Posts from — April 2006

Now that BJ is about to begin kindergarden, I find that mom and dad need to be more organized for his school attendance.  Parenting Ideas posts a nice list that both parents and children can use.  It is my belief that if the parent is organized than the children will be also.

Tuesday evening I was sitting on the couch downloading some software when I overheard BJ running to mommy and yelling, "Mommy, the water's coming up." I paid little attention until I realized that I also just heard him flush the toilet.  I froze waiting for the bomb to drop. "edddddwoooooorrdd." Now Mommy Bacchus usually refers to me as Ed or Eddie.   When I hear use my full name,  I have usually failed to do something or done something wrong.  This time she said it slow, long and even elevated her pitch, "the toilet's overflowing." So you can use your imagination and guess how I spent the rest of the evening.   Yes, BJ used an entire roll of TP to wipe his little tiny butt. Think plunger, tongs and a plumbers snake.

The next morning  Mommy Bacchus failed to clean out the coffee maker prior to making a pot of coffee and it overflowed.  So we had coffee grinds and coffee spilled all over the kithcen counter–I gotta break this caffeine habit.

To top the day off, our dog discovered the joy of playing in the mud and tracked it back into the house.  So for the past couple of days I have been constantly worn my rubber gloves and cinvolved some how with cleaning up some major mess in the house.  Everyonce in a while it seems like things like this happen in 3's.  Hopefully this is the end for now.

On a more pleasant note, wouldn't it be nice to find a site written by a parent who reviews children's music? Someone who has already listened to all the tracks and honestly recommend ones for you to consider buying.  Mommy Bacchus is contantly telling me I have to change my choice in music when BJ is in the car.  She doesn't think the Black-Eyed Peas, John Legend or Jaime Fox are appropriate influences on a toddler.  The Lovely Mrs. Davis is this week's renter, and has solved my musical taste problem.  She offers commentary on culture, motherhood and my favorite–music. She has a wonderful honest review of one of the Noggin musicians that I just love. I listen to the Noggin musicians each day and have often wondered, who picked these people? So please visit Mrs. Davis by clicking on the link on the sidebar and enjoy.

Love him or hate him, Mark Cuban has posted a great notification to help parents with a tool to assist monitoring our children's use of the internet.  It seems every week I am reading about Myspace and teenagers, so take a look and pick up some helpful hints. 

Searching Myspace.com - A parents tool. - Blog Maverick - www.blogmaverick.com _

Several years prior to BJ being born the wife and I were at a restaurant where we witnessed a group of 5 ladies eating at a table with 5 plus infants/toddlers.  The first thing we noticed was how poorly behaved the children were acting, and the parents acting as that type of behavior was cute.  The kids had complete control of the table and got to do whatever they pleased.  (Keep reading, this post is not about the kids behavior, but the inconsiderate nature of the parents.) 

We have all witnessed similar scenes, but what really got our attention was the lack of concern when the party left their table.  See, the children left a small mountain of food, utensils, paper-products and a lost toy on the restaurant floor. Once the restaurant staff of four(4) pulled out the chairs, we could see the scope of the damage. It looked like the kids were underneath the table building a sand castles.  The parents divided up the bill, got up and left without any attempt to apologize or clean up the mess.  I promise you, this was a total disaster that required multiple carpet sweepers and a vacuum cleaner.  At that point in time, I made a mental note to never be so inconsiderate and at least attempt to clean up my child's mess.

Since BJ's birth, I have always tried to be considerate of restaurant staff and at least attempt to clean up any mess we have left.  At home it's a must because there's no wait staff to do it for you, so why not make it easier for yourself. It's hard to keep a toddler entertained while eating out or at home, but the Piggy Platter Placemat is here to help.

(Click to enlarge)

It's a shatterproof, stain-resistant plastic mat that allows you to insert material to keep your child's attention.  The option I love the most is the removable plastic gutter to catch "run-away" cheerios.  Although this is more suited for dining at home, the concept is fantastic.  As an alternative, you could always bring the family dog to the restaurant to catch your droppings.  I love this product and highly recommend it.

First let me thank everyone who sent me well wishes due to the weather problems we were having here in Dallas last week.  It is my belief that your comments alone are what turned around the outlook (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

The forecast called for good weather for Saturday and I was hoping that would hold true since I had landscaping work planned for the front flower bed.

The family got up early and headed to the front yard to do some spring clean up and planting.  Within 20 minutes it happened; my neighbor came out to work on his yard.  The first few years this happened I thought it was a coincidence, but now I'm convinced otherwise.  The neighbor didn't have any planned activity he was working on, he just cut his grass, watered the lawn and went back inside.   You think I'm being paranoid?? Not a chance. 

For some reason my neighbor thinks the two of us are in some type of yard competition.  When I paint my fence, he paints his fence.  When I clean my windows, he cleans his windows.  When I plant spring color, he needs to plant spring color.  I noticed the start of this one-sided competition a few years ago when I hired a company to put up my Christmas lights.  I guess he thought I was trying to make a statement, but the reality was that I had temporary back problems that prevented me from putting up my normal display. I attempted to address this at a neighborhood social gathering and asked him why he cuts his lawn three times a week, and he responded with, "Don't want to start attracting any wild animals." I backed away and didn't take the conversation any further.  I guess he thinks an extra inch of grass will bring in the Discovery Channel.  

The true reality is that I could care less how my front yard compares to his.  I just like to keep my little part of the universe neat and attractive.  To be honest, I'm probably the least handy-man on the block, and I find it sad that he appears to use me as his measuring stick.  This should tell you how freakish this situation really is. So my advice to all is to stay away form copy-cats, they are probably disturbed in some way.

While discussing the rising cost of gas these days, a co-worker and I started playing a game today at lunch.

I Remember when:

• A pay phone call cost $.05
• First Class postage was $.10
• You could get a McDonalds ice cream cone for $.08 plus $.03 tax
• I could fill up my gas tank with a ten dollar bill and have enough left over for a burger, fries and a drink
• You went to a restaurant and didn't order by the number, (they actually customized your meal)
• TV was free….. 

Now we are getting rain storms and complete power outages. Not Brown-Outs, but loss of power for multiple hours at a time.  This weather has really got me in a funky mood……

Dallas is experiencing unusually high temperatures for this time of year, and it's expected to reach 101 today.  On top of that, the electrical companies are having brown outs to meet the increased power usage demands.  So I may have trouble getting on-line today and tending to the blog. Hopefully none of us will melt away……I've been tagged twice this week and promise to respond as soon as I can.  

If you get a chance today, send a brother some cool water, by commenting somewhere on this blog.  I've been told that that each comment will decrease the outside temperature by one degree.  So please help me cool off…..

Oh, I'm no longer homeless….Tricia has extended hospitality by allowing me a place to lay down my head for a week. Stop by and thank her for her kindness. (Check out her layout….I just love what she's done with the place)

There’s nothing like waiting until the last minute to go Easter clothes shopping. Saturday morning Mommy Bacchus (MB) had to run some errands and left Bacchus Jr. (BJ) and me to carryout our Easter Traditions. Since I knew BJ needed some spring clothes, our first stop was the local second-hand store. Sometimes I get lucky and find some really great items, but everything was picked over by the time we got there. We walked out with a few casual items he could wear to school or around the house.

Next on the agenda was the department store, but I wanted to avoid the mall since construction has made traffic a major headache. Since a number of co-workers shop at “Marshalls” for their children, I found one in a nearby strip-center. As I was parking the car, I noticed a “Famous Footwear” a couple of doors down and made a mental note to stop by on the way out. At “Marshalls” we found a great outfit with matching shorts, and at “Famous Footwear” we found 2 pairs of black and brown shoes. Finding shorts was a priority since the forecast for Easter was in the 90’s (we live in Texas).

After shopping we had just enough time to get across town in time for BJ’s swim lessons. BJ is becoming quite the fish lately, but he unfortunately pushed a classmate in the pool while she was not looking. (MY BAD—MY BAD) In the summer, I play a game called, “Throw Mommy in the pool,” and BJ mistook this cute, 4 year-old white girl as his mother (it could happen). I got to start acting like a responsible adult since my actions may cause BJ to be banned from public areas in the future. So I guess that would include “after dinner burps” and “coach potato farts” I blame on Mommy Bacchus.

After swim lessons we picked up the tulips pictured above for Mommy Bacchus. BJ surprised Mommy with them when we got back to the house and the smile on her face was worth a million bucks. Later that evening we played catch in the backyard and thanks to Yellow Dog Granny, I began teaching BJ how to spit-shine our shoes. BJ particularly enjoyed the spitting aspect of this chore, and we still need a little work on the shinning part. Overall, we had a great day, and hopefully we can continue these traditions and make them into unforgettable memories.

2006 Easter Traditions: Mission Accomplished

As Pop Music Seeks New Sales, the Pussycat Dolls Head to Toyland - New York Times

Jeff Leeds in the NY Times writes about the deal Harbro toys has made to distribute these dolls by the next holiday season. They remind me of the "Bratz" line of dolls and those look awful as well.  I hope this idea is tanked, and someone with sense re-thinks this idea.  Keep in mind, this product is targeting 6-9 year old girls.