noahman's post

Pinch punch first day of the month

2008-07-01T07:37:00.001-07:00

That title comes from my father-in-law, who in turn passed it on to the wife. She now tries every month on the 1st to pinch-punch all of us first in the morning. This is where you pinch and then punch the person first in the day and then say "No Returns." That means no one can "pinch punch you back!" There used to be serious competition between us when we were a bit younger. I kept a paper journal during the years and can even now go back to each 1st day of the month and see who won. I remember one successful year of mine: score me 10 wife 2. There were chases, screams, and even serious hiding that went on during these days. Now the wife has passed it onto the boys and they are totally into it. The oldest has a tizzy-fit if he doesn't get it first. The youngest is always trying hard, and manages now to get the wife in the morning. The middle boy just saunters around trying hard not to get pinched, and somehow always wins. (That might have to do with both the wife and I being middle children and knowing how it feels!) So this morning no one is up yet and I am plotting my way to victory. I know I can get the wife in the morning by bringing her coffee and waking her up, but that is so passe now. More intricate maneuvers need to be concocted. I'll let you know who wins in my next blog.....but I'm pretty sure it'll be the middle child yet again!

Last Day

2008-06-30T08:14:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow I start my new position at the school I work at. It has been a long time coming to work to this place. Over 20 years working with children and education. I know it will be rewarding, but my biggest fear is the idea that I'll miss the children a lot. There is something about getting the excited butterflies on the night before the first day of school. There is something rewarding about seeing a student realize how to do a 2-digit multiplication problem. There is something wonderful about laughing in a group of 23 about the silliest things. Only once before did I take a position where I didn't have the same children in my care for 6 hours a day. It was weird and the adjustment never really took place. I know that was over 10 years ago now, but I still feel that not having that will be the hardest part. That and the organziation piece of it. Even the wife pointed that out. I usually start something gung-ho and then don't finish it. I can't do that now as most of my job description will be to think about how to complete projects. So, now I am offically an administrator (assistant director if I might add!) and it feels the same only pays better!

Newly painted

2008-06-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how wonderful a new coat of paint looks and also changes your view of something. After doing the windows, it was clear that painting the house made sense. It took us a week or so but we found a wonderful painter named Jose Guitterez. He is reasonable and thoughtful and does a great job for the price. He is hopefully going to finish today or Monday at the latest. He has done the whole outside, including the garage door, the three doors and the black door screens. Wow! What a difference it makes. Now of course, there is more to do. It is clear that we should re-do our front walkway and put a fence/gate in on the driveway. So the spending continues. It is truely the first spending we've done on the house in a big way since we bought the place 10 years ago and did some initial work. I can tell you now, our house would sell so much more quickly now then it would have only a week ago. That is testament to the paint job.

Finishing Off

2008-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's clear that trying each day to write is still not working. I guess that is part of the process. When you feel like there is something to write, then write it. I know that the house is beginning to chill out after an intense school year. It is non-stop in our house, what with meetings, music lessons, eating out and socialization. But as of today, we are starting to decompress, even if only for a week. Next week we start a short summer program at the wife's preschool. It will only run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday's. But if this heat keeps up, it will many hours of staying inside. Today it is already in the 80's and only just going on 8 a.m. There is a warm wind, which causes so many fires in the region. Hopefully not today! Our youngest son had his birthday yesterday and is becoming so old in our eyes. What a lovely boy he is. So funny and so loving. His favorite activity to do is to "chub" cheeks. This action entailes him coming up to you with an open hand and placing just the finger section of his hand on your cheek. This is done in a repetitive motion once on your cheek. It is random and can happen at any time. So we've rightly named it "chubbing the cheek." Of course this does get him into trouble with his older brothers!

More Thinking

2008-06-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Blogger ettiquete is probably one that you don't harbor on about the same topic for two nights, but my head is still thinking about last nights topic. We had a nice Father's Day today. The wife and I went on a hike, the boys made me a cool picture frame and the letter J, and we went to a friends house for lunch and a chat. Yet I still can't get the father-in-law out of my head. I think about the times he and I sat early in the mornings while his wife woke up and my wife slept in. We sat in his front room as the sun broke through the clouds and talked about the boys, about his daughter (the wife to you) and then much about Manchester United. That was his team, ever since he was young. My father-in-law would know any player, any fact, and any goal scored against any opposing team (especially Liverpool) and even the minute the goal was scored. I learned so much from him, but one thing that stands out is how much I love Manchester United now. I can't wait to watch them play. I can't wait to see how they do. This year they won the double: their league and then also the most coveted award: European Championship. I know the father-in-law was cheering from above and laughing all the way to Liverpool. He was a devoted fan, and has made me one too. I know the team made sure to capture both titles in honor of him.

A Father's Day to Remember

2008-06-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Father's Day, a day that should be one to celebrate, and yet I am thinking a lot about my father-in-law. He passed away only four months ago and I still haven't come to terms with it...and if I haven't, you can imagine how much the wife hasn't! He was the wife's life. They were like nothing I've ever seen in my long amount of years. They could read each other's mind. They could sit and hold hands and not talk all day and there would be this feeling like everything was right in the world. They could joke and laugh and sing and chat and moan and digress into a pretend musical world and everything was right in the world. They could be 6000 miles away and be right next to each other in mind and spirit. Everything that the wife did and still does filters through her dad. He was truly a spirit that could lift the corners of the universe. He was able to show you that one person could make you feel like you were the most important person in their life. I only got 17 years of him, the wife 41 short ones. It doesn't feel fair to be writing that it wasn't enough, and yet it wasn't. He was the truest person I ever met and feel blessed that I knew him. Although it is Father's Day tomorrow, my wish is to let my father-in-law send the wife a message that all is well and that he feels the boys, mine and most importantly the wife's love always and forever.

Pretty Well Finished

2008-06-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

As the wife gets ready for her year end school party/graduation/father's day...not a small undertaking if you ask me, I am done with my school for the year. I have to say I really enjoyed this class. They were kind, considerate, and funny to boot. Not easy adjectives to describe a class nowadays. Anywhooo...as I write this I think about the amazing job the wife has done over the past two years. She set up her own school from scratch and had a wonderful set of parents, many of them who are moving on after today's party. Actually the one set who reads this is her biggest supporter in everything she does. The wife decided to open her own pre-school after many many years of working with children. She felt that the school she had been working at was not measuring up any more and also (and rightfully) acknowledged that she was a main attraction to the program. So after a change in the director, she licensed our house and began hearing much interest from families not too happy with the old school. After a fretful summer of getting everything together (and as stated above the biggest fans doing an incredible make over of our garage) she held an open house. It rocked and by the time the evening was over, she had so much interest, that she had a waiting list already. Keeping the size of the school to a very limited number and having an assistant to work with, she has established what I would consider the best pre-school in the valley. Without a doubt she understands child development and realizes how unique and special each child is. One of kind if you ask me! So today she celebrates 2 wonderful years of running her own school and she can't be more humble about it.

Write Around The Corner

2008-06-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

Each morning I have planned to sit down and write on my blog. Still haven't mastered that one yet. It is the stuff you don't think about that takes me away from it. I am finishing up my progress reports, working on laundry, putting the dishes away, going out to get a few groceries early. Reading used to be my favorite early morning activity. I used to get up, make coffee and sit and read for at least 45 minutes. Of course the trade off was that I wasn't doing any kind of exercise. So once I started exercising, the reading fell off the map and now I don't even do a bit of reading in the morning before school starts. But I have to say I am glad to write on this almost every morning. It is good to share what feelings, ideas and thoughts you have, even if only one friend reads it.
On a totally different note, I have to believe that school ends when it does otherwise as teachers you would collapse in a heap at the bottom of a stairwell. It is only 1 1/2 days left for me and 3 days left for my wife, and both of us are pooped and exhausted. That is not to say we hate what we're doing, but just that a break for a little bit is so very important. This summer the wife and I will be doing a 3-day a week summer camp from 9-3. It'll be our 'green' way of off setting the carbons that the long airplane ride we'll take to see family will cost. Not nearly close to the cost, but at least towards it.

A lovely Sunday

2008-06-09T06:22:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely Sunday. We woke and the wife suggested we take the boys for a hike. Let me preface that last comment with the idea that we hadn't taken a hike in many many years. So it was daunting with the idea that our boys would moan and groan. They didn't and it felt great. We never quite found the hike we were looking for but did go up into the San Gabriel mountains and walk and walk for about one and half hours. Great exercise. The youngest one was the most "done" by the time we were coming down. Bribing them with ice cream helps too! A lovely Sunday lunch that is traditional fare in England and lots to clean up . The only messy part of the whole day was the sink and bathtub drain got clogged. What a pain in the bum! Luckily the toilet didn't and that makes or breaks up being able to stay here because we only have one of those. So, the bathtub right now looks disgusting with brown brackish smelly water and the kitchen sink keeps teasing us with having the water recede, but as soon as you start to use the tab, it bubbles right back up. I wish we had our own personal plumber for these exact times!

Ah!!! Saturday Morning

2008-06-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

It happens to be Saturday morning. The boys are watching Saturday morning cartoons, a favorite of mine when I was in elementary school. Just couldn't stay in bed on Saturday morning, so I would get up easily way before having to get up for school the previous 5 days, and zone out in front of Scooby Do, The Jetsons, Richie Rich, etc. Now it is so sophisticated. They watch one channel until a commercial comes on then remote to the next one and return one minute and 3 seconds later to watch then first channel again. They also have this idea that everything can and should be "tivoed" and therefore no commercials should interrupt their show. If by chance they do watch something 'live' then during a commerical they will come with a bombardment of "when is breakfast' and 'can I get a snack' and 'can I get a drink.' I've figured out that if I become scarce just as the commericals are about to come on, they will follow me around the house, garden, garage trying to get my attention. Although not perfect at it yet, I have mastered to some degree looking very busy and not being available until the show comes on again, in which case all inquiries disappear for the next 10 to 12 minutes. Ahhhh....the life of a sneaky dad! I'm looking forward to when the boys are wanting to watch MTV Real World and then I'll be trying to get their attention during the show and not during other times!

Not to be

2008-06-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

I guess I was way way way too optomistic as I had written 3 days in a row. Now it has been two full days since I last blogged. A learning lesson: Don't get so high and mighty about how wonderful things are so quickly. It's like a rookie star getting a huge multi-year contract and you want to say, "Hang on he/she is only 19 years old. You have no guarantee that this will be a good deal." I guess I thought I was a well paid rookie. Now I'm back to my amatuer status. As the days wind down at school, I am anticipating the opportunity of moving into a new position. It is titled Assistant Director of Academics. A little daunting really, but I'm very happy it has come about because I have wanted that kind of experience in my career. So it seems to be naturally falling into my lap. The hardest darn part is making sure I get a salary and other stuff that I deserve, because I guess in this part of the academic world there is bargaining power. Oh well...we'll see in the next few days I suppose. Just a big shout out to the wife as she has been preparing for her last day of school with making DVDs, Cd's, cards, quotes, books, Father's Day frames, taking pictures, and many more things that will be in the children's bags to share with their parents. She has worked so hard this year and her kids are so amazingly well adjusted and happy. I know she is the best teacher that I have ever watched. Her natural instincts and warm kindness to each one of the children shines through. I know she knows this...but she is such a natural at it. There are so many parts of the wife I admire...this part is one I am in awe of!

3 in a row

2008-06-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

So far my blog has sent mind swirling numbers to read it. Yesterday we were over at our friend's house who has kept a blog for most of a year or so, and she was really helpful in knowing how to set up more items on my page. Can't tell you how much help that is...although I suppose if you haven't checked out my blog before, you wouldn't know any better. At my school, we're coming to a close of the year and the kids are getting to that point where they are done mentally. Although, I remember thinking that thought as an elementary child, but then realizing my summer wasn't going to be at all like everyone else's. As a teacher, you feel the same thing, only in an adult body. You are ready for the break, but all the vacation trips you wish for don't come because unlike your buddies in elementary school, you have no money to go on 'exotic' trips. Although you do get your summers officially "off" one is never "off" too far. Either you're finding a summer job (as the wife and I will do for part of this summer), or planning for the following year. Ahhh...the countdown on the green chalk board (yes my classroom still has one of those) is 9 days!

A second day

2008-06-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

After re-reading my first blog entry, I thought I'd add more detail about me. I grew up in Los Angeles and married a wonderfully funny and beautiful English woman. She has put up with me for 17 years so far, with maybe a few years left....we'll see. We've added three boys to our home and they are turning into cool little people. One is 11 and one turns 10 really soon and one turns 7 really soon too. They are jamming away at life and having ups and downs like any kid should. With the help of my wife's humor and unconditional love, the three of them are gathering a lot of wisdom about this small planet of ours. They ask, they demand, the expect, they say please and thank you (especially as we eat out a lot as a family). But overall, the wife and I are very happy parents and know that this is the most special time in their lives...and we're not going to screw up too badly (we hope!).

Here I Go

2008-05-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about doing a blog. I've read our friend's one many times and I've always wondered if I have the diligence to write everyday or even more often. So here it goes. Firstly, why would you want to read this. I'm not sure there is a good reason. Maybe to see what the daily life is of a husband of one wife, father of 3 kids, an elementary school teacher of 18 years, and someone who is finally going to therapy for the first time in his life. If those reasons don't make you read on...I am actually not really surprised. That isn't much to go on if I were to be truthful. But maybe there is some kind heart out in the cyberworld that will read this once in a while. I have been keeping a daily journal for many years on paper, and it is one of the few items that I cherish keeping. Not so much for the exciting writing (which it isn't), but for looking back and seeing what I was doing on a certain date or year. That is amazing only in the fact that my memory doesn't keep all these events. But paper, and now hopefully cyberspace, will keep them for me.