I’m really just posting this so that I have a copy…

Lame_Duck_Resolution

I know, I know… enough with the politics… I’ll post something family related soon.. and upload the pictures from Puerto Rico… promise!

Mallory is at that age where you wish you had a tape recorder tied to her at all times.  You just never know what’s going to pop out of that little mouth.  And the biggest problem is that you know she gets it from you.  Of course, Johnathan taught her stuff like, “See this elbow.  Right in your forehead, baby.  Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam.”  And the ever popular, “It’s time to crack some skulls, baby.”  But then, there is the occasional thing that you have no idea where it came from like, “Fine, mom.  Fine.” (yes, she’s only three)  I thought I would share some recent excerpts.

Just today, Johnathan was taking the kids to school.  Mallory likes to talk so he was asking her if she was going to have fun at school.  She said, “No.  I’m going to be shy.”  “Why are you going to be shy?”  “Cause when I’m shy, the teachers hold me.”  (I knew it!!!  Stinkin’ kid!)  “I’m going to be shy for 30 minutes.  Want me to count to 30, daddy?”  “Sure.”  “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 30.”  (Impatient too.  That’s my girl!)

Tonight, she asked if we could eat dinner while we watched Tinkerbell.  We agreed that was fine since we had said no last night.  The only problem is that she is her father’s child.  She gets fixated on the TV.  I mean, fully engulfed.  (I have carried on one-sided conversations with Johnathan for several minutes.)  She wasn’t paying attention to her food so Johnathan kept pushing pause to make her take a big bite.  She expressed her displeasure by saying, “Aaahhh.  Do we have to keep doing this?!”

I think my favorite though was one day when I picked her up from school.  She always gets a fruit snack for the ride home…provided she kept her pants dry all day.  This particular day, she finished it before we go to the red light, which was very fast.  I said, “Wow!  You ate that fast!”  She said, “Yeah…I’m an inja.”  (Those of you that know Johnathan well, will know exactly where that originated.)

The Helena Public School system is considering a comprehensive plan for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It includes teaching first graders that people can be attracted to the same gender. In second grade students are instructed to avoid gay slurs and by the time students turn 10 years old they are taught about various types of intercourse.

According to the draft proposal obtained by FOX News Radio, fifth graders should “understand that sexual intercourse includes but is not limited to vaginal, oral, or anal penetration.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/09/montana-school-proposes-controversial-sex-education-program/?test=latestnews

Unfortunately this sort of stuff doesn’t get the press it deserves…

http://article.nationalreview.com/437296/kagans-abortion-distortion/shannen-w-coffin

Are you kidding me?

A small publishing company is under fire after putting warning labels on copies of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other historical documents.

Wilder Publications warns readers of its reprints of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, the Articles of Confederation, and the Federalist Papers, among others, that “This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today.”

The disclaimer goes on to tell parents that they “might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.”

Link to Article on FoxNews.com

So Angie and I finally decided we were going to do something active and agreed that we could be each others best cheerleader. As much as I don’t like TV infomercials, I’m sure you’ve all seen the ads for P90X… I talked to some coworkers who ordered it and were working hard, but enjoying it. It seemed like a good option for us since we could do it at home with minimal equipment. Part of our constraint is that with the kids, we can’t get out together on a consistent basis to the gym or run… one of us has to keep any eye on the kids. That’s a huge benefit of P90X or any home workout I guess… we can do it together after the kids go to bed.

So we ordered it and started this past Tuesday. We are doing the “Lean” workout, which is a little less weight intensive… more cardio. The plan has us working out for about an hour each day, six days per week. Each of the sessions is different which is nice… no boredom. Yoga is the longest at 1.5 hours… so far it’s my least favorite!

Happy to report that we are now 6 days in… we’ve done all of the first week workouts, and tonight is either resting, or stretching. Angie may have pulled a muscle last night during the “Ab Ripper X workout. Hopefully it will feel better soon and the rest day will help.

We are trying to combine this with eating better, so the hope is that in 90 days we are “ripped”! We’ll see. We took some before pictures, which I’m sure we will only share IF we end up “ripped”… otherwise, they may find their way to some password protected directory. :)

From an email I received…I laughed out loud, so I felt I had to share… Thanks John!

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Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters , but she hailed the manager for help.

While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok. )

6. Teaching Math In 2009

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Mallory’s birthday was today and she turned 3 years old. It can’t be that 3 years have past already… she’s such a “big girl”. We had her party over at Jump Zone, which I believe was almost as much fun for the parents as it was the kids. She had 13 of her friends join her and we had a blast running through all the inflatables. These things were huge, and adult friendly. :)

The only bummer was that we ran out of time in the party room and another party was coming in, so we didn’t get to open presents with all of her friends there. Instead we brought them home, took a nap, and then opened them while dinner was cooking.

Angie or I will write some more as time permits, but I just wanted to get a stub out here so we don’t forget. We’ll also look to post some pictures, as many were taken.

Update: 5/23/2010 6:53PM… pictures have been posted in the web album.

Mallory has become quite the storyteller these days. A couple of months ago, I noticed on her paper from school that they had studied about Jonah. When I asked her about it, she confirmed that he was swallowed by a big fish…that “spit him out on the sand and he had sand on his pants and he had to get it off cause he was all dirty…” It went on, but you get the picture.
For reasons that I won’t go into, we have been carpooling this week. Well, yesterday Mallory was talking about “The Big Pickle”. This was in reference to a VeggieTales video about David and Goliath that I think she has only watched once. Today, she started talking about potatoes. (A food that she doesn’t like…I’m not really sure she’s related to me). It went a little something like this, “When a potato comes, we go hide in the closet.”
“When a potato comes?”
“Yes. And they’re scarrrrry.” (insert really cute face with wide eyes during the “scary” part)
“Is a potato a monster?”
“No, mommy, it’s a potato.”
“Okay.”
“It comes and it picks up cars and houses and swings.”
“It picks up cars and houses and rocketships…?”
“I didn’t say rocketships. Cars and houses and swings. Airplanes and rocketships are too high up.”
“Okay. Who told you this?”
“Parissa.”  (her teacher)
“Parissa?”
“Yes.”
“We eat potatoes.”
“Yeah.  Well, I don’t.  I don’t like potatoes.”
“Okay.”
“…and the potato trail…”
Johnathan felt the need to chime in, “Potato trail?”
“Yes. It picks up cars and houses and big swings.”
Then, without realizing it Johnathan mockingly said, “Oh, the big, bad F3 Potato!” And I fell out laughing…tears streaming from my eyes. Suddenly, it hit Johnathan. “That’s what she’s talking about!”
We spent the next few minutes trying to teach her how to say “tornado”. They’re learning about weather at school. Who needs a TV when you have this kind of entertainment?