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Here’s an update on our kids’ Zhu Zhu Pets (ZZP).

First of all, we added another ZZP to our family, since Gamma didn’t get one for Christmas like the older two did. So now they each have one and everyone is happy, at least in that regard. No picture for this one.

Second, we went to my parents’ house one fine weekend. It just so happens that my parents do not have hamsters, but they do have guinea pigs.

The guinea pig liked having company, but it thought the ZZP was rather rude.

Third, some of my siblings (and their families) also were at the homestead that weekend, which meant the cousins’ ZZPs (or ZZP cousins) were also there. Not only did they bring their ZZPs, but also they brought their ZZP habitat (or track or whatever you want to call it).

We have a few of the circle rooms. Much cheaper on eBay or craigslist.

Last, the one ZZP accessory of which a parent should be especially wary is the hamster wheel.

It looks nice and all, but I believe the ZZP wheel was designed and sold by the battery companies. Think about it. A wheel makes sense for a hamster, so they can use their muscles and stay healthy.

But what purpose does a hamster wheel serve in a battery-powered toy? All it does is cause the batteries to be replaced often (it would be daily if we didn’t impose limits – the kids would leave them running on the wheel indefinitely).

Now a hamster ball – that could be entertaining. But a wheel?

I spent some time with my favorite free photo editor and came up with this pun, a variation on the classic Folgers ad:

I also came up with some captions:

• The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.
• Never purchase military-grade coffee.
• Something about “MREs never get it right”.
• In Soviet Russia, coffee drinks you.

That last one is my favorite.

Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.”

Acts 27:31

Here’s another winter weather update.

Sled Runs

Our neighbor was nice and plowed all his snow into a pile. Our kids like using their sleds on that snow pile. Not the best (about 4 feet high), but it’s quick and convenient. Plus they don’t have far to walk to carry the sled to the top of the hill.

Normally, they’re out there after school and when I get home from work I’ll watch or help them until dinnertime. One day I arrived in time to hear Alpha describing all the options – the runs from the top of the pile.

• Disaster
• Daredevil
• Tiny Terror

They’ve never been skiing, so I don’t know where he got the idea to name the different slopes. Maybe he has a future in marketing.

Gloves

What to do if your glove falls off in the snow?

If you’re a one- or two-year-old, your best bet is just to sit in the snow and cry.

Sledding Devices

Alpha has a favorite sled, which he likes to use. We bought the family a new sled, and Beta promptly claimed it as his. Since Alpha had already claimed his own, and since Gamma didn’t really care, Beta’s claim stuck.

But before all that, Beta was trying different sleds, including this:

Yes, he sat on the shovel and slid down the hill. It worked, mostly.

Here are a couple random conversations that occurred around here recently:

Wrestling

I don’t wrestle much with my children. That’s what uncles are for. But a while back they went through a wanting-to-wrestle with Daadaa phase, so I obliged them with some wrestling. How could I refuse when they spread blankets on the floor and propped pillows against the furniture?

So we wrestled. It was Alpha and Beta versus me. They’re still small and light, so I would let them get my shoulders down for a few seconds and then I would recover and get one of them down and then I would let him escape after a few seconds and so on and so forth.

The wrestling continued for a while until I decided I needed a break. I let Beta pin me…

Beta: …8…9…10! I won!
Me: Alright, good job Beta. Now let’s –
Beta: LEVEL TWO!!!

Oh, the problems of growing up with video games.

Air Freshener

The scene: just outside Gamma’s room
Alpha: Dad, we got an air freshener for Gamma’s room!
Beta: Yeah, come see it!
Everyone exits stage left into Gamma’s room

The scene: inside Gamma’s room. The children are standing next to the smelly trash can where all the dirty diapers reside. If ever an air freshener was needed, it’s here.
Alpha: Here’s the air freshener!

At that point he steps on the pedal that opens the trash can and they both run out of the room laughing.

That is definitely NOT fresh air from there.

It is time once again to update Some Blog Site readers on the results of my Some Fun Site project to create a more accurate football prediction method.

The 2010 NFL season is over, and here are the most accurate methods for predicting regular-season game results:

That’s right – it was a three-way tie for first place. For the ideas behind the methods, please visit the Some Fun Site page.
My methods were not as superior as they were last year, but they were still in first place (even if it was a tie).

We were looking at a foreclosed home the other weekend (no, we’re not moving – we were just providing moral support for someone else who is). One of the main problems with foreclosed houses is that the former occupants are often disgruntled and take out their lack of gruntleness on the house itself. Sometimes by destroying things, something by taking whatever they can.

In this case, I’m not sure which case it was, but the end result is that there was no downspout for the gutter:

Read the rest of this entry »

Consumer Reports has their “waste of packaging” award. In that spirit, I present to you the biggest waste of space we encountered over Christmas.

The Sea Monsters kit looks promising, especially to a 4- or 5-year-old boy.

But an adult who opens the box is immediately unimpressed.

At least the bags of chips have a plausible reason for their half-filled packaging – settling may occur and chips are fragile so a buffer is needed. For this box, there is no settling and the contents do not need a buffer.