I need a pedicure...

Some people probably would think this is pretty gross, but I'd do it if I had the extra money and there was a salon here in town that did this. The baby fish at Bottomless Lakes (Lea Lake in particular) have been known to nibble on my toes. It tickles a little, but I think it's funny and cute too. And I don't think it's harming the fish- besides, lots of fish are "cleaner fish" that eat the yucky stuff off of other organisms, why not let them clean people's feet?



I'm off to take the boys camping with my parents for the week!

Make your feet your friend. ~J.M. Barrie

Future Olympians... Maybe?

My nephew, Chase, is in town visiting for 2 weeks and decided that he wanted to go with Uncle Loren to judo while he was here. He borrowed Loren IV's judo-gi (which really made L4 mad!) since it fit him perfectly. I went to class with Chase and Loren on Monday and we did some basic stuff (mostly review for me) just to show Chase what it is all about. Today I didn't participate and took Justin and Loren IV with me when we took Chase since his mom wanted pictures of him doing judo. All three of them were having a grand ole time, although Justin was just having more fun with all the free room to chase his crazy brother and cousin around.


Chase and Loren IV are both very good at judo, I must say, and I hope I'm not saying this just because I'm biased. Loren IV still thinks it's mostly a game, but he can put up a pretty darn good fight against his older cousin. That's Chase on top holding Loren IV down:

He's one tough little booger, and Justin seems like he's headed that way too. Loren and I have discussed this before and we think Loren IV will be our competitor and Justin will be the tactitian. Loren IV just jumps right in and does things, and Justin sits and watches. Contemplating his next move, I'm sure...


I suppose every parent has high ambitions for their children. And I know most parents would say "I just want them to be happy with whatever they choose." I know my parents told me that. I don't ever want my kids to feel like I pushed them to be an Olympian, a Navy fighter pilot, a paleontologist, or an undersea explorer, but I always want them to know those options are out there for the taking. The WORLD is for the taking.

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking
part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.
~Pierre de Coubertin

Dog Pack Attacks Gator in Florida

My cousin sent me this in an e-mail. I can't take credit for it, but I thought it was a very good example of nature at it's most awesome.

At times, nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.

The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator," can still fall victim to implemented "teamwork" strategy, made possible due to the tight-knit social structure and "survival of the pack" mentality bred into the canines.

See the remarkable photograph below courtesy of Nature Magazine.

Note that the alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the alligator preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.


Not for the squeamish...






Haha, made you look! Reminded me of my mom and dad's dog, Aubrey, who did this:

The kind man feeds his beast before sitting down to dinner. ~Hebrew Proverb

Sick

I hate being sick, and I hate when my babies are sick. It started with Loren, and then me, and now Justin. Our noses are all stuffed up and runny, and I've got a sore throat. I probably should have taken it easy today but I have a million things to do and spent all day in the kitchen, so now I'm really feeling icky. Justin won't go to sleep (you can tell he feels bad), Loren is playing in his bedroom (just doesn't want to go to bed yet), and I know I'm going to sleep like crap tonight. I don't even have any meds for Justin or myself, so we're both going to have to suffer, I guess.

Friends

Lately I've been finding and catching up with some friends from the past on Facebook and MySpace. It's kind of cool and weird at the same time. Weird to see how people have changed (and how they haven't!), but cool to see that despite the years (7 since high school graduation, more for a few others), these people are still so happy to "see" me and find out about my life.

I've struggled the last few years with being a friend to others and yet feeling like my friendships are a one-way street. I don't expect anything in return, but I hate that sometimes I am the only one who calls, or makes plans, or sends an e-mail or message. I don't really feel used, just sometimes neglected, like I don't matter as much to that person. I don't want to be part of the "cool kids' club," I just want someone to say "hey, I have time for you, let's hang out today."

There are a few people though, that have stuck by me. I consider my husband to be my best friend... then again I think it should be that way in all successful marriages. But when it comes to my girlfriends, I can count 2 that I would consider my best girl friends. Neither of them live close by, but I take comfort in knowing that they are just a phone call away and they love me and support me no matter what. One is my flesh-and-blood sister, and in the past few years, I've come to really, truly understand the bonds of sisterhood and the lifelong friendship we have been blessed with. The other is my friend Crystal. We started out as friends and despite having never met each other in person, we have become like sisters.

I realize now that I have been blessed. Blessed with a few very strong friendships as well as many friends and close acquaintances. Even if I can't have a girl's night out or go meet up at Starbucks, I can always find at least one friend to talk to when I need to.

Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other, gold.

Cute Kids and Survival of the Fittest

So after reading this article, I had a thought. And of course, I had to have just watched a show about Australopithecus so I was already in the "theory of evolution" frame of mind.

Not everybody's kids are cute, but we all think our own kids are cute, regardless. And usually we think our kids are the cutest, no matter what. I've never really thought about it before, but I have a theory. Someone has probably already studied this, and proved it, but I'll claim it as mine anyway.

We must be inherently programmed to think our own kids are the cutest in order to help them succeed in life. Because if we, as parents, think our kid is the smartest/cutest/strongest kid in the world, then we're going to bring them up as such and give them a better chance at survival. Survival of the fittest at its finest, I'm sure.

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb

Brotherly Love and a Child's Laughter

There is no better sound in the world than that of a child's laughter. To me, it's even better to hear my baby laugh because his brother is doing something silly. This was what my boys were doing when they should have been going to bed tonight...



I decided I couldn't discipline Loren too much for having fun with his brother. I pray that they always remain the best of friends and have many wonderful memories of each other.

Dinosaurs and Teeth

I decided to start Loren IV's "preschool" with dinosaurs. We went to the library and checked out a bunch of dinosaur books and a dinosaur movie. Loren is upset about having to take the movie back, but I'm sure we'll rent it again when he can understand it a little bit more. Mostly we're naming them and trying to figure out what they eat. Nothing too elaborate, there's time for that further on. He's become a Tyrannosaurus Rex and took a "bite" out of my back this afternoon. I asked him what kind of dinosaur Justin was and he said "Apatosaurus." If you had asked me a year ago who Apatosaur was, I wouldn't have a clue. Apparently Apatosaur is the same dinosaur as what used to be called Brontosaurus. Hmm, I guess I'll have to re-write my children's book, Benito's Dinosaur, if I ever find it. I believe Benito's dinosaur was a brontosaurus.

Speaking of "Apatosaurus-Justin," I'd like to change his dinosaur status to a meat-eater (apatosaurus is a plant eater). He's got another chomper which puts us up to 4. Man those baby teeth are sharp! I guess they have to be, to cut through those gums, and no wonder they hurt the poor babies. He didn't want to take a nap today, and only took 2 10-minute naps before his toofies started hurting him. I hope he sleeps better tonight. I'll dose him with tylenol in a little bit.

My new blog, cakes, and more...

I decided to get a new blog since my Yahoo blog is a pain in the butt to use and since I'm not sure how to add it to my Facebook.

I've made some more cakes the past week or two, and I signed up for Course 3 of the Wilton cake decorating classes at Hobby Lobby. I'm really enjoying it, and I'm going to contact a friend from high school who is going to give me some advice on maybe doing cake decorating as a business. I don't really expect to "get rich" off of it, but it's something I enjoy doing, and I can make a little extra money.