Digital Cameras have a Delete button

The beauty about digital cameras is that when kids take stupid pictures, you can delete them.  You don't have to print them, or post them.

When I was about 10, I recall taking a whole roll of film of my dog with different props with those disk cameras.  I also recall my mom coming home from Osco with the developed film so mad that she printed a whole roll of film of the dog.

Here is a picture I came across on FB.  Why someone would post this super unflattering picture of their kid in a permanent place boggles my mind.  Thank goodness for some people...the last post on this, which you can't se here, is a statement saying that they see braces in the future.

I'm wondering how many more years it will take for this kid to be uber-pissed at their mom for putting this picture out there.  Yuck.

Truth

Truth is a funny thing.  It gets twisted.  It is clear.  It is factual.  It is make-believe.  It saves people.   It hurts people.

Why do we run away from it?  From fear of telling people things that they don't want to hear...or that will hurt.  I've learned in my 'old age' to try to reserve telling the truth in what I think for the times that it can only help matters.  For example...

There is a young unmarried couple that moved in a house down the street.  I think this is their first house by a few things.  The first 10 leaves that fell this autumn, the guy was out raking...the rest of us were waiting for a bit longer when the 1M leaves on our block would soon be on the ground.  What I noticed last month was that they had all their old wooden storm windows at the curb with the garbage.

I thought: Why are they throwing those things out?...it's almost winter.  Maybe they don't realize what they are doing, or maybe they are getting new windows, those lucky dogs!

A day later a window sales guy showed up at our door with the pitch: We are here doing new windows in your neighborhood & wanted to see if you wanted a quote.  My thought: Yes, those new neighbors down the street are getting new windows.

Weeks went by.  No new windows.

Now I think they just didn't realize that in this 50 year old house, with the single paned windows, in the winter you hang those heavy storm windows.  Yes, it prevents you from opening the windows until the spring...but it also prevents freezing cold air from coming in & frost on the inside of your house (yes, on the inside of the window).

I was walking down the street & she started a conversation with me.  Wonderful husband asked if I mentioned the storm windows.  I said no.  They were long gone in the garbage, what good would it be to point out to her the truth in her error?  None, I decided.  So every time I drive by, I look at those single paned windows with the screens on them & think....man, they are going to be freezing cold.

Now...should I have walked down the street & checked while they were throwing out the storms?  Should I also open my mouth about other things I believe as the truth?  Maybe.  But maybe not.  Perhaps it's the truth to me, but not to someone else.

Happy Slapsgiving (belated)

I just realized I never posted this from Thanksgiving morning.

'How I Met Your Mother' has been a show Wonderful Husband and I started watching in it's season one.  We love it - every Monday we look forward to it.

Well, today we had our own version of Slapsgiving,  unfortunately.  It's hard to admit the not-so-great-things that happen in a seemingly nice family with such young kids...mostly from fear of the stigma that will go along with it.  But, I'm deciding to open up. Under the covers everyone has things they deal with....it's the mantra I use to keep myself grounded & always conciously to not keep up with the Jones'.

This Thanksgiving morning my eldest slapped me across the face.  Man, it hurt.  The little 6 year old hand left a huge red mark on my upper cheek.  Why?  Because I was making french toast sticks and his brother said he wanted 6, which is the eldest's favorite number so started him getting very angry.  I picked up the eldest to show him everyone starts out with 3 because that is how many fit in the toaster slot and....SMACK!  Tingles...numbness...shock...handprint...sadness...anger...

When you hit the bottom, there is no where to go but up.  For a girl who was never great in Art class, I'm pretty creative.  There is now a clear box with a 'No Hitting' illustration sitting on top of the fridge.  Every time someone hits, one of their toys gets put in this until the next day.  What they don't know yet, is that they only get to pick one back when tomorrow arrives...not all of them.  This box has been on the fridge for 40 minutes & there are already 2 toys in there.

What is strange, my horoscope says something about solving a problem that hasn't yet had a solution.  Funny huh?  I love horoscopes!

Right now I'm hanging in my office, clearing my head, drinking my coffee to start my morning (yes, it's only 8:45 am, and all this happened BC (before coffee)).  I'm going to go upstairs & tell wonderful husband about our own 'Slapsgiving'...admist all this frustration as parents, I know it's going to make him laugh pretty hard.  I'm thankful for him :)

My Bucket List

Is it grim for a 36 year old to always think of her bucket list?  I think it may be in eager anticipation for the exciting things I want to do in my life, rather than focus on what I need to do before I croak.  There is a recurring theme in my bucket list: experiences.  I don't want anything material, like a certain house, or a car, or a fur coat (though that would be nice).  I don't want a fancy purse, shoes or jewelery.  I want to see things & go places & eat things.

This is what I want to do, or I should say, where I want to go.  For the most part, my wonderful husband agrees with me (though he'd prefer to stay state-side, while I want to go global), but what makes our marriage awesome, is that we'll still do what the other wants.  I actually have some target dates...now I just need to focus & really make it happen.

> Re-visit WDW with my kids now a bit older, but will still experience the Disney magic...target 2012
> Re-visit Italy with my kids ...my initial thought - target 2015 (eldest will be 10, twins will be 8)...it still may be possible
> Re-visit Hawaii - wonderful husband and I agreed that our 20 year anniversary would be a nice time to do this - and agreed that we would love to stay at the new Disney resort there - target: 2020

Now for the things I haven't yet visited and want to make sure I see in my life-time:
> Carlsbad Caverns & sit at the natural amphitheater to see the millions of bats leave the cave at dusk
> See the Northern Lights - wonderful husband suggested an Alaskan cruise - great idea!
> Swim, or shall I say: float, in the Dead Sea
> See Rio de Janeiro
> Hang in blue jeans and a flannel shirt at a Colorado dude ranch
> Fish in Canada - yes, I want to go fishing in Canada
> Camp in Yellowstone - yep, camp
> Stay in a treehouse in Oregon
> Take a trip to the Grand Canyon via the Grand Canyon railway
> Go on an old-school romantic trip to Niagra Falls with only the wonderful husband
> See NYC, the Statue of Liberty and see a Broadway play
> Re-visit Macinaw island with the family, eat a lot of fudge and bike around (making new memories like I did with my family on our trip that had the best thunderstorm story a vacation ever had)
> Ski in Colorado - I'm a little scared after I skiied the Alps in '95, and got a lost, had to scoot down a black diamond on my butt, but survived (while my friends all watched me at the bottom of one big hill).  This time, I want to get a good map, speak the language well & take a lesson.
> Travel up the East Coast to Maine and eat some lobster

Reviewing my 'travel ideas' folder...there are a lot of other places, but I should rank them in second place & really focus on getting to this list above done...then I can keep adding & adding. 

Standards

Today I thought about standards.  This was a note that I shared with a few of my friends, after seeing a curious post on FB today.  It was a random post that showed up because a friend 'liked' this picture.

I just thought...what is this woman thinking?  This is a pre-school class...she attaches a note that they can't even read?  What kind of standards are they setting for these kids?  Damned over-achiever.

I'm just happy to state that this working mom, like some other working & stay-at-home moms, will always plan on sending my kids to school with just plain oreos, in the blue & white packaging that they come in, and will expect those kids to be happy...scrap that...thrilled.  After all, they are getting cookies, right?

Geesh.  I refuse to let any part of comparison mom-guilt eek in after looking at this post.