Boxes Are The Best Toys

 All the best toys come with big boxes.  This is because your kid is going to have way more fun with the box than they ever will with the toy that came in the box!

This is one of Murphy's Law's of parenting.

Luckily, I remember my fondness for boxes, so we skipped the toy step, and just gave our kid's the biggest boxes we could find.

They like these boxes so much, that they hardly play with their other toys.

REVIEW: Alpha Omega Elite

If you have a car, and you have a kid, then you are going to need a car seat.

You are going to probably need 3 actually: Infant carrier, toddler car seat, and eventually a big kid booster.  Not all at once, luckily.

Sadly, these seats aren't cheap.

But, what if you could buy one seat that could last you from newborn to big kid, and get it cheaper than any one of the above mentioned seats?

What if I told you that you can?

Japanese Food: It's part of the Deal

Sukiyaki. It's Delicious!

Part of the fun of dating someone from a different culture is learning and experiencing their culture, as well as sharing yours with them. Part of that culture is the food.

If you discover that you do not like the food at all from their culture, it may be hard to continue the relationship. Think of a hard core vegan dating a butcher. There's going to be some difficulties in the relationship.

So, I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I meet a married couple , and one of them can't stand the food of the other's culture.

Usually, it's one partner that can not bring themselves to eat Japanese food.

White Day - The Valentine's Day for Guys

White Food on White Day

White Day is Japan's version of Valentine's Day.  It occurs a month later on March 14th, and The Guys are obligated to get things for The Girls.

For Japanese Valentine's Day, things are reversed from the American tradition, where the Guys have to get Girls things on Valentine's day.

Japanese Guys don't get it that easy though.  They have to return the favor a month later.

Justifiable Homicide?

Source: Flickr. (C) Bob Jagendorf

So, my 3 year old has really gotten the hang of this potty training thing.  She's been consistently telling us that she has to go potty, and we've stopped doing diapers during the day entirely.

She's so proud of herself that she has been keeping her big girl pants clean, and hasn't had any accidents for a while.

Recently we went to the zoo, and she told me that she had to go, so we went to the nearest bathroom.  All the stalls were full, so we waited.  She's now dancing.

"Daddy, I have to go potty!" she pleads.

Finally, a stall opens.  Luckily, it's the larger one.  The guy walks out.  We walk in, and the guy has completely trashed the stall.

Oh, the things I wanted to do to him.

No Pants Babies

So, there's something new happening in our house.  Our toddler has reached the phase where she's decided she doesn't need to wear her pants or underwear.

Luckily, this has only been happening at home, and only at night or when she's taking a nap. 

Hopefully, she doesn't try doing this at preschool during nap time too!

Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Boing! Boing! Boing!

We call our oldest daughter lots of things.  Most of them are nice. 

We call her a worm when she wiggles, a puppy when she barks or licks things (usually us!), and a kangaroo when she is jumping around the house.

Recently, she got her own room and Big Girl bed.

Needless to say, she loves jumping on her bed.