Inklings

Blog

  • Love Exists

    Kids have an awesome way of quantifying love. Often times when tucking them in for the night they try to ‘out-love’ me. “I love you” quickly gets an “I love you more.” To which you can only top with “I love you forever” (by the way, “forever plus infinity” invites a number of redundant variations that extend the bedtime sign-off by another five minutes).

    Love isn’t tangible and, as far as I know, can’t be measured or observed scientifically so the above exchange is ridiculous if you aim to over-analyze it. Fortunately that doesn’t make it any less real. Even as logical as I am, I have absolutely no problem with the fact that love can’t be empirically proven to exist. Like my kids, I have faith and believe that it does.

  • Money Habits

    It’s interesting to see how our kids look at money. What’s more interesting is how they handle it. It’s one area I know they’ll need some coaching on and we try very hard to instill in them a sense of responsibility when it comes to their ‘cash’. I don’t know that there is a definitive ‘pay day’ in our home anymore, but they certainly earn their keep doing chores (with lots of reminding, anyway).

    Whenever they do get the green stuff they have to divvy it up into their three ‘banks’.  Both boys have three glass jars on their dressers, each labeled with masking tape and sharpie marker. One jar is for saving, another is for spending and the last jar is for giving. We tell them that at least 10% goes into giving and the other two we leave up to them. Periodically we make trips to the credit union to deposit their savings. I can tell you just by looking at those jars which son likes to save and which likes to spend. The challenge seems to be finding that balance!

  • Bored Games

    I come from a game-playing family, so playing board games with our boys is kind of a rite of passage. Over a year ago, my brother-in-law introduced us to a number of ‘European’ board games. They don’t involve dice, so luck is eliminated for the sake of strategy. Clearly these games are outside the canon of Parker Brothers (in fact, any game with a pair of dice is mockingly referred to as an ‘Ameri-trash Game’). We personally own one such game, but the rest are ‘Ameri-trash’ classics. Our youngest son loves to play games and will occasionally coax us into playing ‘Sorry’, ‘Life’ or (Heaven forbid) ‘Monopoly’. I realize they’re all good at teaching young minds good sportsmanship and strategy, but it’s like choosing to play checkers when you’d rather be playing chess.

  • Old School Math

    Last night my youngest was reading to me a math story book on multiplication (exciting, I know). I’m amazed at how much calculation he already does in his head. Some books are really creative at getting kids to visualize math. All I could think about was how they integrated ‘real-life’ math to us as kids in school; like scoring ten frames of bowling — long hand!

    It’s weird to think of it, but gym class became math class for a few weeks in third grade when they busted out the hollow rubber bowling balls, plastic pins and mimeographed score sheets. It seems like we spent a whole year on learning how to score in bowling (apparently it’s critical that all North Dakota children develop this life skill). When it was time for the final test, I remember reciting those rules to myself quietly as I scored: a spare is ten plus the next one ball, a strike is ten plus the next two balls.

    Within years, all the bowling alleys switched to computers so my mastery of this skill quickly became obsolete. To keep the tradition of North Dakota math life skills alive, maybe schools could start teaching kids how to score Pinochle games.

  • Guilty Pleasure

    About a year ago, after a decade of satellite service, we allowed cable television into our lives. Not surprising is that a number of programs we watch now are on channels we never got before. Our remote frequently stops at the Food Channel (aka food porn) and, believe it or not, the Travel Channel. One program in particular, ‘Man v. Food’, we find especially engrossing. In it, host Adam Richman takes on any number of eating challenges at famous eateries across the nation. I’m not sure what his fight record is, but it seems whenever I tune in he’s getting walloped by overindulging in something too spicy, too starchy or just plain impossible to finish in the time allotted.

  • Night Shift

    After just seven months anchoring the golden mic of ‘The Tonight Show’, Conan O’Brien gets the curtain after turning down an offer to appear a half hour later. Leno must have some real pull with the suits at NBC. Even after ‘The Jay Leno Show’ posted just “acceptable” ratings in its prime-time slot, they still have the audacity to thwart the efforts of the ever-vigilant O’Brien by offering Leno his old time slot back. What a slap to the pale, freckled face of the vertically-coiffed Conan. Hey Conan, how’s your New Year’s?

  • McJuicer

    Mark McGwire confessed to using steroids during his major league career yesterday. Yes, I know. It comes as a huge shock to everyone, I’m sure. What a fool I was for thinking it was common for all MLB players to be built like the Hulk instead of regular men like Maris. What really breaks my bat is how he told Costas that he still could have broken the record of 61 home runs without using steroids or human growth hormone. If that’s true then why didn’t he? Probably because the rest of baseball is just as juiced. What concerns me is the message it sends to young athletes that aspire to be professionals someday.

  • Lose that Spare Tire!

    Another season of “The Biggest Loser” has started on NBC and the cast is heavier than ever. I’m amazed at the amount of weight some of these contestants have lost in just seven days. I’ve always heard it’s not healthy to lose more than two pounds a week but this week some guy shed a record-breaking 34 pounds! The weight loss on the show may be overly dramatic (and dangerous) but I guess what it promotes is admirable – a lifestyle of healthy eating and living to manage weight.

  • The Beloved Mr. Peanut

    If you’re a fan of Mr. Peanut, or peanuts in general, I apologize for this graphic posting. Don’t worry, the 94 year-old Mr. Peanut is still alive and well. Here’s a little history about the infamous American mascot: Planters Peanut Company (now a division of Kraft Foods) held a contest in 1916 to develop a company logo. The original Peanut Man, created by a 14-year-old schoolboy, was later “refined” when an artist added the top hat, spats, cane and monocle. The copyrighted image of Mr. Peanut has been illegally applied to a number of faked and fantasy collectibles by those attempting to cash in on the peanut company’s fame and fortune. Mr. Peanut is apparently worth more than peanuts.

  • Seriously?!

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but the threat of global warming doesn’t seem real eminent right now! Even the Sunshine State is experiencing record cold with this Arctic Blast. Heck, the freezing cold temperatures were knocking iguanas out of trees. Don’t fret though, it appears much balmier weather is on the way. Tomorrow’s high is expected to reach a balmy 34˚ — that’s above zero, mind you. We may just have to crack a window or two!