Why I am NOT giving up Facebook for Lent

I’m just going to preface this by saying.  Anyone that is participating this isn’t at all meant to bash your choices. We all celebrate the holy season of Lent in our own ways. Some chose to give up things, make sacrifices and try to better ourselves. Anything you do to try to better yourself is never a bad thing. Good luck and God bless.

I’ve seen a lot of my friends posting about giving up Facebook for Lent and it got me to thinking, why am I on Facebook? I love that it connects me to family and friends I have all over the world. I love that if I want to send my relatives that live on the opposite coast pictures of the kids it’s just one click away. If I want to say high to my best friend from kindergarten, my college friends, just about anyone. I love that I can promote my youth group events and spread the joy of the events we do in God’s house with others. I love that I can let people know what our company is up to. I could go on and on about all the great things it allows me to do. But now comes the question if Facebook does all these wonderful things why are people giving it up?

So now I’m thinking of the negatives:

#1. There are times, a lot of times, that I am staring at my phone and I should be listening to my kids, my loved ones and friends. But I’m wrapped up in what’s going on Facebook or Instagram or just about any other social media I have at my finger tips. The problem however is not Facebook, it’s my lack of self control. It’s my fault for not putting the phone down and paying attention. My solution is not to get rid of the resource, my solution is to learn self control. To focus on bettering myself. I want that temptation there. I need it there. Without it how can I learn?

#2. So your best friend just went to Hawaii. Your neighbors to Florida. Your child’s teacher to China. And you’re thinking “Geez that’s totally not fair!” Because Facebooks gives you a way to share every detail of your life you get to see all the great things people do every day. It’s not so bad if you are doing them too. But what if you’re stuck behind a desk and haven’t had a vacation in a year, and even if you did take time off you couldn’t afford to go anyway? The problem isn’t Facebook, the problem is ENVY. My solution is not to remove Facebook, it’s to work on my own heart. Be happy for people who get to do fun things and appreciate the little things in your life that bring you joy as well. Life isn’t a competition about who has the best vacations or the nicest car. It’s about enjoying every experience you have to the fullest.

#3. My kid just won the lead in the school play! I just got a raise! My parents just bought me a brand new car!  Pride. We all brag, we can’t help it, it’s part of human nature. And with a few strokes on a keyboard I can tell 1000+ people about how great I am. Is the problem Facebook? Or is the problem my pride? Am I spending too much time trying to make others proud of me or trying to prove I’m better than they are? I need to focus on being more humble.

#4. Your friend changes her relationship status. You see a picture of one friend hanging out with another friend without you. You see your coworker is at the beach but she called into work. Your impulse is to gossip. To tell people what you read and react to it. Is Facebook the problem? Or is the problem your gossiping and spreading information. Instead of reading these things and feeling the urge to pass them on I need to focus on myself and my own life. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, as they say.

So in conclusion all you people will continue to see my ugly mug on Facebook and Instagram. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to spend my lent trying to better myself. With or without Facebook I need to focus on making myself a better person.

Have a great Lent everyone!

DISNEY SURPRISE

Surprising the kids with our trip to Disney World!                                

I've worked 2 jobs since the year Luke was born, Scott works two jobs as well. We've been saving since I can't even remember how long to take the kids to Disney. 

The accountant in me tells me I should be paying off my student loans, but the Mom in me says "Do it now, while they are young"....the Mom won....it usually does...

We created a treasure hunt for the kids to find the clues that would lead them to their surprise. Here is their journey to the treasure!

Put these special clothes on we promise it won’t be lame,

Mom and dad have hidden a fun prize at the end of this game.

Find the clues to lead you to the treasure,

The riches you will find at the end will be more than you can measure.

#1 Rapunzel had to use this to keep her hair soft and shiny. When she brushed and sang her hair became yellow and bright like sunshiny! 

#2 The Evil Queen saw this on the wall. And said, "Mirror, mirror who is the fairest of them all?” 

#3 You use one of these to sleep on your bed. Surely Aurora had one under her head! 

#4 Snow White bit into this big, shiny red fruit.

What it did to her was not a hoot!  

#5 Lightening McQueen is a really fast car. Now why don't you go get in yours, it’s not far!

#6 Cinderella had a coach, and now you’re in our car. Find the building where it’s kept; you'll get a big, gold star!! 

You did it you've reached the end, that’s no surprise,

Now open the treasure box to reveal your surprise!! 

The Video Reaction Click here: Disney Surprise

My Superhero's Book

I made a book about my little superhero's

Click here to view this photo book larger

You'll love Shutterfly's award-winning photo books. Try it today.

Bible Scavenger Hunt

10 Bible Scavenger Hunt Riddles

 

Look around the Church and find the names of the 10 people from the Bible that match the description below. We have included a Bible verse under each answer to tell you where in the Church to find the answers if you need a clue. Write the answers on the line. When you have found all 10 names return it to the table for a prize.

 

1.       With a rock and with a sling he killed a giant and became king

 

Mathew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

 

2.       Going to Nineveh was something he didn’t wish to do. The person who ended up in a fish’s bell was who?

 

Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

 

3.       This man was created out of earth. Only person of whom a woman didn’t give birth.

 

Jeremiah 52:32 “He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.”

 

 

4.       He was a short man Jesus he wanted to see. And so he decided to climb a sycamore tree.

 

Psalm 1:3 “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers.”

 

 

5.       He lived on a boat as the water started to rise. Looking at him there were thousands of eyes.

 

Mark 14:22 “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."

 

 

 

 

6.       This guy built up courage to go to the Pharaoh. And said to the leader “Let my people go”

 

1 Kings 6:8 “The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.”

 

 

7.       This man was set up by over 100 men. And then he was thrown into a lions’ den.

 

Hosea 7:6 “Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue. Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.”

 

 

8.       Lived in the wilderness on locusts and honey he fed. Eventually he died after losing his head.

 

John 19:28 “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”

 

9.       Became a follower of Jesus as to Damascus he went. He wrote half the books in the New Testament.

 

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”

 

 

10.   I don’t know him, I don’t know him, I don’t know him he said. Yet the early church is who he led.

 

Psalm 149:1 “Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.”

 

 

Name:_________________________________________________________________

Please return for your prize J

Answer Key

 

1 – David (church front door)

2 – Jonah (baptismal font)

3 – Adam (Father’s Chair)

4 – Zaccheus (Outside on a tree)

5 – Noah (Communion table)

6 – Moses (stairway door down to community room)

7 – Daniel (oven down stairs)

8 – John the Baptist (water fountain downstairs)

9 – Paul (Pulpit)

10 – Peter (Choir seats)

Christmas Giving - Give Back, Make a Difference

My boss told me the other day that I will probably die poor, but I’m the happiest person he knows. Yeah that pretty much sums up me! Sometimes I probably do give too much, but oh well you only live once right? And what good is money, you can’t take it with you when you die anyways. Christmas is the season for giving.

Tis the season for giving. So in an effort for the Dalton Family to give back I dedicated this weekend as our family give back weekend. It started Friday Luke and Anna helped me bring in food and new toys to their school office for the food/toy drive. Then we went through the closet in our house and got a giant pile of blankets, pillows, sheets and coats for the Hurricane Sandy Relief drive at Geez Louise & Kids Trading Post in Malone.

Saturday we went grocery shopping and bought 8 boxes of cereal and 4 containers of juice for the Catholic Charities Christmas Baskets. We will be dropping them off at the collection box at Ellis Auto on Monday. We also bought candies and frosting for our special project and came home to make 60 gingerbread sugar cookies for the 1^st grade class at CCS. (Ok so this one we get to give and get, YUMMY).

Later that night we did Anna’s special project. Her class is making Christmas Cards for soldiers that can’t be home for the holidays. We decorated it together and had a great time doing it!!

Sunday morning we wrapped Christmas gifts for the public for the Youth Group Fundraiser. Luke’s Sunday school class was making gift baskets for the home bound. His class was asked to bring cranberry sauce and stuffing so we got two things of each. He was very excited to bring them to his class! Anna asked to pick an angel off the tree at church. You have to attach $5 to the angel and they are use to buy poinsettia plants that go to our elderly and home bound parishioners.

Then we finished the weekend by stuffing envelopes to be sent out Monday. The youth group made lovely homemade Christmas cards, ornaments and bookmarks for the home bound, sick and disabled in our area to help make their Christmas a little brighter.

So that concludes our VERY hectic but wonderful give back weekend this holiday season. The kids enjoyed all our activities and it taught them it’s just as nice to give as it is to receive. We hope that they grow up to respect and give back to their communities. It doesn’t take much to give back. Some of our projects cost money, others our time, but each one will hopefully make a difference in someone’s life.

 

Do you have some free time this season? There are a lot of opportunities around town to volunteer and donate. Give back and make a difference.

Pennies from Heaven.....Do you believe??

Pennies from Heaven.....Do you believe??

I don’t know about you, but I always read the pennies from heaven stories in the Dear Abby columns, and think really? It must just be a coincidence that these pennies just appear and people are grasping for meaning. The other day was no exception. There was yet another pennies from heaven letter. After I closed the paper I thought…I just can’t believe angels would leave pennies for people to find.  Wouldn't they show a more meaningful sign? Then I went on with the rest of my day.

After the kids were tucked in bed that night I went to the kitchen for a glass of water before I put on my favorite TV show. On my way to the living room I saw a penny on the kitchen table. I thought it was funny seeing as how I had cleaned the table after dinner, but I figured the kids must have put it there at some point, so I picked it up went to the living room and placed it in our giant Pepsi jar bank that we are currently saving for our trip to Disney. (I had to think of something clever to get the kids to stop asking me WHEN we were going to Disney, so we told them when they filled up the jar they could go, evil I know).  

Later that night I got back up to head to the kitchen. On my way back I noticed a penny in the exact same spot the last one was in. I know there was only one penny there the first time I was sure of it. Never the less I picked it up, shrugged it off and went back to the living room.

The next morning I was getting ready for work and picked up my day planner to see what was going to be going on in the next few days. My day planner is my LIFELINE because my memory is GONE! I write every event, practice, school function down or else I would never make it anywhere. The day planner has NEVER been used to store money. As I opened it up a penny fell out on my lap. I finally decided something had to be going on. So I immediately looked straight up and said…

“Ok, I might believe in pennies from heaven now, but I defiantly don’t believe in $100 bills from heaven”

Unfortunately my mind tricks have not worked on these smart angels and I have no $100 bills yet… it was worth a try though lol

So I guess now I kind of believe in pennies from heaven, but I wish I knew who was sending them. Or maybe I have 3 someone’s, either way it gives me something to think about. I guess I now realize all signs from God don't have to be outlandish and crazy, the little things are just as important, maybe even more so.

Do you have a pennies from heaven story?

For those of you who don’t know the lore: They say when an angel misses you, they toss a penny down from heaven.

 

Homemade Gak Slime

I found this recipe online on how to make homemade gak slime! - Yes it's easier to buy it but a lot more fun to make it!

Materials:

Elmer’s Glue® (8 oz bottle of Elmer’s Glue-All)

Borax (a powdered soap found in the grocery store)

Large mixing bowl

Plastic cup (8 oz size)

Spoon

Measuring cup

Food coloring

Water

Zipper-lock bag (or plastic container) to store it in

Warm Water

This recipe is based on using a brand new 8 oz bottle of Elmer’s Glue. Empty the entire bottle of glue into a mixing bowl. Fill the empty bottle with warm water and shake. Pour the glue-water mixture into the mixing bowl and use the spoon to mix well.

Add a drop or two of food coloring.

Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into the plastic cup and add a teaspoon of Borax powder to the water. Stir the solution – don’t worry if all of the powder dissolves. This Borax solution is the secret linking agent that causes the Elmer’s Glue molecules to turn into slime.

While stirring the glue in the mixing bowl, slowly add a little of the Borax solution. Immediately you’ll feel the long strands of molecules starting to connect. Keep adding the Borax solution to the glue mixture (don’t stop mixing) until you get a perfect batch of gak. You probably wont use all the borax solution unless you want really stiff gak.

When you’re finished playing with your gak, seal it up in a zipper-lock bag or plastic container.

Playdough Geography

You can find the pdf of this project at:
http://www.hasbro.com/playdoh/en_US/discover/teachers/pdf/7F53D612-D56F-E112-497CE221E79B18F7.pdf?soc=fbk_doh_pds_0412_007

Purpose: Students are introduced to the term
continent. Students learn the names and locations of the seven
continents.

Objectives:
• Students learn the term continent.
• Students name and locate the seven continents.
• Students identify the continent they live on.
• Students use PLAY-DOH compound for a “hands-on”
activity to form the shapes of the continents in the location they belong.

Curriculum Areas:
•
Social Studies
•
Geography
•
Visual Arts
•
Mapping Skills
•
Math
•
Continents
·
Science
·
Language Arts
·
Fine Arts

Grade Levels
•
Pre K
•
K
•
1
•
2
•

Supplies Needed:
• PLAY-DOH compound (seven colors, enough for each
student to form continents)
• Large map of the continents (can be found at mapsofworld.com
website)
• Student copy of a map outline of the continents
Directions:
1.
Using the large map, show students the continents.
Point to each continent and have the students count them. Tell them that the
lands of the world are divided into 7 continents. Have them repeat each
continent’s name after you as you point to the continent.

2.
Point to
North America (or your continent) and tell the students that we live on the
continent of North America. Ask: “What continent do we live on?”

3.
Pass out the continent map outline. Explain that
the students will be getting a different color of PLAY-DOH compound for each
continent and they will mold the PLAY-DOH compound to the shape of the
continent. You may need to model this.

4.
Pass out the PLAY-DOH color for North America.
Have all students shape their PLAY-DOH compound on the North American outline.
Ask: “What continent do we live on?”

5.
Next, pass out PLAY-DOH compound for each of the
other continents; one at a time so that you can say the name and help the
students recognize each continent. Then have students mold the PLAY-DOH
compound onto each continent.

6.
Give each
student a bit of PLAY-DOH compound to make a small boat. Tell them that they
are going to cruise around the continents and say each name as the cruise by.

7.
Close the
lesson by having the students pretend with their boat to cruise the ocean to
each continent they molded and say the continent’s name. Review each day.

Extensions:
• Sing a song using a familiar tune that includes all of
the names of the continents. Point to the continents as you sing.

• Search the web for facts and pictures of each
continent.

Moon Phases - Fun with the kids

Science is Yummy Mom!

I found this awesome project on pinterest. Teach Moon phases with Oreo Cookies! I thought I would take it a step farther and teach them the definitions of the moon phases and also look up what the moon was doing right now!

#1 - Oreo Cookies (use Popsicle stick or butter knife to scrape off the frosting. (Of course we let the kids & mommy eat it) ;)

#2 - Found a cute Moon Phases Worksheet at(http://ww

w.education.com/worksheet/article/learning-moon-phases/)

We colored the sun to show how it lights up the moon depending on what stage the moon is in. It helped them to better match the oreos to the phases. If you want to expl

ain the phases of the moon her are their definitions.

New Moon - The side of the moon facing the Earth is not illuminated. Additionally, the moon is up throughout the day, and down throughout the night. For these reasons we cannot see the moon during this phase.

Waxing Crescent/Crescent - During this phase, part of the Moon is beginning to show. This lunar sliver can be seen each evening for a few minutes just after sunset. We say that the Moon is "waxing" because each night a little bit more is visible for a little bit longer.

First Quarter/Half During first quarter, 1/2 of the moon is visible for the
first half of the evening, and then goes down, leaving the sky very dark.

Waxing Gibbous/Three Quarters - When most of the Moon is visible we say it is a Gibbous Moon. Observers can see all but a little sliver of the moon. During this phase, the Moon remains in the sky most of the night.

Full Moon - When we can observe the entire face of the moon, we call it a Full Moon. A full moon will rise just as the evening begins, and will set about the time morning is ushered in.


Waning Gibbous/Three Quarters - Like the Waxing Gibbous Moon, during this phase, we can see all but a sliver of the Moon. The difference is that instead of seeing more of the Moon each night, we begin to see less and less of the Moon each night. This is what the word "waning" means.


Last Quarter/Half - During a Last Quarter Moon we can see exactly 1/2 of the Moon's lighted surface.

Waning Crescent/Crescent - Finally, during a Waning Crescent Moon, observers on Earth can only see a small sliver of the Moon, and only just before morning. Each night less of the Moon is visible for less time.

#3 After we had fun "learning" we looked up how the moon is suppose to look tonight.

(www.moonconnection.com)

#4 - And the best part is after we got to eat our "Moon Oreos" with some Milky Way Juice (aka Vanilla Almond Milk)

Three Day Trip to Boston

Day One 5-21-09





We left Malone around 9:30 am. It was a very long car ride and after driving around Boston for a half hour we finally found our hotel, http://www.hotel140.com/ . We got to the hotel, got checked in and went to our room. Only to discover that they gave us only one double bed. Stef, Scott and I were not about to sleep on top of each other so I went back down and inquired. They told us the rooms were all sold out and that the company that booked our trip was suppose to tell us there was only one double bed room available for us. At first they told us there was no roll away, then came back and said they had one left. They said they wouldn't charge us for it... we'll see when we check out. It's an ok hotel. Its really close to Boston Commons. We've all decided that the city isn't as loud as we had thought it might be. We ordered in pizza tonight. After the long drive and getting lost for a while we decided it would be better to get a good nights sleep before we ventured out to see the city.





Day Two 5-22-09





So this morning was our first full day in Boston after arriving last night. We got up around 7 am, you'd think we would have slept in, but being use to getting up for work and with the kids we just couldn't seem to sleep in. Anyways we headed out of the Hotel around 8:45 am. The Old Town Trolley Tours http://www.trolleytours.com/ , didn't start running until 9am. We started off at the Trinity Church. It was beautiful!! It defiantly wasn't worth $6 each to get in though. You got to see just the church, and there was no guided tour, no oral history about it. Basically you just pay them to walk in. If I would have known that I would have went to Mass, because at Mass times it is free to get in of course lol.





Then we headed to our trolley stop, or at least we tried. We ended up walking around Boston for an hour and a half. The trolley company was great, I have absolutely no complaints about them except for the fact that since we bought the tickets in advance online (better price) we didn't' have a updated map. And the one we downloaded was hard to read. So we finally found our way to the trolley tour store and got on. That's when the fun started. We ended up going to the New England Aquarium http://www.neaq.org/ , which is when I really started missing the kids. I knew Luke would have loved all of the animals. My favorite of course were the sea turtles.





We also say the outside of the original Cheers. We visited the State House, Old North Church, Fenway Park and Paul Reveres House http://www.paulreverehouse.org/. We learned that Samuel Adams beer doesn't have a picture of Sam Adams on it but Paul Revere, they told us it was because Sam Adams was so ugly, lol but I'm not sure of the real reason. I also learned that Paul Revere had two wives, and had eight children with each. At anyone time there was no more than 5-9 kids in the house. This house was so small I couldn't imagine a family of four wouldn't feel cramped there. I know people were smaller back then but they weren't dwarfs.





We had lunch at the Aquarium overlooking the water. I was the only one that had chowder! I don't know how anyone could go to Boston and not have chowder. What a bunch of weirdo's they are!! Can't wait to get out and see the town again tomorrow, and tomorrow night we get to see Uncle Benny!!!





Day Three 5-23-09



Today we visited the USS Constitution. It was an amazing ship. I defiantly would recommend that you check it out if you ever come to Boston. http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/ . I wish Scott's Grandfather had been around, even though he was in the Army and not the Navy I'm pretty sure he would have enjoyed the tour. I'm not a big war buff but I really loved hearing the history of the ship.



We headed to the Old State House as well today. Not as impressed with that. There is no ventilation in the building and so it was extremely stuff and smelled. Stef toured it, but Scott and I opted out.



We had lunch at the Boston Hard Rock Cafe. We had an awesome waiter and as always the food was excellent. That makes only a total of three Hard Rocks I've visited, Orlando, New Orleans, and Boston. Any suggestions on which one we should hit up next?



We went into Cheers although we didn't have anything to eat. Very cramped in there, we visited the gift shop. Then headed over the the Prudential Center Mall. I finally found the Yankee Candles I have been waiting for since College. They brought back Vineyard!! The best scented candle ever!! I was so excited I had to buy some. Wasn't in the budget but oh well!!



We went to dinner with my friend Ben who lives down here. We went The Cheesecake Factory! It was a great meal, and it was great catching up with him, wish he didn't live so far away like a lot of my friends, but all in all it was a great trip. Although I will be glad to get home and see my babies!!

Dove # 2.. and Random Life Stuff

So it's been just over two weeks since I've tried the Dove Antiperspirant. So far it is working great! My arms feel amazingly smooth! I defiantly recommend it.

In other news we are heading to Boston this weekend without the kiddies. It will be our first vacation without them. They probably won't even miss us since Grandma & Papa spoil them rotten all the time. But I know I'll miss them. We desperately need a vacation even if it is just a long weekend.

Not much else going on around here. Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!

Dove

So not much new going on with the family. We saw Xmen - Wolverine this weekend. It was really good. I hate how they leave it wide open at the end, but of course that's what they always do with movies like that.

So this weekend Dove sent me a free sample of their new Dove Visibly Smooth anti-perspirant. They claim in a matter of weeks you will notice that your underarms are smoother and hair will be less visible. I've been using it for three days so far. I can defiantly feel the smoothness, but I will give it a few more weeks to see and give it a full review. If anyone wants to try it they sent me a stack of a $2.00 off coupons. Let me know and I'll send you some.

Tomorrow is Cinco De Mayo. One of my favorite "holidays". Of course we are having a Taco feast! I could live on Taco's. :)

Guess that's all that's new for now. Check back soon...

Easter

So Easter was fun this year. Luke loved getting all the candy and presents. It was like a second Christmas with Grandma & Papa and Nana and Grandpa, oh and don't forget Aunt Stef! You'd think these kids were royalty the way they are lavished with gifts. I don't remember being that "spoiled" when I was their age. Mom said it's not "spoiling" its loving. haha

Anna said her first word "Dada" first thing Easter morning, while sitting on Daddy's lap. Now she's got him even more wrapped around her finger. I think he would give her the moon if she asked for it.

It was a great day. We went to mass with the whole family. Even our Godson & family were there :) . Then everyone came back to our house for a big Easter Lunch. By the end of the day Luke was ready to crash. Daddy & I got him a solar system to put on his ceiling. His face just lite up when he saw it glowing at bed time. He loves the stars and planets.

Guess that's all that's new around our house. Hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter!

March, March, March

Our March for Babies walk is coming up April 26th! We are excited this year to have both of our babies walking/strolling with us.

If anyone would like to come walk with us sign up at www.marchforbabies.org/valeriedalton . And if you would like to donate you can also visit the same site.

The March of Dimes is a excellent organization and one that is really important to our family.

Did you know that March of Dimes is inspired by all babies – those that are born healthy and those that need help to survive and thrive? They are the millions of reasons why the March of Dimes fights for health insurance, pushes for newborn screening, provides comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care, and supports research offering hope for preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with a birth defect. One day, every family will know the joy of a healthy baby. Until then, there is the March of Dimes.

Same stuff, different day....

Not much new in The Dalton household. Work, home, sleep... rinse and repeat.

Luke is will be 2 1/2 next month. I can't believe how much time flies by! His vocabulary and abilities amaze me every day. He's such a smart boy and he knows how to test me. Every time I turn around he is figuring out a new way to do something he knows he shouldn't be. It's so cute to watch his face when he gets caught. Although mom tells me that there will come a day when he will out smart me. HAHA yeah right.....

Anna is a big girl too! She's now officially 6 months old. She has her two front teeth on the bottom and is working on more. She isn't crawling just yet but she's rolling to where she wants to go, it's so cute. I had never seen a baby do that until my Godson Ethan started to. Maybe Anna learned it from him?

This weekend hopefully we are going to get some yard work done. I hope spring is finally hear to stay!! I'd love to take Luke to see his first movie. Monsters vs Aliens is out today. Not sure if he's old enough to sit still long enough or not. So I don't know if we're going to take him or not yet. It looks really cute so I think it would keep his interest for a while at least.

Guess that's all that's new around here! Have a great weekend everyone!

"The Little People"

So today Janice sent me a link to an Article on MSN called "How do you find an elf? Elf Detection 101". Now one might think this would be a fluff article, something to chuckle at, nothing too serious, but NO, well at least not in Iceland!

In a poll conducted in 2007 it was found that 54% of Icelanders believe in Elf's. That's right over half the people in Iceland are on some serious drugs! To make matters worse this belief in Elf's has even caused problems with businesses.

According to the article, "Before the aluminum company Alcoa could erect a smelting factory, it had to defer to a government expert to scour the enclosed plant site and certify that no elves were on or under it." Ok so now here comes the big question... "How do you find an elf?"

The answer: With psychic powers of course!

Well duh come on now, who didn't know that?? Are these people for real? They even claim that there is a Royal Elf Family that lives in the base of a cliff in Hafnarfjördu, Iceland. Move over Price Charles there is a new Royal Family in the spotlight now!!

Icelanders also say that sometimes these mischievous elf's mess with their equipment on job sites if they are unhappy with the new road, building, or whatever is going on at that particular site. According to the article "When Icelanders try to build roads or settlements through elf dwellings, the elves are said to go bonkers—causing equipment failures and other problems. In the early 1970s, for example, contractors trying to move a large rock to make way for a highway near Reykjavík hired a clairvoyant, Zophanías Pétursson, after experiencing several minor mishaps. Pétursson detected the presence of elves and claimed to obtain a waiver from the supernatural creatures so that work could progress." I bet this guy got paid big money to make a fake piece of paper with some chicken scratch at the bottom saying "We the little people agree to let you continue with your work, we promise not to mess with you anymore." That was probably the easiest paycheck he ever received. Although if these little people do exist I best be careful not to upset them or my car might stall on my way home from work tonight.

They even have a school for this stuff! The Icelandic Elf School teaches students and visitors about the five different kinds of elves or hidden people in myth that are believed to inhabit the country of Iceland. The school is located in Reykjavík, the country's largest city. I don't know why I went to Clarkson when I could have gone to elf hunting school.

So if you believe in these little people perhaps you should visit the Icelandic Elf School, or you could spend your Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve scouring the countryside looking for some. That is because these dates "are considered especially good occasions for elf-spotting. That's because according to some legends, these holidays are traditional moving days for the little people." I think people are only claiming to see them on these days because those are the days over half the people in the world are intoxicated and celebrating!!

But I shouldn't be so sarcastic of course elves do exist. I know where you can find a whole city full of them. They are all toy makers and live in Santa's Village in the North Pole.

If you want a chuckle check out the article yourself on MSN: http://www.slate.com/id/2213353/?GT1=38001