Ending the School year with a BANG!

Wow! This was a busy little first weekend of summer!

• Marcie M was kind enough to turn 40 so I could loose my hotel-crop virginity with a few of her friends.
  
• The In-Laws came a week early (which originally freaked me out, but worked out well after all).
  
• The best part was on Monday, when I didn't have to fake a speedy recovery and go to work - Schools Out For Summer - !
• We now have a camping reservation at Cherry Creek to look forward to next week, and a wide open calendar to fill with anything or nothing! Ahh, it's nice to be home.
  

It was great to see Kay (Kevin's Mom) and Bob Masters. The girls got to stay with them in the camper up at City of Golden Campground, they got alot of quality grandparents time.
They did there best to spoil them. We all made it to the Auquarium, Tiny Town, lots of Wining and Dinning, and my parents house for the last hurrah before saying farwell. We hope to get out their way (Oklahoma) next year.

Now I can relax and think of stuff we must go do!

Cute Caity Quotes

I'm going through stacks and stacks of office . . . cr. . .stuff, and I find a little piece of paper that says; " I spy with my one little eye that is open. . . 2004" Caitlin used to say that instead of the more traditional version - and I'm a clever mom who wrote it down and actually found it, like I'd always hoped I would.

And, more recently;
I forgot to take Abi from Mary's (I still have an aversion to saying "day care") to preschool one day. I did not forget, however, to pick her up from preschool! Which was pretty funny, in alot of ways to alot of people, (even me). Caitlin, looking on the bright side said, "can you forget to take me to school tomorrow?"

the challenge: Just write. Stream of conciousness.

the challenge: Just write. Stream of conciousness. Doesn't matter if it even makes sense. Who cares if it flows. Just start. Just type whatever pops into your brain. Go.

That should be easy, it's mostly what I do any way. . . Is there a time limit on this? Should I get a babysitter? My husband is being a butt. hahaha. My h is a butt. My h has a cute little butt, unlike my quite large one. (I'm working on it!!) Corn dogs for dinner, ewh. I'm being over-ruled by the mob mentality. Thankfully not the "great unwashed public" - my mob is squeaky clean. OK, I could do this forever, so I'm not going to. I'm organizing. I get to crop this weekend! Woo Hoo! 3.25 more days!

Colleens Fathers Day Art Project Makes the News

I couldn't figure out how to copy the clip, but if you go to this channel 2 news site, and scroll down to "Pediatric surgeon finds role of dad challenging". Click on it and you will see a Profile of Mike Allshouse. (Those are my ties by the way!) - And the kiddos are way sharper than they appear here, they must have just been freaking out at the news crew. -And Mrs. Allshouse needs an award too. Anyway, it was cool to see - AND if anyone knows an obvious way for me to copy the clip onto my blog do tell.

http://cw2.trb.com/news/?track=nav

Happy Fathers Day Honey!

We love you!
from
Colleen and and girlies.

We went to Bruce and Susans for fathers day, and (another cute Abi story) as the grandpa's where opening presents, Abi picked one out of the other granpas pile and set it on Papa's lap to open. Hilarious, and then she did it again a few minutes later. (He has 5 kids and it's his birthday this week, Papa only had 2 kids!) Still makes me giggle.

Penguinettes!

Here are 2 of the newest and most happiest members of the Park View Penguins swim team with their beloved Coach Margaret. Swimming their little heartsout and loving it!

What's cuter than a 5 year old in flippers?

Nothing! Particularly if Abi is the 5 year old.

Last weekend at the pool, having been abandoned by her sister (who had found a classmate to play with), Abi spotted a gaggle of bikini clad teenage girls sitting at the side of the pool - and decided to join them. She put on sissers swim team fins, and her goggles, and started her long journey from the chair - to the side of the pool - 5 feet away. This was a spectacle you could have seen coming a mile away, so the girls were looking and giggling at her; which made her grin even bigger. They skooched over for her and made room for my intrepid little mermaid.

Where was my camera?

Oh, the PRESSURE!

7 comments on the nipple piercing! You gals are so low brow - (Don't say it, your mind is SO in the gutter, WOW!)

Anyhow, I now feel pressure to say something entertaining! . . .

• I stayed up 'til midnight putting my new desk in my office, I'll take a picture when it's presentable. (Got it from Freecycle.com - it's the greatest.)
• Tonight was GS leader self appreciation night for Marcie, Sheryl and Myself. On the Border, lots of fun, well deserved.
• Big Love In last night at Shaina's with the sisterwives, also lots of fun.

Maybe tomorrow I'll tell my cute abi in flippers story, but for now I must uneventfully, not even blog worthy, go to bed.

Nipple Piercing Comes to the Suburbs!

It's not just for street punks anymore. . . nipple piercing is just another Dad buy the pool, fashion accecessory. I had the priveledge of being at the pool about 5 hours this weekend (the girls STILL didn't want to leave), and was noting the tatoo trend now seems to be the bigger the better. Tongue, nose, belly - and now, looky there, nipple piercings.

I don't know, just not what I was expecting to see on 35 year old balding suburban dad.

6 types of toxic people

This one is for TZ. I told her that the really scary part about our mutual SNTXFBI___H is that she was all 6 of them combined! (They say everyone excels at something.)

6 Types of Toxic Friends and How You Can Deal with Them

(That's a link if you want to read the whole thing.)

1. The Promise Breaker
This friend constantly disappoints you or breaks promises, most likely because she herself was constantly disappointed during her formative years.
2. The Double-crosser
This negative friend betrays you big-time. It could happen when someone does something to hurt you, such as spreading a malicious rumor about you. Or it could be an emotional double-cross; for example, when a close or best friend stops speaking to you and you never find out why. If you do decide to walk away from this friendship, do it in a low-key way that avoids incurring the wrath of the Double-crosser. You do not want to be her or his next victim. (NO KIDDING!)
3. The Self-absorbed
Certainly the Self-absorbed is a tamer type of negative friend than the Risk-taker. Still, especially over the long haul, a friend who does not make the time to listen to you will eat away at your self-esteem. For you to feel good about yourself, and for your friendship to thrive, you have to be more than a sounding board. The Self-absorbed does not care; she listens to you only because she is waiting to speak.
4. The Discloser
When you say to this friend, "This is just between us," she nods her head but unfortunately that promise will last only as long as it takes her to get to her phone or e-mail. Although there should be an assumption of confidentiality and trust between friends, this friend can't help herself.
If you suspect someone has this trait, share an unimportant secret that you could live with her spreading and see how fast or widespread the confidence is shared.
5. The Competitor
A little bit of competition is healthy and to be expected. An appropriate amount of competition will motivate and stimulate. But too much competition between friends starts to destroy the friendship. One of the primary ingredients in a positive friendship is that one or both friends feel that they can be "themselves" and that they don't have to put on airs or impress one another. Competition implies a race in which one wins and the other loses; those conditions are quite the opposite of what someone typically expects in a positive friendship, especially a close or best one.
6. The Fault-finder
Nothing you do, say, or wear is good enough for this overly critical friend. However, if you are at your wit's end and willing to try one more thing before calling it quits, try finding fault in the Fault-finder.But beware: The Fault-finder might cut off your friendship forever rather than deal with your criticisms or even try to understand the larger message you are trying to convey.

Toxic Friends: Less Friend, More Foe

I just cut and pasted this in here for my own future reference. I love hearing that I'm not the only person that this has happened too, and remembering what friends really are, and really are not. (So next time I can be happy about bluntly saying, "no, I'm not going to waste any more time on that.")

Toxic Friends: Less Friend, More Foe

They put you down and expect you to pick them up, or drain the life right out of you for their own gain. With toxic friends like these, who needs enemies?

Friends are accepting; they make us feel comfortable. Friends are sincere: they will tell us when we are getting out of line. Friends are our angels in physical from: they see the big picture and give us objective advice. Friends care for us, root for us, support us, and share our history. Friendships permeate our lives, having an impact on our careers, marriages, families, children, health, and even our retirement.

“Friendships are important everywhere, and they have positive things to contribute to all areas of your life,” says Isaacs. “But that means they can also be toxic in any of these areas as well.”
Elizabeth Roberts had a friend she’d known for 23 years. Roberts had grown up with this friend in a small town in Maine, and while longevity in a relationship often speaks to its strength, in her case, it was quite the opposite -- the older they got, the more the relationship turned toxic.
“She was always putting me down,” says Roberts. “Whether it was out in the open and obvious, or a subtle jab, it was exhausting.” For Roberts, the friendship seemed OK, and she took the insults in stride. “I would mention to my mother or another friend something she said to me, and their responses were always, ‘What? She said that? Who says that?’” says Roberts. “And I would defend her. I would say, ‘Oh, she doesn’t mean it that way.’ But she did, and I just overlooked it.”
Whether it was the friend making a snide remark about Roberts short stature, or her weight, her clothes, or the guys she dated, their relationship was trademark toxic. “One of the characteristics of a toxic friendship is that the good friend feels she can’t extricate herself from the relationship,” says Charles Figley, PhD, professor and director of the Psychological Stress Research Program at Florida State University. “Whether it’s on the phone, in person, or from the friendship entirely, you feel like you are trapped, you’re being taken advantage of and you can’t resolve the problem one way or another.” That’s the hard thing about toxic friends,” says Roberts. “Sometimes you can’t be friends with them anymore. You can’t go from being really good friends with someone, to being not really good friends. Sometimes, you have to totally cut them out, which is what I did. — It got to the point where I couldn’t forgive her.”

Who's that big kid?

Martha, that's not YOU on the wrong side of the rope is it?

Old Fart Meets Ankle Biters.

Old Fart meets ankle biters.
For some reason the girls were very excited by the visiting ROBCHAZ! (Maybe it was the name.) They decorated their room, including a sign to Dad saying
"DO NOT TUCH" and "No TUCH tomorrow" so that he wouldn't clean their masterpeice.

I told Caitlin that Robchaz was an old friend of mom and dads, and she was all quiet for a while. So finally I said Robchaz is a different kind of name, huh?
"YES!!! YES It is!" (she'd been stewing on that one)
I told her he was a fun guy, and was a teacher for years and years, and now was retired. No more questions, hours pass.
Later she asked, "when are Nana and Papa going to be here with the new substitute? " . . .
It's just a Caitlin thing; that makes me smile.

Anyway, Robchaz is a great guy, and it was good to see him even for just 1 hour. Take Care Robchaz, best wishes and hello's to your family.

PULL!!!

Tug o War ! - A field day classic, dating back to the Olypians I'm sure. . .
I made it, just barely. These part time easy jobs so you can be there for you kids sure take alot of luck to get worked out. And a chess master level of plotting and forseeing possible snags in the tangled web you've been weaving.
SAHM's just make it look easy. SAHWPT's(stay at home working part time - doesn't have a ring to it.)

Caitlin was delighted that I showed up, so I'm very glad I made the effort.

Slow Night out here in Blog-ville

Oh it's been a funny day, and I don't really have time to blog it. Obviously no one else has either as I just did the rounds and found nothing new this evening. Busy busy time of year. I'm going to go find Rosie O'Donnells blog - I just read an article about her leaving "The View" - and since I find Elisabeth Hasselhoff (I know, that's wrong) to be annoyingly niave, dare I say simple, I thought I'd go check it out.

Kevin told me he likes to go to the bar sometimes because there's nothing to do there. (If he's home, he just thinks of things to do and can't just sit there.) So, going to someone else's blog will be my way of taking the night off.

Cousin Pete

Cousin Pete - first and probably last time we'll meet.
(Pete Schepar from Mom's elusive side of the family). What's up with that? Who knows. Anyway, it was nice to meet you Pete, and have this rather lousy picture take by a drunk wedding attender who said "everybody say SEX!" as he snapped the picture. I'm not thinking he got any that night, poor fella. This was at the Fort Restaurant. Kind of neat, quite a drive, very expensive, we can probably stand not to go back for another decade, - but, at least we got together.

I am Your Destiny. . .

said the Brownie Bottom Pie, to me quite loudly.

I'm off on a tangent. The WW meeting last night was about thinking about the positive and not focusing on your failures, but learning from them. (Which is a fine idea, good point, etc.)
But, just now I was reading how someone just refused to see anything but sucess. . . and call me cynical, but I'm sure she did put some effort into it, made some good choices, (this is a sucessful self help writter). So, she's saying she made it because she refused to fail. And I do believe you can greatly increase your chances by all of these positive things. . . I'm just saying, don't you think, maybe, there might have been just a little plain old dumb luck involved?

And then I was wondering about destiny, and whether or not I believe in it. There you go. Thought for the morning, other than my usual whoo hoo - it's Friday.