Take the Chachi Week of Excitement Quiz

It’s easy! Just answer each question below correctly and you could win…erm…something awesome! Just match the child with the action that occurred this week. Answers will be revealed in several days, or whenever I think we’ve got enough entries. Let’s go, friends! I’ve included several other kids’ names just to keep it interesting.

1.) This week, this child, in a manner of 2 seconds, removed his nightlight and stuck a small rosary crucifix into the electrical socket, rendering his mother jelly-legged but otherwise, remaining completely unscathed:

a. Vincent

b. Peter

c. Reggie
d. Lionel

2.) This week, this child opened a box of Nerds™ acquired on Valentine’s Day and quickly dispersed them throughout the entire lower level of our house:
a. Vincent
b. Peter
c. Sven
d. Both a & b

3.) This week, this child hopped into an elevator at Longwood Gardens and immediately closed the door, going down, then back up by himself until weeping and terrified, he was rescued by a Longwood Gardens employee who waited with him until his grandfather and brother arrived after going down then up themselves in Abbott & Costello-like fashion:
a. Emmet
b. Joe
c. Peter
d. Vincent

4.) This week, this child hurled a bowl filled with delicious rice crackers (Soy sauce, flax and sesame flavored. Seriously badass. Trader Joe’s. We dip them in hummus.) onto the family room floor while laughing hysterically.
a. Caroline
b. Peter
c. Carmela
d. Vincent

5.) This week, this child farted deeply then laughed heartily, which was awesome:
a. Peter
b. John
c. Walter
d. Vincent

6.) This week, this child jumped into an indoor fountain (shallow) at Longwood Gardens. In his clothes. And shoes.
a. Stanley
b. Vincent
c. Peter
d. All of the above

7.) This week, this child peeled a 6" x 2" section of painted drywall off of a stair kick while no one was looking.

a. Roger

b. Vincent

c. Kevin Regan

d. Peter

8.) This week, this child slept the entire night in his own bed, only waking up once.
a. Tatayana
b. Luther
c. Peter
d. Vincent
*I had to put one good boy thing in here. I mean, everyone’s still fine. It was just kind of a crazy week.

There you have it, readers. Get yer answers ready. Rose and I are gonna go drink a lot of wine.

Ahh Technology

Recently I became the last 31 year old, moderately web savvy blogger in the United States to join Facebook. When I found out that Mom-Mom had a profile, I realized that it was time.

So it’s been a couple of weeks of showing off photos of the boys, finding out what people I went to grade school look like now, updating people when I drink coffee, and fending off the relentless photo tags. I mean, I’ve tried to forget 7th and 8th grade. Please don’t force them back upon me with your suddenly massive photo collection.

I have to admit that it’s been kind of fun (read: obsessive) but I have a feeling that I’m in the honeymoon stage. I’ve heard several FB vets allude to the fact that they’re “done with it” for various reasons. Can’t say I’m there yet but I wonder how long it will take.

That said, I’ve started to think about my sons growing up in this new world. One where there’s no disconnect between the stages of your life. With things like Facebook and quite simply, the internet in general, they’ll be able to keep all of their distinct sets of friends at their fingertips for as long as they choose. Our generation didn’t have that. At the end of 8th grade, if you were going to a different high school, it was, “Peace man. I’ll see you at the bars the night before Thanksgiving in 8 years.”

Now, the kids that were your friends when you’re eight could potentially be joining you at the bars. Could know when you become a parent almost the instant it happens. They’ll know the precise moment you’re hungry for a granola bar or when you “just can’t deal with Mondays.”

You simply won’t lose touch. Is that good or bad? Does life have a way of filtering through your friendship network? And how young will kids start getting into Facebook? I can see the status updates now…

“Just finished Green Eggs & Ham. Was awesome.”

“Nothing like that fresh diaper feeling…”

“When will Mom stop trying to wipe my boogies!!! Aaaaah!”

“Dude…Ricky just could not get those macaronis to stick to the paper in art class. Did you see him!?”

“…is being made to go to bed! Backyardigans isn’t over!”

“…is going to Chuckie Cheese!!”

So until I get sick of it, I’m going to stick this thing out. Let’s see how many “friends” I can accumulate. Let’s hope I’m done with this by the time Vincent has his own profile.

Photo of the Moment

Don't look now but they've become buddies.

Sneaky Pete

Quick Sunday story.

We were in the kitchen cooking lunch for the boys when Peter, who had been under the table, started muttering, "Found a treat. Founda treat. Treat."

I stick my head under and he's got reddish drool leaking from his mouth as he once again states, "found a treat."

As is customary when I don't know what he has in his mouth, I ask him to spit it out. I mean, it could be any manner of bug, bolt or banana chip. We just need to know.

Out pops a fairly old, partially-chewed, lone red skittle. A little appetizer for lunch.

You have to give the kid credit. He wasn't kidding. Still - part of me wonders if it had been a bug, would he have still called it a "treat?"

It's quite possible.

Taste the rainbow.

Chachi Milk vs. Cabin Fever (or January was cold.)

We don't need to tell you how cold it's been lately. Here's a quick photo essay on some ways we've tried to help two very active, outside-loving dudes battle the doldrums.

We pretend cook. An old-school favorite.
We are conned into thinking washing the dishes is fun. We read the paper over a lesiurely breakfast. (Note: The front page story was about a local, elementary production of the Wizard of Oz. Yep - we went to it. Yep - he loved it.)

Or we just pretend we're Puffy and Biggie circa 1997.

Hey - whatever works, right?