Little m Long a

On a typical day I am barraged with countless questions, some pertinent others totally insignificant, statements, some declarative, some observational some hypothetical, sounds, ticks, screams, whispers and silences….and that’s just from the voices in my own head.  Couple that with the voices of five children, only three of whom actually possess any understandable form of the English language.  The twins, God bless them, understand language they just don’t use it.  I spend quite a bit of each day engaged in a bizarre game of charades in an attempt to decipher their impassioned yet incomprehensible mutterings.  “I know!!  You said Llellow.  But that means nothing to me and you are pointing towards an empty wall.  Why are you saying Llellow and why are you so mad at that wall??!!  Zoë, please help me.  What is your brother trying to say?”

“Dad.  He wants to change his shoes.  He also said that he drew you a picture but couldn’t find the crayons so he used your purple sharpie.  I took it away from him and he got upset so he sat on Zella and she kicked him.  Also he wants some juice….Can I have a cookie?”

“He said all that?”

“No, Dad.  I can’t tell what he’s saying.  Can I have a cookie?”

It’s quite easy to see how a person might seem a bit out of sorts from time to time.

So here’s just a smattering of the things that have rattled in my head and world in the past few days.  Call it a random post, if you will.

iPod and the Song List
We spend quite a bit of each day in the car.  It’s 20-25 minutes to school and I make the trip at least twice a day.  If you need help with the math, we’re at close to two hours.  My mother-in-law works at the school and normally takes the kids in the morning.  I honestly don’t know how I would do it all without her.  Three hours in a van every day is just a bit much, not just for me but for the kids.  Anyway, our commute provides ample opportunity for music appreciation and thanks to iPod we’ve got plenty of music.  I try to rotate the requests and thought I’d share one of our most recent.  Keep in mind that this was a total request hour.  They got to choose.

Zoë:     Popular — Wicked soundtrack
Defy Gravity — Wicked soundtrack
No Good Deed — Wicked soundtrack
(Zoë, if you couldn’t tell, loves the Wicked soundtrack.  Knows almost the entire thing.  There’s a performer in her just bursting to get out.)

Me:     London Calling — The Clash
Live — Lenny Kravitz
19th Nervous Breakdown — The Rolling Stones
(Hey, it was total request, remember.  You get your music on your turn.)

Zane:  Fix You — Coldplay
All These Things That I’ve Done — The Killers
King of Pain — The Police
(That’s MY BOY!)

Reading 101
Zoë is a remarkable reader.  She recently commented about how her class did a reading project to help give books to needy families.  She’s not the best at explaining things but essentially, as a class, they had to read 100 books in two days and then the needy kids got free books.  That’s all of the details I got.  I’m sure there was more to it but it’s not the point here.  She proudly stated that as a class they read 107 books in their two days.  Remarkable, I thought.  “How many did you read, Zoë?”  “Eleven!”  “Eleven?!”  “Yep.”  There are 25 kids in Zoë’s class.  Zoë’s efforts represented about 10% of the class total.  Now, I’m not one to call names here but…..SLACKERS!!!  Someone is not pulling their weight.  I’m also a proud pappa!

One Goes Out and They All Go Out!!

OK.  So it’s not the quintessential Christmas Playlist.

(Disclaimer:  This is my very first attempt at creating a podcast.  It was not easy!  It was not fun!  It literally sucked the Holiday Spirit from my very core.  So, if you happen to not like this carefully selected, thoughtfully arranged and festive selection of Christmas music…..I don’t care!!  Santa knows where you live.  He knows…..)

“….solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”–John Adams in a letter to his wife dated July 3, 1776.  It’s just after 11:00pm and I feel it safe to say we can count another holiday as having officially passed.  So how did we fare in accordance with what Mr. Adams felt would surely be requisite observance of our nation’s independence?

So, Mr. Adams, all in all, I think we did a pretty good job in keeping with your wishes of observing our nation’s independence. 

Only 258 shopping days until Christmas. Now that Easter can officially be counted as over, it’s as good a time as any to shift our focus.  The wonderful promise of Easter morning just two days past still has my kids buzzing.  The morning was filled praises and singing of hymns all proclaiming the joyous return of…

The Easter Bunny.  That fuzzy, pink do gooder might as well have proclaimed himself the Messiah.  As far as they were concerned–he’s Easter.  Oh, we went to church.  It’s part of the requirements to make oneself elligible to partake in the Easter Bunny’s Bounty.  My son probably got more out of the service than most in our family.  It is truly amazing the number and quality of questions that a four year old can generate from one picture of the crucifixion.  He went deep.  Really deep.  At one point my head was pounding so from the theological discussion he initiated that I resorted to distraction tactics.  He’d ask a question and I’d counter with, “How many windows are there in here?”  Next question and I’d counter, “How do you think they change those light bulbs up there?”, pointing high in the ceiling rafters.  I know, I know.  Who’s the four year old?

We enjoyed the remainder of our Easter Sunday with just us.  Family.  No plans or agendas.  Very laid back and quite frankly, very satisfying.  There’s nothing quite like watching your kids take that high fructose corn syrup ride to sheer euphoria and then… waiting for the inevitable crash.  Only to watch them refuel and hop right back on the coaster.  They slept really good that night.  Really, really good.

There’s an intervention scheduled for early next week.  My only prayer is that I’m able to salvage at least two or three of them before “the sugar” becomes their God.  I’m not worried about my youngest, though.  I think he’s well on his way making those chocolate demons and Easter a part of his past.

The horrified yells from the other room still echo in my brain, “Oooo!! Z! That’s not chocolate!”     Seems his older sister had left a bunny trail of her own.  Yep, Easter is officially over!