Max and I talk about all kinds of things, and you already know that he reads everything. It’s sometimes hard to figure out how to explain things to him. He’s worried about stuff like the environment, and recently, the war in Iraq. I’ve been trying to tell him not to worry about it (because he’s eight), but once he latches on to something, it’s hard for him to let go.\
He’s also been in his school’s writing group since last year (for 3rd graders, but they made an exception for Max), and likes poetry. He was home sick today, and wrote this. Again, it’s not like we spend a lot of time indoctrinating him…\
The Iraq War\
bq. The USA is bad to me.\
Being very bad to my glee.\
After the 2008 election,\
The USA will reach perfection.\
The Iraq War is over,\
So unfair! No government left.\
With great stubbornness,\
W. Bush refused to stop it,\
it’s true,\
so blue.\
He’s a great kid, but he’s got to learn to lighten up.
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Max Is a Poet
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Luray Caverns: Escaping Underground
We decided to get out of the house yesterday and take a drive. It’s been a stressful few weeks at Chez Lawver and we needed a break. So, we piled the boys in the car with snacks, paper, pens and books and headed out to the country to go play in a cave. We’ve lived here for eight years, and I didn’t realize how close we are to the mountains. Silly Kevin.\
The drive was less than two hours, with great scenery on all sides, and only about half of it on a major highway.\
The boys were lovely, as usual, and they both loved the cave. Brian was constantly tugging on us to “walk faster” so we could see more. They were constantly looking up, around and pointing at stuff for us to look at.\
I took over three hundred pictures and only ninety or so came out. I uploaded fifty of them over on flickr. Jen says they look better than the postcards she didn’t buy (which makes me really happy). I tried to avoid using the flash, except when I was taking pictures of people. I think they came out pretty well.\
Luray Caverns also has a little car museum… emphasis on little. Brian pointed out almost every car saying “I want that for my birthday!” excitedly. Well, I’d love a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost too, kid, but that ain’t happenin’ any time soon. I did get some good shots of hood ornaments though. My personal favorite is the archer on the front of the Pierce Arrow.\
We’re planning on taking more day trips out to the middle of nowhere in the near future. Suggestions are welcome! -
Important Announcement
Attention, People of the World:\
My grocery store now has Peppermint Ice Cream in stock. Start squeeing at will, as your store probably does too. -
Lefty or Righty?
Optical illusion: Which way is the lady dancing?\
I naturally see her moving to the left, while Kevin and Max see her moving to the right. I can get her to switch though, so I must be extra special, right? Article explains the difference.\
Somebody please explain how her outstretched leg switches depending on which way she is dancing. Please please please. Thanks. -
The only child in me…
I need some time alone, in my house. Alone, alone, alone. I can’t clean with people around me and yet, there is always someone around me. I can’t wait for Brian to go to preschool. Please, AOL preschool, make room for Brian soon, ok?\
In other news- no more dead fish! We have three whole living fish. Rock on! -
Yakity Yak, Talking Back
Yesterday after Max’s therapy appointment, he told me about a questions board game that he and the doctor played. One of the questions was, “If your walls could talk, what would they say about your family?” Max’s answer: We are a silly family. That is probably the best thing he could have said. It really warmed my heart.\
Kevin and I watched the premiere of Friday Night Lights last night and I was hugely disappointed. Some of the new story lines were lame and tired. Kevin liked it though. He was like, “How can you call this show bad when you used to watch Seventh Heaven?” Well. After I knocked him upside the head for doubting my taste, I said that I never thought Seventh Heaven was good. It wasn’t. But it never had the potential to be good like FNL has. So there. But y’all should watch Friday Night Lights anyway! The first season was superb and I have faith that this new season will correct itself shortly.\
TV BigShots over at TWoP is starting to really bug me. There are constant errors in the scores and values of the shows, multiple problems with trying to buy and sell shows, plus (and here is the biggie) there is no gaminess to the game. It isn’t about skill or luck. All you have to do is check the shows’ ratings and then buy based on the previous value. It’s an exercise in spreadsheet coordination, but it’s not so much a game. I would tell you my ranking in the game, but my score hasn’t been updated since last week.\
My fantasy football team is close to 200 points behind the next lowest team, so maybe I should stick to games that require no skill. I would really like to blame my poor showing on the many, many injuries my players suffered (seriously, if I listed my players, you would laugh), but that would be small of me.\
And how are you guys doing? Start any new hobbies? Fall in love with any new shows? Tell me! Tell me! TELL ME! -
Random Update
Even though I keep killing off our fish and another one looks to have one fin in the toilet, I tried to get Kevin to buy a bigger fish tank this weekend. He said no. No! To me. His loving and devoted wife. Boo. The tank we have now is angled in the front, like a bay window, and I don’t like that. I found a tank that has a curved front and back, so the bird’s eye view is a marquis. It’s cool, with no angles getting in the way of enjoying the view. Pretty soon though it looks like there may not be any fish to enjoy. We bought a “Fish for Dummies” book. Now one of us just has to read it. Kevin said that maybe in six months we can upgrade to a bigger tank. Isn’t he a meanie?\
Kevin and I have cut some items from the house fix up projects. Say goodbye to the enlarged linen closet and the deck. Boo. This will lower the cost by 1/3, which makes us breathe and sleep easier though. This depends on whether the contractor can put in the patio but still have it so we can add a deck later. We may have to switch to a different type of patio for this to work. I am frustrated with how long this is taking. Bleh. -
Not so awesome Mommy
Fish #2 bit the dust. Sad.
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Awesomommy!
Since Max is now the big 0-8, I gave him the big t-a-l-k tonight, by myself. No book, no Kevin, no video. Max knew a lot about the science of how babies were created: sperm from the man + egg from the woman = baby. But he was stumped when I asked him how the sperm got from the man to the woman. Now for the difficult part.\
I drew a stick-figure man with a penis and a stick-figure woman with a uterus and vagina and off we were. I explained that sex is physical affection only between husband and wife. Cough yea,right cough. It’s like a really special close hug (yes, I used the stupid phrase from that stupid book) where the man puts his penis in the vagina so the sperm can get from the man to the egg. I went on to say that sex has many names, some of which are rude and shouldn’t be used, unless you are making a Farrelly Brothers movie. (Yea, jokes like this- totally only said in my head- is why I kind of thought it would be best to do this without Kevin around initially.) I told Max it was important for him to know about sex now because he is old enough and that wrong information could start filtering to him through friends, older siblings of friends, tv, etc, but that it isn’t something he should talk about with others because it is private and special. I emphasized that he could come talk to and ask questions of Mommy, Daddy, the grandparents, or his aunts and uncles though (look out, family members). Lastly, I told him that sex is awesome and fun and just looking at Daddy makes me want to kiss kiss kiss him all over his face.\
Max was a little embarrassed, he admitted, and kept going back to the science part of it. Overall, I give us an A**. Phew.\
I am totally tempted to scan my stick-figure drawings in and add it to this entry, but then I started writing over the drawings to highlight the important parts: penis goes in vagina, only married people do it, not something to talk about, totally awesome and fun. At one point, Max took the pen from me and corrected my spelling. Heh.\
Did I forget anything important that an 8 year old should know?\
Hmm, how come we don’t have a tag on this blog for sex? Guess I’ll just file this one under “Jen” 🙂 -
FREE awesomeness
Check it out, yos: iTunes has the Supernatural season premiere available now for free. Yippeee! Time to crank up the classic rock and settle in for some ass-kickin’ hunters. Or you can settle in on Thursdays (tonight) at 9pm on The CW.
