Category Archives: Alex

Movie Logic

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I took my kids and one of their friends to the dollar show on Monday.

It was President’s Day and the place was swamped.

I had to drop the oldest two off and have them stand in line while I parked the car.

Several movies were already sold out so we made contingency plans in case ours was sold out by the time we got to the ticket counter.

“I only want to see Tin Tin if Arthur’s Christmas and the Muppets are sold out.”

“I really want to see the Muppets but will go see Tin Tin as my second choice.”

“I already saw the Muppets and Arthur’s Christmas so I want to see Tin Tin.”

Thankfully we didn’t need to come to a concensus since our movie was still available.

I ushered us all into the building only to find the concession stand line was enormous.

Not really a problem for us until my son’s friend said, “I want to buy something.”

I left the two of them to stand in line together while I found seats with the youngest two.

Thankfully we got great seats and were settled in no time.

But the 9 year olds didn’t come back.

For 30 minutes!

I was starting to get a neck crick and strange stares from the people behind me since I kept turning around to look for the boys.

The theater was packed by now and I was having to fend off desperate moms and grandparents who were looking for extra seats.

Finally they returned when the movie started and I was able to enjoy the movie.

That is until about three fourths of the way through the movie when my daughter had decided she had seen enough and wanted to leave. I was able to use my mom negotiating skills and convince her to sit on my lap for the next 20 minutes. Some talk of candy when we got home might have been whispered several times.

After the movie I got everyone to the car and congratulated myself on a successful outing. We rarely go to the movies so in my mind this was a nice treat, especially getting to bring a friend along.

As we were driving away I heard the friend say, “I wonder why the movies were so crowded today?”

My nine year old volunteered, “Well, it’s Presidents Day and kids don’t have school. Their parents probably took them to the movies because they didn’t know what else to do with them.”

After hearing that I can assure you that I know exactly what my children will be doing on the next school holiday.

It starts with CHORE and end with an S.

Oh, and me?

I’ll be on the couch watching Parenthood reruns.

My Son Said It

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What I thought was just being tired from visiting with a friend turned out to be pneumonia today for my 9 year old.

One trip to the doctor’s office, one trip to the lab for blood work, one trip to the hospital for x-rays, one drive thru trip to McDonald’s, a second trip back to the doctor, and finally a trip to the pharmacist resulted in two very cranky children.

Just like them, I was tired and a bit frustrated while trying to get dinner made.

Little did I know that right after dinner we would all be laughing uncontrollably.

My nine year old was recalling for my husband how he had blood taken from his finger earlier in the day. “I even had the finger prick. That’s the most painful way to give blood.”

My husband said, “Well, I think giving blood intravenously would be more painful.”

With a scrunched up face my son said, “Intrapenisly?”

We all started to chuckle.

“No, intravenously is usually through your arm.”

“Oh, because I was thinking intrapenisly would really hurt.”

We all lost it at that point.

Of course, things quickly went downhill when our six year old had to stand up and demonstrate what giving blood intrapenisly might look like (with his clothes still on, thank goodness).

What’s the worst part of this?

For the next twenty years we will never be able to go to the emergency room with each other for fear that we will burst out laughing while the doctor is giving orders.

Angry Birds Valentines

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My six year old requested Angry Birds valentines this year.

I just made them and he is “super” excited to give them to his friends.

If you’d like a copy of the valentines, click here.

Please consider becoming a follower of Big D & Me if you decide to download.

I found the Angry Bird art work on this blog. He has t-shirts and bumper stickers to buy of these super hero birds. I’m thinking those might make a great birthday gift for someone.

 If you’d like something for the younger crowd, I have some Storybook Character Printable Valentines.

michellepaige Tuesday To Do FEatured Todays Creative Blog Making

Jedi Art

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My boys have a bedroom which is dominated by Star Wars.

When we moved into our new house, my mom bought the boys Star Wars comforters for their bed, so in their eyes, the rest of the room had to follow suit.

I told them I would try.

They turned to me and said, “Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.”

“I’m just worried you won’t like it.”

To which they said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

OK, so maybe they didn’t say it in so many words.

They didn’t have to. They’re Jedis and I read their mind 🙂

For the art work above their bed, I used 6 IKEA frames, a printer, and some material.

Four of the frames are simply Lego Star Wars minifigures printed out.

We goggled their favorite characters and found pictures which would enlarge clearly. Each minifigure had their own space thanks to the picture divider included with the frame.

The other two frames have, “Jedi Alex,” and “Jedi Andrew,” made out of left over material from their window covering.

First, I wrapped the frame in burlap. Next I used the Star Wars font to print out their names on card stock. Next, I cut out the cardstock letters and placed them over some thin denim. I held each letter in place while I cut the denim around the letter. For the space inside the letters I glued different material on top of the denim.

Across from the beds are the chicken wire frames I shared last year.

The Lego minifigure containers sit next to the frames.

Here’s one more look at the art.

May the crafting force be with you!

Growing

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I bought my nine year old these pants 4 weeks ago.

When I purchased them, the pants were at least two and a half inches longer.

Amazing what a steady diet of mac n’cheese and peanut butter sandwiches can do for the body.

Meeting

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I’m not sure but I think I just attended a cult meeting.

There were adults in matching uniforms, teenagers in costume, a rustic bridge, the passage of young boys, and ceremonial rules which required silence during a ceremony.

I just attended my first Boy Scout meeting with my nine year old and frankly, I’m more than concerned.

As I sat there tonight I thought, “I actually encouraged this. I’m the one who suggested Alex be a scout.”

Scouting? Must be all about camping and derby car races, right?

No, there’s more, so much more.

The meeting tonight focused on the bridging ceremony of two weblo scouts going into an  older boy scout troop.

The ceremony started out with the den leader telling the audience that this was one of the few solemn ceremonies in boy scouts.

Super. My two year old is with me and it’s the one night of a quiet ceremony.

Three high school boys then begin the ceremony dressed in Indian gear. I mean, leather pants, freaky looking colorful shirt, and a full on headdress. Not to be out done, the fourth boy wore a wolf on his head.

Then they began speaking. It was like a second grade play. No one knew their lines. As if all of the”uhs” and “ums” weren’t enough, there were several painful humming interludes.

It was weird.

I mean what teenage boys do you know want to play dress up and hum into front of a hundred people?

We left about twenty minutes into the ceremony.

I took my daughter’s, “I poopy,” as a cue and ran out of there as quickly as possibly.

This was my first boy scout meeting and quite possibly my last.

After all, I’d still prefer to think of boy scouts as more camping and less Village People.

The Slide

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“This is going to be so exciting kids.”

“Let’s race, Mom.”

“OK, but this is just for fun.”

Here we go….

I’m ahead right now, yes!

Nice tactic Alex but leaning will get you no where when you’re racing me. You might as well pack it in right now suckas’.

Man, I’ve got skills – I might have been a professional luger had we lived in the right climate.

Ha! They are slowing down and my body keeps going – God knew what he was doing when he created this winning machine.

Oh, oh, oh, my legs are clearly across first.

Yes! I AM THE WINNER!

I mean, wasn’t that so much fun kids.

 

Car Trip Survival

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Here’s how to successfully complete a 10 hour car ride with your 3 children.

Yes. Let them watch movies. Lots and lots of movies.

In my opinion, Redbox movies and their kiosks are perhaps one of the greatest inventions ever. 

Now I am not a person who advocates letting your children watch tv all day but for car trips I make an exception.

Over Thanksgiving I drove my kids to visit my parents for the week. My husband flew in Thanksgiving morning to make a guest appearance.

Typically, people describe a road trip by the weather, the traffic, or the snacks consumed.

Our trip, however, can be summed up by one word – movies.

I present to you the first journey of our trip…

…and because the first trip was so successful, here’s our return trip.

Happiness, contentment, and serenity (there was a moment of screaming from our two year old when my son put in “The History of Space” DVD but I’ve completely erased it from my memory).

All for the low low price of $10.44 round trip.

It may be $10.44 to Redbox but to me it was priceless.

Always Be Prepared

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My son just walked in on me in the bathroom.

His face was a look of horror.

But it’s not what you think.

I was using his old baseball shirt to wipe my daughter’s rear end since there was not a proper wipe to be found in our house, our car, or her school bag.

I really don’t know what he’s so worked up about.

After all, he’s a boy scout and you know their motto.

“Always be prepared.”

I was.

Later while flipping through his Boy Scout book I realized my diaper changing skills earned me the Home Repairs, The Pioneering, and the Plumbing merit badges.