04.15.07

Carnival of Family Life #50

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:27 pm

  Welcome to the 50th Carnival of Family Life!

Some days I want to change the world and other days I love to sit back & enjoy it the way it is. Kailani’s carnival is definately for enjoying.

Speaking of enjoying, I’d like to say how much I enjoyed Lil Duck Duck’s hosting of the Carnival of Family Life last week.  This too.

Stories

Kailani presents A New Competitive Sport posted at An Island Life. (I really did think that adding Kailani’s link for this crowd was silly, but in case someone doesn’t have it handy.)

Some of the very best blogs this week were reflections on sadness. Was it the gray weather? Tax time? Just don’t miss them.

Jeremy at Daddy Dialectic remembers the impact Kurt Vonnegut had on his life, with some interesting thoughts on the value of sadness.

Sadness as a spice as you move through life’s stages, from Hueina Su My Little Thomas the Tank Engine posted at Echoes of Cold Moon.

TherapyDoc at Everyone Needs Therapy hit all the holiday hotspots in her story that puts everything in perspective.

Much as I loved reading everyone’s blogs, Karen’s entry was a very welcome break – The Piano Concerto posted at Karen Shanley: Author Mom with Dogs.

This next story has one of my favorite characteristics in the Carnival of Family Life submissions – it revolves around action that could have been based on my day or any of my friend’s, yet it was heart-warming. Then I got to DeputyHeadmistress’s comment on the awful thing she had done that had guilted her into posting such a nice piece – I had to laugh. Please enjoy On His Day Off posted at The Common Room.

Ready for Spring? – Lill is – Local Color posted at News from Hawkhill Acres.

Mom & Dad present Easter Dinner With a Two Year Old posted at Raising 4 Boys.

Another theme this week – old fashioned toys: muse presents Old Fashioned Fun! posted at me-ander.

A very happy day from a very serious site. Congratulations to Megan and Paul. Wedding in the Rainforest posted at Child Protection: Serious Business..

A touching account of FridaysChild’s parent’s love inspired by their 50th wedding aniversary at her very colorful website . She has the added distinction of being the first submission this week – of course, if I ever am first, you can be pretty sure I was hoping to be in the last one.

A little venting from Julee at HomeSchoolDaze on strangers brings out an hysterical comment.

T Minus Five Months captures all the sadness, guilt and fear involved as your child moves to the next stage. Really great if you’re on the far side of the transition – you get to say, “I remember feeling that but the new stage was so much better.” From Lena at Cheeky Lotus. (Actually a quote in Jordan’s submission under advice makes my point so much better.)

A typical stress day with kids and what makes it all worthwhile from Csara at Baby Talkers.

Okay. I thought I was too busy for stories this week (after all I was editing this) but the drama last night demanded one. Enjoy 10-yr-old Techie Ghost Stories.

Humor

Is it payback time? from ManicMama . It reminds me of the glee in my mother’s voice as she spoke of the coming payback on the birth of my first daughter. She was thinking of the time I decorated the wall above the crib with the contents of my diaper. My mother’s reaction at the time is probably responsible for my utter lack of any subsequent artistic talent.

Pregnancy-stupidity, pre-menopausal-stupidity, post-menopausal-stupidity, senior-moment-stupidity, what-ever … Sherry at Chaos Theory nails it and we all hope it will go away. (I was giggling so much while reading some of her antics that my husband needed to know why – as I read them out he wanted to know why she was writing about me.)

The Expatriate’s Kitchen: Taute Cuisine 6: Battle Orange Continues was a toss-up between food (the sweet potato gratin looks really good) and humor. You know if Expat Chef ‘s tag-line is “wit as sharp as his 10-inch culinary knife” he has to be able to pull it off – though in my house I give small children knives so they don’t hurt themselves on dangerous things in the kitchen . . . Never did work out that honing stone stuff. It’s posted at The Expatriate’s Kitchen.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents A Doggone Limerick posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog. And just because I like her limericks and in honor of the day, don’t miss Yet Another Tax Filing Limerick .

Somehow I think Karen missed her opportunity to be a star of Youtube –Doctor, Heal Thyself posted at PediaScribe Blog.

Your Health

Dr. Alex at RDoctor.com had a very interesting and challenging site with a submission on Cesarean Section with an accompanying quiz.

Finally, the secret to diet sucess at Karen’s blog Live the Power . (Not to be a spoiler, but does this mean if I really believe in the chocolate diet I’ll lose weight?) It’s also a very nice reflection on the little things we do to make our extended family happy.

Food

For the definitive word on grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches and the best 387 comments on the subject from skeet at skeet’s stuff. I can only imagine what the recipe for meatloaf might bring.

Absolutely scrumptious-looking breakfast recipes at Fish Creek Inn’s website – though I think someone using margarine with sausage and cheese is probably in serious denial. (It may have just been a fleeting holdover from the previous day’s yogurt & strawberry pancake mindset.)

Advice

Remember the quiet joy when your infant was absolutely content? The insight Anmol Mehta offers at his blog on Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment & Kundalini Yoga may help you find a way to extend that feeling.

A pithy blog on how redefining the problem can help you work with your teenager at Modern Sage Online.

Lending advice a little less stringent than Shakespeare’s from Grad Money [Matters] covering good points you may never thought of (are you nosy?- forget lending). It includes a very valuable link if you should decide you really could be your son-in-law’s banker.

Stephen  somehow missed firehosing all preschoolers daily to stop germs, but otherwise a nice comprehesive list for Coping with Preschool Sickness posted at Project Paradox.

Kevin presents Tips For Teaching Toddlers To Share posted at More4kids Parenting. But what I really want to know is why they forget all the carefully instilled sharing lessons as soon as they are adolescent sisters? (& why would they want to share a hairbrush??)

Tonya presents Temper Tantrums (TT) posted at Tears-n-Tantrums.

Good to know for your next trivia contest or maybe advice if you’re picking out names – Lisa presents Baby Names from Around the World posted at Let’s Talk Babies.

Lisa, last week’s hostess, presents 3rd birthday party activity ideas posted at Lil Duck Duck.

Some ways to bring medieval culture to your family (sort-of – will Monty Python really lead to a life of appreciating history?) from Mother Road at Disney’s Family.com.

Karen presents 25 Ways to Save Money with a Baby posted at Thrifty Mommy.

Jordan includes a great quote for those times when things seem overwhelming in Growing Pains posted at MamaBlogga.

Dr. Hal presents North Star Mental Fitness Blog: Four Miraculous Phrases posted at North Star Mental Fitness Blog. You might think about when these phrases are taught to small children – two are among the first phrases learned but I’m wondering if I’m an incompetent parent that I haven’t ‘taught’ my children to say the fourth.

Lori presents Tips for Fun at the Park or Playground with Kids posted at Fun Play Dates. I am really ambivalent about the invitations to playdates (How is a real special day made special?) but her other suggestions are classic.

Another on the classic toy theme this week – Kerri presents Educating at Playtime posted at Play Library.

Leisa presents Musicality posted at downwiththekids.net. Is this the pay-it-forward side of payback?

The urge to track citizens seems to increase with technology’s ability to do it – Erica focuses on an issue in Britain Term-Time Holidaying & The Education System posted at LittleMummy.com.

New Bloggers Completely Off-topic But I’ll Help Anyway

Rich McIver presents How to Power Nap at Work posted at Spine-Health.com Blog.

Rodger Constandse presents 8 Practical Tips for Improving Your Listening Skills posted at Goals to Action.

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Don’t forget to submit your entry for next week’s carnival at Digital Rich Daily. 

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