Public Service Announcement

Under no circumstances should you apply Chapstick, lip balm, or any other ointment to your lips prior to cutting grass on a windy day.



You're welcome.

Happy Memorial Day!

I know traditionally Memorial Day is a day to remember all of the fallen soldiers who have fought to keep this country safe. As a matter of fact, I just learned that Memorial Day was first observed after the Civil War to remember the Union soldiers who had died in trying to keep this nation as one. Since then it has expanded to include all servicemen/woman who have fallen in the line of duty.



But, this being said, I also think it is a good day to remember the living soldiers and the living soldiers' families who make sacrifices everyday to make sure we stay secure. So, I am sending a shout out to all of our military men, women, and families who give up their safety to secure mine. Thank you a million times over! (Special thanks to Jessica and Jessica's family!)

Whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not, the fact remains that these servicemen/women have to do what the commander in chief tells them to do, regardless of their personal beliefs. And so, they put their fear, their plans, and their dreams aside to go off and protect the rest of our families, dreams, and futures.

And for that I SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day and enjoys time with family and friends. I know we plan to!

A Stroll Along Lake George

About a month ago, Brian, the kids and I went on a long weekend to Lake George, New York. I had never been to this part of the state before. I had been to Syracuse and New York City, but never to this spot. Brian had a business trip and he decided to let us tag along and make a weekend out of it. Our hotel was right on the lake, although we had a mountain view, not a lake view, so when Brian left for his meeting, the kids and I went for a walk along the lake:



Lake George is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world, and is known as “The Queen of American Lakes.” The 32 mile long lake, which is fed by mammoth underground springs, includes 109 miles of shoreline, about 300 islands, and covers an approximate area of 44 square miles. The lake, 320 feet above sea level, varies in depth from 1 foot to 195 feet and in width from one to three miles. People are amazed to learn that the mouth of the lake is located at Lake George Village and that the outlet is to the north at Ticonderoga. Lake George is in fact, 210 feet higher by sea level than Lake Champlain located farther north in the Adirondacks. This is a natural wonder, since the water from Lake George empties through Ticonderoga Creek into Lake Champlain at a total fall which surpasses that of Niagara Falls.



Because of its huge expanse and depth, Lake George can handle very large private and tour boats for cruising along the lake. Unfortunately, the tour boats were not running until May 1 and we were there at the end of April! Darn. We will just have to go back one day...



The Minnie Ha-Ha is one of the tour boats that wasn't quite ready for action :0(










Ty and Ladybug at the end of the pier checking out the lake. It was fairly clear in the shallow parts and they enjoyed watching the fish.



I will post other parts of our trip this week...it was too much to upload all in one day.



So, I will "see" ya later...

*I will be posting pictures from this series on my photoblog this week. Check out the sidebar for a link.

For more information on Lake George, visit this link.

Know What I Hate?

Sorry to any parents out there who are all "oh, let's let everybody win" when their kids are in sports. If you are one of those parents, please don't read any further or you may get offended.

I hate it that my 9 year old, third grade daughter is still playing on a softball league that doesn't let anyone get an out.

That's right. There are no outs. The whole team bats through and then they switch and the other team bats through.

Even if someone makes a legitimate out in the field, like Ladybug did at least 5 times during the game tonight, it doesn't count. The runner still stays on base.

This kind of play belongs in T-ball. Five and six year olds need to be taught where to throw the ball, how to swing the bat, and how to run the bases. But 9 year old girls need to sit down when they are thrown out for heaven's sake.

If they wanted to still let each girl bat, that is fine. But at least when the defense makes an out, have the girl sit down. She needs to start to learn that sometimes you get on base and sometimes you don't.

Why are we so afraid to disappoint our kids? Disappointment is a fact of life and if we don't teach them this with the little things in life, like sports, then we are doing them a disservice.

They need to learn that an out is an out. That when you are out, it was a really good try, but that is the rule and maybe next time you will get on. When they feel sad or disappointed because they get out, GREAT! It is a learning experience in how to feel that emotion, embrace it, and MOVE ON! There is always another inning...

When will we teach them this? When they play high school sports? By then they are so used to "winning," they have no idea how to deal with rejection or how to play with good sportsmanship.

Isn't that a disservice to our children? It is the same philosophy as the parent who never says "No" to their child and then can't understand how they raised a selfish, egotistical child.

Arrrghhhh!

:0)

Have any thoughts on the subject? Agree...disagree? I don't mind either way as long as we have a respectful discussion about it. I welcome comments!
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Sorry about that! On a happy note, I received another postcard today for the 50 States Challenge! Yippy! Thanks to Marky, I received a postcard from Pennsylvania. My kids are loving watching the star stickers fill in our Unites States Map! Thanks Marky! The card is beautiful. I will be featuring her card and Jessica's cards from Washington state tomorrow on iPost. So, check it out! Oh, and my Mom called today and signed up for a Virginia postcard! Yeah Mom!

*Author's note: The above rant is in no way reflective of my feelings towards Ladybug's coach. I respect him immensely. It is a problem with the league, not the coach.*

I Died and Went to Seattle

It is wet. And damp. And chilly. And I'm sick of it.

I feel like I died and woke up in Seattle. This month we have gotten a record amount of rain. Since we have been keeping weather records in Baltimore, this has been the second wettest May in history.

In history, people!

I guess I am being a bit harsh comparing Baltimore's weather to Seattle. Baltimore's weather is actually WORSE than the rain averages in Seattle, THE Rain City.

According to my sources, (yes, I have sources) the months for the most rain in Seattle is December and January, both coming in at an average rainfall of 6 inches.



Baltimore? We have had Over 7 1/2 inches of rain so far in May. Over 4 inches more than average. And May is not over.

*sigh*

I wonder if the kids will get to fit in Field Day at school tomorrow.

It was already rescheduled from last Friday. Because of rain.

The forecast is calling for about a 20% chance of rain tomorrow.

But with our luck, we will be in the right spot for that 20% chance.

Maybe instead of Field Day they could have Swamp Day. They could run races through the muck and maybe throw in a match of mud wrestling.

Anyone got any extra umbrellas?

The Importance of 100

Today is my 100th post. I felt like I should commemorate this occasion with a look into why 100 is so special.

Why is 100 so important?

1. It is the square of 10. (10 x 10 = 100)
2. It is the basis of percentage. (Per Cent= Per 100)
3. It is the sum of the first nine prime numbers. (2+3+5+7+11+13+17+19+23=100)
4. It is the sum of the cubes of the first 4 integers.
5. It is the boiling point of water in Celsius degrees.
6. It is the number of years in a century.
7. It is also the number of tiles in a standard scrabble set.
8. 100 episodes is generally the benchmark for a television series to become syndicated.
9. The United States senate has 100 senators.
10. It's a heck of a lot of money. Okay, not really now days, but I wouldn't turn it away...



Another reason 100 is important is because we all want to live a long, healthy life to be 100. What is your life expectancy right now? Check out this life expectancy calculator and see how old you are expected to be! My life expectancy is 84. Not too shabby, but I'd like to be closer to 100! (On a side note: According to the test, I could add half a year to my life by having a bowel movement every 1 to 2 days. Just thought you would want to know that since I am pretty open about poop around here.)

So, how did you do? Leave me a comment and let me know what your life expectancy is. How close to 100 can you get? Answer the questions honestly and don't cheat!

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50 States Challenge Update: (Since 50 x 2 = 100 I thought I could squeeze this in without ruining the theme. Sneaky, aren't I?)

Hooray! I received my first reader sent card yesterday! Thanks to Karmyn, I have now moved Oregon to the "Cards I Already have" list! Thanks Karmyn! I will be featuring her card over on iPost later today, if you would like to see what she so generously sent.

I am still looking for many, many states. So, check out the sidebar and if you do not see your state listed and would like to participate, please contact me at the email address ipost[at]live[dot]com! Thanks a million. Or should I say, "Thanks a hundred million!"

Pads and Pooches

As you know, much of my life consists of scooping some type of animal poop or another. This morning I was scooping dog poop in the front yard and was disgusted by what I found.



No, the poop itself did not disgust me. I am too used to poop by now. It was what was in the poop.

As I was doing my job, a flashback to a conversation I had earlier in the week with my husband occurred. I remembered him saying to me, "Your dog missed you again."

Huh? I was confused. I know my dog is extremely attached to me and basically hides and cowers under the bed until I return home, but something in Brian's tone made me realize that something was different.

"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued.

"He ate stuff out of the trashcan when you were gone," he explained.

"Oh crud, " I said, thinking that he meant Buddy ate the leftover table scraps out of the trash can.

Brian said, "You don't understand. He ate your things." The look of disgust on his face made me realize that I had emptied the trashcan that sits next to the toilet into the bigger trashcan earlier that day.

And there were some not-so-pleasant-female-necessities in that trashcan.

Oh dear.

Oh DEAR!

Blech, yuck, GROSS!

But, as many things do these days, the conversation quickly left my brain.

I was wondering why, until today, Buddy had been laying around and not acting quite himself for the past two days.

Now I know. According to his poop, he was waiting for his stomach and intestines to digest the unmentionables. And finally he is feeling better.


But now I am not feeling so good after having to scoop it up. *shiver*

Want to reading about other shocking things dogs have eaten? Check this out.

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50 States Challenge

Update: As of right now 9 lovely ladies have offered to send postcards to us from 10 different states! Who knew how generous people are?? Thanks...a million times thanks! Check out the sidebar to see who these fab women are.

If your state is not listed yet and you would like to help my kids and me reach our goal of getting 50 postcards from all 50 states before the end of the summer, please contact me at ipost[at]live[dot]com. That way I can send you my address via email! Thanks again!