Category Archives: Family Entertainment

Sunny day activities on Rainy Day afternoons

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Frank has had a good effect on all of us early in the New year. We have been getting out and exercising a bit more that we normally do in the dead of Portland winter. That may have more to do with the unseasonably sunny days than his relentless passion for lifting things over his head and chanting at us, but either way it has been a nice winter. I write this  sitting in a coffee shop with a miserable cold sideways rain that makes umbrellas and previous plans silly, but the last week has been lovely. We have done the bike rides to the library, the play dates outside at friend’s houses, and explored some parks off the beaten trail while bundled against the cold but dry. It is almost disorienting how nice it has been here in Portland this winter. I feel like I don’t enough seasonal reasoning for my mild depression and might have to look into the issue as personal thing and not a reaction to outside forces. That’s just silly, we all know I’m the picture of confidence and mental health so it must be the boys that are causing it.

Now that the weather looks to be returning to normal I wondering how well our goal to get out and about is going to go. We have rain gear and the mud puddles have their own allure so it’s just a matter of overcoming the initial inertia and getting out of the house. These things seem to go much better when planned instead of being left to day of decision-making. Making plans with others make the problem of getting started a bit easier since it is harder to let someone else down then it is for me to just spin it with the boys. So anyone in Portland want to schedule a play date next week where we explore a trail or jump in some puddles?

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Frank The Exercise Nut

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Guess which one is Frank

I wrote about the creative ailments that Segundo has suffered through and his story telling prowess but in the last couple of days he has come up with a whole new schtick that raises the bar of three-year old comedy. He no longer wants to be called his given name and would instead like to be called Frank. “Daddy my name is Frank now so that’s what you should call me!” He informed us of the name change on Sunday and since then he has really been fleshing out this new character. When we dropped Primo off at school on Monday morning he was still Segundo but once we got home he informed me that he was now Frank and needed to go change. He put on a t-shirt and shorts and came running out  of his room to pose in an action shot stance and tell me that “Frank loves to exercise!” He then started running laps around the house and asked me to keep track of them. We got up to twenty before he took a break and told me that Frank needs some water in order to exercise more. Then he went around the house picking up the things he could and lifting them up over his head chanting “Ex-er-cise, ex-er-cise, ex-er-cise”

I was nearly wetting my pants from laughter watching him transform into this crazy character apparently channeling the ghost Jack Lalane. His whole face changes into this new person and the glint in his eye is hilarious. He has put on a show for Beautiful and my Dad when they both got home for work and had them cracking up too. We learned that Frank has the same parents but is not the same person as Segundo, the way you can tell them apart is that “Frank just loves to exercise, and Segundo just likes to play.” I don’t know how we continue to encourage this creative expression but I want to make sure that I do everything I can. Right now he good for a post a week on this blog and I can always use the content.

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Coastal Characters

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Spelling ROHL on the dunes

Over Christmas break my brother, his wife, and their two-year old were up from Arizona for some holiday time in the NorthWest. When ever we get folks in from out-of-town we get to head out to all sight-seeing spots and remember why we love our region. The day after Christmas we headed out to the coast to get some time on the beach despite the 30 degree temps and heavy mist.

Most of our group had lunch in the car as we parked by the sea, while my brother and I climbed the cliff above the shore and listened to the thunder cracks of waves breaking about 200 yards out in the ocean. We walked around Seaside, where we lived before moving to California when I was 12, and spent too much money at the arcade. My dad, Brother, and I had a couple shoot outs at the basketball game and we all collected tickets playing skeet ball with the little boys. Turning in tickets for candy we took a ride on the carousel before heading to the long stretch of beach where you can drive your car.

Primo got behind the wheel and ping ponged us from shore to dunes always threatening to get us stuck in one or the other. We stopped and ran around like crazy people and generally had a silly time acting like kids. After a couple of pictures we loaded everyone back up in the car sans wet clothes and trekked the hour drive back to my parents house. It was a great time at the coast and quiet car ride home as sleepy folks cozied up to each other and napped solidly. While the surroundings were lovely it was really the people who made the trip so great. We all forgot about the cold wet weather and just found the adventure in each stop, and experienced the trip like our kids did. We ran around the beach, chased birds, and drove like drunken weebles laughing all the time. For me the best part is that look in Primo’s eyes as I got out and chased him down the beach while the car was still moving. His pure joy and wonder was all pouring out of him and looked at me like he couldn’t believe that was really happening. I often feel like I don’t go all in like that with the boys so it’s nice to let loose and be goofy when I can.

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Collecting Comics with the kids

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Beautiful wrote about our boys new-found obsession with superheros and that passion was rewarded this Christmas with all manner of swag. The boys got action figures, legos, jammies, and socks with different superheros on them and from all different sources. Even the wrapping paper from Grammie and Tom Tom had Green Lantern on it, making them highly valued. Beautiful made them capes and masks in different colors so the boys could dress up to their heart’s content.

Not being a superhero fan growing up this world is all new to me so when I saw that DC Comics was rebooting 52 of their story lines I thought it was a good time to get in on the ground floor  and share something with my boys. So together the boys and I made our first trip to the comic store September and picked out two comics to start with. This was early on in the superhero craze for the boys so they were a bit overwhelmed, as was I, with all the colors and books. Over the next couple of months our knowledge of the DC universe has increased and the boys are picking out comics that they know and are written for them, or for young kids that are already reading. Our first two comics have now turned into four comics that we are collecting and while these stories are not age appropriate for the boys I’m looking forward to sharing with them when they are. In the mean time I am loving these iconic characters with accessible entry points for me to get into and the monthly trip to the comic store is eagerly anticipated by all three of us. So far Beautiful hasn’t caught the bug, but we’re working on her.

 

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Outdoor Adventures: Beaver Falls

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While the ladies headed into town to do some shopping the boys headed out Beaver Falls to get some much-needed fresh air and adventure. My brother and his wife were here for Christmas and all of us were staying just up the river in Clatskanie. After a couple of days int he house we all needed some fresh air so my brother and I took our kids out to Beaver Falls to brave the high waters, muddy trails, slippery leaves, and creek crossings. We parked near the top of the falls and ran into a creek that was bisecting the trail. Since I was the only one with boots on I carried each of the kids over to the other side and then put my brother on my back to get him across. It was a funny scene and a lot of weight on slippery rocks but we made it across. We gingerly trekked over the wet leaves and muddy trail to the edge of the falls and drank in the thundering noise of the fast-moving water. I was nervous for the boys as they reached for rocks to throw in the water, but we were cautious and safe the whole time. Part of the adventure is learning how to do scary things in a safe way, and it’s an important lesson to teach our kids. Sheltering them from danger at all times doesn’t teach them how to handle scary situations. After throwing some rocks we climbed around further down the river and saw the whole length of the falls. Primo told me how uses branches to hold on to on his way down and shuffled his feet to keep from slipping. It was a great walk and just what we all needed before heading to the playground to kick the soccer ball around.

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Forgeries, or encouraging creativity

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There has been a good deal of coloring going on in this house lately. Whether markers, crayons, paints, or oil pastels the boys have been putting color on paper and creating their masterpieces at ab alarming rate. This period has seen some real growth in realism as Primo has a torso on his people now, not just arms and legs coming right out of the head. Segundo has started drawing cars that even have wheels on them, albeit right next to each other in the middle of the blob. It’s progress that comes from repetition and patience. I had an idea to find some pictures on the computer and have the boys recreate them on their papers and this has proven to be fun and really amazing to watch. They take a moment to decide if they are going to match the color or the design or both and then get started copying what they see in their own way. I hear this is how all great artist start, copying the greats. Segundo has little patience for it but Primo really gets into it and wants me to join in. He assigns me quadrants and checks my work at regular intervals. He’s a bit of a micromanager but hes cool with multiple coffee breaks so I can’t complain. In the pictures below you can see the original picture and the one that Primo and I made. This is a really fun way to incorporate art into play and I would highly recommend it for parents wanting to do something creative with their kids.

Original

Primo's Copy

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The Other F Word

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When Punk Rockers have kids something has to give, or does it. In the new Documentary from Rare Birds Films called The Other F Word Writer and Director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins digs into fatherhood through the eyes of a bunch of guys whose fathers were largely not there. The documentary is touching and funny and gives a great look at what fatherhood does to change us in so many ways while challenging us to be more. Reflecting on their own childhood a number of the musicians vow to be more than their fathers were and finding the balance between their old life, and this new family. Check out the preview below and find a theatre near you to watch this great movie.

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Painting our own shirts

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A couple of nights ago after dinner we cleared the dishes to make room for some creative fun. I gathered up a couple of t-shirts the boys have that are single color with no graphics and we made our own designs with fabric paint. Beautiful has made a couple of these shirts for father’s day gifts, making one for both our dads with the silhouettes of each of the grand kids profile. She has also used the states that folks have lived in for another creative unique shirt, so I knew she would help the boys make their own cool designs. I set out the fabric paint, the t-shirts, butcher paper, the iron, paint brushes, and a plate to mix the paint on while the boys looked on wide eyed and excited. They had no patience for instructions or setup, they just wanted to paint on anything they could. We gave them each a piece of paper to get their creative juices flowing and to work on their brush work while we got everything arrange.

The butcher paper was great because it had wax one side so we could cut out shapes in the paper and then with the iron attach the paper to the shirts. We put a piece of paper inside the shirt to make sure the paint didn’t bleed through to the back, ironed on the designs, and got the boys stared painting their shirts. Segundo painted green lines on his white shirt while Primo wanted a blue box on his long sleeve green shirt. They went pretty fast slapping the paint around while Beautiful and I went back over to smooth it out but the they loved getting to paint on clothes. We hung the shirts up to dry and got started on a couple more while also giving the boys more paper to paint on. Once we were finished I got the boys washed up and started on a treat while I cleaned the brushes and put away the supplies.

It was a fun project for all of us and fairly easy to set up and clean up. The boys were so excited about their shirts that they both wore them to school the next day making sure to tell who ever would listen that they made them. If you are looking for a creative project to do with your family try picking up some fabric paint and trying your hand at custom shirts. The kids will love it and give them something to show off how creative they are, and what an awesome parent you are.

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