Best Job

For many of you who can relate. Hats off. 

 Happy Friday.

Sweet Dreams

I don't have a sister so the concept of sibling rivalry is totally lost on me.  Since the boys have always been as different as night and day, I  naturally thought  they'd have their own sets of friends and want to do totally different things.  Wrong.  They really dig hanging out with each other.  They both still adore football.   And much as I try to yak on and on that it's not about who wins, my reasoning doesn't always win. 

On many nights right before we doze off I have to deal with bedtime prayers such as this:

Mak:  Thank you, Papa Jesus for letting me beat Tato 4-1.  

Tato:  Thank you for the side tackle on my brother so he couldn't make the last goal.

And I say a little prayer myself asking the Almighty  to stop me from strangling them both in their sleep. 

Summer Reads 2012

Just sharing some of the kids' favorite reads for this summer. Bear has just finished book one of the Harry Potter series. He enjoyed Sorcerer's Stone, but says he liked The Mysterious Benedict Society more. 

I've read the Potter series. Who hasn't? But I've only read parts of Benedict Society. The official blurb reads... "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities? When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. With their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?" Bear attests that the book has a lot of funny, clever, exciting things in it. So book two of Benedict Society first, before book two of Harry Potter. I'm intrigued because, wasn't Potter pretty exciting?

Now this recommendation comes from Chicha and it is precious. Dr. Seuss's stories published in Redbook and other magazines in the 40s and 50s once forgotten, now found and bound into a lovely compilation. 

This isn't just memorabilia. I think the stories are literary gems that would stand against his classics. The irreverence, silliness, signature rhythm and rhyme are all there. So are the Seuss-style moral underpinnings. The Bippolo Seed is a wonderful  allegory on the pitfalls of greed.

I will read that story again and again to that certain 8-year old boy who has this for his current wish list…!

Back to the topic of books. Here's another fantastic one, from pictures to verse. From the genius who brought us The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster we love you!

It is a hot Manila Easter Sunday as I type all this, so before I go… meet Ester the Easter Tree. Bear and Chicha made her. 

I named her Ester because in one of the hanging tags Chicha wrote, Happy Ester. Heehee. I suppose the lame humor comes from my being in a really good mood. Happy Easter Internet!

We Say the Darndest Things

Medical crisis averted.  Tests show the boys have not been exposed.  I can breathe a little bit more.

Thank you, Nathan, for the laugh I badly needed. Artist Nathan Ripperger finds himself saying the most ridiculous things to his kids then turns around, designs and sells these hilarious posters.  I'm sure you can relate.  Good to know I'm not the only crazy one around here. 

Here are a few from his Things I've Said to My Children series:

Mine should read: STOP TRYING TO SIT ON EACH OTHER'S PENISES!  In Helvetica bold, maybe?

One Red Dot

A tiny red dot.  Two actually.  One on each child's forearm.  That's what it boils down to these days.  For the last day and for the next two  it will be all about the dot.  We pray that the tiny dots stay tiny.  An odd prayer, I know.   

Our boys have, unknowingly, been in close, constant contact with someone with tuberculosis.  It baffles me that we are still dealing with this disease. Statistics will tell you that in this day and age there are only twenty two countries left  that have high incidences of tuberculosis in the entire planet.  The Philippines is one of them. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the country today.  This is the sad state of our affairs.  Our health system really needs a shot in the arm.

Speaking of shot in the arm, each of the boys got one yesterday. For now we watch and wait and check if the teeny tiny injection mark changes.  We've been briefed.  The larger and more palpable the mark, the more exposure they have had to this disease. The next course of action will depend entirely on that.  So far, so good.  Thirty hours to go.  For now I say my odd little prayer and wait. Patience has never been my strongest suit. 

On the Road: Nepal

I wish I had time to sit down and tell you all about Nepal.  About the four-hour day hikes we took, scaling hundreds of steps to witness a postcard-perfect sunset, the monasteries, the temples, the burst of colors. The insane sound of too many horns beeping in the middle of traffic one minute and the serene ringing of meditation bowls and Tibetan chants in the next. How we met Krishna - hands down best tour guide who we hired for a day but ended up keeping for five. What it feels like to walk through a Nepali village one second and then see the Himalayan range the next. Then there were the people with these crazy beautiful eyes and matching smiles and that all around positive vibe I'm seeing less and less but the world needs more and more of right now.

But I'm having that week when a hundred and sixty plus hours just isn't enough to get things done. 

Luckily, MacD's photos tell it all.

Namaste.

Sunday Run Day

Gun start in a few hours.  Wish us luck.

Word!

Oh, the power of simplicity. Simple words. Simple two-minute digital bites, just like this piece of awesomeness.

 

TED Ed is a great place to look around for stuff you can share with your kids. It makes smart sexy and cool but it’s not dumbed-down. Imagine, a lesson on brevity plus I get to introduce the kiddos to one of the best rock and rap collaborations ever. Ambulate this direction, or…

Rock on, nerds! 

Love,