I read “crafts” and my mind went to the thousands of dollars I’ve spent over the years because my ADHD means if I’m interested I HAVE to have EVERYTHING related to it. I can’t have 5 molds, I have to have them ALL. Etc. Times ten. I never thought of playing an instrument or sport as a hobby. I guess gardening is one though. Especially the way she’s doing it, from scratch. Tell her that once I turned a bedroom into a grow room. Overhead lamps and a thousand seeds. Don’t tell her that I planted all the blooming flowers only to have a hail storm wipe out 90% of them a few days later. The thought of all those plants dying will break her heart. Like it did mine. I never tried that again. I did, however, turn our very plain backyard into a beautiful garden. Pond and all. Then I got dogs. My dogs are like your pigs. Even more destructive though. There’s not a thing they won’t try to eat, trample through or just chew to the tiniest pieces. I have a small pond and they’re water dogs so guess what? Yep, always trying to get them out. They’ve killed dozens of fish. So far. I have 7 left. I’m trying to figure out what to do. Just let it go this year and let them have it all or clean and fuss like I usually do and watch them destroy it. I’m leaning on the former. You gotta pick your battles and better for them to do their damage outside instead of in. THAT I know you understand.
Picking your battles is very hard-won wisdom. I've also given up the backyard to the animals. The front yard and Lucy's new concrete flower garden are another matter. There's still hope. After your warning, I hope epic hail storms stay away.
I’m learning this the hard way. Today I was making smaller branches out of bigger ones so I can burn. I cut A LOT of bushes down. Now, picture this, two big ass half black labs half German Sheppard dogs trying to “help” me. Stealing my branches, hiding my tools and the dog who LOVES the ball? Does NOT take “all done” as an order. More of a suggestion. I also had to pull one out of my pond. Again. No. I’m gonna clean up and hope to God some of the perennials survive them this summer. Like you I’m all about the front yard now.
Our daughter did the sports stuff (expensive) all the way up through college, and continued to play on beer league teams. A hip replacement and wrist surgery before the age of 40 put a stop to all that. (Her ortho doc says being a softball catcher for so many years had no bearing on her surgeries, but we question that.) Her drum playing (cheap) in h.s. and at her wedding was dearly loved but that was the end of it except for playing at home when she's stressed from teaching. These days she really gets enjoyment out of yard work and gardening but that didn't develop until she and husband bought their first house about 5 years ago. She's now 44 and her grandma would be proud that she's her only grandchild who inherited her green thumb, and like Lucy, learned most everything on her own. She was thrilled when the first tulips bloomed a few weeks ago.
Tulips are, in my entirely correct opinion, the most beautiful flower. It's wonderful that your daughter can carry on her grandmother's hobby. Maybe she can work in drumming, too. Plants supposedly respond well to music...
Since watching a tablet requires least effort/attention, I say it's actually Waffle who's most likely to stick with her hobby for longest 😂!
Jokes aside, it's great to know your girls are keen on pursuing their respective hobbies (and you were able to find a reasonable-priced gear for them). Here's wishing they'd have more fun from music, tennis and gardening activities than I ever had. With siblings we twice got for present a cheap Electronic keyboard. The first one quickly broke down, but the second is serving us for many ears. The thing with it is that we have never been interested in learning to play it, so it's used only for few purposes - to attempt rattling Christmas carols or whenever one is: 1) bored, 2) wanting to try playing his favourite song, 3) wanting to annoy everybody else. I developed a strong dislike to playing music instruments after a year of struggling on chelo classes with teacher inexperienced and displeased with me wanting to play cello bow with my dominant left hand.
I haven't been interested in tennis. The only "hitting a ball over a net" activity I like is to occasionally play badminton with my family in our garden, using a cheap gear we bought years ago in a sports shop. As for gardening, or more specifically planting, it's strange in my case - I like it only when my contribution is mandated, both by school and family. That was the case when as school projects, I had to plant bean sprouts in "grade zero" (in Poland last year of preschool ed. held in primary school building), develop mold on a food or drink in fourth grade and make a herbarium out of plants around me in fifth grade. Same story for helping with the construction of wooden boxes mum keeps our vegtables in and unwinding the net we use to protect dad's vines. And although I hate this activity while I'm doing it, I feel great pleasure when I see the completed area I've been assigned to weed.
My cheapest and most pleasureable hobby are linked with sport statistics - memorising crazy facts about football (soccer), professional esports CS scene and Formula 1 among other motor sports, learing how the league & tournament systems work and simulating them while playing FIFA or Counter-Strike, but I have also been able to organise a league in board game based on car racing!
Sports trivia is a great hobby! You'll never run out of things to talk (and argue) about. What's the board game based on racing? I play one on BGA called Heat that I like quite a bit.
That game's called "wyścigi samochodowe" (car racing). It's a game based on Formula 1 racing, with the first edition premiered I think in the late 2000s, because there are cards with "tasks" such as refuelling, which isn't a feature of F1 Grand Prix' since 2010 season. Players have to build the track from puzzle parts and could play either simply by just spinning the "speedometer" - an arrow that points on the number of spaces the player will move, but they can opt to play with the additional tasks that are written on the cards drawn when a player stops on a special tile. Those activities are for example changing tyres, refuelling or stop & go penalty, all to be served next time player gets nearby the pit area; moving several spaces forward or backward; possibility of DNF due to engine or gearbox failure if after waiting two turns in the pits a player "spins" wrong number; change of the weather condition meaning that if one has dry tyres on his tyre card when it's wet, then they have to divide the number they "rolled" by two, and few other. There's no possibility of crashing - when both lanes on a puzzle are blocked by other players, the one behind them simply ends moving a space prior. According to the rule set, winner of each race (number of laps is decided by the players, though the game has only 11 cartons depicting the lap a player is on) is awarded a silver cup carton tile, and the one who gets most of them (out of 8) receives a gold cup carton tile and is to be considered a season's champion.
With my family and friends we played this game a lot. Sometimes we discussed the interpretation of the rules while playing, otherwise one of us volunteered to judge from aside. I liked great both, but the latter one felt very special - you don't often get to be "Race Control", even if it's just a private league, with records tracked only by myself.
Lucy's hobby is so awesome!! When she starts supplying food for your table you will love it!! I want to wish her much success!! You go girl, you got this!!! And Dad, we will need updates and pictures. I admire your other daughters as well but Lucy just stole my heart ❤️
Has Mae planted anything edible yet? If not, maybe you can interest her in some summer squash or zucchini, some tomatoes, or peppers? Who knows, she might even try vegetables she grew. Squashes are pretty forgiving as long as you water them. And all of these can be grown in containers, you just have to have big containers for the squashes.
I love zucchini. Asparagus, on the other hand, no. The only way I would eat asparagus is if it was the last edible thing on the planet and keeping me from starving to death. 🤣
Jody I am the other way around. I love asparagus any my opinion of all squash is that it belongs on the compost pile. 😄 I gew up gardening and still love it. My body, however, no longer does. Limiting myself to just potted stuff now.
You can get by with the cheap violin, but the cheap strings are probably going to add to the screechiness of learning. At some point (maybe when those break), you may want to look into a set of Dominant strings, which are always recommended as good budget strings for students. However, if you got the $50 violin, you're probably looking at paying that again for a set of Dominants.
She broke a string on the first day when tuning it! I already ordered her a pack of replacements. They were only ten dollars, though. Looks like the Dominant strings cost as much as her violin.
Yeah that's what I figured. Maybe stick with those for a bit LOL. I don't remember the brand but when I was a kid, the cheap ones came in red and white envelopes.
So happy to hear about your kids' new interests and hobbies and we know, all kidding aside, that you are a wonderfully supportive and prudent daddy. My parents supported me, too, when I tried out new things, and I'm happy to say that I still toot around on my flute that they bought so many years ago and has brought me so much joy, even though I only play for fun as an adult. My other hobby has always been writing, and that has been a nicely affordable one and one that I definitely still do. I am particularly excited hearing about Mae. My daughter has had a true passion for dance since babyhood that has carried into her college experience now (she performs as a non-major!), and that has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life to witness. Watching that passion grow and give her so much. The word passion is thrown around a lot, but it is the BEST when someone finds something they're called to early on and has it to take them through life as a steady and dependable companion, a guarantor for ongoing fascination and happiness. I'm so happy for her that she is "obsessed" and compelled to give herself to this. What a gift! And being part of it as a parent really is awesome. Good luck to all of your girls with their endeavors! Soak up every moment with them. Trust me. ;-)
I'm delighted to hear you still play your flute, if only for yourself. That's a rarity! Everyone else I know who started playing an instrument in school eventually quit. I agree that it's awesome to watch a kid find and embrace their passions. I doubt Betsy will take dance as far as your daughter did, but you never know. I won't be the one who stands in her way.
Fully support the idea of supporting the kids with whatever hobbies they want to try, and also love when they find a passion. My nearly-15 year old daughter has been ice skating since she was 5 and LOVES it, and despite it being crazy expensive, I love that she loves it. I agree that Lucy’s interest is most likely to have long term passion potential (although agree with Max that Waffle’s tablet use also qualifies for long term likelihood!) — and love that she’s gotten into gardening, I think that is so cool for a kid. Totally agree you should see if she wants to try some fruit or vegetables. I think rhubarb would probably do well in your climate (it works well in Sweden) and grows reasonably quickly, as well as many vegetables or herbs. A gardening show even - I’m jealous!!
Oh - and had a laugh about not being able to hold their breath till they pass out. Maybe not at their age…but there’s a famous story in hubby’s family about his nephew (now 40ish) who as a baby/toddler would scream and cry until he fainted, on more than one occasion!
Screaming until he fainted in impressive! That kid meant business. Lucy LOVES rhubarb. My mom has some growing behind the garage, and Lucy insisted on eating some the last time we were over there, even though it's not yet quite ripe. I'm not sure if we have a good spot to grow it here, but I could certainly try to find one. Great idea!
Please keep us posted on Lucy's gardening. That is a lot of work for sure, but one of the best ways to stay grounded. Nothing better than playing in the dirt ❤️
So excited for Lucy! Buying seeds is the cheapest way to garden. She could even go to plant swaps. Or start a garden for cut flowers which she could sell for cash or start growing veggies for when the apocalypse comes!
I feel that you invested most in Lucy's hobby because it has the most likely return for you in terms of a nicer property. Let's hope the girls don't start doing math in their heads about how much you've spent on their hobbies! Kidding aside, finding a trombone for $75 is a legendary deal.
I agree there was some selfishness on my part with giving Lucy's hobby a boost. She lucked out by picking the only hobby that makes my life easier rather than harder.
I planted 3 of those last year. My goal was a pico de gallo and salad garden. My lettuce did great, I had a good variety of leaves. Radishes were also a small success…tomatoes and sweet peppers…not so much. I got about 2 dz cherry tomatoes and all the Roma ended up with blossom end rot. So sad. The sweet peppers all looked like veggie embryos, not edible. Then the end of season surprise…BEETS! I didn’t plant them and I had a bumper crop. Lo and behold they were part of the lettuce seed mix! Their leaves were tasty but my neighbor enjoyed the actual beets. I’m taking what I learned and trying again this year. I hope your little girl enjoys that container like I did!
Huuuge fan of the newsletter, been a subscriber since the early days and they just get better and better James! The highlight of my week is reading what shenanigans the girls have put you through! You're a great parent!
My eldest (11) has been playing the violin for years now. I have bad news for you, this is probably one of the worst sounding things ever. I mean it sounds awesome when a skilled violinist plays it, but before it sounds great, most of the sounds that are going to come from that woodbox with strings will sound like nails scratching a blackboard, but louder, and with an echoing chamber. And that's with lessons with an actual teacher. It will sound less worse as time passes by, but will get closer to bag of cats being swung at a wall (or what I think a bag of cats swung at a wall sounds like).
I read “crafts” and my mind went to the thousands of dollars I’ve spent over the years because my ADHD means if I’m interested I HAVE to have EVERYTHING related to it. I can’t have 5 molds, I have to have them ALL. Etc. Times ten. I never thought of playing an instrument or sport as a hobby. I guess gardening is one though. Especially the way she’s doing it, from scratch. Tell her that once I turned a bedroom into a grow room. Overhead lamps and a thousand seeds. Don’t tell her that I planted all the blooming flowers only to have a hail storm wipe out 90% of them a few days later. The thought of all those plants dying will break her heart. Like it did mine. I never tried that again. I did, however, turn our very plain backyard into a beautiful garden. Pond and all. Then I got dogs. My dogs are like your pigs. Even more destructive though. There’s not a thing they won’t try to eat, trample through or just chew to the tiniest pieces. I have a small pond and they’re water dogs so guess what? Yep, always trying to get them out. They’ve killed dozens of fish. So far. I have 7 left. I’m trying to figure out what to do. Just let it go this year and let them have it all or clean and fuss like I usually do and watch them destroy it. I’m leaning on the former. You gotta pick your battles and better for them to do their damage outside instead of in. THAT I know you understand.
Picking your battles is very hard-won wisdom. I've also given up the backyard to the animals. The front yard and Lucy's new concrete flower garden are another matter. There's still hope. After your warning, I hope epic hail storms stay away.
I’m learning this the hard way. Today I was making smaller branches out of bigger ones so I can burn. I cut A LOT of bushes down. Now, picture this, two big ass half black labs half German Sheppard dogs trying to “help” me. Stealing my branches, hiding my tools and the dog who LOVES the ball? Does NOT take “all done” as an order. More of a suggestion. I also had to pull one out of my pond. Again. No. I’m gonna clean up and hope to God some of the perennials survive them this summer. Like you I’m all about the front yard now.
Our daughter did the sports stuff (expensive) all the way up through college, and continued to play on beer league teams. A hip replacement and wrist surgery before the age of 40 put a stop to all that. (Her ortho doc says being a softball catcher for so many years had no bearing on her surgeries, but we question that.) Her drum playing (cheap) in h.s. and at her wedding was dearly loved but that was the end of it except for playing at home when she's stressed from teaching. These days she really gets enjoyment out of yard work and gardening but that didn't develop until she and husband bought their first house about 5 years ago. She's now 44 and her grandma would be proud that she's her only grandchild who inherited her green thumb, and like Lucy, learned most everything on her own. She was thrilled when the first tulips bloomed a few weeks ago.
Tulips are, in my entirely correct opinion, the most beautiful flower. It's wonderful that your daughter can carry on her grandmother's hobby. Maybe she can work in drumming, too. Plants supposedly respond well to music...
YOU are an awesome dad.
Since watching a tablet requires least effort/attention, I say it's actually Waffle who's most likely to stick with her hobby for longest 😂!
Jokes aside, it's great to know your girls are keen on pursuing their respective hobbies (and you were able to find a reasonable-priced gear for them). Here's wishing they'd have more fun from music, tennis and gardening activities than I ever had. With siblings we twice got for present a cheap Electronic keyboard. The first one quickly broke down, but the second is serving us for many ears. The thing with it is that we have never been interested in learning to play it, so it's used only for few purposes - to attempt rattling Christmas carols or whenever one is: 1) bored, 2) wanting to try playing his favourite song, 3) wanting to annoy everybody else. I developed a strong dislike to playing music instruments after a year of struggling on chelo classes with teacher inexperienced and displeased with me wanting to play cello bow with my dominant left hand.
I haven't been interested in tennis. The only "hitting a ball over a net" activity I like is to occasionally play badminton with my family in our garden, using a cheap gear we bought years ago in a sports shop. As for gardening, or more specifically planting, it's strange in my case - I like it only when my contribution is mandated, both by school and family. That was the case when as school projects, I had to plant bean sprouts in "grade zero" (in Poland last year of preschool ed. held in primary school building), develop mold on a food or drink in fourth grade and make a herbarium out of plants around me in fifth grade. Same story for helping with the construction of wooden boxes mum keeps our vegtables in and unwinding the net we use to protect dad's vines. And although I hate this activity while I'm doing it, I feel great pleasure when I see the completed area I've been assigned to weed.
My cheapest and most pleasureable hobby are linked with sport statistics - memorising crazy facts about football (soccer), professional esports CS scene and Formula 1 among other motor sports, learing how the league & tournament systems work and simulating them while playing FIFA or Counter-Strike, but I have also been able to organise a league in board game based on car racing!
Sports trivia is a great hobby! You'll never run out of things to talk (and argue) about. What's the board game based on racing? I play one on BGA called Heat that I like quite a bit.
That game's called "wyścigi samochodowe" (car racing). It's a game based on Formula 1 racing, with the first edition premiered I think in the late 2000s, because there are cards with "tasks" such as refuelling, which isn't a feature of F1 Grand Prix' since 2010 season. Players have to build the track from puzzle parts and could play either simply by just spinning the "speedometer" - an arrow that points on the number of spaces the player will move, but they can opt to play with the additional tasks that are written on the cards drawn when a player stops on a special tile. Those activities are for example changing tyres, refuelling or stop & go penalty, all to be served next time player gets nearby the pit area; moving several spaces forward or backward; possibility of DNF due to engine or gearbox failure if after waiting two turns in the pits a player "spins" wrong number; change of the weather condition meaning that if one has dry tyres on his tyre card when it's wet, then they have to divide the number they "rolled" by two, and few other. There's no possibility of crashing - when both lanes on a puzzle are blocked by other players, the one behind them simply ends moving a space prior. According to the rule set, winner of each race (number of laps is decided by the players, though the game has only 11 cartons depicting the lap a player is on) is awarded a silver cup carton tile, and the one who gets most of them (out of 8) receives a gold cup carton tile and is to be considered a season's champion.
With my family and friends we played this game a lot. Sometimes we discussed the interpretation of the rules while playing, otherwise one of us volunteered to judge from aside. I liked great both, but the latter one felt very special - you don't often get to be "Race Control", even if it's just a private league, with records tracked only by myself.
Lucy's hobby is so awesome!! When she starts supplying food for your table you will love it!! I want to wish her much success!! You go girl, you got this!!! And Dad, we will need updates and pictures. I admire your other daughters as well but Lucy just stole my heart ❤️
She already planted cauliflower and kale! I'm not sure if it's the most efficient way to make a salad, but it's definitely the most fun.
Good choices! And when something is fun it's so much more enjoyable. Thanks for the update
Carol: you wrote exactly what I was going to write! So I need to say is: Ditto!
Great minds Su 😉
Your kids’ hobbies are awesome!
Has Mae planted anything edible yet? If not, maybe you can interest her in some summer squash or zucchini, some tomatoes, or peppers? Who knows, she might even try vegetables she grew. Squashes are pretty forgiving as long as you water them. And all of these can be grown in containers, you just have to have big containers for the squashes.
She planted cauliflower and kale, which I understand are very pretty but also very large. They might take over her flower box.
Zucchini? You're just evil. 😆
I love zucchini. Asparagus, on the other hand, no. The only way I would eat asparagus is if it was the last edible thing on the planet and keeping me from starving to death. 🤣
I hope you have a lot of neighbors...
Jody I am the other way around. I love asparagus any my opinion of all squash is that it belongs on the compost pile. 😄 I gew up gardening and still love it. My body, however, no longer does. Limiting myself to just potted stuff now.
You haven't tried zucchini bread...
Wrong kid, I meant Lucy with all the vegetable suggestions. 😎❤️🤣
You can get by with the cheap violin, but the cheap strings are probably going to add to the screechiness of learning. At some point (maybe when those break), you may want to look into a set of Dominant strings, which are always recommended as good budget strings for students. However, if you got the $50 violin, you're probably looking at paying that again for a set of Dominants.
She broke a string on the first day when tuning it! I already ordered her a pack of replacements. They were only ten dollars, though. Looks like the Dominant strings cost as much as her violin.
Yeah that's what I figured. Maybe stick with those for a bit LOL. I don't remember the brand but when I was a kid, the cheap ones came in red and white envelopes.
So happy to hear about your kids' new interests and hobbies and we know, all kidding aside, that you are a wonderfully supportive and prudent daddy. My parents supported me, too, when I tried out new things, and I'm happy to say that I still toot around on my flute that they bought so many years ago and has brought me so much joy, even though I only play for fun as an adult. My other hobby has always been writing, and that has been a nicely affordable one and one that I definitely still do. I am particularly excited hearing about Mae. My daughter has had a true passion for dance since babyhood that has carried into her college experience now (she performs as a non-major!), and that has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life to witness. Watching that passion grow and give her so much. The word passion is thrown around a lot, but it is the BEST when someone finds something they're called to early on and has it to take them through life as a steady and dependable companion, a guarantor for ongoing fascination and happiness. I'm so happy for her that she is "obsessed" and compelled to give herself to this. What a gift! And being part of it as a parent really is awesome. Good luck to all of your girls with their endeavors! Soak up every moment with them. Trust me. ;-)
I'm delighted to hear you still play your flute, if only for yourself. That's a rarity! Everyone else I know who started playing an instrument in school eventually quit. I agree that it's awesome to watch a kid find and embrace their passions. I doubt Betsy will take dance as far as your daughter did, but you never know. I won't be the one who stands in her way.
It sounds like Betsy may have found a passion in singing as well. Awesome!
Fully support the idea of supporting the kids with whatever hobbies they want to try, and also love when they find a passion. My nearly-15 year old daughter has been ice skating since she was 5 and LOVES it, and despite it being crazy expensive, I love that she loves it. I agree that Lucy’s interest is most likely to have long term passion potential (although agree with Max that Waffle’s tablet use also qualifies for long term likelihood!) — and love that she’s gotten into gardening, I think that is so cool for a kid. Totally agree you should see if she wants to try some fruit or vegetables. I think rhubarb would probably do well in your climate (it works well in Sweden) and grows reasonably quickly, as well as many vegetables or herbs. A gardening show even - I’m jealous!!
Oh - and had a laugh about not being able to hold their breath till they pass out. Maybe not at their age…but there’s a famous story in hubby’s family about his nephew (now 40ish) who as a baby/toddler would scream and cry until he fainted, on more than one occasion!
Screaming until he fainted in impressive! That kid meant business. Lucy LOVES rhubarb. My mom has some growing behind the garage, and Lucy insisted on eating some the last time we were over there, even though it's not yet quite ripe. I'm not sure if we have a good spot to grow it here, but I could certainly try to find one. Great idea!
Please keep us posted on Lucy's gardening. That is a lot of work for sure, but one of the best ways to stay grounded. Nothing better than playing in the dirt ❤️
I hope she has lots of wonderful things to show off at the end of the growing season. If not, she'll at least have a good story.
You seem to have coerced another family member into sprucing up the outside of your house. Nice work.
I'm always trying to trick them into accidentally helping out.
So excited for Lucy! Buying seeds is the cheapest way to garden. She could even go to plant swaps. Or start a garden for cut flowers which she could sell for cash or start growing veggies for when the apocalypse comes!
I feel that you invested most in Lucy's hobby because it has the most likely return for you in terms of a nicer property. Let's hope the girls don't start doing math in their heads about how much you've spent on their hobbies! Kidding aside, finding a trombone for $75 is a legendary deal.
I agree there was some selfishness on my part with giving Lucy's hobby a boost. She lucked out by picking the only hobby that makes my life easier rather than harder.
I planted 3 of those last year. My goal was a pico de gallo and salad garden. My lettuce did great, I had a good variety of leaves. Radishes were also a small success…tomatoes and sweet peppers…not so much. I got about 2 dz cherry tomatoes and all the Roma ended up with blossom end rot. So sad. The sweet peppers all looked like veggie embryos, not edible. Then the end of season surprise…BEETS! I didn’t plant them and I had a bumper crop. Lo and behold they were part of the lettuce seed mix! Their leaves were tasty but my neighbor enjoyed the actual beets. I’m taking what I learned and trying again this year. I hope your little girl enjoys that container like I did!
Huuuge fan of the newsletter, been a subscriber since the early days and they just get better and better James! The highlight of my week is reading what shenanigans the girls have put you through! You're a great parent!
My eldest (11) has been playing the violin for years now. I have bad news for you, this is probably one of the worst sounding things ever. I mean it sounds awesome when a skilled violinist plays it, but before it sounds great, most of the sounds that are going to come from that woodbox with strings will sound like nails scratching a blackboard, but louder, and with an echoing chamber. And that's with lessons with an actual teacher. It will sound less worse as time passes by, but will get closer to bag of cats being swung at a wall (or what I think a bag of cats swung at a wall sounds like).
Anyway, good luck with that 🤣