The Community Center Food Pantry Walk 2016

Earlier this month Team Slap participated once again in the charity walk for the local food pantry. It's one of the ways we try and give back to the community, and it's become an annual tradition. 

The night before I took the kids to the store and allowed them to each buy five dollars worth of food to donate, in addition to our cash gift. 

Early the next morning, under a cloudy sky threatening rain, we met up with friends at the Community Center. 

Grace's friend Nick walked with us, and very kindly offered his condolences on the loss of Jaspare. 

And then we were off, sticking to the longer 3 mile course. The organizers claim it's only 2.6 miles, but even the map they hand out betrays that white lie. 

For the second year my friend Tre and his family joined us!

Smiley spent much of the walk watching over my Godson. Cutest moment of the day: seeing the two of them skip, hand in hand, near the end of the walk. 

Alas, the skies broke open near the start of the walk and we spent the majority of it wading, undeterred, through a big rainstorm. 

Afterwards, soaked to the bone, we (well, everyone but me) dined on ice cream at the community center before walking home. 

I look forward to participating again next year, and hope to enlist even more people into joining us!

The First Day of School 2016-2017

Lu

ZZZ

My sleep this week

I'll Miss This

At quarter after midnight I called my Mom. She answered on the first ring, wide awake. That's something I'll miss decades from now.

I always enjoyed their sleep habits when they were on 18th, no matter the time of day or night, someone could be found wide awake LOL - Lisa

Pity Them

I feel a bit of pity - just a wee smidge - for those who don't relish an election year. The adversarial divisions, the angst , the nation's compulsive obsession with November and the abrupt end of it all on a cold Tuesday -- I relish it. I *wallow* in it? How can you not?

Smiley Quits Dance

Smiley has asked to quit dance and Lisa has acquiesced. I am in mourning. I don't raise quitters. I'm hoping he changes his mind.

[in response to a comment saying to let the kid do what he wants] That's entirely , fundamentally incorrect. If you only did what a kid wanted to do they'd do nothing all day but sit and watch TV - no school ,no extracurricular, no chores.

I'm in between on this.... Kids must be forced to do things they don't want to do, because they will grow up and have to do things they don't want to do all the time, better to get them used to it. But, I think his disinterest and ill feelings on dance has been growing stronger and therefore more legitimate and we need to support his decision. Hopefully he'll find something else physical soon to keep up his health. - Lisa

Doctor's Need to Take Off the Blinders

This is true. When I was my heaviest, had I complained about having been pistol whipped, the doctor would brush it off and say I would feel better if I would just lose a few pounds. - Lisa