Monday, June 15, 2009

Monday Musings (by Mr. Gaskill Rascal)


(I've been asked to start doing regular guest posting on this blog and in an effort to appease the Mrs, I’ve agreed to post about once a week about various topics. It will mostly consist of things in the world I find humorous, annoying, or just plain dumb. I am, after all, the smartest person I know.)

This past weekend we were up visiting NanaMax™ and as we were leaving, I made a quick stop into the restroom. Now, NanaMax have a lovely restroom filled with all the things you would normally find in there…hand towels, soap, TP, and of course a bottle of Febreze (for Max not Nana, I’m sure). Now, usually air fresheners have all kinds of lovely scents associated with them – I’m thinking something like “Summer Breeze”, “Mountain Fresh”, or maybe even “Vanilla Spice”. But this particular bottle of Febreeze was labeled as “Moroccan Bazaar”. Uh? Admittedly, I’ve never actually been to a Moroccan Bazaar, but couldn’t they just have easily called this scent “European Flea Market”? And why
would you possible want your bathroom to smell like that?*

The first thing that came to mind was this time in college when I used to referee basketball. There was this one team made up entirely of guys from the Greek Student Association (why they needed an association, I'm not sure, but I digress.) I’m sure these students were very nice people, but holy cow these guys smelled horrific. Like they hadn’t taken a shower in weeks. Seriously. At first, I thought it might have been part of their strategy to keep people from playing close defense on them, but the more I thought about it I was convinced this is just how these particular students lived. We used to make the freshmen referees do all their games, until we were told to stop because of the school's hazing policy. That’s what I’m pretty sure a “Moroccan Bazaar” would smell like.

In my bathroom? No thank you. (In Nana's defense, she got it because the brown bottle matched the rest of the bathroom, not for the scent. Fair enough. The impracticality of house decorating is a blog post for another day).

Anyway, as I did a little investigative research, I learned that Febreeze also has a complimentary scent called “Brazilian Carnival”. Are you telling me that the makers of Febreze have so exhausted the list of scents in the world that they best they could come up with is that of a South American fair? Really? Do they at least serve cotton candy at these carnivals? Because that would smell good, but then why not just call it “Cotton Candy”.

To commemorate this new found knowledge of the sweet aromas of the world, I’ve come up with a list of fragrances that I’d like to recommend to the smell-improvement industry. No need to send me the royalty checks. Just a simple thank you will do:

Wet Dog, by Old Spice
Diaper Genie in the Sun, from Yankee Candle
Crusty Fishing Boat, by Lysol NeutraAir
Scented Tide Laundry Detergent, now with new homeless man stench
Sunday Morning Frat House, by Ralph Lauren


*Yes, I realize that Morocco is actually in North Africa, not Europe. But it’s on the Med and was under Spanish and French control for a long time (thanks, Wikipedia!) so I’m lumping it in with the rest of Europe for the purpose of this blog.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Never too early

I have to admit that I haven't felt inspired to write lately.
Traveling this past week, giving up the paci, and dropping the naptime has drained us a little. Lately, Danny fluctuates between being a loving boy and a 2 1/2 year old(can you guess what that means?). Last night he asked for mommy(not daddy..gasp!) to put him to bed and wanted to cuddle lots this morning. I am hoping this means the early bed time and the dropping all naps is helping him with his daily grouchiness. I can't imagine where he gets his grumpy-when-I-wake-up gene from. Who am I kidding? With Scott and I both, the odds are against him in that area.

I have discovered that it is never too early to share truth with your children. I never doubted this before, but seeing it in action is so exciting. I explained sin to Danny the other day and just a few minutes ago I overheard him talking about it. He was saying "I do something bad and then I have a timeout and tell God I am sorry for yelling at people." I had explained that there has to be a punishment when people do bad things and used the timeout to explain it. I am amazed that he knows stuff like God listens to me and He is always with me and Jesus was God as a man. In one breath I am frustrated with the sin nature that is manifested through his interactions with us and his brother....but in the next breath I see the fact that our hearts do have a desire for God and worshiping our creator. We were eating in Sams(how many times do I type that in my blog?) and he breaks out in "This is the day that the Lord has made....". God has great plans for Danny and I can't wait to see how He is going to use our sweet, sensitive, smart little boy.

I can't wait to share our trip to Atlanta with you, but I first need to get on the ball and load the photos. Yeah....maybe giving up nap means I give up some other activities too! Don't worry. I will do it soon!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Top Five

Top Five Reasons Giving up a Pacifier is Hard Work.

#5 Who can resist those sweet blue eyes looking up at you and saying on the verge of tears..."I NEEEEEEED my buuuuuubee!" What parent doesn't want to provide all that their child needs? focus, focus, we have an end goal.

#4 Good intentioned observers will often say "Don't worry, he won't go to Kindergarten with the pacifier in his mouth." But what if my child is the first? Will that ruin his Kindergarten reputation? Who wants to share the coloring table with a kid who has a piece of plastic hanging out of his mouth?

#3 Waking up at 11pm, 2am, 3am, 5am, and 6am because of teething babies, little boys who can't go back to sleep, and dog needing to potty after eating giant clump of homemade play dough is enough to wear down a mommy's nerves. Worn down mommy is more likely to "give in" and make the pacifier reappear.

#2 Having to bring the firetruck, front loader, and matchbox garbage truck to bed is almost as bad as the pacifier. And don't get me started about what happens when you can't find one of the crucial bedtime trucks.

#1 Trust me little boy, I have heard it all now. Needing your blanket pulled up, pillow fixed, sippee cup moved, fan turned on, stuffed animal kissed, bible read, blanket fixed again, nightlight brightened, top of head kissed, questioned answered, etc., etc., are ALL just stalling tactics to the task at hand. And that is GETTING YOU TO SLEEP!


May you rest in peace dear pacifier/bubee.
We will miss you greatly.
May the day when we forget you come quickly!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sorry, he's taken

I am going to be very careful to not influence choices that my boys have to make in their teenage years. Of course, we will help guide them to make good choices, but when it comes to who they like, what they wear, how they wear their hair....it might be better for me to not make my preference known. Or else, they may decide to do the opposite! My policy will be to not major in the minors and trust that they will make good decisions. Don't get me wrong our house is not a free-for-all environment, but I think most parents get my drift. Gentle urgings are much better to get the right "ideas" in their head and then let them "think" that they are the ones coming up with the great ideas.
All this to say, I think I better back off in one area. Do you think he will remember that when he was two and a half, his mom and her friend had their two babies paired up. Every time we take a cute photo of Danny and Caroline, we joke that we are putting it in the rehearsal dinner file. Maybe it is rubbing off, because Danny will tell you that Caroline is his girlfriend and that he is going to marry her. uhoh. Girls, he's taken! But he does have a handsome younger brother!
Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Lebanese festival with Danny's "girlfriend" and her family!









Friday, May 8, 2009

our trip to VA Beach

"Like Panama City Beach without the rednecks and trashy bars" or something like that is how my husband describes one of our favorite beach locations. Richmonders would have no idea what PCB is like, since nobody here travels to the gulf coast. It's all about OBX and Myrtle Beach for our neighbors. But we really love VA Beach, too. It has a great board walk and lots of fun places to eat. People who know me well, know that I have a love for little beach bars that serve decent food and great drinks while you sit on a patio overlooking the ocean. AHHHHHH! And this past trip was proof that we can: vacation with out grandparents(though having them there is a huge plus!), stay in one tiny room, get sick, have horrible weather, AND STILL have a great time with our boys!

And here are the pictures as proof:








Sunday, May 3, 2009

Scott's big catch

We are all very proud of our daddy for catching his biggest fish ever on Saturday. If it wasn't so ugly, we might have tried to mount it. It broke our nets, weighing in at around 25 to 30 lbs and 2 1/2 to 3 feet. rough guesstimates.

Danny thought it was trying to eat him and refused to come close for the photo opportunity.

But Scott was proud and posed with it. He has found ways to bring it up in conversation over the past day..."hey, remember yesterday when I caught that HUGE fish?"







next up: beach photos!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Wow, he's one!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to Joshie,

Happy Birthday to you!




Monday, April 20, 2009

nicknames

We are fascinated with names lately. When people ask Danny his name, he replies "DanielRobertGaskill" People are usually surprised. I guess they don't expect so many words to come out of this little boy. And they think he is at least four years old with his vast vocabulary...yes. He does talk alot. (I answer that question multiple times a week!)
Today he has started calling me Momma. cute. And definitely lifting my spirits on an otherwise gloomy day. It is pouring rain(yeah for the grass and new blueberry bush!) and we just got back from a visit to the doctor. Poor Joshie has an ear infection that has kept him and his parents up most of the night. My family will agree that mommy is one of those people that function much better on at least 7 hours of sleep. Translation: No sleep = grouchy mommy. And on top of all that we are missing our favorite activity of the week: Playgroup! Sad. So to hear a little boy call out momma and want to snuggle just warms a heart. Sometimes I'm Mommy. Sometimes I'm Mom. Sometimes I'm Anne(we have to quickly correct that one!) He is also interested in stranger's names. He keeps asking them their name until they tell their full name. Danny is not shy.
Now, as promised, some photos from our trip to Maryland. We had fun at the Boyd Bear Factory, shopping, playing, going to Nana and Max's church, hiding and finding sports eggs, coloring eggs, baking cookies, hunting eggs at the Giant, etc. Scott and I even went on a "day-long" date to D.C. It is always nice visiting Nana and Max!









Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Happy Easter

What a joy it has been to celebrate holidays and important times in our faith with a little boy. Repeatedly telling the truth of the bible has been a blessing as we are reminded of why we have these holidays. Christmas was so joyful and Easter has also been special. I love the fact that Danny really gets it. He had us cracking up as he waved a palm he made at church and yelled "Jesus is King" to our neighbors. Maybe we have a future missionary? The neighbor girls looked at him with curious faces. Oh, by the way....they are Jewish. Not so much believing the whole Jesus thing. Fortunately, we have a very open conversation about faith with them and they respect and appreciate our differences. Looking forward to the Backyard Bible Club this summer!
Here are some favorite photos from Sunday....

I think this shows how hard it is to catch them sitting nice....And it is funny b/c Josh is yelling and being loud.


Here is some brother love!!


If only I had taken away the ball before this photo.


Our fam!


Coming up soon: Pictures from our trip to Nana and Max's house!

Friday, April 3, 2009

snow day

Our little snow baby!


So, it was like a month ago, but we did get some photos of the "big snow storm"! Pollack loved it, Danny loved it, and Josh was cold. School was canceled for three full days and one half day. Despite the fact that we live 8 hours north of Atlanta, Richmond is not ready for huge doses of cold icy wetness anymore than our former home. It was a nice break from the busyness, but we are ready for the WARM BREEZY SPRING that Richmond is known for! I love the seasons here!

Joshie is checking out the snow and waiting!


Yeah...that's about 6-7 inches. Pollack is loving it!


We had some trouble opening the door!


Happy dog with a stick in the snow.


I found these boots for about $4 at the thrift store. love it!