Thursday, July 24, 2003

Shaken, Not Stirred ...

Hello Everyone.

He dragged a chair over to the piano and used it to climb onto the bench. He then he climbed over the keys and up to the top of our piano.

It was the odd music emanating from the living room that caught my attention. And when I went to check what was going on, there was my 13-month old son Milo stirring the gravel in the gold fish bowl.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Can Anyone Hear Me?

Hello Everyone.

My 13-month-old son Milo was happily sitting in his high chair eating a snack the other day when I left the room to speak to my husband Bob in his office. Milo was chatting and yammering as he always does.

Shortly, we could hear he was getting louder and louder, almost as if he was calling someone, and the "calling" didn't stop.

I went back into the living room to see what he wanted and there he was yelling ... with both hands over his ears!

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Ewww Gross!

Hello Everyone.

They have a frightful appearance, recklessly race about and if you get close enough, they're rather foul smelling. The forceps on their rear end can be painful when used and though not much more than 1/2 inch in length they certainly are not the type of insect one can easily ignore despite their diminutive size.

If you are already squirming in your chair you must be an adult, since earwigs cause many of us to cringe. Now, my 3 3/4-year-old daughter Neva recently met her first earwig under rather unusual circumstances.

For those of you already too squeamish, you may want to skip this part. The earwig you see, somehow found its way deep into Neva's ear. Perhaps it was Neva's screaming for 20 minutes that caused the earwig to pinch her eardrum. In any event, it came, it explored, it bit her, and it left the same way it came.

After all that and the trip to the doctor's office, you would think that Neva would be terrified to even go outside. As I said before, most adults get a little queasy at the mere mention of them and I expected Neva, after her experience, to be terrified. But she wasn't and isn't. In fact, it is her latest must-tell story and with each telling, I am left feeling a little weaker in the knees.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Monday, July 21, 2003

Every Minute Counts ...

Hello Everyone.

This past weekend the big downtown park hosted another of our city's big summer festivals. While walking through the park visiting the craft booths, my daughter Neva was her usual friendly self talking to the vendors.

"I'm 3 and 3 quarters!" she proudly told one woman.

"Wow, you're even keeping count. That's great," she replied.

"Ya," Neva continued, "I'm 1...2...3... and a little bit of 4."

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Peek-a-Boo ...

Hello Everyone.

The sun had already set as I came in from puttering around in the garden. My wife Kathleen had taken our 3 3/4-year-old daughter Neva and 1-year-old son Milo to bed a good 45 minutes earlier.

It was quiet in the house, not unusual for that time of night. After all, Kathleen often falls asleep with them when she put both kids down. So, I washed up and made my way to my office to do some work.

I sat down and was about to pull my chair closer to my desk when I caught a glimpse of two tiny feet where mine were to go. I bent down and to my surprise there was Milo sitting quietly under my desk, a huge smile on his face.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Getting Nosey ...

Hello Everyone.

My daughter Neva, who proudly tells everyone that she is now 3 & 3/4 years old is at that stage where her self awarness has been internalized. Literally.

The other evening I overheard Neva and her mother naming the bones in her body. They had covered all the major bones in her body when Neva asked my wife what the bone in her nose was called.

"It's your septum," Kathleen answered as Neva shoved her finger up her nose. "I can feel it Mommy," she said. Pulling her finger out of her nose she promptly stuck it in her mouth. And with that Neva annouced, "I'm so hungry I could eat a WHOLE NOSE!"

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

Unexpected Absence ...

Hello Everyone.

We took an unexpected holiday to attend to some personal matters but the ContestHound.com Daily Contest Update is now back. I apologize for our unexpected absence.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com