Our own Back Yard!

In the past weeks we all have seen the news reports about the tornado's that ripped through the south land leaving many grieving the loss of loved ones as well as property. We sit here tonight reading headlines on MSN, Yahoo, CNN or other various sites and we might have forgotten about the ones that no longer have that luxury. At this point in time they no longer have the good things in life, things that we don't even think about. Many that read this know who Deanna Baker is, many may not.

Deanna is a grade school friend that currently lives in Alabama and she was one of the lucky ones that escaped the wrath of the tornado's, but she lives just miles some cases blocks from the destruction. She is helping and doing her part with trying to bring some back to her community.

So my question to myself and to you is can we give a loving hand in all of this. Weather it is a little or a lot, really it doesn't matter anything that you can do would help. Below is a list of items Deanna sent me that we can send down there to help.

Non-perishable food Canned food
can openers
baby items clothes and shoes (it's hot here so summer clothes)
paper products (plates, cups, paper towels)
Towels and rags
gargage bags
tarps 

personal hygiene
and I even read a local fire department is in need of sunscreen and chapstick cleaning supplies message me, email me, if you know Deanna contact her. Let's give to those that have nothing.
By: Will Kalweit

Kids can teach us something...

I realize that blogs don’t need to be long or short stories but rather little blurbs of life written down to show a brief insight into ones thoughts.

So that is what I am going to do today.

Yesterday, I walked into our bedroom only to find the jewelry box, on the bed, opened and Brooke-Lynn going through it.  As you can imagine that sight did not make me to happy.  I yelled at both Payton and Brooke-Lynn, told them they were naughty and that they need to apologize to mommy for what they had done.  Now the mind of a child amazes me, a pre-teen can’t remember what you tell them but a 3 year old can.

Mommy finally came home, Payton walked up to her mommy, sad face and all, looks at her and says “Mommy I’m sorry, I’m sorry for playing with your jewelry box” arms extended looks at mommy and asks her “do you forgive me”.  How awesome is that.  All day she remembered and when it came time she not just said sorry but asked for forgiveness.

Can’t we all take a lesson from our children?

On a side note Brooke-Lynn as now figured out how to climb up on to the dresser.  If you would like to hear how she gets up there leave me a comment.

Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry

On Jan. 21, 2011 we packed lunches, charged the cameras, called Anthony off of school, bundled up the girls and headed downtown to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. 

With train tickets and of course coffee in hand we waited for our ride in to the city.  Side note here, Payton loves the choo-choo.  Every time we pass by the train station or we head over to the Richton Perk Coffee Shop, she wants to see the trains; she wants to go for a ride so to say the least she was on cloud nine.  The night before Payton and I got onto Google Earth and mapped out the train tracks to our stop right in Hyde Park.  I told her about all the cool things she would see and even showed her some of the exhibits via the MSI website and Google Earth with that the excitement grew.

We spent the whole day there from open to close, which can easily be done and then some.  The kids loved seeing the baby chicks, the huge model train with the city skyline, of course Payton love seeing the real trains.  Anthony got to make the flaps and landing gear go down on the United 747 that hangs from the ceiling.  I put on a Muppet/puppet show at the Jim Henson exhibit that is currently running their, I even got more to sit down then just my kids.  Darcie and Anthony stood in a chamber that simulates hurricane force winds, that was funny to watch.  In the same wing, I want to say it’s called the Forces of Nature, Darcie had fun making Tornado’s in these little table top chambers, it was great.

This was just a fraction of what we did and saw.  With so much to do at MSI I have to say that it never really gets old. 

Next trip we're thinking Field Museum?

United Airlines 747

Model of Willis aka Sears Tower

Fire, forgot what this was for,
but it looked cool

Baby chicks

The Zephry Train

Tesla Coil

   

http://www.msichicago.org/

A child's Christmas surprise!

This year I opted out for the traditional Christmas Eve night, spending it with family and my Oma.  The reason for this was due to Darcie having to work until 8pm, I didn’t want her to come home to an empty house, not on Christmas Eve.  So I stayed home with the girls, Anthony was at his dad’s house already. 

Ok so leading up to this day we took Payton and Brooke-Lynn to see Santa at the mall, they sat on his lap, one cried and the other was happy to see the big guy.  She was so excited that when she saw him coming you would have thought he was a rock star, like when teenage girls used to scream and jump up and down at the sight of the Beatles or Elvis.  She had only one request for the man in red and that was for him to bring her Ballerina shoes.  As days passed and time got closer she kept asking when Santa was coming to bring her her shoes and the answer we gave was soon.  As days got closer and the excitement grew we told the girls that Santa would come but we didn’t know when and we would never see him bring gifts.

So now it’s Christmas Eve, still no presents under the tree, Santa would be here soon but when?  Darcie and I talked about how we could sell them on the idea that Santa was coming and we would not see him.  We figured it out, put the girls in the tub and start the bath just before she would get home.  Darcie would come in take over for me and I would then disappear and pile the gifts under the tree.  I placed it all just right.  See just a few days earlier Darc got the girls the reindeers from build a bear, their little heads sticking out of the box, two girl reindeer and of course Rudolph.  So I got it all out as quite as can be, then I found my way back into the bathroom just in time to stir some excitement and prompt them to end bath time. 

As we were finishing up clean the dirty little kids I stopped and said listen! Did you hear that?  I, I think that was Santa.  Payton stopped and said yeah I heard him.  To cute really, but then she was like no that’s not Santa.  Well just as luck would have it my mom sent a text message that just so happens to be bells.  That closed the deal I got her sold on the idea that Santa was here!  As we got them dried and dressed in their PJ’s we got ready to go down the stairs, of course I had to get down there before them so I could take pictures of the surprise look on her face.  As she slowly came down the stairs she saw the reindeer in front, the gifts around the tree and she was just as happy as she could be, jumping up and down shouting to the world, SANTA COMES! SANTA COMES!  But the first thing she did besides jump with excitement she went to the window, gave thumbs up and said “Thanks Santa!”

The look on her face was priceless, the excitement made our season and Santa even let three reindeers for them.

A Holiday Thought

I want to start by saying this, I am not asking you to agree or disagree, I am asking you to just stop and think.

  

Tonight, Christmas Eve, as the family gathers, children play with their new toys from Santa and we gear up for a Christmas Day with more family, laughter, stories and holiday cheer there are Men and Women that serve this Nation.  The reason for their enlistment can vary and really is irrelevant.

Tonight, tomorrow, a week from now when we celebrate a New Year and look back on the old one, there are going to be families that are going to receive news that is going to change the happy mood to a somber one.

One or the other that reads this may have first hand knowledge on just how fast your holiday cheer can leave at news of your loved one, friend, soul mate or whatever the case maybe has been killed protecting our rights, our freedoms.  I can only imagine, but really I don’t want to imagine what that must be like.  Today, tomorrow these men and women will take a moment to grieve then they will suit up and confront the risk once again.  They have chosen this life style, not because of the politics, they did not decide to fight a war, they knew the chances, they knew the risks and they continued to move forward. 

These Men & Women deserve our full respect and honor.

So during this holiday season I think that we can take a moment, remember those that are far from home fighting a battle that was not their choice. 

Respect those the choices they have made, because you would and want respect for the choices you have made.

Thank You to our Troops that have served and those that continue to serve this Great Nation, God Bless you and your families for the sacrifices you have given.

Exploding the Moment (no pun intended)

I sit next to my little girls, Payton 2 and Brooke-Lynn 7 months.  The oldest gets up and starts to play.  Grabbing a toy, she laughs and says “dad look”.  As she runs with her toy the youngest sitting next to me grabs for her toes lying inside her footed pajamas.  As I move my head close to Brooke-Lynn’s asking her “are those your toes” she smiles.  I take breaths an involuntary action; my nose notices an odor, a familiar odor an unwelcome odor to me.  I think to myself, again really.  I clear a spot for my little excrement machine on the floor.  Heading for the bedroom to retrieve a new diaper and wipes.  Opening the door on the cabinet I pull out a fresh diaper, double-checking making sure it’s the right size.  Payton comes in to see what daddy is doing, checking her bottom while right there, noticing it will be a double changing.  Walking down the hall with Payton, asking her why she didn’t go on the big girls potty.  Entering the living room and Brooke-Lynn is not where I left her.  She rolled to the other side of the room laughing.  Putting Brooke-Lynn on the changing pad, I unbutton her outfit, pulling the straps on the diaper and find the source of the entire stink.  Brooke-Lynn wants to kick her free legs and laugh at me as I try to keep her from kicking her feet in to the waste.  Payton stands close by watching, waving her hand in front of her nose going “eww”.  Proceeding to open the wipes container, pulling out one wipe I start to clean the little bottom.  The wipes use has been exhausted placed in the used diaper a new one is used.  Inspection shows it to be clean but raw, bag balm is need.  Moving quickly to put bag balm on my little ones bum.  I place the new, fresh diaper under her bottom and begin to pull the straps over.  Placing her little chunky legs back into her pajamas.  Snapping them back up one by one all along talking to Brooke-Lynn.  Payton laughs, she knows it'd her turn now.

I place Payton on the changing pad next.  She puts up a little more of a fight.  Laughs as she gives me a hard time.  Unzipping her pajama’s, unsnapping her oneise I get to the diaper.  I start all over with the changing.  Payton in her little garbled talk she asks questions I try to answer.  I clean her bottom, placing a clean diaper under her.  I pull the straps, button her oneise, placing her feet back into her pajamas.  The zipper goes up.  I ask her to help clean up the mess as to help teacher that messes must go.  I throw out the dirty diapers and play with my kids.

*A while back I was to write and expound about a moment in life, I picked a moment with my kids.  I thought it would be appropriate seeing that I was to "Explode the Moment", so why not discuss something that, at times seem like a small explosion went off.

"You Got Mail"

Years ago there was a movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan called “You Got Mail”.  It was about two people that sparked up an online romance, got to know the real personalities of each other, never suspecting they would be rivals in the book business until mid-way thru the film.  It was about a big discount bookstore, Fox Books, which was cornering the market and putting the smaller bookstores out of business like Meg Ryan’s character that owned “Just around the Corner”.

The point is that big business was taking over and small neighborhood stores would collapse and closed under the pressure of competing with the bigger, better deal discount store.

Now fiction takes on the face of reality.  Why?  The other day I read an article about Border Books and Barnes & Noble, both are bookstore giants or so we thought.  With the ever growing world of technology the well known book stores where you can roam and get lost in and side tracked by other titles are nearing a possible end.  In an article that was on msnbc.msn.com tells us how Barnes & Noble Inc. has put itself up for sale and Borders Group Inc. is looking at filing Chapter 11.  With the growing popularity of the Kindle or other various e-books the bookstores are a dying breed.

This will have an effect on all of us on so many different levels, from easy access to actual books to the loss of jobs for many.  Where has this society gone?  We used to be a people that worked hard to go out and buy books that we would turn the pages as we read to our children, we would barrow a book from our cousin and forget to give it back because we wanted to read it again. 

I never was a big reader, I rather see the movie, but I also know that that is not possible all the time and now being a dad to two young girls, sitting down and reading to them about princesses and Dr. Seuss books are irreplaceable moments.  I know that paperback books will never totally disappear and that my kids will still receive books as gifts but the thought of stores like Borders or Barnes & Noble leaving us is a bad spot.  The advantages are great with these e-books, you save on space in your home, you can bring multiple books with you when you travel which in turn saves space but what ever happened to folding the corner of the last page you were on? 

Physical books are a shrinking market and e-books are on the rise.  Borders will continue to look for lenders or ultimately file Chapter 11, Barnes & Noble will look for a new owner and maybe try to reinvent it’s self.  But for now they both hang in the balance.

As for me, I have plenty of books too read to my two young girls, I have a sister that was a librarian and with her love of books she will undoubtedly continue to purchase books for my kids.  She will teach her child, which is due in June of 2011, the importance of a good book and authors.  All we can do is wait, watch and see what happens with the two giants of the bookselling world.  Will they fall or will they over come and defeat technology or just barely co-exist?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40719268/ns/business-retail/