Dyin' From Vacation
Dying From Vacation (From the book Spider's Night on the Boom)by www.abciowa.comMy parents visited from Oregon this summer, and we saw more of Iowa than we'd seen in all the years since our own arrival. It was a perfect excuse to visit places we'd been meaning to see, but somehow had never gotten to. But the pace began to take a toll on my kids and yesterday my son began to complain. In my "philosophical father" voice, I said, "Just relax and enjoy yourself. We're on vacation.""I can't," he lamented, "I'm DYING from vacation!"I instantly flashed back to my own childhood, and I understood exactly what he was saying.
There are times when every kid feels like he's dying from vacation. For me, those times usually began about three days after school was out for the summer.I joyfully kicked off my shoes after I'd leaped off the school bus for the final time. Except for church and an occasional trip to town, those shoes and I would remain strangers the rest of the summer.During the first two days of vacation, I could feel the chains of structure and obligation begin to melt away. Summer stretched out before me like an endless promise. But on the third day, the novelty began to wear off.
(This was long before kids went to an endless series of camps, played little league soccer, summer basketball, baseball, volleyball and gymnastics. You stayed home and lived by your wits until back-to-school time finally rolled back around.)But the endless hours of boredom took their toll. By the time school started again, I'd aged 40 years. Even so, there were a few things about back-to-school that almost made my abnormal aging seem worthwhile. One was the arrival of the new clothes we'd ordered from a mail order catalog.
When those packages arrived, it was like a 95-degrees-outside, shorts-and-bare-feet Christmas. But it had its downside, too. Sometimes, the shirt that had looked so cool in the catalog made me look like a giant tree frog, eyes peeping out from a hole in a stump. Since no other part of my body as visible, sometimes it looked like my new shirt was walking around by itself. In fact, several older ladies in our neighborhood nearly had heart attacks when they caught a glimpse of my disembodied shirt floating across the cemetery next to our farm, taking a shortcut to the store.
I knew those baggy clothes were bound to be a detriment to my image. (This was long before kids wore tents to school in the name of fashion.) My mom's favorite line was, "You'll grow into them," and I have to admit, she was right. Several of those shirts fit me pretty well today.But the worst thing was the stifling heat of my new shoes. The salesman had made no mention of the fact that those shoes came with a built-in furnace; much less one stuck on the "middle-of-winter" setting all year round. Steam rose from my feet, and I fully expected my socks to catch fire at any moment.
I could only hope my mom had anticipated that possibility and ordered fireproof socks. (Luckily, moms are pretty good at stuff like that, which probably explains why you so rarely see kids' feet burst into flames.)It seemed to me that shoes were unnecessary, since no one could see my feet anyway, what with my new shirt dragging in the dust around me. On the first day of school, I stood at the end of our driveway, trying not to be blown into Illinois by a having a gust of wind blow underneath my tent-shirt.Then something strange happened. Even though I'd soon be seeing kids I'd been missing all summer, suddenly I remembered a thousand things I should have done during that endless summer! But now it was too late. There I was, a 40-year-old fourth grader in a tent-shirt, waiting for a bus, examining a wasted life ...
it all seemed so sad.So I knew exactly what my son was going through. Sometimes it does feel like we're dying from vacation. But sometimes, it's nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride?before the school bus comes. That makes perfect sense to an adult, of course. But try explaining it to a fourth grader, who's in the process of dying from vacation even as you speak.? 2004.
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How to Make a Lovely Baby Shower Cake
Baby shower cakes are terrific centerpieces for showers. Guests always laugh when they see one and the expectant mom is thrilled to receive a very useful gift. They're also called diaper cakes because diapers are the main ingredient. It is quite easy to make one. Check out the detailed instructions below.
The ingredients for your baby shower cakeHere's the list of items you need for your cake:
- Naturally, you'll need disposable diapers. How many? Assuming you want to make a medium size diaper cake, you'll need around 45 -- 55. You can't be sure of exactly how many until you make the cake. Any diapers left over can always be handed over to mommy-to-be.
- Your baby shower cake needs a base.
Get a platter of metal, cardboard, or other materials that are reasonably stiff. Choose one that's about 14" -- 16".
- Buy a 10 foot length of 1" wide ribbon and about 60 to 80 feet of narrower ribbon. The latter is for tying individual diapers into rolls.
- Every diaper...
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Barclays tell how the UK is a hotbed of hidden talent for entrepreneurial ideas
People across the UK want to throw off the shackles and start putting money into their own pocket rather than their employers.
According to Barclays research published today almost 40 per cent of people come up with ideas to start your own business, with holidays or major life events tending to spur people on.
However a whopping 73 per cent of people never turn their ideas into a business venture mainly due to lack of confidence plus the fear of losing the security of a regular income.
In order to nurture the UK's budding entrepreneurs, Barclays has joined forces with the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies to offer a programme of 500 brand new seminars across the UK.
The ?Let's Talk Business Ideas' and ?Let's Talk Starting in Business' seminars are available free of charge.
John Davis, marketing director...
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keeping New Year's Resolutions
Success With New Year's ResolutionsJohn Satterfield is a certified hypnotherapist practicing in Mountain View. He specializes in helping clients have success with stopping smoking and losing weight You can reach him by telephone at 870-269-6811 Also get his free report "Never Be Lied To Again" at www.hypnosisucanuse.comEach year you set new goals, probably concerning weight loss or stopping smoking. They're certainly worthy goals and you really mean to accomplish them but year after year the enthusiasm seems to soon fade and the focus gets fuzzy and within a matter of weeks (days?) those good intentions are just like your dirty socks, thrown in a corner and forgotten. Here's a little tactic that can help you really achieve those new years resolutions and more in 2005. Before I share this technique with you please realize that your success or failure happens first and foremost in your mind.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. If you can keep excited about your goal you will...
keeping New Year's Resolutions
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The Only Valentine's List You'll Ever Need
1. List of romantic songs ? if "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" by the King won't do. http://www.inspirationpoint.com/ipmusic.htm . 2. List of romantic movies to rent ? "Casablanca," "Princess Bride," "Ghost" ? http://www.inspirationpoint.com/ipmovies.htm .3.
The heart-shaped griddle or frying pan ring for your Valentine's pancakes and fried eggs, just $5.49: http://www.romanticgifts.com/RomanticGifts/njscat.nsf/adminCatalog/E329061D73D3165188256A31001EE646!OpenDocument&15.+Kitchen+$+Dining . Add a few drops of red food coloring to the pancake dough.4. "Love Ya" Little Guys Lunch: heart-shaped sandwich in the lunch box, strawberry jam and cream cheese. Put "Love Potion" in the thermos ? Hawaiian punch, but tape on a new label! Pop in some Hershey's kisses and candy hearts for dessert.5. Family Valentine dinner ? put that meatloaf in a heart-shaped pan.
(Stainless steel heart-shaped baking form: ( http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=189433 ). When its...
The Only Valentine's List You'll Ever Need
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