Everyone's Gonna Die!!!!

Horrible news! No, it's not that Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the East Coast and heading towards the North Country. It's that the coffee machine is dead.  Three and a half measly years it lasted. Son of a .....oops! NorthernDaddy almost forgot that this is a family blog.

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Since it was such an ordeal to find the proper coffee machine the last time, this one isn't being replaced right off. The Kuerig is coming in out of the shop and being pressed into service in the house. NorthernDaddy knows - his shop won't be as luxurious without the K-Machine, but sometimes a guy's gotta make sacrifices!

 

RIP March 2009 - October 2012

Yuck!

Remember the conversations that NorthernDaddy posted about last cross-country season? The ones that had LittleNortherner asking really deep questions about what is inside candy bars or how smooshed water goes into candy? Well, luckily, the conversations on the ride home have been much more mainstream this year - mostly discussions of how the day went, how lunch was, which kid got into trouble or some thing such as that.

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Today, things were not normal.

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Half-way home, NorthernDaddy glanced back at LittleNortherner and saw a finger being pulled away from LittleNortherner's mouth and a vigorous chewing action going on. NorthernDaddy was concerned that his son might be chewing on a leaf - LittleNortherner carried a maple leaf out to the car from preschool. NorthernDaddy asked what LittleNortherner was chewing on, and got the answer, "Nothing."

 

Asks Daddy, "Do you have anything in your mouth?"

LittleNortherner, "No." (Still a good chewing motion going on...)

"What's in your mouth?"

"Nuttin."

"Dude, seriously; you've got something in your mouth. Is it part of that leaf?"

(Shakes head negative)

"If you don't answer, I will stop this car. Now, what is in your mouth?"

 

"Magic Boogers."

 

(Eeeew. NorthernDaddy wants to jab an ice pick into his ears after hearing that.)

(Where does the conversation go from here?)

(Should NorthernDaddy just drop the conversation? Should he redirect or take the opportunity to make this an instructionable moment about proper manners in public - is booger eating even covered in Miss Manners?)

(NorthernDaddy can't resist.)

 

"What are Magic Boogers?"

 

"Well, Daddy, you eat them and they turn you into a fairy, or a king, or a dragon..."

 

(That car ride never really recovered....)

 

 

He only looks innocent and cute!

FMSC

FMSC: it stands for "Feed My Starving Children".  In short, it is a charity organization that enlists the help of volunteers to pack meals that are sent to people who are desperately hungry. One woman, a Vermont resident, attended a "MobilePack" in Florida and had a vision that she needed to organize an event in Vermont. She started spreading the word, and the Northern Family signed on.
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Below is the text from an online poster that one of the team members created after hearing the story of LittleNortherner (this label is temporarily replacing NorthernToddler) drawing his family into helping this event.
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A Child Shall Lead Them....

Four year old inspired to make a difference

The Story (from his mom)

In March, our church was shown the Feed My Starving Children promotional video. My four-year-old son quickly connected with the video and made a pitch to my husband and I that we needed to feed the starving children. I went home and made a note to start saving some spare change in a jar, but during the week forgot to do so. The following week, our pastor mentioned Feed My Starving Children in his sermon, and my four year old once again told us that we needed to start a jar to feed the starving children right now and as quickly as possible.

We started the jar with some loose change and a portion of the money that he earns by doing chores. The money that he does earn is divided into three categories: save, spend, and give (church offering/charity). What once was just his chore money being divided up into a “give” envelope (that really had no meaning to him) quickly became his personal mission to do more chores in order to feed more children. He even opted to put some of his birthday money into the jar.

My husband and I quickly decided that this was something we wanted - and needed - to be a part of as a family. When I mentioned why I joined the planning team, our pastor asked me if my son would be willing to tell the church about his jar, and the next Sunday he did just that. On the way to speak to the congregation, he asked me why people did not know about the starving children and why they did not already have their own jars. My response; “because you have not told them about the starving children yet.”

Well, he stood up there in front of the church with his jar and made sure to tell the congregation about Feed My Starving Children. A few months later, he has not forgotten about the starving children and cannot wait to get a chance to help as many starving children as he can. We occasionally check the webpage that shows how much money his fundraising has collected, and from time to time he will ask to watch the video of the children that he wants to help.

As parents, it surprises us (and warms our hearts) that a four-year-old could make such a connection and have a heart for helping others.

 

Now, NorthernDaddy is just as compassionate as the next person (um...sometimes), and when he saw the video and how he could help with just a two-hour commitment to help with packing food, he was sure that the Northerns would help (heck, it's just two hours). NorthernMommy got a little more involved - she joined the planning committee. Her time commitment was substantial, with planning meetings, helping to gather together volunteers and donations, and working special fund-raising events. As a result of NorthernMommy's being on the planning team, NorthernDaddy got roped in for a little more than his "two hour" initial estimate. He ended up taking a day off from work to help set up for the event. (It was hard work, but exceptionally rewarding, and well worth it to see LittleNortherner helping others.)

Ever seen a 2,000 lb bag of rice?

NorthernDaddy and the guy on the right were struggling to haul pallet after pallet of heavy food staples...

 

Once the food containers were uncovered, hairnets became mandatory for every person in the gym. (Thanks to the FDA for making us look goofy!)

Working the 'With Love From Vermont' event was such a wonderful thing that NorthernDaddy can't begin to tell everything. The style of the event, with many dozens of people gathered around packing stations, made for a fun two hours of work. Many of the people at each station didn't know everyone else at their station, but the fast pace and shared goal (pack as many meals as possible for kids that need them) made each group form into a united team in a short amount of time. NorthernMommy and LittleNortherner moved around in the packing station, trading tasks to do several different things. NorthernDaddy stayed at his box-packing task and, in the process, got out-worked by two four-year-olds. LittleNortherner and a young lady by the name of Jada were so efficient in shuttling food packets to Daddy that he could not keep pace. (Embarrassing!)

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As previously stated, it's not possible to tell everything that the Northerns did and experienced, but the things that stand out are: Amazement. Pride. Humbleness.

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Amazement that a four-year-old could have a heart so caring, so loving, so BIG that he would insist that his family get involved in this cause. Pride in having a child that has that heart. Humbleness - that a young child has the pure heart to see a need that he identifies with and can (and must) help to fix, while fully-grown adults (NorthernDaddy being one) pass over the issue as just one more problem of the world that can't be fixed easily.

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One last word: Excitement. Excitement that this event was the first of its kind in Vermont, and that the Northerns got to work with an incredibly focused and talented team of people to help make it happen. Excitement that such a relatively easy weekend of work will make such a huge difference in childrens' lives (they say that the food packed in two days will feed 362 children for one year). Excitement that this event may occur again next year with a goal of providing meals for even more hungry children.

Catching Mice

Sorry readers, no photos on this post: read the title - that's why there will be no photos.

 

 

NorthernDaddy can't remember if the incident was shared on this blog, or if it only posted on Facebook, but a year or two ago, NorthernMommy and Daddy caught a mouse by accidentally smooshing it in the belt of the treadmill. It wasn't pretty, the mess that Daddy had to clean up was quite icky, and the treadmill hasn't ever run the same - but it makes for a funny story now!

 

The Treadmill Mousetrap comes to mind because, as the weather turns cooler, the mice are heading indoors. They are, in fact, losing their minds in their rush to find warmth and food. The most interesting one so far has been the mouse that Daddy saw running out of trunk of his car. It was early one morning when the mouse was spotted running from the trunk into the cabin of the car. Daddy had to get to work, so the mouse was not pursued. Daddy started the car, backed out of the driveway, waved to Toddler, and headed down the road. A few hundred feet later, the window started to fog up, so Daddy reached over and turned up the defroster fan. The next instant, there was a tremendous banging and thumping sound from under the dashboard. Switch the fan off. There's a scratching/scritching sound in the vent, but the windows are fogged too much to see and there's a car coming, and the fan gets flipped back to high. More car-shaking thumping - no more scratching.

 

Daddy has a real good idea that the mouse he saw two minutes earlier has just been ground into pulp inside his heater fan, but there's not much he can do about it. For three days. Only cold air will come through the vents, and the air inside the car takes on a wet dog/dead mouse/gag-me-with-a-skunk kind of odor. Every time Toddler gets into the car, he asks if he can help get the dead mouse out of the car. Finally, on the fourth day, there is time. The entire passenger side dash is dismantled, the fan is removed, and the dead, mangled body of the dead mouse is pried out of the 'squirrel cage' of the heater fan. Ick.

 

Toddler is fascinated with the dead rodent, and has made it his job to patrol the mouse traps set throughout the house and garage. If he spots a tripped trap, he happily announces "We got another one!" Yup, that's one twisted kid that the Northerns are raising!

 

(NorthernDaddy has set a trap inside his car, and has been catching an average of two mice per day for the last few days. No idea where that many mice are living in the car!)

Ear Plugs

A few days ago, NorthernToddler started wondering.

 

 

He wondered if wearing his earplugs would make it harder for him to hear his own singing.

 

 

He decided to perform a test.

 

 

Perform, he did. NorthernDaddy hears the most awful, deafness-inducing caterwauling coming from somewhere in the house. Daddy stuck his head out of the shower to see what the problem was, and after a few seconds, thought that he recognized a tune. The ear-splitting air raid siren was actually an operatic performance of The Farmer in the Dell. The performer seemed to be the pint-sized Pavarotti known as NorthernToddler.

 

"Hey! What are you doing with all that yelling?"

 

 

"WELL, DADDY, I WANTED TO KNOW IF MY EARPLUGS WOULD MAKE MY SINGING QUIETER."

 

 

"It is not quieter for the rest of the people in the house, knock it off."

 

 

"BUT IT'S WAY MORE QUIETER FOR ME! MY EARPLUGS MAKE IT SO QUIET! I CAN BARELY HEAR MY SONG!"

 

 

---Never a dull moment in the Northern house!---

 

 

 

 

 

NHL Lockout? Ain't No Lockout Here!

With the NHL players locked out, and a dim prospect for the 2012 season, the Northern household is saddened. The whole family was looking forward to their beloved Capitals beating up on the Bruins. (NorthernDaddy writes the blog: his team gets top billing.) (Today's news is that there might be a deal reached to start a full season on Nov.1. Keep tuned.)

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With only college and youth league hockey before them, Toddler and Daddy have decided to go ahead and launch Kitchen Hockey season. The 'rink' is the same as last season: the Northerns' kitchen. The 'rules' are the same: Toddler changes them whenever he sees fit. The equipment is upgraded: Toddler has his full complement of safety gear. NorthernDaddy likes the safety gear - it allows him to fire unrestrained shots on goal. NorthernToddler is fine with getting hit by a slapshot - it's the stuff in the kitchen that is going to end up getting broken!

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The season opener was a rowdy affair.  The tennis ball bounced off every wall in the rink as shots were taken and deflected. (The puck is still in Summer Detention until Daddy and Toddler talk Mommy into letting it out for play.) Just about the time that the game got interesting, NorthernMommy came home and the game had to come to an end (too much noise when the ball hit the stove - and one of the players had to cook dinner).

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Buy your Kitchen Hockey tickets early - there's no lockout here!

 

Man's Work (How to Con a Four-Year-Old Into Helping)

NorthernToddler (that doesn't look right, does it? Toddlers are ages one to three, right? Our hero is four. Need to name him something other than Toddler. "NorthernBoy" doesn't sound quite right. "NorthernNutcase" might be accurate, but could create a need for counseling later in his life. NorthernMommy and Daddy will do some brainstorming and try to come up with something. For today, he will remain 'Toddler'.)

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Start over: NorthernToddler doesn't like to do his chores. He's been pitching in the past few weeks because he's trying to earn money toward a LEGO set. (A big one - he still needs to earn $17 before Daddy matches his savings. It'll be months before he sees that new LEGO house!) Other than trying to exploit the money factor, Toddler doesn't seek out other opportunities to pull his weight at home.

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NorthernDaddy needed to do some things, and one of the tasks was to move the recliner from the house up to the office. NorthernDaddy is perfectly capable of grabbing the chair and carrying it up the stairs, but Toddler doesn't know that. In order to get Toddler to help (and to stop him from continually asking to play swords), Daddy presented Toddler with the opportunity for an adventure. There was some "Man's Work" that needed to be done. Toddler would need to grab a strap and help Daddy haul the chair base up the stairs. It would be tough work, and maybe too much for Toddler, but the 'men' would try the best that they could. Toddler fell for it - he ran and grabbed a strap.

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NorthernMommy came home from cross-country practice as the men were headed out the door. "Outta the way, Mommy! There's Man Work to be done!"

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The picture's a little fuzzy, but Toddler did indeed pull his weight on this one. Well done, NorthernToddler!

 

2012 Northeastern Street Rod Nationals

As usual, when the street rods come to town, NorthernDaddy and Toddler saddle up and roll down to the fairgrounds to investigate. They ogle the cars, chomp on french fries, and have a generally good time. Since there are so many cars on display, the approach is to focus on one theme for the day. Last year, the color of the cars was the focus. This year, NorthernToddler decided to fixate on hood ornaments. NorthernDaddy took more than 130 photos at the show, and more than 80 are of hood ornaments.

 

 Airplane - very cool.

 Sailing ship - also very cool.

 Toddler says that if Daddy wants to put this kind of ornament on his truck, he'll have to make some clothes to fit it. (Daddy doesn't think so...it looks fine to him.)

 NorthernToddler is highly distressed that he did not have this to drive around the fairgrounds.

 

Mini Cooper with a blown Hemi. Just imagine......

That is not even one-fifth of the cars on display. This event is huge!