10 Things Your Dad Never Said

10. Well, how about that! I'm lost. Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.

9. You know, Lisa, now that you're thirteen, you'll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?

8. Don't worry, I can pick out a car for you now that you are sixteen.  Come on, it will only take an hour or two and you'll be driving your first car. 

7. Here's $50 bucks Mike. Go crazy!

6. What do you mean you want to be different than your friends?  You have to do the same things that they do, son.  So if they jump off a bridge I want you to jump right after them.

5. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend Jenny. You might want to consider throwing a party.

4. You know now that you are a teenager you can stay out as late as you want.  Curfews are not necessary for you kids.

3. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now, quit your belly aching and let's go to the mall.

2. Why do you want to go and get a job? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

1. Father's Day? Ah, don't worry about that. It's no big deal!

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
- Theodore Hesburgh

Mothers

All of you out there know what it is like to cause your Mother to worry.  Mom's worry about just everything.  It seems once you have your first child someone out there pushes the worry button for you and once the button is pushed there is no off switch.  Even when your children are grown adults you still worry about them.  I guess it is part of our nature.  We always want the best for our kids and want them to grow up to be happy, healthy adults.  Mothers are a strange breed in that we think we can save our offspring from just about everything.  We ultimately know that that is not really going to happen, but we pray that if we wish it so - it will be.

We are full of advice for our kids.  Do they listen?  Are you kidding me?  It's like talking to the toaster or better yet, it's like sticking a knife in the toaster while it is still plugged in.  "Shock and awe" you every time. 
Mothers only offer advice on two occasions: when you want it and when you don't.

From my many years of experience at being a Mother and Grandmother I have learned the following:

Your mother is the only person that knows more about you than you know about yourself.

Any time you are unable to solve a problem, ask your mother. She probably won't know either, but she will fake it.

The nicer a mother is, the greater the probability that her kids are rotten.

Never lie to your mother. And if you do, never think you got away with it.

The older you are, the more you feel like a child around your mother

All mother's have a "How To" manual. That's because they wrote the book.

Mother's way is best. If you don't believe it, ask her.

No matter how wrong you are, your mother will not hold it against you. She may remind you a number of times, but she will not hold it against you.

 MOTHERS WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!

What Woman doesn't Love Shoes

I just bought a new pair of sandals today and they are so cute.  I love shoes, to my hubby's dismay.  I probably own close to 40 pairs, maybe more or maybe a few less.  I have never had the courage to really count them.  I know that there are some that I may only wear once a year, but honestly, I really do need them.  And it is just heartbreaking to say goodbye to them.  Cleaning out my closet of shoes is always a volition I could do without.  I know that there are some that I haven't had on in several years, like my snow boots.  But then again you just never know when I will need 'em.  Living in Florida and not going to cold country but once in a blue moon, it is probably safe to say that they are only worn every 4 or five years.  And maybe having 2 pairs of snow boots is a real stretch, but remember, they are "so cute!".

I used to buy high heels, but since the age of 60 I pretty much stick to flats.  I still have a few spectator heels and some "have to have" black heels.  I normally wear daily either sandals or sneakers in the Summer and my loafers in the Fall and Winter.  Right now I am in the sandal mode and have come across some sweet looking ones.  I am not crazy about the between the toes ones but if they are attractive enough they're worth purchasing.

I guess I am very fortunate that I have the extra dough to spend on frivolous shoes.  Man, what if I didn't?  Have you heard this one?...................

Your Mama is so poor when I saw her wobbling down the street with one shoe, I hollered- "lost a shoe?", and she said-"Nope... just found one..."     LOL!  

I was shopping on line for a new pair of sneakers when I came across these heels below.  Now, are they sumpin' or what????   .

   

  

The Ferrari Shoes are just too, too CUTE! 

If you have a choice of selling shoes to ladies or giving birth to a flaming porcupine... look into that second, less painful career.
- Richard Jeni, 1957 - 2007

Our Little Family Toddler Got a BooBoo Today!

The phone call that always scares the pants off of you begins:  "Mama, I need you to come over, the baby is hurt".  Yep, he's a climber and had climbed onto one of the dining room chairs, stood up, and then fell forward, chair and all, onto a tile floor!  Oh my heavens!  Jenny said he bled profusely from his little mouth. 

Well after a trip to the doctors, he was diagnosed as ripping his vestible (the skin that runs between your lip and gums).  He also has a very fat lip.  Poor lil' dumplin'.  He will be all right and it will heal, but it has got to hurt like crazy!  God bless him!

He has quite a BOOBOO!

Oh yeah, little boys can really make your heart beat faster.  Especially toddlers, when they are in to everything and it seems you can't take your eyes off of them.  David and his older brother (who just had his 3rd Birthday celebration) are pretty much a handful.  I think I mentioned this a couple of days ago.  Well, here is a good breakdown of what and how this age thinks:

If it's mine it's mine,
if it's yours it's mine,
if I like it is mine,
if I can take it from you it is mine,
if I am playing with something ALL of the pieces are mine,
if I think it is mine it is,
if I saw it first it's mine,
if I had it then put it down it is still mine,
if you had it then you put it down it is now mine,
if it looks like the one I have at home it is mine,
if it is broken it is yours.

Yes, my daughter is now experiencing motherhood in all its glory.  As she aptly put it the other day -  The hardest job you will ever love!



And just so you Moms out there know I have been there, done that, here are a few more Motherhood laws that all of you will learn:

The more preparation time for the meal the less likely a child is to eat it.

and

As soon as the child is in the car and the car has left the driveway the child will have to use the bathroom.

May God Bless all Moms!

My favorite New Items

Being in the senior group, I tend to go back to the past and memories of what used to be, but I thought I would just like to mention just a few things that make my life so much easier in today's world.  Things that I enjoy right now.  Things that have really made my day.  Oh, and there are many.  Sometimes I think "what would I do without them?".  But then, a lot of them are just conveniences.  New technology is just great.  Sure, they make for a stress-free time, but more than that, they are just fun.

I guess first on my list is the computer.  Wow, what a difference it has made in my life.  The very first thing I do in the morning is get up and drink a cup of coffee and sit down at the computer.  No more newspapers for me.  I can get up to date with the news and check my e-mails.  No more letter writing. Then a quick trip to Facebook, Pinterest, and my Blog.  Hmmm! I got up at 7 and it is now 9.  Time flies when you are having fun.  Ahhhh! RETIREMENT!  I just love it.

Now it's time to check my i-phone (SUPER COOL!) and my google calendar to plan my day.  The google calendar is about the neatest thing I've come across lately.  I can check it out or add a note just about anywhere.  Just how neat is that?

And looking around the den I can see it is time to run the roomba.  Heh, Heh!  Just sit on my fat bums and watch Toby, our long haired dachsund run for the hills.  It does a pretty good job on picking up most of the dog hair and a few crumbs.  To be honest with you though, a once a week dyson vacuum is always a good idea.  That is when I literally have to stand up and walk around the room.  Well, a girl has to get some exercise, doesn't she?





A person can't go a day without using the microwave or the automatic dishwasher.  And how about the icemaker in the door of the refrigerator?  Yeah, our Grandmothers would faint if they could see us now.  Frozen dinners, ready made soups, granola bars and yogurts - do we ever have to cook a meal from the start again? 

And lastly, my all time fave - my DVR.  I can set up to record all my shows and watch them at my leisure (in which I have a lot).  No commercials!  Life is Good! 

Wait a minute.......I forgot to get out of my PJ's today.  Yeah, I know, now if I could only find some new device to help me remember that just because I'm retired I still have to get dressed every day.  HMMMM!  OR DO I?



    

High School

Today I decided to join my old high school classmates on their new Facebook.  I graduated in 1963 from Fort Myers High School.  I could not believe how old everyone had become.  These people are really "old codgers" (I started to say "old farts", but decided against it!).  I really don't know what happened to them, but I hardly recognized any of 'em.  I mean they were really, really old.  My only response is that they must have all led hard lives.  They all looked like my Grandmother or Grandfather.  Could it be they fastforwarded in some time machine?  Heh!  Thank goodness that didn't happen to me.  Just to show you my results after 49 years look below:

           

1963 to 2012

O.K., so my hair has turned white and I am wearing glasses now, but really these people looked OLD!    By the way the glasses are just for cosmetic purposes and I always wanted to be a platinum blonde.  LOL!        It's all in the mind, all in the mind.  And you are as old as you feel.........And la, la, la!

I will say this "Time flies when you are having fun!"  And I've certainly had my share of that.  You know to be straight with ya', I would not give a hoot to be back there at 18 years old.  Yeah, I have a Grandson, Nick who will be there shortly.  And my advice to him would be to enjoy every minute of high school and college.  It will be fun to look back on those days, but know that the best is yet to come.  When you are 18, usually your inhibitions outweigh your confidences and it takes a few years more of living until you will really feel comfortable in your own skin.

It is great looking up old friends and seeing what they have been up to since we last saw each other.  It is interesting to hear what paths they each took and where they are now.  Listening to some of their stories makes me feel very lucky with the path that I chose.  How most of us have made it thus far is an interesting story in and of itself and the memories are still intact of those from the class of '63 who are no longer with us.  God has blessed the Ft. Myers High class of '63.

Welcome

"Beso del Sol"

Welcome to our new blog.  We have named it Beso del Sol after our beach condo.  For those of you not familiar with Spanish, "Beso del Sol" means "Kiss of the Sun".  As Chuck and I approach the Winter of our lives, what better way to explain our time on this earth than that we have both been "Kissed by the Sun".  This August we will be celebrating our 46th Wedding Anniversary!  We have certainly had a delicious life together and have really enjoyed this beautiful earth and all the pleasures it has given us.

Like everyone, we have had our ups and downs.  As you know, living is always full of surprizes.  We are just grateful to be here together to enjoy each day as it comes our way.  The whole idea of creating this site is so that our family and friends can share some of our experiences from the past as well as what lies ahead in the future for us.  We hope that you will drop by often and enjoy some of our stories.  You might just find them entertaining enough to make the "Beso del Sol" blog a frequented oasis and that we can share our "Kiss of the Sun".

To start off with our "Heaven away from Home" we would love to share with you our beach condo.  We bought it back in April 2004 and have pretty much remodeled the whole interior.  When we retired at the end of 2003, Chuck said to me "If you want that place on the ocean, this is the time to get it".  And on my 59th Birthday we signed the papers to "Beso del Sol".  What a joy it has been and continues to be.  There is nothing like getting away to the Atlantic Ocean for a few days no matter what the Season! Our beach condo website is http://www.besodelsol.com and below is our YouTube video that you might enjoy.