Infant Potty Training

Okay. This was in my Newsweek from last week. For those interested in reducing the number of diapers in landfills, this is another alternative to cloth diapers. A little strange and definitely not main stream. Click here to go to DiaperFreeBaby.com

By the Snape of the Neck

I am very curious about how everyone feels about Snape from the Harry Potter books. Please let me know your opinions. WARNING: IF YOU READ THE RESULTS OF OTHERS, THE ENDING OF BOOK #6 COULD BE SPOILED FOR YOU.

Please take my short 3 questions survey!

Click here to take survey

Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho a Paddler's Life for Me!

One of the things I did this summer was paddle in the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival's Dragon Boat Races. Clay and I signed up to paddle on the University team, which consisted of 22 paddlers, 1 drummer and 1 steersman.

Being adventurous and wanting to try all sorts of new things in Duluth, I thought the Dragon Boat Races would be a lot of fun. And they were! First off, we had practice on the Tuesday and Thursday before the race. Practice was a combination of laughing and groaning; laughing due to the extreme absurdity of paddling in sychronization with 21 other paddlers, and groaning because the end of the race seemed to be so far away (the race was only 450 yards).

The drummer sits at the front of the boat on a tiny chair and yells encouragement along with counting. The steersman was provided by the Rotary Club and basically ran all the practices.

On race day, we raced at 11:30 and 4:00. The best time from the two races would be the qualifying time for the finals. We did really well, coming in 51st out of 82 teams. And even though we felt we could have bettered our first time in the second race, a strong wind came up in the afternoon, making this dream impossible. :(

If you have the opportunity to watch or participate in a dragon boat race, I strongly recommend them. I think I will do it next year.

Puppet Mania

Today I bought two hand puppets. I don't know what came over me, but the Tweed Museum of Art was having a huge sale to get rid of merchandise. I bought some paint-a-pot kits, and a children's book. But the puppets were just adorable, and with the deep discounts, I couldn't pass them up.

I first saw a unicorn, which has a workable mouth and is the size of Bates. Clay was trying to make Bates jealous by sitting in his chair with the unicorn on his lap. Bates definitely did not like what was going on.

So I put the paint-a-pot kits, book and unicorn on hold while I went back to work. After work, I walked back down to the Tweed and picked them up. While I was waiting in line, I saw another puppet, a fortune teller. She is so cool, with little cord hoop earrings, curly hair, a head scarf and a crystal ball. The fiddler was with her at the Tweed, but I didn't get him. I jus saw their picture at the Folkmanis web page, and now I feel like I broke up a couple. Clay says he might still be there.

I know some kids who will get a kick out of these puppets when they visit. And Clay says now we can give each other puppet shows...that made me laugh. I wouldn't put it past us.

You can call me "Magna Eye"

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Magna Eye Your Superpower is Symbiosis Your Weakness is Jealousy Your Weapon is Your Silver Claws Your Mode of Transportation is Zebra

What's your Superhero Name?

I love that I ride a zebra and my special powers are symbiosis. Let me know what you are?

Know any good RSS readers?

As you may or may not have noticed, I have syndicated my blog (see the orange XML button on the right). I am still learning exactly what that means, but who ever said you needed to understand something before you got on the technology band wagon.

I am also trying to pick a good RSS reader service. Does anyone have any recommendations?

ERV's on a DR

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a Red Cross volunteer on a national level?

Before a national disaster even strikes, local Red Cross volunteers enroll in a national Red Cross database. They select 1-3 jobs they are capable and trained to do, and when a national disaster strikes, those who are available for a specific job are deployed to those disasters.

These stories are wonderful and heartwarming. I deployed people when I worked for Red Cross, but I never actually went out on any national disasters. Nothing will replace actually being there, but the stories they brought back made me feel like I was there with them.

Read the diary of two volunteers from Duluth and Superior. These two are Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) drivers, and responsible for feeding people who are in hard to reach places.

A variety of things

Want something fun to watch on your computer? How about some of your favorite movies, re-enacted by rabbits. My friend Jennifer introduced me to it. I loved the Titanic one... check it out!!

I am going to be walking in the American Heart Association Heart Walk on September 24th in Duluth. If you haven't yet spent your budget for charitable giving, this might be something you would be interested in. You can directly support me at MY Heart Walk web page.

This morning Clay, Bates and I took a walk through our property and ended up at Tischer Creek. We only scared up one deer and we saw lots of birds. Clay said I didn't have to keep clapping, but I thought it would help keep the bears away. Hee-hee.

That's all...