[Playing Cards] With My Son

My wife has begun to prepare Deacon and I for our trip down to Florida this summer to see her grandparents. Grandpa Don and Grandma Helene (who continually spells my name "Nickolas") LOVE playing cards. Card games are something of a big deal in my wife's family. They love to play Hand and Foot, all versions of Euchre (pronounced like my favourite baseball announcer of all time), Spades, Rummy and Gin among what I am sure are countless others.

I know how to play War.

The Deker knows his numbers. He has been able to identify numbers all the way up to 20, without hesitation, since before he was four (he's going to be five in July). I really don't know why it didn't dawn on me sooner that the boy would be a fan of playing with a set of 52 shiny, slick, sleek flash cards. He certainly has enjoyed making me play 52-card pickup in the past, though. Full of mischief, this kid.

I should have taken the time to photoshop Deke's face onto this image.

I know how to play War, Go Fish and Crazy Eights. Deacon has taken to these games as though he's been playing them for his whole life. Mallory (I assume I should probably reference my wife by her name eventually) taught him the different suits, I gave him a bootcamp on the values of Jack, Queen, King and Ace in relation to each other. He has no problem telling me that his Queen beats my 7 when we play War and he doesn't hesitate when he has no 5s in Crazy Eights -- he just grabs one of his diamond suited cards and tosses it onto the growing pile. A few nights ago I taught him to dramatically toss his card onto the pile while saying "BLAH-DOW!" to emphasize that he was a superior being in the realm of Crazy Eights.

I still won that hand, though.

As Deacon continues to grow older (much to mine and my wife's chagrin), we are able to enjoy more complex and involved games and activities. He can help write "Thank You" letters to people who send us cards for Christmas or birthdays and he can play Guess Who without having to be guided along by a partner.

He can also hold a legitimate phone conversation, which is fantastic when I haven't been able to see him for more than 36 hours because I'm at work and school. It helps us miss each other a lot less when we can both understand what the other is saying.

It also allows him to tell me that I forgot to get something that I promised I would bring home. Maybe I don't love the fact that we can fully understand each other. He's like... a real person with memories and emotions.

- Nicholas A. Marsico

Other Sources:

How To Promote Learning By Playing Card Games

[Going Gluten Free] With My Son

After months of pain that had steadily worsened, my wife finally convinced me to visit my doctor. Visits to 3 other doctors followed, but the headaches and stomach pains remained. And they still remain, but at least now I have some ideas as to why.

Celiac Disease disallows those diagnosed to eat any food containing gluten or wheat. Lactose intolerance is less severe but possibly more annoying, especially considering my undying love for ice cream.

I couldn't choose how to depict ice cream. This is it. Enjoy.

You can study up on any of these subjects later. You can also just simply go have some ice cream and taunt me about it next time you see me. Whatever you prefer is fine with me. What you choose to do won't be nearly as thoughtful, sweet, respectable or especially admirable as what Deacon has done. When my wife and I told him that I could no longer eat anything with wheat or gluten, he asked if there was anything he could do to help his daddy. There certainly was -- if he wanted to be able to give his daddy a kiss, he would have to join us in saying goodbye to regular bread, cookies, crackers (no more Cheez-Its or Goldfish, most specifically) and pretty much any processed food that can be picked up at the local grocery store. Mommy promised to make snacks just like these for him, and he readily agreed to do whatever he needed to do in order to make sure I would be just fine.

One reaction Deke seemed to experience when I first started admitting that there was something wrong with me was sympathy pain. His belly hurt, he was having uncomfortable... moments, and he even complained about headaches. His symptoms mirrored mine but have since subsided and he's doing just fine, so don't worry. My favourite Deke response to this new development in our lives is how he has been very careful to make sure that what he is eating is Gluten Free.

"Oooh, you made steak! Can you cut some up for-- hey, is this gluten free?"

And he does that for almost everything.

At Shoprite the other day we were searching for some of the many different flours needed to produce gluten free breads and pastas, and Deacon walks up to me with a box in his hand.

Always thinking of his daddy!

We weren't in a gluten free aisle nor were we in a section in which all of those products were grouped together. The one he grabbed and offered to me was on the shelf next to the rest of the run-of-the-mill cookie mixes.

It's not going to be an easy -- or cheap -- transition, but the support of my family is going to keep my spirits up and make my life a whole lot less stressful. And I love them for it. I really don't think they realize how much.


- Nicholas A. Marsico

Other Sources:
Celiac Disease (Celiac.com)
Gluten Free Registry
Celiac Disease (NDDIC)

[Cache In, Trash Out] With My Son

This past Saturday could not have been a more perfect day for the first Geocache of the year. My wife, son and I set out to find three hidden treasures. We only found one, which was located less than 50 feet from where we parked in the parking lot of the... park. At least it wasn't in Park Ridge.

It would have been funny, though.

Will a picture of the very cute trinket we got from the cache make you forget the "joke"?

Maybe not. Anyway...

The big positive that came from this foray was that we participated in the very eco-friendly (and quite frankly, just right) initiative aptly entitled "Cache In, Trash Out". CITO encourages Geocachers around the world to make the beautiful locations even more aesthetically pleasing while at the same time making a difference.

Pictured: Two kids not nearly as cute as me. *

Deacon ended up being more excited to clean up the woods than continuing our hunt for the elusive 2nd cache of the day, which my wife was absolutely elated about. He even offered his coat hood when we expressed disappointment that we hadn't brought any garbage bags along. That's my boy. I really think we're raising him right.

Next time we go out the three of us intend to make a day of CITO. I hope some of you check out the links and get involved, too.

- Nicholas A. Marsico

* Not nearly as cute as my son, I mean. Really. I am cute, though, right?

Right?


Other sources:
CITO Event Calendar
GAGB >> Cache In Trash Out
The New Geocaching Mantra of Eco-Resorts
Cache In, Trash Out: Geocache Rules for Everyone