Next week my son's second grade class will be attending an historic one room schoolhouse for two days.  He is to wear authentic 1800s clothes and bring lunches that are appropriate for the time period.  They will be using chalk slates and books from the period.  I signed on to make homemade bread for the class. My mother fashioned two period outfits for him consisting of knickers with suspenders, a cotton blousy shirt and cap.  My son said that the teacher is going to take...

I am not catholic and am honestly interested in the feelings toward the pope passing on.  I heard a report about the spokesman for the pope being surprised at how serene and at ease he seems to be with the gravity of his situation.  If the Pope can't be at ease with death, who can?  Are people sad for the Pope or for themselves?  I am not sad for the Pope.  If he gets to be with God, why be sad about that?  I would think being trapped in that sick, aged, failing...

I am a happy person by default.  I generally need external forces to make me unhappy.  I say generally because even I am not immune to the effects of hormones or simply just a bad mood on occasion. Just because I am naturally happy doesn't mean I take it for granted.  I do a lot of thinking about what makes me happy while others seem to always be looking for things to "make" them happy.  I wish I had answers.  I do know that I take pleasure in the small things.  ...

Dharma's blog about seeing things through a child's eyes really got me thinking about my life.  I am sure I am criticized by other women in my neighborhood because my house is such a mess more often than not.  Here's why I pity them, they don't get it.  They are missing out on the fun because they are so worried about their house being in show-worthy condition. We live in our house.  There are legos all over the living room floor, play-doh is all over our kitchen island ri...

As hobbies go, I personally think scrapbooking is one of the most useful.  I have a friend who is a Creative Memories consultant who turned me on to scrapbooking a few years back and I love it!  My kids, friends and family love the results too. I have always enjoyed photos even if they are of people I don't know.  I simply find people fascinating.  So when I was invited to a scrapbooking party by my friend, I figured I would go even if it was just to look at other peoples'...

Well, the first week of 2005 our good friend was diagnosed with cancer and was given a maximum of two months to live.  Not a good way to start the new year.  Next up, lots of snow and the flu pays a visit.  First our older son feels yucky for a couple of days but recovers quite quickly.  Then our friend, after spending a couple of miserable weeks in hospice care, passes away.  Next, our little one gets the flu.  Worse than his brother but still, not too bad comp...

The more I drive around, the more I am utterly irritated by people not using their turn signals.  Is it really that hard to hit that little lever and let other drivers know what you are planning to do?  In 4 lanes of traffic, do you really want the other drivers to change lanes without signaling or are you reserving that right for yourself alone? Oh, and for those of you who only signal as you are turning, why bother?  You're as bad as the ones who don't signal at all!!  O...

Those of you who read my blog (poor souls) know that I had a great amount of anxiety over my son's 2nd grade trip to COSI Toledo last week.  Well, things went really well.  I saw him onto the bus and his little brother and I followed in our mini-van. I made the right decision to go though.  The trip was a free-for-all.  No organized assembly at all.  We met up, split up, did whatever we felt like until we met for lunch, split up again, did whatever for a couple of mor...

Well, he saw the movie "A Christmas Story", we talked about it, but he still did it!  My 4yr old son decided to try sticking his tongue on frozen metal and learned his lesson the painful way.  I even told him if that ever happened, don't yank it off because all you have to do is pour warm water on it.  Did he listen?  Obviously not! He screamed, he bled, he cried, he fell asleep with his tongue hanging out.  His big brother felt so bad for him.  He just went out ...

MSNBC.com had an article that reported that the telethon that NBC had for tsunami relief made $18 million where the 9/11 telethon raised $130 million.  That is all it stated.  It made no comparison of any kind other than the bottom line.  That left me wondering if there was a point they hoped people would come to or if they were just laying out the numbers for pure information sake. I watched the telethon and I will tell you why I didn't participate.  In all honesty, I rea...

Normally I am about the most stable person you are bound to meet.  I am rational, emotional controled and generally sound of mind. Not so much this evening. My son got a field trip notice which set me off in a strange way.  I am feeling unexplainable anxiety.  I really don't enjoy being irrational. The field trip will take place on a day when my husband will be half way across the country on business.  That is the first factor in my anxiety I think.  Then fact...

This evening my sweet little 4yr old boy came to me with a quivering chin.  I asked what was wrong and he said "Nature took some kids' parents away."  I asked him if he was talking about the big wave that they had been talking about on the news and he said he was.  I said "You know that you and mommy and daddy are safe here in the house right?"  He said "Yes, and nothing can get my brother at school."  I told him that was right and wished I could believe it myself. I ...

I recently found out that a dear family friend has only a couple of months to live.  She has cancer and there is nothing that can be done.  I was told she is taking it better than anyone else.  She has been in so much pain for so long now that I think an end, any end to the pain is now welcome. Now I have to figure out what is best to do and say.  I want to go visit her and cry and tell her how horrible I feel but I think that would be selfish.  I think I need to find...

I don't know if you have heard of it but Santa delivered a Stink Blaster to our home this Christmas and boy howdy does it live up to its name!  The thing shoots a blast of stinky air that you feel and smell simultaneously and the stink (similar to skunk) lasts way too long. This fun gadget got banned to the basement which now smells like skunk every occasion one son sneak attacks the other.  We haven't had an attack lately which leads me to believe my husband hid the blaster.  ...

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