Janey needed to repark her car she left payton with me! Holy cow what a handful taking care of 2 kids under 1 year of age!! For all of 5-10 min...his mommy couldn't have come back any sooner...I remember feeling so relieved hehehe. My peanut wanted to play with the bags, Payton wanted to crawl around on the ground...ahhhhhh meanwhile my purse and booster seat were just scattered along the open bench. Yes, terribly disorganized and frustrating. I don't think I'm ready for another kid yet. Unless I'm the sit at home type...which I certainly am not!

Went to the bank and children's place afterwards. Peanut was so cute, smiling at the bank teller and the SA at children's place. Such a sweet smile...and I'm not just saying that because she's my peanut! Anyways, bought her a bear suit from their Halloween section. Not for her Halloween costume but for day to day bear attire. Hehehe just haven't decided if I should exchange it for the 6-12m size. Such life decisions.

Went to tamarind hill for dinner. I liked it. Had a mcdonalds sundae afterwards...garbage, compared to DQ!

When I caught my son fishing for something up in his nose, examine it, and then decide to taste it, I had to figure out a catchy way to nip that habit in the bud. Now, I'm sure, as a kid, we all were intrigued by the crunchy, salty taste that comes out of our noses, but there are a few people in this world that still, as adults, search for the perfect bite. At that moment, when I saw him go for the mouth I shouted "Shyel, dude, just pick and flick it!". I figured the rhyme was catchy enough for him to rethink his booger eating attempts in the near future.

A few weeks later, during circle time at his preschool, his teacher was reading a book called "That's Disgusting" by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais. As soon as she got to the part about how eating boogers was disgusting, my son raised his hand passionately in the air and said to the whole class that, "My mommy said you shouldn't eat your boogers, just pick it and flick it!". Although I am a huge supporter of the 1st amendment, I made a note to myself to figure out another rhyme that would remind my son of "time and place".

The lack of inhibition is a glorious thing and as I look at my kids, I envy the newness and the innocence behind it. A few days ago, at the beach, my son and his friend managed to get everything wet. As we were changing them, they took off running in the sand, free as birds, butt naked. I watched them both, screaming with delight, sand in every crevice, pure, unadulterated joy shining off their beautiful 3 year old faces. I noticed that other people on the beach were watching our boys. I wasn't sure if they were thinking "ok, that's cute enough, now, get their clothes back on" or, thinking what I was thinking...I wish I could be that free. The total, innocent, beautiful, lack of any type of inhibition. I thought to myself, enjoy it now kid, because with each passing moment, the world finds ways to inhibit us. Be free little man.

Anyway, enough talk. Let's see pictures!

All ten babies, playing. Click on the picture to see who is who:

Babies and daddies:

Here I am, covered in my own babies:

Connor tries to break his friends out of baby jail:

Future prom dates for my boys:

This girl is a speed demon! This is a rare shot of Mary sitting still:

Babies! Babies! Baaaabbbieeeeesssss!!!

Okay, I'll stop now.

Liz has a little boy just about a month younger than Cate and then a baby girl who is about four months by now I think. She's just a really fun person to be around. I've known her for a couple of years I guess. She used to work in the Child Watch at the Y when I was going there with the girls. She quit for the same reason I did - her kid kept getting sick. She's in great shape though. You wouldn't even know she just had a baby.

Laura has a little boy who is hmmm maybe six months or so younger than Cate. I can't say for sure. I used to see her all the time at Pump It Up and she's really down to earth and nice. She moved here from Maryland I think.

So, anywho, they should both be here in a couple of hours. I need to run the vacuum and clean the bathroom a little bit. Other than that I think everything is good to go. We haven't been here enough lately to make a mess which is one of the reasons I *love* going to the gym in the morning.

I can't believe it's already Friday. Tomorrow I'm off to Weight Watchers in the morning, then the gym, then I'm going shopping. I need to pick up a birthday gift for a three year old boy. (Any suggestions?)

We've got a birthday party to go to on Sunday but Billy's going 4 wheeling so I guess I'll be going alone with the girls. No matter. I get all into kid birthday parties. Especially when they are kids of someone I really adore (my friend Jaimie) and there's a cookout involved and probably alcohol. Oh, shoot, I just realized I can't really drink that much if I have to drive myself and two kids home. Shucks!

Have a great weekend! Sorry I didn't comment on or back to all the HNT'ers yesterday. I'll try and do that this afternoon. ;) It was super fun being picked as Os' Mystery Guest this week. I can't describe how good Thursdays are for my mood lately. Quite the ego boost indeed!

There is frosting to be tinted and cupcakes to be decorated.

There are bud vases to be filled with freshly cut flowers.

And the flowers must be arranged just so.

Whew! Sadie takes a moment to rest and soak it in as Kaylee and Ehlayna swim together.

Caught ya'!

There was lots of swimming to start off the party.

Ronet and myself paint and glitter the kids' nails. This was a hit!

Sadie shows off her pink polish with gold glitter.

Sadie tossed a couple of bean bags as did Ethan. I'm sure we'll get more use out of these babies...

Ethan, Kaylee, and Anna make their rag-tag books- leftover scrapbooking paper (gave that arduous undertaking up for blogging), old fabric, lace, and some markers.

We prepare for the tea party!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Sadie! Happy Birthday to you!

A raucous and fabulous tea party.

Sadie loved opening the presents her friends thoughtfully picked out for her.

She was equally thrilled with presenting her friends with their tea sets to take home.

Thank you to all of Sadie's friends who made this such a special day for her. Ever the hostess, she enjoyed all of the activities and doing special things for her friends like the place 'cards' with their pictures, the tea sets, the decorations, food, etc. Each aspect of this day was carefully planned and prepared by Sadie with her friends and the Earth in mind. It was a completely renewable party with no disposable items such as paper decor, favors, balloons, or servingware. She took great pride in planning a party that was both good for the Earth and fancy. It was thrilling for her to see it all come together and to have such fun playing with her friends.

]]> http://clanofparents.wordpress.com/?p=987 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:40:33 +0000 Sarah http://clanofparents.wordpress.com/?p=987 We had a playday with our friends Ehlayna, Ethan, and Ronet today. It was, of course, fantastic! Elijah brought his bottle cap collection and he and Ethan spent some time comparing the different varieties of each of their collections.

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Sadie watched Ehlayna cook and prepare her own hot dog and did the same!

Check out this phenomenal invention! This is a marble run that Ethan, Ehlayna, and Ronet built. It is fantastic and much time was spent analyzing the different parts. We are saving our recyclables in preparation for our own.

A day wouldn't be complete without some spray play!

Sadie spent much of the day playing dress-up and pretend. She and Ronet were the resident princesses. I was part-time princess, part-time spy depending on whether I was recruited by the boys or the girls. It was great fun that threaded throughout the day.

Sadie requested a walk to the gardens. On our way we spotted a rather large snake slithering quickly away and chatted about a tortoise that Ronet had seen periodically near the gardens. Guess who Sadie spotted in the brush pile? Not one but TWO tortoises. One had presumably accidentally flipped over and found himself stuck. The other sat by- to help? to commiserate? We can only guess. Ronet flipped him over with a stick and we went to get Ehlayna, Elijah, and Ethan to come and check them out! They were given a snack of fresh tomatoes from the garden.

More marble run fun- this time with the store-bought kind. These two are quite the engineers. I was there for support but the design was theirs and evolved with ideas and teamwork.

Who wants to watch the geckos be fed? We do! We do! Watching a gecko scarf up a live meal worm is pretty amazing. They don't waste any time. Elijah and Sadie talked some on the way home about how the meal worms were smaller than the usual ones the geckos are fed and were cool and less mobile which was why there was a delay in the geckos seeing/eating them. Sponges, I tell ya'.

The kids were indoctrinated with a Pokemon movie. It doesn't seem to have caught on over here yet but Ehlayna and Ethan are VERY excited about it. We wound down the day with a lovely storytime. What a great day!

And a special thanks to Ryan from whom I swiped this photo.

Yes, our children were in deed there and playing...somewhere.

Late in the afternoon, Kathy and Diane approached me with a look of concern on their faces.  "We need to talk", Diane slurred to me.

"Oh dear," I replied thinking her issue was related to our moms group.

"Kathy and I have been meaning to discuss something with you for quite some time now."

I quickly sobered as the seriousness in her tone made me nervous.

"We feel you are misguided and confused.  We believe you are more conservative than you think."

(((GASP)))  Oh the horror!  How dare they call me such a foul word?  Me, a conservative? My ears began to ring.  I felt a pang in my heart.  I envisioned Al Gore standing in the white light with a disapproving expression on his face as he tore my voter's registration card into pieces.

"What is this? An intervention?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, you could say that," Kathy chimed in.

Diane and Kathy then proceeded to tell me all the ways they felt I was a conservative, a mind game strategy to recruit me to the dark side.  I tried to speak, but they were well-prepared for their ambush.  The two clever and conniving conservatives released their ammo of right-wing agenda and I froze like a deer in headlights.  I tried to fire back but I could not fight off the constant discharge of conservative cartridges.  Powerless by my inebriated state, I resigned to their tricky tactics and submissively listened as they condemned my liberal claims.  That late afternoon, they won the battle but not the war. 

How could anyone mistake me for a conservative?  Is it because most of my friends are Republicans?  Perhaps, people make the assumption because I prefer not to talk politics in social circles.  I refrain from such banter as my opinions and views are seldom the majority in this big red retirement state. 

For the record, I am indeed and whole-heartedly a flaming, left-wing liberal and have been for years.  I am not a moderate nor do I walk down the middle.  For goodness sakes, I wore a "Jesse Jackson for President" button in high school.  In each election, I have voted for Democratic candidates and have even voted for Nader once!  (((GASP!)))  Therefore, to call me a conservative is simply blasphemy.

With that, here (in no particular order) is my list of issues that I support/oppose and make me a true bleeding heart liberal. 

• Pro choice (I actually have an e-mail subscription to NARAL Pro-Choice America.)
• Women's rights/equality
• Oppose the death penalty
• Larger government
• Welfare
• Universal Healthcare
• Oppose the war, but support the troops
• Oppose off-shore drilling in Florida's Gulf Coast
• Public education/oppose vouchers
• Separation of church and state 
• Oppose hand-guns laws/Abolish the Second Amendment
• Gay rights/Same sex marriage
• Human rights (I belong to Amnesty International.)
• Environment and Global warming
• Legalized drugs
• Higher taxes for the wealthy and corporations

And now if you excuse me, I must prove my worth as a bleeding heart liberal by organizing and leading a protest for one or all of the above issues.

Liam and Elijah admire the leopard geckos.

This is Jackie- isn't she pretty?

Elijah plays tag with Ronet. This is one of the reasons the kids are just as close with the adults as they are with the kids. We're well-versed in Playful Parenting and always up for a game! I subbed in shortly thereafter and, it turns out, that when I'm "IT" I have to follow the exact path that he takes (under low-lying tree branches)- very sneaky.

Sadie decks out in the mask and cape that Ronet made for all the kids. She was really getting into the superhero part. This is the best picture I got. I think her superpower might be speed...or invisibility :)

Ethan and Elijah sit down to work on a marble run.

Liam, Ethan, and Super Sadie blow bubbles on the patio.

Super Sadie takes out some bad guys (pictures of bad guys from Batman as far as I could tell with my limited superhero knowledge taped on sawhorses) with water balloons.

Elijah takes them on too. The bad guys didn't stand a chance.

Kenzie, Elijah, Ethan, Declan, and Sadie pile up in the kiddie pool for some water fun!

Noisemakers and cake!

And what a cake it was. The kids got to pick whatever piece they wanted. Cutting was trickie but Ronet made it happen. She pulled an all-nighter on this cake. You're the MOM, Ronet!

And to top off a great day, Elijah got his favorite- cherry tomatoes right off the plant in Ronet's garden. Mmmmm.

Happy Birthday Ethan! We love you!

ANYWAY- we went over to our friends' house. It's a suburban chicken farm! There are 4 new babies of different varieties.

And 4 full-grown hens!

Anna shows Sadie where they check for eggs and...voila!

After some heavy-duty chicken time, we made our own pizzas! Yum.

No more pics- it was just too much fun!

Have a Dandelion Day!

Stephanie - Dandelion Momma

Gather:

• Soccer balls from the garage - Futball is an English classic.
• Prince and princess dress-up clothes.  There is nothing better than being the Queen or King of England.
• Camera to snap pictures for your passport journals (or crayons if Jr. wants to do his own illustrating).

Menu:

• Fish and Chips for lunch! Translation - fish sticks and frozen french fries. Who knew being international was so easy?
• Trade snack time for tea time! I would recommend a decaf tea if you are going that direction, or you could serve lemonade or juice out of a tea set. It would be so much fun to use this time to try some new foods that are commonly eaten in London like toffee, scones, marmalade, clotted cream, and Nutella. Your kids will have fun trying new foods and may even find a new favorite! Check out my Wishpot pick list to see where to find some truly Brit snacks. You could also try looking at World Market.

Activites:

• Read Michale Bond's English class, The Adventures of Paddington Bear. It chronicles a stuffed teddy bear in England with an affection for orange marmalade.
• Watch My Fair Lady  or Mary Poppins and spend the afternoon practicing your British accent.
• Rock out to your favorite Beatles album.
• Act like an aristocrat and play croquet! Check out croquet.com for basic rules.
View my pick list on Wishpot

Have a Dandelion Day!

Stephanie - Dandelion Momma

We played inside for a while...then hit the pool!

The boys peek at each other under water as Sadie looks on.

This was a day full of great fun!

SUNDAY

Again, the twins slept like rocks and woke up "late" (i.e., 7 AM) this morning.

Amanda had bought the twins their favorite breakfast -- Eggos and bananas -- and we had a somewhat leisurely morning. We quickly packed-up and headed over to Chalna's house for a planned morning playdate.

This was the twins very first playdate, and I think they loved having a new house and toys to explore. For the most part, the three of them (Colin, Kate, and Carson) played separately, but it was fun seeing them all together. I was surprised that Colin (and any 1-year old for that matter) was so gracious having these unknown twins come into his domain to play with his stuff, but he didn't mind a bit.

Colin has WAY cooler toys than the twins, and I need to get more age-appropriate toys for them soon. They still have rattles and other true baby toys still in their toy bin. I feel bad about it. No wonder they get bored.

While the kiddos played, us grown-ups (me, Mark, Chalna & Jeremy) got to visit. It was nice to be in a child-proof house and not have to worry about the twins finding something dangerous. I REALLY want Chalna, Jeremy and Colin to come down to Austin for a weekend soon. Jeremy (a non-Texan) has never been to Austin, and that's just simply sinful. My secret fantasy is that they come down for a visit and Jeremy falls in love with Austin and decides he just can't take Dallas anymore and he moves the family down here. HaHa...okay, not very likely, but I can still hope. :)

We got on the road at 11 AM, and the twins were sleeping in the car before we even got out of their neighborhood. Once again, they slept halfway home and then woke up unhappy. Kate -- who had been a doll baby all weekend -- was a bear on the ride home. I spent a good chunk of the time on sitting on my knees facing backwards in the front seat trying to do anything to keep her from fussing and cursing under my breath how badly I want a car with a built-in DVD player. The Wiggles or Bunnytown really would have come in handy for that final 150 miles.

The kiddos were thrilled to be back home. They were so happy, wild and hyper. They just had to inspect all of their toys, and they went room-to-room just looking round. Carson was especially glad to be home. He was practically bursting with joy and happiness.

What a great weekend. We must do it again soon!

 Kate helping herself to Colin's wagon of toys.

On a lighter, and far less cheesy, note- yesterday Gianna and I had a playdate with our friends Barb and Makayla.  Makayla is 16 months now and it is c r a z y to see how "child" like she is.  That baby is no baby.  Basically in 5 short months Gianna will be walking and talking and playing and (here is the key) not wanting anything to do with me!  I'm all for independent spirit and a little free time on my side, but no hugs and cuddles and lazy mornings?  That is just too much for me to think about right now.  Gianna was fascinated by Kayla.  Usually Gi gets frustrated when I try to make her walk instead of crawl but because Kayla was walking, she didn't mind.  Kayla was standing and playing with toys, so Gi stood and played with toys.  It was adorable.  I would've taken some pictures but my stupid camera has seen it's last day.  It has become a toy, that's how bad it is.

I'm going to go TRY to download a video of Gianna playing and talking to herself to post here. Check back!

- The simplest way would be to fold contruction paper in half hamburger style and staple them together in the center.

- Every passport has a photo. Print one of your child to paste on, or try letting them draw a self portrait. Use the first page for this picture and write a description of your child- this could lead to a good discussion (i.e. "You have blue eyes, but mommy has brown. We both have blonde hair. How else are we alike?")

- Each time you participate in an international Dandelion Day (one of ours - or your own), encourage your child to draw a picture or journal about that day's activities. You could also paste in photographs of the day.

- Of course, if you are much more tech-savvy than me, you could make the whole thing on the computer and print it out.

As your passports fill up with memories your kids will begin to treasure their projects and may be inspired to continue journaling or scrapbooking. And of course - they will be looking forward to the next page in their passport. Happy crafting!

Have a Dandelion Day,

Stephanie - Dandelion Momma

I am SO sick to DEATH of having to do EVERYTHING for EVERYBODY!!!!!

AAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!

I'm tired of always being responsible. I'm wiped out. Weeks of hospital visits...running the kids to tumbling and dance lessons...stopping by my mom's to visit...off to the library for a kids program...driving Mom to the doctor...another dance lesson...return phone calls...plan menus....

Oh, and let's not forget that on top of all that, Supermom here is supposed to cook, clean, shop, do laundry, dishes.

Oh, and lose a little weight. Did I mention I'm a stress eater?

My house is trashed. I HATE being here. Tired of tripping over dog toys, broken Happy Meal toys, assorted laundry that never made it to the hamper because my family is apparently BRAIN DAMAGED. Tired of trying to remember which pile in which quadrant of our kitchen that phone number or schedule is located.

Did I mention that all the stuff that belongs in our (nonexistent) attic is (still) in my bedroom? Has been for over 4 years, since Little Sis was born and we had to turn "the attic room" into her nursery. I hate waking up and looking at that sh*t every day. I trip over it on my way to bed. I knock it over on my way to the bathroom every morning. It includes a large bag stuffed with gift bags that we've received over the past 7 years that are intended to be reused. It mostly contains "new baby" themed bags that we could NEVER POSSIBLY EVER USE UP IN OUR LIVES. We won't ever have to give gifts to 78 babies. Did I mention that this teetering pile of crap prohibits me from even using my own dresser?

Wishing I could return some favors...all the playdates that were hastily arranged to I could see my mom in the hospital...the backyard sleepover I've been promising Little Sis for months ("When school's out, honey." "After vacation, baby doll." "When your grandma gets out of the hospital...."). I think about planning our somewhat-annual ice cream social (I even bought invitations!), but I can't bear the thought of adding it to my workload, even though it's the world's easiest party to throw.

But I don't have enough patience for my own kids lately, let alone someone else's too.

My book club book is gathering dust on a side table. The chaise lounge I splurged on ($30 at Sam's Club) never made it to the deck. We never got out the grill...who has time?

Summer's whizzing by, and I'm missing it.

On the bright side, I have (expensive) Jimmy Buffett tickets for Tuesday, but right now all I can think about is my extensive to-do list. Clear out minivan so six adults can comfortably fit. (Maybe get the car detailed? I hate doing it myself.) Make sure sitter can run Little Sis to dance class. Plan menu. Shop. Pack in coolers. Be at airport by 11:30 am to pick up my sister and her (new) boyfriend. Worry that new boyfriend won't like me or that he'll be disgusted when he sees what shape I keep my home in. Arrive at concert. Unpack. Cook. Feed people. Drink (heavily?). Try to remember to relax and enjoy myself. It's Jimmy Buffett, for Pete's sake.

I've had it.

Is this stupid antidepressant even WORKING? Hellooo?

I'm tired.

Why am I happy?  Well, we have a playdate tomorrow with . . .

. . . a lesbian couple & their twin daughters!

When I invited them over I didn't even realize the extraneous circumstances.  I was so afraid the original woman I talked to might be "normal"!  Or even worse, better than normal, one of those Martha Stewart types who would notice the peeling wallpaper our rabbit gnawed on or the chewed up wood around a few of the windows, courtesy of the dog that lived here with the last owners.

I invited her directly from a Yahoo website.  This is how desperate I am to make sure my daughter's social experience is phantasmagorical.  Total strangers!  As I put our address in the e-mail I had visions of Squeaky Fromme, Manson's sidekick.  But she sounded nice.  She knows people I know.

Notice I was more worried about Martha than Squeaky?

I had to call her tonight to confirm everything.  Another woman answered the phone.  And then I heard, "Can I bring my partner?"  I had to bite my tongue not to say, "Oh my God, you're lesbians?!  That's fantastic!"

Anyway, finally I meet normal alternative lifestyle peeps.  It's not like we don't have friends.  One of my favorite people gave my daughter two henna tattoos & a strip of purple hair tonight.  You can't get better than that, really.  And through her I met the friend that regularly entertains me on a weekly basis & was willing to float down a river while screaming at her children "Dodge the lightning!  It's behind you!"

But I've been concerned that our pool has been sitting empty all summer as we run from place to place.  I wanted to have social activities at our own home occasionally.  And it wasn't happening.  So I put myself out there & offered an "open playdate."  One of the few people who responded has 10 children.  I even bit the bullet and said, "Bring them."  She never responded again.  Are you fucking kidding me?  Perhaps she realized that I am not a Bible beater.  I treat my Bible kindly, thank you very much.   

You may be thinking, "But Pam, you don't live an alternative lifestyle."  Well, yes, I do.  I may look normal on the outside, but I live my life entirely inside my head and it's often a dangerous mess in here.  Some days I wake up & immediately begin trying to chant positive affirmations because I feel like I'm about to fall off a cliff at any moment.

I tried all the "Anonymous" meetings.  I met such incredible assholes in those rooms!  I've searched round the world for the group that's called "Adult Child of a Fucking Maniac," but never found it.  So the closest I get to comfortable is spending time with people who are a tiny bit left of center, off the beaten path.

Public school was full of people pretending to be normal.  Even the children are forced to show only their rigid little fake smiles to one another.  Homeschooling is a whole different bag.  If I have to read one more missive from some bitch who claims she's got the 4-1-1 on Jesus and can school me in His love, as if I don't have my own established belief system, I will choke myself with a thorny bush.

You don't think they're lesbians of the Christian right variety, do you?  I will be utterly disappointed and forced to drown myself in a Valium cocktail if that's the case.

My least favorite homeschooling chick has begun signing off with a signature line that follows all 47 of her weekly e-mails.  I shouldn't say "line," as it's more like a paragraph.  Here goes:

"Praising Him Joyfully, 

"Nobody can make you feel inferior unless you give them permission."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. "

-Helen Keller"

Now, honest to God, I realize the above lines are not bad in any way, shape or form.  It's only when you repeat them ad nauseum that I want to rip your limbs off.  Endless e-mails about vacation bible school, each with the above lines attached, as if she's my fucking teacher.  Yes, she's schooling me in the art of life.

So, since I'm such a picky bitch, I submit to you my 

Peeps Wish List . . .

God, grant me the ability to find more lesbians in the homeschooling arena, perhaps a few midgets, a dwarf & a piano-playing gay man.  Send me a couple of relaxed bitches who had a fucked up childhood for interesting conversation . . .

Follow it up with three OCD pals who are over the top when it comes to protecting their children from the plague & natural disasters (perhaps Christie Brinkley, she of the stockpiled gas masks & multiple defibrillators) . . . 

In addition, I boldly ask that they all laugh at my jokes & their children be willing to play endless rounds of hide-'n-seek with my controlling daughter.  I would be happy to include chicks with an occasional chin hair & one arm shorter than the other, heavy-duty pubes (none left in the pool, please), maybe a pet monkey, even a weeble-like figure . . .

We're not looking for bikinis here, necessarily, although I am the first to love a big heavy ass in a tight brightly-colored thong (male OR female variety) . . .

Please make them comfortable people, one or two who watch reality TV & can chat with me for hours over the latest idiocy on Big Brother or I Love Money.  Gourmet cooks need to be willing to bring their own food, as do those with children who eat from less than two food groups.  I can only take so much. . .

Add in one goofy guy willing to drink beer & play horseshoes with my husband, especially if he has a son or daughter who loves Youtube videos, bunnies, the Jonas Brothers & making cookie cakes.

* * * * *

My wish list is now complete.

We've got a playdate with homeschooling lesbians, a very good beginning.  God help me if they start quoting Eleanor Roosevelt or Helen Keller, in which case I may purposely hit my head on the edge of the pool.

If they watch reality TV I will dance a jig on the diving board & pictures will be included in the next post.