My Dad Is Special
His name is Jeremy.
He is 40 years old. (I think.)*
He is as tall as . . . bigger than a tarantula.
His favorite color is black.
His favorite food is spaghetti and tacos.** Actually, all dinners are his favorite.
My dad's job is to work eight miles away.***
He really likes to play swords and cars.
What I love about my dad is he is bigger than my mom.
*Jeremy is not even close to 40.
**These are Victor's favorite meals.
***Jeremy's office is much more than eight miles away. Sadly.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
My Mom Is Special, by Victor
Victor also filled out questionnaires about his parents. This is what he says about me.
My Mom Is Special
Her name is Cyndie.
She is 64 years old.
She is 60 feet tall.
Her favorite color is red.
Her favorite food is: she likes lots of food.
My mom's job is: she stays home every day.
She really likes to play: she works all day and has no time to play.
What I love about me mom is: she takes me places.
My Mom Is Special
Her name is Cyndie.
She is 64 years old.
She is 60 feet tall.
Her favorite color is red.
Her favorite food is: she likes lots of food.
My mom's job is: she stays home every day.
She really likes to play: she works all day and has no time to play.
What I love about me mom is: she takes me places.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I Am Special! by Victor
Victor filled out a personal questionnaire in preschool this year.
Here are some highlights:
I am five years old.
My birthday is March 15th.
My favorite color is red.
My favorite food is candy and meat.
My favorite thing to play is hide and seek.
Here are some highlights:
I am five years old.
My birthday is March 15th.
My favorite color is red.
My favorite food is candy and meat.
My favorite thing to play is hide and seek.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Another Invitation Question
This question comes from a friend expecting a baby.
Dear SwindleFun,
I am expecting a baby! It is not my first (or second), but some friends have offered to give me a shower. It sounds fun, but I'm not sure whom to invite. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer: Congratulations! And I do have a suggestion. Since this is not your first (or second) baby, when showers are customarily given, I recommend a smaller guest list of close friends.
When I make a guest list, I try to include all friends of a similar intimacy or social circle. Invitations are a kind of social currency, so you want to take people's feelings into account. This is especially easy for showers, where the cost of adding another guest is a chair and chicken salad croissant.
For guests, I always recommend keeping an invitation under your hat unless you KNOW who has been invited. This caution extends to blogging or posting on Facebook about parties to which other people have not been invited.
Dear SwindleFun,
I am expecting a baby! It is not my first (or second), but some friends have offered to give me a shower. It sounds fun, but I'm not sure whom to invite. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer: Congratulations! And I do have a suggestion. Since this is not your first (or second) baby, when showers are customarily given, I recommend a smaller guest list of close friends.
When I make a guest list, I try to include all friends of a similar intimacy or social circle. Invitations are a kind of social currency, so you want to take people's feelings into account. This is especially easy for showers, where the cost of adding another guest is a chair and chicken salad croissant.
For guests, I always recommend keeping an invitation under your hat unless you KNOW who has been invited. This caution extends to blogging or posting on Facebook about parties to which other people have not been invited.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
An Invitation Question
We have a question from a reader in New England!
Dear SwindleFun: My husband and I just moved to a new city. A nice couple invited us to dinner and we accepted.
A few days after the invitation, our hostess asked me if my husband and I played tennis, and would we like to play tennis as part of the dinner engagement. I answered that we do not play tennis.
A few days after that, our hostess wrote to me and asked whether we would like to play either tennis or soccer before or after dinner.
First of all, how weird is it to play sports at a dinner party? Second of all, we don't play tennis (lack of ability) or soccer (previous injury). Third of all, I don't want to be rude or a party pooper when these people are extending a hand of friendship, but I don't want to play soccer or tennis before or after dinner.
What should I do?
Answer: Never fear! You can safely decline to play sports before or after dinner because it was not part of the original invitation. The trick is to decline the sports with tact, but then state how excited you are for the dinner.
You might respond: "I'm afraid we won't be able to play soccer or tennis on Saturday. We're excited to see you at dinner, though. Is six still a good time? See you then!"
A few additional notes.
1. It is not weird to mix dinner and sports if that is what you like to do. I have at least one sibling who would be in paradise with this kind of invitation.
2. This is a cautionary tale for hostesses: make the terms of your invitation clear when you invite someone to do something. If your evening is based on a sports activity or a particular game or a particular show, make that part of your invitation so your prospective guest can make an educated response to your invitation.
3. Whenever possible, do not explain why you are declining an invitation. Just decline kindly and with regrets.
4. Where games of skill are involved, such as tennis, you should be honest about your skill level when asked. This is an exception to the general social rule of modesty because it is not fun to play tennis when you and your opponent are not similarly skilled. Or so I've heard.
Good Luck, New England!
Dear SwindleFun: My husband and I just moved to a new city. A nice couple invited us to dinner and we accepted.
A few days after the invitation, our hostess asked me if my husband and I played tennis, and would we like to play tennis as part of the dinner engagement. I answered that we do not play tennis.
A few days after that, our hostess wrote to me and asked whether we would like to play either tennis or soccer before or after dinner.
First of all, how weird is it to play sports at a dinner party? Second of all, we don't play tennis (lack of ability) or soccer (previous injury). Third of all, I don't want to be rude or a party pooper when these people are extending a hand of friendship, but I don't want to play soccer or tennis before or after dinner.
What should I do?
Answer: Never fear! You can safely decline to play sports before or after dinner because it was not part of the original invitation. The trick is to decline the sports with tact, but then state how excited you are for the dinner.
You might respond: "I'm afraid we won't be able to play soccer or tennis on Saturday. We're excited to see you at dinner, though. Is six still a good time? See you then!"
A few additional notes.
1. It is not weird to mix dinner and sports if that is what you like to do. I have at least one sibling who would be in paradise with this kind of invitation.
2. This is a cautionary tale for hostesses: make the terms of your invitation clear when you invite someone to do something. If your evening is based on a sports activity or a particular game or a particular show, make that part of your invitation so your prospective guest can make an educated response to your invitation.
3. Whenever possible, do not explain why you are declining an invitation. Just decline kindly and with regrets.
4. Where games of skill are involved, such as tennis, you should be honest about your skill level when asked. This is an exception to the general social rule of modesty because it is not fun to play tennis when you and your opponent are not similarly skilled. Or so I've heard.
Good Luck, New England!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Banned!
Victor is very interested in cars. How fast they go, and why. What kind of fuel they use, and why. How many exhaust pipes they have, and why. Whether other cars are faster than our car, and why.
Lately, he has been using speedometers to decide which car is the fastest. He peers into parked cars to see the maximum speed indicated by their speedometers. Then he tells me how it compares to our van (100) or my Camry (140--yeah, right).
These discussions are constant as we drive.
Today, I banned the topic of cars. Victor was stunned. I asked him if there was something else he'd like to discuss.
He suggested trucks.
I extended the ban to all vehicles.
He suggested lawnmowers.
So we discussed lawnmowers. Specifically, ride-on lawnmowers.
Lately, he has been using speedometers to decide which car is the fastest. He peers into parked cars to see the maximum speed indicated by their speedometers. Then he tells me how it compares to our van (100) or my Camry (140--yeah, right).
These discussions are constant as we drive.
Today, I banned the topic of cars. Victor was stunned. I asked him if there was something else he'd like to discuss.
He suggested trucks.
I extended the ban to all vehicles.
He suggested lawnmowers.
So we discussed lawnmowers. Specifically, ride-on lawnmowers.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wish List
Last night, Zeke told me that he wants a sister.
Specifically, he wants a "toy sister, who can walk. And with buttons and levers."
Specifically, he wants a "toy sister, who can walk. And with buttons and levers."
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