I hate nannys

I was watching the Sopranos the other day and eating those Snyder pretzel wheels with the cheddar cheese in the middle. I love those things. Well I dropped the remote, and when I went to pick it up I inadvertently changed the channel. It was accidentally the first time I had ever even seen Nanny 911. This could possibly be the dumbest show in America. So here was this girl…about 9…and she is swearing at her mom. She hates her, she wants her to die, she thinks she’s ugly, and on and on. Now there is this nanny lady sitting in the corner taking notes like she’s some space observer for NASA. Well that night, after the mom is finished cleaning up the mashed potatoes that the girl threw at her during dinner, the nanny and parents have a meeting. The nanny breaks the news to the parents that they have no control over the girl, and that their parenting strategies are poor and need to be altered. Now the parents are looking at the nanny lady in disbelief…dumbfounded, as if they didn’t know. They start going over what needs to happen and that they need to take control of the situation. So when the meeting is over, the parents have this plan…surefire plan that can’t go wrong. Now I’m hooked. At this point I haven’t even turned back to the Sopranos to see if Big Tony dealt with the Carmine problem or not. So the next morning the mom is telling the little girl to clean up the mess she had made in the living room. Well the girl starts in with the, “I hate you” and the “You’re stupid” comments. Now the dad is the best. As soon as the yelling starts, he has his bicycle helmet on and he’s out the door and down the road like he’s lance Armstrong training for the Tour de Jonestown. He’s splitsville. So the mom is trying to put the girl in timeout. This is awesome. The girl won’t stay put, so the nanny is trying to have the mom hold her in time out. So the mom is in the middle of attempting a weak headlock on the girl, and it’s getting out of hand. So I’m thinking how great timeout is. I wish someone would have invented it when I was little. The closest I ever got was my dad taking time out of his busy schedule to beat me with a belt or two by four. I really missed out. So the show ends with me annoyed more than ever. I never finished the Sopranos, the nanny show is ridiculous, and why did my dad have to wear a belt for crying out loud. Oh well…chocolate covered bacon sounds gross.

Photos & Video

Some pics of the family... One of my children...one of my wife

I'm Addicted to WebKinz

I'm addicted to WebKinz. Sad to say at 31, but I am. WebKinz are stuffed animals that you can buy at any store. They are the new craze. On each WebKinz tag there is a code. Upon logging on to your computer and going to the WebKinz web page, you enter the code to bring your pet to life. You are given money with each pet, and a room for them to live in. With each pet you add, you receive more money and more rooms. There is an arcade where you can play games and earn money. The money is used to buy food to feed your pet (yes I said feed your pet), add on to your "house" with more rooms, a backyard, etc, or just buying your pet the luxuries of life such as pool or car. It's really quite remarkable. I at first found it a pathetic attempt to relieve my three children (especially the youngest) of the wanting for a dog, since my wife Niki had put the kabbosh on that plan since she would (as she says... and is probably right) inevitably be the one to take care of it. So we care deeply for our WebKinz. or I should say, my kids play games, and I sadly feed the webpet that blows kisses, but is incapable of loving me back. Just last week I bought a backyard for my youngest daughter's webkinz. I was thrilled as I began planting a garden and beautiful flowers. Meanwhile my own "real" yard has needed cut for a week. There is just something about a utopian world of care-free pets, work-free yards, and making money playing games. I'd talk more, but I'm pretty sure I can beat my highest score on Downhill Plunge...see ya.

Knoebels

We went to Knoebels on Sunday. Amusement parks have two of my least favorite things...heights and crowds. I mean to me, Hershey Park is like the fourth level of Dante's Inferno. The crowds weren't too bad, but the heights thing...my only phobia. It's not so bad because Hunter is much like me in that aspect...he hates heights as well. Ellie is still too young to go on some of the rides, however I can see a little adventure in her. Addie, on the other hand has to be a direct descendant of Evil Knievel. That girl will go on any ride...and makes fun of anyone who will not join her. Yeah...she's 7. So having the easily torn ego that I do, I stroll up to the ticket guy at each ride with my book of tickets in hand. He measures Addie up with the stick that determines your ride fate, and looks at her like he wants to say, "This is a scary ride little girl." Meanwhile, before I even hand him my tickets she is already strapping herself into the seat that will spin the fastest, go the highest, or give the best view of rapidly approaching pavement. She knows I hate heights, so she begins to taunt me as soon as the ride begins to move, trying her hardest to beckon a yell from my now pale face. Every ride ends the same...the tailing off of her infectious giggle, and the same words every time..."Can we do it again?" "Come on" I say, "Let's get a drink and see how long the line is for the Tea Cups." She laughs again.

WRITING bLOGS

For the 2008-09 school year my writing folders will take new form. Rather than pencil/paper, each student will be responsible for setting up and maintaining their own blog. Prompts and daily reflections will be kept in your blog. Mr. Wallace will log in periodically to make sure you are keeping up to date. Your blog will be a marking period grade, so please keep up to date. Entries should be thoughtful, well constructed, and checked for spelling and grammar before being posted. Further Instructions to come.