Glow Bowling with Grandma

We decided to go Glow bowling with the kids Saturday night with their grandparents. Glow bowling is basicly the same as normal bowling but under a black light so everything glows. The kids had a blast with the cool music and disco ball. They enjoyed some coaching moments from Grandma and in the end the kids beat the parents and won a slushie from the treat bar before we left.

Happy Birthday!

My puppy recently turned one and she is always willing to pose for the camera. We got some great pictures of her on the weekend while she was visiting with her mother and meeting her new siblings. She is growing into such a great dog and I think with the new addition of one of her little brothers she will be even better.

Here's Mr. Pig

I took a field trip with my daughters class to a historic settlement here in the Cape Breton Highlands. It was a fantastic day where we got to travel through time to the evolution of homes in this area. On the tour we got to meet some of the animals, this little Pig was very interested in what we were doing and came over snorting at the fence. I missed a great shot of a mini flock of 6 sheep that took off on the run and jumped over their rock wall fence. It was comical to see them follow the leader over the fence but it happened so fast I couldn't get the camera out of the bag in time. Check out the post below for more of the great trip!


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Daughter Daddy Day

Today I got to accompany Trinity's class on their trip to a historic Gaelic settlement in Iona. She was very excited I was able to take the day off work to spend time with her one on one.


This was our first stop along the trip, this was the housing in Scotland called a (Black House circa 1790) that the first Scottish settlers lived in before coming to Cape Breton. Notice the Sod Roof and stone walls. I can only imagine the cramped feeling a family would have in this home, you would certainly have to get along.

This is the inside, notice the wooden structure on the back wall, those are called the sleeping boxes, you would crawl in them and close up the door to keep the smoke smell out. The black chain hanging down was a fire pit that would basically burn all day, they would heat and cook their home off this. Behind us was what I would call a animal pen that would have been used to keep your animals if the weather was extream or you were fighting with your neighbors. Circa 1780

This was the 2nd stop on our journey, this was the log cabin(circa 1810) built by the first settlers. I can only imagine the feeling they would have after weeks on a boat arriving on the coast to a full forest and no shelter.

This was the inside, as you can see they have learned to build a more advanced heating system with a flu to evacuate the smoke. We got to see all kinds of neat things in here from the wheat grinding wheel and the loom to make material out of wool.


This was our next house and I missed the outside shot, but this was an original house from approximately 1829. The house was called a "Center Chimney Home" as the fireplace was directly in the middle of the home. In the winter they would shut up areas of the house and centralize in the kitchen and bedroom that was directly above it. There were holes in the floor to allow heat to rise up to the bedroom above.



Here was the animal area, there was one pig, a pen of chickens and a flock of 8 sheep, the sheep must have been camera shy because when I got up to take a picture of them they took off and jumped over their stone wall fence and took off down the walking path.

This is the class, it was broken into 3 groups, my group is on the end 3 girls and 2 boys.


Here we were into the home from 1865 this was becoming more advanced and had a stove instead of a fireplace. This type of home was called a "Centre Hallway House" , it was originally built in Troy, near Port Hastings and was brought to the Museum and restored. It also started to have some fancy dishes and other more modern things.



The outside of the Centre Hallway House


This school house, opened in 1917 and closed in 1966 the Portage School House was used to hold all the students from a local area in one classroom with one teacher.



The kids fit right in for their lesson of the day, we were taught about the teachers that worked these early school. They were all young women that were not allowed to date or be married. They had to live with their parents and were not allowed to be out at night after 8pm. They had to arrive at the school house around 5 in the morning to be sure the fire was started and wood was available for the day. We also learned that neither the students nor teacher could speak any Galic in the School and had to speak only in English.



This Huge Church (Mhalagawatch Church circa 1874) was actually moved from the Bras d'Or Lakes in 2003, they had a photo album inside that showed the process they took to move the church in, it was really cool to see the move.

This next building was the hit of the trip, the General Store. This is the store that the kids would go to for things that mom needed to make meals. It was also the beginning of trade as the communities began importing items from other areas. There was also an area that had catalogues that people could order from. The store had treats, traditional "Rock Candy" which many kids were buying, I don't think they were priced to time as $1 a stick might be a bit rich for the 1920's. It was really good and we bought a stick for everyone back home.



Here the kids are enjoying their rock candy sticks while watching the blacksmith at work.


It was incredible watching the Blacksmith work, here he was making nails, think about it each nail they used the Blacksmith would have to take the time to make one at a time. It took him a couple of minutes to make 1 nail. He also showed us how to twist metal to make a decorative rod.

The girls were starting to get a little tired, good thing it was almost time to head out.

On the way home we remembered although we had a great time we didn't get any pictures of us together. We smiled pretty for this one as Trinity talked about me going to her field trip next year too.

Mr. Resurgence

One of the things I am most enjoying with the current Nascar season is the resurgence of Mark Martin. After a couple of years driving part time for Gin/DEI he has returned to full time status with Hendrick Motorsport. After his win this weekend at Michigan he now has the lead in wins with 3. If not for some bad luck to start the season he would be very close to leading the points, although that really doesn't matter because of the current points system with the most wins he could be leading the points when we get to the all important chase for the championship. It would be a great Cinderella story for Nascar to see Martin finally earn the championship that has eluded him for so many years.

Sunset Beauty

I was recently organizing the pictures off our computer and came across this shot I took of my wife last summer on a trip to the beach with the kids. I totally love this picture of her with the sun setting in the background. I remember the day, it was a very relaxing trip to the beach and everyone was just kind of winding down at the end of the day. Carrie was wondering around the beach and she seemed so peaceful and relaxed. You would have to appreciate our lifestyle it seems as though you never get to relax and just be together and the times you actually do you are normally too tired to enjoy the moment. This was one of those nights when all was just right.

Cookie Time

A couple of weeks ago the kids had a fair day at the school and one of the kids favorite things is the yard sale in the gym, they always find all kinds of (*treasures*). This year Kohl's favorite find was an easy bake microwave oven, it came in the original box with a couple of pizza mixes and he wanted to bake bad. We checked it out that night while Carrie was at work and to his disapointment and my relief there was no pan in the oven to bake with. I thought maybe he would forget about it but everyday he would ask when we would by him a new pan for his oven. I finally thought up a new idea today after going around shopping at some stores, and we made a date to bake tonight. I took some tin foil and quadruple folded it and made a small square pan with sides, I even impressed myself with this one. He took off upstairs for his baking set we were ready to bake Pizza, he came down very disappointed, his mixes have gone missing. We looked around a bit but couldn't find them anywhere, seeing the puffy eyes coming I went into back up mode. I knew I had a 1/2 bag of cookie mix in the cupboard so why not try to make cookies instead that would be tastier than the (God only knows how old) Pizza Mixes anyway. With homemade pan, batter and toy microwave oven in hand we got down to business!

Here are my two super helpers giving the batter the final mix up and it appears taste test.

These would be the faces that made it all worth the effort to pull this off!

Trying their hardest to be patient

The final product, I was also baking a batch in the oven to make it go a little faster, we were right at bed time and didn't want to be too late.





The glimmer tells me that it tasted pretty good, the battery died right after this picture but Blake had just about the same expressions as Kohl just a little goofier as you'd expect from him!

Camera Critter Birthday Kisses

We celebrated our oldest son's birthday last weekend and as normal with tradition his mother takes icing off the cake and smears it all over his face. It usually is good for a laugh to see how she is going to outsmart him year after year but as normal she got the job done. I faked him out from behind and when he turned to defend himself she attacked. A new tradition he decided to add this year was the dog wash, he likes to share with his dog and decided she should get all the icing off his face. I'm not too sure that I would like the dog wash but they seemed to love it.







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Where you at Dad?

I was supposed to meet my wife and Blake at the kids school last week and somehow managed to miss them outside and was looking around the shool looking for them. After searching through I decided to give them a call on the cell phone. When my wife saw my number on the phone she told Blake I was on my way and to look for me. Here is his searching for Dad pose, what a cool looking dude.

Fall reflections

We had the kids out for some pictures last fall and I was doing some organizing and thought it would be cool to post them up for everyone. We always try to get out in the late summer to get family pictures done but this year we were extra busy and it was into October before we got around to it. It was pretty cold the day we got these but the kids were all troopers. Blake really was having more fun jumping around but the other kids stood still long enough for us to get the pictures, although it is possible they were partially frozen and couldn't move around. We decided we are going to make a point of getting the pictures done extra early this year so we don't have to freeze again.

Camera Critter (Amazing Dog Tricks)

I think I have seen it all know, we were doing yard work the other day and setting up the kids pool. The dog was busy digging holes but was a little put out by making her paws dirty. She was watching the kids very intently use their shovels to dig and later on I found her trying to dig her own holes with the shovel in her paws.


Last Summer she was just a pup so she is really enjoying her new experiences in the yard. She is one hilarious member of our family and even though she still gets herself in trouble now and again, we can't imagine the house without her now.



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More Projects Done

Well the day is coming to a close and Carrie's parting words when she left for work were "I'd be happy to just have the floor done when I get home" now one would think that wasn't so bad but keep in mind who she was asking to do this. Working with Adhesive has never been my fondest activity we will say. I had the new floor cut to size last night so that part wasn't so bad but I had some floor prep to do to get it all to the same height, by the door to our bedroom and the step down into the basement were lower than the subfloor. So I get this done and gave the floor one more good going over to be sure I had the old floor/glue out of the way. I couldn't stall anylonger it was time to get out the flooring adhesive. I recently watched an episode of Worst Handyman and they had a bunch of people trying to put down floor so I had an idea of some things not to do, but I was a little surprised on how fast this adhesive got sticky. I had a hard time sliding it under the basement door and managed somehow to get adhesive on the back of my pants. While rolling out the floor I was on my knees for a few good minutes and when I tried to get up I discovered I glued my legs to my a**, glad no one was around for that. Anyway the job is now done, the glue doesn't smell too bad and I have an hour and 1/2 to spare before Carrie get's home....too bad the house is a wreck...but hey the floor is done. :0)

Camera Critter

This is my first visit to the Camera Critter phenom, I am sharing a great picture of our pup we got after she had a bath, she proceeded to roll all over the beds trying to dry herself off, it was hilarious watching her jump from bed to bed and barking all the way.





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Another fun Renovation Project

What an exciting event when we take on a project all by ourselves and it works out. We decided to get rid of our rotten front door this spring and after trying a couple of times to get someone to come and install it for us we ended up doing it ourselves. The great thing by doing it ourselves not only were we able to change this door but we did the side entrance as well and added a screen door all while staying within the budget of the original door. It's an intimadating thing starting a project like this for the first time but it really wasn't that hard and it turned out just like we wanted it to, another satisfied customer in my wife.

Faster and more Furious

I was taking the boys to DragonBall Evolution the other night but when we got to the theatre it wasn't showing anymore. What do you take 2 boys to one 13 and the other 7 when all there is horror or girl movies. We settled on the Fast and Furious movie, now I have to say it was better than the other ones in this series and the guys liked all the action but Kohl felt there was a little bit of language he didn't like. I have to say it wasn't too bad and really the only objectionable moment which I have to say had absolutely no importance to the plot was a moment in the club when Vin walks buy this group of 3 or 4 girls making out in a hallway. It made no differance to the story at all and was there only for show. We are waiting for next weekend when Wolverine comes out for our boys night out.

6 Mistakes Men Make

To be far to everyone I also had this article that discussed the dish on men's mistakes too.

WebMD offers experts' sex tips for men who have sex with women.
By Martin F. Downs
WebMD FeatureReviewed by Louise Chang, MDHey guys, think you know everything there is to know about having sex with women? That erotic encyclopedia you carry around in your head may contain a lot of basic errors and omissions about women's sexuality -- errors that can lead to sex mistakes.

That's because -- after learning the facts of life -- most of us are left to figure out sex for ourselves. Guys tend to take a lot of cues from adult movies, and we all know how true-to-life those are. Experience may help, but many women can be shy when talking about what they like.

To help us with some sex tips, WebMD asked two acclaimed sex educators, Tristan Taormino and Lou Paget, to tell us what they think are the most common sex mistakes men make with women.

Taormino is a prolific author, lecturer, and video producer. Her latest project is the Expert Guide educational video series from Vivid Ed.

Paget is author of The Great Lover Playbook and other sex manuals, and she gives seminars nationwide.

Sex Mistake No.1: You Know What She Wants
Men often make assumptions about what a woman wants based upon what they've done with other women. But women aren't all the same.

"You develop a repertoire as you mature sexually, but you should never assume that what worked for the last person is going to work for this person," Taormino says.

That applies not only to sexual predilections, but also to relationships, she says. "There are women who can have no-strings-attached sex, and women who can get attached very easily, and then everyone in between."

Sex Mistake No. 2: You Have All She Needs
Some women can't have an orgasm with less than 3,000 rpm. No human tongue or fingers can generate that kind of vibration. But men typically think something is wrong if a woman needs a vibrator.

"If the only way that a woman can achieve orgasm is with a vibrator, she's not broken," Taormino says.

Think of a vibrator as your assistant, not your substitute. Many couples use vibrators together. "While you're doing one thing, or two things, the vibrator can be doing something else," Taormino says.

Sex Mistake No. 3: Sex Feels the Same for Men and Women
Paget says there tends to be a "huge disconnect" between men and women in the ways that sex feels good.

"When a man has intercourse with a woman, and his penis goes into her body, that sensation is so off the charts for most men, they cannot imagine that it isn't feeling the same way for her," Paget says. "It couldn't be further from the truth."

The inside of the vagina is probably less sensitive than the outer parts for most women. Also, deep thrusting may not feel so nice on the receiving end. If the penis is too long, "it feels like you're getting punched in the stomach," Paget says. "It makes you feel nauseous."

Sex Mistake No. 4: You Know Your Way Around a Woman's Anatomy
Most guys know generally what a clitoris is and where to find it. That's not to say that they really understand it.

More than 30 years ago, at the start of the "sexual revolution," a best-selling book called the Joy of Sex got Americans hip to the orgasmic importance of the clitoris. But the belief that women must be able to orgasm from vaginal penetration stubbornly persists.

"I still get letters from people who say things like, my wife can't [orgasm] from intercourse unless she has clitoral stimulation -- please help," Taormino says. "I want to write back and say, 'OK, what's the problem?'"

"For the majority of women, it's not going to happen that way," Paget says.

Men also lack information about how to touch it and how sensitive it is, Taormino says.

A touch that's bliss for one woman may feel like nothing special, or may even be painful for someone else. Some prefer indirect stimulation.

How can you find out how she likes to be touched? Try asking her.

Sex Mistake No. 5: Wet = Turned On
Guys sometimes get hung up if a woman doesn't get slippery enough for easy penetration. Don't worry about it.

"I think there's a myth that if you're turned on, you're wet," Taormino says. Not necessarily.

Some women tend to get wetter than others, and how much natural lubrication a woman has can change from day to day. It varies by the phase of her menstrual cycle, and it's subject to influences like stress and medications.

Sex Mistake No. 6: Silence Is Golden
A lot of guys think they should be silent during sex, but unless you speak up, your partner has to guess what's doing it for you and what isn't.

If you're respectful about it, a woman who wants to please you will probably appreciate some directions.

"I'm not saying push her head in your lap," Taormino says. "I think that, 'this is how I like it,' is a very useful conversation to have."

6 mistakes women make

Every week I get an email at home from the WebMD, not sure how we got signed up for this newsletter but sometimes it's an interesting read, this was the latest article that arrived.

WebMD explains the 6 biggest sex mistakes women make and reasons why women make them.
By Lisa Zamosky
WebMD FeatureReviewed by Louise Chang, MDLadies, be honest: when your sex life becomes a little humdrum, out comes the mental catalogue of all the ways your partner isn’t quite measuring up. Guys tend to get a bad rap when it comes to understanding women’s bodies and what turns us on, making them easy targets in the blame game when sexual satisfaction starts to wane. And sure, they make their fair share of bedroom errors. But as the saying goes, it takes two to tango. As it turns out, top sex and relationship experts say that women make plenty of sex mistakes of their own. Here’s what they have to say about the six most common mistakes women make in the bedroom and what you can do to get the satisfaction you so rightly deserve.

Sex Mistake #1: Not Initiating Sex With Your Partner
It’s 2009 and still, many of us worry about ladylike behavior. We don’t want to appear pushy or come on too strong for fear of being labeled aggressive. According to Les Parrot, professor of psychology at Seattle Pacific University and author of a new book called Crazy Good Sex, failing to initiate sex is one of the biggest mistakes women make.

“Most guys feel like they are always the initiator and that sets up disequilibrium on the passion scale in the relationship,” he says. Generally, men want to be pursued by their partners just as much as women do.

Holding onto outdated ideas about sex roles also inhibits satisfaction with our sexual relationships, says "Dr. Ruth," aka Ruth Westheimer, PhD, a psychosexual therapist, professor at New York University, and lecturer at Yale and Princeton universities. “They used to think that women are less interested in sexual activity and I don’t want to say that anymore. I think there are women who are as interested in sex [as men].”

Show your interest by taking the first step from time to time. Your partner will likely appreciate it, and you may find a new level of satisfaction in taking responsibility for your sexual experience, something Westheimer feels strongly women must do.

Sex Mistake #2: Worrying About What You Look Like
Thinking about how you look during sex stops you from enjoying yourself and ruins your chances of achieving an orgasm.

“Don’t think about the fat on your belly or the makeup on your face,” advises Westheimer. “Concentrate on the pleasure of the act. You must give yourself permission to have an orgasm.”

“Men want their wives to abandon themselves in sex play, and that’s not likely if she is anxious about her physical concerns,” Parrott says.

Ruth Fisher, PhD, a cultural anthropologist at Rutgers University and author of a new book called Why Him, Why Her, says men don’t notice half the things women obsess about anyway.

“It’s amazing what men don’t notice if you’re enthusiastic, energetic, interested in them, and flexible minded.”

According to Fisher, there is an evolutionary explanation for the selective blindness men show to our physical flaws. For Darwinian reasons, says Fisher, men are (unconsciously, of course) looking for women who are able to bear healthy babies. Starting millions of years ago, men who attracted fertile women and had a lot of children lived on. Those who couldn’t died out. Although maybe not as necessary today, Fisher says that primal survival mechanism lives on.

“Men are much more attracted to women who show signs of health and youth and fertility. Rather than worry about the shape of your waist and hips, worry about your energy level and enthusiasm and interest in him,” Fisher advises.

Sex Mistake #3: Assuming Sex Is Casual for a Man
Westheimer believes we should all let go of old-fashioned notions, such as women are not sexual or that sex is just sex to men. “For some men, sex is a very important act. Don’t minimize it.”

The research, says Parrott, supports the idea that both men and women find sexual intimacy in the context of a committed relationship to be more satisfying.

“Numerous research studies make it very clear that the people who have the best quality and most frequent sex are married couples. That says a lot about the inadequacies of ‘casual sex,” Parrot says.

In a study being conducted by Fisher and her colleagues of university students engaging in one-night stands, the numbers show that men are just as serious about sex and relationships as women. In fact, more than 50% of women and 52% of men who went into a one-night stand, according to Fisher, reported that they did so hoping to create a longer relationship. One-third of them actually did so. What’s the lesson?

“Never assume that a man is not romantic,” Fisher says. “Two huge mistakes in this culture are that women are not sexual and that men are not as romantic [as women].”

Sex Mistake #4: Believing He’s Always Up for Sex
Sure, most teenage boys are ready and willing just about any time you ask, but not true for men. The pressures of everyday life -- family, work, bills -- can zap a man’s libido. This comes as a big surprise to many women, and often his lack of interest in sex is something we take personally.

“It comes as such a shock [to women] that they just don’t believe it,” Fisher says about the reaction many women have when their partner says they aren’t in the mood for sex. “They know themselves that they are not always interested in sex but they still love the man. But when they discover he doesn’t want to have sex, they think, ‘he doesn’t love me.’ Not true. He just doesn’t want to have sex.”

Sex Mistake #5: Not Giving Him Guidance
Talking very directly about sex, what we like and don’t like can make us feel uncomfortable, even with a partner we’ve been with for a long time and otherwise feel close to, says Parrott. But it’s the only way to achieve a satisfying sexual relationship.

“A woman must take responsibility for her sexual encounter,” says Westheimer. “No man can bring a woman to orgasm if she doesn’t take responsibility for her sexual experience. Even the best lover can’t know what she needs without her letting him know.”

The good news, according to Fisher, is that men very much want to please women.

“If you can tell them in a way that doesn’t kill their ego, they will appreciate it,” says Fisher. She advises women to sandwich what they don’t like in between five things they do, because he’s listening. “You won’t find out until the next time you’re in bed with him. But men do listen, particularly if you’re quite clear about it.”

Sex Mistake #6: Getting Upset When He Suggests Something New
After a couple has been together for a while, it’s natural to want to spice things up with a little variety. Just because your man wants to try something new doesn’t mean he’s unhappy with you or your sex life. In short: Don’t take it personally.

Still, it’s important that you tune into your comfort zone says Parrott.

“Nobody should ever feel obligated to do something they don’t want to do in the personal and intimate area of sexuality,” Parrott says. “If your man asks you about trying something that’s outside of your morals, make it clear that it’s off limits for you and explain why. Of course, do this in a loving way as best you can. If it is something that is not really a moral issue for you but you still don’t want to, again explain why. If it is a simply a startling request and you’re initially uneasy about it, try not to overreact. Instead, let him know you need some time to think about it

Blue tooth for driving ban

It has been a little over a year since it was announced that our province of Nova Scotia was going hands free as of April 1st. What's your opinion on this? I personally would have to admit to having used the cell phone while driving more than once and will certainly agree it is a distraction from the road. I think it is a great idea to eliminate the temptation to use the phone while driving. I got caller display on my phone so if it happens to ring while driving I can either pull over and call back or wait until I get to where I am going before answering. There are other great ideas to like the blue tooth that you can use so you can talk and still keep your hands where they need to be. Sometimes though even the conversation can be the distraction depending on what the situation is so that one is pretty hard to police how do you ban speaking in a vehicle. Give me your opinion on this topic, I would love to hear different views.

Yard Work Experts

Me and the boys got out and did some work in the yard yesterday and the first order of business was chopping down some dead branches out of the trees. They had a great time helping to cut down and break off the branches. They both especially loved taking down the thorn bush around the side of the house, everyone hated that one as we had all had a run in at some point or another. It was a celebration when it finally came down.