I'll Admit it...I'm Hooked

For years I have said that I would never want a video game system in my home. I grew up without one and sure, I liked playing video games when I went to friends' houses, but I have always felt that they are pretty unnecessary. I would rather my kids spend hours reading or listening to music or playing outside or any number of other activities besides pushing buttons and staring at a screen.

But oh my. I think my feelings may have changed. Bill and Becky (my in-laws; we're in Texas right now) recently bought a Wii. And it is so fun! I am especially hooked on Wii fit. I spent about an hour this morning exploring all the activities and watching the balance in my Fit Bank go up. Man, that little thing is motivational! "Oh boy, I just unlocked 10 reps!" "Great, a new yoga pose!" I would think. And I would just want to keep going.

Now Zach and I certainly have better things to spend $250 on right now than a Wii, but for the first time in my life I am tempted. I never thought I would see this day.

Baby Foosball

Zach, Austin, and I were playing with his ball before bed tonight. He likes to watch Mommy or Daddy roll the ball to him but he doesn't know how to roll it back yet. We also tried getting him to kick the ball but without much success. Then we tried this and the real fun began.

Who else thinks this would be a fun playdate idea? Can you just picture a whole roomful of babies kicking the ball back and forth?

My Fame Continues

So my loyal blog readers already know how I got my picture in the paper for getting a flu shot. The days following were full of friends and neighbors commenting on my appearance in print. But things like getting a flu shot don't keep you in the spotlight for long.

But apparently this exciting moment in my life was not quite over. Yesterday I got a laminated copy of the picture with a handwritten note from Don White, the Pennsylvania state senator representing the Indiana area. He is glad I got my flu shot and hopes others will do the same to stay healthy this winter. Wow! Perhaps this is just a little technique to butter up his constituents but if so it worked! I immediately felt warm fuzzies for my state senator. I wonder if he does that for everyone whose picture makes it in the paper? That could keep a guy busy, you know?

Example #3

Zach is still grading, and the funny papers just keep coming. Here's the latest he found amusing enough to pass over to me.

On what one would assume was a cold day, January 27, 1756, a baby was born and named Johannes Chrysostomos Wolfgang Theophilus Amadeus.

You can just picture baby Mozart being born, with the snow swirling outside, can't you?

How Zach Earns a Living

In addition to being a tuba/euphonium teacher, Zach teaches a large lecture class called Introduction to Music. It's for non-music majors, mostly freshman getting their general ed. fine arts credit. He recently assigned a little project that involved students writing a short bio on a composer, then listening to a piece by that composer and writing a response. He has been grading these projects for the last few days. With over 100 students in the class, you can imagine that it gets a little tedious, but there are always some that are good for a few laughs.

Example #1 (about composer John Adams)

"This was considered his best piece ever. Out of all of the music he wrote prior to this, this song was the best of them all."

Good thing he explained that...I wasn't really sure what "best piece ever" meant.

Example #2 (about composer Franz Joseph Haydn)

"He was a very well-known composer in the classical period, although he did dapple in the late baroque and early 19th century romanticism periods.
...which is what makes him one of the most famous composers of the 20th century."

Who knew that Haydn lived for about 400 years? And "dappling" sounds fun, whatever it is.

You kind of hope these kids are also enrolled in a good English course, don't you?

Lots of Cuteness Going On

Zach says it's time for a mostly-pictures post because there's "a whole lot of cuteness going on" around here. I agree so here we go.

Austin is sitting up on his own...



...for at least a few seconds, anyway! A little bit longer every day, I think.

Yesterday I was putting away laundry in Austin's room and Zach mentioned that the laundry basket was one of his favorite "toys" when he was younger. He put Austin in it for fun. Genius! Austin can sit up in it and it doesn't let him tip too much to the side; put some toys in there and he's good to go for awhile. He loved it when Daddy gave him a ride around his room, too.

Do you think maybe Austin is getting too big for his bouncer? (This picture is actually from a few weeks ago. I don't think Austin has sat in the seat since, although it is still sitting there in the kitchen.)

On a slightly unrelated note, I got to do something really great tonight. I went to the grocery store by myself! And the store was really uncrowded because it was Sunday night and most of western Pennsylvania was at home, the Steelers game having just finished. I never would have thought that going to the store by myself would lift my spirits quite so much but there you go. Just one of the ways life changes when you have a baby.

The Secret to Quick Voting...

Bring a baby! I arrived at my polling place (a building on IUP's campus) to find quite a long line, made up mostly of college students. I came prepared to wait: Austin had just woken up from a nap and he wasn't hungry. But an election official saw me with my stroller and offered to escort me to the front of the line. In and out in about ten minutes. Works for me!

By the way, the Girl Talk blog posted a great clip of John Piper putting the election in perspective. Check it out.