So long, farewell...

Last week was one of the best ever! It's time to move on and create more best days.

But first, I want to share a few more pictures from "grandkids camp." Maybe next year it will be "cousins camp" with the addition of Goldilocks...I don't know, it takes a brave kid to leave home for a week!

Turns out, this was deemed the "favorite part" of camp...

Causing me to wonder why I spent so much time gathering materials for other activities...Thanks, Skip To My Lou, for great ideas for summertime fun! Because whatever they say, it takes a lot to keep two boys busy for a week...not to mention for a lifetime...

The Best Day Ever!

We took the opportunity to enjoy the warm weather here by going to the "beach." It's not the white sands of Pensacola...However, a picnic by the water was lots of fun. Hours were spent building sand castles, "seats," and other things. Seeing some sail boats up close was pretty exciting...As we left, Batman commented, "This is the best day ever!"

Batman looks a lot like his dad looked, and that comment reminded me of a comment his dad made when he was about the age Batman is now...

The three boys and I went to Sam's Club to get a few things before my family came to visit. Planning to have sandwiches one day, I put a large container of croissants in the cart. Then these classic words..."This is the best day of my life because you're buying these breads!"

Maybe if we found joy in the simple things we'd have more "best days ever!"

Here are some shots of our "crystal" lake and the beach!

Glub...Glub...Two boys in the tub...

Looking for a fun way to practice learning letters, making words, and creating fun pictures?

Foam sheets, scissors, and a tub make for lots of laughs!

Read more here.

Life is just a bowl of cherries...

Batman and Wolverine have come to my house this week. We've had lots of fun.

On the trip here, Batman commented, "I don't know why my stomach feels a little weird about me coming to your house. The rest of me feels really good!" Sometimes life is like that, isn't it?

Here's a sweet story to start things off...We have a cherry tree and it's full of cherries. The boys were very excited about picking cherries and making a pie.

We went to church Sunday morning. In the car on the way home Batman said, "My teacher loves cherries. We should pick some cherries and take them to her." I told him that was a good idea, but she worked out of town and it might be hard. He insisted she really loved them and we should call her and find out when she would be home.

Long story short, she was leaving at 2:00 that afternoon. She, of course, encouraged me to explain to Batman she was leaving and that I'd bring them another time. He was having none of it. So we picked a few, and then I took a bag out of the freezer to take to her. She cried saying how sweet it was of him. On the way home he felt so good.

Batman: "I'm glad I did a nice thing."

Me: "You do a lot of nice things."

Batman: "I try to do nice things, but sometimes I forget I'm trying to do that and I don't. But now I did a nice thing and I'm going to remember to do nice things because it makes people happy. It's okay that we picked all the red ones and gave them to her. In a few days the pink ones will be red and then we can pick them and make a pie."

When I told him we had some in the freezer we could use now to make a pie, he was really excited.

Just think what life would be like if we were all more like kids! Let's all do a nice thing today!

What I Think

Goldi is a two-year-old that knows what she thinks. Come to think of it, most two-year-0lds have a mind of their own...that's why so many lovingly refer to "the terrible twos," isn't it?

Well, there are times when Goldi decides to wield power over her parents by refusing to eat...anything. Things that she loved the day before become "yucky." We've all seen it. But this story makes me smile...

Mama to Goldi: "Here, eat this. It's really yummy."

Goldi: "No...it's YUCKY." (She hasn't tasted it yet. She can just tell it's yucky.)

Mama: "It's not yucky...It's YUMMY. See, (putting a bite in her mouth) it's yummy."

Goldi: "No...(trying to turn her head away as her Mama puts a little in her mouth)

Mama: "Ummm...You like it."

Goldi: (Spitting it out into her hand and showing her mother while making a horrible face,) "I'm pretty sure it's yucky!"

Next time you're tempted to tell someone else what they think about something, remember this face!

Listening

One of my sons, "Missionary Guy," enjoyed talking...A LOT...when he was young. From the minute he got up every day until he went to sleep at night, he had lots of stories and things to say. The fact that he was competing with three older brothers may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure he just loved hearing himself talk.

Sadly, I did not always pay attention to what he was saying...I know it was wrong. In my defense, if you constantly hear something, sometimes you tune it out so you can hear something else. I developed the habit of saying, "Uh-huh" while he told his stories so it sounded like I was listening. (I know, your opinion of me is getting worse by the minute. Stay with the story...there's a point.)

One day we were in the grocery store, and he was talking away. I was intent on getting the shopping done. I was walking along pushing the cart, Missionary Guy was talking continually, and I was saying, "Uh-huh" over and over. You get the picture, right? You can probably guess what happened next...

A lady walked up behind me and said, "Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Was she JOKING? I felt like saying, "Mind your own business, lady. You have no idea how long I've been listening to this story." But I just smiled, and then...

Missionary Guy put his precious little hands on my cheeks, turned my face towards his and said, "Listen to my words." I probably don't need to write anything else, but...

In this busy world with lots of things vying for our attention, sometimes we need to take time to stop what we're doing, look at our most important people, and listen to their words.

Here's a picture of Missionary Guy telling Ganmama, "Listen to my words." (I feel a little better knowing that sometimes even she needed a reminder!)

Time management...the myth...

I know everyone thinks their grandchildren are the cutest children alive...but mine really are. You will agree if you keep reading, because I'm going to tell you a story about "Goldilocks," and after the story I'll post a picture so you can see for yourself!

Goldilocks and I were sitting at my table talking about nonsensical things with her mother (who is pretty cute herself.) Goldilocks is two, and she's figuring lots of things out...like who I really am.

It's not possible that I'm her Daddy's mother because her mother is also his mother...(not to say her mother is bossy or ever tells her daddy what to do...I'm sure it's just that in her mind, mothers live with their children.) Anyway, after a little banter back and forth about that, I asked...

"How old are you anyway?"

Goldilocks: "One."

Her mother: "You're two now, remember?"

Goldilocks: "Oh, yeah...I six!"

Me: "I think you're two."

Goldilocks: "No, I six."

Me: "I thought you were two."

Goldilocks: "I six," then pointing to her mother..."You forty."

We all laughed, but I'm pretty sure her mother was just being a good sport. Me, too, for that matter. Need I say, I am not old enough to have a son married to a forty-year-old girl!

Now, every story should have a point, right? Here's the point. I've spent lots of time preparing for a presentation I'm doing for city employees on "time management." (Sounds like the management is experiencing a bit of frustration with some of their employees, doesn't it?) Here's the thing...time management is a myth. You cannot manage time. I read a great book called "Time Traps" by Todd Duncan that delves deeply into this subject. What can you really manage?

You can manage the tasks and things you do with your time. Time is both unchanging and fixed. So don't frustrate yourself trying to manage it. Smile a lot...even let yourself laugh...enjoy the time you've been given. Spend it wisely...don't wish away your life. Enjoy your twenties...because before you know it, you'll be forty!

A book without pictures is sometimes boring, so here's a picture of me making good use of my time in the hammock with Goldilocks!