Bed Jumping

As an amateur "blogger", I sometimes find myself surfing the internet in the pursuit of discovering blogs of interest. I am intrigued by the endless accumulation of subject matters that are out there. From the mundane, to the insane, blogs can be as diverse as the world's population.

Recently, I came across a blog that immediately caught my attention: BedJump.com.


As the name implies, this blog features photos and first hand accounts from 'bed jumpers' in various hotels and cruise ships around the world. (The blog is actually a sub-site of Hotels By City.net).


Captured in various poses of suspension, responsible adults suddenly revert back to their adolescence. Maybe it's something about those wild-patterned bed spreads that gives people a little burst of adrenaline.

It takes a fast shutter speed to capture a pose like this. No fear.


If you've ever stayed at a hotel and heard loud thumps coming from the next room, it may have been this guy.


Just because a business trip takes you away from your family, doesn't mean you can't have fun.


The "Superman" seems to be a popular pose.


As I scrolled through this site, I kept asking myself, 'Is this really funny? Or just a big waste of my time?'

I think I've formed my own opinion regarding this 'bed jumping' blog. What are your thoughts? Is a blog on 'bed jumping' funny? Destructive? Or simply a waste of time?

Lapham Peak: Autumn Visit

Autumn is officially upon us, and warmer days are dwindling. Today was a beautiful, sunny day, so Jack and I headed over to Lapham Peak to enjoy the weather.

The leaves are starting to turn on some of the trees, but the peak colors are still a couple of weeks away.

Jack was all about finding the most "off-the-beaten-path" trail. Here, we wound up by a small body of water. It was pretty stagnant, and not the most pleasant to look at. But it didn't smell bad, so it was tolerable.



The windmill was spinning slightly when we first arrived, but only minutes later, it was as motionless as the water.

Two things that got my attention as we walked the trails: squirrels and grasshoppers. The squirrels were busy foraging. (Hopefully they are not sensing a overly-brutal winter.) And the grasshoppers were just all over the place. Bouncing and flying in our path. I tried to get a closeup photo of one, but grasshoppers tend to scatter when you get too close.

This bee was a bit more cooperative.



The fresh air and the brisk exercise really took a toll on Jack. Fortunately, I brought a stroller with me, so Jack was able to climb aboard his chariot for the last half of our visit. It didn't take long for Jack to fall into a deep sleep.

What a great day.

Point. Click. Repeat.

Right about the time Jack turned three last week, he developed a strong interest in our desktop computer. Since then, its been difficult keeping him away from the silly thing.

I really don't mind that Jack plays on the computer. I think it's terrific that he is learning to work with a mouse. He's becoming a pro at moving the pointer around the screen, and "clicking" on the items that he wants to select. It's really quite an impressive feat for a toddler. He's manipulating the mouse better than many adults that I know.

How can a computer possibly capture the attention of a 3-year old? Jack is hooked on PBSKids.org. It's really a well-designed site. The site includes Jack's favorite PBS programs, and incorporates fun and simple educational games that relate to the theme of each show. For example, you can build sand castles with Curious George, visit the Neighborhood of Make-Believe with Mr. Rogers, or feed "letter" cookies to Cookie Monster on the Sesame Street page. Jack's favorite activity of late is going on reading adventures with Super Why!.

While it's great that Jack is developing his computer skills at an early age, I really think it's important that his time on the computer be limited and regulated. While I know there's no chance that Jack will start a profile on networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook, I don't want him thinking that 3 hours on the computer is part of our daily routine.

Besides, he may be sitting in front of computer for 40+ hours a week some day for his career. At this stage of his life, he's better off surfing our backyard rather than the internet.

Happy Birthday, Jack!

We had family over on Saturday to celebrate Jack's 3rd birthday. It was a beautiful first day of Autumn, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the weather.

Now that Jack is three years old, he is starting to accumulate toys that are more than just fun, silly items. Some of the gifts that Jack received on Saturday will most likely be around our house for a very long time - which is a good thing.

Possibly Jack's favorite gift of the day was a Radio Flyer wagon, given to him from my parents and my siblings.

The engineers at Radio Flyer have made many remarkable improvements to the "little red wagon" over the years. While I am a fan of nostalgia, I really didn't want Jack to put up with a rusty metal wagon, with a tipsy front axle. Jack's new wagon is constructed of sturdy molded plastic and features swiveling front wheels (for stability). Additional features include fold-down seats, a small storage compartment, and six cup holders. That's more cup holders than my car has! The wagon handle is not connected to the steering mechanism, so kids are not tempted to send their wagon down a hill like a toboggan. That's a safety feature that I really appreciate. This red wagon will see uncountable miles at the zoo, and other field trips for many years to come.

A couple of other great gifts that Jack received from his aunt Leah were the board games, Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. These two games are classics, and I'm glad they are now in Jack's collection. Both games offer Jack the opportunity to practice his counting skills, as well as color recognition and taking turns. I look forward to teaching Jack how to play these games, as they will provide many hours of quality family time.

Things that go "bleep bleep" in the night

About 48 hours or so. That's how long it took me to figure out exactly where the sound was coming from. Determining that the annoying little musical recording was coming from Jack's room was simple. But figuring out which toy was teasing me with random and unpredictable chirps and alarms proved to be the difficult part.

I first heard the sound in the middle of the night. In my half-conscious state, I thought it might be my wife's cell phone signaling that the battery was almost dead. But that theory was quickly dismissed. In a nearly pitch-black room, my eyes scanned up and down a six-foot shelving unit that holds dozens of Jack's toys. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a flashing light or something that would expose the guilty culprit. No such luck. This search would have to continue after sunrise.

Maybe you've been in my situation before. If your kids have ever owned a small battery-operated toy that incorporates sounds and/or flashing lights, you know that the manufacturers include an automatic shutoff function. After sixty seconds or so of non-use, the toy shuts itself down to save battery life, even though the power button has not been physically turned to the "off" position. To get the toy to re-activate, you simply start playing with it again.

This is where the situation got really frustrating for me. The toy in question was blurting out beeps, bleeps and cheeps for no apparent reason. It was as if some phantom force was activating the sound mechanism, but only when I was in the hallway, or one room away. And since it wasn't occurring at regular time intervals, I couldn't just stand in Jack's room waiting for it to happen again. It was like trying to photograph a lightening strike. Even if you knew it was coming, you couldn't get your camera in position fast enough to capture the moment. It seemed no matter how patient I was, I was never in position to locate the instigator.

Finally, I got lucky. After strategically weeding toys off of the shelving unit, I focused my attention on a small basket that contained a number of miscellaneous toys. And just at the right moment, the toy went into its musical outburst, and I found my nemesis.

Turns out the culprit was a dinky little American Idol-themed toy that Jack probably acquired with a McDonald's Happy Meal. As I had assumed, the power button was left in the "on" position. The toy is designed to play music when you lift the character's left arm.

Why the toy was going off by itself is anyone's guess. But I can assure you, that toy's power button is now in the "off" position.

Jenny McCarthy on Sesame Street

One of the most enjoyable "kid" shows for me to watch as an adult has to be Sesame Street. Besides catching a glimpse of an animated short that was shown 30 years ago when I was young, I get a kick out of spotting celebrity cameos.

On Tuesday morning, one notable celebrity cameo was by Jenny McCarthy. In this particular segment, Jenny was pretending to be a bug. A variety of "bugs" actually, (butterfly, cricket, etc...). It was a cute segment, and if you only know Jenny McCarthy as a "Bunny", you might be surprised at her natural ability to present herself to children.


In reality, Ms. McCarthy is a mom to son, Evan, and has been a very visible spokesperson for the treatment of Autism. While some of Jenny McCarthy's acting and modeling work has been considered controversial, to see her on this segment of Sesame Street reveals her true personality. Putting aside all of the glamor that comes with being a celebrity, it is obvious that Jenny McCarthy's number one priority is being a loving parent to her son.


And if Jenny McCarthy is reading this post, feel free to contact me for a playdate some time.

The Children's Play Gallery

Our playgroup was supposed to meet at Wales Community Park this morning, but dark clouds rolled in, and threatened our plans. By the time Jack and I arrived at the park, it was beginning to sprinkle, so we had to come up with an alternative plan. Jenny, (a member of our playgroup), and I decided it would be fun to try an indoor activity instead. Jenny suggested we head up to Delafield to visit The Children's Play Gallery.

This turned out to be a really fun option. I had read about The Children's Play Gallery before, but had never taken Jack there. The Children's Play Gallery can be described as a playroom taken to the nth degree. I was impressed as soon as I stepped through the front door.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the multi-level, "Ship of Discovery". This structure resembles a pirate ship, and kids can climb a ramp to reach the main deck, and then climb a ladder to reach the upper level to "steer" the mighty vessel. Jack and I had lots of fun playing "peek-a-boo" through the many portholes.

Before you can even reach the Ship of Discovery, you'll walk past a number of fun activity areas such as a little stage for junior thespians, a marketplace for shopping-time fun, and a musical instrument area.

Other spots of interest at the "interactive museum" include an arts and crafts center, a station for molding "moon sand", a reading room, a dedicated toddler's play area, and a two-story playhouse, (complete with slide).

The various activities at The Children's Play Gallery are conveniently located all within one big room. This makes it easy for parents to keep a watchful eye on a single child, or even multiple children. And family bathrooms add convenience for extended visits.

After four hours of exploring The Children's Play Gallery, I was finally able to convince Jack that it was time to leave. And when I say "convince", I mean I was finally able to drag Jack out of the place. But Jack had so much fun, those four hours went by quickly for me too.

We will definitely look forward to more visits to The Children's Play Gallery in the future.

Grocery Store Adventures

Have you ever seen that guy in the grocery store chasing his 3-year old toddler up and down the aisles? Well, "that guy" is me.

Today's trip to the grocery store started out well enough. Even though Jack didn't want to sit in the cart, he stayed close to me and we made a fun little game out of gathering our fruits and veges. But that game ended as soon as we entered the "numbered" aisles. Jack's interest immediately turned to discovering all of the numbers hanging above the aisles. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Jack has a strong interest in numbers. I just wish that his eagerness to count didn't involve an extended stay at the grocery store.

In situations like this, I don't attempt to fight Jack. I know that forcing him to comply to my wishes will only cause an embarrassing scene, and lead to a very unhappy little boy. So, I let Jack finish his numerical journey through the store, and by the time we reached the final aisle, Jack was ready to let daddy take control again. Which was great because in order to keep up with Jack's pace, I had to abandon our cart way back in aisle 3.

After reclaiming our partially-filled cart, Jack was 100% cooperative for the remainder of the shopping trip. He sat quietly in the cart, and I was able to collect the rest of our groceries in a very short amount of time. By giving Jack just a few minutes to satisfy his eagerness to discover something new, I was able to complete my task in a relatively efficient manner.

I guess it just shows that with a little compromise, we both will be happy in the end.

Poolside!

We've enjoyed a comfortably mild summer in 2008. While some people hope for 90-degree days to last the entire summer, I am content with temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

Today, just one day after Labor Day, temperatures in southern Wisconsin finally approached 90 degrees for the first time this year. To mark the occasion, I filled Jack's inflatable pool to let him celebrate the unofficial end of summer.


Jack was apprehensive of the pool at first. After all, this little pool has been sitting in the garage collecting dust since the summer of 2006. So it is not surprising that Jack wanted to feel things out first.

It didn't take long before Jack's interest peaked, and the fun began.

Jack really enjoyed splashing in the cool water.

What kid can resist draining the pool?

The next Michael Phelps...

Jack will undoubtedly be too big for this little inflatable pool by next summer, so the two of us will do our best to persuade mommy to put in a real pool!

Living in Wisconsin, the bad news is that a pool can only be used four months out of the year. But the good news is that I won't have to clean it for the other eight months of the year!