The Drive Up

On the drive up to Kalahari, Gilbert was in need of a snack. Not to lose time, we violated our rule and let him eat while driving.

I had been taking a nap and in doing so removed the headrest. Gilbert promptly turned it into a foot rest!

Savvy Daddy

A friend of mine just passed along a blog worth checking out...Savvy Daddy. Ladies, you might want to send the link to your hubbies!

Train Store Outing

The weather was particularly gray and dour this past weekend so looking for fun activities to get us out of the condo, Kristen had the idea of visiting a train store in Berwyn. Great idea!

At first, Gilbert didn't know how to react. Toys and trains were everywhere! Once comfortable with the surroundings, he was running all over the store. From the Thomas section to the electric train models and then back and forth, back and forth. It was fun to see him so excited! Of course, we picked up some vital additions to the track so I, er, Gilbert could add some complexity to his set up at home.

ABCs

I've posted before about Gilbert's animal letter cards. I wiped off the dust on them a few days ago and he showed renewed interest. His mastery of the alphabet continues as well as cognitive recognition of the letters with the animals and ability to pronunciate. It is so much fun!

Oh yeah, Gilbert sees 'choo choo tracks' in everything. A straight line or items in a row are a choo choo track to him.

And how many times can I say "very good"? Jeez!

Who Would Have Thought?

Continually exploring how to get veggies into Little Man, I went deep into the archives for a recipe I used to make, Black Bean Polenta.

The recipe is a layered casserole with polenta, chopped peppers (red, orange, yellow), black beans, tomato sauce and cheese. Gilbert is a texture eater, so black beans (big on protein, low on fat) is not on his approved list. As an alternative, I used refried black beans instead. Looks like it worked!

In future versions, I might add some purees to the sauce such as eggplant, onions, and zucchini to give it more flavor and increase the veggie count. But for now, I'm happy with the outcome!

Wii Fit - On Steroids!

I've posted before about my affinity for Wii Fit. Well, I've rekindled my love for it.

Thanks to the folks at EA, a new program has been designed specifically for the Wii Fit. EA Active is Wii Fit on STEROIDS!

The best way to explain the difference is such...Wii Fit is a good exercise, while EA Active is a workout!

EA Active comes with a personal trainer so you can set goals (similar to Wii Fit) as well as participate in a 6 Week program and other preset programs. Supporting this approach are prepared workout regimens. The cool part is the ability to create customized workouts.

For example, categories include cardio, lower, upper, fitness, and warm up/cool down. In the cardio section a variety of runs exist including running with a partner, sprinting, free runs, etc. Fitness is loaded with fun activities such as boxing, sparring, obstacle courses, water paddling, and more. The key is the program comes with a leg wrap where the nunchuck sits so the program registers leg movements.

Oh yeah, it tracks calories. To test the accuracy, I strapped on my heart rate monitor and found the results to be nearly identical!

Back to workouts. This is by far the coolest feature. I built a few and tested them over the weekend. 45 minutes later I was a sweaty mess, burnt 500 calories and felt as if I did actually get a workout!

For those of you that like 'classes', there is a slew of preprogrammed step aerobics programs varying in both duration and intensity.

I really enjoy the boxing/sparring, obstacles course, and water paddling. I still enjoy the yoga and some of the strength activities in the Wii Fit, but EA Active is definitely more that...active!Check it out!

Priorities

It was time for bed and Gilbert only had on his shirt, but he noticed something on the floor that needed to vacuumed up! Out came his play Dirt Devil, and Little Man was off to do some housecleaning!

Train Tracks

Gilbert sees 'train tracks' in everything. The latest fatuation is the dish washer. Other than what you see below, he's studying the wheels on the lower level and how the cart rolls in and out. Future engineer in the making!

Avatar

I was in need of a mental health day, so I took the day off from work on Friday. We dropped Gilbert off at school and started our day with a workout. From there it was off to catch the matinee showing of Avatar. I wanted to see it in IMAX, but in 3D Kristen thought she would not be able to handle it (she gets queasy easily). And with the 3D movie, comes the stylish 3D glassed. Actually, these weren't bad, just a bad imitation of Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

Probably a good call! The movie was visually amazing. The story was solid, not groundbreaking. The value in seeing the movie on the big screen is the visual experience. Unbelievable! The director, James Cameron, was recently on Charlie Rose and it was incredible to learn that he cooked up Avatar more than 12 years ago. All in his head! He invested his own money and worked directly with Sony in creating the 3D cameras used for the movie as well. Visionary, indeed!

If you are on the fence about seeing the movie, find time!

It Is A Work Day!

Gilbert likes to get ready for 'work' like his mommy and daddy. It is a hoot seeing what he gathers for his 'work day'!

This Is What Happens When...

You let your child pick clothes for bed! He insisted on wearing mesh shorts to bed, "like daddy"!

At least he's color coordinated!

Sunday Breakfast

We had what is fast becoming a monthly ritual having breakfast with our good friends Tony and Vanessa. They recently added a third to the family and have since moved to the suburbs. This weekend we ventured out to their neck of the nape for breakfast.

Little Man LOVES breakfast out! All day Saturday he talked about having pancakes with syrup and eggs. Oh yeah, toast with butter. Healthy, huh?

When done, Gilbert wanted to play with Maddie so it was fun to capture some pics watching them check each other out!

Shake My Brain

When Gilbert wants to be silly, he'll shake his brain while eating dinner. Hurts mine just to watch!

Cupcakes!

It was a snow day on Friday, so Kristen and Gilbert had a home project...make cupcakes!

Saturday was scheduled for a haircut, so as a treat/gift they made cupcakes for all the ladies that work at the barber shop. Both Gilbert and me get our haircut from Lexi, one of two twins that own their own shop in the West Loop.

Little Man is smitten with all of them and hams it for them throwing around hugs to all! Of course, the ladies eat him up!

Sledding With No Snow

I keep finding stuff to post about from our trip to MI! On our last day, we were determined to be outside. The original plan was to do some sledding in the backyard (they have a lot of land!).

Snow was on the ground when we went to bed, but the freezing rain overnight removed most of the snow. Not to be deterred, we did some sledding so Gilbert could get the experience. Good times!

Happy New Year!

Getting it off to a good start, at least I thought so. Kristen affectionately referred to me and all the other polar bears as "idiots".