While sitting here, thinking of topics, it occurred to me that I hadn’t blinked.  Not sure how long I went without blinking, but it was a long, long time.  I am pretty sure my computer blinked first and therefore I am the winner.   Just sayin’.

Since I am still ridin’ high from my stare-the-computer-down victory, I’ve decided that today, I will share with all of you (yes, ALL of you… all 3 of you… I like to think of it as our little club… sounds elitist huh?… which one of you is going to work on our secret handshake/matching attire?  I vote we go with a color theme – obviously we can’t do red hats or else we might end up in a turf war… wow I don’t think I’ve blinked the entire time I’ve typed this…I’ve grown quite fond of using the … today, haven’t I?)…

Where was I?  Oh yes, I am going to share with all of you some random pictures of various items in my house.  (That felt pretty vague, huh?)

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#2

#1

#3

Picture #1, 2 and 3 - Laundry needs to be done.  Can you tell what I will be doing tomorrow?  Pictures 2 and 3 sort of make it appear as if I am currently doing laundry, but don’t be fooled.  They both went in their respective machines some time over this past weekend which means that the washed load at the very least has to be re-washed.

And hiding behind the tour o’ clothes are the bathroom mats that the cat suddenly decided made for a better litter box than his actual litter box.  Suppose I will be washing all the bath mats from all 3 of the bathrooms, just to be safe.   I don’t mind doing the laundry, it’s the folding and putting away that I have issue with.   Anyone have a spare laundry fairy?  My son does what he can to help the situation – preferring to run around in his underwear – but I don’t think we are going to be able to adopt his methods as the family way.

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#4

#5

Picture #4 and 5 - Magnets on my fridge.  I don’t know when or where I got these, but they do make me laugh…although lately the laughter has been a bit more panicked sounding… things will pick up right???

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#6

Picture #6 – This is what is left of my birthday pedicure (and coincidentally, I took a picture of my left foot).  The big toe is lookin’ a bit rough after today’s trip to the beach with my dear friend Shannon, so I think it might be time for another trip to Wausau for some toe time.  Who’s with me??

And getting a pedicure would mean that I could also have lunch at my favorite new restaurant, Basil.  The food here is amazing!  I am totally in food love with their garlic ginger salad dressing.

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#7

Picture #7 is of one of my favorite signs in our house.  (It’s sitting on the player piano that we have.)  I say these words almost every time that I walk by the sign which is a great reminder to me that even the smallest gesture can make a difference.  My son is starting to become aware of words all around him, so I cannot wait to introduce this sign to him and get him thinking about ways that he can make a daily difference.

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#8 (Vase was made by a friend of my husband's.)

Picture #8 – Flowers my son picked for me yesterday.  He is often picking me flowers which I think is just super sweet of him.  In addition to flower picking, he also likes to collect bugs and is constantly asking me for yet another container in which to put the newly captured bug.  Sometimes the bugs are my gifts… oh be still my heart (not!) but he informed me today that he would never gift me a spider because I wouldn’t appreciate it.  Right you are, my son, right you are!

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#9

Picture #9 - (This one’s for my friend Eileen.)  This swing is 5 years old.  We purchased it in 2005 when my son was born.  It was a great swing – low the ground, lights up, plays music – and my son slept in it often.  This swing still has the sales tag attached to it.  I KNOW!  It’s been 5 years.  I don’t know what is wrong with me… I am HORRIBLE about removing tags from items that I purchase.  For years we had tags on all sorts of items around our house… items we had every intention of keeping.  My friend Eileen helped me by cutting a few tags off, and for a little while, that little act of intervention seemed to be helping or maybe I just didn’t buy any items with tags on them for a while because it really did seem like the number of tags decreased, but I am afraid I might need serious treatment because even after I took this picture last night, I just couldn’t bring myself to take the tag off.

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Picture #10 – Brenna in her jumparoo for the very first time.  (Eli wasn’t about to be left out, so as you can see, he snuck himself in at the bottom of the picture.)

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Hope you enjoyed this bit of randomness, and I really am sorry I didn’t have something more substantial to offer you.  I hope that all of you enjoy the weekend, spend some quality time with those that you love, and make a point to reach out to someone who may have drifted away lately.

Random Items In My House is a post from: Deliberate Legacies

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

And now the picture…

Image Property of TeddytheDog.com

Note:  I am not affiliated with TeddytheDog.com nor do I earn any sort of reward (monitary or otherwise) for listing their website, showing their product, or otherwise promoting them.  I just thought the shirt was REALLY funny and in my present circumstances, I need all the laughs I can get.

Friday Forwards – Video & A Pic is a post from: Deliberate Legacies

Credit for this forward (which I was going to post on Friday but clearly didn’t)  goes to Charlotte Latvala and Parenting magazine (comments in italics are mine).

Reasons to Celebrate Dad

1.  Someone needs to deal with the “some assembly required” stuff.

2.  Who else would dare face that black, fuzzy spider under the basement stairs?  (I creeped myself out just typing that sentence.)

3.  His shaving cream comes in handy for rainy-day kid crafts.  (Also comes in handy when I want a really close shave on my legs but find that I am out of my “with aloe vera” lady’s brand.)

4.  He has an amazing ability to cheer up a cranky child merely by tossing him in the air. (Or by singing Black Sabbath’s song, Iron Man.)

5.  He’s happy to discuss the finer points of old Road Runner and Coyote cartoons with the kiddos.

6.  No one else ever seems to know exactly where the bicycle-tire pump is.

7.  He insists that you look even better than you did before you had kids. (And if he’s lying, he does it really, really well.)

8.  Amazingly, macho man though he is, he doesn’t mind having his nails painted bright pink by an enthusiastic pre-school manicurist.  (His time is coming!)

9.  He doesn’t make fun of you when you do yoga in the living room.  Well, most of the time.  (In our case, he will not laugh when I am working out with Maya our Wii Personal Fitness Guru and will even call her names and tell her how evil she is just so that I don’t have to.)

10.  Fatherhood looks sexier on him than you could have imagined.  (WAY sexier – but please, Marc, don’t shave off the goatee again.    )

Happy Father’s Day, Babe!!

Just a Few Reasons to Celebrate Dad is a post from: Deliberate Legacies

Top Ten Oscars YOU Ought to Win

1. Music (Original Score) – for teaching your kids to sing the real version of “Jingle Bells,” not the one where Batman smells and Robin lays an egg

Ok, I have to confess that it’s nearly June, and I still catch my 4 year old singing the Batman version of Jingle Bells and it always makes me smile.  Should note that his daddy taught him the song, not me.

2. Best Director – for organizing a monthlong PTA fund-raiser that actually raised funds… slacker parents andthe recession be damned

3.  Makeup – for applying under-eye concealer to avoid looking like the Crypt Keeper after a sleepless night tending a croupy kid (and/or spouse)

I am NEVER going to win that award.  Do I even own concealer???

4. Art Director – for getting the kids to make a “Welcome Grandma” banner without a signle fight breaking out over using the red crayon

5.  Best Supporting Actress – for sitting on the bleechers every Saturday, just to cheer like crazy for the seven minutes your son makes it onto the soccer field

This I can relate to… cheering my little heart out at a recent soccer game only to see my 4 year old son running behind everyone pretending to be a T-rex (waiving his hands like claws and growling).

6. Sound Mixing – for talking loudly enough that your tween actually heard you over the iPod… and, in fact, listened to what you had to say

7. Sound Editing – for stealthily removing the Care Bear’s batteries, then telling your son that Tenderheart lost his voice and needs to rest a day

8.  Costume Design – for the Hannah Montana getup you made your daughter from a mop head and cheap jewelry minutes before the Halloween parade

9.  Cinematography – for catpuring five full minutes of your family on video during which no child sticks a finger up his nose or crosses his eyes.

10. Picture of the Year – for the one you snapped of your husband and kids…the one that reminds you why, craziness aside, this is the happiest time of your life

Top Ten Oscars YOU Ought to Win is a post from: Deliberate Legacies

This week’s forward came from my father-in-law, Jacques.  He’s a smart, funny, retired university professor and quite possible the best father-in-law in the entire world.

Random Thoughts

I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer’s history if you die.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Was learning cursive really necessary?  (Note from me:  Jill Savage and I were just talking about this very thing on Monday.  My handwriting has suffered terribly since the dawn of computers.  I have retained just enough to be able to fill out a check with lightening speed.)

Map Quest needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my own neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.  (Note from me:  And I’d like to add – how they lived or gave an indication of what they wanted others to learn from their life.)

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions often make good stories.

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to the ten-page paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

“Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this — ever.

I hate it when I miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang it!)but when I immediately call back it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

Happy weekend everyone!

Random Thoughts is a post from: Deliberate Legacies