Either looking at what was there or actually buying things that were part of the plan.
We spent a lot of time with the four of us not throwing tantrums, all smiling and happy, eating out, checking out things to the point where it was our best day in a long long time that we can remember.
Daddy got an iPad, to replace lugging the laptop and power cord around office and for future travel. To complement it, we now have a futuristic keyboard that opens out like a Nissan Z from below the iPad. Way cool and nerdy!
The kids got some clothes and the boots they have been bugging us for the last six months..
Mommy got herself a hair clip for 3 bucks but was content with it! So we will leave it at that.
Came home yesterday to find the kids watching videos in different rooms. A closer look revealed that they were watching the "same" program. Arthur which plays on PBS was being watched through Youtube on a laptop in the living room and an ipad in the family room.
Why this madness I asked the kids.
"She doesn't want to share!" came the reply in unison from two different rooms.
"But you are watching the same episode! Couldn't you put the ipad on the table and watch?" said an exasperated daddy and the response was
"she smells" from one kid and "she keeps tilting the ipad towards her" said the other one..
whatever be the reasons, have successfully raised two kids who will not be carpooling when they reach driving age.
Not happy with this.
Have to do something to teach them to share, not waste electricity and more importantly teach them to tolerate each other.
The kids watch Berenstain Bears regularly. We let them watch it because it teaches them the importance of cleaning up, listening to their parents, behaving etc.
Now the fact that they don't listen to us when we say "stop watching" or "go cleanup and stop watching" or simply say things like "I am going to punch you in the head if you pause it" (that from a five year old girl to her daddy) suggest that the benefits of watching these episodes may be overrated. Nevertheless, there is silence in the house when we need it and so they are allowed to watch!
They used to record it on the DVR when we were with Direct TV and watch it on the big wall mounted TV..
Then we switched to Dish and that channel is no longer available to us on our NEW plan. So the kids started watching "youtube" indefinite reruns on the laptop.
Now they have switched over to the iPad having figured out that youtube is available on the iPad!
We just got an iPad and lost it to the kids. All other options in front of them in bigger and better sizes are moot. I never get to use the iPad now when they are awake.
In other news blogging has taken a serious nose dive because of work, work, and more work. It feels like all the planets, sun and moon have aligned themselves into one straight line which points directly to my rear end.
Add to that, our old TV channels are all gone. Vijay TV apparently had a fall out with Direct TV and decided to pull out and that meant, we had to scram for an alternate Satellite provider with Tamil channels and ended up going through a roller coaster cable switch from Direct to ATT to Dish in a span of two weeks!
On the bright side, we have Netflix online now, thanks to the iPad and watch free movies in bed. We seem to be watching the first 15-20 minutes of many free movies and switch to another movie. What they need is a like a 30 minute fast edited version of most movies with only the highlights. Something like a "Thirai Malar" featuring Jackie Chan, Tom Cruise Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood. That, would truly make my day!
The kids are keeping us busy and though there isn't much time to go out anywhere and enjoy the sun, there is the odd photo session every time the kids take a shower or wear anything pretty..
The hope is that February will give us more personal time. This level of intensity with two people working 16-18 hour days and taking all weekend to just catch some sleep so we can go do this all over again for another five days is not going to work for the kids.
San wants to start buying lottery tickets soon and I am this close to seconding that thought. Have not been a lottery ticket kind of guy, but why not?
Next weekend no matter how good or bad the weather is, we have decided to go on a short drive to someplace, take some photos and just get back to having some fun.
If we don't the little one might just "punch me in the head"!
