The Family Bed

Gone Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:18:00 +0000

What's That Mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:39:00 +0000

The twins, dressed and playing Rainbow Fairies, are reading books about Delta Force and the Army Rangers.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:36:00 +0000

{this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. -- via SouleMama

Knock Knock

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 04:06:00 +0000

Me: Knock, knock.

Twin J: Who's there?

Me: Lion.

Twin J: Lion who?

Me: Lion's don't say "who," Lion's say "ROAR!"

________________________________

Twin J: Knock, knock.

Me: Who's there?

Twin J: Inuit.

Me: Inuit who?

Twin J: Inuits don't say "who," they say "Brrr!"

Air Rocket

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:57:00 +0000

I've been thinking a bit about how to introduce more science into the boys' lives. I'm not sure how I stumbled onto the air rocket. It may have been my perusing of Make Magazine. The materials were less that $20 and it took 20 minutes to construct -- and that with three helpers.

At this point I'm less interested in explaining to them the physics of things like rockets. They aren't that interested in abstract ideas such as propulsion, gravity, and resistance. They're more interested in stomping on a bottle and seeing how high they can propel a tube of paper. I'm hoping that experiences like this stick with them and they find interest in learning how those things work when they're a bit older.

They were interested in the rocket system for a couple of days, and then it was onto something else, but it was a fun couple of days.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:19:00 +0000

Boats, Bikes, and Bricks: 2011 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Today I ran the second annual Boats, Bike, and Bricks micro-triathlon for the second time (read about last year's run here). It was another great event organized by the Flint River Corridor Alliance.

This year was a bit different: I was slower. I could make all kinds of excuses, but they don't matter. It was a great time on a great course. This year it started in the now closed Mott Park Golf Course.


In the sandtrap.

The river was up and it was a great paddle. That stretch of river is a bit faster than downtown, but it's also prettier. Trees overhang the river and the water was cool. The best part of the paddle, though, was the cheering section on the bridge over this shot.

Returning to Port.

Next this year was the run through a mowed strip of old golf course and a short circuit on a couple of streets. I have fond memories on that golf course with my best friend. As I ran I looked at all the water and weeds I left golf balls in. It reminded me of the troubles in Flint, but the triathlon made me think about what is possible. Running is my least favorite activity in life. I prefer to wash dishes to running. Yes, you read that right. I was fortunate today to run with a man I met on the course named Mark. I thought I would have to walk most of the 2.4k, but managed to run the whole thing. That may or may not have been the best choice because I was fairly spent on the bike ride, my favorite part of the tri.

Running with my support team.

The bike course was a nice way to showcase a recently finished part of the bike-pedestrian trail in Flint, ending with a mild climb that reminded me of the Alpe d'Huez. Maybe I was a bit tired by that point, but it was worth it. If I could change one piece of the ride, I would have had us come out onto Grand Traverse a bit further north so I could have stopped and had an espresso at Good Beans Cafe. I've always wanted to break in a bike race for an espresso.

In the end I finished in 1:02:17. I could have finished sooner if I were in better shape. It wasn't bad given that I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to compete because of a conflict. Maybe I'll even train for next year, but I doubt it. I do like the idea of using events like this to try and keep myself in shape. It almost made me want to try running the Crim, but I have a sink full of dishes that need washing. So I have no time to train.

I like that it's a non-competitive event. I think it makes it more fun. Only one person I saw didn't smile. He was too serious or maybe he thought smiling would make him less aerodynamic. I don't know.

Something else important, again, is that the boys had a good time and were talking about wanting to run their own race and wanting to run the race with my next year. It makes me happy to see them interested in these kinds of activities.

Now it's time to gear up for some good bike rides this summer.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:48:00 +0000

Reading Party

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:44:00 +0000

Twin M has been making some leaps in his reading ability and he's decided to start sharing those leaps a bit by reading books aloud. We've tried to encourage his reading and sharing, so when he said he wanted a reading party, we agreed. So we invited some of their friends over.

We weren't really sure what to expect from a reading party (I've never been to one). Some reading happened, including the picture above, and then things shifted a bit to a more traditional five year old party. We played and laughed, ate pizza, and had cupcakes with frightening blue frosting with sprinkles. It ended with a good run through the sprinkler.

All three boys love reading more than I did at their age. My mother said how much she wished she could have read more to me, but I wouldn't sit still. I hope the boys maintain their love of reading and I plan to do what I can to encourage it. Here's a little research on the benefits of reading to small children. Here are some resources from the University of Michigan about reading. But really, as I suspect you all know, simply reading to children is the key.

As the boys learn to read, I realized that I will be able to do less and less of it. I can see their independence growing daily and I suspect that will happen with reading as well. And I hope my love of reading to the boys will grow into of love of reading with the boys, sitting around the breakfast table reading the paper as I did with my parents. Or simply sitting in the living room or on the back deck sharing funny passages from books or graphic novels or magazines.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 04:03:00 +0000

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 27 May 2011 04:06:00 +0000

Light Box

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:38:00 +0000

One of the twins told me he liked to trace things. It was news to me, but I thought it would fun to make all the boys a light box so the could trace things, which they did seem interested in doing. It took a while, but I made it mostly from materials in my basement. Here it is:

It was fun to make, and despite my mistakes along the way, it worked out pretty well. I wish the lights were brighter, but they work. It's also been sitting near where this picture was taken, unused, since I made it. Despite my whine, I'm not too bothered. They may come back to it later, maybe years later, and it was fun to make. It's nice that I have a bit more time to work on projects like this.

It was also fun watching our youngest try to ride his bike onto it.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:04:00 +0000

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:37:00 +0000

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:51:00 +0000

I Can Try

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Thu, 05 May 2011 02:46:00 +0000

I've decided to try and capture some of the fun or interesting conversations that go on in our house. I don't think they'll be particularly unique or insightful, but they might be fun. So here is the first:

Yesterday our youngest bit me. It's unusual for him and he was playing around, but I wasn't thrilled. I calmly told him biting was not okay. He tried again, and I stopped him.

Victim: Please don't bite me. Biting is not okay. It hurts.

Photo by Salvatore Rabito Alcón

(Pause)

Biter: I eat you.

Victim: (Smile) No, you cannot eat me.

(Shockingly brief pause.)

Biter: I can try.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 04:19:00 +0000

Earth Day in Flushing

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 04:21:00 +0000

While the boys and I were at the UM-Flint Earth Day events a week ago, we walked past Good Ol' Redbeard's booth advertising the Earth Day Festivities at Riverview Park in Flushing. A week later we were on our way to Flushing.

As we crossed into the city of Flushing, the drizzle began to hit our windshield and I knew we could be in trouble. It had been a drizzily day, but the boys needed some time to run like border collies. I wanted to get out and stretch my legs and begin to shake off the late April winter, so we continued.

Three bands were advertised, as well as lots of enviro-booths, a canoe float, a bounce house, and a river. I would lie if I said it wasn't an Earth Day disappointment. The band on stage when we arrived seemed to only be playing around -- rather than playing music, and the 7 people milling around to hear the band (all family and friends?) braved the cold drizzle. Was this Earth Day? Was this the best Michigan could do?

I felt like we were the only people there who didn't know the band or have a booth. The boys wanted to play in the bounce house, but we said no because it was wet and you can't wear shoes in a bounce house. We didn't want soaked socks and pants.

After watching a muskrat try to swim across the river, we went to the play area on the far end of the park. There the boys had a blast running around, swinging, and playing the imaginary games of small children. Aside from being outside, it didn't feel like an Earth Day event.

We finally left the play area and headed to the Flushing A, a former A&W that changed it's name so it could serve its own food (according to the rumor I heard). It didn't seem an Earth Day type of place we should be going to. We probably should have eaten at Dale's Natural Food counter or Seva, but the former doesn't seem a place for wild chidren and we would have had to drive too far for the latter on Earth Day.

Instead we conserved fossil fuels and ate at the Flushing A. I don't anticipate our eating there again. The food was mediocre at best, and though our server was kind, our order was hopelessly wrong -- twice. My wife heard other tables complaining about wrong orders as well. So it goes.

When we left, the band had disbanded and nearly everyone was gone from the booths to the bandstand and the bounce house -- closing 3 hours earlier than advertised. We didn't care, though. We were on our way out as well.

The boys begged to go into the bounce house again, but the wife and I were ready to head home and we didn't want soaked muskrat children. I regret that decision now. They would have had a blast and they would have been fine on the ride home, but at the time it seemed home was the best option.

Despite our difficulties, the day was nice and the boys had a nice time. They got to run and swing and yell and eat hot dogs. Maybe it wasn't such a bad Earth Day after all.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:38:00 +0000

Geocaching

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:20:00 +0000

You may have seen my photoessay on geocaching here. It had moments of lots of fun and moments of deep frustration as we tried to use an auto GPS for tracking latitude and longitude in the bushes while looking for something well-hidden. But I'm going to focus on the fun.

First, if you are unfamiliar with geocaching, it's essentially a sophisticated, high-tech game of hide and seek. Here is a nice video explaining is (sans frustration):

So here's what I have to say about geocaching. It's a great way to drag kids outdoors. Caches are hidden in urban, rural, and wilderness environments; you can find something to suit your needs. When I went to the website, I found over 70 caches hidden within five miles of our house. Not bad. You don't need anything special beyond a GPS, and now most smartphones have it. You can even get an app to make it easier, make maps, and record your findings.

On our adventure, the boys were interested until we ran into the problem of searching for something well hidden. In this case, it was fairly well hidden for newbies like us. Fortunately our boys have imaginations only rivaled by the drug-addled cartoonists of the 1920s and they managed to trek into the thorny shrubs to find a "cave" and then they proceeded to convince my wife to climb in. She couldn't make it.

But after I found the cache, the boys were very interested in what it was, where it was hidden, and how it was hidden. On our way home, the boys wanted to explore more, but we didn't have time to search for a second cache in the neighborhood.

I could prattle on about how important it is to get kids outside, have them explore their environment, use their bodies, learn about nature, play games to stimulate their intellect, etc. Instead I'll leave you with this:

The boys slept great that night.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Boy vs. Girl Advertising Language

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:03:00 +0000

Below are two word clouds created by Crystal Smith over at The Achilles Effect for a post exploring the language of advertisements for boys and girls. Go to the post here for a better view. I don't think I need to belabor the point about how our society reinforces gender stereotypes. But it was interesting seeing the clouds and then reading Smith's methodology. Check it out.

From a personal perspective, we've tried to not to reinforce some of the stereotypes, and in some ways we've been successful. Our boys interests cross between the words on those clouds quite fluidly. But I know the older they get the more society will influence their lives. I hope when that happens they will be comfortable enough with who they are to remain so.

GeoCaching: A Photo Essay

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 03:34:00 +0000

First attempt at geocaching:

Not long after the photo above one of our adventurers' party melted down and we returned home without reaching our goal.

Try #2:

A victory celebration and entering "the cave!"

For the Love of Books

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 03:54:00 +0000

Sometimes I'm slow to notice things under my nose. And I often have someone small right under my nose. My most recent oversight was our youngest really starting get books. He's always been interested in books, as many small children are (here and here). When we read to him, he would often want to look at pictures and insist on turning pages before we could get through the only three words on them. He was learning the mechanics of reading.

A few days ago, my wife told me that E was asking her what words meant in the book she was reading. I know this drill from our older twins (and how maddening it can be to try to explain concepts like time or outer space).

So I was pleased when at bedtime I sat on our bed in my pjs, E sitting between my legs in his, and I read him books, cover to cover -- repeatedly. He didn't turn pages prematurely. And during that reading, he asked me what words meant. How does one explain what a rocket is to a two year old? A sky rocket that explodes in bunches of fruit no less (Jamberry).

It was nice to have that moment with him, quiet and exciting. And I look forward to more.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:11:00 +0000