BECAUSE IT'S THURSDAY?

"puff the magic dragon lived by the sea...."

dragon: a mythical monster like a giant reptile. in european tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil, whereas in east asia it is usually a beneficent symbol of fertility, associated with water and the heavens.










just a quick list of my favorite dragons in honor of "appreciate a dragon" day:

1. puff the magic dragon

2. falkor (the never ending story)

3. elliot (pete's dragon)

4. smaug (j.r.r. tolkien's the hobbit)

5. the hungarian horntail (j.k. rowling's harry potter)

6. maleficent (sleeping beauty)

7. (and my all time favorite) h.r. pufnstuf

have you appreciated a dragon today? 

                                        

TUESDAY TREASURES

"these are a few of my favorite things..."



1. i always look forward to late night with jimmy fallon because i might get to see this:

 2. edy's slow churned ice cream ...slow churned is naturally half the fat, so i can feel slightly less guilty. and this flavor is uh~mazing! but it's only available thru the end of august:

3. i can't say, for sure, it's my favorite...yet...but my love of everything simon peg (shaun of the dead, hot fuzz) tells me i am going to totally love this:

4. i'm in love with this:

5. i can't stop listening to this:

6. really liked reading this:

7. i totally love playing on vine because i can do this:

what are some of your favorite things?

FLASHBACK sometime in 1992

"eloquent profanity, it rolls right off my tongue"
it's a gloomy day in upstate new york. i'm cleaning house and cody is watching "the elephant show". i open the drapes. the two year old toddles to the window and says "oh S&%T! it's raining!". ummmmm...i'm super excited because it's his first full sentence. and i'm completely mortified because it's his first full sentence. clearly, i need to watch my mouth in front of the kids. yeah. that's NOT going to happen.
FLASH FORWARD 2010
my nieces and i are in line at king's island. abby and madison are picking on emma. i look over just in time to see her flip the bird (the universal sign of love in our family). EMMA!!! "what? i was just telling her i love her?!!". welp....at least we know she retains information.

FLASH FORWARD today
today is earmuffs day. I KNOW it's to honor the anniversary of the patent some guy with giant ears (chester greenwood) got on his invention in 1877. however, i'm choosing to honor the 10 year tradition, brought to us by vince vaughn, of yelling "earmuffs" when we plan to say something in front of our kids that, maybe, they shouldn't hear.
it's really easy to say "you shouldn't use that language in front of children". but let's say you stub your toe really hard on the coffee table. are you really going to look around and check for little ears before you let out a very loud "F&%K!!!!!!!!" (or, maybe, you'll just say "d*&m" because you aren't, actually, a sailor)? no. no you're not. also, they are going to hear it a million other places (school, tv, movies, video games) so watching your mouth isn't, necessarily, going to prevent them from learning and using foul language. so, how do you prevent your child from swearing? you could search google for advice. there you will find all kinds of articles about how horrible it is for kids to talk like this. articles that say you should give them words to use instead. what? look. i taught 2 year old cody to say "sugar"...it worked, until he went to school. i say, listen to someone a little less uptight. like me!

• don't make a HUGE deal out of what the kid said. getting angry, or laughing, or immediately punishing the child will only make the word(s) more powerful. flip out and your kid is going to say "s$%t" every time (s)he wants your attention.
• talk to your kid about when that language is or isn't appropriate. maybe you think it's never appropriate. or, maybe, you think it's okay when you are extremely angry. kids aren't stupid. talk to them, rationally, and they will understand. my kids knew their boundaries. of course they used that language, but never at school, or church, or anywhere it might offend someone. 
• be more concerned with the messages of ALL the words we speak, and the tone we use when we speak them. i'm more concerned with words that sound judgmental, gossipy, or condescending. 

or, you could just yell "EARMUFFS!" right before you let the f~word fly.

^one of cody's favorite shows...no profanity included^

^"earmuff it for me"^

FLASHBACK 1876

"how much is that doggie in the window?"
a group of men meet regularly, in a manhattan bar, and share hunting stories and brag about how amazing their dogs are. they form a club and name it after their favorite hotel bar. the westminster breeding club is born.
FLASH FORWARD may 8, 1877
the first westminster kennel club dog show is held. over 1200 dogs, mostly hunting dogs, are entered causing the event to last four days, instead of the scheduled three. all proceeds from the fourth day are donated to the aspca.
FLASH FORWARD 1948
the westminster dog show is aired on television for the first time. which leads me to:
FLASH FORWARD february 1993
upstate new york is FREEEEEEEZING and covered in snow. nobody...NOBODY...goes outside. i read books. i flip thru magazines. i clean house. i start channel surfing. awwwwwwww...look at the doggies. i want one of those! and i want one of those!! and OH. MY. GOD!!! i want one of THOSE!!!! the boys want one of those! and they want one of those!! an OH. MY. GOD!!! they want one of THOSE!!! i tell their daddy. "NO!! we do NOT need a dog!" yes we do. all little boys should have a dog, especially a gentle giant. a dog that is meant to be loyal and protective. "well. if we were to get a dog, it would be one of THOSE." i'm sure he's saying that because he thinks i'll never find one. i start reading dog fancy magazine. i find all sorts of breeders. i call the closest one...200 miles away. "$1200.00" wait? what?! that's crazy! i keep calling...and calling...and calling. "well...usually my dogs go for $1200, but i have one female left from this last litter. she's 13 weeks old...she's defective...her teeth are crooked. you'll never be ever to show her in this condition. you can have her for $500." number 1~i have no intention of showing her and b~defective? that's harsh, i have to save her. SOLD!!! but she's in ohio? how will i get her? "i can fly her to you...$600 for the dog and her flight." SOLD!!! we are so excited to get her...she's arriving at 7pm. then, a phone call from the airline "all flights out of syracuse have been cancelled due to weather". wait? what?!! goober, you are just going to have to drive down there and get her. "are you nuts?! i am not driving 2½ hours away in an ice storm to get a DOG!!". he drove 2½ hours away in an ice storm.

belle was one of the best dogs anyone could ever have. a great pyrenees. gentle giants, great pyrenees are confident, gentle, and loyal. all of these things i learned from the westminster dog show. what didn't i learn? they shed. i know, i know, all dogs shed. but great pyrenees...well they shed 365 days a year! and not little dog hairs all over your furniture. CLUMPS! clumps of fluffy white hair all over everything!! and they slobber. belle put "beethoven" to shame. seriously. i AM NOT making that up. and they're stubborn making them difficult  to train. belle would go potty outside, like a good girl should, and take her praise...then, she would finish pottying in the living room as soon as i turned my back. i adored belle...and i would not have traded her for anything in the world. but, for future reference..next time i see one of THOSE (!!) dogs on the westminster dog show, i am totally doing my research before i rush out and buy one (better yet, find one to rescue!).
so. you just saw one of THOSE (!!) dogs and you are thinking you simply must have one? here are some things you might need to consider:

• can't stand dog hair all over your new sofa? try a yorkshire terrier, a dachshund (in particular smooth or wire haired), shih tzu, miniature schnauzer, boston terrier, maltese, bichon frise, west highland terrier, or havanese. also, poodles and poodle mixes. this doesn't mean they don't need grooming, just that they shed very little or not at all. 
• can't stand slobber? avoid st bernards, great pyrenees, bull dogs, english setters, coonhounds. generally, if their jowls droop, they slobber. there are exceptions to every rule but....
• need a dog that's great with kids? bulldogs, golden retrievers, labrador retrievers, beagles, collies just to name a few. i researched breeds that are considered not great with kids. that list overwhelmingly included: chihuahuas, pitt bulls, rottweillers, chows, and dalamations. but i have known people that had (or have) these breeds and they have been great with kids. i personally believe ANY dog can be great with kids if raised, and treated, properly. 
• you have no patience for a stubborn dog? border collies, labs, golden retrievers, dobermans, and german sheperds all have reputations for being easy to train. 
• consider rescue, as opposed to purchasing from a breeder. there is a rescue group for nearly every breed known to man. why? because people DO NOT do their research and purchase a breed they can't handle, or buy a dog on impulse that they don't have time for.

good luck not getting puppy fever while enjoying the westminster kennel club dog show! and don't forget to do your research!!

                          

LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE:
Monday, February 11, 8pm-11pm ET, Live on CNBC
Tuesday, February 12, 8pm-11pm ET, Live on USA Network

^because it's cute and hilarious^

FLASHBACK 1970 somethin

 

these are a few of my favorite things~

the brady bunch
candy cigarettes
alice in wonderland
michael jackson~ben
tee shirt, shorts, and bare feet

  

flash forward today:

these are a few of my favorite things~

the big bang theory
candy cane tootsie pops
to kill a mockingbird
dave matthews~mercy
tee shirt, skirt, and bare feet

          

look back on your own life...what were your favorite things when you were a kid? and what are your favorite things now? i bet you haven't changed as much as you think :)