A date that will live in infamy

Pearl Harbor Day, a date which will live in infamy (F. D. Roosevelt). When I think about this day, this statement made at the time, it bothers me. How many people from my generation have ever given Pearl Harbor Day a thought? How many people remember the lives lost on this day? Not many would be my guess.

According to Wikipedia, On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 America's naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the forces of the Empire of Japan. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded. The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships and damaged four more. It also damaged or sank three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer and damaged 188 aircraft.

Why you ask am I speaking of this today, other than the date? I think there is another date in our history that could be said to be "a date which will live in infamy" and that is 9/11/2001. This is that date that will stick in the lives of so many of my generation, my parents generation, but will it have an impact on the following generations?

Just as Pearl Harbor is a date that is learned about in History class to us, will 9/11 just be a date learned about in History class to my children? Is this why History so often repeats itself.

So in your travels today, take time to reflect on those who lost their lives back in 1941. But, also think about the many thousands of soldiers who fight for our country each day. Think of their families who never know when the next day that will live in infamy will occur. Pray for our government that they find the strength to put the lives of these soldiers first.

We can only hope that history will never repeat itself.

Get up and moving

I go through phases where I can't get to the gym as much as I'd like. I don't like to skip but if the boys aren't well or if we have things going on, well the gym takes a backseat.

The last few weeks I've managed to get into the gym 4+ days a week. Let me tell you I notice the difference. I can feel myself working harder and lasting longer. My clothes fit better and I feel more myself.

I workout for myself. I eat "healthy-ish". I could go back to counting calories and doing all that, but then the focus is on weight loss and not just working out. I like to workout and realize I'm doing it to gain strength. I'm doing it to eliminate stress. I'm doing it to feel better about my whole self.

I try to go to step aerobics and pilates on Tuesdays and then back to pilates on Thursdays. I do 30 minutes of cardio everyday (expect Tuesdays since step is already 45 min). I work out with free weights two or three days a week.

Why do I do it? I like putting on my clothes and feeling good about the way I look. I like to put on clothes and not worry if they will fit or not. I also do it to release stress. Any mother can tell you that it is a stressful job. Go workout for 30+ minutes and your stress level will go down!

Remember during this holiday season to take care of yourself. And working out daily is a great way to do just that!

Quality vs Quantity

As the holidays, and Blake's birthday, approaches, it gets me thinking about toys and what the boys do and don't need. I probably am in the minority with a few things I think, but hey that's what opinion are all about!

In the last five years I have yet to buy my sons a birthday gift. We do something special with them the day of their birthday, but don't get them gifts. Our goal is to make the day special to them. Last year Blake was sick on his birthday, but we still took brownies into his class and made his favorite meals. For Colby's birthday we watched his favorite shows and spent a lot of time playing Thomas.

This year Blake will get to bring snacks in for his class on his birthday. The next day we will have a party for his classmates. He will take him out to dinner on his birthday at the place of his choice. The next weekend we will have the family over for dinner.

For Christmas we buy each of the boys one special bigger gift and then some gifts to share. We ask them to tell Santa one thing they really want and try to accommodate that in some form. At this point all the gifts are from Santa and none of them are wrapped. This means when they wake up they walk in and can see all that Santa has brought.

We don't buy them a ton of stuff because we are trying to teach them quality over quantity. They don't need a ton of stuff that will break within the first week of playing with it. They need a few really good quality items that they can play with over and over. They need items that mean something to them. I've always found that when children have too much stuff they appreciate the stuff they have less.

I know many people think that children need to have the biggest pile at Christmas. That children expect to get the most. But, isn't that taught? I also don't make sure they have the same number of items. Why should number mean anything? I choose items that I think one or both children will use and enjoy. I try to spend about the same amount of money, but I won't buy cheap items to fill in the missing money or number of items.

It always drives me crazy when people buy kids things that you know will break. Why buy it? What is that teaching children? Wouldn't it be better to buy them 1 good item than 5 cheap ones? I think so.

Where is that restart button?

Some days I just wish there was a restart button. It's usually not the days when big things go wrong. It's the days when a million things seem to be going on and often wrong all at the same time. It's the days one or both boys wake up in a mood.

Hope you aren't having a day like that. And, if you are... it restarts and gets better soon!

Justice served... I don't think so

I did not follow the Casey Anthony trial as closely as many did. It was HUGE business down here, guess that's because it is literally in our backyard. I did tune in from time to time, and was more involved when Caylee Anthony was "missing". I, like so many people, was saddened by the decision the jury came to yesterday. It is hard believe that they could not see through the smoke screens that were placed in front of them. I listened to an audio interview with the alternate jury member who also also said he felt she was innocent, yet his logic behind his answer made little to no sense. He managed to talk in circles instead of actually answering questions.

I am saddened that this injustice will never be settled. That a young girl's life was cut too short and no one has to pay. That a mother could cry tears of joy and not true tears of sorrow. That a family could get away for all that occurred and the justice system just chalks it up to dysfunctional family issues. I don't think that flies. There are a lot of dysfunctional families and they don't go and kill a two year old in order to go out and party. They don't cover up the "mistakes" of others by burying a child, ... yes that was actually the reason the jury found her not guilty because they defense put up that it was a mistake gone wrong. Where is the justice? How could the family let their daughter go on trial for murdering their granddaughter if they knew she didn't kill her?

If this was my child, I wouldn't be sitting there celebrating... my child would be dead, even if I didn't do it, I'd still feel responsible. If I knew who did it, no one would be able to hold me back from making sure that person paid. If I didn't know who did it, I would not be celebrating I'd be screaming at the top of my lungs that they had to find out who did it. All these things a good mother would do. All this points to me that she got off. All this says to me that yet again the justice system shot itself in the foot by providing loopholes for murders to slide through.

On top of all that frustration. On top of knowing that a little girl's life and memory will always be entangled with injustice. There is the knowledge that I paid for all this. A lot of the money for this trial, and the experts, and all the goobly goop that goes along with it came from tax payer money. So in essence I paid for a murder trial gone wrong. I wait for the day when she goes to the press and tells what really happened and can't be tried again. When she gets a book and movie deal and makes money off the death of her daughter.

I hope you take time tonight and remember that at least Caylee Anthony will never have to en dour another hour, day, week, month, or year with a mother who didn't and doesn't seem to love her enough to protect her. A family who didn't worry that she was missing. A home of dysfuction that the court ruled bad enough to the the reason for murder.

I hope you also take tonight to look at your children and realize that you would never do what this "mother" did. That you love your children more than you love yourself. I know I will.

Little dogs

Ok can some explain to me the reason people treat their little dogs better than children? I mean I've seen people driving with the dogs on their lap. I've seen them carry them around in a purse. I even saw a lady pushing a dog in a dog stroller. I don't get it.

If you follow my blog, you know I'm a dog lover. I have a dog and if it's up to me I always will. Abby is a family member. She is treated with the utmost respect, but I would never feel the need to drag her around everywhere. She rides in the backseat with the boys, or if she rides in the front it's on the passenger seat by herself. How can you drive safely with a yap dog on your lap? I've even seen people driving with multiple dogs on their laps... ummm hello... safe?

She is walked on a leash. She is a DOG. She doesn't need to ride in a bag, my shirt nevermind a carriage. I know she wouldn't want to anyway. Why do people think it's ok to drag their dogs to the store? I just don't get it.

Why do you have a dog as a status symbol? My dog is a family member, a loved part of our family, not something we have to show off.

Oh well... if you are a little dog totting person, don't take offense, but please do explain!

slacking

Yep, it looks like I'm slacking now. I haven't posted in almost a week. I have continued project 365, I just haven't had time to edit the pictures. We have been busy with swimming lessons, soccer, allergies, painting and just life in general.

I have also had less and less replies to my posts. Yes, I know I always say that I blog what I want not what my readers want me to blog, but when you get no replies it feels like... why am I doing this? I realize people are busy and they move on, but... you know!

I do have a recipe to post tomorrow and will work on getting last weeks pictures edited and posted. If you are a loyal reader, don't run away... I'll be back to normal soon. If you are a new reader, please go back and read some of my older posts if you want.

Happy Monday everyone... hahaha!

Proud to be American

I've been debating on this post for the last few days, and in light of last night's big news I decided today was the perfect day.

I am often in awe at how patriotic my sons already are already. Every time we see an American flag flying they point it out, and you hear the proud in their voice. "Look an American flag over there". One of Colby's favorite shirts to wear is a navy blue shirt with an American Flag on it. He also loves to wear his "Little Trouper" shirt (a picture of a child dressed in adult military fatigues) which Richard bought for him at Fort Benning on one of his trips.

Blake often can be found in the playroom listening to the Yankee Doodle Mickey cd. Both boys have many of the patriotic songs from the album memorized already. It's too cute to hear them singing them. Blake's favorite is God Bless America and Colby's is This is My Country. You will often hear Blake singing Yankee Doodle as he plays around the house.

The other day Blake came downstairs with the Leap Pad saying "Mommy, listen to this song." He then clicked and it was playing Stars and Stripes Forever to teach the parts of the orchestra. It plays other songs too, but that is his favorite.

I find it interesting that they have developed such a strong love of all things American at such a young age. I can't wait for the Fourth of July this year to to take them to the fireworks and help them gain even more patriotism.

Thank you to all the military and military families who put there lives and the lives of their loved ones on the line to protect my family and all this country stands for. It is a day to stand up and say God Bless the USA!

Keeping it Real

When I started my blog, I began it as an outlet for my life. I was pregnant with Colby and Blake was just over a year old. He was, and still is, a very active and curious little boy. I felt like I needed a place to vent about my life and day. I feel normal when I complained about little things that bugged me through the day. I wanted a place to share my pleasures in the good things each day. A place for other mothers to see that they aren't alone in this crazy world of "mommy-hood".

Over the years my blog has taken on many different projects and traveled down many paths. But, one thing I've tried to do it keep it real. I have two very smart, active and oh so much all boys! I do not think my children are perfect, nor do I expect them to be. I expect them to be the best that they can be. I push them to perform above their ability in all areas of life. I want them to succeed in life. I want them to know what failure feels like, but I want them to pick themselves up, brush themselves off and go on with life. I want them to learn to be a good winner and a good loser. I want them to see that life is not handed to you on a silver platter, you have to work hard to earn it and there are a lot of bumps along the way. It is only when you can learn from your mistakes that you make changes.

When I write my blog posts, you are getting a true view of me. I try to put it all out on the line. I do hold a lot close to me, but when I put it out... I put it out. I try to write about the good things my boys do. Yes, I will boast from time to time about their accomplishments, but I will just as often complain about their behavior and how much they get in my hair.

I only hope that you the reader sees that I'm just being real. I don't ever want people to read my blog and think I'm just bragging or question can they really be real? I have read many blogs that makes me feel this way. You only see smiles, you only see happy times. You never see them complain about the real life experiences. Life is what it is... life! No one is perfect, no one's life is better than another's.

I want you to enjoy your time on my blog. I want you to smile and laugh with me. I want you to nod your head and feel like... yep been there done that! I want you to see a real family with real problems and realize that it's ok to be real.

Housework.... blah!

I just finished cleaning all three bathrooms. I have one load of laundry in the washer, one in the dryer and one waiting to go in. I also just put away the last load from yesterday. (Colby still has accidents daily so there is more laundry than normal, plus the boys went to the splash pad yesterday so there was wet bathing suits and towels to wash).

Well this got me thinking. I don't post about housework even though it takes up a good part of my day. There is the cooking, cleaning, cleaning up from cooking, cleaning up after the boys and so on and so forth. But, I never seem to blog about it. I guess in a lot of ways I don't think about it, I just do it. I guess there is also the everyone is in the same boat factor of housework. I mean most of my followers are women and a majority stay-at-home moms so you know what it means to feel like housework consumes your life, but you don't think about it... you just do it.

But, what is the one thing you hate to do? The one thing you put off each week as long as you can? I'm not talking about big things like steam cleaning carpets or washing windows. You know those things that probably should be done more frequently, but still don't need to be weekly. I'm talking about what is the weekly chore that you wish wasn't weekly?

For me it's mopping the tile floors. I really don't get it. It's not a hard chore. It doesn't take a long time to do... fill the sink, get the mop, move the chairs and mop away. Not hard... not time consuming... just not my favorite thing to do. Maybe because it seems like 5 minutes after it's dry something gets spilled on it? Maybe because the kitchen is the heart of the house and I don't want to say careful on the floors 100 times while it dries? Maybe it's just I don't like to mop?

The second one for me is cleaning our shower. That is because it is a double walk in shower and it takes FOREVER to clean, and I've yet to find something that cleans the glass to clear and it annoys the crap out of me that you clean it and it still doesn't look perfect... so I avoid it (o:

What is your house cleaning avoidance?

School lunches mandatory?

I have seen this floating around Facebook and felt it was a great topic to take on here on my blog! The Chicago Tribune posted an article Chicago school bans some lunches brought from home.

In the article it states "At his public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago's West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria."  My first reaction to this is that's not fair.  My sons are very picky and would not eat 90% of what they serve in a school cafeteria no matter how well balanced the lunches are getting.  I also looked at that statement and thought... ummm what about families who are vegetarian, vegan, kosher?  That is not a medical excuse, but can you say that they have to compromise their choices because the principal has decided to ban lunch from home?  I understand that the meals are monitored by the USDA, and are better than chips and soda, but aren't there better ways than a strict mandate?  Did they try to work with families to improve the food brought in from home?  Did they try to ban specific products, ummm there is no need for children to be bringing soda to school, but what's wrong with chips to go with your sandwich? 

"Any school that bans homemade lunches also puts more money in the pockets of the district's food provider, Chartwells-Thompson. The federal government pays the district for each free or reduced-price lunch taken, and the caterer receives a set fee from the district per lunch." This in itself says a lot! The fact that they even added this to the article says that it maybe a contributing factor.  Is it fair that a random rule make it so the only way your child can eat at school is by buying the mandated school lunch?  Can parents choose to not pay?  I wouldn't want to pay if I knew my sons were just throwing lunch away, and trust me they would.  At Blake's pre-school he has breakfast and lunch, if he does not like what is served, he won't eat.  You can't tell me that will change when he is older.  I don't understand how it is not being fought in a legal avenue.  How can you mandate that I pay:  "For many CPS parents, the idea of forbidding home-packed lunches would be unthinkable. If their children do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals, such a policy would require them to pay $2.25 a day for food they don't necessarily like."  First of all,  I can make a healthy lunch that my sons would eat for that money or LESS every day, and it wouldn't end up in the trash.  There are a lot of families who do not qualify for free and reduced lunch who would be challenged to play $2.25 a day per/x number of children to feed or not feed them school lunch.

"At Little Village, most students must take the meals served in the cafeteria or go hungry or both. During a recent visit to the school, dozens of students took the lunch but threw most of it in the garbage uneaten."  How is this healthy?  How is it better for students to go with no food than to go with what is brought in from home?  This is a school, do they not know all the research that discusses the impact of food on learning?  Do they not realize that children who are not eating are less likely to succeed in school?  That is why free breakfast and lunch programs are promoted.  They want children who may not have the means to have healthy meals at home to get get meals at school.  But, that doesn't really justify children who would eat lunch made a home to toss the paid school lunch away and eat nothing.

I've worked in school.  I know there is swapping of snacks and that the items I send from home might not be eaten by my child.  I know that they may swap things, but I also know that if I send in healthy items that they will eat and enjoy as well as a snack (chips, cookies, that kind of thing) then they will enjoy their lunch.  They will EAT.

Another avenue that popped into my mind while reading this article is what is this school doing to provide the activity time children need to burn of the calories consumed?  Yes, there is a lot of talk about school lunches being full of sodium and other preservatives.  Ok even if you clean up school lunches that will not eliminate the obesity issue in schools.  There is a huge reality that school are cutting back more and more on physical education and recess time in schools.  Schools are fixated on meeting benchmarks and passing tests that are mandated by lawmakers who don't always have a reality check on school life.  There is a push for time on task and away from other things which are considered "fluff".  But, anyone who has ever tried to lose weight can tell you the best and most effective way to to be active.  Would it not be better to teach children about the concepts of moderation and increase their activity time than to mandate what they can and can't have for lunch?

As a teacher, I would not be happy with this policy because I would know that more than half the students in my class would be starved from lunchtime on.  As a parent, I would see this as an infringement on my civil liberties and the ability to raise my children as I see fit.  I think there are ways to improve these issues without coming out with a blanket policy that punished the whole for the sins of a few.

Children's tranlation program needed?

I know so many of you can relate to this feeling. I say something to the boys and they totally ignore me or look at me like I have five heads. I looked at Richard the other day and said "am I speaking a different language?" Then I said, or do they just not understand English anymore?

I often feel like this when I give them directions. Can someone give me the link to the children's translator? When they were little I always wondered what they were trying to say when they babbled. Maybe if I had figured that out I'd know what language they understand? Maybe I'd know how to get their attention and get them to answer me. I mean I know their names, ummm I gave it to them. So why when I say their names do they not understand them? I refuse to think that they choose to ignore me that much.

I know there has to be some kind of translation program or headphones for them or something that will help them listen and understand what I am saying. So who has the magical answer to this question???

Questions for me?

I did this a few years ago, actually I think it was right before my first blogoversary so it was a while ago, anyway...

This is your chance to ask me about... anything you want to know, within reason of course!

Questions for the teacher side of me? Questions for the cook? Questions for the mom? Questions for Lori? Is there anything you think you want to know about me or from me that you have yet to ask?? Now's the time! I'll try to answer them on the next few Wednesdays depending on the response that I get.

So if you have a question for me either post it in my comment or e-mail me at Lori.Mommyto2@gmail.com. I'll e-mail you back when I post my reply on here, of course you read my blog daily so you'll know when it's posted, but hey I just want to cover all bases!

I did make Tzatzki sauce this week as I mentioned in Tasty Tuesday last week, but I was not enamoured with it. My guess is it is more my flavor profile than the actual recipe. I'm not a huge cucumber fan, ok I'm not a fan of cucumbers at all and that is all I could taste in the sauce so it got tossed. I don't want to review it and give it a bad review when it is probably just me. I did make a super yummy batch of cookies today so watch for that recipe next Tuesday. I still plan on making homemade hummus, did I tell you that I'm addicted to that stuff now??

Why flip flops?

Ok I'm one of those few people who does not live in flip flops. I do not like things between my toes. I don't like the look of going to the beach when I'm not. I don't think they are a great fashion statement, but that is not the point of this post. You are an adult and I say hey whatever floats your boat... go for it!

Nope, my issue is not with adults wearing flip flops, it's with children wearing flip flops everywhere. If you follow my blog, you know that I'm at the playground all the time with my boys. We go to a couple of different playgrounds and are often at the playground more than once a day. I was trained to observe when I was a teacher, so I take in a lot of what is going on around me and I see a lot of children at the playground in flip flops. Ummm why?

First off most of the playgrounds around here have bark mulch as the ground cover under the playground. Ouch! Second, you can't tell me that they are safely climbing with shoes that are barely on their feet? I watch these children try to climb, run and jump in flip flops and I just don't get it. So often they end up taking them off (refer to comment 1... ouch!)

I tell my boys that when we go to the playground, to the Y or other places where they are going to run and play they have to wear their socks and sneakers. My boys have sandals and flip flops (their flip flops at least have a strap on the back), but I still make them wear closed shoes at the playground. Is it just the old school momma in me that sees an issue with this? I don't want my boys twisting an ankle because they don't have on good shoes to play in. I don't need wood slivers in their feet because their feet are pretty much touching the ground in their shoes. I certainly do not want them taking their shoes off and playing without them.... gross!

Ok am I the only one who thinks this way? Tell me I'm crazy, or try to explain to me why it makes sense.

Don't even get me started on the children riding their bikes with flip flops on...

Use your real voice... please!

Yesterday, the boys and I stopped at a different playground because we went to Target to get their pictures taken instead of going to the Y. When we got there, there was 2 mothers with three children. One mother had a little girl who looked to be a bit older than Colby. The other had a little boy who appeared to be about Colby's age and a little girl who was under one.

Now we go to the playground at least once a day and many days two different playgrounds. So, I know what my sons can and can't do as far as climbing ability, and there is very little I stop them from doing. (Colby is not allowed to do the fire pole since he doesn't think holding on is necessary... lol). I often step back and watch to see what they are going to play with. When we go to the neighborhood playground I can even sit on a bench and watch now. I love that my sons can climb and play independently. Blake loves to play with other children on the playground and often initials play with any child he finds (no matter how old the child is!).

So yesterday he tried to get the two older children to play with him. The little girl was a bit bossy, but Blake never lets that bother him, he just goes along to get along. The little girl's mother seemed to be rather nervous about the girl doing anything and often stopped her from trying anything new. If the girl slipped at all the mother seemed to panic. Now granted I don't know these people so maybe there is an incident from the past, but come on let her try.

The mother of the little boy was more engaged in the play than I like, but whatever. She spoke to all the children and seemed to be trying foster the play. Ok that's fine, providing the vocabulary for play is a good thing for young children. BUTTTTT, she did it in that fake annoying baby voice. Ok come on you've got to know what I'm talking about. That voice that says I'm talking down to you because you don't know what I'm saying. That voice that says I have to talk in this high pitched squeeky voice with little words for you to pay attention to me.

UGH! I never talked to my boys with that voice. I also never talked down to my sons. I will explain what I'm saying in simpler words if needed, but how are children going to develop an expanded vocabulary if you only speak to them in a simplified vocabulary???? Hello... logic?

At first I was worried the my sons would look at her like she had three heads, I know I was, but they seemed to do ok with it. Blake seemed to be using much simpler words when talking to her, hmmm maybe he thought she wouldn't understand his more complex vocabulary? Colby pretty much did his own thing and didn't pay her much mind unless she directed a comment or question at him.

I know I have always looked at parenting different than a lot of other mothers. I'm not into trying to keep my sons young. I tend to treat them as if they are older than they are and think of them as being older. I certainly do with Colby I keep forgetting at times that he is still only 2. I try to encourage them to grow and learn, to take chances and progress. I want them to grow up to be independent thinkers who are comfortable in making decisions and it start this early, actually earlier. I see my job as a facilitator in the process of developing men. Oh well, I'm sure that mother thought I was strange too.

Time Change... boo!

Raise your hand if you hate the time change. Keep your hand up if you have young children. Yeah that's what I thought.

I've never really been a fan of the time changes. When I became a teacher, I looked at it in a whole new light and hated it even more. Time change + children = long days of messed up body clocks. They do not sleep, eat or function based on the clock, they do it totally based on their internal clocks.

Now that I'm a mother I hate it even more! This one is the worst. Blake looked at us last night and said "it's still light out why am I going to bed?" We let them stay up a half hour later, but their bodies said they were going to bed a half hour earlier. Yesterday we had a lot on our plates so they were a bit tireder than normal which did help at bedtime.

Then morning rolls around and you are waking them up an hour early. Yes, I could have let them sleep in, but then we'd struggle even more at night, and who wants to do that? So instead I gave them 30 minutes of tv time, a big treat, to let them wake up slowly.

Tell me how it makes sense to change the times still? Yes, I understand that when this all began it made sense to help the farmers harvest their crops in the fall, but how many people still make their total living as farmers? (no offense if you are a farm family, we still need you to produce our food, and we still love you). They tried to say a few years ago that time change would help save power, that's why they changed the dates of the time change. But, they proved within two years that it was ineffective.

So can someone tell me why we still change the clocks? And can you explain to my boys why they now go to bed when the sun is up and wake up when the sun is down?

the never ending game

When ever we drive anywhere the boys seem to think it is a great opportunity to play a never ending game of "I see..." Now they are not playing "I spy". Nope that would involve working together to play a game. The game they play is to name EVERY THING that we drive by.

This is pretty much what my drive sounds like:
Blake: Look Walmart
Colby: Look a red car
Blake: Look McDonalds, 7-11, Burger King
Colby: There's Ladybird
Blake: Mommy look there's a motorcycle, do you see the motor cycle?
Colby: Ladybird's gone now
Blake: Where'd the motorcycle go?
Colby: I see an escavator out my window
Blake: Is there a dump truck too?
Colby: Look another motorcycle
Blake: Hey look a Publix truck
Colby: Stop sign
Blake: Red light, you have to stop at the red light, look out Mommy there's a red light up ahead
Colby: You have to stop of at the red light

Me thinking... ok we've gone about 2 miles down the road, how much further is this drive?

Is it so hard to walk?

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know I go to the Y almost every day. This is not the first gym I've gone to, actually it's the 3rd since I moved here to FL.

One thing that always blows my mind about the gym and people going to the gym... there are often people who go to the gym and feel they need to fight for the front parking space. I've seen people drive around the parking lot, past open spaces to get a close space. At the Y I go to now, it is a store front so there is limited parallel parking in the front and lots of parking in the back. I often see people wait to get a front space, waste a good 5 minutes trying to parallel park and then walk in and run on a treadmill... ummm hello? Now I know some people who have to carry infant seats or have multiple little ones who do it, ok I can almost justify that. But really... if you are going to work out, going to do cardio, can't you walk an extra 100 steps to park in the back? In a lot of cases it would probably actually be faster.

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Where oh where have my readers gone? In the last 4 days I've only had 3 comments... WHAT? Oh well. Endurance is part of blogging. Hope you have a fantastic Friday Eve!

Dilbert Funny for you

Project 365

A lot of bloggers participate in Project 365. This is a photography challenge where you take one picture each day to document a whole year. Typically it is things that are going on in your life, but not necessarily the picture you'd normally take (ie. a picture of a stack of books on a day you go to the library or an empty bowl of cookie dough or something like that).

I have debated on taking on this project, but haven't for a variety of reasons. I know a lot of people join groups with this project, but I wasn't thinking in that direction. I was thinking I'd either post them as a lump sum week on my blog on Sat or Sun, or create a separate blog to just post the 365 pictures. I'm sure there will still be lots of pictures of my sons, but this is an out of the box photo opportunity.

My concern is the commitment. Do I want to commit the time to remembering to take a picture a day and edit them?

So, I need to decide... ummm soon. Want to chime in? I posted a poll above my blog posts... give you opinion if you want.