Lookout Jimmy Chitwood, Here Comes J-Mac

I saw a news clip the other night about this basketball player from upstate New York. I told the story to Mary last night and as I was relaying it I got choked up. So did she. Click the link and watch for yourself.


Truly inspirational. And not because he is autistic. That, to me, is only part of the story. It is the way he dedicates himself to something he loves. The way the other players react to him as he gets into his first game. The way the school has embraced him. The fact that he hit six three pointers in four minutes coming off the bench. The fact that the coach thought about how the team manager would feel about getting to suit up for senior night.

It's all good.

Lookout Jimmy Chitwood, Here Comes J-Mac

My Big Idea For The Day

Every morning the girls come down from their room and snuggle in bed with mom and dad before getting the day started. It is a pretty nice way to start the day, except on the occasions when mom and dad really want to sleep in. The girls have mastered the art of making us grumpy by sticky feet in faces, elbows in backs and fighting over who gets to be in the middle.

I am not a morning person, so I tend to get pretty grumpy, pretty fast when this happens. Mary has reminded me that we should enjoy this time because soon the girls will be too big to snuggle and will be looking for ways to stay away from us. So I am learning to love that random kick in the groin. It's really a sign of love from them.

On most days we turn on the TV in the bedroom and catch PBS Kids programming. The schedule changes around every few months or so, but we can usually count on catching Dragon Tales, Arthur or Clifford before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. Lately we've been watching a lot of Clifford. This is a sweet show.

This morning I came to a realization about why I stop and watch this one with the girls. There is always a nice message that is relayed to the kids. A lot of shows have a message or moral to the story, but somehow this one hits home stronger. Perhaps it is because the creators have chosen to be up front that there is a lesson to be learned from each show. They end each show with Clifford's "Bid Idea" of the day. Other shows are not as overt. Their lessons are weaved throughout the show and are more or less situational examples without clear statements about what it is the kids should have learned about in that episode.

I did a little searching on the web and found a site for Clifford. On it was listed Clifford's "Big Ideas". They are simple, to the point and can apply to kids and adults alike. In fact, I think they have practical application in business too. So for those that I work with, please pay heed. I will try to follow Clifford's "Big Ideas" of the day. I will try to:

Be A Good Friend.
Be Kind.
Be Truthful.
Be Responsible
Believe in Yourself. (or myself as it maybe)
Have Respect.
Help Others.
Play Fair.
Share.
Work Together.

That is my big idea for the day.

My Big Idea For The Day

Did You Just Yawn?

Yawn. Yawn. Yawn. What a funny word. Yawn.

Did you just yawn? One time I was driving in front of a woman who was in a pickup truck. In the reflection of my dashboard mirror I saw her yawn. I could not help but yawn myself.

It is amazing to me how a yawn can be contagious. So I got to thinking... with all this talk about viral marketing could there be anyway that a company could be the official sponsor of yawning? Think about the potential buzz that could generate.

When someone yawned there could be this message comes on from a nearby radio, television set or iPod that announces "This yawn was brought to you by the late shift at Ford Motor Company. Pass it on." I guess we'd have to all be fitted with yawn sensors though, eh?

Just a thought.

Did You Just Yawn?

My Chemical Dependency

Just for giggles I thought I'd list all the chemicals/ingredients that I put on or in my body on a daily basis. These are the ones I could determine from packaging labels:

Sorbitol, water, hydrated silica, PEG-12, sodium lauryl sulfate, flavor (???), tetrasodium pyrophosphate, xanthum gum, sodium saccharin, cocamidopropyl betaine, methyl cellulose, FD&C red no. 40, pyrithione zinc, water (twice is good), sodium laureth sulfate (another two timer!), coco-betaine, dimethicone, cetyl alcohol, hydroxystearyl cetyl ether, sodium chloride, glycerin, fragrance, polyquaternium-10, carbomer, sodium methylparaben, DMDM hydantoin, cocamide MIPA, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, propylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben (that's methylparaben's sister to you and me), butylparaben (methyl and ethyl's better looking sister), isobutylparaben (methyl, ethyl and butyl's vain, ego centric sister), propylparaben (their quite proper great Aunt), water (again!), alcohol denat, cyclopentasiloxane, propylene glycol, dimethicone, trisiloxane, PEG/PPG-18/18, dimethicone, calcium chloride, fragrance (again with the fragrance!).

All that and all I did so far was brush my teeth, wash my hair and put on some deodarant. Scary isn't it?

My Chemical Dependency

I Am Still An Idiot

Mary started it.

"I would go on one of those extreme make over shows" she said.

"Really?"

"Heck yeah, it would be great. I would get all this work done for free. All you have to do it agree to be on TV. What woman with two kids wouldn't want to get her boobs lifted? Maybe a little work done on the thighs, you know, a little nip here and little tuck there?"

To which I said "But what would they do with your face?"

I meant it as a compliment. It came out all wrong. Very wrong.

I Am Still An Idiot

What is okay?

Thought/quote for the day:

"It's okay to be optimistic, but not okay to be oblivious."

What is okay?

Butterscotch

It started out as a conversation about which girl likes mint. One does. One does not.

Then Hannah, who doesn't like mint, asked for me to remind her what flavor she does like. "Butterscotch" I said. "You like butterscotch, and so do I."

And then I told her about how my dad would give me butterscotch candies as a treat. When I was young my dad would leave a butterscotch candy on the corner of my dresser. He'd make sure to leave it there before he headed to work each morning. I'd wake up and check to see if he'd been there already and usually I'd find a piece of candy waiting for me. It became our morning routine.

A butterscotch on my dresser was a way in which my dad and I bonded. It was one way in which he communicated his love.

After I told Hannah that story she suggested that it would be very nice if I started to do that with her too. So, I'm out the door right now to go to the store to buy a bag of butterscotch candies so we can start our own tradition.

I'll get a bag of mints for Gracie too.

Butterscotch