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Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sunday's Cool: Bunny Circus
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
NABLOPOMO is just over and I have decided to start it again.
So you are probably wondering what is so important to pull me out of the past. I have decided to participate in Nablopomo again this year. But this year I hope to write some of the blog posts early. That way I will not be forced to write every day. November is generally a busy month for our family. Spider Droid's birthday, Thanksgiving, the end of fall semester at our co-op. I generally don't post everyday anyway. Just about 3-5 times a week. I have done Nablopomo 2 times previously. The first time it put great stress on me and my family. Last year (or yesterday to me) didn't take as much of a toll. Amy wrote a few posts and I introduced HSD rewinds (reprints of previous posts and got through it). These prewritten posts can be considered HSD forwards.
I still will be popping in from your present from time to time but you will also get these blasts from the past as well. The thing is I might not always mention when I am while writing these.
Meanwhile back in the present . . . I have decided not to participate in NABLOPOMO this year.
Even with advance written posts and the ability to go HSD rewind when I need to, it just wasn't worth the extra time comittment. I hope to get back to the 3-5 posts per week that I was doing pre sabbatical.
Happy Birthday Spider Droid. We are going to have a great day.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Free Circus Tickets is No Trick
One of those events is the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.
There is a really good promotion happening October 31st which for some people is Halloween. Even though my family doesn't participate in Haloween, I thought I would pass this cool trick or treat give-a-way on to my readers in the Chicago area. I will also have it on my twitter feed and facebook page.
Here it is . . .
Halloween Trick or Ringling Treat!
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents Fully Charged is taking Halloween to a whole new level! This year you can Trick or Treat for a FREE Ticket to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Fully Charged! Simply visit one of the 5 Halloween Ringling Treat Houses during their Ringling Treat hour:
House 1 – Roseland, 11350 S. Calumet Avenue – 3pm – 4pm
House 2 – Oak Lawn, 9643 Melvina Avenue – 4pm – 5pm
House 3 – Barrington, 9149 Jasmine Way – 4pm – 5pm
House 4 – Oak Park, 300 Forest Avenue – 5pm – 6pm
House 5 – Naperville, 4711 Snapjack Circle – 5pm – 6pm
Parents who visit a Ringling Treat House with children between the ages of 2 and 12 will receive one voucher for a FREE Kid’s Ticket for each child present. Voucher is redeemable for a ticket to any Monday – Friday performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Fully Charged at Allstate Arena and United Center. Voucher must be redeemed for Kid’s Ticket at the arena box office. Additional tickets and adjoining seats may be purchased at that time. Trick-or-Ringling Treating is available on Oct. 31 until the end of the hour noted or until 100 FREE Kids’ Vouchers are distributed at each house, whichever occurs first.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Fragments, Photos, Tweets and Rants.
Yes you can sing my title to the tune of Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes if you want to. You got to know I will! That said, I have been blogging like crazy lately. I still have a lot to say and Friday Fragments is a great place to tie up loose ends
Fragment 1: I blogged earlier about former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich this week. Maybe I didn't mention that when he ran he said he was going to clean up corruption left in the wake of the previous governor. Now that George Ryan is in jail and Blago soon to join him I really like this new license plate and slogan proposal.
Fragment 2: I also have blogged some what inadvertently about the Pioneer Woman over the past two posts. They were really peripheral blink if you miss them comments beyond the main themes of the posts. It got me to thinking though that I do have a few pictures of her I wanted to post. Amy and the bigs went to a book store in Naperville this spring to get her new book.
She was impressed with his profound Lego skills. If I was The Next Big Thing on the Internet, I would have probably been "Next!" She, was incredibly gracious.
Fragment 3: As you may or may not know bad or inaccurate commercials drive me crazy. Today I was listening to Pandora while weeding the garden. (If you don't believe me check out this tweet.) A commercial for Lowe's came on and they said July 4th was finally here. That really ticked me off. (If you don't believe me check out this tweet.)
You see they Didn't say July 4th weekend was finally here. They made a single day into a season and then call the season by the day. This sort of thing really irks me, because making the day something it isn't, obscures what it is. In the Little House books, especially Little Town on the Prairie and Those Happy Golden Years, the 4th of July was a special day nestled in between 2 ordinary days. This gave it special meaning.
Our town's 4th of July fireworks were June 25th! 9 days before the actual event. Now they used to always have them the Saturday before the 4th, which I could understand. I even sort of got it when the 4th of July was on a Saturday, and they held the fire works the Saturday before. But 9 days? I mean they should have called them the Father's day fireworks since they were held closer to them, then the 4th of July. Many of the local area festivals which usually coincide with the 4th of July are ending on Sunday this year. I don't get it. The date has significance!
The timer just rang which means I have to stop this ranting and move on. (If you don't believe me check out this tweet.)
Fragment 4: I stole this picture along with the picture from Fragment 1 from the same Facebook account. I could type a lot more, but I think the picture speaks for itself.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father's Day Recap: It Goes Fast, Dad!
Amy drove to the mystery location and if we used blind folds on our kids’ mouths, I would not have known we were going to Old Country Buffet. Alas, breakfast covers a multitude of sins, especially when there's bacon!
After breakfast we went to church (sans blindfold) where we saw this video produced, starring and directed by men in our church.
After church, it was blindfold time again. This time when we stopped I had no idea where we were, until Spider Droid handed me a rather large bag and I knew we were at a bowling alley.
The kids had said let's take dad to do something he likes. Amy saw a coupon for unlimited bowling on Father's Day. So we went. Bowling is one of many things I don't do well but am passionate about. I had a B.C. (Before Children) goal of bowling in every state. We have bowled in quite a few. We have much of the Midwest and South taken care of. We hope to slowly but surely hit the rest. (When I say "we" I mean "I.") If HSD ever gets big enough for a speaking tour many of the venues will probably be bowling alleys.
We spent a good portion of the afternoon bowling. We had two lanes: one with bumpers and one without. At one point Spider Droid and I were bowling two games at the same time. I ended up bowling 7 games: 3 over 100, 2 99's, and none under 90. These are not good numbers for most bowling aficionados. For me they are dreams come true.
Like the song says, it goes fast Dad. I am glad I was able to savor some special time with my kids and my wife. I hope you all had a great day.
Next Time: Reading: it’s not just a railroad.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The gift that keeps on giving.
During the game there was a drawing for all the dads in attendance. One of the players had signed a bat which I won!
So if you are scoring at home, the kids gift of tickets turned out to be 3 gifts in one:
1) Family time in a busy season of my life.
2) A cherished memory of playing catch with my kids.
3) A tangible reminder of a wonderful evening.
Well this week the gift kept on giving.
The bat had been hanging in my garage since I won it. I didn't really have any practical use for it since it was much too big for the kids to use. Recently, Spider Droid asked if he could hit with it. This is an adult bat and he is a little guy for a nine year old. He had trouble swinging with it at first and when he did connec,t the ball did not go very far.
When we went to home school baseball this wee,k Spider Droid insisted on taking that bat and I threw him a few more while we waited for the rest of the boys and girls to arrive. When the game started, I had to coerce him to use one of the smaller bats rather than the piece of lumber I had brought. As a result, he was hitting fly balls out of the infield all evening, which he had never done before.
Being ever the budding scientist he credits this to practicing with a larger bat. He now wants to practice with that bat to prepare for next week’s game.
So for the past two nights we have gone to the local park taking turns pitching and hitting. Spider Droid might just think these trips are fun and a good chance to improve his game. Someday he may view them as I do: exquisite times of a father with his son.
Happy Fathers Day!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
500th Post Proclamation
First of all, I have joined the 2nd decade pf the twentieth century and am now on twitter. Going forward I will be tweeting a link to all my new posts. I will also be tweeting my Next Time announcement that appeared and have now reappeared at the bottom of my posts.
Secondly I have added two new pages to the blog. Earlier this month I hosted the Carnival of Homeschooling with a post about my Top 10 Films of all time. I have made that a page as well as a 500th post page.
There are a few other changes, but you can check those out yourself.
I promised something very special for 500 posts. To commemorate the occasion, I have written a song. Within the lyrics, there are links to some of the posts that have appeared in HSD over the last 2+ years. So without further explanation and WITH my apologies to the Proclaimers, I present . . .
When I wake up, yeah, you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about playin' puppy on the floor.
When I go out, well you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about a field trip to the store.
If it's Christmas, yes you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about how much we like to bowl.
And if it's Easter, yes you know I'm gonna blog.
That it's not a little rabbit that makes us whole.
I just blogged 500 times
And I might blog 500 more
To blog and ask what you guys do
With children screaming on your floor.
When I'm teaching, yes you know I'm gonna blog
About something good that Bunny or Spider did.
And when puppysims come
I'm gonna post 'em here. She's really quite a kid.
When we travel. yeah, you know I'm gonna blog
Whether close to home or Washington D.C.
And when we get back you know I'm gonna blog
With words and pics and videos for all to see.
I just blogged 500 times
And I might post 500 more
Just to be the guy whose 1000 posts
Will make you laugh but never snore.
When I'm fed up, yeah you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog 'bout how my family drives me mad
But when I think straight yeah you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about the super times that we have had.
I just blogged 500 times
And I might tweet 500 more
Just to be the guy whose posts and tweets
reveal the passion at his core.
So that's it for post #500. Unless I get a lucrative contract in the music biz. I will be back very soon inching my way to 1000.
Next Time: Paragraphy for a Monday Morning.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter is . . .
A Family time.
A time for children singing.
These may be the activities of Easter. But the reason we celebrate Easter is in the words the kids were singing. Our Savior Lives!
I hope you all had a great Easter. We did!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
I usually don't fall for stuff like this . . .
Bunny and Puppy brought out the cake and we had a celebration.
The sun was shining through the Window reflected on a c.d. on a bookshelf and the rainbow was visible on the ceiling.
Well that's all the fragments for today. click here to head back to Half Past Kissing Time.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dr. Seuss and More.
First here is a short list of a few other Theodore's who were known by other names.
Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. 26th President of the United States.
Born: October 27th 1858. Died: January 6th 1919.
Other nicknames: The Trust Buster, The Hero of San Juan Hill (among others).
Quote: No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it.
Theodore (Ted) Samuel Williams. Hall of Fame left fielder for the Boston Red Sox
Born: August 30th 1918. Died July 5th 2002
Other nicknames: Teddy Ballgame, The Splendid Splinter (among others).
Quote: Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.
Rev. Theodore "Ted" Martin Hesburgh. President, University of Notre Dame 1952-1987.
Born 5/25/1917.
Other nicknames: Father Ted.
Quote: The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
While there are many famous Theodore's (One of them is even a Chipmunk) to choose from. I picked these 3 to accompany the good doctor for these reasons:
1) They all at one time went by Teddy or Ted.
2) They all were alive at the same time. For about 18 months from May 1917 to early January 1919 they all breathed the same air.
3) Like Teddy Roosevelt the other 3 would be on the Mount Rushmore's of their chosen professions. Seuss made the Children's book what it currently is. Hessburgh is a revered figure in religious, academic and political circles. He is Guiness world record holder for honorary degrees. Ted Williams is the best baseball player of his generation.
Here is a quick video from: The original Cat in the Hat television special. The cat is voiced by Alan Sherman (Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah) also born in 1924.
And now 3 videos featuring other doctors who really weren't doctors at all:
1. Dr. Johnny Fever (portrayed by Howard Hesseman in WKRP in Cincinatti 1978-1982
2. Dwight "Doc" Gooden Major League Pitcher 1984-2000
He still owns the record for strikeouts as a rookie.
3. Dr Pepper
The soda was invented in 1885 at a drug store in Waco,Texas by Charles Alderton. It was introduced to the country at large at the Worlds Fair in St. Louis in 1904, the same year Geissel was being introduced.
Others born on March second include: Desi Arnaz (1917), Mikhail Gorbachev (1931), Karen Carpenter (1950) and Jon Bon Jovi (1962)
People of note born in 1904 Peter Lorre- Actor (Casablanca and Maltese Falcon), B.F. Skinner - Behaviorist ( or as psych 101 students call him, the rat man), and Johnny Weismuller. Olympic Medalist and Tarzan actor.
So that's it for me. No time left to tell you that when Amy and were getting married we registered for a copy of Greens Eggs and Ham. (See how I snuck that in.)
Monday, January 3, 2011
I haven't posted since last year!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Six Word Savior Day
I was going to title the post "six word Santa day" which sounds more like Six Word Saturday taking place at Show My Face dot com . I was also going to have my six words be simply: Merry Christmas from Home School Dad.
But, then I discovered another six words bounding down the chimney of my thought process:
Without the Savior; There's no Santa!
The legend that sprung out of the life of St. Nicholas is only possible because Jesus came down to Earth to become Immanuel (God with Us.)
Have a fantastic Holiday!
For more Six Word Saturday click here.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Pilgrim Hat Cookies
Here is what you need . . .
Fudge Striped Cookies
Cream Cheese Frosting
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Orange Frosting Tube
Step 1. Set Fudge Striped Cookies Stripe side down on cookie sheet
Step 2 spread frosting on top of peanut butter cup .Step 3 affix peanut butter cup on cookie. Enough frosting will run over to make brim for hat.
Step 4 with orange frosting, make belt buckle on side of hat.
Step 5. Voila.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
You don't have to be Einstein.
So I donned a wig (cotton balls taped to a stocking cap) and my best German scientist accent and had a lot of fun with it.
It turns out you don't have to be Einstein to play Einstein. I was able to perform an experiment that illustrated what Einstein discovered about light having gravity.
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My parents came to the closing festivities for the co-op for the first time this year. I think it was the first time they ever got to see my kids in action in a true home school setting. I shared the emceeing duties with two of the speech classes. The presenters went up in pairs and they were very polished, so it had a real awards show feel to it. At the end of the evening I handed the microphone to puppy and she told this joke . . .
Who was the most important knight at the round table?Sir Cumference
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As I posted Sunday, Christmas shopping has seemed to begun in earnest all around us. If you make it out to the malls and big box stores take the sales advice with a grain of salt. I have noticed that some sales people through ignorance, poor listening skills, or just to sell more product don't always give correct product information.
For example, I wanted to buy Amy something she could listen to radio programs with when she is out and about. On several occasions we looked at ipods and we asked several associates if those ipods would play pod casts. Each time we were told no. Sometimes we were told that only a Zune would play pod casts, sometimes we were told that only an ipod touch would play them. Both those pieces of equipment cost more than what I had to spend on her birthday present. We then decided to just buy an old fashioned Walkman type radio and were told by an associate that the store no longer sold radios like that.
I walked back to where they "used to be" located anyway. They were still there and we bought out. We found out later that day through the miracle that is Facebook. That ipods do indeed play pod casts. (I mean they are called "pod" casts for a reason.)
I marched (figuratively) back to the store returned the Walkman radio, and proceeded to buy Amy an ipod; at a different store.
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Those are all the fragments I have. I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving. For More Friday Fragments click here.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thanksgiving Cancelled
I looked in vain for 5-10 minutes for Thanksgiving decor while I wandered through the crowded store, I finally asked a staff person where I could find it and He said they had taken down all the Thanksgiving merchandise in order to prepare for Christmas. I reconsidered the time jump theory for a split second and then inquired if Thanksgiving had been cancelled? I don't know if he knew for sure, so I just bought my card stock and left.
As I exited the store I read a sign on their window that they would be open 5 hours on Thanksgiving. So I'm thinking why would they be open on Thanksgiving? They don't have any Thanksgiving stuff! Then I read the sign further and it said that there would be door busters.
So that was it, with almost a week before Thanksgiving they had remove all traces of it from their store but are trying to lure us back there on Thursday afternoon when the triptifan is supposed to be kicking in just so we can buy Christmas stuff!
This was not an isolated situation. My SIL had the same experience yesterday, She went into Kohl's, TJ Maxx, and a dollar store looking for Thanksgiving decorations and came up empty.
I read a joke in a letter in the mid 1980's. It said that when you see all the Christmas decorations up you can tell that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I remember reading it that it was an exaggeration of the truth. In the past 25 or so years, that joke has become the reality; and the reality is not very funny, especially when you need orange frosting.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Big 40 minus the birthday boy
When My Mom turned 40, my Dad put a banner across our garage that read "Jeanne's 40 today. But don't tell anyone!". We lived across from the local library at the time and man people people became aware of the event.
When I turned 40, Amy had a surprise party for me and had one of my favorite musicians, Alan Levi, fly in from Alabama and sing at my party. He performed the following song among others .
When Amy turned 40, relatives teamed with me so I could give her 40 rolls of quarters. (Amy love quarters)
Keith died 18 months ago, so he never quite made the milestone. Keith was born on veteran's day and loved that his birthday was celebrated by many people even though they might not be aware they were doing so.
Today as you reflect on the men and women who served our country in the military. Reflect also on the men and women boys and girls who left the party before we had a chance to throw them one.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Birthday Traditions
Technically Speaking
Spider Droid will wear out a phrase every few months. Back this Summer it was technically speaking. Every other sentence would start with technically For example "Technically Speaking Star Wars Episode I was really the 4th episode that came out." If he were here, he might tell you that technically speaking he has only had one birthday is and this is the 9 year anniversary of that birthday.
Almost Birthdays
A relatively new birthday tradition is the almost birthday. It's a pretty simple tradition that is celebrated the day before the actual non technically speaking birthday. Click here to see a video of the almost birthday song.
Birthday Party in Bed
A Roller Family staple is starting the birthday off with cupcakes, singing, and present opening first thing in the a.m. Breakfast is optional. This is done regardless of any other celebrations that may ensue.
The Chuck-E-Cheese Birthday.
The age of 4 is a special year. It is essentially the upperclassmen year of pre-school. When each of our children turned 4 they had a Chuck-E-Cheese Pizza Party. It is special because it was always their first friend party. Our Kids can still be kids but they have all now aged out of their 4 year old rite of passage.
Birdthday Immunity.
All our children were born during the school year. We usually take school off on the Children's birthdays. Sometimes we do a special field trip, sometimes we just stay at home. We Home school, we can roll that way. Technically speaking, we are not taking Spider Droid's birthday off because it is on Monday, our co-op day. However, tomorrow Amy is taking the day off and we are going on a family field trip to the aquarium. The birthday boy is even bringing along 2 friends.
Birthday Shopping.
My wife's Mom takes the kid's out on or near their birthday for a special time of Grandma bonding. They go out to eat and then she takes them shopping to the store of their choice where they can buy a present or two. She even allows them to pick out a little something for the sibs left behind.
The Birthday Pole.
A now multi-generational tradition takes place at my parents house each year. It started when I was a kid at my Grandpa's house. At the visit closest to our last birthday, my grandpa would measure us grandkids on a pole in his basement and then our name and age on a label maker and stick the label where he had marked our height. Being 1 of 29 grandchildren, this was always a special time between me and my grandpa. I am glad my Dad continues this for his grand kids.
Preventing Birthday Spoilers
Our kids get very excited about giving their brother and or sister(s) gifts. So much so that they often spill the beans long before said beans are unwrapped. We do our best tricks to keep that from happening. This year any time the beans were in dang er of spilling, Amy would redirect by saying: Lovely weather we're having.
These are just a few ways that we celebrate birthdays here. I'd love to her how you make family birthdays special. Happy Birthday son, we love you!
There will be a few changes to the ye-olde blog this month. The first one is that I am discontinuing the next time notices for the month. This month my youngest Brother would have turned 40. To honor him in these pages I will be linking to posts I have shared about him in the past. I call it . . . Keith Time.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Six words after Christmas
Had a very merry Christmas. We did something new this year giving each other only 1 gift per person from each person. We knew that between grandparents, aunts and uncles the kids would be lavished with gifts and we did not need to pile on.
Each kid spent their own money for the gifts they gave. Allowing Amy and I to get what my dad used to call "the biggie."
Charlie and Emma received cameras. So if you ever happen over to their blogs (Emma, Charlie) expect to see lots of pictures of bunnies and Star Wars Lego Sets respectively.
I wasn't totally surprised to receive a telephone this year. We had washed my last one and I was in need. However the type of phone floored me. We have never had any kind of phone with a contract before it has always been pay as you go. My new Samsung has internet access, a camera (that also takes video, a GPS, a pastry chef, and a word processor. Amy wanted me to have something that I could use when I got a blog or other creative idea that worked better than a Taco Bell Napkin.
I have to go now and register for the graduate school course I will need in order to master the intricacies of this phone. Hope every one's Christmas was as good as ours. Skip on over to showmyfacedotcom to see more of Six Word Saturday.
Next Time: A Cool Use For A GPS
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