The Fairly Odd Mother

Waiting to Exhale

November 3, 2008

Wonder what I’ll be doing for the next 48 hours or so?

I’ll be holding my breath. This election cannot come soon enough.

I cannot wait to get into that voting booth with my three kids. Belly has already predicted (accurately) that I will cry when I pull that lever. In fact, she thinks I’ll spend most of tomorrow crying, but hopefully they will be tears of relief, of hope and of promise for better days ahead for everyone.

And, even if you don’t share my political views, I suppose we should all be hoping for better days ahead.

Whatever happens, please vote. And, bring your kids if you can. They can carry the Kleenex.

Filed Under: Uncategorized 9 Comments

When Your Son is Afraid of Everything

October 31, 2008

Okay, I exaggerate a bit in the title of this post.

He isn’t afraid of everything, as evidenced by his complete lack of fear when on a scooter, zipping down my neighbor’s hilly driveway. And, he isn’t afraid to defy me when I am standing right in front of him…

But, the list of what frightens him is pretty specific:

the table fan in the bedroom, especially if it (hold me) oscillates

the angry king in Katamari Damacy’s Playstation2 game

people in costume, including the cuddly ones at Disney World:

“Get your paws off my sister, you beast!”

parades:

“I’ll just watch the parade from back here, behind these towels”

“Do you think they can see me? Can they?!?!”

pictures of ghosts (even if I draw them)

these scary beasts:

fireworks

his hero Lightning McQueen because this car made a “Vroom, Vroom” noise:

Note the absence of D from the photo

There are many more things that frighten him, and they can pop up without warning.

Fortunately, there are many, many things that delight him, so I think I’ll live through this phase without too much eye rolling and even a touch of empathy.

Filed Under: Fairly Odd Kids 13 Comments

How To Have Fun Waiting

October 29, 2008

As anyone who has ever been to Disney World knows, one thing you do a lot of is wait. Wait for the shuttle bus to take you to the park; wait in line to buy a Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream bar; wait in line for Space Mountain; wait for your dinner table to be ready.

Wait, wait, wait. All that time with nothing to do but try to entertain three bored kids, or at least try to keep them for completely melting down from the nothingness of it all.

Fairly Odd Father came up with the best idea for all this waiting though, and it has become one of our favorite aspects of our trip. While sitting around waiting somewhere, he grabbed our little digital camera and said, “Contest!”. The kids perked right up.

First it was a contest to see who could make the silliest face. Snap, snap, snap. After each child was photographed, they peered at the photos shown from the back of the camera admiring each others’ clever faces and then daring themselves to get sillier for the next round. I don’t recall him even awarding a “winner” at all, but they all seemed to agree who had brought it home each time.

Here is the Silly Face Contest: