I was highly amused when the boys chose the merit badges they will be working on at Boy Scout camp next month. Fifteen- (almost sixteen!) year-old*:Citizenship in the NationEnvironmental ScienceEmergency PreparednessAstronomy (oops!) Weather Thirteen-year-old:ArtArcheryIndian Lore (FUN!)Basketry *The older boy is working on his Eagle rank, so he is looking at what he NEEDS to do and the younger one isn’t there yet, but the older one is still interested in those topics and has never taken advantage of the “artsy” badges…
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Ballroom Dancing Week 4: Smooth Is Overrated
We missed our Ballroom Dancing Lesson, Week 3 last Tuesday due to the Lacrosse Banquet, so it was off to Week 4 last night. After having such a nice little pre-class review on Week 2 with our instructor’s assistant, we made sure to arrive on time for the review of what we missed last week, which was the Rumba. Not this one: It was the Rumba, not the Roomba. The Rumba is one of the Latin dances that actually works alot like the waltz, with its “slow-quick-quick” steps. We actually picked it right up in the first 15 minutes of the 30-minute review. It was really fun. We were feeling…
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Now I’m Really Out There…
Oh my. I was just checking the stats on my other blog, you know, the one about my book, and discovered via the referral information that the interview I did with Dogcast Radio is now “out there”. YIKES! So…if you want to take a listen, go here. Many thanks to Julie of Dogcast: she is truly a delight! (and she’s British, which was thrilling for me, as you can imagine! Bwahahahaha!
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Creative Parenting 101: Discipline Can Teach a Lesson AND Be Entertaining!
When the older boy was approaching seven years old, I started to notice that he was taking certain things for granted. It was really ticking me off, so I discovered (either in a magazine or on tv, can’t remember exactly) what I thought at the time was a really great idea…and now I can say it was Pure Genius. I made him start a “Thankful Journal”. Each day, I had him write about two or three things that he was thankful for in a blank book that I had purchased especially for this purpose. It made him think, it gave him much-needed writing practice, and gave us great conversation starters.…
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Happy Day, Daddios!
Just a really quick post today, because Jim’s ideal Father’s Day would not have me sitting here at the computer for an hour… I wanted to wish a Happy, Happy Father’s Day to Jim (Of course) and my Dad (Of course), and to all of the Dads out there…hope you have a great day! If you’re reading this and need an activity for today, go read two of the funniest Dads I’ve never actually met in person (but check in with them daily!), Nukedad* and Joeprah. Happy Father’s Day, guys! *FYI: Nukedad’s post today is actually not funny, but quite serious and beautiful. I wanted to let you know that…
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I’ve Got a Hot Date With An Old Bag on Monday.
That’s it. I’ve decided I’ve had it. Or, to put it in the more dramatic way (my family is used to this), “I’ve given all I can give.” YES, I actually said that once, in the company of family members, out of total and complete despair. (Julie will verify.) This time? Gas prices. I’m done. Starting Monday, I will be riding my bike more. How much more? Alot. Which is not saying much. You would think that, as a Tiara-wearing Spin Princess, I would be an avid bicycle rider, outside in nature and stuff. Wrong-o. Although I enjoy the occasional leisurely bike ride with the family, in the neighborhood and…
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Breaking the Chain: UPDATE
If this photo means nothing to you, you’ll need to catch up a bit before proceeding. Click here. So, I received a call yesterday from the salon, and because I wasn’t in a place to answer my cell, I let it be. When I was able to use the phone I discovered that there was no voice mail message, so I called over there to see what they wanted. My boss answered, and I asked who had just called me. “Oh, that was D. I don’t know what she wanted, but she’s with a client right now.” D, one of the nail technicians, has called me in the past for…
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A Green Letter Day
Last night’s Lacrosse Banquet was lovely. It was held at a hoity-toity country club, and the golf course view from the room was phenomenal. Jim requested that we sit near the door because he has been really sick over the past week (having coughing fits so bad he changes colors!) and wanted an easy escape if he started to hack away. The fifteen-year-old, of course, didn’t want to sit with us (the players all sat together for the most part). So we grabbed spots at the table near the door, and sat alone until the late people came in: because nobody normally chooses the table that is furthest from the…
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Breaking The Chain
(A note I posted at work yesterday, after finding a 20-clip chain:) To Whoever Has Made This Humongous Paper Clip Chain: You must not do this anymore, for this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I absolutely cannot stand to reach into the tin for a paper clip and bring 18 others along with the one that I grab. Please disassemble this paper clip chain immediately and find something useful to do, as you obviously aren’t using your work time wisely. Thank you. If I find another paper clip chain in this tin, the person responsible will: 1. Have her eyes poked out with it2. Have her head flushed…
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Yes, We Wanna See You Do The Shimmy Again
As some of you may remember, Tina Turner (with Mr. Mister opening) was my second concert ever, in 1985. December 17, 1985 to be exact (Thanks, Wikipedia!). I went with my parents and sister, and boy was it a fabulous show! Tina was even better than anybody thought she would be, if that was even possible, and it made for a memory I carry with me even today. I remember my Dad marveling at Tim Capello, her sax player, and calling him “Conan the Barbarian”. (He was BUILT! Yikes!) I found out from my sister last night that it wasn’t just my Dad saying that…apparently he’s known by Conan. Cool:…