Friday, September 29, 2006

Born to be Bad?

These are my angels who, on occassion, put on their devil horns. However, they are really very good kids.

As I caught a glimpse of the news this evening I heard that there was yet another school shooting. This is so sad and it made me think about that kids and adults that do these horrific crimes. My question, as broad is it may sound, is how do "good" kids turn into "bad" kids/adults?

I believe that every human is born to be "good", so what makes some turn out to be "bad apples" (sorry- I have eaten a lot of apples lately)?

In my daily ventures at work I run into some pretty shady individuals, and since I do not believe in conspiracy theories, how did these people turn out so "bad"? Were they "the kids not left behind?"- no punn intended Georgie. Or is it much more simple, in that low expectations were placed on them by the people around them or perhaps they were bullied. I do believe that good people can and do fall into difficult circumstances, but why are some able to rise above and others take the road that should not be traveled...I do not believe there is a simple answer. Perhaps one day there will be an understanding and answers.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Organic Dog

Teddy Monster
No kibble for this four legged friend. Amongst his attempts at eating wood chips, pizza from the table, paper from the garbage, are my au-natural dinner preparations for his poor, sick tummy. Go figure sick tummy after all of those additives.

So for my Teddy boy's dinner preparation last evening I laughed at my attempts to heal his previous "bad-eatens" for the week. The dinner preparation included boiled ground beef and brown rice, four carrots, cranberry powder, and three tablets of glucosamine and chondroiten.

I think our beast is eating healthier then us, hopefully his tummy heals soon.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Magical Fall Day

Today was a magical fall day, near perfect weather and despite the ups and downs of toddler-hood, almost turning four and puppyhood my family co-existed quite well. So I thought of a poem to commemorate this beautiful fall day...

The Magic of Fall Minnesota

Glistening leaves dancing to the ground as the stems on the trees lose their cover exposing the skinny sticks and twigs beneath. The ground below quickly becomes natures masterpiece as amazing vibrant colors blend.

Smells of apple cider; cinnamin and cloves blend in the autumn air, along with puffs of newly lit logs on the fire. The feel of a cool dampness along with the sweetness of pumpkin illuminates the emptiness of where summer blooms are now absent.

The sounds of a crisp cool wind rolling across the landscape, rustling the leaves and empty branches.

The magic of fall in Minnesota is all around us, in every sight, sound and smell we can absorb. It is truly a beautiful time of year.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Competition obsession

In our overly competitive society we are surrounded by images and media which remind us on a daily basis how important it is to always be at the top of the game. The Biggest Loser, Survivor, The Next Top Model, these shows share the fact that they are all reality shows and are based on competition. I can recognize that these shows may be helpful to some people, maybe even inspirational. Unfortunately these shows are also on primetime tv and are probably watched by children as young as toddlers all over the country. As a child/ adolescent, I felt a lot of pressure from the people around me that I respected, academically and athletically the expectation was to be #1. I rarely disappointed myself, but often felt like I just wasn't quite good enough for those people that were important to me. I fear the competitively obsessed society for my children. I want them to do the things they enjoy, as 'polly anna' as it sounds, and I know there will be pressures in their lives. Where do we go from here? We can not shelter them, nor do I want to or intend to, but I want to instill a confidence in them so that they feel comfortable in there own bodies and minds and are comfortable sharing their talents with others. We do not allow our children to watch these shows, in fact our tv is rarely on when they are awake, but as they join society I wonder if these pressures are inevitable?

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The simple things in life ...are three.

It amazes me how the simple things in life, even buttoning a button, can put a sparkle in the day.
Kelsey surprises me daily and brightens up the room when she discovers something new. Tonight it was her delight in mastering the buttons on her night-shirt. She gave me an affirmative "no" when I tried to help her, as she usually does, but tonight with a few gentle suggestions, voila, she was a button master. Then came the giggles with excitement and the need to show off her new skill for daddy. And excitedly she said to me , "tell him I did it, ALL, mommy!" The whole way down the stairs, "Tell him now mommy, tell him!" So, we made it down the stairs to show off the new skill, and of course unbutton and rebutton all of the buttons The icing on the cake was her proud statement, "Now I am really ready for school!" It is the simple things that uncomplicate life.

Monday, September 18, 2006

kiddie crazy

One would think I feed my children chocolate and soda the way they run around! Tonight we had our first "Preparing for Kindergarten" Class, and I feel like I need a prepare to prepare for the Kindergarten class. I thought this class might be different, older children=more peaceful playing. But wow was I wrong. The children were pretty mellow at first, mostly because it was the first time they met the teachers and the new toys, I suppose they were overwhelmed! Then the kids had a snack and it lit a fire beneath their little butts!! I just had to sit back as my little angels turned into little devils before my eyes, it was amazing; the halos disappeared as they threw their wings off-literally and tried on devil horns, forgot their manners, stepped ahead in line to slide down the slide and ride the kiddie cars. My pink cheeked little sweeties were the "life" of the party and despite their lack of manners at times they did appear to be having a fun time playing. It is good that only have another 12 weeks left of class...wow 12 weeks left?!?

Friday, September 15, 2006

No more nookie!

So far so good. My sweet Kylie girl gave up her nookie tonight, pretty easy really; no screaming, begging or pleading after they were taken away. This afternoon when Shane and I got home it was a different situation, she was pleading and crying for her nookie, which pre-empted the GREAT NOOKIE GIVEAWAY/TAKEAWAY. So the fall-out happened, not much different from Kelsey's last day with the nookies. The decision was made to give the nookies to the fictitious "babies" that need them, you know the ones, the ones we can not hear or see. Well Kylie agreed that the babies did indeed need the nookies and that she was now a "big girl" and could live without the nookies. One last request that she had was to have a cookie for her dessert after dinner, and that seemed to be a reasonable request so we caved for one cookie and those sweet baby blue eyes, "Pwease, Mommie one cookie?" ... "Tank Yu!"

Monday, September 11, 2006

Football is here!

Oh my, how I love fall! The cold weather upon us, the leaves changing colors, and oh yeh the noisy football games on Sunday! I grew up living with angry vikings fans, the good-ole vikes never seemed to be very good-go figure. Well I guess I married into an obsession too- anyone heard of fantasy football? I can appreciate a little friendly competition, but when does it cross the line? How about traveling 6 hours for a football draft, just to pay $100 to join the league, I do not understand it. I think it has made me resent the game even more. Hopefully the vikes will stay away from boat scandles this year at least.