Ordinary Life

I've been reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the children, as well as a companion book about Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain for Kids: His Life and Times, 21 Activities .  We've enjoyed the book (finished it yesterday) and have plans to jump into Huck just as soon as we can make it to the library. The associated activities have been great for putting our hands inside the book and bringing the story out in more dimension. One scene in Tom Sawyer involves Aunt Polly giving Tom the latest and greatest in the way of patent medicine: Pain Killer; which Tom promptly gives to Peter, the cat. Needless to say, this was one of the children's favorite parts. The Mark Twain book suggested an activity that complemented this scene well. The children were to make and market their own patent medicines. We started by talking about the bygone days of medicine men, the FDA and our current safety regulations today. We scoured the Farmer's Almanac for advertisements to get an idea of a...

Last year, I got creative and let my imagination run free when it was time to make resolutions. I bombed by and large. This year, my aim is more realistic, which is probably why I've yet to commit a list to paper or mind... "Buy the Taj Mahal" is equal to or more attainable than "Get Organized" if last year's list is any indication. Still, just for fun let's see how far below my own lofty marks I fell: 2008 Resolutions Re-Visited 1.) Wake up earlier...aim for 5 AM regularly by March 31 (if you can't laugh to yourself, you may leave!) This I did, and truly enjoyed during the short time I made the effort. I would get up around 4 and go to the Y. I had time to work out and take a long, warm, uninterrupted shower before the kids were even awake. It lasted all of about a week I guess, before we left town and I too easily fell out of the routine, never to return to it. I made a few false starts after our move, but have let it go until I can get the logisti...

It's time once again to snap the ol' RetroSpectacles in place for a look back at 2008. For starters, last New Year's saw me face a 'temporary' - i use this term loosely- loss of reason. For a good laugh, read over last year's Resolution List . (For a good cry , ask me how many are still on this year's To Do List.) JANUARY We went to Calabash & Myrtle Beach, the boys played Basketball, Logan took dance and Clay and I wondered at what point does staying at the YMCA become fun (much less make you want to put on a headdress and sing) because it felt as if we lived there. We took in a hockey game and had our 15 minutes of fame on Savannah's local news station. I fell in love with Beaufort all over again and got a new nephew, Reagan . FEBRUARY The Lost Month... I cannot account for Feb. of this year with photos or entries in any of my blogs or personal journals... I have an inkling that it was due to busy-ness and other issues, but just for fun, I'm go...