I See Cheese, I Eat It

Snow Bunny

2012-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

We FINALLY have enough snow for my snow bunny to play in. What more need be said?

The Pen of Neglect

2012-01-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

I'm never current any more. This photo is from sometime around Christmas. But not sure exactly when. As you can see, there is a Christmas Bear in the "pen of neglect" with the guys... but we got him before Christmas.

I'll guess this is early December. JTQ holding up JAQ. Yes, the pen of neglect resides in the kitchen so I can almost prepare dinner while eating bonbons and reading romances.

JTQ: 4 1/2 years
JAQ: 6 months

Nap Time

2011-09-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Awwwww. What could be more adorable than sleeping children (and cat)? A sleeping Mommy, probably. But that is so not going to happen. The moment I fall asleep the cat wakes me, or my bum goes numb and well, you get the idea.

So here are my terrible two. Passed out in the sleeper is James at 12 weeks. Nuzzled next is John, now 4 years. Me, I'm ancient at darned near 45. I'm going to be 45 in 10 days.

Where did the time go? Is it cliche to say that or am I allowed to at least get it out once before I look at all the blessings I have (most of which are sleeping on me in this photo) and say that the time was well-spent and I'm the luckiest Mommy in the world.

ps I was sleeping just before the photo was taken, but my own snoring woke me. I am a long long way from my younger days (and a size 4).

A little more current

2011-09-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

Another day at the park. These were warmer times (two days ago) just before my baby-weight loss plateaued. Mercifully it's sweater season now.

James, aka "Bunny" at 8 weeks.

I think.

I'm pretty sleepy.

We've Grown

2011-07-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

My how we've grown. As you can see, we have a new critter in our midst. Johnny Quest has a new baby bro James. James brother of John. Sounds nice, doncha think?

All is well. JTQ, Michael and Robert all pleased as punch to have a new little bro. Of course, this is JTQ's first kick at the older brother can. So far he's up for the task. He's got his big bros for models.

Updates as they happen, and whenever I get to the computer. Hmmm. Could be years.

Spring is Sprung

2011-06-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

At first glance you may think this is a photo of my garden. But it's not. It's a photo of JTQ's hidey hole (under window). This photo is about a month old. My garden exploded gloriously. Unfortunately though, this blog is not about the garden. Dang.

I am massively pregnant here and so once again am behind in posting. Next post will likely include two crazy children instead of one.

JTQ turned four last week. Where oh where does the time go?

Chef JTQ

2011-03-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

Yes, I missed posting in February...not that it's required I post monthly but it's what I've been trending. So we get at least two for March.

JTQ is quite the chef. Very handy with knives and, well, "sharps" in general. Here he is stirring up a mess o' vittles for us one quiet Saturday evening.

I suppose I should brace myself for cries of outrage but I am trying to win Bad Mummy of the Year again.

If I knew you were coming ....

2011-03-14T14:41:00.001-07:00

I'd have baked a cake. Well, we did bake a cake. A gooey chocolate cherry one for big bro Michael's birthday. JTQ helped, as you can see.

The goodness of chocolate. It just gives and gives.

I missed February. I am large with child, as they say, and am inclined to be forgetful. Will add another few pings this week.

Climbing the Walls

2011-01-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Makes a mother proud.

It's winter. There's snow. Playing in snow is great. But sometimes you just gotta have a snow day. I didn't know JTQ could climb up backwards but he showed me that yes, he does have the knowledge. It's inborn knowledge. Older than mountains.

Why should I be surprised? That's rhetorical. I'm not. As you can see, he starts on his hands and climbs his feet up the wall. We're not 90 degrees yet. But there's always tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Hallowe'en

2010-11-16T13:18:00.001-08:00

In an unprecedented move I have posted two pictures. Unfortunately, I'm in them and forgot to do something nice with my hair, as you can see.

First is our pumpkin carving. John's pretty good with the knife and for a change is using his non-dominant hand. We think he's a lefty or, more likely, cross-dominant like we are.

Second is himself in the tiger suit and one of our finished pumpkins. Again I grace the photo but forgot to fix my 'do. Dang and drat. I wish to assure the world I'm outrageously good-looking. I just lack fashion-sense. Although my NASA "I need my space" sweatshirt cannot be beat at any price.

Leaves Leaves Leaves

2010-10-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

on the ground ground ground.
Leaves on the ground.
Leaves on the ground.
Leaves leaves leaves
on the ground ground ground.

I wish I could say I wrote that, but I didn't. One of you reading knows who wrote that, and hopefully is smiling now.

Oh we love leaves. We adore them. We wallow in them.

And we blend. Boy do we blend. See if you can find Johnny Quest. He's in there somewhere.

Dang, the blue gives him away. Maybe next year Johnny.

Climbing the Walls

2010-09-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

What the picture doesn't tell you is that this is a seven-foot gate.

Johnny Q has been experimenting with making his mother's hair turn white. Now I'm not overly concerned that he's a climber. I am too. What worried me was that I was in the kitchen busying myself with housewifely duties like making pumpkin cranberry loaf when I look out the window to smile fondly at my progeny and he's busy whipping up the gate to chase "Bad Bing Bing", the local ruffian cat who poops in my garden. Evil Cat Sam happens to look like our sweet kitty Bing Bing, but of course is evil, hence the moniker.. well, you get it.

So Mr Climby Pants has nearly mastered the gate. I'm going to have to slow him down with shoes. I don't mind that he can scale the wall -- he's Spider Man, after all. And he'll show you his Spidey gloves to prove it. It's just that darn it, I was getting used to him having a 'safe' place to play. Which mostly means he'll still be there when I put him there. Now that's gone and I have to put one of those invisible fence dog collars on him.

No wait, that's wrong. Right? Ooops.

Moving on Up

2010-08-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, we moved. And here's the tale of the tape. That's our Johnny Quest getting ready for take-off.

I have been trying to win Bad Mummy of the Year Award for three years now. Maybe this is the shot that will do it.

We are moved now, enjoying our new life in the "burbs". Burbs are great. Now I get them, after 43+ years of being a City Girl. Johnny Q loves it too. Now he can dig in the garden without my worrying that he'll find needles or other urban nastiness. Yes, life is good.

Bug Hunting

2010-06-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is what we do on Sundays. We look for bugs. John here is looking, in particular, for ants. But sometimes we branch out and search for worms too. And we never turn our noses up at snails.

Yes, I realize now our shirts matched. By why not? Daddy, holding the camera, was wearing blue too. Mmmmm. Bugs. The other other white meat.

Spring Cleaning

2010-05-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

It's nice to be able to open the windows again. Not that we don't in the winter, but you know what I mean. Johnny Q's a mean man with the window cleaner, as you can see. No smudge left unsprayed. Squeaky clean, inside and out. Of course, now he'll just have to repaint the windows now that the winter's artwork has been removed. Dang.

Cherry Tarts

2010-04-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just so we're clear: that's cherry pie filling (or more accurately, cherry tart filling) on the side of JQ's head. He thought it was a good idea, and it was, until we tried to get it out of his hair.

Little Bing Bing

2010-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Most people think we have only one cat, Bob. That's only because Bob's the most likely cat to stay put when the camera comes out. True, JQ loves Bob more than most things, but there's also the elusive Bing Bing. She's Bob's litter mate and is a bit more shy but very cozy and sweet-natured.

But shy. So here is a picture of Not Bing Bing. In other words, the neighbours have a cat who looks just like Bing Bing, only smaller. Johnny Q calls her "little Bing Bing". And here she is. And you can see, Johnny Quest is very happy. Awww.

The Reading's on the Wall

2010-03-04T11:53:00.001-08:00

Hard to say how this happened. But there you go.

Self-Portrait

2010-02-06T18:06:00.001-08:00

There comes a time in every artist's life when one must look within (or without) and do a self-portrait. Johnny Q here next to his first attempt. Fueled by PC Decadent Chocolate Chips, JQ went for a minimalist approach, somewhat informed by the Stick Figurism Movement of 2009.

Letters above? We're very Montessori here, and those are JQ's practice letters for this week. We like to go in order of shape, doncha know?

Make it Yours

2010-01-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

We were getting creative to celebrate the Epiphany, as one does. A little paint, some foam letters, construction paper and an obliging library book to keep it all together.

John says mixed media is his January focus and who can blame him when the winds blow cold?

I am Curious - Yellow

2009-12-07T08:29:00.001-08:00

It's winter. The sun is gone. Except in our apartment. Johnny Q has entered his Yellow Period now. While listening to GW Handel (Suite pour clavecin HWV 430), JQ decided to bring the outdoors in. Well, what little he remembered of the warm glow of sun as he frolicked by the banks of the Seine. Or in the wading pool up the street.

Blue Man

2009-11-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

No, we haven't been watching Braveheart. It's just that Johnny Quest's in his Blue Period, like Picasso before him (although better, because Picasso had his Blue Period in his early twenties while Johnny Q is a scant 30 months).

The cat wouldn't come out for a photo, but he's blue too. Funny how that happens. I'm blue too, but my image cannot be reproduced by any known technology (yes, I'm that beautiful).

Aqua Velva Man

2009-11-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Not that John is a metrosexual or anything, but he knows the value of a good shave. Real men shave. Really real men have to shave in the evening too, in case it's date night. For red haired boys, every night is date night.

Lock up your daughters!

Bob: A Study

2009-10-20T14:12:00.001-07:00

Johnny Quest took up photography recently. This is one of his first offerings. Of course, a study of his greatest love: Bob the cat. Here you can see John's beginning a series of studies of feline (particularly Bob's) anatomy. To wit: Bob's nose. Extreme close-up, to be specific. Perhaps we need to buy a micro lens.

More to follow.

Wall Art

2009-10-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's not you, it's me. The focus, well, it isn't. I was laughing too hard to get a good shot in. Johnny Q. clearly doesn't like to paint clothed. Restricts the artist and his creative flow. But you know that already. Who of us wouldn't just love to strip down and paint a wall or two? Not a bad gig, really.

Wormies

2009-09-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

The reason I'm not current has nothing to do with a lack of material, and everything to do with a lack of time. This is Johnny Quest in Cedarvale this past weekend. No worm left undug in his world. John groks worms. I'm not convinced they grok him, but they do seem very grateful to be returned to their little holes eventually, with a little piping voice chiming "Bye Bye Worm!".

No worms were harmed in the making of this blog.

A Sprinkle A Day

2009-08-19T20:30:00.001-07:00

is never enough. One needs millions. Or at least hundreds. We're not about the ice cream here, we're about the sprinkles.

Daddy's away so yes, we get to eat sprinkly ice cream on top of our library books. Oh wait, we'd do that anyway. Dang.

In the Poop

2009-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Now let's see which kid is our Johnny Quest. Is it the wimpy boy-child wearing the long pants, jacket and hood, all fastidious and well-appointed? Or is it the cool kid covered in schmutz crawling on the ground, encouraging the off-camera cougar to dig with him (and he did).

And we wonder how kids grow up to be so afraid of bugs and the Great Outdoors?

We were at the Wildlife Sanctuary in Gravenhurst. I will try to find the correct name. They do great and wonderful things there. We visited almost exactly a year ago. So here's a wee film from last year. The boy had (and still has) an affinity for climbing hills. Maybe there's a polka dot jersey in his future?

Size Six Bowl

2009-07-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

That time again. Bangs too long for an active boy. Time to get the bowl out. Note the purple war paint. This boy was in the shit, man. No bullets to bite though, to help him through this painful experience. We only had a barber's comb handy. That'll do in a pinch.

The money we save on haircuts will go into his therapy fund for when he's older and needs to deal with the haircuts.

What's the Buzz?

2009-06-13T07:13:00.001-07:00

We've been in Montreal having a blast. Today's shot is from our jaunt to the Insectarium. Here we have Johnny Quest checking out the bees. We like bees. They buzz. Bzzz bzz bzzzzz.

Brusha Brusha Brusha

2009-05-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

The stylish Styracosaurus always keeps its smile bright and its breath fresh. Time to go dancing, no doubt. What the active dino does on a Monday morning. They keep strange hours, these beasts.

Bug and Worm Hunt

2009-05-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

It's spring. Time to do a bug and worm hunt. Every day is Hunting Day now. Fortunately, the rain has been quite obliging. We found centipedes the other day but I wasn't ready with the camera and damn! those things move like stink.

Here's Johnny Quest, digging for worms in the David Balfour Park. This is the place to be for creepy crawlies, and the occasional pooch. Whoever thinks Toronto is a concrete jungle obviously hasn't been to the Balfour park.

Pineapples

2009-04-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yum yum yum. Pineapple. What's better, pineapple, or sitting on the counter? That's a tough one. There's a special thrill for any toddler, sitting on the counter. I know we're not allowed to do this at the fascist mothers' groups we used to frequent. It's naughty, apparently. Oh well.

As for pineapple, I must have eaten one every day in my second and third trimester. Mmmmmm.

Laundry Day

2009-04-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than lounging in the warm clean laundry with Maggie (thanks Auntie Cindy and Uncle Mat). We love Maggie. We don't remember who got Maggie for Christmas, but she's Johnny Q's now. Awwwww. A boy and his dog.

Paint by Numbers

2009-04-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

As you may have observed already, Bob is amazingly tolerant of Johnny Quest's activities, whims, and general artistic needs. Today we paint. As you can see, JQ has already decorated himself. So it only follows that Bob is the next to be blue. It's not easy being blue. Are they casting for Braveheart II? Hope so. We'll be ready.

It's Cold In There

2009-04-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm letting Johnny Quest sit in the fridge. Why? He likes to. And he sits so nicely and nibbles his pepper and I can get dinner ready. Kinda hard to make dinner these days if only because most of the labels have been peeled from the jars and tins. I wonder how that happened?

But the fridge gets cleaned regularly now, so I don't complain. The boy likes to remove everything, do a wipe-down, and occasionally put things back.

Busy work, being a toddler.

Typage

2009-03-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Daddy's in BC doing a project for BC something-something (I forget). While he's there, he'll be visiting the Oldest who's currently at the Vancouver Film School. In honour of his big brother, Johnny Quest is having a go at wordsmithing. He's just plotting things out still at this point, but JQ tells me his first piece will be a "Diaper Thriller". Some baby genre that makes sense only to the under-3s.

Fortissimo

2009-03-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

Have you seen a happier toddler? We haven't. We are deep into our fort-making phase. This lasts about 40 or 50 years... well perhaps more, considering the interest JQ's father is taking in all this.

Just wait til we have our own house. Oh, we'll have a fort and then some!

This Little Light of Mine

2009-03-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

WAKE UP DADDY!

Yes, Johnny Q was up early this morning. With the flashlight. Need we say more?

Can You Dig It?

2009-03-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Oh, we sure can! Yes, that's us in the excavator on Bathurst, north of Dupont. Words cannot express my joy. The boy, as you can see, is focused on digging up that nasty old sewer. What fun! Many thanks to the Boss there who probably got tired of us hanging around every day, and decided to put Johnny Quest to work.

Ides of March

2009-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

Anne Geddes, eat your heart out. This is what real babies crawl in and out of (or our JQ's case, jump or climb) -- gnarly old tree stumps. I regret I didn't have a flower to glue to the top of his cute little pate.

One Year Ago

2009-03-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Awww. Johnny Quest is still a baby here, nine months old. He'd only been walking about a month by this point. A month of practice and I guess he decided he was ready for the wheeled laundry bin. Wheeee! A lot of fun can be bought at IKEA for 20 bucks. We still get some mileage out of the laundry bin, but more for rides than actual laundry. Riding is more fun than folding, I say.

I don't have as many stills of JQ now since he's become so mobile that he's nothing but a blur now. Or frankly, it's just not safe. I'm hovering around waiting for him to jump from something. No way you can 'childproof' for a climber. Nope.

More Bob, You Say!

2009-03-04T04:13:00.001-08:00

You can never have too much Bob.

I have time to write this because someone, not me, chose to wake up at 6am. Now I realise many of you have early morning 'larks'. Disgusting. Fortunately, I work at home (so to speak) so getting the child up early isn't something that's necessary. But today was special. Time to get up and watch BBC Kids. A bit of Pingu. Or Binka. Or better yet, both.

Bob

2009-02-28T19:05:00.001-08:00

For those who don't know, Johnny Quest's first word was "Bob". Yup. Not "mama" or "dada" or anything else that might make you weep for joy.

"Bob".

And here's Bob. Over the last year since the first "Bob" was uttered, the love has not dimmed one iota. JQ loves Bob. And Bob allows JQ to worship.

So here's JQ keeping Bob warm. Not that Bob suffers from feeling cold. Ever. He's the size of a walrus with padding to match. But it's the thought that counts. Awwwww.

And now, the world's briefest video (batteries ran out). Bob and Boy in stroller. Not that we use this stroller anymore as such. No, it's more an armchair or a place to play peekaboo, and perhaps, hang with your kitty.

Fast and Furious

2009-02-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Out for a drive. We've been teaching Johnny Quest to drive a stick shift. Having some success but unfortunately, kid's got a bit of a lead foot. Steve McQueen, watch out.

It's a Frisbee!!!!

2009-02-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane! No, we're playing Frisbee in the house. Wheeee. What you can't see is that Johnny Quest is standing on a ladder. This is all part of my Bad Mummy of the Year entry. I'm starting early. Indoor Frisbee on a ladder. Why not?

Johnny loves the ladder. It's part of him. He loves the Frisbee as much, but differently. His climbing is sublime, but the throwing's not quite there yet. No comment on catching either. But dang! he can scale a bookshelf.

Frere Jacques

2009-02-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

Are you sleeping?
Are you sleeping?
Baby John.
Baby John.
You've been up for hours.
Maybe 15 hours.
Mommy's zonked.
Mommy's zonked.

Family Day 2009

2009-02-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Driving driving driving! We're off to a good park. One that doesn't have smashed bottles mixed in with the sand. One that doesn't have obscenities spray-painted on the slides. In short, one not near our house, although technically speaking, we live in a good area. More like, we live on the cusp of a good area, and a crappola area. Such is life.

We're off and Mr Quest, as you can see, is learning all about trucks. Wearing his snazzy militiaman hat courtesy of Studioloo. It's sunny, warm enough, and darn it, it's a holiday in February. Sure, it costs the province billions. But what price happiness? And a chance to play in a good park on a Monday?

Hittin' the Hard Stuff

2009-02-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

Don't you think Hellman's should hire Johnny Quest here to do their next campaign? He loves the stuff so much that, as you can see, I've had to remove the caps to the spritzers. He tries to drink the stuff through the little tubes though, with some success. Weird child. Loves the hot and spicy stuff too. My little vindaloo baby.

I ate a ton (metric or imperial, your choice) of Indian food when I was expecting JQ. I wonder if he grew a taste for it, or if it's simply genetic. The hotter, the better. Now I have a crazy spicy child.

He loves Ferrero Rocher too. Good balance. Cleanses the palate.

Flight of the Conchords...

2009-02-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

... are coming to Toronto April 21 and 22, 2009.

But we won't be seeing them. Why? Because they're sold out. I got the email from HBO about the tour. Email told me the presale days were, um, last week? Oh, how very helpful. But despite this late email, Massey Hall managed to sell out both shows by this Monday morning. I guess people are more awake than I am.

Sure, we love the show, but haven't had a chance to watch the new season yet. Maybe they made the announcement on the show? That would explain the rush. So tsk tsk on us.

Or maybe not. This is also what I read today. Seems some folks feel Ticketmaster is selling tickets on this other site, Ticketnow. So I go and sure enough, there are tickets for Flight of the Concords, both nights. Ranging from $188 to $400 bucks each, up a wee bit from the $49.50 the tickets were regularly.

All this to say, I'm PISSED.

Bret and Jermaine, if you're in Toronto in April and are bored, well, we won't be at your show, but we'll be pleased to receive you for tea or other comestibles.

Must love toddlers and not be allergic to cats.

Cliff Dweller

2009-02-07T14:15:00.001-08:00

Nothing fazes this kid. Clearly, no fear of heights, falling backwards from desks, or incurring my wrath. I hear, constantly, people saying "but I left [him/her/them/it] alone for only a minute." Lucky bastards. I can leave this kid for three seconds, tops. And you can see where that gets me.

Kitty Season

2009-02-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

It's winter so it's kitty season. When you have a toddler, every season is really Kitty Season but it's worse in the winter because we're more housebound. We were out earlier today to see my shrink (thank God for him) and man it was brutal. We couldn't wait to get back into the house for some good ol' kitty hunting.

What you see here is, of course, Johnny Quest scrunching down low. And the posterior of my other ginger kid Gregory Twinklebear, who, as you may have noticed, is lacking a tail. Yup, GT is a Manx. A "rumpy" Manx, to be specific. And the world's suckiest, sweetest kitty. Saying he is good-natured doesn't do him justice. Dang it all, he's a poopum. And he puts up with Kitty Season like a real Trooper.

Feeling Crafty

2009-02-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

I wish I were famous so that millions would read this, and see how crafty, artistic and clever my brother and sister-in-law are. But I'm a humble SAHM with delusions of being able to finish a posting at one sitting. Perhaps some day.

In the meantime, for my friends who are feeling crafty, as one might in the winter, I would like to put in a plug for Studioloo and Manspun.

What does Studioloo not do? It's unclear. She seems to do it all. Jewelery, hats, clocks, maybe a coral reef? Why not?

Manspun. What could that be? Well, the earth spins, doth not Man? Feel that spinning and other yarnly things are solely within the domain of womanhood? Think again. The Captain will set you straight. Get in touch with your inner dudeness and buy some manly yarn.

Let it Snow

2009-02-02T09:02:00.001-08:00

Normally I hate winter. I think I said as much a couple of days ago. But it was warm on Sunday and we thought it was time for JQ to remember he's a sturdy Canadian. We found a lovely park in the west end somewhere and let the boy loose.

Things to know: children don't play in the snow anymore. Well, maybe they do, but not where we were. Four degrees and sunny, and nary a child to be see. The park was untouched. Very sad. It was a gorgeous perfect day.

As you can see, Johnny Quest was dressed for it. He had lost his mittens so was wearing mine. Good for making snow folk.

Comfort Food

2009-01-31T08:34:00.001-08:00

Further to previous. Stay in bed or make comfort food. Winter is for comfort food. As you can see, Johnny Quest is a fabulous cook. Lots of good fibre and protein. And of course, the all-too-necessary carbs.

Mmm carbs. God's way of saying "I love you".

Gotta Get Up in the Mornings

2009-01-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

We hate mornings here. We're not even night people. We're just stay-in-bed folk. At least in the winter. I forgot what we did in the spring, summer and fall. It's too long ago. And winter is only, technically speaking, one month in.

I hate winter. People keep suggesting 'fun' things to do with my uber-active 20 month-old. Drag him behind me on the sidewalks in a sled. Hmmm. There is not enough duct-tape to keep this kid on a sled. Another fun thing? Take him to the park to run in the snow. First of all, that means I have to be in the snow too. And I'll already been worn out from pushing his stroller through the unshovelled sidewalks. Then he'll tear his boots off as he always does. And we'll both freeze. And I'll win Bad Mummy of the Year Award. Again.

No, best to stay in bed and watch Dragon.

Orange You Glad

2009-01-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

You didn't say banana.

Yes, this is Johnny Quest, eating an orange. I was going to write about the latest Conservative Budget courtesy of Stephen Harper. But I'll show this instead. Ah, the first bite of an orange. Makes your eyes go all squidgy.

JQ is 20 months old today. Which means I haven't slept for 20 months. Rocket Scientist has slept somewhat better, but not much. Overall, it is worth it.

And the budget? Well, it all seems so trivial doesn't it? Anyone here ever had to be on EI? Or UI? No? Then you don't know what 'pain in the aspen' really means.

Happy almost-third anniversary, by the way, to Stevie. I'll likely forget by February 6th. So here are your kisses now: smoooooch. Maybe Iggy will slip you some tongue.

Oh, please, by the way, stop calling Michael Ignatieff "Iggy". It's an affront to all the real Iggies of the world. Or, at least one. Iggy Pop.

Where are all the good shows?

2009-01-25T07:10:00.000-08:00

I know everyone thinks their own generation had the best shows/books/cartoons, but mine really did. As far as I can tell. So now that I have 20-month old Johnny Quest, I'm wondering if he'll have that same nostalgia when he's older.

But his shows suck. Most of them, at least. Sure, he will have the always wonderful Dragon (by Dav Pilkey), or Pocoyo, Toopy and Binoo. But he'll also have Franklin. Could anything be more pathetic than sad sack Franklin who spends most of the episodes whining and complaining? Too easily swayed by the opinions of others?

Were kids shows always moral tales? Perhaps they were. But now, it seems, more than ever. Which is ironic considering the obvious decline in attitudes and behaviours of kids today. I guess it's not working, these smarmy moral tales. But we keep stuffing them down the kids' collective throats. I wouldn't be the first to observe that a lot of child-rearing has been offloaded to television and teachers. Funny we don't want them to watch TV, but we've made it our moral leader for children.

What I wouldn't give to find more real educational material on television. Some spelling shows. Numbers. Sure, there are a few (Numberjacks, Martha Speaks, Between the Lions). But not many. No, it's mostly behavioural modification. Makes me sad.

I am glad we have fun shows like Dragon, Toopy and Binoo, and Pocoyo. Our kids need some whimsy without having to have some 'lesson' drilled into their heads. But when it comes to lessons, I'd rather a show that reinforces literacy and numeracy, rather than moral preachy crap. Turn all our kids into wide-eyed automatons, sucking the life right out of them. But then, I guess, they'll be ready for school.

Reminds me why we're homeschooling.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-01-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sure, it's only been 17 months. And what can I possibly have to say that can be written in fourteen second segments? We'll see. So far, it's taken me some ten minutes just to write this. My twenty-month old son, Johnny Quest, keeps me hopping.

But I need to write, maaaan! And I've hardly written a word since last LAST August when JQwas 3 months old. So this is my first of many false starts. But better a false start, than to sit about whining. I hope.