Because I love gadgets and tech, I decided to get my wife an iPad to replace her aging laptop. Problem is, she barely uses it. Max and Sam have taken it over and love all the games and educational apps. It’s pretty amazing that within an hour of first touching it, they both understood how it works and even got “gesturing” down.

After a couple of weeks, they discovered how to watch instant movies on Netflix. They would constantly be watching Looney Tunes or Spongebob or other cartoons I have never heard of. They also discovered how to add DVDs to our queue and soon flooded it with over 100 cartoons and Disney movies!

Seemed pretty funny til “Reservoir Dogs” showed up in the mail.
Now I absolutely love all of Tarentino’s movies but that raised a red flag.

We asked the boys about it and Max told me it was a movie about superhero dogs. (Yup, he is getting better at reading!) After a good laugh, I checked out the entire queue and found the boys had latched on to anything that had “dog” in the title: “Snow Dogs,” “Firehouse Dog,” “Dogtown” and “Dogma” were among the DVDs they added.

I have since cleaned out the queue and logged out of the account so they have to ask before viewing a movie.

Beyond this slight issue, I’m amazed at how great the iPad is for kids. There are no buttons, keys or knobs to break and the amount of apps for kids is just staggering. They practice writing and drawing and there a physics game that blows my mind. Of course they can now drive a race car and fling birds to knock down buildings made by pigs!

Oh…there are now two iPads in the family. And Krista still barely gets to use hers!

We are heading to Pinetop. Is it on the GPS? Better bring a map! Do they have WiFi at the hotel? What about cell phone coverage? Ummmmm…do they have cable TV? Should I bring a DVD player?

I know nothing about Pinetop, my wife did all the research and said it’ll be a fun, outdoorsy adventure. “The cabins have plumbing, right?” (just kidding)
As you might have noticed, my idea of outdoorsy fun is heading to the mailbox! Much prefer my dark cave-like home office with the soft glow of LCD monitors. How are we going to have fun without technology? Hmmmmm….maybe that’s why she chose it! I suppose I will have to adapt. And quickly since we’re leaving in a few hours! Should be good for a lot of pics! And since I am bringing the tech, I’ll post from the road!

I will have to borrow the attitude of the most famous vacationer…

“This is no longer a vacation. It’s a quest. It’s a quest for fun. I’m gonna have fun and you’re gonna have fun. We’re all gonna have so much fun we’ll need plastic surgeory to remove our smiles.” – Clark Griswold

Clearly, there’s a bit of conflict in these two pics. Usually Max turns into a tattletale and we then can scold the appropriate child. I find it amusing he chose to watch and take pictures.

Okay, on to the issue.

Sam (3) and Tyler (2) are battling constantly. Problem is that Tyler, while a bit shorter, actually weighs about the same and therefore can do real damage to Sam. We used to think it was cute when Tyler would tackle Sam or Max but it has escalated to tackle, hit, throw toys at, head-butt, kick and a couple of times the dreaded bite!

Knowing a few other families with multiple boys. I have heard stories from both sides…”Oh they’ll be best friends eventually!” or “Yeah, they’ll fight like that forever!”

It all makes me wonder what our lives will be like when they are all in high school together! AND what will the dynamic be like after September, when a girl gets added to the mix. Will Tyler turn his attention to her, or will he continue trying to de-throne Sam from his “older brother” status?

If we could add Tyler to this pic, here’s what we’re dreaming of…

Of course I never let my boss know why I didn’t sell any. Instead, I’d put a mid-level guitar in the kid’s hands, pull the parents aside to explain my reasoning and add, “If they are serious about learning, not only will this light a fire under them and show your support…but this guitar will last them for years. Any time it needs adjustment, bring it to the store and it’s on the house.” (That last bit was store policy, but added to the hook.) It never failed and most of those purchases ended up with kids enrolled in lessons. My job (and mission) was a success.

So a couple of years ago, my son Max received a Fisher Price digital camera for Christmas. I never thought much about it as he was 2 and rarely played with it. I picked it up and took a few pictures to realize that it was almost impossible to use! Sure, it was indestructible, but I could barely push the shutter-release button. How was ANY kid going to get excited about photography with this thing?

Well…fast forward to a month ago, when my wife informed me our own camera was dead. Apparently it had been dropped and the lens bent. So with our ninth wedding anniversary almost upon us, I thought it would make a great gift to get her a new camera so she could keep capturing the craziness that happens in our house.

Max is one of the most observant humans I know (adult or child) and a few days ago he noticed Mommy putting something new in her purse. Not one to let it go, he immediately asked if he could see the camera. HE KNEW WHAT IT WAS! And from that moment, every third or fourth thought in his “stream of consciousness” dialog, he’d ask about the camera. Uh, oh!

Today we went to the zoo. As I packed up my own professional camera gear, Max was right there asking about Mommy’s new camera.

Much to my horror, when we got to the zoo, Krista handed him the new camera, showed him what buttons to push, wrapped the strap around his wrist and off we went. I kept looking at her nervously, knowing this camera was not a cheap toy, and she finally pulled Max aside and explained how careful he had to be with it.

I’ve never seen him so focused (pun intended) on protecting a possession! I took several shots of him lining up a photo and almost every time, he’d spin around and yell, “I GOT IT!” (meaning he actually took a picture of what he was aiming at). He was having a blast and walked the entire zoo for almost two hours without a break!

So to the point…I’m not keen on Max using the camera intended for his mother, so I know that I need to get him one with similar features. And I know that I will be starting him off right with something that will be useful for years and keep his interest.

Here are a few pics from the day’s hunt! Oh…and only the two with Max in them are my pics…all the rest are his!







AND my favorite….

I wonder if the boys are aware that the camera might be pointed at them and are thinking up new and creative things to attempt!

Would these photos be a good thing to show prospective babysitters?

I’ll limit the pics to three this time.

Yes, footprints are as easy as fingerprints to remove

We’re still waiting for the HOA letter…or a knock on the door from our trash collectors.

This is one of the more creative places Sam likes to hide. Careful when you sit on the couch!

It's a GIRL!!

It's a Girl!

Yup, I now have to change the title of my blog. I have no idea how to do that so be patient!

First thought…this girl is going to be one tough cookie with three older brothers!

Second thought…she’s going to have three older brothers to protect her.

Third thought…what the heck are we going to do with a girl? We have barely figured out how do deal with boys!

I spoke to my father who gave me one phrase to remember…”Every parent deserves a girl”

I chuckled and asked “What the heck does that mean?!!!”

His response….”You’ll see!”

A Turchick Christmas 2008

Twas the night before Christmas and
Daddy was feeling quite ill.
Coughing and complaining that the house had a chill
So off to the zoo for the annual light show
Max rode the carousel yelling “Go Go Go!”
With ooh’s and ahh’s and amazements galore
The boys were much more tired than before.
So home in the blue whale and straight off to bed
With visions of chainsaws and planes in their heads.
Mommy wrapped all the presents while Daddy lay comatose
Hoping that on sudafed he would not overdose.
Then off to bed for Daddy and Mom
Both hoping his cold would soon be gone.
Max soon awakened then Sam with a clatter
At least to little Tyler it just didn’t matter.
Mommy got some juice which Sam drank in such haste
That he puked on the bed and then all over the place.
All back asleep now until again complained Max
That his bed was shaking and falling too fast.
Quarter to five and Tyler’s alarm has rung
Mommy wakes up to see his diaper has sprung.
Unfortunately she says, I have to confess
It’s not a leak, it’s the other kind of mess.
Sam’s now awake and eyeing the gifts
Dad says to wait or mommy will have a big fit.
So breakfast it is, eggs with some cheddar
And cinnamon buns from the sis who no doubt’s doing much better.
After the feeding it’s off to remove all the wrapping
The boys’ joy and delight makes us start clapping.
Unfortunately our happiness cannot last
We soon realize the cold has spread too fast
Mommy’s off to work and hopes to escape the worst.
Daddy’s just wondering who’s going to bed first.
Tyler wakes up a few times that night
But drifts off again much to Daddy’s delight.
Max asks for a bottle at 6am on the dot
Despite the morning before, it’s a battle that’s best not fought.
Tyler’s getting changed when Max asks for some more.
As if in slow motion, he trembles, then pukes on the floor.
Sam’s now screaming and Tyler lays naked on the table
What kind of mind could come up with such a fable?
Mommy’s now home and babysitter to follow,
Maybe things will be better by morrow.
As this story is ongoing and continuing,
I can’t just yet seem to come up with an ending
Just laugh at our few days’ misery
And know that this Christmas will go down in history!

One day, in frustration I blurted to my wife that we should grease the countertops! “That’ll keep him from climbing!” Well, she didn’t laugh and I could see the wheels turning…could this be a temporary solution? So we tried it!
A squirt of cooking spray around the counter edges and we stood back to watch the results. Tyler stretched his hands up to the countertop and the minute he touched it, his hands simply slipped off. Then he looked his hands over realizing there was something wrong and tried again! HA! It worked! Every few hours, he’d give it another shot and fail. This lasted for two days and he gradually gave up trying. The only downside of this approach was our occasional memory lapse which resulted in a stripe of oil across our shirts. The third day…he pushed a chair to the counter and was in the sink giving himself a shower. ARRRRRRRRRRGH!

So after all was rung up and bagged and back in the cart, the cashier said in a quite rude tone, “You are going to pay for THAT, aren’t you?” pointing at a piece of candy our 2-1/2 year old Sam had picked up. Krista promptly took the unopened candy back, put it on the shelf and finished paying for the groceries.

She restrained speaking her mind to the cashier and left.

After telling me the story, I couldn’t believe my ears! In a former life, I have been a grocery store cashier, an employee of a major toy store chain and worked at a music store in a mall. I have been in true shoplifting situations where security was called and chased down real thieves. From my time in the grocery store, I have seen the exact situation my wife described countless times.

So the question…how young do children learn not to take things that aren’t theirs? Certainly Sam knew he wasn’t supposed to have it. That he didn’t rip it open and eat it shows his guilt! (as opposed to the animal crackers which he took out of our cart and ate on another trip!) Maybe this particular cashier was having a bad day but there are certainly better ways to handle this kind of situation. Rather than attacking an obviously overwhelmed parent, she could have politely pointed out that Sam had a piece of candy and Krista (or any parent) would have gladly taken care of the situation.

I think the layout of the checkout line is to blame here. Put 2- and 3-year-olds in an aisle full of candy and small toys…it’s like dropping sharks into a chum-filled tank!

Had I been there with Krista, I probably would have asked to speak to the manager BUT then again, two parents against three kids, the odds dramatically improve for us to have completely controlled the madness and it would have been a different situation!

I’m running into the same problems juggling my roles as a father/husband/business owner. I seem to have it going then… whoops! Something falls. I touched on this in the RAK article I wrote for the September issue. It’s pretty annoying and the only thing that keeps coming to mind is “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Everything seemed easier when five days a week, I’d wake up, go to work, come home, hang out with Krista and the kids, then go to bed. Weekends were fun-time for the family.

Now, she has ramped up her schedule a bit and I’m at the mercy of my clients as far as my scheduling goes. It’s just the way things have to be.

I love spending time with the boys but that dwindles away the busier I get. Part of me wants to limit the number of projects and clients I take on so I can enjoy the boy’s growing up (it only happens once!) and the other part wants to fill every waking moment with work as I really enjoy what I do and can add a significant amount of income to the family. This is a throwback to my rant on the “man brings home the bacon” stereotype still lingering in my head! But a business has to grow, right?

With Max in school three days a week (2 hours a day) we now have a routine going for that. Nap time for the boys has yet to be established firmly and is never simultaneous for all three boys. We try to get the boys to the park every day. Tuesday night is “kids night out”, Thursday while Max is in school, we take Sam & Tyler to the Kid’s Club at the mall, etc. I think it was easier as a freshman in college trying to remember my double major, 23 credit hour/semester schedule!

Then there’s “date night”. It seems to happen less often these days and it’s mainly because both Krista and I are so exhausted. It’s easier to watch some of the non-kid’s shows we record on the DVR than getting the babysitter, deciding what to do, then actually doing it. Most of our date nights end in the trip to Walmart or Fry’s to get the essentials…diapers, milk, mac & cheese, and baby wipes! Can’t fit any of those things on the motorcycles we used to explore the Valley on!

Racing dirtbikes, riders always look for the rut that establishes the best way around a track. When bumped out of that rut, it’s hard to get in it again and usually another rut has to be found. OK..”rut” might be a bit harsh for an analogy but the reality is most people don’t like change. I don’t mind change but I feel a bit outside my comfort zone with all that’s happened over the last ten months. One thing is clear…I haven’t found the perfect way around the track yet. Maybe there isn’t one!

OK self-therapy time is over. I promise next blog will be fun!