With Father's Day coming up, I thought I would share a link that I really enjoyed.
Dad Life
It really honors (in a really funny way) what today's fatherhood experience is all about. Enjoy!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Busy, busy, busy!
It has been very busy around here and thus, no blog updates. I know that the end of school should mean the lazy days of summer are right around the corner, but it never seems to work out that way. All three of the older boys are beginning baseball next week and that just makes our evenings crazy around here. None of them are on the same team, so that makes for one busy household. The twins will be 2 on Sunday and it just seems strange to think that soon we will have to quit calling them "the babies" because they probably start protesting to it before we know it. We also got the pool open in about 1/10 of the time it took us to get it open last year. Last year, it was more of a green, frog growing pond than pool, so this year opening the pool took far less work! We are looking forward to our Memorial day Pot-luck here on Monday when we can swim with our family and friends! Hopefully the pool will warm up a little by then. When I checked the temperature this evening the it was only at 60!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Technology Good Grief!
This particular post is not about the Morden clan, but about the technology saga that is my life. In the past month I have fried one printer, had 3 iPhone 4s, tore apart my work laptop to replace a part, (Notice I didn't say put back together yet.), and had an internet card that didn't work (Thankfully now it does.) The saga began almost 6 months ago when Alltel was bought out by AT&T. I was excited at first because I had wanted an iPhone for a long time, but without boring you with the details, it took from November until February (when they charged me for the phone) to even receive the phone and then they wouldn't activate it until mid April. This is after several promises and delays of shipment. Once I received it, we went form getting great service to one bar. I was already fed up with AT&T and Verizon now had the iPhone 4, so we made the decision to switch. However AT&T said if I switched before the phone was activated I would face the cancellation fee. So once the phones were activated I went to Verizon, switched everything over, and went to AT&T to return our equipment. They said no problem, but they would have to charge me a 10% restocking fee! After arguing (and getting nowhere) I consented and left. Once home with my new Verizon iPhone, I discovered it had several problems and was defective. I called the Verizon store and they said to bring it in and they would set me up with a new one. I asked if I could go to there store that was slightly closer (30 instead of 35 miles) and was told that would be fine. When I arrived, however, they ended up sending me to the other store anyways because they were out of iPhone 4s. Immediately they said they could help me and I would be out the door in just a few minutes. Though, when the salesman began looking up my information and processing the return he said that Apple would not allow Verizon to return defective phones and immediately activate a new one. The phone had to be sent in. "What?!?" I would have to wait for my phone to return from repairs. At this point I was livid! After explaining the obvious to this salesman that this was ridiculous, he relented to call the Apple help line. He handed me the phone and after explaining the situation, the Apple guy said the Verizon guy should just give me phone. (Duh! Tell that to the Verizon salesman!) I agreed with him and handed the phone back to the Verizon guy. After a couple minutes of debate I was handed back the phone and the Apple guy said that the Verizon guy wasn’t going to give me the phone. (Of course he said it wasn’t his fault, but Verizon’s) He said I had 3 options:
1. Ship the phone to Apple and have them fix it. (Taking up to 2 weeks)
2. Have Apple ship me a new phone, but I would have to pay $30 shipping and they would put a $600 hold on my credit card until they received the defective phone back.
3. Drive toGrand Rapids
At this point I decided the Technology gods were just out to get me. Did I mention Apple had also disconnected my call while I was on hold 3 times? After arguing with the Apple guy that these choices were ludicrous and becoming slightly irate, he finally agreed to wave the $30 shipping charge, but wouldn’t relent on the $600 hold. I agreed, but when he ran my credit card, the card company thought it was a fraudulent charge and wouldn’t allow it to go through. I then had to call the card company tell them it was ok, and call the guy back. He ran the card and I was on my way 2 hours later. The new iPhone arrived the very next day (today) and I followed the activation instructions, but they didn’t work. (Come on did you expect them to? At this point, I didn’t.) I had already wiped my old phone clean (because the directions said to, so that phone was out of commission). Luckily, our babysitter was still here so I borrowed her phone. Verizon told me that I had to connect my new iPhone to the computer and the internet before it could be activated. I advised the woman on the phone that this was not in the directions, but I would try it. (I had a new internet connection card from Verizon I could use. What could go wrong right?) As I went through the setup directions for the internet card, it too did not work. AAAAGGGGGHHHH!! I called Verizon back again and they said I needed a wireless capable computer to activate it. Now I had asked the lady at the Verizon store if I could use this with a desktop computer and she assured me I could so this just added to my pile of complaints! The Verizon rep on the phone said that I would need to get to a different computer and download the software to activate the device. I said, “Don’t you think that it should have come with the device?” She said, “I agree, but it doesn’t”. (Thanks, that helps.) So, our babysitter agreed to stay a bit longer so I could drive to the church to download the software to come home and install it (hoping it works) and then connect to the internet so that I could connect my phone so that I could activate it. (Yes, I realize that is a run-on sentence, but hey it fits with the saga that never ends.) The installation worked, and the phone was connected and successfully activated, but again it took 2.5 hours.
Oh, but while you may wish the story to end there, it doesn’t. (Remember there is a printer and a laptop in this story too. Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.) My printer, about a month ago, had a paper jam. When I pulled it out there was a static shock and poof the printer stopped working. Now the good part about this is that it was still under warranty and Brother Inc. was very good (and quick) about getting me a replacement. On to the laptop (bet you didn’t think that story was going to be so short.) My laptop was having touch pad issues, after 3 calls to HP they finally decided the touch pad needed to be replaced. Again 3 choices:
1. Ship it to them to repair. (taking up to 3 weeks)
2. Take it to a HP rep to fix. (30 miles away)
1. Ship the phone to Apple and have them fix it. (Taking up to 2 weeks)
2. Have Apple ship me a new phone, but I would have to pay $30 shipping and they would put a $600 hold on my credit card until they received the defective phone back.
3. Drive to
At this point I decided the Technology gods were just out to get me. Did I mention Apple had also disconnected my call while I was on hold 3 times? After arguing with the Apple guy that these choices were ludicrous and becoming slightly irate, he finally agreed to wave the $30 shipping charge, but wouldn’t relent on the $600 hold. I agreed, but when he ran my credit card, the card company thought it was a fraudulent charge and wouldn’t allow it to go through. I then had to call the card company tell them it was ok, and call the guy back. He ran the card and I was on my way 2 hours later. The new iPhone arrived the very next day (today) and I followed the activation instructions, but they didn’t work. (Come on did you expect them to? At this point, I didn’t.) I had already wiped my old phone clean (because the directions said to, so that phone was out of commission). Luckily, our babysitter was still here so I borrowed her phone. Verizon told me that I had to connect my new iPhone to the computer and the internet before it could be activated. I advised the woman on the phone that this was not in the directions, but I would try it. (I had a new internet connection card from Verizon I could use. What could go wrong right?) As I went through the setup directions for the internet card, it too did not work. AAAAGGGGGHHHH!! I called Verizon back again and they said I needed a wireless capable computer to activate it. Now I had asked the lady at the Verizon store if I could use this with a desktop computer and she assured me I could so this just added to my pile of complaints! The Verizon rep on the phone said that I would need to get to a different computer and download the software to activate the device. I said, “Don’t you think that it should have come with the device?” She said, “I agree, but it doesn’t”. (Thanks, that helps.) So, our babysitter agreed to stay a bit longer so I could drive to the church to download the software to come home and install it (hoping it works) and then connect to the internet so that I could connect my phone so that I could activate it. (Yes, I realize that is a run-on sentence, but hey it fits with the saga that never ends.) The installation worked, and the phone was connected and successfully activated, but again it took 2.5 hours.
Oh, but while you may wish the story to end there, it doesn’t. (Remember there is a printer and a laptop in this story too. Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.) My printer, about a month ago, had a paper jam. When I pulled it out there was a static shock and poof the printer stopped working. Now the good part about this is that it was still under warranty and Brother Inc. was very good (and quick) about getting me a replacement. On to the laptop (bet you didn’t think that story was going to be so short.) My laptop was having touch pad issues, after 3 calls to HP they finally decided the touch pad needed to be replaced. Again 3 choices:
1. Ship it to them to repair. (taking up to 3 weeks)
2. Take it to a HP rep to fix. (30 miles away)
3. They could ship me the part to replace. (I chose this option. I have installed a modem and memory before. I could handle this right?)
Well, I received the parts today. When I left work, the computer was still in parts. I got to the part of removing the switch cover and then got stuck. Well, at least it was stuck and would not budge. So while my technology saga is to be continued (on Monday), I will leave you with one question.
Do any of you know how to remove a switch cover on a 6730b HP Notebook?
Friday, April 8, 2011
Pirates!
There is a new Disney Junior show called Jake and the Neverland Pirates. It is really cute and it teaches valuable vocabulary! (Sort of.) Gabriel's new word is "Pirate". Because Pete makes it his mission in life to teach our children really valuable things, he taught Gabriel to say "RRRR" in addition to this new word and to swing his fist through the air. This is the latest in the long line of valuable things Pete has taught our children, including teaching a 2 year old Peter to say "WHAT'S UPPPPP!" with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and teaching Emma to say, "Boop Boop Bee Doo!" with her hands on her swinging hips. I know there were more, but of course now that I would like to list them, I can't seem to remember them. Just the musings of a mother of 6.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sneeky Twins and the Tale of Batman and Wendy
It has been a long day and it is promising to be a long week as well. I am in the midst of writing a grant proposal for summer programming, and I fear it will take every spare second I have. Hopefully it pays off! I also just returned from the National Asparagus Festival monthly board meeting to find the twins in bed (sort of) and the other kids (minus Peter, who is at camp) watching "The Incredibles". The twins are struggling with staying in bed now that they are out of their cribs. They are sneaky about it too. They quietly sneak down the hallway and stand in the back of the living room and watch TV and you never notice them unless you turn around. Last night I went to bed right after them and just as I was about to fall asleep,Gabriel pounced on me. After a stern scolding, he reluctantly went back to bed, crying. Katherine usually is the one who leads Gabriel out of bed, so I think she is teaching him her tricks. They are currently in bed and Katherine has not sneaked out even once. Gabe on the other hand has been seen twice.
On a different topic.............Joseph again has been asking to visit Batman and Wendy. Daily, sometimes two or three times a day. He has, however, decided he only wants to visit (for now). When he grows up he has informed us that he will move in with Batman. At this point, you must be confused because I did not say Batman and Robin, but Batman and Wendy. To make a long story short, we have good friends that are really named Paul and Wendy. Joseph saw a picture of Paul in a Halloween costume dressed as Batman and ever since, he has been convinced that he is the REAL Batman. It probably doesn't help that we all have perpetuated the lie. Batman (aka Paul) sent Joseph his own batman cape and shirt, and showed up at our house around Halloween in full Batman attire. I must admit, it is a pretty convincing costume, especially to a 5 year old. Joseph will often say, "I won't tell your secret Batman." or "I am Batman's helper." We even have really cute pictures of Batman and Little Batman (aka Joseph). I think of this kind of like Santa Clause. One day we will tell him the truth, but it is just too cute to tell him now.
On a different topic.............Joseph again has been asking to visit Batman and Wendy. Daily, sometimes two or three times a day. He has, however, decided he only wants to visit (for now). When he grows up he has informed us that he will move in with Batman. At this point, you must be confused because I did not say Batman and Robin, but Batman and Wendy. To make a long story short, we have good friends that are really named Paul and Wendy. Joseph saw a picture of Paul in a Halloween costume dressed as Batman and ever since, he has been convinced that he is the REAL Batman. It probably doesn't help that we all have perpetuated the lie. Batman (aka Paul) sent Joseph his own batman cape and shirt, and showed up at our house around Halloween in full Batman attire. I must admit, it is a pretty convincing costume, especially to a 5 year old. Joseph will often say, "I won't tell your secret Batman." or "I am Batman's helper." We even have really cute pictures of Batman and Little Batman (aka Joseph). I think of this kind of like Santa Clause. One day we will tell him the truth, but it is just too cute to tell him now.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Peter's Camp Out
Well, Peter leaves for his first overnight away from the family tomorrow. Actually, it is 2 nights, but who's counting? He will be fine. Me on the other hand will probably miss him horribly. Matthew, my tenderhearted guy, said, "I am going to miss Peter." It was almost like he thought Peter wasn't coming back. Yeah, that helps! Anyway, if I miss him too badly, I can go visit him. It is my program he is going with, so I can just say I was checking on how things were going. No one will ever be the wiser. (Until they read this post!)
Maybe this time with Peter gone will allow me to spend some time with Matthew though. He stopped reading his book for a second (trust me this doesn't happen often), long enough to tell me (in tears) that he doesn't have any friends at school and no one likes to play with him. He said he reads at recess because no one will play with him. Wow! What do you say to that? I reminded him that he has an eternal friend in Jesus, and he will never leave us. I also encouraged him to ask others to play with him. He wasn't too encouraged. He has always been an old soul, very thoughtful about future things, and always asks those big questions. He says he is bored in school because he already knows what they are teaching. The part that is tough is that I know he is right.
Well I think that is enough for my first day of blogging. Four out of the six kids are sleeping. Peter and Matthew are camping out in the living room and chatting away and I think I might as well hit the hay as well. Hopefully the boys will be sleeping before Pete makes it home.
Maybe this time with Peter gone will allow me to spend some time with Matthew though. He stopped reading his book for a second (trust me this doesn't happen often), long enough to tell me (in tears) that he doesn't have any friends at school and no one likes to play with him. He said he reads at recess because no one will play with him. Wow! What do you say to that? I reminded him that he has an eternal friend in Jesus, and he will never leave us. I also encouraged him to ask others to play with him. He wasn't too encouraged. He has always been an old soul, very thoughtful about future things, and always asks those big questions. He says he is bored in school because he already knows what they are teaching. The part that is tough is that I know he is right.
Well I think that is enough for my first day of blogging. Four out of the six kids are sleeping. Peter and Matthew are camping out in the living room and chatting away and I think I might as well hit the hay as well. Hopefully the boys will be sleeping before Pete makes it home.
My very first posting!
Yeah, I know it isn't a very interesting title to my first posting, but being new to this blogging stuff, I spent all my creativity for the night on naming the blog. I am not exactly sure where this blog will take me, or even if it will be interesting enough to read, but here we go!
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