Weekend Whatnot

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Teach your kids about the holiday at the outstanding Scholastic website, The First Thanksgiving. Loads of fun stuff over there, presented in a kid-friendly format. I learned a few things myself.

Perusing audiobooks at the local library, my son spotted a CD version of the Bible as read by James Earl Jones. He looked it over with a frown, then said, "I don't think I'd want to listen to Darth Vader reading the Bible. Sounds kinda creepy."

Spelling Bees are coming up after Christmas, and there's no better place to practice on-line than at BigIQBee.com, a free site that simulates the whole bee experience, including a stage and a big audience, to let kids practice their spelling.

My son just spent two weeks working on a research paper about bubblegum. It was supposed to take him one week. I had to really push him to finish. And by "push" I mean frequent stern glances in his direction to stop him from daydreaming. The look on my face over these many days did indeed inspire him... to come up with a new nickname for me: "Devil Daddy."

Don't overlook those goofy 70's adventure movies the next time you have a family movie night. We just finished watching The Land That Time Forgot, a 1975 epic starring Doug McClure and a whole bunch of pre-CGI dinosaurs. It gets a bit violent in places (guys get shot, speared, and eaten), so I don't recommend it for younger kids. But the 8 to 12 crowd will be on the edge of their seats.

Every winter, when cold weather hits, it takes me about a month to adjust to one change in particular - driving with my heavy coat on. My back and arms feel lumpy and sluggish behind the steering wheel. It's like swimming in mud. Meanwhile, it's 40 degrees outside and my daughter's scootering around in a summer dress. And my son thinks a t-shirt is "plenty warm."