Jumping on Beds..........

The Zen Master

Today as Mannie is making his lunch......

Charlie:  "Daddy, come here, I need help on your computer!"

Mannie:  "Hold on Charlie, I am completely focused and immersed in making my sandwich right now!"

He is such a wise guy!

But I think it did rub off on him a little ;)

(see post from yesterday)

In other news......I took the kids to see EARTH yesterday by Disney......my thoughts:

DO NOT go see this movie.

I think the Disney people are insane to market the movie for little kids on the Disney channel.

I did have a little hesitation about going but I figured the kids are always watching Animal Planet so they would be fine with any scenes with animals eating each other.  After all, they watch Meerkat Manor....those little guys are always attacking each other.

After the first two killings, Cami turns to me and says that she wants to go home.  The killings got progressively slower(slow motion), longer and with louder, scarier music.  The third one put it over the top......a Mommy elephant and her baby elephant drinking at a watering hole with bunch of lions....then night comes and the lions attack the Momma elephant.....so it is dark and the music is SO LOUD and sad/scary.....Cara was sobbing....Charlie was surprisingly not scared but was holding his ears because it was so loud!

The movie is titled Earth......so you figure Earth's beauty and animals....it should have been titled Hungry Vicious Animals or something more appropriate.

Oh but the good news......Disney is "planting a tree" for us.......sure they are!  Nice marketing ploy!  Are they opening a new park soon and "planting" a tree there with our ticket money?  Hmmmmm.

So needless to say, we high tailed it out of there.

Sorry to be so UNZen like about it ;)  but it really was THAT bad.

Live and learn. 

Off for a fun day with my buddy, Sheela.....bye!

Getting a little Zen

Do you need to get a little Zen today??

I am going to write a little bit about a little Zen article I just found....read on if you like, otherwise, come back another day.

Here's the story....Charlie has been  my little organizer lately.  He went thru all the DVD's to make sure the DVD's were all put away and in the right place.  Then today he went thru this random basket I have in my room and completely organized it.  In doing so, he pulled out a piece of paper that was in the random box and so I picked it up and read it.

This is some sort of article that I had read at one time or another and thought to keep it for future use.  I don't know who wrote it but the words came to me at JUST the RIGHT time.  Don't you love when that happens?  It doesn't surprise me that it accidentally (probably not really an accident) came to me because my little philosopher was organizing.

It is an article on Zen monks and how they live their lives simply with mindfulness in every activity and thus creating a peaceful and calm daily life.

"Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine."

  - Shunryu Suzuki

4 principles to apply to daily life......(personally, sounds like great advice for anyone but especially Mommy's with little ones)

1. Do one thing at a time.  It says, DON"T MULTI  TASK!!  What??? Isn't that what we do and are secretly proud of?  But, when you think of it, it does make sense.  Less chance for mistakes.  

2. Do it slowly and deliberately.  Do one task at a time, slowly...focus, no rushing.  Make actions deliberate not random.

3.  Do it completely..stay on task until it is finished.   I love the example they gave because it is totally what I already do and it made me feel like wow, I do that....it is: if you make a sandwich, don't start eating it until you put away all the stuff you used to prepare it, wiped down the counters and washed the dishes used for preparation.....I won't say that I  wipe the counters or do the dishes but I have this compelling feeling in me to always put everything away before I can eat, otherwise I can't seem to enjoy the meal....I always thought it was sort of a weird quirk but I think it must be something that keeps my stress level down.   Now, I need to apply that same concept to laundry, my scraproom and pretty much every other thing I do at home.....but the sandwich, I got that one down:)

4. Do LESS.......I loved this one too! :)  

The article said, "A Zen monk doesn't lead a lazy life: he wakes early and has a day filled with work."

I am no Zen monk but  I like that this advice.  There are a certain amount of things a Zen monk will do a day, no more.  

That was all that was on the paper....it goes on but there was only one piece of paper so the rest of the article is gone.  

There are always things to do to improve the quality of our lives.....I like this simple advice because on the outside it sounds simple but really there is a bigger message you can take from it if you choose!

Anyway, I found it interesting....maybe you do too!

We tend to rush around all our life.

One thing that I got from it was that I want to wake up earlier and embrace the quiet mornings more!  Starting the day in  a peaceful way sounds great!!  Having a few moments to myself...to think, listen to music, read a book or even just get dressed without  any interruption.

Well, that is it for today.

We are having a nice Sunday here.  Beautiful day.

The science table theme is "Animal Homes"  and listen to this......the mealworms are all dead!!  The heat got them or possibly they ate too much....I couldn't believe it!  It will be a while before we can get a larger pet, that is for sure! 

Hope you have a nice Sunday!

*Picture above.....the kids "cooking" outside....oatmeal, water and sprinkles.

Flowers for Me! :)

Hello there.

I must be hormonal today because I am getting my feelings hurt left and right.

I just got judged. Yuck.

I really wish that what someone else says about me would not affect my mood but it does.

Why do we always judge each other? Good or bad, we make little notes about each other as each day goes by.  I think we are programed like this since we are little.  "Was that a good choice Johnny?"....  no matter how we put it good or bad, it is a judgement.  

Give me a good judgement and I will think life is fabulous....but throw a bad judgement or criticism my way and then I second guess myself or just feel not good enough.

Anyway......my issues.  What can i say.

On a more positive note......we took C and C to Disneyland yesterday.  It was a pretty mellow day at the park, not too crowded and beautiful weather.

But the EXCITING news is that I saw Donald Duck!!!  (I don't get out much do I?)  But I had just commented  a few weeks back that i have never seen Donald at the Park and low and behold I see him walk onto Main Street as we were getting on the train.  Therefore, I couldn't get a "real" picture of him just this one from afar!

The most  exciting news(for me personally of course) is that I signed up for Reflections and I am really excited about a weekend of scrapping and learning new techniques.  And I will be honest that I am looking forward to a getaway on my own, no kids.  I am sitting here thinking ....I think the only time that I have been away from the kids and Mannie (aka...alone)  over the past 7 years was last year when I went back home for a funeral.   It will be really good to getaway like this.  I know Susan and Karen will have planned the most wonderful event, that I am ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE  about!   I will miss one of the classes as it is Cara's last softball game for the season but I am o.k. with that because I most likely will run out of scrapbooking steam anyway.  So, technically I will not be completely "away" but excited beyond belief anyway.

Well, I guess that is all I have to say today.  

If you are feeling a little hormonal or "hurt" today...the flowers are for you as well and feel better!  I actually already do just having taken a few moments to REFLECT(no pun intended) on it all :)

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day.

 

Happy Birthday Mikey! :)

I am happy we live here on Earth and so is Charlie(read a few posts down)...it's a good place.

I am posting some shots of Earth's beauty.  I did this a few years ago and I thought I would do it again today.

Today, in honor of E Day, we are planting some vegetables...which, with all honesty, will most likely die because I will forget to water them.  I am not the best gardener.

I want to be kinder to our Earth...I do.  I will try....but I will say this...I sure do think Earth is an amazing place and that God (or whatever you may call the Creator) is one CREATIVE entity(?) thing(?)  being(?)....it is hard to put a name on something soooooooooo creative beyond our wildest dreams!!!  Amazing really!

But anyway, thank you God for this wonderful planet!

Fullerton....where have you been all my life?

Mannie had a baseball game yesterday in Brea so we went out to dinner with some friends in Fullerton after the game.

First of all......hello, 100 degrees here!!! How do people perform any kind of athletic activity in that kind of heat??? Seriously, I was sweating my brains out just sitting there watching!  

But anyway, some of his baseball teammates are local to that area and took us to an adorable restaurant called Heroes in Fullerton.  That area of Fullerton is soooooooooooo cute!  Tons of bars and restaurants.  I love the little downtown, it is the best! I have been to Cal State Fullerton a couple of times but I must not have gone thru this town because I don't remember it.  With my memory though, you never know!

We parked and walked toward the restaurant and I could hear a band playing a U2 song in the distance from one of the other bars in the area.  The late afternoon was cooling down some so it felt like a festive summer night. 

Great time!

Today, my big feat is COSTCO!!! Yahoo.....I actually went to Costco and did not buy one frivolous item....well, except for Otter Pops.....which, btw, one of the Pops broke and leaked in the box of 200 so I had to load the whole bloody box into my freezer.....hello, they take up so much room.  But I didn't want a sugary box sitting around all summer inviting ants and mice over for a pop!

Anyway, I am very proud of myself for sticking to the basics and leaving the store with all the right things.....although, sometimes I wonder about it all.....I bought the BIGGEST bag of salad that we have to eat by April 27th....Mannie and I are the only salad eaters so I am not sure if we can tackle that monster before then.  Where is Jeff Lawrence when you need him???

Our mealworms are hanging in there....thru the heatwave and living outdoors.  Some of them are turning black....are they baking???  I can't remember if that is normal.  I used to get mealworms for my first graders when I taught in Connecticut and that is a lifetime ago!

Well, that is all for now.....off to continue to find empty crevices to forcefully shove the rest of the Costco items!!

Oh, btw, my friend Tricia is offering FREE digital photography classes sponsored by CANON!!! I am going to try to book some sessions here at my house.  She will come to your home or store and teach 4 classes for free.  She has been trained by Canon and I believe she will even bring printers to print some free photos to go along with the class.    I think this would be a really fun "girls night out"/ get together party!

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday!! :)

Our new Pets!

We have new pets.......around 50 of them at that!

I decided to get the kids mealworms to observe.  So, we drove off for the pet store and looked at all the cool pets....birds, cats, guinnea pigs, fish and left with our little box of mealworms.

The perfect pet......very low maintenance.

I made them little science journals out of file folders and paper and we are going to watch them and record what we see, like little scientist.

It is kinda sad that my kids are extremely excited about having mealworm pets....they are just wanting a pet soooooo bad!!!

I heard Cara talking to them before she went upstairs to bed....we are keeping these pets outside btw...just in case they crawl out of their bowl.

Someday, we will have a dog but for now, maggots will do just fine! 

It is all about Maggots this spring, haven't you heard?:)

In other exciting news....Charlie got the game ball this week....just in case you didn't know, all kids get the game ball at one time in the season....he doesn't know this of course and was beyond thrilled.  So happy for the little guy!!  Here he is hugging Mannie and looking at the ball with pride! Love it!

Friday.....Snails Pace

Today is one of those days that seems to be going at a snails pace.

It isn't even 12 noon and we have already eaten lunch and have played outside for a long time.  We have blown bubbles, rode bikes, collected snails and colored with chalk.  Indoors we have colored pictures, played 2 board games and played with various toys...and watched part of a movie....why is the day going soooooooooooooooooooooooo slllllllllllllowwwwwww????

I am ready for my second lunch.

We are taking an indoor play break....and then back outside because it is just the most beautiful day.

I talked to my sister, Mikey, who is in Washington DC and the weather there is beautiful.  I am happy for them because it is always more fun to sight see when the weather is nice.

So....Friday means the same thing each week:

1. The week's garbage gets hauled off.

2. The gardeners come and make the yard look pretty for the weekend.

3. I sit around and think about how much I wish I LOVED going grocery shopping and wonder at what point in the day I will drag the kids there for the next weeks groceries.

4. Softball practice.

5.  I convince myself that actually we could go a few more days without a trip to the grocery store...after all we still have some milk, peanut butter and pasta.

Hope you have a nice Friday and weekend. 

Here is some chalk for ya.....do you see my hair on the chalk....loose hair grosses me out....I need to clean my camera lens.....I have been missing little details like that when I take pictures.

The Boy who Hated Wind

"Neptune is the windiest planet Mom........

I don't ever want to go there.....o.k.?"

- Charlie Adams....2009

Just had to jot this down...I don't even know if that is a true fact but it cracks me up b/c he hates wind.  He seriously freaks out...he doesn't like when things fly in his eyes and he is always afraid that his toys or anything that belongs to us will fly away.  

He can be seen pulling in all sorts of things from the backyard when the Santa Ana's kick in.

I love the quirks of the kids....so cute!  And the optimism that anything is possible, like going to Neptune!

Thursday hooray!

I like Thursday.

If I get the little ones to school in time, I have 3 hours to myself.

I like that!

It has been cold the past few days and windy....I was feeling like i was back in Hilton Head...thankfully today is warm again and the forecast is 90 on Sunday, can't believe it!

The picture above is called Tabby....in the old in days, they built homes and paved streets with shells, sand, dirt, water and I think limestone...I think it is pretty.  But a lot of it didn't stand the test of time.  We visited the ruins of a plantation made of tabby on Hilton Head.   

Well, that is the last of the pictures, thanks for looking.

Now, on to "regular" life.....I find it really hard to get back into the swing of things after a vacation...mentally, I am still there on vacation but physically here doing all the things that I normally do like laundry, grocery shopping, homework, making food.  I usually end up mentally planning our next trip to give me something to "look forward" to and stop me from thinking in the past.   I want to go home in the summer so maybe I will start thinking about that soon.

My sister Katie had her baby, Colin, while we were away.  They are both doing great and I hear he is really tiny.....I wish I could hold him.  

My other sister, Kerry, had surgery while we were gone....blasting kidney stones which she chronically gets.  

My sister Erin will be graduating from college in a few weeks.

And finally, my sister Mikey is in Washington DC right now....can't wait to see your pictures Mike.

A lot happening on the other side of the country.

Well, I must go....I have a room parent meeting soon.

Hope you are having a nice Thursday!

Oh, and if you ever happen to find yourself in Macon, GA...eat here...great sandwiches, smoothies and the only place we went on our trip where I felt the true "southern hospitality" that you read about.

And this picture isn't anything fab.....but for some reason, I love it....I think because of the American flag being lit up by the sun, the colors look pretty to me. 

Just for Fun....

Finish the sentence...

In my home, at  any given moment,  _____________.

Mine..In my home, at any given moment, there is a laundry basket with clothes that either need to be folded or have been folded and need to be put away!

Ughh!

Play along with me...just for fun!

P.S.....while I am on the topic of laundry....check this out....I couldn't believe how many "how to's" there were....interesting and a little amusing.... a site for people who were either raised by wolves or just have a little too much time on their hands.....I am not saying which category I fall under!  Just kidding mom! ;)