Adventure and Attitude

Can small tiny little things really plunge you into a pit of despair? I am living proof that yes they can. (or at least the little things can throw me in the pit) It snuck up on me.  I wasn't expecting it at all.  It was an ordinary day that began in an ordinary way.  Tyce climbed on my head around 6am like usual and woke me up from one of my odd dreams.  This one happened to be about men in tuxedos who were really sharks - like the fish shark.  Once they walked down the steps and into the water they sported fins and gills.  One even tried to take a bite out of my calf!  Anyways....  He continued to talk non-stop about me making him snake cages and catching frogs while he snuggled my head until he declared that his pee had to "hatch"!  By the time I got in the shower Lola had also joined in on the non-stop chatter.  While her brother talked about the frogs that would hop all over the house in the summer she talked about what dress she wanted to wear to school and her

I can freely admit that I love attention.  I love to be the center of attention from time to time and don't mind having all eyes on me (unless of course it is an embarrassing situation..)  So yesterday I was pretty excited about all of the attention I was getting! :) Tyce and I took to the schools and went and volunteered in his siblings' classrooms for the morning.  I love doing this, but towards the end of the two hours it gets hard to read with five year olds when you have a four year old hanging on your neck for 20 minutes asking when we can go home!  I love knowing the kids' names and having them so excited to see me as it means a special one on one time!  Even attention from little ones is adored by me! After a quick run to the grocery store, my niece was dropped off for the day.  She was sick and couldn't go to her normal care provider.  This is another reason I am thankful to be home and available!  She is such a sweetie and even with a double ear infection

Having children guarantees you will sometimes have to suppress your instincts and try to go with the flow. Yesterday the boys asked to go explore the field behind our house.  I was happy to encourage this as the alternative was for them to continue to run around and rough house inside!  Having four boys and the dog all running and screaming around me wasn't all that appealing! (no - we haven't added more children = friends were over - I'm not completely insane - yet...)  So they geared up in hats and boots and marched outside. A little while later in a rush of mud and squeals they stormed through the door!  Something was pushed up to my nose before I could focus on what was happening.  As I tried to focus on one piece of chaos at a time I realized that I was nose to nose with a skull! Yes, the boys found bones in the field, carried them home, and presented them to me.  Lovely!  This is a time to suppress that first instinct.  The skull was carefully placed in the gara

Growing up we always sang in the car.  It stared off with my Mom and Dad putting in a cassette tape of one of their favorite groups.  We listened to Beach Boys, Air Supply, and Chicago just to name a few.  As kids we heard the tapes so many times that we could tell you the complete order of each of them!  As we got older we wanted to listen to our own music so we soon had our own cassette decks with ear phones.  You know the foam earphones?  I think they were orange on the end.  Anyways, that didn't work out too well...  I have two sisters and we all wanted to listen to our songs. We would sit in the car and one of us would start to sing.  The other two girls didn't like being able to hear a sister singing over their music so before you knew it all three of us were singing a different song.  Because no one wanted to be able to to hear anyone else we all began to sing louder and louder and louder until my parents couldn't take it any longer and demanded we all turn off our

Harvard Business School Network Marketing Criteria Read This Before You Start Your Home Business A high percentage of work from home opportunities are in network marketing. Most home based businesses fail for a variety of reasons, none more critical than getting in at the wrong time in the company's life cycle.  Here are some important things to know before you venture into this type of home business. Network Marketing or Multi Level Marketing (MLM) is being taught at more than 200 colleges including Harvard Business School. After extensive research into the network marketing industry, Harvard Business School developed 3 criteria that a network marketing company must have in order to make it a desirable opportunity. They are: 1. The company must be at least 18 months old. 90% of all network marketing companies that fail do so in the first 18 months of operations. Lack of adequate financing and inexperienced senior management are two of the more common pitfalls of start up c

What do you get when you fill a room with three energetic children, about 8 adults over 55, and whoopie cushions? It's not a trick question or a joke.  It is just a day in my life. :) While we were in Florida, we celebrated Jackson's birthday.  Grandma and Grandpa invited friends over during their normal happy hour for cake and ice cream.  One of the friends gave each of the children a good old fashioned whoopie cushion. My children had never seen one before so after it was blown up and the first volunteer sat on it, well..... let's just say there was no going back!  I can't begin to describe the eyes that lit up, the huge smiles, the belly laughs, and the excitement that was displayed!  And that was by the 55+ crowd!  Tyce went from victim to victim and gave them orders.  "Stand up.  Close your eyes.  Sit down."  Being the good sports that they were, each person acted surprised and embarrassed and Tyce laughed just as hard the first time as he did

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but my children don't seem to fear much.  I try not to be too skidish with insects and other creatures, but I can't even stand the thought of a snake (my hair just stood up on end right now) and all three of my kids will try to catch them and snuggle with them!  This holds true for any living creature, actually I should say that it holds true for any creature - the kids are ok if they are dead as well!  It seems that the creepier the creature, the more hugs my kids want to give it! (I haven't figured out if this is because they want to turn my hair grey or because that is just how they are!) While we were in Naples, Florida we were able to get up close and personal with an animal that I would not consider snuggly or cute, but if you ask Lola she will tell you that it is super cute!  Tyce wanted to bring one home as a pet with him!  I am talking about alligators. A snake Our first encounter was off a road in the Evergla

When you venture away from your home for a vacation it can be a gamble.  Will you have good weather?  Will your accommodations be clean, comfortable, and affordable?  Will you be able find good food to eat?  Will everyone have fun?  Will you be able to relax and not be too stressed out about keeping everyone happy?  Will there be crowds of people to worry about?  The list can go on and on and on! Recently, we took a "work vacation" with the children.  I call it a "work vacation" because we both did business while we were away, but mostly played.  We went to Naples Florida for part of our "work vacation" and to the Tampa area for the other part. We took a gamble bringing the children on a plane and with our accommodations, but I have to say that it was a fantastic trip and I can't wait to go back! The plane ride with children is pretty self explanatory!  I do think (I'm knocking on wood at this moment in time because I may be jinxing myself r

Whenever we go to the Gulf in Florida we head to a little Greek town called Tarpon Springs.  It is famous for its sponge docks. For decades fishermen have been going out on boats and harvesting sponges.  Off of these docks you can also take boats out to learn about harvesting sponges and you can go deep sea fishing.  The docks also offer many shops and restaurants.  At the very end of the docks there is a small aquarium that offers shows with sharks, alligators, and snakes!  You can also feed sharks and pet sting rays.  The aquarium is small but it is worth the stop! OPA! I made Ry stop in Tarpon for two reasons.  One was to go to Get a Guru and pick up some fabulous soap that I love (they have awesome bath fizz balls too) and the other was to go to one of my favorite restaurants to get my favorite dessert!  Stuffed Grape Leaves One of my favorite restaurants of all time is Hellas in Tarpon Springs.  The service there is unmatched!  You will never wait for a thing!  The

Airplane travel is always an adventure whether you go with children or not.  Often times I am taken away with the kindness of strangers while I travel.  I have had people help fold strollers, hold bags for me, and offer to let me cut in line.  I always appreciate these small acts of friendliness, but sometimes strangers can be a bit too friendly and accommodating. On one particular flight I was traveling alone and was seated in a middle seat.  The window seat was occupied by a middle aged gentleman and the aisle seat was occupied by a woman with her baby on her lap.  He was a cute little guy who spent his time tearing up magazines and playing with my hair. As the flight lagged on, the baby became tired and snuggled into his mother.  I leaned forward against the seat in front of me and was facing the aisle when the stranger next to me became a little more friendly. A conversation would have been great, but he took it a few steps too far.  He began STROKING MY HAIR!  I am being c

Each Valentine's Day I practically drool over those heart shaped boxes.  I love those delicate chocolates each filled with a different delectable flavor! Ryan used to have a gentleman who brought in a box every Christmas to his office that somehow landed up in my hands!  Those chocolates didn't last very long and even if I didn't particularly care for a flavor, I still finished them off!  Sometimes Ryan didn't have a chance to even try one!  I have to confess that at times I probably turned into something quite close to the Cookie Monster in how I devoured those treats! It's true that with those chocolates you never know what you are going to get until you bite into it.  That is of course unless you are a kind, sweet, older lady who adores my husband.  Each time I see a box of chocolates I drool and then think of this story. (the chocolates make me drool - not the story) Ryan had a business meeting one day with an elderly woman.  She has a similar love for fin

Let's face it. Having children is expensive. They are worth every penny, but they are costly.  I know that it is important to spend time with your spouse away from the kids, but when the babysitter costs you more then it does for you to actually have dinner together it can be a little hard to justify that time! Good News!  I have found a solution! You just need super fun cool neighbors and a little modern technology! This is my idea:  put the kids to bed and then go into the garage.  It doesn't matter if your garage is all cement and filled with dirty snow banks from your tires like mine.  It doesn't have to be fancy by any stretch of the imagination.  You only need an area that is away from the children that makes you feel like you somewhat left your house where you can laugh loudly and not worry about waking someone up!   Just set up some lawn chairs in the garage and if you live in a cold climate put them around a heater and then invite the neighbors to come over

Surf Style in Clearwater, FL - huge store!! While in Clearwater Florida, we stopped in a beach side store, Surf Style .  It was filled with the typical beach fare like towels, souvenirs, and clothing.  There were two things that I found rather unique about this store and one of those things was a bit of a shocker to me! Who said you can't surf at Clearwater beach?  Now, no matter what the weather, your age, or experience, you can learn to surf and enjoy hanging ten.  (I sound like an advertisement!) The FlowRider ® is a self-contained, sheet wave pool that mimics the appearance and action of big surf. Beginners start out using skimboards and with a little practice can advance to chasing the thrill of aerial maneuvers and kickflips.  We witnessed instructors riding skimboards with pupils on the waves.  It looked like a ton of fun!  Next time we have the kids with us in Clearwater this will have to be a stop for all of us! FlowRider The second unique thing I saw in the stor

The kids love eating outside and having picnics.  When we are on vacation it is always a special treat to bring a bunch of snacks and sandwiches to the beach.  We have found out that this can be a dangerous event! I know you wouldn't think it to look at them, but seagulls are dangerous wild animals!  While sitting on the beach munching on a sandwich, Jackson was caught off guard when a seagull swooped out of the cloudless sky and stole his food right from his fingers!  He had a bleeding wound from the beak of that flying rat to prove it!  My nephew has been attacked as well.  What wild animal so boldly approaches people to steal their food?  Even domesticated dogs will often hang back before going after food in a strangers hand!  When I was young I remember going to the beach and my sister ending up with seagull poo on her head!  These creatures are nasty and there are just way too many of them! My mom calls seagulls flying rats and is all too happy to have a permit to take a

I love staying in hotels!  It is so fun to have someone else clean up after you.  Hotels mean meals out and no dishes!  Unfortunately, hotels can also mean loud neighbors or alarms that go off in empty rooms before the crack of dawn! Recently, Ryan and I stayed at the Westin in Tampa Florida .  It is a nice hotel.  It was clean and I thought it was well staffed until I had a little run-in with a girl at the front desk. Our room was on the tenth floor and we had a slider that opened to a small ledge with an iron railing.  The view was gorgeous!  Ry opened the slider to let in the warm ocean air only to lean on it and get the scare of his life!  The railing was loose and when Ryan leaned on it it gave way so he felt like he was falling to his death!  That is not a fun feeling! When we went down to the front desk, I told the girl there that our railing on our balcony was loose.  She told me the hotel didn't have balconies.  True.  So I rephrased my statement.  The railing on th

Last week Tucker was fixed.  This was part of the agreement that I signed when I adopted him from the rescue and I really have no desire to deal with a hormone souped up dog! Unfortunately for my little guy, his testicles never descended so the surgery and the recovery were a little bit more in depth then the normal procedure is.  He has two massive cuts that extend down his belly.  Apparently they had to do a little searching to find what they were looking for!  As a result, he has staples over the incisions.  This also means that he must wear the cone .  The cone of shame . I feel like the cone is the equivalent to the Scarlet Letter .  Everyone knows what the cone means.  He won't stop licking himself!  Of course this is natural thing for a dog, but for us humans it's not really embraced and encouraged! When I put the cone on this is what Tucker did: He sat there FOREVER!  Poor little guy! I didn't help by laughing as he tried to go through the house bumping