"Oh no, you have diarehaa."

Fabulous news in the BSer house - Alya will be leaving diapers behind!

It is fantastic. Today she didn't wet her pull up at school at all, woke up dry, and messed one pull up this evening while putting herself on the potty twice. That is such the relief.

"Bend over so I can wipe your butt."

Mind, I'm confident that accidents will happen but she is very proud of not wetting herself that I can go with that.

We were using stickers as motivation, but that has almost completely passed now. The bigger challenge at this point is getting her to dump out the "bowl" with the highest accuracy possible. And even that hasn't been bad.

"Get in the tub, we have to wash your feet."

Unfortunately for Marcus, Alya is setting the bar quite high. And word on the street is that boys are more difficult than girls to get trained. We will have the carpet cleaner ready when we get there. [grin]

But I'm certain that Alya will be very supportive when Marcus starts training. After all, she once again rocked him at bedtime.

"It's too poopie, mommy."

Oh, and all the quotes. Those were from the time that Alya was taking care of her Cinderella doll this past weekend. Apparently Cinderella had an accident. That girl just cracks me up.

Be seeing you,

Jon

Post Evening thoughts

Sasha and I had people over for a game night this past evening. The last guests left around 1:30 AM. I've been decompressing/cleaning/reading-Zot! and now doing a quick blog.

It was such a good night. Food was just the right amount - some left over snacks, but that's about it. Beverages flowed freely, yet no one felt the need to get completely snockered. Games were played, but without that intensity that can sometimes occur. Conversations were held, and the evening was such a relaxing fun time.

A very good night.

Thanks to you all for coming over. It means a lot to me to have such a good group of friends that are willing to gather for an evening.

Jon

Daylight Savings, Alya, and Chocolate Syrup

If you know me, you know that I hate Daylight Savings Time more than many things. It did serve a purpose at one point, but I feel that it's completely worthless to screw-up people's schedules for that "extra hour of daylight" at the end of the day.

So yoou want an extra hour daylight, go to work an hour early. Seriously. But making me do it with you is just unfair.

And no, I really hated it when our elected officials decided that extending daylight savings would be a good idea. I wanted my freakin' sleep patterns at a reasonable pace for half the year - not 4 months. Just make it year round then. Seriously.

Last year, I was really concerned on it's effect on Alya. Marcus was only a few months then, so it had little impact on his life. But Alya was a little unsettled by that transition last year. Another reason for the hate.

This past Sunday, the dreaded-evil-designed-by-the-marquee-de-sade Daylight Savings struck. And Alya was up until 10:30 that night. Now that is late for my little squirrel. Plus, she was on a Mommy-at-bedtime kick, so that didn't help matter.

Monday, Sasha had to wake Alya up in the morning in order to get to work on time. This has been a 7 AM work week for me - which has been painful. "Thanks, Daylight Savings!" [Please replace the word "Thanks" with your personal, favorite explicative.]

That night was a 11:30 PM night, with lots of false starts for sleep time. Frustrating.

Tuesday, was a case of "second verse, same as the first." Except I went out after work, so I only got the info when I talked to Sasha around 9 PM and Alya was still not down yet. When I came home, I noticed in the sink a dirty bowl that had previously contained ice cream and chocolate syrup. I can understand that, especially since Sasha spent a lot of time trying to get her to go to sleep.

But then she realized that Alya was just plain not tired. Sasha stopped trying to fight the bedtime fight and let it roll.

Armed with the knowledge of the previous night, I had Alya and followed Sasha's style to let Alya go to bed when she was ready. Which meant I was closing the door to her room at 9:15.

And as I closed the door to my sleeping daughter's room, it came to me that this is a good thing. Alya's sleep patterns have changed, but Daylight Savings has resulted in me having more than two hours with my daughter after work.

It used to be that both kids were tired as dirt when we picked them up at 5 PM. So, it was annoying to only see them for two hours before they went to bed. And much of that time was spent on dinner and baths if needed. Although we admittedly enjoyed having a few hours for ourselves.

Now we get to see Alya for an evening. Twice as long as previous. Plus, Alya is not completely wiped out. She was ready to enjoy being home.

I guess Daylight Savings did something good after all. And I'm quite happy with that result.

And yes, I did have that bowl of ice cream (lactose free!) and chocolate syrup, too.

Be seeing you,

Jon

Home Alone

I took a day off today. No family, just me and the cats. And now I feel a little odd.

The morning was awesome. We all got up, I helped get the kids ready, and saw everyone out the door. This helped kick things off properly.

I moved on to some fun things that both needed to be done and I wanted to do. One was setting up the PlayStation 3 to go through the stereo properly. After that was done, I proceeded to get my "Rock Band" on with the audio cranks and me singing some pretty difficult songs. Blondie's "One Way Or Another" was a tough nut to complete.

Other bits included getting into the shower, reading some gaming books, watering the plants and just relaxing.

But I didn't want to waste the day away, which is what I felt was kind of happening.

So post-lunch I jumped into the car and started getting things done. Exchanged a pair of slacks that were the wrong size at the Land's End Inlet. Stopped in Best Buy for canned air to clean the computer and to price out external hard drives.

The most difficult part of that stop was the fact that the strip mall also has Alya and Marcus's daycare within it. The time was just after naps would be starting, therefore stopping in would be a bad idea (and in other ways) but it was crushing to be so close and not see them.

Returning home I put a cat door in (success!), tried to seal the gutter over the leaky window (don't know if that worked...), cleaned out the computer (may not have worked), moved the downstairs DVD player up to replace the one that wasn't working so well (success), and managed to fire up Rock Band again but for drumming instead of singing. (Success until a Queens of the Stone Age song on Hard difficulty. Bad idea.)

That brought me to the point of picking up the kids and I was feeling a little blah. And the kids picked up on that a little bit, because while both of them supposedly had huge naps they also were on the tired side. We all came home just a little crabby. Marcus wanted to be held, Alya wanted to watch Dora the Explorer and not take her jacket off, and I remembered it was bath night and needed to get dinner rolling.

And then family happened.

Sasha was out for the evening, so I was solo with the kids. And from the time of picking them up at five to Alya finally laying down around eight, we all moved from tired/grumpy to happy. Happy to be together. Happy to be home with each other. Happy to relax and let things happen.

Alya got up when Dora was over to come and eat dinner. (Which she often fights.) Marcus just chowed down on the grilled cheese with ham that a made for dinner tonight. In fact, that boy ate half a sandwich and then grabbed my half from my plate and comsumed most of that too!

Bath time was lots of fun. When Marcus was done, he was peaceful getting ready in the bathroom, while Alya showed off her kicking in the tub - although there was much laughter when I was a monster eating his freshly cleaned toes. Alya was very good at singing the ABCs when I had to run out of the bathroom right quick to put Marcus in his crib with toys so I could finish washing her up. (Marcus's door is literally opposite the bathroom door.)

And post-bath, Alya and Marcus had some good playtime together where they were having fun while I just sat and watched and smiled. And then Alya said she wanted to sit on the potty - which she did and then she peed in the potty. That makes the third time today. Which is very exciting.

Bedtime was smooth. Marcus made it through two and a half books before wanting to be laid down. Alya did four books, including one story that was very long, but only a touch of rocking before she went down.

Sure, it was past nine before I finished cleaning up the dishes and the bathroom. And during that clean-up process I talked to a few people and found I was not going to see Watchmen tomorrow night. But I feel so good right now.

Family happens. And family can make things right.

I can only hope this continues through the teenage years.

Be seeing you,

Jon

Start 'em young

Fact: Jon is a geek about games.

Fact: Jon has two kids.

Reading time

Theory: Jon will be able to get both kids into games.

Research:

This past Saturday certain conditions were achieved to allow for the execution of a test for the geek factor and genetic predisposition to it.

The fabulously cute subject Alya Beckett Schreiber (code named "Squirrel") woke up from her nap before her brother and mother were ready to resume the day. (Naps are pretty popular here at the house.) So it was some alone time for this researcher and the test subject, who was lying on the couch watching "Yo Gabba Gabba" in an I'm-not-tired daze.

Using a method that would allow for independent discovery, I brought out some of my gaming miniatures (see examples below) and started painting. Eventually, the Squirrel came out of her daze to see what her father was doing.

"What you doing, Daddy."

"I'm painting miniatures."

"Oh." Alya moved closer to the tv tray/painting station.

"Would you like to paint some 'guys'?"

"Yeah."

It was a great little moment. Me and the Squirrel sitting side-by-side, each with our own brushes, paints and little dudes.

Result: Possibly that theory of genetic geekness is true.

But things didn't end there.

Research II:

The next day, Marcus and Sasha were out and about somewhere - or sleeping - and it was Alya and I again hanging out. However this time she wasn't moving at that dazed level, so it was time to find an activity for the two of us. I went with Rock Band.

Yeah, it sounds really odd, but the video game Rock Band 2 has a mode where one can play with the drums without music. Perfect for a little girl to play around with drums and not be too loud. (I'm fairly certain the other two were sleeping.)

We started by us both sitting on the ottoman with the Rock Band drums set up in front of us. Alya was hitting the different pads with the drum sticks at first, but eventually it became a game of smacking our hands against the various pads. We went with colors and then incorporated beat counting.

"1 - 2 - 3 - 4. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4."

"1 - 2 - 3 - 4. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 8."

Alya is pretty good at counting.

Another fun twenty minutes of geeky father-daughter time.

Result: More testing needed, but it looks good.

Just how cool are these kids?


---

In other Alya news, she is beginning the transition to a diaper-free life. Right now it is simply the ability to tell us when she has to potty, but she did sit on her potty chair and pee this morning. Third time total, but this really feels like we will be saying goodbye to one set of diapers soon.

Be seeing you,

Jon


You can lead a zebra-girl to the potty, but can you make her pee?


---

Here are a few pictures of miniatures I painted.

Facebook lists

So there's a thing going around Facebook right now. The idea is that you write a list of 25 "random" things about yourself to share, and then "tag" people who you would want to write the list back.

While I was getting ready to put my list up, I realized there are a lot of people I'd like to share the list with, so I don't want to make a bazillion tags and instead just put it up here to share with everyone. (and write run on sentences, too)

Therefore, you will now get to see 25 semi-random tidbits about myself. Some are obvious, some are silly. But it should be a little fun, right?

Be seeing you,

Jon

25 Random Things - a BSer list

1. I love games of all kinds - board, video, sports, party, casino - but am not a fan of gambling. Stakes might make a game "interesting" but I know that the house always wins. Oh, and my luck really sucks when money's on the line.

2. I love my family more than games. This is an important statement that some people who are gamers don't understand.

3. My children amaze me on a daily basis. They are the best thing I've done with my life.

4. Science was my thing until the end high school when it was revealed to me that was not the case. I'm not the geek people think I am.

5. Movies and television are a shared experience for me. If no one I know watches a show, I probably won't watch it either.

6. In the early 90s a tv was only used for movies and video games. I got cable only to record Babylon 5 when TNT picked up the fifth season. Now the only time I watch a live broadcast is for BBC America World News in the morning. Everything else resides on the DVR.

7. Originally I believed I had a fear of heights, but now I know it's a fear of falling. Huge difference.

8. My desire to learn Japanese began in 1984 when my high school offered it and I was done with Spanish. 25 years later and my skill with both languages is atrocious.

9. Personal goal - visit each continent. I only have three thus far, and Asia is kind of iffy since I only went to Japan.

10. If someone tried to force me to choose between music and games I'd tell them to stuff themselves. Both are a very central part of me.

11. Instruments I have attempted to learn in chronological order: Recorder, Violin, Trombone, Guitar, Flute, Violin, Piano. Never buckled down on any of them. I still have some ability with the guitar, but my best instrument remains my voice.

12. People tell me I have a good radio voice. So now I'm working on a podcast to see if it's true.

13. Lactose intolerance kicked in late for me. Which means I know the joys of an unfettered Special from the Pig N' Whistle - three scoops of custard, hot fudge, bananas and chopped peanuts.

14. Growing up I wanted to be six feet tall. I stopped growing at five feet, eleven and a half inches. Go figure.

15. While in college performed in a children's theater production of Babar. I was the waiter, the priest, and the salesman. No spoken lines, but I did get paid.

16. I have always been into video games, but did not own the first Nintendo system (NES) until much later in life. And I don't own a single NES cartridge.

17. One of the best things my mom pushed on me was learning to swim. While I don't have any swimming "accomplishments", getting into the water is not a problem for me. Just don't try to make me dive.

18. Jethro Tull is one of my favorite bands, but when I saw them in concert I didn't know their biggest hits like Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, or even Too Old to Rock N' Roll. I just loved the album Songs from the Wood. Yes, it's slightly more obscure.

19. In 15 years of car ownership, I only had two cars that were "mine". The first car, which was a Ford Escort. And a Honda CRV. The rest have been "family" cars.

20. Roller coasters are awesome. I miss the G-Force that was at Six Flags Great America back in the day. My favorite at the park now is Raging Bull.

21. In 3rd grade I was a wimp and started getting bullied by a kid in another class. When the kids in my class found out, the girls all comforted me while the boys went over to deal with the bully. That is what happens when you are not Hispanic and mess with a Hispanic class. The bully was no longer a problem for me, and I learned a lot about the Hispanic concept of family.

22. I have pulled all-nighters for various reasons, but in the past few years it's only been when I have a book that I just can't put down. For me, the last 100 pages is "I'm near the end. I will finish this before going to sleep."

23. I still have no idea how I'll handle video games with the kids. Since they are so prominent, it will be hard to maintain a good schedule. At least I don't get into the morally questionable games.

24. Urban over rural every time. Tokyo and Paris both gave me a thrill that I've never felt outside a city. Don't know if I would be able to live in either place though.

25. Sometimes I have to flip a coin to make a decision. I don't always abide by the result of the flip, but it brings into focus what I really want.

I got naked butt!

Actually, it wasn't me but Alya with the bare bottom. Tonight the girl was determined to run around the house naked yelling, "I got naked butt!" She is such a silly little squirrel.

But it could have been the sugar talking.

Today was a day that could live in their memories forever. But they're only 2 and 1, so it's going to stick in ours instead. Today was sugar cookie day. Sasha made the dough and all three of them (with a little bit of daddy's help) rolled, cut and decorated the cookies.

Alya was way into it. She had received a mini-baking set as a present from her Great-Aunt Dawn, so Alya had her own rolling pin and baking tray. The cookies themselves were cut using a set of number cookie cutters from her Great-Aunt Mae.

So that's where you could find Alya this afternoon. Rolling, cutting and eating cookie dough.

Once that was complete, Sasha sat both Marcus and Alya that the table, with a stack of cookies, frosting and sprinkles. The image Sasha had was "fun times decorating cookies." The reality for the kids was, "yum." Yes, the two of them ate was too many cookies - which they coated with frosting themselves. Quite amusing, and a joy to watch.



Neither of them will remember the occasion, but twenty plus years from now, when they start talking about marrying that special person, we'll bust out the pictures and show their cookie extravaganza.

And maybe give a warning about how much they enjoyed running around starkers too.



Be seeing you,

Jon
- Who never ran around starkers... I think.