Seeds versus Skins

We had waffles with berries a few days ago.  Tic Tac Toe happened.  Blueberries won the first match but raspberries won the next two.  A delicious time was had by all.

Pay At-tent-tion

As you know by now, we love to see what the kids have to say in the middle of the night. My hubby went in to check on the kids tonight. The eight year old is sleeping on the floor (by choice) under blankets that he made into a tent. The following conversation just happened:

Dad: Hey Bud, are you cold?

8: No

Dad: You feel cold. Do you want another blanket?

8: No

Dad: Are you comfortable?

8: *shrugs shoulders*
Dad: You wanna move to the bed?

8: No

Dad: You wanna stay on the floor?

8: Yeah.

Dad: What's 4x4?

8: 16

Dad: What's 6x8?
8: Um...  *thinking*  The answer is “I'm sleeping in a tent tonight.”  *smirks*  A not-real tent.

Nope, but I'm sure she's got a great wave

We finally got the phone calls from our kids' T-Ball and soccer coaches announcing practice times and locations for the summer.  I told the youngest boy that his coach called and that her name was Catherine.  My 7 year-old girl, who is still hung up on Wedding Fever, instantly piped up with, "Do you think she's the new princess???"

I'm sorry to have to tell you this

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

I'm stubborn. It's eased up over time, but I still have that stubborn streak in me. Once, my hubby and I were driving home from somewhere, at least a half an hour, and through the course of our conversation I stubbornly stopped talking. I was probably trying to prove a point. It annoyed and frustrated him. I have no idea what it was that made me mad enough to stop talking, but it was childish and unproductive. I have matured a bit since then and when I feel myself regressing into those very same immature behaviours, I remind myself that acting like that really isn't productive.

Along with this realization came my ability to admit my faults and apologize when I have wronged somebody. Since I'm admitting my faults here, I must tell you that I still fall short in this and don't always apologize when I need to. But I usually see the light and come around to apologizing a few days later. I have too much of a guilty conscience now.

But in interacting with many different kinds of people these days, I'm realizing that not everyone cares about admitting their faults. Generally speaking, there are three different kinds of people:
1) Those who offer half-hearted (at best) apologies, without really meaning a word of it.
2) Those who rarely offer apologies, not willing to look for (let alone acknowledge) any wrong-doing on their part.
3) Those who offer sincere apologies, feeling bad about their transgressions (intentional or not).

I have found myself increasingly frustrated with people who are unwilling to get over themselves. If you haven't said I'm sorry recently, please examine your daily interactions to see how you measure up against the humility chart. Here are a couple suggestions:
If you have lied or presented facts in a less-than-honest way...
If you have discovered that an assertion you made was incorrect...
If you wouldn't admit that someone else's idea may be better than your own...
If you have hurt somebody, even unintentionally through your words...
If you have ignored someone else (adults or kids) because of your own agenda...
If your spouse/friend/family member feels like they can't talk to you anymore...
If you're in the wrong for whatever reason...
...get over yourself and apologize today!

A little apology can go a long way. The best thing about an apology is that once you've said it, it gets a lot easier to say it the next time. Exercise your apology muscle to make it stronger and more capable of doing its job.

What is a "thing", anyway?

So here's the problem with playing 20 questions with a five year-old...

Inspired by Rhett and Link's current road trip video, my five year old and I decided to play some 20 questions. The five year-old wanted me to guess first.

Is it a thing? No
Is it a person? No
Are you sure it's not a thing? Yep
It's not something I can touch or taste or smell or see? Oh wait, it is.
Is it something in our house? No
Is it something outside our house? No
So it's not in our house or outside of our house? Right
So what is it? Our house.
D'oh. Should have got that one.

Now I've got one for him to guess. He clearly doesn't understand the guessing tactics but ventures some guesses anyway:
Is it an insect? No
Is it the couch? No
Anything in your body? No
Is it the piano? No
Um, what is it? The school

He wanted some revenge so I'm up for guessing again.
Is it a thing? Um... Yes.
Do you know what it is? Yes
Is it inside our house? Yes
Is it on your body? No
Is it in the living room? Wait, is this the living room? Then yes
Is it a piece of furniture? Mmmmm, no.
Do you know what furniture means? Yes
Is it something you're standing on? No
Is it something you can hold in your hand? Yes
Is it on a bookshelf? (He looks at the piano) Um, no.
Is it on the piano? Yes
Is it your piano book? Yyyy-yes!

See the video that started it all here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoIQAgi8fg&feature=channel_video_title