Updates: Does Anyone Actually Like Candy Corn?

LIESEL does not like to eat candy corn, but she does like to play with it. Dad recalls having a similar experience as a child - fun to play with, not so sweet to eat. Dad would set them up as orange construction cones and run his Hot Wheels through them.

Dad also recalls favoring the white top over the orange and yellow part. He thinks there is a difference in flavor.

Two questions for the New Family audience:

Do you like candy corn?

Is there a difference in flavor between the white, orange, and yellow part?

Leave your reply in the comments or email Dad.

UPDATE: Dad, listening to the radio just now, hears the show's host discussing most hated candy for Halloween. Some suggested candidates that Dad agrees with:

• Bit-O-Honey
• Tootsie Roll
• Butterscotch
• Zero Bar

Donna can you let Heidi know about the update? Thanks!

UPDATE 2:
Shirley says that she only uses it for decorating. Yeah, Dad could see them adorning cupcakes.


http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-rFl5DPCnIHc/TprV0dv4JRI/AAAAAAAAHRo/CQYTf8pdDq4/s1600/candy-corn-cupcake-wrapper.JPG

UPDATE 3: Dad went out to buy reduced priced candy yesterday. The clearance aisle was mostly costumes, but of what candy there was available, it was candy corn.

Window Treatments

THE window treatments left by the former owner were ugly. Mom and Dad wanted something different.

Hideous

They used Blinds.com because they have a SureFit guarantee. They will remake the blind if you mis-measure. Measuring for blinds is pretty easy, but Dad liked the added assurance. Their prices were good too.

Installation is pretty easy with a 3/8" drill, tape measure, pencil, screw driver and other assorted hand tools.

These blinds fit inside the window and lift without a cord. They provide a nice clean look when closed and adequate privacy. Dad liked that he could have them cut to exact measurements (to the 1/8").

Yard Maintenance

DAD is happy to be able to do yard work while parenting the Twins.

They want to do everything they see Mom and Dad do. Here they are "raking."

The lot is pie shaped. Dad had the idea to remove leaves by blowing them into the back corners. That took too much time and fuel. Dad later learned that leaves blow best over smooth surfaces and over short grass as opposed to long grass.

Having researched more about managing the leaves, Dad decided to try and mulch them. He bought this particular mower because it was well rated as a mulcher.

Before mulching

After mulching

The mower mulched well despite the leaf litter present above (the leaves were coming down while he worked). The blade cut them up into fine confetti. However, it took two passes and time Dad does not have.

Tools of the trade.

Breakin' the Rules

GENERALLY, the Twins are not allowed in Mom and Dad's room. It is not child proof, they have no business to conduct in there, and they have their own rooms to play in.

Sometimes they overwhelm Dad and he has to tolerate their bad behavior for a few minutes. For example, he needed to get into the bedroom. They were crowding him at the door. He opened it and they raced in. He could have kicked them out and locked them out, but it was easier to just let them be for the minute he would be in the bathroom.

Now, just because Dad does not always enforce the rule should not be interpreted that Dad is lax. Just because the cop chooses to chase the other speeder instead of you, doesn't mean the law does not apply. What it means is that for the given situation, their is insufficient resources to enforce the rule at that particular time.

Also, they are usually their cutest when they are knowingly breaking the rules, and just because Dad finds it cute the Twin's should not expect leniency if and when Dad decides to enforce the rule.

This Never Gets Old

BUGGY grabbed Dad's hat.

Why Kids are So Expensive

SOME studies have actually quantified the cost of raising children from birth to college graduation. So why is it so expensive?

Well, there are the obvious direct costs. But there are the not-so-obvious costs.

Here, Dad discovered the basement light had been left on, all night long. The basement was unoccupied for nearly 18 hours.

Why so Little Content?

THE New Family Dad is sympathetic to loyal readers thirsting for content from the blog. However, the New Family's new house has kept him busy. Further, parenting two toddlers eats up time. Moreover, often the two are mutually exclusive.

Case in point. Mom asked Dad to hang this cordless shade in the kitchen window. That was at 2:12 p.m. EDT. At 4:30 p.m., he had yet to complete the task. Why? There are two reasons, Liesel and EJ.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Faces

Basement!

THE New Family's new home has a finished basement, a perfect place for the kids to play. Well, it will be when there is something down there for them to play with. During the interim, they have fun sliding down feet first on their bellies.

Update: "Who Wanted all of These TREES?"

THE New Family purchased their home in part because of the wooded lot. However, it is now Fall.

Having mostly unpacked and settled into the home, it was time for him to turn his attention to the outside. This is what confronted him.

Update:
This is better.

But the leaves were coming down even as Dad cleaned them up.

Bedtime Routine

THEY call this age the terrible twos. It is the period of time when children are growing and able to communicate in a rudimentary way with their parents. They can express wants, needs, preferences, and desires even if they do not know their own wants, needs, preferences, and desires. Given that that communication is limited, and that two-year-olds have a two-year-old's grasp of life, there is going to be many instances meltdowns.

Buggy doesn't like going to bed. Mom and Dad have done everything conceivable to make bed time go smoothly. They have a routine that the Twins associate with bedtime. Buggy even likes it.  She will even go into her bedroom compliantly, but the moment Dad closes the door (Mom doesn't like to do it), Buggy has a meltdown.

She will call out, "Night night?"

Dad will reply in front of the closed door, "Night night."

Buggy then screams, "Bwaa, ah, ah, ah, ahhhhhh!".

Then she asks again, "Night night?"

Dad then rolls his eyes and walks away. She then screams out again.

Happy Autum Holiday

THE New Family has been very busy unpacking, repairing, hosting, and getting settled into their new home. Dad has had little time to focus on the exterior, but a housewarming gift from the real estate agent has helped.

Liesel's Haircut

MOM and Dad have relented and cut Liesel's hair. They had held out hoping that it might grow in nice and thick and that she could have long luxurious hair.

It is not to be.

A friend made that reality come crashing down on Dad's hopes by referring to her hairstyle, quite correctly, as a rat's tail. That characterization, while mean, instantly and accurately defined what her hair looked liked.

Disappointed Dad searched for alternatives. He settled on a bob hairstyle. It is the most feminine look given her hair's fine texture and tendency to curl.

Mom's sister-in-law Heather cut it using Oma's shears. Buggy was very cooperative during her spa treatment.

Ungratifyng but Necessary

THE New Family's new home needs lots of maintenance and repairs, and some expenses and efforts are more gratifying than other. New kitchen appliances are very gratifying. New smoke detectors are not.

Ungratifying expense

While relaxing in bed one night, Dad heard what he thought was a chirp from the Master Bedroom smoke detector indicating that it had a low battery. However, its chirp was far too quiet. If you have ever tested a residential smoke detector, you know that they are generally loud.

The following day Dad tested it. Indeed it was functioning incorrectly. Its siren was to quiet. Curious Dad pulled the detector off of the wall and immediately noticed that it was wired for AC power. Further it had a third wire with which Dad was unfamiliar. A few minutes research revealed that the smoke detectors in the house are integrated into a system whereby when one detects an alarm condition, they will all sound. That is a nice feature to have. If a fire starts in the basement, Mom and Dad may not hear it on the second floor.

Dad decided to replace all seven detectors under the assumption that they are all original, were installed in 1999, and have a service life of about 10 years.

Old detector doesn't work.

Further research revealed that the detectors, FireX branded alarms, were old enough that the wiring harness does not fit the new style alarms. Dad had some rewiring work to do.

Above, the wiring harness fits the pins on the back of the detector. They are all in line.

The new wiring harness on the new detectors fits pins in a triangular pattern.

Wiring in the new harness was a easy as removing the old wire nuts, matching up the color coded wires (black to black, red to red, and white to white). Dad turned off the AC at the electrical panel before doing this of course. He further tested for the presence of service at each location before touching any bare wires.

Dad found paint on what should have been clean bare copper beneath the wire nuts. That could cause resistance which could create heat and could start a fire, so Dad cleaned them up with emery cloth. He spliced in the new harness using the patented Silbrico splice developed Bruce J, a retired employee.

With the new detector, came a new mounting plate Dad switched out.

Once the first one was done, Dad spent about 90 minutes switching out the remaining 6 detectors. From the basement he tested the system. All of the sirens went off simultaneously.

It is nice to have the protection of smoke detectors, but they are not the kind of thing Dad will point to when giving a tour of his new home to visitors. Actually he did since there is little else he could point to that showcases his handyman efforts.

Updated: The New Family's New Home

HERE it is. The New Family is finally in their new home.

The New Family is late closing on their loan, which is why this wasn't posted Monday. There is a long story about why and many facts are missing. That may be fodder for another post someday. Now, they have to get their furnishings moved in.