Olympic Moments

I was unable to post this last Thursday due to technology issues while traveling.  Am posting now for your pleasure.  On Facebook, I discussed the moments in life I find truly Olympic.  Click here to read more.

Lightning in a bottle

When's the last time you chased a lightning bug? (aka, firefly) (aaka, Lampyridae, you are welcome,  Big Sister Bear)  Today on Facebook, I'm thinking about a great summer pastime.  Click here to read more.

Summer

Need

I say

S'more?

C'mon.  I couldn't resist!

DNA

A conversation overheard during our drive:

Brother Bear:  Mama Bear, I need to know where the "drive around us" button is located.

Mama Bear:  The "drive around us" button?  What do you mean?

Brother Bear:  You know, the button you push so that it makes the lights blink and other cars know to driver around us?

Mama Bear:  Oh!  Yes!  You mean the "hazard lights."  The button is right here (pointing to hazard light button on Swagger Wagon).  Why do you need to know where that button is?

Brother Bear:  Well, in case something happens to you while you are driving and I have to jump in the front seat and take over driving, I'll know what button to push so that the other cars will know to go around us while I get the car safely stopped.

...

CyberBears, there are times in life when you see a trait in your cub and you are proud and comforted to know that they share your DNA.  Other times...not so much.

To do...

• Sleep in (well, relatively "in" since I have young cubs).  CHECK.
• Drink a cup of coffee while overlooking the river.  CHECK.
• Play in the river, "ride the rapids," and find interesting rocks with the cubs.  CHECK.
• Enjoy a leisurely lunch with my Mama and Papa Bear.  CHECK.
• Cuddle up in the porch swing with the intent to read, knowing full well I'm going to be lulled into the loveliness I call a "Porch Swing Coma" instead.  CHECK.
• Sit in the rocking chair on the porch listening to the sound of my cubs collecting sticks for the fire pit (they are very helpful when they know s'mores are the end result).  CHECK.
• Forget to brush my hair.  CHECK.

Ahhh, summer vacation.  Thank you for taking my summer to do list full of empty busyness and making it chock full of important nothingness.

Holding my breath!

We love our swim teacher.  She is part swim teacher, part magician.  I don't know how she does it, but she does.  Today was Sugar Bear's last day of classes, so she got to "show off" for Mama Bear.  I took video (because, I'm THAT kinda Mama Bear).

Before you watch this, let me remind you that Sugar Bear is 3.75 years old.  Let me also remind you that Brother Bear practically levitated over the water, barely getting wet (and CERTAINLY not getting his FACE wet) until he was...oh...5 or so.  (So you know where my brain is while watching her)



Am I the only one that tried to take a breath for her while they were watching this?

I'm not trying to point out any stellar swimming or anything.  It's probably not that impressive.  There are certainly cubs younger who can swim way better.  But you gotta remember what my expectations were going in...  So, are you the least bit surprised when I tell you that it took EVERY BIT OF RESTRAINT I had not to drop my phone and jump in that pool fully clothed to rescue her?

Sigh.  I lost a solid year off of my life today.  Rest assured, this cub does NOT keep me young.

Every one's a winner!

My super bloggin' cousin bear (and, most loyalest Cyber Bear) recently had a post about the new model for elementary school field days.  She asked her readers to give their thoughts on the subject.  In retrospect, I opined too much....I might have possibly scooted my soap box over to her blog comments for a good, hearty rant. (My apologies cousin bear!)

If I had seen this first, I would have just posted it instead.  Because this video below needs no words.  The triumph here says everything I ever wanted to say about elementary school field days (warning - kleenex alert):


He may never come across a finish line first, He may never stand on a winner's podium. But in my mind, he's a winner.

Generosity

Have you experienced generosity?  Our church has been discussion generosity over the last month.  I'm sharing my thoughts about when I've experienced generosity today on Facebook.  Click here to read more.

I sure hope you have a place like we do to both give and receive.

Those Little Lights of Mine

Ahhh, parenting.  It's so simple, isn't it?  (Please note use of sarcasm font)  Today on Facebook, I'm talking about lessons I'm learning as I parent my little lights.  Click here to read more.

Words With Sugar Bear

Brother Bear has alway been our elocutionist.  As a wee little cub he rarely - if ever - mispronounced words (Ok.  There was the SUPER DUPER mispronunciation of "construction" for two very long years...but other than that...).  If he didn't know how to pronounce something, he either chose another word or learned how to pronounce it correctly.

Sugar Bear, on the other hand, never ceases to amaze us with her unique use of words.  She's not afraid to barrel into a word she wants to use.  Mispronounced or not.  Gotta love that cub's hair-on-fire tenacity.

Some of them are so cute they make me giggle out loud.  I'm afraid I'm going to forget them, so I'm writing them down now for posterity.  And, hopefully, it will give you a giggle or two as well.

• breastiss - the first meal of the day especially when taken in the morning.  ("Mama Bear, what's for breastiss?")
• pampakes - a flat cake made of thin batter and cooked (as on a griddle) on both sides.  ("When I wake up in the morning, I want pampakes for breastiss!")
• ihlarious - marked by or causing hilarity: extremely funny.  ("Brother Bear, you are ihlarious!")
• banano - a personal music device.  ("I want to listen to music on Brother Bear's banano")
• hippomapotomus - a very large herbivorous 4-toed chiefly aquatic artiodactyl mammal of sub-Saharan Africa with an extremely large head and mouth, bare and very thick grayish skin, and short legs. ("Why don't they have hippomapotomus at the zoo?")
• callapiller - the elongated wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth.  ("I want to read The Very Hungry Callapiller!)
• yogrit - a fermented slightly acid often flavored semisolid food made of milk and milk solids to which cultures of 2 bacteria have been added.  ("I want some yogrit for dessert!")

Just a few that I can remember at the moment.  Enjoy....

I believe in miracles!

Do you believe in miracles? Today on Facebook, I'm talking about miracles. Click here to read more.

Friday randoms

Hello, CyberBears! Just popping in here quickly to let go of some random thoughts that have been bouncing around in my brain/frustrating me/worrying me/harassing me this week.

You are welcome.

Have a great Friday!

• Chin hairs. The bastion of adulthood/woman-ness they surprisingly forgot to tell us about during that "class" in fifth grade.
• So, you know that "authentication code" section you have to do on the internets? You know, the ones with the scrambled words...to prove you aren't a robot? Yeah. I'm pretty sure those folks are in cahoots with the eyeglasses industry. It takes me at least two tries. Maybe more. (Note to self: never make fun of your elder {and wiser} Sister Bear when she gets reading glasses. Because, um, that might possibly bite you in the fuzzy behind sooner than you ever anticipated.)
• I caught a portion of a story on NPR the other day, and it was just enough to scare the be-jeepers outta me. Seems it's possible that the Earth's magnetic poles/fields are due for a switch. They say nothing big will change - only the compass will point South instead of north. I say that my compass pointing north one day and south the next day...BIG DEAL. I'm more than a little obsessed with checking compasses now. Oh, and for those of you that weren't already worried about this, the last time this occurred was a wee 740,000 years ago. So, HOW IN THE WORLD do we know nothing bad's going to happen if all the folks that were around when it happened are now fossils??? Are my cubs going to grow up saying "True South" versus "True North?" These are the things that keep me awake at night.
• I've always been a big fan of NPR's show, "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" Love it. But now that I've stepped up my technological game to 2009 levels and learned how to download a Podcast, I love it even more. Nothing, and I do mean nothing makes an hour long torture session on the skinny seat of pain bike ride more entertaining than an episode of "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" Love.
• I witnessed some seriously savvy Mom-ing today. I was at Sugar Bear's ballet class and they were asking mom's to sign up for the role of "Backstage Mom" for their upcoming recital. Every Mama Bear in the room immediately went digging for a pen in their purse. Guess who was the only Mama Bear with a pen? Yep. Bravo, other Mama Bears. Bravo. Note to self: stop carrying a pen in my purse.
• My favorite restaurant in the world has upped their game. Yes they have. Chick Fila is now serving a "Banana Pudding Milkshake" see:

Mmmm......

I restrained myself. Today. But, rest assured CyberBears, my willpower will eventually fail me. And it will be divine.

Taking the Road Less Traveled

Today on Facebook, I'm talking about taking the road less traveled. Click here to read more.

Fearing to Fear

Today on Facebook, I'm trying to sort out when to fear and when not to. If you have an easy answer, please let me know. Because, I'm still struggling. Click here to read more.