International Pickle Week

Happy International Pickle week

Are you aware that International Pickle Week takes place the last two weeks in May?
Well, please join us in the fun!Its a Pickle Party.

Click here for a week full of pickle events.

Click here for pickle poop.

Click here to send a Pickle themed Ecard

Click here for some fascinating Pickle Facts.

Click here for a movie on how pickles are made.
(The movie is actually quite cute)

Click here for step by step directions to make pickles

In honor of the occasion I thought I would write a few pickle related tongue twisters and invite you to give it a try as well.
Leave a comment with yours - if you dare.

Peter Pike decided to pick a peck of pickles for Patty Palmer in Pittsburgh.

Paul's pathetic pickles pale in comparison to Pikes Pickles.

For Sale

FOR SALE

ONE “MIRACLE SUIT”

Lightly used four years ago. I must admit it did a great job of sucking the old tummy, breasts and buttocks in, out and up. It accompanied me to a few of those special Navy events. I looked dashing at the Surface Warfare wives club in my Blue pantsuit. The "Miracle" pulled through when I wore that abhorant blue sequin dress to the Navy Ball. It even came in handy on the night that Jason and I went out for a dinner cruise.

I got it out Sunday . I really wanted to be able to wear that cute black dress that I once wore .

Apparently either I am no longer worthy of such miracles because as I slipped my right leg in ...
I became stuck. The miracle sucked itself right around my varicosities and wouldn't let go for love or money. Tragically, the family had gone ahead of my to church. I bounced around for what seemed like hours trying to undo the miracle. I even shimmied my way to the kitchen and tried to use a spatula to wedge myself back out. This, I imagine, was a site to see. After a bit of hard work, sweat and tears... I was able to pry myself out of its evil clenches. Err, I mean work myself out of its slimming powers.

Apparently, the miracle warranty no longer is working for me?

Available for the low price of 5.99

I accept Paypal, cash, check or promises of feeding my first born Thanksgiving dinner.

Whew - that was scary

I used to get a kick out of hopping over to one of my favorite blogs until one day I saw the following on her blog roll

THE PIKES seriously the funniest Mom ever

It was as if in that tiny, little moment in time my funny gland shriveled up and fell off.

For the life of me, I could no longer think in terms of funny. My funny moments no longer seemed blog worthy. The world was all serious and plain. I couldn't even come up with material for my Humor Anonymous meeting. My kids antics were downright depressing . I lost sight in the fact that somewhere in America an Aunt of mine or a friend of my mothers would think that the GI JOE placed in the oven that was incidentally found after I was preheating the oven would be funny. It certainly didn't seem like the "funniest thing ever".

Today I am pleased to announce that I am no longer the funniest mom ever - I am just plain

The Pikes.

In honor of that news , I will celebrate by bringing back the random photo of the day.

I love you Orange Peanut!! Lets just keep this whole "funny thing" on the hush - that is if it comes back . You should all take a stroll over to her website --- it is the CUTEST WEBSITE EVER!

Say its not so

My sweet Caroline.

Today I went to pick up the children at their school. (They go to school 2 days a week. )The mothers go through the little loop as the principal opens your car door and helps the children to get in and get buckled. I knew it was bad when Mrs. Eastman came along holding Caroline's hand. I knew something was up. I had one of those silent, pleading prayers going in the back ground. I tried to remind myself of her choir teachers comments earlier in the week; " I just love Caroline's style and sense of self. "

Mrs. Eastman helped Caroline into her seat and then came around to talk to me. I felt my throat tightening and the heat increasing ( It was over 98 here today)

" Mrs. Pike. We had a scary day at school today."

Me ( swallowing my throat lump. Trying to think of all potential things that could have happened) Really? What happened?

Mrs Eastman: Well it seems . . .Caroline got upset with a boy on the playground ( She motions a fist popping into the air)

the praying in the background of my brain continues............as out of the corner of my eye, I see Trey doubled over holding his mouth to prevent laughter coming out.

Mrs Eastman continues :When the playground attendant spoke to Caroline she became quite upset... After this happened, it was time to come inside for reading time. Mrs Pike, I assure you that I am counting all the time to make sure I have all of my children. Today, we were so excited to go to the seventh grade classroom for the sheep brain dissection that I didn't count right away.

a choir of angels begins with me on the petition that my angel was okay. She must have been okay. Here she was? Was I prepared to hear the rest?


Mrs Eastman continues : Pretty soon we were all seated around the carpet and I noticed that Caroline was missing. We began a search right away. After a short while, I found her locked in the bathroom.

the choir of angels offer me a comfy chair. I know Caroline. At this point I am imagining her standing behind a locked door screaming with her "someones stealing me voice" that the boy on the playground deserved every bit of it.

Mrs Eastman continues : Apparently she was tired as she had fallen asleep? Could you help me to emphasize to her in the future that she really needs to let Mrs Eastman know where she is going? I was really quite worried.

--------------------------

Later on at dinner, her father asked her about it.

At first she tried to change the discussion by saying;

" Dad the string in my red yoyo came out."

Then she tried to tell him

" Dad, I have already talked about this . I don't want to discuss it anymore"

Then she was told in a steady, calm voice that Dad would sit with her at the table, until he knew what happened

" Dad, I just have to go to the bathroom"

Then..she was reminded of how stubborn Daddy could be

" Dad, he was chasing my friends and I and I ACCIDENTALLY bumped him"

The discussion continued.

I have seen alot of things in my motherhood so far. I have seen blown up porta potties, mailmen ambushed by small boys, children begging for batteries and toys from neighbors, boys jumping from second story windows but.... I wasn't prepared to have my daughter be the playground bully , run away and take a nap beside the toilet.

Holy Stalker !!!

Okay, I am what they call an information gatherer. I will confide, when Jason is out to Sea ... I can sit and google people for hours on end. I really love the new technology - anything is possible. Have you ever looked at the Google World website where you can google your own address? KInd of scary, huh? We did it and it is completely unbelievable! Today my dear friend Ginger sent me this link. You enter a cell phone number and it will track your actual GPS location. It's called 'mobile phone tracker' and was first put to use to aid 911 responders. Using a satellite map, track any connected mobile phone with coverage anywhere in the world.

How cool is this for tracking your teens? I am all over this. Here is the link- click here.

Enter your own cell phone number to check it out.

Please excuse me for a bit

I am on to my next big adventure.
MT WASHMORE

I'll be back when I can see the garage floor again.

A good laugh

Today as I was returning from Trader Joes , Trey met me at the end of the driveway. He was laughing as he was saying, " Mom, I've got a good story for the blog." He got a hold of himself as he said

"Ally came home to get a piece of paper. She was in a hurry so she cut some guy off on the way into the neighborhood. She got home and ran into the house as fast as she could. About 5 minutes after she got home, the same guy pulled into the driveway. He walked up to the door and rang the door bell. Ally , was whispering "Trey don't answer it, I cut him off. I bet he's mad at me. "
She ran into the bathroom and hid. I didn't answer the door. Pretty soon he walked back to his van and got a clipboard and was walking around the house writing stuff down. Ally was freaking out. She was like, "hes gonna break in kill us because I cut him off ! Trey, CALL MOM NOW!!!" ( She was on her hands and knees trying to crawl on the floor to avoid being seen.)

I was like," Ally , chill its fine just shut up and go back in the bathroom and hide." I went out and said " Whats up? Can I help you?" The man said " Nah, I am here to do the paint estimate for your insurance company. I'll just take some notes and go back to the office and fax your parents the estimate." I came back inside and Ally was like "TREEEEEY ! What are you doing going out there talking to him????" I was like "Ally he's a painter." And then she said, " No, Trey thats just some story he made up. Trey I can't believe you talked to him!!? He's still out there. He's looking at my bedroom window !! Oh my Gosh, this is so scary."

After awhile he left and Ally went back out again. Mom, you've got to call her and tell her the cops are here. See if shell fall for it.

Me: " Ally, the cops are here. what happened?"

Ally: "Mom, I don't know . I swear. I barely cut some guy off coming into the neighborhood and he came to the house and looked at all of our windows, door jams and the roof. He took notes like he was real serious and everything. Mom, I am scared. Whyd he call the police? Who is this guy?"

Me: " Ally, he is the painter. He works for the painting company. Relax. Its all a joke. We were kidding you.

Ally: " Okay , Mom funny. But why did he call the police?"

A queen for a day

Okay, I feel downright guilty. On Saturday, I would have been perfectly happy with just having my day at Time out For Women. I would have called that enough. On Sunday morning , I awoke to the sound of a child in the kitchen preparing breakfast. I tried to imagine which one it was. One by one, I heard other noises happily joining in in the festivities. The best part was listening, and hearing the team work and laughter. At that point, I could have called it a day to hear those noises.

Within moments , I was served the most delicious breakfast...complete with a bouncing baby to share it with. One by one they gave me silly, serious and brutally honest cards that had me laughing and crying. I could have stayed all morning in bed feeling and hearing the joy . They were urging me outside. I went to the kitchen and what did I see but a lawn chair to lounge the days away in.

Soon, we were rushing off to church and as I headed for the door,
Ally said ,
" Wait Mom, I want you to read my blog" ( Bloggies you can click here)

I said,
" No your going to make me cry."
(I was resolute that with my new applied mascara, I was darned if I was going to cry. I read it and laughed. I laughed so hard that she looked at me sadly. I couldnt explain, that blog was just the sweetest thing ever. Then.. it hit me and I cried. Full on bawled.

Church went really well, and soon we were home to a delicious meal made by the family. While dinner was cooking, I "lounged" in my chair while the children tossed the ball in the yard and had jump rope contests. We laughed so hard that we could barely breathe during the jump rope contest. Trey - you kill me. The kids were all in the trampoline jumping and flipping when the bar gave out.... A little team work and they were back at it. Ally even scooped the babies poop out of the wading pool for me when the diaper gave out. Thats what I'm talking about... Phenomenal day.

Again, I could have called it a day. The Best day .

Then the children all spent 2 hours cleaning and polishing my car without the slightest complaint. While I lounged around eating brownies and reading a book.

What a day.

Later, the toothfairy even REMEMBERED to visit Caroline. She has been a few days backed up with orders. Must be a spring rush going on here in California.

I hope everyone else's day was just as wonderful.

Dedicated to my Mother, Wilma Gray

"Happy Mother's Day"

"Happy Mother's Day" means more
Than have a happy day.
Within those words lie lots of things
We never get to say.
It means I love you first of all,
Then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to me,
And that I honor you.

But most of all, I guess it means
That I am thinking of
Your happiness on this, your day,
With pleasure and with love

by Kay Hunt

I love you , Mom.

TIME OUT

*WE* had it all planned out. I say *WE* because thats how I thought it was , I later learned that I had the W upside down and it was really ME. ( sigh) Anyway, the plan was that I would sleep in on Saturday and then breakfast would be on Saturday because we have to wake up early for church on Sunday. After sleeping in and breakfast, my fantasy had the entire family helping me do some yard work and then we would all happily, hop into our family vehicle and go to Summers Past.

Saturday at 6:00 am the alarm went off...twice. I nudged the darling hubby and said rather grumpily " turn it off, we are sleeping in" . He did and he got up and got into the shower. I thought "thats odd, taking a shower before making me breakfast in bed...?" After he got his shower, he got ready to go to the boat with Wes. I roused my grumpy self out of bed and went out to get the baby a bottle as she called out " Baba" and did baby sign language. I opened the refrigerator door to exactly 1/8 of a cup of milk. By now, the natural woman in me is getting a bit mad. I may have even mumbled a bad word or two . I run to the corner drugstore ( BTW-when I "run" its in the car) and bought a gallon of milk. While driving, I had the best epiphany.

TIME OUT FOR WOMEN
IS IN SAN DIEGO

Hmm, ( I think) I wonder if they take walk ins ???

I drove home and did the turbo wash of the house ( with alot of help from my children), beg the kids to babysit and within an hour I am at the convention center parking lot counting out dimes for parking.

Within a short time, I am sitting at the feet (second row!) of the most amazing speakers and musicians ever.

Cherie Call

Singer, songwriter, and multiple time Pearl Award Winner

Click here for sound clips

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Mary Ellen Edmunds

Author

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Jason F Wright
author of New York Times Best Selling - The Wednesday Letters and Christmas Jars

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Kenneth Cope
(Scroll down)
a powerful musical artist.
Click here to hear his music
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John Bytheway
author , and an amazing, funny, inspirational speaker.
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And many , many more. It was incredible!
I walked away feeling so uplifted ...

funny how things work out.

Wow - What a surprise!

I tried this for fun today and what to my wondering eyes did appear ....LOL.
This must make ME a genius? and that must make all of you

GENIUSES

Wow impressive. Check out your blogs rating and comment about it.

Have a "brilliant" weekend and Mothers day.

I am planning on sleeping in at least one day, doing some yard work and maybe just maybe, going to one of my favorite places in San Diego. ..

Summers Past Gardens


( That would be a hint for my sweet children)

wishful thinking

A few years ago, Jason and I went and spent 10 days in France. I was pregnant and beyond miserable. If I pushed it at all, I began spotting and cramping . For most of the trip, I was high on the hormonal roller coaster and I missed the kids terribly.


Today , I sat thinking about our long country drives, discovering castles, the moonlight cruise on the Seine , watching the Eiffel tower light up, walking through museums, eating in tiny French bistros, walking hand in hand through the Louvre and spending a glorious afternoon in Giverny. I suddenly missed the time we had together, I missed long talks without interruption, I missed SLEEPING in. I missed time with my sweet husband.



IF a genie were to come and grant me one wish this afternoon. I would want to go back for 10 more days, one more time.

Thats not what I meant.....

Okay, I have the proverbial way of saying something and then having to back pedal because what went across the synapses of my brain and what I just HEAR come out my mouth are 2 entirely different things. I am often thinking that in a kind, safe world I would have come equipped with a pause and rewind button to combat those literal nightmares.

I received an email today with just such things (courtesy of a blog which calls itself, MoronLand) is a listing of some of the worst marketing ideas ever thunk up.

------------------

When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” The company thought that the word “embarazar” (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”..

Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: “Nothing Sucks like an Electrolux.”..

Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick,” a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that “mist” is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the “Manure Stick.”

.
Coors put its slogan, “Turn It Loose,” into Spanish, where it was read as “Suffer From Diarrhea.”

.
Pepsi’s “Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation” translated into “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave” in Chinese.

.
When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the labels of what’s inside, since many people can’t read.

.
.Frank Perdue’s chicken slogan, “It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken,” was translated into Spanish as “it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate.”

.
.When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new leather first class seats in the Mexican market, it translated its “Fly In Leather” campaign literally, which meant “Fly Naked” (vuela en cuero) in Spanish.

.
.An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope’s visit. Instead of “I saw the Pope” (el Papa), the shirts read “I Saw the Potato” (la papa).

.
The Dairy Association’s huge success with the campaign “Got Milk?” prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention the Spanish translation read “Are You Lactating?”

.
General Motors had a very famous fiasco in trying to market the Nova car in Central and South America. “No va” in Spanish that roughly translates to, “It Doesn’t Go”.

.
.The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as “Kekoukela”, meaning “Bite the Wax Tadpole” or “Female Horse Stuffed with Wax”, depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent “kokoukole”, translating into “Happiness in the Mouth.”

Somehow reading these made me feel better this morning..............

Wordless wednesday...pictures found in an old file

Mother

My 100 favorite parts about being a mother are:

1. Feeling tiny movements inside me and knowing that is MY baby inside
   
2. Holding that sweet precious bundle of love in my arms after birth
3. Thinking about the true miracle of the creation of a child
4. Those tiny fingers as you hold your baby to nurse
   
5. Baby kisses
6. those first steps
7. Messy . slobbery baby fingers on my clean shirt
8. seeing the excitement in my toddlers face when I walk in the door
9. Preparing a meal and hitting jackpot when they all love it
10. Hearing that first "I love you"
    
11. Watching them go to Nursery for the first time
12. Funny baby faces
13. Baby giggles
14. Hearing " Ma, Ma " for the first time
    
15. Little girls wanting their hair done
16. sitting together on Sunday in church
    
17. Little boys peeing on everything ...everywhere
18. Watching a child learn to write their name
19. Listening to a child learning to read
20. Hearing their first knock knock joke and the MANY more that follow
21. watching them play with friends
22. Having them come to you with friends problems
    
23. Hearing the occasional " Thanks mom"
24. Popping pimples ( okay so I have bad habits)
25. listening to sleepover discussions through the wall
26. Being there for them when the world seems all wrong
    
27. Seeing the joy in a child as they learn to tie their shoes
28. Seeing a child play their sport - and cheering them on
    
29. Being their for them when friends pass away unexpectedly
    
30. having someone believe in you because you believed in them
31. Holding your teenage daughter as she experiences her first broken heart
32. Being silly with them...toilet papering, pulling pranks, running through walmart
33. having someone believe in you because you believed in them
    
34. Watching my children be baptized
35. teaching boundries
36. long talks and long drives
    
37. teaching consequences of not following boundries
38. letting them learn from their mistakes
39. saying family prayer everynight and feeling the 3 squeezes ( I love you) from my children as we hold hands.
    
40. hearing them sing primary songs in the back of the car or shower
41. enforcing boundries
42. telling them time and time again that you are on their side
43. Being sick and realizing that your child is taking care of you...saying " son, you don't have to do this" and hearing " Mom you did this for me and you didn't have to. I love you. Ill take care of you."
    
44. hearing the young children say I love you to each other before going to bed
45. watching your son pass sacrament for the first time
    
46. sitting at sports through rain, snow , sleet and 110 degrees.
47. watching their eyes filled fill with delight on Christmas mornong
48. hearing from other parents when your child chose the right...
49. knowing that you have taught your child all that you know
50. holding your breath as they drive down the road...alone..for the first time
51. driving down your street as your roof and yard is on flames and hearing a child in the back seat say "It's okay. All that is important to us, is with us."
52. watching your child's testimony of God grow
53. forgetting to play toothfairy and having their sibling cover for you.
    
54. Hearing from your child that they plan to be a parent the same way that you did it with them
55. vacations, vacations, vacations
    
56. Hugs from teenagers
57. loving unconditionally
58. watching the excitement as the leprechauns throw coins at them on St Patricks day
    
59. hearing the older kids all laughing late at night after you were sure that they were asleep...tiptoeing up the stairs and finding them watching season one of Friends
    
60. crazy, serious and advice seeking texts from your teenagers friends
    
61. getting help without asking for it
62. toilet papering their friends houses with them ( okay I was look out)
    
63. breakfast in bed
    
64. Playing the birthday fairy and delivering balloons to their room on the morning of their birthday before they wake up.
    
65. realizing that your mother had it rough
    
66. seeing the sheer exuberance in their eyes and the light in their countenance when you pick them up from EFY
67. believing in them when it "seems" that no one else does
    
68. hearing from them that they MISSED you when you when they went to summer camp
69. the little things....like a clean house when you come back home from the grocery store.
70. when they make desert for the first time
71. walks with your daughter
    
72. when they learn to ride a bike for the first time and loving them even though they never learned to ride a bike ( Ally)
73. hearing them read their first Dr Seuss book
74. letting them go off to their first dentist or doctor appointment alone
75. the feeling ( of your heart in your throat) as you wave goodbye to your baby at the airport
76. tiny bouquets of flowers .....from the neighbors yard (oops)
77. watching them catch their first fish
78. watching them pack for their first boyscout campout
79. eating their first batch of cookies ... even though they are burnt
80. getting help in the garden just because they "wanted to spend time" with you.
81. watching the children learn to save , to budget for clothing, fun and cars...while those things are freely given to those around them
82. hearing the occasional "I'm sorry Mom"
83. having to say "no"
84. reminding them of the boundries that you have set and why
85. roadtrips
86. Mythbusters marathon
    
87. The joy in their face when they get their very own special birthday meal
    
88. sharing with my children my love of God, the Savior and the Gospel.
89. cheering my son on when he does a perfect gymnastics routine on the rings
90. watching as a child sticks up for a sibling at the cost of losing a friend
    
91. watching your daughter sing a solo
92. blowing up 30 bottles of diet soda in the church parking lot ....in the name of science!
    
93. babies in snowsuits and swim suits
    
94. sharing oreos with your daughter after a bad night out with her girlfriends
95. Allyssa
96. Trey
97. Aaron
98. Caroline
99. Gabriella
100. Having a husband as wonderful as mine
     

FREE RINGTONES from Pikes Pickles

These were posted by my favorite local radio morning show Jeff and Jer and I thought I would share a few of our family favorites.(My current new ring tone is Ring Ring and Allys is Hey Your Phone is ringing) These are sooo funny ! Trey thinks they are stupid( humph!)You can download them for free. I mean for the cost of a text message. Paige, you're gonna love these!

More from Jeff and Jer at Myxer

More from Jeff and Jer at Myxer

More from Jeff and Jer at Myxer

More from stacey at Myxer

Family Home Evening tonight is Geocashing

For family home evening tonight we tried out the new thing called geocashing. It is so simple you use your GPS to enter the latitude and longitude of where the "cache" is. You can find this by going to this link and enter your zip code to find the hidden treasures closest to your home.

The three simple rules of geocashing are as follows;
1. Find the cache and claim your prize.
2. Leave another cache prize behind.
3. Record the discovery in the log book.”

The best part of the entire evening was where I was able to liken real geocashing (seeking physical treasures) with spiritual geocashing (seeking eternal treasures). Using the Christ as our example and the Holy spirit to guide us to the eternal treasure. How cool is that?

A video on geocashing

Aaron and his friend Alex searching for treasure

Caroline
Ally and Caroline

Jason getting in on the search

Sweet baby Gabriella gets some attention while she waits in the car.

Cinco De Mayo

Happy Cinco De Mayo! In honor of today I have strung up a pinata up for us all to wack at.
Wack away!
___________________________

Now on to funnier matters. At the very bottom of my blog is a sitemeter. Scroll down and check it out. I put it on there so I could keep track of whos coming on, when and what they are looking at . I guess its a way of stalking my stalkers. Tee Hee. Really, I love my sitemeter.

Every now and then I click on it and scroll down to see whats bringing people my way. Today I had my stream of regulars coming in from their own blogs and bookmarked pages. I had a few folks coming over from THE BEST OF BLOGS ( Don't forget voting will begin next week) But I noticed that someone had happened upon my website by way of google. I clicked on the little information box and it gave me more information. They had happened upon my website by googling the following phrase

do pickles put hair on your chest

Hmm, I guess.... I need to address that question now so that if they really need to know the answer I can be the end all be all.

Do Pickles put hair on your chest?
What kind of question is that???

Makes me wonder if it was a 6 year old boy trying to see if his Mother was telling stories at the dinner table or a 30 something man trying to get some or......... a really large, hairy man trying to cut back on the hair follicle count on his chest ticulars. In any event lets refer to Wikipedia for the best answer to the question of the day .....

CLICK HERE

So according to wikipedia it appears that chest hairs are directly correlated to hormones (testosterone and not pickles) . I am sorry to tell you that you just might remain chest hairless for quite some time. Perhaps you should stop googling weird questions and get out there and enjoy life. Afterall, life is too short to wonder if pickles give you chest hair !

I have posted a few visuals to remind you of this day and the answer to life's questions .

Too many pickles?




Not enough pickles?





Pickle overdose or Mr. Vlassic himself?

So there I was

I was driving down the road with my " adventure boy" and his adventure accomplice and we see a giant geyser shooting up above the trees. We get closer and we see water gushing down the street, people rolling up their pants and going out into the water to play.

The adventure boy gets excited and says " Mom, can you take a picture of us in front of it?"

" Sure buddy, you guys hop out and I'll take a picture ."

The adventure boys says "Mom, you can even put this on your blog."


The boys hop out and I am aiming my camera phone.

"Okay back up. I want to be able to get the entire geyser"

The boys are smiling and posing for the perfect picture.

At this point - you really should click on the picture to see it in it's fullness.

When suddenly a man approaches me from the right and says

"Maaam, You oughta get those boys back, those two metal boxes are power grids and they are worried that they are going to blow."

GULP - Now that would have ruined our fun little adventure! Yet another time that all of you bloggies have been first hand witnesses to my losing the Mother of the Year award........

The Law of The Dump Truck

I got this sent to me in email the other day and it has had me thinking all week. Therefore in the fullest spirit of blogging - I thought I would share with you.

---

by author David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what’s important in your life.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, the car skidded, the tires squealed, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the other car’s back-end.

I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face. And he even threw in a one finger salute! I couldn’t believe it!

But then here’s what really blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that!? This guy could have killed us!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck™.” He said:

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on
you. So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier. So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said, “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.”

I began to see Garbage Trucks. Like in the movie “The Sixth Sense,” the little boy said, “I see Dead People.” Well now “I see Garbage Trucks.” I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time was Walter Payton. Every day on the football field, after being tackled, he would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Over the years the best players from around the world in every sport have played this way: Tiger Woods, Nadia Comaneci, Muhammad Ali, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, and Pele are just some of those players. And the most inspiring leaders have lived this way: Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.

See, Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from the University of Florida, found in his extensive research that you remember bad things more often than good things in your life. You store the bad memories more easily, and you recall them more frequently.

So the odds are against you when a Garbage Truck comes your way. But when you follow The Law of the Garbage Truck™, you take back control of your life. You make room for the good by letting go of the bad.

The best leaders know that they have to be ready for their next meeting. The best sales people know that they have to be ready for their next client. And the best parents know that they have to be ready to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses, no matter how many garbage trucks they might have faced that day. All of us know that we have to be fully present, and at our best for the people we care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their life.

What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here’s my bet: You’ll be happier.

A trip to the Doctors office

Aaron and Caroline both had a physical this week.
They were so silly while waiting for the Doctor that I had to take a few pictures. Both of them got 2 shots in both arms and Caroline didn't even shed a tear! I am so happy- trust me , that is HUGE. See if you can spot them in the pictures. They were sitting there joking and I said " Hey let me take some pictures"

Aaron said " OH NO SHES TAKING THEM FOR THE BLOG!"


and they both at the same time, thought of the following pose......

UPDATE

If the following post were to be "real" and it probably, most likely isn't. The answer to the twently million dollar question was B.

Hypothetically speaking...

Hypothetically ( of course) lets say that a certain author lived in your neighborhood and you knew her and her family well enough to have spoken on the phone a few times seen her at numerous church events . She's kind of that perfect woman who seems to have it all figured out so, you naturally feel a little not so perfect in her midst. Nothing that she has done you are just truly in awe of her accomplishments and her "style". Now, lets say that you just happened to be rummaging through your husbands briefcase (in a completely innocent wife way) and came across one of her books ? Lets say that it had wear as if it had been read?

Which of the following would you infer if you were the hypothetical wife?

A) Your husband was trying to avoid being strangled?

B) Your husband was going to try and share with you how to avoid strangling him without being strangled in the process?

C) He was trying to avoid strangling me?

D) Perhaps the hypothetical wife should read the book herself to cover all possible bases.

THE PUSH GAMES

I've kept you updated on our friends Bob and Ryan doing The Push Games - This totally awesome video was shot by Jeremy Miner. You have to check it out - its awesome! 23 Extreme sports in 18 hours including the mountains, the desert and the beach. For more great shots of the events check out their blog and their website .

The Push Games Highlights (HD) from Trend Media on Vimeo.

Can I have one tiny little nervous breakdown?