News for Riptide

Hey Wrigley!

What? I’m a bit busy.

Doin’ what?

Looking for Rosie. I want to lick her teeth while she growls at me. Cracks me up!

That’s not very nice! She has a birthday coming up, ya know! And she hates it when you do that.

Riptide, you are so naive! Rosie loves it when I pay attention to her. She’s just playing hard to get.

I don’t think so. I think it really bugs her. And what does ‘naïve’ mean? You darn border collies and your big words. Is that a name? I don’t get it…WAIT! Stop distracting me. I have something important I need to tell you.

Fine, my flirtations can wait…what’s up?

Flirtations??? Ugh! Never mind. Rumor has it that…that…gulp…Fringe is coming to visit.

Wrigley starts walking in circles…Rumor has it! Rumor has it! woooo! Rumor has it I’m the girl you’re leavin’ her for…

Wrigley! Did you hear me!!!?? Stop singing! Focus!

um, what? Sorry! I love that song. One of my favorites to howl with. What did you say?

I heard Brenna ask, “When is Fringe coming?” I think that means Fringe is coming to visit!

Oh, I knew that.

What! How did you know that and I didn't?

Because I told him.

Reba! Why did you tell him and not me?

I did tell you. I told both of you the other day. Too bad you couldn’t stop running around with that stupid Frisbee to listen.

UGH! I hate it when I miss stuff! When is she coming?

Today.

TODAY??? But I’m not ready. I have to find all of my favorite toys…and decide if I will share or not! And I have to hide the bones. And find a nice bed for her. And nap! I need to nap!! You know we will play for hours when she gets her. I’M NOT READY!! And then she will be gone. Our play dates are always way too short.

Dude. She’s not leaving today.

You really need to learn how to pay attention. I’m impressed Wrigley knows more than you this time.

What do you mean?

Dude. She’s coming for “summer camp”. That means that she is staying aaalllll summer, or for most of it anyway.

Really!?!! ALL SUMMER???? WOOOOO HOOOOOO! Rumor has it! Rumor has it!

Stop spinning. You look goofy. You’re not a border collie…

 oh. Sorry. I have so much to do! So much to prepare! So much to hide! Oh joy of joys!! This is the best day ever!!!!

Dude. Chill. Been there. Done that. My “Booga Booga Booga” skills are ready to go. I LOVE the look on Fringe’s face when I jump out at her! Yours is pretty funny too. haha haha haha

Oh Wrigley! You are such a goof! I am so excited! What about you Reba? Aren’t you excited? This will be so much fun! Me and Fringe! Fringe and me! Oh the adventures we will have. C’mon Reba, aren’t you excited too??!!??

Thrilled.

Dear Baseball Fans,


It's opening day for the Cubs!!! And I have something that I need to say. I am hereby giving notice that any pessimistic or snide comments made about the boys in blue or their fans will not be tolerated in 2012!! It is poor sportsmanship and not cool. 


Please cheer on your team as I cheer on mine. But when you start raining on my April parade, I will put my hands on my ears and sing "GO CUBS GO!" (This also means you will be hidden on FB. I will unhide you in November, don't worry!)


But if you love baseball like I do, then let's get ready for a summer of sun, peanuts, and maybe a beer or two. 


LET'S PLAY BALL!!!!!

Sincerely,
Becky :)

A Conversation between Wrigley and Riptide...and a little Reba too.

This is what I heard last night. I swear. 

Hey. Hey Riptide. She got the bag out.
Bag? What bag? Wrigley, who are you talking about?
I'm talking about HER. The lady that lets us chase frisbees and bark and counter surf.
She doesn't 'let' us counter surf. You just do it. Even though she yells NO! and shakes a can and has threatened to get the spray bottle.
How can I not try? There is so much good stuff up there. It's almost as good as the garbage can...wait! The bag! I was talking about the bag! Dude, don't distract me!
Like either of you need help with that.
Shush Reba. Us dudes are having a conversation.
Ha! I'll leave you alone. I have feet to lick anyway.
Don't go Reba! She never wants to hang out with us unless we have a toy or a bone. Why do you think that is Wrigley?
I think it is because she is envious of our awesomeness...wait! Focus Riptide! The bag! Focus on the bag! She only put shoes in it tonight, but they are athletic shoes. That means flyball right????
Athletic shoes?
Yes! Athletic shoes.

Athletic? That's a big word Wrigley.
No it's not.
Well I think it is.
Riptide, athletic is not a big word.
'Riptide, athletic is not a big word.' geeesh. Border collies.
Back to the bag with GYM shoes in it. Is that better?
Much.
Why else would she put GYM shoes in the bag? It's gotta mean flyball.
Maybe she is going on an exercise vacation...without you.
Reba! Go lick something.
Yeah. Go lick something. And she hates exercise.
You boys are so clueless. Of course it means we are going on a flyball trip.
But Reba, how can you be sure?
Really Wrigley? Really Riptide? Does she ever pack a bag for anything else?

Gotta Blog! Gotta Blog! Gotta Blog!

Gene Kelly singing "Broadway Rhythm" in Singing in the Rain.
He sang "Gotta Dance!" I sing "Gotta Blog!"

It's been a while since I've written. I've been itching to get busy, but I've been plagued with insecurities and doubt about my writing. I kept trying to find hysterical things to write about...like when one of my students made a Valentine's coupon for her grandma that was good for "Picking the dead skin off your feet". Or, something funny would happen and I would forget about it...like when I was looking at my old letters of recommendations for past interns and saw a name I totally did not recognize, and she was in my classroom only two short years ago! I still can't picture her face. Or I was trying to figure out how to touch on the subject of my New Year's Resolution...like how the only one I have been successful at doing on a daily basis is meditating - about how I can get back on track with my resolution. Or noticing something odd in the everyday stuff of life...like when Weight Watchers rejected my debit card three times in a row and locked me out. I figured it was Karma, but it turns out the bank was looking out for me. Or waiting for the dogs to do something noteworthy...like about how Reba is on a mission to destroy every single stuffed dog toy in the house so I thought I might replace some with the Barking Deal of the Day(3 large Wubbas for 19.99) only to look and see her destroying a Wubba. (I'm still going to order them for the boys though!) Or waiting for the something cool the girls have done...like Brenna's first Scholastic Bowl meet that totally blew my mind because I had no idea something so cool existed and am upset that it wasn't around when I was in junior high because I would have been awesome at it! Or seeing if someone else in my family did something noteworthy...like my nephew Alex going to the state chess tournament (who knew!!??!!) at the Civic Center and winning 2 out of 3 the first day. (I'm not sure how accurate that is, but that was the latest word last night.) Or maybe Don would help me out and do something funny...like give me a hard time because I told him that when he goes on these trips for WORK, he needs to just WORK and not sight see and take pictures and take in the local flavor.

But alas, nothing seemed "just right" to blog about. I've created some sort of standard for this blog writing thing and when I don't meet my expectations, I don't write. Well, that sucks for my loyal readers! Surely you have been waiting for my next post, anticipating when I will click that publish button. I got over it last night and decided that I just need to write through my insecurities...for you...my readers. :)

Hopefully I will get back on track soon and have regular posts to keep you up to date on the "tv-ness" of my life. Until then...watch some Gene Kelly. He always brightens my day!

Random thought...if you have a Droid you can get a Google Reader app that lets you check all of your favorite blogs on your phone. It ROCKS! I can check up with my friend in Alabama or a flyball team in California or the teacher in Wisconsin that really knows how to use technology in the classroom. I'm not sure if the iPhone has the app, but I bet it does as Google is everywhere.

So now you can carry my prose in your purse or pocket, because you just never know when I GOTTA BLOG!

10 Reasons I need a snow day tomorrow…

1.       5 days in a row is too many to teach first grade.

2.       The new water heater needs my help to get acclimated to our home. After all, we haven’t seen hot water in 24 hours. Yes…we smell.

3.       Ashlyn doesn’t have school so why should I?

4.       Riptide misses me. His constant whining tells me so.

5.       I do NOT need another hour long commute in snow and wind with crazy drivers.

6.       I need to replace the battery in the carbon monoxide detector. I think it was beeping all day and drove Reba crazy based on her behavior when I got home.

7.       Reba needs a day of snow Frisbee to get over the trauma of the beeping from today.

8.       I need to work on my T-shirt quilt.

9.       A four day weekend would be one more day nicer than a three day weekend.

10.   I would love, love, love a pajama day filled with hot chocolate and a good book. 

So what do you say? I NEED a snow day don't I? Here's hoping!!!! :)

The Word of the Day

THE WORD OF THE DAY

Today I started something new with my first graders. It’s called “THE WORD OF THE DAY”.  (Please, when you read it, pretend the guy from the Price is Right is saying it like he says “C’MON ON DOWN...” because that’s how we say it in first grade.) The word today was “resolution”. Dictionary.com defines it as "the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc." The Scholastic children’s dictionary was easier to understand. I remember it saying something like “a promise you make to yourself to do something.”  Dang! A promise to myself? You mean if I mess up on these resolutions I will be letting myself down? uh oh.

I wouldn’t say that maintaining my resolution deserves a FAIL yet, but I’ve been less than perfect with my 3 resolutions…meditation, exercise, training. The only one that I have managed to accomplish each day of 2012 is meditation. I have done TM, prayed, and thought through some tough stuff on the way home today. As for exercise…I tried to take a walk on Sunday and after one lap around my street, the wind blew me back inside. Monday and Tuesday I made no attempt to exercise. On my log I typed, “I suck” and I do. Yesterday I counted moving furniture from room to room and around the room to vacuum as my exercise. It was a stretch I know, but I didn’t want a third “I suck” in a row.

My effort on the dog training resolution has been so-so. Each day I’ve done something small, but I have not spent the time that I know it needs. Riptide does know “wait” better than he did four days ago and will do a down without a hand gesture 50% of the time. But, Wrigley still won’t let me clip his nails and Reba still barks too much and chews up all toys. There is still tons of work to be done!!!

I’ve cut back on the online game time. I only maintain one farm in Farmville and play Castleville briefly…only because the “beasties” crack me up and I like the idea of owning a castle. But instead of filling the time with exercise, I have read the newspaper from front to back, completed a crossword puzzle or two, and started picking out stuff for the bathroom remodel. Oh, and eaten lots of chocolate and pinned a bunch of stuff on Pinterest.

As a result I’ve gained 3 stinking pounds. The short term solution to make myself feel better is to wear clothes that are too big. That makes me feel skinny. The long term solution is that I will most likely have to micromanage my day and schedule everything. That never ends well, but I don’t know what else to do. Also, I need to hide the carbs and get back on the 17 day diet…the first 17 days.

This all leads me to my next meditation: What was the purpose of my resolutions? And how will I not let myself down? The answers are necessary so I don't break the promises I made to myself.

Welcome 2012

Happy New Year! Are you ready for 2012? I am!

Let’s get down to business. I have 4 New Year Resolutions:

1. Exercise every day.
2. Meditate in some way every day.
3.  Train dogs every day.
4.  Blog (No, not every day…I would get sick of myself!)

I imagine you can get at the motivation behind Resolution #1. Who shouldn’t exercise daily? Everyone should. Actually doing it is another story.  It’s good for the heart, body, and mind. Maybe it will result in a little more weight loss. Regardless, it is something I need to do.

Resolution #2 is a bit trickier, both to understand and to find the time each day. Meditation comes in many forms: prayer, Transcendental Meditation (TM), reading the bible, reading meditative verse, taking a quiet walk, and sitting quietly thinking of ‘nothing’. I am comfortable doing all of those, but remaining consistent is a problem. So I have decided that I will do all of them and it will change depending on the day and on what I need that day. The motivation is pretty straight forward. I want to be at peace mentally. Meditation helps with that. It also helps me focus and clear my mind to what is truly important.

The motivation behind Resolution #3 is simple: well trained dogs are easier to live with. They need the structure and stimulation and we need the order. Five dogs can be chaotic. I have specific goals for each dog and I think I will save that for another blog.  I am really hoping I can get the rest of the family in on this one too. They will be better dog owners and the dogs will respond to them better. We shall see…

So far, so good on Resolution #4! I have blogged each day of 2012! Why blog? Because it will hold me accountable to the first three resolutions. Also, every now and then I have something really cool to share and this is how I am going to do it. I have no illusions that what I have to say is so important that everyone needs to read it, but it will be out there, just in case it can touch you in some small way.

And the big motivation for all of this stuff – to get me off of the computer!!!  I have a small, ok a BIG, addiction to certain games on the computer. It’s time to cut back, quit, and be more productive in general. I love my gaming friends! I have done things and met people that I never would have without that virtual farming world. I was one a Farmville flyball team that won its division 2 years in a row! I have become friends with people I have never met in person! It is so much fun! But it is time to sow something else besides pretend crops. I will still be around, just not as much. So while I am not giving up Farmville altogether, the time I spend on it will be limited.

My family will play a big role in all of this because I will be inviting them to join me in all of the resolutions! I want to exercise with them (but I will NOT run with Ashlyn…you know why…just sayin’). I want to meditate, pray, and read with them. I want them to help me create 5 well mannered canines (o.k. I need them for this one!) And they will help me blog too. Perhaps there will be a guest writer or two or three. Won’t that be fun!

So welcome to 2012! It will be a wonderful year…because every year that we get to enjoy this life is wonderful. Let’s not take it for granted. Peace!