Would You Do This To Your Kids?

This video (http://youtu.be/_YQpbzQ6gzs) that I first saw over at Unknown Mama, although funny in how it shows how much the kids like their candy, is also sad how the parents purposely attempt to get the kids upset. The parents lied to their young children, saying that they ate all of their Halloween candy and videotaping their reaction. This little prank was instigated by Jimmie Kimmel who thought they would just get mad and was surprised that almost all of them cried. I think some cried because they were so angry. I know I do that sometimes and so did my mom.

I am grateful that my parents never teased me. Maybe you think we were too serious all the time, but I really can’t remember them ever getting me mad on purpose. Ephesians 6:4 says, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” My dad took that literally and so I know he would not have participated in this prank.

Would you do this to your children? Do you tease them just to get them mad? Did your parents tease you? If so, did you like it?

I am donating .50 cents per legitimate comment this month to St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital.

The Morning Stomp

My husband thinks it’s so funny that I crush our boxes first before throwing them in the garbage.  I think I just picked this up from my dad.  He was a box designer so part of his job was to design the smallest box possible that the product could fit into.  I assume packaging just came naturally to him after doing it for so many years and I just picked up on it.  When I eat, I always consolidate my garbage as well.  My husband thinks it’s funny that I stomp on the cereal boxes to flatten them before throwing them away and thought you might like to see my “morning stomp” so here it is. 

                                  

Do you see anything funny about that?  I don’t.  Do you consolidate your garbage? 

I am donating 50 cents per comment this month to Samaritan's Purse to help with the relief effort there. To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here Available as e-book (http://outskirtspress.com/myfunnydadharry/).

The Cat Nip Mission: Cat Won!

Striper, Before Dad Brought Him In

When I came across these Clips of cats opening doors over at Sparkle The Designer Cat, it reminded me of one of my dad's cats, Striper.  My dad had stocked up on some catnip and in trying to find a safe storage place for it, he put it in on the second shelf of one of the top kitchen cupboards.

Striper, of course, smelled it and since he was a fantastic climber, he had a plan.  My dad was dozing in the dining room and heard a bunch of noise coming from the kitchen. When he went to investigate, he saw the top cupboard open and Striper on the floor between the stove and the sink with a bunch of stuff from the cupboard all around him, trying to open the bag of catnip which had been on the second shelf!

It always fascinates me how smart and agile cats are.  They are beautiful animals and my dad loved his cats very much.  They were great companions for him in his old age and kept him laughing!  My love for cats came through knowing his cats.

R.I.P.

Don't forget to click on the above link to view the cat clips--they are short and well-done!   

To enter a giveaway for "My Funny Dad, Harry" visit Red Pine Mountain.  The Drawing from those commenting on the post will be entered in the Feb. 5 giveaway!

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.

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Sledding Is Always Fun!

Here is a short video of my dad pulling me on a sled when I was three years old.  Such a great time we had!  This is a wonderful way for parents to have some quality time with their children.  I still love sledding and hope to go with my husband sometime this winter. 

Hope you enjoy the snow with your children. 

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Time To Decorate

My dad would have loved this video so just had to post it here.





I wish all my readers a very Merry and Blessed Christmas! Hope you will celebrate our Savior's birth in a big way!

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Manny Picks A Winner

Spunky Doodle was busy looking out the window so Manny volunteered to chose the winner of our Fabulous Followers Giveaway.  The winner will receive an autographed copy of my book, "My Funny Dad, Harry" and a DVD with clips of him in action!  Thanks to all who expressed an interest.  The book is available on Amazon and Barnes Noble.

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Catalog Shopping vs. Hitting The Stores On Black Friday

I'm the one on the right in the brown plaid flannel shirt.

Back in 1965 when we were growing up, my parents were never big on taking us four kids all shopping very often but we always looked forward to when the catalogs from Sears, Penney's and Montgomery Ward arrived in the mail.  We would each be able to go through them and check up to a certain number of things we would like in each one.  I think it was somewhere like five to ten items but I really don't remember the exact number.  I know we had a limit so it was a very serious task, but one we all enjoyed.  I wonder if we grew up in these times with the Internet if my mom would have gone online and requested catalogs so we could mark the things we would like.

Today, I shop by catalog too.  We get them from L.L. Bean, Whales and Friends, Brookstone and a bunch of others but I like to actually get out and go to stores too.  When I was a teenager, I went for the first time on Black Friday.  We went early in the morning and it was so much fun!  As an adult, I always look forward to getting my Christmas shopping mostly done that day and when I married Gerard, we both go now about 7 a.m. and get home around 2:00 or so.  In my younger years, I used to go all day long but then I had more shopping to do and more energy.  I do remember being wiped out though by the end of the day.  We like seeing all the holiday shoppers, hearing the Christmas music in the stores and finding some good bargains.  The only part I don't like is hunting for a seat at the food court to eat lunch.

What about you?  Do you love to shop on Black Friday?  What shopping traditions do you have?  Do you still order from catalogs?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Playing Dress Up and Learning To Skate-An Old Time Movie

Growing up our dad always liked taking movies of us.  Back in 1961 it was much harder to do than it is today.  We didn't have video cameras then and no digital.  It was on film and for indoors, big flood lights were needed to make it bright enough.  There was no sound back then either, but he did have a title set that he used.  I remember him spending hours splicing film together to make larger reels. 

This is a short clip of us kids playing dress-up.  I thought it was pretty funny and my readers may enjoy seeing it.  I had this movie transferred to a DVD at CVS and it allows you to save and edit clips to the computer.  My dad told us to put some action into it so I am the one who pulled out the Kleenex and pretended to blow my nose at the beginning.  My brother was always self conscious about his ears.  As you can see, they are pretty big.  This clip of us playing dress up reminds me of "The Golden Girls." 

After the dress up is a short clip of Pam and I learning to skate in our driveway. We have big clunky coats on which was good because we fell often. I never did get to like skating. It just seemed like a lot of work to me and I was always afraid of falling. Pam's fall at the end got cut off on this video clip. I'm still trying to get the hang of editing these things.

Do you take video of your children at play? Sorry for the quality but hope you can see it well enough to enjoy it.

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.
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