First Contest Submission

Remember, the winner will be partly based on reader comments, so if you like this, give my hubby some props!

"Captain Awesome" by Justin Chiang

I'm Captain Awesome, just ask my son...
When he wants to fly? I'm the one that gets it done…
Something wrong with your computer? I'll be your tutor…
There's nothing I can't fix with my fingertips.
You've got x-ray vision? How bout precision...
I'm meticulous and neat... and make decisions.
Working nine to five… and then some
Come home late and turn right back on
Hey I'm a provider... a professional geek
What's that in my left arm? Groceries for the week
A car... a bike... a roof... some clothes...
Money in the bank... toys in droves...
In my right arm… one that calls me Dad
One hug from me takes away the sad
I can talk to computers… and read you stories...
I can make you laugh and take away your worries…
I can change a diaper and make oatmeal too…
I can be a planet hero or an animal from the zoo…
and if you’re ever stuck and you don’t know what to do?
I can be your Dad right there to guide you…

Contest!

Alright, so fodder for the blog has been a bit lacking lately. So, I've decided to start a contest to liven things up! It's simple. Write a poem, essay, or short story about your superpowers, or why you're better than a superhero. Email it to me at BethaChiang@comcast.net. Submit your entry by 8:00PM Friday January 23rd. The winner will receive a $10 gift card (based on who wins, I'll choose an appropriate place.) I'll post all the entries and the winner will be based on reader comments and whatever else floats my boat. Hey, I'm the blog owner. I can do things how I want! I want everyone to participate should you have the time and inclination, but I'm especially interested in what my writer friends and family can come up with. Justin, Dad, Matt, Mara, that means you! If no one participates, I'm taking myself out to lunch! ;)

I'm not the best, and I came up with this with my two kids underfoot this morning. I bet you can do better! I hope that my dad and Mara will refrain from judging me based on proper form, meter, and whatnot. You grammar geeks, you! Oh, and the two of you are also especially well-equipped for this challenge given your comic obsessions ("Hobbies," "obsessions." Semantics.)

"Hello, my name is Supermom
and I'm not just cool; I am the bomb!
I have real super powers and you'll soon see
Spider Man's got nothing on me!
Sure, he can scale walls and he fends off doom
but can he grow people in his womb?
He's caught a few bad guys for the police to arrest.
I make the perfect food right in my breast.
I know the words to a thousand songs
and I've taught my kids to sing along.
They don't even care if I sing off tune!
Beat that, Green Lantern! You're just a cartoon.
I can function on minimal sleep,
though they say you go crazy if you don't get to dream.
I can cook, I can clean, I can sew, I can drive,
though sometimes it's impressive that I keep us alive.
So you have super strength; so you're able to fly,
I'd like to see you quiet a kid asking, "Why?"
"Why do I have to learn how to write?
You can't make me stay in my bed tonight!"
I teach potty training and numbers and letters.
Yeah, you're a superhero, but can you do something better?
And last is my greatest power to tell:
I know the consistency of kids' poop based on smell!

just a quick quote

Alexander: "Mommy, can I have a piggy bank ride?"

(Not a typo!)

ALEXANDER

My poor Alexander has such a long name that he still can't spell his own whole name. ;) Poor baby, right? :D He can spell, "PopPop," "Mommy," "Daddy," and most of the time, "Jack" and "Xander." He can, however, write his whole name, when reminded of all the letters. Most of the time, though, he'll write it and then "color it in" or something, so I never get a good sample of his writing to save for posterity. Yesterday I pretty much stole this paper away from him before he could do anything else to it! He really wanted to add a drawing of himself, so I made a box for him and told him he was only allowed to draw inside the box! I am so cramping his style!

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy, safe, and prosperous new year!

And now, a tidbit from last night. The last bedtime story had been read, the lights turned out, and the bedroom door closed.

Alexander: MOMMY!

Justin opened the door. "What? Why did you yell?"

Alexander: Because I do it every night.

Hmmm... true. And yet...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

We had a really lovely Christmas and hope that you did as well (whether celebrating Christmas like us or otherwise!). The boys conveniently woke up at the same time, so we were able to all head downstairs together to see if Santa had stopped by last night. He had! I have to say, though, that Santa's magic crystal ball might be slightly damaged, because he apparently thought Alexander and Jack were very good this year! ;) No, seriously, they were little sweethearts today and they do indeed deserve to be on Santa's good list!

We opened presents, played, played, played, and ate, ate, ate! PopPop and Uncle Tim both joined us for dinner and a visit and I do believe all my guys had a good Christmas!

Jack LOVES his new piggy bank and played with it for so long that I was starting to get concerned that there was some OCD issue underlying. Alexander loves his new Planet Hero figures but also spent quite a bit of time playing with one of Jack's presents: the Melissa and Doug stacking alphabet boxes. Who knew that toy would be so popular with BOTH kids? Thanks, Uncle Matt and Uncle Harry!

Here's hoping the new year brings my children the desire to pose better for pictures! ;)

Herding Cats (or "T-ball," whichever you prefer)

Today Alexander finished up a 5 week T-ball class. It was... uh... interesting. There were about ten 3-4 year-olds, two coaches, and chaos. I'm pretty sure that at least one kid cried at each lesson, today being Alexander's turn. Overall, though, I think he had a really good time. I am not sure how much of the lessons he retained, but he was taught "fielding position," "catch and cover," "bounce and turn," and "point and throw" for fielding/throwing, and then also coached on his hitting. One lesson that did not sink in for most of the kids in the class is that when you're fielding, everyone should refrain from tackling each other in order to get the ball. I guess they all still need some practice. For the next "season" I signed him up for a science class, so hopefully that won't result in any tackling!

This is the best shot I could get of him playing: