Drops of Awesome

Wii Wii Wii All the Way Home

January 13, 2010 by Kathryn

**As of December 2010 I no longer have ties to Nintendo besides that I enjoy and purchase their products.**
Alert, alert. I’m so excited. The Wii is soon going to be able to stream Netflix movies directly from the game console. I’ve been hoping for this development for months because although it’s fun to watch streaming movies huddled around our small computer monitor, I’d prefer the comfort of the family room couch. They announced the development this morning and I already know about it because I’m a “Nintendo Enthusiast.”

I’ve been loving and periodically blogging about the Wii since I got it for Christmas 2 years ago in one of Dan’s greatest gift-giving coups ever. We take care of it and feed it all of the games and accessories it needs and it keeps us entertained. Right before Christmas this year, Nintendo contacted me about becoming an Enthusiast. The terms are vague. There is no contract. Basically it means that I keep loving Nintendo and they periodically invite me to things and send me free stuff if they can find any games we have not already purchased. (They had a hard time doing this for Christmas.) I’m sure they’re pleased when I write about Nintendo but it’s not required. I like this arrangement.

The one event we’ve attended so far was a holiday party at a local retirement home for seniors where Laylee and I got a chance to play games “with the grandmas” and then the retirement home got a free Wii and a bazillion games. It was a great experience for both of us.

Anyway. There’s my full disclosure. Prior to Christmas of this year I wrote about Nintendo because I’ve loved them since I was in elementary school and have spent a bucket-load of money on their products. After Christmas of this year, if I write about Nintendo it’s because I love them and am spending a bucket-load of money on their products. They also sometimes send me free games and press releases now. The End.

Anyway, if you have a Wii and a Netflix membership, you can go and reserve the game disc that will allow you to stream videos by following this link. www.netflix.com/Wii Happy Streaming!

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The Gender of Christmas Cards

January 12, 2010 by Kathryn

Boys and girls are different. It’s true. My kids continually remind me of this. Christmas was no exception. Dan took them shopping and let them each pick a card for me.

This is what Laylee came up with:

She chose, sweet, traditional and religious. On the inside she wrote a tender message that makes me want to actually become “the sweetist mom around and spred love throu the town.”

Magoo, on the other hand, decided to go with blood-drenched crazy reindeer.

Dan read him the words on the card and asked, “Are you sure?” and Magoo answered emphatically, “Yep. I’m sure.”

I think they’re both perfect.

Wanda and the Bat

January 7, 2010 by Kathryn

Magoo and I were reading through his favorite nocturnal animal fact book, Night Creatures, for the eleventy-billionth time tonight when I noticed that one of the bats sucks his fingers.

“Hey Magoo. Look how the bat sucks its fingers. It looks just like Wanda.”

He looked at the picture and then at Wanda.

After thinking about it as hard as a little melon-headed 4-year-old could, Magoo answered, “Nope. It doesn’t look like Wanda. Wanda doesn’t have ONE OF THOSE!” He then pointed to the bat’s prominent manhood.

Other than gender, they are identical.

Small People

January 6, 2010 by Kathryn

I’m still alive. I still blog sometimes, mostly over at Parenting. I’m starting to get into the groove of this mom-to-three thing. Sort of. I just have a hard time blogging with so much cuteness around. Today I’ve got a post up over at Parenting.com so click to find out what’s going on over here.

Holiday Movie Readiness Questionnaire

December 20, 2009 by Kathryn

We’ve been showing the kids our favorite Christmas movies. Most have been smashing successes. Home Alone, although funny to Laylee, came across as a total horror movie to Magoo. If you’re planning on watching it with your little ones this holiday season, please ask yourself the following.

1. Is your child afraid of abandonment and/or being left alone with no parental support for days on end?
2. Do you like the idea of your child watching another child yell, “I hate you,” to his parents?
3. Is your child afraid of the dark or afraid of murderers with bloody hands, large menacing shovels and trashcans full of salt that turn their victims’ bodies into mummies?
4. Do you want to give your child 100 different ideas for ways to destroy your house?
5. Is your child sensitive to watching another child being ignored, bullied, belittled, yelled at and in all other ways verbally abused?
6. Do you want to teach your child an important lesson about organized crime back in the days of black and white, where a mobster will count to 10 (incorrectly) before “pumping your guts full of lead” with a loud and terrifying round of blasts from a machine gun, while smoking a cigar and emitting an evil cackle over your lifeless body?
7. Does your child ever suffer from nightmares that “bad guys” are roaming the streets plotting ways to break into your house?
8. Do you want your child to suffer from those nightmares?
9. Do you want to explain what a porn stash is?
10. Do you want to explain what the phrase “French babes don’t shave their pits” means?
11. Are you looking for a good way to talk to your children about shoplifting and/or vandalism?

Luckily Laylee was old enough to discern the difference between a funny bad guy and a scary bad guy. Luckily I’m pretty quick with a mute button. But seriously, what was funny when I was 12 is not so much of funny when I’m the mother of a 4-year-old. I’ve got to prescreen these things.

Boogie Time

December 16, 2009 by Kathryn

I didn’t want to write about boogies today. I really really did not want to do that, but Magoo started talking about them this morning and I simply must share.

[Read more at Parenting.com]

2 Haikus on Inflatable Christmas Lawn Ornaments

December 14, 2009 by Kathryn

On the way home from preschool, I came up with 2 haikus.

Inflatable guys
You lie flat all day on lawns
It is pathetic

All day you are flat
Like the melted Wicked Witch
You scare the children

Howling Holidays

December 13, 2009 by Kathryn

Between bouts of illness, we had about 24 hours to squeeze in some fun last weekend. The planets aligned just in time for us to head out on a short vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. They were hosting a special blogger event with discounted pricing and a blogger breakfast meet-up and we couldn’t pass up the chance to go back there. We had so much fun the last time.

This time they were promoting their Snowland experience, the lodge decorated from top to bottom with snowflakes, sparkles and lights. Santa was there and a few times a day they did a “holiday show” and had a real fake indoor snowfall. Of course it also still had wolves and things that are great and lodge-like things. Hence the name.

I’m a big fan of Great Wolf Lodge. I love the way my kids’ gray matter explodes when we go there. They can’t put into words how much fun they’re having but they keep spontaneously giggling and their faces are split into ridiculous half-insane grins the entire time. Since we got home, Magoo’s been saying “Thank you for the Great Wolf Lodge,” every single night in his prayers. I also really like that all the employees, no matter what their job title, greet you and make eye contact when they see you in the halls.

There were a few things I don’t like. I don’t like this:

The check-in line was insane. It’s nice that business is so good at the Lodge but they need to find a more efficient way to process all those visitors.

I’m also not a fan of animatronics.

We missed the nightly story time last year because we were frolicking in the water. This year we were sure to dry off and get there in time for what turned out to be sort of an underwhelming, hard to hear, semi-creepy animatronics extravaganza followed by a real live story time. The kids enjoyed it but I think they would have been happier in the water. I know I would have.

Wanda shocked us all by tolerating the whole experience quite well. Being inside the water park itself was like stepping into a giant white-noise machine and put her quickly to sleep. She was warm enough in her little swimmy suit with a towel wrapped around her and in a year she’ll be having a blast in the kiddy area. Her only trouble came late that night when everyone else was sleeping and she wanted me to stay up and rock her on the couch while watching Jeopardy on mute.

You know how unfulfilling it is to watch Jeopardy on mute and never know if your answers are right? What is – VERY frustrating? Luckily within minutes of starting that late night ritual I got a text from one of my blogging mom friends who was hanging out with some of our ladies down in the restaurant. They’d all put their children away and were enjoying some nocturnal girl time. They took turns passing Wanda around until she was zonked and I headed back upstairs and put her to bed. It was lovely and much more fun than mute Jeopardy.

Overall I’d still recommend taking a trip to a GWL if you have one near you. Your kids are guaranteed to have an awesome time and you’ll likely enjoy yourself too, especially if you like your children. Personally, I’d rather go when they’re back to doing what they do best without all the plasticky holiday noise. I don’t really want my kids to associate Christmas with lavish water parks and crazed animatronic moose and trees singing carols. I guess I’d rather have them associate it with storm troopers and old dead artificial foliage.

Read my other review for more details on why we’ll likely be back. Also – a tip – pay for the buffet for one meal and then bring the rest of your food from home. The restaurant was okay but nothing fabulous and it’s worth the money to watch your kids freak out over the sheer volume of choices they have to choose from in the buffet.

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Death and Dying

December 9, 2009 by Kathryn

The tree’s body lay on the living room floor for about 24 hours before I performed some drastic surgery with a cordless drill and some photo-hanging wire, restoring just enough of its health to prolong its life through the Christmas season.

While the tree was getting better, Wanda and I were getting worse.

My throat hurts. I have an earache. Wanda is coughing and sputtering like a hoopty old car with a hairball. Her nose is full of fluids and so is her eardrum. She has her first ear infection. So, at less than three months of age, she’s starting her first round of antibiotics. Yippee!

I’ll tell you this though, she’s the jolliest little sick person I’ve ever known. She will cough, sputter, splurk and sneeze and then look up at me with her little red eyes and grin. Makes my whining seem a little pathetic. My nose isn’t even running. I just don’t feel good. It’s kind of sad when you have to look at your infant for advice on coping skills.