Lance and Kyle were playing today. Kyle was absent due to a pending time bomb...more on that later. I didn't pay much attention, there were some planes and rockets, some action figures, and the two of them running around. There was some banter going back and forth and I started to pay attention and come up with a theory.
You see, the boys had a great conversation while they played. It went something like this:
Boy 1: "My plane is flying through the air."
Boy 2: "But my plane comes along and shoots at your plane. Bang! Bang!"
Boy 1: "But I go into a cloud so you can't find me."
Boy 2: "But my plane has a radar and can find you in the cloud. Bang! Bang!"
Boy 1: "But I have a shield that protects me from your bullets and it ricochets off of me into you. Direct hit!"
Boy 2: "But I have an ejector button and fly out of my plane with my parachute and land safely on the ground."
Boy 1: "But I eject from my plane too and come after you with my bazooka."
Boy 2: "But I turn on my invincibility so when you shoot me, I don't die."
Boy 1: "Me too!"
As a side note, we all should have the ability to turn on "invincibility" as a safe measure. I may not be an expert on how girls play, but I used to be one. Let's look at how girls play as I remember it:
Girl 1: "Let's play Barbies!"
Girl 2: "And I'll be Barbie!"
Girl 1: "And I'll be Ken, but I'm not really a boy.""
Girl 2: "And we fall deeply in love and we get married."
Girl 1: "And I wear a really pretty dress and look like a princess."
Girl 2: "And I am very handsome, but I'm not really a boy."
Girl 1: "And we live in a castle with beautiful flowers."
Girl 2: "And we live happily ever after."
As another side note, it's a fact no girl wants to be Ken, they must state throughout the play their disdain for this character.
Let's compare. Besides the obvious "Boys are violent and girls are sweet", let's dig a bit deeper. Boys are all about the "buts"and girls are all about the "ands". Their sentences continue each other thoughts, boys with the competitive "but" with another outrageous way to get away from danger and girls with the team-building "and" with another idea to make the characters happily ever after.
As I listened to Lance and Kyle today, it made me laugh. Their keen abilities to get away from danger time after time just struck me funny. When all else fails, don't forget to turn on invincibility!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Conversely Speaking
Happy 100th birthday Converse!
I always have wanted a pair of Converse shoes. Remember the days of Cyndi Lauper and Punky Brewster? Their Converse hi-top Chuck Taylors with the funky colors always were turned down, I wanted that look. Unfortunately, at the time I was not paying for my own shoes and my mother much preferred the subdued white Nikes to any pink, purple and red hi-tops. Mom won, Chuck lost. I remained very uncool in the shoe category.
As I grew older and saw the kind of people who wore Chuck Taylors, my desire for them waned. They were much more of the "grunge" look than I was going for. Kurt Cobain and the rest of "Nirvana" wore them. In fact, they have a new design out right now honoring Kurt with his signature on the heel. My brother still likes them, I can't tell you the last time I saw him in any other shoe but Chuck Taylors. Needless to say, his grungy style does not fit with my "soccer mom" image. He likes his look with the Yosemite Sam mustache, baggy jeans, and his favorite black t-shirt with "jackass" (as in Steve-O and Johnnie Knoxville) boldly written on it. No offense to my brother, but until he starts shopping at Land's End and J. Crew or I go to the Salvation Army or any novelty t-shirt place, we won't have the same style.
So I was very conflicted recently when I received a children's shoe catalog in the mail and saw the cutest Converse shoes. They were low-rise canvas shoes with multi-colored stars all over them. Super cute! I wanted them! They would go so well with my jeans and any colored t-shirt I own. I'd never seen any other shoes so cute, I'd be the talk of the town! (We live in a small town, not much else to talk about!) However, these shoes which I longed for were in the children's catalog. Bummer!
I was reminded once again of those cute shoes today as I read the paper. On the front page of the Style section was an article about Converse's birthday. I went to their website, hoping and praying I would be able to find my newest conquest. Their website is amazing! Converse has a ton of different styles, fabrics, patterns, and colors. You can create your own shoes, designing the side panels, tongue, heel, rubber sole, and even the shoelace patterns and/or colors! Absolutely fantastic! It could get a little on the obsessive, bordering on crazy side...but fantastic! If you want to check it out the website is http://www.converse.com/.
After much web searching, I found lots of patterns and styles. I can get skull and crossbones (maybe a gift idea for my brother) or animal print, but no multi-colored stars. I may have to live vicariously through my daughter and get them for her in a couple of years! Lucky girl!
I always have wanted a pair of Converse shoes. Remember the days of Cyndi Lauper and Punky Brewster? Their Converse hi-top Chuck Taylors with the funky colors always were turned down, I wanted that look. Unfortunately, at the time I was not paying for my own shoes and my mother much preferred the subdued white Nikes to any pink, purple and red hi-tops. Mom won, Chuck lost. I remained very uncool in the shoe category.
As I grew older and saw the kind of people who wore Chuck Taylors, my desire for them waned. They were much more of the "grunge" look than I was going for. Kurt Cobain and the rest of "Nirvana" wore them. In fact, they have a new design out right now honoring Kurt with his signature on the heel. My brother still likes them, I can't tell you the last time I saw him in any other shoe but Chuck Taylors. Needless to say, his grungy style does not fit with my "soccer mom" image. He likes his look with the Yosemite Sam mustache, baggy jeans, and his favorite black t-shirt with "jackass" (as in Steve-O and Johnnie Knoxville) boldly written on it. No offense to my brother, but until he starts shopping at Land's End and J. Crew or I go to the Salvation Army or any novelty t-shirt place, we won't have the same style.
So I was very conflicted recently when I received a children's shoe catalog in the mail and saw the cutest Converse shoes. They were low-rise canvas shoes with multi-colored stars all over them. Super cute! I wanted them! They would go so well with my jeans and any colored t-shirt I own. I'd never seen any other shoes so cute, I'd be the talk of the town! (We live in a small town, not much else to talk about!) However, these shoes which I longed for were in the children's catalog. Bummer!
I was reminded once again of those cute shoes today as I read the paper. On the front page of the Style section was an article about Converse's birthday. I went to their website, hoping and praying I would be able to find my newest conquest. Their website is amazing! Converse has a ton of different styles, fabrics, patterns, and colors. You can create your own shoes, designing the side panels, tongue, heel, rubber sole, and even the shoelace patterns and/or colors! Absolutely fantastic! It could get a little on the obsessive, bordering on crazy side...but fantastic! If you want to check it out the website is http://www.converse.com/.
After much web searching, I found lots of patterns and styles. I can get skull and crossbones (maybe a gift idea for my brother) or animal print, but no multi-colored stars. I may have to live vicariously through my daughter and get them for her in a couple of years! Lucky girl!
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Making of a Great Day
Okay, it's been awhile. I know, I know! All of you folks out there (I'm sure there are millions) enjoying this blog must be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to hear the wonderfully wise words I spew out. I can tell there are so many of you by the numerous comments I get...oh wait! Nonetheless, this blog is more about me and less about you so I will move on.
Today has been an extremely good day, though from the surface it won't seem that way. Luke is consistently sleeping through the night, and Kate isn't. In fact, she has been congested and is sleeping quite rottenly (is that a word?) and grunting while she breathes. Trent woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever, so high I didn't even take his temperature and just gave him medicine. I didn't send him to school which broke his heart, it was "Twins/Triplets Day" at school and he and his friends had decorated shirts to wear. Steve left super early this morning to catch a train in DC to go to NYC for the day so I was on my own for the morning routine. This can go either really well or really bad, depending on the number of times I hit the snooze button and the number of babies awake while I'm scrambling up some eggs. Then I have to drag four kids to the doctor's office because Kate and Luke have their four-month checkups today. (Kate weighed 13 lbs. 3 oz. and Luke weighed a whopping 15 lbs 2 oz.) Kate needs to be nebulized 3-4 times a day due to her congestion and wheezing and Luke has a heart murmur (!) and needs to be seen by a Cardiologist.
None of those things really sound like the start of a great day, do they? In fact considering these things all happened before 9 am, it could have been a really bad day. It wasn't. Trent and Lance were actually complimented by the crotchety pediatrician about how well-behaved they were during the babies' appointment, the weather was absolutely lovely and spring is coming, and I was able to complete some projects I've had going on around here. The kids got along really well and the weather is gorgeous. (It's the small things.) The boys and I didn't go many places today, and the babies were tired from their shots, so we actually had some conversations. Some were worthwhile, others were not. The most recent happened while I was helping Lance in the shower tonight and he was trying to "get my tush shiny" (his tush, not mine). We agreed the job was done when I needed to get the sunglasses out due to the shine! I don't think I have ever taken a shower asking myself, "Is your tush shiny enough yet?" but I may now!
The house is not spic and span and my husband is coming home late, to mention only two of my woes for the evening. I have no complaints, for I am a blessed woman with plenty of time to clean the house another time! For now, I will appreciate what I have.
Today has been an extremely good day, though from the surface it won't seem that way. Luke is consistently sleeping through the night, and Kate isn't. In fact, she has been congested and is sleeping quite rottenly (is that a word?) and grunting while she breathes. Trent woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever, so high I didn't even take his temperature and just gave him medicine. I didn't send him to school which broke his heart, it was "Twins/Triplets Day" at school and he and his friends had decorated shirts to wear. Steve left super early this morning to catch a train in DC to go to NYC for the day so I was on my own for the morning routine. This can go either really well or really bad, depending on the number of times I hit the snooze button and the number of babies awake while I'm scrambling up some eggs. Then I have to drag four kids to the doctor's office because Kate and Luke have their four-month checkups today. (Kate weighed 13 lbs. 3 oz. and Luke weighed a whopping 15 lbs 2 oz.) Kate needs to be nebulized 3-4 times a day due to her congestion and wheezing and Luke has a heart murmur (!) and needs to be seen by a Cardiologist.
None of those things really sound like the start of a great day, do they? In fact considering these things all happened before 9 am, it could have been a really bad day. It wasn't. Trent and Lance were actually complimented by the crotchety pediatrician about how well-behaved they were during the babies' appointment, the weather was absolutely lovely and spring is coming, and I was able to complete some projects I've had going on around here. The kids got along really well and the weather is gorgeous. (It's the small things.) The boys and I didn't go many places today, and the babies were tired from their shots, so we actually had some conversations. Some were worthwhile, others were not. The most recent happened while I was helping Lance in the shower tonight and he was trying to "get my tush shiny" (his tush, not mine). We agreed the job was done when I needed to get the sunglasses out due to the shine! I don't think I have ever taken a shower asking myself, "Is your tush shiny enough yet?" but I may now!
The house is not spic and span and my husband is coming home late, to mention only two of my woes for the evening. I have no complaints, for I am a blessed woman with plenty of time to clean the house another time! For now, I will appreciate what I have.
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