Browsing Tag

truett

kids inc

Revenge of the penguin

Tru got a ton of new toys for his birthday and like all kids, he had a blast ripping them all open. I think he was more interested in opening the presents than actually playing with them. We decided to ration his toys so that he’d be able to have a “new toy” every week rather than have a whole bunch of stuff he’ll spend all of 3 minutes on and then chuck away.

The first toy to make it to the play-list was this Bat and Wobble Penguin that wobbles around and bounces back after its hit. I thought it was really cute since it’s about the same size as him and they could be like best friends.

Bat and Wobble Penguin

But apparently Tru HATES it. He smacked it once and it bounced right back and hit him in the face. After that, he decided that penguins are malevolent and should be avoided at all costs. It’s the second time I’ve seen him afraid of something (the first one was a duck puppet – I told you birds are evil) and it actually is hilarious. I feel totally evil for having so much fun at his expense, but I spent the better part of the afternoon terrorizing him with the nefarious penguin.

I managed to capture some of it down on vid. Have fun. Oh yah, turn up the sound will you?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfUaXhke3Jg

Comic Relief, kids inc

Adventures of the Hunky Pool Boy

Some may say that comics aren’t legitimate literary forms, but go ask Neil Gaiman, the god of graphic novels (it’s just a fancy name for comics) and he will probably tell you that you’re an illiterate fool. 50 years from now, high school students will be dissecting the genius of graphic novels as part of their pursuit of literature, alongside Shakespeare and Harper Lee.

For me, I’m a fan of all forms of literature. I enjoy Harry Potter as much as Jane Eyre (btw, John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer novels are my guilty pleasure). When I stumbled upon the Sandman series by Gaiman, I was absolutely riveted. Comics are an art form, mixing visuals and prose to form a complex tapestry in which the narrative is masterfully woven.

Which is why I’ve decided to try my hand at comic creation. It’s probably too short to be a graphic novel, so maybe I’ll just start off with a graphic novella. Enjoy.

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i embarrass myself sometimes

Parting is such sweet sorrow

Before I gave birth, I used to laugh at parents who developed severe separation anxiety disorders. A friend of mine had originally booked a holiday without the kid, but then decided it was too painful to jet set off to see the world without her little precious for five days. She started bawling her eyes out at the airport, and came right back after spending a grand total of 24 hours in the Maldives.

Naturally, I had a ton of witticisms about that particular incident. In fact, my mom can attest to the fact that I declared I’d take a 3-week holiday to California without Tru within a year of his birth. Apparently, I said “I’m too cool to be that clingy and needy.” (it’s all a little fuzzy in my mind right now)

Obviously, I spoke too soon, and I’ve got a funny feeling I’d have to eat my words at some point.

So during my prolonged battle with the flu, my mom offered to watch Tru for 2 nights so I can take a break and get some rest. It seemed like a brilliant idea. My mind told me to shut up, thank my lucky stars and celebrate 48 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

But as soon as I stepped out of the house, I started experiencing a whole host of unexpected symptoms, including but not limited to nausea, breathlessness, headaches, dizzy spells, heart palpitations, profuse sweating and blurred vision. I also had this horrible, homesick, sinking feeling in my gut, reminiscent of the days when I was away at school camp without my mommy and my teddy.

I stood outside my mom’s house for several minutes, torn between sleep and my miracle drug. I couldn’t believe I was turning into one of those disgustingly needy mothers. I was hoping Tru would kick up a big fuss so I’d have an excuse to bring him home, but he seemed perfectly happy to spend the night at Grandma’s.

Well, it was way too embarrassing to turn back so all I could do was suck it up, wipe the snot from my nose and stop being a wuss. But I have to admit, I was bawling all the way back home.

Laugh all you want, but there’s no way I’m going for a holiday without the kids.