Looney Toon Dad’s Blog

One of the goals for the new year was to finish the basement. Here’s an update. It’s still not done. But we’re on a roll.

The drywall was put up and finished two weeks ago. They came out and primed it this past week and did some touch ups to the corners. So this weekend I started painting. I put two coats on the entire ceiling yesterday, and got the bathroom walls painted today.

Tentatively, next weekend should see some doors go in and some (if not all) the trim put on. Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of time. We’ll finish painting (which will take at least a couple of days), get the bathroom floor in so we can put the bathroom vanity and toilet in, then do the entry tile and fireplace slate, and carpet the main area.

So knock on wood, we should be done before J.A.B.B. ‘07.

‘Til next time.

There are some words that you probably shouldn’t teach your kids. I’m not talking about curse words or derogatory statements. I’m talking about simple little harmless words that make parenting more difficult.

The example I’m thinking of right now is “chocolate”. If you read my previous post about the chocolate pudding, then you know that Jack likes chocolate pudding. There is a problem with him knowing the word chocolate and what it means. Here it is.

When he doesn’t want to eat dinner, we sometimes try and get him to at least eat some yogurt, especially if he only wants dessert (ie. pudding). He likes yogurt, but getting him to agree to eating it isn’t always easy. So we started calling it pudding. We’ll ask him what kind he wants, pink or green pudding (strawberry or key lime). Here’s where the bad word shows up. His response now is usually “chocolate pudding”.

Luckily, we’ve been out of chocolate pudding, so he’s settled for pink or green. On a side note, he still wants to hold one while eating another.

‘Til next time.

Today I’m reminded of something my grandfather once told me. Keep in mind, my grandfather has always been kind of a kidder.

“Do you know why I always wear long sleeves?” he asked.

“No, why do you wear long sleeves” I said.

“Because if I wear short sleeves, when I do this” Snnsnnsnnhhhhhh (the sound of him wiping his nose along the length of his arm) “I’d get snot all over my arm.”

Why am I reminded of this? Jack apears to have a cold. He went to bed all congested last night, and now he has a runny nose. So when he sneezes a big snot ball or has a big drip, his first instinct is to wipe his nose with his sleeve. Luckily Mommy has had some success in teaching him to tell us when he needs a tissue, or to wait for a tissue after he sneezes.

So taking Grampy’s “advice”, I think we’ll keep him in long sleeves for a while, just in case. Or at least until winter is over.

‘Til next time.

You’re almost two. You’re babbling away. The person you are talking too just looks at you and says “Huh?” So you repeat yourself. Again, a blank stare from the other person. You repeat yourself again. The other person finally says “I don’t understand what you want, little buddy.” You want to bang you’re head against something.

I’m sure it’s frustrating for a child to not be understood. I’ve heard and read that’s what is partially to blame for the terrible two’s. Toddlers get frustrated by not being able to communicate their wants and needs. I’ve found something even more frustrating though; Being the person they’re talking too.

I feel so bad when Jack starts talking and I think I know what he’s saying, but in actuality I don’t. Why do I feel bad? I hear him talk all day and teach him new words, so shouldn’t I be able to understand him. It’s one thing when he has a pacifier in his mouth, but after he takes it out, sometimes I still don’t know what he is saying.

The other day he started talking about something during lunch. I had no idea what it was that he was saying (and still don’t). When he would say the word, I’d listen and then offer my interpretation, frantically trying to think of words that sound similar to what he was vocalizing. This only resulted in him saying “no” and repeating his word. This went on for 5 minutes. I was frustrated. He was frustrated. What could I do?

I did the only thing I could think of. I changed the subject. I changed the subject to something that I knew he knows how to say an something that I kow I can understand when he talks about it. “Thomas, Henry, James, Gordon, Edward, ………”

‘Til next time.

No, I’m not talking about Jello pudding pops either. (Well, maybe the pudding part) I’m referring to his stand-up comedy routine Bill Cosby, Himself.

I haven’t watched it recently even though I have the DVD. I don’t know if I’ve even seen it since I became a father. I do know that I watched it more than a few times growing up (too numerous to count to be exact). That turned out to be a good thing.

In his routine, Cosby talks about having to make “breakfast for the children” one morning. So he goes downstairs, grumbling about his task, and his youngest walks in. When asked what she wants for breakfast, she replies “chocolate cake”. So after reviewing the ingredients in chocolate cake (eggs, milk, flour) he determines that those ingredients are healthy, and gives her a slice of cake. The other children come down and after wondering in amazement that the littlest is eating chocolate cake, they inquire about eating chocolate cake. Long story short, Cosby ends up in hot water with his wife becuase the children lie and say that they wanted eggs and milk, but “dad give us the chocolate cake.” How is this relevant?

The other morning, I asked Jack what he wanted for breakfast. I listed the choices for him.

• Me “Do you want pancakes?”  Him “No.”
• Me “Do you want eggs?”  Him “No.”
• Me “Do you want French toast sticks?” Him “No.”
• Me “Do you want waffles?” Him “No.”
• Me “Do you want a banana?” Him “No.”

So finally, I ask him “What do you want for breakfast?” An his reply was

 “Chocolate Pudding!”

So thank you Bill Cosby. Because of you, I know that ingredients don’t matter. And even though the label states “Real Nonfat Milk is our #1 ingredient”, I did not give him chocolate pudding for breakfast. Why? Because he probably would have lied on me. Besides, I told him he could have some for lunch dinner dessert.

‘Til next time.