Izzy sometimes needs a ride around the house and her older brother is always willing to get her to and fro despite the mode of transportation:
She also fancies alternative modes of transportation:
Monday, July 26, 2010
...Because My Genetic Contribution Matters When it Comes to Developmental Milestones
Our children may look EXACTLY like their father but, in my biased opinion, they are athletically and developmentally engineered like their mother. Smart Flint Goldensword had a series of developmental milestones that could only be the result of MY genetic contribution. Alas, I present to you the following milestones achieved in the past three days:
Milestone #1: Swimming status changes from Minnow(barely swimming) to Starfish (swim unassisted) in less than one week...see the evidence below:
Milestone #2: Smart Flint Goldensword lost yet another tooth and has about four loose ones in progress-I can hardly wait for his toothless Kindergarten school photo!
Milestone #3: Despite his love of the sea, Smart Flint Goldensword is now officially a bike rider sans training wheels...Lance Armstrong better watch out. I have no photo of this because he is so fast, the camera lens won't capture the image (never mind the fact that I forgot the camera when the moment occurred).
Milestone #1: Swimming status changes from Minnow(barely swimming) to Starfish (swim unassisted) in less than one week...see the evidence below:
Milestone #2: Smart Flint Goldensword lost yet another tooth and has about four loose ones in progress-I can hardly wait for his toothless Kindergarten school photo!
Milestone #3: Despite his love of the sea, Smart Flint Goldensword is now officially a bike rider sans training wheels...Lance Armstrong better watch out. I have no photo of this because he is so fast, the camera lens won't capture the image (never mind the fact that I forgot the camera when the moment occurred).
Friday, July 23, 2010
Summer Vacation -Day 41- Ben Sleeps Over
Now that Smart Flint Goldensword and his buddies are about to start Kindergarten, we thought it might be fun to try having a sleepover. Sam asked Ben, his partner-in-crime, to spend the evening. Ben, also known as He-Man to those closest to him, agreed and below is a pictoral timeline of their shenanigans.
The evening began with some CB radio communications:
While communicating via Lightning McQueen radio transmiters, the boys enjoyed some Lego time:
Smart Flint Goldensword then transitioned from pirate captain to spy agent....
Both boys also enjoyed some time with CooCoo the Clown:
Being the responsible five-year-old boys that they are, the modeled proper toothbrushing technique for Izzy after her bath....
They then kissed Izzy goodnight and proceeded to "lounge" in the living room with an episode of the Berenstain Bears while she fell asleep:
They partook in some reading....
And, at 10:14pm, both boys fell asleep as they talked about the stinky breath eminating from their stuffed dogs:
The evening began with some CB radio communications:
While communicating via Lightning McQueen radio transmiters, the boys enjoyed some Lego time:
Smart Flint Goldensword then transitioned from pirate captain to spy agent....
Both boys also enjoyed some time with CooCoo the Clown:
Being the responsible five-year-old boys that they are, the modeled proper toothbrushing technique for Izzy after her bath....
They then kissed Izzy goodnight and proceeded to "lounge" in the living room with an episode of the Berenstain Bears while she fell asleep:
They partook in some reading....
And, at 10:14pm, both boys fell asleep as they talked about the stinky breath eminating from their stuffed dogs:
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Le Cordon Bleu?
Recently, Sam asked me to take him to a cooking class. Not one to deny my child much of anything, I happily obliged. I placed a call at Le Cordon Bleu and although they have yet to return my call, I proceeded to enroll him in culinary course at the next best place:
The class was a lot of fun and very entertaining. It was mostly entertaining because Sam would not stop talking and tattle-taled on me during the entire two hour course. Truly, it was spectacular. I mean, did they really need to know that we stick our fingers in the cinnamon sugar to make sure it tastes good? Or did he have to mention that we like the batter as well? Geez. All I know is Sam can't keep a secret (and I'm ok with that).
Below is a condensed version of the class:
By the end of the session, he and his fellow cooks had made ebelskiver (dutch pancakes), omlettes, blueberry pancakes, and cinnamon waffles. ALL of it was scrumptious. I know this because I was nominated as taste tester- a bonus for the Mother-of-the-Summer that I am.
As an added bonus to the food "bonus", I granted Williams Sonoma a "bonus" by purchasing an ebelskiver pan and the little wood utensils you need to turn them over in the pan. Apparently, Williams Sonoma knows that I am a sucker for things that allow me to cook with my child. They are branding geniuses.
The class was a lot of fun and very entertaining. It was mostly entertaining because Sam would not stop talking and tattle-taled on me during the entire two hour course. Truly, it was spectacular. I mean, did they really need to know that we stick our fingers in the cinnamon sugar to make sure it tastes good? Or did he have to mention that we like the batter as well? Geez. All I know is Sam can't keep a secret (and I'm ok with that).
Below is a condensed version of the class:
By the end of the session, he and his fellow cooks had made ebelskiver (dutch pancakes), omlettes, blueberry pancakes, and cinnamon waffles. ALL of it was scrumptious. I know this because I was nominated as taste tester- a bonus for the Mother-of-the-Summer that I am.
As an added bonus to the food "bonus", I granted Williams Sonoma a "bonus" by purchasing an ebelskiver pan and the little wood utensils you need to turn them over in the pan. Apparently, Williams Sonoma knows that I am a sucker for things that allow me to cook with my child. They are branding geniuses.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Mad Scientist
In an effort to kill some time before swim class introduce Smart Flint Goldensword to the subject area of Science in Kindergarten, we busted out his kit:
Izzy objected to said kit and made an "I object" face:
Despite her demeanor, we rallied on and proceeded forward with ten, yes, you read that right, ten experiments. While I'd love to tell you the details about EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE, I will spare you the minutia and stick to those that actually worked.
We began with a box 'o supplies...not pictured here are the milk, lotion, and soap from our failed attempts during our scientific experiment session. Please disregard the facial expression from Sam-he truly was excited about embarking on this adventure....
One of our initial experiments dealt with dissolving color tablets in test tubes. We were supposed to be in "awe" of the bubbles that would form as it dissolved.
I know you're "awed" right now-I can feel it.
The next step was to explore the variation of colors achieved by holding the tubes to the light and combining them. Again, be forewarned of the "aweness" you will experience:
The experiment action went into high speed when we pulled out "the dish"-Sam, the Mad Scientist, was encouraged to combine the colors red, blue and yellow to see what he would get.....
Our next experiment included dropping a colored tab in water and "observing" its change.....Step 1:
Step 2: Sam thought this one was awesome.....
His favorite, however, was when we placed crystals into the dish we pictured above and it turned into this about one hour later:
Who knew crystals could grow like that? Not I, that's for sure....
Next up: volcanoes
Izzy objected to said kit and made an "I object" face:
Despite her demeanor, we rallied on and proceeded forward with ten, yes, you read that right, ten experiments. While I'd love to tell you the details about EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE, I will spare you the minutia and stick to those that actually worked.
We began with a box 'o supplies...not pictured here are the milk, lotion, and soap from our failed attempts during our scientific experiment session. Please disregard the facial expression from Sam-he truly was excited about embarking on this adventure....
One of our initial experiments dealt with dissolving color tablets in test tubes. We were supposed to be in "awe" of the bubbles that would form as it dissolved.
I know you're "awed" right now-I can feel it.
The next step was to explore the variation of colors achieved by holding the tubes to the light and combining them. Again, be forewarned of the "aweness" you will experience:
The experiment action went into high speed when we pulled out "the dish"-Sam, the Mad Scientist, was encouraged to combine the colors red, blue and yellow to see what he would get.....
Our next experiment included dropping a colored tab in water and "observing" its change.....Step 1:
Step 2: Sam thought this one was awesome.....
His favorite, however, was when we placed crystals into the dish we pictured above and it turned into this about one hour later:
Who knew crystals could grow like that? Not I, that's for sure....
Next up: volcanoes
Monday, July 19, 2010
Never Let Your Kid Talk to Strangers
We were at our local Baja Fresh for lunch today and the following conversation ensued with a stranger getting his soda at the drink fountain:
Sam: Hey Mister! You have eyes on the back of your head!
Stranger: What?
Sam: Yeah- you have eyes on the back of your head.
Stranger: Oh...do you mean my sunglasses? The ones resting right here (points to back of neck)
Sam: Yeah...yeah...that's what I mean but you know what?
Stranger: What?
Sam: Daddy and Mommy say that they have eyes in the back of their heads too and they are not sunglasses like yours.
Stranger: (laughing) Really? Well, that's interesting.
Sam: Yeah. I know and Mommy's works really good-so do Daddy's but Daddy's are bigger than mommy's but mommy's are better...Right, Mami?
At this point, all the patrons around us are laughing and the stranger (thankfully) says farewell. As he was walking away, Sam noticed he had a number ten on his back and yelled:
"Hey, you're a ten, right?"
And the stranger's reply: "I sure am...."
It's too bad Sam hasn't caught on to his own sense of humor but I'm sure it will happen soon.
Sam: Hey Mister! You have eyes on the back of your head!
Stranger: What?
Sam: Yeah- you have eyes on the back of your head.
Stranger: Oh...do you mean my sunglasses? The ones resting right here (points to back of neck)
Sam: Yeah...yeah...that's what I mean but you know what?
Stranger: What?
Sam: Daddy and Mommy say that they have eyes in the back of their heads too and they are not sunglasses like yours.
Stranger: (laughing) Really? Well, that's interesting.
Sam: Yeah. I know and Mommy's works really good-so do Daddy's but Daddy's are bigger than mommy's but mommy's are better...Right, Mami?
At this point, all the patrons around us are laughing and the stranger (thankfully) says farewell. As he was walking away, Sam noticed he had a number ten on his back and yelled:
"Hey, you're a ten, right?"
And the stranger's reply: "I sure am...."
It's too bad Sam hasn't caught on to his own sense of humor but I'm sure it will happen soon.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Why I'm Better Than Betty Crocker but Not Betsy Ross
4th of July is one of my favorite holidays-I'm not sure if it's the fireworks, the food or the bbq's but I really enjoy it. This year I had grand plans...We were going to go to the fair and enjoy some traditional things....carnival rides, watermelon eating contests, funnel cakes, hot dogs, cotton candy, etc, etc, etc.
Instead, we stayed home.
And made a GIANT flag cake.
It all began with my assistant, Jedi-Chef Samuel:
After combining 18 tablespoons of butter, 3 cups of sugar, 6 extra large eggs, 1 cup of sour cream, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda for the cake, it was time to make the cream cheese frosting.
Midway through the icing task, someone decided to join in on the action....here she is in all of her splendor and curiosity:
And here is the finished product...sure...the piping is way off but it was tasty:
Next year, I'm going to take Betsy Ross to task:
It's gonna be easy-peasy.
Instead, we stayed home.
And made a GIANT flag cake.
It all began with my assistant, Jedi-Chef Samuel:
After combining 18 tablespoons of butter, 3 cups of sugar, 6 extra large eggs, 1 cup of sour cream, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda for the cake, it was time to make the cream cheese frosting.
Midway through the icing task, someone decided to join in on the action....here she is in all of her splendor and curiosity:
And here is the finished product...sure...the piping is way off but it was tasty:
Next year, I'm going to take Betsy Ross to task:
It's gonna be easy-peasy.
Office Visit
We went to pay Daddy a visit at his office last week. Mostly, Smart Flint Goldensword wanted to let Daddy's partner know that they should institute naps because Daddy could use one during the day. He wasn't around to hear Sam's case. Attorneys.....never around when you need them.
Here are Daddy's offspring checking out the view:
Here they are looking for "the little people" below:
And here they are making themselves at "home":
Here are Daddy's offspring checking out the view:
Here they are looking for "the little people" below:
And here they are making themselves at "home":
Swim Status: Minnow
Despite my former status as a lifeguard many years ago, I've been a slacker in the "swim lesson" category.
It's probably because I work.....
And I'm lazy.....
Nevertheless, I have ditched both of those and I present to you our little swimmer...
Here he is-kicking with straight legs and face (almost) in the water:
This is what Izzy does while her eldest brother turns into the future Michael Phelps:
More good form....
Spectator status in full swing....
"Minnow" Status Certification:
It's probably because I work.....
And I'm lazy.....
Nevertheless, I have ditched both of those and I present to you our little swimmer...
Here he is-kicking with straight legs and face (almost) in the water:
This is what Izzy does while her eldest brother turns into the future Michael Phelps:
More good form....
Spectator status in full swing....
"Minnow" Status Certification:
Take 5
A few days ago, I took Smart Flint Goldensword and his apprentice to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. As we were about to leave, I had the following conversation with my son, otherwise known as "The Negotiator":
Me: Hey Sam, we're going to leave in five minutes.
The Negotiator: Well, actually, how about six minutes mami?
Me: How about four minutes?
The Negotiator: Ok, five is good.
Me: Hey Sam, we're going to leave in five minutes.
The Negotiator: Well, actually, how about six minutes mami?
Me: How about four minutes?
The Negotiator: Ok, five is good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)