Ducks Quack; Eagles Soar--Inspirational Message

I got this from a colleague of mine. I hope the story is true--even if it is not, it is an excellent story with a powerful message! I am planning to soar this school year!

Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well...that's because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment...

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I 'll take a Diet Coke.' Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.' And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts...

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?' Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said. 'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about us? Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.... The ball is in our hands! A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up... let us do good to all people. Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Super Saturday Update

My lovely cousin in law Tina always posts Thankful Thursdays and they are WONDERFUL :) I have decided that today is a great day and I want to update you as to why It is a Super Saturday.

1. I have LOVELY boys who are all boy--they have been rough and tumble but so much fun today.

2. I ran 3 miles in 26 minutes! That boils down to just about a 8 1/2 minute mile!

3. We slept in until 7:30, had a lazy breakfast and then hit the library as a family.

4. We have a wonderful HOME GROWN dinner planned tonight with Josh's family--burgers (from Dad B's farm), corn on the cob, picked cucumbers, tomatoes, and chips (not home grown but tasty). We also have a night of electronic monopoly planned--my husband's favorite!

5. I organized my desk--including an addition of four square bulletin boards to keep me on top of important things that tend to get lost on the side of my fridge.

6. I am excited for school to get started up--Monday is the first day of teacher workshop days and that means just over a week to go until we get students back in session! I get so giddy and excited for the year to get back into swing!

7. I am overall a very fortunate person and happy to have such a wonderful support system in my life--you all know who you are :)

Jack's New Camera

For his 4th birthday a few weeks ago, Jack got his very own camera! He is in heaven! He is now the proud owner of an "indestructable" water proof (up to 3 feet for 30 minutes) digital camer! The quality of pictures is not the best but it is perfect for him! He now takes pictures of anything and everything--good thing it runs on tripple A batteries that are easily replaceable! Here are a few of his latest pictures.....note that I only posted 6 of the hundreds he has taken :)

Transitions

Transitions are not easy for me. Heck let's face it--change is not easy for any of us, however I suppose it is easier for some of us than others--and transitions are change.

The end of the school year and the beginning of the school year are especially hard transitions for me. One would think that I would be used to these transitions 8 years into my teaching career but it continues to be something I struggle with. In the past, pre-k (before kids), my struggles were different but still there. The transition into summer meant an end to something and a very open day in which I had to fill my time. The transition into the school year meant I had to give up my open ended days and flexibility to a more structured routine and get back in the swing of teaching. It never fails, at the beginning of the school year, I always get nervous. I worry I forgot how to be the great teacher I am. I worry I will not earn the respect of the students. I worry I will struggle with something--parents, colleagues, students, whatever!

Now that I have two children, I still have the same struggles as before and add quite a few more. As I transition into summer, I worry that I will not be structured enough to keep my kiddos happy and occupied. I worry that I won't be flexible enough to allow them freedom to grow and be who they are meant to be......etc. I also worry what I will fill the days with :) Now, August 26th, I am finally comfortable with myself as a mom and have created a summer full of fun, creativity, enthusiasm for my boys and now, just as I am enjoying my days 100%, it is time to return to my other "life" and all those anxieties creep back in. As I transition back to school, I have the same worries as pre-k and MORE! I begin to worry that I am not the best mom possible because I work and send my boys to daycare. I worry that I won't be giving them enough of my time. I worry that I won't be able to balance it all--mom, wife, teacher, friend. I worry that I won't be able to give 110% to every aspect of my life.

I have these worries most of the summer--first part of the summer I am still thinking about the transition into summer and then the 2nd part of summer, I begin thinking about the transition back to school. As I sat and processed with Josh last night, I realized something. How can I truly love my life if all I do is worry! Yes Folks, I know this is a pretty simple realization that most of you have naturally but for me, this is HUGE! I have had this realization about worries in other aspects of my life but not my teacher transitions.

Here are some conclusions I have come to:
-I am the best mom I can be. Working helps me be a better mom. I appreciate my children so much after I have worked and am ready to come home to my unconditionally loving family.
-I have the best job in the world. I get to teach kids every day--I get to help shape the future! I am able to guide young minds and help them make positive choices! I am able to help confident kids become more confident and kids with low self-esteem believe in themselves. Not only do I get to do what I love 9 months out of the year, I am also able to recharge my batteries 3 months out of the year and be with my own kids 24/7.
-We are fortunate--the daycare we are blessed with provides WONDERFUL care for our boys. They are able to create a positive and loving relationship with another adult and her family. They are able to grow in a very structured and consistent environment. They are able to play with friends every day and learn new things!
-My husband is the greatest support I can have.

Thanks for listening.

Four Wonderful Roommates!

Josh and I spent the weekend on Mackinac Island--Katie got married! (one in white dress :)) The four of us lived together our Senior year at Hope--Left to Right: Me, Vickie, Katie, Angie--the only one missing from our picture is Melissa!

Wedding was at 10 am on Saturday morning--we arrived on the 8:30 am Ferry and greeted by a carriage ready to take us up to her wedding. For those of you who have never been to the island, there are no cars of any kind allowed on the island! The only modes of transportation are horses, horse drawn carriage, bikes or by foot. It is a pretty small island--approximately 8 miles around. The wedding took place outdoors on the back lawn of the Inn at Stone Cliff. It was a cold and mostly cloudy day but the rain stayed inside the clouds and the wedding was beautiful! Following the wedding was a scumptious brunch buffet! Our seats were indicated by homade sugar cookies wrapped with a ribbon and our name! The favors were boxes of Mackinac Island Fudge (a huge specialty on the island) and there was a cake on every table! :)



We enjoyed great conversation and were so glad we got some time with Katie (and got to meet her husband).
Following the wedding, we (Angie, Vickie, myself and our respective spouses) played the day away on the island--explored on foot for a while, ate a great dinner at an Italian chop House, and then rented bikes before hitting the hot tub at our hotel on the Island! We also made it out for a "late night" snack of ice cream and pizza! :) (late night for us old folks is around 9:30)

Funny story about the umbrellas.....everyone had these "subdued" colors and then there was ME! Bright colored umbrella I borrowed from Gary :) I was teased the entire morning (all in good fun of course) so we had to take a picture of us with our umbrellas!

We had a WONDERFUL weekend at Katie's destination wedding!

Happy 4th Birthday Jack-O

Today our "little" guy is FOUR! It seems like yesterday that my water broke all over the bathroom floor and we swept off to the hospital to meet him. When Jack arrived, our world as we knew it ended. :) I often wonder what we did with all of our time before children and I think we must have been rich.....kids certainly cost a lot and somehow we manage to pay for them. Jack is a rambunctious fella who is full of laughter and spirit! He is a joy to have around and all who know him love him. I can't imagine our life without him. We are so blessed to have 2 wonderful boys!

To celebrate today, we let Jack pick what he wanted to do. We started with our traditional pancake with candles breakfast and bacon. Then, He desperately wanted to bowl but most did not answer the phone and the one whose answering machine said they opened at 10, was not open at 10. He took this disappointment in stride as we changed plans. We zipped 10 more minutes down the highway to ride go-karts and play arcade games, followed by tasty candy coated popcorn from GR Popcorn and lunch at McDonald's! What more can a 4 year old boy ask for?!?

Grandma Cathy and Grandpa Dan are coming tonight! Tomorrow we have a party planned--Star wars theme per the request of our "little" guy! I will post a bit more after the party :)

Flaws in Motherhood

I took a walk/run with Jack and Luke today. We follow the same 3 mile route every time we go out. At the end of the dirt road section, there is ocasionally a dog who we do not know if s/he is mean or nice but it has not barked at us or chased us so we have not "labled" the dog. 1/2 mile from that house is another house with a few dogs, but all are small and a bit yippy. Their owners are usually around and the dogs always stay in the drive way so we have labled these dogs "nice but watch closely". About 1/2 mile from there is a dog that, when he is out, he is LOUD, scary looking and limps. He looks very old. Due to the descriptions I gave of him and that his owner has never been out ANY TIME I have walked or driven past, we labled him the "Mean Dog".

This time, when we passed the mean dog, he was not out but Jack brought him up by saying that Evil Dog is not out. I explained what evil meant and that it wasn't really an evil dog. I said the dog was more of a cranky old dog. Jack replied by saying, oh just like you. Oh man did I get my panties in a ruffle at that! I was upset. I asked him if Dad was cranky. Jack replied nope. I then asked about many other people and each time the answer was no. I was so dissappointed in myself...not in him...he was being honest and I have been a little on edge lately but I did not think I had been too cranky. In fact I had thought I was doing rather well--getting us out to do fun things, having friends over, going on adventures, creating things at home, etc. I was so sad to hear him call me cranky and whats more to say no one else was cranky. Oh it hurt. I was quiet for a bit and we continued on. After about 1/4 mile, something dawned on me. I looked down and asked Jack, do you know what cranky means? His response....NOPE. I smiled and gave him the definition. He looked up at me from the stroller (he sits backwards) and says, "Mom, you aren't cranky" :) We then shared a moment and gave each other "knucks" and agreed that we love each other, even when we are naughty :)

But this story really led me to think more deeply about myself. No matter what I do for my children, no matter how much I play, or how much I plan or how much I give of myself, it never is enough for me. I always think I can be and should be giving more of myself. This is my number one flaw in motherhood. I need to be content with what I can give the boys. I am trying very hard to find that fine line between playing enough with them and playing too much with them. I want them to grow and learn to play independently and with each other without mom "reffing". I also want them to learn to imagine for themselves, without mom always creating the imagination for them. I want them to play as brothers, without mom interferance and learn to sort out who they are. This is a VERY fine line for me. It is hard to know if the balance I am creating is the best.

Motherhood is rewarding but it also exposes my deepest flaws and secrets. I see things about myself that I do not like and it hurts when they come flying out at me through the eyes of my child or in an action of one of my children. Motherhood has been very humbling for me and I hope I continue to be humbled so I can continue to strive to be the best Mom I can be.

Thanks for listening.

Jack's Stents

Jack got his stents out today :) WOO HOO! For those of you who do not know his past issues with tear ducts and the multiple surgeries he has had, read up on his Surgery Post Here.

Jack was so brave today! :) He knew this day was coming up and was nervous/excited. We had been practicing at home so Jack would be familiar with how the doctor was going to remove the stents. The last time his came out, he was young (19 months or so) and they put him completely under and therefore, he does not remember it. Because he is older, they did not have to put him under. They had Josh give him a "big hug" and the nurse held his face tightly, while Dr. P used tweezers to pull out the tubes. I held his legs and talked soothingly....or at least what I think is soothingly :) He cried only a tiny bit and did very well! The Dr. said because he tensed up, the procedure probably hurt a little bit more than it should have. When he was all done and allowed to get out of the chair/off of dad's lap, he raced over to me and got a big hug! As a reward, we took him on a date with mom and dad to Logan's Steakhouse! :) We also tried to do some shoe shopping for Jack but the shoes we are looking for were impossible to find.

We are so proud of you Jack! :)

Oh Dear....Luke is learning things.... :)

Luke is certainly learning new things and they are starting to crack me up!

Last week, he asked me where my pee pee was......my response was that mine is inside :) He asked, Why and I replied it just was. He then asked me if mine was sleeping (everything put away or hiding is sleeping to him.....not sure why). I said yes and He seemed to be okay with that. No more questions for the day. I chuckled pretty hard at this one.

Today, he actually listened to the music that was playing in the car--this is a first for him (I think)....I know he was listening because Jack was enjoying "Who Let the Dogs Out" (on cd from the library) and he threw a giant temper tantrum. When I asked him what the problem was, he told me he was mad because the dogs got out. I said, what? Luke replied, the dogs are lost! It upset him greatly :) I chuckled at this one too!

Now it is nap time......which Luke is having a terrible time going down but before I left his room, he called me back over and asked me why his baby (doll) didn't have a butt....... oh dear Luke! :) I explained she was a dolly and just pretend and because she didn't eat, she didn't need a butt....... he said okay :)

Luke is certainly starting to take in the world around him!

Keeper of the Home: Preserving Summer's Bounty: Drying and Grinding Herbs

Keeper of the Home: Preserving Summer's Bounty: Drying and Grinding Herbs

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What a Man What a Man What a man

Do you remember that song....I think it was TLC that sang it :) Oy that dates me.....

My husband is What a Man :)

I have been tired all week--nothing in particular wearing me out....just cooking, cleaning, kiddos, playdates, etc. I was invited to the movies on Wednesday night and I was going to turn down the invite because they were going to the 10 pm show. Josh did more than just encourage me to go--he made it possible for me to go and get some rest! He got up with the kids, got them fed, dressed, brushed (teeth and hair) and then got me up! This was fantastic, especially because I was taking the boys to the Flea Market that day and if I had slept in and had to get the boys ready, I would not have made it at any sort of decent hour.

He also asked me on a date this coming Tuesday while our kids are in daycare. I, guiltily already made plans to go shop, and felt terrible telling him. I was going to cancel my plans so I could have lunch and see a movie with my hubby :) He said, not to worry and then proceeded to get us a babysitter (his parents) for the evening and overnight so we can have dinner and still see the movie! What a man! :)

I love you to peices Josh!

Update on Adventures in Potty Training Part 2

So.... I was telling my neighbor Lindsey today about our little potty training adventure. She asked me if I looked under the trash can for an extra trash bag to put the poopy pants in....... nope I am not that smart folks :):):) That would have been a great idea! Hee hee!

Oh a side note, I forgot to tell you that when I took off Luke's wet clothes in the toy store and put him in a clean pair of shorts, the wet shorts also went into my purse! That HUGE purse Sarah gave me for my birthday has really come in handy..... Thanks Sarah :)

Luke's "New" Room

The "polka dots" are placemats :)
The mirror was a GREAT bargain find at Kohs!
The little animals on the walls are "wall stickers" from a toy store!

The blue walls are named "Utah Sky"

The "L U K E" and stars are repainted from his "old" room
By moving furniture, it feels like his room has twice the space....which is great because his room is pretty small.

Luke picked to put the animals under the repainted shelf and the ones above his bed :) I am still looking for something to go above the dresser and white shelf.....any ideas?
The curtains (barely visible) are striped beach towels :)

Holy Deliscious Batman!

I made the Potato Gratins tonight (link below) and they were STINKIN' AWESOME! I used asiago and cheddar instead of the Swiss. Even my husband, who does NOT like creamy things, liked the them! I am telling, you follow the link and make these deliciously simple tasty taters! :)

Adventures in Potty Training: Part 2......Number 2!

Luke has been an awesome kid to potty train. He loves LOVES loves underwear, loves to be like his big "brover" and use the potty, thinks potty candy is the greatest gift and just overall uses the potty very well.....for numero uno! When it comes to numero dos, we have a few more issues....but in my favor (or perhaps not), Luke only goes every other day or so and it usually is pretty predictable (gets a certain look if you know what I mean).

With all that said, we decided to take an outing today with our weekly playdate friend! We headed into the cute little town of Rockford to visit a playground, walk around downtown, have lunch, etc. I, being the brilliant mom I am, put Luke in undies.....yes an outing and I chose the 2T Thomas the Train underpants...... foreshadowing music here! (weak stomachs......may not want to read much further)

It started great....until the toy store. Luke comes running up and tells me he peed! I, again being the brilliant mom, keep a pullup and set of shorts in my purse. I ducked behind a rack and threw the clean shorts on him. Away we went for more fun. Now we headed to lunch. I took all three potty trained kids to the bathroom (my two and one friend) and Luke did quite well :)..... now remember the pull up is still in my purse. Now we went across the street to the kid's consignment shop...... the kids went into the playroom and Jackie and I persued for kids clothes! All of the sudden, Jack runs out yelling "LUKIE POOPED MOM".....oh dear...... Yes, folks, that is right; Luke Pooped! I politely inquired about the restroom and walked calmly (more like pulled Luke QUICKLY) into the bathroom with small bits of poop dropping out along the way and the humorous sight of me stopping with a kleenex to collect. Luke had poop ALL over his shorts, arms, legs, shoes, socks..... you name it and there was some amount of poop on it! His shirt was clean (except for one small TINY spot) so he wore the shirt, a pull up and cleaned up shoes. What did I do with the dirty clothes you ask? (probably not asking but I will share of course) I did what any logical (and frugal) mom did, rolled them up in paper towels and put them in my purse! :) I thought about throwing them away but they were a very good pair of jean shorts and I like them alot...... :)

That folks was my day in potty land!

Specific Prayers Please

My Friend Katie and her husband Dan (whom I blogged about a few weeks ago) found out today their precious baby Noah, still protected in his mommy's womb, lost is battle with life today. He has gone to Heaven where God will care for him in ways only He can. Please pray for the heartbreak Katie and Dan are feeling and for Noah to be at peace with the Lord.

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

My Dad turned 60 on Thursday this past week! We (my mom, brother, sister, myself and our spouses) threw him a party on Sunday to celebrate! It was a BEAUTIFUL day and lots of fun. My aunts and uncles showed up, along with great aunts and great uncles, friends and neighbors. We had a ton of yummy food--grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, bbqed beans, asian slaw, chips, cupcakes, etc. The only downside was that Jack got sick to his stomach on our way up Saturday, continued all day Sunday and we ended up driving home Sunday to our house. He is still under the weather today but hoping he is on the upswing! Even with Jack sick, I know my Dad still had a GREAT time and enjoyed his birthday celebration! Happy HAPPY happy 60th birthday Dad. I would wish you another 60 more but you don't want to live to be 120 :)

New and Exciting...... Recipes to Try :)

I get giddy about new recipes--dorky I know but it is the truth! I love LOVE love to make new things, especially if they are "normal" and things that are full of my favorite ingredients.

I am trying out a few new things this week. I will post my menu and for the NEW and exciting recipes, I have included the link. If you want the recipe for any of the other foods, let me know and I will zip you and email.

Monday: Grilled Rainbow Trout, Wild Rice, Grilled Red Peppers and Watermelon
Tuesday: Skirt Steak Tostadas with Black Beans and Mango Salsa, Watermelon
Wednesday: Slow BBQed Ribs, Potato Gratins, Corn on the Cob
Thursday: Softball night for Josh :) Stomboli (prepared with a pilsbury french loaf dough), Tossed Salad
Friday: Philly Cheese Steak Kabobs, Grilled Red Skin Potatoes
Saturday: Date Night? (hoping Josh reads this and invites me..... :))
Sunday: Semi-Homemade Grilled Pizzas, Chips and Fruit

Happy Eating! :)