A New kind of hurt
Headed out this morning to join in on the Community Clean Up project while TheWife took LatteGirl to dance class. The plan was for them to join up with me after class was finished. To be honest I didn’t expect this to be as big a deal as it was. I expected to be handed a garbage bag, and to pick up trash along the riverbank, photo ops for the Town representative, and that would be it. But we actually cleared out the old Boat Launch area, removed a huge amount of weends, and when all was completed we loaded 3 dump trucks with debris, garbage, and big nasty weeds that grow along the waterfront.
Fortunately (for my weary legs), and unfortunately (because LatteGirl was not happy about it), they wrapped things up a little early so the girls could not join in on the work.
We decided that if she really wanted to work on cleaning that badly, LatteGirl could help me clean out the shed. Spring cleaning of the shed is a spring right of passage around here. Every year pulling out all the summer things that have been stored away and made the shed usuable.
Well LatteGirl was not only into it, she was a huge help. Seriously. I mean usually she TRIES to help, but in doing so makes things take somewhat longer than if she didn’t help, but in this case she kept pace (and even helped push me as I started slowing down… but hey, I had been at this since 9 AM). So, after a good solid 7 hours of outdoor cleaning, my legs now feel like really HEAVY RUBBER!
The local church had a rummage sale, so after cleaning up, as sort of a reward, I took LatteGirl over to shop. A reward for her because she got to pick something out, a reward for me because she could get a veritable boatload of books for about $2. She found a couple of good books for her to practice her reading, and she found a “Cat in the Hat” board game. I had never heard of it before. It was actually quite a simplistic game, but she enjoyed it. I found for myself a Black & Decker Home Cafe. For those who do not know what that is, it is a coffee machine that takes these little “pods” of coffee, and brews a single cup at a time. For a big coffee drinker like me, not something I would use normally, but for the mornings when I only have time for one cup before running out the door for work, it seems like a good idea. I was just not willing to drop $40 bucks (or so) on it, not knowing whether or not I would like it. But for $8, brand new (it must’ve been a gift that somebody never opened) I am certainly willing to give it a shot. So I will report back once I have given it a shot.
Speaking of giving it a shot I still have a couple of Boca Java Reviews , which I will probably write up tomorrow while the ladies of the house are out (I am actually relying on a fresh pot of Blogs of Bravery blend to keep me awake as I type). Assuming I do not get too long a honey-do list before the go. Go? Oh, yeah, the are going to see “The Bearnstein Bears” tomorrow afternoon. I am not sure how, but I managed to weasel my way out of this one.
I should probably get to bed early tonight, but the bed seems so faaaaaaar from my computer right about now. Perhaps I can just scoot the keyboard over, put my head down and sleep right here.
A Tree Hugger in the making?
I have taken from my father the preference of organic gardening. I would never consider giving my daughter milk from cows that have been given rBGH (more on that in another post soon), I am against opeing the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve, and hurting the environment to the benefit of big oil.
But, I am certainly not overboard enough that anybody would ever “confuse” me with a “Tree Hugger.” If anything I am probably the eco-ists worst nightmare, somebody that cares about the environment but “not enough” (in their regards).
LatteGirl on the other hand, at just shy of six seems to already “get it.” Let me explain.
This weekend, our “family activity time” is going to be spent down at the river front as part of a clean up program. I am happy to help. LatteGirl is downright EXCITED about cleaning it up.
Last weekend, as we were working around the yard, I pulled up a little sapling of a maple tree that had begun growing between the cracks of the slate that serves as the “patio” where I keep my grill, and tossed it into the pile of leaves that I was cleaning up. LatteGirl was NOT at all happy with me. She demanded that we immediately pot the little sapling and that she would tend to it until it was big enough to be planted and left to live. “We need trees to live” she informed me.
So we now have a little tree growing in a pot in our yard. She is very proud of it. And, yet again, I am very amazed and proud of her.
Calling it a Sacrifice doesn’t make it one
Being an “outsider” (a dad that more often feels like he fits the views of Mommy Bloggers [don’t get me started on that please) than Daddy Bloggers), I do not often delve into discussions that take on their own lives, jumping from blog to blog with opinions. After all, firstly I am an outsider, and second most of these take place on blogs that have readership that are far greater than mine.
But, after giving myself a 24 hour cooling off period, the desire to chime in has not waned, and so I figured it was time.
The current topic of parents sacrifices, is I am sure not new. But I got caught up following this current wave, here, here, here, and (to a slightly lesser extent) here, If you are a parent, you sacrifice for your kids. Period. I thought the one posted by Sheri over at Mamazine.com was particularly great at giving the topic true balance, and I am not going to try and say how much any particular parent should or should not sacrifice for your child. Every parent (OK, maybe not EVERY parent, but you know what I mean), tries to do what is best for their child, and while we as people may not necessarily agree on every topic, we can agree we want what is best for our children.
OK, so where is the fetering that caused me to write this? Glad you asked. There were two places where this topic veered off slightly that got to me, and this entailed what defines “sacrifice.”
Motherhood Uncencored, covers how some people (and again, she lays it all as a “mother” thing, but I am the outsider, so I prefer to point at “people”, while acknowleging that this apparently far more common in mothers than fathers), take on ALL responsibilities, because “We try, in our own crazy way, to DO IT ALL. Not necessarily because we want to, but we believe that we have to so that our kids will have the best chance to be, well, the best.” I don’t classify this as “sacrifice” because while you are certainly giving of yourself, you are equally satisfying that Type A side of yourself that has already determined that there is nobody as capable as you.
She goes on with one more item that absolutely makes my skin crawl when she says, “Sacrificial mothering is the new black, didn’t you know?” That is not sacrifice, that is self glorified matyrdom. When my daughter was small, I was the one that got up in the middle of the night for feedings. Not because it made me some sort of “hip 21st century dad,” but because I thought it was what was best for everybody.
By being well rested, I believed (and still do) that my wife would be better able to deal with the issues of being home with our child all day long. Now call it what you want, but it could hardly be said that my wife “sacrificed” anything despite the fact that in the long run it was (I believe) good for our daughter, because it was a benefit to her to get a good nights sleep.
Similarly, when Morphing into Mamma, tries to justify sleep training as her “sacrifice”, I can’t help but laugh. I am not going to delve into the rights and wrongs of sleep training, that is far too divisive an issue, and again, if it works for you, I will not (at least try not to) judge you for it, (because the intention on a whole are good) but please call it what it is. Sleep training is for the benefit of the parents, not the child. While the long term benefits are certainly there for the child (much like my well rested spouse was a benefit to our daughter), there is no way you can take it and call it your sacrifice. You feel bad when you heard your child crying? Well I certainly hope so. Was it a sacrifice for YOU to not pick up the child? NO! Willpower perhaps, but sacrifice, let us be real. The proof is in the statement at the end of her post, “The Sleep Train” when she says, “I’m jumping on that sleep train, and I don’t plan on getting off at the next stop. My kids are going to sleep. I’m going to sleep. We’re all going to sleep!” I give all the credit in the world for her determination (and success), but calling that sacrificing for your child is akin to pushing snake-oil.
You sacrifice because you love your child, And I am not questioning whether or not or how much the children are loved. And lest I be misuderstood, there are plenty of people that “get lost” in being a parent, and that is of benefit to no one, and things certainly should be done for the benefit of the parent if for no other reason that the child is better off in the long run with a happy well adjusted parent, and not one sitting in the corner babbling, “Elmo’s Song” and having “High School Musical” be the most intellectual thing you have seen on television since your child was born. But be honest about it and call it what it is.
Review: Boca Java’s Bloggers Beach Blast Blend
Their Description – ‘Go ahead. Make my blog.’ This luscious flavored coffee will make your blog! Featuring a tantalizing combination of chocolate and caramel.
What I thought – I decided to go with this one next, so as to alternate the flavored blends and the real coffee. I decided the weekend was also the best time to try and enjoy this coffee, this way if it was awful, I still had time to make something else without having to worry about running late.
Fortunately, I did not need the extra time as this coffee was extremely drinkable, and coming from me, who does not particulary care for flavored coffees that is a compliment. I would be remiss if I did not note that in particular I find the somewhat bizarre taste that is supposed to be caramel is highly pronounced in this blend. If you like that taste, then you will like this coffee. It is the same taste that I have noticed in every coffee (and some syrups) that allege to have the taste of caramel, so this one is no worse than any other, but no better either.
The hints of dark cocoa chocolate taste were there, but suprisingly not overbearing, and if it wasn’t for the caramel twinge I may have actually thought this was GOOD. But unfortunately I had to seek out the chocolate taste from under the chemical taste of the caramel.
Who would like this coffee – If you are a person that likes artifically flavored coffee, and do not find the chemical taste that most caramels give coffee, then this is for you. It supasses most flavored coffees in its drinkability. There is no aftertaste or bitterness, and the beans used here are obviously not a grade below, as is the case with many (if not most) flavored blends.
Overall Rating – 3 Stars (out of five). I am giving this higher marks than I normally would to a flavored coffee because even though it was not my particular taste, it is clearly superior to virtually any flavored coffee I have every tasted. If you are one that does not typically drink flavored coffees this will not change your mind. If you like flavored coffee from places like The Coffee Beanery, then this Boca Java Blend will absolutely blow you away because it is that much better.
Review: The Wild
The latest CGI animated movie from Disney is “The Wild” as much as it appears to be a direct rip-off of Dreamworks “Madagascar”, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the similarities in some of the characters, the kick-off point of their adventures (The New York Zoo), and the fact that the animals wind up in the jungle. The similarities end immediately there.
Following on the heels of Valiant, and Chicken Little (which I reviewed here), The Wild proved once again why it was so critically important for Disney to acquire Pixar. While not as spectacularly aweful as those previous movies (except at the box office where last week it did an abysmal $9 million, and I can only expect it to do worse this week), The Wild should have been a straight to video release.
When I read some reviews that noted how much like The Lion King this movie was, I for the most part ignored it, since I like, The Lion King, I did not see the comparison as necessarily a bad thing. Well as it turns out, it was. It both took such obscene amounts of material you can not help but make the comparison, and it is not one that The Wild stands up to well.
There is some humor in the movie for both kids and adults, but not nearly enough. The graphics, like many of today’s films was good, but not as good as most others. There was enough action that the movie should have seems to fly by, but instead I kept wondering when it would be over. The heartwarming conclusion is one of those things that should have an audience cheering, instead what you got was a collective sigh, enthusiatic that the end was finally near.
If this does make it another week in the theaters, stay away. When it first appears on video, do not buy it. Rent it, or better yet, like Chicken Little wait until it shows up on eBay or Half.com. This was not worth the price of a movie ticket, nor is it worth the (estimated) $19.99 – $24.99 it will first appear at.
I think I may have to wait until “Cars” comes out before I venture out to the theaters again. Fortunately that is an early summer release, so my wait isn’t that long, which is good
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