Be a good one

Thanks for the guest post by Donn Schroeder

Have you ever heard the old saying by Abraham Lincoln, “Whatever you are, be a good one”? Well that is just exactly what I am trying to do while being a stay at home mom. I am trying to be a good one. I know I don’t contribute to our family by going out and making an income. But, I think that the time I spend at home with my children can’t have a price put on it. I think that the best present you can give anyone is your time and your attention. The only thing I don’t like about being home all the time is when my husband travels I get a little nervous every time I hear a creak in the house. That is why I told him we have to look into getting a security system from www.homesecuritysystems.com/. He thinks that I am just a wimp and always says that nothing is going to happen…that it is all in my imagination. But it certainly was not my imagination when our next door neighbor’s house got broken into while they were gone on a trip.

Kiri

I remember the first day I brought Kiri, my puppy home. I went against my mom's wishes, and got her! In my asian culture, we lived with our parents even though we were "grown". Some of us lived with our parents even after we got married.

Anyway, my mom would not look at Kiri, or touch her. She was so cute, and adorable! The first night I slept on the couch while Kiri spent her first night in the kitchen. Like a little baby, she wanted to be with me, to feel love physically. She whined the whole night, while I worried, and peeped at her the whole night.

The second night, I let her stay in my bedroom. I lay newspapers all over the floor to catch the product of her bathroom activities. She got potty-trained pretty soon, and was the most reliable dog I had ever known. When I went to work, I would drop her off at my sister's place, so that my mom would not have to take care of her.

Years went by, and my mom could not resist Kiri's charm. She did not want Kiri in the first place, but soon, would miss her if she wasn't around. She brought joy to everyone in the family, but was especially attached to my mom. Kiri waited at the door whenever my mom was out, working, or running errands. My mom always looked forward to Kiri's welcome bark when she came near the door.

I had to leave her and move to another part of the world. I did not want to put her through the long flight, as she was not in the best health. I also could not bear to tear her away from my mom.

Last year, after struggling with really bad health for a year, Kiri passed away! She will be my first, and last dog.

Little League Baseball

The coach was trying to get the attention of the kids in the outfield. The moms were yelling at the same kids to pay attention. Those kids either didn't hear, or chose not to listen. It was boring! They didn't like to wait. They wanted action!

I admired the coach - his patience, and never once raising his voice! However, sometimes, I wished he would be a little more aggressive, and yell at the kids a little. Discipline was certainly lacking on the field! However, one did have to be careful these days! Parents were very protective of their kids! Seeing their kids playing was more important than them playing well, or obeying instructions.

I really couldn't wait for the season to be over!

Moving to the other side of Texas

I appreciate the guest post, Ignacio Phillips

I just moved into a completely different city. I have always lived in the same house and in the same town. Now I am on the completely different side of Texas. When I first decided to move, I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal. I would still be in Texas, so how much could change. Well, the answer is a lot. I guess I have lived a sheltered life and didn’t realize how vast Texas can be. The other side of Texas is basically another state. I had to look up all new companies. I found a new phone company through google, I found a new energy company through
www.shopelectricityratestexas.com and I found a new trash service by asking the neighbors. I felt like I was starting from scratch. I never would have thought of myself as being naïve, but I am. I should have never thought the move would be easy and I should have prepared more. Instead, I have been running around crazy and overwhelmed. I hope to get settled soon and make some new friends. I also hope to learn about what the rest of Texas has to offer.

Little League Basketball

We signed our 7-year-old up for Little League basketball. I thought it would be a good chance for him to learn a new sport, and have some fun. We bought him a basketball goal, and a basketball. My husband had some experience coaching high school basketball, so he gave my son a few tips before his try-out.

My son was nervous at the try-out, and kind of forgot everything his dad taught him. He didn't do well at the try-out, but we thought it wasn't a big deal. The coaches were supposed to pick the players for their teams at the try-outs. My son ended up in a team with no coaches! Someone finally volunteered to coach his team - a dad with two boys on the team. He had no experience in coaching basketball. My husband offered to help, but couldn't be there for every practice and game because of his own coaching schedule.

There were a few 8-year-olds on the team who had some basketball experience. However, most of the other kids, like my son, didn't know much about basketball. We were nervous about playing the first game! On game day, the two teams who played before us were fantastic! They were so good! I was shocked! However, a little insider news we heard explained everything. Some of the coaches told the good players they knew not to go for the try-outs. In that way, they could absorb them into their teams "naturally", ensuring they had a strong team with no "weak", inexperienced players. Of course, my son's first basketball game was disastrous! He was already intimidated watching the other teams play. On top of that, my husband couldn't make it for the first game, and so there was nobody who could coach their team. My son was like a lost sheep on the court!

Anyway, it's a pity that it's so competitive even at the Little League level! Can't a little guy learn to play a sport without the pressure of winning, or feeing like a loser in the first game?

Caillou

If you have kids (especially boys) who are below 5 years old, you're probably very familiar with Caillou - the TV show on Sprout. There's just something about this show that holds the kids' attention. I don't know what it is, but my 7-year-old son loved it when he was little, and was at home to watch it. He still watches it with my 4-year-old when he doesn't have to go to school.

It's funny how some kid shows can hold the kids' attention more than others. Maybe the kids identify with Caillou - the bald-headed kid with a little sister called Rosie. He loves dinosaurs, cars, books, and has a great imagination. Guess he's just like any 3, or 4 year-olds! My 4-year-old liked Sesame Street when he was very little, but doesn't seem to care much for it now. My 7-year-old just turns his nose up when Sesame Street comes on now. Little could he remember he probably learned his ABCs and 123s from watching Elmo, Big Bird, Ernie, and the rest of the gang!

My 4-year-old does still like to play 'Ernie says_' though. Anyway, guess Caillou is one of the success stories in Kids TV shows of the current age.

Deleted the DVR

Yesterday my husband deleted everything on our DVR. He said he did it by accident, but I cannot imagine how he did that when it is so user-friendly. We have had Direct tv for six months, and although most of the shows on the DVR were mine, he should know how to use it by now. I had so many shows saved on the DVR that I had not watched yet because I am usually too tired at night to watch them. I usually catch up on my shows during the weekend. I was really looking forward to doing that this weekend. I guess I will just have to watch my shows online. The thing that bothers me most is that I will have to set up the DVR all over again to record all of my favorite shows. My husband was very apologetic and said that he just got confused when he was trying to record a football game. That makes me hate football so much more. Since there is nothing I can do about it now, I guess I will just set the DVR up again and move on.



Guest post of the week by Deangelo Spencer