Community

Something happened this evening and I feel I need to share it.

I’m thankful for the community we live in. The town is a small town with about 3,000 people. However, it’s the community within the community I’m appreciating right now.

There are five houses and we all share a nice big backyard. No fences. No borders (except for the mowing lines). There are 8 kids at the elementary school age. There are several more older a few younger. 

Lots of kids.

Lots of parents.

It’s not uncommon for Crash and Bang to disappear for a couple hours. We know which houses they’ll be visiting, who they’ll be playing with. That is… if they’re not here with their friends. 

Anyway, I got a call tonight from a parent in our community. Bang was playing next door to her. She told me that a car had driven past her and her neighbor’s house. Then the car slowed and seemed to be eyeing Bang and his friend playing in the driveway near the sidewalk. She told me the guy in the car turned his car around at the next driveway and slowly drove by the kids again. He then took off when he spotted her husband watching. I thanked her profusely.

Then I went and talked to Bang his friend. They had moved back to the top of the driveway away from the road and were “making poison”. Mud and crab apples to give to me the next time I crank at them. Not sure if I should be proud of them or wary.

Anyway, I gently told them they need to stay at the top of the driveway and in the backyard. They were not to go near the road again.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to steal you.”

“No one is going to steal me” he replies incredulously.

I then went and relayed the information to parent of Bang’s friend at which house they were currently playing. He’s been playing with said friend for a solid week and half. He makes himself right at home over there and they’re kind enough to allow him to. She listened, she understood. She would be sure they stayed at the top of the driveway to play in case this unknown (creep) came back. It really does take a village…

I’m thankful for the community we live in. I’m so happy the boys have friends next door. I’m relieved that it is safe. 

It kind of reminds me of my little WordPress community. Thank you.

Keep your kids safe and be the voice to keep others safe, too.

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Monday Morning Round Table

Gather round, my friends. Let me get you something to drink.

Coffee?
Tea?
Milk?
Orange Juice?
Reisling? (It’s 5:00 somewhere)

I’d offer a Coke, but we don’t have any in the house. You’ll have to bring your own. Sorry.

This is our last full week of summer. The following week Crash starts 4th grade and Bang starts primary (aka kindergarten). The don’t start until Wednesday of next week though. I’ve explained my giddiness for the first day of school as both a teacher and a parent. I thrive on the routine as much as the kids do. DW has already started back to school. This is her third week back! Next week I’ll will be packing up to four lunches (on the days I get subbing days) , making sure everyone has what they need, and getting us all out the door on time. That last one is tricky. Last year I drove Crash to school. He enjoyed getting to school 15 minutes early (they have a “morning recess” before school starts). When he rode the bus he didn’t get there until recess was almost over. This year he will have his little brother with him for the first time. Bang is wickedly excited to ride the bus. Because if one rides the bus then Another Rides the Bus.

Crash’s baseball season is over, but it ended on a high note. He finally got to pitch. He struck out a batter to end the inning. We still pitch and catch and bat in the backyard though. Baseball’s not over until the World Series is played in October. My Orioles are currently in the 3rd place. The American League East is a tough decision and I’m confident they can overcome the Jays and Sox.

I’ve now posted 9 videos to my YouTube channel, SuperDad’s GoPro. I have a grand total of 3 subscribers! I have one in the editing process and I have some more ideas for more videos. I have to thank Jay Dee of I Read Encyclopedia for Fun for giving my YouTube page a shout out on both his blog and his own YouTube page.

That was our weekend. Thanks for joining me! Hope you enjoy the drink and chat. I hate to rush you out the door but a certain 5 year old wants me to play Big Brain Academy on the Wii with him.

Toodaloo!

Feel free to let me know how your weekend went down in the comments.

There’s no i in team but there is me in awesome! There is also a we. Join me and we can be awesome!

 

Sunday Share 500+

I’m not sure how it happened. I’m not sure when it happened. I do know that it did indeed happen.

500 followers? Thank you everyone!

Congratulations and thank you to Francis and Anna. I think this blogging couple was my 500th follower. At least they were the 500th counting backwards from my current followers. I missed capturing the 500th by 3. My good friend Dori, aka MamaParms from the blog Green Grapes, missed it by one! She was the 501st.

Thank you everyone who stops by to read. Whether you stop by everyone now and then or you read regularly, I appreciate the time you take on my blog. It really does put the fun in blogging.

Mark My World
502nd follower

Tips on Computer Desktop Publishing
503rd

Win With Mindy B
504th

Edit Perfect Word
505th

Whole Body Listening
506th

Note: I’m currently at 512 followers. Thanks again everyone! 1,000 here I come!

Go Ask Your Father: Hermit Crabs, Gas, McDonalds, and Clouds

As you know by now, Crash has been playing baseball all summer. Mosquito is what his level is called here. I’m used to calling it little league. Anyway, from his very first game on July 3rd he’s been wanting to pitch. So several times week, sometimes all seven days, I would practice with him in the backyard. I’d measure 44 feet, set down a Frizbee for homeplate and we’d walk through the steps on how to do it. Then he’d start throwing. In the beginning it was rough going. There were more pass balls than caught balls. Not because I can’t catch, either. His pitches would sail over my head. They would sail to the far right and to the far left like he was doing the “dizzy bat” before throwing.

Over the weeks we kept practicing. His pitches started becoming more catchable. We watched a few “how to” videos on YouTube and after a couple more week of practicing he started throwing an equal number of strikes and balls. Mind you, we were using a shovel stuck in the ground for a batter.

Fast forward to the last game of the season last Tursday and he has yet to pitch in a game. Then there were two outs and runner on third in the final inning and his coach makes a switch! Needless to say he was excited. Really excited. He was the personification of happy.

The first batter he faced, he walked. The second batter he faced, he walked. He now had bases loaded and two outs. Can you guess what happened? He struck the third batter out! His teammates were great in supporting him and congratulating him. He was on top of the world.

So were his parents. You can watch him throw to his last batter here.

1. What do hermit crabs look like without their shell?

DW asked this one one day at the beach. The beach we like to visit is touted as having the warmest water in Nova Scotia. There are hermit crabs scurrying all over. We, the boys included, like to dive for them. Our marine hermits can live up to 30 years if they are fortunate enough to remain in their watery habitat and not become supper for a hungry predator. However, in captivity, they usually only survive a few months. They breathe through gills, too. Their shell is to protect their soft, vulnarable abdomen and will sometimes fight to steal another hermit’s shell. If you’re looking for a good book about a hermit crab’s shell, Eric Carle has one called, A House for Hermit Crab.

Do lawnmowers use car gas?

On our way to pick up DW from work, I stopped to fill up a gas can for the lawnmower. Nosey-hole Bang wondered why I was putting it in the can and not in the truck like I usually do. So I told him it was for the lawnmower. Hence the question. Before the mower even uses gas, you need to start it by getting the flywheel spinning (the pull cord). The flywheel has magnets on it that create a magnetic field once it’s spinning. This magnetic field creates electricity that sent to the spark plug. Most mowers have four strokes which is about a gazillion fewer than my golf game. The first stroke is the intake stroke. Here is where the gas is used as this stroke pulls in gas and air (I only emit gas). The second stroke is the compression stroke which is where the piston compresses said gas and air, like when I squeeze my cheeks to keep the gas in. Then the spark plug ignites and the air and gas mixture combusts creating the power stroke (I’ve never ignited my gas) (yet). The exhaust stroke releases the combustion gasses. Exactly how my exhausts exists (sometimes silent but deadly).

Can we go to McDonalds?

Sometimes when you’re having a bad day a simple indulgence can make it all right again. This was the case with Bang yesterday. His day overall was good. But just before supper he slipped on a slide and hurt himself. He was okay, but it hurt and there were tears. I told him to get in the truck, we were going to get supper. He didn’t even need to put shoes on (that in itself started to make his hurt go away). Afterward, he was the personification of happy…

How do the clouds move so fast?

Because I was a fourth grade teacher, I know all about clouds. Mostly. Everything from stratus to nimbus and cumulonimbus (basically, they’re classed by elevation). Even to how they form. Ever make a cloud in a bottle? Just put some warm water in a clear bottle then drop a lit match into it and screw the top on real tight real quick. Squeeze the bottle good and tight. This creates high pressure inside the bottle. When you release it the pressure inside drops and a cloud is formed. The match was create smoke particles for the water to cling to. Naturally, that cloud ain’t goin’ nowhere. But the ones in the sky move by the force of the wind. The jetstream is 5-7 miles high and rushes along at speeds up to 150-200 mph. Some of that energy is transferred to various elevations and the clouds will either rocket along like a boy on his bike down hill or mosey along like DW’s driving.

Questions I Asked My Kids

1 Do you want to go kayaking today?

Crash: Most definitely.
Bang: Yes. Most definitely, too.
DW: Yes, but I’m going to work. Of course, I’d rather kayak!

2 Why do wasps sting?

Crash: They sting when they get angry and they so they can defend themselves.
Bang: To protect theirselfs.
DW: Because they’re buzzy bastards

3 Why do geese fly south for the winter?

Crash: Because it gets cold and they like to be in warmer places.
Bang: Because they only like warm places. The cold places make them turn into icebergs and they don’t like that.
DW: Because the weather vane tells them to (I once had one of my 4th grade students tell me this)

4 What is your Minecraft name?

Crash: StopperRhyRhy
Bang: Bang45
DW: N/A

5 What song will you request to hear in the truck?

Crash: Titanium
Bang: Don’t Mine At Night
DW: Cheerleader

6 What superpower do you want?

Crash: The ability to go into a video game and to teleport.
Bang: Firehand so fire comes out of one hand and a waterhand so water comes out of the other.
DW: Fix all of the world’s problems.

7 What three words would you use to describe dad?

Crash: Fun, Helpful (a useful engine), The best
Bang: Love, So awesome, Cool, Smart like a dump truck (thanks for that DW)
DW: Nice bum, Annoying, My bestest friend

8 What three words would you use to describe mom?

Crash: Lovey, Funny, Late for work (she is today!)
Bang: My best friend, Love, The best
DW: Intellegent, Kind, Beautiful, Stupendous
Me: Nice boobs, Frustratingly intellegent, My best friend

9 Where is your favorite place in the word?

Crash: Virginia, which is where we used to live.
Bang: If it’s a hot day, I’ll say the splash pad.
DW: Cape Breton Island

10 What do mom and dad do when you two aren’t here?

Crash: You build Lego or drink beer (then mumbles, “no, just kidding”)
Bang: Clean the house.
DW: I don’t kiss and tell…teeheehee… kidding… we usually just sit and enjoy the silence

One of Those…

Ever had one of those moments…

Perhaps it was just a moment
perhaps it lasted all day

or all week
or all month…

I realized this morning that my Taboo Word Challenge list is backwards. I didn’t mean to start the month the hardest word. I got my head in the game now and got it fixed. Check it out… The image is also on my sidebar. Feel free to add it to yours, too.

On another note…

If I’m not entertaining the boys then they are trying to kill each other
by annoying each other to death.

That’s not an understatement either.

Just this morning, after we dropped DW off at work we went and paid for the truck’s license plate registration. The boys were good as gold at the “DMV”.

The minute we walk in the door the little one is jumping on the big one.
The big one is making annoying sounds to make the little one scream.
The little one is screaming because he’s trying to get the big one in trouble
(and laughing when it works).

So I hollered at them…

Told them to get sock and shoes on because we were going to the beach. That quieted them because they were confused.
“Why do we need socks and shoes for the beach instead of Crocks?” they asked.
Then they got in the truck to go, and I hauled them out. I told them we were walking. Confusion set in again.

But at least they weren’t annoying and killing each other.

They eventually clued in that we were going to the across the street beach.
I know what you’re thinking,
“You have a beach across the street? How awesome!”
You can stop thinking it, now. It’s probably not the kind of beach you think it is.

There is no sand, just rocks.
The water is bordered by a dozen industries – NS Power which burns coal, a paper mill, a gypsum plant, a pipeline and terminal for oil and gas which, of course, brings the giant tanker ships.
So it’s not a beach for swimming and tanning and sandcastle building.

But it is ideal for beach glass hunting and metal detectoring. On a previous hunt we found 5 rusty bottle caps and a dime.

So we took a walk along the beach.
The boys walked together. They walked apart.
They walked with me and then they didn’t.
It didn’t matter. We were the only ones there.

Once we were back home though, all hell broke loose again. So I made them lunch and took them to play racquetball. They played for about a 1/2 hour when DW called to tell us she was done and ready for us to come pick her up.

The boys went up to her classroom and were back to killing each other again. This time they were fighting over who was going to get use the paper shredder.

Seriously?

I just now got my 45 minutes to sit and write because the little one is at the neighbor’s house playing with their daughter and the big one is at his grandparent’s for a sleepover.

Can I get an Amen? This adulting thing is frickin’ hard. I’m going to get some wine now…

Taboo Words for the Taboo Word Challenge

It’s almost time for the “Taboo Word Challenge”! Thanks to the 8 who have signed on for this new challenge. The linky is still open for you to join us. Will you be next?

Note: I have changed the link up to a different site. I will switch you over. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Elen Grey

The Masterpiece

Confessions

vanbenschoten

Element

Grubbs-n-Critters

The Pied Pifer

The Invisible Moth

and yours truly…

If you haven’t heard about this challenge yet, it’s very simple. You continue blogging as you normally would. If you blog every day, awesome! If you blog every other day, awesome! If you blog when you can, awesome! Anyone is free to join. Just click the blue frog!

Here are the easy rules to follow:

1. Don’t use the word Taboo Word of the day in your blog. Whatever day your post is being published, write it without that day’s word. If you post multiple time per day this rule only applies to one of your posts.
2. Visit at least one of the other from the Linky list. This is as much a meet and greet as it is a challenge.
3.  Get the nLinkz code and share it on each of your challenge posts!

 

Now for the Taboo Words! Please share them because the more the merrier!

 

Black Cat, Blue Sea Award

If you check out the blog  A Momma’s View you’ll find it’s part mom blog, part homeschooling blog, part, ex-pat blog, part fun facts blog, and entirely a great place to go for a great read. She was nominated for this Black Cat, Blue Sea Award by Simon from the blog “Planet Simon”. She passed the award on to just five bloggers. I am honored to be one of them. When I first start blogging, I never dreamed there would be awards and nominations and that I would be receiving them. I’m just a guy who likes to write.

To the rules…

• Thank the blogger who nominated you. See above
• Nominate up to seven other bloggers. See way below
  
• Answer three questions. Okie dokie
• Ask three questions to your nominees. Will do

The 3 Questions I was asked… 

If you could change one thing from the past what would it be?

There are a number of things I’d like to change. One thing is the relationship I have/had with my brother. I wish we had be been closer, done more together. Now that he’s in South Korea with his family and I’m in Canada with mine it’s even tougher to keep in touch and stay close. Fortunately, there’s Facebook to keep us up to date on what’s going on. Still… it’s not quite the same as being next door.

What would the title to a movie about your life be?

Forest Gump, maybe. But that title’s already taken. The Teachings of a Wayward Boy.

What was the best gift you’ve ever received?

Can children be a gift? As frustrating as mine can be, they are the best gift. Best physical gift? Would have to be the most recent two, though they are both electronic: the tablet I’m currently blogging on and the GoPro I’ve been having fun creating videos for YouTube (always looking for more subscribers 😀 )

My nominations…

Gubbs-n-Critters
Anxious Mom
Ah-Dad
Not The Average Mama
My Crazy Beautiful Life

My 3 Questions…

1. What’s your favorite Disney movie and why?
2. What are some of the names you wanted to name your kid(s) that your significant other said no to.
3. Which band would you want to have create the soundtrack to your life?

Go Ask Your Father: Overflow, Driveways, Hitchhikers, Puberty

I’ve been having lots of fun with the GoPro. Yesterday I attempted my first time lapse video. It turned out okay. It ended up only lasting 8 seconds. DW’s dad has 16 cords of wood he needs split and stacked so I was going to try and do a time lapse showing how much we got done. When your help has a combined age of 14, you don’t get much done. Today I changed the perspective from the same vantage point. I set the camera in the same spot, but this time I focused on the stacks we were making. I’m still in the editing process so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out yet. Today’s combined age was 79 (DW helped). Nix that. My computer had trouble, or Windows Movie Maker had trouble with the 4,918 photos from the time lapse video. I will have something else for you, though. Also I have some exciting new blog linto share, too. See you tomorrow!

2. What does overflow mean?

This one is a spin off from a question that was asked earlier. That hole in the sink has a purpose and it’s not for getting fingers stuck in. It’s an overflow drain. But was is overflow? Sometimes in order to explain a certain concept, a more basic concept needs to be understood first. For example, to understand that dad is going to eat 1/2 of your chocolate, you need understand what 1/2 means. So while explaining the overflow drain I had to digress and discuss overflow. It’s when you pour too much milk into your cup and it spills on the counter. It’s when you put too much water in the sink and it spills onto the floor. And, yes, even the toilet can overflow when it’s clogged. Since finding this out, Bang now flushes twice. Once when he’s done his business. Then again after he’s wiped.

 

4. What’s a hidden driveway?

There is a twisty, turny, make-your-DW-carsick kind of road we travel sometimes on our way to the cottage at the lake. It makes me feel like I’m driving the Monaco Grand Prix.

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via GIPHY (and Formula 1 via YouTube)

Except that on the backroad cars can enter and exit the raceway road at any given time. Around any given blind turn. Over any given blind hill. So I try not to do 104 kmh. I do more like 60. Our RAV4 isn’t quite the high performance, low center of gravity that the F1 cars are. And I am not Mario Andretti. My mother-in-law thought she was one day, though.

6. What’s a hitchhiker?

Typically, a hitchhiker is someone on the side of a road with their hand making a fist with their thumb sticking out and pointing skyward. As far as I know it’s the international sign for “pick my ass up”. I’ve never hitchhiked. I’ve never picked up a hitchhiker either. Mostly due to a story (the way I remember it) I heard about my dad’s sister being forced to drive from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Where we live now, it’s almost an acceptable means of travel. We see the thumbers frequently. Have no car? Start walking. Eventually someone might pick you up. The hitchhiker in question here is a much different kind. This one is of the insect variety and therefore has no thumbs. Be it a butterfly or a dragonfly or a horsefly or even a spider (all except the horsefly are welcome riders) land on our kayaks for a brief rest. If it’s a dragonfly, I say, “Hi, Grandma.”

8. Why do you have hair on your pee pee?

It was just a matter of time before this one was asked. This one was easy, a level one, beginner parent kind of question. 99.99% households with kids know the bathroom is the ideal location for a family gathering. One never goes alone. The shower included. It saves time and water, though, to shower with the little imps. You get clean. They get clean. The bathroom doesn’t flood like Louisanna from a toddler pretending to be Shamu. So when I was asked this I simply told him it was because I went through puberty and that he will too when he is 12 or so. I was seriously prepared for the “What’s puberty?” question, but it never came. I guess the answer I provided was sufficient. Surprisingly, there was no overflow of questions.

Sunday Share

A friend of mine (from real life) had a terrifying experience with her little guy while they were traveling. She has just recently started blogging about it and calls her space “Green Grapes”. I’ve shared her first two posts here.  Please pop over and read her story. You won’t be disappointed. Especially when you see how friggin’ cute her boys are! The others are friends of mine (from blog life) and will be great reads, too. Now I’m off to tidy up the house before going to the beach!

Green Grapes
When your little one takes a seisure while you’re traveling abroad…

Green Grapes
The story behind Green Grapes and being a Warrior…

Second Wind Leisure Perspectives
How a blog changed a life…

Mommy is Home 24/7
No such thing as a “weekend”…

Wonderoak
A letter to her children about our beautiful world

Mother Hustler
Surviving the Dragons…