Have You Ever Tried Paintball?

 My middle child turned 14 this past weekend. On the one hand, it's cool that the school gives everyone the whole week off to celebrate (okay, maybe it's also Presidents Day and school vacation week, but we like to think of it as just for him) .... but on the other hand, most of his friends always have plans to be away. Thus no big party.

But small parties can be fun, too.

This year, he invited a few friends to go play paintball for the afternoon.

 Oh. My. God.

Have you tried this? The guns. The noise. The adrenaline. My husband and I, and our other two kids, also played along. You can see from this picture that no one took it easy on the oldsters.

It was indoor paintball, in an old converted warehouse. There were two fields of play - we played on both, taking turns with the other people there to spend their vacation day.

Getting hit in the face was the worst. One of my son's friends was particularly good at shooting people in the face mask. Sometimes it went right through the vents...

The kids had a blast. My husband had a blast. Me? I'm undecided about whether I'd ever want to play again... but it was a great way to spend the afternoon, and a great way to celebrate a birthday.

Puppy Love and Puppy Guilt

Puppy Love: 
1. Total and complete infatuation, bordering on obsession, often immature in nature.
2. Having your heart melt when you look into a puppy's eyes for the first time. And every time after that.

Puppy Guilt:
Looking into those same eyes and not wanting to give in... but having the guilt gnaw at your heart and mind even if what the puppy is begging for is 1. not good for her, 2. impossible, or 3. makes your life harder.

I admit to being wracked with Puppy Guilt this winter. Yes, it's been a mild winter here in the Northeast, but I much prefer to tromp through the woods with Puppy on a snowy day than on a rainy, muddy day like today.

So I need to deal with the Puppy Guilt. Because this morning I just don't have time to deal with Puppy Mud.

(...but you know I'll take her up to the beach this afternoon... I can't stand the guilt very long...)

What does your Puppy (or child or spouse) give you the Puppy Guilt about?

Puppy Still Acting Like a Puppy

Despite turning two last month, Puppy still thinks and acts like a ... well, puppy.

It's a good thing most of the time. She romps and plays and bounces when she's excited - 150 pounds of bouncing Saint Bernard can be a lot around the house, though. She's knocked the closet doors off their hinges more than once in the last few months...

But out on the beach it's all good fun....

Puppy just loves the winter, and loves sunny winter days at the beach. The water's cool and refreshing to splash in (for her, at least!) Head shaking, drool flying - it's all good out on the beach, let me tell you. In the house, not so much. Out here, everything is great.

My husband said yesterday that "She turns snot into a verb." I cracked up. Funny because it's true.

What did you do this weekend?

"Love Your Teeth" - A new tool in the toothbrushing wars

I don't know about the rest of you, but I always felt like I was waging battle when it came to the kids and brushing their teeth. They finally all grew old enough that I no longer feel compelled to stand over them... and yet, sometimes my 11-year-old still forgets to brush her teeth in the morning.

 

While I don't think this particular tool will work with my kids, as they are beyond the chart/reward stage... boy, do I wish I'd had this when the three of them were younger! Official looking, personalized, easy to color or add a sticker to - if you have small children, this printable chart seems like it would be great to hang on the bathroom mirror to remind the little ones to brush at least twice a day.

The website is pretty light - not a lot of content to wade through. But it's very easy to use. And definitely worth a look. Because everyone can use an extra tool in their arsenal when it comes to raising kids.

The Winter Issue of CWO is online now!

The Winter 2012 Issue of CapeWomenOnline magazine is now online and available for your reading pleasure. Take a few minutes to check it out, and read some of the stories and articles about the women who call Cape Cod their home.

As the publisher's letter says, Winter on the Cape is our slow season, and a perfect time to take a few moments to take stock of your life. What makes you happy? What direction do you want to take in the coming year?

Meet a few women who have already decided how to make themselves happy, whether it's a woman starting her own "pick up" business or an artist buying an RV so she can always have a spot on the Cape to call her own. Despite the turmoil going on around us in the world, it's a great time to reassess what you want out of life, and decide to go for it.

Good advice for us all.

Many thanks to all our wonderful contributors, and our great readers. If you haven't checked out the magazine before now, what are you waiting for? If you like what you read and want to be a contributor - or just want to tell us that you like what we're doing - send me an email at Katie @ CapeWomenOnline . com (but take out the spaces before you hit send.)

Have a great weekend!

New Resource for Environmental Inspiration

Annie Leonard, the woman who brought us The Story of Stuff, is at it again. This time, her project is entitled "The Good Stuff" and brings us together with individuals around the nation who are making a difference to help our fragile environment.

The Good Stuff is planned as a monthly podcast - the first one is available now at her website and titled "Take that, Plastic Bags!" It  features interviews with entrepreneur Andy Keller, founder of ChicoBags, as well as Rose Timmer, an activist from Texas who helped ban plastic bags in her community.

The email that announced this new podcast venture explained it this way:

Every month, we’ll be releasing a new podcast, complete with inspiring stories, commentary from our own Annie Leonard, and ways for you to get involved in your own community.

 

Why apodcast focused on solutions?

 

It’s a rare day in our office that we don’t hear someone say, “I want make change but I don’t know what to do,” or “I’d like to help, but I’m only one person.”

 

We’re making The Good Stuff as an antidote to that kind of thinking.

 

The stories we’ll feature prove that the best place to start is with your passion and that by joining together we magnify our power to accomplish remarkable things. 

Check it out - give it a listen - and if you haven't watched Annie's other videos yet, check them out too. Totally worth a few minutes of your time to be inspired. We can all do something positive for the environment, every day or at least every week. It's not hard - it just takes a little thought.

What have you done for your environment lately?