44 Fun Things

I found this on the parents.com website and thought it was really fun. Perhaps you and your kids have already done most of these... If not, why not get started?

Even if you don't have kids, it's never too late to have fun!

44 Things Every Kid Should Do Before Turning 8
By Chris Erikson

We rounded up a bunch of talented, witty, and cool people to share the greatest moments of childhood.

Billionaire Donald Trump
1. Learn to manage your allowance, and think of the best ways to use it.
First Lady of California Maria Shriver
2. Run in the sprinklers. And make sure at least one of your parents runs with you.
Music Man Dan Zanes
3. Take part in a march for peace. Or something else you believe in. I recommend making a colorful sign to march with.
4. Ride a roller coaster.
5. Play tag in the rain.
Wildlife Expert Jeff Corwin
6. Watch tadpoles hatch into frogs.
7. Catch and eat your own fish.
8. Learn a bit about astronomy and observe the stars.
Star of Stage, Screen, and Page John Lithgow
9. Go to one -- or more -- major-league ball games.
10. Read at least one chapter book from start to finish.
11. Suffer a major disappointment and learn to live with it.
Super Scientist Vicki Cobb
12. Experiment to find out how many different ways you can squirt water out of your mouth.
Hip Teen Oliver Saks
13. Learn how to ride a bike. I'm talking a two-wheeler without training wheels and extra points for gears.
14. Travel to the moon. Nothing is impossible before you're 8.
15. Get exactly the haircut you want -- not the one your parents want.
Critter Creator Sandra Boynton
16. Make a yarn pom-pom. It's very zen and very soothing.
17. earnLay igPay atinLay.
18. Make up a recipe, cook it, and name it. (Bad example: "Anchovy Peanut Butter Surprise.")
19. Write a song, then sing it for three people and one animal. It could be a stuffed animal. But they tend to be more critical than live ones are.
Ice Cream Creator Ben Cohen
20. Raise money for something or someone you care about.
21. Befriend a kid whom others are making fun of. Jerry and I were both fat, nerdy kids.
22. Realize your parents are just some old kids trying to act grown up.
Skateboard Superstar Tony Hawk
23. Learn how to pour a bowl of cereal and turn on the TV. (So your parents can sleep an extra 30 minutes on weekends.)
24. Realize that you should never outgrow hugging your parents.
25. Figure out how to tell a joke that doesn't involve poo, pee, or butts.
26. Discover that bleeding "owies" can make you look tough even though they hurt briefly.
Manners Maven Peggy Post
27. Learn to give a good handshake. No bone crushers or limp fish.
28. Hold the door for someone at the mall.
Basketball Star Allan Houston
29. Clean up your own room.
30. Learn how to make lemonade -- from real lemons.
Best-Selling Author Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket
31. Experience the strange and wonderful feeling of wandering around one's house alone, very late at night.
32. Break up a fight between two younger children.
33. Find the perfect hiding place in your bedroom for a secret object. This might not be so handy at age 8 but will be very important later, so it's best to find it now.
34. Eavesdrop and take notes. Tip: Pressing the rim of an empty glass against the wall will help you hear what is going on in the neighboring room.
Food-Network Star Guy Fieri
35. Start a collection of something. It could be anything -- model cars, baseball cards, sand from different areas.
36. Try at least five different types of food -- Chinese, Greek, Mexican -- you pick the other two. 37. Make a good paper airplane. Then fly it 20 feet or more.
Pediatrician Extraordinaire Harvey Karp
38. Read a newspaper with a parent.
39. Look through a microscope and a telescope.
40. Help serve or deliver food to the needy on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
TLC Host Karen Duffy
41. Hand-write thank-you notes for birthday and holiday gifts.
42. Open a savings account.
43. When greeting an adult, learn to look him in the eye and introduce yourself.
Cool Kid Grace Lee-Niosi
44. Make sure you've had enough piggy-back rides.

* * *

Instructions:

No. 16: How to Make a Pom-Pom
Take a square of cardboard and wrap yarn around it. (The more you wrap, the fluffier your pom-pom will be.)
Gently ease the yarn off the cardboard and tightly tie the middle.
Cut the loops on both ends and fluff!

No. 30: How to Make Lemonade from Scratch
You'll need: 1 large lemon, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, ice.
Make sugar syrup: Add sugar and 1 cup water to a pan and heat to boil; let cool.
For each serving, combine juice of half a lemon, 2 tablespoons sugar syrup, and 8 ounces cold water.
Add ice and serve.

No. 37: Make a Good Paper Airplane
Fold a sheet of paper in half, lengthwise, and crease well.
From top of rectangle, fold down 1/2 inch. Repeat, folding paper over itself, half a dozen times.
Fold down the top left corner, then the top right corner. Fold in half.
Form the wings by folding paper toward the crease.
Let 'er loose.

A Wrinkle in Time

I put this on my "other" blog -- which is now defunct -- and thought it contained a lesson worth keeping close to my heart.

Enjoy a snapshot in my life nearly two years ago:

Sunday, March 26, 2006 - Phew! A New Week Dawns...

We are excited to begin a new week....not that I wish Time to speed by any quicker than it already does. Last week held enough excitement for about a month of weeks though.

My hubby finally returned [from Qatar] on Tuesday evening -- complete with remnants of a cold. Poor guy!!

The kids kept wondering how he could get a cold in the desert. (And apparently you "can't" get a fever in Antarctica. Hmmm....I don't think germs think about climates. LOL! There's a homeschooling lesson in there somewhere. )

Just 10 minutes before we were to pick him up, Edward decided to "nosedive" off his sister's loftbed. It took me a moment to figure out where the blood was pouring from. (Our family has a history of knocking out teeth so my first reaction anytime a child falls is to check the mouth.) He had hit his nose, and after a few moments I got the nosebleed to stop. I kept praising God that he wasn't hurt more than that...considering what could have happened.

Meanwhile...Stuart was waiting for us....and the brownies were burning.... Aaaaa!

I asked the kids when the timer went off for the welcome-home brownies we'd made and both said, "A few minutes ago."

Needless to say, I wasn't "keeping it together" any longer.

So after 22 days of keeping everyone safe and in check [while Stuart was away] , we managed to "lose" it all in the last 10 minutes.

We collected ourselves (including my sanity), straightened hair (including my newly popped-out gray ones), washed faces, and went to get Daddy. All was well again...

...until Friday when poor Stuart ended up in bed with shivers and fever and an "angry tummy" (to borrow Edward's phrase). After two days in bed with lots of rest and bland food, he seems to have recovered for the most part.

Now, it's Emily's turn for a cold, which, if it had to happen, is good timing since she completed her PSSAs with flying colors (thanks everyone for your prayers!), and we survived the one-hour drive shuttling her there and back...and another student's throwing-up in the middle of the test.

As I'm learning (slowly, I'm afraid), our homeschooling lessons aren't always meant for the children. I'm continually taught about God's timing and waiting on Him....and that patience isn't just a "virtue"...it's a necessity!!

Tuesday Tidies

Since I love the smell of fresh, clean linens, I loved this hint from Heloise:

To Refresh a Linen Closet:

Mix several drops of lavender essential oil with several of bergamot essential oil and put onto cotton balls/pads and then put into an open jar. Store the jar on the bottom shelf or in a corner. Don’t let the cotton balls/pads touch any fabric material or surface.

More Amusing Monday Musings

Happy Monday to you!

The last Monday in January.

Lots of fun stuff today...be sure to click on any links you see.

We had an eventful weekend, trying to get the car "up to snuff" for its annual state inspection. (Sadly, it failed on Friday and needed some work.)

We also got the chance to see the newest VeggieTales movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. It was hilarious! Very well-done and very worth seeing! Click here to see the trailer.

I'm still working through Season 2 of 24 as I fold my laundry. Apparently, the writers' strike is getting close to finishing? We'll see.

Kiefer Sutherland was spotted in New York City yesterday, visiting with some old friends. Pagesix.com got this video tidbit of it. I love Kiefer's reaction to Baby Leo. I think the baby must have grown some since Kiefer last saw him? *wink*

Stuart "put his foot in it" (no pun intended) with the kids a few times this weekend. My personal favorite: While chatting with Emily, he told her that drinking too much soda will prevent a little girl from developing..."bazongas." Edward happened by and said, "Are those a type of gun? I've heard of bazookas but not bazongas."

Hmm...what do you say to that?

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup bottles
• nurturing a child’s imagination
• pine boughs
• an elaborate coat of arm
• travelogues

* * *

When I was a little girl, I always remember my mom's collection of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup bottles. It wasn't elaborate but they were constant, up on the window sash to allow the sun to shine through them.

The peaceful look crafted on "Mrs. Butterworth's" face combined with the soft brown-colored glass bottle made for a nice lasting image in my brain.

She always seemed so pleased to help make your pancakes and waffles taste yummy. She was the "mama" who wanted you to "eat up" to put some "meat on your bones." She seemingly cared about you.

They say that product placement and slick advertising can help sell a product. But I think nostalgia can play an even bigger role.

Afterall, I find myself still buying Mrs. Butterworth's syrup for my family.

Sadly, they don't share my warm and fuzzy memories about Mrs. Butterworth since my mom doesn't have her syrup bottle collection anymore...

But they can still enjoy the yummy syrup. *wink*

Sweet Sunday

This is the favorite song of our pre-K/Kindergarten Sunday School class. They really belt it out each week. You have to love that kind of excitement! *grin*

Friday Funnies

In honor of the Super Bowl coming up in a week or so...I bring you a funny Super Bowl commercial from several years ago. Enjoy! And have a funny Friday!

Just for Fun

My LYLAS friend and fellow homeschooler/blogger posted this awesome tidbit on her blog today. And I'm shamelessly using the same idea for the same reason as her. *wink* (Thanks, dearest Angel! I hope you don't mind!)

Try it and let me know what decade you fall into:

You Belong in 1950

You Belong in 1950

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Wordless Wednesday

Two Lovely Ladies

What more can I say than the world is full of lovely people, and today I was honored and privileged to have lunch with two of them: one from Long Island and one from Wales.

What a treat to put actual faces, voices, and personalities to friends I've met online!

It's a small world afterall!

Stuart and the kids came along to meet them, and then they headed off on their own adventure to the Sony Museum of Technology (which was under renovations) and the gigantic F.A.O. Schwarz toystore.

A very fun day for all!

Merriest of Merry Monday Musings`

Happy Monday to you!

New day, new week, new excitements!

Yay! Yay! YAY!

My favorite-most actor finished his time in jail and is now back home. I've been intrigued by the various articles written about it, quoting the policemen from the jail. They all agree that he was a "model prisoner" who "paid his debt to society with complaining or asking for any special treatment." I'm glad for his sake that it's all over. And, as I said before, I'm proud to call myself a fan. He handled the whole situation with dignity and honor, not running away from what happened but facing it. How many of us would act likewise in such a challenge?

I'm going to New York tomorrow to meet up with two Kiefer fans/friends I met on another blog. It's such fun to think that you can actually make nice friends online...not everyone is a stalker or pervert, looking to hurt young children.

No news on the writers' strike. We're still waiting for 24 to resume filming so that there might actually be a season this year... Ugh! In the meantime, we're still enjoying The Closer and some episodes of the X-Files (previously my very favorite-most show...)

We played some games with the kids this past week and weekend. We realized that we hadn't done this in awhile and resumed this practice around the holidays. Gametime is always such a great connecting time with them. It's fun for all and teaches a lot about sportsmanship and cooperation.

One of the games we played was one we gave them this past Christmas called "Monopoly: Here and Now." It's fun and a great teaching tool for learning larger numbers (the smallest denomination you get is $10,000). It's also been fun to talk about the different landmarks you can buy, and instead of railroads, you can purchase the four major U.S. airports: LAX, JFK, Chicago, and Atlanta. The pieces are things like a cellphone, a hybrid car, a labradoodle, etc. This is not the "Monopoly" game that your grandma played, huh?

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• puddles of sunlight

• a bowl of buttered popcorn

• little girls in tutus

• black pearls

• hardworking colleagues

* * *

I think I was a cat in a previous life -- if I believed in such nonsense. I love sitting in "puddles of sunshine," watching the rays come in through the window, lighting up the bits of dust in the air.

I always imagined the dust I saw was actually atoms. I thought I must have the strongest and mightiest eyes around to be able to see actual atoms with my naked eye. Hmmm...

* * *

Growing up, my family enjoyed popcorn. I mean we LOVED it.

It was a Friday night ritual to pull out the pot and pour the thin layer of oil and cover it with popcorn kernels.

(All this was before the invention of microwave popcorn, of course.)

If we had friends over, we'd pop corn. It was inexpensive and tasty. We'd eat it while watching movies and/or playing games and/or using the computer.

And forget popcorn chains for the Christmas tree. We wanted to eat it, not string it.

Then came microwave popcorn, and we continued to enjoy this yummy snack even more.

Fast-forward to 1988 and Swindon, England...

We'd moved to a foreign place with lots of new, interesting foods to get used to. We could still buy ice cream (another family favorite) -- though in only a few varieties at that time -- and occasionally we'd find something familiar amongst the unfamiliar on the grocery shelves.

But no popcorn.

Then one day we saw some microwave popcorn. It was like the heavens opened and the angels sang for us. We were so excited.

My dad bought the entire flatpack (some 30 or so packages?).

We've often wondered what the cashier thought when we arrived at the register with only these "30 or so packages" of microwave popcorn to buy...

Hey, what could we say then (or now)?

We LOVE popcorn!! *wink*

Friday Funnies

Much Adieu About Something Out of Nothing

Cliches.

They're a funny thing.

...as are metaphors and puns.

I'm not very good at them and have had troubles with mixed metaphors and misspoken cliches for much of my life. And puns only pop out when I'm not trying to think of them.

For example, I thought the expression "to each his own" was really "to reach his own."

And "pot calling the kettle black" was really "pot coal and the kettle black."

I wouldn't have made a very good sports reporter because during my sports writing class I was constantly being called on my mixed metaphors.

The game began on a rocky road for the team, but it soon led them to clear sailing in the final quarter....or something similar.

Hmm...

Which leads me to today's thought...

My hubby, my best bud and the "editor/first reader" (most of the time) of my blog, IMed to ask about the word "adieu."

I'd used it in my blog with the expression "without further adieu." The word I had wanted was "ado." Duh, me. As in much ado about nothing... Not, the farewell of adieu.

A little play on words? Nah, just a little mistake, caught by someone who loves me and knows my analness with words. *grin*

So I won't make much ado about something out of nothing or a pig's ear out of a silk purse...

I'll bid you adieu...before I mixed more metaphors!

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Tidies

Since Tuesday is "bed-changing day" at our house, I decided that I might start an occasional feature of "Tuesday Tidies," (following in the footsteps of my other occasional feature, "Hellish Kitchens.")

I subscribe to "Hints from Heloise" and have often found her hints quite helpful. So without further ado....

If Your Closet Smells:

• Dust and vacuum it often.
• Fill a sock or two with activated charcoal (found at pet stores) to help contain the odor.
• Keep the closet dry and aired out.
• Never put unwashed or stinky clothing back into the closet.
• Launder first.

Merely Musing on Monday

Photo thanks to Bennyblog
Happy Monday to you! The second one for 2008, and it's already the middle of the month!

I loved this photo of Kiefer Sutherland and Kyra Sedgwick. As Benny said on her blog: Their expressions say it all. Only one week until Kiefer finishes his time in jail. Yay! I admire him for not whining about his punishment or asking to be let out early....like so many other Hollywood-types. (No names mentioned.)

The premiere of Season 7 of 24 was meant to air last night and tonight. But, alas, the writers' strike continues. *sniff...sniff...grrr!* So no word as to when the new season will actually air. I've been working my way through Season 1 as I fold laundry each week...makes the whole chore so much more enjoyable. *wink*

We had a relatively uneventful weekend, just enjoying being together as a family. Sometimes Life gets so busy that we forget to take the time to just relax together.

Emily and I picked up her new glasses yesterday. (See the above pic I took in the store right after she got them...she wasn't pleased that she's not looking her "best.") She looks very stylish in them and mostly loves wearing them. We went out for a "girls' time" afterwards and chatted about life and boys and growing up. She's in such a betwixt time...wanting to stay little but wanting to grow up, too. And society doesn't help in this battle, encouraging kids to be big before they need to be. *sigh*

Heard in Sunday School yesterday: Stuart asked our pre-k/kindergartners if they remembered any of the Ten Commandments that we'd learned the week before. Most remembered some of them, and one clever, little boy said, "Do not cover your neighbor's wife or any of his possessions." Hmm, brings a new spin to some of the others.

The weather has yet to decide if we're really in Winter...which suits me fine. I realized I'm a bit of a "snow Grinch." I'm not very keen on the wet, white stuff...at all. I think it all began when we were still living in the city. I remember getting snow in my shoes and down my shirt as I tried to get Edward (then a baby in an infant seat) into the car after...whacking my head on the car as I did so. My snow hatred is understandable, no? *grin*

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• birthday banners

• burning incense

• standing by someone you love

• proposing a toast

• a mean game of solitaire

* * *

Edward has been all about Solitaire these days.

He's been finishing his school lessons early and eagerly asks for his cards to be shuffled so that he can lay them out for a new game.

Last week I took my computer with us to use in the cafe while Emily was in dance class. I was hoping to catch up on my Monday Musings...

Sadly, there was no wireless Internet -- either the service was down or disconnected -- so I couldn't write my blog entry.

But I could show Edward the Solitaire on the computer.

He was amazed and played game after game. (He must have forgotten how often he used to watch Stuart play it.)

The great thing?

He still enjoys playing it with real cards on a real table...and he doesn't mind calling a game "dead" and starting a new one, knowing that this one might be the one that he wins.

Sweet Sunday

After spending the afternoon "chatting" with my daughter about growing up and such, I found myself nearly sobbing as I watched this Michael W. Smith song.

Wow! The time it takes for children to grow and change really is like the blink of an eye....

Remember to pause the sidebar music player.

Friday Funnies

My hubby showed me this video awhile ago, and I've thought of using it for a Friday Funnies post ever since. Jeff Dunham, the ventriloquist, is so talented that we've been tempted to buy his DVD (complete with the added ability to "bleep" out any bad language).

This video might be best enjoyed out of the hearing of little ones as there are a few bad words. And don't forget to pause the sidebar music player.

Mother Says...

Ever felt like this?


I didn't ever study genetics in school or college, but I know family members must be strongly linked (gene-wise) when they start sounding like each other. *wink*

Naming Right(s)

Names have always been an important part of my life.

Naming something -- like a stuffed toy -- took an inordinate amount of thinking power for me. I wanted it to be just right.

When I began writing, I would often ask my mom to help me come up with the perfect names for my characters. (She's so clever!)

Names denoted the characters' personalities and their roles in the tale. I always lamented to her that I didn't know what I would do when I was all grown up and needed help figuring out the names of my stories' characters. (I guess I didn't think about phones.)

Then came the pets.

I always think that pets and people need to look like their names, and the names need to click.

My hubby thinks this is hilarious since "How can someone look like a name?"

I don't know but it must be true because when my paternal grandmother came to see my middle sister after she was born and my parents told her they'd named her Christine, she said that she [my sister] just didn't look like that name. And my parents looked at her and agreed, renaming her Michelle.

So all of the pets I've had over the years have had names that fit. Their names clicked in my mind.

Next came the kids.

Emily was named for my paternal grandmother. It was a name I'd hoped to use since I was little girl. I wanted my grandmother to "live on" through her name. And with the meaning of "busy one," it perfectly suited our little "fuzz-top" daughter.

Edward was named so simply because we loved the name, and we wanted another "e" name. It was perfect -- and unusual, at least in the U.S.

It was hard picking out their names ahead of time since I didn't know if the kids would fit their names. But somehow they "looked" like their names, despite my hubby's mirth at the idea. *wink*

So what's in a name? Why is it so important what we're called?

Because names define who we are. They are like an extension of who we are - fullname or nickname.

Emily likes being called Emmy or Em, a softer more personal version of her name.

Edward has never gone by Ed or Eddie. He might decide to change that one day. But for now he enjoys his fullname...despite how often people try to change it. *wink*

My fullname is Susanne. But I've always been Susie (Su-su to my family when I was really young)....until one day in 8th grade when I'd moved to a new school and the kids and teachers began calling me Sue. I hated it, but I got so tired of correcting them that I accepted it and continued to go by it.

(Afterall, Susie was so babyish, right? *wink*)

A funny thing happened when I got married. I'd been Sue through the rest of my schooling, including university, and then into my working years. But when I got married, I went back to Susie.

I remembered a friend we had in England, an older French woman who went by that name. She wasn't too old for such a "young" name.

I remained Sue Wilson at the newspaper and Susie Foote at home. That way it acted more like an alias or pseudonym....and if I met any of the victims subjects of my articles they wouldn't know who I really was...

Ooops...was that my "out-loud" voice. Guess the cat's out of the bag (not that anyone I ever wrote about cares anymore).

I wonder what it's called....

The Error of My Way

I love this sort of thing...

I went looking for the spelling and meaning of the expression a "shoe in" and found out I had it wrong. It should be a "shoo-in."

Read on and check here.

Apparently...

A race horse so fast that you can merely shoo it across the finish line rather than having to urge it on with stronger measures is a “shoo-in”: an easy winner.

It is particularly unfortunate when this expression is misspelled “shoe-in” because to “shoehorn” something in is to squeeze it in with great difficulty.

Who'd have "thunk" it?

Monday Musings Afresh

Hmm... Will Season 7 of 24 ever start? Photo thanks to BennyBlog.
Happy Monday! And welcome to the first Monday Musings in the first full week of 2008!

A new day, new week, new year! Wow!

And another new number to write on my checks. *sigh*

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and New Year's holidays. We enjoyed ours and now life is settling back into our usual routine. Sometimes that feels good after the excitement and hubbub around the holidays.

So still no 24 on the schedule.... *weep... gnash... grrr... sigh* It's so hard to think that months ago we were all counting down to next Sunday's date...for the big Season 7 premiere. Oh, well. I'm working through Seasons 1-6 again, and we're catching up on the other shows we enjoy, as well as a few movies -- old and new.

We started school again today. I decided to give the kids a few extra days off since they were ahead in their studies and needed a rest from the busyness of the holiday season. Plus, it made it easier for me to start up their new weekly units. *wink* (A method in my madness, no?)

They start French this month. I'm not sure how much they'll pick up at the beginning. The program our school uses is designed to be more like when babies first pick up language from hearing it spoken. It should be interesting since Stuart and I use that as our parental "code" language. We're scrambling to think of what language we can learn that can take its place as our "code" lingo. Portuguese tops the list, followed closely by German. Know of any good tutors?

We had an interesting Christmas Eve evening. Stuart was asked to read the Christmas story from the Bible at church, and on his way up to the mic for a sound check before the service, I saw that he had a huge rip in the seat of his pants. Hmmm.... Let's just say that Scotch tape doesn't work well on cloth material. After surreptitiously walking to the front and slinking back out, Stuart managed to keep from showing off his BVDs.

Funny how different our ears can be. The kids and I were listening to music last week during their various Solitaire games, and Emily finally blurted out during one song, "Who is Mr. Simon and why do they want him to come?" I laughed and explained it was "Mr. Sandman," and they wanted him to come and help them go to sleep so they could have sweet dreams.

Then she was singing along with the Beatles and their "Yellow Submarine" song, saying, "We all leave in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine... But where are they going when they leave?" *grin*

Edward was so tired tonight that he came down and asked when I was coming to tuck him in and say prayers with him. (He and his sister were allowed to read before "lights out" tonight.) So I hurried up to kiss him goodnight and put him to bed.

Stuart didn't have the chance to get upstairs for another half-hour, and I told him the kids were probably asleep already. Apparently, Emily was indeed sleeping, but Edward was bright-eyed when Stuart entered his room. Stuart told him that he thought he'd be asleep already to which Edward replied, "I was waiting for you." *sniff-grin-sniff*

Since tons of chocolate, mountains of cookies, and a Boxing Day feast wreaked havoc on our waistlines, Stuart, my mom, and I decided to do a virtual walking "race" to Los Angeles. Stuart mapped the mileage, and we just have to keep track of how much we walk. We all agreed it should be fun. Now to get started... Stuart already has. *gulp*

I was driving through R-City today, and as I sat at a particularly long light I started to look around at the various people in my vision field. I thought about my day and the plans I had for the rest of the afternoon and evening...and I wondered what was on their minds.

What thoughts and plans filled their noggins?

Everyone has a story. Be it a good or bad one...it's still a story. The plot and soundtrack as unique as the individual him/herself. Well, there are a few themes that seem to run through most people's lives. We all live in our own little soap opera, right?

It always brings a new perspective to my mind...knowing that I'm not the only one in this world, walking about with ideas and plans bouncing around in my head.

Whenever I moved from a particular area when I was young, I imagined that life stopped. Just like a show when an episode stops for the week. In my mind, people froze in time so that if I went back to visit one day everything would be exactly the same...except me, of course.

I came to realize that was silly to think, but it was a hard reality for me to accept.

I just hate change. *wink*

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• a buffet spread

• Elmer’s glue and glitter

• mah jong games

• breathing deeply

• reading Goodnight Moon

* * *

Sometimes I find a list with five things I love. This was one of them. That makes it really hard to pull out just one item to muse about.

But I'll do my best....though now I want to break out the glue and glitter (just plain crazy, I know) to makes something artsy and fun.

I'm probably the only parent living who never understood the storyline of Goodnight Moon.

(Okay, maybe I'm the only one willing to admit it.)

I blame it on the poor punctuation in the title. I didn't realize that the "speaker" in the book was bidding goodnight to the moon, as in "Goodnight, Moon."

Nor did I realize that the whole thing was one big stall tactic.

Duh, me.

The child speaker is saying goodnight to everything in the room and then in the outer world in an effort to keep from having to go to sleep.

I kept thinking that it was just a whimsical way to say goodnight...and I was ready to smack the kid and say, "Stop talking and go to sleep!"

Okay, okay...I'm not really that violent.

But I didn't really like the book at first. I thought it was dumb. I didn't understand all the hype.

Then when I heard that it was just an effort to delay a visit from Mr. Sandman, I laughed and enjoyed it.

Perspective, right?

Goodnight, Moon! Goodnight, gentle reader.

Sweet Sunday

Some of my favorite hymns are "How Firm a Foundation" and "Rock of Ages," and I found a video that encompasses both of them and even puts them to photos.

I put the words to the first hymn below. I love the promise and hope this song brings. "...That soul, though all Hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake."

Makes for a sweet Sunday, indeed!

(Remember to turn off the sidebar music player.)


How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

~John Rippon, 1787

Friday Funnies

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

A group of 2nd graders were asked the following questions about mothers. Their answers follow.... Let's just say, kids say the funniest stuff sometimes. Enjoy, and have a fun Friday!

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the Scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom . You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Of Mary Janes...

I've changed my profile photo to this one of me (yes, I was a blondie back then) on my second birthday, holding up two of my presents: a Fisher-Price barn lunchbox and my new "Mary Jane" shoes...which I immediately dubbed my "Janes."

I find my mind often works like the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book.

One idea leads to another...to another...to another. I guess it goes with being a woman. Supposedly, we talk in circles...allegedly.

I think it has more to do with being of a curious nature. *grin*

I went online to explore the history of "Mary Jane" shoes. (All links are underlined if you want to learn even more.)

And funny enough I found it on Wikipedia: Mary Jane was a character created by Richard Outcault for his comic strip, "Buster Brown," which was first published in 1902. She was the sister of the title character, Buster Brown.

In 1904, Outcault travelled to the St. Louis World's Fair and sold licenses to up to 200 companies to use the Buster Brown characters to advertise their products. Among them was the Brown Shoe Company, who later hired actors to tour the country, performing as the Buster Brown characters in theaters and stores.

This strategy helped the Brown Shoe Company become the most prominently associated brand with the Buster Brown characters. The style of shoe Buster Brown's sister wore came to be known by her name, Mary Jane.

So then I found myself clicking on the link to the "Buster Brown" comic strip....to learn: Buster Brown was a comic strip character created in 1902 by Richard Felton Outcault which was known for his association with the Brown Shoe Company. (The name "Buster" came either directly or indirectly from the popularity of Buster Keaton, then a child-star of vaudeville.)

This mischievous young boy was loosely based on a boy near Outcault's home in Flushing, New York. Buster Brown, his sister Mary Jane, and his dog Tige, a Boston Terrier, were well known to the American public in the early 20th century. Tige is thought to be the first talking pet to appear in American comics, and, like that of many of his successors, his speech goes unnoticed by adults.

Which then led me to look at the link for Buster Keaton to learn that: Buster Keaton (born Joseph Frank Keaton, October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American silent film comic actor and filmmaker.

His trademark was physical comedy with a stoic, deadpan expression on his face, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face" (referencing the Nathaniel Hawthorne story about the "Old Man of the Mountain").

Keaton's career as a performer and director is widely considered to be among the most innovative and important work in the history of cinema. He was recognized as the seventh greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

A 2002 world-wide poll by Sight and Sound ranked Keaton's The General as the 15th best film of all time. Three other Keaton films received votes in the survey: Our Hospitality, Sherlock, Jr., and The Navigator.

Keaton acquired the nickname "Buster" at about six months of age.

Keaton told interviewer Fletcher Markle that Harry Houdini happened to be present one day when the young Keaton took a tumble down a long flight of stairs without injury. After the infant sat up and shook off his experience, Houdini remarked, "That was a real buster!"

According to Keaton, in those days, the word buster was used to refer to a spill or a fall that had the potential to produce injury. Thereafter, it was Keaton's father who began to use the nickname to refer to the youngster.

Then, of course, I had to know more about the Brown Shoe Company which makes Buster Brown shoes...the kind I wore as a child: The company was created in St. Louis and was originally named Bryan, Brown & Company after its founders George Warren Brown and Alvin Bryan.

The name was changed to Brown Shoe Company in 1893.

The George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis was endowed in 1925 by G.W. Brown's widow.

Brown Shoe Company Inc. is a $2.5 billion footwear company with worldwide operations. The company operates the 1000-store Famous Footwear chain. It also operates 400 Naturalizer stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Brown Shoe's wholesale divisions own and market leading footwear brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Connie, Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Via Spiga, Franco Sarto, Etienne Aigner, Dr. Scholl's and Carlos by Carlos Santana for adults, and Barbie, Spider-Man and Bob-the-Builder character footwear for children.

Wow! Interesting, huh?

Makes me want to dye my hair blond and find a pair of original Buster Brown Mary Janes...*wink*

*sigh*

Memories...

Solitaire Refinement (Updated)

Call us "old-fashioned," but we gave the kids each a deck of real cards for Christmas.

Okay. Okay. They're shaped and have Disney Princesses and Spiderman on them, but they are actual plastic-coated paper cards.

Tangible.

No plugs, cords, or keyboards required.

I was a veritable "card shark" by the time I was 4...my next-oldest sister having taught me various card games in the hopes of "creaming" me. Too bad for her I turned out to be a pretty good opponent. *wink*

Then my mom taught me lots of versions of Solitaire in order to occupy my downtime in the long, hot summers.

So this morning I decided to teach the kids to play the same-said game....

Edward mentioned that he'd only ever seen Daddy playing Solitaire on the computer. I don't think he realized it could be played anywhere else.

So I'm teaching them this age-old tradition of playing with real cards...on a real table.

Hmmm....wish me luck.

There's no mouse to click...and they have to move the cards themselves.

Hey, if nothing else, it counts as math, right? *wink*

* * *

UPDATE:
The kids have moved on to "double Solitaire" -- in a competition of Spidey versus Princesses....they're ambitious.

UPDATE on the UPDATE:
Okay....they're definitely not ready for "doubles".... They need a whole lot of refinement in the individual sport before they move on to competition. *grin*

Happy 2008!

Happy New Year

to each and every one of you!

May you enjoy abundant blessings

from above in 2008!

THREE HISTORIC MILESTONES THAT OCCURRED ON JANUARY 1:
• 1863: President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.
• 1892: Ellis Island Immigration Station opens in New York City.
• 1937: A group of Hormel executives, meeting in a mansion in Minnesota, finally agree on a name for their new processed meat product: Spam.