Goodbye, Gourmet

Ok, maybe I'm just a basket case because I have a newborn at home and a toddler transitioning to preschool, but it's not just me, is it?? Did anyone else cry when they opened their mailbox and saw the November (aka Final) issue of Gourmet Magazine?

Yes, it was a magazine about food and there are certainly plenty of magazines about food, but there was something very special about Gourmet. It was so well done (no pun intended, really).

Beyond that, it is another of those American institutions that you just expect to be there for you year after year or perhaps it's like that little Mom and Pop shop on the corner in your hometown that you thought would always be there. But now it's gone. It's not just about this particular magazine. The world has lost a lot in the past few years.

As Island Boy would say, "I'm sad".

Scientific Method at Work

A friend picked Island Boy's Daddy up for a meeting yesterday.

"Windshield wipers!", Island Boy observed as he checked out said friend's car.
"Mommy's car has the same! And Daddy's car has the same!"

He didn't stop there...he noticed the rear wiper on Mommy's car and said,
"One more windshield wiper!"

Noticing that Daddy's car had no such rear wiper, he formed the hypothesis that some cars have windshield wipers on the back and some do not. He then walked around to the back of Daddy's friend's car to check his hypothesis.

Check! Hypothesis confirmed. He seemed satisfied with his work.

Don't you love to watch little minds at work?

Uh Oh, Truck!

Driving down the freeway yesterday Island Boy was worried.

"Uh oh!", said he.

Mommy and Daddy continued chatting in the front seat.

"Uh oh!", from the back. Louder this time.

"What's wrong?", I asked.

"Uh oh, truck!"

"What's wrong with the truck?"

"Uh oh-oh! Somebody took off the back!"

Anyone care to guess what was bothering our son?

You guessed it! He saw a semi cab with no trailer on it. (I hope I am using the correct terminology for those things - I'm not exactly much of a "truck person", although I am better versed in truck lingo these days than I've ever been in my life.)

This little boy makes us laugh every single day. I love the way he looks at the world.

The Apple Juice Store

One of Island Boy's favorite neighborhood adventures is a jaunt to the "Apple Juice Store". No, not the Apple Store, but rather the Apple Juice Store. Never heard of it? Sure you have and I'll bet you have one close to you, no matter where you are.

The Apple Juice Store that Island Boy is referring to is Starbucks and surely you've heard of them, yes?

In Island Boy's world, Starbucks translates to the Apple Juice Store since apple juice is the treat he gets on the rare occasion that he visits one. It's so much fun to see the world through the eyes (and taste buds) of a toddler!

Chinese Horror Story

If you haven't seen this story yet, prepare yourself to be horrified. I can barely imagine how the people that did this can sleep at night. I cannot imagine how the people to whom this was done can sleep at night and I cannot imagine wondering if my family could be one of the families that might have been part of this despicable behavior.

Here's the story. Read it. I typically like to look on the bright side of any dark situation, but the only good I can find in this is that articles like this one will help to ensure that these crimes will stop if they haven't already.

More Tuba, Please!

We were sitting around yesterday which is an unusual thing around here on its own when Island Boy said, "I want tuba, please!".

Excuse me? Could he be thinking of Tuba Dad? It's been a while since we've seen them and I'm pretty sure he didn't actually see Tuba Dad in action. Hmm...

"Tuba, please!"

We don't have a tuba, son.

"Tuba. On the TV. Please!"

Puzzled look from me.

"Tuba, Bam!"

"Oh!! You want to see the tuba that was on TV last week, right?"

"Yes! Tuba! Bam!" (this was followed by squeals of delight)

Ohio State fans will recall that just last weekend, one very enthusiastic tuba player dotted the "i" in Script Ohio with such pride and conviction that he unwittingly knocked out the cameraman covering his closeup. 'Twas quite the sight, and rather impressively, both men continued to do their jobs with barely a hiccup.

Enjoy (in both focused and full-length versions)!

Stride Right

Island Boy got his first "real" bicycle a couple of weeks ago. Oddly enough, it has no pedals.

Stranger still...it is a relatively new invention as far as I can tell (to be honest, I have no idea of the history of the balance bike so if you do, please tell!).

Apparently, the "balance bike", as these types of bikes are called, is better-suited for learning the skills needed to ride a "real" bike (e.g. one with pedals) than say a tricycle or a bicycle with training wheels. Since the real skill one needs to master bike riding is not pedaling (that part is easy), but rather balance, the balance bike makes perfect sense.

Although this all sounds good intellectually, it remains to be seen how it will play out for us. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, Island Boy has made amazing strides (har har!) with his new bike. He went from taking it out for long walks (and by that I mean wearing his helmet and literally walking next to his bike the entire time) to walking while straddling it for a portion of each walk to now sitting on the seat and striding with it for the entire walk, comfortably rolling up and down hills.

He has yet to move into the advanced balancing that the bike is designed to encourage, but we're getting there and Island Boy is having a ball along the way, so we couldn't be happier.