Book: “Never Sniff A Gift Fish” by Patrick McManus
I was thinking about the books I have read over the past few years and decided to chose one that is a little more “unique” from some of my other recommendations but nevertheless I have really enjoyed reading Patrick McManus books. Never Sniff A Gift Fish by Patrick McManus is one that we have at our house. The author has a way of making you laugh sometimes until your sides hurt. He is funny and his short stories are great to read. We have had his books in our magazine racks for years and I cannot count the number of times people have borrowed or taken the books for a short period of time to read them. I am looking forward to reading them to the girls soon too. A lot of his stories have to do with outdoor adventures, kid mischief, and fun. Each chapter is another short story. Some are more hilarious then others but there have been times I have had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard. Life is short so why not have fun. If you haven’t read one of his books you really should, you’ll enjoy some extra chuckles reading the adventures in his books. As the warmer season comes upon us it makes me think of camping and reading his books around a camp fire, great memories! Patrick McManus actually has several books if you prefer one of the other ones instead:
Life’s a CIRCUS!!!
Sometimes every day life begins to feel like one circus act after another. As a family of four there is always plenty of fun happening around our house. Even though life has a way of getting busy it is important to take some time to relax and just have fun! Go to the circus and let yourself laugh!
I had the privilege of chaperoning my girls kindergarten class to the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It had been years since I have been to the circus and the girls had never gone. We had a blast! It was a challenge keeping all the kids together especially since a bunch of other schools were attending the same day but we managed to keep track of our troops and everyone made it home safely. Here are a few pictures from our adventures.
Karlie and Brina at the Circus! I could NOT pry their eyes away from the circus long enough to take a picture, it was that much fun! 
The clowns were a big hit for both of the girls! 
So much visual stimulation! Always a lot of fun stuff to watch! 
The beautiful horses captivated the girls attention! 
The kids were impressed with the strong men and swings! 
A couple of the kids had their eyes covered because they didn't want to see the lady fall! 
The "Donut Wheel" bike was a big hit with the kids! 
The girls were glad to see the Tigers caged at the circus & loved their "tricks"! 
The elephants were a huge hit with all the kids! Movie – “Life As We Know It”
My husband and I enjoyed a Date Night last night. YAY!!! We love getting the opportunity to spend some quiet time together. Our kids are precious, however, we are thrilled to have the occasional opportunity to laugh, talk and relax together as a couple. We had free movie tickets and decided to see what was available. Since it was the Thursday before Halloween weekend the options were a little limited. “Saw” and some of the other Halloween / horror movies did not appeal to us.
We chose the comedy “Life As We Know It”. Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is single with a growing catering business and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is single and working as sports director. When their friends set up them up on a blind date they didn’t even get out of the driveway before going their separate ways. Their best friends named them as godparents for their daughter Sophie. When the parents were in an accident Holly and Messer were jointly responsible for taking care of Sophie. Holly and Messer found ways to work around their differences because they both loved Sophie and wanted what was best for her. It was a funny to watch. The new responsibilities of taking care of a baby had an effect on their lives which at times was pretty hilarious. The romance was predictable but cute to see evolve. Their neighbors were nosy and were a little overboard but if you are looking for a relaxing night out you may want to consider “Life As You Know It”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMK9GKZHtkw
Don’t Leave Home Without: Your Keys
The girls didn’t have school Monday, teachers work day, so I was looking forward to spending some quiet time with them. We spent the morning reading books, eating breakfast, making beds, doing laundry and other household chores that are fun with two little helpers hovering around. We were hurrying through our “to do” list so we could go on a ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure together.
As I ran the mail out and gathered up the last minute items, Brina and Karlie headed downstairs to get buckled into their car seats. They love going on errands with me therefore they were buckled in rather quickly. When I arrived they were patiently waiting for me start the van so we can be off on our adventure, as I buckled in it hit me………Where Are My Keys???
The next 45 minutes was a whirlwind as we bounced around in search of the keys. The first several minutes the girls just watched as I went from cleaning out the van, digging in the trash can, and combing through the house in search of my keys. You have to understand that as an organized person with two kids I have a “place” for my keys. Whenever I need to head out my keys are rarely a concern because I know when I get in the van exactly where they will be. If I am parked in the garage my keys are always on top of the dash. When I am at the store or parked outside the house my keys are always in my purse. At this point in the search I had decided that for whatever reason the girls and I were not supposed to be going out today. Of course, that didn’t go over too well when I told the kids so I promised to look another few minutes then we would have to go back inside and find something special to do at home.
I think the girls were beginning to get concerned that we would not be going on our ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure so they suggested that I call Daddy to see if he rememberd seeing my keys. The weekends are wonderful with the entire family together, however, my keys get shuffled around more because my dear husband prefers to use his keys when we go out and they fit better into his pocket (my key chain is rather large with all my keys, fancy sayings, digital picture frame and so forth attached). Not really thinking he would remember since I am the “organized” person in our family I call…..after a short pause he suggested looking on the key ring in the garage (which I never store my keys on since they are either in the dash or my purse). Well, today they were nicely hanging on the key ring in the garage. Now to make matters more embarrassing the key ring is in plain sight from any where in the garage and I walked past it at least a dozen times in my flurry to locate my keys. The girls were thrilled that Daddy found the keys for Mommy and we were off on our errands!
Although we live in a suburban area it is not easy to go to the store or run errands without keys. Thankfully we were able to locate them so we could go complete the activities for the day even if we were running an hour behind schedule. It is one of those moments when you realize how dependent you are on having the keys to get you where you need to go when leaving the house.
Being organized is awesome! I am thankful for a husband who puts up with my craziness and shares in the laughter when those moments happen. He is the calm in this wild household of women and I love him dearly. Although he unintentionally caused the hiccup in my organized household I know he was only trying to help. Keys really are an important item if you plan to drive somewhere…….so don’t leave home without them!!!
I am a firm believer that you are only as organized as you need to be. Don’t Leave Home Without……is a mini-series of items that you really shouldn’t leave home without in today’s society. Most days I am organized which saves time and energy for the entire family, however, there are times that life gets crazy and items somehow manage to find another location in my home. If something is not in it’s place (even though the spot it is in makes perfect sense) it can cause additional drama, scurried moments, and in the end laughter. Hope you enjoy the humor as I have (later in the day or in some cases later in the week).
