Childhood Carry-Overs

Do you ever do something or say something without thinking and then immediately catch yourself, knowing exactly where that came from? I've realized that several of my behaviors or responses to Katherine have come directly from childhood. Here are a few examples:

While driving to and fro, especially to the office in New Jersey, I instinctively play the "license plate game" in my head. It has amazed me how many people are driving through MD, DE, and NJ from other parts of the country. Some of this can probably be attributed to military personnel and their families, but I also wonder if people are driving more instead of flying because of the economy. Just this week (2 commuting days) I have seen cars from MD, DE, NJ, PA, VA, NY, MA, ME, VT, CT, NC, SC, FL, TN, CA, TX, WA, AK, OH, KY, SD, and LA. And why are there so many people from Quebec driving through this area?! Just yesterday, I saw no less than 15 cars from Quebec!

Trains - When I am stopped at a train crossing, I automatically start counting the number of cars on the train. Mom used to do this with me, probably so I'd be more patient with our delay.

Responses to Katherine - When we're getting ready to leave the house to go somewhere, we tell Katherine to go to the potty. Sometimes she says "but I don't have to go". My response is "TRY". (Thanks Dad) Sometimes Katherine asks "Why?" incessantly as most toddlers are known to do. After exhausting all of the real answers, I sometimes end up responding "Because I said so!" (Thanks Mom and Dad)

To this day, when I eat a ripe plum (one of my favorite summer-time treats!) I instinctively walk outside before biting into it. Apparently Mom used to send Scott and I outside to eat our plums so we wouldn't dribble the juice all over the house!

What habits do you attribute to your childhood?

Florida Vacation

We took a vacation to Florida a few weeks ago to visit Aunt Jan and Uncle Paul. We were adventurous and decided to make a road trip of it. Rob C. was kind enough to let us crash at his place in Raleigh, NC on the way down and back up.

Jan and Paul showed us around Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, Ormond Beach, St. Augustine, and Daytona. We were lucky enough to see Right Whales migrating while we ate lunch one day. They were beautiful! It was great to visit with Jan and Paul, and great to relax for a while. We had a great time! We also enjoyed the semi-warm weather down south. (it was colder when we left NC for FL than when we set out on our adventure from MD!)

Katherine said that her favorite part was digging on the beach. (However, I think Daddy and Uncle Paul did most of the digging!) We can't wait to visit again!

Links

I added some links to the left side of the blog. One is for Victory Gardens and the other is for a blog about a family who is trying to live on $1500 for one year. I thought they would be of interest to everyone who may be trying to tighten their belt a little. ***The family living on $1500 a year has discontinued their blog for "personal reasons".

Snow

Katherine has enjoyed the snow we've had this year. She particularly enjoys "sleighing" (sledding) and "scraping" (shoveling). Her sledding involves us pulling her around the backyard in her sled. She's a pretty good scraper though! We're willing to hire her out to anyone that needs their snow cleared.

Cookie Conundrum

Are they Samoas or Caramel deLites?

Our family has a MAJOR weakness for Girl Scout cookies. One of our favorites is the second-most popular cookie, behind Thin Mints. We have noticed that they are called Samoas some places and Caramel deLites in other places. In the past we wrongly assumed that they had changed the name of the cookie to be more Politically Correct (I guess some Samoan was offended that a delicious cookie was named after him). Anyway, we indulged in both cookie names this year, and I wondered if it was a regional thing as one box was purchased in NJ and the other in MD. Otherwise, the MD girl scouts are passing off REALLY old cookies. So I did some research.

There are two baking companies that make cookies for the Girl Scouts. ABC Bakers is in Richmond, VA and makes Caramel deLites. Little Brownie Bakers is in Louisville, KY and makes Samoas. I guess it depends on what bakery is supplying which troop.

From experience, both cookies taste alike. However, I have found through my research that Caramel deLites are healthier with 140 calories as opposed to the 150 calories in Samoas. Both packages list the serving size as 2 cookies! Who can eat only two?! I can easily polish off a whole box in one sitting if no one is watching!

I have also learned that Girl Scout Cookies are Kosher. You can also claim them as a tax deduction if you pay for the cookies but leave them with the troop. What's the fun in that?!

I propose that we organize a taste-off of the various types/names of Girl Scout Cookies. Anyone want to share a box with me?