, Melissa's cell phone lost cell reception.  I talked Gigi down, calming her down to the point she could breathe again.  I explained that there was nothing I could do about this, but that we would make the best of it.  I told her we would leave for the airport early and talk to the airline and see if she could sit up front with a stewardess or that we would look for a family that was travelling that had kids her age and explain the situation and have them "adopt" her for the flight.  She had a haunted look on her face, but seemed okay.  The phone rang again and it was Melissa.  I handed the phone to Gigi and listened to her howl at Melissa that she didn't want to fly alone.  After a few minutes, again the cell reception died.  Once again, I calmed her down and told her we would make the best of it.

She was freaked now, more-so than earlier.  Lex & Loki tried to comfort her the best they could as I called Kitten to tell her the news.  Lex sang the 'Gigi song' (a variation of the 'Loki song' he sings when Loki is crying) and Loki hugged Gigi.  The three of us calmed her down again and the phone rang again.  Melissa said she would talk to her calmly.  I handed the phone back and they talked for a few minutes and then Gigi hung up.  She threw herself, howling onto the couch screaming she didn't want to go alone and that I couldn't make her.  She demanded a lawyer!  I sat her down on my lap and told her that she needed to be a big girl and that I sympathized with her being scared.  Five minutes of calmness and soothing got us back to pseudo-normal.

I answered and Melissa asked to speak to her.  I told her no, that each time I calmed Gigi down, she just riled her up again.  Melissa told me the name of the terminal manager that I needed to talk to when I got to the airport.  I asked her why she couldn't just fly later in the day or a different day.  She couldn't afford to pay the transfer fee and couldn't afford to miss more work.  I just had to convince Gigi to fly solo.  I told her she needed to come clean about missing the flight and again she lay the blame on the airline.  I finally relented and handed the phone to Gigi.  They talked and towards the end of the conversation, Gigi began relaying information to me.  The airline was going to block out the seat next to her so she would have the aisle to herself.  I had to fill out unaccompanied minor paperwork at the ticket counter.  And then the kicker.  "Mom says we should leave so we get to the airport an hour ahead of time."

Really?  Wow!  What a concept!  "If she had done that, we wouldn't be having this conversation."  I snapped back.

I packed her a little survival kit for the drive and the flight.  Water and a granola bar, her DS, a couple books.

We left shortly afterwards for the airport.  My mom had told Gigi that it was going to be an adventure and that she would be fine (ironic, seeing as my mom has NEVER flown).  We left the house 2 1/2 hours before her flight left.  We hit traffic.  We had trouble finding parking.  Guess what?  We were at the ticket counter an hour before her flight was scheduled to leave.  I explained to the clerk what was going on and I filled out the paperwork and Gigi met Gina, the terminal manager and Gina explained that she was going to meet us down at the gate and get Gigi situated.  We went through Security, where I was told I couldn't leave the terminal until her flight was in the air.  Made sense.  We got to the gate and spent a few minutes buying snacks and sundries.  Gina appeared and paged us and before I really had a chance to say good-bye.  I gave her a hug and a kiss and wished her good luck.

I had to wait about 15 minutes for the rest of the passengers to embark and then I was sitting in the terminal alone.  Gina let me know that Gigi was doing OK and that Gigi had even admitted that she has flown hundreds of times before, just never alone.  The stewardesses were taking care of her and she was sitting in the front row all by herself.  I explained to Gina that I thought Gigi was old enough to fly solo, but it was my ex that was, ironically, against it.  The second I said 'ex-wife', Gina opened up and told me everything that happened with my ex at the airport on the other end.  She had arrived at the ticket counter at 7:20 for the 7:30 flight and when they turned her away she had a hissy fit.  Freak was the word that the ticket agent there used to describe her.  Gina commented that I seemed like such a nice guy and asked me what was I thinking?  I laughed, having heard echoes of the question for years now.

Gigi's flight left 10 minutes early and the airline said that her flight was going to land a full 30 minutes early, so I called Melissa to give her a heads up.  She still managed to be late to pick Gigi up.  Gigi's flight landed at 1:15 and from what Gina had told me, Gigi would have been the 1st one off the plane.  By 1:40, I hadn't heard from her so I called Melissa and she explained that she was still in the security line waiting to get through.  She ended up getting Gigi over 30 minutes after she got off the plane.

Gigi is doing OK and admitted to me tonight that she was OK doing it, but doesn't want to fly alone in the winter in case there's a snowstorm.  I told her not to stress about things and just bask in the fact that she did it today and that she's stronger than she thought.

A Walk In The Hood

I'm home this week with the kids. Our daycare provider is on vacation and thus so am I. We also decided to not put my oldest, Gigi, in summer camp this week. Handling all three of the kids can be a challenge, but I had a plan. Kim took yesterday off and we all went school shopping. We made a day of it and had a great time. My plan for today was to have my mom come out and join the kids and I as we ran our errands (usually Target, the dairy and the library). My mom usually buys us lunch and then offers to "watch" the kids as they nap so I can get out for a bit.

My mom called yesterday to let me know she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be visiting. OK. So slight change. Kim went to Target, leaving me with only the library today. I decided the best strategy was to tire the kids out.

"We're walking to the library" I announced. It's a one mile walk. It's a sunny day. All good, right? Not so much. Gigi wanted no part of this. I offered to let her stay home, but she wanted no part of that either. "Why do we have to walk?" Before I could respond Lex chimed in "Me like walking and Daddy said we were." Thank you Little Man. More grumbling as Gigi wanted to wear her brand new shoes. I said "No, wear your old ones because you need to break them in before you walk a mile in them."

"You're being mean." Gigi started to stomp off.

"Fine. Wear them, but when you get blisters and your feet hurt on the way home, I don't want to hear it." She wizened up (slightly) and wore flip-flops. We packed up our books and headed out. Gigi wanted to read a book as we walked and I told her to be careful. 250 feet later, she tripped and slammed into me. "Urggh! Why do we have to walk? It's too dangerous to walk."

I wanted to say "Uhm, maybe if you didn't have your nose in a book, you'd be okay." but I didn't. I did offer to let her stay home, but again, she declined.

Lex had a field day walking to the library. Every fire hydrant we passed, he tried to turn on. He picked up a piece of Styrofoam and flew it around as a plane. He acted as our scout, looking for cars at each and every crosswalk and he pressed the crosswalk crossing light buttons. Most importantly, he responded to every negative comment Gigi made with a cheery "Me like walking!"

Loki also enjoyed the trip. She got to ride in style as I took the stroller. She waved to every person we saw, but sadly in our neighborhood, no one waved back.

Gigi huffed and puffed the first 10 minutes until I explained to her that when I was her age, I routinely walked 2 1/2 miles to my library. She retorted "This is my week of rest and relaxation!" I'm sure I'll remember that tonight when it's bedtime. 'Can I stay up later?' 'No, sorry, this is your week of resting.'

We made it to the library with a minimum of additional grumbling.  Maybe half-a-dozen "are we there yet?" and a handful of exasperated sighs.

Once at the library, Lex began his library ritual.  We walk in, he yells at the cardboard cut-out of the T-Rex in the lobby and we proceed to the book drop.  Lex returns all of our books and then dashes off to the water bubbler.  Once his thirst is slaked, he runs off to the library registration desk and says hi to the clerk.  Occasionally, he will stop and chat with the clerk, sometimes drawing them a picture.  Today, as he ran by and said hello, Gigi let out a frustrated grunt and said "Stop it" to Little Man.  I asked her what was wrong.  "He's embarrassing me."  Really, by being friendly and out-going?  "He shouldn't be just saying hi to anyone he sees."  The problem here is that Gigi is severely introverted.  She won't ask a librarian to help her; doesn't talk to people unless spoken to and even then it's mono-syllabic.  Little Man, on the other hand, is going to be a politician.  He has no trouble interacting with complete strangers and happily, he is 100% polite about it.  Perfect example, this weekend, while at a State Park celebrating a friend's birthday party, Lex wandered off.  I saw him going and followed at a safe distance to see what he was doing.  He walked up to a lady who was walking her dogs.  He said something to her and she said something back.  He proceeded to pet the dog.  I approached and asked Lex if had asked if it was okay to pet the dog.  The woman said that he had asked quite politely if he could.  Earlier in the week, when we were at Border's he offered to share his cookie with a woman.

We gathered up our books and after checking out began our trek home.  I chose a much less hillier route to get us home.  Even with this, our journey was punctuated again by Gigi's litany of complaints.  I offered to let her wait on the stoop of an abandoned warehouse and I would drive back once I got home with the kids.  She quickly stopped complaining.  For about 3 minutes.  Lex picked up on her incessant complaining and started saying how tired he was.  Lex, Loki and I had made this same trip twice previously with no complaints, so I am annoyed that Gigi's complaining has rubbed off on him.  Hopefully once she has returned to WI, her influence will wear off.

I want to raise my kids to be self-sufficient.  I want them to feel like they can talk to librarians.  I want them to be able to stay home at 10 years old and not be afraid.  I want them to be able to walk a mile and not feel like they're stepping into the Richard Bachman book The Long Walk.

Book Review: Bringing Up Geeks

My wife recently recommended several books to me. The first one, Bringing Up Geeks by Marybeth Hicks talks about how you can raise Genuine, Enthusiastic, Empowered Kids (hence GEEKS).

The book is broken up into 10 chapters; each chapter focusing on a different potential aspects of your future geek's personality.  There are chapters for raising brainiacs, team players, an uncommon kid, a principled kid, a faithful kid, etc.

Each chapter opens with a real life example drawn from the author's life experience and then lays out the principles behind the aspect and closes with a Q&A session and activities to foster that behaviour.  I really like the examples because they are broken into school-age categories (elementary, middle and high school) and are really easy to implement.

I really enjoyed this book and agree with 95% of what the author recommends.  There were a few areas that I disagree (the author seems to govern with an iron fist whereas I like to allow my kids a little free reign.  The chapter involving mass media was a touch too controlling for my tastes.)

Can Wii tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Yes it can!

Gee Mom I want to go...

In elementary school, I was tested and found to be "gifted and talented".  Not sure exactly what the criteria was, but it revolved around IQ scores, creativity, teacher input and an interview.  As a result, I was placed in the DELVE program (I cannot recall what the anagram stands for) and encouraged to explore my full academic potential.  One of the ways was to make learning a year round experience.  My parents signed me up for educational summer camps and/or classes.  I attended camps on computers, robotics, literature; one summer I took an AP US History class.  I really enjoyed the opportunity and I feel like it was a very useful application of my time. 

I fully intend to provide the same opportunity to my kids.  I have been trying to get Gigi to branch out and explore different options (she is getting ready for her 3rd year of Summer Camp in Mansfield Park & Rec program) but she likes to play it safe.

I have gone through and found some of the more interesting summer camp options available this summer in the New England area. 

• iD Tech Camps offer classes in programming, game design and game modding.  RPG game design!Warcraft III and Starcraft Game Modding! Facebook App Development!
• Children's Technology Worksop offer iCamp opportunities including a LEGO Mindstorm class, video game design, audio engineering and a Mission to Mars program
• Want to be a knight?  Higgins Armory offers a day camp program teaching children all about castles (and how to knock them down!), calligraphy, armor, poetry and swords.
• The Ecotarium offers three camp sessions: Amazing Animals, How Things Work and Cosmic Camp. 
• Allandale Farm offers week-long camps where children learn about farming, livestock and composting.
• I wonder if you'd be exempt from your summer reading if you went to the Great Books Summer Camp?  Authors covered include Plato, Thomas Jefferson, Leo Tolstoy, Jorge Luis Borges and Kurt Vonnegut.  Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island) will be a guest lecturer this year.
• Shakespeare more your speed?  GAN-e-meed Theatre Project is an all-woman production of As You Like It.
• Concord Academy Summer Camps  offers sessions covering digital story telling, architecture, movie making, a writer's camp and community service.  They also offer sports including baseball, flag football, soccer, kung fu and lacrosse
• Unicycle riding?  High wire walking?  Trapeze?  Clown class?  It must be Circus Camp!  
• Earthwork Programs offers a camp where kids can learn Ancient Fire Making, Natural Cordage, Animal Tracking, Wilderness Living Skills, Storytelling, Wild Edibles and more!

I Know What I Want My Kids To Do Some Summer

A summer camp for teen sci-fi and fantasy authors where they create a shared world setting.  This is so cool.  I had run a website on GeoCities in the early 90's that was a shared world fantasy setting called Hadelphia.

I really hope this program is still around when my kids are old enough... 

Can We Build It?

Yes we can! At least, we are learning to. One of the skills that my father neglected to teach me was how to do anything with tools. Just ask my my mom about my aborted attempts to fix a shower head or install a screen on the back door. My only official learned experience with tools was 7th grade shop class and to be honest, I was much more comfortable in Home Economics.

I truly hope my children know the difference between pliers & wrenches and know which screwdriver is called Phillip. Lex & I have begun attending Lowe's Build & Grow clinics.  Thus far, we have built a kaleidoscope, a mini basketball game, a baseball game and last week a planter.  With the exception of the kaleidoscope, all have been great successes.  Daddy failed to read the instructions for the kaleidoscope and ours ended up being quite lopsided.  Lesson learned: Read the directions.  Right up there with Measure twice, cut once.

So far, Lex seems to really enjoy it and we're talking about getting him his own real tool kit for X-Mas.  I highly recommend the classes.  The website says it's for grades 1-5, but as long as you're willing to help the little one, it seems any age can participate.

Thou Shall Not...

I have decided that one of the things I hope to accomplish with this blog is to produce a list of rules, laws, and/or commandments to raising the next generation.  You don't have to follow them, but I hope they make you think about your parenting style.

Today was Lex's first trip to the dentist.  I was very nervous about how it was going to go.  I remember nothing pleasant about my visits to the dentist as a child.  The sounds of the drill, the antiseptic smell, the gooey taste of the fluoride, the way my dentist would laugh off my complaints of pain.  I'm fairly certain of one of two things: my dentist didn't know how to administer Novocaine or I am immune to it.  Going to the dentist was not something I would wish on my worst enemy.  As a result, I had gone a good 15 years without going to the dentist.  Within the last 5 years I have gone back to the dentist and overcome (partially) my odontophobia.  My first choice for dentist was not the best choice as her smarmy attitude just reinforced my disdain of dentistry.  When I moved to Worcester, I was fortunate to find a dentist that my mom had recommended to me some time ago, but had relocated from Western Mass: Dr. Haselkorn.  It was with some trepidation that I went to my first appointment, but the staff and dentist there have been nothing but great.  Dr. Haselkorn is patient, understanding and honest.  He addressed all my concerns and we have put together a plan to get my mouth back in shape.

At Lex's last doctor visit, they suggested that Lex was ready to go to the dentist.  Visions of my childhood dental  torture danced in my head.  I called Dr. Haselkorn's office and found out that they accept toddlers as patients.  We made an appointment and we talked to Lex about his visit and we were encouraged about his response.  Then last week, one of his shows featured a visit to the dentist and Cute Fan Girl explained that Lex was going to the dentist.  As a result of the show, however, Lex wasn't as excited and even went as far as to say that it would hurt.  It was with some trepidation that we made the journey this morning.  My mom and I also had appointments scheduled and the plan was that she would sit with Loki while I went in with Lex.   However, she was running late and we arrived on time.  As I filled out the endless reams of paperwork that fuel the medical and dental industries, the hygienist came out and said hi to Lex.  Before I knew it, he was following her back into the exam room.  From where I sat, I could hear her explaining to Lex what all the things in the exam room did and what they were going to do.  Before I knew it, she must have had him in the chair and was working on him.  I was amazed.  15 minutes later, he came running out, beaming and shaking a light-up toothbrush like it was a lightsaber.  The hygienist's report:  great teeth and great disposition.

On the ride home, I had an epiphany.  I had built this trip in my head as something potentially traumatic, but for Lex it was more of an adventure.  I realized that I was projecting my fears onto him and I had anticipated his reaction to be like mine.  I furthermore realized that I shouldn't be doing this.  My fears are my fears and not his.  And thus was born my first parenting commandment:

Thou shall not project your fears onto the next generation.


My kids will have fears, but they will be their fears.  I will do my best to make sure that Gigi, Lex and Loki are not afraid of: dentists, bees and heights.

Bunnies, Baskets and other B words...

Late Saturday night, the Easter Bunny paid a visit to us.  EB (as his friends call him) hopped on through Worcester and left three baskets here for the kids.  Gigi's basket remains unopened until she arrives in June, but Lex & Loki made short work of their baskets.  Easter grass is still strewn around the house and the kids have thoroughly enjoyed their gifts.  Lex got a new cartridge for his Leapster 2 and Loki got a drum set.


Lex and his Leapster 2 are inseparable.  If Leapfrog ever offers a cybernetic implant (Leapborg?  Leapjack?  Leapdroid?) Lex will be the first toddler in line.  His latest cartridges are Creature Create and Finding Nemo. The Leapster 2 is great because it tracks his progress and highlights his strengths and areas of improvement.  


From before she could sit up, Loki has shown great interest in percussion.  Put anything in her hand and she'll bang it against something.  Give her a bowl and she'll turn into a drum.  EB must have known this, because he obliged her with her own drum set.  Loki has taken to her drum set-she loves to bang away.  We're trying to teach her to bang her sticks over her head before she starts to play.  Having been told by my elementary school music teacher that it was a waste of his time to continue to teach me, it makes me happy to think that Loki may have an aptitude for the drums.  If she has the desire to play, we will support that decision-even if it means loud practice sessions in the house.


As I mentioned, Gigi's basket remains unopened, but she did inquire what she got.  We don't tell her, opting to leave it a surprise.  When she did call Easter morning, she was audibly upset and I asked her what was wrong.  Gigi's mother had yelled at her because Gigi received a basket here in Massachusetts.  Huh?!?  Yes, you read that right.  Gigi got yelled at because EB brought her a basket.  But why you ask?  Why should it matter?


I can only speculate, but I believe this can all be blamed on that evil man Santa Claus.  Gigi spends every Christmas with us and when she is here for Christmas, Santa brings her presents here.  For some reason, he conveniently doesn't leave any presents for her in Wisconsin because, well, I guess he's trying to cut costs?  He leaves presents for Gigi's half-sister and pseudo-step-siblings so it's not like he doesn't stop there; Gigi doesn't get anything from Santa (or for that matter from her mother for the last 2 years, but thats a completely separate post).  As Gigi gets older and certain truths become evident, I can only speculate that her mother is realizing that Gigi is going to remember that EB made it a priority to ensure that she received a basket at both her homes and that Santa only left her presents in Massachusetts.

Good Friday and Good Night

Having tweeted all day I honestly don't see the appeal outside of helping my swiss cheese brain remember stuff.  I'll probably not tweet again unless some significant occurs.  Like "OMG there's a UFO n da street.  Alienz r 4nic8ng w/the neighbor's dawg." significant.

But I promised an annotated version of my tweets, so here we go:


And we're up and running. Laundry and dishes both in their magic cleaning boxes. Lex is potty training today. Fingers crossed there. So I was a bit on the slow side getting up and didn't actually get up until everyone else in the house was up.  Cute Fan Girl got Lex started on the potty and I dragged myself up after Loki was ready to get up.  Started the whole clean the house process (which didn't get as far as I had planned) by starting laundry and dishes.

Potty attempt #1 & 2-SUCCESS!- Lex was successful on his first two (and ultimately only two) potty sessions this morning.  When he woke up from his nap, he had zero interest in using the potty.  Later, he did sit on the potty, but no action.  I'm hoping that this process continues to go smoothly.  This weekend will be a big step I hope!

Is it wrong that I'm nervous having Lex sit on my lap? Potty training is so nerve wracking.- I was so nervous he was going to wet himself and me, but luckily it didn't happen.  As he sat there he "drew" a house using stickers to make the outline.

Kids are dressed! Maps are printed! Hopefully, my local hunt stays local. Mom is getting a local kielbasa and making local chicken salad.- I was fully prepared to trek as far as needed to get the items on my list.  The milk and eggs weren't the issue, it was the seafood.  Ultimately, Cute Fan Girl stopped off at Whole Foods and saved me the hassle.

Lex: Me Sean. Me Sean.- Lex got himself dressed this morning.  Khaki shorts that rode down on his hips, a t-shirt and sunglasses.  He comes walking into the living room declaring that he was his Uncle Sean.

And we're off....- Left the house about 9:30.  A little later than I hoped, but oh well.

Milk n eggs. Not what I expected.- The Farm Store wasn't what I expected.  Also, I made the mistake of not putting Loki in the stroller so I had my hands full.  I'm sure that if I had, I would have had better success looking around.  But I got the eggs and milk and peanut butter cookies.  We saw the token cow.  All the other cows must have been in the barn, but the kids got to see the cow and a cat.

Going to the fish market on Good Friday. Not the smartest choice.- Up there with a toy store on X-Mas Eve, a florist on Valentine's Day or the Hallmark section of a Target about 4:30 PM on Mother's Day.  It was jampacked.


Don't tell a 3 year old you're going to a fish market. He wants to bring Nemo home. Lex thought we were buying a fish for his aquarium.  He did get excited about seeing the lobsters in the tank.


No luck on the local fish front.-  Considering how busy it was I didn't get a chance to really talk to the guys working behind the counter.  They had Gulf shrimp and Maine lobster, but the sources of the other fish were unknown.

Does eating at Burger King negate the whole sourcing locally concept?-I know it's horrible to feed them fast food, but at this point it was past noon and I had little desire to go home and make lunch.

Home...lunch is done and we're getting ready for naptime. Which works out nicely, cuz I need a nap.- Today was a good nap day.  Two of the last 3 home days Lex hasn't napped.  Today they both napped and I got some much needed quiet time.

If it smells like lighter fluid, do you really think the burgers will taste good?- Really, the only tweet I'm proud of.  Now that the weather has turned nice, the folks in the basement apartment pulled out their grill and made Kerosene Cheeseburgers.  Someone has a heavy hand when it comes to the lighter fluid.  If it smells that strong, I can only imagine what biting into one must be like.

The rest of the evening went tweet-less.  We made Shrimp and Pasta and a garlic bread.  Lex helped us cook and the food was delicious.  After dinner, Lex & I went for a walk as he tried to learn to ride his bike.  He doesn't quite have the pedaling concept down yet.  We came home and decorated eggs for Easter.

All in all a very Good Friday and now I bid you a good night!  Or in tweet speak Gud nite!

Milk, Eggs & Fish

Easter is 3 days away and tomorrow the kids and I will venture out to get milk, eggs and fish for our 100-mile Easter celebration. We have a lot to accomplish and I want to share the fun and excitement of our hunt. I will be tweeting our escapades on my Twitter account: So point your tweet-thang at whoknowswhynot. I'll also be posting an annotated version tomorrow night right here.

Like Father, Like Son?

A tip of the hat to Cute Fan Girl  who already blogged on this topic, but I needed to put my thoughts out there.

My relationship with my dad is tortured at best.  I am the only of 3 blood children who speak to him.  Both my brother and sister severed ties with him over 10 years ago.  We have never had what one would call a healthy relationship with our father.  In hindsight, I can see that my dad probably didn't know what he was signing up for when he became a father.  Most of my childhood memories of my father aren't what you would call Norman Rockwell moments.  Not to give anyone the wrong idea, they aren't Law & Order moments either.  They just lack a certain father-son element.  in no particular order, here are my top 5 childhood memories involving my dad:

1) Saturday morning drives- Every Saturday morning my dad would take us (my sister, brother &I) to my grandparents in Ludlow.  He would drop us off there and then go out for coffee with the Boys.  No, not those Boys.  Just his childhood friends who all still lived in Ludlow.  We would watch Saturday morning cartoons with my grandparents (I vividly recall the 10 Little Super Heroes episode of Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends) and then play in the yard with my grandfather.  Baseball, water rockets, balsa wood airplanes.  We would have lunch and then my dad would pick us up and bring us home.

2) Friday Night Poker nights- My mom worked nights as a nurse for most of my childhood.  So Dad watched us.  Friday night was Poker Night.  Most Fridays that meant a baby-sitter.  If we were lucky enough to have Poker Night at our house, I would get the chance to stay up late and watch bad NBC shows (again, a vivid memory- this one of Manimal) while my dad played poker with his buddies.

3) Buying me a comic book (This one surprised me once I started researching it)- I was in the hospital several times as a child.  One of the times that was an overnight stay, my dad bought me some comic books.  My memory is very sketchy as to when this occured, but I do remember two of them being Micronauts #36  and #37.  How can you forget a cover like that?  I had no idea who Nightcrawler or the X-Men were.  But I had Micronaut toys, so I was happy.  If he bought it for me within the first 6 months of it being published, he very well may have bought me my first comic book.  I have always remembered G.I. Joe #2 as being my first comic book having swapped a bag of marbles for it.  But G.I. Joe #2 came out 6 months after Micronauts #36.  So I may have my dad to thank for my comic habit.

4) Fishing- One of the only "Father-Son" memories I have is fishing with my Dad.  We fished a lot and it was usually just my dad & me.  I wasn't very good at it and don't really have any passion for it, but it did make an impression on me.  I recall my Zebco 404 rod and catching a rainbow trout.  We had a small boat that we took out on Hampton Ponds in Westfield, Mass.

5) My Dad's Chair- My Dad had a La-Z-Boy recliner that was "his chair".  After dinner, he would sit in that chair and read the newspaper, watch TV and fall asleep.  Most of my "at home" memories of my dad are him in that chair.  Or asleep and my sister and I rifling through his pockets for lunch money.

So, all-in-all, with the exception of fishing, I have no Father-Son memories from my childhood.  I don't remember him being at my little league or basketball games.  He never showed me how to change the oil in a car.  He spent less than one hour trying to teach me how to drive before giving up (taking me on the Mass Turnpike as my very first driving lesson ended with me panicking as we were almost sideswiped by a tractor trailer)  He never showed me how to shave.  He just wasn't there.

So what brought all this on?

My dad and step-mother visited the kids this morning.  It's their first visit this year and the second since the middle of last summer- the 49 mile trek from Western Mass being something akin to Odysseus's travels after the Trojan War.  I'm told that getting through customs at the Worcester Airport is a bitch.   But I digress.  They arrived at 10:30 AM and were laying the groundwork for their departure by 10:45 AM.  Can't leave the dog alone for too long.  But again, I digress.  Lex was very happy to see his grandparents, but I honestly think Loki didn't remember them.  Loki wanted nothing to do with them; often staying two rooms away from them. Lex ate up the attention, but I could tell from my Dad's demeanor that it was too much for him.  He made a couple of comments about Lex being active and gave me a pitying look as I attempted to help Lex with potty training.  I realized that he was absent for most of my childhood (through what I can only assume was callous disregard-he didn't travel for work, never worked overtime, wasn't (as far as I know) a secret agent and hadn't moved out of the house; he just wasn't there) and didn't understand that this is the way toddlers are.  After dispensing presents and some idle chit-chat, they left.  Total time of visit: 61 minutes.

Some random observations:

• They spent 37 1/2 seconds visiting for every day they hadn't seen them.   
• A leopard could have gotten pregnant, carried her cubs to full term and given birth in the time between visits.
• They were here 6 minutes longer than the commute to get here.
• The amount of time since their last visit is equivalent to 20.7% of Loki's lifespan thus far.

I sometimes worry that I'm not being as good a father as I can be; but compared to my "role model" I have to admit that I am doing a pretty good job.  

Man or Myth?

Santa Claus.  The Easter Bunny.  The Tooth Fairy.  Dads who parent.

Mass media would have you think they're all fairy tales.

NORAD tracks Santa. The Easter Bunny will be hopping across the world this weekend.  The Tooth Fairy got some screen time in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.  But Dads who parent?  Nada.

Parenting magazine until just recently went as far as stating their magazine covers "What Matters To Mom"  Do things not matter to Dad?  I am constantly bombarded by media messages that imply that Dads don't parent so I have created this blog to let the world know that things do matter to Dad.  Here is another Dad who is also making the effort.

So enough about why.

Who am I?

The long of it:  I love comic books, Star Wars, role playing games, strategy games, military history, alternate history.  I own over 500 books ranging in genres from the classics to sci-fi to history to "tin foil hat" concerns.  I work for LEGO.  I go to the library at least once a week.  I can debate the merits of the JLA over the Avengers.  Not only do I know there's more than one Green Lantern, I can name more Green Lanterns than there are states in the US.

The short story: I'm a geek.

I'm a dad of 3 kids who I hope inherit my love of all things geeky.  Their names reflect my geeky roots.  My eldest daughter (from my 1st marriage) Gabrielle Clio (aged 9) gets her middle name from the Greek Muse of History. My son's name appears as  Alexander John (aged 3) on his birth certificate, but has been called Lex since before he was born.  Yes, he is named for Lex Luthor.  My wife is a huge fan of comics and we decided early on that we would raise an evil genius.  When our 2nd child, a daughter, came along, I mentioned that had we known how mischievous Lex was going to be we should have named him Loki.  The name took and we cemented her status as Geekiest Child Ever by adding the middle name Chihiro for the little girl from Spirited Away.

This blog will chronicle my journey as my wife and I raise the Next Generation.  In the coming posts, i will properly introduce you to my 3 Geeks-In-Training.