I came across this children’s book by Chad Geran and I just love the illustrations. Especially the one of this whale. You can click through the entire book here which is called “Do You Know What I Am?”
Category: Kids
Webkinz leaves bad first impression
We bought a Webkinz animal for each of our three oldest children. If you’re not familiar with Webkinz, the unique feature of this toy is the online integration. Basically, one buys an animal for about ten bucks and then goes online to register, adopt and name their pet. It reminds me a bit of Animal Crossing (Which our kids and their mom enjoy on the Nintendo DS) where there are places to see and activities to join in which earn Webkinz money which can be used to buy things in this virtual world.
On Christmas day one would assume the Webkinz website would be overloaded with kids trying to register their new pets. But we tried anyway and ran into this message:
We decided to come back the next day and ran into the same problem. We’ve been trying to login to the site for four days now and I finally got all three pets registered, adopted and named tonight but not without more hassle.
Near the end of the registration process, I was presented with the screen below which asks me to “Enter the letters” I see in this image. Do you see any letters in the the box? If you look closely, the letter are supposed to appear in the rectangular box, but they didn’t appear until I clicked on the back button, entered in the “Webkinz Secret Code” and returned to this screen. I had to do this several times for all three pets. I’ve run into confusing “captcha” screens but I’ve never been presented with a ghost “captcha”.
Luca has been checking out the Webkinz world for the past hour or so and seems to really like it so it appears the inconvenience was worth it. But it doesn’t leave a good impression.
Webkinz had to know there would be a rush on its website on Christmas day. Technology such as AmazonS3 is available to resolve scalability issues. Webkinz isn’t run by two teens in their basement trying to get the business off the ground. They are owned by Ganz which is good sized toy company. There is no excuse for a four day outage like this.
What could Webkinz do to soften the blow to our kids? How about extend the subscription (the first 12 months is free) by 6 months? Or give them an extra 100 bucks in Webkinz cash. Something that shows they care about the frustration they caused.
Christmas Eve
I just spent the better part of two hours putting together a pirate ship. It’s not just your run of the mill pirate ship either. It’s a ship that stands about 3 1/3 feet off the ground with telescope, pirate flag, canons and sound effects. The most difficult part of assembly was putting the ship together in our basement under very little light. The screws were tiny and I kept dropping them all over the couch and floor. I’m getting old or something.
But I eventually got the flag hung and the cannon balls loaded for Lincoln to discover tomorrow. Kim keeps asking me if I’ve hidden the large box that it came in and I told her that we’ll tell the kids that Santa also does his Christmas shopping at Costco when the need arises.
Christmas is especially fun with kids. As Kim rocked baby Kai, I told Luca, Lincoln and Anna the Christmas story as tried to keep their little hands off the presents under the tree. We then let them each open a present that turned out to be a new sleeping bag. I’ve never seen them so excited to go to bed. I just checked on them and they are scattered around the floor in their new sleeping bags. They look like a litter of new puppies.
We don’t have family close by so our Christmas days are usually low key. We’ll open presents in a couple of hours and then cook a nice breakfast for the kids. Maybe we’ll see a movie or go to lunch together.
It’s been a fun last few days. I’m looking forward to spending time with the family this week.
Technorati Tags: Christmas, Pirate Ship
When the world slows down
Most of my day is spent frantically typing emails, signing expense reports, in meetings or running from one cube to another. There’s not a lot of time to slow down and assess whether my actions are doing any good. Some days I return home exhausted yet unable to account for my time away. This is the case when a good portion of my day was spent in meetings.
There are days when it’s hard to get out of that “must get it done immediately” mode even when I’m home and have time to reflect. I don’t need to rush around the house picking up after the kids, but my mind says I should be helping out more around the house especially while Kim is getting close to delivering baby #4.
It’s nice when something rattles me out of this mode like happened tonight as I sat at the computer. My six-year old daughter, Luca, could not sleep so she tip-toed down the stairs and into my arms. She was so warm and cuddly. I showed her my fingerprint reader emitting a bright red glow. I showed her I how could lock my computer and then unlock it using my fingerprint. She thought that was pretty cool so I showed her how to register her finger. She smiled from ear to ear as she put her small index finger on the reader and unlocked my computer.
These are times when the world slows down and my heart beats a little slower. I’m not as stressed out and I my mind comprehends that it’s OK to mellow out and take a break. These are some of the best times.
Calvin and Hobbes
I have three books full of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons that my oldest daughter loves to look through. I would not have guessed that she’d like Calvin at her age (6) but she can’t get enough of him. She has all the books lined up next to her bed. Every night she asks me to read her a few pages worth which I love to do as it brings back a lot of good memories over the years.
As I read the comic below tonight she laughed and laughed and I wondered if kids her age enjoy identifying with a kid like Calvin who is always getting into trouble. Whatever it is she loves the cartoons and will spend hours looking through every book, page by page.
Maybe I’ll surprise her with one of the newer collections this Christmas.
Technorati Tags: Calvin and Hobbes, Comics
First Grade field trip to the farm
I had the day off work today so I decided to join Luca and her first grade class on a field trip to a local farm here in Auburn. The family owned farm is over 100 years old and is situated on a large piece of land not far from the Auburn city golf course.
About 50 first grade students along with a few parents and teachers arrived by bus at the farm and were separated into four groups. Each group went to a station at the farm. The stations were:
- The Barn
- The Hen House
- The Orchard
- The Garden
At each station we met a guide who explained the area and had the kids do an activity or two. At the barn the kids turned the handle on an old fashioned churn filled with cream. As the kids took turns at the churn the cream slowly turned to butter. At the hen house the kids learned that each hen can lay up to one egg a day. They also went on a hunt for eggs which the kids enjoyed. At the orchard the kids learned about apples and took turns at the apple press to extract apple juice. Luca enjoyed the garden area the most. The kids learned what it takes to plant vegetables and were given tools to till the soil and plant a seed of their own. Luca chose to plant a pumpkin seed.
Everyone at the farm was so kind and accommodating. I could tell they were happy to help the kids learn what it takes to work on a farm. When one women told the kids that farmers have to work every day of the year, even Christmas, one little boy said, “I guess I won’t be a farmer”.
I learned that first grade children are very curious, have lots of energy and have a zest for life. They are learning to read and write and you see their little minds soaking up chunks of knowledge.
After we finished our project at the last station we boarded the big yellow bus for the return trip to the school. I forgot how high up a school bus sits as I watched the kids look down on the passing cars. I sat by Luca who had called “window seat” in advance. She was wearing her yellow rain coat and pink rain boots. She was excited to tell me what she’d learned at the farm and couldn’t wait to tell mom and her brother and sister what she’d done. She held my hand and thought it was funny that her hands were cold and mine were warm.
As we got close to the school she turned to me and said, “Dad, I’m glad you came with me today”.
Last Few days
My last few days have been filled with a lot of stress and anxiety. But they have also been filled with much joy and laughter. I’ve been watching our three kids, ages 6, 4 and 3 this week while Kim has been in the hospital. Here are a few of my favorite experiences:
- Bathtub party at 10:30 pm
- Late night, Jack in the Box, Oreo shake run
- Watching the Smurfs together
- Taking Luca to school and soccer practice
- Running down the hospital halls together
- A dinner of cereal, string cheese, and “Pirates Booty”
- Listening to Anna pray that mom will “get better right now”
- Watching the kids laugh at my cooking
- Pillow fights and blanket fort building
- Piggyback rides
We’re really glad Kim came home this afternoon. But I’ve had a blast spending so much time with three fun and wild kids. They are so optimistic and see the world as something to enjoy. There’s no sarcasm or pessimism. They wake up each morning happy to be alive and tackle the day. Their small bodies can barely contain all that joy bottled up inside.
The Green Machine
Kim was organizing boxes full of photos this weekend and came across a picture of me on my Green Machine during the summer of ’78. A couple of weeks ago I took a picture of my son, Lincoln, on his Kett Car for comparison.
The Green Machine was ahead of it’s time. It was the ideal three wheeler if you liked to drift into traffic. The wheels were made of thin plastic and it didn’t take long before I’d worn a hole in the front wheel, making it even less stable which is really saying something.
My parent’s house was next door to a large apartment complex. There was a decent sized hill that cars would use to get to the 2nd level of apartment homes. It was a dog-leg left formation that I’d use to pick up speed before drifting out into oncoming traffic along our street. It’s a miracle I never got run over since the Green Machine was so low to the ground.
Lincoln’s Kett Car is much more nimble and safer to drive. It has a hand break you can see on the right and it’s wheels are much larger and provide at least some level of grip, unlike the skinny ones on the Green Machine.
I sure had fun terrorizing the neighborhood on my green machine. My Spiderman tank provides a nice and classy tribute to the times.
Technorati Tags: Green Machine, Kett Cars
Ned’s Head
Lincoln asked me to play a game called “What’s In Ned’s Head” with him this afternoon. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I said, “Sure”.
The game includes a set of cards, various items (spiders, visiting space man, bird poop) that are placed in Ned’s head which is made of soft flannel. You can reach into Ned’s head through openings in the ears and mouth. The openings are big enough to get a arm through but not big enough to see much. A card is drawn, hands go into the head until someone successfully retrieves the item depicted on the card.
Here’s Lincoln with Ned after his big win
I am a rookie Ned’s Head player and I got absolutely schooled today by my 4-year old. He pulled the dirty diaper, ear wax and pea brain before I knew what hit me. I was 0 for 3 where the mercy rule was enacted.
I learned two things today:
- To a 4-year old, the grosser the better.
- “Bird Poop” and “Ned’s Lost Lunch” are not the same thing.
Now I know. I will be ready next time.
Back to School
I woke up this morning and decided I’d accompany Luca to her 1st grade orientation. Luca wore her cute Levi skirt and polo shirt. Kim had fixed her pretty, blonde hair so it bounced when she walked.
We drove to her school and went into her new class along with a few parents and their kids. Most kids were accompanied by their mothers, but there was one other father there besides myself. Her teacher, Mrs. O’Donnell, welcomed us to her class. She was kind, soft spoken and very organized.
I doubt that today’s classroom has changed much from the over 30 years since I attended first grade. The alphabet was strung over the chalk board. Cork boards lined the walls. Student projects hung off the back wall as did the large, white clock that if you listened closely could hear the second hang as it circled the clock face. I also saw a rack full of globes that could be mistaken for the perfect sized kick ball. The desks were nestled close together and as I sat at one, my butt barely fit onto the tiny blue chairs. Do you remember putting your knees under the desk and rocking back and forth until your desk tipped over and pencils went flying? Those were fun days.
I enjoyed the simplicity of the classroom and the feeling of learning and exploration in this classroom. As Mrs. O’Donnell explained her teaching style I sat there envious of her position and desire to help so many fantastic young children. It made me want to leave the technology field and go back to school so I could teach. Maybe one day I’ll be in a position to do that. In the meantime, I’m thankful to have a job that allows me the flexibility to come and go as I please and take off time when I need it.
Luca sat at her desk and listened to her new teacher. She was excited to be sitting next to a friend of hers named Laura. As she sat there, she looked back at me sitting a few rows behind her and flashed a huge smile. She was happy to be back in school and I was so very proud of her. She loves to read, loves to learn and I’m certain she’ll enjoy getting to know Mrs. O’Donnell.
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