You Just Need to Stop

The boys had a day off from school on Monday for Yom Kippur. Every year since Sam started school he has had this day off, and every year Scott asks "why do they have a day off already, they just started school." And every year I answer "Yom Kippur" and you know what's coming....every year he says "what is that?" As God is my witness, every single year it is the same conversation. And his response to me is always that he doesn't know any Jewish people....how that explains why he can't remember this is beyond me. But this rant has nothing to do with my post, so I will get back on topic.

So for this day off the boys and I decided to go see the movie "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" (which cost me $31 by the way, but again, off topic). I guess this is a pretty popular children's book, but I had never heard the story. Anyway, the main character in the story is named Flint Lockwood. Now, as someone who grew up with a unique surname, I get sort of a thrill whenever there is a character named Lockwood. It's as if I have some sort of personal connection with them, even if they are animated. So there is this cop in the movie which is voiced by Mr. T, and he would say things like (in a very Mr. T kind of way) "Is that you, Flint LOCKWOOD?!" or Flint LOCKWOOD. you better get that fool thing out of my way." So of course I have spent the last 48 hours saying things like "Sam LOCKWOOD, you better finish that homework" or "Are you awake, Sam LOCKWOOD." On the way to school this morning after my one of my Sam LOCKWOOD moments, he paused, looked at me and said "Mom, yesterday it was annoying, but today you just need to STOP!!" But I figure isn't one of the perks of having kids being able to annoy the hell out of them.

The Climb

For years now I have had to listen to my boys bicker in the backseat any time that we drive somewhere. Other than the threat that "I will pull this car over and make you get out" (which got me nowhere, especially now that they are aware of the lady in NY who got arrested for doing just that) I haven't had a surefire way to make them stop, until now. Now when they argue, usually over which song to play on the ipod, I simply take the ipod and turn on Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana singing "The Climb", and sing along at the top of my lungs. They stop bickering immediately and I get promises that they will be good for the rest of the ride. To get why this works so well you have to understand that Sam has a very unhealthy hatred of all things Hannah Montana, which stems from his 2nd grade class in which the boys were outnumbered by girls 17-5. He got his fill of hearing about Hannah Montana that year. With Ryan I think that it's that he just loves his 80's hair bands (just like his Mom) and really doesn't like the song. He would probably watch Hannah Montana if he wouldn't catch so much flack from Sam about it. The fact that I know every word of the song is a testament to how often it has been played, but the other day I did hear Ryan tell Sam that they needed to stop arguing or "Mom will sing that song," so I guess it's working. But just for laughs, the next time you see Sam tell him "Ain't about what's waiting on the other side, It's the climb" just to see his reaction. It's hysterical.

Baseball

So this fall Ryan decided that he really wanted to give baseball a try. So far all has gone pretty well. His team is 2-1, and he seems to be enjoying himself. Scott has somehow gotten involved as base coach for some games, as well. We've taken to calling him Buttermaker around here (Bad News Bears reference). We have had one injury though. Check it out:

Yeah, that's right. Sam somehow got a black eye at Ryan's baseball practice. I didn't really inquire all that much about how it happened. I just know that when I met them for dinner after that practice there were two very pissed off boys. Sam because the ball that caused the shiner was apparently thrown by his father, and Ryan because his failure to have any hits that night was due to the fact that his Dad had bought him a cheap bat. It was a fun meal.

It's his right eye, but you can't see the bruising very well in this picture.

Obama Speech - Part 2

So my boys take on the oh-so-controversial Obama "Stay In School" speech was pretty much as I expected it to be. Ryan could tell me nothing. He was apparently off in LaLa land, where I theorize he spends a lot of his school hours. Sam came away with this little nugget "He said to study and that you shouldn't count on being a professional athlete, but since I'm going to be in the NBA that doesn't apply to me." They did not come home and ask where I stood on a single payer health care system, so I guess they didn't intercept the subliminal messages. Funny side note, one girl in Sam's class elected to not watch the speech, so she was sent to the reading corner and told not to listen. Got to love the public schools!

I Don't Get It

Seriously, there is this much uproar over President Obama giving a speech to school children on Tuesday? Now, I know I'm not the most conservative right winger, but seriously! Maybe it's just me, but I don't get what the problem is. A speech on the importance of education, the HORROR! Lord help us if he decides to throw in don't smoke and stay off drugs. I got a call yesterday from the boy's principal stating that if you didn't want your child to participate than you have to send in a statement in writing. I don't know if that was a system requirement or she just knew that most would think it was too much trouble to put pen to paper, so that would be that. This morning I actually heard someone say that since the principal is African American, the "put it in writing requirement" was her was of pushing the Obama agenda off on the kids. WHAT-EV-ER!!!Last night on the news there was a woman who said that she would not allow her kids to watch because of the "subliminal messages" that Obama was sure to be sending out. Seriously??? And than there are those that want to insist that the speech be followed up by someone who could give the opposing view. Dad, might you be available? I guess the opposing view to "stay in school and get an education" is keep your kid out of school, as many say they will do. Anyway, I keep hearing how the first President Bush did this in the 80's, and I have no recollection of that, so these kinds of things apparently don't stick. I do, however, remember Dan Quayle's foray into the public schools and the hilarity that ensued for years over that. The way I see it, Ryan is 7, after 30 seconds his mind will wonder to whatever happened on RAW the night before. I just need to warn them not to drink the kool-aid, right?