RIDE FOR KIDS

This year’s RIDE FOR KIDS event will be at Quiet Waters Park on Sunday, April 3 2011.

Registration begins at 8:00 AM. Address: 401 South Powerline Rd, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.

The Ride For Kids event raises money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds the research that will someday cure our children of brain cancer.

The Craven & Meyer’s family goal this year is $5,000!

Every dollar counts, so don't be shy about a $10 donation.

If you would like to make your donation by credit card on a secure site, you may do so online at:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michelle-craven/jimmy

Online is definitely the easiest way to donate!

If you, or someone you know, is interested in riding at this year’s event or volunteering, please leave a comment.

If you are interested in joining a ride in your part of the USA, click on the following link: 2011 Ride Events to find a ride closest to you and it’s scheduled date.

Thank you for your support, your donation, and above all, for caring about kids like Jimmy.

CHRIS'S CAR

True story:

Just the other day, as we were pulling up into Grandma & Grandpa's house, I pointed out Grandma's car. She looked around the driveway and saw the Porsche. She then pointed at it and exclaimed: "Oh, that's Chris's car!"

This has started a feud between father and son.

Chris couldn't have been happier.

CHRISTMAS # 3 MOM-MOM'S

Joey's 3rd "Christmas" was Christmas Eve at Mom-mom's.

Uncle Cracker was wearing a very education shirt about Rudolph.

Auntie Ro was visiting.

Joey took to her immediately.

Ou-dou and Dode were visiting too.

Joey and Dode were having growling contests that were fun to watch.

Mandy's parents were also there.

It was a full house!

Mom-Mom's Grands.

Matt & Mandy got Joey a bicycle!

She knew it was hers from the moment she walked in the living room.

She's getting good at this opening presents thing.

Mom-Mom's living room isn't big enough for all those people and all that stuff.

TODDLER COUGH & COLD

I have toddler cough and cold.

But toddlers are a different species, as any parent knows.

Remember when H1N1 crossed over from pigs to humans and was way worse for the humans?

Same thing.

I have no voice and am developing a sinus infection from my daughter's cough and cold.

WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT POOPING?

Apparently a lot.

Joey took to peeing on the big girl potty pretty easily.

We kinda followed the Christina method.

Christina is KaKi's neighbor and used to babysit kids.

You take 3 days and spend it at home, with your kid, constantly.

No diapers.

1st day - Set a timer. Every couple of minutes, you go sit on the potty. You are trying to catch that first pee-pee. After you do, you can lengthen the intervals before forced potty breaks.

CANDY is a treat given whenever your child goes in the potty. More for poo-poo.

2nd day - optional panties.

3rd day- start working on having your child tell you when she/he has to go, not just you telling him/her it is time.

After that, potty trained.

Joey is still yet to poo-poo on the big girl potty. But she has been on the constipated side her whole life, and they are still as large and hard as ever I think that might be part of the problem.

She has told us several times RIGHT before it starts to come out. She even got so close that she was able to finish in the potty once, but she hasn't figured out how to notify us in time yet. She is still learning the "I gotta go" feeling.

Pee-pee she's got down.

We keep her in pull-ups overnight, but so far she is even dry then.

She still has some accidents at school, like on the playground, mainly because she doesn't want to stop playing. But even then, if she lets some go, she holds the rest for the toilet. So she has wet undies, but still goes in the potty.

I think I'm going to adjust her diet to soften her poo for about a week and see if that helps her master the feeling.

Any suggestions?

Will report back.

CHRISTMAS # 2

Yes, we still only have 1 kid.

Part of that is the decoration storage boxes. We wrap them up, and create a barrier between her and the Christmas tree. Not that she can't climb that easily, but it is a reminder and a deterrent.

Look what Santa brought!

Yeah, thanks a lot Santa.

She LOVED her tricycle.

(At least the bell, anyways.)

Great. Now maybe she'll stop wanting to brush Mommy's long hair.

CHRISTMAS AT KAKI'S

Santa's little helper doesn't look to Jolly here but I swear she was in a good mood.

Just an off picture.

Her royal majesty's throne.

The first present she opened was her new Mickey chair.

She then sat upon her throne and presents were brought to her to open.

How many grown men does it take to put together one toddler's toys?

DEFINITION OF CLASSIC ROCK

How old does a song have to be before you can play it on a classic rock station?

20, 25 years old?

I just heard Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit on Big 106.

It hasn't been 20 years since it smelled like gunshot residue and Kurt Cobain was no more.

The song was released, like, exactly 20 years ago.

But that leads to a new question...

How do we track the evolution of Classic Rock?

Many of Madonna's songs are over 20 years old, but I don't expect to hear them on Big 106.

Don't get me wrong, I like her, but she isn't Classic Rock. (Or Rock & Roll, while we're on the subject. She shouldn't be in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame either.)

Nirvana was solidly Alternative.

They were not rock.

Music ages in dog years and yes, many of our 90's rock music is now found in elevators; the retirement home for old songs.

But call Nirvana "classic alternative", not classic rock and get your own fucking station.

Now, exceptions. (there always are)

1) Old bands, new music.

Rolling Stones is the quintessential classic rock band. But they are still churning out the hits.

I'm okay with hearing new music from an old classic rock band on my classic rock station.

2) Song is classic rock, band isn't.

Ever heard of the power ballad? Sometimes bands that are mostly something else, dabble in the other. If the song is classic rock, play it.

3) Straddling the fence / morphing bands.

Green Day used to be alternative, but I'd almost call them Rock now.

Eric Clapton used to be Classic Rock, but is almost exclusively blues now.

And there have always been great bands that have straddled the fence. I'm not trying to be a purist here, but don't argue with me about a slippery slope till we're already sliding, okay?

At the end of the day, it smelled like barf in my car when I nearly threw up at hearing that song on my classic rock station. I do understand that Miami is left without a rock station now that 93.1 went Coastal, but please don't throw that on BIG's shoulders.

2 SECONDS

Mommy: "Joey, how old are you?"

Joey: "I'm 2 seconds!"

Apparently whenever Joey asks me to do something, I must tell her I'll do it in 2 seconds a little too often.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!

Somebody turns 2 today!

PELICAN FEEDING

The Wild Bird Sanctuary down the street from our house in the keys.

MM 94, Key Largo, bayside

At 3:30 pm, they feed the wild pelicans. They do this so they can look for injured birds, keep tabs on migration numbers, stuff like that.

Boy, is it a show!

LAND OF THE PAINTED CAVES

Jean Auel's last book is finally coming! THE LAND OF THE PAINTED CAVES

Yes, the rest of the series doesn't hold a candle to CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, but I still need my Ayla fix. I need to see how it ends!

POP ROCKS

GONE FISHIN'

It's Tuesday or Wednesday, the week before Christmas...

Where are you?

My dad told the office he was going fishin' with his granddaughter and his dog.

(Chris & I were apparently party crashers.)

"Merry Keysmas"

Passed this house in Taverneer Creek.

1st fishing trip for both Petey and Joey.

Joey understood the concept, Petey wanted to catch/eat the bait.

The only person who caught anything was Joey...

she caught some Zzzs when we got back.

TEAM JACOB

Okay,

I'm way late to the party but I just watched the 3 Twilight movies in the past week.

I am so totally team Jacob.

That boy is so fine!

O' CHRISTMAS TREE, O' CHRISTMAS TREE

The lower 1/3 of our Christmas Tree this year was brought to you by Joey.

I put the ornaments into 2 piles:

Ones that Joey could put up and breakables.

She really got a kick out of actually being able to bend over HER pile, pick an ornament, and put it anyone on the tree she pleased.

Side story:

On my 3rd Christmas, my parents had laid all the ornaments out on the couch and then the phone rang. When they got back, I had put every ornament on tree. Of course, I could only reach a 3rd of the way up. My parents left the tree that way. Naked for the top 2/3, decorated by Michelle the bottom 1/3.

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE

Joey was in her 1st Christmas recital.

She did everything you'd expect for a first.

She rang jingle bells...

Picked her nose on stage...

And put her fingers in her ears cause' she didn't like the other kids singing...

We are so proud!

SINGING AND SWINGING

SAFE & SOUND

Okay, we're finally home!

Haven't blogged in a while because we've been on vacation since before Christmas.

Went to the Keys, Ohio, NC and Jacksonville before finally getting home today.

Tons of stories and pictures to follow in the next few weeks. Will probably take me months to catch up!