Super Bowl Requires Super Nachos

     For years, Sunday night football required "super nachos". They were the staple snack that either never lasted past the first quarter, or served as a half-time treat. We never made a batch for less than four adults, and have made a tray for around 6-8 at a time. The simplest version goes:

Ground meat with taco seasoning, done up in a pan.
Spread corn chips over a cookie sheet.
Evenly spread cooked taco meat over chips.
Add salsa, olives, peppers, cheese, etc. to your heart's content.
Place in oven around 300 degrees until cheese it melted.
Add sour cream, mo' salsa, etc. as you see fit.
.....aaaaaaaaaaannnnddd PIG OUT!!! It's every man for himself.

     A great step by step is listed here at Michelle Cooks Everyday. She puts her own twist on a Rachael Ray recipe, and I dig it. There's also a pretty simple version here at Gringo Bandito (photo credit). Enjoy!

J.

Sibling Rivalry

     This weekend, my wife and I headed out for a long awaited "date night". My son knew something was up immediately, and began to show his displeasure minutes after the baby sitter showed up. He was fine just after we left (yes, we text back and forth with the sitter), but just before departure, I paid attention to my daughter. While the boy was crying, she disappeared into his room, and came out with a favorite stuffed animal. She began coaxing him with a soft and upbeat voice, trying to hand him his stuffed buddy. We mentioned to her the need to help, but I left knowing that she does those things by instinct theses days.
     Sure, there are plenty of "mine", "don't touch", and "daaaaaddddyyyy" moments to fill a toy box. However, she wants to push him in his stroller, feed him treats, quiet his crying and so forth. I fully believe that as she welcomed a little brother, WE tried to make the transition easier. We have special times with her alone, I still read books to her before bed, and other things that make her feel special and loved on an individual basis, as well as a sibling. I know that's helped, and will continue to do so.
     I've found some additional articles on Kids Health, Family Circle, and Parenting. The address sibling rivalry/harmony and overall getting along. I hope we can keep on this path. It'll be a fun ride.

J.

Gophers In The Mist

 
     I was out back today with my kids and heard a rustle in the flowers up on the little hillside in our backyard. We kept seeing the flower bed move, and then a flower would disappear. The entire root, stem, and flower would just vanish into the ground. I called my daughter over, who stood on the retaining wall next to me. We grabbed a stick and moved some of the undergrowth away from the hole. Seconds later, a little gopher head poked out. We stood quietly while he went about his business.
     It gave us a chance to talk about wild animals, and why we don't just go up and pet the ground rodent on the head. She seemed unconvinced at first that he wouldn't invite us down the hole for a cup of tea. She was sure that there were other creatures at the bottom of the hole that would not only talk, but have some sort of whimsical song to sing to us once we got down there. Of course it was the topic throughout the day, and the plot line of our bedtime story.
     For both the real world and the fantasy, it was a unique experience between me and my little gal. I hope we have many more like it.

J.

Blast From The Past

     I've been wanting to pass this link on for ages. Check out Retro Junk. These guys have clips from commercials and TV programs from our childhood in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Some of the stuff I forgot I ever even watched! It's worth a few minutes, maybe after the kids have gone to sleep.

     My favorite will always be Knight Rider. Enjoy!

J.

Crazy Ronaldinho Skills

     Me and my brothers played soccer most of our young life. As I've watched the World Cup over the years, I've seen more and more clips everywhere of Ronaldinho's CRAZY footy skills. This guy is amazing. His full bio at Wikipedia here. Awesome YouTube clips here, here and here. Top 10 goals here.

Enjoy. I just get jealous.

J.

We Care A Lot

    "(We care a lot) about you people yeah you bet we care a lot" ~ Faith No More

     We've passed a year on owning guppies. We've added a frog, a small catfish, and a shrimp recently. Today, I got a call on the way home that the frog, apparently, had eaten the shrimp. Now, we had an incident several months back where the ammonia levels spiked and we lost all 18 of our baby guppies, the adults guppies, and our frog (pictured). We never named them, only had them for a short while, and let's face it, they're fish. Yet we put a lot of time and effort into them and felt sadness, especially for the frog, since he got used to being hand fed.
     So today's news was unwelcome, until later in the evening, when the little ghost shrimp came out of the castle cave, and proceeded to clean the bottom of the tank. We looked it up here, and they shed or molt as they grow. The "parts" we saw out the side of our new frog's mouth were just old clothes.
     This, somehow, translated to how much I love and care for my children. Every bump, bruise and scrape hurts us as parents too. I think it's good to notice those things, so that we know just what they mean to us. I'm not saying I want to find my son's discarded skin laying around the house to think I've lost him, but you get the picture. It's these little things that seem to remind me to love and appreciate the little one's I have.

J.

Hamster Dance Song

     Dunno why, but my kids LOVE the Hamster Dance song. The above is the only decent version to embed. There's better animation synced to the song out there, so just poke around a bit and you'll find it. I have it bookmarked on my iPhone so they can watch it anytime in the car. It grabs their attention, calms and quiets them down anytime. It's almost as addictive as the Gummy Bear song.
     Enjoy the madness.

J.

Kids Grow Up Fast

     Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.   ~ Proverbs 22:6

     We were putting a few remaining holiday things away today, and my five year old wanted to help. I was on the floor putting things into boxes. I looked up at her and was amazed at how tall she seemed to me. I went through an array of emotions in a short amount of time. "Look how big she is!", "Wasn't it just yesterday that...", and so on. I was having flashbacks and flashforwards like crazy. I'm sure that every daddy there knows what I mean in some way.
     I know I can't press that pause button. The only constant thing in life is change. So I try to stay current on two major things. Pictures/Video and Journal/Diary. My oldest is only five, and I can go to a photo or journal entry from her early days and realize I've forgotten a TON of stuff. Now, the pictures and videos aren't that hard. You just have to do it. About.com has some great ideas for journal keeping here. It's not the "dear diary" stuff you'd think. It can be more easy than you'd ever thought.
     So before they're off to college or get married, think about it, and get on it!

J.

Star Wars

Photo by Microkosmic

     "These aren't the kids you're looking for."

     We've all been impacted by Star Wars. We all know how to imitate Darth Vader. We've all dreamed about owning a fully functional light saber. We've all waved our hands in front of a store's automatic door wishing that it truly was "the force" that opened it.
     Now, my daughter is up for any kind of play. She does prefer it to be of a princess persuasion (and NOT Princess Leia). However, my son is displaying typical boy attributes and I'm getting excited about the possibilities. I'm not saying that I'm a super Star Wars geek, though I nearly cried when my Boba Fett helmet was stolen from my work desk years ago (...sniff). Still, I'm excited to share the galaxy far, far away with my own offspring. I hope that we can replay the "your not my father!" scenes with feeling.
     I'm a fan of family, history, genealogy, roots, tradition and so on. Landmark movies like Star Wars (Indiana Jones, Back To The Future, etc.) will be a part of our family's traditions. It was fun for me and my father. I hope it's as much for me and my son. (.....No....I...am your father......)

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

J.

A Visit To The Doctor

     A apple a day, keeps the doctor awa....OUCH! Time for shots I guess.

     We had a recent trip to the pediatrician that was pretty typical. We got in quick, but sat in the room until both kids we're pulling open all the cupboard and messing up all the "clean" paper on the exam bench. My boy was fine with all the exam stuff. In fact he was quite curious about what was going on. The three shots weren't welcome, but again, the crying was over in seconds (granted, he was up in the night, and limping the next day). It made me think of my three tips for a successful trip to the Doc.

     1. Make sure it's no big thing - I've noticed that if I'm not phased, the kids usually aren't phased. I've seen parents prep their kids for scary things, like Disneyland rides. "Okay, Jr.! Now it's going to get VEEEERY dark, and PREEEETY scary, and somethings going to jump out, and you're gonna want to scream your head off a little bit...." Don't do it. You're setting up the fear. If you must, be honest, brief, and show 'em it ain't no big deal.

     2. Diversion techniques - Mostly used for the nasty stuff, like shots, I have a variety of treats, electronic gizmos, and keywords that will divert my 1 AND 5 year olds' attention away from anything. Even if for a small moment, it's helped us get past shots, scary ear lighting equipment, etc. It works for us, so give 'er a try.

     3. Loose Clothing! - We learned this one early on. With all the poking around the doctor does, loose and comfy work better. ALSO,.... after those shots, you're child will thank you if you can slide on some loose and comfy sweats. It makes things that much easier and happier.

     I found some additional tips for making a trip successful for first time baby visits here, by Teresa Shaw. Also some good tips from a RN (student NP) here. Good luck!

J.