Thanks to the link that PG gave in his comment to yesterdays post, the exact time until Ian turns 18 is:
4860 days
Or 13 years, 3 months, 22 days.
Alternative time units:
* 419,904,000 seconds
* 6,998,400 minutes
* 116,640 hours
* 694 weeks (rounded down)
Not like he needs any more help, but knowing all that info would make Ian shit his pants!
Thanks for the website PG!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
4,927 Days
That is the answer to Ian's bizarre question today. Silly me at first replied with a general answer...you would think I knew my son better and where this was going to end up. This is how our conversation went while I was getting lunch ready:
Ian: How many days is it until I'm a grown-up?
Me: You're officially a grown-up when you turn 18 years old, bud.
Ian: How many days is that.
Lazy me: A lot. You see, you're 4 and a half now, right? Well after you turn 4 you turn...how old?
Ian: 5.
Me: Right and after you turn 5 you turn.......
Ian: 6.
Teacher Me: Right. And then you keep going through the numbers..after 6 is? (...we went through to 18).
Ian: Okay...so how many days is that? A hundred?
Me: More than that, bud...way more.
Ian: A million?
Me: Iiiiii don't think it's that many. No, definitely not a million.
Ian: 85?
Perplexed Me: Uh, no. 85 is less than a hundred, so it's more than 85. (Jackass me trying to apply logic with him to an earlier guess of his)
Ian: One thousand-hundred-fourteen-two-eight? (exactly how he said it)
Frustrated Me: You know what, Ian? I'm going to tell you exactly how many days it is until you're officially a grown-up.
Rain Man Me 20 seconds later: 4,927 days, Ian. Yeeeah. 4,927 days until you turn 18 and are officially a grown-up.
Ian: Oh. That's a lot of days.
Spent me: Yes it is. Here's your lunch.
~I didn't want to pull some 'random' number out of my ass (although one thousand-hundred-fourteen-two-eight probably would have done it), so I used the calculator function on my cell phone: 13.5 years x 365 days = approximately how many days until he turns 18.
And in case you couldn't get a feel for him by this little conversation we had: He has an absolute need for concrete numbers and guesses are the work of the devil. Everything is black and white and yes or no. God forbid if you throw in a 'maybe', 'sometimes' or 'kind of like that'.
So if any of you DARE bring up leap years and the fact that he's currently not exactly 4.5 years old, thus throwing the true number of days off...and leaving me to deal with the aftermath of his questions and demands for another more accurate number, I will hunt your ass down.
That reminds me. Ian comes up with questions like this all the time. I should just post them here so you can understand some of these odd things I get asked and conversations I get roped into.
Ian: How many days is it until I'm a grown-up?
Me: You're officially a grown-up when you turn 18 years old, bud.
Ian: How many days is that.
Lazy me: A lot. You see, you're 4 and a half now, right? Well after you turn 4 you turn...how old?
Ian: 5.
Me: Right and after you turn 5 you turn.......
Ian: 6.
Teacher Me: Right. And then you keep going through the numbers..after 6 is? (...we went through to 18).
Ian: Okay...so how many days is that? A hundred?
Me: More than that, bud...way more.
Ian: A million?
Me: Iiiiii don't think it's that many. No, definitely not a million.
Ian: 85?
Perplexed Me: Uh, no. 85 is less than a hundred, so it's more than 85. (Jackass me trying to apply logic with him to an earlier guess of his)
Ian: One thousand-hundred-fourteen-two-eight? (exactly how he said it)
Frustrated Me: You know what, Ian? I'm going to tell you exactly how many days it is until you're officially a grown-up.
Rain Man Me 20 seconds later: 4,927 days, Ian. Yeeeah. 4,927 days until you turn 18 and are officially a grown-up.
Ian: Oh. That's a lot of days.
Spent me: Yes it is. Here's your lunch.
~I didn't want to pull some 'random' number out of my ass (although one thousand-hundred-fourteen-two-eight probably would have done it), so I used the calculator function on my cell phone: 13.5 years x 365 days = approximately how many days until he turns 18.
And in case you couldn't get a feel for him by this little conversation we had: He has an absolute need for concrete numbers and guesses are the work of the devil. Everything is black and white and yes or no. God forbid if you throw in a 'maybe', 'sometimes' or 'kind of like that'.
So if any of you DARE bring up leap years and the fact that he's currently not exactly 4.5 years old, thus throwing the true number of days off...and leaving me to deal with the aftermath of his questions and demands for another more accurate number, I will hunt your ass down.
That reminds me. Ian comes up with questions like this all the time. I should just post them here so you can understand some of these odd things I get asked and conversations I get roped into.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Mardi the dog
This past weekend our neighbors asked if we could watch their dog for them while they went away. Our kids LOVE playing with the dog (as well as the kids in their family!), and during the warmer months this family tends to host impromptu play dates in their yard, so we agreed without any hesitation.
They said they were leaving about 9am Saturday and would come back about 3pm Sunday. Sure enough they dropped off the 1yr old puppy named Mardi (she was borne in Louisiana) right at 9am.
Holy freaking excitement in our house! As soon as the leash came off she started running like a bat out of hell throughout the whole house! She was SOOO excited to be in a different place and so she just ran around aimlessly at full tilt:
Our neighbor brought over a portable crate as a place for Mardi to sleep. He warned me that she has yet to spend a night in it, and that she probably wouldn't go willingly.
Um, we quickly found two other creatures that were willing to see what the crate was all about:
We also found out that one of her favorite things is to play 'tug of war' with her doggie rope. I've always loved playing that with dogs, so needless to say that was a huge hit in our house:
Ian liked playing Tug of War, but Mardi is a strong pup and could drag Ian around the carpet if he held on long enough. But since he really couldn't, and Mardi would win out every single time, it quickly turned into a game of 'keep away':
We were told that Mardi is a definite mooch in the kitchen and won't touch the food in her bowl until she was SURE that she wouldn't get any food from people. Looking as cute as she did, I see how she adopted that technique...she was hard to resist!:
Around 1:30 Leah went down for her nap, so it started to calm down in the house. Mardi was banished to the basement where we kept it chill so as not to wake up Babycakes. Mardi layed down too and took a power nap herself. Ian was afraid that she would get cold:
And yes, she really was sleeping!:
After Allison got home from work we put Mardi in her crate and went out and ran some errands. She didn't put up a fuss at ALL about going in, so that made it easy to leave, as we didn't have to hear her barking as we walked out of the house.
We got home a few hours later and I took her for a short walk around our yard so I could be back in time to put the kids to bed. Then after they were down, Mardi and I went for a walk around the block. I quickly discovered that she actually liked to run...so we ran the majority of it, except for when she stopped dead in her tracks to sniff the property of those houses with dogs.
We got back and she just kind of plopped down in front of the fire while I chilled and watched a movie:
Again, no protests going into her crate for the night.
Sunday was more of the same: Playing, running, playing, running, etc. until our neighbors came to pick her up.
It was a lot of fun to have her for the short duration, but I think it shows that we're probably not ready for a dog at this point in our life. I think we need to wait until we're in a bigger house and the kids are older.
There is nothing definitive going on with the house, so I'll hold off on reporting on that.
Until next time, don't forget the courtesy flush.
They said they were leaving about 9am Saturday and would come back about 3pm Sunday. Sure enough they dropped off the 1yr old puppy named Mardi (she was borne in Louisiana) right at 9am.
Holy freaking excitement in our house! As soon as the leash came off she started running like a bat out of hell throughout the whole house! She was SOOO excited to be in a different place and so she just ran around aimlessly at full tilt:
Our neighbor brought over a portable crate as a place for Mardi to sleep. He warned me that she has yet to spend a night in it, and that she probably wouldn't go willingly.
Um, we quickly found two other creatures that were willing to see what the crate was all about:
We also found out that one of her favorite things is to play 'tug of war' with her doggie rope. I've always loved playing that with dogs, so needless to say that was a huge hit in our house:
Ian liked playing Tug of War, but Mardi is a strong pup and could drag Ian around the carpet if he held on long enough. But since he really couldn't, and Mardi would win out every single time, it quickly turned into a game of 'keep away':
We were told that Mardi is a definite mooch in the kitchen and won't touch the food in her bowl until she was SURE that she wouldn't get any food from people. Looking as cute as she did, I see how she adopted that technique...she was hard to resist!:
Around 1:30 Leah went down for her nap, so it started to calm down in the house. Mardi was banished to the basement where we kept it chill so as not to wake up Babycakes. Mardi layed down too and took a power nap herself. Ian was afraid that she would get cold:
And yes, she really was sleeping!:
After Allison got home from work we put Mardi in her crate and went out and ran some errands. She didn't put up a fuss at ALL about going in, so that made it easy to leave, as we didn't have to hear her barking as we walked out of the house.
We got home a few hours later and I took her for a short walk around our yard so I could be back in time to put the kids to bed. Then after they were down, Mardi and I went for a walk around the block. I quickly discovered that she actually liked to run...so we ran the majority of it, except for when she stopped dead in her tracks to sniff the property of those houses with dogs.
We got back and she just kind of plopped down in front of the fire while I chilled and watched a movie:
Again, no protests going into her crate for the night.
Sunday was more of the same: Playing, running, playing, running, etc. until our neighbors came to pick her up.
It was a lot of fun to have her for the short duration, but I think it shows that we're probably not ready for a dog at this point in our life. I think we need to wait until we're in a bigger house and the kids are older.
There is nothing definitive going on with the house, so I'll hold off on reporting on that.
Until next time, don't forget the courtesy flush.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Today's exercise
The kids were going stir-crazy so we got our jackets on and went for a walk in the neighborhood.
Before long Ian took off like a bat out of hell running down the street.
He was laughing and giggling, so I scooped up Leah and took off after him. She LOVED it and started flapping her arms saying 'I'm a bird! I'm a bird! Tweet tweet tweet!!!"
We would run about 100 yards, then do 'ring around the rosey', but we replaced the end from 'we all fall down' to 'we all start to RUN' (screaming RUN) and then we took off sprinting again.
It was a lot of fun, a good energy-releaser and got the blood flowing to my sore quads from last nights run!
Here is a pic about halfway around the block:
Before long Ian took off like a bat out of hell running down the street.
He was laughing and giggling, so I scooped up Leah and took off after him. She LOVED it and started flapping her arms saying 'I'm a bird! I'm a bird! Tweet tweet tweet!!!"
We would run about 100 yards, then do 'ring around the rosey', but we replaced the end from 'we all fall down' to 'we all start to RUN' (screaming RUN) and then we took off sprinting again.
It was a lot of fun, a good energy-releaser and got the blood flowing to my sore quads from last nights run!
Here is a pic about halfway around the block:
Monday, January 5, 2009
I treated the end of 2008 like many other people I know: I heartily flipped it off, bid it a 'good riddance' and kicked it's ass out the door. I thought that stinkin' year would never end. Now that it's over, it's time to shed the skin and start anew.
After a several-month layoff I've dusted off my running shoes and will begin using them for their intended purpose rather than just having people gawk at their sheer size.
I love running and the quiet and alone time that comes with it, so to ensure that I get some quality 'me' time, and lots of it, I signed up for 2 half marathons in 2009. Both are in CT, one is in April and one is in October. I am open to running more, hopefully in between those two to keep me going through the summer. I saw one advertised just today for one in June...so I may sign up for that one too.
All this is ramping up for my goal of running two full marathons in 2010. I'd like to run Boston in April via a charity (since I'm a goofy looking slowpoke who couldn't qualify for Boston if my life depended on it) and then the Honolulu Marathon in December when we go there to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. So if I get into Boston with a charity, be prepared to be hit up by me for money. A lot.
Tonight was my first run, which I actually attempted this morning. I got up at 4:30 to hit the pavement, but found our driveway covered in a sheet of ice. Let's just say it didn't go so well.
Picture Brian Boitano in the height of his career, skating gracefully and flawlessly to his Gold medal win in the '88 Olympics. Got it? Now add about 50 lbs around the gut and a foot in height. Oh yeah, and take away any athletic prowess whatsoever. That was me this morning. It was about as far away from the Tano Triple Lutz as you could get. In fact, I would call it the 'Don you fat putz'. I nearly broke my neck as i quite embarrassingly slid across the driveway flapping my gangly arms like a spastic freakishly-tall penguin.
I made another attempt at it tonight and it went much more smoothly. I completed 2 miles without any problems but am glad to get that first run over with, as it's always the hardest one. I can't believe that just one year ago I had completed a marathon, yet here I am tonight with tired legs after a mere 2 mile slog. But I will be able to get those longer distances back under my belt in no time and will soon enough be able to do them again without much of an effort. I really am looking forward to my future runs.
To avoid running the risk of revocation of my man-card, I need to clarify that I had to Google "famous male figure skaters" to come up with Brian Boitano's name. I haven't the foggiest about anything relating to ice skating...I could have easily put in Christopher Bowman's name in there, as he was "Bowman the Showman"...but he wasn't made fun of mercilessly on South Park.
-------------------------------------------
Not only has our family gotten over the death of Aloe our fish, but we have replaced his place in our lives with a, well, an alive fish. Just a few days later the kids and I went to Petco and picked up another betta. He's a blue and black fellow that goes by the name of...are you ready for this?.....'Sank'. No shit, that's his name. Ian thought up that name all by himself and it still makes me laugh several weeks later. Hopefully he'll fare better than Aloe did.
------------------------------------------
Christmas has come and gone and we're happy about it. Although the holidays are a fun time, and we had a BLAST, it's good to get back to normalcy. Don't get me wrong, we loved all the places we went to and people we saw. But Ian got, shall we say "jaded". We'd go to a party or even just somewhere there was Christmas decorations and he'd expect presents. Or he'd see a box wrapped up and ask if it was for him. And God forbid he saw pressents that he knew was for him: he'd pester the shit out of us or the gift-giver until he could open it. And then if it was something he didn't specifically want he wouldn't hide his disappointment.
I know it can be chalked off as typical 4 yr old behavior, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept or any less uncomfortable when he acts that ungracious in front of someone who took the time and energy to get something for him.
----------------------------------------
We just got back from a visit with my brother and sister in law and their family. We took the train to PA as our kids suck in the car and we figured it would make for a happier event if they weren't lashed to their carseats.
This proved to be worth it as there were several trips to the cafe car and bathroom. It was a 4.5hr ride down there and the kids got sick of the train at about the 4 hr,10min mark so it was perfect timing. It took a lot longer on the way home, but it was mostly due to planned delays. The kids were much crankier and less tolerant of the train, so it was more painful...but I still think it was a good way to travel.
We had a fun time while we were down there. Ian and Leah got to spend lots of quality time with their cousins Paige & Shane and everyone got along surprisingly well! There were only a few major meltdowns, but for being together for nearly 6 whole days in a row without much separation I'd call that a success!
Ian has already found a new furry best friend. At Paige & Shane's house is a 3 month old kitten named "Midnight". This is the most tolerant, laid back cat you ever saw....Ian spent the majority of his day chasing that cat down and carrying him around. He DESPERATELY wants to get a new cat, preferably that one. He asked for one for his birthday, so we have quite awhile to decide if that's something we want to do. Although maybe we'd be better off getting Sank a playmate.
----------------------------------
I have more to tell but nothing earth shattering and it's entirely too late, so this is where I end it.
Until next time, don't forget to put on clean underwear.
After a several-month layoff I've dusted off my running shoes and will begin using them for their intended purpose rather than just having people gawk at their sheer size.
I love running and the quiet and alone time that comes with it, so to ensure that I get some quality 'me' time, and lots of it, I signed up for 2 half marathons in 2009. Both are in CT, one is in April and one is in October. I am open to running more, hopefully in between those two to keep me going through the summer. I saw one advertised just today for one in June...so I may sign up for that one too.
All this is ramping up for my goal of running two full marathons in 2010. I'd like to run Boston in April via a charity (since I'm a goofy looking slowpoke who couldn't qualify for Boston if my life depended on it) and then the Honolulu Marathon in December when we go there to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. So if I get into Boston with a charity, be prepared to be hit up by me for money. A lot.
Tonight was my first run, which I actually attempted this morning. I got up at 4:30 to hit the pavement, but found our driveway covered in a sheet of ice. Let's just say it didn't go so well.
Picture Brian Boitano in the height of his career, skating gracefully and flawlessly to his Gold medal win in the '88 Olympics. Got it? Now add about 50 lbs around the gut and a foot in height. Oh yeah, and take away any athletic prowess whatsoever. That was me this morning. It was about as far away from the Tano Triple Lutz as you could get. In fact, I would call it the 'Don you fat putz'. I nearly broke my neck as i quite embarrassingly slid across the driveway flapping my gangly arms like a spastic freakishly-tall penguin.
I made another attempt at it tonight and it went much more smoothly. I completed 2 miles without any problems but am glad to get that first run over with, as it's always the hardest one. I can't believe that just one year ago I had completed a marathon, yet here I am tonight with tired legs after a mere 2 mile slog. But I will be able to get those longer distances back under my belt in no time and will soon enough be able to do them again without much of an effort. I really am looking forward to my future runs.
To avoid running the risk of revocation of my man-card, I need to clarify that I had to Google "famous male figure skaters" to come up with Brian Boitano's name. I haven't the foggiest about anything relating to ice skating...I could have easily put in Christopher Bowman's name in there, as he was "Bowman the Showman"...but he wasn't made fun of mercilessly on South Park.
-------------------------------------------
Not only has our family gotten over the death of Aloe our fish, but we have replaced his place in our lives with a, well, an alive fish. Just a few days later the kids and I went to Petco and picked up another betta. He's a blue and black fellow that goes by the name of...are you ready for this?.....'Sank'. No shit, that's his name. Ian thought up that name all by himself and it still makes me laugh several weeks later. Hopefully he'll fare better than Aloe did.
------------------------------------------
Christmas has come and gone and we're happy about it. Although the holidays are a fun time, and we had a BLAST, it's good to get back to normalcy. Don't get me wrong, we loved all the places we went to and people we saw. But Ian got, shall we say "jaded". We'd go to a party or even just somewhere there was Christmas decorations and he'd expect presents. Or he'd see a box wrapped up and ask if it was for him. And God forbid he saw pressents that he knew was for him: he'd pester the shit out of us or the gift-giver until he could open it. And then if it was something he didn't specifically want he wouldn't hide his disappointment.
I know it can be chalked off as typical 4 yr old behavior, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept or any less uncomfortable when he acts that ungracious in front of someone who took the time and energy to get something for him.
----------------------------------------
We just got back from a visit with my brother and sister in law and their family. We took the train to PA as our kids suck in the car and we figured it would make for a happier event if they weren't lashed to their carseats.
This proved to be worth it as there were several trips to the cafe car and bathroom. It was a 4.5hr ride down there and the kids got sick of the train at about the 4 hr,10min mark so it was perfect timing. It took a lot longer on the way home, but it was mostly due to planned delays. The kids were much crankier and less tolerant of the train, so it was more painful...but I still think it was a good way to travel.
We had a fun time while we were down there. Ian and Leah got to spend lots of quality time with their cousins Paige & Shane and everyone got along surprisingly well! There were only a few major meltdowns, but for being together for nearly 6 whole days in a row without much separation I'd call that a success!
Ian has already found a new furry best friend. At Paige & Shane's house is a 3 month old kitten named "Midnight". This is the most tolerant, laid back cat you ever saw....Ian spent the majority of his day chasing that cat down and carrying him around. He DESPERATELY wants to get a new cat, preferably that one. He asked for one for his birthday, so we have quite awhile to decide if that's something we want to do. Although maybe we'd be better off getting Sank a playmate.
----------------------------------
I have more to tell but nothing earth shattering and it's entirely too late, so this is where I end it.
Until next time, don't forget to put on clean underwear.
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