Mother's Day Musings...

Not my work, but I liked it enough to share...
Chris.

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's okay, honey, Mommy's here,” who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end, soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
This is for all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes…and all the mothers who DON'T.
This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see…and for the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.
And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.
This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.
This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year…and then read it again…"Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school…and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up… right away.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.
This is for all the mothers of the victims of school shootings…and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful…and now pray they come home safely from a war.
What makes a good Mother anyway?
Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?
The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home?
Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...
And mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers…
Single mothers and married mothers…
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all…for all of us.

Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can…tell them every day that we love them…and pray."

Pine Wood Derby - March 2006

Jakob just turned 8 on March 25, and he joined the local cub scout pack. His first pack meeting was the Pine Wood Derby. We were very excited to participate in this event. Jakob and I spent many hours on the fabrication of Jake's Hot Rod for this event. We even saw the movie Down and Derby, it was very funny. A must watch for any one considering a run in the derby. Jake with his car
Our pack has a pretty impressive track. It is aluminum rails, with an electronic eye timer for split-second accuracy. Each car was raced on each of the three lanes for a total of 6 races per car.

Jakob's car came in 1st in 2 of the 6 races, and 2nd in the remaining 4 races. So, not bad for a rookie.

Overall, Jakob didnt make the top 3 of the fastest cars, but he won "Most Realistic Looking Car" We will be back - next year. We will make the car bigger, stronger and faster.... ;-)

Key West Spring Break

Over spring break, our family took a trip to Florida via Lake Park Georgia (as usual). This time, however, we went much further than our normal destination (Orlando). We went all the way to the bottom and then some - all the way out to Key West (3hr drive). We had never been and had heard about the Keys and it sounded like fun, and it was a great time. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites. It was a nice resort/condo that was right across the street from Smather's Beach. It was about a 10 minute drive from Duvall Street and some of the normal Key West night life, but the hotel had a shuttle van that drops off back and forth every 30 minutes, which made it easy to get downtown. We enjoyed quite a few hours at the hotel pool, given that the beaches were less sandy and more coral rock. Plus, it was just pleasant to let the kids play, read a book and enjoy the tropical weather and breezes.
We also took some time to see some of the sights. This picture below was taken out side of E. Hemmingway's house.
We also got to the end of the Road. Mile Marker Zero.
We took the opportunity to go on a short cruise around the islands. This boat had a glass bottom (plexiglass panels). Once we were out over the reefs we stopped and went downstairs and got to see some incredible marine life. Snorkeling without getting wet. We saw numerous fish, a nurse shark, baracuda, many types of coral and reef fish, etc. etc. Jakob can recite the complete list from memory if you are really interested.
Fishing - I took Jakob on a party-fishing boat. This was the fish that he caught and kept and eventually cooked (back at grandma's house on the way home). I think I have a picture of the small filet that this fish produced. Probably will post that later. The guy next to Jakob (the one in the hat and sunglasses) is a deck hand from the boat. The Tortuga

Test Blog

This is a test - more to come later.