Cooling Off

It's hot. Very hot. It's 95 right now. And the humidity is pretty high. It was 75% this morning. Last year our hottest day of the year was in May. I hope that's not the case again this year. We didn't get much opportunity to swim in the lake. The sad thing is that none of the pools or splash pads open until the first of June. We could use a trip to the splash pad now.

So, we're left to resort to the best methods of cooling off: popsicles and water guns. What more do you need?

Fireworks and Parades

For those readers who live in the Twin Cities area, this coming weekend is Golden Valley Days. We discovered the celebration right after we moved here two years ago. It's kind of a nice, small-town festival in the midst of the city sprawl.

Friday night they have a small, but fun fireworks display following the battle of the bands. The nice thing is that this time of year, dusk is a little earlier than it is in July so you don't have to wait as long for them to begin.

They also have a nice parade on Saturday morning. It's a lot of local businesses and organizations--again that small-town feel--and a lot of them throw out candy and other things. And the kids love that, of course. They've got other things going on over the weekend--but those two events are highlights for the kids.

Let me know of other events occurring this summer.

Lego Stories

My son loves Legos. He can spend all day building with them (if he's not spending all day drawing). Today I came across the website of a guy who has been illustrating Bible stories with Legos. It's not necessarily intended for children, so you might want to preview it, but my kids were enjoying some of the classic stories as told on The Brick Testament. Even if the Bible isn't of your faith persuasion, the stories are fun to see in brick form.

On behalf of the author's request, I'm not using images from that site, but for your viewing pleasure, here's a statue of Jesus made from Legos:

Milestones

A few weeks ago, both the boys did the monkey bars at the park. The 3 1/2 year old went half way across one morning. The almost-six-year old went all the way across that afternoon (it helped that the park we were at had sloping monkey bars--the downward angle is a plus for learning on). At the beginning of the school year the five-year old told his teacher that the monkey bars was one of the things he wanted to learn in Kindergarten (though I think they're a bit out of her teaching range).

Tonight, the training wheels went off both their bikes. I had to replace a tire on Nils' bike, so he wanted the wheels left off while I did that. Anders decided the other day that he was ready to try without as well. I must admit, Nils is going to have it down first. He's much more balanced. If we could afford to get him in gymnastics, he would be a prodigy. Nils was actually doing it on his own as my wife pulled up coming home from work. It almost brought a tear to our neighbor's eye.

But, I'm just as proud of Anders. He didn't give up. He's becoming more willing to persevere through things and practice. They're also both doing well at pumping on the swing. Again, Nils is a little further ahead. But he's the monkey--more coordinated and athletic. Anders is more artistic, creative and a builder. The definitely each have their own gifts. But they're also doing well at learning new things and taking the necessary steps to get there.

Wrestling

One of my boys' favorite activities is "wrestling." This involves going on our bed and letting them jump on me. I throw them around a bit, lifting them up in the air on my feet, a la Superman. There's generally some tickling, a lot of laughing and eventually someone getting bonked. But they keep asking for more.

So, we keep doing it (though I try not to do it right before bed because they don't go to sleep if we do it then). It's actually good exercise for me: I try to do a few reps with each of the kids on my hands and legs. It's also a good bonding time. And that's what is most important. I hope you're finding some good activities to bond with your kids as well--ones they want to do over and over again.

SAHDs on TV

It seems like stay-at-home dads are starting to make their mark on television lately. One of them is on PBS Kids' Sid the Science Kid. Well, maybe. I'm not sure if it ever is stated what his dad does for work, but he's at home all the time. Presumably watching Sid's baby brother while Sid as at school.

The more noticeable example is on NBC's new show Parenthood. I'm not a fervent enough viewer to be able to tell you the character (or actor's) name--I got the picture of him by googling "Parenthood at-home dad". His wife is a lawyer, and he's at home. He takes slack for it from others, but he also does his job very well. He fends off flirtatious house wives, works through his kids' issues with them, keeps the house running well and supports his wife. In the little I've seen, he is shown in a positive light. Which, on the whole, doesn't happen with many dads on television.

Is this a growing trend? Have you noticed others on TV?

Of Watching Kids and Dreams

I feel like sometimes I get asked to watch friends' kids a lot because I'm a stay at home dad. And truly, I don't mind doing it. They're all good kids. And they tend to be around the same age as my kids, so they have someone with whom they can play. Play dates can often make taking care of kids little easier as they don't need my constant attention (though sometimes they require more attention).

Sometimes I wish someone would say, "Hey, you're with kids all the time. I bet you (and your wife) could use a break. Why don't I take them off your hands for a few hours? I'd enjoy doing that for you." While people are being generous, I also wouldn't mind it if someone said, "Hey, our family has a rustic cabin on a lake up on the North Woods (or along Lake Superior). It just sits empty a lot of the time. Would you guys enjoy using it over a weekend? We know you'd take good care of things, and we'd love to bless you with some peaceful time away. We have some kayaks you could use, and there are some wonderful hiking trails nearby."

Of course, I don't have friendships for the things I can get out of them. Well, I guess I do. I do have friendships that build me up, encourage me and keep me on the straight and narrow. But I don't look for friendships based on what others can offer me. I'm called to be a servant to others without looking for what I get in return. Indeed, I think I often forget the things I get in return. Still, a weekend in a rustic cabin would be nice . . .

First Picnic of the Year

I was watching my niece today. In the morning, she and Nils went on a walk around the pond with me along with a bag of starting-to-get-moldy bread. We stopped at the fishing dock and fed the ducks. Riley really enjoyed it. She kept asking for more pieces of bread to throw in. Nils enjoyed it, too, but I caught him chewing it a few times. Not the moldy pieces, thankfully.

When Anders got home from school, and Riley woke up from her nap, I put together a picnic lunch. We haven't gotten outside to do one yet this year (we've taken them to the zoo and on other outings, but we haven't had a springtime picnic on the grass yet).

So I put Nils and Riley into the bike trailer and Anders and I biked up to Brookview Park in Golden Valley. It was a nice day to be out. Both my boys did their first time across the monkey bars on their own (Nils only did half-way, but he's only 3, so I'm still impressed. He actually did it first, earlier in the morning).

Picnics are a good thing. I think my boys actually eat better outside. We'll even take lunch out and eat in the park right next to our apartment whenever we want. I'm looking forward to picnic suppers at the lake this summer to listen to concerts.

Building Blocks

There is one reason we go to the Mall of America: Legoland. My kids are Lego fanatics. It's a great destination on a day when we can't be outside much. Admittedly, we don't buy anything, but the boys love to play with the building tables. They like to make race cars to race down the ramps. They like to look at all the big Lego models around the store. And the store itself is a lot of fun. There's a special screen that you can hold marked Lego boxes up to and it shows you what the finished project will look like--with animation! It's a good opportunity to teach kids that they don't always need to get something when they go to a store. Of course, if you're going to spend money, there is also Nickelodeon theme park, mini golf, plenty of food and Legos, of course. My advice is to go during the week when parking is a little easier to find.

I Got Me Some Exercise

Today is my wife's day off. I took advantage of it and got in a bike ride this morning. All by myself. With no bike trailer behind me. I haven't gotten many bike rides in this spring, so I still had to break in my bum. This was the first big bike ride I've gotten to do by myself since before the kids were born. Probably one of the longer ones I've ever had. I got in about 10 miles, over to the Chain of Lakes. It was good. I've been trying to eat less carbs, eat more veggies and get more exercise in order to better take care of myself. The bike ride is also a good outlet to work off any stress (parents never have any, right?), get in some alone time (and time with God if I remember to focus properly) and enjoy the scenery. I've been trying to do a little painting and writing as well. We all need to have those hobbies to be able to keep ourselves healthy--otherwise we seek unhealthy outlets for ourselves.