Monkey-gram in 4 easy steps...

Step one: Gather a slingshot screaming monkey, a piece of paper, a marker, and some velcro strap.

Step two: Write your message.

Step Three: Crumple up the paper, attach to the monkey with the velcro.

Step four: Let the monkey rip. (Warning the person receiving the message with the phrase "Monkey Gram" is purely optional...)



If you want to take it up a notch, you can make a "paragliding screaming monkey-gram..."

Time passes...

Cereal is on sale

Sadly, I am not sure I bought enough.

Children's Health Fair

A few years ago, there was a children's health fair here in town. It was actually pretty good. They had maybe twenty booths inside, a dozen outside, and were giving out helmets to the children. ("Properly fitting helmets") They had booths about washing hands, brushing teeth, electricity, fire, and water safety, and lots of other booths. The girls really liked it and seemed to learn a lot.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from the kids pediatrician's clinic saying they were hosting the 'children's health fair' today. Most of the helmets have either been outgrown or abused (or both), and the kids could use some new ones, and I thought it would be a good idea for them to go through all those booths again. Plus it was something I could take them to do that would keep them busy for a while today.

We went over there, and there weren't all that many cars. I thought that was odd. We went up to the second floor, and right out of the elevators, there were two tables set up. The people there welcomed us to the fair. One table had all kinds of printouts with safety tips. I picked up:

• Tips for getting children to wear bicycle helmets
• Safety tips for home playground equipment
• An 'Emergency Contact' sheet
• Tips for choosing the right size bicycle for your child

They didn't really have anything for the kids to look at, just had Tootsie Rolls for them. The second table was resources for children with behavioral and emotional problems. They were signing people up for evaluations. I didn't sign our kids up.

That was it. Not really what we thought we were getting into. After we left, Ruth must have asked ten times when we were going to the health fair. She just didn't believe that we had already been there.

Anyone out there remember who sponsored this thing last time? Are they going to have another?

The girls may be looking forward to their Mother coming back.

Tara's off visiting her brother for a week. Yesterday no one got naps, and by dinner time they were all tired. Adam fell asleep in his seat. I sent the girls right to bed after dinner.

This afternoon, after lunch, I had each of the three older girls take one of the younger kids in their room to read. I told them to keep reading to them until the younger child falls asleep. I'm actually hoping I end up getting more than three of them asleep.

Tomorrow might be kind of interesting. I've got meetings all morning, I'm going to have to put Kate in charge of getting everyone ready for church. Hopefully they behave themselves in church, they have no one to sit with them tomorrow.

Berries!

Four or five years ago, I planted some raspberry and blackberry starts that I got from a neighbor down the street. Until now, I hadn't gotten any berries at all. I finally got some this year. I ate the first ones yesterday.

I have about another dozen or so berries out there waiting to ripen. They weren't as sweet as berries you get other places in the country, (like back East) but I think that's ok, I kind of liked these.

I look forward to four or five years from now, when I can get another two dozen or so berries again...

Booby traps

This picture is of a desk in my office that has been empty for months. A little while back, we decided to start storing our pop cans in the shelves above the desk. We filled one side while it was taped closed, and started filling the other with guide wires keeping the cans from filling. It was a team project.

Last week, we found out we would be housing a guest for a month from the third floor, while that floor is remodeled. (The building is only a year old. Don't ask...) Anyway, we were excited that our little project would finally come to fruition. The new guy moved in Wednesday, I wasn't there, but he eventually opened the drawer, and out came the cans. The guys missed getting the video. It's still pretty funny.

I've been out for a few days, but I found myself in the office at 5:45am this morning to upgrade a server. I went to my desk to grab an anti-static bag that I had in my cupboard, opened the thing up, and out came all the cans. It was pretty loud. I was pretty tired, and the only thing I could think was "where did they put my stuff?" I opened the other door, and out came another pile of cans. I must be stupid or something. It's funnier now that I am much more awake, I wish I had a video of one of the two events.

Front room is back!

Several weeks ago, we stuffed all the girls into the big front bedroom. This was the bedroom Tara and I have had for 10+ years, but it seemed like it was time to get them all into the same room, get Adam away from them, and reclaim our front room. Tara and I took the little bedroom in the back. We've now got almost all the bookshelves in the front room, and it's a nice quiet place to sit.