Take your f-ing converter box and.....

Seriously - does this stupid switch to digital really need to be so damn irritating? Does it REALLY require an entirely new box to be stacked on top of the myriad of boxes that we all already have? No - we don't have satellite or cable right now. No - we're not going to get it any time soon. So, we have this retarded converter box that will not show us the menu. It automatically chose our new stations, but ALL WE GET IS THREE VERSIONS OF PBS!!! Now, since the menu won't appear, we cannot try to manually add other stations. The customer service version of help: unplug your TV for 30 minutes. Are you freaking kidding me?

We are a nation of people who have created a "telephone" that take/stores pictures, accesses the web, has a gps, calculator, tip calculator, stop watch, downloads music and video, games, has calendars, auto-birthday reminders, and allows you to talk to other people, too. It basically stops short of wiping your butt for you. However, we cannot create some simple and easy little DIGITAL ANTENNAE to just plug into our existing boxes? We really MUST have another box and even more friggin cables?

Really, people. It can't be that hard. There MUST be people smarter them little 'ol me working at these places. None of THEM could come up with the idea of a simple, little, tiny device? Puh-lease.

Camp Town Races

The little Peanut is quite a little singer! Thanks to an Elmo book that Grandma bought and from which Grandpa and the boys sing from frequently, Peanut walks around and sings his favorite part of the song: “Doo-Daaahhhh. Doo-Daaahhhh. Aaahhhh doo-dah day. Doo-Daaahhhh. Doo-Daaahhhh. Aaahhhh doo-dah day. Doo-Daaahhhh. Doo-Daaahhhh. Aaahhhh doo-dah day. Doo-Daaahhhh. Doo-Daaahhhh. Aaahhhh doo-dah day.” Then, he giggles (usually because I’m giggling, too), and heads off to play the piano or drink from the dog bowl or climb on the dining table or beat on the TV.

Big Announcement

“I have a poop.”
Well, actually, it sounds like “Ah dah poop.” Either way, the Meatball is letting us know when he has doodied in his diaper. I think that this is a very good sign as we begin potty training. So far, they have both sat on the potty and think it’s quite fun. Peanut even had a little tinkle – not because he knew what he was doing, but because he and I sat there so long that someone had to pee eventually. (I’m glad that it was him since my pants were on.) Otherwise, we’re just trying to be sure that they aren’t afraid or hesitant about using their new throne. For some reason, though, standing in the potty is happening more often than sitting on it.

The Great Escape

I’m sure that it’s because the boys are so advanced for their age ;), but do ALL 18-month-old kids realize how to climb out of the playpen, climb out of the crib, unlatch and UNLOCK the back door, AND master the child proof door knob covers all at the SAME TIME?!?!? I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if it was just one child genius, or if they would have spread their “discoveries” out over a couple of weeks, but all at once x2 is a bit tough. So, their cribs are left down so that they don’t have so far to fall (although, they are getting quite good at climbing), the playpen has become a nice place to keep the big toys, and Papa has installed new locks at the top of problem doors (before that the basement door was barricaded and the back door was kept shut with a bungee cord). Otherwise, they would spend their days playing on the steps (yikes!) and walking in the snow wearing just socks. Sometimes, it really is very hard to keep up with both of them. Most of the time, it’s not a problem, but sometimes…..

Circus freaks

Christmas decorations were boxed up in record time at our house this year. Typically, we leave them up until the new year, but a couple of things hastened the un-decorating of 2008.

First, toddlers love, love, love to plug holiday lights in - a hundred times per day - and I've been told that many people frown upon little people playing with electrical outlets. Me? I was only shocked a few times as a kid, and I'm fine, so is it really that bad? Peanut was the worst, and I just continually imagined him lit up and his skeleton glowing like in cartoons. Or maybe that's why his hair is always standing up; he's the guy in the circus who carries an electrical current in his body all of the time and can turn a light bulb on just by touching it.

Second: the vegetarian glass eater. I'm not kidding. Meatball could be his own little circus act. The boy eats ANYTHING vegetable - and I mean ANYTHING!!!!! A few days ago, I was finishing my dinner (squash and whatever) while Bub was feeding the boys some banana pudding for dessert. The little Meatball actually chose my squash over the pudding. SO, if that weren't freaky enough, I was changing Peanut's diaper and heard a crinkling noise. Thinking it was just paper (since we now love to draw), I wasn't too concerned. However, just seconds later, I walked into the kitchen to find Meatball munching a glass ball bulb ornament. I became a bit alarmed. No harm done, but we didn't wait around to see what would happen next. The tree came down pronto!

Then, if you add in Bub's Sasquatch sized feet and my enormous ass.... Just add a tent, and you've got a show!