Party Time

Party time is right around the corner, tomorrow is the big day and I am starting to feel a little bit nervous. There are going to be a lot of people depending on me to show them a good time and I want it to go off without a hitch, as, those mysterious, "they", say. I have no idea how to punctuate that last thought.

Here is what we have done:

1. Bouncy House
2. B.B.Q.
3. Snow Cones
4. Popcorn
5. D.J.
6. Bocci
7. Croquet
   

Here is the list of things that I still need to get done:

1. Folding Tables
2. Table Clothes
3. Plastic Wine and Beer cups
4. Plastic Trash Barrels
1. Empty Bottles
2. Empty Cans
3. Trash
5. Paper Plates
6. Plastic Spoons, Forks and Knives
   
7. Ice, Tons of Ice!
8. Juice Boxes and other Kid Drinks, Water
   
9. Napkins
10. Snacks
11. Fruit, Watermelon
12. Off Insect repellent
13. Positive Attitude and Excited Demeanor

Number 13 should make up for anything that I have forgotten, wish us luck and if you are in the area stop by, It is going to be Great!

Dependent

Today I went to work without my glasses. I was four or five miles down the road this morning and running late when I realized I had left them on the night table. I decided I could make it one day without them, in hindsight I was not that late and nothing was as pressing as me spending the day without my crutch.

To see what I am writing I have to squint, it is terrible, my forehead is all wrinkled up and I am getting a headache. How did I make it this long? Peter has a new binky, an object he can't live without, I feel like having a temper tantrum, or packing it up and heading home. I have become dependent on my glasses.

When You Start

I have been looking at the blank page for nearly ten minutes now wondering what to write about. What is the process to continually come up with content? I don't have one. I write about my life and what is happening in it.

When I started this blog I had a list of generic parenting topics that I wanted to comment on, having covered that original list in the first three weeks finding new topics has become more and more difficult. I struggle with how much of my life to put out there and whether or not anybody cares. Does anybody really care if I went to a BNI meeting? Does anybody care if Heidi and I are starting a new business? What is missing in this blog is the universal, the topics that touch us all as parents and caregivers.

We all deal with diapers, sleepless nights, temper tantrums, crawling, first steps, first words and sentences. We all find ourselves catching our breath as the little being we have created develops into an individual. A person with their own thoughts, ideas and mannerisms. This development is a gift that we should cherish, Heidi and I are currently watching Thomas our 11 month old baby turn into a little boy and it is bittersweet. It is nice to be done with infants, however, watching a baby grow is witnessing a miracle and I am sad that we are leaving that part of our life behind.

I am excited about the next stage in our families development. We had three children in four years, Merry has attended her first year of pre-school and David will follow next year. There will be leagues and games and classes and camps. Interests will come and go, they will learn to read, write, add and subtract. They will discover bullies and cliques, vanity and modesty, pride and shame, pandora's box will be open before them. Their innocence will begin to erode, slowly, over time they will become teenagers. This is too much.

What will the future hold for the family in The Old Blue House? Heaven only knows, whatever it is we will address it and continue moving forward.

This is an example of what happens when you start, if you don't start nothing happens, when you do start it gets done. If you have been putting something off get going.

Fired Up!

I am feeling all fired up. Heidi and I hosted an Arbonne information meeting last night. The purpose is not to sell the product but to introduce select individuals to the Arbonne business model. I love taking chances and seeing Heidi get excited. The team Heidi is working with have a strategy and their success will come.

This morning my BNI group had a visitors day at a local conference center and it was very well attended. Being a part of this group is great, there are some high energy go getters in that room every Tuesday morning and it was nice to see our efforts pay off. I feed off the energy and the entrepreneurial spirit. This morning I was approached with one opportunity that I am having a very hard time passing up. MonaVie is another Direct Selling proposition that is brand new. If I were to get involved now I would be at the top of the "line", I have to keep reminding myself "one at a time" we will see where we and MonaVie are in six months and maybe give it a try.

The Tutu Boutique is nearly paid for and we are finally starting to see the balance sheet climb. Instead of sending all of the extra money to the credit card we are getting to keep it. It feels really good. I know that if Heidi puts the same energy into the Arbonne thing, that she put into the Tutu Boutique, she will hit a home run. The girl is Amazing, with two dogs, three children, two businesses and a serial blogging, risk junky for a husband, it has to be tough keeping it all together and she does. Look out world here we come!

The Carnival of Family Life

The carnival of family life is growing and with that growth comes change. Now that Kailani has it rolling she is shifting the host site around. This week you can find it here at Jennifer's Snapshot, I haven't read the posts yet but last week I won the box of chocolates so I am kind of partial to this carnival. If you have the time and the inclination head over and check it out.

Rainy Day

Another rainy day in the North East. There will be no painting today, Christmas 2008 is my new deadline. I am on the edge of opening up a new equity line on The Old Blue House and paying somebody to get it done.

I need the weather to be good next weekend because it is our annual 4th of July party. We are having it on Saturday and it is going to be fun. Heidi's Dad(Grampy) has a very nice piece of property overlooking the Parker River and the south end of Plum Island. It is high on a hill and there is a swimming pool and pool house nicknamed the Taj Mahal.

Team GES belongs to a trade network and through that association we have rented a Bouncy House, a Popcorn machine, a Snowcone maker, a D.J. and BBQ from a nearby rib joint. We are expecting close to 100 people so if your in the area send me an email and I will get you the address. It is going to be GREAT if the weather cooperates. Party starts at 3pm.

Questions Answered

Last night Heidi and I attended our first orientation meeting formally introducing us to Arbonne

On the home front, Thomas has learned a new trick. He screeches, blood curdling screeches that make your eardrums bleed. Short high decibel outbursts that get the attention of everyone within a five mile radius. In the beginning I thought his brother was lighting him on fire or the dog was eating his feet. Now, I know it is just an attention grab, the child screeches and when you make eye contact he smiles at you. and its business model. The presentation was very well done and the people in attendance made me feel comfortable. There are systems in place that if followed have proven to be very successful. I can follow directions and I am a fast learner, last night shed light on the future. Coming out of the dark and seeing the path before me makes sleep much easier. Now it is just a matter of getting down to "bidness". This is going to change, the behavior modification started last night at dinner. The screech is not met with concern anymore, the screech is met with a reprimand and an angry face. I hope it works because this screeching rubs nerves raw, I don't think Heidi can take much more of it.

That Funny Feeling

I haven't had this funny feeling since Heidi and I signed on with Prosper to start The Tutu Boutique. There is a pit in my stomach that won't go away and I am sure it is not associated with something I ate. The cause of this pit is the unknown, there is an adventure ahead and its outcome is yet to be decided. Something like the feeling I experience when the Red Sox play the yankees or the Patriots are in the play-offs.

The difference is that the outcome relies on our effort. I know there will be set backs, but as Edison said "I know a million ways not to make a light bulb" or something like that. The people who told me I was foolish for making the investment in The Tutu Boutique are now asking me to show them how they can do it. There are people telling me that this is a bad idea as well, I can't wait to sign them on down the road. Heidi and I will blaze the path, we will take the risk and reap the rewards.

Could you use a little extra money every month? Are you outgoing and personable? Do people respect you and your opinions? I did not ask if they agree with your opinions, I asked if they respect them. Do you enjoy a challenge with a large potential pay-off? Do you feel as though you are in a rut? Most importantly, do you believe in yourself?

If the answer to these questions is yes, lets work together and develop a team to be reckoned with. We are involved with some very smart women who are working very hard to make our Arbonne business a success. Heidi and I would like to help you develop your Arbonne business.

Contact Heidi at heidiATtutuboutiqueDOTcom if you want to learn more.

I wish I had this blog when we started the The Tutu Boutique. It would have been a lot of fun to have those memories available. I will be chronicling this new adventure here, hang on for a ride. This is the thing that is keeping me up at night, my new baby. Merry, David and now Thomas sleep through the night, it has been four years since Heidi and I have been able to get this much rest. We could not allow that to happen, I need a notebook next to the bed, if I do not write down the thoughts racing through my head they repeat over and over. I woke up to pee last night around 4am and did not settle back down. I think I finally drifted off about two minutes before the alarm sounded at 06:00.

Television

I wish that I could hold their attention as well as the television. Seems as though something exciting is about to happen.
You know what? I can!

Pay Back

It is pay back time at General Environmental Services, Inc. after months of blogging and surfing the web it is reckoning time. Winter is done, the torrential rains of spring have subsided and the bugs have come out to play. I arrive at the office shortly after 7am and talk bugs straight through until quitting time, as close to 4pm as I can get out the door, today it was 4:25pm.

I am complaining but I can not say that I did not expect it. I have been hearing stories about the beginning of June and how crazy it was and will be, since I returned from knee surgery about this time last year. I had never been exposed to the June rush from the office perspective. In the past I was in the field, hunting ants, chasing squirrels, trapping mice, sniffing termites, tracking rats, stomping cockroaches, swatting flies, stinging wasps and generally tormenting Gods little creatures. Now the biggest pests of all torment me. When a conversation starts with the phrase "You People" it can not be good and I have another opportunity to exercise my self control.

Things at home have been moving just as fast, Heidi is in full Arbonne mode talking on the phone, optimizing the web site, and organizing meetings. I had the chance when I got home tonight to read through a bunch of the propaganda and it makes sense. Of course it makes sense, but the fact is people are living longer and looking to maintain their well being long into their Seventies. The economic model referred as Direct Selling has been maturing over the last thirty years and multi-level-marketing is not a pyramid scheme. Success relies on your ability to educate your consumer to the benefits of your products and your consumers ability to pass that information on to the next consumer.

Anything worthwhile is hard, there is no magic wealth wand. Persistence and a determination for success is what pays in the end. Multiple streams of income are what my generation is going to need to get to and through retirement. To get through retirement we have to survive college and weddings and I don't see how those amounts of money can be accumulated with out taking risks and starting money streams. The greatest rivers start with a drop. DRIP!

It Is Good to Be King

Father's day weekend was great and I came away feeling like the super Dad, head of the household I aspire to be. It started out slow, finished strong and I did not get one lick of painting done.

When I got home Friday night Heidi informed me that not only were we signed on as Arbonne reps, her father had cancelled my opportunity to play golf on Saturday. Now the Arbonne thing excites me. I love the chance of making money and I will stick my neck out nine out of ten times for the opportunity. I lose sleep imagining the potential and formulating strategies to reach that potential.

The golf cancellation put me in a tailspin, I had been looking forward to it all week, it was the perfect excuse not to paint. It worked out in the end, Grampy came by the house on Saturday morning and upon seeing my pathetic self told me I could tag along as a fifth. I jumped at it and spent a beautiful day on the links. After golf Heidi came and picked me up, we went home and put the munchkins to bed.

It was 7:30, I was feeling loose from my time at the nineteenth hole and suggested we call in a babysitter. We have never had a babysitter besides family. Heidi called her friend, who has a daughter, who is just coming of babysitter age, in fact this was to be her first job. The young lady got a little nervous on her way over and her mom decided to sit through her first shift with her. Heidi and I went out to eat for an hour or so and had a lovely time.

The temperature on Sunday was 95 degrees and we spent the day at Grampy's pool. Merry is swimming with out any flotation and watching it is a bit scary. She seems to be right on the edge of drowning at all times, kicking and paddling to save her life. David employs a flotation device and is much less likely to sink. Heidi took the majority of lifeguard shifts and I watched The U.S. Open. It is sad that nobody could throw Phil Mickelson a life preserver as his ship sunk on the last three holes of the tournament.

Oh, did I mention I got to sleep in on Sunday, it was special. Thank you Heidi, Merry, David and Thomas for making me feel special on Father's day.

Can I See The Light?

It is official, I am now a card carrying member of the glasses community. I have been wearing them for about a half an hour and they are slowly beginning to make a difference. Kind of like watching a high definition television compared to my t.v. at home.

The women in the office say they make me look smart. I am taking it as a compliment and yes I am aware that looks can be deceiving. I feel as though there is a new thing in my life that I have to look after, two dogs, three kids, a house and a pair of glasses. How do all the glasses wearing people out there shoulder the burden? I will soon find out.

In other news, The Old Blue House, Inc. is on the cusp of its second venture. Heidi was coerced by her friend to explore the financial opportunities associated with becoming an Arbonne distributor. I guess they have some terrific health and beauty supplies. The key to making it in their business is to sign up people to buy and sell below you.

M.L.M., multi-level-marketing AMWAY style. A couple months back I looked into Market America a MLM company, the pitch is that it is not how much product you sell it is how many people you sign up to buy product "down line" from you. In my Market America research I found that the people that did make it, always had their backs up against the wall and were generally in "do or die" situations, it either worked or they lost their house kind of pressure. We aren't feeling that type of pressure, thank God.

The other discovery I made is that if the company offers quality products and good marketing support you can make a nice income selling the products. If you have people who really like the product and are buying it, then you have a natural pool of people to sign on your down line. I even have the lingo down, upline/downline, I am half way there.

The question I have for the ladies out there is; Have you heard of Arbonne and if so what is your impression of their products?

If you like the stuff, I may know a guy that could hook you up.

Happy Fathers Day!

Summer

The family spent the day at the beach yesterday. This makes me feel so good I can barely stand it. The fact that my kids get to spend their summers at the beach is something I have always wanted to provide. I spent my summers at the beach and my fondest memories were formed there.

I returned from work and found all of the children in the tub having a great time. Their tan little faces showing the wear of a day in the sun. Being outside, running in sand, digging holes and building castles result in an easy bedtime. They could barely keep their eyes open at dinner and were plenty happy when bed time came around.

Deep down inside I get a little jealous of Heidi on days like yesterday. Then I think about the long cold winter and all of the rainy days cooped up inside and the jealousy fades/gallops away.

Heidi has a standing play date at the beach all summer with the Moms from Merry's preschool, if the weather is good and the greenheads aren't biting then everybody is going to the beach. How sweet is that? Plus Heidi grew up in our town and every mother that knows heads to the beach. It is a great chance to catch up with old friends and to make new ones.

My kids going to the beach makes me feel lucky.

Busted Myself

I had some really great video of table dancing and baby brother jumping which I thought I was going to share. The video is shot with Heidi's digital camera and I was not sure how it worked. The video that I shot happened while I thought the camera was at rest, I had the icons backwards. Bummer!

Heidi was a bit upset at the video and I can't blame her. She does work hard to teach the children to behave and the minute I am in charge it is party time. It is not fair and makes me the good guy and her the tough, disciplinarian.

In our relationship Heidi is the computer wiz/tech geek. Without her there would be no video or photos. She only reads the blog when someone, usually me, tells her to. If I could have loaded the video, we would not have gotten busted. It was worth the talking to I received and I do understand her point.

Now that I can work the camera I am going to take all kinds of short videos. Heidi takes the camera with her almost everywhere she goes and I think it will be a great record of growing up.

Misbehaving!!!


This video will get us all in very big TROUBLE!

I Mean Business

I mean it when I say it and my kids know it. Heidi was out Friday night and it was no problem, I had a pizza delivered, put their pajamas on and had them in their beds by 7pm. When I ask them to do something and they try to ignore the request I calmly yet sternly ask if they want to cry. They know if they do not get moving they will end up in trouble and probably crying.

The other technique I employ is the game I call "Yes Daddy" When I make a request the first child that responds "Yes Daddy" gets an arbitrary amount of points. They get more points when the task is completed. Merry loves getting points and anything Merry likes David likes.

Saturday was another rainy day and no one I know likes rainy days. We spent it inside watching "kid shows" as Merry affectionately refers to anything on PBS Sprout. There was some dancing and controlled misbehaving. The video of the misbehaving is fun and will be seen on this blog soon. We stayed up a little later on Saturday night, maybe 8:30 or so, no major incidents to report.

Mom was back on duty Sunday and I got to go golfing in the afternoon. I am not a "strong" golfer but I like being outside with the guys, cracking jokes and using profanity. Got done golfing, fed the little ones and put them to bed. Another weekend in the books, did not get any painting done, I probably have three or four more days of blue and then I get to graduate to the trim. I have no idea how long that will take.

Two Things

Number one, after 36 years I finally need glasses. I blame it on all this blogging. In the last year I went from working out in the world to spending my days in an office, on the phone, in front of the computer.

In the last month I have been coming home with headaches and having to squint to read all of your insightful words. I have been diagnosed with a stigmatism in each eye. I guess my cornea are no longer in focus. New glasses next week. I am not looking forward to the hassle of glasses but I can't wait to be able to see again without squinting.

The moment I realized that I could see better with the lenses my eyesight got much worse. I went from not being sure to hyper aware of my poor vision. The clock keeps ticking.

Number two should be a post of its own, however I am going to do it here and now. Hello my name is Peter and I am a Statcounteraholic. I have been addicted to Statcounter since the day it came into my life. I remember it like yesterday. I got the code, placed it on The Tutuboutique and I haven't been the same since.

The ability to see who and more importantly how people browsed through the store fascinated me. The fact that it was real time and every once in awhile I could watch a customer place an item in their cart and proceed through check out was a rush.

There are two things that annoy the hell out of me : One, is the locked referrer, makes me crazy, I need to know where you came from. Two, AOL reloads the counter every time the user opens another page. AOL distorts my unique visitor numbers and it makes me cross.

Now with the blog it is even more fun, albeit a little disappointing. Tell you friends to stop by so I can watch my Statcounter count.

Wrongside Explained

Yesterday I referred to David as "wrongside" this was a first for the blog, in life it happens everyday. As the video below shows, David spends a lot of time complaining with his lower lip rolled over.

You can tell what type of day you are going to have with David moments after he wakes up. Some days, he gets up on the wrong side of the bed. He still sleeps in a crib, I was thinking about it and thought, maybe, if I turn the crib around it may change his disposition. I doubt it.

David is a walking, talking example in my life of the age old question "Nature vs. Nurture". Having children demonstrates that individuals are born with their own unique personalities. Nature plays a very large role in who we are and how we process/perceive the world. We do not learn whether the glass is half full or half empty, the answer to that question is inborn.

Nurture plays a very large role in outlining/dictating the path an individuals personality will follow. It does not determine the individuals personality. The optimist or the pessimist is not formed but born. I have three shining examples proving it to me everyday.

I Don't Like Rainy Days

Wrongside and his singing sister

Wrong Side

I am not sure if this is going to work but if it does here is an inside look at the boy we call Wrongside and his singing sister.
Ok, it did not work but I think I figured it out.

Get Over It

Heidi's sister Jen arrives from Atlanta tonight for a girls weekend. I am relatively sure that we will not see much of Mom around dinner time and beyond. Will she be around during the day? That is the question. Unlike the stay at home Dad's out there I still feel anxiety over being left with the pack of kids for long periods of time.

One reason I like to pin this anxiety on is Heidi's constant reminders of how tough her job is. I don't experience the same level of anxiety when I am responsible for two, the addition of the third is what tips the balance for me.

The festivities begin tonight. When I get home Heidi is leaving to pick Jen up at the airport and then they are heading out. To where? I have no idea. Tomorrow I have to go to work and I am relatively confident that the second I walk in the door,at the end of the day, Heidi is going to be ready to walk out. I know I would be.

Saturday the girls have a limo set up for an evening in Boston. I am not sure of their agenda during the day. Sunday, Mom is going to need to sleep in and then get her sister to the airport. I keep telling myself that it could be worse. I could be my brother in law down in Atlanta with no mom in sight.

In reality I bet we see a lot of Mom and that it turns out to be no big deal. My imagination needs to get over it. I will look forward to the opportunity to hang with the gang and tackle the challenges as they arise.

Wish Me Luck.

Cow T-shirts

My family used to have a business called Simply Vermont. This was an attempt at a mail order business that would have worked great on the internet but did not have enough capital to produce and mail catalogs.

My sister maintained a store front in our hometown that carried all of the products. The business did not make it and a lot of the inventory went into storage. That storage area was my parents basement, which they have recently been cleaning out.

While cleaning out their basement we came across a couple cases of these great t-shirts. I am putting this info in my blog so that the page we are selling them on gets indexed by google, however, if you the reader are looking for a great deal on Woody Jackson cow print t-shirts, this is the place to get them.

As for Simply Vermont, that may be the next dba for The Old Blue House, Inc. We have all of the contact information for the vendors and as soon as Heidi gets some time to put it together I believe it will soar.

Mr. and Mrs.

When I was a kid I addressed every adult as either Mrs. or Mr. only under special circumstances would I refer to an adult by their first name. Carla is the only one that comes to mind, she was the mother of my sisters friend and would not let us call her Mrs.

When I am introduced to Merry and David's new friends, I am introduced as Peter. Excuse me, I am not at all interested in being friends with two and four year olds. The reality is I am not their peer, I am their elder.

We use the terms Aunt and Uncle for our close friends who are involved in the children's lives. I think Merry may use the first names of some of her friends parents. I do not like it and I am not sure how to change it.

I feel like a Jack Ass if I push it, and a Mush if I don't. Why do I feel uncomfortable insisting on being addressed as Mr.?, I can't put my finger on it but I think it may have something to do with not wanting to grow up and accept all the responsibilities associated with being an adult and raising a family. With responsibility comes title and my new title is Mr.

Brotherly Love

I think Thomas is going to grow up tough. If he can survive his brothers hugs and kisses he should be able to handle anything.

Malaise

I have been experiencing a vague feeling of ill-being lately and I know why. There has been a confluents of media experiences that have put me in this state.

First, a documentary on HBO outlining the daily routine at the main emergency center for U.S. troops in Iraq had me in tears. This program highlights the fact that 90% of the wounded in Iraq are surviving, which beats the alternative, but they are surviving without an arm or a leg or their vision or any combination of the above. There does not seem to be a defined mission. The surgeons ask themselves over and over what is the purpose? The troops, they fight for each other, for their brothers in arms, not for the Iraquis or their right to vote.

In the beginning I argued vehemently in support of going into Iraq. Saddam was casting the mandates of the U.N. aside and needed to be held accountable. Things went wrong when we did not leave. When the police execute a search warrant, they go in, turn the place upside down, find or don't find the weapons of mass destruction and leave. We should have done the same thing.

I avoid thinking about the pain and desperation our young men and their families are experiencing while I happily go about my life. There is a generation of children who will grow up without a Dad or with a Dad who has been impaired. It makes me feel sad.

The next thing advancing this vague feeling of ill-being is a Front Line special on the United State's part in the fight against HIV world wide. The bullshit Bush and the Christian right make these developing countries go through to get the money, to buy the drugs, to manage the disease, is archaic. They insist on preaching abstinence and limit the distribution of condoms. Countries, like Brazil, that refuse, don't get the funding. Countries in Africa agree, get the medication, take care of a few while the disease spreads like a virus. I think a great philosopher once said "Things that make you go Hmmm"

It is best to keep my head down and try not to think of the sadness that envelopes the planet Earth. I should also avoid the liberal media. My little corner of the World is very comfortable, we have more than enough to eat, we have a wonderful home, we are all healthy and the future, for us, looks bright. I will thank my lucky stars and try not to worry about the rest of the worlds problems.