Pushin' Molars

LAST week the Twin's had new molars come in. They both had a fever for a day or two and felt really icky.

This one, pictured below, though milked it for all it was worth. Normally a boy that could huggy-lovely all day anyway, his fever drove him to the extreme. He was downright clingy.

Dad didn't complain one bit. It was mild weather anyway so the boy blanket was welcome.

While new teeth were coming in, EJ held his saliva. He wouldn't let it drain down his throat. That resulted in unintended puddles of drool on the floor.

Uptight Mother's Park

THE New Family has made it a point to extract the maximum possible enjoyment from the city parks before they relocate. Parks are a nice way for the Twin's to burn off energy and socialize with other kids.

Would you let your 2 y.o. do this?

Dad is of the opinion that while playground equipment may have been designed with a specific purpose in mind, slides are meant for children to slide down for example, but children using it in other ways is also acceptable as long as it is safe and non-destructive to the equipment. Dad has absolutely no problem with children climbing up the slide chute. Is it meant to be used that way? No. Is climbing up unsafe or harmful to the equipment? Again no. So Dad lets the Twins play on the equipment in any way their creative minds can think of.

Dad is also of the opinion that they should be loud and run around wildly at the park. They need to burn off energy. It is outdoors, and IT IS A PLAY PARK! Children need to be children. While cooped up inside, Dad doesn't tolerate yelling and wildly running around. So when and where else is it appropriate to do it?

Dad concedes that his opinion governs his children and no one else. He respects that other mothers at the park may not like their child climbing up the slide chute. He respects the fact that they may have a lower risk tolerance for their children. Dad is fine with his kids three stories up looking out over a precipice. They fear and respect heights having learned that falling down is painful from much lower levels. Other children may have not.

But at some point over protectiveness, rigid adherence to convention (you go down the slide not up), and denial of a child to yell and scream while wildly running around in circles means that that mom is just uptight. And when there are multiples of mothers all doing the same thing, that park earns the nickname Uptight Mother's Park.

Yes, Dad has observed those behaviors.

Dad has no problem with his two year old kids playing on the equipment designed for 5 ~ 12 year olds. He encourages them to climb up, to get near the edge, and to test their strength and limits. He believes that they are actually safer than the toddler whose mother is hovering above him while disallowing him to get near the edge. Dad's kids have learned that falls hurt and to respect heights. The mother's kid likely has not. That kid is more likely to tumble over the edge.

Certainly accidents happen, and risk should always be evaluated against the reward. If a fall could result in permanent injury or death, that is not acceptable. But if it would only result in having the wind knocked out of 'em and a bruise or two, Dad says loosen up.

Now, lets get to the pictures.

"Would you like fries with that?"

Tour the New Family Home!

HI loyal New Family blog readers. The New Family's home is for sale, memories not included, but the children might be. Make an offer.

Just kidding. About selling the kids, not the condo.

The Family wants to sell the condo and purchase a single family home so the children will have their own rooms and a fenced in yard.

This condo unit will no doubt sell for a premium because of the fame of the current owner, fame bestowed on him by the popularity of his blog.

What? Why this blog gets two, maybe three unique visits per day. And special posts like the Birthday posts received well over 20 page views!

Anyway, Dad is done with projects and is proud of the work he has put into it getting it into shape and ready for sale. So he wants to share pictures.

Hitherto he has been reluctant to publish photos of it for privacy concerns, but now that it is listed, it is public info discoverable by anyone with a modicum of determination.

Click to see pictures and take the tour.

From the outside:

The unit enjoys sunrise sunlight through the sliding glass door in the morning and sunset sunlight in the Master Bedroom in the afternoon and evening. Three windows face north and provide indirect light throughout the day. Deciduous trees help keep the sun off of the roof in summer but allow for solar heating in the winter. The unit sits on the second floor with only one ground level entrance needing to be secured. It has a single car garage and room for a vehicle in the driveway.

Let's go inside.

Looking up.

Looking down.

Immediately upon entry there are stairs and a coat closet. Once up stairs, everything is on the same level. The new owner may wish to install a door at the bottom of the stairs to allow direct access into the garage. Dad has never felt the need so none exists now. But for security and comfort, particularly in the winter, it might be a good idea. The local superintendent hires himself out for such jobs and charges reasonable rates. Plus he has experience having done that job many times before.

Now we will see the living room.

Dad designed and built the railing and overhead cabinets in 2012 in anticipation of the Twin's birth. The overhead cabinets make good use of otherwise empty space and provide storage for things used infrequently like books and china.

The fireplace mantle was rescued from a farm house at Pheasant Run that was torn down while Opa worked there. He rescued and installed it for Heidi and installed the faux burning logs. This item stays with the home if the buyer intends to keep it, otherwise it has sentimental value and will go with the New Family to their new home.

The dining room is adjacent and has a sliding glass door leading to a balcony. The white freestanding cabinets stay.

The kitchen is galley style with custom cabinets. It has full sized front loading washer and dryer and dishwasher (new in 2012, and are a leading consumer organization's top pick for reliability), refrigerator, RO water filter, garbage disposal, under-cabinet lighting, and range.

Water closet encloses water heater and HVAC.

 The water heater was replaced in 2011. The HVAC system was replaced in 2002.

The counter was replaced in 2013.

Let us leave the kitchen and take a walk down the hall to the bathroom and bedrooms.

The bathroom door is on the left. The master bedroom door is on the right. The second bedroom door is across from the bathroom door facing it (not shown). Dad did all of the trim work replacing the pine trim with red oak.

The bathtub fixtures are brushed nickel. The floor is ceramic tile. The tile extends about a third of the way up the wall. The accent pieces are pink and gray.

Although it doesn't show well under yellow light, the paint is grey with a twinge of pink to math the accent tiles.

Then there is the master bedroom. It features a north and a west facing window and a walk in closet.

Trees in the courtyard provide privacy.

Walk in closet is about 6' x 6'.

The second bedroom can be used for an office and workout room as it once was or as a bedroom as it currently is being used.

These cabinets stay.

 

Back out into the hall there is more storage. These stay.

Obviously with 900 square feet, storage is very desirable. These cabinets are about $100 a piece at the the Big Orange home improvement store. They are already up the stairs and secured to the walls. There are large cabinets in the garage too for storing seasonal items like holiday decorations and grills.

The elevated location is nice for people concerned about security, privacy and for weather watchers.

Full moon.

A sever weather alert.

This is what it looks like.

Not worried about a flooded basement.

Common elements enjoyed by the community include a pool, clubhouse, and a pond for panfish fishing.

The pond attracts Canada geese, mallards, herons, and cranes.

The pool above is heated to about 80 degrees F. That is cools enough to beat the heat, but warm enough to be comfortable.

The clubhouse hosts bridal parties, birthday parties, and other large turnout events.

Bluegill and crappie are plentiful and eager to bite the fisherman's line. At night the frogs serenade.

The Hollybrook subdivision is nice and quiet for those, like Dad, that prefer serenity over traffic noise. The other similar subdivision in Wheaton is up on Roosevelt road. Good luck trying to sleep before traffic dies down at night or enjoying your weekend without the constant din of traffic. Plus retail is very convenient. The Family shops almost everyday for groceries. They can buy in small quantities and keep everything fresh because a round trip to the store for two items is only twenty minutes.


The street has a high percentage of owner occupied units. The rental unit occupants also take care of their area pretty well. The HOA management company is responsive to concerns and can quickly remedy a problem involving common elements or rules violations.

Garbage is removed Tuesday's and Thursday. There is always ample dumpster space to dispose of garbage. And a scavenger service is happy to remove and recycle large metal refuse like old refrigerators.

Its a nice area and the New Family would prefer to stay, but the needs of the Twin's trump that preference.