Days 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 13

This is where you get to see how awesome creativity can be:

Day 7: 7 Things

(7 white stripes - yes, there is a 7th - look very, very closely screen left one third down)

Day 8: Close up

(Can you guess what it is?)

Day 9: Black and White

(I heart instagram.)

Day 10: Someone I love

(Did you guess what it is? If not, here's a hint - it's being worn by someone I love)

Day 11: Body Part

(to cover up a body part)

Day 12: Skipping it for now

Day 13: Something Orange

Here's the lesson:

It's good to do the things you want to do.

Sometimes you will accept 6 days in a row of substituting jobs

and not get any of your 'wants' accomplished.

But, if you are creative, you can try.

Two more lessons:

It is very advantageous to get 'things' done ahead of time

and

dry shampoo rocks.

Marriage Advice & a Recipe

You know you're getting old when.....
A friend from high school writes and asks for something for her daughter - who is getting married!
This is where I am.
And this is what I said:

Dear C,

I know you don’t know me. I am one of your mom’s friends from high school. Your mom sent an email asking for a favorite family recipe and marriage advice.

While I don’t claim to be a marriage expert in any way, my husband and I are well into our 21st year and going strong. We’ve had some wonderful years together along with some very rocky and unpleasant ones. The wonderful ones are much more enjoyable. I hope you have many of those.

Here are a couple of the most important things I’ve learned along the way:

Let your spouse grow & change. Allow yourself to do the same. We got married pretty young. I would say that we are both probably on the third or fourth incarnation of ‘who’ we are. I’ve found time and experience changes people. If you don’t fight it, treat each other with respect and compassion, you will look back together and be amazed at how far you’ve both come as both individuals and a couple.

I hope you are marrying your best friend. Keep him number one in your heart & life. After you make that marriage promise, no other man belongs there (with exception, of course your own father and God –who isn’t really a man). We all have acquaintances and associations with other men, but for me, defining and keeping healthy personal, professional and social relationship boundaries has kept my most important relationship strong.

And last, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. It’s like one of those totally dark roller coasters. You think you know what will come, but really life together brings lots of surprises. Hang on and enjoy the ride. Enjoy the nice times and don’t let the really bad parts scare you away from each other. (Hopefully you two won’t ever have any bad parts.)

Wishing you the very best!
the mrs.

A very vague Stew recipe

(from the the mrs.- originally from her dad)

about a pound of stew meat

2 medium potatoes (about 2 cups worth)

carrots (about 3 or 4 cups worth when they are cut up)

onion

one can tomato soup

½ a can of water (sometimes-makes it more soupy)

salt & pepper

Cut the veggies up about the same size as the meat.

Put it all in a roasting pan.

Here’s the weird part:

Pour in some pickle juice (we use dill). I think I end up pouring in about a cup or less.

Then, if you have it and you want to, add a 2 or 3 beef bullion cubes.

Cook it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 3 hours.

**I like to add different vegetables. You can really just add whatever & it will taste pretty good. The veggies below usually don’t need to get put in until about an hour before it’s done-but if it’s in the oven while we are at church, I just add the zucchini & squash at the beginning with everything else. Then I’ll just microwave the corn & peas and stir them in before we eat.

zucchini

summer squash

corn

peas

sometimes I throw in a can of tomatoes (makes it less thick, more soupy)

Make this a couple of times & you’ll see what works for you—sorry it’s so vague, it’s really just something I learned from my dad.

My final note to my college girl this summer

In honor of all the back-to-schoolness

and the many, many "kids" we know heading off to college,

I give you the words I left my daughter this past June

as I dropped her off to begin her university experience.

It brings joy to my heart to know they meant so much to her that she memorialized them on facebook.

Thank you miss h.

(And aren't you so impressed with my skills using the photo messing with tools

that I used to hide your name? I am.)

Widsom Lost (actually forcibly taken)

So, I am probably a horrible mother for posting these pictures, but I have to. I can't help myself. This is a memory that needs to be preserved. And since we didn't get to bring any teeth home to leave for that dang tooth fairy, this is the best the girlies are going to get; their painful day told from their mother's perspective.

1. I was so nervous for them last night that I didn't fall asleep until 3am.

2. Getting up super early on a beautiful Spring Break morning to drive them to their pain.

3. Doubting the wisdom of deciding to do all eight teeth in one day and doing it at all while watching the requisite "person caring for the condemned" video. First feeling that I might just loose my breakfast.

4. Waiting and wondering why it was taking so long & then being taken back to the first girl coming out of her anesthetic in a very crying manner. (Said girl also having the breath of death.) Poor thing. She totally reaffirmed my belief that that type of thing is not for me. I never, ever, never, ever, ever want to be put under. Creeps me out. Second feeling that I might just loose my breakfast.

5. Sitting by that sweet girl while she asked me (the best she could through swollen, cotton filled cheeks), "Why? Why? Why did we do this?"

6. Not telling her that I was thinking the same exact thing.

7. Leaving her with her very mature oldest younger brother while I went across the little hall to wait with the other young woman, who came out of her situation in a much easier fashion. Third feeling that I just might lose my breakfast until she started laughing at me, which hurt her, so I stopped making her laugh and forgot about throwing up.

8. Not being able to understand the technician woman who was telling me to pull in to the drive by the building with two car doors facing their building so the girls would not have to walk around the car. (I think this is where my sleeplessness the previous night had the worst effect.) Fourth feeling that I just might lose my breakfast.

9. Walking out to retrieve said vehicle and fifth feeling that I just might lose my breakfast - that this time had absolutely nothing to do with wisdom teeth situation. You see, there is a Purina processing plant near the little medical center where we were. And I have a sensitive schnoz. All I can say is yuck and I am glad I didn't lose my breakfast, because that would have been bad.

10. Taking pictures of the girlies, because yesterday they asked why I didn't put more pictures of them on the blog. Now there are a few more. Yay.

11. Getting situated at home and them crashing on the couch. We let them have the prime couch spots so I could keep a good watch on them. I also made a "chart" to keep track of what I was doing with each girl, so I wouldn't mess any of the aftercare up.  I don't think I did-so far.

12. I am so tired.

13. Goodnight

14. PS- I will be getting up at 1 and 2 am to visit the girls. I will tell them hello from you. They are in their beds now.
15. PPS-Don't you just love the retro head wrap they got? I'm sure it'll be all the rage soon. They were really rocking their post-op icepack look. (They are actually really awesome-like a tube part of a tube sock with velcro to hold it on. The ice packs just slid in the tube.I'm sure they'll be getting good use in the months and years to come.)

Sunday School

I am forcing myself to come to Sunday School tonight.
I know it's good for me. I know I'll feel better after I write.
It's just so hard to sit still here and focus, when there are a bunch of other things I could be doing-like reading that book I had a hard time putting down last night or getting a drink of water.

But, I am sitting here in the little office with my mr. who is not talking to me because he is writing a talk. (Yes, another talk, can you believe that? Actually, he's going to be speaking ~ giving a talk ~ quite often now. He got a new *calling a little while back.) He's going to be speaking in our *ward this coming Sunday and I am going to miss it because miss h got the news she was waiting for and we are going on a little journey to visit her soon-to-be new living situation.

my mr. was asked to talk about "the more excellent way." I don't know exactly which scripture this is based on. I would look over his shoulder and be nosey, but I'm not going to bother him. He's very focused.
I looked "more excellent way" up and found two scriptures. Here they are:

1 Corinthians 12:31
But covet earnestly the best gift: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Ether 12:11 (This is in *The Book of Mormon.)
Wherefore by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.

We had *New Beginnings this last Wednesday. *Bishop gave a talk to the young women and referenced the more excellent way. He talked about the situation with Brandon Davies at BYU. He talked about how if we can choose to live the more excellent way, how much better life can be, how much more joy we can have.
And I totally agree.

miss s, miss h, and I had a conversation about BYU and the Church universities last week, when a student at their school was horribly beaten by another student.  They were very shook up. The little fights happen quite often & they've grown used to them (sad). But this one scared them.

They wanted to know what a Church school would really be like. Really, people don't swear in public? They wear modest clothes? They don't talk about sex and alcohol and drugs all the time? They care about their future and are doing something about it? (FYI-my girls have good friends, who make good choices, but they are in a public high school-they are exposed to what the world has in it.)

How fortunate I was to be able to tell them that if they go to BYU, they will be surrounded by people who have the same standards and values as them. Yes, there will be some people who will push the limits, but for the most part, they will be living in a wholesome environment that will allow them to focus on what is really important and not on the distractions the world has to offer.  It's ultimately up to them to choose the more excellent way, but given that environment, it will be easier and I think that after being exposed to what they have in the past few years, they will appreciate it so much more.

So, guess where miss h and I are going this week?
Yep, she got into BYU.
We are going to Utah.
And we are excited.

And, if you are in the congregation next Sunday, please smile at my mr. for me.
(The girls have instructed him to not be "dry" in his speaking, but I seriously doubt he will use the words this speaker used a little over a year ago.)
And, if it looks like he's scowling at you, he's not.
I promise.

Good Luck this week & remember to choose "the more excellent way!"
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*calling- in the LDS church, we get "called" (asked through inspired leaders) to do certain jobs in different organizations, we have a "lay ministry" meaning that is voluntary service
*ward- a geographic area that defines what congregation people attend
*Book of Mormon- Another testament of Jesus Christ, we use it right along with the Bible. If you'd like a copy, let me know and I will get one to you
*Bishop- our ward's leader
*New Beginnings- a yearly event in the Young Women's (ages 12-18) organization where we introduce the program to the girls coming into our group in the current year and new members (my calling is in Young Women's).

Something

There are three unwritten posts sitting in my post list.

Have I found time to get to them?

No.

So, because this little becoming versed is important to me.

And I need to write something.

And because I think there are a few of you out there reading.

And because it seems there are so many pregnant women and new moms everywhere I look

and I am glad I've been through that phase.

And because this is too funny not to be shared somewhere in the world.

I am going to share a little bit of myself with you.

Well, my old self, because I now know better.

Let's just say this was one of the times where it became very clear to me that

I had a lot more to learn about life.

Before I tell you, you need to know that as a child and young person, I did not spend very much time around babies or mothers and their babies. Especially not around nursing mothers.

Here you have it:

I always wondered how nursing mothers knew whether their baby wanted milk or water.

Because I thought one made milk and one made water.

Then one day I found out I was so very wrong.

Oh, so very wrong. 

And now

you may laugh

at

me.

And I will laugh with you.

Perspective

"Mom, Mom, you gotta see this. It's so weird and random. They printed the words on the chip bag upside down. Isn't that so funny?"

--little mr. j

The Load He Chose - Sunday School

(This was the summer loaner, we have a later model at this time.)

When little mr. b came home and told me that all kids in his grade were required to take band, I said, "That's great."

When little mr. b told me he wanted to play the tuba, I said, "Really, are you sure?  You already take piano and have pretty good rythm, maybe you could do percussion." (Real meaning "Tubas are really loud and big-are you sure you want to lug that thing around?")

When little mr. b came home and told me that the band teacher had a private meeting with each child in his grade and chose the best instrument for the child, I reminded little mr. b of our previous conversation.

When little me. b came home the day of his meeting, he told me, "Mr. S thinks the tuba is a perfect fit for me."

And I rembered that some things should just be out of my control, because little mr. b wanted to play it and his teacher thought it would be a good fit and it's time for me to step aside and let things be.

But I did get excited when the orthodontist said that braces would be in the works next year. I don't know much about band, but I did think that braces would probably make blowing in a tuba painful.

Mr. S told little mr. b that it would be fine. He could keep playing. little mr. b had already checked.

I was worried about transporting that giant instrument everyday. Mr. S fixed that problem, too. We are blessed with a loaner. A loner that looks to be 100 years old and had a case bigger than my son. Whose  case take up one quarter of my little boys' room and latches cut my leg when left open and I walk by. But, he doesn't have to carry that load back and forth every single day.

And now little mr. b is practicing faithfully (when he remembers or is reminded).

We can recognize some tunes.

And he is happy.

He chose a heavy load

and I am grateful.

A Link to a Story that I didn't write.

Picture from here but I think they got it somewhere else.

But that fit
And I needed:

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Sunday School

Sunday School

I haven't "done" Sunday School here in a while.
So, if you are new, just to let you know-

Sometimes I hold a baby during Sunday School & you get to hear all about that. (Two weeks ago, I got to hold the cutest little one who absolutely loved my hair. She grabbed it in a death grip & ate a couple of handfulls.-I had to leave the meeting, I was laughing so hard.)

Sometimes I go to my meetings and something touches my heart & I tell you about it.

Sometimes I get to teach something and I might tell you about it.

Sometimes something has happened during the week that's got me thinking in a spiritul way.

So, around here, Sunday School is a mixed bag.

Like today, I was nervous, so I didn't go-to the official Sunday School-but that's ok, because they were having the same lesson on Jonah that I sat through last week in Texas, so I didn't feel too guilty. I joined the foyer crowd. You know those people who hang out and visit & don't go to the organized classes; whom, if they get too loud, draw undo attention to themselves and get asked to quiet down & reminded that there are wonderful teachers who have prepared wonderful messages to be heard by you wonderful people.

Ok, so that didn't happen today & I had good reason to be hanging out. I was nervous.
Nervous, because, for the first time in a very long while, I was going to be teaching adults.
I can handle the kids (for the most part), but when it comes to the adults, I get antsy.
I needed to go over my notes.

Here comes the churchy stuff:

I've been praying for as long as I've known about teaching this lesson for His help and guidance.
And wow did He come through. I am very ever so grateful.

Last Friday, I was worried about how to organize the material into a lesson and had the impression to make an outline of the address that the lesson was focused on. (The lesson was from a talk -aka speech- given at a Church university.) I felt like I should outline that talk. After I did that, it was fairly easy to move sections around and make it flow for me. And- I had strong impressions about what was the most important to present.

I wasn't nervous until we got to church. But, as soon as I stood up in front of the ladies (in my church, the last meeting is separate for the men and women), the nervousness was gone. The woman who said the opening prayer in that meeting prayed specifically for the person who had prepared to give the lesson (she didn't know it was me). That touched my heart deeply. I know I didn't make the nervousness disappear. It was very faith affirming, and that was awesome because guess what the lesson was titled?
Yes, "Increasing our Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

And here is a brief bit of the lesson- a little bit on how we can increase our faith in Him:
     -the basic Sunday School answers- Read your Scriptures & Pray
     -Remembering what He has done for us
     -Face our Challenges with Faith that He is there for us
     -and very importantly, live a temple worthy life.

Probably most of those make sense to everyone out there, but just in case that temple reference is throwing you, here's a link to help it make some sense: mormon.org.

Here is the final quote I used in the lesson-remember these are not my words, but I sure do believe them:

"I remember thinking when I seemed discouraged and everything was wrong, 'Why is life so hard?' Do you ever wonder that? Almost instantly, I flet an impression like a voice in my mind, saying, 'Well, would you like it easier?' At that very moment, something hit me and I said, 'No, no, no pleae, I'm sorry. Leave it as it is. I trust. I trust thee. I trust Thy ways.' I've never forgotten that experience. Don't ever try to think you are smarter than the Lord. Just do what He asks of you to do."

and

"I have learned for myself that Jesus has all power. That He desires to bless and help us. I know that He gives us strength to survive any challenge. I know that He doesn't require that we have the faith to walk on water, to be saved from an otherwise deadly sea or storm. We just have to try and keep trying."
      -John H. Groberg


For the full video, audio, or text of the talk this was based on, you can go here.

"9 Butler's Tips for Impeccable Table Manners" plus one

Hi-
This is a cut &paste.
Because I am lazy.
And the wisdom in the article is valuable.
YES-youknowwho-you know I'm talking to you, don't you?
So, be wise at the table and use this info.
(PS-I'd always heard that you were supposed to put your silverware together, facedown, at four o'clock when finished.  What do you -not youknowwho-do?)
love,
the mrs.

by Reader's Digest Magazine, on Wed Jun 23, 2010 (actually I cut and pasted from Yahoo-I know-what a geek am I.)

The way you eat and behave at the table is still important, says Nicholas Clayton of The Guild of Professional English Butlers (& the mrs). His guidelines:

1. Let your food cool of its own accord – don't blow on it.
2. Don't spit unwanted food into your napkin – remove it with your fork and place it on the side of your plate.
3. Never talk with your mouth full.
4. Don't hold your knife poised as if ready to sign a cheque, and don't point with any of your cutlery.
5. A napkin is there to protect your clothes; use it to dab the corners of your mouth but never to polish your teeth.
6. Never cut bread or bread rolls. Break the bread with your fingers and butter a small piece at a time. Breakfast toast is the only exception.
7. Be careful not to insult your host by adding salt before you have tasted your food.
8. When you've finished eating, place your knife and fork or spoon and fork together, vertically. Leave your plate where it is – never push it away from you.
9. Don't get drunk; you'll look absurd.

10. (from the mrs) Keep those elbows off the table.   Please.

Name, Name, Name

Get your elbows off the table

This is not a horse's stable

But a fine dining table.

---Now, stand on your chair and sing us a song---

(Thank you for use of the chant, OK girl's camp girls.)

Summer Posting

Comic found here.

Here's a summertime commitment to you from me:

Sometimes I will post.

Sometimes I will not.

I am off enjoying.

Someday these people will not be living in my home anymore

and I need to enjoy them whilst they are here.

Happy Summer.

______________________________________________________________________________

Word Origin & History

from here.

whilst
late 14c., from while (q.v.) with adverbial gen. -s-, and excrescent -t- (as in amongst, amidst)
whilst (hwīlst, wīlst)


conj. Chiefly British


While.


[Middle English whilest, alteration of whiles, whiles; see whiles.]

To my fair skinned child

UV Index - Check it out. Seriously. Now.

And if you are still feeling grumpy about your situation, please go read this post.

Maggots, The Second Year Anniversary

Picture from here.

Because I may be feeling morbid this week.  Because you need to know what happens when little mammals die in your walls or floors or somewhere near you.  Because I am trying to stay at a certain caloric limit today.

This post shall be about maggots.

Two years ago, I had a run in with the maggots.  Big, big creepy maggots.

Backstory:   Two years ago, my mr. was living in Oklahoma working and I was living with four children (and apparently some other things) in Texas because of a work, school, and selling the house situation.  It lasted for 7 months. I believe we have overcome the trauma that this time wreaked on our family, but at the time it was quite an adventure (code for "oh my word, are we going to survive this?").

More Backstory:  Many, many adventures took place right before and during this time period.  Too many to tell you all, but here's a couple that have to do with the house-

Let's just say that it is no longer code for water heaters to be placed in the attics of two story homes without some expensive attachments and you had better be sure that the drain pans don't have holes and if a certain teenager's bedroom door (right below said water heaters) doesn't seem to open and close as well as it used to, then there might be a problem. 

(And it happened with both water heaters--I know-two water heaters-it was Texas, give me a break.)

And all of my homes now and in the future will have lever type faucets so as to make it easy for little hands to be able to shut off the faucet easily because when a faucet is left on in the upstairs bathroom draining into the drain that the airconditioner runoff also drains and that drain is clogged with the yuck that grows when the person who (or whom?) is in charge of the maintenence decides to skip the monthly pouring of the bleach that kills the yuck, the resulting flood is not nice to deal with. (That one happened before our 7 month adventure.)

I believe it all started with the snake that got stuck in the outside airconditioner fan. Or maybe it was the rat that was the target of the snake that got stuck, but didn't die.  Until a neighbor (or my mr.) took a shovel to it.

But it pretty much ended with the mouse that I thought was a rat that was the host of what this post is really all about.

The maggots. Back to the maggots.

I was sorting laundry in my first floor master bath (because we had a lot of laundry and I could fling dirty clothes and the floor was tile and if anyone came over, I certainly was not going to invite them into my bathroom, so they wouldn't see the mess--lucky them).

At a certain point, in the jeans pile, I saw a cream colored half-inch, thing that didn't look like it belonged. So I walked over there to get it, to throw it away.  I began grumbling because when I finally figured out what it was, I knew we had a situation to deal with.  The clothes had come from someone's upstairs closet and that room wasn't clean.  The house was going on the market very soon.

Oh baby. 

Mommy was not looking forward to dealing with this.

Then I saw more on the floor.

Then I felt I tiny tap on the back of my head that was looking down at the floor.

Then I put my hand to the back of my head and just about threw-up right there.

Then I looked up.

Those little creepies were falling from my ceiling!

EWWWW!

Then I laughed.

I went and got a garbage bag, tape, and step stool.

Very carefully, and tightly, covered the fan and the vent with the bag hanging down.

Those little guys dropped right into the bag & I was so glad I taped it tight, because-those little squirmers could climb.

EWWWW!

Then I laughed.

When I would come in the room, they would writhe around and make the bag crinkle.

And it was a white bag, so you could see them wriggleing around and trying to escape.

I laughed.

And then we figured out how to solve the problem.

And then when the problem came out from between the floors, all evidence of the maggots having squirmed away, with a couple of really huge flys trying to escape out the window, it was a tiny little mouse.

Then I laughed.

Here is what I've learned:

-there are some very gross pictures of maggots out in the internet world, I found a nice one for you-don't go looking-they are just gross

-I shouldn't judge my children's laundry

-nature has a way of dealing with life and death (yes, I knew this, but when I was tapped on the head, it hit home)

-you can find a solution to most problems if you look hard enough

-the trials you go through before others prepare you for what might come next

-once you are able to laugh, it gets easier

Because I love you, you must know this. . .

Chocolate covered cinnamon bears are YUMMY!

Post edit--read the comments, Carissa shared some very awesome knowledge with us!

Article on how to be a happier parent-really it looks like publicity for a book

Find the book here or at your library.

A book that I'm going to look into. 
(because you see, I am still traumatized by the events that unfolded in yonder post yesterday & the dramatic behavior by two people immediately after arriving home from school today)
(and I'm not saying I'm not happy-I am-I would just like more inner parenting peace)

Two Simple Ways to Be a Happier Parent.


By Nancy Shute , USNews.com

When Christine Carter became a parent, she realized that her work as a sociologist who studies happiness gave her a head start on being a good and happy parent. Rather than trying to solve problems in her family, she wanted to prevent them. That got her wondering what makes for happy families and children. The result of that questioning is Raising Happiness (Ballantine Books).


The book is chock-full of words—gratitude, forgiveness, optimism, and inner peace—I associate more with meditation than parenting manuals. But it's not at all woo-woo. Carter grounds her path to happiness in solid science, including behavioral psychology, which explains why praise is much more powerful in getting children to behave than punishment or nagging. Many of the findings are surprisingly simple. For instance, would you like to know the one thing that will make children do better in school, help them have fewer emotional problems, and make them less likely to become obese or have drug or alcohol problems? Eat dinner together as a family.


Science and simplicity in the service of happier families: That sounds like a winner. So I called up Carter, executive director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California-Berkeley, and asked her how I could start making my own family happier.

She said to start off by asking two questions about your life as a parent:

1. When are you happiest with your kids?

2. What part of the normal day with your family routinely causes suffering?

Then make sure your day is structured so that you get routine, habitual happiness and so that you're eliminating habitual pain.

Carter says that when she asked herself the second question, she realized that she hated getting her two daughters out the door for school. "Every single morning I was yelling at my kids [at] approximately the same time and for the same reason," she says.

So she decided to restructure those mornings so they'd be a shared joy, or at least neutral. The science of changing habits says you have to start off supersmall and build over weeks to a bigger result. So she had the kids put their shoes by the door the night before. In the morning, "I ended up setting a timer," Carter says. "It goes off twice. The first time it goes off, it means clear your dishes and go brush your teeth. The second is walk out the door to the bus." By the next morning, she says, "we didn't have such a bad morning. We had taken the first step."

Just as she changed the family's daily routine to make that one stressful period less miserable, Carter also focused on amplifying the moment that gives her the most joy in parenting. "For me, the most joy always comes at the end of the day when I'm putting the kids to bed" and they're telling me about their three good things [that happened in the day]. That's my most luscious thing, the thing I enjoy the most." To make sure that she didn't miss out on that moment when she had to work in the evenings, "we just moved [that bedtime routine] to after school. They sit on the couch with me and cuddle, and we read a book and they tell me about their three good things."

Carter says that despite her deep knowledge of the science of happiness, she doesn't always do the right thing as a parent. "It's part of the journey, an incremental improvement process. But it's amazing to me how much this stuff works when you have the intention to have a happier morning," she says.

That's my challenge for the week: Make a happy moment with my child part of our routine, and engineer out one annoying bit of parenting. And I challenge you do to the same, too. What will be your happiness moment? What suffering will you avoid?

Compassion?

Picture from here.

Little mr. j went to his second friend birthday party this past Saturday.  It was held at a gymnastics place.  He had a ball, especially in the foam pit.  The kids were all so cute running and jumping in, throwing the foam at each other and trying to crawl around in it.

At one point the young lady running the party asked the preschool crowd to join her over on the big blue mat for some activity.  Little mr. j got out and went and sat down right by her.  He was totally into this party.

Then we heard a little voice say, "I can't get out."  The young lady said, "Use your muscles."  Little mr. j got right up, ran over to the pit, laid prone near the side, stuck his little four year old hand out in earnest and helped another little boy out of the pit.

Awwwww.  (I didn't say anything to him then, but oh how his little choice made me grateful to be his mom.)

On our way home, I said,  "Hey, mr j, I saw you help that little boy out of the foam. That sure was nice of you."

He said, "I know. I am being good.  Do you think I am being good?  I think I am being good. I think I am going to get a present."

And then it dawned on me.  He has been really good lately-he's usually good, so that's really no change.  He's just been a little extra,extra good and I believe there might be an ulterior motive.

On that note, did you know that Christmas is only four sleeps away?

Knowledge and Wisdom

This little post is about knowledge and wisdom. Something I am lacking in this bloggity sphere. So, to read it, you get to have a little adventure. Please start at the bottom and scroll your way up. I hope to someday be wise in the ways of posting. Until then, enjoy.

Very, very wise.

The neighborhood had knowledge. One of the neighbors is wise.

They are picking on the old. (This one's really cool. The other side of the tree is dead & the wood is so hard, they can't get it.)

They are picking on the young. (Notice, another sign and the sticks in the water-I think it's a trap.)


Another one bites it. And now the neighborhood knows. Notice the little white sign on the middle left. Pest control. Lower far left-I think might be near the trap.


Very busy indeed. (Does this shadow make me look fat?)


There are some very busy beavers in our neighborhood.