The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the story of the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided,’ I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents.. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.'

Farm Season...

i am so happy to be back with the paklets...
i headed out with both boys to remlinger farms to have a nice fall day of fun... and that is just what we got...

driving lessons...

home again...

back with the paklets... and took charlie on his first train ride.... he loved it.

travel...

atlanta airport is a zoo... I'm anxious to get home, and hope my plane has TV so I can watch the debate... because I LOVE to watch the spinning of words... sure to be entertaining

back outside

just in time to see the sunset... and for those of you who think i'm slacking while blogging... i won account manager of the year tonight :)

flat stanley showed up...

I think he is looking for his friend the BIC boy...

sitting on my ass

no more sunshine for me

Multimedia message

me and one of my work BFF's enjoying the wind and drinks

I found flat stanley

on my way to the sales meeting to see the beach for a second before heading inside I saw flat stanley on the beach

mobile blogging test

this is my mobile blog test...

i'm heading to Florida this week for my sales meeting and thought it would fun to do a little mobile blogging... so starting tomorrow... you'll have a peek inside my life on the road... sales meeting... and all things nonsense... hope you enjoy

my pop'rs arrived

remember a few weeks back... i was on a winning streak... i won pop'rs from veggie mom

well check out the reaction i got from some 7 year old boys... they first tried it on pizza (taco flavor) and then wanted to try a fruit flavor... i let them do a shot... which is NOT what it is intended for... but it made for a good video...

want some... go to www.poprs.com

Blog to blog...

i've been loving my BATW trips withe Debbie... learned lots of interesting things... and found some new reads...

then i'm making one of my daily visits to Jen and she has this idea...

Visit 4 of your daily blog reads. From each blog choose another blog from their blogroll that you've never visited.

Try that blog out for a month and see what happens. They may become your new fave, who knows! Then duplicate the main part of this post with a note on whose blog you got it from. Name the four new blogs you are going to read, tell briefly why you chose them and whose blog roll they came from. And if you want, coerce others mercilessly into joining in!

here are my new finds... and why i chose them

Naturally i found someone on Jen's blog roll...
http://toexplainhowigothere.blogspot.com/ - short sweat and to the point...

Next stop... because wendi said so blog roll...
http://pbjinabowl.blogspot.com/ - i love pb&j so why not...

i've been a few other places... and realize... we run in the same bloggie circle... this challenge is going to be good for me....

i've now moved on to Mommy Learns to Blog...
http://shoeobsessedone.blogspot.com/ - because i LOVE shoes...


lastly Life Of A Nguyener (Win-ner)...
http://theperlmanupdate.blogspot.com/... i love the idea of living abroad...

Matt Damon Rips Sarah Palin

regardless of where you fall politically... this one made me think... and think some more...

and watch again... because he's so cute!

then i read this on the same blog i found this video... it's from my old class mate kid rock... that's right i went to romeo jr high with him - but i knew him as bobby richie, the rapping dancing cute boy all the girls crushed on...


“I truly believe that people like myself, who are in a position of entertainers in the limelight, should keep their mouth shut on politics.Because at the end of the day, I’m good at writing songs and singing. What I’m not educated in is the field of political science. And so for me to be sharing my views and influencing people of who I think they should be voting for … I think would be very irresponsible on my part.”

favorite things swap

in case you didn't know... i joined the swap...

Got my package today from Dawn...

it was like a bit of christmas... especially since there is rarely anything good in the mail...

thanks Dawn... i too love clinique "happy" wore it on my wedding day, and every time i smell it it brings a smile to my face... had no idea they made a gel version of their famous lotion... so soft... and i have more pictures than picture frames... so the question is ... the turkey...pilgrim...whatever that is... is it your favorite because you love turkey, thanksgiving, pilgrims or fall...

thanks Dawn!

who is super nanny...

i've mentioned her a few times in recent weeks... i hope i haven't lost any readers because of it...

who is super nanny? and why do we have her?

i waited until the last minute to figure out what to do when i went back to work... i am an account manager for BIC Graphic which means sometimes i'm home working and sometimes i'm gone... some days i'm on the road overnight for as much as a week... i knew i didn't want to do the day care thing... and by the grace of good luck and a little help from a higher power we found super nanny... and she's been with us for 7 years this week...

this is her first day at work with B when he was 3 months old...

she is like a second mother to my boys...

she went to "nanny school" ...she's been a Nanny for nearly 20 years... she is so talented... so patient... so loving... and the perfect fit for us...she has 2 kids of her own... sometimes they even appear here... technically she works for us... but she has become one of my dear friends... and a part of our family...

the fleas have taken over...

the fleas love B... he is covered in bites... my ankles are covered in bites... they have taken over...

first step...
treat cats... check

second step....
clean out B's room - specifically his bed area where we believe they are thriving... he loves blankets... his bed is full of blankets... cats love to sleep there... check

strip down bed... check

lift up mattress to vacuum... check

looks like the fleas are hiding toys...



*** i am open to any ideas you have about taking down the fleas... because they must go...

soccer... the big time...

the field is twice as big...
there are goalies...
goodbye cotton t-shirt... hello polyester...

game one... they got caught with their pants down... but this weekend they were ready...
they had their positions down... they scored the first goal... they had a BLAST!!!

and B lost another tooth...

making banana bread

super nanny and C are having a hard time adjusting to life without the others...(they have all gone back to school...)

we now have letters and numbers of the week... they are clipping pictures from magazines... and trying to find play dates...

and making banana bread... i would NOT suggest this recipe...


not so good... it could have been the Crisco that wasn't so fresh... i NEVER use Crisco... but he had fun and that is all that matters....

what 2 year old doesn't love to SMOOSH!

From Tiger to Wolf...

B is growing up... first 2nd grade... now he's moved from Tiger to Wolf...

in case you missed the ceremony... go here...

oh how he has grown...

why are you driving in to the garage...

as i pulled in last night with C... he asked... why are you driving in to the garage... how to explain that this is what a garage is for...

B has no memory of the car in the garage... we'll see how long it lasts... it would be nice to park there in the winter months...

so just in case i captured the moment so you all could see that i finally got the car in the garage...


there are no before and after shots here... they are too shameful...

just the car in the garage...

Google alerts says...Tag your it!

so i use google alerts... i use it to find out what is going on with my big accounts, my brothers company Sharendipity... and when someone has a link to me here... that is how i found out i was tagged... by someone i'm not sure i've been to more than once... love when that happens... thanks to Dawn my new friend... you will learn a bit more about me



1. What were you doing ten years ago:

I was getting ready for my wedding... on the 27th i will have been married to super hubby 10 years!

2. Five things on my to do list for today:

1. sales report and call in with boss
2. return misprints from CLIX and get
the correct pictures
3. expense report
4. schedule appointment for
cortisone shot for my back pain
5. clean up desk

3. What is your favorite snack?

popcorn and chocolate


4. If I were a millionaire I would:

remodel my kitchen and bathrooms, pay for 1 person a year to go to college, buy my mother in law some place to live

5. Places I have lived:
New Jersey, Michigan, Indiana, Rhode Island, Washington
*** number of houses a whole different story... i'm in my 15th address now :)

i can't believe i finally did this...

as many of you know i take a TON of pictures... too many to deal with... last weekend at B's first soccer game alone I took over 500 pictures in less than an hour...

so why then would i ever go to a photo studio... i have a million great pictures of my own... well... a coupon came in the mail... and super nanny and I thought we should go and get some shots of her son and my boys... by the way this is the real super nanny... not the one from the blog world... or the one from TV... my very own super nanny... worlds best nanny... some day i will tell you more...

back to my story...


so we go to CL!X... this is a fun place... as far as studios go... and they took a million pictures... too many to choose... the $19.95 coupon did me no good because i wanted more... i left with the CD of the entire days shots... so naturally i have to share...

Tardy... on first day of school pictures

So this was actually a week ago today... but life was a bit crazy that week and i never got around to posting...

the first day of school is one of the few times i wish i had a girl... boys don't care about what they are wearing at 7... there is a reason this picture was taken with his coat on :)

and i love this one... Little "C" has had a hard time having brother being gone all day... he thinks he hung the moon!!!

Top 5 Tuesday

Super Nanny Where are you does this every week... this one seemed like fun...

So here are my answers:

1.) How long have you been blogging?

I had my first blog in June of 2004... I had no idea why i started this... very evident when you read the first post... and then when i started again in December of 2007 i couldn't get pakadventures and went with pakletadventures... stupid me didn't realize that i was the one who had pakadventures :)

2.) Link to your first blog post ever?

i'm not sure the first one counts... so like Super Nanny i'm going with 2...
first post on original site... click here...

first post her at paklet adventures... click here...

3.)What is the one driving force that actually made you create that blog account?

my family and friends are all over the country and i'm always trying to find a way to keep them in the loop... somehow i've gotten way of track... most weeks things aren't even about my kids... and it has now become a creative outlet/escape for me...and this way all the stories are in one place...

4.)How did you come up with your blog name and what were other names you considered?

When B was born i started this weekly email... the adventures of Ben... i wrote from his perspective about the things he was doing... my friends made fun of me... but it was fun... naturally there were lots of pictures... it then became the adventures of Ben and Charlie... and somehow i started referring to them as the Paklets... and here i am...

5.) Post a link to your favorite blog post ever.

I have no idea if i have one of these... wormies is up there... for no reason other than i love how C is about worms... and this one makes me laugh every time i watch it...

feeling the love....

I've found myself a new friend thru Wendi... and the Swap...
if you want to know what life is like after Gustav... check her out...she has a generator...but she still has Ike to face... hang tuff Dawn!

Now.. the rules are....

1.The winner puts logo on her/his blog.
2.Link the person you received your award from.
3.Nominate 7 other blogs.
4.Put links of those blogs on yours.
5.Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve chosen.

So, here are my winners!

Krystyn because she made it beautiful around here :)
Wendi because i LOVE her style... short sweat and to the point...
Another Kristin who i'm not sure i don't know from life before bloggin...i'm still working on that one.
Kimberly... she only has good news... random... but good
Carol because she gives me that perspective from the other side of the pond
the Popr lady... she gives me that little bit of heartland i need :)
Rachel because every time i visit her i enjoy myself....

ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE...

Please Read all the way to the bottom:

If you will take the time to read these. I promise you'll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis:

They're written by Andy Rooney , a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words. Enjoy.......

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted wit h a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your l ooks.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

blogging without high speed internet...

just imagine if you lived in a city or suburb where there wasn't high speed Internet... does anyone remember those days... or are you stuck in those days...

I had email in 1992... i remember how long it took to get the email thru my dial up back then... ouch... thankfully i only knew 2 people who also had email...

I think it's what keeps me from wanting to move out to the sticks... get away from the craziness that is puget sound...but oh the things we would have to give up... at the top of the list... Target, Costco, Trader Joe's and high speed internet... how can one blog???

I need my connection... I was without my computer the last few nights and I feel very disconnected... I'm the one who blogged almost every day of her 2 week vacation...

Guess what they have for this problem....

Hughes net

HughesNet is the broadband internet access solution that’s availableeverywhere – all you need is a clear view of the southern sky. HughesNetuses advanced two-way satellite technology to give you a super fast, alwayson Internet connection so there’s no more dialing-up, logging on or waitingaround. With HughesNet, you can surf the Internet at super-fast speeds, workfrom home or manage a small business. HughesNet provides broadband Internet
access to areas where fiber, cable or DSL are not available.

So now if I could just get over my Costco, Trader Joes and Target addiction I could move to the wide open spaces... imagine the blog possibility of living far away... we could all have these great farms like Kristen's parents from loving our simple life... and tell everyone about it without the sacrifice of our high speed... come to think of it i could do all my shopping on line with my high speed internet and make a monthly pilgrimage to for what I can't order online...

A little Somethin' Somethin'!

Many of you may be wondering what you missed out in the something contest... well the wait is over... my dear bloggy friend Kristen @ loving our simple life won... if you haven't been by to say hello be sure and do...

and graciously excepted my offer to be my very first guest here is fish land to tell us all about it... so without further ado I give kristen my blog...



Hey y'all! (Said in my best Midwestern accent!) It's Kristen from Loving Our Simple Life! Today Marla has been kind enough to let me steal, ahem, I mean borrow her blog! Woohooo. My first guest post! You never know how crazy I could be on SOMEONE else's blog. Ooohhhhhh the possibilities.

Remember a couple of weeks back when the ever FAB-U-LOUS Marla did a giveaway? Did you enter?

Well I did, and I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON!!! (Dancing around the house yelling "I won", and throwing in the occasional Wooo Hoooo! Also said in my best Midwestern accent!)

I know, I know, I should try and be more mature about the whole thing, but seriously my blog friends, I NEVER win. And by NEVER, I mean NEVER!

So there I was, sitting on the couch next to the hubby with laptop in hand. Checking to see if possibly (not a chance, since again, I NEVER win) my luck could have changed. Could I have been lucky enough to win "something"? When sure enough, lady luck forgot to be against me, and was indeed on my side! I started yelling at Chet that I had won something!

"What did you win?"

"SOMETHING!"

"Well, what is it?"

"It's SOMETHING!"

"Kristen, clearly it is something, but what kind of SOMETHING did you win?"

"CHET, I DON"T KNOW! THAT'S WHY IT IS CALLED A SOMETHING!"

(Start thinking Abbot and Costello routine and you have what took place that night.)

But, really did it matter what my something was? I think not. The thrill for this Mama of two was in the winning!

Fast forward a week, and my sweet little somethin', somethin' arrived in the mail.


As our family gathered in the kitchen to unwrap the much awaited something, tension and excitement grew. Our 3 year old kept asking "What is it?". His Mama of course answered "something!" And the Abbot and Costello routine played out again.

And TE-DAH..............................This is what my "something" was!






A travel game called Ludo. The Perfect little somethin', somethin' for a traveling family of 4!!

Thanks again Marla for doing such a wonderful giveaway! You made this little Mama's day/week/month/year!

Now I promised Marla that I would give her blog back. As I too need to get to my much anticipated Fall TV line-up, I mean trash, or reality shows, whatever you want to call them. Thanks again Marla for being the Hostess with the Mostess and for letting me steal, ahem, borrow your blog for a post.

confessions of a trash tv watcher II....

so as i revealed last week i'm a trash TV watcher...

in case you are wondering... he picked Peyton... i did a happy dance...
and gossip girl... let's just say that i like them better in manhattan than the hamptons... saying it is more viewable seems ridiculous... but there is something not at all believable about their parent less summer life.... sounds even more ridiculous now that i have written it out....

90210 on the other hand... billed as "An edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic drama "Beverly Hills, 90210,"... i'm thinking i'm going to have to watch it again to fully get the little things... like how the little kids from back in the day are now attending west beverly...Andrea Zuckerman's daughter works on the news team :P and kelly's little sister is one of the main characters who has a blog outing her classmates bad habits etc...

it's pretty much nothing like the original... for one the budget is about 1000 times bigger... this is only making me feel OLD!!! i'm also hung up on Shenae Grimes commenting on the show by saying something like this version will deal with real issue facing kids tooday unlike the original... well Shenae... that was 20 years ago... they may seem lame and unreal... but they were then...i'm defense...

i hope they fill in more gaps of what happened to the rest of the gang as the season goes on... because i fear i am hooked...

things to do before i die

In Random fashion I came across Jennifer @ the peterson's go public.. and this great post...

she had heard on the radio recently that Dave Freeman, 47, co-author of the book 100 Things To Do Before You Die-----died. He fell and hit his head and that was it. Apparently he was only half way through his list too......

As you might remember I'm not as boring as I thought...

how boring am I....

But there's still a lot more I would love to do before I'm too old...

My random find suggested an even 20 seemed do-able and I agree.... her you go...

20 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE (in no particular order and not as earth shattering as I thought they would be... what is holding me back???):

1. Attend an NFL game
2. walk the great wall of china with "B"
3. pay for someone I don't know to go to college
4. visit Denmark with super hubby
5. learn how to knit... I think I knew once... but can't remember
6. learn to surf
7. overcome my fear of heights
8. drive cross country with my kids and visit everything along the way
9. spend a week at a spa with my mom
10. attend an Olympic event... as a spectator :)
11. win a photography contest
12. meet Sting
13. speak another language fluently
14. drive a tractor trailer
15. run for public office... i'm thinking school board
16. write a book
17. see the pyramids
18. spend the night in the ice hotel
19. have a king size bed to sleep in every night
20. live abroad for at least a year
    
    ***And I would LOVE to read your list! Let me know when you make it!***

I see Jenn @ Jenn's Pen did this too...

the more of these lists i see the more i think maybe i could do 100... i'm down with most of hers as well.... maybe 21. commit to my choices.