Cereal

Now I have several pet peeves surrounding the everyday functions of my house - I'll save How To Properly Fold a Towel for another day.

Today's pet peeve: cereal. I currently have an unopened box of Brown Sugar Mini Wheats hiding under my bed. I bought it the other day but am waiting to introduce it to the cereal cupboard. Frogurt was even with me when I bought them but has obviously forgotten as he has not asked me about them. This is a favorite type of cereal around here but that is the problem. There are currently 4 other types of cereal on the go. I have 4 cereal keepers and they all have something in them. But none of them has very much. If I were to bring out the Mini Wheats, the rest of those cereals would go uneaten. Even worse, someone, most likely my DH, would rip open the jumbo plastic bag and perch it precariously on top of one of the cereal keepers. Even if there is an empty container there, he won't take the time to transfer the cereal from the plastic bag to the cereal keeper.

There is also the scenario where the bag of cereal is too big for the smallest of the keepers. However the extra-large keeper only has about one bowl left. So there are two possible actions here: eat the last bowl before opening a new bag or transfer the crumbs to the smaller keeper. But, alas, no... instead the cereal is once again left in the bag or the majority of it is transferred and a bit is left in the bag to get stale as it falls to the back of the cupboard and is forgotten about.

Here's the thing - since not introducing the new bag, I have noticed everyone is eating the other cereal up! What a novel concept! Let's finish something before we start something new! No one is complaining. However, if there was new cereal sitting there and I asked them to finish up the last of the rice krispies first, there would be much whimpering and carrying-on.

Am I alone here? What are your pet peeves?

Twitterpated

I find the most ironic thing about this video is that I got the link from a tweet from Anthony Robbins...
I love twitter but I also love the underlying message of this - we too often replace "actual" contact with people for virtual contact. I see this happening in our children more and more - they can't wait to get home from school (where they have actually been with their friends) to chat with them online....What happened to meeting in the playground or the soccer field?

As parents it is our responsibility to make sure our kids are getting the social interactions they need. That might mean joining a playgroup or a swim class when they are young, sports classes or music lessons as they get older - just something so that they are having the opportunity to hang out face-to-face with other kids. This also gives us as parents the same opportunity. We too need "live" social interactions to balance our online communities. I think the idea of social media is a wonderful tool and am thrilled to be a part of it - as long as it doesn't replace me picking up the phone and calling my best friend to meet at Starbucks and go for a walk.

Enjoy the video!

Soup Nazi

So the other day we took Freckles and Frogurt to Burrito Libre (they don't have a website!) because it was "free burrito day" with a donation to the food bank. By the way, if you are in Sherwood Park, you have to check this place out - it was delicious and very generous portions!

I digress...It was the couple in front of us that caught my eye. We were standing there, family of 4, with a bag full of non-perishable donations. This young, hip, trendy couple had one can of soup. She was carrying a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana handbag to accessorize her very nice outfit and fancy hair. He too was well-groomed and stylish. Now I realize I am passing judgement based on superficial evidence, but come on - one can of soup?? In exchange for 2 large burritos (regular $7 apiece)?? Maybe it's just me, but I think they missed the point.

This of course was another opportunity to talk to our kids about the importance of giving and how blessed we are and how much we truly have. After all, we only had to go one day without a television! I am very proud of my children and their generosity. They know what it means to give and the joy that brings.

Having said that, I am not sure Frogurt quite got the concept of the food bank. As he was eating his burrito, he said "Wow! The food bank sure makes good food!"

Homer Knows Best

Our tv died yesterday. I think Homer sums it up...(gets a little off topic at the end but you get the idea....)

Time to Get Dressed

Sniff...I heard about this a couple of weeks ago but didn't get around to blogging it until now:

From bnlmusic.com:

A MESSAGE FROM BARENAKED LADIES
By mutual agreement, Steven Page will be parting company with the remaining members of Barenaked Ladies. Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart will continue recording and touring together as Barenaked Ladies. Steven Page will pursue solo projects including theatrical opportunities while the band enters the studio in April 2009, and hits the road in the fall.

Page says "These guys are my brothers. We've grown up together over the past twenty years. I love them and wish them all the best in the future."

The band also wish Steven well in all of his endeavors. Ed Robertson says: "It's the start of a new chapter for all of us. Here's to the future!"

Everyone is looking forward to making new music and thanks their fans for their support.


Bwwwaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!! It truly is the end of an era. I have spent the last 20 years following these guys. They are one of my favorite bands. As a musician - a real one with a degree and everything - I have always appreciated the musicality of these guys. Their wonderful harmonies - with the plethoric use of dominant 7th chords, et al, you can tell that someone took a theory course or two.

So Stephen, I wish you well. Ed, Kevin, Ty and Jim, I will continue to enjoy your antics and true talent in a society where such a thing is a rare gem.

It's Just a Job

I remember years ago watching a show about "Cool Jobs". The one that sticks out most in my memory was that of the person whose job it was to arrange the cereal boxes on Seinfeld.


See them there in the kitchen? Someone got paid just to arrange those. Hmm. Part of me thinks "That is a cool job" but part of me thinks, "How fulfilling of a job could that possibly be?". And that's when it hit me. How much time did that job actually take? Probably not that much. And I would think that it paid a decent wage considering the immense popularity of the show. So then I think, "Well, if I only had to work a few hours a week and got paid very well for it, I probably would look for fulfillment elsewhere with all the free time I had left over!"

Bingo! And thus I segue into the book I am currently reading: Timothy Ferriss' The 4-Hour Work Week. I am loving this book. Not only am I learning to challenge my thinking of what is "normal" and what is "insanity" but he is quite a funny writer as well, even using the occasional profanity (which you don't normally find in the finance section....). There is a great comparison between those he refers to as the Deferrers and the New Rich. One of them says that the Deferrers are those whose goals are designed to free them from doing that which they don't like, whereas the New Rich set their goals not only for that but "also the freedom and resolve to pursue your dreams without reverting to work for work's sake....The goal is not only to simply eliminate the bad, which does nothing more than leave you with a vacuum, but to pursue and experience the best in the world." (pp23-24) He talks about "mini-retirements," essentially not waiting to the end to experience life but enjoying it throughout.

So I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I have a "job" that I love and that I find great fulfillment in. I work about 15-20 hours a week and can be at home with my kids. We get to travel as a family and it is all a tax write-off. I have networked with other people in my field in pools in Acapulco, on the Copacabana beach in Brazil and while waiting in line with my kids to go on Space Mountain at Disney. My commute is a simple set of stairs in my house and most days I can do the majority of my work in my jammies (I really hope they never perfect the video phone!) But out of it all, I get the biggest charge when I see someone else I've helped succeed/reach a goal. That is where I find the fulfillment. So for me, what I do is anything but "just a job". It is a lifestyle and one that I won't quickly be trading in for a cubicle...

Memories Gone Digital

I'm a genius! Just have to get it out there. I came up with a great idea today - a moment of pure inspiration.

If your house is anything like mine, there is paper everywhere. Now with 2 children in school the plethora of artwork and projects that come home in any given week is mind-boggling. And that doesn't even take into account all the homespun masterpieces. And, of course, every one of them is special and must be kept and prominently displayed.

Well, I have been trying to figure out what to do with all of this. This week, we said goodbye to 2 of my daughter's school projects (both were very cool) that had been on the top shelf in her closet collecting dust. However, I did take a picture of them first. Amidst a discussion this morning with other moms who face similar dilemmas, it came to me! I am going to take all those pictures and - no, not put them in a scrapbook - put them on one of those digital photo frames! Then they can each have one in their rooms and they can have a slide show of their favorite artwork!

Ta-da!!!
Whaddya think? Am I as brilliant as I think I am??