Life change: Daddy Robert Style

Tomorrow I will get the best birthday gift EVER! And I didn't even ask for it... well except for HERE and HERE.

My dad's first day of retirement is April 1, 2009. 32 years after he became my father, 29 years, 7 months after he started his job as Dean of Students, he is hanging up his suspenders and racking his bullhorn for the next great adventure.

The ceremony the college put on for him was called, "The End of an Era." For me it could have been called "A reminder of who you are, where you come from and where you should be going." Every morning before we left for school my dad would make sure he told us, "Always remember you're a Fox." We knew what he meant and what was expected. Listening to all of the accolades from so many people (and I know there were more pouting in the back because there wasn't time for them to speak) drove a lot of things home to me. Not the least of which is that I owe my dad so much. Like so many of the students said and wrote, I would not be where I am today if it was not for the leadership and mentorship my father has provided me my whole life.

Because of my dad I strive to:
Focus on the right things (namely the students!)
Innovate the heck out of everything
Set big, clear goals that are imprinted on everything I own
Expect that high achievement and high expectations always go hand in hand

To say that my father is passionate about students and learning and higher education would of course be an understatement. I don't know how many lives my dad changed during his tenure at Fresno City College but it is easily in the thousands. I think that all of those students would agree that Natalie Merchant said it best in Kind and Generous (this just happens to be the father/daughter dance from my wedding, thank you very much).

You've been so kind and generous
I dont know how you keep on giving
For your kindness, I'm in debt to you
For your selflessness, my admiration
For everything you've done, you know I'm bound
I'm bound to thank you for it


Oh, I want to thank you for so many gifts you gave
The love, the tenderness, I wanna thank you
I want to thank you for your generosity, the love
And the honesty that you gave me
I want to thank you show my gratitude
My love, and my respect for you, I want to thank you

Somebody call Guinness

The world record people not the brewery.

Today I sent Keith outside to amuse himself. I was really proud of myself because I got a couple of shots of super toddler on his (his brother's) scooter AND I remembered to spritz him with the SPF 5000. Bad Mommy nothing.

I was feeling extra generous so I not only opened the sandbox, I also put water in the water side. SPF face + wet sand + eating sand =

But that ain't the half of it.... LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT BOOGER! And of course he is getting ready to eat it (grosser than gross).

But wait, there's more. After all that fun he got his daily birdy bath in the laundry room sink.

Can we take this freak show on the road?

Frugal Friday.... oh yeah

I had this great idea for a new blog series (since as Dancing D-Vre pointed out, I haven't been blogging as much lately, I was thinking about a weekly series), trouble is I forgot what my idea was... I remember the series title (see above: "Frugal Friday") in all of its unoriginal glory. I just couldn't remember the actual topic. Frugality is fleeting for me but whatever it was I am sure it was spectacular.

Tonight as I took random pictures of the boys I scrolled through the yet to be downloaded pictures and saw sitting in my camera: FRUGAL FRIDAY. Although my first thought was, "hey look! low-rent Friday for my children and they are having a blast." First, know that every now and again I actually spend quality time with my children. Once in a while I get to spend the whole day on Friday driving them to their activities and enjoying their charming dispositions. (I usually spend a couple of minutes managing work phone calls too...full disclosure) Anyway, last Friday was one of those Fridays. And look at the fun we had for $1.50 and whatever the City is going to charge me on my water bill..... So blah, blah, blah, priceless.... enjoy.

Target popcorn combo $1.50... two bags please.

Irresistible Sprinkler... free, mostly.

Empty diaper box.... free

We'll see if that is the extent of my frugality.... especially since all three of these amusements were the boys' ideas.

Call me SAINT Patrick

When you name your child Patrick, March 17th instantly becomes a significant day. And with the last name Callahan, well you might as well start planning the party in November... Except when Bad Mommy completely forgets your Saints day and sends you to school in a Blue CARS T-shirt. No green pancakes, no leprechaun visits, no happy (happy, happy, happy) Saint Patrick's Day.

On Patrick's first St. Patrick's Day, he didn't know the difference. This afternoon he demanded, "Call me SAINT Patrick." I indulged him, it's the least I could do...... Next year, can someone call me and remind me? Or at least drop off some green bagels at my house?

Patrick's First Saint Patrick's Day 2005

Pooplo Picasso

CUTE AND DISGUSTING ALL IN ONE

What's grosser than gross?

ONE toddler with THREE dirty diapers in ONE hour.

What's grosser than that?

ONE toddler with ONE dirty diaper for THREE hours.

EWWW! And this is half -way through clean up... enjoy.

The Pokemon Prayer

PATRICK:
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the apples. They are very good and I know that they are healthy and good for me.

Jesus, please have the Easter Bunny bring me Pokemon. I really really want a whole bunch and I will keep them in a ziploc bag. Jack, he's my cousin, has Pokemon and we have fun playing. Please Jesus, please let the Easter Bunny know that I want a red one.

ME: Why don't we find something more to thank God for....

PATRICK: Thank you for Bear-Bear (the only stuffed bear on the block who is 14, born on August 16th and recently married his mother--but it was a really fun wedding), AMEN.

Editors notes:
This prayer can also be applied to request for Bakugan which is what Jack actually has, although I don't care to know the difference at this point.

I told Patrick I wasn't even going to entertain the request (let alone buy these things) before he learns how to read the cards that come with the toys. It was of course at that point that he moved onto working the Jesus angle.

Life change, just you wait.

It is Two for Thursday (pretend I started writing this on Tuesday). Or maybe it's BOGO. Whatever it is, I'm giving you two life changing items in one blog post.

1) A Basket, A Friend
The Market Basket changed my life.

My sister put the Market Basket on her Christmas list, my mom liked it so much she bought them for everyone. I would never pick this for myself, I would never put this on my Christmas list (my list included the Sex and the City movie (didn't get it), Seven jeans (didn't get them, thankfully since now that I look, I realize that I was asking for jeans that would have been 3 sizes too big), and a pasta machine-which I got and love. And I absolutely love this basket.

I get so many questions, comments and compliments about my basket. It is great. I use it almost every day.

On schooldays: I usually try to get things organized the night before. This is a good way to localize the chaos (permission slips, show & tell, checks, invites, thank-yous, silkies, tuition checks, etc.). In the morning, I put everything else in the basket, including my odds and ends (planner, cell phone, office keys, coffee). So, as I go about my leisurely morning I plunk more things into my basket (capacity 50 lbs., IMpressive).

Then at the end of the day all the (junk) that comes home from school (art projects, random one-eyed monster renderings, pennies, rocks, sweatshirts, gloves, hats, book orders) goes right in the basket. Then we add mail, stinky milk cups (from the leisurely breakfast the boys have in the car most mornings) and any other item that is trying to set up house in the vehicle of the day. Sometimes it still takes me two trips to unload the car, but this is down from four or five (and I used to give up and leave stuff behind). My cars are so neat!

Then it is Patrick's job (Keith usually helps, monkey see) to unload the basket while I make dinner. Listen to me: CHANGED MY LIFE.

Errands: I tend to be overly ambitious on the rare occasion I have time to run errands. So organization is critical to leveling my mediocrity. I always have something to return, a coupon I have to use, a fabric swatch to be matched and banking to do. As I build up to my errand running my basket serves as Org. Central. I know that I could just stick this all in my purse but I change purses almost every day AND the topless nature of the basket is helpful to remind me where to go next. I'm the one going around and around the roundabout at Riverpark trying to remember what comes next.

Garnet Hill and Sur La Table both carry the Market Tote. buy me, buy me, buy me.

2) An Advisor, A Friend.

The last time I mentioned a FREE and useful online resource that had changed my life the company soon started charging $10 per year for online access! Coincidence? I think not. So run and click on this FREE and useful online resource now. But first, the build-up...

Every Friday night at our house is movie night. Most weeks Patrick asks whether it is movie night, Every Night. Patrick and Keith have their own Netflix queue, reserved for kid-friendly Friday night movies. Maybe I'm overprotective (and proud of it, okay?) but I think a PG rating is an indicator of mild to serious inappropriate content. I don't have the time (or patience) to sort through the content. Lucky for me on one of my Netflix Kid Queue Quests I found COMMON SENSE

Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization dedicated to "improving kids' media lives." CSM provides reviews of family movies on Netflix. On the movie's Netflix page you will see the age in a colored bubble, you can click for more information including violence, language, sexual content, social behavior, even consumerism (yes please!).

On the CSM home page you can get information on movies, books, video games, TV, and music. At first I was excited about the quick and easy age selector. But it is the "Parents need to know" section that is the most informative. Then based on my kids (and my mood) I make a choice about the movie. CSM also provides "discussion topics" for families, which kind of feels like homework but okay whatever.

Patrick goes crazy when I say "butt" or "poop". He says a little prayer everytime someone on tv says "stupid". I love my innocent child who is four and half and doesn't need to see or hear things that are only appropriate for double-digit kids. Keith is 13 (learned how to ride the scooter today at Grandma Carolyn's) and he watches all of the versions of The Real Housewives and DVRs In Treatment.