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    Star of the week

    April 23rd, 2016

    S2 was named star of the week yesterday. At his new pre-school this title is earned and not given. It’s based on service and behavior. Honestly, I dig it!

    Here’s what they had to say about him.
    “Our Pre K star of the week has been working very hard to be a good friend and follow classroom rules, as well as being a great helper and artist! It’s Storm! Way to go, Storm, we are so proud of you!”

    As are we!!!

    Each day they send us a little flipagram of photos of what the kids did that day. For yesterday, it included video, showing S2 getting his nomination. Kinda melts my heart. See it here: https://flipagram.com/f/o3DdtYP2nD

    He really has been working hard. The stick rewards has been really good for him, and while he doesn’t get all the sticks every day, it’s rarer and rarer that he doesn’t. The friendship stick is the most illusive one — not every kid gets one each day, but this week he got a friendship stick I think 3/5 days. You have to help a friend or do something for the classroom to earn a friendship stick. S2 got friendship sticks for cleaning up a classroom area he didn’t play with and helping friends on the playground.
    In turn his behavior at home is also much calmer, too. Perfect? No! But being at home with both kids this week on the scale of stressful to enjoyable, is definitely leaning on the enjoyable side. Heck, I’m sitting here writing this up with both kids hanging at home, peacefully today (in between baseball games).

    Now, since this post is about S2, and his classroom sticks, here are some photos 🙂

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    Did you use of those tin-can thing-a-ma-dingies?

    April 13th, 2016

    I pre-ordered a Tesla last month. Pretty stoked about it, I told the kids I was really excited about it (… even though I won’t be seeing it for a couple of years). In response, G bust out with: “Why? Does it drive itself?”

    Me: As a matter of fact, yes — it can!
    G: Oh really? Good! Then I guess you can sit back and just relax.
    Me: Well, not really. Having a self-driving car is like being a parent. You can let it do it’s thing, but you have to watch it all the time, and be ready to jump in if there’s a problem.
    G: Well, I wish I can sit back and relax.
    Me: You’re being chauffeured around, dude. How much more sitting back and relaxing can you do?

    … and then the conversation transitioned to this

    Me: You know you guys, your life as a kid is so much different than mine was when I was your age. It’s really exciting all the things that you can do.
    Kids: [blank stare]
    Me: Like… we couldn’t record shows off TV, so if you missed a show, that was it! You couldn’t watch whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. We didn’t have cell-phones!
    G: Then what did you use for a phone? Did you use of those tin-can thing-a-ma-dingies?
    Me: No! I’m not THAT old! You had to use your phone at home. But you couldn’t take it out of the house?
    G: Why?
    Me: The cord wasn’t long enough!
    G: [Insert THIS look:]

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    Damn! Maybe I *am* getting kind of old?


    We’re collecting paper-clips

    April 2nd, 2016

    From a recent conversation with G:

    G: Mom, me and Storm are collecting paper-clips.

    Me: Really? Why?

    G: So, you know… in that book, you can open locks with a paper-clip. You just have to go real slow!

    Me: So you’re trying to break into a lock?

    G: No, it’s for the claw-machine!

    Me: So you want to break into someone else’s claw machine?

    G: Yeah! For when we give it money and it drops our toy… when it cheats.

    Yes. Our kids have learned that the claw machines are programmed to fail  on purpose. And apparently they have some Robin Hood plan going on.

    Now… is this something I should discourage? Or let the sad reality of how hard it is to form a lock pick settle in?