Taekwando Tournament, Fall 2009

At some point in the last month or so, my little toddler with the bald head and fat little legs has turned into a tall, slim, text-messaging ninja. Today was his second ever tournament, and he did a fantastic job!

His pattern was Kata 3, and he didn't have a bit of trouble.

He kinda took a lickin in sparring, but still did pretty well.

Overall, he got First Place in Forms for his age division, and a Second in sparring. We were all really proud of his accomplishment. ( Can't you tell by the grins on the grandparents?)

Taking the plunge

After much discussion and research of phone and internet plans , and comparison of the different companies and the pros and cons of using all wireless vs land lines, we have decided to just take the plunge and go wireless. For everything. IF things are the way the company has explained them to us, we should save about $50.00 a month by doing this.

We hooked up the new thingie last night and it works just fine. Our land line will be good until September 9th, after that, we are all cellular.

The only problem I can think of at the moment is that I often lose my cell phone in the house and have to call it from the land line to find it. With no land line, it is gonna be really hard to keep up with it. This happened this very morning. I think I may be doomed to a cellular search every morning.

Blue Belt

My ninja tested last night for his next belt - and I was really impressed with his progress. He completed his forms and patterns with no problems and took it pretty well when he got the wind knocked out of him in sparring. ( I didn't like that part, but he shook it off and kept on going after a few moments.) I have some short video clips, so I'll try to get those up later today.

Have a Great Friday!

First Day of School 2009

The first day of school got off to a great start. No one was grumpy about getting up and getting dressed, and teeth and hair were combed with no fuss. Breakfast was eaten by both children and we got to the bus stip on time. As usual, Mom had to race the bus to the school to get a first day picture. Our school is so great - they make sure each child has their afternoon mode of transport written on their hand so that no one gets confused as to how they get home.

Even little Prissy pants was able to tell exactly where she goes after school and how she gets there. Pretty good for a little First Grader.

Before we know it, we are going to be buying car insurance and prom dresses. I sure do hate it, but they gotta grow up!

After they got in the door at school, I took off for the Y to get in an hour before I have to go to work. That is the not so much fun part of the day, but a necessary evil. Now I am about to get ready for work and see what fun the weekend left behind !

New School Year!

Tonight we went to open house at school to meet our new teachers for the year.

It is so great to see all those smiles. I just hope they last all year long!

Dr. Bronner's at CVS

CVS pharmacies are opening up all around our area, so I took a "tour" of the one closest to my work the other day . ( I am on quest to find DIET creme soda....so far no luck) I was cruising the soaps and found this fabulous stuff. It is a "green" product and is made "fair trade," so I felt good buying it. Now comes the home testing to see if it really is all the internet reviews say it is!

Supposedly you can use it to wash anything that needs washing. The peppermint scent is pretty strong, so it might not suit everyone, but I can say that it sure will open up your sinuses in the shower! I used it for bodywash/shampoo today and it was really refreshing. My hair didn't stand on end after it was dry, so I guess it is ok for general body care. There are even references to brushing your teeth with it, but I am not so much into that one.

Tonight I used it to mop my floors and I have to say, it did a great job. I put 2 tablespoons in about two gallons of water and mopped as usual. The water was embarrassingly dirty after I finished. I would like to attribute that to the buildup of cleaning products I use, but I honestly think that all the stuff I have been using has not really been getting the dirt up. I followed it with a white vinegar wipe over with the swiffer and it looks great. ( I used regular wash cloths soaked in vinegar and water and then attached to my swiffer thingit. When done, I just toss the cloths in the washer with the dog laundry.)

Since I was on a roll, I filled up a dishpan with the same concentration of soap/water and started on the counter tops and appliances. It did fog a little bit on the front of the stove and dishwasher, but that was easily removed with a wet paper towel.

My first general impression is that this stuff is something I will want to keep around. They make it in several different scents, so I want to try a couple of other ones. CVS only had the peppermint, but you can order direct from the company or on Amazon. The peppermint scent dissipates pretty quickly, but it is not so strong as to be unpleasant. I am thinking rose or lavender might be my next purchase.

Happy cleaning!