The Ugly Child

As you may know, my wife and I have twins, a boy and a girl.  They turned six years old in May.

Frequently when we are out we split up and each of us takes one of the kids.  We try to mix it up but frequently I and up with our son and she ends up with our daughter.

Some days however one or the other of us has reached our last nerve.  We know we need to separate them, but neither of us wants to spend time with the kids.  This sounds rude, but it's a truth of parenting.

On these days we talk about "the ugly one".  If Kristie is frazzled I'll say "I'll take the ugly one today."  When you have twins frequently one is uglier.  This isn't a matter of aesthetics, it's personality.  We don't always know which one will be acting up the most, so this is my way of volunteering to accompany the child who is most likely to drive Kristie over the edge.

In the beginning this was almost an inside joke, but years later we still do it and it's actually a very effective parenting technique.  Separating the kids from each other is good, but separating them a parent who is on edge can be better.  Sometimes simply the change of the family dynamic for a few hours does all the parents and children lots of good.

You may be wondering why I'm telling you this.  My friend, Canadian Dawn, sent me a bunch of pictures labeled "parents of the year".  I've seen several of them before but this one was priceless.  Thanks Dawn.

Top 10 Energy Boosters -- Combat Sleep Deprivation

"Am I" or "I Am"?

Listen to these questions...

• Am I giving?
• Am I touching others in a positive way?
• Am I appreciative?
• Am I genuine?
• Am I connecting with my family and friends?
• Am I achieving my goals?
• Am I attracting the right people?

Now read these statements aloud...

• I am genuine.  I am giving.  I am appreciative.
• I am connected to my friends and family.
• I am touching others in a positive way.
• I am attracting the right people.
• I am achieving my goals.

The same words sound different as they roll off your tongue.  The emotions they generate in your brain is different.  The way you feel about yourself is dramatically different.

Everyone is looking for the next great diet, the next super food, or the next magic pill.

For me, I'm looking to change the words I use to change my life.  It's working.  I'm growing.  I'm becoming financially independent.  I'm earning respect and admiration by giving to others.  Finally, I'm doing good in the world and the world is rewarding me.

I don't have the magic pill or super system, or even all the answers.  But I am putting together the pieces.  If this message makes sense to you, I encourage you to check out this link.  I was skeptical, but 21 days ago I took a small leap forward.

Send Out Cards

My Opinion on Gay Marriage

Gay marriage... while I'm not opposed to gay marriage, I'm definitely not going to make it mandatory! 

Seriously, gay people have been getting married for hundreds of years, they just haven't had the civil rights. 

Whether or not it's okay for people to be gay is a moral issue.  It should be argued about in churches and across dinner tables, but not in the Supreme Court.  If we, as Americans, are going to be a society that universally respects others, then we have to allow gay marriage.  The only time that the state should impose its will on morality is when there are issues of public health and safety or significant issues of economic importance at risk. 

What we know is that gay couples who have long term monogamous relationships are far less likely to acquire AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.  Furthermore, most gay couples are dual income households.  With the exception of extra penises and vaginas, gay couples are probably the model American household.  Lastly, we can't legislate love, nor should we try.

SunFyre for President

A few years back I did a post that was tongue-in-cheek saying that I wasn't comfortable voting for George W. Bush or John Kerry.  Therefore, I had decided to run myself.  I didn't win.

This year I'm much more comfortable voting for Barack Obama or John McCain.  I'll let you know on Wednesday in November who got my vote, but until then it's my little secret.  The reality is that I don't think we can go wrong with either man as President.  Both seem to be intelligent, high integrity, and honest individuals who are both running for office for the right reasons.  You may disagree with me, but compared to the last four elections I think we have better opportunities for a good president than we've had in two decades.

With that being said, I'm still going to run.  Unfortunately I forgot to submit my paperwork so you'll have to write me in.  I'd be a great President, but I am a procrastinator.

Over the next few days I'm going to publish my platform on my blog.  I encourage your comments, even negative ones.  If you think I'm an idiot then tell me so, but be prepared to back it up.  If you think I'm a freaking genius... I already know you are correct, but it would be nice to hear it anyhow.

Here's my slogan... fixing everything that is wrong in the world, and fixing a few things that were perfectly fine.

By the way, I'm also excepting ideas for my vice presidential short list, so send me your nominations by e-mail (SunFyre@SunFyre.com) or posting a comment.

Greatest Movie Trailer Voice of All Time Goes Silent

Don LaFontaine, the man who provided the sonorous voice for more than 5,000 movie trailers, died Monday at age 68.LaFontaine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from a collapsed lung. He had been taken to the hospital Aug. 22 with a blood clot in the lung.

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New Web Browser, Google Chrome

The browser wars are heating up. First Firefox and Safari started taking chunks out of Internet Explorer's dominance. Now there's a new browser in town, and this one was created by Google..

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Thug Fantasies

Question #7: If you could do something totally out of character and remain anonymous, what would you do?

SunFyre: I'd be a drug dealer, or mobster. I think being a career criminal would be kind of interesting and exciting. Unfortunately, I'd want to do it in a way that didn't cause others great misfortune. I'd want to be the drug dealer who sold drugs that no one ever used. Maybe I could be a hit man who only assassinates really bad guys with no families.

Basically I want to drive the car and wear the clothes.

Pet Peeves

It's a new day and were still playing "truth or truth", because dares are kind of stupid in a blog.

It's Mandy's turn.

Question #6: What are your top three pet peeves?

Mandy:

1. Southern Accents -- the dialectical equivalent of nails on a chalk board
2. Internet shorthand -- You is spelled Y-O-U not "u". ur, l8r, and any1 aren't words either. This is particularly annoying in e-mail. And don't say roflmao unless you're actually doing that!
3. People who fill in the gaps in their life with their cell phone -- Just because you can walk through the mall, drink coffee, get your nails done, and talk on your Bluetooth headset doesn't mean you have to call me. I'm not interested in the play-by-play of your life! Can you hear me now?

I couldn't resist adding my own...

SunFyre:

1. People who assume that because you're Republican you're automatically a radical pro-lifer, fundamentalist Christian, NRA gun toting, anti-environment capitalist. I'm only a couple of these things!
2. Mothers who smack their kid on the head for staring at me. I'm interesting. Everyone should stare. Mothers should get smacked in the head occasionally.
3. Creationists -- Just because you choose creation over evolution doesn't mean that all science is complete bunk. Yes, global warming is real.
4. Smokers, fat people, and alcoholics who complain about the price of health insurance.

Sorry, I can never stop at three...