...what else would you do, but build your own electric fan?
This post is from Dad, who decided to show a little project we worked on this past weekend. One of R's favorite places to visit is a surplus shop called the Ax-Man where we can easily spend an hour or two checking out the cool stuff they have on hand. After school this past Friday, we went there to pick up some parts for a project we had been talking about for a couple of weeks. On Saturday we got to work. Here is the result (apologies for the heavy editing - Dad was trying to address everyone's needs at once):
Ours is a modification of the design found here, which also provides a nice set of instructions.
Or you can just buy a kit!
We hope you enjoyed our little demonstration, and that it inspires you to do a little inventing of your own!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
waking up dad part 2
ro has been reluctant to stop snuggling in the mornings and start his day. but this does not compare at all to his father who is impossible to get off the sofa where he consistently falls asleep every night after midnight. last night was particularly funny. dad fell asleep around 11 and when i got him up a few hours later to go to bed, he followed after only a few pokes and prods. however, when i got upstairs, i noticed that he had brought up one of the children's chairs with him. when i questioned him about this, all he would answer is "we have to check her threshold." i asked a few more questions to try to figure out which her and which thresholds, but my dear partner just repeated himself. after finally getting tucked into bed, he added "i don't know the p-values." ah that explains it...
our son takes great pleasure in knowing that his dad is harder to wake up than he is.
this morning, k woke up happy, reassured that we would live with me for the rest of her life (i don't have it in writing yet). snuggled with her parents, and then was ready to go downstairs.
ro, on the other hand, was ready for a snuggle in the chair late in the morning. we curled up and i told him that i remember holding him like that when he was a baby, then a toddler,a preschooler (caboose and engineer), and when he was just beginning kindergarten. i told him he was such a big kid now. and then he turned to me and said very seriously, "and you will always love me. no matter how big i get and when i move out and when you die. i will always love you until you die." and my son teared as he said this. i took his hand and said, "just like the kissing hand (a book), i will kiss your hand, and even when i am not here, you can hold your hand to your face and feel my love." i also added, "and don't worry, when you grow up and move away, i will move near by and be your neighbor." we both were happy with that idea. i guess those two years make a big difference between wanting to live with your parents forever and wanting to be neighbors. i guess the distance that is seen as desirable continues to grow for a while and then at some point decreases again as one gets older. i am certainly ready to have family be closer. anyway, it felt like one of the most meaningful conversations we have ever had. and it filled me with awe to see my son contemplate my mortality and his love and loss. i cannot say how profoundly it touched me.
we went to the library, picked up a few fun supplies, ate lunch, read books, blew up lots of balloons (dad) and let them deflate and blow around everywhere (the kids), played wii, ate dinner, went to see a puppet show about a brother platypus and sister platypus, had a snack, and played kids-are-adults-in-charge the rest of the day. pretty good day by any standard.
our son takes great pleasure in knowing that his dad is harder to wake up than he is.
this morning, k woke up happy, reassured that we would live with me for the rest of her life (i don't have it in writing yet). snuggled with her parents, and then was ready to go downstairs.
ro, on the other hand, was ready for a snuggle in the chair late in the morning. we curled up and i told him that i remember holding him like that when he was a baby, then a toddler,a preschooler (caboose and engineer), and when he was just beginning kindergarten. i told him he was such a big kid now. and then he turned to me and said very seriously, "and you will always love me. no matter how big i get and when i move out and when you die. i will always love you until you die." and my son teared as he said this. i took his hand and said, "just like the kissing hand (a book), i will kiss your hand, and even when i am not here, you can hold your hand to your face and feel my love." i also added, "and don't worry, when you grow up and move away, i will move near by and be your neighbor." we both were happy with that idea. i guess those two years make a big difference between wanting to live with your parents forever and wanting to be neighbors. i guess the distance that is seen as desirable continues to grow for a while and then at some point decreases again as one gets older. i am certainly ready to have family be closer. anyway, it felt like one of the most meaningful conversations we have ever had. and it filled me with awe to see my son contemplate my mortality and his love and loss. i cannot say how profoundly it touched me.
we went to the library, picked up a few fun supplies, ate lunch, read books, blew up lots of balloons (dad) and let them deflate and blow around everywhere (the kids), played wii, ate dinner, went to see a puppet show about a brother platypus and sister platypus, had a snack, and played kids-are-adults-in-charge the rest of the day. pretty good day by any standard.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
social pajamas
well for those of you who check in:
the kids played surgery again. apparently, k had nose and knees surgery. her surgeon came by to tell me to be sure to ice both of them and that he had set up a tube to circulate the ice water between them. he also made sure to tell me to take her to PT and to wiggle her nose. they had several eye operations too. clearly they are thinking a great deal about mom and nani. (we are cautiously optimistic about nani's eye. it is still inconclusive, but there was better vision today.)
k and ro are working on their reading. k likes to hold books up "like a teacher" and read us a story. ro is working on sounding out words and does not get as discouraged.
the kids and i talked about haiti and at first they said that we did not have extra money to give. so then we talked about money we used for things we "need" and for things we "want." and we talked about how we had enough for our "needs" while so many people in haiti did not have enough for their needs. they then thought it was a good idea to give.
we introduced the wii last week. i think it will be our friday night family activity. anyone who wants to play can stop by.
today, k stuck her hand out and said her usual "nice to meetchya." i responded with "hi, i am jigna." and she came back with, "hi i am nani." so we then played nani and jigna ride the bus to go to the museum. nani and jigna go to a movie theater to watch elmo and eat popcorn. and nani and jigna did all of this while i did my knee exercises. i can know see how to make my PT fun -- integrate k into it. she did get tired of standing on the pillow on one foot before i was done.
r played in the snow with liz and came home beaming. that kid just glows when he is happy.
they have been staying up way too late so mornings have been a little hard on them. but evenings except for a few screams here and there have been pleasant. we have been doing puzzles, homework, writing, computer time, some yoga, among other things.
the days are getting brighter a little earlier and staying brighter a little longer. it is not spring but it is neither the darkest nor the coldest week any more.
dad has been falling asleep on the couch in the evenings. i just told him to plug in his computer because the power was low and tried to hand him the plug. he said "yes" and rolled over. i asked him if had heard me and replied that he did. i asked him what i said. his response "social pajamas."
and that folks is all the news that fit to print...
the kids played surgery again. apparently, k had nose and knees surgery. her surgeon came by to tell me to be sure to ice both of them and that he had set up a tube to circulate the ice water between them. he also made sure to tell me to take her to PT and to wiggle her nose. they had several eye operations too. clearly they are thinking a great deal about mom and nani. (we are cautiously optimistic about nani's eye. it is still inconclusive, but there was better vision today.)
k and ro are working on their reading. k likes to hold books up "like a teacher" and read us a story. ro is working on sounding out words and does not get as discouraged.
the kids and i talked about haiti and at first they said that we did not have extra money to give. so then we talked about money we used for things we "need" and for things we "want." and we talked about how we had enough for our "needs" while so many people in haiti did not have enough for their needs. they then thought it was a good idea to give.
we introduced the wii last week. i think it will be our friday night family activity. anyone who wants to play can stop by.
today, k stuck her hand out and said her usual "nice to meetchya." i responded with "hi, i am jigna." and she came back with, "hi i am nani." so we then played nani and jigna ride the bus to go to the museum. nani and jigna go to a movie theater to watch elmo and eat popcorn. and nani and jigna did all of this while i did my knee exercises. i can know see how to make my PT fun -- integrate k into it. she did get tired of standing on the pillow on one foot before i was done.
r played in the snow with liz and came home beaming. that kid just glows when he is happy.
they have been staying up way too late so mornings have been a little hard on them. but evenings except for a few screams here and there have been pleasant. we have been doing puzzles, homework, writing, computer time, some yoga, among other things.
the days are getting brighter a little earlier and staying brighter a little longer. it is not spring but it is neither the darkest nor the coldest week any more.
dad has been falling asleep on the couch in the evenings. i just told him to plug in his computer because the power was low and tried to hand him the plug. he said "yes" and rolled over. i asked him if had heard me and replied that he did. i asked him what i said. his response "social pajamas."
and that folks is all the news that fit to print...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
playing doctor
r performed "surgery" on k in the bath today. he fixed her chest problems in a complicated procedure through her back involving bubbles. and then she reciprocated. i heard "close your eyes. click click. ok all done. open your eyes; your parents are here." there was a lot of shuffling around in wheelchairs for a while as well as patients were brought from room to room by the surgeon.
i asked what kind of surgery they were doing and r replied that knee surgery! he also informed me that he was having surgery on the same knee as i did -- the left one. when i tried to tell him that my surgery was on the right knee, he argued with me extensively until i showed him both my knees. as stubborn as his mom...
when the parents tried to end the surgery play at bed time by noting that the procedure would have to be a two part operation as the hospital was out of titanium screws. ro, the patient, sat up quickly and stated "no i have some right here in my tool box. don't worry. surgeon, you can finish up and put me in my wheelchair." luckily the patient came out of anesthesia quickly and both the patient and the surgeon are sleeping it off.
i asked what kind of surgery they were doing and r replied that knee surgery! he also informed me that he was having surgery on the same knee as i did -- the left one. when i tried to tell him that my surgery was on the right knee, he argued with me extensively until i showed him both my knees. as stubborn as his mom...
when the parents tried to end the surgery play at bed time by noting that the procedure would have to be a two part operation as the hospital was out of titanium screws. ro, the patient, sat up quickly and stated "no i have some right here in my tool box. don't worry. surgeon, you can finish up and put me in my wheelchair." luckily the patient came out of anesthesia quickly and both the patient and the surgeon are sleeping it off.
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