Really Random Thoughts

This will be my first list of random thoughts since I started this blog. It seems having the blog has given me some writer's block. I put much less pressure on myself when it was JUST a Facebook post. Now I feel like there are standards that I must live up to so I have been much more hesitant about posting my Random Thoughts. Today I decided just to go for it.

Here are just some of the Random Thoughts that roll around in my head.

Why are the ice cube trays always empty? We have four trays and they are ALWAYS empty. Do the people in this house really think there is an ice cube fairy that will stop by and fill them up? Well apparently there is because they do get filled, but this fairy isn't very happy about it!

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head? Where the heck do these songs come from? A few days ago, I woke up with a song stuck in my head that I hadn't heard in years. Why that song? Did I hear it in my dreams?  And then I think, "I'll just listen to the song and that'll make it go away." Don't do this! It doesn't work. It only reinforces it.

 LED headlights- If you drive a big truck with LED headlights, I hate you! Well, actually, I don't hate you as I probably don't even know you, and hate is a pretty strong word so let me rephrase that. I really, really don't like those headlights. I understand they probably help you see much better, but what about the oncoming vehicles that are partially blinded when they have to go by you? It doesn't matter that I have the lives of myself and 3 children in the vehicle, as long as you can see good.

My son Ben got a bunch of gag gifts for his last birthday. One of them was a fake piece of dog poop. This thing has been very annoying as it has tricked me many times. Well, my children decided at Halloween that it would be funny to put it in the candy bowl when the neighbor's kids came to Trick or Treat. Imagine my horror when I had realized I passed candy out to 3 other families without remembering it was in there!!! I'm sure it has been laying around many other times when people have been over and I can only imagine their thoughts. Moral of the story? If one of your children gets one of these, dispose of it quickly, just like it was the real thing!

Cardboard boxes- What is with kids and cardboard boxes? My children are obsessed with them and always have been. My 10 year old wants to bring home every cardboard box he sees and heaven forbid I try to sneak them into the recycling pile.

Leaf Blower...what is the purpose of a leaf blower? To annoy your neighbors? It may eliminate the leaves from your yard, but they need to go somewhere. Wouldn't a leaf vacuum be more practical?

I have been cooking for many, many years. How is it possible that I still can not cook the right amount of pasta? Why is it so hard to figure this out? I think my family is messing with me. They see there isn't any left so they ask for more. If they see there is a whole bunch left, they are suddenly not hungry. That must be it because I am a reasonably smart person and should have been able to figure this out by now!

If you buy headphones for your kids, buy them at The Source and pay the few extra dollars for the warranty. Well worth the money. If anything goes wrong with them (including stupidity) the replace them right there on the spot. Trust me, we know.

Television remote controls should have pagers on them just like cordless phones do. When one of the boys don't want their brothers to change the channel you can find the remote in some pretty bizarre places. That's all I am going to say about that!

I know there are many more random thoughts I have missed on my list, so be prepared for part II sometime in the near future.

The 'Lasts'

We all have our favorite children's books. "Love You For Ever" by Robert Munsch is very popular and almost always brings a tear to a parent's eye. One of my favorites is  "Let Me Hold You Longer" by Karen Kingsbury. If you haven't read it, you definitely should.It is guaranteed to leave you teary eyed. If your at all like me, you'll be a blubbering mess and it may take you several attempts to get through it, although it is a fairly short book.

"Let Me Hold You Longer" is a reminder to slow down and take note of the little things your kids do, as they grow up so fast. We all take note of our little one's first smile, first step, first word, first tooth and many more milestones. Not many notice or take note of the lasts. The last time you hold the bottle, the last time they ask to be tucked in, or the last time you held them in your arms all seem to go unnoticed.

Tonight, something happened that reminded me of this book. I was building a science project with Josh and all of a sudden it hit me...this is the last time I will make this same science project that I made with my other two boys. Yes, I teared up.

Why am I writing about this you may ask? In hopes that all of us, slow down, take note and enjoy the 'lasts' as much as we enjoyed the 'firsts.'

Just a thought.

The 'Last' Homemade Flashlight

The 'Last' Testing of the light

No Regrets

I have been thinking about the saying 'No Regrets' for quite a while now. It's one of those thoughts that's been lingering in my head, and I've finally found the time to set this thought free by writing it down.

We've all heard this saying, but have you ever really thought about it? I understand the purpose of it. Basically it means 'Carpe Diem' or seize the day so you won't regret missing out on an opportunity. 

Isn't it kind of arrogant though to think that someone could live with absolutely 'No Regrets'? Have we all lived the perfect life and done everything correctly? I don't think any of us have (or at least no one that I know) and therefore we must have some regrets, or at least we should. The kid that you were kind of mean to in Junior High. Shouldn't you regret that? The time you got drunk and embarrassed yourself...shouldn't you regret that? The job opportunity you were offered but didn't take...another regret. Or how about if you were a smoker? You may have quit but wouldn't you regret the day you started?

I think it's okay or actually good to have regrets. It means you've lived. It shows that you recognize that you've made mistakes, that you've grown as an individual and expanded your way of thinking. Your mistakes or regrets have made you who you are.

Again, I do understand the purpose of the saying. Seize the day when given an opportunity so you won't have regrets about not trying.  I also think it may mean don't live in a life of regrets. Don't let your regrets OWN you. Apologize if you can.  But don't regret having regrets. 

Just a thought.

How This Blog Came To Be

I never really wanted a blog.
I only ever write because I have certain things that go on in my head and they linger there until I write them down. Often they linger there for months until I have figured out exactly how I want to say it. Sometimes they just pop into my head when I'm already writing and they manage to sneak their way in. Sometimes it's my feelings about a certain subject. Sometimes it is about the everyday happenings of raising three boys. Other times it is just silly little things that catch my attention. Regardless what I am writing about, I usually have someone say, "You should write more often" or "You should start a blog." So this is for you, all of my fans! lol
 Up until now my audience has been my facebook friends and family, but it's time that I venture out of my comfort zone and share some of myself with others. I hope you enjoy it. If not, you are free to move on and never look back, but I doubt you will. I imagine it'll be kind of like a car crash. You don't really want to know, but you look anyways.
I started looking at blogging and decided it doesn't really look that hard. I think I can do this. Now just to come up with a name. As I stated earlier, my posts are often about 'random thoughts' so that would need to be in the title.  At first I thought 'Random Thoughts of a Nobody'. The nobody was  meant to represent that I am not anyone special, just your everyday average person. I really felt like that was demeaning and sounded like I didn't value myself. I do. I am SOMEBODY and I know it. And the title was born.