Price of 2 haircuts, including tip: $30.00
Seeing Scamp without hair all over the place: PRICELESS
He only screamed throughout the entire process, but the haircut guy held strong, and this is the result. I think I have finally found a place I can get my son’s hair cut again!! YAY!!!
Handsome, aren’t they?
So, I was checking in with all of my blog peeps, when I saw this post by Miss Zoot.
It’s in defense of the portable DVD player, and comments that are being made on other sites about TV, and children, and watching too much. It also discusses a post that was made about a person who brought a portable DVD player to a restaurant so that their child would sit still throughout the meal. Having endured meals that sounded eerily like that, my first thought was “BRILLIANT!”. However, on further reflection I may have been too hasty.
So, without further ado, I bring you my thoughts on this vexing matter.
First of all, I don’t have a DVD player in my van, but I know many people who do and swear by it. There have been times when we have been on trips that after listening to my kids argue, or whine; I have wanted to kick myself for not owning one. I’m certain I have discussed the prospect of owning one with the hubby on many occasions. And yet, I don’t have one.
It’s not because I think my kids watch enough television, or they should suffer like we did as kids (truth is: we all suffer on road trips in our own ways); or that they can pass the time looking at scenery, playing games, or just talking. While those are nice by-products of my reasoning, it’s not the real reason we don’t have one.
It’s because I’m (we’re) cheap. Plain and simple.
There are just too any other things we can buy with our “discretionary income” that we’ll get more use out of. There are other things that we need as a family to have than a portable DVD player. I’m not saying I haven’t wanted one, or that we haven’t researched and discussed getting one; we just haven’t followed through on the purchase. It happens.
Here’s what someone posted about this issue:
When I am waiting at a stoplight behind a minivan or an SUV with one of those entertainment systems with a DVD of that blue fish movie playing I start ranting about how kids these days can’t do anything without the numbing sight and sound of TELEVISION placating them. When I was a kid I got dragged around on long drives with my parents and when we got bored we sang songs or played games or looked out the windows and imagined what it was like to live in the places we passed.
I’ll agree it annoys me to see the screen (especially at night) if only that it distracts me when I am trying to pay attention to the road. I’ll admit, I’ve even asked my husband to stay behind someone longer than he wants to, just so I can see more of the movie that they are watching on the darn thing. It does what it sets out to do, that is for sure. That doesn’t mean that the people in that vehicle aren’t conversing, or that the player can’t be turned off at times to sleep (which Scamp does really well, even without one of these things), or read, or sight see. It would be shocking to learn that for an entire trip, a DVD player in a vehicle stayed on from the moment it left the driveway until it arrived at it’s destination and not a word was spoken amongst the group or something not pointed out by the non-viewing people in the vehicle (read: parents). (This would apply for a long drive, not a trip to the supermarket.)
What I don’t agree with is the “When I was a kid…” stuff. Yes, when I was a kid I endured long car rides and played license plate games and ABC games and all that. I was also an only child so I alone provided entertainment. If I had a sibling who wanted to annoy me or steal my book, or have what I wanted to have at that time; I’m sure the trip would have been annoying and explosive for all concerned. Truth is, I enjoyed long car rides most of the time, but I’m sure I had my share of crankified moments that my parents (if they were alive) would be reminding me of as they read this.
What bothers me is the assumption that since we didn’t have it, our children shouldn’t have it, because we didn’t need it. I’m sure many (if not all) of our parents would have something to say about that. Bottom line, we didn’t have that kind of technology available to us at that time. Had it been available, I’m sure we would have our own stories to tell about watching movies as we traveled the highways and byways with our families. We’d be discussing our “Favorite Movies for Car Trips”, and “Top 100 games to play with the movie playing in the background while on those car trips.” The point is we didn’t have the ability or the technology for this type of thing: so it’s silly to say that we did just fine without it because we never had it to begin with. We never had the choice. More importantly, our parents didn’t have the choice.
Our children do. Probably because we (and in we, I mean all of us) did have horror stories about family vacations and long car trips; a technology was made so that our children could have what we didn’t have: entertainment on long car trips. Peace and sanity for the parents. An opportunity for everyone to slightly better endure the hardest part of the vacation itself: the getting there.
(Can I get an Amen up in here? Thanks.)
We did this. We provided this technology that although my parents (and probably my in-laws) would say we didn’t need then, we did just fine without it; but if given the choice “back in the day” might have seriously considered it.
I’m sure my parents would have, just because they could have.
As I’ve said, I don’t have a DVD player in my van. We use audiobooks on CD or in my Zen to listen to on long car trips. We play many of the same games that the hubby and I played with our families growing up. We sleep (except the driver, thank goodness!). There are times though, when it’s quiet for long stretches because the scenery is boring, or the boys in the back are spinning each other up about something; that it would be nice if we had that distraction to have available to us.
Besides, we took some of the money we could have put into a portable DVD player and instead bought a small TV/VCR combo we take with us for the hotel room. I put a selection of my kid’s favorite shows on a tape, and set it up in a corner of the hotel room so they can “wind down” after the traveling. So I guess, in theory, I’m doing the same thing, just not at the same time as discussed.
I’m surprisingly okay with that.
However, it’s way too big to bring in to a restaurant, although I’d be lying if I didn’t at least consider it from time to time.
Seriously.
If I believed in hell, then this alone would probably send me there on the express train:
Overheard yesterday evening outside while the mosquitoes were eating us alive:
Spiff’s friend SoccerDude: “Spiff, what did you get for Easter?”
Spiff: “A lovely trip to Fort Lauderdale.”
Out of the mouths of babes, I tell you.
Since we just traveled for 5 days to Fort Lauderdale, spent money on meals, pool toys, gas, etc; the hubby and I felt that also giving the boys Easter baskets was overkill.
Not to mention, we usually have some sort of candy around the house, and for two consecutive days, right after breakfast, Spiff was treated to cherry lollipops at the resort while we passed time waiting for Scamp and Hubby to join us. (I got ones for Scamp too, he just hasn’t eaten them yet.) So we figured that this year, we’d forgo the basket of candy that doesn’t get eaten (see: Halloween) and just dye eggs and have the Easter bunny hide them, and that would be that.
At first I thought Spiff would freak out, since we usually have a basket for him and change does not sit well with him. If he has an expectation, he wants it fulfilled. (who doesn’t?)
Apparently he was more okay with the situation than I thought, because Easter came without a glitch (save me getting sick), and we had to supplement the bunny’s hiding of the eggs with additional rounds of hiding and finding the lot of them. Everyone was fine, and not a sad word was mentioned about the lack of baskets.
So yesterday, when I overheard this, I thought that trouble might be a-brewin’. I was pleasantly surprised and touched when Spiff turned to me after he spoke to his friend and said:
“It (the trip) was better than a basket, anyway.”
He made my night.
____________________________
I’m sure you’re wondering; Easter? But Shash, aren’t you Jewish? Affirmative. Other members of my family are not, however, and I do loves me a party. Especially if food coloring, egg dye and deviled eggs are involved. Sign me up for that!
____________________________
So I was worried* about Passover, and the fact that we were not going to be home to celebrate. I needn’t worried. These people were at the hotel while we were there. We couldn’t participate because we hadn’t known about it to sign up, but on Passover, I had tortillas and mexican food, so I feel pretty good about the “don’t eat unleavened bread” thing. I have a long way to go to incorporate some Jewish traditions into my family’s life, I know. But I will say it was nice to know that if we do go back there and they are again doing this, my family has the ability to participate.
*relatively speaking, of course.
____________________________
Hey dooce, I couldn’t agree more. (Click the link to read her thoughts on Easter. Her last sentence sums it up beautifully.) So with that, I leave you with this photo.
Enjoy!
I wish I could say we did something decadent and fabulous for our anniversary, but we didn’t. I spent most of it in bed with a cold I brought back from our vacation. I’m hoping to get a babysitter out here to watch the kids soon so me and the hubby can go and celebrate. We’ll see. This week, he’s back in New York until Friday, and apparently he has broken the family luck of not having luggage lost on flights.
Southwest Airlines lost his golf clubs.
He was planning to go golfing with his bosses this week, and upon arrival found out today was the day. Hopefully Southwest got them on a later flight and he can still join his compadres out on the links. (Fingers crossed)
I’m here at home, hanging tough on the last day of Spring Break. We played, swam, visited friends in da ‘hood on our bikes and such (showed off the new wheels), ran to the grocery store, and hung out. I scheduled a doctor’s appointment for 11:20 tomorrow to get to the bottom of what’s wrong with me, and will be gleefully sending the kids to school tomorrow with a kiss, a Lunchable, and my undying gratitude to their teachers.
Tomorrow, I’ll be working on a project, fine-tuning my resume (basically re-writing it since my computer ate the last one), cleaning the house, doing laundry and going to the doctor.
That’s what I have planned, anyway.
We’ll see how much really gets done. Watch this space.
Happy Anniversary, (handsome) husband of mine…
I love you with every fiber of my being. Thank you for being my partner in crime, and my partner for life. Thank you for making my dreams come true.
You complete me, as Sid would say. I love you.
Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Residents of Central Florida,
I’m Sorry.
I’m sorry I asked, nay begged, my husband to fertilize our lawn last weekend. Had I not done this, we wouldn’t have had the good old fashioned deluge that came last Saturday evening; less than 24 hours before our lawn was supposed to be watered.
You must be wondering…
Shash? Why are you apologizing for something we needed? It has been over 40 days since we here in FLA have seen rainfall, so gosh-darn-it, we welcome and even appreciate the rain that showered our lawns and gave our overworked sprinkler systems (because, shhhhh…we water more that the mandated twice weekly days. Well, WE don’t, but many others do) a break. It was nice to not have to top off the pool with the water hose.
So, I ask again, Shash… Why are you apologizing?
Well, internet, had I known that was all it took for rain to finally arrive in Central Florida, I would have cracked the whip a little harder to get my hubby out there to fertilize my rapidly dying bahia lawn so that others could enjoy the greening of thier lawns. My sacrifice has paid off, because while your lawns are greening as I type, my lawn is still dying, even after fertilizer application, because it didn’t need to be watered in until 48 hours after application.
Needless to say, it rained well before that time limit had been reached.
So, Central Florida, I apologize that it took so long for my husband to fertilize our lawn. Mother Nature didn’t send me the memo that our rain chances rested squarely on our fertilizing shoulders. Had I known, things might have been different.
Please forgive us. We know not what we were supposed to be doing.
It won’t happen again. Promise.
(pssssshhh…just ignore the crossed fingers behind our backs. Doesn’t mean anything..really…)
Much Love,
Shash
Grab the Photo Hunt code.
Join the blogroll. Visit participants.
From our recent trip to Fort Lauderdale.
Yay!!! We’re home!!! We made it back safely from our sojourn in Fort Lauderdale. Some quick points of interest about the trip, and then I have to hobble back to my room and sit in a vat of Aloe Vera for the next two days so my skin doesn’t flake off like a molting snake’s. I’ll be sharing this with the hubby, who has one of the oddest sunburns I have ever seen on his back. He asked Spiff to put the sunscreen on him, and that might explain a lot. Anyway, hopefully this’ll hold ya until I can post again.
Random (and not so random) Vacation Truths:
Now, if you’ll excuse me, Aloe and her Vera are needing my attention.
I found this on The Mommy Blog and decided to go check it out. The photo below shows my results.
I think this pretty much sums it up. My life, in words.
At 3:00 p.m. EST, the bell will ring and two boys will come screaming out of school, jump in my van (the COOLEST mini-van that doesn’t have a DVD player in it, thankyouverymuch) and like Alice Cooper proclaims in his iconic song “School’s Out!”, begin celebrating their freedom from the oppression of school.
Although, his song says for summer, and then forever. I’m only doing this for one week, okay? The Summer I’m currently preparing for in my own little way. It includes lots of “busy” activities and nervous breakdowns for me. Are you familiar with it?
We’re all SO excited about our trip to the beach. Scamp has been saying, with increasing regularity; “Time to clean up, it’s time to go to the beach!”. Spiff says he feels like the kids in that Disney commercial, you know, the ones who “can’t sleep” because they are so excited about their trip. The boys spent time just before bed last night posing on the boogie boards I brought in from the pool area (so we don’t forget them) like surfers. I forgot to take photos of that. Sorry.
See honey? It’s exactly those moments where a camera phone would come in extremely handy.
I’m just sayin’. 
____________________________________
So, we’re off on Sunday for fun, frolic, and fried seafood. We’ll be back at base camp on Thursday evening, and then hopefully heading to Disney on Saturday to check out Expedition: Everest now that it is open. Spiff deserves the trip; he earned it for handling 6 months of fire drills without having a meltdown, which is SUCH an accomplishment for him. I couldn’t be more proud of him for this. He did a great job.
I’ll post when I can, until then, have a great weekend!
FYI: There’s a new CSI: Miami on Monday night. Don’t forget to try the David Caruso Drinking Game out for me. I’ll try later in the week, once I watch it on TiVo.
Have fun!
