Friday, August 30, 2013

Deep


"Bob, did you know that someone ate junk food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner forever and then they died?"

"Because of the junk food?"

"Yeah."

"But how do you know, Felix?"

"My dad said."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Hmm..."

"Yeah..."

"I guess we should have a pillow fight now, Felix."

"You're right."

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Dinner Is Served


"Mom, do you think the lizard that Felix found will eat a cricket?"

"Probably."

"How about a roly poly bug?"

"Maybe? Do you have either of those?"

"No, but we've got some ants. Delicious ants."




Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Usual


 "How was school today, Bob? What did you do?'

"You know, the usual."

"No I don't actually know. What's the usual?"

"We did some stuff about vowels and consonants and I had to say which letters in my name were vowels and which were consonants and I did it right so I got a sticker."

"That sounds good. Anything else?"

"Some girl chased me around the playground a lot but that's it."

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

It Was A Monday


"How was school?"

"It was horrible, horrendous, a nightmare."

"Wow. What happened?"

"We got to play on the big kids' playground but then they don't even let us go on the play structure which is only the best part of the whole thing."

"That ruined your entire day?"

"That and the crafts were hard."



Monday, August 26, 2013

Ride On

photo: Katie Sokoler

"Mom, I'm going to go on all of the scary rides at the carnival that Pops wants to go on. I'm just going to take my throw up chances. I think I get about five of them. If I use up one of my throw up chances and barf it, it's definitely time to go home."




Sunday, August 25, 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

Day One, The Review

 
"School was good, Mom. I knew more people in my class than I thought I did."

"That's great. What was the best part?"

"Lunch."

"Besides lunch."

"Snack time."

"And do you have homework?"

"Yeah. Today's homework is all for you. I'm pretty sure it won't always be like that though."


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Day One, Grade One


"It's time to go. You ready?"

"Mom, I'm kind of worried about first grade and I don't want to go."

"Worried why, Bud?"

"Because it's going to be hard with all the reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading reading and I'm not good at that yet."

"You've got a good start on it and you'll learn more this year."

"But Felix and Desmond are in other classes from me. Am I ever going to see them again for my whole life?"

"Of course. You'll see them everyday at recess and you'll still get together with them after school sometimes."

"Okay, but I'm going to need a quesadilla in my lunch today."

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Uncharted

 
Tomorrow Bob will start first grade. His kindergarten was a half day so this will be his first time with a full day schedule. It feels like a big deal. This is a day I have both waited for and dreaded for a number of years. I'm a little worried about separation anxiety. Mine, not Bob's. Bob will do great.

I have longed for the day when I would have more time to get things done. And now? I'm not exactly sure what those things are. I am sure this is a momentary lapse and these free hours will become packed quickly with The Busy. In the meantime, there might be a little wall staring and house wandering.

I have loved my time with small Bob. I feel fortunate to have been in the position to stay home with him. Faced with this new season, I know I will love my time with bigger Bob too. However, my job description is changing. My little boss will need me a teeny bit less and in different ways. I'm not sure what this will look like yet or how I will wear it. I can't decide if it feels like a promotion or a demotion. Maybe it's a lateral move.

I will miss him.








Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Getaway


We checked into a resort just an hour from the house. We wanted a little getaway before school started. The place was on the beach, had three pools, water slides, and was dog friendly so we could bring Teddy.

Bob was an immediate fan of the place and the cookies that were waiting for us at the reception desk. I had a sore throat and a runny nose. I felt stylish as I carried around a box of Kleenex and a little sleepy from the antihistamines I took in the car. There was a Starbucks in the hotel so I powered on with a venti drip.

The next day the guys went to the pool then took Teddy to the beach. I had chills and a fever so I stayed behind in the room watching hour after hour of a House Hunters marathon. After drifting in and out of sleep, I realized that a hotel room is the best place to be sick.  Everything is clean and soft and quiet and I had nothing to do with making it that way. The unlimited HGTV was another plus.

The next day I was able to sit poolside while Bob played Marco Polo with some new friends. I then returned to the room and enjoyed a Love It Or List It marathon. To stay hydrated, I developed my own drinking game. I took a sip of water anytime someone on the show said the words, "open concept living room." I was feeling better.

For dinner we ate a trough of nachos and then made s'mores over a fire-pit by the jacuzzi. Teddy was exhausted from all of his time chasing waves. Jeff had only checked work emails twice. Bob had found tiny crabs in the sand at the beach. I had gotten enough rest to run through my cold quickly.

I hope Groupon will run a special on hotel suites during flu season.




Monday, August 19, 2013

At the Shore


"Dad? How does the ocean make waves?"

"The moon does it."

"How?"

"The moon creates the tides with gravitational pull. Do you remember what gravity means?"

"Dad?"

"Yeah."

"I have a sunburn."

Friday, August 16, 2013

Another Course


"Are you done with dinner yet, Mom? Are we going soon? I'm so sleepy from camp and doing the archery bullseyes and the hike and everything."

"It's going to be a few more minutes, Honey."

"Can I put my head in your lap? So sleepy..."

"We're just going to get some coffee and look at a dessert menu."

"Dessert? Forget what I said before. I'm up. Very up."


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Top Things I Will Miss About Summer by Bob Rosenberg


 Leaving our front doors unlocked so that me and Laura and Danny (from down the street) can walk into each others houses whenever we want.

No homework.

Corn on the cob. (Except the part where it gets stuck in your teeth and then you have to use one of those weird plastic floss pick things in the shape of a shark to get it out but you can’t do it so you have to get your mom to do it and that is like the worst thing in your life. But the corn part is still good.)

Trips to see family and beaches and trees and that place where there’s fireflies.

Playing with the basketball team in the gym with the air conditioning.

Eating dinner in the backyard.

Day camp with Brandon and Felix. And swimming there and hikes. But not the Frisbee games because sometimes, a lot, I get hit with the Frisbee when I’m supposed to catch it.

Dad sometimes gets home from work when it’s still light outside.

Wearing shorts every day instead of zipper pants.




Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Camp: Day 7


"Tell me about camp today, Bob."

"Me and Brandon swam and did a hike where we saw a lizard, as usual. Then Carl my favorite counselor taught us a song that was either in another language or maybe a made up kind of language. We did Frisbee tag and then I made this plastic thing that you're supposed to tie in knots but I didn't want to.

"It's supposed to be a lanyard, I think."

"I don't know what a lay-nerd is but I'm calling it a squid, Mom. That's what it looks like. A squid."

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

It Was Inevitable


"Mom! There's a bird in the house!"

"What? Oh no! Where?"

"See right here on Minecraft! I'm building another door so it can get out. I think it's a chicken or maybe a duck."

"This is going to be how it is now, isn't it?"

"Look! Now there's a sheep in the house!"




Monday, August 12, 2013

Little Coach



"... and then my sister Laura saved my life by pulling me into the part of the water that wasn't so deep. I could have died, Bob."

"But why didn't you just freestyle out of there?"

"I couldn't swim. I still can't."

"Danny, I've got an idea. I can swim. We can go to the pool and I can be your teacher. I can get you all learned up."


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Smacksy Sunday Links


A challenge to slow down.

A lost Egyptian city found underwater. So cool.

I am a huge Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme fan. I am so sorry to hear of Eydie's passing, but we can still hear her sing.

Happy Sunday.






Friday, August 9, 2013

And I Thought Pong Was Complicated

 
"So, Mom? I'll tell you one more time again. You move these cupcakes and other stuff up here like that and sometimes the King Pig eats them. See? Like this. And then sometimes he burps out flies and sometimes it's fish bones but sometimes he burps out these little things that keep all of your stuff together so it can't break and sometimes he burps out these magnets and sometimes it's these tube-y things that I can't really explain. Now do you get it?"



Thursday, August 8, 2013

Dudes

 
"Hey, Bob. I was mining under that big rock in my backyard and I was like 'brrrrrrreat brrrrrreat."

"You mean like 'goooooj gooooj?' Like that, Felix?'

"It was more of a 'rerererererer."

"Did you find anything?"

"I hit something hard. I think it was a rock or maybe... an underground hidden city."

"Yeah. That's cool. I like rocks."


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Day Camp


"Hey, Bud. How was your first day of summer camp?"

"It was great."

"What did you do?"

"We swam and did archery and campfire songs and a bunch of stuff. Oh, and I saw a lizard in the wild."

"Nice. I'm glad you liked it."

"It was good except one thing. It's verrry tiring. There should be more sitting."


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Name Game

 
I have nicknames for Bob. Obviously, Bob itself is a diminutive of Robert. I mean other nicknames. I do not know where they came from but they are here and they do not seem to be going away. In a typical day, most of these names will be used at least once. I last made a list when Bob was three. Following is an updated, and somewhat abbreviated, list.

Bob
Bobs
Babba
Babbaloo
Babbalulu
Poops
Pooman
Poomanian
Pooch
Poochman
Poochy
Poocheesey
Puccini
Chooch
Pooter
Pooterman
Junior Rosenberg
Rosenberger
Mr. Rosenbaby
Mr. Magoo
Mr. McGillicuty
Dr. McGee
Babe
Babyface
Babyman
Mr. Babyman
Bud
Buddy
Bud-why
Sweets
Sweetness
Sweetsman
Boots
Bootsy
Boodge
My Sweet Love
Pumpkin Head
and Tiny

Don't get me started on my nicknames for the dog.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Word of the Day


"Hey, Mom!"

"Yep."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Extreme!"

"Extreme what?"

"Extreme! Extreme! Extreme! Just extreme!"

Friday, August 2, 2013

The Air Out There


"You know what, Mom? I can feel air. I can feel it on me and feel it again when I move my hand like this."

"What does it feel like?"

"It feels like putting your hand through a ghost. Those are real, you know."



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Oh My



"Mom, I'm done with Legos."

"What?"

"I mean it. I'm not into them anymore."

"Seriously? You want to get rid of all of them?'"

"No, you should save them for my kids."

"Wow."

"And I'm done with rock and roll. Now my thing is jazz. Smooth jazz."