Turtle Fragments and other stuff!

Topic of the week

Listening

To pay attention and be genuinely interested in understanding 

what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting 

or what the message means.

It's Friday so you know what that means. Time for our weekly installment of fragmenty goodness. Brought to us by Mrs. 4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

I'm getting started early. It is still Thursday and I'm writing this post. My daughter has decided not to wake up this morning, and even though I know it means she'll be up all night I'm leaving her be. I just have to get the bed time ritual down. School is starting in three weeks and she is all over the place with her bed time. All totally my fault for not introducing a routine. Once she is down she is a great 11-12 hour sleeper so I've allowed flexibility with the start time... which until now has worked. Now I want to force the girl into a routine when she has never had one.... any ideas?

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I'm super excited and sad too. My best friend from New York is coming tonight and will be here until Monday. We used to get together 3-7 times a week when I was single and living in New York! Now we get MAYBE one visit a year. Sadly she is coming out for her Dad'd funeral which makes the whole thing very sad. He had been ill a long time so it isn't unexpected but it is still hard. Tamara is afraid of flying so the poor thing is pretty anxious about getting on that plane. I can't even imagine the shape she'll be in when I pick her up later tonight.

Several years ago I flew with her so she could get the courage to fly  (it took her Dad's death to get her on a plane alone this time.) She wanted to go to a reunion in her old home of Pinedale WY. It was a great trip. I got to see the big sky country with a native and I got some real insight into the small town gal that was my big city friend. Both plane rides were filled with her clutching my hand and praying to God for strength. I imagine this trip she will be getting to know her seat mates pretty well.

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We are jam-packing our last couple weeks of summer. Next week I'm attending Bloggy Boot Camp in San Francisco and we have decided to make a weekend of it. We're heading up on Friday. While I'm Boot Camping my Sweetie and the Girl will be doing other San Francisco inspired things and we will all in all pretend we still live there. Moving out of the city was the right thing to do for our family and my formerly long commuting sweetie, but sometimes we really miss it. It will be a ton of fun to be there!

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Hope you took a moment to enter my Turtle inspired giveaway... oh, wait it isn't MY giveaway it is Sarah over at Little Citizen's of the World's Giveaway. Go there to enter now if you haven't already!

In other Turtle-ish news, the Environmental Defense fund is looking for signatures on it's petition to require an actual accounting of the wildlife devastation in the gulf . Go here for more information and to add your signature to the petition. As of this writing we have 18,617 signatures toward a goal of 20,000.

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If you like giveaways, I have a little Serenity inspired one going on over at Everyday Bliss. Hop on over and enter by sharing a favorite photo!

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Since I haven't done Friday Fragments in a couple of weeks you haven't gotten some of the recent antics from The Girl. Here are a few of the last week's classics:

Heard in Lake Tahoe: "Look! Helicopters on a string!" (Gondolas)

‎"I am taping you in there daddy." Much scotch tape is used all over the bathroom door. From inside Hubbie asks, Why? -- "I don't want you to come out and go to work."

Said under her breath as I cam close enough to see she was playing with my phone, "Oh no. I hear mommy. I better run faster"

The Teen years have come a bit early.
What was the favorite part of your day Sweets? "Nothing. I didn't like anything."

Lately she tries throwing things that have NOTHING to do with each other together to see if the confusion will get her what she wants!

Please don't draw on your face with that marker. "But it's red!"
Please leave my computer alone. "But it has a light mommy."

Upon being told it was time to go home, " I want to live at Sophia's house now. You can get a new baby and call it Sweets."

And my all time favorite for the week:
‎"Keep your eyes closed!" Why Sweets? "I'm going to do something."

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Well, I hear my Girl rousting in the other room! It is time for mommy duty again! 

Have a great Friday Everyone and do visit some of the other friendly fragmenters.... always a tidbit or two worth reading!!!

Next Post: Unsure! With my friend in town, I'm not sure when I'll get to post again... soonish I am sure! Have a great weekend everyone!

My Thirteen Virtues of Great Parenting are:

Fun, Discipline, Creativity, Love, Wonder, Listening, Curiosity,Compassion, 

Trust, Acceptance, Empowerment, Humility and Flexibility

This week is all about Listening. Next week 's topic is Curiosity.