2006 October

Oct 31, 2006

Allow me to recommend…

Another busy day for the Callapidder household, so rather than ramble on about my very scrambled thoughts, allow me instead to point you to some sites worth checking out today.

1. The Pumpkin Carving Site. I love to throw a big pumpkin-carving bash in the Fall — we go all out, get the cool carving kits, the special tools, and have all our family and friends over to carve and eat pumpkin-themed foods. But this year… well, it just didn’t happen. In fact, this year I made C. paint his pumpkin – oh, the horror! I know! – instead of carving. I just knew that carving wasn’t going to happen. However, I stumbled across this slime-free, dirt-free, knife-free, low-time-investment pumpkin carving site. So if you’re bored, or are looking for a quick activity for your kids, send them here.

2. And while we’re on the topic of Halloween, don’t forget to stop by Chilihead’s Halloween Open House. That girl is serious about her Halloween decorating, and she’s graciously hosted an open house for others to share their fall decorations as well.

3. I received so many sweet comments on my post about Little Sacrifices. Thank you to all of you! And, following the advice of Chilihead and Kelly, I’ve submitted that post to this week’s Pass the Torch Tuesday. Stop by Pass the Torch today if you have time and check out more kids who’ve been caught being good.

4. Camy Tang over at Camy’s Loft is giving away a couple free books. C’mon, who can pass up free books? Click on over to her blog and enter for a chance to win. She’s also giving away an iPod nano and more books, and Deborah from Books, movies, and Chinese Food is holding a book giveaway for those who enter Camy’s iPod/book contest. There’s a lot of free stuff out there to be won, folks!

5. I am really looking forward to Lindsey‘s Advent blog that gets underway tomorrow! In the meantime, you can visit it today to see the awesome job Susie did with the design. And then be sure to go back tomorrow for the first post!

6. Are you working on your Christmas shopping? Don’t forget to check out Jennifer’s Gift Idea Exchange for some inspiration.

And finally, because I’m the mom and I’m allowed to do things like this to my kids, I present to you L. on his first Halloween. He’ll be visiting the doctor today, attired as a pumpkin. And I’ll be saving this picture for his wedding reception photo montage.

Filed Under: Bloggy Stuff 14 Comments

Oct 30, 2006

Cleaning out my hard drive

written by katrina · 14 Comments

I’m expecting the UPS man to pull up to our house sometime today and deposit a large box or two on the front step. Those boxes will say “Dell” on them and will make my husband and son very happy. Our current desktop has been sloooowwwwiiinngggg waaaayyyyy dooowwwwwnnn lately and is driving them nuts. The programs and games that we like…just don’t like this machine. And since it’s about 8 years old, we figured it was about time to replace it anyway.

So the last couple days, I’ve been preparing for the switch from the old computer to the new one. I’ve been backing up “My Documents,” deleting programs, jotting down information I might need to connect the new computer to the wireless router (I happen to be the closest thing to a “techie” that this house has). And I decided to clear off the old computer as much as I possibly can. I’m thinking that if I can improve its performance just a bit, some friends of ours could use this machine. Their computer tends to crash, and while ours is old, slow and outdated, it’s still (mostly) reliable. So we’d be glad to pass it on.

And so, this morning I spent quite a bit of time in the “Add or Remove Programs” section of the old desktop, Removing like a maniac. And wouldn’t you know it, the computer seemed to breathe a little sigh of relief. Ahhh, that’s better. I told you people that I was too old to run all those new-fangled programs. Thanks for taking that burden off. I’d be glad to run a little better for you now.

While I was sitting in front of the computer, watching the little “Uninstall Status” bars, I started thinking. I bet I have some excess baggage in my own hard drive – you know, thoughts and distractions lingering around my heart and head. And I’m pretty sure that if I did a little personal uninstalling, I’d breathe a sigh of relief. So let’s see, what kind of stuff needs to go?

Worries. Yeah, there are plenty of those. L. has an upcoming appointment with a specialist that I’m a bit apprehensive about. Chad’s traveling this week and it’s always easy for me to worry about his safety. And then there are always the ongoing worries: Am I a good enough mom? Will the flu hit our house this season? Like spyware that sneaks onto our computers when we’re not looking, these worries like to creep back into my mind the moment I stop being vigilant. I think it’s time to run an anti-worry program. “Cast all your cares on him, for he cares for you.”

Unfounded guilt. There are plenty of things that I should feel guilty about – the Holy Spirit convicts me when I open my heart to Him. But I’m really good at piling on un-needed guilt, about stuff that really is no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Yes, they may be things I need to deal with, but they aren’t things that I should be dwelling on, allowing them to drag down my performance. Things like: the floor is not spotless, or…I let C. eat toast and yogurt and frozen cinnamon waffles for dinner last night – not a veggie to be found. My focus should be on the things that really matter.

“Shoulds.” You know – those nagging feelings that I “should” be doing x, y, and z. The problem is, most of the time those shoulds are influenced by the media, by my own faulty image of what a “good Christian wife and mom” looks like, by the perfectionistic drive that I can’t seem to escape. Rather than reserve space in my “hard drive” for those shoulds, I need to take my priorities, dreams, goals, and time before God, trusting Him to prompt me toward the things I truly need to do. The rest can be deleted.

I’m sure there’s more. But this’ll be a good start. How about you? What do you need to un-install, in order to ease the load on your mind and increase your performance?

Filed Under: Etc., Faith 14 Comments

Oct 29, 2006

Uh-oh, what am I in for?

written by katrina · 19 Comments

Five months old, and already has a mischievous side. I think this picture captures it perfectly.

Oh, and that was the “clean high-chair” look; here’s what things look like after a jar of carrots:

(Dianne told me my blog was due for another picture of L….and of course, I am happy to oblige. And I’m sure that my mother-in-law won’t mind seeing these, either!)

Filed Under: Family 19 Comments

Oct 28, 2006

Dice Galore: Combo King and Easy Come, Easy Go

written by katrina · 5 Comments

I’ve always enjoyed a good dice game. I think it goes back to my childhood and the fact that my mom frequently brought Yahtzeeout to play. And while I’m still always game for a round of Yahtzee or Kismet, I thought I’d introduce you this week to two other quick and easy dice games: Combo King and Easy Come, Easy Go.

Combo King

Combo King is a new family game from Gamewright that plays in about 20 minutes and is suitable for 2-4 players. (By the way, Gamewright produces a ton of games for kids – including Sleeping Queens – and most of the ones we’ve tried are excellent.) Combo King is best for ages 8 and up.

In a nutshell: Each player starts the game with 5 cards and 1 chip. Each card describes a “goal” that the player will try to reach using the dice. Examples of goals would be “three 2′s” or “full house” or “total is a multiple of 7.” The cards also designate how many dice you may use to achieve the goal (1-8), how many rolls/chances you get, and how many chips you receive if you achieve the goal.

On your turn, pick one of your cards, announce to the other players what you’re shooting for, grab the dice, and go. If you beat it, you get to discard that card, and collect chips. If not, you keep the card; better luck next time around. Chips are used for “additional actions” during the game – you can pay chips in order to trade away a particularly difficult goal card, or pay to get an extra roll on one of your turns, etc. The winner is the first player to get rid of all their cards.

Easy Come, Easy Go

Easy Come, Easy Go is also best-suited for 2-4 players, aged 8 and up. One round takes 20-30 minutes (but theoretically could go on a lot longer, as you’ll see below).

In a nutshell: Easy Come, Easy Go is a game of dice and thievery. When the game begins, 9 “prize tickets” are placed in the middle of the table. Each ticket lists the dice conditions that must be met in order to win that prize — for example, “3 of a kind, with all dice being odd” or “total is exactly 13.”

On your turn, you attempt to win a prize by rolling the four dice. You may roll three times, but the twist is, on each roll you must “freeze” at least one of the dice – in other words, put it aside, keeping the number that it shows. If you reach one of the goals, you claim the corresponding ticket, take it from the middle and place it in front of you.

Now here’s where things get interesting. Players can claim tickets from the middle, OR from other players. So the player who got 3 of a kind (with all dice odd) can have that ticket stolen from him if another player rolls a combination that also fits that description.

In order to win, you must get three prizes AND hold onto them until the start of your next turn. Admittedly, the game can be frustrating, since you may be just about to win when the player before you rolls just the right combination of dice… and steals one of your tickets. But hey, that’s all part of the fun.

In summary:

Combo King & Easy Come, Easy Go

Number of Players: 2-4
Time required: 20-30 minutes
Ages: 8 and up
Where to buy: Amazon.com or Time Well Spent.

Callapidder recommends it for: Both games are quick to learn and quick to play, so pull them out when family comes to visit, or for a fast right-before-bedtime round with the kids.

Read all of Callapidder’s Game Reviews HERE.

Filed Under: Games/Game Reviews 5 Comments

Oct 26, 2006

Little sacrifices

written by katrina · 26 Comments

C. did a very noble thing this Fall.

When he went in for his 8-year checkup in September, the doctor pronounced him sound and of good health and was just about to release us when… the doctor asked how old L. (who was sitting quietly in his carseat nearby) was. “Almost 4 months,” I answered.

“Hmm…” The doctor glanced at the baby, then me, then C., then back at me. “We should think about C. getting a flu shot, since the baby’s too young to get one. You know, with all those germs floating around school… it just might be a good idea.”

C.’s eyes locked with mine. I had mentioned this possibility to him on the way to the appointment. I had a feeling that they might recommend he get a flu shot this year…just as a precaution for L..

C. took a deep breath, looked at the doctor and said, “Okay.”

Now, C. had actually never had a flu shot before, so this meant he’d have to get two – one the day of his appointment and then another one as a booster about a month later. But C. said to me, “I don’t mind doing it for L.. The pain of the shot is a lot less than how bad I’d feel if I gave him the flu.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of him. We work on instilling all kinds of positive character traits in our kids and to see this particular one – self-sacrifice, a willingness to suffer a little pain for the good of someone else – was so heart-warming. My eyes were brimming with tears when he got that first shot, and then again last week when he got his booster.

(He claimed that the shots didn’t hurt a bit, but I rewarded him with special treats for both shots anyway.)

We all have many opportunities every day to make little sacrifices. We make dinner for our families even after a long day with a screaming baby, when we’d rather climb into a bubble bath. We try to make sure our husband’s first minutes at home are pleasant despite the fact that we had a miserable day at work ourselves. We clean bathrooms and fold t-shirts and make dentist appointments ad nauseum. We drag ourselves out of bed in the morning when we’ve got nasty head colds, just to make sure everyone gets off okay. We endure sleepless nights, soccer games in the rain, a crick in the neck from not moving when our kids fall asleep on our laps.

They may be little things, things that don’t hurt much at all, but they – like C.’s willingness to get a flu shot or two – show our love. They reveal our hearts. And they are the building blocks of this thing we call “family.”

* * * * *
Little update: I received so many kind and encouraging comments on this post – thank you! And following advice from a few of you, I’ve submitted this post to this week’s Pass the Torch Tuesday.

Filed Under: Family 26 Comments