Frick'n Genius

From the Amazon.com blog comes this little gem Korea: French fry-coated hot dog

What else is there to say except I want one. And maybe for Christmas.

Rescue Four this is Rescue Base

We were watching the Backyardigans "Save the Day" where three rescuers save Fisher lady Tasha from dangers. The rescuers have ball caps and headsets to communicate. BigE always pulls out the bike helmet and drinking straw to create his own rescue gear.

Dada also got sucked into this as Rescue Base.

"This is rescue base, do you copy rescue four?"

A Visit by the Fish

Saturday afternoon we had a visitor. A little boy named Fish. The kids had a go playing with the trains. After a little while they apparently decided to sit and read the flyers.

Go Figure.

By then Mama had the bananas and ingredients ready for chocolate chip banana muffins. She had several eager helpers:

After the yummy muffins were made and eaten the boys decide to watch Cars. No matter how big the couch the kids wanted to be together.

Soccer VI

Another week and another round of soccer. The kids have been progressing. The practices are fully into separate drills run at stations around the field. Followed by a 10 or 15 minute game.

BigE kicking the ball full stride into the net
Here we have a drill where they had to dribble around the coaches but keep the ball inside the pylons. Here is BigE putting the move on the final coach.

This week the game was against the pink team. Now they have the worst jerseys of the bunch. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of them.

Look No Training Wheels!

Well Mama kepts BigE's interest up in riding his bike. Sure enough Friday night after two days of practicing with the training wheels BigE had his break through:


Of course we still brake for loud trucks

The Sandwich

I couldn't resist posting this pick I grabbed on the weekend. I was doing some homework when BigE called out for a snack. I said I'd be down in a minute. Two minutes later he comes upstairs asking for help to close the bread bag. I see what's doing and decide to let him go. A minute later it's the ziplock bag with the cheese. He said

"I cut it with one of my knives and it worked!"

Then the turkey came upstairs. Now I knew he was done so I couldn't resist finding the finished product. Here it is:

The first sandwich I know that he mad all by himself.

This Week It's Soccer Camp

This is the second day, of three, for BigE in his Soccer camp. It's run by the local church on the field behind our house.

That's a lot of soccer when combined with his regular practice on Saturday's run by a local soccer association. But he really seems to be enjoying it and his skills have been really coming along.

Just so I take the blame. Yes I am the one that allowed him to go out dressed in that outfit that didn't match. Sheeshhhh

Fun Cleaning

Mama has found something that BigE really enjoys doing. Cleaning with the swiffer. He even gave up a bed time show to do the cleaning.

Our little Swiffer spokesperson:


This one is a little dark but I like how you can see the concentration as BigE drives his toungue into his cheek.

Soccer Action Shots

We were playing a little driveway soccer. My goal was the hockey net. BigE's was Mama's flower garden. Then Mama found out. Then it became the space between two trees by the front door.

I grabbed some fun shots of BigE in action kicking the ball

Perhaps the best shot. We can see the leg in full recoil ready to strike.

I like how the arms are both all the way back in this kick. I still don't get how did that given a normal running posture.

I grabbed a close up of the tongue from one kick in a shot.

Putting the Slide in the Pool

With the hot afternoon sun shining down I got BigE to fill up the pool to splash around. Of course I no longer had the words out when BigE was asking me to put the pool at the end of the slide.

The slide had been hosed down to help make it faster. Plus he got to play with the hose.

Of course the downside was a sore bum. BigE's speed took him into the water just a little too hard!

Of course that doesn't mean he didn't do it 50 more times before coming inside.

Biking Update

It seems like a long time ago when Slowly Working on No Training Wheels was published. BigE has largely been off the bike this year. It could be that Mama and I have not been riding that much.

BigE has done some time without training wheels but has lost most of his motivation. That was until the other day when he saw a girl from his class that he has a love hate relationship with.

BigE "She's riding her bike. I bet I'm a better rider then her"

Mama "I don't know, she rides every day"

BigE "Really?"

Bam next day:


Due to a bend in the training wheels he's getting a little practice on balance.

Do You Need Help Cooking Those Ribs?

Arnie, ever vigalent, is keeping an eye on the smoker to make sure nothing happens to the ribs. Even the heat and humidity don't discourage him.

More Strawberry Picking

We almost waited too long. It's been a year since we went Picking Strawberries.

The strawberry season was almost over when we went out looking for a upick this weekend. Fortunately we found a patch still open.
Here is Mama and BigE in the field with some WB folks in the field

In case you thought we were taking the last few berries, while we were at the end of the field, look at the size of it!
That little spot just off of center in the horizon is the barn where you enter and pay.

If we went picking does that mean we attempted jam? You bet you. And it turned out a near fiasco like last year. This year I added to the sugar too early so the pectin never set. I had to run back to the store to pickup more. After adding that the jam really wasn't setting. It was like syrup.

I sterilized a half dozen small jars and put some jam in those plus one large jar for the fridge. I wasn't sure what I would do with the syrup. But by the next morning it had solidified considerable. So now it actually looked like jam.

Question for the readers. Do I need to boil the jars of jam after sterilizing and filling them?

5 Weeks to Go

Yup. 5 Weeks.

Soccer V

The skills progress continues at soccer. For the price I must say they have been working with the kids to consistently teach the kids. I was worried after some parents had a bad experience last year.

After a couple of weeks of passing and dribbling around cones they played a game against another group at the end of practice. Each team had two lines of five rotating over the course of a 15 minute mini-game.



BigE and his bunch were out against a line that had a couple of noticeable skilled (relatively) kids. BigE, Monkey and others could have competed but they still don't quite get the concept of the game. They often took the ball and ended up going sideways on the field.

In one great moment, which I didn't photograph because I was doing the soccer dad thing, BigE took the ball and drove to his own net to score. Why? Well we figure because the other team kept scoring on that net so that must be where you go.



Perhaps the best part was the Popsicle to end the day.

Afterwards he played a little goal to one of the other teams 'good' players and he was doing fine. I think the Grey Elephants will be competitive once they get the game figured out.

I'm So Tired

I think this week's gymnastics camp is tiring out BigE. After getting home and doing some crafts he flaked out watching a show. I came downstairs to see

Quote of the Day 55

Two new favorite phrases:

"I had a blast"

"That's Borrrinnnngggg!"

The Fort

Take a rope, sheet, and a couch. Mix, mess up and create instant fun.

You can see somebody sneaking into the fort.

The Soccer Team Photo

An add on to Soccer IV. He is an over the photographer's shoulder picture of the team.

Baby Names

No I'm not soliciting suggestions. Check out the Baby Name Wizard. You can see the popularity of the top 1000 names for the last hundred years. When it's all on the screen it's a little confusing.

So at the top of the chart you can sort by boy or girl. Then you can click in the top left hand side to start entering in the first few letters of a name to see just those.

Note the scale on the right hand side changes with each view. So that big mountain for a name might be 100000 kids per million or it could be 100 kids per million. But the trends are cool to check out.

Homework: Take a look at the traditional names and observe what happens to them by the beginning of the ninties. Then check out some of the recently popular ones.

Soccer IV

Woopsie. Forgot about posting about BigE's soccer practice on Saturday. We got a few good shots this week.

The boy in full flight with his new(ish) cleats. They help him go faster!

The action stride as BigE is in full flight

Here they are playing essentially a game of keep away from the coach. If she catches you then your frozen till a team mate kicks the ball between your legs.

I have to be honest I don't know what the heck was going on when I took this one. But he sure looks bossy doesn't he?

And finally the team meeting at the end of the practice.

And possibly from two weeks ago is this pic of the parents on the sidelines.

Recycling CFL Bulbs

From GreenGuide.ca (because the homedepot.ca page doesn't work!?!?!?)

The Home Depot has launched its national CFL Bulb recycling program at all 160 The Home Depot locations.

It Really Did Happen

Oregon man completes 320-kilometre flight - by lawn chair

Enough said. Well maybe one quote

Mr. Couch's wife, Susan, called him crazy: “It's never been a dull moment since I married him.”

See it could be worse!

A Visit to Auntie Bevie and Scotts

Friday evening we headed to Auntie Bevie and Scott's place for some pool play and BBQ. There's nothing like a big splash into the pool. Especially if it's about 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Sounds warm but it's not really that warm.
But it did make for a refreshing toe dipper for BigE and Mama

Everyone was excited for the fresh local strawberries and whipped cream that was for dessert. Eric thought why waste that effort in eating the strawberries I'll just take the whipped cream straight up please. BigE thought that would be a good idea. Ready, Steady,

Shoot!

After dinner BigE and Eric were playing a little B ball.

By the way Dada wiped the floor with Eric in 21's.

Then as it was whizzing past BigE's bedtime we started a little fire to make smores. After BigE made several and handed them out he decided he really was hungry for one.


Once we finally got him into the car it was well well well past his bedtime. Somebody was wired on the sugar, fun and smores. He even faked some snoring / sleeping for me just after we left. After fifteen minutes in the car his complaints of sleep became real.

At Least It's Not the Back Fence

After Arnie the Moocher it became clear that it was going to take a long time before he stopped visiting Dawn our neighbor.

Arnie was outside for a long time. I wondered what he was up to. I look at the back fence. Nope not circling it looking for passers by. Then I look to the side.

He's circling on a fence alright. But he knows Dawn is home today.

From the torch is "Why we fight". You should read the whole thing from the Windsor Star

"These soldiers see things and do things that we can't comprehend," said Maureen, who set up "Boomer's Legacy" after her son's death to raise funds back home so that other soldiers serving in Afghanistan could continue those kinds of personalized efforts. The military lawyers said it wouldn't be acceptable for civilians to raise money and partner soldiers to carry out humanitarian assistance, but just-retired Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Rick Hillier told them to make it happen anyway.

BoomersLegacy.ca:

This foundation has been developed to aid the women and children in Afghanistan, and in doing so we will honour all of our soldiers who have served there, especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“Boomer’s Legacy” is named in remembrance of Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom, a Canadian military medic who was killed by a suicide bomber in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan in August 2006 at age 23. While serving in Afghanistan, Andrew (known to his friends as “Boomer”) recognized numerous opportunities for assisting the Afghan people through the distribution of medical supplies, educational material, books and warm clothing. In small, personal ways, Boomer and his comrades felt they were able to make a special contribution to bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Boomer’s Legacy has been created to further these accomplishments.

Now, no non sense about the mission. What to help the Afghans? GO MAKE A DONATION!

It's Not My Fault It's In My Genes

Ontario woman gains East Coast accent following stroke (CBC.ca)

Rosemary Dore, 50, of Windsor, Ont., had a left-sided stroke that left her with an accent similar to the Canadian East Coast accent, though she had formerly had a southern Ontario accent. Dore had lived in southern Ontario all of her life and only travelled to Florida on vacation. She had never been to the East Coast nor did she have any family members with East Coast accents.

"Everybody, even the doctors … they [thought] I was from Newfoundland, because I have an accent," Dore told CBC News. "But I didn't, because I come from Windsor, Ont."

And my favorite

Researchers gave Dore a CT scan, which revealed various changes in the brain consistent with an ischemic stroke. One month after the stroke, she was tested and found to have 100 per cent speech intelligibility.

Does that mean us Newfoundlanders are distinct? Or brain damaged?

PS Out of curiosity why did they use "Canadian East Coast" instead of "Newfoundland" accent?

Canada Day Party

For the fifth(?) year we had our Canada Day BBQ. Important stuff first we had Bratwurst, hot dogs, and pulled pork. Yummm.

The inflated pool was dragged out and inflated by mouth again by dear old wind bag dada




Some lazy man shots of the group (After Canada Day at the Community Center I was too tired to care if I got any good shots)


Scott and Auntie Bevie

Oh and did I mention the cake?