Wake up!

Random Happenings at the Duke House and a few pictures of Stephen at school:

1. We have a desktop computer and a laptop. The desk top has a delayed start - meaning you have to shake the mouse a bit, go do something for about 5 minutes and then come back and check to see if it has decided to wake up. At this very moment, Stephen is yelling at the desktop to "Wake Up Comp-oo-ter! I said wake up!" Patience is hard at age 3.

2. I literally ran a hole into my shoes last night. Well, I was on the elliptical, not the treadmill - so whatever you call the movement you are doing on the elliptical.Felt something funny, looked down at my feet - and there was my toe sticking through. My brother has told me for months I was way over the mileage on my shoes. So, I guess I will have to break down and buy shoes this weekend.

3. I ran my first 5K of the season last Sat. My time was, to say the least, not so good. It was under 40 minutes, but only by about 30 seconds. My running buddy Shannan is trying to talk me into the Bayfest 5K this Saturday - I am trying to want to do it, but honestly I want to sleep it. I know I SHOULD run, but....


Here are a few pictures of Stephen's adventures with Ms. Debbie and her crew:

Ansley mastering the dive....

To steal a quote from KPH.....

"Sweet baby Jesus - its the weekend!"

And I am glad. We all slept til 9 this morning, Jamey is prepping for a day of football, and the kids and I are headed out soon for some kid friendly activities and maybe a bit of shopping. My mom is going with us and we are also on the hunt for a bakery we heard about that bakes without yeast! sounds like a good day of adventure for us.

Ansley is vegged out with Phineas and Ferb and I am going to attempt some cleaning before we head out.
I attempted pulled pork in the crockpot for Jamey to have while we are gone today. I hope it turns out.

Let the Saturday-ness begin...

more car ride conversations..

Picking Ansley up from school is one of the best parts of my day. I love her hearing her stories. I know it wont be long before I will have to plead for bits of information about her life. Today I know that Aidan brought her diary to school, and that she only played with girls on the playground and that she did not, in fact, buy a pickle today because she thought the barbecue chips looked especially good. 

While riding in the car, she is quiet for minute and then asks, "Why do you  and Daddy not spank us?"

Ummmmm........
So Without getting into the great debate of spanking ( I learned not to talk about that with other parents a LONG time ago) I responded the best I could (translation - I mumbled a lot and said the word "Well" at least 30 times.)

"Well," I said, "Daddy and I never felt like it was the best way to deal with you or Stephen. We just felt like a timeout or restriction worked so we went with that."

To which Ansley replies, " Is a Whoopin the same as a spanking?"

Ummmmm.......

"Yes, I think so" I said.

"Will I ever get a spanking?" she asked.

"Do you think you need one?" I replied. (Answering a question with a question is a trick I learned from my better half WAAAAAY back when he was tutoring me in algebra)

"No, I don't think I do." she said.

So after talking to her for a bit longer, I figure out that playground time today included the swapping of some war stories of who had the best (or worst) spanking and what the transgression was that brought on the "whoopin."

Ansley could not think of a time she had been spanked, so had nothing to contribute to the conversation during social hour on the playground....

"What should I have said?" she asked.

So I used this as an oppurtunity to teach an invaluable life lesson, which is the ability in a social setting to nod, look really interested and say "hmmmmm" and then politely comment on the weather or her plans for the weekend.
I think she is now ready to tackle other taboo topics or religion, politics and whether or not PB&Js should be banned in schools....