Winter House Work

So much house maintenance work needs to be done during the cold season. The leaves need to be raked. The gutters need to be cleaned. The wood deck needs wood preserver applied (I know--this should have been done during the summer). The house exterior needs touch up painting. The list goes on.

Stuffed Animals

My kids have quite a few stuffed animals on their beds. At times, I feel as though the stuffed animals are taking up most of the bed. So I bought some shelves and brackets to create a place above their beds for the stuffed animals.

Thanksgiving

FRIDAY

We went to a friend's home for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time enjoying the turkey dinner. Our friends also have kids and so the kids looked forward to getting together for dinner. As they say, the holidays is the perfect time to get together with friends and family.

SATURDAY

We had a great time with the family and friends for Thanksgiving dinner. The kids played video games and other things while the adults chatted and caught up on the latest family news. I enjoyed the turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, the wine, and peppermint ice cream. It was a nice gathering where everyone enjoyed each other's company.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

For our Thanksgiving lunch today, we tried pumpkin ice cream. I happened to come across it at our local supermarket and bought it to try it. We all liked it, especially with whipped cream. This might be the first time I ever tried pumpkin ice cream and I enjoyed it.

Blazer Game

Our family had a great time watching the Blazer game tonight. We went out for spaghetti and then drove to the Rose Quarter to watch the game. I thought parking would be difficult, but it was not too bad because we parked in the nearby parking structure. The kids had a wonderful time shouting "Defense!" and getting into the spirit of the game.

Ideas

The kids are starting their Thanksgiving break and that means parents will have to find constructive things for the kids to do. This shouldn't be too difficult with all the good ideas floating around easily accessible through the Internet. Having a lot of ideas from others always makes a job easier.

Mashed Potatoes

I was at a Thanksgiving meal where turkey, stuffing, potato and gravy and other items were available. I ate lot of mashed potato and gravy. I stuffed myself with mashed potato. It tasted great. But one has to be careful. I read that mashed potato contains a lot of carbohydrates. Still, mashed potatoes every now and then is fine.

Constructive Time

My kids like playing free online computer games such as those provided by PBS (Public Broadcasting System), although at times I wonder if they are too eager to play computer games at the expense of other simpler activities. So today, I told them they could not get on the computer yet until they studied, read a book, played with puzzles, and do other non-computer-related activities. They did all of the above activities and then also played with their Lego set. I was pleased.

Dim Sum and More

We ate some take-out dim sum today for lunch. As usual, the kids liked the dim sum, especially the sticky rice and shrimp dumplings. I enjoy dim sum too, but my wife and I like to add a vegetable plate or two to the meal. As they say, one has to eat a balanced meal that combines the various food groups.

Early Swimming

My daughter has a swim meet tomorrow. I'm glad she has the opportunity to compete, but these swim meets are held early, perhaps too early, in the morning. Parents have to wake up around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. to be on time for these early swim meets. Why can't they have the swim meets just a little bit later?

Good Sandwiches

I made my kids almond butter and jelly sandwiches. At times, I think these are too sweet for them because of the jelly. But the almond butter (and other peanut butter-types of spread) has quite a bit of protein, so there is nutritional value to these sandwiches.

Flashlights

The power went out the other night leading me to get our flashlights in working order. I replaced a few batteries where needed. My kids helped out by giving me their toys with lights including some sort of a wand toy that lights up at the tip when turned on. I appreciated their help and hope that none of these flashlights and toy lights are needed.

Reading About Swimming

My daughter began receiving a swimming magazine and read it all night. She loves to swim and a swimming magazine is just the thing for her. This is another way to keep her reading. Whatever interests a young kid can probably be found in some writing somewhere and so that writing will be what gets the kid interested enough to read.

Chicken Wings

My son couldn't get enough of the tasty chicken wings my in-laws cooked tonight for dinner. He ate a lot of the wings and then some more. This shouldn't be surprising--after all, doesn't everyone love tender, juicy chicken wings?

Pink Panther

My kids laughed uproariously while watching a Pink Panther cartoon on DVD. I recall watching Pink Panther cartoons on television when I was young and also enjoying them. The antics of the Pink Panther and the bumbling inspector seem to appeal to kids and to tickle their funny bones.

Zoo Fun

I took the kids to the zoo today despite the cold weather because it was not raining and the kids needed to go outside rather than stay cooped up in the house. The kids had a great time running from one animal exhibit to another. At one point, my son was very interested in watching a scorpion. But there were many animals and exhibits to capture their attention.

Persimmons

I've been eating persimmons picked from a local tree. They are delicious. I do not usually buy persimmons, but because they are fresh from a local tree, I will gladly eat them. I think they are healthy fruit with a lot of vitamins. My kids don't eat them. I will try to get them to eat some.

Whole Apples

My son and daughter wanted to eat their apples whole today. Usually, I cut apples into slices for them. But with these small-size apples my wife bought, I thought it was fine for them to eat the whole apple, and they did. I guess eating apples whole is another benchmark showing the kids are getting older.

Chess Fun

The kids and I are having fun playing chess. They know how to play checkers, and I think chess is a good next step because chess is more complicated and presents more of a challenge. They will get better as they play more. Perhaps they will join a chess club at school in the near future. That would be great.

The Reckoning

I saw "The Reckoning," a film about how the International Criminal Court was established to prosecute genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The film at times showed graphic images of victims who suffered from violence, war, and abuse. Far too often, people in this world are brutalized in various ways. One can only hope that all of us try to reduce in whatever way we can individually and collectively to try to reduce the amount of suffering in the world.

Own Little Libraries

My kids have built up a nice little library for themselves. My wife and I have been buying books for them periodically at school and library sales. Now, they have their own little library to call their own with books that they can pull out from their shelves to read anytime.

Miniature Bowling

My son was playing with his miniature bowling set. He got it as a prize at one of these bowling alleys with video games where points are given on each video machine and the accumulated points can earn prizes. For the miniature bowling set, I created little bumper guards made out of cardboard. I also created a small cardboard slide for the bowling ball to roll down. It was fun watching the kids have fun with the little bowling set.

Carbs for Energy

I remember years ago that we used to believe in eating a high-carb meal right before running a marathon in the belief that the carbohydrates were needed to fuel the body. I am not sure that what athletes still believe in. Still, I was okay with my daughter eating mac-and-cheese for dinner tonight after her swim meet thinking she could use the carbohydrates.

Sweet Tomatoes

We ate dinner tonight at Sweet Tomatoes. The kids always like it. I think they enjoy the variety, the freedom to get up and get their food, and of course, the abundant ice cream. I like the salad variety and the soup variety.

Mock Trial

There is a Mock Trial competition that is held for high schools students allowing them to practice being lawyers and witnesses. This is a great event to teach student about the law. One truly learns by doing, and this moot court competition allows students to do those things that a lawyer does.

Moving On

Kids do grow up. One indicator is when they won't watch the "kiddy" cartoons anymore. They move on to "bigger kid" cartoons. They also move from "kiddy" story books to chapter books. They mature, advance, and move on. This is the way it is, and the way it should be.

Rubik's Cube

I recall years ago when I was in high school how Rubik's Cube was the craze that everyone was into. It seemed everyone had one. There were Rubik's Cube contests and tournaments. Now we look back at that period as another fad that came and went. Does anything endure? Is human nature constantly buffeted by impulses and situational circumstances? One wonders.

Out of Sight

My kids have lots of candy after Halloween. They've been carrying around their big bag filled with candy and small toys and exchanging items with each other. Invariably, they will ask me if they can eat some candy. I finally had to put their candy in smaller sandwich bags and then place them away from sight in the food pantry. Out of sight means out of mind, or so I hope.

Warm November Day

With the beginning of November, the days get colder and shorter. But today was quite nice with the sun out and the weather relatively warm. So when my son wanted to play outside, I agreed. How many more days of nice weather will there be? Probably not too much.