FeeFiFoto Blog

Really, Dad, We Love You. Honest.: Dads Seem To Take Second Place To Moms

Happy Father's Day. We're still away but I'm reprinting this post that appeared a few weeks BEFORe Father's Day last year. Why don't football players ever shout "Hi Dad!" into the camera?

Search "Mothers Day Gift" in Technorati and, as of today, two weeks AFTER Mother's Day 2008, you'll find the phrase in nearly 20,000 blog posts with any level of authority.

Search "Fathers Day Gift" and, as of today, three weeks BEFORE Father's Day 2008, you'll find the phrase in just short of 10,000 blog posts.

**As an interesting side note, if you check these same terms in Technorati this year, the number of posts is about half of the total of a year ago.

No Time Mom lists all of three contests or giveaways for Father's Day.

Passover Starts Tonight

Image courtesy of Diana's Desserts

Happy Passover to all my Jewish friends, and to all the Gentiles out there who think matzah is yummy and delicious -- just be grateful you don't have to eat it for a solid week.

For anyone who doesn't know, Passover is a Jewish holiday that comes in the spring, commemorating our escape from slavery in Egypt.  Jewish families gather to retell the story of the Exodus so that we and our descendants will always remember.  Different aspects of the story are represented by different foods we display on the table and eat.  The youngest child present takes part in the service by asking four questions about the meaning of the holiday, and the rest of the pre- and post-meal service comprises the retelling of the story and an explanation of the various foods and traditions.

During Passover we refrain from eating anything leavened, including pasta, crackers, cookies, pancakes, cereals, and bread, of course.  Instead, we eat matzah, which is a flat, unleavened cracker representing the dough that the Jews didn't have time to let rise as they prepared to flee.  There are strict rules for manufacturing matzah, such as the requirement that the manufacturing process, from start to finish, take less than 18 minutes.

FeeFiFoto Fame Contest: You'll Be As Famous As That Woman With The Octuplets, Minus The Hate Mail

A Contest Unlike Anything You've Ever Seen

It's time once again for the FeeFiFoto Fame Contest.

You've seen contests to win beauty supplies. You've seen contests to win baby supplies. You've seen contests to win computer supplies. Now for something completely different:

Enter this contest to win FAME.

You'll be as famous as Octuplet Mom, but without all the controversy.

The winner of this contest will have one favorite photograph incorporated into a landing page on FeeFiFoto. Just visit FeeFiFoto, cruise around as long as you like, then come back here and leave me a comment about which item you'd like to see your photo on.  No actual prize will be given -- just the right to see your photo on the home page of my website throughout spring.

Giving It Away For Valentine's Day

"Give Romance A Chance" Giveaway #2:  That's me.  Stroll on over to A Blog of Goodies and leave a comment to win a watch with your photo on the face.  It might look like this:

that is, if your kids look like these kids, but I'm sure your kids are way cuter.

We've recently added some items that would make perfect Valentine gifts; my favorites are wooden jewelry boxes that display your photo on a ceramic tile on the lid.  You can choose mahogany finish, or pecan, rosewood, maple or cherry.

Once More, With Feeling: Holding A Rerun Thanksgiving

My nephew, Stretch, spent the past semester at a strict foreign boarding school, in a sort of Junior Year Abroad program for high school students.  The boys had to wear coat and tie whenever they left campus to go to town; computers and cell phones were prohibited.  (Hey, it wasn't so bad -- they went hiking every day until it snowed and then they skied every day.)

The students were allowed to call home once a week, and Stretch was diligent, calling his parents every week, my parents every other week, and our house three times.  In one conversation with Schpilkes he mentioned his unhappiness with missing Thanksgiving, and asked that we have another Thanksgiving dinner after he came home.  Schpilkes, whose motto is and always has been "Anything for a grandchild," declared that November's festivity was to be only a dry run for the REAL Thanksgiving in Stretch's honor in December.

Bette Davis's Eyes Had Nothing On Cleopatra's: Choosing Eyeglasses For A Child

Found out a few days ago that Cleo might need glasses.  She'd been complaining that she couldn't read clocks so I took her to the pediatrician and they recommended she see an eye doctor.  The earliest appointment I could get was January 2; we have a strict family policy of needing medical attention or appliance repairs primarily during holiday weekends, so the Christmas season is the Holy Grail of inconvenience for us.  In fact, we've hit the inconvenience trifecta this time, since January 2 is also smack dab in the middle of Sweet Talker's Bar Mitzvah Weekend Musical Extravaganza.  We've already chosen three frame candidates so we can zip down the street between Bar Mitzvah festivities to order the specs if she in fact needs them.

I'm sad.  I always supposed my kids would need glasses; I wear them, as does every member of my family, so it seemed inevitable.  But Cleo!  Cleo has THE. MOST. GORGEOUS. hazel eyes I've ever seen, the exact color of gingerbread cookies.  They're irresistible and it's a good thing she's not on the Dark Side, since she can charm me into doing practically anything she wants just by turning those big browns in my direction.  And now those stunning golden masterpieces will be hidden behind spectacles.

Sigh.

Oh Mr. Bean -- I Love You: Christmas Videos

Wordless Wednesday: Get Ready Because Chanukah Is Imminent

Wordless Wednesday: Even I Can Tolerate This One

B-B-B-Blue Christmas

Thanks to the Deep Friar for jogging my memory on this one:

Nutcracker, Rockettes -- Same Thing: Kids Get Confused Sometimes

Cleopatra and I saw the Rockettes this morning.  Actually we thought we were going to see the Nutcracker Ballet but the Sugar Plum Fairy et al. turned out to be a gaggle of Rockettes.  About six weeks ago we invited Cleo's friend and the friend's mother to see the ballet with us; the mother emailed back that they were already going with the older sister's sixth grade girl scout troop, and invited us to come along.  We gladly agreed and she ordered tickets for us.  When the tickets arrived I was like: "Ruh roh..." and Cleo was like: "Rockettes?  What are those?" I assured her she'd love them and have the best time ever and besides she could sit next to her friend and giggle at the gaggle.

Turns out there was some Nutcracker involvement.  One of the skits constituted a mini-version of the ballet with the dancers dressed in furry teddy bear costumes.  The Russian dancers were brown bears with thick eyebrows and stern visages.  The Chinese dancers were pandas.

Cleo wanted to know if the segment was sponsored by Build-A-Bear.

Thursday Thirteen: The Season To Give

Is it worse this year?  I doubt it.  Every year I see stories about how the food banks are hurting, the homeless shelters are in trouble, donations are needed everywhere.  This year I seem to be seeking out more opportunities to give.  It makes me feel good, it sets a good example for my kids, and it helps someone.  So far:

• The sealed anonymous grocery bag filled with canned and packaged food that will go to some family in time for Christmas.
• The needy family adopted by Robespierre's sixth grade class.  He chose the fifteen-year-old boy who wanted a new pair of sneakers; we found Avia running shoes for half price at Sports Authority, and threw in three pairs of socks.
• The stuffed animal donations at Anthropologie for kids with cancer -- a furry brown horse with a fringy mane and tail.
• Ten dollars to the guys who stand out in freezing weather the Thursday morning before each Thanksgiving selling newspapers to raise money for children's charities.  Next year I swear I'll remember to take the paper so I can wave it out the window at all the other newspaper vendors on all the other street corners who appear concerned that I might not yet have participated.

A Fresh Twist On The Same Old Christmas Carols: History Of Christmas Carols

 

According to Carol.org.uk,

"Christmas carols are based on Christian lyrics and relate, in the main, to the Nativity. Christmas carols were introduced in to church services by St Francis of Assisi in the 12th century. As for the word carols, "carol" is a derivative of the French word caroller, the interpretation of which means dancing around in a circle... The joyous themes for many Christmas carols were banned in England by the staunch Protestant Oliver Cromwell and many of the very old Christmas carols were subsequently lost for all time. Christmas carols were only fully popularised again during the Victorian era when they again expressed joyful and merry themes in their carol lyrics as opposed to the normal, more sombre, Christian lyrics found in hymns."

Ever wondered who would name a child Wenceslas?  Even if you haven't, this site can inform you that:

Maybe Next Time He'll Think Twice Before Giving Her All Those Darn Birds: "The Twelve Days AFTER Christmas" Song

Thursday Thirteen: Dear Santa

1. To Santa, Our names are Chris, Sarah and John. Chris is 12, Sarah 11 and our little brother john is 4. We have all been really good this year, excpet maybe John sometimes. We have put up our Christmas tree and we got to put the decorations on. We have bought mum and dad a present and also our granny. Hopefully we will get lots of good presents for Christmas. It doesnt matter is you cant get us every thing we asked for. We will be happy with anything. Love Chris, Sarah and John P.S We will leave out some carrots for the reindeer.
2. DEAR SANTA CLAUS,I KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT REAL BUT I'M 11 AND I DON'T BELIEVE ANYMORE, BUT IT WAS GREAT WHEN I DID O.K. BYE, HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS. *VERONICA* FROM: THE GREAT US OF A *
3. hellow Santa why do you put coal in kids stockings? 
4. I want 2 male guinea Pigs more than anything I know I will get em but I would love you to be on backup just in case
5. I love you vary much I want 37 things. 
6. Dear Mr and Mrs Claus it must be nice there at the North pole if i ever could go there i would it seems so preety there well i got go eat a snak Love ya Lauren
7. dear santa for christmes i want 100 barbies and 20 dolls. i want play do and a gold neclece. and i most want a cd player and i promes i wont brak it. from michelle (& after a little reprimand from Santa... Michelle writes back) dear santa im sorry about being gredy. insted i want 1 barbie an 1 doll an the other 99 barbies be gave to por people and the 19 dollys too. and i realy want mommy and daddy to give me a litle baby sister..please? i wont drop her and i will even chang dipers
8. dear Santa, Hi it is Erin I just wanted to know if I was on the bad or good list . e mail me back ERIN p.s.SANTA PLEAS GIVE ME SOMING GOOD.
9. I would love to be able have my grandma come visit on Christmas. She is all by herself in florida. Could you bring her here? oh, and can you get some toys too so I can play with her? thanks Sydney
10. DOUG I HAVE BEEN A GOOD BOY WAS ONLY BAD A FEW TIMES SORRY
11. hi i just want a suprise for Christmas but what do YOU want for Christmas bye keep on smiling :) :) p.'s im a girl and my name is Ayla
12. dear santy, r frend says ur not reel. r u? luv, megan and edith
13. Hi Santa... My kids have been brats....

from Growley.com

Taking Things A Bit Too Far, Perhaps? Extravagant Christmas Light Displays

When my niece was in preschool my sister listened in embarrassment to moms describing the great lengths they went to in order to help their toddlers celebrate Valentine's Day, including serving heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast.  Curley, never overly ambitious or accomplished in the kitchen, sheepishly offered that she'd discovered Apple Jacks would turn milk pink.

Meanwhile, a few years ago I hung a string of Halloween lights over the windows in our playroom, along with a string of Chanukah stars.  I am so lazy find them so charming that I've never taken them down.

It's a good thing we're Jewish, because it appears that neither Curley nor I could ever hope to compete with this family, the Vaders of Providence Village, Texas:

LOL Cats: I Can Haz Christmas? Funny Video

Parkour Done The Right Way, And The "Needs More Work" Way: Santa Claus Video

Have you heard of Parkour? If you've seen a movie, commercial or video in the past decade you've probably come across Parkour, even if you don't recognize the name. According to an April 2007 article by Alec Wilkinson in The New Yorker:

"Parkour, a made-up word, cousin to the French parcours, which means “route,” is a quasi commando system of leaps, vaults, rolls, and landings designed to help a person avoid or surmount whatever lies in his path—a vocabulary, that is, to be employed in finding one’s way among obstacles. Parkour goes over walls, not around them; it takes the stair rail, not the stairs. Spread mainly by videos on the Internet, it has been embraced in Europe and the United States by thrill seekers and martial-arts adepts, who regard it as part extreme sport—its founder would like to see it included in the Olympics—and part gruelling meditative pursuit. Movies like its daredevil qualities. A bracing parkour chase begins “Casino Royale,” the recent James Bond movie. It includes jumps from the boom of one tower crane to that of another, but parkour’s customary obstacles are walls, stairwells, fences, railings, and gaps between roofs—it is an urban rather than a pastoral pursuit. The movements are performed at a dead run. The more efficient and fluid the path they define, and the more difficult and harrowing the terrain they cross, the more elegant the performance is considered by the discipline’s practitioners."

Personally, I find Parkour fascinating, not just for its death defying qualities, but because most of the terminology is in French.  You have your "roulade," which is French for "roll," and is not to be confused with "remoulade."  There's "lache," which is using an object to swing between two points.  A "traceur" is a practitioner of Parkour.  And seriously, doesn't anything sound better if you say it in French?

It's Always Appropriate To Say Thank You To A Teacher

Do you give teacher gifts at Christmas time?

My parents taught me the importance of expressing gratitude.  The Man From D.A.D. conducts himself graciously with everyone he meets.  He ran a large manufacturing company for more than 40 years, yet never felt too important to recognize anyone who made his day a little easier; he once stopped to compliment a maintenance man changing light bulbs for "making our lives a little brighter," (yes, corny). Considering how selective my dad's memory can be for names (but still not as porous as mine), I'm fairly certain he didn't recall the man's name, but that didn't stop him from offering praise and thanks.

My mother, Schpilkes, has been a non-professional fundraiser for a long time; her network of nearest and dearest friends and associates numbers well into the hundreds.  She sends a thank you note to everyone who invites her to a wedding, party, bar or bat mitzvah, luncheon, rubber-chicken dinner or official gala.  She knows how hard people work planning events, and she makes sure to acknowledge their efforts and thank them for including her and my father.

Amy at Chicago Moms Blog says:

"Now that Halloween is a pounding, sugar-headache memory, it’s time to start thinking about the other holidays... No matter what you celebrate or how you celebrate it, there’s a gift or two involved, right? ... There will be giving and hugging and “oh you shouldn’t haves.”...

I was a preschool assistant teacher for a few years... [L]ast year, the holidays came around and I got one gift. One. I didn’t teach for the gifts but I didn’t get cards or thank you’s. Honestly, I don't think anyone uttered a Happy Holiday sentiment. So, no apple mug, no chalkboard appliqued tote bag. OK, I coped. I got one gift card for which I was very grateful. It was more of the sign that no one was really appreciative of the time and effort and love I had for their child when I was with them. And according to feedback and reviews -- I was doing a good job..."

What's The Meaning Of Christmas? Funny Video

Is Christmas all about presents? Family? Togetherness?

I'm going to guess that you won't find it here but take a look anyway.