Help Me Hide my TV

Just before we moved here Joe purchased a giant television. I'll be honest, I mostly hate it. It's gigantic. But, alas, it's here. Now I need to make it inconspicuous. I have yet to find anything that will hide this behemoth when we are not watching it. Please tell me that someone out there is aware of something. The TV is 46" - I welcome your suggestions.

The English Language is Impossible

Henry and I play scrabble. I spell a word and he reads the word and then he spells a word I read it. Typically I spell words that he can read like car, dog, pig, hat, dad, etc. Typically he spells words I can't read like jrzq, abif, tygh, etc. It's a fun way for him to learn to put the sounds together and a fun way for me to attempt to figure out how to teach him the many various sounds letters make when they are placed together.

The other day Henry and I were finishing our game of scrabble and just for fun I spelled:

Henry asked me to tell him what it said and when I told him that was how to spell Amelia he insisted that I was wrong. U says "uh" and A says "ah" so of course, he insisted Amelia is spelled like this:

Sometimes I think he is too smart.

Stock Market Gamble

Disclaimer: I am not a gambler nor do I intend to be. That said...

Five years ago I started buying shares of stock in the company where I worked. It was easy, the company I worked for deducted the allotted amount from my paycheck and bought the stock for me. At the time I was buying one share for anywhere from $40-$50. I quit working for that company nearly a year later and held on to the stock in a separate brokerage account.

In August 2007 I had to sell that stock because Joe and I are poor. I sold the stock at $105 per share. A really good return if you ask me.

Today the company that I used to work for has been absorbed by another company and stockholders were given approximately .94 shares of the new company stock for each 1 share of the old company stock, which makes the original stock (which I fortunately don't own) worth approximately $14.50 a share now.

With all the news of stock market woes, I'm having a hard time differentiating between gambling with dice, for example, and gambling in the stock market.

Why is it considered smart and reasonable to put all of your money in a market that may or may not give you decent returns but a sin to put your money down on cards?

Is it in the definition? I've been reading a bit online and a USA Today Columnist suggests that the definition is the key: that gambling is a game meant for entertainment. But, it's possible that people go to Vegas seeking a return on their "investment"? In fact they go in droves hoping to return home with more money.

Ultimately, the action remains the same. Risking money on a hunch or potential luck of the investor; knowing when to get in and knowing when to get out.

Everything that I have read explaining the sinful nature of gambling can also be easily attributed to investing in the stock market. Help me. What's the difference?

Remaking the Great Outdoors

After a recent hike, Henry decided that he would make his own forest. Using rocks for the base and flowers and pine cones as "trees," he created his masterpiece. I'm surprised by his imagination - no one taught him this, or really event told him what a forest is.

Feeding the Fire

Henry and I went to the air show in Wendover today. I almost didn't go but I'm SO glad we went. Not only did Henry have a great time but I surprisingly enjoyed myself as well. Some of the highlights of the show:

• Seeing the helicopters


• Going for a ride in the helicopter, Henry and I got a 20 minute ride around East Wendover. The view wasn't specacular, but the ride was phenomenal, especially for Henry. He didn't hold his breath, like he did at the Kids Fair when he saw the helicopter fly close by, or scream like he does when they fly over our house, instead, he seemed calm, relaxed, like he was just taking it all in. When he called his Dad afterwards and saw his grandma later that day he excitedly talked all about it. We both enjoyed the ride!


• Did I mention that there were helicopters?


• Seeing all the airplanes with propellers that look kind of like helicopters


• Getting a picture of a helicopter from Life Flight


• Getting a picture in the helicopter, there are many picture from our ride, but this is my favorite. He really does have the same cheesy smile that Joe has.


• Oh, and there was a cool air show (in all honesty, Henry loved the air show, even though it was airplanes and not helicopters). If you listen carefully in the video below you can hear him narrating (he even suggests that the airplane is "cooking"). He loved the show - ooo ing and ahhh ing through out the entire thing.

Even after all of the fantastic stunts by the airmen in the show, when Henry and I were leaving, a bit before the show was over because it was way past nap time and he was clearly not surviving well, Henry cried because he could see a helicopter on it's landing pad and didn't want to leave without seeing it up close.

We will definately go to another air show. This was a small air show and we had a blast!

Curious George

Henry loves curious George so we went to see him recently at the Kids' Fair. Henry excitedly waited his turn to see the monkey (Henry actually thinks that the Man in the Yellow Hat is named George and the monkey is just called Monkey). His excitement, however, quickly wavered when he approached the larger than life monkey and he couldn't wait until the picture was done and we could escape. We can't wait to meet Santa Claus in a couple months.

Helicopter

Henry with all the items he now requires prior to going to sleep:
at least one helicopter toy and at least one helicopter book.

I am not sure when Henry's obsession with helicopters began, sometime after his birthday, I suppose. Whenever it began, it only increases in intensity every day - Henry is addicted, obsessed, over-excited, whatever adjective you choose - Henry loves helicopters!

We live near the flight path for the University and Primary Childrens helicopter transportation for patients. Every day now he begs to go outside where we wait for a helicopter to fly by. The fly near our home frequently, but nevertheless, it's a frustrating thing for Henry to stand outside, excitedly waiting for the sound which you can always hear before you see the helicopter. The sound which he always recognizes far before me, the sound of the helicopter flying overhead.

At the end of the movie "Cars" Mader rides in the blue Dinoco helicopter, one like Henry is holding in the above picture. The scene is probably 30 seconds long and if you wait a minute or two you get another 10 second clip of Mader riding in the helicopter. When we watch "Cars," that is what we watch, over, and over, and over.

Henry has a white board on an easel that he loves to draw on. That white board is never without at least one helicopter drawing on it, usually three or four because Henry insists on having someone help him draw helicopters.

Before bed, day and night, we read at least one book about helicopters (or with an airplane that has a rotor). Henry sleeps with at least one helicopter toy and at least one helicopter book. When he wakes up, he panics until we have recovered his helicopters from the blankets.

Finally, Henry can name several helicopter parts: main rotor (the twirly blades on top), tail rotor (the twirly blades on the tail), tail boom (the tail), the landing skids and the cockpit.

Movies!

If you're not shy about signing up for trial offers, go to blockbuster.com and register for a free trial. In return you get:

$10 off the purchase of movies costing $10 or more
Free shipping on used movies

Today I got Shark Tale and Ice Age for $6.50 total. There are tons of movies for kids and adults. Use the promo code augappreciation when purchasing the movies.

I think Joe will probably have to sign up later so we can acquire some movies for Henry that aren't Cars, which by the way you could get for $1.99 using this promo.