The Occasion: Ms. Beans 4th Birthday
The Date: Less then 3 weeks from now.
Activities:
Have purchased everything that we need to make wands and rings. Will paint nails. Dress up clothes will be provided.
Will try and make a version of musical chairs with pictures on the floor.
Perhaps a game of Hot Potato with a dress up shoe?
Sifting for Gems?
Need 1 more games:
The Food:
Cookie Cutters acquired for sandwich shapes. Peanut Butter/Jelly Cream Cheese/Jelly and Bologna/Cheese.
Chocolate covered strawberries
Cheese and Cracker Tray
Lemonade
Carrots and Dip
Fruit Salad
The Cake:
WHO THINKS I CAN MAKE THIS?
Party favors:
Were complete until Ms. Bean decided to invite 3 boys to her all girls party?
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
The Tudors - Fact or Fiction
In preparation for tomorrows season finale of The Tudors - I thought that I would point out a few "liberties" taken by the writers. These are probably of NO interest to any casual watcher and these small historical deviations were probably done to make the plot flow better (after all the Tudors is a TV show and not a historic documentary). However, since they make me crazy ....................... here we go:
1) Henry Fitzroy did NOT die in childhood, he died as a young, married adult. According to the Autobiography of Henry the VIII, Henry believed that Anne Bolyne cursed him because he was a potential heir to the thrown (at this point, Henry also believed that Anne was a witch).
2) Henry's sister Mary married Charles Brandon, not Margaret. Mary was also married to the King of France, not the King of Portugal. Margaret was married to the King of Scotland and was the mother of Mary Queen of Scots. I can also find no evidence that either Margaret or Mary killed the King of Portugal or any other King in Europe.
3) Providing that Margaret is Mary, the timing of her death is wrong. Mary died after Henry was married to Anne Bolyne. Anne supposedly put a curse on her because Mary refused to attend Anne's coronation. She died several weeks following. Charles Brandon appears to be very similar to the slime ball that is portrayed in the series. Just days after Marys death, he broke his sons engagement to Catherine Willoughby and married her himself. Catherine was fourteen-years-old, Brandon was almost fifty.
4) The liturgical composer Thomas Talliss re-imaging as a sensitive pop star beset by 16th century groupies is a little bizarre. But, Shakespeare took similar liberties, and I guess this is all in fun.
Well, that's all I know. However, since I am a Government Bureaucrat and not a historian, I strongly recommend that you take a trip to the library if you have more interest in this topic. And check out my other posts on the Tudors.
The Tudors 1, The Tudors 2, The Tudors 3, The Tudors 4, The Tudors 5, The Tudors 6, The Tudors 7, The Tudors 8
Peace.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Mr. Whipples Potty
Remember Mr. Whipple, the Grocery Clerk who spent most of his career trying to stop horny, closeted housewives from getting off by squeezing Charmin toilet paper? At the end of every commercial we would catch Mr. Whipple squeezing the package himself, and there would be a bonding moment when we all learn that everyone loves Charmin? I have been thinking about Mr. Whipple lately because I discovered something about him that few probably realize .................. he DID NOT have a low flow toilet.
How do I know this little fact about the good Grocer? Because a couple of years ago we moved to a new house. This house has plenty of room for the 4 of us, great location and great neighbors. With the good comes the bad .............. it is new construction and therefore has a set of HIDEOUS low flow pottys (I will be getting to Mr. Whipple in a moment).
A family of 4 living in Washington's high cost area needs to save money where we can, and therefore we have chosen to purchase our staples in bulk at the local Costco (and we can now store them in our larger, new construction home .................but, I digress). So, when the COSTCO coupon for a lifetime supply of Charmin showed up in the mail a few months ago, we put the kids in minivan and ventured off to COSTCO to stock up!
A few days later, we were sitting in our large home, with 4 bathrooms, and 4 substandard cans, and they ALL began to stop up, one after the other. Tom blamed me, I blamed the girls, no one knew how the very little bulk in our diets was creating such a surge in plunger visits to the toilets. This situation was further complicated by the fact that both girls are potty training, and we have had a parade of company. Yuck.
We have finally figured out that the combination of thick, soft and quilted TP and low flow potties was NEVER meant to occur. I have called a plumber, and IF I can find someone to replace my toilets (there is some CODE ISSUE) and IF I can find a decent set of Potties, I will be so broke I can not pay the mortgage in our lovely home. There is only one solution, anyone with a high flow toilet need some Charmin?
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mothers Day!
Happy Mothers Day to all of my loved ones! Despite the fact that Baby Bee spent a good part of the day with a fever/somach flu and Ms. Bean appears to be coming down with the same, this was a great day! Becoming a mom was the very best thing that ever happened to me! A bad day with the girls is better then ANY day without them!
And, a special "thank you" to Susie, who is the best Mother / Grandmother any of us could EVER ask for.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Motherhood
Today I felt horribly guilty about not saying goodbye to Ms. Bean twice when I dropped her off at daycare (generally I stop into her classroom for the second time after dropping off baby-bee to give her a "second kiss goodbye"). When I peeked in on her she was laughing with her friends and I couldn't stand the idea of tears, so I went on my way.
I spent the day trying to concentrate on the general BS of the hour, but really thinking about making sure that I got the "the right" teachers appreciation week gifts and writing out lovely cards to 10 teachers, letting them know how special they are. I hope that making them feel they are part of our family will make then show the girls patience and kindness.
I spent my lunch hour talking to friends about Potty training, development, the "right schools" and weekend birthday party plans.
I looked at photos on my desk and watched the clock wishing that it would move faster so that I could get the girls and see their smiles. I cringed when SHE called a late meeting because she wanted to change everything that was done in the 1030 meeting that she was too busy to attend.
I got to the kids late, feeling sick because baby bean was the last one there and was sitting in a corner playing by herself.
Drove home listening to Sesame Street.
Got stuck in traffic which translated to an "accident" since I forget to remind Ms. Bean to go potty before we left the daycare.
Baths as soon as we got home (Tom took care of this piece), cooking dinner, putting on pajamas, getting screamed at because I dared to try and comb hair, looking for princess shoes to go with nightgown, opppps, a POOP (Tom got this fun piece also), Papa and Susie's Power Visit, Tom does dishes, I run around getting everything ready for daycare tom arrow, the girls fight over the TV, wrestle, cry, and tell me they want to live with Susie.
I go to my room, sit for a moment and remember the two smiling faces that I only have 20 minutes with before bedtime. I go down wanting to snuggle.
Ms. Bean approaches with her arms out, looks me in the eyes, smiles, looks down, and deliberately steps on my foot with her high heal princess slipper. For some reason, I will miss them just as much and feel just as guilty tomorrow.
I spent the day trying to concentrate on the general BS of the hour, but really thinking about making sure that I got the "the right" teachers appreciation week gifts and writing out lovely cards to 10 teachers, letting them know how special they are. I hope that making them feel they are part of our family will make then show the girls patience and kindness.
I spent my lunch hour talking to friends about Potty training, development, the "right schools" and weekend birthday party plans.
I looked at photos on my desk and watched the clock wishing that it would move faster so that I could get the girls and see their smiles. I cringed when SHE called a late meeting because she wanted to change everything that was done in the 1030 meeting that she was too busy to attend.
I got to the kids late, feeling sick because baby bean was the last one there and was sitting in a corner playing by herself.
Drove home listening to Sesame Street.
Got stuck in traffic which translated to an "accident" since I forget to remind Ms. Bean to go potty before we left the daycare.
Baths as soon as we got home (Tom took care of this piece), cooking dinner, putting on pajamas, getting screamed at because I dared to try and comb hair, looking for princess shoes to go with nightgown, opppps, a POOP (Tom got this fun piece also), Papa and Susie's Power Visit, Tom does dishes, I run around getting everything ready for daycare tom arrow, the girls fight over the TV, wrestle, cry, and tell me they want to live with Susie.
I go to my room, sit for a moment and remember the two smiling faces that I only have 20 minutes with before bedtime. I go down wanting to snuggle.
Ms. Bean approaches with her arms out, looks me in the eyes, smiles, looks down, and deliberately steps on my foot with her high heal princess slipper. For some reason, I will miss them just as much and feel just as guilty tomorrow.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Sarah's Blog - Part 3
Mommy I love you. Mommy is pretty, nice and comfortale. Daddy uses paper to get his e-mail. He likes his gooey stickey things on his computer. Mommy likes to sit with me and daddy likes to sit with me. Susie and Papa are very nice. It is almost my birthday. Susie and Papa love me. Susie and Papa are very nice and I love them. Papa uses his glasses to see. Susie uses her nighttime shirt to sleep in. I am happy they are home ..................
(Blogging cut short because sister was getting a story, didn't want to miss it. We are all glad that mom and Dad are home. D)
(Blogging cut short because sister was getting a story, didn't want to miss it. We are all glad that mom and Dad are home. D)
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Muskrat Susie, Muskrat Sam .......................
Miss me? Sorry for my absents. April was a very busy month. At any rate, onward ...................
I DID successfully complete the Country Music 1/2 Marathon despite recovering from a HORRIBLE stomach problem and having a nasty case of Bronchitis! Fortunately my good friend Lee was willing to meet me on miles 3 and 7 with an inhaler which kept me going. I placed 17990, aren't you impressed? My friend Patty definitely could have gotten a much better time if my hacking hadn't held her back. There is something about Country Music that brings out the best in her. Carolyn finished in under 4 hours (beat her goal) and did awesome for her first race. I am trying to talk her into doing Baltimore but to date, she is not committing.
Carolyn and Lee were the perfect hosts and we had a great time! If any of you are going to be in Nashville let me know and I will put you in touch with them. You MUST gets Carolyn's tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame. It rocks!
I did suffer a small stress injury to the foot that seems to be controlled with an ace bandage.
Trying to recover, Patty and I took a VERY slow walk around the Tidal Basin to stretch out our joints, and we came across this guy swimming around. I thought he was a beaver, a tourist said a rat (which made me run) but Patty seemed to know it was a Muskrat.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows that Rats are like my Kriptonite. Just the mere thought of them makes me run shaking in horror. Therefore, I was extremely relieved to learn that he was not a rat. I'm not sure why since Wikipedia describes a Maskrat as a Rodent which is 4 times bigger then the brown rat! My life really is all about rationalizations.
Anyway, Muskrats aside be looking for me at the Tidal Basin this summer training for Baltimore in October. I am, again, addicted and looking forward to the next 13.1.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Random Thoughts and Comments on the News .........
Just a few stories that caught my attention this week .......................
1) WILLIAM IS SINGLE AGAIN! I am so excited for 20-singles everywhere! Rejoice. Apparently the Sun had the exclusive story on this (which explains why I didn't get the "breaking news" alert on my blackberry. Here are a few exerts for those of you who love to "Royal Watch" as much as I. The story implies that the 24-year old future King frustrated the lovely Ms. Middleton because he enjoyed drinking with his Army buddies and did not commit enough to the relationship! SHOCKING!
PRINCE William’s romance with Kate Middleton was doomed when he decided to put Army life first, pals claimed last night.
From the outside all the signs seemed to suggest the young lovers were just weeks away from announcing their intention to wed.
But in reality, it is understood they had been on a downward spiral since Kate saw the 24-year-old future king passing out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in December last year.
Friends say William, now a fully-fledged officer in the Blues and Royals, has engrossed himself in Army life — preferring to go out drinking with his colleagues than drive back to London to see Kate.
When he began his 2½-month tank commander course at the Army’s school of armoury in Bovington, Dorset, on March 16, the relationship was in freefall.
One close friend of the couple said: “As far as Kate is concerned, William simply hasn’t been paying her enough attention.
“She is stuck in London while he is living in an officer’s mess in Dorset. Kate feels hugely frustrated that their relationship just seems to be going backwards at a rate of knots.
“At university they were living together. Now, nearly three years on, they are lucky if they see each other once a week.
“When he does get a night off, it appears to Kate that William would rather spend time drinking with his new-found Army pals.”
While millions of people will be shocked to read that the world’s most eligible bachelor is back on the market, friends of the couple will be equally surprised.
Any cracks in their relationship were hidden from all but the couple’s closest circle.
2) The Imus Story will not die. I was as disgusted by Imus comments as everyone should be. They were insensitive, inappropriate, and cruel. CBS Radio took appropriate action. That said, I hope people take notice of this brilliant op-ed peice by Harvey Fierstein in the New York Times, titled Our Prejudices, Ourselves.
AMERICA is watching Don Imus's self-immolation in a state of shock and awe. And I'm watching America with wry amusement.
Since I'm a second-class citizen -- a gay man -- my seats for the ballgame of American discourse are way back in the bleachers. I don't have to wait long for a shock jock or stand-up comedian to slip up with hateful epithets aimed at me and mine. Hate speak against homosexuals is as commonplace as spam. It's daily traffic for those who profess themselves to be regular Joes, men of God, public servants who live off my tax dollars, as well as any number of celebrities.
In fact, I get a good chuckle whenever someone refers to "the media" as an agent of "the gay agenda." There are entire channels, like Spike TV, that couldn't fill an hour of programming if required to remove their sexist and homophobic content. We've got a president and a large part of Congress willing to change the Constitution so they can deprive of us our rights because they feel we are not "normal."
So I'm used to catching foul balls up here in the cheap seats. What I am really enjoying is watching the rest of you act as if you had no idea that prejudice was alive and well in your hearts and minds.
For the past two decades political correctness has been derided as a surrender to thin-skinned, humorless, uptight oversensitive sissies. Well, you anti-politically correct people have won the battle, and we're all now feasting on the spoils of your victory. During the last few months alone we've had a few comedians spout racism, a basketball coach put forth anti-Semitism and several high-profile spoutings of anti-gay epithets.
What surprises me, I guess, is how choosy the anti-P.C. crowd is about which hate speech it will not tolerate. Sure, there were voices of protest when the TV actor Isaiah Washington called a gay colleague a "faggot." But corporate America didn't pull its advertising from "Grey's Anatomy," as it did with Mr. Imus, did it? And when Ann Coulter likewise tagged a presidential candidate last month, she paid no real price.
In fact, when Bill Maher discussed Ms. Coulter's remarks on his HBO show, he repeated the slur no fewer than four times himself; each mention, I must note, solicited a laugh from his audience. No one called for any sort of apology from him. (Well, actually, I did, so the following week he only used it once.)
Face it, if a Pentagon general, his salary paid with my tax dollars, can label homosexual acts as "immoral" without a call for his dismissal, who are the moral high and mighty kidding?
Our nation, historically bursting with generosity toward strangers, remains remarkably unkind toward its own. Just under our gleaming patina of inclusiveness, we harbor corroding guts. America, I tell you that it doesn't matter how many times you brush your teeth. If your insides are rotting your breath will stink. So, how do you people choose which hate to embrace, which to forgive with a wink and a week in rehab, and which to protest? Where's my copy of that rule book?
Let me cite a non-volatile example of how prejudice can cohabit unchecked with good intentions. I am a huge fan of David Letterman's. I watch the opening of his show a couple of times a week and have done so for decades. Without fail, in his opening monologue or skit Mr. Letterman makes a joke about someone being fat. I kid you not. Will that destroy our nation? Should he be fired or lose his sponsors? Obviously not.
But I think that there is something deeper going on at the Letterman studio than coincidence. And, as I've said, I cite this example simply to illustrate that all kinds of prejudice exist in the human heart. Some are harmless. Some not so harmless. But we need to understand who we are if we wish to change. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess to not only being a gay American, but also a fat one. Yes, I'm a double winner.)
I urge you to look around, or better yet, listen around and become aware of the prejudice in everyday life. We are so surrounded by expressions of intolerance that I am in shock and awe that anyone noticed all these recent high-profile instances. Still, I'm gladdened because our no longer being deaf to them may signal their eventual eradication.
The real point is that you cannot harbor malice toward others and then cry foul when someone displays intolerance against you. Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged. Rise up in righteousness when you witness the words and deeds of hate, but only if you are willing to rise up against them all, including your own. Otherwise suffer the slings and arrows of disrespect silently.
3) Is it any surprise that Larry Birkhead is the "baby daddy"? No. Am I excited that Howard K. Stern is suing Anna's mother for Slander? Absolutely! Bring it on!
That is this weeks "pop culture wrap up". Congratulations to Bill and Tara who welcomed "Kaden Desmond" earlier this week! And a "goodbye" to Jeanne Timmons. We will miss you!
1) WILLIAM IS SINGLE AGAIN! I am so excited for 20-singles everywhere! Rejoice. Apparently the Sun had the exclusive story on this (which explains why I didn't get the "breaking news" alert on my blackberry. Here are a few exerts for those of you who love to "Royal Watch" as much as I. The story implies that the 24-year old future King frustrated the lovely Ms. Middleton because he enjoyed drinking with his Army buddies and did not commit enough to the relationship! SHOCKING!
PRINCE William’s romance with Kate Middleton was doomed when he decided to put Army life first, pals claimed last night.
From the outside all the signs seemed to suggest the young lovers were just weeks away from announcing their intention to wed.
But in reality, it is understood they had been on a downward spiral since Kate saw the 24-year-old future king passing out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in December last year.
Friends say William, now a fully-fledged officer in the Blues and Royals, has engrossed himself in Army life — preferring to go out drinking with his colleagues than drive back to London to see Kate.
When he began his 2½-month tank commander course at the Army’s school of armoury in Bovington, Dorset, on March 16, the relationship was in freefall.
One close friend of the couple said: “As far as Kate is concerned, William simply hasn’t been paying her enough attention.
“She is stuck in London while he is living in an officer’s mess in Dorset. Kate feels hugely frustrated that their relationship just seems to be going backwards at a rate of knots.
“At university they were living together. Now, nearly three years on, they are lucky if they see each other once a week.
“When he does get a night off, it appears to Kate that William would rather spend time drinking with his new-found Army pals.”
While millions of people will be shocked to read that the world’s most eligible bachelor is back on the market, friends of the couple will be equally surprised.
Any cracks in their relationship were hidden from all but the couple’s closest circle.
2) The Imus Story will not die. I was as disgusted by Imus comments as everyone should be. They were insensitive, inappropriate, and cruel. CBS Radio took appropriate action. That said, I hope people take notice of this brilliant op-ed peice by Harvey Fierstein in the New York Times, titled Our Prejudices, Ourselves.
AMERICA is watching Don Imus's self-immolation in a state of shock and awe. And I'm watching America with wry amusement.
Since I'm a second-class citizen -- a gay man -- my seats for the ballgame of American discourse are way back in the bleachers. I don't have to wait long for a shock jock or stand-up comedian to slip up with hateful epithets aimed at me and mine. Hate speak against homosexuals is as commonplace as spam. It's daily traffic for those who profess themselves to be regular Joes, men of God, public servants who live off my tax dollars, as well as any number of celebrities.
In fact, I get a good chuckle whenever someone refers to "the media" as an agent of "the gay agenda." There are entire channels, like Spike TV, that couldn't fill an hour of programming if required to remove their sexist and homophobic content. We've got a president and a large part of Congress willing to change the Constitution so they can deprive of us our rights because they feel we are not "normal."
So I'm used to catching foul balls up here in the cheap seats. What I am really enjoying is watching the rest of you act as if you had no idea that prejudice was alive and well in your hearts and minds.
For the past two decades political correctness has been derided as a surrender to thin-skinned, humorless, uptight oversensitive sissies. Well, you anti-politically correct people have won the battle, and we're all now feasting on the spoils of your victory. During the last few months alone we've had a few comedians spout racism, a basketball coach put forth anti-Semitism and several high-profile spoutings of anti-gay epithets.
What surprises me, I guess, is how choosy the anti-P.C. crowd is about which hate speech it will not tolerate. Sure, there were voices of protest when the TV actor Isaiah Washington called a gay colleague a "faggot." But corporate America didn't pull its advertising from "Grey's Anatomy," as it did with Mr. Imus, did it? And when Ann Coulter likewise tagged a presidential candidate last month, she paid no real price.
In fact, when Bill Maher discussed Ms. Coulter's remarks on his HBO show, he repeated the slur no fewer than four times himself; each mention, I must note, solicited a laugh from his audience. No one called for any sort of apology from him. (Well, actually, I did, so the following week he only used it once.)
Face it, if a Pentagon general, his salary paid with my tax dollars, can label homosexual acts as "immoral" without a call for his dismissal, who are the moral high and mighty kidding?
Our nation, historically bursting with generosity toward strangers, remains remarkably unkind toward its own. Just under our gleaming patina of inclusiveness, we harbor corroding guts. America, I tell you that it doesn't matter how many times you brush your teeth. If your insides are rotting your breath will stink. So, how do you people choose which hate to embrace, which to forgive with a wink and a week in rehab, and which to protest? Where's my copy of that rule book?
Let me cite a non-volatile example of how prejudice can cohabit unchecked with good intentions. I am a huge fan of David Letterman's. I watch the opening of his show a couple of times a week and have done so for decades. Without fail, in his opening monologue or skit Mr. Letterman makes a joke about someone being fat. I kid you not. Will that destroy our nation? Should he be fired or lose his sponsors? Obviously not.
But I think that there is something deeper going on at the Letterman studio than coincidence. And, as I've said, I cite this example simply to illustrate that all kinds of prejudice exist in the human heart. Some are harmless. Some not so harmless. But we need to understand who we are if we wish to change. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess to not only being a gay American, but also a fat one. Yes, I'm a double winner.)
I urge you to look around, or better yet, listen around and become aware of the prejudice in everyday life. We are so surrounded by expressions of intolerance that I am in shock and awe that anyone noticed all these recent high-profile instances. Still, I'm gladdened because our no longer being deaf to them may signal their eventual eradication.
The real point is that you cannot harbor malice toward others and then cry foul when someone displays intolerance against you. Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged. Rise up in righteousness when you witness the words and deeds of hate, but only if you are willing to rise up against them all, including your own. Otherwise suffer the slings and arrows of disrespect silently.
3) Is it any surprise that Larry Birkhead is the "baby daddy"? No. Am I excited that Howard K. Stern is suing Anna's mother for Slander? Absolutely! Bring it on!
That is this weeks "pop culture wrap up". Congratulations to Bill and Tara who welcomed "Kaden Desmond" earlier this week! And a "goodbye" to Jeanne Timmons. We will miss you!
Monday, April 9, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Happy Easter!
And as my brother-in-law reminds us every year ................... HE HAS RISEN!
One can not even give Easter even a passing thought without thinking of the Marshmallow PEEP. Those little Chicks are the Tree of Christmas, the Menorah of Hanukkah and the Cupid of Valentines Day! The Peep is the center of the Easter Holiday (I guess some people would say that Easter is really about the Resurrection of Jesus ........ but those people are not reading this blog).
Every year the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper has a "Peeps Diorama Contest". Apparently the only rules are that it has to have marshmallow Peeps Easter candies in it. My friend Tim, at the urging of a coworker entered this years contest and out of over 300 entries WON for "Run Silent, Run Peep"! I am not sure what he got for winning this prestigious award, but he is probably just happy that for the first time in a LONG time, he could do something remarkably creative that his boss can't take credit for!
One can not even give Easter even a passing thought without thinking of the Marshmallow PEEP. Those little Chicks are the Tree of Christmas, the Menorah of Hanukkah and the Cupid of Valentines Day! The Peep is the center of the Easter Holiday (I guess some people would say that Easter is really about the Resurrection of Jesus ........ but those people are not reading this blog).
Every year the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper has a "Peeps Diorama Contest". Apparently the only rules are that it has to have marshmallow Peeps Easter candies in it. My friend Tim, at the urging of a coworker entered this years contest and out of over 300 entries WON for "Run Silent, Run Peep"! I am not sure what he got for winning this prestigious award, but he is probably just happy that for the first time in a LONG time, he could do something remarkably creative that his boss can't take credit for!
The caption for this brilliant peice?
"After navigating the USS Peepfish around a deadly minefield, Captain Chick McPeep launches a torpedo against the forces of evil in the WWII submarine film classic - "Run Silent, Run Peep""
Tim, I am proud of you! Everyone else, a photo of Tim's creation is above, but, I strongly encourage you to check out the article and and runner ups. AMERICA IS A WONDERFUL COUNTRY!
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