Latest and greatest from my Colester

So, I am a big tease, that's how I get my kiddos to do things and it saves my sanity.I get this"Are you serious?" look from them when ever I talk to them. They also take a reassuring look to Lex if I am persistent.
I realized that I could've crossed a line and may have to find a different way to motivate my Cole-Cole, when I was teasing him that he couldn't pick anything up because he is just my little baby. He looked up at me and said,"At least I can walk!" My first thought was, I'm in trouble if my four year old is already able to exploit my insecurities. I'm a dead man when/if he get to be a teenager.
Lex helps me calm down after an episode such as this. She reminds me that, he isn't attacking me or my disability. He is simply stating a fact, that baby's cannot walk, but he can.

The smart phone that made us dumber.

Think about it, how many phone numbers do you know? What about addresses?  Or emails? Or B-days? if it isn't programed in your phone would you remember them? Don't get me wrong, I love technology. I remember when I got home from my mission, shockingly it has been over ten years ago, I told Matt that it was going to be my first investment and I should've invested in a cellular company, instead of just buying one, and now i'm not sure where I'd be without it. Mine has been a bit tempermental since I dropped it in the toilet by accident last winter,  talk about a baptism by fire. Every now and the I have to reset it to keep it working right. Kind of like what I have to do with my mind now and reset with a new activity if I cannot do something right away, instead of getting frustrated and just giving up or take a nap or go to bed depending on the time of day.
But, it's all how you choose to use it. I remember a sacrament meeting talk  given by my elders quorum president, president Bevan. He stated that he liked to check the news before he went to bed and thought of how convenient it was to do this on his phone, but realized how much potential trouble he could get in to, if he wasn't careful.
In The Road To Character the author makes the point that we've got an epidemic of lonliness in a society that's superficially connected. I love writing letters to people on emails as well. Recently, I received an email from my gGrandma Baugh and she said in it that she loves notes or emails but there's nothing better than a face to face. I agree my Grandma, in a world that spends billions of dollars on communication, i tend to forget sometimes the importance of a face to face.

Snicker on

My sister, who I call, Amers found a winner book for me called, "The day my butt went psycho."  She was so serious that she almost checked it out for me.

I wore the BAZINGA shirt that my twin bro. got for me for Christmas a few years back to Neuroworx & tell my therapists about how my Colester wants me ro wear my "Robin" shirt all the time. He has a Robin costume and gets assigned this role from Batman, his older bro. Maxwell. Cole-Cole is excited to share with me his side-kick status. I'm happy to have any status with him. As the stay at home parent I'm the last pick for anything. When I explained this to Kate who is one of my therapists at Neuroworx, she laughed and said, "Curtis your life is like a TV show."My question is, is that a good thing? 

Telling my Ameers about asking Lex if it was beneath me to go back to work as a teacher's eaid at Horizon, my kiddos elementary school. She laugh and said, "You asked a teacher if if it was beneath you to be a teacher's aide?"  I finally see how dumb that is.Ahh, my TBI moments are atleast entertaining, to me.

Walking into Sunday school class and telling them to hold their applause, please. I figured that I better practice what I preach, so walking in church serves to hold me to becoming all that I'm willing to put in the effort to become.One step at a time.

I love my excursions with my Amers to take Colester and Jammin Jay to preschool three days a week. I think that I've written  about how I feel like a dog that gets to go on a ride in the car, with tail-wagging and running around in circles with excitment to get to go with her. It helps that she has an insacitable appetite for Slurpees and will use me as an excuse to get one.I'll take one for the team my Amers. We usually get back with a story to tell. from a Drivethru adventure trying to make my kiddos and her two happy by going to multiple fastfood places and then nobody ended up happy?! To after they drop me off at home, Emery, Amers youngest telling her, "I love Kirk!"

I put a cheeseburger in my pocket to take it inside with me, so that I could hold on to my cane.I am attempting to walk more without it in my home, which has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me, like being able to vacum, taking my plate to the sink and getting anything out of the frige. small things but CHAMPION milestones for me.

One of my regular excursions during the school year with my Amers was story time at the Murray Library on Fridays before we dropped of Cole and Jaylee to preschool. One Friday, a librarian told  me as I sat down in the back with the kids lisrening to storytime  that it was storytime for children. I think she thought that I was lost, since I did come into the library by myself because the kiddos rush in with Amy.

Almost blowing away on my way into story time on another Friday. I kept thinking that if I fell, my Amers would never take me anywhere with her ever again. we both had a good laugh when it was still windy enough to get me scared when we left that I was chanting to myself,You're going to make it back to the car safely, you're almost there, just a few more steps! My Amers did make me feel better when she came and walked with me saying, that it wouldn't be so bad if it was just constant, but it keeps changing so that even she got thrown off balance.

I tutored Bishop Watkins every Wednesday in Spanish during the school year. He  texted me that, "there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  . . .It's not a train." I did tell him that I was going to start using this now.

Colman wore a costume to preschool, I made the mistake of letting him do it once on his Birthday, since we were having a ninja themed B-day party, he went as a ninja. I did make him promise not to hit or kick anyone while he had it on.Now, he wakes up wanting to go in a dress-up every day. We do have more boy dressups in our home than girl ones. Lex reminds me that we do have two boys to our one girl.

Breaking my hurrycane using it as a light-saber. I called their customer service and the operator laughed, telling me that in all his years working there, this was a first. After telling me that they would send me a replacement, since it was under warentee, I said thank you and may the force be with you.

Looking into buying a $40,000 walkin tub. I saw an infomercial on premierebath & called them. Their salesman came & stayed until 10pm on a schoolnight.I had to call and tell them that this wasn't going to work, ever.

My Amers buying me a huge, refilable slurpee mug for Christmas. We justify our Slurpee run Mondays and sometime, Wednesday and Fridays by blaming it on a service for the other person or even at times for Emery.

Telling Coleman that it was Aunty Em's Birthday all day. Right before dinner, he says, "we must have cake! Followed quickly by, "How do we even make cake?"

I had the thought as I was doing the dishes one morning, It wasn't me it was the one-armed-man, wait, that's me! Another TBI funny moment that is, at the very least, entertaining for me.

My friend Joe Fernandez's comic routine about Mormons. I told him that he needs to write a book like Jim Gaffagin's book, Dad Is Fat. A preview of some of the chuckles: We always pray for people to come to church next week, for those who weren't able to make it today. Never mind the principle of agency. They have to come because we prayed for them to. We also always pray for the cup-cakes or brownies at any activity will nourish and strengthen our bodies. Really?! We are so well programed.

What does a storm trooper say? Max saying, "deactivate your weapon!"

Kennedy, my oldest bro's oldest looked at pictures of Neal when he was younger, that are  at Mommsy & Pa's and says, "Dad looked different with hair!" I take the lead and text his wife Shannon, What was it that you saw in Neal? Other than his good looks and CHAMPION hair? He's a changed man as a husband and father, all good things.

Coleman putting himself to bed because he was sick. You know this one reslly is sick when he does that.

Greg, my brother inlaw planted a tupae as a present for Shafe, my father law at Christmas.

Of course I'm OCD, most brillant people are

I teach the 14 to 18 year olds in Sunday School in my watd. At the end of one of my lessons, pne of the girls said, "we're late for our other class, not that we're learning anything here."

Getting dropped off by Amers after dropping coleman and Jaylee off for preschool and feeling like I was getting dropped off from a date while she waits in the car to make sure that I get in alright.

Get to therapy after missing a week to tell Kate that I wasn't CHAMPION because my kiddos were sick. She reponds with, you really weren't CHAMPION?! Go tell Jan!

Playing with Abby

Pa borrowing our lawnmower and me forgetting that he did. Lexy's dad and brother come to put up Christmas lights and ask us where it is. Lex and I thinking that it had to be stolen
"A series of unfortunate events that happend all at once" -Rocket Man
Coleman getting into trouble and putting ice down my back so thst I would laugh & forget that he's in trouble.
thinking that I won 500,000 dollars from gmail. I was so excited, but Lex read my winning email only to tell me that there were many gramatical errors.

Being cold and wanting to start a fire in our fire place. Lex having the rule of no fires unless she's home, for my own safetey.

Jen telling me that I look less crazy without my prisim sticker on my glasses
Me sobbing at the Sound of Music musical put on at Murray High. Poor Lex, she can't take me any where.

Another look at perfectionism

“Self-critism is self betrayal”-Candeo

I read an article in the Nov. 2005 Ensign titled, ‘Confessions of a perfectionist’ and found far too many parallels in wanting my own family to be “Robots.”. I also found this quote from President John Taylor, “Let us seek to magnify our callings and honor our God, and the Lord will take care of the balance.”   The manual also quotes Elder Worthlin, “We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can( Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “One Step after Another,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 26.).”

I have much to learn of the atonement in general, but am only beginning to understand the concept behind the enabling power that it provides to me as I surrender my pride and lay my burdens at my Savior’s feet for Him to carry.

For this past Christmas my in-laws gave every married couple a book, we got  “Am I A Saint Yet?” It is all about overcoming perfectionism. I love this book and am excited about the validation that I feel in not being alone in becoming a “recovering perfectionist.” I am hopeful, anyway. The book is a user-friendly, self-help book that offers realistic strategies. Before the strategies the doctrinal background is given to help differentiate between the desire to improve(a worth-while desire) and perfectionist tendencies (a progress halting counterfeit for a worth-while desire to change and progress.).