Carpe Diem | Childhood Myths

Super Saturday

May 18, 2013 By Diane and Chad Leave a Comment

Just a test for a possible Super Saturday to take the place of Joyful Thursdays. I can’t seem to make up my mind!

But I am grateful and happy for all kinds of things. So I will share some of those with you now under a temoporary name change:)))

1) I actually got to spend some time with my good buddy Bev who now lives in California…she was in the area so I went over to bug her a bit….loved every bit of it:))))

isn't she awesome?

2) I’m still enjoying the green of spring…the flowers on the trees are still hanging in there, so beautiful…and sunshine almost every day. Ahhh, lovely!

lilacs?? ....almost!

this little beauty will be huge!

another one growing its way to beauty

3) I just watched an hour-long program on TV with nothing but Nat King Cole singing. I love his mellow voice!! It made me head to the internet to see if I could find some of his songs to play on the piano!!

some of my dad's old songbooks:)

My head is still confused about how to continue my grateful pages. Hmmm, maybe I won’t name them a specific name. Maybe they’ll just appear whenever they appear! Unless folks are looking for them, I guess that part doesn’t matter. Are you looking for them under a certain name??

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: beauty, carpe diem, changing blog, fun, giving thanks, happiness, Happiness Tuesdays, inspiration, intentions, joyful, joyful Thursdays, smile, special friend, spring, sunshine

10 Words

May 14, 2013 By Diane and Chad 1 Comment

Today’s “Every Day in May” post is called ‘Sell yourself in 10 words or less’

Hmmmm…I have some words to share, but whether they are actually who I am or who I would like to be …I’m not sure!

Family-oriented

Soft

Strong

Encouraging

Compassionate

Joyful

Particular

Loving

Intuitive

Determined

That’s it!! That’s all I’ve got…what do you think?? Did I sell myself? I guess that depends on …as what…right? Can you tell the subtext on some of the words?? Determined instead of stubborn…particular instead of picky…having both soft and strong together…I obviously am not sure whether my characteristics are perfect for anybody but me. But I do think I like myself as I am:))

yup, that's me:)

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: behavior, carpe diem, goals, intentions

Spring Beauty

May 9, 2013 By Diane and Chad Leave a Comment

What happened to Joyful Thursdays, you say….Yes, I still have many things that bring me joy. But…I have done over a year’s worth of Happiness Tuesdays and over a year’s worth of Joyful Thursdays. So it’s about time for another change…at least in name. Do you have any suggestions for me? Super Sundays…Sunshine Saturdays…What do you think??

Anyway, today we celebrate spring in all its glory. We have had the BEST week…warm and sunny and very much appreciated:))

beautiful tulips...just a short burst of loveliness!

the special green of new leaves

some still waiting for the green, some already there!

almost ready for blooms

blossoms a-blooming:)

just amazing!

if only we could call these lil stinkers wildflowers, I'd welcome them into my lawn!

Have a delightful spring day…make the most of the beauty around you!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: appreciation, beauty, carpe diem, flowers, giving thanks, goals, happiness, Happiness Tuesdays, inspiration, joyful, joyful Thursdays, photos, spring, sunshine

Quilts from Memories

April 27, 2013 By Diane and Chad 1 Comment

After completing quilts for both Chad and Scott….do you remember….made from t-shirts I kept after their dad died. Each quilt was made from more than 45 shirts, 12 x 12 squares or pieces formed into that size. My lovely neighbor sewed the pieces together after I pinned them in the order I wanted. Then I used batting and a backing and hand-sewed them together….YOW! I am. not. a seamstress and therefor wrecked my fingers on each quilt. BUT I loved that I could give each boy a lovely memory quilt to remind them of their most awesome father:)))

Here is Scott’s

7' across and 7' down!!!

And here is Chad’s

same size

After giving my fingers a break, I decided I needed a quilt of my own. So combining F2′s shirts with some of my old shirts also…here is the front of my quilt. I haven’t decided yet what to do with the back…less than I did with the boys, I think.

this was how I started...

good, huh?

And then some up close and personal views…do you recognize any of these??

for my Monfort buddies...and Dave and Jodi:)

for F2's Teke buddies

for my Alpha Chi sisters

for remembering the Crary and Fink boat:)

Memories of all kinds….that’s what it’s all about!!! Make sure you keep every memory you might want later…time is fleeting!! Love my quilt:)))

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: appreciation, beauty, brothers, carpe diem, families, follow-through, giving thanks, goals, happiness, having fun, inspiration, intentions, methods, parenting

Joyful Thursdays #60

April 25, 2013 By Diane and Chad Leave a Comment

What brings you joy, makes you happy, gives you peace? Here are some photos, quotes, and thoughts that make me joyful.

Joyful Thursdays #60

Here are three things that make me happy and bring me joy:

Three beautiful quotations for you today!

1) Every day is a gift. Don’t send it back unopened.

2) Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

3) Do small things with great love.

Finding inspirational quotes always helps to shape my day in a positive way:)))

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: behavior, beliefs, carpe diem, education, goals, happiness, Happiness Tuesdays, inspiration, intentions, joyful, joyful Thursdays, quotes

Spring Beauty

April 17, 2013 By Diane and Chad Leave a Comment

We have had strange…or is it typical…Michigan weather this spring. Any temperature, rain, snow, wind, and a little sunshine….as we say, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a day!”

I have just a very few green shoots popping up but no flowers yet. So off I go to the store to buy my spring beauties!!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: beauty, carpe diem, flowers, spring, sunshine

The Herons

April 2, 2013 By Diane and Chad Leave a Comment

Following the herons…they are beautiful! Each morning on the beach watching the sun rise and the herons do their thing!! Wonderful!

These beautiful birds wait for the fishermen to head to the beach with their bait buckets….generous tidbits, yummy!

How do they ever get that amount of food down their throats?? They do not let go for fear their neighbor herons will swoop in and make off with their treats. I watched one for five minutes just holding on…

They are beautiful to see especially in the early morning light.

Find the beauty around you and enjoy it all:)))

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: beauty, carpe diem, Florida, photos, sunshine

Joyful Thursdays #57

March 7, 2013 By Diane and Chad 1 Comment

What brings you joy, makes you happy, gives you peace? Here are some photos, quotes, and thoughts that make me joyful.

Joyful Thursdays #57

Here are three things that make me happy and bring me joy:

1) I LOVE the apple store!! The folks are so helpful….1st thing: they updated my ipad from a 4.something to a 6.something (that’s my technical expertise talking there).. wow! amazing! totally redone like a brand new ipad. I’m soo impressed!

went in just hoping for some extra speed...

I had to reinstall mail, etc.....but now I can get all the apps I couldn't get before!! Free:))

2) the issues I was having with my computer were actually because my router wasn’t working properly, so got rid of the old:

and moved to the new:

3) thinking about a new computer and phone:)))) The phone is 4 years old and SLOW!!! The computer is well over 5-6 years old and has been updated, tweaked, and babied long enough! I’ll let you know what happens!

There’s my technology review for you…from this non-techie to you!!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: carpe diem, education, follow-through, intentions, methods

Joyful Thursdays #56

February 21, 2013 By Diane and Chad 1 Comment

What brings you joy, makes you happy, gives you peace? Here are some photos, quotes, and thoughts that make me joyful.

Joyful Thursdays #56

Just barely making it for Thursday…but here goes…

Here are three things that make me happy and bring me joy:

1) a favorite restaurant with a view and corn fritters!!

2) sunrise at the beach…

3) spending time with mom and Carl…surgery complete…seeing some progress…hoping for lots more in the future…

Take each day as it comes…and squeeze it for all it’s worth!!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: carpe diem, Florida, giving thanks, happiness, Happiness Tuesdays, joyful, joyful Thursdays, love, smile

Teacher, Parent Interviews

February 12, 2013 By Diane and Chad Leave a Comment

I would love to interview both teachers and parents about their hopes and expectations of their students and/or children. I will be sharing the results with my esteemed ‘audience’ if…..that is, if…anyone is up for sharing!!

Wouldn’t you be interested in knowing the opinions of others in all areas of both parenting and teaching? I know I would…even after all these years of doing both. I am always interested in educating myself with ideas…whether I use them or not is still totally up to me. Will you help by emailing me or commenting so that I can send you the questionnaire? After you receive it, answer in any way that is comfortable for you…there will be no judgment involved. You can short answer it, cut and paste it, essay it…whatever works for you to be able to share your hopes for your child or student. What do you think you and/or those who work with your child can do to help your child wind up being the best person possible?

Any ideas? Any takers? Please….. let’s get a conversation going here…all about kids and how to help them reach their potential! Email me at childhoodmyths@gmail.com or just comment here and I will get back to you shortly!

Thanks for even thinking about taking part in this process..you can answer either anonymously or with your name, whichever makes you more at ease.

Thank You

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Filed Under: being involved, carpe diem, children, education, follow-through, improving the world, inspiration, methods, parenting