Paul's Top 10
Each Friday, Paul posts his 'Top 10' on Facebook. It's become quite the topic of family discussion, thought I'd share a few of his last weeks here.
10 Observations from this past week:
1. It was pointed out between our 6 kids we cover every educational category:. 1 Pre-K. 1 in Kindergarten. 1 Middle-schooler. 1 in Jr. High. 1 in High School and 1 in College.
2. ½ of them like to go to bed at midnight and the other half get up at 6:30 a.m. I’m certain I’ll remember this phase of life as a dull blur.
3. This broad age range might make you think the most difficult part of parenting is the meals, or laundry. Nope, it’s finding a family movie everyone can agree upon. It now takes at least 3 days of prep, several debates, 2 trips to the Redbox and occasional bribing (Katrina: “I’ll make smoothies!”)to find one all 6 might enjoy.
4. So instead I made them all watch the State of the Union address.
5. Observing my children watching it made me reminisce about the good old days…when Ronald Reagan was president. :-)
6. No, actually it brought back memories of those nights I’d excitedly turn on the television to watch Happy Days…and instead all that was on was the President’s address! I’d frantically try every channel (channel 8, channel 13, 8, 13, back to 8, 13 again, etc.) but all to no avail. Boy were those lost evenings.
7. W/ 6 kids every day is something new. This week I spotted my 10 year old walking around the house eating a raw onion like an apple.
8. I bet she doesn’t eat one before school though, this week she had a first (of many, I fear) a boy stuffed a note into her hand, and before fleeing, ‘hinted’ to her, “my parents say I can’t call you” . It was his phone #. Who says chivalry is dead?
9. Saw the definition of optimistic insanity this week. A volunteer YMCA b-ball coach naively believing he could teach a gaggle of giggling 10 year old girls a complicated offense involving multiple screens and cuts. By the end, all 11 of them were on the floor. The coach out of exasperation, the girls from shrieking in laughter..
10. We thought it was cute that Kebrom has been crawling under our chairs and recliners pretending to “work on” them w/ his tools. Then we found his cache of bolts, screws and metal fasteners. He’s been steadfastly (and successfully) dismantling them!
1. Not being an animal person or owner, this past week revealed the necessity for some rule-making.
2. Uh…it is my wife and children who own the 7 sheep, 4 llamas, 3 alpacas, 2 dogs and 2 cats, not me.
3. Rule #1 – don’t allow your daughter to bottle-feed a sheep and allow it to become a family pet.
4. Know why? Every husband and father’s nightmare - on the Sunday morning the ‘pet’ dies, wife and daughters cry and cry…and cry…and cry…aaaaagh!
5. Then at church, the Pastor had to say, “Sheep are SO dumb” – I nervously glanced at my wife and daughters – oh boy, if looks could kill .(poor timing Pastor Hicks)
6. Rule #2 – Don’t grow attached to ducks!
7. Know why? Ducks cry. I exited the house in the dark only to hear a type of quack I’d never heard before…a mournful quack (I’m 100% serious and do not need to see a quack!). Sure enough, the fox had gotten her mate and she was ‘crying’ for him.
8. Um…no comment as to how I reacted - but I never realized that daily feeding and having ducks follow you around affectionately quacking at you could make one grow so attached!
9. Rule #3 – don’t assume tiny puppies won’t become aliens and project 6 inch (6 INCH!) live round worms that wriggle (WRIGGLE!) on the carpet…because sometimes they do!
10. And this week’s quote by my 4 year old son ““No one will marry me if I keep tooting”
1. This past week I seemed to encounter numerous situations that prompted some profound…well…probably not worthy to be called profound, I don’t think they’ve achieved ‘pro’ status, so I’ll say amateurfound, thoughts.
2. Had a friend say to me, “Maybe I’m not in love with my current circumstances in life, but I AM in love with life.” Very wise words my friend.
3. Watched “Midnight in Paris”, the latest Woody Allen film. For the type of person Woody (we’re on a first name basis) appears to be, I’m not a fan – he would qualify for my Johnny Depp list – disrespect as a person, love their movies.
4. I like Woody’s directing style, and his movies are thought-provoking, I like that. “Midnight in Paris” took a novel approach to warn of the folly of longing for the past. That was good for me…I’m a sentimentalist and too often miss (or long for) the past.
5. I’m reading a book about coach Bobby Knight, a great coach famous for motivating his players by throwing childish tantrums. As the book described his fits (yelling, throwing chairs across the court, etc.), it sounded familiar and I realized, “wow, I use the Bobby Knight style in my parenting!...I AM the Bobby Knight of parenting!” (I am NOT proud of that fact…but hopefully my kids will go undefeated some season :-))
6. My 5 year old nephew revealed that one nose is a ‘noe’, it takes two to become ‘nose’. (He was picking his ‘noe’).
7. Life seems to be filled w/ ‘givers’ and ‘takers’. My neighbor is definitely a ‘giver’. I have several good friends who are givers (and givers!). I have recognized however, I tend to be a ‘taker’. I don’t want to be a ‘taker’, I want to be a ‘giver’…I’m trying to change that, but it isn’t easy.
8. Tim Tebow. I’ve followed sports for 40 years and can say with confidence never has there been a phenomenon of this nature (his committed relationship with Jesus, his proven leadership skills, his questionable QB skills, the polarization of the fans, etc.) – but here is what I was thinking about; how will it end? Will it have a happy ending? (undoubtedly for some). A sad ending? An ending in the near future? Or will it be distant future? If that isn’t amateurfound thinking I don’t know what is.
9. I was channel surfing, I would find a show and think, “hmmm…this looks pretty good…but maybe there is something else on EVEN better – ‘click’” and it hit me - I was playing the adult version of “Bigger/Better” !(side-note – isn’t Bigger/Better one of the greatest kids activity ever invented?)
10. I conclude this with the words uttered by my 4 year old this week that I hope I never forget…and always live by, “I have something really important to do tomorrow. I’m going to be good ALL day.”
10 Observations from this past week:
1. It was pointed out between our 6 kids we cover every educational category:. 1 Pre-K. 1 in Kindergarten. 1 Middle-schooler. 1 in Jr. High. 1 in High School and 1 in College.
2. ½ of them like to go to bed at midnight and the other half get up at 6:30 a.m. I’m certain I’ll remember this phase of life as a dull blur.
3. This broad age range might make you think the most difficult part of parenting is the meals, or laundry. Nope, it’s finding a family movie everyone can agree upon. It now takes at least 3 days of prep, several debates, 2 trips to the Redbox and occasional bribing (Katrina: “I’ll make smoothies!”)to find one all 6 might enjoy.
4. So instead I made them all watch the State of the Union address.
5. Observing my children watching it made me reminisce about the good old days…when Ronald Reagan was president. :-)
6. No, actually it brought back memories of those nights I’d excitedly turn on the television to watch Happy Days…and instead all that was on was the President’s address! I’d frantically try every channel (channel 8, channel 13, 8, 13, back to 8, 13 again, etc.) but all to no avail. Boy were those lost evenings.
7. W/ 6 kids every day is something new. This week I spotted my 10 year old walking around the house eating a raw onion like an apple.
8. I bet she doesn’t eat one before school though, this week she had a first (of many, I fear) a boy stuffed a note into her hand, and before fleeing, ‘hinted’ to her, “my parents say I can’t call you” . It was his phone #. Who says chivalry is dead?
9. Saw the definition of optimistic insanity this week. A volunteer YMCA b-ball coach naively believing he could teach a gaggle of giggling 10 year old girls a complicated offense involving multiple screens and cuts. By the end, all 11 of them were on the floor. The coach out of exasperation, the girls from shrieking in laughter..
10. We thought it was cute that Kebrom has been crawling under our chairs and recliners pretending to “work on” them w/ his tools. Then we found his cache of bolts, screws and metal fasteners. He’s been steadfastly (and successfully) dismantling them!
1. Not being an animal person or owner, this past week revealed the necessity for some rule-making.
2. Uh…it is my wife and children who own the 7 sheep, 4 llamas, 3 alpacas, 2 dogs and 2 cats, not me.
3. Rule #1 – don’t allow your daughter to bottle-feed a sheep and allow it to become a family pet.
4. Know why? Every husband and father’s nightmare - on the Sunday morning the ‘pet’ dies, wife and daughters cry and cry…and cry…and cry…aaaaagh!
5. Then at church, the Pastor had to say, “Sheep are SO dumb” – I nervously glanced at my wife and daughters – oh boy, if looks could kill .(poor timing Pastor Hicks)
6. Rule #2 – Don’t grow attached to ducks!
7. Know why? Ducks cry. I exited the house in the dark only to hear a type of quack I’d never heard before…a mournful quack (I’m 100% serious and do not need to see a quack!). Sure enough, the fox had gotten her mate and she was ‘crying’ for him.
8. Um…no comment as to how I reacted - but I never realized that daily feeding and having ducks follow you around affectionately quacking at you could make one grow so attached!
9. Rule #3 – don’t assume tiny puppies won’t become aliens and project 6 inch (6 INCH!) live round worms that wriggle (WRIGGLE!) on the carpet…because sometimes they do!
10. And this week’s quote by my 4 year old son ““No one will marry me if I keep tooting”
1. This past week I seemed to encounter numerous situations that prompted some profound…well…probably not worthy to be called profound, I don’t think they’ve achieved ‘pro’ status, so I’ll say amateurfound, thoughts.
2. Had a friend say to me, “Maybe I’m not in love with my current circumstances in life, but I AM in love with life.” Very wise words my friend.
3. Watched “Midnight in Paris”, the latest Woody Allen film. For the type of person Woody (we’re on a first name basis) appears to be, I’m not a fan – he would qualify for my Johnny Depp list – disrespect as a person, love their movies.
4. I like Woody’s directing style, and his movies are thought-provoking, I like that. “Midnight in Paris” took a novel approach to warn of the folly of longing for the past. That was good for me…I’m a sentimentalist and too often miss (or long for) the past.
5. I’m reading a book about coach Bobby Knight, a great coach famous for motivating his players by throwing childish tantrums. As the book described his fits (yelling, throwing chairs across the court, etc.), it sounded familiar and I realized, “wow, I use the Bobby Knight style in my parenting!...I AM the Bobby Knight of parenting!” (I am NOT proud of that fact…but hopefully my kids will go undefeated some season :-))
6. My 5 year old nephew revealed that one nose is a ‘noe’, it takes two to become ‘nose’. (He was picking his ‘noe’).
7. Life seems to be filled w/ ‘givers’ and ‘takers’. My neighbor is definitely a ‘giver’. I have several good friends who are givers (and givers!). I have recognized however, I tend to be a ‘taker’. I don’t want to be a ‘taker’, I want to be a ‘giver’…I’m trying to change that, but it isn’t easy.
8. Tim Tebow. I’ve followed sports for 40 years and can say with confidence never has there been a phenomenon of this nature (his committed relationship with Jesus, his proven leadership skills, his questionable QB skills, the polarization of the fans, etc.) – but here is what I was thinking about; how will it end? Will it have a happy ending? (undoubtedly for some). A sad ending? An ending in the near future? Or will it be distant future? If that isn’t amateurfound thinking I don’t know what is.
9. I was channel surfing, I would find a show and think, “hmmm…this looks pretty good…but maybe there is something else on EVEN better – ‘click’” and it hit me - I was playing the adult version of “Bigger/Better” !(side-note – isn’t Bigger/Better one of the greatest kids activity ever invented?)
10. I conclude this with the words uttered by my 4 year old this week that I hope I never forget…and always live by, “I have something really important to do tomorrow. I’m going to be good ALL day.”
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