Month: November 2008

Determined To Succeed

Single minded determination can be a good quality, and lead to some amazing accomplishments.? It took Albert Einstein eight years to develop his theory of relativity.? Michael Phelps trained for a decade on his way to winning 14 gold medals. These men had a single focus, suffering setbacks along the way, but persisting until they got to the finish line.

Thing 3 has the same determination qualities as these great achievers, albeit with a somewhat, how shall I say, less admirable end goal in mind.? He is determined, every waking moment and does everything within his power, to put his hands in the toilet.

Open the bathroom door the tiniest amount and Thing 3 tries to squirm his way through the crack like a mouse.? Like a dog, he can hear the bathroom door open from across the house and he’ll drop whatever he was doing and make a run for it.? All the while, with a mischievous grin that dares you to stop him.

Lately, Thing 3 absolutely loves bathtime, which was a welcome change from the screamfests of a few months ago.? Last night it finally occured to me why he loves taking a bath – because he is that much closer to achieving his ultimate goal.

I literally turned my head for one second, just to pour soap in the water as the tub was filling up.? In that time, Thing 3 managed to open the lid, put his arms in the toilet up to his elbows, and splash water all over the place.? It was one of those split second displays of pure athletism, much like Michael Phelps winning his 7th gold medal by 1/100 of a second.? Except I don’t recall Michael Phelps having that mischeivous laugh.

Did Motrin Go Too Far?

Have you heard all the controversy over this Motrin ad?? Motrin is trying to appeal to moms by making a case that wearing your baby, in slings and carriers, hurts your back, so you should use Motrin.? There has been a huge outcry from baby wearing groups, moms, and doctors.? To the point where Motrin had to take down the ads and post an apology on their website.

Too much?? I don’t know.? Maybe the ad goes a little over the line.? But I watched it, and if you ask me, the tone is firmly tongue in cheek.? After all, they’re trying to sell pain medicine, not make a statement about baby wearing. I have used a baby carrier many times, and sometimes, it actually does hurt my back.

Motrin had to know this would cause a bit of controversy.? That’s probably why they did it in the first place.? Issue an apology, get lots and lots of free press.

Or maybe they had no clue they would get this reaction.? If that’s the case, look out.? The last thing you want is to piss off a bunch of moms.? Especially ones that have recently had babies and are probably hormonal.

Uh oh, I apologize.? I shouldn’t have made that insensitive remark about new moms.? The last thing I want to do is start a controversy ;-)

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History Is Made, Again

History was made twice this week.? First, on Tuesday, Barack Obama was elected president.? Then, on Sunday, we shattered the record for sleeping in at SuburbanDaddy’s house and slept until 7:04am.? Who said lightning doesn’t strike twice?

I can’t understate how incredible this is.? All of the Things slept past 7 o’clock.? Even more important, I slept until 7am.? No exaggeration,? this was probably the first time I have slept past 7 since we brought Thing 1 home from the hospital nearly 5 years ago.

I’m normally happy if I get to sleep past 6am.? So this wasn’t just a new record, we shattered the previous record by nearly an hour.? This was like Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals.? Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hit streak.? Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in a game.

And, just like we aren’t likely to see anyone approach those milestones anytime soon, I am not likely to sleep in until 7am again for a long, long time.? Yes, I’m counting down those minutes until 5:15 tomorrow morning.? Sweet dreams.

A First Time For Everything

Something I realized this Halloween is that there hasn’t been a lot of innovation in the candy industry since I was a kid.? The Things’ bags are filled with all the old familiar favorites – Snickers, KitKats, Butterfingers.

I also realized that to a three year old, there is nothing familiar about candy.? It’s all so new and cool.? Especially candy corn.

On Halloween, Thing 2 tried candy corn for the very first time.? He declared, “I love candy corn!”, even before eating it.? I guess he just loved the concept of a candy version of a vegetable.? After trying it, he also said “It’s like a mountain” and compared the taste to chicken nuggets.

Luckily, the camera was rolling to capture the moment.

Is Halloween Candy Safe To Eat?

Kit KatI probably sound like a typical (old) parent, but way back when I was a kid, Halloween was different.? More innocent.? We got homemade candy like popcorn balls and fresh baked brownies, wrapped in a napkin.? We actually stepped inside the house instead of standing on the doorstep.? Yes, it was a kinder, simpler time.

All that changed in 1982 with the Tylenol poisonings near Chicago.? Remember that one?? That was the event that prompted safety seals on medicines, and ended the era of homemade Halloween treats.? I remember that year my parents examined every piece of candy in my bag,? looking for an open wrapper or an exposed razor blade.

Or maybe they were just confiscating the ones they wanted to eat themselves, like I do now.

After this year, I have a different perspective on the safety of Halloween candy.? I always assumed if the wrapper was intact, the candy was safe.? Well, now I’m not so sure.? There is another danger to watch out for.

Take a peek at this video of Thing 1 and Thing 2 handing out Halloween candy.? Sure, there is some cute banter back and forth.? But keep a close eye on where Thing 2’s hands go.

Still feel like eating that Kit Kat your kids brought home?