Never Leave House Without Locking Computer - Kids Can Do Technology

The tale of the grocery list app.

Today I left the house to go grocery shopping. I use Wunderlist.com to create a list on my desktop computer that then syncs with an app on my phone.

My kids watched in real-time as I deleted items that I put in the basket. My son then began using the app to say "hi" and request items he knew I would not purchase.

The above screen shot is from when my daughter got involved. My general rule is that we don't eat dessert every night but if the kids want to spend their money on cookies and ice cream that is their business. I also won't purchase the dessert item for them even if they give me the money -- they have to come shopping with me.

My kids know this policy but still gave it their best shot.

When I checked out at the grocery store I have the store send an itemized receipt via email. The little rascals viewed that email and concluded that I had forsaken them as far as dessert was concerned.

In the future I will be more vigilant about my personal data!

Kids Finally Go Outside And Climb A Tree, No, Really

Academics and serious amateurs will be able to spot the children in this picture.

The photo has been made to look old fashioned. I assure you the kids are the latest and greatest.

Back To School Fashion: New Hairstyle

All of us at Portdaddia wish those returning to school best of luck this year!

Kiddie "Foot Ride" Becomes Immobilization Device For Dad

Might as well be standing in quicksand.

When the kids were three and six I used to have them hold on to my feet and I would walk around the house. This was famously known as the "foot ride."

Foot rides persisted for another handful of years. Lately when I hear the merry cry of foot ride! I know I will be immobilized where I stand until the kids get bored.

They are just too big to move now.

Ambitious Kitchen Project By Daughter Yields Delicious Cake -- Photo Essay

The iPad is where the daughter went for the cake recipe. Not sure if the screen or the mixer was the essential tool.

Fatigue sets in with the realization that the frosting won't make itself.

Success!

After dinner clean-up always a chore.

This Is What Late Summer Looks Like For the Fifth-Grader

Free time and screens has bred a certain casualness.

I admit most days I'm up early wearing pants and shoes and doing stuff. The world doesn't exactly follow my example, nor should it.

I have been living vicariously through the 10-year-old, enjoying the lassitude and laid-back style that only he can muster.

Some days I think he should be more active, but school is starting soon and stress inevitable. If he can have some perfect days of interior exploration or just couch potatoing I say enjoy.

"Hangry" Means Food Is Needed ASAP -- Sushi-go-round Excellent Solution

Sit, eat, problem solved.

Parents heed my advice, when a kid announces, or is discovered, to be "hangry" take action fast. Hangry is a fusion of the words hungry and angry. Although this condition sounds serious, taking quick action is the easiest way to avoid unmitigated disaster.

Generally the liberal application of food suffices to send this condition into remission.

One trick when dealing with the little hangriesters is to go to the sushi-go-round. For no sooner do they sit then they can start eating.

A good plan B is Mexican food as tortilla chips and salsa are often set on the table soon after sitting down.

Once the basic level of hanger is dealt with the little ones return back to their own cherubic selves.

Parents please keep in mind that although age has given you the right to drive and purchase alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, you, too, are susceptible to hanger so be aware!

Themes of 1890s Return While On Atlantic Vacation

I have no direct evidence that bathers had boogie boards in the 1890s but it would seem logical that they existed made out of mutton or similar materials appropriate to the epoch.

Academics and serious amateurs of this blog will note our fascination with all things 1890s. But the interest in this decade can result in practical applications.

For example, two years ago I forgot to bring towels to the beach. I told my kids after swimming to warm up "1890s style" by rolling around in the warm sand.

I don't know if this technique was invented during this era, but at the same time I don't know that it wasn't either.

This time at the beach we had towels but the pull of 1890s tradition was too strong to ignore. Plus the Lycra swim shirts were reminiscent of the extra-coverage of the swimwear from our favorite Gilded Age.

Return To Space Ark Portland After Nice Vacation

The West may be the best, but there's plenty of good stuff on the other coast, too.

The family just came back from visiting relatives in the East. We are all cranky and jet lagged, but are feeling good from the happy frisson of friends and relatives.

BFTSM recently had seen a documentary about the Eagles and we watched part of it while vacationing. I knew scant few details about the boys in the band but now I do thanks to the amazingness of Netflix.

I understood that the main focus of the film was to explain how the music was created, thereby focusing on Don Henley and Glen Frey, but I found the stormy relations between the band members and their backstories to be the most compelling part of the narrative.

The footage from the 70s, the irrepressible band manager Irving Azoff, and some explanation to the songwriting techniques made for good entertainment.

I didn't have any actual Eagles music, so I added "Life In The Fast Lane" performed by a bluegrass ensemble for the soundtrack of the video.

My Mind Drifts In Hot Weather - Photo Essay

I should be posting pictures of bikes and surfboards but I ended up geeking out on my skis.

Generally I like the hot weather, which is good as the trend is for more of it.

Wonder Walling In Oregon - A Video

More talent than a guy could shake a stick at.

Postscript: The kid saw this and wanted the world to know that he was doing a song parody and his performance was sarcastic.