Thursday, March 06, 2008
Methinks They've Seen it Too Many Times
Word for word, this was the conversation between Kira and Parker on Sunday:Kira: Amos Slade, you trigger-happy lunatic! Give me that gun!
Parker: My radiator! Why, you blasted female...
Kira: Hold it, right there.
Parker: Watch it, that thing's loaded.
Kira: Now it ain't loaded.
Parker: Your fox was after my chickens!
Kira: Poppycock!
Parker: You muddle-headed female...
Kira: Amos Slade, that temper of yours is going to get you into a lot of trouble someday.
Parker: Temper? Temper? Woman, you ain't seen my temper! If I ever catch that fox in my property again, I'll blast him, and next time I won't miss!
I'm thinking I might start up a Disney theater troupe soon.
Labels: Disney, Hooray for Hollywood, Kira, Parker
------------------------------------------------
Holy Moses
Parker and Kira saw Prince of Egypt for the first time last week. It made quite an impression - Parker has been asking us to define God, which started a rather complex discussion about beliefs and different religions.The next day, when we put dinner on the table, Kira stood up in her chair and shouted "Let My People EAT!"
A few days later, I listened to playing early in the morning. Parker selected one of his Playmobil figures and told Kira that this guy is God.
Kira looked at the figure for a second, and pronounced solemenly "There is no God."
"Nooo, Kira!" Parker interjected. "We're playing olden days. And in the olden days, there was a God."
Labels: Cute Overlord, Hooray for Hollywood, Kira, Let Kids be Kids, Parker
------------------------------------------------
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The Holidaze
Happy New Year, all!
We had a fantastic time over the holiday break, taking a much deserved and much needed two week trip to Northern Georgia. Kristin and I got to have several honest-to-goodness nights out on the town, and the kids had a blast visiting their grandparents. Parker proved that he can have fun for hours with just a handful of hangers (really), and Kira proved quite adept at climbing stairs, as botha human and as a cat.
Kira and Parker getting into the holiday spirit, and staying still for the just one second.
Kira and Parker on their first time on bicycles.
Lucille's Mountain Inn, the fantastic bed and breakfast Kristin and I stayed in on our out of town anniversary present.
William the Conqueror's Def Comedy Jam is in the house!
The kids take a moment to fish with a bear at Goats on the Roof General Store (yes there are indeed goats on the roof).
Parker strikes a pose at the Georgia Aquarium.
The piranha disturbingly await their next victim....er, meal.....at the Georgia Aquarium.
Parker gets up and personal with a Penguin - at least, as personal as three inch glass can allow you to be.
Kira and Aunt Shelli on an insanely cold December night.
Pay no attention to the large scaly gentleman behind you. Nothing to see here.
Labels: And We Are Rather Puny, Homeschooling, Kira, Let Kids be Kids, Parker, Sheer Awesome
------------------------------------------------
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Kira's Accomplishment - Web Worthy?
Overheard today while Kira used the potty all by her lonesome:
"Daddy, look! Pee and poop.com!"
I guess there really csan be a website for everything.
Labels: Cute Overlord, Kira
------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween everyone! Does this curdle your toes?
I know, what kind of sick, demented parents would take their kids to the dentist on Halloween?
I guess our kind.
Later we did go out, and had some fun, and now, the costumes:
Labels: Kira, Let Kids be Kids, Parker
------------------------------------------------
Thursday, September 27, 2007
How Mothers Let Linda Hirshman Down
I first heard of Linda Hirshman's and her stance that being a stay-at-home mom was to settle for being less than an adult human being on CNN. She has a quiet, studied voice, with a steady cheerful delivery that would make Dolores Umbridge proud. Hirshman asserts that "the tasks of housekeeping and child rearing were not worthy of the full time and talents of intelligent and educated human beings. They do not require a great intellect, they are not honored and they do not involve risks and the rewards that risk brings." She also goes on to say:
Here's the feminist moral analysis that choice avoided: The family -- with its repetitious, socially invisible, physical tasks -- is a necessary part of life, but it allows fewer opportunities for full human flourishing than public spheres like the market or the government."
So, in a few sentences, Hirshman has made it abundantly clear that the raising of a child does not require a competent adult. If her argument in meant to galvanize mothers into rejoining the workforce, it also establishes that those that will be given the responsibility of the children while they do so - be they stay-at-home dads, nannies, day care operators, teachers - are people who are neither intelligent or well educated.
And I'm not sure what 'public sphere' Dr. Hirshman resides in, but my experience in the market and government spheres is chock full of 'repetitious, socially invisible, physical tasks'. Veronica Mitchell does a great job of breaking this down in her analysis of Hirshman and her work.
After making her viewpoints known, Dr. Hirshman then follows the tried-and-true tact of all media pundits today: undermine the opposing view by belittling and discrediting the detractors. In an article in Washington the Washington Post, Dr. Hirshman attributes most of the complaints against her work to religious zealots and bloggers who revel in the mundane drudgery of their lives. While talking to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, she elaborated:
One of the things I've done working on my book is to read a lot of the diaries online. And their description of their lives does not sound particularly interesting or fulfilling for a...complicated person, for a complicated, educated person. It's physical, but it's repetitious.
Her supporters, she surmises, are too occupied to talk about their support of her viewpoint:
"I guess working women are too busy at work to blog about their lives and are already on their way to their jobs when "Good Morning America" puts me on at 8 a.m.
I'm astonished by Dr. Hirshman's real lack of knowledge about how people live their lives today. Dr. Hirshman, working people blog. Sometimes at work. They also post pictures to Flickr, Dropshots, and dozens of other sites - and participate in chat rooms, etc. You'd be surprised at how many people do. I'd be more inclined to believe that working women who support your stance are not likely to come out and support it because the corporate culture they are in already has your viewpoint ingrained in their philosophy, and so there is no point in coming out and affirming what they feel is obvious.
At least CNN anchor Rick Sanchez took her to task in his interview. He told Linda that he knows exactly what his job is: a TV anchor. And that it's completely unimportant next to his kids. And he'd quit it in an instant if he needed to to be at home. Well done, Rick. It makes up for the whole taser thing.
Labels: Kira, Parker, Punditz, The Great Divide
------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Moving Imagination
Parker, Kira, and I spent two days at Disney this weekend, primarily to see the Imagination Movers, a children's quartet from the Disney Channel.
They had fun at the concert, but their attention was really piqued immediately afterwards, when the group came into the audience to sign autographs. Parker had to tell each of the band members how he had a guitar at home and a set of drums. After had spoken to the lead singer, Mover Rich, I asked Kira if she wanted to go and get her picture with him, as he was still kneeling right in front of us. Kira was clinging to my leg shyly, when all of a sudden, BOOM, she was off like a rocket, and nearly bowled him over with the force of her hug. Rich's face lit up with a terrific smile, and he said that she had absolutely just made his day.
Later that night we watched the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the steamboat. It was a lovely trip.
Some other gems from the kids:
- While going through Ocala, Kira proclaimed her absolute need for candy. Parker responded solemnly "Kira, candy's gonna rot your soul", a line from Mika's song Lollipop.
- Upon entering the hotel room, Parker saw a coffeemaker and exclaims "Look, a coffee cooker!"
- At the rest stop, Parker cautioned the group of college students getting in the car next to us that the love bugs will get in their car if they don;t keep the doors closed. The driver looked at him and said "But, If we get all of the love bugs out of our car, where will the love come from?". Parker was stumped by this question for some time.
Labels: Cute Overlord, Disney, Kira, Parker
------------------------------------------------
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Star Wars Weekend
We braved the sweltering weather of the Florida summer to brave the one location that Florida residents routinely avoid like some sort of cursed ancient burial ground - Disney World. True to form, it was sweltering, and gave us an absolutely torrential downpour that ended our attempt at the Star Wars Weekend way early. We spent about two hours trapped in a theater with Jedi Mickey, catching only a glimpse of Chewie as he was whisked to the back (According to his handler, the Ewok that was with him got swept away by the flash flood).Parker wasn't as into it as I thought he would be. He didn't want to join the Jedi Training Academy, an interactive adventure where kids in the audience could duel Darth Vader. Later, parker solemnly told me he didn't need to be part of the training, as he was already a Jedi. He seemed pretty confident about it.
We were soaked to the bone by the time we got through the park and back to the cat, riding a tram through a violent lightning storm that was certainly equal to any fireworks display we might have seen later that night. We then practiced some contortionist tricks changing out of our clothes and into our clothes from the day before, in the back of the van, taking breaks every eight minutes or so to hide behind fog-tinted windows as another tram disgorged another soggy mass of tourists who had reached their limits. I think my shoes dried out somewhere near Ocala.
Labels: Art, Disney, Kira, Parker, Star Wars, Weather Dominator
------------------------------------------------
Friday, February 23, 2007
1-2-3 Like a Bird He Sings
Parker got up the other day singing a new song. We thought he had made it up, but he kept insisting he wanted to hear it, so Kristin looked up the lyrics on Google. And, as it turns out, Parker had memorized the brand new Tim McGraw song after hearing it just one time on the radio the night before. Although it isn't yet available for sale, Parker has been listening to a free copy from McGraw's site incessantly, it having replaced Mika's Grace Kelly as the flavor of the week (Oingo Boingo made a valiant effort with Weird Science, but came in a pale second place).Later I was working on an identity project with a tight turnaround, and Parker came to me and asked to play a game. Thinking I was being very clever, I said sure and told him we were playing a computer game where letters had to be linked together. After watching me for about twenty seconds, Parker announced solemnly: "That's not a game daddy. That's a logo."
It's getting that you can't pull anything over his eyes.
Labels: Kira, Let Kids be Kids, Parker
------------------------------------------------
Monday, January 29, 2007
A Day at the Races
Kira, Parker" and I went back to Disney today. We made our way leisurely south through Horse country, and took time to watch riders practice for a horse jumping competition. The announcer would state each competitors score over a loudspeaker after each run, and Kira would excitably respond:"Parker, listen! A robot!"
At Disney, we ate at the Garden Grill at Epcot, and Kira finally got to meet Mickey Mouse, as well as Chip, Dale, and Pluto, who was their favorite (Pluto played peek-a-boo with them, and Kira kissed him on the nose). We then rode the Land boat ride through the hydroponic gardens, and then took the monorails to the Magic Kingdom, where we rode Small World, the Carousel, and Dumbo.
Finally, we watched the fireworks - an experience that would have been more enjoyable except the kids suddenly remembered they had not eaten in hours, and then Parker had a meltdown over not being able to eat ice cream in 45 degree weather, and Kira spilled her popcorn all over. Nevertheless, I think the day was huge hit, given that Kira asked to ride the elephant and watch the firework for days after.
Labels: Disney, Kira, Parker, Unbridled Hope for the Future
------------------------------------------------
Friday, January 26, 2007
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is So 1990's
Godmothers are out, and Fairy Cowgirls are in.
Yippie-ki-yi-yay.
Labels: Kira
------------------------------------------------
Monday, January 08, 2007
My Favorite and My Best
I took the kids to Disney this Sunday, proving it is a viable day trip for us. We left the house a little before noon and got to the park around two. Kira napped as we made our way across the parking lot and into the park. Parker confided in me as we entered that Disneyworld was "his favorite and his best". Kira woke up soon after we entered the park. We shared a box of popcorn as we watched a parade and then met the cast of Pinnochio. We then watched the Main Street Barber Shop Quartet, who sang directly to Parker about Ice Cream as he munched down on a mickey mouse shaped confection.
We then rode It's A Small World, which the kids absolutely enjoyed - and led to a second and third trip. After riding the teacups, went and ate lunch in Pinnochio's restaurant, which allows you to sit and wive at riders of Small World, which the kids did with gusto. We followed that up with Meeting Tigger before riding the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (how I still miss thee, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride) and then went to the Toontown fair to meet more characters. The wait there was a real challenge, as Kira was quite ready to leave, but the sheer joy that came over her face to see Goofy come running around a corner made it worth it.We ended the evening with watching the Wishes fireworks show. Or, should I say, we ended our day at the park - there was still the two hour drive home after that.
------------------------------------------------
Friday, December 29, 2006
The Fourth Day: Four Boat Rides
Today we headed over to Epcot for another day of Playhouse Disney. While Kristin and Kira took the boat over to Epcot, Parker and I went on a quick trip on Star Tours, dodged a rain storm, picked uop some vitally needed souveneirs, and took the van over to meet up with them at the other park. Ironically, we got to the Living Seas at just about the same time as Kristin, thereby proving that even glaciers could outrun the Disney boating fleet.
We went to the Living Seas pavilion to watch Shelli go diving in the large coral reef tank. Then, we headed to Morocco to watch the night time closing show and eat some fine Mediterranean food. Then Parker and I repeated our feat of earlier int he day and got the van to pick up the rest, who cleverly escaped out Epcot's back entrance and boated over to the Swan.------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The Third Day: Three Shaken Martinis
On Thursday, we went to Epcot for Lunch and aleisurely stroll around the World Showcase. Parker got to meet Snow White, and he did a pretty good imitation of Bashful for her benefit. Kira slept most of the day. Near the end of the day, we left the kids with the family and went to eat at Blue Zoo in the Swan and Dolphin, and made our way to Pleasure Island to catch Casino Royale, easily my favorite Bond film since The Living Daylights. Daniel Craig made me realize that Brosnan was simply acting like James Bond - it was all superficial. Craig easily brought the most persona to the role, since, well, ever. And, as Kristin was fond to point out, he's good-looking too, in a rough-and-tumble sort of way.------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
The Second Day: Two Grand Prixs
For the second day of our resort stay, we went to the Magic Kingdom and tooled around Tomorrowland. We made several trips on the Transit Authority, went back and forth on the Speedway, and finally got Parker into the Buzz Lightyear ride, after he had a 100% emotional reversal too after I explained the ride would be silly, not scary. Kids are so mercurial.------------------------------------------------
Monday, December 25, 2006
The First Day: An X-Wing in a Wrosr Tree
Ah, our first day at Disney (sure to the first of many this year). We got to the parks mid-afternoon, just after the skies opened up with the kind of Florida thunderstorm that makes you want to look up the definition of a cubit. Riding to the gates in the tram was like riding a never-ending log-flume ride, and had us wondering if we had really made the right decision. We went straight to guest services to get our season passes, which comes with an application for a micro-loan.The Guest Attendant looked at us knowingly and said "The total comes to $1200....worth of fun!"
The first half hour was spent trying to dry off and finding a restaurant with a little bit of cover. After a soggy lunch we caught the end of the MGM Christmas parade. Kira got her hands on a Pluto 'doggie' that she glommed on to like white on rice, and we then proceeded to make our way to Star Tours.
Despite some initial reluctance, Parker took to the ride like a duck to water, riding it an unprecedented three times. After a little coffee, we decided to call it a day. This level of breakneck activity defined our entire trip, and I know that we parents sure enjoyed it.The final attraction of the day was ducks, which proved nearly as popular as everything else. Best of all, no lines.
------------------------------------------------
Friday, December 01, 2006
Ginger Snaps, Meet Rasberry Beret
Labels: Kira, Spot the Pop Culture Reference
------------------------------------------------