Thursday’s Thirteen #17 13 Of My Favorite Disney Movies

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Thirteen Things about Diana M.

Thursday’s Thirteen #17 13 Of My Favorite Disney Movies

Beauty and the Beast(1991)


Lady & The Tramp (1955)


Bambi (1942)


The Little Mermaid (1989)


101 Dalmatians (1961)


Aladdin (1992)


Cinderella (1950)


The Jungle Book (1967)


Pocahontas (1995)


Monsters, Inc. (2001)


Cars (2006)


Finding Nemo (2003)


Tarzan (1999)



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Ethan's 8th Birthday Party

What a day we had...The weather was great...Gavin loved being outside...Ethan couldn't wait to open his gifts and eat his Cookie cake...There were 11 of there and we all just chatted away the time...Ethan loved his pressents...He kept asking if it had been 4 hours yet so he could play with his new Remote Control Hummer...He skateboarded and played with his hotwheel track to kill time...Gavin loved the balloons and used one like a punchball...It was so cute...He was so ready for his nap at 3...

What a busy day we had...

I picked Gavin up at daycare today to get his Flu Shot. I took him to Toys R Us first so I could grab Ethan's gift. We played with lots of stuff. I also hit the buy 1 get one free little tikes sale for Gavin. We were in the Doctor's office for 45 minutes. He did great and only made a whimper. After that we went to Bergfeld center to Village Bakery and got Grandpa some sweet treats. Gavin loves to walk on the sidewalk there so we went up and down the whole thing today. Then we headed to the park in south Tyler. He swang and climbed on the kid stuff. He got very tired but not fussing. We ate nilla wafers & yogurt with milk and off to home we went. He did great waving to Hi Mommy and Grandpa...I borrowed Gordon's camera today but didn't check the batteries so we had to use the cell phone again..:(

Thursday’s Thirteen #16 How to be Nice to people you Hate

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Thirteen Things about Diana M.

Thursday’s Thirteen #16... How to be Nice to people you Hate

Of course you don’t hate anyone. Hate is such a harsh and ugly word. At least that’s what I’ve heard people say. Personally, I believe honesty trumps liking everyone. So yes, there are individuals I hate. The beauty of reading this blog right now is that you can agree that you hate people, too, without feeling guilty about it or being pressured to lie about it. (Or you can stick to your values and claim to only dislike people).*

1. Ignore them. Don’t speak unless spoken too, and avoid eye contact at all costs. Sure, that tension will indefinitely grow and make others uncomfortable. But sometimes, ignoring a person is the most respectful thing you can do.

2. Avoid them. Is Jack having a party and inviting the guy you can’t stand? Don’t go. Who cares about hurt feelings? Jack will understand. The key to avoidance is accurate anticipation. If you know that person is going to be there, it’s pretty simple to avoid them. You can always show up and avoid them while you’re there. I think we all know how to play the avoidance game.

3. Save it up. Be as civil as you possibly can, maintaining all your problems and frustrations with this person. When you get home, let it out - and move on.

4. Don’t stoop. This person probably knows the exact buttons to push to get you going. Don’t take the bait. Keep telling yourself that you will not let yourself stoop down to their level! Your mother will be proud!

5. Find something deeper. Yes, you hate Andy because he pushes your buttons, but there might be something deeper underlying your negative feelings. Think hard and ask yourself if Andy reminds you of someone from your past. Does he remind you of yourself in some way? Exploring some deeper issues surrounding your negative feelings may lead you to something completely unrelated to Andy. If you find that the person you dislike reminds you of yourself or someone else, find ways to resolve those issues, and you will likely feel those negative feelings towards Andy dissipate.

6. Don’t take it personally. If the reason you are having problems with this individual is because they treat you a certain way or they dislike you, don’t take it personally. Chances are that it has very little to do with you and a lot more to do with them. You have no idea what lead up to this for them, and you have no idea what’s going on in their lives. Maybe Rick just cheated on her and she doesn’t know where to put all that anger - so you’re getting it. You never know, so don’t take it personally.

7. Call a Truce. Is it mutual? If there is an outward struggle between you and another individual, it is usually incredibly clear that you dislike, or perhaps even hate, one another. When a relationship gets to this point and you have (both) tried everything you can think of to work it out, call a truce. Acknowledge to one another that you will never get along and you truly dislike one another. Agree to be ok with that and to be civil to one another. This is especially important if you have mutual friends or work together. Agreeing to hate one another can be surprisingly liberating.

8. WWJD? If this is up your alley, use it. The question, What Would Jesus Do, is really just a way to manipulate you into using your beliefs to do what’s “right.” In this case, the manipulation is positive. If Jesus isn’t for you, try Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King, Jr., or some other amazing person. For me, it’s sometimes my best friend, Mary. What would Mary do? To approach an individual I hate from her perspective automatically makes me nicer. WWNPHD? What would Neil Patrick Harris Do? Neil Patrick Harris is awesome (see How I met your Mother, Harold and Kumar). Acting as he does could save your life and solve all your problems.

9. Compassion. Stop seeing this person for all the reasons you hate them. While you are with them (or even before) mentally lock up all the reasons you hate them. As you start to interact with them, and all those negative feelings start flooding through you, pause, and remind yourself of some things. Try the following compassion exercise that comes from Harry Palmer’s fascinating book, Resurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness.

1. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for (his or her) life.”
2. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in (his or her) life.”
3. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness, and despair.”
4. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill (his or her) needs.”
5. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is learning about life.”

10. Pray for them. What kind of prayers can you offer up? Give them humility, kindness, strength, healing, or any other positive things. Or maybe you’d like to shoot up a prayer asking for them to spill their lunch all over themselves. Either way, prayer can be a helpful tool.

11. Get over it and Grow UP! As they say, act your age - not your shoe size. Life is to precious to be wasting time and energy on people you don’t get along with it. For those of you aren’t old enough to appreciate the full meaning of this, use the above list to get by.

12. Put it into perspective. As one commenter noted: “There is so much more going on in the world that matters and is of concern than some petty fight. Darfur. Iraq. A domestic economic crisis. Family. Friends. Spouses. All of these things are more important than not getting along with someone. While some people are busy bickering over what amounts to very little someone else in the world is starving. Someone else is dying. Someone else has a problem that truly matters.”

13. Don’t be. In the ideal world, we would all be nice to one another and treat one another with love, kindness, and respect. Unfortunately, there are some folks out there who may not deserve any of that. If you don’t have to interact with the person you hate, bingo, problem solved. You don’t have to be nice to them. Think as many nasty thoughts about them as you like. However, if you actually interact with people you hate, then it’s going to be a lot harder. The bottom line is that you don’t need to go out of your way to be nice. Just be civil.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Today with My Grandson Gavin.......

I picked Gavin up at Daycare and we played on their playground. He had so much fun. We went down the little slide, pushed a ride/push toy all around, played basketball and rode on the bike carousel. The playground had those little pebbles on it and we even through some and sent some down the slide. We ate Chocolate Animal Cookies with our milk too. I left my camera in the car so I took these after we got back to the car. He was tired and dirty. Just your average little boy and Nana fun!!

Thursday’s Thirteen #15 Creative Ways to Exercise

Thirteen Things about Diana M.

Thursday’s Thirteen #15 Creative Ways to Exercise
1. Sit and be Fit. There’s a program called “Sit and be Fit” for elderly people who need to exercise. It’s a session of exercise that’s completed entirely while sitting down. I’ve taken that idea and turned it into my Couch Potato Sit to be Fit. I have a couple hand weights by my recliner, and while I’m watching television or a movie, I’ll sometimes grab the hand weight and do some exercise. Once you start, you’d be amazed at how creative you can get in finding ways to work different muscles while sitting in a recliner. Even just flexing your abs or butt muscles for the length of a commercial is something.

2. The Flex Challenge. Can you flex your abs? butt? pull your shoulders back? Challenge yourself to do this each time something happens. For example, flex your abs every time you walk through a door. Or if you’re driving, flex your butt every time you turn. Get creative with it and have some fun.

3. Brushing Teeth Squats. If you have a Sonicare toothbrush, it takes 2 minutes to brush your teeth. You can do 2 minutes of squats, lunges, or wall-sits. That’s better than just standing there staring at yourself.

4. Washing Dishes Calf-Raises. I hate washing dishes, and I hate exercise - so I might as well do both at the same to get it over with. While standing at the sink, do some calf-raises. That’s not too difficult.

5. Dance. While you’re getting dressed in the morning, put on some music that makes you want to dance. Instead of walking to the closet, kitchen, bathroom - you can dance. You can do this in privacy and it’s a great way to start the day.

6. 5-minute clean. Set the timer (on your oven or cell phone) for 5 minutes. Now, pick-up and clean as much as you can in your house. That means you might need to run to the living room and then run to your bedroom to put that crap away. Having a timer will motivate you to get as much done in 5 minutes as possible. That will make you move faster which will get you moving.

7. Counter-top push-ups. Every time you go to the bathroom in your home, do a set of what I call counter-top push-ups. Stand back, put your hands on the edge of the counter, and do some half push-ups. Start with a set of 5 and see how many you can get up to. It only takes a few seconds and you’re there anyway, so you might as well do something for yourself other than relieve your bladder.

8. Cell phone flexibility. While you’re chatting on the phone with your friends and family, you probably don’t want to be doing something that will put you out of breath, so do simple stretching, squats, lunges, wall-sits, or whatever simple exercises you can think of. You don’t have to just sit there while you’re talking on the phone. You can actually move around ya know!

9. Replace the recliner. Replace the recliner with a stationary bike. Even if you bike super slow, it’ll be more movement than if you were just sitting on the couch or recliner. And find a comfy one so you’ll actually sit on it.

10. Arm wrestle. Both arms and with as many people who are willing to do it. It’s silly. And it’s okay to be silly!
11. Get in bed. Get in bed with a partner, and commit to being intense. Don’t be a lazy bum who let’s the other person do all the work. See how many different moves you can show the person you love!

12. Pillow Fight! Getting irritated at your partner? Feeling tense? Have a pillow fight! It’ll feel good to release all that tension, and it might lead to number 15.

13. Be creative! You can take almost any activity you do in your life, and add some extra movement, flexing, and exercise. Just start thinking about it. How long can you hold both your legs up in the air while sitting at your desk at work?

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Fun with my 2 Grandsons.....

Ethan(7) was here this weekend and I got to babysit them both. These were taken with my cell so they aren't great..We left at 10:30 and went to got my daughters purse at home and take to her and then off to adventure day. We grabbed lunch first at Wendy's. Nothing like Chicken Nuggets, Fries and a Chocolate Frosty to get your blood pumping.

We went to the Salt Water Fish Store and they had a blast. We got to see Sea Horses. A first for me too. We got a couple shots outside at the fish pond too.




After that we went to Petland, Baskin's(jeans for Grandpa), Adventures in learning where we played for 30 minutes with the puppets and bought a cute white rat puppet that Ethan made Gavin giggle so loud at. We had a large audience there. LOL Then off to The Sweet Gourmet for a candy treat and a cap gun for Ethan. The Giant Jelly Bean was outside there. Then finally home 3 hours after we left..Gavin was ready for his nap by then.