Month: December 2009

Can’t Wait To Try KneeBouncers

KneeBouncersI just learned about a cool website called KneeBouncers. It looks absolutely perfect for Thing 3 because he is always trying to use the computer like his big brothers, but he only ends up clicking the wrong buttons and hitting the wrong keys.

KneeBouncers gives babies and toddlers the opportunity to play on the internet, without the use of a mouse. Loaded with games, little kids can make magic happen on the screen with any tap on the keyboard. All the keys do the same thing, so they can’t mess it up. Brilliant!

I especially like that the site was started by two dads. Reading their story, I know exactly where they are coming from. A third child that tries to keep up with their older siblings, gets frustrated, and causes trouble for everyone? Sounds a little familiar.

I will be trying KneeBouncers this weekend with Thing 3.? We’ll see how it goes.

What Do You See?

What do you see in this picture?

You probably see a normal, well organized shelf full of toys. In fact, it’s from Thing 1’s Kindergarten class. But that’s not how Thing 3, a troublemaking two year old, sees it.

I stopped by the Kindergarten classroom, which was empty, to get Thing 1’s jacket. Thing 3 was with me. I got the jacket while he explored the rest of the room. There is a lot of interesting stuff in a Kindergarten room, especially to a two year old.

We were only there a few seconds. That’s all it takes. Thing 3 saw the same normal shelf and thought it would be fun to dump everything on the floor. So that’s what he did.

Do you see the largest bucket with about a thousand teeny tiny Legos? He dumped that one on the floor first.

In the movie Unforgiven there is a line “When confronted by superior numbers, an experienced gunfighter will always fire on the best shot first.” They have a sixth sense about them.

Thing 3 went for the bucket which would do the biggest amount of damage first. I now know exactly how this incident happened.

What Not To Get For Christmas

This year Santa brought Thing 2 a transformer, Optimus Prime. It’s a robot that turns into a truck. The age range was 5+ but at 4 1/2 years I thought he could manage with some assistance from his big brother.

When I saw the instructions I knew immediately he’d have no chance to transform it. I dutifully started on step 1 of 28. It didn’t take long to realize this was no ordinary assembly.

I have successfully assembled hundreds of toys, bikes, cribs, and high chairs. I can install car seats.

As a kid I took stuff apart just to put it back together.

I have a degree in, of all things, mechanical engineering.

I write sophisticated computer programs for a living.

Yet, it took me 9 hours to transform Optimus Prime into a truck! Sort of… because the wheels still don’t lay flat.

Here is what it looked before and after:

Funky Monkey Gets It Part Right

Funky Monkey Snacks are freeze dried fruit snacks. All natural, nothing but “wholesome goodness”.

I applaud them for what they are trying to do. Packaged in colorful bags with silly names, Funky Monkey is attacking the age old problem of making healthy food appealing to kids. So, how did they stand up to the kid review panel of Thing 1 and Thing 2?

The packaging and marketing part worked. They couldn’t wait to try them. Even Thing 1, who won’t eat most fruits, tried the pineapple and mango. Even after I told him it was pineapple and mango fruits.

But the excitement faded after they had eaten a few. It’s no knock on Funky Monkey, but it’s just not easy to make freeze dried fruit taste as good as chocolate teddy bears or artificial fruit snacks.

Bottom line: The packaging is great so you might get a kid who won’t eat fruit to try some. But don’t expect miracles.

I still like my method to get kids to eat healthy food. Cover it with whipped cream.

The Streak Continues and Week 15 Picks

Thing 1 (The Greek) added to his winning streak last week, picking the Colts over the Broncos.? He predicted the score would be higher, but in terms of point spread he picked it exactly.? He said the Colts would win by 12 points and they did.? Most of the experts in Vegas can’t do that consistently. One or two times could be a fluke.? Three times in a row?? He has a gift.

Thing 2’s (The Swami) record drops to 1-2.? But mainly that’s because he will usually pick the opposite from his brother.? It could also be because he is 4 years old.

Our Week 15 game of the week is Cowboys vs. Saints.? The Saints are undefeated but each game is tougher to keep the perfect streak alive.? The Cowboys are known for losing in December and they are determined to not have the same fate this year.? This will not be an easy game to pick.

Thing 1’s Pick: Saints 29, Cowboys 24

Thing 2’s Pick: Cowboys 38, Saints 35