Wisconsin Dells .. Here We Come

The kids have begged and begged .. so we're finally doing it. We're traveling four hours north to immerse ourselves in water parks, arcades and whatever else the Wisconsin Dells has to offer.

I really don't mind. I'm kind of excited about going down those huge water slides. I'll be the one taking the kids up and down, up and down.My husband won't go down the big slides because he's afraid of throwing out his back. He'll be in the wave pool.

Friends have warned us that it's all a big tourist trap but the kids will love it and it's a few days a way. We'll let you know how it goes.

Enjoy your day and be happy.

Nancy has a BIG EGO?!

EGO - an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority

I'm feelin' pretty good about myself today. The guy at the cell phone store gave me a free charger yesterday .. because I'm so smokin' hot.

WHAT?

Well .. that's my version of the story.

Here's what happened. I had just finished teaching a fitness class so I was rather sweaty and smelly. BUT, I was dressed in my usual work-out attire .. short, shorts and a tight-fitting shirt.

At Verizon, you immediately check in on a computer when you arrive. Then you wait.

I did that and in the next moment a Verizon employee, who turned out to be the manager, walked by, hesitated and then asked me if everything was okay. I said yes and then proceeded to ask him a question about my phone. It hadn't been charging so I was trying to figure out why. He took my phone and charger and tried to figure out the problem. It turned out the charger was broken. So he found me a new one, opened it, had me sign a piece of paper and then said "Here you go."

WHAT? No charge?

I had my old charger forever so I went into the store expecting to pay for a new one. NOPE. He gave it to me for free.

WHY?

Well, it had to have been because I was so smokin' hot. Right? (EGO! EGO! EGO!)

YEP. That was my story and I was sticking to it.

As soon as I left the store, I even called my husband to tell him how smokin' hot his wife was. He chuckled.

Well .... why do you think this happened? It couldn't have been because he was being an effective manager and providing great customer service. Right?

NAH. I like the other story better.

Oh by the way, I also had three children with me in the store. They were eating and occasionally tossing grapes to one another. But it couldn't have been that he just wanted me in and out of that store ASAP. Right?

NAH. I like the other story better.

Now, of course, after actually talking and writing about this incident (and how I felt about it) ... I feel completely ridiculous.

Back From Vacation ... Back To The Real World

Usually when my family returns from a week-long trip I tell people that I need a "vacation" from my vacation. I'm always exhausted because we typically run, run, run trying to see all the sights and keeping the kids busy. Not this time. My husband and I, along with our three children, traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina last week. We went to the beach, swam in the pool, and played games with the kids. We visited a few tourist attractions but, overall, it was one of the most relaxing vacations I've ever had. I came back well-rested and ready to start my new life.

It was crazy around my house before we left for vacation. It seemed that we (me and the kids) were running ourselves ragged with our everyday activities. But it was stressing me out. I had high hopes for a slower summer but it wasn't happening.

Now that we're back and I've had time (a week) to reflect on what that stress was doing to my disposition, my new life will include less time running and more time enjoying the simple pleasures of summer. Frankly, I want to be lazy for the next month, until school starts. My kids want that, too.

So .. I'll see you at the pool. I'll be the one lounging in the deck chair.

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." ~Sam Keen

Let Loose And Be A Kid Again

I want to be a kid again. Just for one night. I'll grab my glass jar and head outside at dusk. My eyes will scan the backyard. When I see the bug light up, I'll run over and carefully cup it in my palm. In the jar it goes. Then I'll do it again and again and again just like when I was a child. AH (sigh) ... those were the good times. When I think back at those hot summer nights I feel a sense of security and happiness that I must have also felt as a child. These days I want my three children to capture, not only, lots of fireflies but similiar memories. Sometimes, as an adult, it's hard to break away from all the exhausting responsiblities to enjoy the moment. Maybe I can help. I came across a great list in Woman's Day magazine and I wanted to share. It's called:

" 10 Ways To Be A Kid Again" (Woman's Day July 8, 2008)

1) Catch Fireflies
2) Camp in your backyard
3) Walk barefoot in the grass
4) Buy a treat from the ice cream man
5) Have a watermelon seed-spitting contest
6) See a movie at the drive-in (I didn't find any in the Peoria area. Visit driveinmovie.com for more details.)
7) Have a water balloon battle with your kids
8) Play hopscotch
9) Hula hoop or get on a pogo stick
10) Set up a lemonade stand with your kids

Enjoy your summer AND try to be a kid again, even if it's just for one night.

"Children make you want to start life over." - Muhammad Ali

I'm Exhausted!!!!

I need about a nap today.

Will is happen?

Probably not.

What's the rest of the story?

My friends call it strange. I've taken to reading the obituaries nearly every day. It's actually been happening for some time now and I'm not sure why. Years ago, I rarely give the obit page a second glance. I was always reading the newspaper to stay current on world, national and local affairs but was never interested in checking out the stories of those who recently passed.

As I've gotten older, though, I can't stop myself from reading about these people's lives. First, I do a quick glance of the pictures and if I see someone my age or younger I go on to read the full obituary. I look to see how hold they are, what they've done with their lives, and who they've left behind. Usually, though, I feel the stories of their lives are incomplete on the page. The question that remains is always the same. How did they die? It's usually not included and, for whatever reason, I want to know. I know it's probably none of my business but if you're going to put every other detail about this person's life out there than why not complete the story?

Am I the only one who does this?

Life Lessons

It was a great weekend. We traveled to Champaign to celebrate Father's Day with my husband's family. Dad's were honored with a lazy morning, a yummy breakfast, and a few fun presents. My sister-in-law and I then took the kids to the pool and let our hubby's get started on dinner. They enjoy cooking and planned a barbecued-rib dinner for their 79-year old father. Home-made cole slaw and potato salad were also on the menu. YUM!!! It was a fantastic day.

Also, this weekend, I learned a few life lessons..

# 1) I can no longer handle my liquor. If I drink any more than two glasses of wine, I'm out. I immediately fall asleep.

#2) Don't "rig-up" your bathing-suit. My top was a little big so, in an effort to tighten the bathing suit, I tied the straps behind my neck and then snapped the clips together. Not a good idea. As I was bending over, putting on sunscreen, the top came undone and as I stood up the top came down. I ended up flashing those "lucky" patrons of a Champaign Park District pool on Sunday.

Note to self: GET A NEW BATHING SUIT!!!!