The Hash Brown

Occasionally, as a special treat, I will go through McDonald’s to get a hash brown for Addison before school. At first, she thought she didn’t like them. When she asked me what it was I told her it was like chopped up French fries smooshed together and it was love from then on. It takes her about the whole ride to school to eat it and it starts the day off nice. A week or so ago, we made the trip. After eating about 9/10ths of the hash brown she decided that she really wanted to share it with her teacher, Ms. Beth. So for several miles she saved all of about a pinch of her hash brown. I tried to convince her that I was certain that Ms. Beth would appreciate the thought, but that she would totally understand if Addison ate that last little bit. But no, she wanted to share. I even told her that Ms. Beth would probably prefer her own hash brown and that perhaps she didn’t want to share. Finally, just as we’re creeping up the last curve in the road before school, that little pinch disappeared. Addison gave in and ate what was left. She quickly forgot about her desire to share. That is, until she remembered this week. Several days we passed by McDonald’s and Addison insisted that we should take her teacher a hash brown. Finally, we settled on asking Ms. Beth if she even liked hash browns and could we bring her one. I wasn’t sure what the rules were for teachers eating food their students brought. So yesterday Addison finally remembered to ask Ms. Beth if she liked hash browns. To her delight, the teacher said she did. We were on a mission today to get one. Of course the line at McDonald’s was the longest I’ve seen in a long time, but the glee from my daughter was worth the wait. We ordered 2 hash browns. One to eat and one to share. By the time we got to school, Addison had devoured hers. Just as we were getting out of the car, I gave her the extra hash brown for Ms. Beth. She carefully carried it into the building and we made a beeline for her classroom. She took it right over to Ms. Beth who seemed genuinely surprised and gave Addison a hug. (Where was my hug? I’m the one who forked out the money! Lol!) That made Addison’s day. Another good start to the morning. Thanks McDonald’s.

And yes, America…I give my daughter the greasy hash brown that can turn a paper bag clear with the grease that drips off of it. That’s my right and I take responsibility for it. She loves it, and I’m smart enough to know not to give her a dozen of them for breakfast. Nor do I take her to McDonald’s for every meal…but if I did, my right and my responsibility. Get off yer damn high horse and quit telling me what’s best for my kid. Another discussion for another day.
Look at all that bubbly goodness:

Happy Easter

Look what the Easter bunny brought!

Too OLD

It drives me nuts when people use age as an excuse to not know something or try something. I hear it so many times – especially at work. This is particularly disconcerting because you have to know stuff to be able to do your job. Mostly I hear this excuse in relation to technology. It’s lame. It’s lame that you haven’t taken the time to learn how to use the computer when you have to use it nearly every day. If you don’t know how to use the computer – take a class! I did! I wasn’t born knowing technology. In fact, I’d say growing up I was rather sheltered from technology. I mean, it was the 80’s mostly and there wasn’t a whole lot of stuff that we have today like cell phones and computers and such. I do remember our Commodore 64, but what the hell does that do?! I took typing in high school just like everyone else. I learned on a typewriter. And I wasn’t very good either. We did have computers, but we had a computer lab with like, 10 computers – MAX. It wasn’t even something that we spent a whole lot of time on. It wasn’t really until the mid-90’s that everything seemed to boom. Everyone seemed to either have a beeper or cell phone (if you had money) and computers were starting to pop up in everyone’s homes. The internet was starting to really establish itself for general public use. I didn’t “grow up” with these things. I learned to use them the same time everyone else did. I learned, first by trial and error, then took some classes in college. Despite already knowing a lot about Microsoft programs, I learned a lot in these classes. So, just because you’re 90 doesn’t mean you can’t learn too. They have free classes at the library! They even have them as basic as learning how to use a mouse. Get out there and learn what you should already know.

I wonder sometimes if people see me as unwilling to help simply because I’d rather teach you how to do it yourself so you can be self-sufficient…but I guess that’s how I’d like to be treated. Some people just want things done for them. Granted, there are times when I just want something done and don’t want a learning moment, but for the most part, if it’s something I might be doing often, I’d rather learn how to do it myself than to continually ask someone else to do it for me. I think I’m pretty good at recognizing those moments and don’t push lessons on people and would appreciate the same. Maybe I’m in the wrong line of work then. I mean I guess the Assistant is supposed to “assist”, but I feel like there are things people need to learn to do on their own.

I’ve become known around work as the “techie”. I do have a lot of gadgets, so I guess I know a lot. I learn by doing, so when I get a gadget I play. That’s how I learn. I don’t think I have a pre-disposition to know ing technology, I think it’s just that I know enough to not make it explode. I can fix phones, computers, printers, fax machines, copiers, shredders, projectors – you name it. At least that’s what people think. What they don’t know is that I don’t know anything either and I’m usually not doing anything that they couldn’t figure out themselves. Maybe I just have more patience.

I can’t think of anything that a person would be “too old” to do. I have reached that milestone where it’s no longer socially acceptable to wear a mini-skirt, so perhaps I am too old for that…but really it’s a personal choice and I think it’s because people’s knees start looking funny after 35 and nobody wants to see funny knees. Perhaps I’m too old to start taking drugs, but I think that’s because it would interfere with my heartburn, cholesterol, thyroid, high blood pressure and diabetes medications. I mean, nobody wants to suffer through heartburn. Again, personal choice. I watched a show a few weeks ago about people over 90 and all the awesome things they are accomplishing. One guy was a multi-medal winner in the Senior Olympics. He even does pole vaulting. I’ve NEVER been able to do pole vaulting. The long jump - I’m just scared my knees would end up coming out the top of my head from the impact. I’m convinced my bones will turn to dust if I jar them too much. Music is another thing. Is there an unspoken rule that once you turn a certain age you can only like or listen to certain kinds of music? Is there an age limit – so once I turn 36 I can’t like music from anyone younger than me? Yikes. That sounds terribly boring and I’d miss a lot of good stuff.

All that being said, age should never be used as an excuse to NOT do something – so get out and DO something! You CAN teach an old dog new tricks. (Disclaimer: I would not recommend pole vaulting unless you have consulted with a doctor first. I will also not be held responsible for any injuries you may sustain while trying something new. You are old – not my fault.)

Paper dolls

Mo' money

Addison got $5 from her great-great aunt and $1.50 from an Easter Egg hunt. She was more excited about getting the quarters at the hunt than the massive amounts of candy she got. So, when we went to Meijer she had gathered her money in preparation of buying a new toy - her very favorite thing. So after much deliberation, she settled on a Strawberry Shortcake set with lots of tiny parts. When we got up to the register, I made her pay for her purchase separately so she could pay with her own money. She handed over her $5 and 5 of her quarters. She got one of her quarters back and a bunch of other change. He delightedly exclaimed "I got MORE money! More than I had!". Then started chanting "money, money, money". Looks like I have a little more teaching to do about money.


-- Post From My iPhone

Puddle jumping

Why TV is good for kids.

I will admit we are a tv-watching family. At times, I get a little irritated with the tv on so much...we watch a LOT of it. I see articles about how bad television is for kids. It fries their brain, ruins concentration, leads to ADD, etc, etc. To a certain degree I think some of this is true. Addison will not pay attention to what you're saying most of the time when she's staring at the screen. She concentrates much better with it off as well. I'm not dumb. I know these things. BUT, we do monitor what she sees. I carefully pick shows to DVR which I think will be about something she needs to learn about. For instance, PBS has great shows for kids and so does Disney Junior. They all teach something. WordWorld teaches words and spelling. All the characters are made of letters and they put letters together to create objects. Another show she watches on PBS is Arthur. This is one of my favorites. It mostly teaches everyday experiences and interpersonal relationships. Arthur is a smart kid and a good role model. SuperWhy is another word show. The characters go into books and read stories. It's also about problem solving and choosing words. Lots of letter identification goes on. Special Agent Oso teaches us how to do things like tie our shoes and water the plants-all in 3 special steps. Handy Manny shows introduces self-sufficiency by problem-solving and fixing things. A new show we've gotten into is The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That which is how I know my kid is actually learning from tv. A few days ago Addison and I had a lengthy discussion about flowers and bees and pollination which I would not have had if not for this show. She knew that bees made honey from drinking nectar and that they stick their tongues waaay out to drink it up. We talked about how pretty dandelions were but that they were a weed and the reason they were so pretty was to attract the bees so their pollen would spread. She also knew that rain was for the plants to grow. My kid is a genius because of tv. Granted, she's probably learning a lot in preschool :), but they are both mirroring each other and it gives me an opportunity to have discussions with my kid and I know she's getting pretty accurate information. Disney Junior is taking a different approach with programming and encouraging exercise and healthy eating. They have exercise and dancing bits between some of the shows and cooking skits. Many of the role models introduce healthy and international foods that kids may not otherwise be exposed to. It's a new day and while I appreciate the opportunity and see huge benefits to Addison getting out and playing, there is also much to be said about the benefits of tv as well. These times do not allow for kids to just "go outside and play" unless you have a secured backyard and even then you have to have a watchful eye. Television has been both a bonding experience (in our discussions about shows) and a refuge (when I need to get some work around the house) because I can't send my kid out to play without supervising her. That's okay. We still make time for the park and other projects without the tv. The community resources don't offer much for working parents and their children after work and school, so we have to make up our own fun. Once summer arrives we'll spend more time outdoors and less cooped up inside. It's all good.