Chocolate? In This House?

It's driving me nuts. Tot still has some of his chocolate bunny left!!!

He did the wreath at the public library..

25 Ways to Simplify Life with Children - Zen Style

There is a blog I read called Zen Habits. This last week, he put out a post on Simplifying with Children in your life...

Here is an example that made me smile:

Toy bins. It’s an inevitable fact of life that kids have lots of toys, and that they will be everywhere. You will drive yourself crazy if you try to manage them with dictator-like ruthlessness. Instead, let kids play, but have lots of bins where they can toss the toys inside when they’re done. Then cleaning up is a cinch — they just toss everything on the floor into the bins, and move on to making their next mess. You can have designated bins for certain toys (this one’s for Legos, this one’s for stuffed animals, this one’s for cars), and also have some general-purpose bins for things that don’t fit anywhere else. Don’t be too strict about them — the whole purpose is to make things simpler.

If you come to my house... you'll discover the labels on my bins have been removed. Yet the kids know where the dinosaurs go versus the star wars toys. Took me a while to learn this one.

There are other good tips, some I do already and some I am heading in that direction. It is just nice to see common sense written down for those of us who have to work so hard at it. GRIN. Go check it out if you want to see his suggestions for simplification.

Moon Pies?

Mamaw bought the boys some moon sand. Interesting stuff. Messy but interesting. My question is... what do you call the 'pies' they make? It's not made out of mud, so it can't be mud pies... And the name moon pies is already taken by an interesting artery hardening junk food. (Which I use to eat all the time... ) I guess we'll just have to call them pies.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

At one time in my life, I thought I had a handle on the meaning of the word "service."
"It's the act of doing things for other people."
Then I heard these terms which reference the word SERVICE:

So today, I overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to "service" a few of his cows. BAM! It all came into perspective. Now I understand what all those "service" agencies are doing to us.

I hope you now are as enlightened as I am.

Meme: A Passion Quilt

Wow. I can't believe I got tag'd with a teacher meme. I am soooo not a teacher in how I immediately picture the word. I do NOT work well with large groups of children. Nor have I worked with children from difficult backgrounds. Yet Mrs. Who and Bou both have tag'd me with this meme.

I love working with my own kids and watching them learn and grow. Electronics, computers, magnets and more... In fact, one of my favorite was the volcanoes we made last summer.... with the flyby... (A great picture about learning in my eyes!)

Yet, this meme requires me to tag 5 more people. Thinking about who have been teachers to me in the blog-o-sphere, the first person that comes to mind is _Jon. Surprised? Shouldn't be if you were me. A couple of years ago, _Jon gave me a 'job' to do. I sucked at it. It was a programming job. I was tired, and would fall asleep with my laptop on my lap trying to do the work. I was getting an average of 3 hours a sleep at night, but I really wanted to do this. I desperately wanted to be able to use my brain again. And he never said an unkind word... trust me, I did MUCH better before children and what I sent him... sucked. But he encouraged me and taught me that I can think again, that I can try. He taught me that a kind word and encouragement can make a difference. That is a great teacher. Tag _Jon, you're it.

Now to come up with 4 more. I can easily come up with more, but I am going to try to give very specific things that I have been taught by the people I choose. Trust me it is hard to decide which ones... but I hope when I'm through you'll understand I couldn't include everyone.

Bou has already been tag'd and she is one of those that tag'd me... but she has been a great teacher in my life. She taught me about how to make a difference a positive difference in someone's life just by being there. When I was in pre-term labor with Tot, she would come by once or twice a week, take Tater for 45 minutes and let me have some very necessary and needed time to myself. She would also pick up around the house and clean up the dishes. Considering I was suppose to be on bed rest, it was amazing how exhausted I would be by the time she got there. Now that my children have reached the ages her kids were at the time, I have a deep respect for all that she did. She taught me that a simple act of kindness, of taking some of my time and giving it to someone else, can make a huge impact on that person's life in a positive way. Particularly since she got me started in blogging... Tag - sorta, since you already have it done.

Let's not forget Harvey. When I was a fledgling blogger, he took me under his wing and helped me out. He taught me what I needed to know about the 'unwritten' rules of blogging, he taught me how to gain readership (before becoming a part of mu.nu), how to be myself on my blog. He took the time to email me, and make me feel that I was doing ok. While he doesn't blog on his own 'home ground' as much any more, I am still tag'ing him.

The next one is an odd twist. It is someone who I found via another blogger... started reading her and was amazed at what she had to handle in her life. Her positive attitude most of the time. Then we talked via email because her son was diagnosed with asthma. She has taught me a great deal in remembering stuff my mom taught me, like how to be balanced and how to accept what is given to me. If you have not gone over to Cynthia at Walking On, you should. Cynthia, you need not do the meme, but I'm tagging you any ways.

There are a couple of blogs I read because they teach me about the world around me... my sister, Tink; physics geek; Ogre; and the one I'm going to add for my last tag... Decrepit Old Fool. Yep, I keep throwing out some crazy pitches. I may not necessarily agree with all of his opinions, but it is one of the reasons I read him. That and all the interesting stuff he puts out there. It requires me to keep thinking, keep learning. Isn't that what a teacher does? Keep you interested in learning? Tag, your it.

Enjoy and I hope everyone keeps on learning!

Morning Sugar High

Our Easter morning discovery of the baskets!

The Egg Coloring

We had a friend over to help with the coloring of the eggs on Friday. I just didn't have the time to get the pictures off the camera and go through them for posting. This morning... I did. Here is the table before 3 boys take over (click pictures to enlarge pictures):

Here's Tot watching his in the bowls:

Tater liked using the egg holder:

The finished product! (the elbow in the picture near Tater is the other young man that came to color eggs with us.)

Happy Easter

I give up. I started at the A's in my blog roll and was going through posting a Happy Easter on each one. I stopped on the L's. I give up. It took me 45 minutes just to get through the Ls... the rest of you... my apologies... but here is my Happy Easter to you. I have to get back to my kids.

I Shrunk!

Really. I was told that by one of Bou's sons. Ok, he didn't tell me, but he asked his mom if I shrunk. Her boys haven't seen me and my boys together in 6 months. Tater and Tot have grown considerably since then. He thought I shrunk, not that my boys were that much taller. I still smile every time I think of it. I like that answer... I shrunk.

Birds Nests, Kid Style

Here is a recipe for chocolate fun for the whole family!

Melt the chocolate using a double boiler... when melted, mix Corn Flakes into the chocolate. Spoon out into cupcake holders, making a 'nest' (room for the eggs). Add the eggs. Wait to cool and eat, eat, eat!

And they look great from any angle...

Some Humor for a Thursday

Guts versus Balls

There is a medical distinction. We've all heard about people having guts or balls, but do you really know the difference between them? In an effort to keep you informed, the definitions are listed below:

GUTS - Is arriving home late after a night out with the guys, being met by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to ask: 'Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?'

BALLS - Is coming home late after a night out with the guys, smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the butt and having the balls to say: 'You're next, fatty.'

I hope this clears up any confusion on the definitions. Medically speaking, there is no difference in the outcome, since both ultimately result in death.

= = =

And getting ready for Easter fun...

Not Humor, She Has Been Found

This is the best post entry I have seen in a while:

Thank you for praying for Cynthia and the return of her daughter. This is wonderful news.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Ok, I just couldn't resist...

Two blondes living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking, and one blonde says to the other, 'Which do you think is farther away... Florida or the moon?'
The other blonde turns and says 'Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida?????'

CAR TROUBLE

A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She tells the mechanic it died.
After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
She says, 'What's the story?'
He replies, 'Just crap in the carburetor'
She asks, 'How often do I have to do that?'

SPEEDING TICKET

A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely if he could see her license.
She replied in a huff, 'I wish you guys would get your act together. Just yesterday you take away my license and then today you expect me to show it to you!'

RIVER WALK

There's this blonde out for a walk. She comes to a river and sees another blonde on the opposite bank. 'Yoo-hoo!' she shouts, 'How can I get to the other side?'
The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and shouts back, 'You ARE on the other side.'

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched it.
'Impossible!' says the doctor. 'Show me.'
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and screamed;
likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.
The doctor said, 'You're not really a redhead, are you?
'Well, no' she said, 'I'm actually a blonde.'
'I thought so,' the doctor said. 'Your finger is broken.'

KNITTING

A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!
Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, 'PULL OVER!'
'NO!' the blonde yelled back, 'IT'S A SCARF!'

BLONDE ON THE SUN
A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day. The Russian said, 'We were the first in space!'
The American said, 'We were the first on the moon!'
The Blonde said, 'So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!'
The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads. 'You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!' said the Russian.
To which the Blonde replied, 'We're not stupid, you know. We're going at night!'

IN A VACUUM
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was her turn. She rolled the dice and she landed on Science & Nature. Her question was, 'If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?'
She thought for a time and then asked, 'Is it on or off?'

FINALLY, THE BLONDE JOKE TO END ALL BLONDE JOKES!

A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were. The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex. Her friend said, 'Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?' 'HELLLOOOOOOO......,' answered the blond. 'They're watch dogs!'

I Am Normal, Everyone Else is Weird

h/t wRitErsbLock

You Are Fairly Normal

You scored 40% normal on this quiz Like most people you are normal in some ways... But you aren't a completely normal person. You're a little weird too! Why You Are Normal: You know a lot about a few subjects You rather be screwed over than screw someone else over You think glasses can make someone more attractive You'd rather have rats than cockroaches in your home You eat the frosting first Why You Aren't Normal: You prefer a good nap to a good meal You don't keep up with your horoscope When you're in a car, you prefer to be the passenger You prefer your family to your friends You are no longer with your first love

What A Week

Seems this is going to be one crazy week. My apologies, but all the cute stories are just floating away. I can't get them down fast enough and my memory is fading quickly. We plan on making 'bird nests' and coloring eggs this week. Hopefully I'll get some great pictures and stories from it. Later...

update: Just saw LemonStand was back. Go wish her a hello!!!

Statue Fun

While waiting for Bou to show up for breakfast (we were there 30 minutes early), Tot had some fun with the statues in the mall. I only had my cell phone to take the pictures:

I loved his interpretation of the statues!

I Made It Through the Scraping

The dentist appointment went well. They deep cleaned my upper right teeth. That sounded gross but didn't hurt. The extraction went well but I felt it. And when he started scraping the 'infected' area out, I really felt it. It took 3 more shots. Ugh.

All of this probably wouldn't be in my mind except for no sleep last night. Oh, I got great medicine. The problem is children. Tot woke myself and hubby up at 2am. Hubby went in to take care of him. A few minutes later I hear a holler for mom. Sigh. I get up to check on Tater and it wasn't Tater. Tot was fussing. Once he saw me, that was it. Turns out he needed to be nebulized. He went to sleep shortly after that... but I didn't. I couldn't get comfortable. I usually sleep on my left side and of course I couldn't last night. Ugh. I even took another pain pill. All that did was make the pain go away, it didn't put me to sleep.

Ok, off to get the kids ready for school. Later!

Field Day

I was lucky enough to get to attend Field Day with Tater. Controlled chaos seems to be the best answer.

this was soccer:

this was field polo (even though those bats are padded, I still can't believe they give them to the kids):

Here is Tater just waiting for tug-of-war:

then the actual tug-of-war:

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Yaa, you can guess what kind of Humor this is going to be today:

"I dread Monday," my wife said.

"Why's that?" I asked, removing the cap from the mouthwash.

"Dental appointment, my dentist always stares at my chest."

"Take the wind-up teeth out of your cleavage."

= = = = =

One night, as a couple lay down for bed, the husband gently taps his wife on the shoulder and starts rubbing her arm.

The wife turns over and says: "I'm sorry honey, I've got a gynecologist appointment tomorrow and I want to stay fresh."

The husband, rejected, turns over and tries to sleep.

A few minutes later, he rolls back over and taps his wife again. This time he whispers in her ear:

"Do you have a dentist appointment tomorrow too?"

= = = =

Q: What does the dentist of the year get?
A.: A little plaque.

~~~~~

Q: What's the difference between a dentist and a New York Yankee fan?
A: One yanks for the roots and the other roots for the Yanks.

= = = =

Off the Charts has some great comics.

= = = =

The Glasbergen comics are pretty funny as well. Go to THIS LINK and scroll down to dental.

Not Humor, Prayers Needed

One of the blogs I read has a real problem. Her daughter is missing. HERE is the post with the daughter's picture. There are two more posts, THIS ONE about all the people helping out and THIS ONE from a very scared mom. Please take just a minute and say a prayer for this family and all of those helping out. If you have the time, leave Cynthia a comment. Thank you.

Posting Slowdown by Thursday

Well folks, I did not have my deep tooth cleaning on Friday. We went over what need to be done on the extraction and decided to do it all at once. I have got to be out of my mind. Then again, they are giving me some majorly good drugs on Thursday to 'relax' me before the procedure. Yes I am stressing about it. Yes it will go find and I will be alright. Doesn't stop me from worrying about it.

Anyone know of a great massage therapist in South Florida that is really really cheap? GRIN

Playdoh Gone Bad

I opened one of the playdoh containers to find:

I have never seen that before and I hope to never see it again. I can't imagine what was in it to cause that to happen. Ugh.

Story Writeup 101

Remember my whining about Tater having to write about a story. Well after 2 hours, he got it done. Here are the results:

Wait... there's more:

I still have issues about this. Why? Because from what I can gather, most of this is because of the FCAT. They are forcing 5 year olds to work more on writing stories, doing math, and memorizing words than getting to learn to enjoy school. This is the time for them to learn that school can be fun and that learning is fun. Don't get me wrong... Tater can do the work, as you can see... he is not the one having issues... I am. He gets home at 3pm... and has homework. By the time he gets to play... he only has about 1 hour, ding... it is dinner time. Then it is a half hour with dad, and the bedtime routine starts. Repeat daily... now add in this new homework of having to write about a story once a week. Due on Friday. Why? Because you are to read 5 stories and pick your favorite one to write about. Hmmm.. seems I'm ranting. I think that after being in school all day that they kids should be able to unwind for a couple of hours at home. Not one hour or less. Sigh. If I find a solution, I'll let you know... and NO I will NOT homeschool. Trust me, I have enough issues helping him with his homework. I can teach older kids just fine one on one and I will 'homeschool' them somewhat during the summer to keep their skills up. This means I will work with them for about an hour a day for 3 or 4 days. But I want to enjoy my children and doing full time schooling at home will not work for me. I know my limitations. But I will continue to look for other options to help my kids out and the school system. I will be involved. And I am always open to hear other opinions and ideas!

Reminded Me of Angel Wings

Life has dealt me some ... interesting obstacles. When I saw this cloud formation this weekend, I had to go get the camera and take some pictures (click to enlarge to see the 'wings')...

I also noticed the new growth on the cypress trees:

And about ten minutes later, the clouds had moved but still looked lovely:

On A Dare

My husband took some pictures of me all dressed up. I had not realized how heavy I was until I looked at the pictures. But there are some advantages of being heavy... and he certainly took a picture of my... uhhhh... advantages...

Yes dear folks I am a rubenesque 5'1" woman. When I finally get off my keester and lose weight, I hope they drop some off... particularly I didn't realize how uhhh large I was until I saw the pictures my hubby took of me. Guess it's nice to have such a good attitude about my looks, but it wasn't getting me to take the weight off of me. Sigh.

Bugged Out

Mom needs a break. Be back on Monday.

Reading 101 or NOT

Seems I need a better course on how to raise kids for school. Geeze, my son has to be able to tell the characters, setting, problem (plot) and solution of every book he reads. He is in frick'n kindergarten. Ok, I'm tired... I have bronchitis... I had a cgi on monday and I'm going for a deep tooth cleaning on one side of my mouth and an extraction on the other tomorrow. Some one take the chocolate away from my house or I'm going to be 200 pounds before this week is over. 5 foot and 200 pounds. At least everyone would stay out of my way.

Update: Boy did that come out wrong. It is not just the reading, but the fact that he has to look at a picture and write a story about it that has characters, settings, problem and solution. No joke. Sigh. Someone give me a new brain please.

And I lost AGAIN at trying to get my kids some pokemon energy cards for their new pokemon. Ugh.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

What's your Pokéname? Try it HERE.

And something Not Pokemon related but very funny... check out THIS LINK.

Oh... both boys are into playing with the pokemon cards. Not collecting... playing the game. Sigh.

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Pokemon humor continues...

Girls:
* You dress up as Misty,Jenny,or Joy for dances
* You collect the cards
* You have TONS of Pokemon toys
* You record every Pokemon episode in the series
* When you watch fireworks,you think of Team Rocket blasting off
* You make clay into Pokeballs
* You paint a pink ball and make it a Jigglypuff

Boys:
* You have all versions of the Game boy Pokemon games
* You dress up as Ash
* You make badges for your shirt
* You name all your pets pokemon names
* You eat rice balls as a snack
* Every leek reminds you of Farfetche'd

I'm Dreaming...

This boy has grown. I swear he grows inches every month. Look at long he is in his full size bed!

And the poor child has my taste in clothing. Sigh. I hope some other female can help him out when he gets older.

Big Boy Stuff

Seems I am creating monsters. Tater loves electronics, but Tot is crazy about it. Particularly since dad introduced the Max Axiom - Super Scientist Books. Tot loves them. Of course, having an engineer/geeky mom helps as well. Who else would play Snap Circuits with their kids?

And when we are tired with that... (actually mom gets tired of it first...) we are off to blocks and making mazes for the cars. I turned my back and Tot created a tower of sorts. Thought it was pretty cool!

Busy week and hopefully nothing for blog fodder... cgi's, deep teeth cleanings and the like should go well and not be talked about. GRIN. Writing the posts early and having them ready at least through Wednesday. And yes, I noticed I couldn't post comments... not even to my own blog... I'm working on it and pestering people. More later. Not like I have enough to do!

What Do Y.o.u Think?

I was working on a program for a friend and this one item in it kept pestering me.

The American’s Creed

I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag and to defend it against all enemies. ~William Tyler Page

(As formally adopted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, April 3, 1918)

What would it be like if we had the children of the USA say this right after the pledge? Yes, it is like brain washing... but I think we don't do enough to instill into our children what a great country we have and what we need to do to keep it great. What do you think?

I Laughed When I Did This One...

This is work safe as long as you are allowed to see beer ads.

You won't believe this, it is amazing!!!!

1. GO to the following Site: http://www.tatuagemdaboa.com.br/

2. TYPE any FIRST NAME ON THE 1st LINE.

3. TYPE any LAST NAME ON THE 2nd LINE.

(Skip other 2 lines.)

4. Click on vizualizar button and watch what happens.