Stephen King's Pancakes

What a week. I would swear it's Tuesday, but I don't swear... on here anyway. I'll see how my memory goes...

The Strawberries made some popcorn... pretty much all week. They were excellent at sharing. For those of you concerned with the nutritional value of our popcorn, we use only the kind injected with all the vitamins and minerals you would expect from Orville. Ms. Robyn even has a popper just like the one my grandparents had when I was about 5.

I got a chance to play a bunch on the playground this week. What's unfortunate is dressing for the Valley chill in the morning and then wearing the same get-up for midday playtime outside.

I was fortunate enough to get a couple of slobbery kisses, a few tight little hugs, and I even made time for what is being referred to as the "tickle monster"... such an easy out with kids.

Last night we had our very first date night here at Cassidy. The teachers had asked all their kids out on a date for dinner and a movie. They all showed up in their pj's and had pizza and wine... no, wait, apple juice. Conveniently, the parents had time for their own date night if they wanted (wink, wink). HUGE success. Over half the school showed up and watched several Stephen King films.

Last night was also the meet-and-greet with our new Toddler teacher, Randi. Again, HUGE success. Ms. Carol will be transitioning into our Blackberry room with Ms. Tanya starting Monday.

Ms. Breck made sourdough pancakes today... from the mother (starter). Ms. Breck has been baking a lot lately and it's all from the mother. She killed her first mother... very sad news, but this one is doing fine so far. You actually have to feed and water it... just like having a kid I guess.

We've had several meetings going on about our benefit in May. Thanks for all of your help so far, parents. I know we're going to be doing a big drive soon for silent auction items, so be thinking of things you can get a hold of. Cindy Knight is our benefit chair and will be sending out emails soon. If you have ideas, you can contact her at cindy@cassidypreschool.com

I won't be here all of next week, so my blogs might be about Atlanta. Have a great weekend. I'm out.

Another Reminder

There's definitely something to be said for the end of football season. It means a sadness will cloud over us fans again until September. On the bright side (literally), I'll once more venture outside on Sundays. Except for one more. Donna, our Colts are in. Anyone who has extra Super Bowl tix with my name on them sittin' around, please let me know.

Crys and I braved Ikea again for more Toddler stuff. Even went to Cassidy to build everything... on our day off... it's like a magnet.

We just launched our new website on Friday. Go tell it on the mountain. We also posted a Haitian Relief page for those of you who would like to give, but haven't yet. The parents have also decided to put an American Red Cross donation center right outside of the office. While it's hard to think the Cassidy kids will understand what's going on with Haiti, this is a great chance to teach them about giving.

Yet another reminder... come put your John Hancock on our architectural plans.

Jamaica

Of all the music we've played to date, today was maybe the coolest. I created a Reggae playlist on Pandora and for most of the day, other than running through the rain, I thought I was in Jamaica. Every little thing... is gonna be all right.

The website is coming along. Lucky for me, I have a father-in-law copy-reader in Picksburgh who catches every mistake I make. I have also recently found that Crystal likes to change her mind about design... sometimes just because (I love you). In that, things are ever-changing. Still waiting on a few parents to give their blessing on some of the photos, too. If any of you know what Easter Eggs on a website are, there will be a few eventually.

One of the teachers made pesto pasta with pine nuts today (ha, that's fun to say). Props to Miss Ashlie. I have realized that being from the South has molded me into a love for food that goes beyond basic survival needs. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm an emotional eater, but I usually cry a lot when something tastes good. That doesn't count, does it? It's not like I'm sad.

Catching Up

I guess the rain has made my blogging sense fade away. I got whipped into shape this morning by a mom looking for a recent entry. I sheepishly walked away to my computer...

So, I haven't lived in the South for about 9 years now. I can say that, without question, one of the things I miss the most is the rain. It's amusing to hear people complain about. The newscasters talk about "weird" weather, accidents go up ten-fold, and some of the smiles we used to get have turned to panicked faces. Aside from the wet socks and my old car's convertible top leaking, I say we've got it pretty good. Go on a hike in the next week... everything will be flourishing, green, and overgrown.

Just in case you're wondering about the status of my '65 Corvair (and I know most of you are), it's been on the road 3 times now. That's how I know the top leaks... ah, bitter sweet it is.

Please note: If you're reading this... and honestly, now I know you are... you need to come sign our architectural plans hanging across from the office. This includes parents, friends, other schools, nannies, grandparents, etc. I see a lot of only one parent when I know there are two of you for some. We're going to be framing it and hanging it on our walls forever.

Also, we're going to be launching a new website soon... maybe even very soon. You might have even seen it getting here. The idea is to start using photos of our kids on a few of the pages, too... some cute kids out there. Don't worry, we'll ask you first.

We've had a few of the local elementary schools come by this past week. We've been getting some pretty nice compliments, too. Thanks for that.

I'm going to go eat the rest of my turkey sandwich.

Watering Children

I think Crystal got dogs because she wanted to test me being a dad... I guess it worked out okay because she still talks about it. My point is, I'm not so sure. I would imagine some sort of parallel responsibility comes along with plants. I spent the morning watering and talking to our various trees and flowers for the first time in a while. Given the fact that the majority of our plants are with baby Jesus now... I'm second guessing myself. Aren't you supposed to water kids, too? I will say that the sensory garden is pretty handsome... no thanks to me.

I rode my bike out today on an errand. When I returned, the gate was shut, a police car was in our parking lot with its lights on, Mr. Ryan was comforting a small child in the backseat, Crystal was walking around with a clipboard nodding her head, and my heart sank a little. Turns out they were just visiting the school... crisis evaded. Thanks police people.

I'm really starting to think we need a full-time fountain man. I must have siphoned 30-40 pounds of sand. What's cute is that right behind me a new Blueberry was dumping cups of it right back in. If there are problems to have, these are the ones.

Shrimp, Corn, and Beer

Went on a nice little hike today with a friend... highly recommended. At the top, you'll be higher than anyone else in the Santa Monica Mountains. There's even a little notebook to sign... fun reading through the entries. Great conversation, great hike, great day.



This is the view from the top. The plan was to drive down to Neptune's Net right after for shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, and a beer. Those plans were attacked by prior dinner plans... but I took a rain check and will be shrimping and cobbing soon.

It'd be fun to get a Cassidy group together to go hiking. Any takers?

We've Graduated

The old 40's music playing has grown up a bit. I think yesterday was the Dave Matthews Band channel. Today was Led Zeppelin... um, I think it's my new favorite. Every once in a while it feels like we're riding in a green helicopter over Vietnam... in a good way... like right now... Jimi Hendricks and Purple Haze.

Cassius came to school today. He played with a few of the classes outside and even went into a few of the rooms, too. I think he even gave some open mouth kisses out to his favorites... ewwww. Cassius is a dog for those of you with your mouth open.

Right inside the back door we have our architectural plans hanging on the wall across from the office. The idea is to get everyone to sign it and we'll have it framed. This includes everyone who helped make this happen... moms, dads, teachers, grandparents, nannies, friends, friends of friends... basically, anyone who is part of the reason we're here. Sooooo, be sure to sign it.

We just asked Helen to drop an eff-bomb so I could blog about it. All we got was "bologna"... she's getting better.

Biking to Cassidy

Today I decided to ride my bike to Cassidy. I Googled it... only 14 miles... no big deal. Google didn't tell me about the fire road that was now private property. Google also didn't tell me, or my legs, that it had been awhile since I last biked. After "exploring" the mountains for a few miles, and asking several people for directions, I was back on track. I rolled up to Cassidy just in time for the parent-hosted teacher lunch... honest, I had no idea, but thank you.

The early stages of our benefit are in the making. We're looking at a few venues right now. If you have connections/ideas, please let us know.

The holiday cards keep coming. I love seeing the family pics. Thanks for all of your thoughtful gifts, too.

Going Awry

If you happened to call us yesterday, you might have gotten one of those "beep beep beep, you have reached a number that has been disconnected... blah blah blah." Well, let me back up. I got a phone call early this morning from Crystal saying our kitchen sink was overflowing. Ironically, I had just looked under the sink yesterday and knew I didn't have the tools to fix it. After I woke up and realized the phone call wasn't a dream, I headed down. When I walked in, Crys told me the alarm wasn't setting, the internet was down, and our phones were off. I pulled the back of my jeans down a bit, stuck out my belly, and put my head under the sink... turns out I couldn't fix it. After a few phone calls, the phone was up again. Helen ended up fixing the internet... not sure what she did. And I must say, my very own wifey fixed the alarm all by her lonesome. What a day. I've always thought it's better to have things go wrong all at once anyway... so, small blessings.

As I was leaving, I noticed the fountains needed water for our afternoon classes, so I headed back in. Miss Pauline was 2 steps ahead of me. Okay, so maybe I stuck around hoping to be invited to play chase or something... and sure enough I was. After much tickling and chasing, the kids headed in. When I got to my truck, Crys had sent me a text about being a daddy... blast!... she was watching.

Oh yeah, the sink's good too.

Fountain Sake

I guess it will never cease to amaze me how much these kids learn at Cassidy. I'm not sure which teacher brought this into their curriculum, but the kids tried to make sake over the break... maybe they learned at home. Anyway, the fountain was full of rice that had fermented over our 2 weeks away. Honestly, it wasn't half bad. I found a map that curiously enough was drawn in crayon and looked much like the moonshine trails of East Tennessee. I'm happy we thwarted their plans.

Glad to be back. Glad to be warm again. Glad to see the ocean. Glad to see the little smiling faces and hear the little feet. Happy New Year everyone. Thanks for an amazing 2009 and here's to an even more amazing 2010 (I say as I raise up my glass of fountain sake). Cheers.

Las Vegas... New Mexican Style

I'm not going to sit here and claim the picture of perfect safety for driving... sooooooo, on the way back from New Mexico I couldn't pass up this pic. Crys was sleeping, and while nestled in my headphones with loud music to keep me awake, I drove with my knee, leaned over to steady my hands, and snapped this shot...


...and then this one.


Found a cool little spot close to Needles with a private beach on the river about 100 yards long. We had to trek through the brush and woods, but ended up on all alone with the pups. Nice little break from a 16 hour drive. Also, the government of California has inadvertently donated some rocks for our fountain. Thanks Arnold.