Photo of the Week: Junior Firewoman!

Well hello again!

It turns out actually working full time AND taking care of my sweet Pie AND the housework and chores and all the other stuff I have to do makes blogging a just bit tough.  Am I giving it up? No way! I'm just asking for your patience and support as the quantity of posts isn't what it used to be. Hopefully there are a couple of you out there who still read MLWP. :) If so, I love you!

So I'm returning gradually with the Photo of the Week, which comes from Anna's recent fun day at our local fire station open house. We've had so many adventures since I last wrote! And there's so much to talk about - the election results (here's to the presidential and marriage equality results, especially!), new developments in our preschooler's world, plus funny new video and pics, and the list goes on.

Hopefully I will get to those things soon because I have really missed writing. Until then, I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and I still love this blog and I hope to see you again with more interesting stuff soon!

Anna and Beary check out the fire truck

Best Fashion Show Ever

Yes, this is a parenting blog. But sometimes I have to stray just a little bit off script to bring you something really cool. So that's what I'm doing today.

I really enjoy the "Humans of New York" Facebook page. If you haven't yet seen it, check it out here. HONY captures the diverse, energetic, and sometimes downright weird energy that permeates New York City. You will see the city and its denizens in an entirely new and entertaining light.

Sometimes, I glance at these photos as they appear in my news feed and simply chuckle as I am scrolling by, but other times, I just have to click the photo and learn more about the subject. That's what I did when I saw this photo today.

Photo from advancedstyle.blogspot.com

Photo of the Week: Sunflowers!

I am enjoying the first little taste of fall in the air, but I have to admit I enjoyed seeing a bit of summer coming to life even so late in the season.

Earlier this year, Anna planted some sunflower seeds that had come in an adorable Dora the Explorer flower planting kit. We watched them sprout slowly inside, and then transitioned them to a larger pot on our deck.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Friday Fun: Memorable Quotes

Here's the latest from the mouth of our precious and precocious preschooler:

• Anna (as I pick her up from day care): "Can I please have a baby sister?"  Me: "Umm, no, honey, these things are really complicated."  Anna: "But I promise to take good care of it!" ...and I'm sure "it" would be fortunate. But I don't see that happening!  

Adventures in babysitting with our friend's adorable little girl!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

Whether we like it, change is all around us. The season is about to change, the colors of the leaves are about to change...and my life is about to change too.

Before Anna came along, I had a full-time, demanding litigation job. I continued that work until she was about a year and a half old, and then, when I realized we would be raising her for good, I knew I needed a change. I took a job that was "mommy-friendly" - Fridays off, flexible scheduling, etc. That way, whenever Anna was sick, I could be there. If her day care was closed, I could be there. It was the perfect thing for that time in our lives.

Anna loves her beach time....

Photo of the Week: End-of-Summer Fun

Hope you all are well-rested after the long holiday weekend!  I can't believe the end of summer is drawing near. While I admit I am (mostly) looking forward to the changing leaves and cool air, I will be sad when it's too cold for trips to the playground. Here's some end-of-summer silliness for this week's Photo of the Week.

Stay tuned for more fun stuff!

Friday Fun: The Culinary Efforts of Mediocre Cooks

There are some of us who are amazing in the kitchen. You know, those people who can just take various ingredients, add a little of this and a dash of that, and (with no recipe), produce some delicious, restaurant-quality concoction.

I am sooo not one of them!

I can make fairly basic meals - spaghetti (with jar sauce, of course) and (frozen) meatballs, chicken fajitas, roast beef that sits in a crock pot all day and cooks itself, Indian chicken Tikka and rice (again, with jar sauce), eggs and (microwaveable) bacon.....you get my drift.

If it's easy, there is a recipe, and many if not all of the ingredients are prepackaged, I'm all over it. And thankfully, Anna is too young to realize I'm not really talented in the culinary arts.

How NOT to Fail

I came across this piece on Forbes.com entitled "Ten Reasons Why We Fail." It's a must-read in my book. And one of the most interesting things I took away from this piece is that a common thread ran through many of the ten listed reasons that can explain a lack of success.

What is that thread?  It's our own limiting beliefs.

By using the term "limiting beliefs," I mean that we often are our own worst enemies because we don't believe that we can achieve what we want to do for various reasons. And our own mindset often becomes our reality.....which is why cultivating the right mindset can really be the key to our success.

Photo from www.gcsd.k12.nj.us

Photo of the Week: Happiness is Warm Laundry!

Some chores I try to do when Anna is at school or when she's asleep. Not so with laundry, though. Anna always accompanies me to the washer and dryer to help me load and unload clothes, and I'm grateful for her interest in helping. But her favorite part comes when the laundry comes out of the dryer. She hovers eagerly as I take the basket of clean clothes upstairs and dump it out on the bed or couch. Then - wham! She attacks the pile with gusto.

I have always loved putting on freshly laundered, warm clothes just out of the dryer. But that's not enough for Anna - she just jumps right onto the pile before I can fold anything. If she could actually fall asleep this way, I wouldn't mind putting off the folding!

Friday Fun: That Witch Is Wise

Happy Friday, all! For this week's end-of-week amusement, I will share this hilarious picture I saw on Facebook last week, which speaks for itself.

Not only do I love The Wizard of Oz, but you just can't argue with Glenda the Good Witch. Have an amazing weekend, everybody!

Tattoos: They're Not Just for Sailors and Convicts Anymore

Tattoo.  Just the word may conjure up all sorts of images in people's minds. In the past, many people for some reason associated tattoos with sailors or prison inmates or gang members.

Popeye! From free-extras.com

However, the art of tattoo is becoming more and more mainstream with time. Now, it could be that your doctors, your kids' teachers, and heck, even your lawyers (cough cough) have tattoos.

Why am I writing about this, you may ask? Well, for one thing, tattooing should be recognized as the art form it is, and the importance of self-expression to so many of us should be respected. But I also think (as with so many things) that dispelling myths is important. After all, not every tattooed person has visible ink. And, because more and more people are getting tattooed today, it's important to withhold judgment. You just never know who might have a tattoo.

Maybe this guy just saved your life. (Photo from thetattooedengineer.com)

Photo of the Week: The Joy of Carousels

So here we are in the middle of the week, chugging along sleepily...which makes this the perfect time for a very animated Photo of the Week. This was taken last Friday. After Anna was an amazingly good girl at a doctor's appointment, I took her on her favorite outing: lunch at the mall's food court chicken teriyaki restaurant and a carousel ride. It doesn't get much wilder or crazier than this!

Stay tuned for a post about tattoos and more in the coming days!

Doctor, Doctor

Every parent understands the stress of taking a child to the doctor. You may be worried about him if he's sick, or worried that she will have a terrible reaction to a shot. You wonder if your child will sit still long enough for the doctor to even listen to his or her heartbeat.

What you should not have to wonder, however, is whether your doctor will actually treat your child, and do it well.

Photo from www.sheknows.com

Friday Fun: The Alien Crab Invasion

Happy Friday! Hope you enjoy this latest foray into the amazing place that is the preschooler imagination.

Anna:    I had a dream about a crab.
Me:    What happened in your dream?
Anna:    The crab was taken away from its mom and dad.
Me:    Who took it? [This is the part where I expected to hear "seagulls".]
Anna:   Aliens. They took it in their spaceship because they wanted a curtain.

??? (from showerail.co.uk)

Photo of the Week: First Braids!

As we end the month of July - which I still can't believe - I'm sharing this week's Photo of the Week, which is sort of a milestone photo for us.  Anna has gorgeous, curly hair - which is both a blessing and a curse in her eyes, especially after a bath or shower when it's time to comb it. In those moments, she always wants a haircut.  However, there are plenty of other times when she wishes her hair was long enough to put "ponies" in it or do other fun things with it.

So, when it was time for a trim last week, she had me ask her stylist if she could do something "special" with it to make it more fun. Here's the result:

Loving my braids!

Anna was SO excited about her very first little braids (complete with pink and purple sparkly beads of her choosing) as we drove away from the salon, and she loves to show them off. She may want to get them all over next time - this time, we just got a few to try them out. We're all excited to see what awesome things she will be able to do with her hair in the future. Her smile says it all - she's thrilled!

What gets me, though, is that this photo makes it even more apparent that she's growing into such a big girl so fast. She looks older in this picture - and beautiful as always. Sometimes I wish we could freeze time!

Friday Fun: The Secret Life of Dolls

Anna is in the throes of her Disney princess phase. So, recently when we were at a friend's house for a play date, Anna's friend let her borrow Rapunzel and, in return, Anna let her borrow her talking Ord the dragon.

Our schedules have prevented us from getting together since, so the girls haven't yet had a chance to trade back their toys. So, Rapunzel has decided to settle in and keep herself entertained until it's time to go home. She retained Uncle Keith as her stylist and decided to branch out into edgy territory....imitating Lady Gaga.

Check her out! Does Gaga have some competition in the weirdness department here??

Why Are We Still Just Talking About Gun Control?

Last week's deadly shooting in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" is fresh in our minds. As we watch the media coverage of grieving families and shocked residents of a peaceful town, and as we begin to watch the legal fallout play out as the gunman faces criminal charges, inevitably, people start discussing gun control. What I want to know is, why do we even still have to discuss this?

Why don't we actually DO something about it??

Photo from saf.org/lawreviews

Photo of the Week: Smart Sheep!

I recently chaperoned Anna's day care class on their field trip to a farm. I love hanging out with those kids! They had a great time seeing goats, chickens and roosters, pigs, cows and sheep. One of their favorite parts of the trip (aside from eating ice cream at the end) was seeing the baby sheep and their mom.

On this farm, there are various feeding stations where, for a token, you can get a handful of yummy (I hope?) stuff to feed the animals. Sometimes they can eat out of your hand, and sometimes you have to put the food down a chute instead. Obviously the animals love to get as much of the food as they can.

One, in fact, was so eager that she bypassed the kids feeding her altogether and went straight to the goods herself!

Hey, who needs tokens?!

Hey, I guess if you're a new sheep mom, you can do whatever you want! Watch and learn, babies, watch and learn.

Friday Fun: Photo Shoot Bloopers!

As anyone with a young child knows, picture time is often difficult for little ones. Anna typically is a ham - she loves to pose and say "cheeeeeeese!" with a giant, toothy grin. But we had never had real family photos done until we had a photo shoot with a pro before the adoption. And boy was it.....fun.

I am NOT having my picture taken!

It's In The Way That You Use It

No, this isn't just one of my favorite Eric Clapton songs. It's something I'm trying to work on in my own life when I try to turn lemons into lemonade. It's advice I would give to a friend, it's something I need to remember for myself, and it's something I need to model for my daughter.

Life throws us a lot of curve balls, and that's putting it mildly. Some of us have more than our fair share of challenges and sorrow. But, no matter what kind of issues we may have - some decidedly beyond our control - the one thing that is NOT beyond our control is the way that we react to them, manage them, accept them, cope with them and maybe, just maybe, better our lives, not in spite of them, but because of them.

It really is in the way that you use it.

Beautiful rainbow (taken 7/1/12)

Photo of the Week: Order in the Court!

I'm (belatedly) going to start this week off with our Photo of the Week, which comes from Anna's recent adoption ceremony.

She LOVED being in court (not many people can say that! haha), and especially loved being the "bailiff" who escorted us to the witness stand. After it was over, she then got to meet the judge, sit in his chair, and use his gavel! She was so excited.

After it was over and the judge left, she was sad that all the excitement was finished. Then, Anna asked to go hug the judge, who was already back in chambers. He obliged. I imagine it must be nice to preside over such happy days in court rather than the all-too-often contentious ones!

In the elevator on our way out, we asked Anna if she might want to be a judge someday. She looked distressed and exclaimed, "But I can't change my body!!" Heidi and I looked at each other, puzzled, until she clarified that she thought you had to be a boy to be a judge. Didn't we set THAT one straight, and quickly!

The Wisdom of Dr. Seuss

Recently, I came across an article on the Huffington Post entitled, "Dr. Seuss: 10 Life Lessons from the Legendary Children's Author."

Now, I don't know anyone who's not, at least on some level, a fan of Dr. Seuss. And that's good, because I'd seriously wonder about someone who hasn't been entertained or touched in some way by his amazing children's stories.

From The Lorax, which teaches about human impact on the environment, to Oh, The Places You'll Go!, a popular milestone gift at, for example, high school graduation, Dr. Seuss' messages are uplifting and meaningful and, yes, fun.

So check out the list and then let us know - what would you add?

Happy Friday!

Photo of the Week: Our Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Anna and I were both very excited that Uncle Keith came to visit us last weekend! We had a great time swimming in the lake and playing outside in the yard.

At one point, we brought out Anna's tunnel, which usually takes up space in our hallway. Anna's Grammie gave it to her, and for awhile, our cat Tika actually used it more than Anna did! But Anna now loves to crawl through it. So, when she asked Uncle Keith to carry her, he willingly obliged. As he carried her and she wiggled, she became our own little Very Hungry Caterpillar!

The Best Day of My Life.

Yesterday was a day I wasn't always sure would happen. A day that I have envisioned and dreamed about for some time, but which was not a certainty. What would happen, if it did occur? What would it feel like?

Well, the day I have dreamed of for a couple of years now has finally arrived. I am Anna's legal parent. So is Heidi.  Yesterday, Heidi and I adopted her, and so the law has officially caught up with the reality that we are Anna's parents. Needless to say, we are both thrilled.

Family photo, June 2012

It's Okay to Say No

Really, this title could apply to a number of things: saying "no" to requests or demands for our time, so we don't extend ourselves; saying "no" to our kids when they shouldn't have or do something; saying "no" when we're asked to give money because we just don't have it.

But, those are all topics for other occasions. Today, I'm writing about an article that I read on cnn.com about telling our kids that it's okay to say "no" to relatives and friends who may want their affection.

This is something I'd never thought about, but it's an interesting and important thing to consider. The author of the article suggests that not only is it uncomfortable for our kids when we insist that they hug a grandmother or uncle even though they don't want to - but it's also sending a very negative message. It's telling our kids they should do things they don't want to do with their bodies just because they are asked to do them.

And that's just not okay.

Photo from seniorjournal.com

Recipe For Fun: Backyard Beach!

There's something magical about summer. We want to soak up the sun, relax and sometimes get wet.

The actual beach

The problem is that many of us, myself included, often suffer from a deplorable level of laziness. Which brings me to a recent, warm and sunny weekend afternoon, during which we wanted to be outside but couldn't pick between the beach, the park, the dog park, or the lake. Since all of those options required more effort than any of us cared to give, I came up with an alternative:  the backyard "beach."

Photo of the Week: Spider-Girl!

I'm sure many of you have secret superhero identities. I'd divulge mine, but, well....it's a secret, right?

Anna also aspires to superherodom. (Is that even a word? Probably not, but I don't care.) Last weekend, we attended our local Pride festival, where she was delighted to find a face painting booth.  It took her about two seconds to choose her design. May I proudly present:

SPIDER-GIRL!

The hardest part of being a superhero for Anna (aside from sitting still for the painting process) was remembering that if she rubbed her face against anything, she'd quickly lose her Spidey-ness and turn back into a mere mortal 3 and a half year old girl. She made it a good 6 hours with the makeup intact!

Stay tuned for further adventures of Spider-Girl in the future, if you dare!

Friday Fun: Adventures of Crazy Felines

Happy Friday! We've (okay, I've) been slacking on our Friday Fun these past few weeks, but I've been saving this one because I love cat antics.

The back story: in order to install a dishwasher in our kitchen, we had to have some of the cabinets beneath our counter gutted. Because the cabinets were not intended for this, there remains a slight gap between the bottom of the dishwasher and the floor.

Personally, I could care less about this from an aesthetic perspective. I'm just glad we have replaced our old "dish washer" (me) with this machine that saves me lots of time and energy.

Our cat, however, finds this to be a source of continual frustration.

Photo of the Week: Road Trip Friends

This week's Photo of the Week is definitely an oddball. Recently, Anna and I visited a local coffee shop that sells a number of essentials other than caffeinated beverages - including magnetic finger puppets.

Predictably, Anna decided she wanted one of the puppets. At first, she attempted to choose a figure that looked like the devil, which of course I immediately vetoed. She then chose this, a much better selection:

That's right, folks, we're now the proud owners of a magnetic Gandhi finger puppet. If nothing else, it presented an opportunity to teach Anna something. And it was nice to have a friend along on our journey to visit Uncle Keith last weekend. :)

Were They Really The "Good Old Days"?

This one's for all you working moms. Yes, there are many working dads as well, but I'm venturing back into ye olde 1950s for this post, when most men worked and most women stayed at home with their kids. No gender discrimination meant.

Recently, I read a newspaper article about a working mom who started a company that provides contract legal services. She has a part-time job and also manages her company, all while raising two beautiful young children. The article discussed how her company fills an important void because it enables professional women - and men - (lawyers, in this case) to use their professional skills in a way that allows them to earn money while, at the same time, it creates a better work life-balance for them. Work and time with your kids....and they said we couldn't have it all.

My Birthday Wish

Today marks the beginning of my journey on the slippery slope that is the latter half of my thirties, my entry into a new demographic category, as I can no longer choose the bubble for "19-34"......yes, I am turning 35 today.

I am choosing to look at this questionable milestone with a glass-half-full perspective. Just for today, I will try to look at myself through Anna's eyes. So, I have but one birthday wish for myself:

May I always be as intelligent, invincible, wealthy, energetic and impervious to injury as my daughter thinks I am.

Welcome to 35.....

Have a great day, everyone!

A Little Morning Outrage

The title says it all. And when you finish reading this article, I bet you'll feel a little morning outrage too.

I hadn't even finished my first cup of coffee when I came across this ridiculous story about a mother who left her five-week-old baby - strapped into a car seat - on the roof of her car and then drove off. ON THE ROOF. And she DROVE OFF.

First of all, why the hell would you put your child on the roof of your car to begin with?! And second of all, how could you drive away and "forget" to put your kid in the car - and not realize it until you got home? Seriously?? Thankfully the baby, who fell into an intersection still in the seat, is "okay," though I'm not sure how that is possible. A miracle, I guess.

I'll keep my comments about how tragic it is that some people can reproduce to myself.

It's Our Anniversary!

Happy Monday!

I just wanted to start off this new week by noting an important milestone. Yes, Heidi and I are very happy to have celebrated our 7th anniversary on Friday, June 1, and we're really proud of that. But I'm talking about the blog - we have an anniversary too!

June 1, 2011 was the first day I posted anything on My Life With Pie. I had a vision of what I thought the experience might be like, but I never could've imagined then that it would be as fun and as challenging as it's been to maintain this blog. I didn't know whether my words would resonate with people, how large (or small) an audience I'd have, what the response would be, how much material I was capable of generating - it was all a big question mark.

Photos of the Week: Adventures in Babysitting!

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had an enjoyable long weekend.

While I'm mentally getting back into the blogging groove, I thought I'd share some cute Photos of the Week with you.

This past weekend, we enjoyed babysitting our friend's daughter - and Anna helped! Check her out:

Cool, a real live baby instead of a doll!

Friday Fun: Owl Butt!

That got your attention, I hope!

Those of you who are my Facebook friends might have already seen this, but I thought I'd share it with the rest of you and also provide the back story because I'm still amused by it.

Anna used to have nighttime pull-ups with owls on them. They had princesses too, but some had owls and moons on the butt. Every night, she would go through the stack and pick out the owl ones. When we would eventually run out and were left with princesses, she would whine and say, "I wanna be owl butt!" Unfortunately, for some reason, I can no longer find those pull-ups, so we've settled for Cinderella ones.

What Rejuvenates You?

As I stare at the computer screen before me, my tired eyes squint because it's taking my utmost effort to concentrate. Sometimes the letters blur in and out of focus as my eyelids attempt to close. I'm not giving in, but I've gotta tell you, it's hard. And coffee isn't enough to help this time.

Recently, my family and I have had some good things happen to us, which has been a much-needed happiness booster. Yet, like so many things, there's the high.... and then the crash. Last week was amazing. And I'm still happy, but the lethargy is starting to creep in again. There is a tiredness in my bones. My adrenaline sustained me for awhile, but it's flagging now.

Zonked after a day at the beach!

The Fight for Fair Maternity Leave

You know, it's amazing how I never have to wonder what to write about for long. Not only does Anna provide pretty much constant amusement and inspiration, but so do my awesome Facebook friends.

Today as I was drinking my coffee and skimming my FB news feed at my desk (it's part of my morning wake-up ritual, don't judge), I came across this article thanks to a link posted by two of my friends. Everyone should read it because just about everyone is impacted by this issue in some way, shape or form. Yes, we're talking about paid maternity leave.

Ahh, baby days

Photo of the Week: Our Spin on a Fairy Tale

Happy Monday!

We're kicking things off this week with our photo of the week, taken on Saturday night as Anna and her pal Izzy B were playing in the yard. We grownups were relaxing on the deck with our kids in their summer clothes when they disappeared. Moments later, they resurfaced like this:

And this was just the beginning of the backyard antics, from tricycle ride to the Princess attempting to walk the Froggy on a leash. Who needs the movies when your kids provide this kind of awesome entertainment?!

We love our real-life Princess and the Frog!

Friday Fun: Adventures in "Reading"!

I absolutely love it that Anna has gotten to the stage where she will attempt to "read" books to me at bedtime, or "read" them together. The other night, as I was getting ready for bed, I found Anna already relaxing and waiting for me (shocking!) and reading to herself.

Chillin' with her new book

 

New Recalls - Yikes!

We now interrupt our otherwise fun and thought-provoking messages for this important recall update. I got an email about this yesterday - it concerns Banzai inflatable slides.

 

Perhaps you, like me, haven't reached the level of success with which comes your own real, in-ground backyard pool, for which you may want a slide like this. If you have - you rock! If not, your kid may go to a friend's house or other event where they have one. Just in case, please be aware of the danger of side deflation that causes injuries. This kind of thing can happen with those large inflatable slides at summer fairs and carnivals as well.

For more recall news, please see this list of the major recalls issued in 2011.

Photo of the Week: My Buddy

This week's Photo of the Week comes from Mother's Day. We actually celebrated a day early so that I could prepare for an important seminar/ presentation coming up on Monday. So my Mother's Day was largely spent in my basement "fun room," which has, ironically, also turned into my home office. Kind of ridiculous, isn't it?

I worked swiftly and in quiet surroundings for awhile....until Anna became so upset that I was down there that she insisted on coming down too and keeping me company. And I do mean insisted. She really is my little sidekick. It brings to mind the song in the TV Commercial for the toy "My Buddy" when I was a kid: "My buddy, my buddy, wherever (s)he goes, I go....."

I told her she could stay with me if she played with her games and toys and understood I was working. She agreed. Then thirty seconds later, she asked, "Can you play with me, Mom?" Somehow, I knew this would happen.

So we played for a little while and then went upstairs, grabbed the iPad, and brought it down for her to watch Pink Panther cartoons while curled up in a chair in sweats and comfy slippers. It's clear who got the better end of this deal!

But after that, my work - companion and all - went swimmingly. And I enjoyed the company.

We've Come a Long Way, Baby!

As everyone knows by now, last week President Obama made history when he became the first United States president to voice support for gay marriage.

I know, I know - detractors will say he did it as a calculated move to help his re-election efforts. Except that doesn't entirely make sense, given that we LGBT folks can be a political hot potato. Many moderate and even liberal politicians are (pardon the pun) closet supporters of gay marriage but don't have the guts to express that publicly for fear of not being re-elected.

Photo from chinasmack.com

Then again, it's always been hard for people in high places to stand up for civil rights at first, hasn't it?

Happy Mother's Day!

We here at My Life With Pie would like to wish all you hard-working, amazing moms out there the happiest of Mother's Days! Enjoy some well-deserved time for YOU and celebrate all you do to take care of and raise your wonderful kids.

Couldn't ask for a sweeter Mother's Day present!

Friday Fun: Little Picassos!

Happy Friday!

The other day while dropping Anna off at day care, I had the pleasure of spending some time with her little friends as well. They are such adorable kids! Anna decided she wanted to draw me a picture to bring to work, and then a little boy walked up to me and gave me a picture he had just drawn and said, "This is for you, too!" (I know the names of everyone in Anna's class but I don't publish them without talking to their parents first so we'll keep them anonymous this time.)

Anna's pic on left, 1st little boy's pic on right

No More Distraction

Distraction is inevitable....to some extent. Ours is a fast-paced world that prizes productivity and multitasking, so finding ourselves distracted at times from the task at hand is unavoidable.

Except when it comes to our kids, that is.

You see, the kind of distraction I'm talking about is the technology-induced, smart phone-related kind. It's the temptation we all seem to have (yes, myself included) to check our Facebook account or e-mail or text messages with an often ridiculous frequency. Let's face it, there's probably nothing new from your last check-in a minute ago.

And, more importantly, while you're reading notifications and status updates and junk e-mail messages, your kids are there, waiting for your undivided attention.

Do they get it?

Other than for picture taking, we really don't need phones at the beach...

Something to Consider

Continuing with our recent self-improvement theme, I found this gorgeous photo with a lot of even better things to say. It touches on the things I discussed last week in the posts "Get a Life!" and "Finding Me."

Instead of beating ourselves up for our past mistakes or hardships, we should be proud of ourselves for learning from them and for persevering despite what we've been through. Something to think about, as we try to look forward rather than backward. Have a great day!

The Hard Is What Makes It Great

I'm sure some of you recognize this quote from the movie, "A League of Their Own." Tom Hanks portrays Jimmy Dugan, the manager of a World War II-era women's baseball team. He's trying to talk his star player, Dottie (played by Geena Davis), out of giving up the game mid-season to go start a family. When Dottie says things just got too hard, Jimmy replies:

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard...is what makes it great."

I've thought back to this quote a number of times over the years, especially when I've doubted myself or my ability to get through something. I've reminded myself that nothing worth doing is ever that easy, and that sometimes the best things aren't supposed to be easy.

The hard is what makes it great.

Hanks & Davis, "A League of Their Own" (photo from classic--movies.blogspot.com)

Photo of the Week: Hey Batter, Batter!

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.

We're kicking off another work week with our photo(s) of the week. Having been a big baseball fan in my younger years, when I encountered a giant plastic bat and ball at the grocery store last week for only $3.50, I couldn't resist.

Anna was so excited to get home from school to find the bat and ball waiting for her. Thankfully, it was a lovely evening so we could practice in the yard. I should get her a tee when I'm able to, but in the meantime, hopefully this bat is fat enough that she can learn to hit with it!

My little slugger!

Friday Fun: Going Buggy!

Now that spring really feels like it's in the air (well, sort of), Anna is eager to play more outside. I'm sure that's true for just about every kid. But besides the typical things - drawing with sidewalk chalk, going to the park, playing ball, riding bikes - what sorts of fun mischief can we get into?

Photo from crochet4aprincess.blogspot.com

I just read an article with a creative answer: make a bug jar!  This sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'd have wanted to do when I was a kid. I loved playing in the yard and seeing what I could find. I think my favorite discovery when I was Anna's age was a frog that peed in my dad's hand. I screamed but it was really funny. Some things you never forget.

I also loved trying to see lightning bugs and catch them. Just picturing it, I can almost smell the warm, summer air. It was worth the risk of mosquito bites to see those little lights illuminated against the night sky.

Anyway, I'm going to reproduce here the steps set forth in Hannah Boyd's article from Education.com, but feel free to improvise.

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What You Need:

• A large jar with a lid
• A small screwdriver
• A hammer
• Leaves, twigs, grass, etc.
• A small notebook
• Colored pencils

What You Do:

1. Hold the pointed end of the screwdriver vertically against the lid of the jar, and tap the other end with the hammer to poke small holes all over the lid. Watch your thumbs!
2. Go outside with your child and find some twigs, leaves, and grass. Stock the jar with those and sprinkle a couple drops of water inside. You might also want to add in a tiny chunk of fruit.
3. Now for the nitty-gritty fun part! Help your child search your backyard for bugs. Encourage her to look under rocks and logs, on trees and bushes, and anywhere else you think you might find a little critter to capture. When she finds one, help her catch it. Add the bug to the jar and cover it with the lid. Start with just one bug.
4. Hand her the notebook and the colored pencils. Invite her to draw a picture of the bug. Then ask her what she sees going on (the bug is on the leaf) and what she infers from that (it's hungry!). Ask her to write down her observations. If she's not writing yet, take notes for her; otherwise let her wield the pen.
5. If she wants to keep observing the bug, let her do so but be sure to set the critter free by the end of the day.
6. Over the week, try to find different bugs to observe and keep notes on the observations of them all. Just be sure you release them when you're finished!

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Sounds fun, doesn't it? It's not rocket science, but this is why I scour the web for stuff like this - I'm too tired and overworked to come up with stuff all the time. And there are all sorts of fun things out there! So, enjoy, and feel free to let us know how the bug experiment went with your kids!