Video Friday

I've gotten James weaned off the Damien Walters video. But only by watching this one. I love this one. I found it last year, and the song reminds me of when the Real Geeks Ride guys, Joe and Carlos, were here. It was really nice to have them here. Anyhow, here it is. It doesn't hurt this guy is Scottish. I know I am Irish thru and thru (Great grandparents born in Ireland and all) but I have a soft spot in my heart for a Scottish bloke. (Craig Ferguson, James McAvoy, Ewan MacGregor, and now this dude.) While you are watching, I will go make sure that James is not in the garage getting out his bike and trying tricks. He has already tried to stand on the seat of it and proclaimed this video as "sick". I may be in trouble.

James and I have been watching this seemingly in all of our spare time for the last two days. He enjoys the music almost as much as the movement. He tells me he wants to do this when he grows up. I said he'd have to start now-and practice would consist of more than his current routine of jumping on the couch or jumping from couch to beanbag chair. He is only moderately interested in starting now. My mother's heart is slightly relieved, but I may look into gymnastics for him. It's pretty sweet. Enjoy

Wednesday

So today is not being looked upon by me as being "top ten" material. This morning on the way to take the kids to school I was running a few minutes behind and got stopped by a train. The kids got to school on time, tho. Then I took James over to his school, and when I got there they asked if I had a present for chapel. There was a flyer sent home that the kids were donating gifts for a "baby shower" to help little ones with special needs. Of course I did not. I thought it was next week!!! So off I go before I head to Ava's school to the store to pick up some diapers, rash cream, a rattle and gift bag. I suppose it worked out as I had additionally neglected to pick up something for Ava's teacher for teacher appreciation week. So while I was there I got her a thank you card and a little gift. Then off to Ava's school, late, where I begin making copies for the take home readers and in the middle of the first batch I run out of toner. I go back to the office (almost the opposite side of the bldg) to get the toner, then replace it, and finish copies. Finish my work in the class a few minutes late, and go to get Jam Master James. I get out onto Anthony without incident, and figure this will help me make up a few minutes, but at Creighton I get diverted by a policewoman. Anthony is closed heading north. So I detour, Creighton to Hanna then Berry back to Anthony, but was a couple of minutes late to pick up James. I was pretty dejected about the day at this point, but the sweetest boy on the planet sees me, flashes the biggest smile, and hands me a card with his handprints in it and a marigold planted in a mug. The bad stuff melted away. Sweet!
Things seemed to take a turn for the better as he was extremely well behaved at Meijer. I found only two New Belgium folly packs left, which of course I purchased, and one thing of my hair product left, which I purchased. I did not look upon this as a bad thing, as I needed only one hair thing and it will take us a while to get through 24 beers. I went through my blogs and websites when James had quiet time and saw on weather.com we are going to probably get some rain tonight, so I thought I would get ahead of the game and mow the lawn. I got through the back yard easier than last week, but alas, I think I had used up all my good fortune, as halfway through the front yard the damned thing BROKE.
Do you think John is trying to tell me something?

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

So a few weeks ago we attended the 2nd annual Fort Wayne Cherry Blossom Festival. It was a celebration of Japanese culture. There was Taiko drumming (which Ava was all about after they visited her school the few days before the festival), sumi-e demonstrations, bonsai exhibits, free admission to the art museum where there was a manga drawing contest and where they had a reasonable amount of Japanese art (nothing as good as my Yoshi, tho!). There was also a origami exhibit with regular sized specimens and some really big ones too-dinosaur origami! Aaaarrrgh! So fun. But my favorite part was a Haiku competition for the wee ones. I love haiku and find myself composing it often when stressed out or in ridiculous situations to calm myself down. So of course, the kids were going to enter. Ava had just learned about haiku a couple of weeks before at school, so she was super excited. Of course, not to be left out, James wanted to do one too. Earlier in the day, bored with the Taiko drums (???) he and PJ had set out to do some exploring around Friemann Square. They found an expired duck and a plastic toy soldier. The soldiers gun was so big James decided it must be from outer space, so he referred to his new favorite toy as his Spaceman. This spaceman was the source of some gnashing of teeth earlier when it came out of James' pocket and yours truly had to go find him. Thankfully, I did, and not much later we went inside and partook of some haiku. I do not remember Ava's, however, James' was this:

Steve is my monkey
Spaceman is in my pocket
I love mac and cheese

The gentleman at the table accepting submissions was over the moon with this haiku. It is really lovely, as far as I am concerned, too. We left not thinking much beyond "That was so fun!"
Fast forward a few weeks and in the mailbox we find a letter stating James had won the contest! There was a reward certificate, the original haiku entry, a blue ribbon, and $20!
Everyone was pretty stoked. When asked what he was going to do with the winnings, James told me that I was going to take him to Target today so he could get a Nerf gun. I just hope he doesn't want one as big as Spaceman's!