He's gonna be a rockstar

He said a few weeks ago he wanted to be a rocker for Halloween. I think he has rocker potential for when he grows up too. That would be a mighty nice way to support his old decrepit parents.

Parenting-A lost art

We don't go out much. It was one of those things we gave up when we became a single income family. We go to a sit down restaurant maybe once every couple of months. It's a treat. Our kids know it's a treat. Mark and Anna behave really well in restaurants. When our kids were smaller and didn't understand how to behave we more than once had to asked for to go boxes as soon as our meal arrived. We didn't want to ruin any other diner's meal with our children's bad behavior.
Yesterday we got one of those very rare meals away from home. We sat down and almost immediately a kid started crying on the other side of the restaurant. That child kept it up the entire meal. And it wasn't just little crying either. We are talking screaming at the top of his lungs. Luckily, we were sitting pretty far away. I can't imagine sitting right next to that.
I am a parent. I know kids cry. I would never advocate hitting a stranger's child. But I could totally get on board with hitting a stranger who refuses to parent their child in public.

Because of this post, these two will no doubt be a horror show next time we go out.

He can chew gum and walk at the same time

I try to make being the big brother fun. Lets face it. Being the oldest is a drag sometimes. He gets time outs for things his sister gets away with because she doesn't understand. She gets thrown up in the air and tossed around much more than he does. She's a peanut and he is huge. His responsibilities are bigger. His jobs are harder. He is charged with not hitting back even if his sister hits him first. It's just not that easy being the oldest. But every once in a while we make being the oldest extra special. Last night Mark got his first ever piece of gum. This was a much anticipated milestone for him. He's been obsessed with gum for a long time. The smell, the look, the why. Think about it. Why would someone chew something and not swallow it. The question has plaqued him. But finally finally he gets it. The kid was so excited he couldn't sit still. Back and forth he paced. He came and showed us his gum. He told us how it tasted 109,854 times. He couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. He was happy.

His best fake smile

A change in the air

The nights are getting longer and the days shorter. Everyone seems to be in a frantic rush to get those last few things done before winter. Work on the flower beds has gone into over drive.
The search for winter hats, coats, mittens, snow pants and boots has begun. The stores now stock ice scrapers instead of bikinis. My thoughts are turning to indoor cooking. From Mac and cheese to homemade breads and cookies. They make the house feel like home. The kids and I started our afternoon tea ritual again. I have missed it.
These two are getting in the last of the sandbox playing for the year. It is conceivable in a month they will be building snow castles instead of sand. Last year we got our first major snow fall three days before Halloween.
The season is changing here in my little piece of heaven. I look forward to the fun the next season brings.