Friday, March 11, 2011

Playing in boxes. They are doing experiments mythbusters style trying to make dents in the box with a marble.

Sent from my LG phone

Never met a stranger... literally

Isaiah has the tiniest bladder ever, so we stopped at a gas station to go potty on the way home from swimming lessons.  I was standing in line to pay for a drink (post-workout dying of thirst) while he went.  When he came out and joined me in line. We were standing behind a man, lots of piercings, tats, baggy jeans, black hoodie sweatshirt, you get the picture.

Isaiah was at eye level with the man's back pocket. I saw him staring intently at the contents of the pocket, and before I could say anything, he reached up and poked something sticking out of the man's back pocket.  I  tsked at him and whispered, "Zay, you don't touch people's pockets man."  As I said this, the man reached around to check his wallet and I noticed his other hand was holding his cell to his ear.

Just as I was thinking about my gratefulness for his conversation as it would excuse me from making apologies for my son who likes to poke people in the butt apparently, I look back to Zay to see him tapping the man on the elbow.  What?  I say, "Zay, he's on the phone.  Leave him alone."
The man then turns to us and says to the person on the phone, "Hold on, there's a kid here trying to talk to me and I don't want to be rude."  To Zay, "Yeah buddy, what is it?"
Isaiah, "Do you know you have a BINGO card in your pocket?"
Man, "Do I?"  He pulls it out.  Sure enough there is a scratch off BINGO card that I couldn't see because his sweatshirt was covering it.
Isaiah:  "Where did you get it?"
Man, "My girlfriend gave it to me.  I don't know if its a winner or not. OK?"  Very pleasant and polite.
Zay nods and he goes back to his conversation, turning around.  I looked at Zay with a perplexed look.
Zay said, "What?  I thought only kids played BINGO."

Friday, March 04, 2011

Thursday, March 03, 2011

In Honor of our Home

Since we live on Frances Scott Key Highway in Keymar, 1 mile from the birthplace of Francis Scott Key, I thought I'd repost this in his honor today.   
It was on this day in 1931 that 'The Star-Spangled  Banner' became the official national anthem of the United States.The lyrics come from a poem  written by Francis Scott Key more than a century before, 'Defence of Fort  McHenry.' He'd spent a night toward the end of the War of 1812 hearing the  British navy bombard Baltimore,  Maryland. The bombardment lasted  25 hours -- and in the dawn's early light, Francis Scott Key emerged to see the U.S. flag still waving over Fort McHenry.  He jotted the poem 'Defence of Fort McHenry' on the back of an  envelope. Then he went to his hotel and made another copy, which was printed in  the Baltimore American a week later. 
The tune for the Star-Spangled  Banner comes from an old British drinking song called 'To Anacreon in  Heaven,' which was very popular at men's social clubs in London during the 1700s. Francis Scott Key  himself did the pairing of the tune to his poem. It was a big hit.
For the next century, a few  different anthems were used at official U.S. ceremonies, including 'My  Country Tis of Thee' and 'Hail Columbia.' The U.S. Navy adopted  'The Star-Spangled Banner' for its officialdom in 1889, and the  presidency did in 1916. But it wasn't until this day in 1931 -- just 80 years  ago -- that Congress passed a resolution and Hoover  signed into law the decree that 'The Star-Spangled Banner' was the  official national anthem of the United States of America. - From The Writer's Almanac for 3/3/11 
So the tune for the Star Spangled Banner was a drinking song.  Makes perfect sense.  :) 

Simile Metaphor Collection

Elijah after running: My heart is beating like a coconut rolling down a hill.
Elijah on urination: Pee is like horses galloping out of the gate. Once they get started you just can't stop them.
Elijah: If school were a human I'd give it a wedgie.
Elijah: I am like a hot rod and I just want to be a plain old Ford
Elijah on the fruits of the spirit: I've got them all covered except self-control. Its like a tiny green tomato and the rest are all big ripe ones. Especially love. Its like the biggest tomato we saw in the garden tonight.