Thanks to my dad for passing this along. Pretty incredible what this boy has been able to learn and do – without his eyes.
Year / 2008
Still?
I can’t really believe that this still comes up, but I’ve been talking with a friend who is in the market for a new computer, and though there are several people close to them who insist they would love a Mac, is still convinced that he can get “the same” computer for less. Folks… this is just not true. Perhaps a little less… but usually the opposite is true. I wrote about this here TWO YEARS ago, and Apple has gotten heaps better in those two years.
I was trying to figure out why I can’t just let it go sometimes. I think it’s just my personality. I need stuff to be true. (Though, not in everything… but I guess the stuff I care about.) If someone just doesn’t want a Mac, that’s OK (too bad, but OK) 😉 But if they say they don’t want it because they can get the same computer for less… that’s just not true. I think it all works out pretty evenly in the end, except with a Mac you get no viruses, spyware, everything just works “out of the box” (all included in the computer) and you get the Mac OS, which is fantastic. (Not to mention their superior customer support.)
I’m really not trying to be a salesman… and I TOTALLY understand the need to spend less on a lesser product simply due to lack of funds. TOTALLY. But I just wanted to say again, Macs are not ridiculously overpriced. You get what you pay for, and we think, with Mac, you get even more than what you pay for.
If you’re at all interested, or even if you think you know that you’re NOT interested… check out this section of Apple’s website. apple.com/getamac. Not only are all the cute/funny ads there, read the 10 reasons (and more) “Why You’ll Love a Mac.” Great list. Explained well.
Everyone gets to choose and use what they’d like, but we, the Campbells, can’t say enough how great Macs are, and how much you’ll love ’em if you try ’em.
(This blog post brought to you by an Apple fan and user for over 13 years now. No money was received for this endorsement.) 🙂
Just Sayin’…
I did a little figurin’ tonight, and even if – best case scenario – the Sabres were to win all three of their remaining games, finishing with 92 points on 40 wins… we still probably won’t make the playoffs!
Best I can figure, from who’s playin’ who from here on out… Sabres will end up tied with Washington with 92 points (that’s IF they can win the rest of their games!) and if Boston loses the rest of theirs, then we’d finish ahead of them.
We need:
- To win the last three games, getting 6 points
- AND… Boston to lose all three games, getting AT MOST one more point
- OR, Philly could lose all three of their games, and we could sneak past them…
- AND… Washington to only get 3 more points. Max.
- OR, Carolina to lose the rest of their games. (Washington wins that division, we beat Carolina for last spot. I think.)
- LOTS and LOTS of luck!
🙂
My Brain Already Works
Just now I was downstairs with the kiddos saying good morning and getting my 6-gallon water container refilled for a busy week to come. In my hand was my yerba mate, which, when first filled is quite strong. I know my son, Ian, likes it, so I gave him a sip to show him just how strong it really was.
“It gets your brain working,” I said with a smile.
I had read that a while back when our Argentine friend Laura introduced me to it. Apparently it stimulates your brain, and is overall quite good for you. So, since it seemed a bit strong for a nine-year-old, I thought that could make him appreciate it a bit more.
I looked around at the other children standing there, and my four-year-old daughter was looking at me, so I offered her the mate, extending it to her with a gesture.
Apparently she was listening intently to what I said to Ian. She quickly, and matter-of-factly replied, “My brain already works.”
I love my kids 🙂
Playoff Beard Hanging On For Dear Life
This time of year, many players in the NHL refuse to shave until they are eliminated from the playoffs. It’s a bit of a good luck charm. A superstition. Not sure that’s it’s really all that effective, but you’ll notice that most players on the Stanley Cup winners are sporting a very hairy face when they hoist the prized trophy in early June.
I do not play hockey. (Well, except for a bit of street hockey with my boys yesterday…) I just watch hockey. But I really don’t like to shave, so… when my team is in the playoffs – or this year, in playoff contention – I also refuse to shave, hoping to bring the Sabres loads of good luck.
OK… I just don’t like to shave. But, this is a fun reason not to!
The playoff beard is hanging around for at least two more days as the Sabres did beat Boston 2-1 in OT yesterday. They are 5 points out of the final playoff spot with three games left. In hockey, you get 2 points for each win, so you do the math. Basically, the Sabres need the Bruins to lose (they’re in the 8th spot right now) and the Caps to lose (they’re in the 9th spot) and they need to win their final three games. It’s kinda like a playoff series already, and we started out down three games to none.
Last night did make it three games to one, but in this case… we don’t control our own destiny, as they say.
So, we are watching the Caps, the Bruins, and the Sabres… and hoping for the best.
And I’m hoping I get to keep this beard a little bit longer… 🙂
You Might Be A Large Family If…
Jen reads lots of blogs by other home schooling moms, and various other family-oriented blogs. She read a list to me from this blog the other night, and I thought it was funny in relation to one of my recent posts below, On Being Seven.
I have not checked with the author about publishing her work here (not even sure it’s originally hers) but I figure one or two … or more… is just publicity for her blog anyway… 🙂 Enjoy… (and click the link above for the rest!)
- Cheaper by the Dozen is one of your favorite movies.
- You buy milk 5 gallons at a time.
- You need a minimum of 2 carts in the grocery store.
- The children are lonely when there are only 4 of them home.
- Your grocery budget resembles your house payment.
- You just really wish people would not think they were clever for saying, “Don’t you know what causes that?”
🙂
Back To (The New) Reality
My two week hiatus from my desk job is over. As is my two week adventure of being the primary caregiver for four young kids, as well as taking care of daily household duties and helping Jen & Emma here and there when needed. It was wonderful, and I already miss it, but I am looking forward to moving back into a more normal routine.
I am in the office preparing for the craziness that will be my first Monday back. (Mixed feelings about that, to be sure.)
As I put all the kids in bed tonight, told each one of them how much I love them, and how much I loved spending every day all day with them for the past two weeks. I also told them I plan to take several 5 minute breaks tomorrow to come and give them big hugs! 🙂
Some might think that spending all day every day taking care of four very young kids would be exhausting, tiring, and draining. And, they would be right. But the part that might be missed is that those four very young kids are four of my most favorite people, and even though I was exhausted at the end of every day… it was so worth it!
Tonight (at the last minute) I thought it might be a good idea to get a babysitter for the oldest four and go out for the evening with Jen. I am going back to normal office hours tomorrow, and she’s going back to normal Mom hours tomorrow. Seemed a good way to bring in that next season. It was very nice for neither of us to have the kids responsibilities for this one evening. We just got a sub from Subway, and some ice cream from Chill & Grill, and went up to the community center and played a card game while watching the Sabres (WIN!). So very nice.
And tomorrow, I am hoping that all of this niceness did not exhaust me to where I need a vacation. I don’t think it did. I believe that tomorrow I will be ready to get “back to reality” and move forward as a family of seven!
I’m lovin’ it! 🙂
Our Own Dr. Seuss
A couple weeks ago, our son Alex rediscovered a book that his Grammy had bought him a while back. “A Hatful of Seuss” is a compilation of five Dr. Seuss books. He was reading it on his own and would ask me every night, “Dad, can I read this story to you?” I let him do that one night, until I was reminded of just how long Dr. Seuss stories are!
But it was really cute, and the story was pretty funny – and brought back a lot of memories – so the next night I said I would read a whole story to both the boys. They were excited, and I was looking forward to it, and it turned out to be so great that not only did we do that night, we started getting LOTS more from the library!
From all of this Seuss-ing, a side effect has cropped up. We may have discovered more than just a Seuss book when Alex first dug up that Seuss collection. 🙂
Turns out, Ian was pretty hooked by the writing of Theodore Geisel, and even found a book at our library all about his life. He read it rather quickly, and I believe has pretty much recounted in stories told to mom & dad everything in that book, word for word! He really liked it!
The interesting part is that not only did he like the book, and like telling us the stories… he also has been telling us little snippets from his “inside world” about how he feels like Dr. Seuss. He’s creative, and really identifies with Suess’ style and I think his life. It’s been pretty interesting to see that connection, and hear Ian talk about who he is and what he wants to do in a grander scheme of life.
Guess he is growing up.
So, to encourage that a bit (and just have some fun) we wrote a Buffalo Bills poem yesterday. We made sure to keep to an ABAB rhyme scheme, and even kept the meter at 7 syllables, then 8, then 7, then 8. It’s not quite finished (and maybe not quite Suess-ish, but it was pretty fun! Perhaps we’ll share it here someday. 🙂
Also watched a video recommended by Joe about education and creativity… very interesting. I very much agreed with a lot of what this guy was saying. Mainly, how the way our educational system is set up now, creativity is not only not encouraged, it can be squashed. The more creative types are then pushed aside – or worse, medicated – in order that they might “get in line”.
Watching the video, and seeing Ian recently “discover” some things about himself, reminded me how glad I am that we home school.
So I’ll keep you updated on the progress of our young Dr. Seuss. Should be pretty fun to watch. 🙂
Big Family Shortcuts
I have noticed that with so many children around here, I am needing shortcuts when referring to them every now and again.
We already had “the boys” and “the girls” before for easy pairings. We also call Kirsten & Alex, “The Twins” because they really look a lot alike, and are similar in other ways, and are the two in the middle. Well, they were.
Now are getting even more creative.
First there’s Mom & Emma, who spend a lot of time together these days. We call them either “Momemma” or “Emmamom”. Both are equally fun to say.
Then we have, “The Oldies”. These are the three oldest kids, who are not our babies.
Then I came up with a clever way of referring to two kids at a time using former (or current) Buffalo Bills players’ numbers. For instance, Ian and Julia are “Frank Reich”. This is because Ian is the first born (#1) and Julia is fourth (#4), so together they are 14, which is Frank Reich’s number.
The combinations are pretty fun.
Ian and Alex? Jim Kelly. Kirsten & Alex (if we’re bored with “The Twins”) are Beast Mode (nickname for Marshawn Lynch, #23). Ian and Emma? Todd Collins. (I know! Good one!) 🙂 Alex & Julia? Terrence McGee.
Pretty good system, I think. 🙂
So, life as a big family continues to be very interesting, and tons of fun. More stories to come, I’m certain of it!
R.I.P. Big Ten
With State being trounced 92-74 tonight, that completed the “sweep” of the Big Ten teams in the NCAA tourney this year. Two made it to the Sweet Sixteen, none made it past that. Quite uncommon.
State scored 54 points in the second half, and did pretty well in all aspects of the game for that 20 minutes. That should tell you how the first half went. 🙂
In other sporting news…
The Sabres did manage to salvage a point, but gave up another lead to lose in overtime. They basically threw away a much-needed point. That pretty much sums up the Sabres’ 2007-2008 season. Work really hard, get some great goals… then have the other team tie it with 14 seconds to go, only to lose in OT. (I believe it’s our 12th OT loss.) Surprisingly they are still in the hunt for the final playoff spot, but at this point, every game is a win or your out kind of game. Fun stuff.
So, it looks like my teams are either out, or soon to be out of my two favorite annual sporting events. Not a good sports day here!