CJ's visit to the Smithsonian

While Uncle Alex was here for Thanksgiving, we took a trip down to the National Mall. Alex and I love museums and I hadn't been to visit one in ages. I want to instill in CJ a love of art and museums, so I figured it's best to go while he's still young.

When I worked for the San Francisco Education Fund after college, my Executive Director, Glady Thacher, used to say that people don't suddenly appreciate the opera, art or the symphony when they turn 21 or 30. It's the kids whose parents took them to museums and the symphony early who later on love the arts and become art patrons. Yes, CJ got a little rambunctious, but overall, he was pretty good. The guard at the Freer only had to shush him once when he started running around and talking a little too loudly.

We visited the Freer and Sackler Galleries; we loved the Peacock Room (as usual), I admired the Japanese scrolls and we absolutely loved an exhibit on the Falnama (the Persian Book of Omens.) At the National Museum of African Art, we enjoyed an exhibit by Yinka Shonibare MBE.

CJ playing around with Uncle Alex. We played hide and seek and I ended up
hiding behind of the bushes, while lying on the ground. I got so dirty!

CJ and Uncle Alex in front of the Sackler Gallery.

CJ in front of the Smithsonian Castle. He desperately wanted to walk in the perfectly
manicured lawn, but I said no, so we played hide and seek elsewhere on the rounds.

More Funny CJ Expressions

CJ continues to make me laugh with all the things he says. The most recent are:

Mama: CJ, come over here so I can put lotion on you. (after a bath)
CJ: (starts jumping and dancing around)
Mama: CJ, what are you doing?
CJ: Giving you a challenge.
Mama: What? Why are you giving me a challenge? (barely able to suppress a laugh and trying to look stern)
CJ: Because you pressed the challenge button.

CJ: Mama, where did you go again?
Mama: Las Vegas
CJ: I know why it's called Las Vegas.
Mama: Why?
CJ: Coz it was Vegas and it was lost.

Before school carpool:
Mama: See you later, CJ. I love you.
CJ: I know that, mama. Why do you have to keep saying that?
Mama: So you won't forget that I love you.
CJ: Okay. Love you mom. Bye.

The next morning, after decorating our tree:
CJ: Mama, the tree still looks great. But the house is not perfect yet. The house is not done.
(Yep, we are indeed not done with the house.)

Play Doh Sushi

A couple of years ago, during a trip to Japan, we visited the Tokyu Hands department store in Japan. I love Tokyu Hands. It's a cross between a hardware store, Target, sports store and clothing store. I love the entire floor devoted to stationery and pens.

While we were there, we found an amazing selection of Play Doh molds. At the time, CJ was in preschoool, so we bought some molds for making hamburgers and hotdogs. We also bought a set of molds for making sushi.

The molds sat in CJ's play doh kit until a few weeks ago when CJ's got interested in play doh again. So over the past few weeks, we have been busy making play doh sushi. Check out the results.


The molds are great. We can make salmon, shrimp, salmon roe, rice balls, octopus, etc. We are having a ball making custom colors so that we can make sushi that looks more like the real thing.

The problem is: I don't know where I'm going to put all the finished product. We've let a bunch of our creations harden and they're now on display in our kitchen. But we've made a bunch more than you see in the photo above. Maybe we'll send play doh sushi to the grandparents for Christmas. :-)

Troublemaker Family

The other day, I accused CJ of being a troublemaker. Here's the ensuing conversation:

CJ: Mama, I'm the biggest troublemaker.
Me: Actually, I'm the Chief Troublemaker.
CJ: Why?
Me: Because I make trouble at home and at work.
CJ: Can I be the Assistant Troublemaker?
Me: Sure! (runs over to his dad)

CJ: Daddy, mama is the Chief Troublemaker and I'm the Assistant Troublemaker. Do you want to be part of our troublemaker family?
Daddy: I don't have a choice, do I?
CJ: Yeah

More Funny CJ Expressions

CJ continues to crack us up with the things he's saying. Now he's getting crafty.

After I bought him battery-powered Hiro at Day Out With Thomas
CJ: Mama, can I get battery-powered Victor?
Me: CJ, I just got you battery-powered Hiro
CJ: But mama, can I get battery-powered Victor?
Me: CJ, can you focus on things you have, not things you don't have?
CJ: Mama, I am focusing on what I have, but I'm wondering if I can have battery-powered Victor.

Me: CJ, please turn off the TV in a few minutes.
CJ: Okay, but I want to watch some more.
Me: Okay, but I don't want you watching TV all day.
CJ: But mama, I'm not watching TV all day, just a few hours.

After his first day of school:
Me: CJ, how was school?
CJ: It was the best first day of school ever!

Me: CJ, what's your favorite food?
CJ: Sushi, of course.

While making a new train track layout:
Maki: CJ, I need another curve.
CJ: We don't have any more curves, sadly.

More Funny CJ Expressions

CJ's language skills are exploding. He can pretty much read a Magic Treehouse book on his own and he's learning to sound out words he doesn't know. His verbal skills are very good and sometimes hilarious.

Maki: CJ, please come and brush your teeth without any problems or I'll take away one of your trains.
CJ: Mama, daddy says he'll take away one of my trains. Are you good with that?

Me: CJ, here's your milk.
CJ: Is it 1% milk?
Me: No, it's 2%. (I accidentally gave him lactose-free 2% milk, which he didn't like.)
CJ: But mommy, I don't like the new 2%. I like the old 2%.
Me: Okay, I'll drink the new 2% and give you 1% milk.
CJ: Mommy, how does the cow make different kinds of milk?

Me: CJ, come eat your breakfast.
CJ: Hold on one minute while I finish my track layout.

Me: CJ, can we watch one of your other movies tonight? I love Thomas, but I want to watch something else.
CJ: Okay mama, we can watch your movies during the week and Thomas movies on the weekend.

CJ: What day is it?
Me: It's Thursday.
CJ: I wish it were Sunday.
Me: Why?
CJ: So I could get sausage egg mcmuffin for breakfast.

Percy Really Does Go Backwards!

One evening, CJ told me that 'dcolemanh' (his favorite YouTube creator) made his battery-powered Hank go backwards by putting tin foil between the battery and the connector, where the battery goes is backward.

Now, remember that I'm a liberal arts mommy. Making trains go backwards is not my specialty. But I wanted to try this out with CJ so I dutifully took a tiny piece of tin foil, folded it carefully and put it behind the battery. You guessed it. It didn't work. CJ and I were really disappointed.

That evening, I told Maki about our misadventure and he just looked at me funny. I asked him if putting tin foil would really make the train go backward and his computer science self gave me an "I can't believe you don't know this stuff" look. He took a piece of tin foil, carefully folded it so that it fit neatly into the back contact area. Then he put the battery in backward and explained that by reversing the battery in a DC motor, you CAN make it go backward.

My liberal arts self was dumbfounded when CJ turned on Percy and the train indeed went backwards! CJ squealed in delight and I realized again how lucky CJ is to have a liberal arts mommy and a computer science daddy. :-) I swear, I'm just in awe of what Maki knows.