Christmas Gift Duds

You know, for some reason, I was convinced that a Whack-A-Mole was a great gift for the boys. It just seems that every kid should have one, you know? And I had this picture in my mind of how the Whack-A-Mole works and the great fun the boys would have while pounding these defenseless creatures and every once in a while, each other.

But when I got the game out and put in two or four or 20 AA batteries in it, I found the moles didn't go back in the hole when you whack them. They just lit up and made stupid comments. Now, am I wrong, or has Whack-A-Mole gone soft on us? There should be repercussions for mole-whacking. The moles should cower and return to their holes and squeal in pain. Instead, this New Coke version of Whack-A-Mole has these critters chuckling at you and lighting up like a Christmas tree light.

Thus, it's no wonder that this is another in what will be a long list of Christmas gift duds. The kids have barely played with it, and who can blame them? I've tried to cheer them up by telling them that real moles would never light up and be glib about having the snot knocked out of them. And that really seems to cheer up the boys. What can I say -- I'm a great dad. And yeah, you can tell by the photo above how much fun the kids are having with Whack-A-Mole.

Other bad ideas this Christmas: any kind of flash cards, unless your kid is showing signs of having ESP. They end up under the couch, torn in half or wait for you to step on them on a hardwood floor, tearing your hamstring.

The Good: All Star Wars stuff has been met with feverish glee, though Lyndon's Captain Rex helmet is so absurdly big for him that he looks like the martian from Bugs Bunny when he has it on. No word on whether I can change the vocals to have him say, "I am getting very angry...very angry indeed!" The Leapfrog learning stuff has been great, too.

Updates, Milestones, and Days Gone By
Great Lyndon Quotes:
--After I admonished him for picking his nose at a wedding reception, he quit, then when we were leaving in the car afterward, asked, "Can I pick my nose now?"
--"When I was younger, I walked near poop."
--"If you leave the fridge door open, the food will go dying."
--"No one knows I'm a super hero."

Colin quotes (1st Edition):
He's saying a lot more words now, and starting to pair them up into sentences. The boys got pink eye this week, and Colin pronounced it, "Meek pie."

Lyndon still gets into a superhero costume about every day, and continue to play villain after villain as he defends the world against evil. Colin has begun to get in on the battle, but he loses interest pretty quickly.

I realize now that if I updated this thing more often, I'd have shorter posts. Funny how that works. I have a goal to do this weekly, but one time I also had a goal to be a professional fisherman. That's actually true.