Levi the Jedi

Levi, Where Do You Want to Eat?

I've learned don’t ask your kids where they want to eat unless you are willing to go there. Luckily I like McDonalds, but it got me to thinking… Maybe I should start slipping toy prizes in at the places I want to eat. We already have a collection of disregarded happy meal toys, some even unopened (the no eat, no toy policy). I know I can pull it off at places where I bring the food to the table, but other restaurants may require too much coordination with the waiter.

Of course if your main motivation for eating is the toy, then McDonalds is the way to go. Arby’s sometimes steps it up and Burger King is no slouch. Chick Fila usually has some lame educational toy. Luckily we figured out that you can trade them in for ice cream. Plus, who needs a little toy when there is an indoor playground staring at you.

Then again the other great motivator is the cookie. Thank you ABC and Lenny’s. I’ve tried to instill at a young age that these children’s meal cookies are meant to be shared with the entire family. I’m not sure how long it will last though…. hopefully at least until they are 18.

Things I can't live without: Garet Edition

I’ll try and avoid my engineer/dork side and not just list literally what I can not live without. Though I will start out with the one thing that would be on that list…

Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 will always be my favorite verse and Christ will always be my reason for living. If one question plagues my life it is “Why” or sometimes more specifically, “Why does it matter”. I may not know the answer, but I am convinced God does.

Alison. It’s a cheesy line, but Alison really does complete me. Her love for the Lord and willingness to put up with my goofiness exceeds my expectations.

Levi and Kara. I love coming home to them running (and crawling) to hug me. I could live without whining though.

My Bicycle. There is nothing more freeing than riding a bike. Sometimes when I’m doing really good, it almost makes me feel like a super hero. *bike pictured is not actually my bike… yet ;)

Sleep. Perhaps this one is obvious. However, I think I break down faster than other humans when faced with sleep deprivation.

Chocolate. The richer the better. They call me cake prejudice at work because I’m always bad mouthing the white cake.

Basketball. Though it turns out I can live without playing it. I haven’t really played much since Levi was born… but as long as the NBA is still around, I’ll live vicariously through them (shoe contract and all).

Shoes that fit. This is why I would want the shoe contract - I have super narrow size 14 skis… and I’m cheap. If I ever find a good fitting (good looking) pair of shoes, I love them with all of my heart.
“Waylon Live”. I know I’m supposed to say Third Day or something like that, but if I could only own one album, it would be this. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Waylon Jennings…”

Spiders Like to Surf

spiders surf in bathtubs.
they wait through the night,
in little webbed hammocks
for the morning bright.

mommy turns on the water.
they get a running start.
when the wave hits them,
they shred it all apart.

sometimes this scares mommy.
maybe she thinks they'll drown.
so she puts them in a tissue,
now they're safe and sound.

Bumbo Jumbo

Turns out Bumbo Jumbo does exist! I found this on their South Africa website...

“After a long day at D1 there is nothing like a refreshing shower with my Old Spice High Endurance Body Wash then relaxing in the one and only Bumbo Jumbo.” - Woody Turnadam