SuburbanDaddy

Too Much Work

suburbandaddy — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:37:35 +0000

Thing 3 is the hardest one to wake up. He is not a morning person and prefers to wake up slowly. Getting him up for school during the week is a struggle.

Today we had the usual whining and resistance. Then he added, “I don’t want to go to school.”

He sounded serious. Like maybe something happened the day before. You hear about bullying and think the worst. Although, with Thing 3, he’s more likely to be the one bullying.

I asked him why he didn’t want to go to school.

He was quick to respond. And completely serious.

“Because it’s too much work”

Before you start debating how teachers give too much homework, consider this: He is in Kindergarten! And he was referring to this week’s unit on money (pennies, dimes, etc)

Dance Recital

suburbandaddy — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:24:10 +0000

After years of attending flag football games, Little League, and Tae Kwon Do, we got to experience our first dance recital. Picture a hundred girls ages 2-8 on a high school auditorium stage, with 600 family and friends watching in the audience. Yes, it was chaos. Babies crying in the audience. Girls getting stage fright and crying on stage. SuburbanMommy standing back stage with the rest of the dance moms. Things 1-3 complaining about having to sit still and keep quiet, especially after the sound system broke and they had to repeat two routines. I enjoyed every minute of it. Just wait until you see Thing 4 in her blue costume. She is the one walking in on her toes, dancing all the way to the left.

Kindergarten Play

suburbandaddy — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:08:38 +0000

It wouldn’t be spring without a Kindergarten play. You may remember Thing 2′s play a couple years ago. This time it was Thing 3′s turn. He played “Mr Rabbit” with critical acclaim, in front of a jam-packed school gym.

Living In Another World

suburbandaddy — Sun, 05 May 2013 11:55:38 +0000

Most kids wake up with a lot of energy. They say things like “what are we doing today” or “I want breakfast”.

And then there is Thing 3 who is from another world. The things he says when he wakes up are totally random and unexpected. But you always need to listen close because you just may miss something hilarious. This morning was one of those instances.

Thing 3: I dreamed about a trumpet!

SuburbanDaddy: A trumpet?

Thing 3: Yes. But the solar system wolf keeps stealing my dreams.

SuburbanDaddy: OK. Do you want some breakfast?

Spring Sports

suburbandaddy — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:39:15 +0000

Another spring sports season is in full swing. Flag Football for Thing 2, Baseball for Thing 1.

Jumping Rope

suburbandaddy — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:11:50 +0000

When you have 4 siblings in your family, everything is a competition. Thing 4 usually gets a pass because she’s the only girl and the baby. But with two older brothers, Thing 3 has it different. He never gets to win anything. But that doesn’t stop him from trying. And when he does best his brothers, especially in something physical, he is thrilled.

Here is a jump rope competition where Thing 3 pulls out a victory.

Origami Football Helmet

suburbandaddy — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:25:57 +0000

Kids today are used to having electronic devices all the time to entertain them. So, when Thing 1 got in trouble and lost all “screen time” (TV, video games) privileges for the day, he was forced to use creativity to entertain himself. He came up with the Origami Football Helmet.

Yellow Belt

suburbandaddy — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:01:11 +0000

Thing 3 has been taking a Tae Kwon Do class for the last month, a few times a week. To our surprise he really enjoys it and is a fantastic listener. Hopefully some of that will translate back home.

Here he is performing his moves for the belt test to become a yellow belt. Watch as he breaks 2 boards for the first time.

And here is the ceremony

Multiplicity

suburbandaddy — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:07:54 +0000

Remember the movie Multiplicity? Starring Michael Keaton, it’s about a guy who clones himself so he can manage all the demands on his time. Go watch it this weekend.

People sometimes ask what it is like having 4 kids. I addressed it before in this post. But that was based on having very young kids. Now, there is another dynamic emerging:

How to be in two, sometimes three, places at the same time.

This week kicks off the spring sports season. Which means we are juggling practices, games, birthday parties, and other activities on a daily basis.

Yesterday we had baseball practice, Tae Kwon Do belt testing, after school and pickup at daycare. Saturday there are 2 baseball practices, belt ceremony, flag football, and a birthday party. And those are just the ones we said yes to.

As crazy as our daily schedules have become, it’s actually not as hard as when they were babies and all demanding our time at the same time with a lot of crying.

Now it’s more about logistics and how to organize and get everyone where they need to be, and still manage to get the important things done. Like having enough food to eat (4 kids eat a LOT). And having clean clothes for everyone to wear (taking a pair of pants from the bottom of the hamper now and then won’t kill you, I promise).

The biggest problem now is being in multiple places at the same time. I need a couple of clones. At least until Thing 1 and 2 are old enough to drive themselves and their siblings.

Happy #3 to #4

suburbandaddy — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:11:02 +0000

Thing 4 celebrated her 3rd birthday today! She’s been talking about her party for weeks, and loves the idea of being the center of attention.