Ouch LOL

Me: You've got a good looking Dad, kid.

LuLu: Yup. It's a shame I've never met him.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 45th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

When is Enough Enough?

As I'm sure you've heard. today 35 or more people were killed in a series of terrorist attacks in Paris: a bombing outside a stadium, a shooting at a restaurant, and a hostage situation. The perpetrators were heard to be calling "Allah Akbar". 

There are millions, hundreds of millions, of Muslims who are good and just people despite following a religion that values the sword, just as there are millions of Christians who are vile despite following a religion of love and peace. But get your head out of the sand:  so long as the extremists are out there in numbers, the world IS at war, and civilization is at stake. Europe should close it's borders and expel the " refugees" who so conveniently left their woman and children behind. #Truth #PrayForParis

One World Trade is lit in blue, white and red in solidarity with the people of France after the Paris attacks.

Smiley was a zombie for Halloween, as you might remember, but he wanted it kept off FB until the holiday to preserve secrecy. The week of Halloween they allowed kids to wear their costumes to dance class, and when Lisa and I went to pick him up, I pulled up to where he could see our car, screamed "Zommbie invasion!" then took off like a bat out of hell, leaving him and OJ standing outside the studio. They were not as amused as Lisa and I were LOL

Starbucks and the War on Christmas

My take on the Starbucks red cup "War on Christmas" controversy: I believe the whole hoopla was manufactured by the company, through well-timed stories and a flurry of internet trolls in their employ. Well done greedy makers of overpriced burnt coffee, well done.

I'm a Proud Dad

Saturday was a great day for #TeamSlap. Smiley had a yardwork job, as you've seen; Lulu had her first (official) babysitting gig; and YaYa went to the movies with a boy who drove her to the show in his own car. Proud of all my kids.

Ear Woes

Lisa took LK to the ENT today because she continues to have problems with one of her ear tubes clogging. Medicine has failed to clear it, so the doc is having us put hydrogen peroxide in the ear twice daily for ten days. If that doesn't work, Junie will need to go under to have the blockage cleared. :(

Bumper Bowling

This evening I took the Juniors to bumper bowling at Bay View Bowl. No tears, thank Heavens, although Junie did get grumpy and call me a show-off. If you ever want to give your ego a boost, bowl with a 10 and 8 year old.

Smiley the Workin' Man

Yesterday Smiley went to New Berlin to rake leaves for Alys H and Jim F.  With the money he earned burning a hole in his pocket, I took him to Southridge Mall for a pretzel, then to Walmart, where he bought a Nerf-esque bow and arrow and a pack of Pokémon cards (total cost: just over ten bucks).

Project Runway

SPOILER What a crock that Ashley won! Her collection sucked, IMO, and her victory was nothing but a PC concession to the plus sized community. Kelly, the runner up, put together a wonderful collection and is a clear victim of affirmative action.

A Good Night of Bowling (for me)

 Tonight I bowled a 128, 101, and 138.

Harsh

Smiley, walking into the living room this morning and seeing Star Wars Lego on TV: "[snorts in disgust] They managed to make Star Wars even lamer."

Answered Prayers

I'm religious but not big on prayers of petition, as I think God favors us when we do our own work, but . . . I honestly think the intercession of St. Anthony just resolved a situation in an unlikely way - and in answer to the prayer of a non-Catholic too. #blessed

The BEST answer

Me, to Smiley, after doing something spectacular: Who's the best Dad ever?

Smiley: *I* will be, someday.

Me: Good answer, boy . .. The BEST answer.

The JuneBug

Me and LK after her ENT appointment, waiting for a store to open so we could buy Smiley's Halloween costume.

A Helping Hand

Smiley helping me repair the back gate last week.

Junie The Artist

Some pretty darn impressive artwork Junie showed me on the walk home from school yesterday.

Yum

Lisa made cauliflower cheese soup and chicken fajitas with the leftover veggie tray from the party, and is considering making creamy radish soup with the rest. #DamnGoodCook

Nixon: In His Own Words

LuLu: Why are you watching a documentary on Nixon? He was a cheater! 

Me: He was one of the greatest President's ever. Respect the man in the arena.

LuLu: So? He was cheater. He lied as President.

Me: You mean he got caught. That's the only difference.

The documentary we watched was "Nixon: In His Own Words," and it used audio from his tapes to narrate his Presidency. It was pretty neutral, but you see a bit of an anti-RN slant in some of the editing. In particular, they loved to contrast his actions with his vulgar rants about that subject behind the scenes.

But, like me, Nixon was known by his associates to vent his anger by going over-the-top in his grumbling, then going ahead and doing what needed doing anyway. If you aren't aware of that - and/or haven't read 100's of pages of the tape transcripts, you probably watch the flick and think "what a hypocritical nut."

His sins were great enough; there's no need to fictionalize alternatives.

Winter Prep

We cleaned and prepped the backyard for winter today, and it involved an awful lot of frustration and threats to get the kids to do anything. Sometimes I'm certain they could build the Hoover Dam in a day if they wanted to, and on other days I can't get them to wipe their butt without guidance. Thank God Lisa got home and cracked the whip midway through, or we'd still be out there.

Champs!

Congrats to Ned Yost and the Kansas City Royals on their world championship!

What a Great Feeling

What gorgeous weather! And it's good to see some of the kids are still so happy to see me meet them on their walk home that they'll run a block to hug me :)

Winter Prep

We cleaned and prepped the backyard for winter today, and it involved an awful lot of frustration and threats to get the kids to do anything. Sometimes I'm certain they could build the Hoover Dam in a day if they wanted to, and on other days I can't get them to wipe their butt without guidance. Thank God Lisa got home and cracked the whip midway through, or we'd still be out there.

What Generosity

My niece wanted Lisa to send her a pic of the toaster we bought her, so she could see what it looks like. This is what we sent LOL

Halloween Pics of Trick or Treat