What I Learned September

PAPERWORK IS A KILLER

I have been filling out paperwork for my son. It is actually government paperwork at that . I have almost lost my mind.  I was going to post one of my snarky responses that I SO wanted to put on the form.  My son said it was INAPPROPRIATE.  I don't want to fax anything, I don't want to write in tiny letters in tiny boxes, I just don't want to. Nor do I want to think about doing any of those things. It reminds me of the quote from the movie, Say Anything.

I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that. - Say Anything

BINGE THINKING aka Ruminating

Another saying that could be used instead of ruminating.  Don't think too hard about it. See paperwork is a killer.

MOVING OTHER PEOPLE STUFF IS WAY BETTER THAN MOVING YOUR OWN STUFF

I helped my sister move.  I have decided that it is way less stressful to move other people's stuff.  It did want to make me want to purge some of my stuff.

YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO PLAY TRUCKS AND CARS

I am back to doing before school care.  This year I am taking care of a 1st grader who is totally into trucks and cars.  I still know how to play that. Drawing your own car play mat on kraft paper is cheap and fun. Our driving map even has a Loch Ness Monster.

EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS CAN BE ENTERTAINING



My young charge I have in the morning has requested to watch this more times than I can count.  Mr DeMaio is pretty entertaining and educational.

Finally Fall Linky

Sixth Grade is Tough; It helps to be Top Dog

Marriage is Hard. And Messy and So Worth It

Science Says Silence is Much More Important to Our Brains Than We Think

5 Rules for Hosting a Crappy Dinner Party

Cache, Dash, Splash II 2016

We attended a geocaching event in Long Beach, WA.  Us with a bunch of different geocachers descended on Long Beach to find over 40 new caches and attain the cache coin.  It was a blast.  We did our first ever night cache along the beach.

looking for glow in the dark skulls on the beach

Geocachers huddled around the cache

On a rainy Saturday, we found all 40 caches for our passport.  We traveled with the lovely Guy Team (Mr and Mrs Guy). We traveled all over the Long Beach area.  We went to several State Parks and learned a bit about Lewis and Clark

Our favorite cache was found in a old fire hydrant. All the regular Long Beach hydrants are red but this one is yellow.  Several cachers stood around watching our almost fruitless search.

Celebrating 96

This past Sunday Pappy turned 96.  We spent some time walking the White River Trail in Auburn, Washington.

Pappy being towed along.  

Charlie and Cody at overpass over White River

Pappy wanted to eat lunch at the Poodle Dog.  The wait staff sang Happy Birthday to Pappy too.

That was a first for all of us.  It was delicious. We finished off the afternoon with some cake, strawberries, and ice cream.

Linky Love

Ready for Rain- Why Seattlites Crave the End of Summer - The longer I live in the Pacific Northwest the more I enjoy the darker days of fall and winter AND the rain.

DC Will Hide Once-Banned Book Throughout the City This Month

What I Read September

I am once again linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit linky.  IF you need to find some new reads, check out what everyone else is reading. (Doesn't everyone need a few new reads) I am always on the lookout for some good reads.  

This year our National Parks celebrate a 100 years of service.  So in the spirit of that, I read Ranger Confidential.by Andrea Lankford. I think when we think of Park Rangers we think of all the work they do as naturalists.  The gritty reality is the law enforcement aspect of their jobs.  This book I believe does a good job of looking beyond the hat to share the rescue operations and other unique characteristics of their job. Being a ranger is a dangerous job.  Crime doesn't stop at the borders of parks.

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. This book is about Patsy Jefferson daughter of Thomas Jefferson.  I wasn't sure what to think about this book at first.  This is a fictional account of Patsy's life but I liked how the authors tried to use their words whenever possible. This book explores what Patsy contributed to her father's career and the presidency.  What Patsy had to give up as a daughter of political figure.  I like how Sally Hemmings relationship was explored and how Patsy may or may not felt about it. I enjoyed this book immensely and I really learned some new things about Thomas Jefferson and his family without this feeling like a boring history book.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison is our county's read for 2017 - Whatcom Reads - One Book. Jonathan Evison is a Pacific Northwest writer and the book is set in Washington State. This book was OK for me. I think there is some interesting discussion material here. The main character is Benjamin Benjamin a man forced to take a caregiving job for Trev who suffers from MD.  This also a book about fathers and the often complicated relationship they have with their kids.

Ben Benjamin, all has been lost--his wife, his family, his home, his livelihood. Hoping to find a new direction, he enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving, where he will learn to take care of people with disabilities. He is instructed about professionalism, about how to keep an emotional distance between client and provider, and about the art of inserting catheters while avoiding liability. But when Ben is assigned his first client--a tyrannical nineteen-year-old boy named Trevor, who is in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy--he soon discovers that the endless service checklists have done nothing to prepare him for the reality of caring for a fiercely stubborn, sexually frustrated teenager who has an ax to grind with the whole world. (excerpt from Whatcom Reads)

Ah September Linky Etc...

Colorado Sunset over the front range

My post about 9/11 on the 10th Anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been 15 years.  I was talking about this with my seat mates on a recent flight.  This is an event that rocked Americans and still rocks Americans

Texas Boy Running Late for School Stops to Say Pledge of Allegiance - this is awesome

8 Conversations We Should Have With Our Kids About Entitlement - This is also a conversation we need to have frequently with young adults in my opinion.

It's Digital Heroin - Interesting insight. The opposite point of view Why Calling it Digital Heroin is Garbage Love it when both points of views are found.

Remembering Hana Williams 3 Years After The Guilty Verdict - Hard to believe this happened 3 years ago.  This is a tragic story.

This one is for my favorite gold prospector Pappy - Amateur Prospector Finds Huge Gold Nugget

School is finally back in session.  Kinda strange to only have one kid in school.

Mediocre Homemaker - Wedding Crashing

Dear Diary
I crashed a wedding this past weekend.  I have never done anything like it. IT was nothing like Wedding Crashers the movie.

Foote Lagoon
Loveland CO
Gabe and Brittany

Last week, I was in Colorado helping my sister move.  Her son, my oldest nephew, was in a wedding as a groomsman.  I got to tag along and see the ceremony and go to reception.  I was technically not invited. So you could say I crashed the wedding.

My husband remarked on seeing our nephew that it reminded him of the ZZ Top song - Sharp Dressed Man.  My nephew also gave a lovely toast to the couple at the reception. I wish Gabe and Brittany all the love and happiness that marriage brings.

My Nephews

Back to School Linky

Why High School Students Need More Than College Prep

Back to School: How to Not Lose Your Crap

Whirlpool Puts Laundry Machines in Schools And Increased Attendance

What the Modern World has Forgotten about Children and Learning

Seniors Paint Parking Spots - You GOT to check this OUT