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Showing posts from 2014

Funny - me in a constant flux of confusion

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Funny How You Keep Me in a Constant Flux of Confusion We are sitting in the kitchen, my wife, son, his friend Pate and I. We’re eating the wonderful meal the wife has prepared for us when suddenly my wife begins to explain how she cannot simply stand the smell of ketchup - that is why she can't it ketchup. She then says, that she eats ketchup with her white rice but the rice has to be hot or very warm in order for her to be able to eat the ketchup. Of course my son who does not clearly understand the delicate intricacies of his mother’s way of thinking quickly pointed out: Mom, if you hate the way ketchup smells how can you eat it in your rice? She then quickly tries to explain that it is not the same thing, that she can eat it because it is on the hot or warm white rice. My son being his mother’s son, rebutted: But Mom, the smell didn’t change, it still smells the same way, nothing changed. If you can’t eat it because you hate the smell – then why are you eating it?

Funning kids joke - Pooping is relaxing

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OK I do this every once and awhile on Facebook because life is strange and some of the conversations that happen in my house, well, are odd, strange and downright hilarious. But yes, like I said, I do it on Facebook because it’s an interesting way to share my funny personal life without feeling like I am sharing too much. So I am going to try it here with you. Here we go. Mom: Son go take a bath. Son: Why? I just want to sit here next to you. Mom: Son, I said “go take a bath” now! Dad: Do what Mommy said. Son: OK, OK you don’t have to scream… Mom and Dad look at each other wondering – who was screaming? Son goes into the bathroom – five minutes pass and Mom and Dad notice that there is no sound of running water. Mom: son what are you doing? Son: I am pooping. Mom: What is taking you so long? Son: Because pooping is relaxing…. Mom looks at Dad: What did he just say? Dad: I think he said that popping is relaxing (then Dad laughs out loud). Tell me you got it. Tell you

10 Steps to Stop and Prevent Bullying

Personally I do not believe we can prevent bullying - like I told my children when they were young and still tell them today, some people are just darn mean. They do it for a lot of reasons, they are mean, bad, been hurt, or mentally ill. In either case you (my children) will need to learn when to walk away, when to stand up (fight, defend and even yes hurt this person - even if against school rules) and above all, understand that you need to come talk to me (parent first, unless the need requires an immediate teacher intervention) then teacher (school). Why Parent first, because I want to calmly talk to my child and get the facts, have it brought up to the schools attention and follow up on it - schools can fail and have failed when dealing with 500 plus students. So I want to be informed, involved and ready to act if need be (as in calling police or other measures). I am human, a parent, which makes me partial to my child so I try to keep my emotions in check. For this reason, I agr

Meaning of Words: Stupid, Dumb, Ignorant, foolish and Retarded

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Are you Stupid, Dumb, Ignorant, foolish or Retarded? I had an interesting conversation with my children and some teens the other day. I asked them what the following words meant to them: Stupid, ignorant, dumb, foolish, and retarded. It was really fun to watch them try to explain each word and how the discussion quickly became an argument over how each word basically meant the same thing - you are calling me stupid, that I am not smart. After one or two minutes had passed I politely interrupted and I said: “I believe that you guys are all ignorant of the true meaning of each word I presented you with.” They all turned to look at me, each with a disgusted look on their face. I asked them “What, what did I say?” My daughter was the first to speak up – “I am not stupid!” As I tried to keep a straight face I asked her “when did I call you stupid?” “Just now, you said I was stupid...” My daughter’s friend hastily jumped into the fray “Yeah, you just called us all stupid.” She sa

HELP! struggling, Drowning and feel like an utter failure

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Ever felt like you were drowning? Like the odds were stacked against you and nothing you did could change the outcome. Life is a struggle, it can swallow you up and spit you out after it has ground you up into little insignificant pieces. Harsh isn’t it? But that is how I feel. I’ve had so many things go wrong lately – well I shouldn’t say lately; it has been months and more that I have been dealing with some very difficult things in my life. I tell my children that they need to think positive, never give up and even know when all you can do is ride the wave because there is nothing within your power that can change certain circumstances. But here I sit, thinking about my mother and her second battle with cancer - and she doesn't look good. I’m thinking about all the bad luck I have been having lately. I’m thinking about my most recent troubles that have arisen one right after the other and what do I get from my wife – “You have to live what you preach. You tell the kids th

10 yr-old CEO builds business empire - earns $1000 a weekend

A ten year old boy earns $1,000 every weekend. I love reading and sharing stories like this with my children. Life can and is difficult – no doubt about it. But if you have an open mind, are willing to think outside of the box and the courage mixed with a bit of determination – you can accomplish much. I am the first to say success is a mixture of hard work, dedication and luck. No one can deny that there is a bit of luck involved in success, especially when the odds are stacked against you. But this pint sized CEO is living proof that it can be done. Who knows maybe you fail, but there is also that chance that you are the one to succeed. This story is awesome; it makes me want to tell my children to stop whining about how difficult things can be and just do it. This kid is doing nothing special – I put it in this way because children, people are always saying this can’t work. People have tried it and fail, it’s too simple an idea – and they go on and on with the excuses. But this

Pet costume: Star Wars / only for dogs???

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Pet costume – Star Wars craze click to order Dart Vader Now I have seen it all – costumes for your pets and to top it off, it’s Star Wars costumes for your pets. You can dress up your loyal best buddy up as Dart Vader or my favorite, as Yoda. The force is strong with this one it is. Yep, your friendly four legged friend can dress up for Halloween as one of your favorite Star Wars characters. Now I have to hand it to the person who came up with this idea, I am sure that my dog wouldn’t stand being all trussed up as my favorite star Wars character, but then again I no longer have a dog. It’s a shame though that they don’t seem to have these pet costumes for cats – is it some form a petcism, are dog considered better than cats, should we be rioting in the streets for equal rights? Probably not but who ever came up with this idea, You have won my respect, this is probably one of the craziest ideas I have seen but I am sure that they are making a boat load of money. This is goin

Recipe: 9 Better ways to top your next burger

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9 Better ways to top your next burger: recipe I love hamburgers – there is nothing better than a delicious juicy well-cooked burger on a toasted bun. But of course the bun and the burger is only part of the delicious taste: the toppings are what take it to a whole other level. So here are a few toppings I found online that I am thinking of trying out. Tell me what you think. Chips 'n' Guac Burger Top each burger with 1 tablespoon guacamole + 1 tablespoon sliced pickled jalapeños + 3 tortilla chips. Crunchy Onion Burger Top each burger with 1 tablespoon onion dip + 1/4 cup canned fried onions (we love French's). Guy Fieri's Donkey Sauce Burger Mix 1 cup mayo + 1/4 cup roasted garlic + 1 teaspoon mustard + 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire + 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Divide among burgers with toppings. Guy Fieri's Pepper & Onion Burger Cook 1 red onion + 1 yellow or red pepper + 2 tablespoons oil on high until tender; stir in 1/4 teaspoon each p

Funny the Biggest Band Geek - is Dad!

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Funny the Biggest Band Geek – is Dad? How to have fun at a high school football game? Be a band geek! I love sports. I used to watch football all the time as well as basketball – back in the days when the Chicago Bulls were a dynasty. But ask me to go to a high school football game and I am not into it, really, it’s not my thing. But seeing that my baby girl is in the band, she is also the drum major, so I decided to go to the game even while it was lightly raining and a bit chilly. I am Sorry... Slowly moving my blog articles over to my new website: www.yuthink.com The post is at my parenting page at my new site. Thank you for visiting my site and please feel free to visit my new website.

Amazon Student (college) program is kinda cool (save some money)

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Amazon Student is a membership program created especially for college students. Amazon Student members receive six months of FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime on eligible purchases and e-mail alerts for discounts and promotions. Discounts and promotions will be e-mailed to your Amazon.com e-mail account or made available on the Amazon Student membership page at www.amazon.com/student . FREE Two-Day Shipping Wait until the last minute and avoid the lines with FREE Two-Day Shipping on textbooks and tons of other stuff. Unlimited instant streaming Watch 41,000 movies & TV episodes on your laptop, phone, tablet, & gaming console when you join Amazon Prime for $49/year (half off $99 full annual price). Borrow FREE Kindle books Choose from more than 500,000 books to borrow for free with no due dates when you join Amazon Prime for $49/year (half off $99 full annual price). Unlimited Music Streaming Unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs and hundreds of

Funny silly joke - cartoon from 1996

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Here is an old comic I drew way back in 1996. I think it is funny and if you are married - you know you thought of this as well. No, No I don't want to ...... You know you want to laugh, especially if you have been there…. The things we do for the people we love…. LOL.

Fun Vacation – Hotel hopping “New Trend”

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Fun Vacation – Hotel hopping "New Trend" review Nothing like starting a new trend! My vacation was a blast and we learned a lot along the way. Nothing like turning a negative into a positive and finding new things to see, do and enjoy during a fun filled family vacation. The vacation started on a rocky start. First I learned that we weren’t going to my favorite spot in Orlando because my big baby girl needed to go to a Band (Drum Major) training and the only one she could attend was the one in Charlotte, North Carolina – What? I know nothing about this until now! So here I am making plans to take my daughter to NC and to so how incorporate my vacation into this. I feel bad calling it a vacation since my baby girl will be off at her training camp and it will only be me, the wife and the little man… after I thought about it I figured, hey, one less mouth to feed and one less ticket to pay for ( I am such a bad dad … LOL). We settled on a Hotel close to the college where m

Fun Vacation: review – Hotel hopping “New Trend” 2

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Fun Vacation – Hotel hopping “New Trend” review We decided to stay at HYATT Place Charlotte/City Park at 4119 South Stream Blvd Charlotte, NC 28217 – and it was a great choice. I was ready to do the hotel hopping thing if we ran across another bad hotel, but the minute we got there we could see and feel the deference. We were greeted like if we were important and expected. The hotel looked wonderful and the breakfast area was “awesome”. The pool had crystal clear water and the rooms – oh the rooms, wonderful. We had a suit with two double beds and a separate room with a sofa bed. Now I am not going to say that it was brand new, if you look hard enough (being an ex-realtor) I can see some very minor defects, but compared to the other hotel, I was at the Taj-Mahal. I can not get over the service, they were very helpful, the bar guy even helped me carry my drinks out to the pool, simply good people. Free newspaper, free internet, 42 inch TV, even though me, my son and my nieces spen

Fun Vacation – Hotel hopping “New Trend”, Hotel review 3

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Fun Vacation – Hotel hopping "New Trend" review But like all things, it had to come to an end. Our week was over and we had to go over to my daughters DMA training site to watch them perform for us and then we were off, headed home. But being who I am and a surprise to my wife, seeing that I didn’t want to drive for eight to nine hours straight from NC to home I asked my wife if she wanted one more hotel stay – oh yeah, she was quick to say yes. She took out the cellphone and looked for another Hyatt hotel in Orlando Florida. We figured if we had a good experience at the NC Hyatt, well, it should be good in Orlando, Fl. We booked our room on Orbitz (again, thank you God) and while we did make it there a bit that due to the rain I knew it was going to be nice. The lobby and the breakfast area was huge and beautiful and to top that off, the first words out of the receptionist mouth was – welcome back. I couldn’t help but laugh as I said “thank you, but we just arrived

DREAM - Motivational Video (Powerful)

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DREAM - Motivational Video. Wow, this is powerful. This is what I want my children, my family, my friends - what I want for myself... To understand and to realize it is not over, start right, make mistakes, continue forward, life throws you curve balls - things, bad things happen. But don't give up. Never stop growing, learning, striving. You are unique, special, one of a kind - be YOU! The best YOU - You can be. People may not follow you - but you don't have to follow them. People may not understand - but you understand, you know, you feel, You can. Dream. Dream big! Dream for tomorrow, next month, next year - years from now. Dream. Then work to make those dreams a reality.

Book Review: Beyonders A world without hereos by my son (10 yrs old)

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Book review of: “Beyonders A world without heroes” by my son (a 10 yr. old). It’s summer and my son has been reading up a storm. Being the type of parent that I am I wanted to run a test – you know, see if my son really was reading, understanding as well as enjoying the books he was reading. I also wanted to take the time to sharpen his writing skills (or at least have him practice his writing skills). So what I did was simple, I asked him to write me a review of his latest book. Of course I had to give him some tips on how and what I wanted but he happily went to work. No he wasn’t happy that I asked him for a two word review but, after a bit of coaxing he did what needed to be done. Below is and image of his hand written review and I have typed out his review (now that I think about it – I should have had him type this out). Book Title: Beyonders - A world without Hereos Author: Brandon Mull Review By: Isaac Beyonders is about a boy named Jason that meets another person

Broken no other choice - ebook introduction

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Broken – no other choice 1980 I am sitting at my desk desperately hoping the school day flies by. I really don’t like it here, things haven’t been going well and being the class outcast once again is taking its toll on me. There’s a knock at the classroom door, one of the office administrators walks in and calls the teacher over to the side. Soon two large men dressed in dark suits walk in and one of them whispers something into the teacher’s ear. The classroom is silent; everyone is trying to listen in on what is being secretly said between them. We are all anxious, curious about what is happening. The entire classroom turns to look at me in shock when the teacher calls out my name and motions me to come forward. “Take all your stuff with you.” She says with this tense ring in her voice. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I couldn’t help but smile on the inside, do you see me, that’s right look at me, I am important. As I put everything I had into my bag, all

Broken no other choice - introduction pt 2 free ebook chapter

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Broken – no other choice I’ve never been to the movies, I wasn’t sure how to respond but if this was an added bonus to getting out of school early – I am all in. As the men in the front seat quietly talked to each other I spent my time looking out the window. I was thinking about how great this would be for me, tomorrow I would be back in school telling all the kids how I spent the day at the movies. I would finally have something that would make me special, make me important and something that will make them all very jealous of me. They parked the car and quickly walked me into the theater, they didn’t even pay for a ticket, they just flashed their badges and continued to walk me right in. The room was dark, they directed me to a seat three rows up from the front and smack dab in the middle of this humongous brightly lit screen that showed dancing cartoon popcorn and candy characters. This was the best day of my life. The movie started and the title popped onto the screen – Ai

Broken no other choice - new ebook / true story

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Broken – no other choice Broken, a small boy faces a grave decision all on his own. Life has been a series of hardship, horrific circumstances and unbearable heartaches. The decision is obvious - the only way out is to end it all. The choice is clear; in order to escape this life of sorrow there can only be one inevitable course of action. What do you do when you are broken? When hope, is all but a shattered dream that has long ago slipped through your fingers like shifting sand. Tired of the pain, the sorrow, the desire to give up can overwhelm you. Who do you call when there is no one to call, when the person who should have protected you – abandons you? Based on a true story The flood of memories overwhelmed me. My heart begins to sink, my entire chest increasingly hurts with every pounding heartbeat. Tears begin to flow, streaming down my cheeks. I was having difficulty breathing; I was struggling to hold back the endless waves of emotions. My mind ran back and forth as it r