Who wins mother of the year for not only allowing him to do this, but in fact videotaping it and posting it to YouTube for the whole world to see?!!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Haircuts in Weaverville are FANTASTIC!
I took Asher to get his haircut today. We went to the Fantastic Sams in Weaverville. Guess what? It turns out that Fantastic Sams in Weaverville is also known as the best place in town to get your mullet trimmed (well not the mullet part, the business part needs trimming). This is the second time that I have taken Asher here to get his haircut and during our first trip, every single chair was occupied by a mullet head. Men, women and children were all getting their mullets trimmed. It was amazing.
So I made myself very clear that the back had to be cut short and they did a good job, so we returned today. This time with my camera. Proof that the above paragraph is not an exaggeration.
Sorry about the picture quality, I was trying to be discrete about snapping a picture and it was nearly impossible. (I had to take a million stupid pictures of Lucy and Asher that all turned out terribly.) Also, I don't know if you can see it or not, but this guy had an amazing cowboy mustache that you can barely see.
I didn't manage to get any pictures of Asher getting his haircut because he threw a WORLD CLASS fit while in the chair. I gave him a lollipop to start the haircut off and then he went beserk. Crying so hard that snot was everywhere. Yucky nasty snot. I had to run to the bathroom and get tissue and he kicked the tantrum into fifth gear. Somehow our stylist managed to get Asher's hair cut pretty decently. I think he might have been having a fit because she called him "Austin" at least 75 times in our 11 minute haircut. But maybe not.
So I made myself very clear that the back had to be cut short and they did a good job, so we returned today. This time with my camera. Proof that the above paragraph is not an exaggeration.
Sorry about the picture quality, I was trying to be discrete about snapping a picture and it was nearly impossible. (I had to take a million stupid pictures of Lucy and Asher that all turned out terribly.) Also, I don't know if you can see it or not, but this guy had an amazing cowboy mustache that you can barely see.I didn't manage to get any pictures of Asher getting his haircut because he threw a WORLD CLASS fit while in the chair. I gave him a lollipop to start the haircut off and then he went beserk. Crying so hard that snot was everywhere. Yucky nasty snot. I had to run to the bathroom and get tissue and he kicked the tantrum into fifth gear. Somehow our stylist managed to get Asher's hair cut pretty decently. I think he might have been having a fit because she called him "Austin" at least 75 times in our 11 minute haircut. But maybe not.
"Run the Puppy"
I was talking to my friend Jean last night about Asher and all of his excess energy and how our daily goal is to wear him out by a variety of means. She laughed out loud and said like "run the puppy!" When you have a puppy, you have to take them on extensively long walks, play for hours just so that they will sleep and maybe leave you alone for a little while. Now, I don't want Asher to leave me alone (well, maybe a little) but really we just need to take the edge off of his energy level. So today, we will go "run the puppy" as best we can!
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Spring Has Sprung!
About a week ago, I planted these little flowers in hopes that I would be able to transplant them outside in about six weeks. I am so excited to see all of the little plants and that I might actually have a little bit of a green thumb!
As an added bonus, I figured out how to do extreme close-ups with my camera!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Happiness Project
One of my favorite blogs these days is www.happiness-project.com and the woman who writes the blog put up this post a few months ago about controlling or dealing with your anger. Now I know that none of us likes to admit that we get angry (or just how often we get angry) but I just read the tips and I think that they are extraordinarily useful and as soon as Matt gets back in town, I am going to try and put them into action with him in particular. And I will start with everyone else immediately!
"One of my worst faults is my quick temper. I’ve been working hard to control my anger—by not expressing it, or even better, not feeling it.
The problem with that familiar advice about “counting to 10” is that I can never remember to do it. Here are some strategies that do work for me, when I manage to use them.
1. Don’t give in to my anger. Many people believe in the “catharsis hypothesis” and think that expressing anger is healthy-minded and relieves their feelings. Not so. Studies show that expressing anger only aggravates it. I’ve certainly found this to be true; once I get going, I can whip myself into a fury. It’s better to stay calm.
2. Let the sun go down on my anger. I tend to get irritated with the Big Man at night, probably because I’m tired. Now I force myself to wait until the next day to berate him about this or that. And the next morning, my anger is completely gone.
3. Accept blame. I hate being in the wrong, and often snap back when people find fault with something I’ve done. Now I really try to pause to ask myself, “Am I in the wrong?” and to respond with gentleness.
4. Ask: “Am I improving the situation?” This works especially well with the Big Girl. If I get angry with her, she has a complete melt-down. It’s unpleasant, but her reactions have sure helped me get better control of myself. Now, when I have the urge to snap, I think, “Is this going to help the situation?” And the answer is always NO.
5. Find “an area of refuge.” I lifted this phrase from a sign near an elevator at Yale Law School—it struck me as funny. Research shows that when people’s thoughts are unoccupied, brooding sets in. So I try to “find an area of refuge” in my mind; that is, to dwell on serene thoughts instead of brooding and fussing. Along the same lines…
6. Distract myself. Indulging in “overthinking”—dwelling on trifling slights, unpleasant encounters, and sadness—leads to bad feelings. I can enrage myself by obsessing on some petty annoyance. In what the Big Man calls the “downward spiral,” I begin to rail about every negative episode in recent memory. Now I deliberately distract my thoughts, usually by thinking about some writing question.
7. Ask: am I mad at myself? Martha Beck makes the interesting argument that we brood on other people’s faults when we subconsciously identify with them; what we condemn in other people is what we condemn in ourselves. So now when someone is making me angry, I ask myself, “Can I accuse myself of the same fault?” In a telling bit of psychology, I’ve noticed Beck’s observation to be very true for other people, but not so much for myself! Do I suspect a bit of self-denial might be going on…?
8. Laugh. Humor is the answer to everything (humor and exercise). Now when I absolutely can’t hold back my anger, I at least try to insert a joke, or make fun of myself, or assume a lighter tone as I rant on. So instead of sniping out a comment like “Can you PLEASE just answer my emails so I can deal with these horrible logistics issues?!” I might say something like, “I’m thinking of getting a homing pigeon that will fly to your office and rap on your window with its beak until you send me an answer.” The added advantage of this approach is that no matter how the other person responds, I feel less angry and more light-hearted when I adopt a lighter tone."
And finally my own tip...pray for the person that you are angry with. Something changes when you lift that person in prayer and all of the sudden you are more compassionate and caring. You might even see things from their perspective and stop being angry with them.
I am going to try to do this today. Anybody else?
"One of my worst faults is my quick temper. I’ve been working hard to control my anger—by not expressing it, or even better, not feeling it.
The problem with that familiar advice about “counting to 10” is that I can never remember to do it. Here are some strategies that do work for me, when I manage to use them.
1. Don’t give in to my anger. Many people believe in the “catharsis hypothesis” and think that expressing anger is healthy-minded and relieves their feelings. Not so. Studies show that expressing anger only aggravates it. I’ve certainly found this to be true; once I get going, I can whip myself into a fury. It’s better to stay calm.
2. Let the sun go down on my anger. I tend to get irritated with the Big Man at night, probably because I’m tired. Now I force myself to wait until the next day to berate him about this or that. And the next morning, my anger is completely gone.
3. Accept blame. I hate being in the wrong, and often snap back when people find fault with something I’ve done. Now I really try to pause to ask myself, “Am I in the wrong?” and to respond with gentleness.
4. Ask: “Am I improving the situation?” This works especially well with the Big Girl. If I get angry with her, she has a complete melt-down. It’s unpleasant, but her reactions have sure helped me get better control of myself. Now, when I have the urge to snap, I think, “Is this going to help the situation?” And the answer is always NO.
5. Find “an area of refuge.” I lifted this phrase from a sign near an elevator at Yale Law School—it struck me as funny. Research shows that when people’s thoughts are unoccupied, brooding sets in. So I try to “find an area of refuge” in my mind; that is, to dwell on serene thoughts instead of brooding and fussing. Along the same lines…
6. Distract myself. Indulging in “overthinking”—dwelling on trifling slights, unpleasant encounters, and sadness—leads to bad feelings. I can enrage myself by obsessing on some petty annoyance. In what the Big Man calls the “downward spiral,” I begin to rail about every negative episode in recent memory. Now I deliberately distract my thoughts, usually by thinking about some writing question.
7. Ask: am I mad at myself? Martha Beck makes the interesting argument that we brood on other people’s faults when we subconsciously identify with them; what we condemn in other people is what we condemn in ourselves. So now when someone is making me angry, I ask myself, “Can I accuse myself of the same fault?” In a telling bit of psychology, I’ve noticed Beck’s observation to be very true for other people, but not so much for myself! Do I suspect a bit of self-denial might be going on…?
8. Laugh. Humor is the answer to everything (humor and exercise). Now when I absolutely can’t hold back my anger, I at least try to insert a joke, or make fun of myself, or assume a lighter tone as I rant on. So instead of sniping out a comment like “Can you PLEASE just answer my emails so I can deal with these horrible logistics issues?!” I might say something like, “I’m thinking of getting a homing pigeon that will fly to your office and rap on your window with its beak until you send me an answer.” The added advantage of this approach is that no matter how the other person responds, I feel less angry and more light-hearted when I adopt a lighter tone."
And finally my own tip...pray for the person that you are angry with. Something changes when you lift that person in prayer and all of the sudden you are more compassionate and caring. You might even see things from their perspective and stop being angry with them.
I am going to try to do this today. Anybody else?
Just Curious
Do you have to raise your hand like that when you sing? Also, did she borrow those pants from my mom about thirty years ago? What is going on with Christina Aguilera?
(BTW: I didn't take this pic. The AP did)
Monday, March 5, 2007
Sweet Baby Nate
Well, he's not so much a baby since he's two. But his mom, my sister-in-law Jeannie called tonight to ask for some prayers for Nate because he has been complaining of back pain for about two months. They took him to the doctor and x-rays revealed a pretty significant curviture in his spine. Since two-year-olds don't have back pain typically, there are alot of alarms going off in the doctor's mind and in Jeannie and Kelly's minds. The first thing that they are going to do is physical therapy for a few weeks to see if little Nate just tweaked a muscle in his back and has been over compensating for the pain. If that is the case, the curviture should correct itself through the PT. If it doesn't correct itself, then it sets a whole other set of wheels in motion. We are praying (and would love for you to join in) that this is the case. Thanks for praying!
daylight savings time
I don't know if you know this or not, but we are springing forward this weekend! Hallelujah! I HATE daylight savings time and I especially hate the dead of winter when it is dark at like 4:30pm. It is crazy to me that Congress changed the dates so that we are getting more sunlight earlier and longer this year than ever before. But, hey...I'll take it. Ordinarily, we would have changed our clocks on the first Sunday in April. FYI: You need to manually change pretty much everything in your house, including your computer because they are all set to change in April. This ain't no Y2K situation, but it will cause some glitches. Oh, and you will probably get to change them again in April once they change themselves on the date that they are set to change.
Here is funny bit of information about daylight savings time and that powerful Candy Lobby:
Through 2006, Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. ended a few days before Halloween (October 31). A new law to extend DST to the first Sunday in November will take effect in 2007, with the purpose of providing trick-or-treaters more light and therefore more safety from traffic accidents. Children’s pedestrian deaths are four times higher on Halloween than on any other night of the year. For decades, candy manufacturers lobbied for a Daylight Saving Time extension to Halloween, as many of the young trick-or-treaters gathering candy are not allowed out after dark, and thus an added hour of light means a big holiday treat for the candy industry.
One more interesting tidbit:
While twins born at 11:55 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. may have different birthdays, Daylight Saving Time can change birth order -- on paper, anyway. During the time change in the fall, one baby could be born at 1:55 a.m. and the sibling born ten minutes later, at 1:05 a.m. In the spring, there is a gap when no babies are born at all: from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
So wow! One whole extra hour each day next week! What will you do with the extra time? Just watch more tv or will you get outside and enjoy it?
PC vs MAC - At work
Now I love-LOVE Macs and I think that the Mac vs. PC commercials are brilliant. But this commercial makes me laugh so hard as it is from the PC point of view. Click and enjoy!
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