Clever is as Clever Does ...

Hello Everyone.

Sometimes it is really interesting the clever ways children try to avoid going to bed. My 4-year-old daughter Neva decided tonight that she needed to know whose birthday was when.

"When's Mommy's birthday?" she began, after I turned off the light. I answered. "And Daddy, when is yours?" she continued. I answered again. Soon we had made it through the rest of our family and had begun with some of our neighbors.

"Neva," I said, "it's time to go to sleep."

"But just one more daddy!" she pleaded.

"One more then," I allowed.

"When is everybody's?"

"On their birthday Neva, on their birthday."

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Latest Web Site Update ...

Hello Everyone.

As many of you have already noticed, there are lots of changes going on at ContestHound.com. Be sure to visit the site and create you own personal myContests account so that you can keep track of only those contests you are interested in (check the link at the top of this newsletter).

Hopefully by the time the tomorrow's issue comes out, I'll be able to get back to writing the stories that you usually find here.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Alphab-b-b-bet ...

Hello Everyone.

Since starting school, my 4-year-old daughter Neva seems to have developed a strange speech defect. They're learning to read and, with that, the sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Now Neva walks around quite frequently, saying things like:

"Muh ... muh ... muh ... Mommy? Can wuh ... wuh ... wuh ... we huh .. huh ... huh ...have macarrr ... errr ... errr ... rrroni and ch ... ch ... ch ... cheese for duh .. duh ... duh ... duh ... dinner?"

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Wanted: One Bulldozer ...

Hello Everyone.

The other day I was tidying up a few things when I came across a pair of used roller blades that my neighbour had given me. Space comes at a premium in our humble abode and I was stumped about where to put them. My 4-year-old daughter Neva picked one up and instructed me to pick up the other and follow her.

"Where are you going to put them?" I asked.

"In the closet," she replied, as she stuffed the first one in. "That's where we keep all the junk that doesn't fit anybody anymore."

I guess it's time to do a little more re-organizing!

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails ...

Hello Everyone.

While my 17-month-old son Milo climbs my desk to talk on the phone quite regularly, this time he slipped and hit his head on the way down. None of us were in the room when it happened and when I found him, although quite bloodied and clearly distraught, Milo had already moved to the living room and was watching television.

Once the bleeding stopped he was his normal self again, running and playing in the emergency room, making us wonder if we were wasting time sitting around waiting among all those other sick kids. Three and a half hours later, they glued his head back together and we were sent home with instructions to keep an eye out for signs of a concussion: excessive sleepiness, trouble walking, vomiting, etc.

Within a few short hours, Milo and his 4-year-old sister Neva were chasing each other around the apartment, laughing and giggling and squealing with excitement. Milo ended the day with two fresh bruises from bumping into doors, floors and Neva.

Looks like we've got ourselves a bumpy 15 years ahead of us!

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Learning By Example ...

Hello Everyone.

We have an occasional problem with our outgoing and social 4-year-old daughter Neva visiting the neighbors without our knowledge. Since we know all our neighbors well, this is not a safety concern, however not knowing where she is obviously worrisome. She doesn't do this too frequently, but it's a rule in our house -- "no visiting without telling" -- that is being broken. Once we retrieve her, we read the riot act once again and she gets a "logical consequence" type punishment, like no visiting at all for the rest of the day. Still, we're not sure she's getting the point.

Well, the other day I asked Neva to call Daddy in for dinner. I thought he was out on the balcony. Neva came back in and started putting on her coat. "I can't find him," she informed me. She was obviously going to look for him. I reminded her not to leave the building without me and said I'd help her look in a minute.

As I was about to leave, Neva had returned and was leading her Daddy by the hand through the apartment. He looked guilty and abashed. Seems she had found him coming back from the corner store. "Daddy needs a time out for leaving without telling us," she reprimanded.

Perhaps our message is getting through after all!

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

Housekeeping ...

Hello Everyone.

Just a bit of housekeeping for a Monday...

I am diligently working on the new design for ContestHound.com and it should be live in the next week or so. Look for some great new features including what I call "myContests" where you can save any contest on the site to your own little place. Should make keeping track of your contests much faster and easier. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Also, if you email provider/system has a whitelist, friend's list, approved address list or any type of email filtering make sure that you add webmaster@contesthound.com, that way, you'll be sure to receive the Daily Contest Update. You'd be surprised to learn that many of your emails may be filtered out without your knowledge, including this one.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

A Day at the Dentist ...

Hello Everyone.

My 4-year-old daughter Neva and I went to the dentisttoday. We both needed our regular check-ups, cleaning andwhat-not. You would think that this type of adventure wouldbe upsetting for a little kid but quite the contrary.

I went first so that Neva would get an idea of what was goingon and a good thing since I had no idea myself. Seems thatNeva managed to squeeze herself about as close as one couldwithout actually climbing into my mouth. She then puther arm over my eyes so that I wouldn't be scared. Annoyingbut kinda cute.

When it was her turn, she crawled around the dentist'soffice barking like a dog for a few minutes before finallyclimbing into the chair. And that was it. No complaints, nofear, no nothin'. What a kid!

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

In the Eye of the Beholder ...

Hello Everyone.

There is road construction that started early this morning on our street corner and my 2-year-old daughter was immediately fascinated with the big machinery. The sounds of the engines would bring Neva time and again to my second story office window. Each and every time she would tell me about the goings on and not once did she forget to mention the Ladybugs.

Ladybugs. I was perplexed. I looked over every inch of the window, along the frame, inside and out to no avail. It wasn't until this evening that I realized that the construction workers where all wearing bright orange vests. Ladybugs!

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Go East ...

Hello Everyone.

My 4-year-old daughter Neva always enjoys her daily trip to the school library. All the kids are given the opportunity to select whatever books they are interested in and Neva has brought home some very interesting titles:

New Brunswick, a 20-year-old geography book.
101 Monster Jokes, suitable only for 10-year-old boys.
The Caribbean Islands, a history of the people book.

What is really amazing is that as soon as she gets home with her treasures, she manages to incorprate them into her play. Today, she piled all of her toys onto the table, put a chair in front of it and drove east to Moncton, New Brunswick and then on to the Bay of Fundy.

Now how did she know it was east?

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Rain, Rain, Go Away ...

Hello Everyone.

We had a rainy weekend and so both my 4-year-old daughter Neva and her 16-month-old brother Milo spent their whole time indoors. They watched too much television, nibbled on snacks, played together and played apart. They ran through the house, talked way too loud and didn't put most of their toys away.

Today, Neva is in school and Milo is quietly playing by himself. And me, I am about to go sit down and do absolutely nothing, at least for a little while.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

A Whale of a Story ... Part 2

Hello Everyone.

Judging by the response from a number of readers, yesterday's cliff hanger still needs to be resolved. So, here is a repeat of yesterday's story with a new ending -- just like those DVD's you can buy ...

Sometimes you do something that at the time seems completely benign. Take for instance today, when I cleaned the goldfish bowl. I put the fish into a cup in the kitchen and left the bowl sitting in the bathtub so that the water would acclimatize.

Now, imagine the catastrophe when my 4-year-old daughter Neva, having just returned from playing outside, rushed into the bathroom to pee. I think it was the bone rattling scream that caught my attention, and I ran to see what was the matter.

Crying hysterically and yelling mostly unitelligble words, she stood there at the bathroom door, bouncing up and down with her legs crossed pointing to the empty fishbowl. I quickly tried to reassure her that her fish was fine swimming in a cup in the kitchen. But I couldn't help laughing quietly at the site of this utterly frantic little girl, distraught over her fish, all the while still having to really, really, really go pee.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

A Whale of a Story ...

Hello Everyone.

Sometimes you do something that at the time seems completely benign. Take for instance today, when I cleaned the goldfish bowl. I put the fish into a cup in the kitchen and left the bowl sitting in the bathtub so that the water would acclimatize.

Now, imagine the catastrophe when my 4-year-old daughter Neva, having just returned from playing outside, rushed into the bathroom to pee.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

One Ringy-Dingy ...

Hello Everyone.

My 16-month-old son Milo really enjoys talking on the telephone, except of course if there is anyone there. He'll babble endlessly to the dial-tone but hardly utters a word otherwise.

The other night I got this brilliant idea. Rather than having Milo climb onto my desk to get to the telephone, I just unplugged it and put it on the floor for him. Since then, I haven't had a phone; I haven't had to clean up my desk either ... but ... what if Reader's Digest was trying to call to tell me I'm their next millionaire?

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Braque, Picasso, Kennedy ...

Hello Everyone.

The French painter, Georges Braque, who, with Pablo Picasso, originated the cubist art movement said "There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain." Over the past few years, I have been chronicling my soon-to-be three-year-old daughter Neva's artistic progression with some regularity. And today, it is my honor to present her latest masterpiece.

When I was first offered to view her grand work, I was slow in recognizing the showpiece for what it was -- an extraordinary interpretation of a post-modernist sensibility that succinctly reflects Braque's eloquent views. The pervasiveness of the piece lies in its kinetic quality; left undisturbed, the piece migrates and textures metamorphose.

Resonating with aspects of Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades, a natural, earthy structure offers itself up as the canvass while the contrasting airiness of the medium imbues a jarring contrast of lightness delicately anchored to a solid foundation.

There is no clear explanation of the genius of her latest work but as John F. Kennedy reminds us, "society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him". Neva has proudly and, in my opinion, successfully done so. Now in my wife Kathleen's opinion, Neva simply finger-painted the entire breakfast table using yogurt.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

A Little Unbearable ...

Hello Everyone.

I was working in my office the other day, concentrating on the task at hand, when out of the corner of my eye I thought I say Winnie the Pooh. This can happen when one works in front of a computer all day long and so I thought nothing of it. But then it moved.

I turned toward the wobbly little fella and it turned out not to be an aberration but rather my 11-month-old son Milo. He was wearing a red and tan outfit with a hood that had two small ears on top.

"Is this a Halloween costume?" I called out to my wife Kathleen. "No," she replied sounding annoyed. It was late afternoon and I knew it wasn't bedtime. "They're not pajamas are they?" I asked innocently. "No!" she said.

It seemed a small on him, a bit short in the legs. The hood came down over his forehead stopping above his eyes but it pulled his chin toward his chest. I thought it best not to share that the get-up looked ridiculous.

But as he waddled out the other door, I thought about how costly his therapy is going to be.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

In My Opinion ...

Hello Everyone.

If there is one thing I have learned about being a parent it's that you cannot control your kids. You can offers suggestions and influence them through your words and actions. You can present diversions or explain the likely consequences of what they are doing but when all is said and done, they still have minds of their own and will do what they want.

In our house, we do our best to protect Neva and Milo from danger, not experience. The many and varied outcomes of doing so have been the source of many of these stories and often have humorous results.

I think the key to parenting is to pay attention, to help when help is needed and to resist the urge to parent at every opportunity. Nobody I know enjoys being constantly told how and what to do and children are the same. We are entrusted with the welfare of our children, to provide guidance and teach life skills. Trying to do our best is mandatory yet, though our intentions are good, we can do too much.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Royal Flush ...

Hello Everyone.

We have a baby gate at the door of the bathroom to keep my 16-month-old son Milo out. Why we don't just close the door is a valid point but not today. No, today I want to tell you about Milo.

As I sat working at my computer, I heard Milo dragging a kid-sized chair through my office. He often pushes one around so I thought nothing of it. Then the toilet flushed.

I quickly got up and climbed over the gate, grabbed Milo and climbed back over the gate grabbing the chair and brought them both into the living room.

Back to work I went and moments later I heard the toilet flush again. Seems that for a second time he had dragged the chair to the bathroom, climbed over the gate and flushed the toilet without me noticing. I quickly got up, climbed over the gate, grabbed Milo, back over the gate, grabbed the chair bringing both of them into the living room. "All done," I told him.

This time I closed the door behind me ... I thought ...

Back to work I went and moments later I heard the toilet flush again. For a third time he had dragged the chair to the bathroom, climbed over the gate, turned the knob to open the door and flushed the toilet ... without me noticing. I quickly got up, climbed over the gate, grabbed Milo, back over the gate, grabbed the chair and again brought both of them into the living room. "All done," I told him.

This time I closed the door behind me ... tightly ... I'm positive.

Back to work I went and moments later I heard the toilet flush yet again. Now on his fourth trip, Milo had dragged the chair to the bathroom, climbed over the gate, turned the knob to open the door and flushed the toilet ... without me noticing. I quickly got up, climbed over the gate, grabbed Milo, back over the gate, grabbed the chair and once more brought them both into the living room. Then I strapped Milo into his high chair.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Feeding Frenzy ...

Hello Everyone.

It's not that I don't know the way around our kitchen but given the opportunity, at the drop of a hat I would go out for dinner. Yesterday was one of those days since my wife Kathleen was teaching evening piano classes and off we went for a nice leisurely meal.

Even before we sat down at the restaurant, a young woman brought us paper place mats and crayons, and glasses of water filled to the brim with ice. And that signaled the end of anything remotely akin to leisurely.

My 16-month-old son Milo took an immediate interest in tossing the crayons as far as he could. Once confiscated, the ice cubes, the place mats, the cutlery, his french-fries also made excellent projectiles. Meanwhile, my 4-year-old daughter Neva only wanted me to write down every word in the English language on the back of her place mat and then spell it out for -
c - a - t ... cat. And if my attention was even momentarily distracted, she'd call with such a tremendously loud voice that I'm positive that dogs several miles away could hear her.

It was harrowing to say the least. Neither of them managed to get much food in their bellies, everywhere else most certainly and for me, well, I think the Beef Dip I had was good.

Happy sweeping,

Bob Gunther
Webmaster, ContestHound.com

Remember When ...

Hello Everyone.

Neva seems quite proud of having turned four years old. She was recently recalling something she had done only a few days earlier:

"Remember when I did that when I was only three?!"

Happy sweeping,

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com