Fecal Contamination

Foul title, huh? Well, it's what this post is about and it's a much nicer way of saying, "Somebody pooped in the pool!"

It seems the base pool is closed today due to this unfortunate incident. Now they have to superchlorinate the water, which takes time and patience. I'm just grateful I found out before I went to the trouble of packing everything but the kitchen sink in preparation to spend the afternoon there, only to be told the pool is closed due to fecal contamination.

I couldn't help but think of the pool scene from Caddyshack.


Have your kids ever been the reason a pool was closed for fecal contamination? Our kids have been responsible for shutting down a couple of pools when their swim diapers leaked. We were MORTIFIED! But hey, fecal matter happens, right?

We have to look on the bright side. At least this unfortunate incident was reported. Just think about the times this happens and no one mentions it because they're embarrassed. It's always wise to keep an eye open for the family that leaves the pool in a very big rush. I'm just sayin'...

Tiger who?

My boys are doing something this summer they've never done before, and it's making their father so very happy. They're taking golf lessons and are really enjoying themselves. Their father is a golf enthusiast and for years he's been looking forward to the day when the boys would show some interest in the game. I do believe the time has arrived.

Here they are at their first lesson...

M waits for golf balls to drop into his basket before heading out to the driving range.


There were several kids in the group, some of whom had been taking lessons since the beginning of the summer. Our boys knew all of them from school, so they were very comfortable.


The golf pro has his hands full, wouldn't you say?


D waits for instruction.


M takes a look at his club. I wonder what he was thinking here. He seemed to be contemplating something, but what... I don't know.


D doesn't think much about it... he just gets ready to whack the ball.


M is a little more tentative and concentrates more on the mechanics.


M receives some one on one instruction from the golf pro.


Looks like golf lessons agree with M.

While they've only had three lessons, the boys have shown great interest. My husband is so excited that he decided to get the boys some clubs of their own. He had some extras here at home for D, but he's added to those and bought a bag to put them in. M got the whole kit and caboodle. I just hope golf continues to hold some appeal. You know how fleeting some new activities can be.

And me? Well, I may just have to take up the game myself so I'll know what in the world they're talking about when I hear terms like "birdie, eagle, handicap, par and FORE!"

A blast from the past...

Yesterday the boys and I were flipping channels on TV and came across The Brady Bunch, a "new" show my boys have discovered and found quite intriguing.

The episode we watched guest starred Davy Jones. Allow me to give you a quick recap in case you didn't see, or have forgotten this episode... Marcia jumped the gun and said she could get Davy Jones to perform at her school prom, all because she was the president of his local fan club, and he'd once sent her a letter saying he'd do anything for her if he were ever in her hometown. Of course poor Marcia can't even begin to get close to Davy Jones and she's desperate to see him so she doesn't end up looking like a big loser.

In this clip, Marcia goes to the recording studio to see if she can persuade him to sing at the prom. Naturally she had no problem getting inside the studio...
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My boys were laughing hysterically, especially at the groovy hairdo of Davy Jones's manager and even more at the lack of expression on the face of the guy working in the sound booth. And they couldn't believe I knew the song Davy was singing.

Marcia finally gives up ever meeting Davy Jones and she's just about to call her teacher to admit her loser status, when lo' and behold, look who shows up to save the day. This could only happen to the Brady Bunch...">


While we were watching the show, I told my youngest that I used to watch The Brady Bunch all the time when I was his age. He scrunched up his face and said, "Wow! That show is REALLY old! I wonder why they still show it."

There went my nostalgic moment!

Got cereal?

I don't know about your family, but my family likes cereal... a lot! I swear, you'd think Jerry Seinfeld lived here. At any given time we have 5-10 different boxes of cereal on the pantry shelf. The current inventory of cereal boxes taking up space in my pantry at this time sits at 7. As I said... we like cereal.

Here's the list of cereals now being served for breakfast (lunch or dinner too, for that matter) at our house...

Trix...


Corn Flakes...


Cinnamon Toast Crunch...


Honey Nut Cheerios...


Apple Jacks...


Raisin Bran...


and Rice Krispies...

We frequently have other cereals on hand too, but just happen to be out of Cheerios, Life, Honey Bunches of Oats and Crispix at the moment. Sometimes we buy Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch.

Sidebar: I absolutely LOVED Captain Crunch when I was a kid, but never noticed until just a few years ago how much it hurts the roof of my mouth to eat the stuff. I practically have to let it get soggy before I can stand to eat it. I've decided it's hardly worth it anymore. What a sad realization!

So... what kind of cereal do you have on your pantry shelf?

Let the boy talk!

The boys had a couple of neighbor friends over this week. M and his buddy watched a movie in one room, complete with a "fort" (Remember forts? They're the best!), no lights and naturally popcorn.

D and his buddy hung out in the middle of the dining room floor, playing DS games. They were really in to their game and I hardly heard a peep out of them. They, too, had popcorn, and I overheard this...

Friend: "Wow, your mom makes really good popcorn!"

D: "Popcorn makes itself in the microwave."

Me: "Let the boy talk! So, what were you saying about the popcorn?"

I couldn't help myself as kid compliments are the sincerest, wouldn't you agree? Kids are brutally honest! I'll take that compliment, no matter if it was only microwave popcorn. What brand was it? Okay, I'll share...

There's been an explosion!

I never showed you this photo, did I? This is the aftermath of the Lego explosion that took place on Christmas morning.

We live for legos here at our house, and naturally our boys are of the opinion that less is NOT more... One can never have too many legos! It's simply not possible. Star Wars legos are their favorite.


These are just a few legos currently "on display" in my oldest son's room. He and his brother like to build Legos, but they never want to take them apart. I've suggested they take them apart and build them again, or make something different the next time. They look at me as if I've lost what's left of my mind. What was I thinking, right?


If it were up to my boys, they'd have every surface covered with legos. From the looks of this photo, they're well on their way to reaching their goal, wouldn't you agree? And just between you and me... this drives me crazy!

(Sidebar... Do you see the different Mountain Dew plastic bottles on the back right-hand side? D was collecting those for a while. In fact, he had those in Virginia and we allowed him to move them to Spain. I kid you not. Thankfully he's given up that short-lived obsession. I have to be grateful for the small victories around here.)


Legos seem to multiply at our house! I'm really glad my kids like to build things. I think it makes for great eye-hand coordination and the stimulation of their minds. They have to read those directions and think about what they're doing. I just wish the legos didn't have to literally take over my house.


Here's D's closet. He really does have clothes, although you wouldn't know it from this photo. Legos have made their way onto the shelves inside his closet, which is where I wish he'd keep all of them.


Do you see what I'm talking about? Are you feeling as claustrophobic as I do? At least my kids are pretty good about keeping their legos off of the floor. Have you ever stepped on one? Stepping on a lego induces the kind of pain one never forgets. Never.

Bird Update

A few months ago I was whining about the birds flying in and out of our carport. I complained that these pesky critters were making quite the mess on the floor of the carport as well as my car, and we were looking for ideas of ways to scare them away.

My husband had attempted to use some cardboard to block the area where they'd been roosting. That worked for like a day, until they figured out they could peck and pull at the cardboard, eventually destroying it.

So Plan B included printing a photo of a scary owl and mounting it in the window in the carport. That, too, worked for a day, until the birds determined the owl wasn't real.

Plans C, D, E and F included hanging wind chimes, hanging an old CD with an eye drawn on it, hanging a tennis ball and mounting a rubber snake on the wall. Again, each of these suggested tips worked for a day or so, but the birds kept coming back.

Check this out... The bird is roosting on top of the wind chimes! Yep, we REALLY scared this guy, didn't we?


See the rubber snake to the right? The bird was perched next to it a couple of days ago.


I swear, I think the bird and his friends laugh at us sometimes. Show-off bird!