Note: This post is part of Fatherhood Friday at Dad Blogs, where all the cool kids are hanging out. (Moms are welcome over there!) Welcome to my visitors from DB; thanks for stopping in! Jim and I pride ourselves on being consistent, steady. We firmly believe that when kids can count on their parents to be consistent, they grow up with a stronger foundation of what’s right and wrong. My sister and I grew up with very consistent parents as well. (And we turned out GREAT, don’t you think?) It’s a proven method. Sometimes though, when the kids are older, it’s good to throw in a little surprise now and…
-
-
Attention Shoppers!
Dear Grocery Shoppers, My son and a few teammates will be standing outside of the grocery store this afternoon for about four hours, most likely in the pouring rain that is forecasted, selling $5 coupon booklets to benefit our Lacrosse club (and help our own registration fees go down). I just have a couple of requests. 1. These are good, smart, polite young men. The media trumpets mostly bad stuff about teenagers when in fact, the majority of teenagers are awesome people. Don’t let their letter jackets or their team jerseys color your attitude, cause you to think of stereotypical teens, and make you crabby before you even approach them.…
-
From The “I Wish I Had Thought of This” File…
I was recently reading my new issue of Redbook magazine, and, well, you know nothing good can come of that because the last time I was reading a new issue of Redbook magazine, I had to post about this. But I digress. I found something that at first I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of, but after letting it twirl around in my brain for a while and then checking out the website, I have converted my thinking. Sarah’s Smash Shack is located in San Diego, California. What is it? Well, what does it sound like it is? I’ll give you a minute. Ready? Good. Basically it’s a place…
-
Just Because You Know It’s Part of Life, It’s Still Not Easy.
You may recall that the sixteen-year-old plays Lacrosse. You may also recall that Lacrosse is the first sport he’s ever played. Ever. What else might you recall, if you just want a summary? Well, let’s see. Last year was his first season (March-May) of playing for his school, in his first sport ever. Last year, in trying out for his first sport ever, he made the JV team. (Rah rah rah!!!) Last year, he was told at the beginning of the season that he would indeed play his desired position (Midfield), but also be trained as a backup goalie. Last year, at the first game of the season, which also…
-
And the Oscar For Excellence In Commercial Writing By a Teenaged Boy Goes To…
Last night, while everyone was hypnotized by the Oscars, my family was obsessed with something else. Vince, and his Slap Chop. My kids have been quoting from this commercial for a while now, and the younger boy finally caught it and remembered to hit the “record” button on the DVR so we could all have a laugh attack later. I have to mention, before ruthlessly making fun of this commercial, that this product actually looks very cool, and after watching the commercial only once (before the next hundred times, that is), I really wanted one. Vince is a dynamic host/actor/whatever you call him. You might recognize him from the ShamWow…
-
Random Thoughts: The Entertainment Edition
*** I haven’t watched daytime soap operas in about twelve years (give or take a few). This past Thursday I came home from work sick with a migraine and was crawling into bed, tv on ABC because that’s the channel we had it on the night before, and I was totally disturbed to see *blatant* product placement for a soup, right there in the middle of the dramatic scene. I am fairly certain that, back in the sixties when soap operas were first broadcast, product placement was actually a major reason why they were on in the first place: to advertise to housewives. But today? Aren’t there commercials for that?…
-
Sometimes You Just Need A “Little” Push From Someone Already Over The Edge.
If you watch “The Biggest Loser”, you have seen (and enjoyed) this clip of Bob *totally* freaking out all over Joelle, the woman who notoriously slacked off of her workouts, squandering the opportunity (to be on the show) that so many other people in the country would have given their first children to have. If you watch “The Biggest Loser”, you know that Bob does *not* freak out on anyone, ever. That’s what Jillian is known for. If you watch “The Biggest Loser”, you will be thrilled to watch this particular clip, because it’s the extended version of Bob’s rampage. If you don’t watch “The Biggest Loser”, I think you…
-
The Pact
Note: This post is part of Fatherhood Friday at Dad Blogs, where all the cool kids are hanging out. (Moms are welcome over there!) Welcome to my visitors from DB; thanks for stopping in! If you’re a long-time reader, you know that Jim and I are equal partners in everything. We run our house like a well-oiled machine about 99.9% of the time. I am “lucky” in that he has no qualms about doing laundry, washing dishes, vacuuming, or any of those “traditional woman jobs”, and he is “lucky” that I have no qualms about cutting the grass, taking out the trash, being his ever-ready assistant with home repairs, or…
-
A Penny Saved Is A Penny…Wasted?
I have this little habit that annoys Jim to no end. I use change*. I will, if I can do it quickly, dig correct change out of my purse when I’m paying for something so I can get dollar bills back…and NOT more change. If I’m going to get change back no matter what, like if my purchase costs $4.62 and I’m paying with a $5 bill, I will actually try and locate twelve cents in the bottom of my purse so I can get two quarters back instead of three pennies, a dime, and one quarter. He thinks that’s a waste of time, and could care less about getting…
-
I’m Fairly Certain That Cloris Leachman Got A Better Reception.
The fourteen-year-old came home last night from his big 8th grade field trip to Washington D.C. He had an awesome time, and just as the tour company did a couple of years ago with the now-sixteen-year-old’s group, they ran these kids ragged for three straight days. Just a partial list of what they saw? Lincoln MemorialJefferson MemorialWhite House (picture stop only)Washington MemorialCapitol HillU.S. Holocaust Memorial MuseumNational ArchivesKennedy Center and the murder-comedy play “Sheer Madness”Mt. VernonVietnam and Korean War MemorialsIwo Jima MemorialArlington Cemetary and the Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the UnknownsChallenger MemorialPentagon MemorialNational Air and Space Museum In three days. They even had an evening at a…