When I was a kid, I had two similar nightmares, where I went to my mom and woke her up to ask her to search my bed.  The first night I dreamt that a huge snake was curled up next to me and that I watched it slither down the space between my bed and wall.  My mom turned on the light, moved the bed, and showed me there were no snakes at all.  The next night I dreamt that I was covered with ants.  Again my mom came to my room, turned on my light, and diligently looked for any sign of ants.  She's a great mom.  The reason she humored me was she remembered listening to a radio personality who told a story of his son having the same nightmare of ants as I did, only the radio guy didn't check assuming it was a dream.  It turned out the bed was crawling with ants.  Because I grew up in Arizona, it was quite possible that a snake could have got in somehow (ask my brother).  Since I was older than Evan, when I saw the evidence that there were no snakes or ants, I went back to sleep.

Not so for my little guy.  He's three, and he swears there are spiders in his bed.  The first time he told me, I got up and smoothed his sheets, showing him spider-free sheets.  I explained that there were no spiders in his bed, it was a dream.  The next time I turned on the lights and showed him that underneath and on top of the sheet that there were no spiders.  Did I mention it was now 3:30 in the morning?  The third time, ten minutes after I left his room, I shook out the comforter, and the forth time we looked under the bed.  The fifth time I again showed him the empty sheets.  Each time I calmly explained that there were no spiders and that it was all a dream.  It was all in his head.  Finally the sixth time, now just after 4, I asked if he would rather sleep on the floor.  He preferred my bed.  The thought of telling him there was a spider in our bed occurred to me, but I just wasn't ready to have a mental crack.  So I said no and tried to usher him back to bed.  He decided that he would prefer to sleep on the floor, so I laid his comforter down with his pillow.  He snuggled up, and I covered him with the remaining half of the comforter.  He came back ten minutes later, and I told him go back to bed before I feed you to the spiders. 

The next morning Evan conducted his own search of spiders, and he found there were none.  But he's terrified they will be back.  And I wonder how I can convince him.

When I was a freshman in high school, I realized our house had an unusual amount of spiders.  Probably because our old house had very few, and this new house was closer to a desert area than the old house, landlocked by several miles of neighborhoods.  One night I was just about to fall asleep, I heard a rustling under my bed.  I'll admit at this moment I clutched my teddy bear and thought how I KNEW there were monsters under my bed.  I absolutely KNEW it!  Damn, why did I ever believe grown ups?  Now I was going to die (yes, I clearly had an over-active imagination; still do).  I peaked out one eye to watch something scurry out from under the bed.  In the pale light and my sleepy eyes, this was worse than any boogie man.  This was a scorpion.  I launched myself out of the bed and dashed to my parents' room, where I breathlessly told my mom what was in the middle of the floor.  Because my dad was out on a call and my mom is a brave woman, she grabbed a tennis shoe and walked back to my room, flicking on the overhead light.  To reveal . . . a wolf spider.  Nothing dangerous, just scary.  My mom killed it any ways, and I asked to sleep in my mom's bed.  She rolled her eyes and told me to go back to bed because it was a school night.  Thanks.  So then I made a promise to myself to always keep my papers under my bed to warn me (granted I picked this up years before to keep the monster from getting me).  I also decided I needed something else. 

Harry, my new pet plastic spider.  He sat just inside my doorway, keeping vigil over my room, so that I could sleep.  I loved Harry.  Not only was I convinced he kept away spiders, he would scare people who would rush into my room and see a spider out of the corner of their eye.  I moved him around every once in a while just to keep my family on guard.  I had faith Harry would keep the spiders at bay, so now I wonder if that will work for Evan.

Today we are in the midst of making our own spiders.  I have several different activities that make spiders, and I am finding more.  I've recorded several "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends" because Evan last night would not go to sleep in his bed.  My husband found Evan, sitting on his pillow, staring at the foot of his bed.  Evan begged his dad to allow him to "camp out."  My husband didn't understand what this meant because he had slept through the nightmares the previous night.  I explained and gave my consent.  But can I allow my son to keep sleeping on the floor?  So any advice on nightmares out there?

The well-designed blog is operated by best buds - Jenica Bergere and Brooke Purdy - who have incorporated myriad strands of video, audio, and plain text into the mix with surprising entertaining results.

To snag some attention for the site - the winsome twosome put on their "thinking caps" - and came up with a catchy hook to pique the interest of the folks who dole out the Bloggie Awards.

“Just because you’re a mommy does't mean you can’t talk smack.”

After taking a gander, there was a ceremonious drum roll, and the results were tabulated.

For "Visual Aesthetics" the site rated a "10".

Mother Load nabbed this top honor because the home page is crafted in vivid colors which complement each other well in the overall mix.

A photo of the two moms and their kids is worth - as they say - a thousand words!

In addition, salient eye-catching photos are scattered within the posts, to spice up the dialogue.

"User Friendliness" garnered a "10" as well.

Mother Load was given kudos for offering up links to all relevant content within the site in a straightforward manner that warmed up to the browser.

Ah, another "10", for actual reading enjoyment.

So, it wasn't just a lot of eye candy, eh?

The bloggies issued a word of caution, though.

For the prudish - "Mother" may be quite the load to swallow - without blushing at least!

Because the site is relatively new, blog radar scored the content at "8".

The blogger "Moms" advice on a handful of issues isn't too practical in the strictest sense, according to the critic reviewing the site.

For "Overall Experience", the Mother Load nudged up a tad higher to land a "9".

The reason?

If you're a mother - tired of being labelled and stuck in a box - Mother Load is inclined to inspire those who are bogged down to get out, kick up their heels, and have some merriment in their otherwise dreary lives.

Amen!

http://www.motherloadradio.com

Materials you need:

• several pieces of construction paper (black and orange look nice)
• staples
• scissors
• Halloween picture (like a coloring Halloween sheet that you can have the kids color as you cut)

So allow the child color the Halloween picture and even the construction paper if you are inclined.  Fold the construction paper in thirds and then in half.  Using the folds as guides, cut the paper into strips.  Use the strips to make a chain, stapling the ends of each circle together.  Make as many links as there are days intil Halloween.  Staple the chain to the Halloween picture.  Now from the day you made the chain until Halloween, let the child tear off a link as a visual reminder to how far Halloween is away.

And yes, like Heather's daughter, my son wanted to tear off all the links at once to have Halloween come sooner.  But every time, Evan asks for Halloween to be tomorrow, I point to the calender and tell him that when the links are gone, then it'll be Halloween.

The mom said, “Okay, this is the situation. I can't change this, so I might as well surrender to it.”  The article continued and said, “When she does that, she is able to move forward in peace.”

It made me think about my own life and where God has me at the current time and place. I may not be satisfied, but I’m learning to be content and learning to be content is being able look at the situation and say, “This is the situation.  I can’t change this, so I might as well surrender to where God has placed me.” 

When we surrender to God and submit to His ways then peace is inevitable.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Is it sad that when I write the word ‘beautiful’ I think in my head, “that’s just b-e-a-utiful” from Bruce Almighty?

I hope not.

I am jealous of him for little things like: getting to sit on the subway and read a book, getting to go to the bathroom with the door shut and no one hanging on his knees, getting to eat lunch with other grown-ups and without having to readjust his position every five seconds to keep his sandwich out of the grasp of little hands, getting to take a shower every morning to start the day. I'm jealous that he gets to tell me he has a meeting and that he has to get off the phone or stop chatting. I'm jealous that he sometimes gets to stay out until after Brady's gone to bed and that he has gone places and stayed overnight since Brady was born. I'm jealous that he still has a career and a career path he'd like to follow. Most of all I'm jealous that he has this whole life which does not include the baby in addition to his life which does.

And I'm fully aware that there is a flipside to this. It breaks my heart that he only gets to see Brady for 1.5 hours every night before he goes to bed and that once he gets home Brady is physically attached to him for that entire time. I can't imagine how hard it is for him that I was home the first time Brady sat up on his own and the first time he crawled and that I get to watch him learning more and more to climb at the playground and to be interested in other kids everyday while he has to be at work. And working isn't fun overall. I know, I complained about it all the time.

I realize that I'm lucky and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of everything in Brady's life. It's just such a double-edged sword. I am so happy that I can be home, but at the same time I really miss being a part of something else. Not that I LOVED my job - but I liked it and I felt good at it and I felt needed and (sort of) respected there. Being a mom is so different from that. There is very little sense of accomplishment since I won't really know if I've done a good job for a long time yet.

It is not fair for me to be jealous of my husband for having to get up and go to work everyday. But there it is and I am. I have the sneaking suspicsion that I'm not the only person who feels this way and so I wanted to share it. It's something that every parent has to deal with and I really and truly believe that there is no perfect answer. Working sucks because you can't spend time with your kids and staying home is hard. It is - it's hard. It's hard to concentrate on baby, baby, baby 24-7. But it's good too. It's amazingly good and as I guess all good things do, it takes a lot of work.

To get you through your day:

Behind every cloud is a silver lining..

shiny spaceships ready to steal you away,

poking and prodding my outer reaches.

When you shoot for the moon and miss…

satellites get in the way,

dreams supernova, no television tonight .

The grass is always greener…

laborers manicure the apartments lawn,

the housing crisis keeps me faithful.

United we stand…

waiting in line for the bathroom,

Rocky mountains crumbling wet in my pants.

-DJ Nezz

Been pretty inspired by baby stuff recently no doubt! Thinking about all the cute stuff I can buy for her and mom, who happens to be a very close friend. Honestly, baby stuff in Singapore is B.O.R.I.N.G. For pretty trinkets and lovely hand-made items, there is only 1 place to go:

ETSY!

GraciousMay has very cute Mary-Jane booties! You can change the ribbons to just plain straps but it's precisely the ribbon that makes it so cute, no?

There are other designs as well... Stripes, cute embellishments like flowers, whales, ducks, prints etc. Some booties for boys as well.

I still think these Mary-Janes look the best. Simple and chic!

These skull booties are those for punks! Made by sugarplumbtree, I kinda want it for the rebel in me.

Each item bought comes with a complimentary organza gift bag and tag. How sweet!

And for some designs, you can even purchase a matching pin of the same material and design.

This lotus bib can be found in small beans. There are other designs for bibs but this was the one that caught my eye!

She has some other very cute booties that are quite simplistic! Her store also carries cute clothes for children and scarves.

This original bib sets found on Odannysgirl are darn creative and very practical at that! Isn't it very troublesome to bring a baby out because there will definitely be something you will forget?! Not with this!

It can be folded and thrown into your "baby bag". Easy!

The other items found in the shop include purses, wallets, totes, pouches, scarves, clips and little pin buttons that I feel like getting for myself!

Diaper bags! Must-have for new mums! Found some really cute designs on Treasured Totes. They have different sizes but the larger ones have more compartments I guess.

The last I saw, they have mats, pouches, card holders, blankets and wristlets.

Onesie!!! From veryKIKI. They've got a selection of appliques on the onesie from you to choose from.

Airplane, hammer, zebra, owl... Almost anything you can think of!

WeROnesieful! Cute name for a really cute shop! The onesies here are darn witty! Best thing: Totally customizable so you can change the font and colour and spacing.

I love the slogans on the onesies! Great eye-catchers! Just for attention-seeking tots and parents.

Mountain aven baby. As you can tell from the name of the shop, its designs are very much nature-based. For the eco-loving family!

They sell blankets, lounge sets, onesies, dresses and bloomers all the way for infants, 0 to 6 months to kids a few years old.

Move on to clothes for young kids. FaithWorks4U has very pretty vintage-inspired handmade clothes! Very pretty.

She also has items for young boys, stroller covers and shopping cart covers!

If you have any vintage designs you want remade for you child, just ask if she can do one for you!

They call it vinyl graphics. I call it decal. Either way, this is just right for your little princess. Or prince, if you want them to customize one for your son.

Get it from creativesignsndesign.

That's was nice Etsy window-shopping! Here's somemore for kids and moms. I think I've got an idea of what to get already!

Feeling all small and cutesy,
Linzi

Me: Yes, just give me a second to finish cutting up Seanny’s steak.  Ok,  Once upon a time there were three snakes.

Evan: No, no, Mommy, not three snakes.  How about one snake?  Ok, three snakes.

Me: Once upon a time there were three snakes, and they were best friends. 

Evan: No, not friends.  Ok, best friends.

Me: And one day they decided to go out on an adventure.  Where did they go?  (To the zoo or Disneyland)

Evan: They were going to Halloween.  They needed costumes.  And Mommy Snake went to get them costumes.  They needed costumes.  Mommy Snake bought them costumes.

Me: What was the first snake?

Evan: It was a witch!

Me: What was the second snake?

Evan: It was a ghost!

Me: What was the third snake?

Evan: I don’t know.  It was a Halloween pumpkin!

Me: What did they do?

Evan: The Mommy Snake and the three Snakes went to Halloween.  And the Mommy Snake and the three Snakes went to a Halloween castle.  And they knocked.  And Daddy opened the door and said, “Happy Halloween, Mommy –“

Me: That was a good story.

Evan: “and Happy Halloween, Snakes!  Have some candy!”  Then they all had candy!  The End!

Me: That was a very good story, Evan.  Try the rice; you like rice.

Dinner THEN: salad with dressing, roll with butter, roasted chicken, baked potato and green beans; 618 calories, 21g fat.  Dinner NOW:  Hardee's Monster Thickburger; 1,410 calories, 107g fat.

Snack THEN: 16oz. soda and small plain popcorn: 423 calories; 11g fat.  Snack NOW: 44oz. soda, large popcorn with butter topping, 3 oz. Milk Duds; 1,989 calories, 87g fat.

In addition, so much of what's been designed for our high-tech age keeps us from moving around.  We sit for hours at the computer - working, shopping, reading, researching, playing games, even making friends.  Without ever leaving the couch we can answer the phone, change the channel, and send e-mails from our hand-held devices.  Studies have shown that some kids raised on these gadgets may expend almost no extra physical energy in the course of a day.  But here's how it used to be:  We got up to change the channel.  We walked to the corner mailbox to send a letter.  We ran around the backyard to play a game.  We got up to answer the phone.  We went to the library to do research.  We made new friends in the park or at the bowling alley.  Parents went for a walk after dinner.  Kids went outside and just played.  And those little expenditures of calories really added up.  Let's look at the difference:  THEN: wash and wax car by hand; 200 calories.  NOW:  drive through car wash; 9.5 calories.  THEN: walk two blocks to mail letter; 22 calories.  NOW: type e-mail and send; 9.5 calories.  THEN: Play tag for 45 minutes in backyard; 225 calories.  NOW: play video game on couch for 45 minutes; 85 calories.  THEN: drive to mall, walk to store, try on clothes, pay, walk back to car and drive home; 133 calories.  NOW: sit at computer, visit store's website, choose item, type in credit card info and get item from mailbox; 17 calories. THEN: walk to co-worker's office and hand him documents; 19 calories. NOW: stay at desk, attach documents to e-mail and hit send; 4 calories.  THEN: drive to photo developer, drop off film and return next day; 178 calories.  NOW: sit at computer and upload photos; 29 calories.

So, what to do?  Be intentional!  Eat and move with a purpose!  Good health habits won't happen by accident in today's world, but everyone can learn new and better habits.  Here are some ideas:  1.  Schedule family meal times, just like you do for soccer practice or dentist appointments.  Plan meals in advance, shop for groceries as a family.  I send "scouts" out in my family for grocery items and it speeds the time spent at the grocery store, plus gets our family members moving.  2. Make family meal time fun by turning off the TV and talking to one another.  My Mom used to ask each member of the family to share one thing they enjoyed about their day, or "news" they learned about, or their opinion of a current event.  We all gained great conversation skills, bonded as a family, and learned critical thinking.  I still use these skills today and have used this technique in my own family.  Make sure you respect each opinion and don't pass judgement!  3.  Go out and play in the backyard.  Shoot hoops, throw a ball around, bike through the neighborhood, play tag, play badminton, go for a walk, or anything else you enjoy.  Even 15 minutes of fun together burns calories, reduces stress and promotes family bonding.  4.  Limit passive computer and TV time by taking a break every 20 minutes.  Do some stretches, household chores, go out for a walk, etc.  It reboots your brain, clears your mind, and burns calories.

So, do one thing today!  And, do one thing tomorrow.  And, the next day.  Pretty soon you'll have some new and better habits.  And, it will feel good!

Who is Tim Bete, you ask?
He's a dad who's fascinated with pirates, parenting and making people laugh. He's written two books: Guide to Pirate Parenting, and In the Beginning, there Were No Diapers: Laughing and Learning in the First Years of Fatherhood. 

Tim also has a Web site called Where I Live. It currently features an article on how losing control of the TV remote (in the hospital) is the most painful part of labor (for men).

I convinced Tim to answer some questions in-between raiding pirate ships and changing dirty diapers. He typed up a response rather quickly for a guy with metal hooks for hands...  

Why have you chosen comedy as your form of communication? Why not another genre?
I don't think we choose our genres, I think we're born with them. Some people just have brains wired for humor. The wiring of most humor writers is faulty and wouldn't get an okay from a housing inspector without a large bribe. Besides, who wants to write other genres? There are too many New-age, Young-adult, Vampire Romance novels.
 
What’s the deal with pirates? Why a whole book exclusively about pirate parenting?
You're just jealous you didn't think of it first. There are many good reasons to raise your kids as pirates. Here are five:
* Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to be a pirate, and he’ll steal other people’s fish for a lifetime.
* Divvying up booty is good quality time with the kids.
* When other parents hear you’re raising your children as pirates, they’ll stop asking you to volunteer at school.
* It’s fun to watch the emergency room doctor’s reaction when you say your son was injured during “a little mishap boarding a merchant vessel that refused to surrender.”
* Replacing “family movie night” with “family terrorizing the neighbors with cannons night” is a wonderful change of pace.
 
Who is he funniest comedian on earth? Why?
Oh, sure, limit the question to the EARTH. You are so narrow minded. The funniest person in the universe is Smilken Fdrwesoret who lives on the planet Flipulus. He's hysterical! And he does a dead-on impersonation of Intergalactic President Quirtdew Clixzasl.
 
Who is the least funny comedian on earth? Explain their success.
John Candy, although technically I think he's IN the earth now, not ON it. I can't explain his success. I never thought he was funny. He's certainly no Smilken Fdrwesoret.
 
If you inherited $500 million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with your life?
Funny you should ask because that just happened to me yesterday. Unfortunately it's all gone now. But it was a GREAT 24 hours. Be careful how often you shout, "Let it ride!"
 
Can you share the best joke you've ever heard or written?
One of my favorite jokes is from the "three guys walk into a bar" genre. It goes like this:
A baby seal walks into a club.
 
One of my favorite jokes that I've written is this:
Q: How can you tell if your child has great potential to be a pirate?
A:  When mom’s water broke, your baby yelled, “I sail with the tide!”

How about the worst?
You mean liver wurst? (That was the worst joke I've ever heard OR written.)
----

I hope you enjoyed the second installment of Funny Dad Week. To learn more about Tim Bete, visit the barge on your local docks, or check out his Web site. If you're interested in reading more about his pirate book, click here Matey!

And remember, you are not alone...

Related links:
Funny Dad Week: Say Hello to Jeff Sawyer, He's Funny! ]]> http://mommylounge.wordpress.com/?p=751 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:00:18 +0000 mommylounge http://mommylounge.no.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/751/ Good Morning!  I first want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Duan.  He turned the big 30 on Tuesday.  The girls had lots of fun with him.  They decorated the basement and themselves to give him a huge tea party with all of their stuffed animals as guests.  Its amazing what a little crate paper can do to a room. ~ It was festive~.  We also made him a happy birthday banner which the girls colored.  30 is supposed to be the age of enlightenment so I'll let you know how that one turns out!

I made him a tres leches cake.  It was delicious.  Try the recipe it worked out very well.  I didn't use all the sugar it asked for I substituted agave nectar for about half of it.  I also added a bit more vanilla (Duan likes vanilla flavor).  Next time I'm going to get adventurous and try to flavor the cake with fruit.  The whole concept of the cake is to soak it in liquid so that it is very, very moist.  So in theory you could soak it what ever flavored liquid you want, right?

I'll try it and let you know how it turned out. 

*Note to Duan:  I love you.  You continue to be an inspiration to my life.  XOXOX!*

The other day I was playing with Kaleah and I got down on my knees and walked around with her.  Do you know what I realized?  She's little.  I really couldn't stop thinking, 'Dang your little'.  As the older child shes grown up so quick and has taken the role of lil' momma.  But at that moment it hit me, she is only 5; still such a baby.  Especially since I've had DJ I've seen her as such a big girl.  I've come to understand that as I start to give her more and more freedoms, I still have to remember the simplicity of her world. 

To her the couch is huge, the ceiling is like 50 ft high, the hallway seems to go on forever. No wonder when we go to the park she feel like she's in a play heaven.  Everything is so great, especially candy which has a certain euphoric property.  Do you remember how wonderful you felt when you got that special treat? What was it?  Candy, ice cream, bubble gum?  Whatever it was eat it now like you did when you were a child.  Savor each bite. Enjoy the aroma, the texture, and the atmosphere.

We could really learn a lot from our children. It is all about staying in the moment, which they are pros at! 

Today enjoy the simplicity of the world. 

Much Love, Reneca

We're visiting my parents.  They celebrated their 54th anniversary this year.  It's amazing to watch how much they love each other.  Right now they are experiencing a wave of health difficulties.  My mother has osteoporothis and recently broke her foot.  She has a multitude of other contributing health problems with diabetes and in insulin pump, a permanent catheter, and heart disease to name a few!  She uses a walker full-time and a scooter to move from the house to the van and out shopping. 

She fell this morning.  Her blood glucose level was low, and she was weak.  Her knees (one was replaced about 12 years ago and the other should have been) just gave way.  It took over 20 minutes for her to get back up and in the bed.  My dad and I both helped her by holding down props for her to use to get herself up on her feet.  She couldn't put a lot of weight on the foot recovering from the break and surgery.  She insisted doing it herself which frustrated my dad. 

He's having a difficult time taking care of her.  He recently sprained his back trying to help her up from one of what I have learned a multitude of falls.  He is truly overwhelmed being a husband, full-time nurse, housekeeper, cook, driver, and the list goes on and on. 

Mom is discouraged.  We stayed up late talking last night.  She asked me, "Do you think my foot will ever get back to normal?"  The doctor told her to keep her walking cast on because with her osteoporothis it's likely that the bones will crack again.  She has three nurses (physical therapy, diabetes health, and urology) who help with various tasks once per month.  Two of the nurses will no longer come after her surgery "recovery time" at the end of this month.  They will need to make some hard decisions in the coming months.

I feel torn. I want to and I would like to be here.  This is where the difficulty comes in with ministry.  I can't be here and there.  Well-meaning people say it's not that far to their home.  However, most of them live in the same town as their parents and most of their relatives.  Obviously, they don't understand.  Two hours makes a difference with things I could help with everyday, and with such small children and skyrocketing gas prices, it's challenging to make regular trips.   

I have more questions than answers.  I have prayed over the situation.  I have cried over the situation.  I am fully aware of the "what ifs" and the "any days".  All I can do right now is come for a visit, help where they will let me, and enjoy spending time with them.  And of course pray and thank God for right now. 

Right now, they are both asleep!

3900 Marbles

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. 

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time, Let me tell you about it: 

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was in trigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say 

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." 

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. 

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in t heir entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part. 

It took me until I was fift y-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear." 

"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. 

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time." 

"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" 

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. 

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking yo u and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles. 

A friend sent this to me, so I sent it to you, my friend.

And so, as one smart bear once said..."If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh. 

Pass this on to all of your FRIENDS, even if it means sending it to the person that sent it to you.And if you receive this e-mail many times from many different people, it only means that you have many FRIENDS. And if you get it but once, do not be discouraged for you will know that you have at least one good friend...

And that would be ME.

Now use your marbles to live and parent with passion, purpose and integrity.
Let others know how you use your marbles by putting in a comment.

No need to spend a fortune at salons to pamper yourself.  Bath and Body Works is a one stop shop for pampering yourself.  From products for facials to pedicures.  Bath and Body Works has great prices and sales.  Treat yourself today you deserve it!  Here are a few suggestions for pampering yourself.  Have a friend who needs pampering, Bath and Body Works has great gift sets as well. 

So, where will I be clocking in five days a week? I landed a job at SkyWest Airlines working in public relations.  Times are tough these days with the state of our economy.  People are losing their homes and their jobs, so I am fortunate to have this great opportunity to help our family financially.  I flew to Salt Lake this week for a training.  I officially start Monday. Added bonus... me, Dwayne, Taina and my mom get to FLY FREE!!!! I can't wait to start traveling!!! Dwayne and I have already started on our list and of course the first place Tai wants to go is Disneyland.  I figure the quantity of our time together will suffer but the quality doesn't have to.  We'll see how it goes. 

Some people have been emailing me asking me where to find Lock & Lock products, esp. the bento sets. Well, unfortunately, those bento sets are very difficult to find. You can try looking online. You can also try checking out any Asian stores in your area, specifically Japanese or Korean grocery stores. Since the original Lock & Lock is made in Korea by Hanacobi, you can usually find them in Korean stores. The Lock & Lock products that I have are made in Korea.  I heard that those made in Korea are better than the others but I don't really know for sure. I know that QVC now carries a lot of Lock & Lock products. They don't have the bento sets of course, but they do have a lunch box set that has a little cooler with the containers.  I'm not sure where the QVC Lock & Lock is made. You'd have to check on that.

Well, those are my suggestions. I hope you find the Lock & Lock products that you're looking for. I really enjoy using my Lock & Lock containers.

Well, it's too bad we all didn't take that slogan to heart, esp. here in the so-called Aloha State.

Just the other day, my husband was returning home from dropping off my daughter at preschool.  He was stopped at an intersection getting ready to turn right. Since the traffic light was yellow and there were people ready to cross the street, he decided to just wait out the traffic light until it turned red. This intersection just happened to be on a corner with a Christian school across the street. So, most of the pedestrians were parents and children going to or leaving the school. While at the intersection waiting for the red light, the woman behind him tooted her horn! I suppose she didn't like the idea that he was still at the light and not turning yet. Needless to say, my husband was a little shocked that the person behind him was so impatient esp. since the light was going to turn red soon and people were already waiting to cross. So, he rushed and turned right and she followed close behind him.

Funny thing...guess where she went? Yep, right into the drive way of that Christian school! Hmmm...I wonder what her children were thinking. Hopefully, her children will learn patience from their school rather than what their mother is demonstrating to them.

Hey, let's all start living ALOHA!

 REGISTRATION DEADLINE  JAN 17

Pricing:             $270/6 week session.

Session Dates:  Saturdays  Feb 7, 21, Mar 7, 21, Apr 4, 18  at 10:00

Evan: Tikis like vegetables.  They eat grapes and bananas.  No, they don’t like bananas.  They’re squishy and sticky.  I like bananas.  I eat bananas.

Yup, he’s still obsessed with the Tiki Room and the Tikis.  It’s amazing he hasn’t asked to be a Tiki for Halloween, but he did find my bobble-head Tiki god.  (I got it in Las Vegas at the “World’s Largest Souvenir Shop,” which was filled with lots of campy items.  It was awesome.)

Did I mention Sean is a tornado in training?  He’s learning from the best, running across the room and throwing balls, especially the small, heavy wood ones (Thanks again, Mom).  The other day when he noticed Evan had juice and looked over to see his own cup on the little table, Sean actually sprinted to his juice across the room.

So I have to recommend that taking care of toddlers is the best form of exercise for those who are trying to loose weight.  I’ll admit I’m done with loosing the baby weight; it melted off with breast-feeding, though it was harder with the first one than the second.  Perhaps that’s because I was running around after Evan as well as feeding Sean.  Now I am working on the pre-baby weight that came with too many nice restaurants with good bread and desserts, sushi gorging sessions, fast food for lunch, and not walking everywhere like I did in college.  I packed on a few pounds, and all I want is to be a healthy weight, not the starving college student weight.  Too hard to keep it up.

Most days Evan is in charge of my workout routine, which consists of walking over 10,000 steps a day.  It means running upstairs and downstairs to get everyone dressed and night clothes put away.  It means running after Evan to get him to brush his teeth or eat a meal.  It means running after Sean when he takes a fork out of the kitchen drawer.  My mom doesn’t believe me, but it’s true.  While I do a small 15 minute workout every other day as the boys play by themselves and I watch the news, I really much prefer Evan’s work outs.

The newest exercise is “being a bat.”  Since we went to the children’s museum last weekend and learned about bats, Evan is a little obsessed.  Yesterday he wanted to be a bat with me.  This consisted of running around the room flapping your arms.  For an exercise routine, it’s not half bad as it gets your heart rate up and works on your legs and arms.  I made my wing flaps large for full effect.  Evan flapped at his elbows; while, Sean got in the act running and flapping his hands.  Yes, it was darling.  Keep this exercise up until they get bored, about ten minutes.

You can always do “the tickle monster,” which you stand above a laying child who is begging to be tickled.  Then you lift your arms straight in the air and bring them down to tickle the child.  Three reps of 15 does nicely, unless you have two kids then you better do four reps.  Be prepared to do this exercise often.

Another favorite of my three-year-old trainer is “Around the Mulberry Bush.”  I chase Evan and now Sean around the dining room table singing “Around the Mulberry Bush” at the top of my lungs as I try to tickle them.  This is great fun, which started when I was pregnant with Sean.  Then I could barely catch Evan.  Now we just chase each other until Evan and Sean gets tired or when I desperately need something to drink and a breather. 

After all the cardio, don’t forget the lifting.  Lift the child off the table he’s standing on.  Lift the child out of the crib.  Lift the child so he can see what you’re cooking for dinner.  Lift the laundry and carry it around the house.  If you are particularly generous, you can lift the child to see the mobile or the wind chimes or just to swing him around.  Usually these lifts are done when you are so tired you just want to curl up on the catch and watch the sticky-sweet ditzy Elmo.

But in case I get bored with my usual routine, my little trainers have come up with several different games and activities to get me motivated.  Sean is working on becoming a quarterback or pitcher (he doesn’t know which yet), so he needs a catcher, which is always me.  Also in training, Evan is attempting to make the US fencing team one day.  Of course, he doesn’t know that fencing does not have light sabers or bats.  We also have soccer in the evening and catch-me-if-you-can just as it turns to dark to see or when I am just too tired to move.  It’s a very strenuous workout that doesn’t stop after the kids go to bed; then it’s housework.

As you can imagine, I should be able to fit into all those tiny shorts I wore in college.  Except I don’t plan on being that thin again, so I choose to even out the workouts with my weakness for anything sweet and chocolaty.  I also find that if I want my sons to eat, I find to set an example, which includes mac-and-cheese, potato salad, sour cream, and French bread.  It’s a sacrifice all mothers must make.  So that our kids understand the good things in life, we mothers bake or buy desserts, in which we teach our kids that all good work deserves a reward.

One of Jeff's short stories, Mountain Boomer, was recently published in the book, Humor for a Boomer's Heart: Stories, Quips & Quotes to Lift the Heart. 

Here's an excerpt:
"We boomer consumers are a demographic that marketers pursue as relentlessly as ushers chasing a bat during a sermon. We're sufficiently Web-savvy to analyze their product offerings more thoroughly than any topic of any research paper we ever wrote in college, and affluent enough to more or less afford what we eventually settle on.

Accidental scrutiny of my own physique one morning in my forties ("What is a mirror doing in a bathroom, honey?) led me to purchase a serious rowing machine. I had actually used it, three times a week for years, until a herniated disk left me frozen in the rowing position. Walk around the office with a posture of a Slinky going downstairs, and people are going to think you're feeling overburdened. Which maybe you are - and the solution to that, they'll tell you, is exercise..."

I caught up with Jeff (which wasn't hard with that herniated disk and poor posture) and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about comedy...

Jeff, can you share the best joke you've ever heard or written?

My financial plan.
 
Or this one, for David Letterman, early 90’s:
Michael Jackson has just married Lisa-Marie Presley. If Elvis was dead, he’d be turning over in his grave.
 
How about the worst?

Any joke that starts with the word “Knock.”
 
Why have you chosen comedy as your form of communication? Why not another genre?

All the other forms were taken by Republicans. They left us with laughing and weeping. I choose laughing.

Who is the funniest comedian on earth? Why?

Whoever buys material from me. I think Eddie Izzard is brilliant. Andy Rooney kills.

Who is the least funny comedian on earth? Explain their success.

Any comedian who relies on use of the F-word to be funny. That’s right, “Fabio.” Beyond that, I don’t have an attorney, so I don’t want to get sued. Especially if I inherited $500 million. 

If you inherited $500 million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with your life?

The real question is, what would I do with yours?
 
I would first ask my sisters when our parents had died, because they were doing ok when I called home this week. And where did they hide this profound wealth all those years?  
 
I might give it all to Oprah, just to shock her. Put it all in an envelope, and say, “Look under your chair, Oprah!” Then we’d have a great time together over lunch, which neither of us would eat because our comfort waist pants are already stretched out like the steel belts in a radial tire lab test.

$500 million would also afford me the ability to pay my Wisconsin property taxes in 2 easy payments instead of 4. That would be convenient.
 
I would start a hedge fund involving actual hedges, beautifying America one yard at a time.

----

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Funny Dad Week. To learn more about Jeff Sawyer, visit his blog Sawyer Speaks. His book can be found at Amazon.com.

And remember, you are not alone...

Anyway, on Monday night, I was thinking about all of that, and about just how quickly my children are growing up, when the inspiration for a new poem hit me!

So I would like to share it with you.  I've called it "Where Did The Holidays Go?".  Here goes ...

The kids went back to school today,

The holidays went so fast!

Two weeks seems long right at the start,

But trust me, it doesn't last!

I know not all parents feel that way,

And think school holidays are a drag,

I feel sorry for them, they're missing out,

And so are their kids - how sad!

My kids and I did the usual things,

And housework still needs to be done,

But I made time for the kids and we did heaps of stuff,

We all had oodles of fun!

I love to see my children grow,

And learn new things each day,

But I'm also sad that it's happening so fast!

I don't care what others say!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not holding them back,

Each stage of their lives is exciting,

But the thought of them all leaving home one day ...

(sniff) ... Well, I just don't find it very enticing! ... (sniff)

My Dad once said to me, "Kylie, don't wish ...

that today is already tomorrow.

You're only wishing your life away.

Trust me", he said with sorrow.

Now, not too many kids like to admit,

That their parents are usually right,

But I believe my Dad "hit the nail on the head",

With his wonderfully, wise insight!

So my advice to all you parents out there,

Is make the most of the time with your kids,

Once the time has passed, you can't get it back,

Cherish the good times, the photos and vids!   (videos)

by Kylie Doak (Self confessed "sooky" sentimental mum!)