Posts Tagged: Kids

Entertainment — Comments
2
Mar 10

Achievement Addiction

A few months ago, I read an article about people who only play Xbox to get achievements. I thought it was rather sad and depressing. From my point of view, life is too short to play bad games just because you can get points that mean and do nothing. Never in a million years did I think I’d be raising two kids addicted to achievements.

lego_batman_achievements

I think it all started this past week. My daughter, who has had her XBL login since ‘08, had 65 gamer points. My son, who got his login in December, had 150 points. Naturally, she thought that unfair. Somehow, in all of this, it became my responsibility to pass levels for them. Why? Not just because of the achievements, but because they want to play many characters at once. They can’t do that in Story Mode.

So, now my days are spent passing or “helping” them pass levels to unlock Free Play. High-fives all around once a level is complete. There is dancing if more than 3 canisters are collected in a round. It’s a good thing these Lego games are fun and pretty easy to play. I’ve played some levels 6 times now and I still find new rooms.

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Parenthood — Comments
21
Dec 09

Circular logic hurts my brain

The kids want a Christmas tree. I tell them that we can’t afford a tree, so we won’t have one. The girl says, “Then we won’t get presents.” To which I reply, “Well, we can’t afford presents anyway, so yeah…there’ll be no presents.” Her response? “Get a tree and then there will be presents!”

THUD.

Then I wonder how we got here.

We’ve only had a tree twice. And only last year, did we put gifts under them. In other words, Christmas just isn’t done here. I’ll assume that school and TV have filled their heads with this idea.

Kids / Manners / Parenthood / idiocy — Comments
13
Dec 09

Top 5 questions people say when they hear you don’t want to have more kids

I stumbled across this article titled: 9 Silly Things People Say When They Hear You Don’t Want Kids (And Ways to Counter Them). Just from that you know that the author is one of those so-in-love-with-their-own-cleverness sorts. Not that’s bad, but you know…you can come off like a jackass. I should know. I’m that sort.

That being said, the author has been kind enough to give unreasonably stupid responses to the unreasonably stupid questions nosy people ask or unreasonably stupid statements they make when they find you don’t want children.

The only one that was rather amusing was:

5. “But they’re so cute!”

This is a topping good reason to buy a Hello Kitty “vibrator,” but to bring a whole new person into existence?

We hadn’t planned on having kids. Even though I was asked these questions (which I do think is extremely rude), I was never a jackass like the author and most childless-by-choice people I see online. People did tell us that we’d change our minds and clearly we did. Otherwise, my stock answer to strangers asking “Do you plan on having children?” was “Not at the moment.” Pushers got ruder responses. To my friends, I typically responded, “The day after never!”

Having kids does NOT stop these rude questions. I have a girl and a boy and people still push us to procreate. When I get the questions below, I just, smile and say, “Yeah…we’re done.” (Hey! Who says I lack tact?)

1. “Well, I was raised in a large family. I loved the chaos. “

That’s great. For you. But I have to raise that chaos. My two already create enough chaos for me.

2. “But don’t you think your daughter should have a sister/son should have a brother?”

I have one of each and my husband has no siblings. We turned out just fine.

3. “But you make such cute babies.”

Your point?

4. “But what if something happens to one of them?”

My. Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?

5. “You’ll change your mind.”

Just because celebrities have babies in their 50s doesn’t mean I want to join them. As it is, having these two in my 30s have wiped out all of my energy reserves.

Also note, the ones who push you to procreate are NEVER around when you need a sitter.

Parenthood — Comments
29
Oct 09

The parent who doesn’t care

Yeah…that would be me. I found enough pieces of the old doctor costume (meaning the top and the pants) to put on Alton. There’s a jacket, hat, face mask and medicine bag, but they’re all broken, dirty or missing. If I had tried, I could have made him new ones, but really that’s just expending way too much energy.

When we arrived at the school, he pointed out all his friends, “Oh, Mama! They’re wearing costumes!”, he exclaimed.

I replied, “You’re wearing one too!” 

He looked down at his top with the medical cross on it, “Oh. Yeah…Right.”

The other kids had accessories and some had their faces painted. Too much work considering you’d have to do all over again in a couple of days. So, I’m lazy. Shoot me.

Kids / photos — Comments
18
Mar 09

Gratuitous kid photo

I know I still need to write about the Spring ArtNight Pasadena we attended on Friday. But before I delve into that, here’s a photo of the kids at Pasadena City Hall.

Kids / Photoblogging — Comments
10
Mar 09

A photowalk in Chinatown

 

 

The kids take photos in Chinatown

The kids take photos in Chinatown

On Sunday, I thought it would be nice to let the kids get some pictures of LA. The kids were so excited at the prospect, especially since I hooked them up with my old camera cases.  Alton got to used Ilia’s old camera and Ilia was given our Samsung to use.  

 

It was a nice day to walk around Chinatown; not too hot nor crowded.  The clouds billowing over the skyscrapers downtown caught their attention as much as the red lanterns swaying in the wind.   The moment we got out of the car I remembered that I left the xD card for my camera at home. 

The kids have always loved Chinatown, but since this was their photowalk, they were calling the shots. The things that fascinated them were just as interesting as the things they walked on by.  One shop had several small pillows in the shape of various animals or cartoon charachters.  The kids were immediate drawn to them, squishing and hugging whatever pillows were in their reach. But they did not take photos of them.  Instead, Ilia focused on the rooflines of the pagoda-like buildings or colorful scrolls hanging in a shop.  Alton, took a lot of pictured of people’s feet and the sky,which we found greatly hilarious. He’s so used to see us go down on one knee to take his photo that he thinks that’s how you take photos.  

The only downside of the day was when we got home and realized that not only did most of the 121  pictures Ilia and I took on the Samsung were corrupted, but the 13 or so did turn out find can not be accessed.  We could harp on that or we revel in the fact that 2.64 miles of walking Chinatown gave the kids a little better insight on that section of LA.

 

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Barack Obama / Kids / TV / elections 2008 — Comments
7
Nov 08

Hope for my children

CHICAGO - FEBRUARY 11: Michelle Obama, the wi...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Last year, about a month before my daughter turned for she asked who the “pretty man” on TV was. “Obama” I replied.  When I went to YearlyKos in Chicago, I told her about how the Democratic presidential candidates would be there and she’s asked if “President Obama” would attend. I explained to her that he wasn’t president and I doubted he would be.

She bugged me all summer and fall of 2007 to vote for Obama, but he wasn’t my choice. I wasn’t interested.  She told me on my birthday last year, “If you don’t vote for Obama, maybe a bad guy will win and you’ll be sad.”  Manipulative little…

Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday

When we voted in the primaries, I was definitely going to vote for Obama.  She was at my side, as usual, making sure I voted the right way. “Is he president now?”, she’d asked.  Not yet, but at that point, I was sure he would be.

Throughout the primaries, her face would light up with she saw Obama on TV.  She’d asked if he was president yet and I’d tell her not yet.  She loved Obama.  When she finally figured out he had two daughters, she asked me to call him to see if they could have a playdate.  On Super Bowl Sunday, I had taken her to see Michelle Obama speak (the day, I firmly became an Obama fan, incidentally).  My daughter recognized that she was seeing a woman who looked like her mom, though admittedly more beautiful.  She thought Michelle Obama was a queen.

Once the general election kicked in, she was very much against McCain. “Why is that man so mean?”, “Why does he tell lies? Lying’s bad.”, “I think his mom should give him a timeout.” were questions she asked over and over again.  By mid-September, she was done with politics and thought the mean guy should just let Obama be president already.  I agreed, but gave her an age-appropriate lesson in democracy. Continue reading →

Books / Kids / Toys — Comments
27
May 08

Noisy Kid Toys

One thing I failed to mention in the video was that most of the toys that drive me crazy were actually gifts. If I bother to buy my kids toys that make noise, they’re always educational…okay, except for the Uniqua doll, that one’s just cool. Other than that, the noisy toys we have were gifts. Gifts from childless friends or grandma; people who won’t be living with that noise any time soon. I’ve asked people to give me books or clothes (or gift cards for books or clothes if they don’t want to think about the gift), but you know the excuse they always give, “I just can’t help it!”.

Kids — Comments
2
Apr 08

Slice of life

My little boy totally fascinates me. He talks a bit and the randomness of it is hilarious. He also absolutely adores his big sister and acts like any time she’s away from more than 2 mintues is too long. Luckily for me, they play well together. This video is a little long for what it is, but it’s just a slice of my daily life.

Kids — Comments
6
Mar 08

Bloggers and the Huntington Library

We met Kat today at the Huntington Library with her kid and goddaughter. We got our photo together that we managed not to do last week:

And we got some great photos of all the kids together.

You’ll note that my son seems to be the only one interested in taking the photo. Kat kept saying, “He’s a supermodel.” and while the cameras were up, Alton was posting. I actually got two photos of KidKat facing us. The other photos he’s crawling away.

Here’s the second try:

Much better. You may now move around the cabin.

And moved they did. Or didn’t. Alton alternated between running way too far ahead or lagging way too far behind. Especially when he got his pan dulce. Talk about lagging. People we had passed yards ago, were lapping us as Alton dawdled. KidKat either wanted or didn’t want to be in the stroller. Meaning if he said he wanted to be in the stroller, that really meant he didn’t. Kids just love playing those headgames.

Kidwise, or should I say, Iliawise, it’s been a rough week for us. We are thisclose to putting her ass on craigslist or eBay. Done. She’s been the perfect little brat and today was no exception. Katdaughter had walked away and Ilia wanted to tag along. I asked her to sit down so I could get a photo and she said she didn’t want a photo:

She wasn’t lying. I took 4 freaking pictures and this is the least morose one. She’s acted like I asked her to eat beets. At least I got a cute photo of Alton and KidKat checking out the lake:

You can see more photos of our trip to the Huntington Library’s Botanical Gardens in my flickr pool. Since everyone was hungry and the kids needed a nap, we headed out without seeing most of the property. That’s okay, since I got my free tickets for next month and most of the succulents I want to shoot will most likely be in fuller bloom or just starting to bloom then.

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