Burning Down the House

We don't usually do politics here at kiddodiddo, but the current economic situation will have such an effect on us--and our kiddodiddos--that we suggest that you watch this excellent video before you vote this November to see who in D.C. has been very very naughty. The video is entitled "Burning Down the House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?"



This video will likely be taken down by YouTube--which is owned by Google, which has its own political bias--so here are some other links that will also probably be taken down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiXwZI_YqHY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01BS-pG3Il0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIVvvoDbCV0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxgSubmiGt8

Also, an excellent blog post and good comments on the video and the efforts to make it go away.

The Love Bug

Tonight the PTO at Jimmy and Amelia's school held a family picnic and movie night to celebrate the installation of the new outdoor track at the school. We brought pizza and grapes and had a great time seeing friends and running around the track (the kids, not me) too many times to count.
Simon amused himself by stealing everyone's pepperoni when they weren't looking.
After the picnicking was done, we went inside to see "The Love Bug." The old one. Some of the kids attempted to sit down and watch the show. In fact they sat there and watched nicely until the popsickles and popcorn ran out. Then Jimmy wanted to go watch with his friend Caroline. So he left. After awhile, Jonny missed him and we went looking for him. There he was, near the front, sharing a blanket with Caroline. They were lying on their tummies propped up on elbows and enjoying the show. Jonny knew just what to do. He ran up and jumped between them making himself right at home. Soon Amelia came along and joined the party as well as Jordan, another friend in his class. They giggled and jostled for positions next to Jimmy. Soon they settled down again and watched for a few more minutes. Then it was time for Caroline to go. Then the fun began. Jordan told Amelia she had a crush on Jimmy. Amelia dared her to kiss Jimmy. Jonny didn't want to miss out on the fun so he shouted "I'm gonna do it. I'M gonna kiss Jimmy!" They giggled and plotted and giggled some more. They attempted to watch the movie some more. Then Jordan put her arm around Jimmy. A while later, Jimmy put his arm around Jordan. For just a second, but it counted. Jordan's mom and I had a view of the whole thing about 10 feet back. They were not as private as they thought! I watched the movie for a few minutes more. It was taking forever. Most everyone got bored and left. Not my little guys. Not Jordan. They were having too much fun. One of the other adults pulled out the movie to see how long was left: 20 more minutes. I know I heard someone say "Just shoot me now!" when they found out how long was left.
So we made it through the show. On the way out to the van, Jordan's mom said "You know the only reason it's funny is because of their age."

Yeah, I thought, a few years down the road I wouldn't be laughing. My response would be something like this:

Help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered!

Summer Catch Up

I guess I'm in the mood for catching up. I spent a bit of time cleaning up photos of our trip to Utah and hope you will enjoy the results. (located in the August archive) There will be more (keep your fingers crossed) later in the week.

A Very Merry Unbirthday to you!

In 2007, I made a 2 New Year's Resolutions
1. to send each of my relatives a birthday card for his or her birthday
2. to park the van with the wheels straight EVERY TIME (I sure everyone else does this, but I had a bad habit I needed to break)

I did pretty good on my resolutions for that year. And even this year, I still park the van with the wheels straight. However, I think I have missed sending a card to everyone of my relatives. This summer (in July) I decided to make it up with what I called "birthday in July" where I would send a make up card and celebrate everyone's birthday at once. Well, it took 2 extra months to pull that one together. In the mail, each one of you precious relatives (especially those who send birthday cards ON TIME) should be receiving a card, (handmade by the kiddodiddos themselves) to celebrate you on this, your very special UNbirthday. If your birthday has already passed, sorry! And if your birthday is yet to come, happy birthday well in advance.

Cardboard Fort

Back in June the kids told me they wanted help building a cardboard fort. I have dutifully saved ALL of my cardboard boxes in the hopes of taping them together to make a decent cardboard fort with them someday. Yesterday on the way home from school, we passed by some huge sheets of cardboard on the curb waiting recycling. I went back with the van to pick them up and bring them home. Amelia and I spent some time this morning taping them together to make a fort. It's much bigger than I planned. Once the walls and roof were taped in place I declared my work was done. Jimmy and Amelia had other plans. She brought in table and chairs and they played cards. Jimmy hooked up his reading light so they could see better. Tonight, Gary and I went to check on the kids after they were asleep. I was amazed to see that Jimmy and Amelia were sleeping together with pillows and blankets and an electric fan inside the fort. Maybe I should have turned on the light and taken a picture... but really, I'd rather let them sleep.