Commercial Memories

Remember this commercial??



But this one is my personal favorite, and it always reminds me of my brother . . .



What is your favorite commercial?

TGIF!!!

I am so thankful that it is Friday and that I get to sleep in tomorrow. It was a LOOOONG week.

I've seen my husband a lot this week, due to his assistance, but I haven't got to speak with him much. We are both EXHAUSTED. But I think the meeting went well, so I can REST this weekend - and hopefully take a little time off next week.

We have no plans this weekend, and I am GLAD.

How about you? Anything exciting planned for your weekend?

It's Limerick Thursday!

I have a busy week at work this week - so I'm hoping you'll all help me out with this post. I've deemed it "Limerick Thursday!"


Here is my offering . . .



I haven't had near enough sleep
So little it makes me want to weep
Oh could someone please
(for real now, don't tease)
Let me rest, I won't even count sheep!



Now it's your turn - write me a limerick about your week and post it in the comments!



Happy Thursday!

Kitty Pics!

I haven't posted any kitty pictures lately - so I thought I probably should . . .



Here's Gracie in the early morning hours . . .



And Hunkahubby's cat, Max.



And the office cat, Lily.

There - the cat fix is completed.

Happy Wednesday!

Conquering our fears . . . together

In May, when we went to the indoor water park - my oldest daughter was scared to go on the water slide. I told her she needed to do 'one thing that scares her every day' so that maybe she won't be so scared of things anymore. (I didn't want to tell her that I was scared too!) But we both rode it, and we both LOVED it. It was really worth it.

This year, my oldest daughter was finally old enough to ride the roller coasters with her Daddy at the amusement park. He was SOOO excited! She . . . was not. I had to remind her of our 'one thing that scares us' rule.

Since Hunkahubby knew he would probably only get one chance to ride a roller coaster that day - he went on the one HE really wanted to ride on (which - with a double-helix among other things, was probably not smart for his green roller coaster buddy).

Here they are before they got on the ride. As you can tell - she is NOT thrilled, but she is still smiling.

And here she is after having survived the roller coaster . . . according to Hunkahubby, she screamed, screamed some more, and then just cried. Poor thing. She has sworn off roller coasters for the rest of her life. And Hunkahubby probably has 2 more years before the other two are tall enough.

But Mommy had her 'one thing that scares her' moment as well. In the water park, we decided (okay - it WAS my idea) to go on a ride with 4 people per innertube that goes through this large purple enclosed slide. It didn't look that scary.

Except - I kind of forgot one thing . . .

I'm a tad claustrophobic.

And the minute the innertube took off (with me and my two girls in it) I was plunged into complete darkness. And then water splashed over my face. I panicked. But I didn't scream. I didn't let the girls know how freaked I was (they couldn't have seen me anyway). I just kept breathing and praying for the ride to be over.

When we got to the end - the ride attendants just about had to pry my fingers off of the innertube, and my body was so stiff I could hardly stand up. I was shaking for the next 20 minutes. But I DID IT, right? (NEVER again.) Open water slides, I can handle - enclosed . . . NUH UH!!

My daughter and I bonded over facing our fears and hating it. LOL

What have you done lately that scared you? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?

40 Ways to Live a Better Life

I was forwarded this email this weekend. I do not know the origin (if you do, please comment and let me know!) but I wanted to share it with all of you. A lot of these tips are great ideas to remind us how to live our life to the fullest.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to. (Silence, with three kids??? Really??)

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and/or prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. (I love this one.)

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. (Yes, this is a good one for all of us!)

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, flax and other seeds, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life. (Oh boy do I have clutter that needs clearing!)

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. (AMEN!!!!)

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. (HAHAHAHA, I love this!)

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what the journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business. (Wow.)

28. GOD heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. Doesn't have to be everyday but consistency is key. (Or email them)

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass.
You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. Share these tips with the people you care about.

Have a great Monday!

Fitness Challenge!

Yes, I'm letting one blog bleed into another for just a moment.


I've committed to doing a fitness challenge - do any of you want to do it with me?? It is a 6 week program that should make you capable of doing 100 consecutive push-ups by the time you are finished with the program.

I'm not sure that I'm up to the task - but I'm sure going to attempt it!!

Here are the details: http://www.hundredpushups.com/challenge.html

Leave a comment if you're as crazy as I am and want to try it with me!! (I'll be posting my progress on the other blog. If I stop posting, you'll know it didn't go well. LOL!!)

Kitchen Tips

Anyone who has known me most of my life knows that I used to be pretty USELESS in the kitchen. I used to be pretty proficient at making boxed macaroni and cheese . . . and that was about it!

Well, during my working at home stint last year - I got really in to baking, and had a lot of fun trying new recipes and attempting to make things the way my Grandma did.

Now that I am making a healthy change in my life, I've gotten excited about making things that are delicious but HEALTHY. It is really pretty fun - and a challenge at the same time.

Anyway - one of my favorite bloggers/cheerleaders, Mizfit, pointed me toward this really informative post of kitchen tips and I thought you might benefit from reading it as well. I know I did - I need all the help I can get!!

The post is entitled:
50 Amazingly Helpful Time-Tested Tips for the Kitchen.

It includes some really helpful ideas including:

• What do you do if you over-salt a pot of soup?
• How do you clean cast iron?
• How do you keep bananas fresh longer?
• How do I reduce the crying factor when chopping onions??

Check it out and have a great Saturday!

Who needs coffee?

Several months ago, when I was working mostly out of my home - I often met my colleagues for coffee at Starbucks. It was usually pretty quiet and it was a nice atmosphere to have a small meeting. I am not a big coffee person, but will partake of a mocha every now and then when I really need some caffeine. Usually - just get hot chocolate. I LOVE Starbucks hot chocolate. It's like they took a big delicious candy bar and just melted it in a cup. MMMMMMMM.

I digress.

One of my colleagues, Kevin, shares my love of Starbucks Hot Chocolate. But even more than that - he LOVES the whipped cream. On one occasion of meeting in Starbucks he told me that one day he was just going to go to Starbucks and order a Venti (the largest size) whipped cream . . . with whipped cream on top! We always laughed about this.

Well last week, our IT guy, Scott, called me on his way to the office to see if we needed anything. It was one of those mornings - and so I asked him if it would be out of his way to stop at Starbucks and get me some coffee. He is not a big coffee drinker. He likes iced tea (in fact, I think he has a problem - and needs to seek help over his iced tea addiction.) So he told me to give him specific instructions on what I wanted, because he doesn't know the coffee lingo.

Because I am trying to eat healthier, I asked him to get me a tall (the smallest size) nonfat mocha. I didn't want to get the whipped cream, but didn't want to make my order so long he might forget. So I didn't mention the 'no whip' that I would usually tack on the end.

Well, of course - he got to the window, he ordered my drink and they asked him if he wanted whip. He didn't know. And he told them he didn't know and didn't want to mess up my drink. So do you know what they did?

They did this.


Yep - they did. They put the Whipped cream in a separate cup. Just in case.

When I saw it, I started cracking up. I grabbed the cup of cream and ran into Kevin's office saying, "You won't believe what I got for you!" It wasn't a Venti whipped cream, but it was a Starbucks cup of whipped cream!

We laughed all morning. He had finally got his wish.

How about you? Do you have a coffee addiction? A tea addiction? An incredible urge to order a Venti Whipped Cream?

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Birthday Garfield!

Wow. Garfield is 30 years old today . . .

Eat some lasagna in his honor.

Dragging your children through your childhood memories

When we become parents, there is this need within us to share the things with our children that we loved as a kid (whether it be a Lite Brite, a Snoopy Snow Cone Machine, or a special treat of cinnamon/sugar toast that Grandma used to make.)

This weekend, when we went on our mini-vacation - I took my kids with me on a trip down memory lane (and most of it was unintentional!)

When I was 5, my family went on our first vacation. We went to Southern Indiana and visited Spring Mill State Park, The Gus Grissom Memorial, and Santa Claus Land (now called Holiday World). We may have visited a few other places as well - but I don't quite remember.

Our family has gone to Holiday World almost every summer and we love it. This year, we decided to take the 'scenic route' back home and due to all the flooding Indiana has had - we had to take a major detour. Wouldn't you know that our little detour landed us in Mitchell, Indiana - the home of Spring Mill State Park and the Gus Grissom Memorial. So I got to share a part of my childhood with my children.



This is the one picture I have from that first vacation. We were in a hotel room playing Mad Libs (remember those?)



Here is the Spring Mill Inn in Spring Mill State Park. When we got there, I didn't recognize it. At all. I called my Dad later that day to find out if we'd actually stayed there. He couldn't remember either - but he did remember eating at the restaurant they had there.

I mostly remember the souvenir coin purse I had with a picture of the inn on the front.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking the kids to see the Gus Grissom Memorial - partly because I'm a closet history buff, and partly because I knew my son would LOVE anything to do with astronauts.



This is the Molly Brown. I get claustrophobic just thinking about cramming myself in that thing!

At the memorial, we got to watch a short film about the life of Gus Grissom, his final mission, and its effect on our space program today. After the film was over - I asked my son what he thought. (I wish I would've gotten a picture of his face DURING the film, he was in awe.) He said, "I thought it was pretty cool, except for the part where three people died." I agree.

When speaking to my Dad - we both had the same memory of Santa Claus Land. It was expensive. I remember wanting so badly to ride on these bumper boat things - but Dad remembers the line being so long, that I didn't get to. However, my kids were luckier and got to live out my 5 year old dream.

This is the one thing that looks exactly like I remember it.

And finally, what is a trip to Santa Claus Land (Holiday World) without meeting Santa?



A good time was had by all, and I'm already trying to figure out what memory I will drag them through next!

Happy Wednesday! We're half-way to Friday!

Funny Sights

I love taking pictures of funny things I see on vacation:

Several years ago, when we traveled to Holiday World - we were driving through a Southern Indiana town, when my husband quickly pulled over to the side of the road and said, "Give me the camera!"

When he came back, he showed me this picture:


Nice.

This time, I had fun taking pictures of funny t-shirts. And I laugh every time I look at this:

In case you can't read it, it says "PADDLE FASTER! I hear banjo music."

I hope you had a great Tuesday!

Mini-Vacation

I have some great stories and pictures to share with you from this weekend, but I haven't had time to download all the pictures yet - so I downloaded one from my iPhone to get you started . . .

Gotta love sleeping in the car! More tomorrow!!! Happy Monday!!!

This weekend

We're going on a mini-vacation this weekend, so I should have some great pictures to post next week. Pray for nicer, less weird weather!

Have a great weekend!!!

WOW! Time does fly!!

Can you believe this cutie patootie is ONE YEAR OLD today??

Now that you're walking, I'm sure your Momma is going to have her HANDS FULL!

Happy Birthday Gracie!!!

My new toy

Heh. Because I'm hoping to teach classes online in the fall - I finally broke down and bought a new laptop. I haven't had one since January.

Here's what I got:

(image from http://www.macmall.com/)

And for you geeks who need more than a picture, it is an Apple 13.3" New MacBook Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB/250GB/SuperDrive - Black with Parallels Desktop 3.0 and Microsoft Windows XP Professional pre-installed

Detailed specs: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB DDR2, 250GB SATA/100,

Intel GMA X3100 graphics 144MB,
13" TFT 1280x800, Super Drive(DVD+-R/CD-RW),

Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WLAN, Bluetooth, OS X 10.5 Leopard

I haven't got to play with it a whole lot yet, but so far I LOVE IT.

The new Macs have a built-in camera and microphone -

and this cool program called Photo booth.

Here are a few examples of what you can do with it (it can keep you entertained for hours!)

Here I am cheesing it.

Michelle and I in a fish tank - kind of . . . being silly.

Me as a comic . . .

My oldest as a comic

My son as a comic

My youngest as a comic.

Me with the comics! (I know, I'm a dork.)

And finally, me and my Rufus.

Enough fun for today!

Wiggle it, Just a little bit . . .

I have been writing a "Wii Fit" series over at my other blog - but I thought I'd share some outtakes here.

This is my youngest daughter's Mii (the Wii version of yourself) that she uses on the Wii.

She is doing the Hula Hoop exercise.

Here are some action shots:

Doesn't this look fun??

The calm before the storm

If you've been watching the news, you know that Indiana has been getting some not so fun weather lately - tornados, flash floods, and very severe thunderstorms. We don't have a basement, so we have spent a lot of time in our closet next to the stairs. (Well, the kids have . . . Hunkahubby and I don't quite fit.)

After a week of storms, and the promise of another on the way - Hunkahubby went outside and took some awesome pictures at sunset - I wanted to share them here.

(All photos by Hunkahubby)

These pictures remind me of the song "Praise You in this Storm" by Casting Crowns. Here is an excerpt of the lyrics:

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
Who gives and takes away

Chorus: I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For you are who you are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise you in this storm

And as a Pastor of mine used to say -

"Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is."

Cat Fight!

I haven't posted any kitty pictures in a while, so I though I'd make up for it with a play by play of this cat fight.



Gracie starts by picking on Max. Just a playful love tap.



Max leans down to ask her what she wants, and she SMACKS him upside the head. One point for Gracie!



She reaches up to apologize for hitting him . . .



And he bites her on the neck! One point for Max!!



Now it's ALL OUT WAR!!! (doesn't this picture remind you of jr.high girly slap fights?)



Gracie finally surrenders,



. . . as Max looks down on his unworthy opponent.

He wants to be like Grandpa . . .

Yesterday, you may have wondered where my melt-down picture was of my son. The truth is . . . I don't have one. Not that there hasn't been an opportunity, I just haven't been able to grab the camera at the right time for him. His time will come.

But I don't want to pick on him too much right now, as the poor little guy is having enough trouble.

Want to guess why?



Yep, the poor kid is toothless. The fun of being a 6 year old boy.

He does look a lot like a grandpa . . . but his Grandpa still has all of his teeth!

So . . . he can be like HIS Grandpa in this picture . . .


Aren't they cute?

The Dark Side of Parenting

People always post pictures of their smiling and happy children, making us all believe that their lives are full of sunshine and rainbows. But you know what? Kids aren't always happy. They aren't always smiling. And sometimes parents just want to throw in the towel, curl up in a ball, and cry for their own parents. (or at least be tempted to drink themselves under the table . . . even when they don't drink!)

The two pictures below represent 'one of those days' for both kids and parents. The first is my oldest, having one of her meltdowns where she screams loud enough for the whole world to hear that no one loves her and that she is going to run away.



Even though I know that my childrens' emotional outbursts are magnified due to their not-so-ideal first years of life - I'm learning that a meltdown such as this is pretty normal for a girl this age, just not necessarily as long-lasting or LOUD. But what is it going to be like when she is 13?? (My husband is already threatening to live in a tent once a month after they've both hit puberty . . .)



And here we have my BEAUTIFUL youngest daughter in the midst of not getting what she wants. Oh, the joy of it all. Who could ever have imagined that the girls above were the VERY SAME girls that you see smiling below . . .



(Some day they will plan their revenge on me for this post.)

How do you handle meltdowns at your house??

If you have a minute

Please go to this post and read an amazing poem by a 15 year old dealing with cancer.

Have a great Friday everyone and a wonderful weekend!

Check out . . .

Hunkahubby's new healthy recipe!

Then & Now

Fun with pictures . . .

Here is a picture of me at the Children's Museum during our honeymoon (2001).

Here is a picture of my munchkins doing the same thing at the Children's museum last month.

Yes, I know . . . they look much cuter . . .