Yesterday was a very busy day. I like busy days but I prefer them to end by 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I like my evenings peaceful and restful.
We had our weekly playdate at the Children's Museum. The girls always have a blast at the museum....and Toby has been tagging along making it even more entertaining for the kids.
After playdate we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed home to rest a couple of hours before we had to go back into Manor for National Night Out and our 4-H meeting.
National Night Out was interesting. It' designed to heighten crime and drug awareness in your community. After living in our neighborhood for two years we have yet to see any crimes or drugs so I was curious to get some info on where this sort of thing happens in Manor.
After chatting it up with one of the police officers I found out that although there is petty crime in our area we certainly don't have to be worried about being gunned down. :-)
We enjoyed a free supper of hot dogs, chips, drinks and played on the adult exercise equipment at the park before we headed across the street to our 4-H meeting.
Summer really enjoys 4-H. She is not shy or insecure about standing up and speaking or answering questions....which is very surprising to me considering her personality.
Summer got nominated for 4-H princess. I knew with this being our first year in 4-H and the commitment that being a 4-H princess would take was not something Toby and I are ready for. Volunteering with 4-H events takes up enough of our free time.
Anyway, I didn't allow Summer to vote for herself (which was allowed) in hopes that she would not win....maybe next year when we are all a little more familiar with protocol.
The meeting was unusually long, and after our already long day we were all ready to get home. We grabbed a Sonic blast on the way home as a treat for a very long day.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Character
Recently I saw where Obama is proposing public schooled kids have longer days and school years. It seems that U.S. public schooled kids are lagging behind educationally compared to other countries. As many things as I may agree or disagree with as far as Obama is concerned, this is one I question.
Does he really think that keeping kids in school for longer periods of time is going to make them any smarter....hmphhh..I think not. And does he really think that education is the most important issue our kids have these days?
I believe the problem with kids today is they don't get enough time to play or use their imagination.....even more so, they don't get enough time with their families.
What's even more odd to me is how the leader of our country thinks our kids problems lay solely on educational issues and they way to fix them is to cram the Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic down their throats. Whatever happened to emotional intelligence??
I remember one time I found one of my dad's very old school books. It was tattered and torn and was barely held together by the binding. I opened it up and flipped through it. I made note to him that I saw nothing that resembled Math or English in the book.
That's when he told me that "back in his day" they focused on teaching things like morality, respect, hard work, manners, responsibility, and integrity. As I flipped through the thick, old book their were large chapters on these qualities mentioned.
Just recently I read an article in the Elgin Courier. In certain schools in our area they are implementing the subject of Character. Here is a little of what the article suggested we could do individually...
We strongly encourage all communities to join in this message to our young people: Character does matter! We are asking you to:
1. Read a book to a child about the importance of honesty.
2. Talk to a class about why we must all be responsible.
3. Be a speaker for a class explaining why compassion is critical to society.
4. Place a flyer in your place of business showing that perseverance matters.
5. Donate a biography to a school library about a person who modeled loyalty.
6. Design a puzzle/game/skit related to justice and its place in our society.
7. Write a letter to the editor illustrating why self-reliance is a valued trait.
8. Ask your church members to visit with young people about self-discipline.
9. Start a discussion with co-workers, neighbors, family to emphasize integrity.
Maybe as a society if we start instilling some of these traits into our children our World would be just a little better place to live.
Sure, education is important...but I believe some things are more important.
Does he really think that keeping kids in school for longer periods of time is going to make them any smarter....hmphhh..I think not. And does he really think that education is the most important issue our kids have these days?
I believe the problem with kids today is they don't get enough time to play or use their imagination.....even more so, they don't get enough time with their families.
What's even more odd to me is how the leader of our country thinks our kids problems lay solely on educational issues and they way to fix them is to cram the Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic down their throats. Whatever happened to emotional intelligence??
I remember one time I found one of my dad's very old school books. It was tattered and torn and was barely held together by the binding. I opened it up and flipped through it. I made note to him that I saw nothing that resembled Math or English in the book.
That's when he told me that "back in his day" they focused on teaching things like morality, respect, hard work, manners, responsibility, and integrity. As I flipped through the thick, old book their were large chapters on these qualities mentioned.
Just recently I read an article in the Elgin Courier. In certain schools in our area they are implementing the subject of Character. Here is a little of what the article suggested we could do individually...
We strongly encourage all communities to join in this message to our young people: Character does matter! We are asking you to:
1. Read a book to a child about the importance of honesty.
2. Talk to a class about why we must all be responsible.
3. Be a speaker for a class explaining why compassion is critical to society.
4. Place a flyer in your place of business showing that perseverance matters.
5. Donate a biography to a school library about a person who modeled loyalty.
6. Design a puzzle/game/skit related to justice and its place in our society.
7. Write a letter to the editor illustrating why self-reliance is a valued trait.
8. Ask your church members to visit with young people about self-discipline.
9. Start a discussion with co-workers, neighbors, family to emphasize integrity.
Maybe as a society if we start instilling some of these traits into our children our World would be just a little better place to live.
Sure, education is important...but I believe some things are more important.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Fear Itself
We have all heard the saying.."There is nothing to fear but fear itself." Whether it be the Bible or some other resource I don't recall where that quote comes from. All I know is that it seems to have a core of truth to it.
Recently, thanks to my crazy neighbor, I have noticed how much fear drives our daily life. I can see how fear keeps us from reaching our maximum potential in our human experience.
On a daily basis a typical human has many fears. Everything we do is entailed with fear. Just take notice for one day on how many times you let fear control your decisions. It will amaze you that you even go out of the house with all the fears that can consume a person in one day. There is a big difference between fear and caution. I think most people are fearful and call it caution.
Some examples I see daily are:
People are afraid to quit that job they hate because they are scared they won't be able to find another one. Or maybe even the fear of change scares them. They end up miserable and unhappy because of fear.
I see mothers so fearful their child will get hurt, killed, stolen, or even converted to a heathen by a non-Christian that they stifle them from many normal childhood experiences and hinder them from living, learning and experiencing....Poor kids.
There are some people that get stuck in their own little world and in a comfort zone that keeps them from growing to their potential. After all, is easier to be comfortable and lazy than take a chance isn't it???
People also fear change. Change or a different view of any kind will make people very uncomfortable. Fear becomes very evident where politics and religion are present. Matter of fact, religion and politcs both control the masses with fear and manipulation.
There are many fears from lightening to bugs. Fears are everywhere. I often think if we didn't have fear how far one could go....
"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” Yes, most of our fears are learned in some sort of way by our loved ones or society.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Beautiful quote is it not??? Maybe from this day on we can all all try not to let fear take grip of our lives and let our light shine.
Recently, thanks to my crazy neighbor, I have noticed how much fear drives our daily life. I can see how fear keeps us from reaching our maximum potential in our human experience.
On a daily basis a typical human has many fears. Everything we do is entailed with fear. Just take notice for one day on how many times you let fear control your decisions. It will amaze you that you even go out of the house with all the fears that can consume a person in one day. There is a big difference between fear and caution. I think most people are fearful and call it caution.
Some examples I see daily are:
People are afraid to quit that job they hate because they are scared they won't be able to find another one. Or maybe even the fear of change scares them. They end up miserable and unhappy because of fear.
I see mothers so fearful their child will get hurt, killed, stolen, or even converted to a heathen by a non-Christian that they stifle them from many normal childhood experiences and hinder them from living, learning and experiencing....Poor kids.
There are some people that get stuck in their own little world and in a comfort zone that keeps them from growing to their potential. After all, is easier to be comfortable and lazy than take a chance isn't it???
People also fear change. Change or a different view of any kind will make people very uncomfortable. Fear becomes very evident where politics and religion are present. Matter of fact, religion and politcs both control the masses with fear and manipulation.
There are many fears from lightening to bugs. Fears are everywhere. I often think if we didn't have fear how far one could go....
"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” Yes, most of our fears are learned in some sort of way by our loved ones or society.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Beautiful quote is it not??? Maybe from this day on we can all all try not to let fear take grip of our lives and let our light shine.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
These are the Best of Times...
Today was one of those busy days. Busy doing things that need to be done instead of wanted to be done. I had library books due back and also was in search of some I needed for Summer. There are just certain things I would much rather do by myself....going to the library is one of them.
I love the library, but my family does not share that same love. Toby and Summer spent their time distracting me by following me around arguing over who was going to get to play with Toby's Ipod Touch. I finally decided to take control and encourage Summer to find her a book to look at it while I was searching for what I needed. She found a book...a joke book. So, I still was finding it really hard to concentrate because then she was following me around asking me jokes....which I wouldn't ordinarily mind in any other circumstance.
I spent half my morning on the computer trying to find a solution to our scorpion issues. They seem to love to snuggle up under our covers with us at night and hang out in our bedroom. Toby got his first taste of a sting the other night while coming back from a midnight bathroom trip. When I saw the size of the one that stung him I hate to say I was glad it was him and not me this time. This year they seem to be worse than they were last year.
I really like to try and avoid using chemicals if at all possible. So after we left the library we headed to Home Depot in search of something to deter scorpions. Seems there is not much on the market for scorpions. Basically you have to kill their food source to get rid of them......I guess I better get use to our new "room mates" until I can come up with a solution.
Although Toby and I both still had tons of stuff to do when we got home, we had promised Summer a trip to the local park. I'm sure if there had been some neighborhood kids home for her to play with she would have forgotten about the promise.
Although Toby and I were dreading the park trip because of our awaiting to do list, we ended up having a good time. We even took Brandi with us.
Here are the girls sliding...
We walked the train tracks. Summer was having a blast collecting railroad spikes...my little worry wort was also a little worried about getting stuck on the tracks while a train was coming...
I think Brandi was even enjoying her little excursion...
Sometimes when you expect to find the least amount of fun, you find the most.
I love the library, but my family does not share that same love. Toby and Summer spent their time distracting me by following me around arguing over who was going to get to play with Toby's Ipod Touch. I finally decided to take control and encourage Summer to find her a book to look at it while I was searching for what I needed. She found a book...a joke book. So, I still was finding it really hard to concentrate because then she was following me around asking me jokes....which I wouldn't ordinarily mind in any other circumstance.
I spent half my morning on the computer trying to find a solution to our scorpion issues. They seem to love to snuggle up under our covers with us at night and hang out in our bedroom. Toby got his first taste of a sting the other night while coming back from a midnight bathroom trip. When I saw the size of the one that stung him I hate to say I was glad it was him and not me this time. This year they seem to be worse than they were last year.
I really like to try and avoid using chemicals if at all possible. So after we left the library we headed to Home Depot in search of something to deter scorpions. Seems there is not much on the market for scorpions. Basically you have to kill their food source to get rid of them......I guess I better get use to our new "room mates" until I can come up with a solution.
Although Toby and I both still had tons of stuff to do when we got home, we had promised Summer a trip to the local park. I'm sure if there had been some neighborhood kids home for her to play with she would have forgotten about the promise.
Although Toby and I were dreading the park trip because of our awaiting to do list, we ended up having a good time. We even took Brandi with us.
Here are the girls sliding...
We walked the train tracks. Summer was having a blast collecting railroad spikes...my little worry wort was also a little worried about getting stuck on the tracks while a train was coming...
I think Brandi was even enjoying her little excursion...
Sometimes when you expect to find the least amount of fun, you find the most.
Cameron Park Zoo in Waco Sept. 30, 2009
We decided to head north of Austin this week. Our destination was the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas. Instead of taking interstate 35 (I always find interstate driving boring)I opted to take the FM (Farm to Market) roads.
One of my favorite things about living in this area is the roads. You can drive miles and miles at high rates of speed on these FM roads without seeing anything but farms, crops, and cows and horses. It is the most serene driving. No traffic, no cities - except small towns you drive through in a blink, just scenery.
I have to say of all the cities I have visited in Central Texas, Waco would have to be at the bottom of my list of good first impressions. Their downtown was small but it had enormous buildings that lacked charm or architectural intrigue. There was nothing about downtown Waco that was alluring at all....in my opinion. On a more positive note, as with most cities, I'm sure there are some hidden gems somewhere in their downtown area.
It's still a little warm here, but the zoo was mostly shaded so it wasn't so bad as long as you kept out of the sun. Here are some pics of our day at the zoo....
Although I had tons more pics, these are some of my favorites. I give the zoo a thumbs up. Summer must have really enjoyed it. More than once she spoke of moving to Waco to be near the zoo.
On the way to the zoo we had passed by the Dr. Pepper Museum. After our zoo trip we decided to stop in and check it out. Once we got inside we found out they would be closing soon. It wasn't worth forking out the price they wanted for the tour just to be able to stay 30 minutes. We decided to make the Dr. Pepper Museum another day. I did get a pic of Toby and Summer in front of the Museum....
We had a great day. As much as I love our "field trips" it's always just as nice to get home and relax after a long day.
One of my favorite things about living in this area is the roads. You can drive miles and miles at high rates of speed on these FM roads without seeing anything but farms, crops, and cows and horses. It is the most serene driving. No traffic, no cities - except small towns you drive through in a blink, just scenery.
I have to say of all the cities I have visited in Central Texas, Waco would have to be at the bottom of my list of good first impressions. Their downtown was small but it had enormous buildings that lacked charm or architectural intrigue. There was nothing about downtown Waco that was alluring at all....in my opinion. On a more positive note, as with most cities, I'm sure there are some hidden gems somewhere in their downtown area.
It's still a little warm here, but the zoo was mostly shaded so it wasn't so bad as long as you kept out of the sun. Here are some pics of our day at the zoo....
Although I had tons more pics, these are some of my favorites. I give the zoo a thumbs up. Summer must have really enjoyed it. More than once she spoke of moving to Waco to be near the zoo.
On the way to the zoo we had passed by the Dr. Pepper Museum. After our zoo trip we decided to stop in and check it out. Once we got inside we found out they would be closing soon. It wasn't worth forking out the price they wanted for the tour just to be able to stay 30 minutes. We decided to make the Dr. Pepper Museum another day. I did get a pic of Toby and Summer in front of the Museum....
We had a great day. As much as I love our "field trips" it's always just as nice to get home and relax after a long day.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 28, 2009
This past week has been one hell of a week to say the least. Conducting a school week in an 85 degree plus house is not an easy task. It has brought back memories of when I was in grade school. Back in the "olden days" we didn't have a/c in school classrooms. We had a huge industrial fan that sat at the head of the long hall. I can remember many times sitting at my desk squirming around because it was so hot. I couldn't even concentrate I was so uncomfortable. There is no way that I could have ever learned a damn thing on those days.
Toby has fortunately been on a work week so he has been able to slip out of the house before the temps in the house reach maximum heat.
We have spent most of our week taking cold baths and hanging cold rags around our necks.
As of this moment I am sitting and typing in comfort. The Elgin a/c guy came and pumped me up with some freon and I am sitting pretty for the moment.
I even got a response from the builder I sent a nasty little e-mail to. The builders who built our house are very reputable in Austin so I decided to prey on their reputation. It seemed to have worked because today I got a phone call from the son of the builders. He was very concerned with our a/c issues and is sending someone out this week to check it out. Why didn't I think about contacting the builders months ago???
After scolding myself, I realized that I have never owned any thing brand new before and therefore don't know the protocol. I guess you live and learn.
I am looking forward to our "weekend". I'm thinking a small road trip or maybe even some camping...we will see.
Oh, I snapped this pic earlier tonight. I thought it was really odd because the pic I took was in the east. The sun was setting directly in the west but yet there were sun rays shooting out from the clouds in the east....a mirror reflection of the sun's rays in the west.
I am sure there is a scientific explanation for this although I could never tell you what it was. :-)
Toby has fortunately been on a work week so he has been able to slip out of the house before the temps in the house reach maximum heat.
We have spent most of our week taking cold baths and hanging cold rags around our necks.
As of this moment I am sitting and typing in comfort. The Elgin a/c guy came and pumped me up with some freon and I am sitting pretty for the moment.
I even got a response from the builder I sent a nasty little e-mail to. The builders who built our house are very reputable in Austin so I decided to prey on their reputation. It seemed to have worked because today I got a phone call from the son of the builders. He was very concerned with our a/c issues and is sending someone out this week to check it out. Why didn't I think about contacting the builders months ago???
After scolding myself, I realized that I have never owned any thing brand new before and therefore don't know the protocol. I guess you live and learn.
I am looking forward to our "weekend". I'm thinking a small road trip or maybe even some camping...we will see.
Oh, I snapped this pic earlier tonight. I thought it was really odd because the pic I took was in the east. The sun was setting directly in the west but yet there were sun rays shooting out from the clouds in the east....a mirror reflection of the sun's rays in the west.
I am sure there is a scientific explanation for this although I could never tell you what it was. :-)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Happiness.....
I guess you could call this my grateful Friday post. As of this moment I could find irritation in the fact that my a/c is on the blink once again and I am sitting here typing this in a moderately warm room. Thanks to my fluctuating middle age hormones I will also be very uncomfortable when I hit the sack shortly.
Instead, I will choose to see the beauty in my life. Aside from life's little aggravations I am grateful that I have a roof that I can comfortably afford over my head.
The 15 year old hand-me-down car that I drive rarely lets me down.
My daughter is downstairs eating popcorn and enjoying the Hannah Montana movie with company of her friends.
We have had rain for the past couple of weeks. Nothing great for most folks, but for us here in Central Texas it is an answered prayer.
My son still calls me just as much as I call him. His life is going well and he will be graduating college in December. Who knows what path his life will take beyond that, but I am confident that it will work out to his advantage.
Hubby is still as sweet as he was when I first met him...most of the time. I think he really loves me as much as I love him. :-)
Yes, I can think of many things I can be grateful for.....
Instead, I will choose to see the beauty in my life. Aside from life's little aggravations I am grateful that I have a roof that I can comfortably afford over my head.
The 15 year old hand-me-down car that I drive rarely lets me down.
My daughter is downstairs eating popcorn and enjoying the Hannah Montana movie with company of her friends.
We have had rain for the past couple of weeks. Nothing great for most folks, but for us here in Central Texas it is an answered prayer.
My son still calls me just as much as I call him. His life is going well and he will be graduating college in December. Who knows what path his life will take beyond that, but I am confident that it will work out to his advantage.
Hubby is still as sweet as he was when I first met him...most of the time. I think he really loves me as much as I love him. :-)
Yes, I can think of many things I can be grateful for.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
