Better Than Wordle

For day 13 of our blog, I thought I would share a little chuckle.  My kids are now grown, but when they were little, we were often reminded of how they looked at things with fresh eyes.

A good example of this is our son one day commented on how he kept getting emails from this same person and he had no idea who the person was. Of course, we were concerned and asked him the person’s name.  He said Donut Trepply.  Not knowing anybody named Donut, we asked to see his email.  Turns out it was “DoNotReply”.  A fun mishap that we still tease him about today.

Another fun example comes at our daughter’s expense.  She said she could not smell something anymore and declared she had “old factory fatigue”.  We incredulously responded “do you mean olfactory fatigue?? As in your nose? And no longer being able to smell something?” She defended her term stating it made complete sense – like an old factory would be smelly and you are tired of smelling it. I get that.

It's always nice to have a new perspective.  On a similar note, I thought this would be a good opportunity to plug Planet Word, a relatively new museum in Washington DC.  A museum about words you say? How boring!  But it really is very fun and high tech and great for both young and old. Consider checking it out.

Peace out!

Eve

I'm Walking Here

Is it just me or have people lost the ability to share a sidewalk?

I spent the day in New York City today and was amazed by how difficult it is to navigate the sidewalks these days.  Families of four people walk four abreast – basically covering 90% of the width of the sidewalk and preventing anyone from passing or walking past in the opposite direction without stepping off onto the street.  Sometimes groups have decided to stop dead in the center of a sidewalk and conduct a meeting.  I don’t care who is going to dinner where and I’m more than happy for you guys to have that conversation, however, can’t you just pull off next to the buildings and have your meeting there so the rest of us can pass?  Is it too much to ask?  I kinda feel like it’s not.  There's a reason the word "side" is part of sidewalk, am I right?

Sure, we could put yellow lines down the center of the sidewalks like our roads, but that feels so excessive.  Is it so hard to understand that sidewalks are two-way?  What do we need next, traffic lights for the sidewalks?  All I’m asking for is a little courtesy.

I’m glad people come from all over the world to take in the splendor of our city.  There is always so much to see and do.  Happy to share it.  As long as they learn to share our sidewalks.

Thanks for reading.

Frosty

Fan Mail

To my faithful followers and readers,

I am regularly humbled by the amount of support and the levels of sheer loyalty that you, our fans, show our Holidailies blog. Holidailys? Holidailes. No one knows how to spell it.

You are so loyal that, every December, I receive tons of fan mail every week! And I am so grateful for that, believe me. I merely want to take some time today to address the content of said mail. In just the past couple of days, I’ve received the following:

• A top-heavy cross that always turns upside down, no matter how you hang it
• A heavily used Santa suit
• Chocolate chip cookies with thick Italian arm hairs.
• A rabbit’s foot, still warm and bloody (how did you get it to stay warm?)
• A stuffed Reindeer toy. If you squeeze it, it says “Um, Santa’s right behind me, isn’t he?”
• A highly detailed drawing of my face with extra wrinkles (what the hell)

And I am so grateful for these! But also, don’t send them anymore. Instead of these eclectic items, I’ve assembled a list of alternative gifts that you can send:

• Cash

We look forward to your future contributions. Happy Hanukkah!

Rudolph

Raiders of the Home Depot

I ended up visiting two different Home Depot stores in my area yesterday. The first time was to pick up assorted items for projects around the house. Then, while doing those various projects, we realized that something we thought was a “fix” project is actually a “replace” project. 

I started calling around to several stores to see if they had what we needed in stock. Such a different experience from store to store. In some cases, I was transferred to the right department and got a knowledgeable representative who checked inventory on the computer. At another store, I got transferred around from department to department for more than 20 minutes before finally getting the information that I needed. 

Once in the store, I was again reminded of that final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark with rows and rows of wooden crates stacked floor to ceiling in a warehouse. It amazes me that they can actually find things in a Home Depot. They sell so many items, and stock all of the sizes and colors of each item. Not even Macy’s does that anymore. 

Still, if I ever need to hide a priceless archaeological relic, I know where I’m stashing it. 

Thanks for reading. 

Frosty

Working With Kids

As a current day care teacher/person who as worked with many ages of children in various different capacities, I am always amused when people say they could NEVER work with all those kids and wipe butts all day. But honestly, I think my day care job is easier than my other day job as a brand ambassador handing out info pamphlets in Times Square.

This evening I babysat one of my work babies for five hours, and it was easily the most relaxing part of my day. It certainly helps that he’s an easier baby, but I find it very relaxing to help a 10 month old walk around for a half hour and then “show him” Polar Express (by that I mean I put some cereal puffs and some toys on the floor in front of him as we watched the Polar Express together). I helped him snack and then changed him, gave him a bottle, and he was so tuckered out he fell asleep in like 5 minutes without even wearing his sleep sack. I then spent the rest of my night watching a holiday rom-com and eating the takeout I’d ordered, and I literally got paid for that. With babysitting (as well as daycare), the kids require a lot of rest, be it naps or actual bedtime. Because of this, I get to take breaks when they’re not awake and I can just exist, and since he’s so little I don’t even have to worry about explaining things to him in a way he can comprehend, because he’s just a mushy little blob of adorableness that likes having raspberries blown on his fat little belly and that's basically it.

I suppose I can understand where people are coming from when they don’t find it as refreshing and energizing as I do to play with kids, but even then you don’t really have to entertain them if you don’t want to— at a certain age they can pretty much entertain themselves and you just have to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re alive. Getting paid to do that seems plenty worth it to me, and honestly, I would have paid that little munchkin’s parents money to let me hang out with him.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Agamemnon and the Legend of the Lost Blade

 A warrior and his squire stand at the entrance to a dark cavern.

Agamemnon: Squire! Hand me my sword so I may vanquish the dragon. 

Squire: We left it back at camp.

Agamemnon: Ah.

Agamemnon and the Legend of the Lost Blade

————————

Thanks for reading!

Rudolph

Intro to Advent Calendars

 

Ever since I was a little girl, we got the Advent Calendars with 24 pieces of chocolate. It seemed the only variety they came in was little foil-wrapped Santas with cheap chocolate inside. But over the last five years or so, it seems there are more and more varieties of calendars. Now, there are name-brand chocolates like Harry & David and Lindt. There are also ones with cookies in them and lots of other treats.

Advent Calendars don’t stop at sweets, though. You can get wine calendars (with a little bottle for each day), or beer, or even tea and coffee. I have bought cheese-themed ones, too. I have yet to purchase, but am tracking, the perfume and/or makeup versions.

Basically, anything that can be made in trial size is being re-purposed for an Advent Calendar. Want to explore some new hot sauces? Check out 25 Days of Holiday Heat. And how do you feel about mini  lego sets in Advent calendars? What could go wrong there? One of the iterations I am keeping my eye on for next year is votive candles. Exploring twenty-four scents would be pretty cool.

This year, we decided to get our kids Christmas movie trivia Advent Calendars. Each day, they can read a fun fact about a holiday movie. I figure if nothing else, it may spark an interest in rewatching a movie, or seeking out a new one.

There are also Advent Calendars that have 24 tiny slots or drawers for a parent to custom fill. I have not taken on that project but I imagine it is one way to make sure the child only gets what they’ll like. 

Caveat Emptor: There are many products out there billing themselves as Advent Calendars that only have 12 days. That’s not Advent – that’s the 12 Days of Christmas! I actually got in a huge “discussion” with a salesperson who showed me a 12-day “Advent Calendar” and tried to tell me that they are one and the same. I was like Advent: 24 days and before Christmas; Twelve Days of Christmas: 12 days and after Christmas. I am not sure I actually cracked that nut. 

Anyway, I hope I’ve encouraged you to check out some of the new calendars. It’s a fun way to build up the season for children both big and small!

Thanks for reading!

Eve