Coffee coffee coffee ;)
I just noticed that all the ads between the posts on this blog are coffee related (grinders, beans, etc etc). How in keeping with the blog theme! So I suppose if I want that to continue, it means I have to keep talking about coffee. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with AdSense, the ads are automatically generated based on the content of your blog, so that your audience is more likely to be interested).
At the moment (coffee) my daughter has a friend over, and they're (beans) playing in the back yard -
...wait, I can do better than that:
At the moment my little bean of a daughter has a friend visiting. They're too young to go for coffee, so at the moment they're in the back yard, the sound of their happy voices filtering through the window. The two girls, with my son, are a good blend of fun!
(Heh heh)
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Jun 7, 2009
May 18, 2009
Happy Victoria Day :)
Happy birthday to the late Queen Victoria, who took the throne at the tender age of 18 and then ruled until she died. Now there's job security for you ;)
My six year old and I, with the help of the internet, did a quick lesson in the British monarchy, from a look at old paintings of Victoria, to new photographs of Harry and William. Queen Elizabeth II, who is "the alive queen right now", was referred to as "very beautiful!" by my jewel-obsessed daughter.
Gotta run... must make lunch for my little Queen & her brother. Have a nice Victoria Day :)
My six year old and I, with the help of the internet, did a quick lesson in the British monarchy, from a look at old paintings of Victoria, to new photographs of Harry and William. Queen Elizabeth II, who is "the alive queen right now", was referred to as "very beautiful!" by my jewel-obsessed daughter.
Gotta run... must make lunch for my little Queen & her brother. Have a nice Victoria Day :)
May 9, 2009
Busy With Life
I seem to be in another one of my blogging dry spells... Lately the kids have kept me pretty busy. Busy with playdates, birthday parties, trips to the park... and tonight, the TV will keep me busy with...
Canucks vs Blackhawks!!!!
C'mon, guys!!! Best of three, now. The next team to win two games takes the series. You can do it!! (Ok, well, we can all PRETEND you can do it to make ourselves feel better?) lol, or you can just do it!!!
Good luck, Nucks!!
Canucks vs Blackhawks!!!!
C'mon, guys!!! Best of three, now. The next team to win two games takes the series. You can do it!! (Ok, well, we can all PRETEND you can do it to make ourselves feel better?) lol, or you can just do it!!!
Good luck, Nucks!!
Mar 30, 2009
Wassup, Weather Gods?
Seriously. Can I plant my four year old's bean stalk in the garden yet? I don't want to kill the darn thing.
We have a magic window sill that can grow just about anything. Two years ago, A's preschool bean stalk grew up to the top of the window, so tall that I had to support it with straws taped together. I moved it out to the garden and before I knew it, it was over my head (maybe there's some truth to that Jack story ;) We were eating beans off it for a couple of months.
Now J has one too, and it's looking like it wants to go outside. I honestly don't know if he remembers A's beanstalk, or would even care if his went outside and died, but it would bug me.
So I ask you, yet again, southern BC weather peeps, are we DONE with the cold and snow already???
We have a magic window sill that can grow just about anything. Two years ago, A's preschool bean stalk grew up to the top of the window, so tall that I had to support it with straws taped together. I moved it out to the garden and before I knew it, it was over my head (maybe there's some truth to that Jack story ;) We were eating beans off it for a couple of months.
Now J has one too, and it's looking like it wants to go outside. I honestly don't know if he remembers A's beanstalk, or would even care if his went outside and died, but it would bug me.
So I ask you, yet again, southern BC weather peeps, are we DONE with the cold and snow already???
Mar 27, 2009
Broccoli For Headaches?
Who knows. All I know is that I have had a head splitting migraine all day. I read somewhere that foods high in calcium, such as broccoli, can help. Desperate for relief I dove into the fridge and found the broccoli. Mmmmm. Fresh, too! Crunch crunch crunch...
...and now, about an hour later, my headache does seem to have subsided. Oh it's still here, don't get me wrong, but I'm sitting up at my laptop instead of lying on the couch my eyes closed.
Mind you, I have the TVNC (two very noisy children), so we'll see how long this lasts...
...and now, about an hour later, my headache does seem to have subsided. Oh it's still here, don't get me wrong, but I'm sitting up at my laptop instead of lying on the couch my eyes closed.
Mind you, I have the TVNC (two very noisy children), so we'll see how long this lasts...
Mar 25, 2009
Mar 14, 2009
Slumdog Shame
I don't know about you, but I find this a bit disturbing.
According to this Vancouver Sun article, the child actors who starred in the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire (a film which has already made $45 million showcasing poverty in India) have returned to their own lives of poverty.
Rubina Ali (who played Latika in the film) was paid a mere $1,000 to act in the film and has now returned to life in a hut that she shares with her parents, brother and sister. Azhauddin Ismail (who played Salim) was paid $3,500, and now lives with his family under a plastic sheet by railway tracks.
The film's producer has supposedly arranged for $50 per month to be given to the children for food and books, and has told their parents about a trust fund that has been set up for their future, but has not given them any details supporting this.
Assuming this is true, you would think that a film that has generated that much success could provide better for its young stars, rather than getting away with what appears to be the bare minimum of compensation for their contribution.
Hopefully there really is a trust fund, and now that the media has gotten wind of the kids' scant remuneration, the monthly book and food allowance will increase...
According to this Vancouver Sun article, the child actors who starred in the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire (a film which has already made $45 million showcasing poverty in India) have returned to their own lives of poverty.
Rubina Ali (who played Latika in the film) was paid a mere $1,000 to act in the film and has now returned to life in a hut that she shares with her parents, brother and sister. Azhauddin Ismail (who played Salim) was paid $3,500, and now lives with his family under a plastic sheet by railway tracks.
The film's producer has supposedly arranged for $50 per month to be given to the children for food and books, and has told their parents about a trust fund that has been set up for their future, but has not given them any details supporting this.
Assuming this is true, you would think that a film that has generated that much success could provide better for its young stars, rather than getting away with what appears to be the bare minimum of compensation for their contribution.
Hopefully there really is a trust fund, and now that the media has gotten wind of the kids' scant remuneration, the monthly book and food allowance will increase...
Mar 10, 2009
Cleaning Sea Monkey Tanks
So here's my task for today: cleaning out the kids' little Sea Monkey tanks.
Let's just say I'm glad I'm not a Sea Monkey. They, um, swim around in their own poop, for heaven sake. POOP.
I'm OK with the algae, because that is supposedly what they eat. J's tank has a nice layer of green at the bottom (but not A's - it's a little strange since both tanks have gotten identical treatment and sun exposure). Not only that, the algae doesn't go floating around in the tank, making the water all cloudy, with the... you guessed it. Poop. (Watching them poop was slightly amusing at first but having to finally clean up after it is not).
Here's the dilemma. They need their same, treated water, so I can't simply refill the tanks with new stuff. What I've done instead is dumped the monkeys, grungy water and all, into a clean bowl, and am waiting for all the floaties to settle to the bottom. Then I ever so carefully, scoop by scoop, return the monkeys and their treated water back to the tanks.
The problem is, every time I scoop, it stirs up the gunk at the bottom and re-mixes it with the water. I can only do about 2-3 scoops before I have to walk away and let it sit again for about half an hour.
This might take all day. If anyone has any alternate suggestions that might work, feel free to leave a comment :)
(translation.... heeeelllp!!)
lol
Let's just say I'm glad I'm not a Sea Monkey. They, um, swim around in their own poop, for heaven sake. POOP.
I'm OK with the algae, because that is supposedly what they eat. J's tank has a nice layer of green at the bottom (but not A's - it's a little strange since both tanks have gotten identical treatment and sun exposure). Not only that, the algae doesn't go floating around in the tank, making the water all cloudy, with the... you guessed it. Poop. (Watching them poop was slightly amusing at first but having to finally clean up after it is not).
Here's the dilemma. They need their same, treated water, so I can't simply refill the tanks with new stuff. What I've done instead is dumped the monkeys, grungy water and all, into a clean bowl, and am waiting for all the floaties to settle to the bottom. Then I ever so carefully, scoop by scoop, return the monkeys and their treated water back to the tanks.
The problem is, every time I scoop, it stirs up the gunk at the bottom and re-mixes it with the water. I can only do about 2-3 scoops before I have to walk away and let it sit again for about half an hour.
This might take all day. If anyone has any alternate suggestions that might work, feel free to leave a comment :)
(translation.... heeeelllp!!)
lol
Mar 5, 2009
Outside The Box
Yet again I've learned something from my child.
Today he was playing "Mission", on Wii Play. In this game, you have a tank and your objective is to destroy the enemy tank before it destroys you. With your controller, you can move, drop bombs, and fire shots. To aim your shot, you point with the controller.
J doesn't do this. He doesn't aim his shots. Anyone who's played Wii knows that the controller pointers can be a bit finicky for an adult, never mind a four year old.
What he does instead is, using the arrow keys, maneuvers his tank around the enemy tank so that his cannon is facing the right way for him to fire (instead of moving the cannon).
He is amazingly good at this. Better than me, in fact. He can dodge shots like nobody's business, ducking back and forth, and circling around until his cannon is lined up, and then BOOM! He fires (and racks up points).
It's interesting to me, how he can completely disregard and important aspect of the game (aiming the cannon), and yet still beat the computer consistently because he is proficient enough in another area (maneuvering).
So here's my lesson: (pay attention, Jeanne ;)
Sometimes not confining yourself to a traditional approach frees you up to learn an equal or better alternative...
Today he was playing "Mission", on Wii Play. In this game, you have a tank and your objective is to destroy the enemy tank before it destroys you. With your controller, you can move, drop bombs, and fire shots. To aim your shot, you point with the controller.
J doesn't do this. He doesn't aim his shots. Anyone who's played Wii knows that the controller pointers can be a bit finicky for an adult, never mind a four year old.
What he does instead is, using the arrow keys, maneuvers his tank around the enemy tank so that his cannon is facing the right way for him to fire (instead of moving the cannon).
He is amazingly good at this. Better than me, in fact. He can dodge shots like nobody's business, ducking back and forth, and circling around until his cannon is lined up, and then BOOM! He fires (and racks up points).
It's interesting to me, how he can completely disregard and important aspect of the game (aiming the cannon), and yet still beat the computer consistently because he is proficient enough in another area (maneuvering).
So here's my lesson: (pay attention, Jeanne ;)
Sometimes not confining yourself to a traditional approach frees you up to learn an equal or better alternative...
Feb 21, 2009
Sign Of The Times
We took the kids to Boston Pizza last night (after buying our new computer desk).
Boston Pizza is a pretty kid friendly place: the kids are given paper games and colouring sheets, as well as small (brand new) boxes of crayons to take home. Last night, after being greeted by our friendly server, A & J were given each one blank sheet of paper, and a small cup of used & broken crayons to share.
Ohhhhh kay.... really?? (cutting costs??) It was bizarre. (I'm just sayin').
Boston Pizza is a pretty kid friendly place: the kids are given paper games and colouring sheets, as well as small (brand new) boxes of crayons to take home. Last night, after being greeted by our friendly server, A & J were given each one blank sheet of paper, and a small cup of used & broken crayons to share.
Ohhhhh kay.... really?? (cutting costs??) It was bizarre. (I'm just sayin').
Feb 10, 2009
Guess What Wii Got?
Heh heh. (Sorry, couldn't resist ;)
My husband brought it home today, and now Lil' J & A are busy bowling. I, on the other hand, am trying to remember how to find my router's access code so that I can connect the Wii to the internet. If necessary I suppose I can call the router company: "Help? I'm a dork - how do I find the code again? You know, the one that I set up to begin with?", but at this point I'm not motivated enough. That may change after the kids are in bed and I have the Wii controller in my hot little hands.
Meanwhile, what I should be doing instead of typing this is making the kids dinner. Ah, dinner. What I really want are some of the Dad's cookies that DH bought, but that would not be setting a good example now, would it ;)
My husband brought it home today, and now Lil' J & A are busy bowling. I, on the other hand, am trying to remember how to find my router's access code so that I can connect the Wii to the internet. If necessary I suppose I can call the router company: "Help? I'm a dork - how do I find the code again? You know, the one that I set up to begin with?", but at this point I'm not motivated enough. That may change after the kids are in bed and I have the Wii controller in my hot little hands.
Meanwhile, what I should be doing instead of typing this is making the kids dinner. Ah, dinner. What I really want are some of the Dad's cookies that DH bought, but that would not be setting a good example now, would it ;)
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