The Difference Between Men and Women...

 

So true...


Now off to the gym!

Wordless Wednesday

~ a little bit of culture courtesy of Matisse ~

Wordless Wednesday

~ The Making of a Frat Boy ~

aka ~ Will discovered root beer comes in bottles ~

Out of the Mouth of Will: The Inappropriate Edition

Will is taking swimming lessons to get him ready for his debut on the neighborhood swim team this summer.  For the past 6 months, he has been watching Jack and our friend Paul at swim practice, so for him to have his own practice time is very exciting.

At dinner, I was bragging to Brent about how well Will is doing in his swim class. 

Me:  Daddy, Will was swimming backstroke today!

Daddy: Will! That's great!

Me:  And Will could swim freestyle to the wall and back!

Daddy:  So Will, is your swim teacher nice?

Will:  Yes.

Daddy:  Is she pretty?  Does she look cute in her swim suit?!?!

Will:  No.  She has fat b00bs, Daddy.   

[hysterical laughter from all 4 of us]

Daddy:  Well, you shouldn't be looking at her b00bs anyway.

Will:  I can't help it.  They're always right in my face!  And when I'm doing backstroke, I try to touch the wall and I keep running into her b00bs.  First my hand and then my head.

[more hysterical laughter]


He's five.  Pray for me.

Wordless Wednesday

~ Having a blast on the jacked-up Green Machine ~

101 in 1001: Update

One thing I have discovered as a SAHM is that it can be very easy to not to get alot accomplished if I am not intentional with my time.  I tend to think that I have plenty of time to get that done, so I'll work on that...tomorrow.  Whereas when I was working, free time was limited, so when I had it, I had to make the most of it.  This year, I am going back to the To Do list and a more structured schedule.  I work better if I have a plan for my day, some direction for what needs to be accomplished, and the satisfaction of crossing completed tasks off the list.    We'll see how well I do.

I have a year and 6 months left for the 101 in 1001 goals, and I need to plan how I am going to tackle the list.  Looking through it, there have been a few things that I have completed that don't really warrant a full blog post so I'll just lump them all together here.

Goal 16: Complete a Beth Moore Bible Study: I've heard great things about Beth Moore's Bible studies and have always wanted to do one.  This fall, it worked out that our church was offering a Bible study on Wednesday morning while both boys were in school so it was a perfect time for me.  We studied Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent.  I enjoyed the study; others in our group who had done multiple Beth Moore studies said that it wasn't their favorite, but me having nothing to compare it to, I liked it!  Beth Moore is a phenomenal teacher, with a wonderful ability to make the Bible come alive.  And she is hilarious.  I could have listened to her teach for hours.  And I loved our study group...we were a small but faithful group that spanned the generations.  But the spiritual wisdom packed into those ladies was wonderful.  I never left a meeting where I felt that I hadn't learned something from one of them.  And they sure were encouraging to this mama who is still in the trenches of child rearing!

Goal 62: Buy new towels: So I knew over a year ago that we needed new towels.  We've had the ones we were using for a looong time, I won't tell you how long because I'll embarrass myself.  But they were starting to fray and they had lost there fluff and they were starting to smell a little mildew-y after the second or third use (please don't tell me you use your towel once and then wash it.  please don't pile that guilt upon my June Cleaver heart).  So I put 'new towels' on the list.  And why did I have to put them on a list?  Because I knew if they weren't an actual goal that I could cross off a list, I probably wouldn't buy them.  Why?  Because who wants to spend money on towels.  As Will would say BORING, BOOOOR-ING!  But I broke down and used some of my Christmas money and bought BIG, FLUFFY, WHITE TOWELS.  And they are not frayed, and they are soft, and they are clean, and they are bleachable.  And they were on sale!

Goal 65: Fill up the picture frame in Will's room:

We had Will's room transformed from the nursery into a big boy room when he was 3.  And for the next 2 years, this picture frame sat empty or partially filled.  It is the most aggravating frame to find pictures for because the windows are not standard sizes.  So annoying.  Once again, when I was making out my 101 in 1001 goals list, I knew I had to put "fill up the picture frame" on the list or else it would sit there empty for another 2 years.  At least.  I finally found enough pictures to fill out the windows and, for the most part, I'm pleased with it.  I can always change out pictures over time (haha, it would probably take me another 2 years to do that!), but at least the blank windows aren't mocking me any longer!

The top two picture were taken when Will was 4 and 3, respectively.  Will and his good buddy, O, playing dress up.  They each had their own Spider Man costume and were showing off their super hero muscles.  Jack and Will at the beach.  I love that they are holding hands and their feet are kicking up the sand.  Sweet and sassy at the same time!  The bottom row of pictures were taken within the last 6 months.  The first is a picture of Will and Mimi at Christmas time.  Will is hamming it up for the camera.  Jack is standing on Mimi's left side.  When Jack saw the picture frame, he said "Hey!  Did you cut me out of the picture?!?!"  Blame it on the frame, buddy.  The middle picture is Will with his good buddy, B.  They have a standing play date every Tuesday.  The last picture is from our trip to Disney, which will always be a favorite family memory.

Pinewood Derby

This is Jack's first year in Cub Scouts and he is loving everything about it!  The two most anticipated events for the Wolf den are the fall and spring campouts and the Pinewood Derby.  Back in December, we received our Pinewood Derby car kit (which is basically just a block of wood, axles, and wheels), the rules for construction, and a "good luck, have fun" blessing.  Well, clearly turning this block of wood into a race car is beyond these boys' abilities, so the Pinewood Derby is really a Dad competition.  Brent started his internet research and came up with a slim, aerodynamic design that was weight-loaded in the back.  Jack wanted the race car to represent his beloved New Orleans Saints, and thus the "WHO DAT RACER" was born!

So hours upon hours were put into the making of the race car.  The car was cut/carved/sawed (obviously, I had no involvement because I don't even know the correct word to use!) into the aerodynamic shape, the body was hollowed out for weight placement, the axles were polished, the wheels were smoothed, the graphite was applied in a proprietary method which is now a trade secret (can you guess who is married to a patent attorney!), and the car was painted many, many, many times.  Brent had so many hours invested in this car that he was "going to be ticked if the Who Dat Racer didn't win."

The night before, Brent went to help set up for the races and took the Who Dat Racer along for a test run.  He came home just a wee bit giddy.  Apparently, the Who Dat Racer took on a few former Pinewood Derby champions in some test races and "smoked 'em!"  It was looking promising for the Who Dat Racer!

RACE DAY

We arrived early to weigh in just in case minor adjustment were needed.

The Who Dat Racer was 0.5 ounces over the 5.0 oz weight limit, so Brent had to pop out a couple of the weights.

The Who Dat Racer was weighed again, and passed at exactly 5.0 oz.  Game on!  The Boy Scout pack ran the Pinewood Derby for the Cub Scout pack and they did a great job.  They took their responsibilities very seriously and were efficient at having the cars lined up and ready for each of the 50+ heats that were run.

The race track

  The competition

 The trophies

The tension was thick while cheering on the Who Dat Racer.

The Who Dat Racer won all four of its heats.  However, there was cause for concern.  One of the wheels had been giving Brent trouble the entire time, and he wasn't sure that the wheel would hold up for the races.  Sure enough, after the 3rd heat, the tenuous wheel fell off cracking the wood on the bottom of the race car.  Brent fixed it as best he could and the Who Dat Racer won its 4th heat, but the wheel came off again, this time completely splitting the wood rendering the Who Dat Racer done.  Brent was concerned because the Who Dat Racer had won all of its heats so we expected to move on to the finals, and we knew the Who Dat Racer had run its last race.  So sad to make it to the finals and not be able to compete.  It was then that a veteran Pinewood Derby dad told us that there were no finals.  Each of your heat times were averaged to give a final racing time...results were based on the average of the heat times.  The Who Dat Racer was back in the game!!

So we waited with fingers crossed for all of the tabulating and calculating.  

The 2012 Pinewood Derby Overall Winner was The Who Dat Racer!  

 

 I don't know who was more excited, the boy or the dad!  However, there's work to be done on the boy's championship smile!

The Who Dat Racer had an average time of 9.56 seconds which translates into an average speed of 206.8 mph.  The second place overall finisher (who won the whole thing last year) had an average time of 9.61 seconds which translates into an average speed of 205.8 mph.

Suffice it to say, there is a target on Brent's back now.  But he ain't skerd.  He's been doing more research and has a few tricks up his sleeve for next year.  Game on!