The other night Adam and I were discussing what a wonderfully sweet, fun kid Ethan can be when he’s with us one on one.  He just turns into a total ass when it’s the three of us together.  Nice, huh?

I decided to just go straight to the source for an explanation:

Me:  Ethan, how come when you’re with just me or just Daddy you are so nice and pleasant to be around, and how come you act like a crazy nut when it’s all of us together.

Ethan:  I only have use for one person at a time. 

 

Ethan dressed for Red Ribbon Week, an anti drug campaign sponsored by the school SCA. This was Mix and Match Day.

Other days included:
Put a cap on drugs – wear a cap to school.
Sock it to Drugs – wear crazy socks
Give Drugs the slip – wear slippers to school
Shade Out Drugs – wear sunglasses

This morning I woke up at 5:30. I blame it on anticipation. The same sort of anticipation that wakes you up on Christmas morning, that gets you up when you’re leaving for Vegas that day, or in my case this morning, the anticipation that comes with knowing your first grader will have to manage his lunch purchase on his own.

I pack Ethan’s lunch every morning. I do this, not because I enjoy making Peanut Butter and Butter Sandwiches, but because he’s a picky eater, he’s a slow eater, and because it’s easier for him to just sit down and start eating rather than wait in the lunch line and make all those big decisions. Big decisions like trying to decide which two sides you want. Peas, fruit cup, a banana, a side salad, or celery and carrot sticks with ranch. You get to pick three, unless you choose the side salad which counts as two. I know this is a big thing for Ethan because like me, he has a difficult time deciding what he wants off the restaurant menus whenever we eat out. He’s the kind of kid who looks at the kids menu at Ruby Tuesday’s and orders the grilled cheese sandwich, but also orders one chicken finger, a baked potato, and broccoli and then just before the waitress walks off quickly changes his order to the cheese sticks with maranara and a side order of macaroni and cheese which is technically a meal choice.  I’m the same way, so it doesn’t bother me but it bugs everyone who ever eats out with either of us.

So last night, we spent a good amount of time reviewing the menu. It’s pizza day, which is easy enough. Pizza is Ethan’s favorite, and there’s no way in hell he would want the Patty Mac “N” Cheese becaus what the hell is that anyway? We then got down to the sides, and between the two of us decided that peas, chilled pineapple and choice of fresh fruit would be the right way to go.

Before bed, Adam handed Ethan his two one dollar bills, and I explained that lunch was $1.50 and he would be getting back fifty cents. Well, of course this turned into a coversation of “will they give me two quarters, five dimes, one quarter, or two dimes and a nickel?” I used my standard answer. “It doesn’t matter.”

We also reviewed that I would make sure Ethan wore a pair of shorts with a little side pocket, and that he wasn’t to pull out the money until he hit the lunch line. At 9:00 last night, we had it all together and felt confident that “we” would handle it just fine.

This morning as Adam walked out the door, he looked at me and said “I can’t believe you’re not going to school today to take a picture of this.” I didn’t think that me being there would be the same, especially since I ate lunch with Ethan on Monday and helped him through the lunch line, meaning I ordered, I paid, I carried.

But just because I’m not going to school to get the picture, doesn’t mean I didn’t capture the memory.

My oldest son, Stephen, is part of a morning radio show for Y101Rocks in Richmond, Virginia. This is one of the promotional photos for the show. Stephen is the one in the skeleton shirt.

Testing this little plugin that Misty (be sure and stop by there and check out Ashton’s cute school pictures) added for me…

So, in perfect Ethan fashion, I bring to you his tribute to Episode 1 of the Star Wars Series.

Nope, I didn’t throw up in my microwave. But damn, if it didn’t look like I did. That’s what I get when I try microwaving my Oatmeal Crunch Mixed Berry with crunch cluster nuggets in one step.

I know, I know. You’re supposed to boil the milk first, and then add the oatmeal. I do it all the time. There are some things I just never learn.

Think I felt like eating after that?

Webkinz! If you haven’t a clue, then you’ll need a brief introduction into the craze:

Webkinz are stuffed animals that were originally released by the Ganz gift company in 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however they come with a special code on their labels that allows access to the “Webkinz World” which is a website to “adopt” a virtual version of the pet for virtual interaction. There are also smaller versions of the toys called “Lil’ Kinz”.

Now that you’ve got the idea, you need to realize that they are geared toward kids. Pictured above, from left to right, are Anakin, Joggy, Amigo and Dubbie. The Scanlon Family got Ethan Anakin and Amingo for his birthday, and for some reason, I allowed Ethan to purchase Joggy and Dubbie a couple of weeks later.

We did all the set up required. Named them, put them in their rooms and then forgot about them for a bit. This past weekend, Ethan wanted to go on the website, and that’s when I got hooked. Badly hooked.

The Webkinz site requires that you feed, play with and fix a room for your pets, and you have to buy the food, toys and furniture. How do you earn money to buy all this stuff? By playing games! And that’s where I’ve gotten hooked. I started out visiting the arcade, and playing all the games, and now that my skills have improved, I have moved into tournament mode. And this is where it really gets sad. I am going into tournament rooms and playing against other people who have logged into the site. It is very possible that I am playing against a bunch of ten year olds! What the hell?

I seriously wish I only had one pet to worry about.  I am constantly having to feed, put them down for naps, and play with them.  And what often happens is that I’ll let one pet play all the games for a bit, and the others get lonely or hungry or sleepy.  It is a lot of responsiblity for one person.  I have heard stories about kids who own thirty or more Webkinz and their parents have had to create Excel spreadsheets to help the kids keep track of their pets feeding.  Crazy!

Just so you don’t think I’m the only adult playing Webkinz, I should let you know that I also play against some other Stay at Home Moms while our kids are at school.

That said, I’m ending this post. I have pets to feed and tournaments to join. I certainly don’t want to miss my chance at the Wheel of Wow.

This morning, as I made my short trek to the mailbox, I saw this. An empty Bumble Bee Tuna can with a spoon in it. Now, will someone please tell me who the hell would get out of their car, and leave their empty tuna can and spoon on the grass beside their car? Hell, while you’re at it, who would eat tuna in their car? And who would eat tuna, straight out of the can in their car? And who would use a big tablespoon to eat their tuna anyway?

Oh, maybe it was my neighbor. My neighbor who has made a habit out of calling me multiple times throughout the day to ask me for rides to the bar, or rides to her AA meeting, depending on what kind of mood she’s in. The same neighbor who asks me if I will stop by the bank and make a deposit for her when I leave to pick Ethan up from school. The same neighbor who asks me this, and then explains that I need to stop by her work and pick up the deposit. The same neighbor who asks me for a ride to work, and when I tell her I will do it at 8:30 doesn’t come outside when I blow the horn. The same neighbor who answers the door, and tells me that she’s feeling a little hungover, and would prefer to leave in a half hour. The same neighbor who makes me hide inside my home on her days off. Yes, that neighbor.

Well, at least the tuna was White Albacore, packed in water.

This is the winning entry in the team division of the North American Sandsculpting Championship held during the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.   See more of the entries here.

As always, this is my favorite festival of the year.  Spanning nearly 40 blocks, the festival includes an art show, tent after tent of super healthy delicious and greasy festival food, the sandsculpting contest, a parade, surfing contest and tons of fun things for the kiddies.