Andrew started soccer yesterday, which was interesting. He has been wanting to play for a while so we signed him up on a team with a couple of other kids that he knows. He has a great time out there, but he is totally in his own world. I guess he does not have to listen to instructions a lot because he is not good at it at all. Whenever someone tells him what to do it is like he has ear plugs in.
He had a great time and will hopefully have a fun season. Next year I think that Mari will be ready to join him, which will be even more of a treat.
Another funny thing is that there is another Andrew on his team, and we have yet to come up with a naming convention.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
If you get the chance, hurry up
A couple of years back, when Andrew was starting to ride a bike with training wheels, an older gentleman who was out walking his dog said to me, "Take your time, Dad." I am not sure if he meant in the short term or the long term, and I am not exactly sure what caused him to say it, but I think about that every now and then.
Yesterday evening I was out working on our swing set and the NFC/city inspector stopped by to check out our garage. As he was leaving he said to me, "Hurry up, if you get the chance." I am not sure exactly what he meant, or what caused him to say it.
Should I slow down?
Is there something wrong with youthful zeal?
Do they want me to slow down for me, or for them?
I know that I probably do need to slow down, but there is just so much to do. Gotta go finish lunch. . .
Yesterday evening I was out working on our swing set and the NFC/city inspector stopped by to check out our garage. As he was leaving he said to me, "Hurry up, if you get the chance." I am not sure exactly what he meant, or what caused him to say it.
Should I slow down?
Is there something wrong with youthful zeal?
Do they want me to slow down for me, or for them?
I know that I probably do need to slow down, but there is just so much to do. Gotta go finish lunch. . .
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Self-Proclaimed Fixie
So I have two bikes - one that I ride around town and one that I use to tow the kids. Neither of them are in the greatest shape, but they get the job done. The one that I ride around town is an old bike, even older than me, and has been dormant for many years. I dusted it off, put some air in the dry-rotted tires, and was off. It seemed to be doing just fine for a while.
After a few longs rides, some of the dried plastic parts started to fall off, which was no big deal. The front basket collapsed, so I tightened some screws. One major problem that it had was that it kept shifting gears on me, so I stopped into a bike shop and they showed me how to keep that from happening, basically turn a screw.
On the way home from the bike shop everything froze up, and when I looked back my rear derailleur was in pieces behind me. I knew that this was not good. The bike was dead in the water, and I was not in the mood to be buying parts. My friend Tom had the great idea of picking a gear and simply converting it to a single speed, which I did. This took some tweaking, but also gave me another opportunity to clean the bike up some. Eventually this was done and riding the bike was even more pleasurable. It was liberating to ride a bike without worrying about switching gears, and the relatively flat terrain in Des Moines makes this possible.
Then, one day when I was riding around the block with the kids it happened. I went to move the pedals backwards and CLICK, they were locked. Now whenever my bike is moving, the pedals are moving. I know that some people do this on purpose (Tom being one of them), but I am not sure how I feel about it. I may try to make this permanent, so I no longer have to worry about hand brakes, but I am not sure yet.
After a few longs rides, some of the dried plastic parts started to fall off, which was no big deal. The front basket collapsed, so I tightened some screws. One major problem that it had was that it kept shifting gears on me, so I stopped into a bike shop and they showed me how to keep that from happening, basically turn a screw.
On the way home from the bike shop everything froze up, and when I looked back my rear derailleur was in pieces behind me. I knew that this was not good. The bike was dead in the water, and I was not in the mood to be buying parts. My friend Tom had the great idea of picking a gear and simply converting it to a single speed, which I did. This took some tweaking, but also gave me another opportunity to clean the bike up some. Eventually this was done and riding the bike was even more pleasurable. It was liberating to ride a bike without worrying about switching gears, and the relatively flat terrain in Des Moines makes this possible.
Then, one day when I was riding around the block with the kids it happened. I went to move the pedals backwards and CLICK, they were locked. Now whenever my bike is moving, the pedals are moving. I know that some people do this on purpose (Tom being one of them), but I am not sure how I feel about it. I may try to make this permanent, so I no longer have to worry about hand brakes, but I am not sure yet.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Swing Set
On Sunday I picked up a swing set that we bought off of Craigslist. It is just a simple A-frame with swings, but I think that the kids will enjoy it.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Our Garden
We plan on having a nice vegetable garden of some sort at our new house. We aren't totally sure yet what form it is going to take, but we definitely have plans.
This past weekend we start some seeds. We started 12 tomato plants and we have plans to start some cucumbers in a few weeks.
We don't know where we are going to get a lot of sun, so we are going to have to see how our garden plays out over the next couple of years. We have visions of raised-beds and containers. I want to plant a garden in our tree-lawn - the area between our sidewalk and the street. We have a corner lot, so we have 150 feet of curb that runs down the side of our house. It will be a little weird to try a garden there, but I think it could work, and it wouldn't have to take up any space in our yard.
This past weekend we start some seeds. We started 12 tomato plants and we have plans to start some cucumbers in a few weeks.
We don't know where we are going to get a lot of sun, so we are going to have to see how our garden plays out over the next couple of years. We have visions of raised-beds and containers. I want to plant a garden in our tree-lawn - the area between our sidewalk and the street. We have a corner lot, so we have 150 feet of curb that runs down the side of our house. It will be a little weird to try a garden there, but I think it could work, and it wouldn't have to take up any space in our yard.
Bean Sprout Parents & Tots
Susan comes up with a lot of sort of 'entrepreneurial' ideas. Not always business related, but usually ideas that involve starting something. Most of the time these ideas leave as quickly as they came, but one actually managed to make its way to fruition.
Starting in a few weeks, Susan is going to be leading Bean Sprout Parents & Tots in our house. It will be a Waldorf-inspired Parents & Tots class, similar to what she used to attend with Andrew, Mari, & Elliot in Cincinnati.
She is really excited about it, and I am too. It has made us think a lot about the layout of our house and what is in each room - mostly on the first floor. I think it will be great to have a living space that is Waldorf-inspired.
Starting in a few weeks, Susan is going to be leading Bean Sprout Parents & Tots in our house. It will be a Waldorf-inspired Parents & Tots class, similar to what she used to attend with Andrew, Mari, & Elliot in Cincinnati.
She is really excited about it, and I am too. It has made us think a lot about the layout of our house and what is in each room - mostly on the first floor. I think it will be great to have a living space that is Waldorf-inspired.
House Work
We have been doing a lot of work around the house lately. We took out the closet in our dining room a few weeks back and a couple of weeks ago Tom and I got some drywall up to make the room look more normal. This past weekend Susan and I textured the wall, to match the others, and painted the room blue, cornflower blue. I still need to finish up some of the trim, but the room is just about done.
Up next is the entry way and the stairs. The stairs had some paint on them that we have been removing. We are going to refinish the stairs and repaint the walls and trim. Right now all of the trim in the main entryway is still mauve and forest green. Like most of the painted trim in our house, we are going to be painting it white.
Once the entryway is done we are going to move on to the living room, where we are going to repaint the walls and trim. After that, I think we are going to be moving outside. I can't wait to get out and get some work done. There is just as much to do outside as there has been inside.
Up next is the entry way and the stairs. The stairs had some paint on them that we have been removing. We are going to refinish the stairs and repaint the walls and trim. Right now all of the trim in the main entryway is still mauve and forest green. Like most of the painted trim in our house, we are going to be painting it white.
Once the entryway is done we are going to move on to the living room, where we are going to repaint the walls and trim. After that, I think we are going to be moving outside. I can't wait to get out and get some work done. There is just as much to do outside as there has been inside.
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