It's a Hard Knock Post!

It's time again for my children's musical review. This is where I get to critique and rant about how the kids did in their most recent production, Annie Jr.. Actually, I usually just crow about them as any parent would. So get ready for some major proud parent crowing.

And speaking of crowing, N1S landed the part of Rooster and his little sister earned her role of orphan. While N1S had all of the funny lines, SP got more singing, dancing and stage time than her big brother.

Both kids had a blast though. N1S got to unleash some of his comedic skills and SP got to sing out loud. And the show started out with a bang too. This production was by far the best the kids have been in. When all of the orphans sang 'It's A Hard Knock Life', it sounded like a professional group. You could tell the kids really practiced hard for this one. There were no weak links at all. People familiar with local children's theatre will know that sprinkled through out each show are a few forgotten, rushed or too quiet to hear lines. This show had none of those and quite a few well delivered performances from the entire cast.

Here, SP just finished showing how she has a hard knock life.

All of the orphans sticking Miss Hannigan with a safety pin.

And then laughing at Miss Hannigan. The little brats.

Here is a short video of N1S's opening scene as Miss Hannigan's good for nothing brother, Rooster. The director told him to use a Jersey accent and he laid it on as thick as he could.

N1S wanted a picture with one of his good friends that he has shared the stage with for six shows. I think he also wanted a picture of his mustache which he asked to keep after the show.

This is N1S's big moment on 'Easy Street'. Make sure your volume is on.

And, of course, the big finale, singing 'Tomorrow' with President Roosevelt.
I mentioned before how impressed I was with this production, but it seems I say that about all of them. Well, it's true every time I say it. I'm very thankful to Acting Out (click for more pictures) for providing such a quality opportunity for youths to express themselves in a fun and positive way. We are so proud of our kids and the benefit they are receiving from these experiences truly can't be measured. Especially for N1S. He is not athletic and struggles socially with some of his peers. But the stage has given him a sense of pride and accomplishment that he hasn't gotten anywhere else.

Thanks once again to Amy and Kristen for taking our kids under their wings and helping them soar.

They aren't stopping here though. They will be appearing in their next musical 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' on Dec. 10th and 11th, so save the date.

And remember, you're never fully dressed without a smile.

Or a fake mustache.

Kitty and the Soldier

It was a cold and windy night. A three quarters moon was our only light, as we set off in search of sugary snack treats. Our plan was simple. We would disguise ourselves in fiendishly clever costumes, choose an unsuspecting residence, and ring their doorbell. When our victims answered the door, a shout of "Trick or Treat!" would give the poor, shivering home owners no choice but to fill our bags with candy and hope that we spared them and would then proceed to the neighbor's house. A plan so simple, so perfect and so diabolically genius could not fail. (Cue lightning crash).

Our first stop was to the local pharmacy to get a picture of the kids in their costumes. The pharmacy will make a picture button for us on Friday. The kids also got their first piece of candy for the night. And the plan wasn't even in effect yet. Sweet Pea picked a tootsie roll, then saw that her brother got a Hershey bar, so she wanted to exchange. Now that the sugar rush was officially started, it was time to plot our route.

The Soldier and the Princess Kitty and I piled into the pick-up to our first street. We went to see our old neighbor. He was dressed as a pirate, and he even had a real parrot on his shoulder. The kids were ready to trade their whole nights candy for the bird. Since we had only been to a few houses by then, it was no deal. After the first street I asked, "OK, is that enough? Should we go home?" Princess Kitty showed her claws in disagreement. Even though it was forty-five degrees with a stiff northern wind, we kept going.

We then drove to our next street. Number One Son wanted to visit every house with a light on. I had to remind him that we don't go to strangers' houses. Unless they have Peanut Butter Cups, then we load up once, switch costumes, and return for a second haul.

By now the kids' arms were being stretched by the weight of their bounty and Sweet Pea had lost her Kitty tail for the third time. I could see signs of fatigue in Sweet Pea. The cold wind and her short Kindergarten legs were starting to discourage her. Then she dropped the bomb.

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

"Ungh, Can you wait until we get to our house two blocks away?", I pleaded. I believe anyone who has a daughter knows the answer to this question.

Luckily, at that point we were close to a friends' house that graciously let us in the back door to use their facilities. I hope the Kit-Kat bar we left on the sink was enough payment.

Now that we were warm and dry, we ventured out into the cold again.

One more street and we would be home free. The last street is, of course, our own street. I parked the Pixie Stix Pickup and we started our final push to fill our bags. It's a good thing our street goes downhill to the other end, or else Sweet Pea wouldn't have even started. I didn't tell her that we would have to come back up the hill to home. It's a good thing that we visited our own street because N1S, got to see the coolest Yoda pumpkin ever. He found this pumpkin at the same house that had the puking pumpkin last year. This is also N1S's favorite house because the home owner wears a cool Darth Maul costume. I think he wears it on other days of the year too.

Well, we got to see a parrot, a Yoda pumpkin and our neighbor's bathroom. It was now time to go home.

Lady Di and myself are two of those mean parents who let their kids eat only one piece of Halloween candy on Halloween night. And since Halloween landed on Wednesday this year, it was extra important to limit the sugar before bedtime. Otherwise, getting up for school in the morning would be just as scary as Halloween itself. N1S was lagging behind as we headed for home with a trail of wrappers following him. This surprised me. That is something I expect Sweet Pea to try, but I guess she was just too tired for tricks. In the house they each got a chocolate bar and a package of Sour French Fries. I thought the combination was just too good to break up, so I let the kids have two pieces of candy.

I'm sorry if you think my kids are getting a raw deal on the candy. They worked hard for it. They deserve it. They don't need it though. A little candy here and there is fine, but a Snickers Bar a day is not a habit I want to encourage. Plus, N1S's attention span seems to worsen in direct relation to how many M&M's he's eaten. The main part of Halloween is to have fun and be safe. We accomplished both goals. The kids had fun showing off their costumes to our neighbors. They also enjoyed seeing their friends' costumes and comparing bag contents. I got some new ideas for Halloween house decorating and pumpkin carving too. This year's pumpkins can be seen in the previous post.

Now I have to find a way to sneak most of the candy out of the house without the kids seeing. I guess I'd better start with the Peanut Butter Cups.

Halloween Pumpkin Roundup

Here are pictures of this years pumpkins at the Stuff in My Brain household. I need to give credit to Clare's Dad for the title of the post.

Sweet Pea picked out this pumpkin because she liked the bumps. So this is our Bumpy Pumpkin.

She also picked our a tiny warty pumpkin which she had to wash as soon at we got home. The bumpy pumpkin also got a bath.

Number One Son designed these. He even got to carve his own pumpkin for the first time. He did the middle one with the whiskers. For some reason, whiskers were popular on our pumpkins this year.

Yup, more whiskers. These are Sweet Pea's designs. She also got a taste of carving her own pumpkin. She did most of the top one. Note, she got a little zealous with the saw on one of the eyes.

Dad did these. I know they are kind of boring. I always let the kids draw their designs and then I try to carve them. When Sweet Pea was little she drew a face with one small eye and one large eye. I liked that look, so every year I carve at least one pumpkin with mismatched eyes.

Last but not least. This is the kind of pumpkin you get if you carve it a week and a half early. I think the sagging face makes it look pretty good.

Pumpkins are a favorite part of Halloween for me. I didn't do any Yoda pumpkins like my neighbor, but my designs still say Halloween. I like the faces that my kids design the best. They have all of the creativity anyway.

I just realized that I forgot to take a picture of the bumpy pumpkin. Oh well, I guess there is always next year.

I also just realized that this is my 100th post. Who woulda thought? And on a holiday too.

Lego My Idea

When I work late, the drive home is usually my time to zone out my mind. I usually find some mellow radio station and blank out. Last night, however, a persistent little thought dug it's way into my brain. I was thinking about Number One Son. I often think of the kids when driving. Anyway, I was mentally listing the things that he likes to do. Of course, Legos were at the top of the list. He has so many Lego sets, I have lost track. He has half a dozen animal sets that he has put together. He has a fleet of Star Wars ships of various designs. If his Star Wars play battles get stale, then his Batman Lego's come to the rescue. To say that N1S is a Lego-maniac is an understatement. He even attends an after school Lego League once a week. Lego Magazine (a disguised catalog) comes each month and N1S feels like he's won a contest every time it comes in the mail.

So as I was driving with Lego's rattling in my head, I tried to think of some Lego that N1S didn't have yet. What would be fun for him to do next? Then I had a brainstorm. If I ever win the lottery and money isn't a concern, I am going to get N1S a life sized Lego house kit. Wouldn't it be cool if Lego made life sized bricks?

A truck would have to come and unload all of the Lego's for a garden shed sized play house. Imagine the clattering noise, that a dump truck full of Legos would make. I can envision big cinder block gray Lego's for the foundation. Next would come regular brick sized Lego's about the size of a shoe box. A big green flat Lego would serve as the floor. You could also snap in Lego doors, windows, flower pots or other accessories. You could even use some fancy arch bricks or clear Lego's or ones that glow in the dark. The instruction booklet would look like blue prints and it would come with a hard hat to complete the set.

As big as the Lego's would be, you might need an official Lego rubber mallet to make sure the bricks fit tightly. You wouldn't want the inspector to find gaps in your walls. And since all of the bricks would be hollow plastic, the whole play house would probably weigh less than a couple hundred pounds.

Not only would this idea give some lucky child hours of entertainment, it would teach him or her a trade to use later in life. As the kits advance, Lego could put out a house wiring and plumbing kit. A pair of pants that sag in the back would come with those kits. Making Legos waterproof may prove difficult though. The heating system may require some advanced engineering as well. I don't believe a working fireplace would last too long. Although, what's to stop them from developing metal and cement Legos? I guess they wouldn't be official Legos then, would they? But at least the structure of the house would be strong, even with plastic bricks. Especially if a lot of small flat Lego's are used, since the only way to separate those are with your teeth. I also might have a little issue with the Lego furniture you would have to make. That would be one hard Lego couch. After napping on it, you would have hundreds of little dimples all over your back too. I'm not going to say anything about a Lego bathroom.

Looking ahead, when the house is finished, the next kit to buy would be the race car to park out in front of your house. The car could only be used for short trips since you have to pull it backwards to build enough tension in the Lego motor. Heck, as long as you have the race car, you might as well assemble the life sized Star Destroyer space ship and cruise in style.

Can you tell I may have spent a little too much time and thought on this?

I hope the Lego company will consider my idea and maybe even let us test the first house kit. I'm sure once it is on the market, all the responsible parents of the world (Brittney, Jacko,Brangelina) will have to have one.

I suppose I had better let Lego know about my idea before they think of it themselves. I know they make life sized soft bricks for toddlers, so they will probably say that they already thought of my idea and they don't have to pay me for it. Which is too bad, because the only way I would be able to afford a Lego House kit, would be if I made it my primary place of residence. And I don't know if I am ready for plastic grass and multi-colored walls.

Although, with the holidays coming soon, wouldn't it be fun to build a nine foot tall Lego Christmas tree?

The Negotiator

We had some good news from school this week. On Friday, the mailbox had a postcard addressed to Number One Son. It was a CBG from his school. This was not a recruiting letter from Russian intelligence. A CBG is a 'Caught Being Good' notice. When a student is observed doing the right thing in a difficult situation at school, the witnessing teacher rewards the student with a CBG.

Number One Son's situation happened on the playground during recess. While playing a game, a bunch of kids were arguing with one boy. The teacher said that N1S was trying really hard to convince all of the kids to stop arguing and continue playing. He was then very consoling to the one boy who was ganged up on. The teacher said N1S showed a lot of empathy for the boy. Empathy is one thing we are constantly working on with N1S. We were very proud of him. Kids with Asperger's very often have trouble recognizing an other's point of view. For the last five years, N1S has been slowly improving his ability to recognize social cues to choose appropriate responses. He also has been having improved interactions with some neighborhood boys his age. He no longer is hesitant about initiating play, but he actually takes part and enjoys the games they play together. A couple years ago, these same boys would just walk away when N1S would say something off the mark or play in an unorthodox way. We now feel comfortable letting him go off and join in the group on his own. He still needs a little 'pre-play coaching' once in a while, but it is considerably less than before.

The CBG notice from school was definitely a high point of the week for N1S and us. It says that something is going right in his world. I hope we have a little something to do with that. I know that he deserves most of the credit for his effort. Maybe this will be the first of a long line of CBG's. Even if it isn't, we know that he is working hard and doing his best.

We showed N1S his CBG and asked him for his view of how he handled the situation. He said he saw all of the kids fighting and he told them to stop. He said, "Guys, if you don't stop arguing, you'll lose all of your play time." Very logical. I'm not sure if his empathy was for a friend or for wasting play time.

Either way, we are pleased with N1S's choice of action.

The 'Times' Are a Changin'

Not only are the times changing, but so are the additions and subtractions. The school district offered a class tonight to explain the 'new math' that they are teaching the kids these days. It seems that every two to three years a new way to do math is adopted by the school. This is OK with me. I enjoyed math in my younger days. I think that different math methods only enhances the understanding of numbers. Not every method works for every child, but different options are good for students to find their own way.

The night started out with a downpour. A storm blew in just before the class. I quickly jumped in the pickup and headed out. The rain increased so that I could barely see. After three blocks it started to hail. I whipped a uwey at the next stop sign and raced back home. I parked the pickup in the garage and took Lady Di's van to the class. I was sure she wouldn't mind. It already has a little hail damage anyway. I hydroplaned all the way to the primary school because the sewer drains couldn't keep up with the deluge. It probably didn't help that I was racing close to the curb to see how big a wave the tires could make. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, the rain stopped. Which was good because the front door had a sign that said, "Go to the back door".

I entered the school and eventually found the class, after accidentally crashing a women's aerobic class in the gym. I'm glad I figured it out before I really started to sweat.

I walked into the correct class and helped myself to the snacks. I took a few pretzels and a bottle of water. OK, I really took a fistful of cookies and a Pepsi. I thought the class was very informative. Did you know that four is now the new five? It was a relief to finally learn the definitions of the terms that Number One Son has been using to describe his math homework. I found out that the kids use the 'Lattice Method' for multiplication. I think this method is often used in backyard garden landscaping and under porches. They also use the 'Partial Product' method. This method helps the student complete part of the problem before getting out the calculator. There was no mention of the fingers and toes method, which was in vogue when I was a kid. Of course, way back when I was a kid in the olden days, we only used numbers one through five. All those other numbers and that fancy zero were discovered much later.

I was lucky enough to meet Number One Son's challenge math teacher. She was nice and spoke very positively about N1S. She also is very excited about math. When she started quizzing me about multiplication tables, I pretended to have a coughing fit and made a dash for the water fountain in the hallway.

With my narrow escape, I made my way home in time to kiss the kids goodnight. It was then Lady Di's turn to quiz me on what happened at the meeting.

"It was great, Hon!", I exclaimed. "They served cookies!"