Quantum Newsprint hosted by Bill Sjoblom

Yes, I Judged You!

My wife (Lindsay) recently sent me an article that I could relate to titled "Apologies to Parents I Judged Four Years Ago!" from the Huffington Post.  The article is written by a relatively new mom who came to realize how judgemental she was of other parents with small children - before she had kids herself. 

Now most of you know that my wife and I decided to have kids sort of late in life - maybe that's an understatement!  And I have to admit I was judgemental of parents who seemed to have trouble controlling their kids.  I used to avoid sitting near kids on airplanes at all cost!  The worst was sitting with a kid behind you because they would keep kicking my seat. 

Well, I apologize to all of you I judged!  Having kids now, I understand how difficult it is to keep them well behaved.  So I thought I would share this article with you!

And by the way...there is no way I could ever switch jobs with my wife!  I don't know how she does it sometimes!  I love my kids but I think they might drive me crazy if I had to stay home with them all the time!

Here are a couple of recent shots of my precious well behaved kids...well at least that is half true!  Would you take a minute and email or text me a picture of your kids?  Thanks! 

Kai (five) the photographer looking for his next award winning photo op!

My daughter Scout at her third birthday party.  She sure is proud of those boots!

Valentines Day Traditions?

Do you have a Valentines Day tradition?  Before kids we often went out to dinner...I guess that is a fairly common tradition.  My kids are now five and almost three.  Last year we started a new tradition - chocolate fondue!  On Valentines Day we melt some chocolate and dip apples, strawberries, pineapple, angel food cake, blueberries, marshmallows, bananas and whatever else we can find that sounds good. 

Kai had a friend over last night and my sister was in town to share in the crazy tradition!

Do you have a Valentines Day tradition?

Elf on a Shelf

Have any of you with young kids discovered the Elf on the Shelf?  I am probably way behind, but just after Thanksgiving this year, Lindsay brought home an Elf on the Shelf.  It comes in a box with a book that explains that this Elf's job is to observe your kids behavior and each night he flies to the North Pole to report to Santa whether they were naughty or nice that day.  When he returns to your house, he usually finds a different observation point so that he get's to see the kids in a variety of places around the house.

Obviously, this Elf comes standard with magical skills.

My four year old son (Kai) and two year old daughter (Scout) are really into this.  My son named our Elf - "Felf" - he is big on rhyming right now.  Finding Felf is the first thing they do each morning.  I am convinced that he is getting up earlier because he can't wait to see Felf each morning.  He also is trying to catch Felf moving at night - which I suppose he just might as Dad does not like to stay up real late!

I also have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the whole premise of Elf on a Shelf.  Here is an article from the Washington Times that provides a negative commentary.  It feels a bit manipulative to keep telling the kids to behave because "Felf is watching".  Of course, that has not stopped me from using this approach at times!

Felf is actually a bit clumsy and at times makes a mess.  One morning the kids found an open bag of marshmallows strewn across the kitchen floor along with a empty hot chocolate packet.  They found Felf in the fridge drinking hot chocolate!  I guess he was missing the North Pole and wanted to cold!

Do you have any Elf on the Shelf stories?

Have a great Christmas with your family and friends!  Be safe!

Bahia Honda State Park

Last week I was on vacation in Florida and had the opportunity to visit Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys. It is located 37 miles from Key West and is quite simply one of most beautiful parks in the country!

The park is located on an 524 acre island that is virtually uninhabited. In 1992 the beach was awarded "best beach in the US" by Dr. Beach. You can rent snorkeling equipment and kayaks. There is tent camping directly on the beach and even 3 cabins to rent.

Have you been to Bahia Honda? Tell us about your experience!

Another Funny Kai Story

Kai recently attended Vacation Bible School for a week at our church.  He loved the music, skits and learning about Jesus. 

Now Kai is a pretty enthusiastic four year old.  So the following week he was riding in a mini-van with the rest of his pre-school class going on a field trip and he suddenly yelled out "If you love Jesus raise your hand!"  Surprisingly, every pre-schooler raised their hand.  The driver noticed this and was curious so she asked the kids, "So every one of you knows Jesus?" 

One little boy in the back immediately shouted out "Jesus?  I thought he said Chucky Cheese's!"

You can't make this stuff up!

Now That's Scary!

Have you ever heard the expression "That scared the bejeebers out of me?"

A few weeks ago we dropped off my four year old son, Kai at my sister-in-law's home while Lindsay and I enjoyed a night out.  She has a five acre lot that has a train track running along the back perimeter. 

When we picked up Kai and were driving home, we asked him what he did at Aunt Lori's house that evening.  He excitedly told us that while he was outside in the yard they heard a train coming!  So he ran down to the fence to watch the train go by.  He was totally unprepared for the shrill whistle from the train as it approached the un-gated crossing nearby!  He said "Mommy, I was so scared I lost my Jeebers!"