Random Tid Bits

1. Last week the students had off Good Friday, and this week they had off Monday. The Education Director was here, and has a centrally located office. One student did come in because she's a paid worker. She takes out the trash, and fills toilet paper and paper towels. The student came in from outside said asked the Education Director, "What am I supposed to do? The back doors are locked. I got locked out, so I had to walk around." He sat there awkwardly for what seemed like 2 or 3 minutes. Finally I piped up from a back cubical and said, "Is there something I can do? You have a few options: Prop the door open, while you do the trash, or I can unlock it. Just let me know which thing you want me to do? She decided to prop the door open. I too have faced some awkward moment with the Education Director. He's nice, just quiet.


2. My brother in law said over the holiday to my uncle, "I just don't like basketball." My uncle asked, "Why?" My brother in law said, "It's the squeaky shoes." I never really thought about that bothering anyone. 


3. Isaak got more jewelry from my Aunt that was my Grandma's. She handed him a whole box of costume jewelry. Oh joy more stuff we get to hold onto. He was pretty upset when he collected a ton of her rings, and was told to give most of them back. That kid cracks me up! He's a total boy with playing. He typically has some injury on his legs. He's proud of his battle wounds. He likes sports, Chess Club, gardening, and more. Then he'll turn around and dig crafts, and my Grandma's old jewelry. I love it! He amuses me.
   
   Isaak picked out this hair clip to put in my hair:
   
   
   
   
   

   It slid right on out. My hair is so slippery. It has zero texture.
   
   Travis picked it up, and said, "Hey there's my nipple ring. He put it in his chest hair. It gave us all a laugh. I think it held better there than in my hair.
   
4.  I've had Bennie and the Jets in my head for a week. I appreciate Elton John, but never really loved his music.
   
   Every morning this week I've gotten up singing, "Travis! Travis! Insert high pitch! T.T.T. Travis and the jets!" Later towards dinner I sing, "Mica! Mica! Insert high pitch! Ma.Ma.Ma. Mica likes his pets!" Then I start dancing with him. If he's in a good mood he loves it. I mean who wouldn't? Ha! We don't even have any pets! I really haven't sang it to Isaak.
   
5. I ran across these weird food at the grocery store. It was odd that the product was with the ice cream. I like macaroni, but this just grosses me out. Carbs on top of carbs with fake plastic cheese in the middle. In was also odd it was with the ice cream. Have you ever seen this product before?
   
   

   

   
   

WW: Photoshoot Gone Bad {Linky}

I took the boys out on Easter thinking we'd get good pictures. They wouldn't cooperate, Isaak stepped on something sharp, and I hit a giant rock as I was backing up. The photoshoot wasn't great, but I did get three or four good photos. Some of which I'll post at a later time.

This post is mostly about the awkward photos I got.

Just so you don't think my kids are total jerks I'm going to show you two that I like:

Now for the crazy:

They kept butt bumping. 

It's not ideal to put brothers back to back.

Mica does this face a lot!

It wasn't my idea to have them sit on each other.

It was theirs.

This one wins! I'm like, "Oh that's a great photo! The lighting is good. He looks happy."

Look at his fingers! I was annoyed, then couldn't stop laughing. I promise he doesn't go around flipping people off. Maybe I can crop it.

I grew up with sisters. We teased each other, but I don't remember being as crazy as my boys are with photos. Did you grow up with brothers or sisters? Were you goofy like my boys are?

Post ANY post you want comment love on! It doesn't have to be wordless or wordful. I like rules sometimes, but they are meant to be broken. Link up a post! 

#happyearthday #happyartday

I created this little gem for this post: 

I saw "art" inside "Earth", and decided it needs to pop out. I'm kind of tired of art being put on the back burner, for society in America. It's inside Earth, so leave it in schools, and don't make it solely pro bono work. Without art in our Earth is just Eh, and that's pretty boring! 

We haven't been outside and earthy lately. Usually Travis is doing mounds of yard work this time of year. We do have seedlings started indoors.

We already recycle, reuse, and compost. I did start reusing citrus peelings more. I dry them, grind them, dry them, and grind them some more. I use it for toning down white sugar. If it's a mix less processed sugar is taken in. I use it for muffins, cakes, and scones. I also put it in with loose leaf tea, and protein powder for smoothies. It's super high in fiber. Pretty soon I won't be drying it out because of fruit flies. For now they can be.

Travis has a deadline for his chair, so he's busting a move on that. He thought he'd miss our family gathering for Easter all together, but he went for a bit. The chair now has form. Not as many pieces! I spent a good part of my Saturday cutting out fabric circles for it, and helping Isaak some more with his Optical Illusion Science Fair Project.

Did I ever mention that my family is full of nerdy nurses? If you count my Grandmother that's now passed  + the retired ones there's was eight of them to be exact. That profession outweighs any other in my family. Apparently one of my aunts and mother didn't approve of me posting Isaak as an optical illusion on facebook. It creeped them out. 

Reposted Image:

*Insert eye roll. I thought it was fun to do, and interesting. It reminded me of how I drew in Figure Drawing when I was a grad student. I got sick of Figure Drawing after I had many classes of it in undergrad school. When I had to take it in grad school I kept on drawing the figure on one sheet of paper the whole time. I had butts coming out of stomachs, and all kinds of craziness. We'd often times have a guy model and a girl model, so I'd mix the two right on the same page. My instructor said I could have a show just with those drawings. I don't think the nerdy nurse relatives would approve. 

Realistically I know that not everyone sees art the same way. It's kind of like music...I could love one song, and you could be like, "Turn it off!" I get it.

I'm in a dramatic, sour puss mood, so I'm pouting. Isaak has to get it from someone, am I right?!

So to honor Earth Day | Art Day I should have Travis take pictures of me with different views. I'll use my Photoshop skills to merge them. I'll soonish post it on facebook, and keep it my profile picture for a good while!

Maybe I'll do one for each member of our family, frame them, and invite all the ones that think I'm odd over for tea. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my family. Like any person in one's life they are bound to annoy you from time to time. I don't like my kids every day. I still love them. 

The nurses love me to. They love that I take photos for them for Grandpa, and make copies, they dig that I can make posters and postcards for Family Reunions. Ha! 

Back to Earth Day. Did you celebrate at all? What did you do?

#Goldenrod

Do you know your state's flower? 

Nebraska's is the oh so beautiful Goldenrod. 

Source

I learned about the Goldenrod being Nebraska's state flower when I was Isaak's age - almost 11.

Fast Forward to Now:

We were sitting around the table talking about Isaak's Science Fair Project on Optical Illusions.

Mica started talking about what he wanted to do for his Science Fair Project next year. The last two years he's gotten A's on his projects. Go Mica! Isaak's actually been looking at Mica's board to put together his.

Mica has a history of being oh so smart at school. When he comes home he's...well how do I put this kindly?...kind of ditsy and quite a bit lazy when it comes to tasks around the house. We joke about how he left some of his brain power back at school. Not to be mean. He can turn on the brainy Mica, and at times that brainy Mica is turned off. I've seen my smart boy. Again I'm not making fun of him in a mean way. He does WAY better in school than I did!

Mica's ideas for his next projects: Something on the Blackhole. Travis looked at him and said, "Son what experiment are you going to do in regards to the Blackhole? No one can even get close to it, so we don't know enough about it." I said, "Well at least we have a picture of it now." Mica's sat there, and thought some more.

Mica, "I know exactly what I'm going to do!"....Wait for it... "I'm going to explain scientifically why there aren't any Goldenrods in Omaha, when it's our state flower." Travis piped up at the same time as me, "It's because we live in the city."

I lost it. I have this inability to not stop laughing when I find something very funny. In my mind I pictured Mica looking up to the sky and saying, "Where are all the Goldenrods?" I was laughing so hard I was crying. Travis started laughing as hard as I was. We kept interrupting our laughter by saying, "Where did all the Goldenrods go?" Then we'd laugh some more. Poor Mica got up, shook his head, and left the table. Isaak just kept shaking his head and Mica and the gigglers.

I pictured that scene in the movie Pleasentville where the Dad (William H. Macy the one that could have been in trouble with that college scandal) was rattled because he couldn't find his wife or DINNER. That would be Mica. Only rattled because he couldn't find the Goldenrods.

When I texted my Mom about this story she replied with, "Tell Mica Grandpa has Goldenrod flowers in our backyard. He can show him." I told Mica and the poor kid was like, "I don't want to hear about it Mom."

Then I texted Mica, "Instead of doing a science fair project on Where are all the Goldenrods, you should do it on this...Where are all the Aliens."

The boys are used to my antics by now. We tease each other all the time. Even Travis has learned to loosen up a bit. He married me, and had very little sense of humor that he'd show.

Do you ever laugh so hard that you cry? 

Random Tid Bits

1. I do different types of critiques with my students: 1 on 1 (them and me), a group of 2 with me, whole class (I don't mention names), groups of three (them) with a worksheet of questions to fill out, and lastly they turn the work in and I draw on tracing paper over it to hand back to them. I don't do all the above for every assignment. Just 1 or 2 ways of critiquing per assignment.
   
   Last week I had a group critique of 3 students along with a worksheet for them to fill out. They talk about the piece, and answer the questions as to what their group thinks about their art. If I don't have a sheet they talk about anything, but the work. When I said it was Group Critique time they all grumbled. I said, "What's the deal?" One said, "I just don't like talking about my art. It's awkward." Another said, "We just don't like talking to each other." I said, "That means you need more practice. You guys have to learn to talk to one another, and about your work. You're not getting out of this!" They looked at me with darts in their eyes. What the heck?! Every class has some kind of energy, and this one is quiet. Maybe it's a generation thing? My last class was really talkative though. I'll probably get on my evaluations: "Mrs. Apel makes us talk to one another. I hate her for that." 


2. Isaak, "Mom I NEED a shoulder rest for my violin! I think we're supposed to get it at Scheels." Me, "I don't think Scheels is the store we need to get a shoulder rest at." Isaak, "I don't know it's somewhere that starts with an S." Me, "Could it be Schmitt Music?" Isaak, "Ya that's the place." Me, "Do you know what shoulder rest you need? If I shopped online I bet I could get it cheaper. I'm just not in the mood to run all over Omaha." Isaak looking online with me, "That one, no that one, no that one." Me, "We better go to Schmitt Music."


3. My husband is a science guy. When something happens he doesn't think it's a miracle. It's chance, genetics, or science. I do believe in all the above. I'm not a super religious person, but I believe in a higher being. Good thing can happen to good people. If someone is down on their luck, life has a way of turning back around for them. What do you think? Do you believe in mostly science, are you religious, or are you a bit of both?


4. I got a tea set to review on facebook. Truth I mostly got it to redo their packaging for my portfolio. The tea really is good! You can get it here.








5. I went out with a guy "Geordie" when I was in grad school. His real name was Hugh, middle name Gordan, which is where he got the nickname "Geordie". It seems like a lot of hoops to go through to come up with a nickname. I ended things. I just didn't think we were compatible. He was super quiet! I wouldn't say I'm outgoing, but I can carry a conversation. I have patients, for quiet people. One this is true about quiet people: When they say something it's usually well thought out, hilarious, and/or profound. They don't waist their words. They savor them. It's odd that I feel like I'm knowing him more because of what people post about him on facebook. He has a brother, and a close group of high school friends. All of which he never talked about.  Things weren't weird when we broke things off. I think we were both old enough to know that life goes on.
   
   He passed away in his sleep last week. I wasn't close to him any longer. I feel for his friends and family though. He was pretty young! He has two girls, still in elementary school. He got married, divorced, engaged, and separated. He died alone. May he rest in peace!

So here's to Gordie also known as Hugh, the quiet guy that ran a printing press:



Greene Square Printing - Acworth GA from Brian Gaukel Productions on Vimeo.

Disclaimer: I didn't get the tea set to review on this blog. I'm just sharing because it's a cute set.

@Ripleys Believe It or Not! 100 Best Bions #bookreview

I love the the oddities that exist in this world! Ripley's Believe It or Not! just came out with 100 Best Bions. It's filled with believe it or not stories. They are incredibly hard to believe, and undeniable true!

The book is $16.34 on Amazon Prime.

Believe it or not they got the book to me so fast. It's like I agreed to review it, and poof it was on my doorstep.

The word Best is printed with a silver foil print.

Chapters:

1. Classics
2. People
3. Animals
4. World
5. Exhibits

Just like the title, there are 100 stories to read about! 


I picked out some of my favorite pages to share with you. 

Matchstick Man

Patrick Acton of Gladbrook, Iowa is the artist of these amazing creations. I'm drawn to them because I have used toothpicks in my art. I find them fun!

Skull Cups

A "Kapala" is a bowl used by Tibetan Buddhists and Indian Hindus in rituals. I'm not big into rituals, but I do love Buddhism philosophy. Skulls are interesting to me , just like masks are.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

I think I'd pass on going to a festival that has self mutilation. What about you? This festival happens annually in Thailand.

Bound Feet

I remember hearing about bound feet when I was a kid. Boy did it look painful! For centuries, upper-class Chinese women would undergo the painful ritual. I've never seen what their actual feet look like.

Tough Tortoise

I heard if a tortoise lost it's shell it would in fact die. What if a hippopotamus tusk is sticking through the shell? This tortoise lived for 15 years like this!

Sketchy Artist

I think I'm jealous! I could never draw with an Etch-A-Scketch well at all! Could you? George Vlosich can create detailed drawings with one. Each image takes 80 hours to draw using one unbroken line.

Serious Stache

I just saw an article on facebook that goes on and on about how beards and mustaches have more germs than a dog's fur does. Hummm... Possibly it's because some people do not wash their stache! For the record Travis washes his with soap and water.

Could you imagine having an 8 feet, 8 inches wide stache!? That seems a bit crazy. I think I'd have mine braided all the time.

Strange Mail

This grabbed by attention because we write lists, and sketch on junk mail all the time. In 1929 alone, Robert Ripley received a million letters, breaking all known records for mail received by one person. Something's telling me he didn't read it all.

Headless Chicken

It's true Isaak really has a hard time eating chicken with the bones showing. I wonder what he'd feel about this headless chicken? This bird was meant to die, but he lived. Farmer Lloyd Olsen fed it through an eyedropper.

Double Vision

I like creepy faces, so why not like this double eyed guy named Liu Ch'ung? He was born with double pupils. Not his fault.

Mule-Faced Woman

Grace McDaniels was born in 1888 in Iowa, with a birthmark that would define her career.

Do you have any birthmarks? I have a small hole at the top of my ear, I was born with a skin tag on my leg that was removed when I was a baby, and I had the deviated septum. Mica had a cherry red birthmark between his eyebrows (it was fairly light), he had a cyst under his tongue, so the line down his tongue will forever not be straight, and Isaak has a brown birthmark on his spine.

Stretched Necks

Despite appearances, their necks are not actually stretched. It's their shoulders that have been pushed down.

Gurning Man

I remember this man from my Ripley's Believe It or Not! book from when I was a kid. I thought...Wow I wish I could do that!

Severed Skulls

This is so odd! In the University of Lisbon in Portugal, you can see the severed head of a genuine serial killer. Doesn't it give you the creeps? 

I like that they made a book that's paperback. It doesn't take up as much room as the hardback books. 

Do you enjoy oddities? 

Disclaimer: I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review. The Ripley's Believe It or Not! team did not tell me what to say in this review. 

WW: Picassoesque {Linky}

Isaak's and I have been working on his Science Fair project. He's doing it on Optical Illusions. He's testing to see if all people see things the same, or different. We've put out polls, and made bar graphs.

This is a fun one we added:

What do you gravitate to first, Forward Facing or a Profile View?

I found that some people find the image disturbing, while others find it interesting. Which category do you fall in?

Post ANY post you want comment love on! It doesn't have to be wordless or wordful. I like rules sometimes, but they are meant to be broken. Link up a post! 

Dr Benjamin Rush #Prostate #Health Supplements Review

I've been pushing a few things on my husband: Drink more water, and take Dr Benjamin Rush Prostate Health Supplements. An enlarged prostate can be something that men go through as they get older.

Packaging:

The bottle shipped out really fast! The lid was closed up with a thin layer of plastic, and it had a paper top below the lid. Certainly sealed for protection!

Where to Get it:

You can get it on Amazon for $29.90. It's on Prime, so if you're a Prime member there's no shipping.

It comes with 90 pills in a bottle. I do wish that only 1 pill was needed per day. They have you take 3 pills daily. That seems like a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MVHTLTG

About This Product:

Travis never has accidents. He makes it to the bathroom, but he does have problems going to the bathroom all the way.

This product helps with less bathroom visits. If you go on a road trip it helps to not have to stop a lot to go to the bathroom. Sleep is something everyone needs too.

It has additional vitamins in it to make the person taking it in a better mood.

It's drug-free, has no GMOs, and is made in the US.

Contains:

• Saw Palmetto 
• Zinc
• Broccoli
• Tomato
• Vitamin B 6 and E
• Cats Claw
• Red Raspberry
• Stinging Nettle
• Green Tea
• Mushrooms
• Juniper Berry
• Pumpkin Seed 
• Parsley
• Marshmellow Root

and more...

With no drugs, and only herbs and other healthy things in this one can't go wrong by taking it!

Do you take any vitamins?

Disclaimer: I got this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion. The company did not tell me what to say in this review.

What to do to Make #Allergy Season a Little More Bearable

As my long time readers know I suffer from allergies and asthma. I've had a major nose surgery a few years back (polyps and deviated septum fixed). I have to get allergy shots once a month now. It used to be that I got them once a week! Yikes!

I'm not perfect, but I'll tell you what helps me to feel the best I can feel during allergy season:

1. Take showers at night. Many people take them in the morning. It helps to get that pollen out of your hair before you go to bed. 


2. Cut your hair. I cut mine just because I have to wash it daily during this time of year. I dated someone once that would get pollen in his beard. He had to cut that off. In Georgia the pollen is so bad, you can see yellow powder all over. 


3. Wash your pillowcase often. Thankfully I have a Grandma that had tons of pillowcases that had sweet embroidery things on them. I inherited the big stack! I switch all our pillowcases out.


4. Take Zyrtec and nasal spray at night, and Singulair (if it's prescribed to you) in the morning. Singulair is not an antihistamine. It is however one of the only allergy meds that helps with asthma.
   
   Why take Zyrtec at night? It decreases inflammation. Much of the time allergies are worse in the morning, and better at night. If you take meds at night, you'll wake up feeling better.  


5. Flush your system out with a sinus rinse. I know they aren't the most desirable at first. I'm here to tell you that this helps so much!
   
   Things to watch out for with sinus rinses: Don't share them, clean them after each use, use warm water with them, pour or squeeze the water in slowly if you have a cold (it can be hard on the ears, and you may be so plugged very little comes out), use only filtered water. 


6. Get extra sleep. Easier said than done. 


7. Drink a lot of H2O. Flushes the system out more.


8. Drink or eat all the things that are known to reduce inflammation. Check out my Wellness Drink here! I'm not all about natural remedies. If they can work, I'm all about them. This Wellness Drink works. I researched all the things that reduce inflammation, put them in a pot to cook it, put it all in the blender to blend it, and 1/2 goes in the fridge, while the other 1/2 goes in the freezer. My husband looked at me crosseyed when I first made it. Now he asks, "Did you drink your Wellness Drink?" After about 20 minutes I get fluid up and out of my lungs. Isaak had a head cold. He had a cough that would not quit at night. He tried the Wellness Drink, and the cough went away in 20 minutes. It works so well! 




9. Want to go all natural? Try Quercetin with Bromelain. The combination helps with relief from inflammation. There are many different brands on the market.
   
   There's also Breathe Easy Essential Oils: Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Basil, Tea Tree, and Rosemary. You could mix them to clean with, or diffuse into the air. I think the all natural things help, but for me only minimally. Then again I have extreme allergies and asthma. I firmly believe that all bodies are different. What works for one person, may not work for someone else.
   
   Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar 3 times daily with "The Mother" is known to help allergies and asthma. 

Do you suffer from allergies and/asthma?

Random Tid Bits

1. Isaak just got in trouble at school the other day. The whole class was told to be quiet in line. A boy turned around and burped in Isaak's face. Isaak said, "Excuse you." He was nailed for talking. When he tried to explain what had happened, she thought he was back talking. She said she'd talk to his parents. When I heard about it I said, "Good! I wouldn't want someone burping in my face either. What was he supposed to do?" Possibly he shouldn't have used the tone he did, but again who wants someone burping in their face? Seriously it comes down to just having manners! If someone snaps a bra, burps or spits in someone's face, wipes poop on the wall, and so on they should be in trouble. Someone that calls someone out for their bad behavior shouldn't be in trouble. Just my opinion.
   
   The crazy thing was that this didn't happen with his teacher. I know we've had problems with her too. Class sizes are too big. It's got to be hard to control large numbers in a room.


2. We've had another problem with Isaak in school. Travis and Mica were both noticing he smells. I of course can't smell much, so it went right on past me. I was looking up stuff on B.O., puberty, and bad breath trying to figure out what to do. My sister said, "Have Travis smell his clothes to see where it's coming from." It was his pants. It's only humane to go to the bathroom when you need to go right? I found out he can only go 2 times a day. I pee way more than that myself. I drink a lot because of my allergies. I said, "Isaak if you have to go to the bathroom, raise your hand and go. If the teacher doesn't like it go see the Principal. Tell him your Mom said to do that. Let me get in trouble."
   
   I then read an article written by a Pediatric Urologist for Parent's Magazine about how unhealthy it is for kids to hold it. Like the Urologist, I believe that when someone has the urge to pee they should go. They shouldn't go 10, 20 or 60 minutes later! I understand that students can be stir crazy, and not trusted. Possibly go in teams. This is the first I'm hearing about this problem, so maybe just more breaks is all that's needed.
   
   Then I started thinking about girls that have gotten their period. A girl doesn't even know or understand what her body is going through at that age. What about the kid that has diarrhea? Yes if he/she has that they should be home, but if they get it in school there may be some problems. 


3. Our roller skating rink closed down. Do you have a rollerskating rink where you live? When Isaak found out it was closing about a month ago he said, "Since it's closing we should go there everyday!" The rest of us looked at each other, shook our heads and said, "Umm nope." 









4. Isaak's still in school choosing limbo. The school district I went to he toured. It's a brand new school. The only things is that he'll have 1 more year of elementary school + it's farther. When he visited he was like, "Everything is so little!" I think he's ready to move on up to middle school. What grade do they start middle school or junior high where you live? Here it depends on the district, and school. The district he's in now starts middle school in fifth or sixth grade depending on the middle school. The other district starts in seventh grade. 


5. We're supposed to have another arctic blast later this week. I hope it's not too bad. We're supposed to go from shorts to snow gear. Do you believe in global warming, or do think it's just weather being extreme?