ding - dong.. grocery's are done!

http://www.peapod.com

week after week I go through the dreadful motions of grocery shopping. I miss out on quality family-weekend time... Or I have 20lbs of Baby in tow. Either way is not fun.
on top of all this, last weekend I went grocery shopping and I decided to get cash back. Well, with my luck, I forgot it there.. $20 GONE. ( not a happy camper that day!)

behold!
pea pod!

Everyone in the family can click on what ever item they want and bam! it's in the bag - that I don't have to carry! the sale items are on there too and there is even a section of all specials.
They on;y downside is that they don't have everything. So far they don't have cran-grape juice or my precious mocha bolthouse. (mmmmmm delicious)

I think it's an approx $6 delivery charge, but for me it's worth it.
( first time, if you spend over $100 delivery is free- wooh!)

put your thinking cap on

Six Hats of Thinking

"The six hats method allows children to think more richly and more comprehensively.
If we simply ask children to think about something, they are often at a loss. But if
they are invited to explore the subject using the framework of the hats, their
perceptual powers are quickly expanded."
Edward de Bono in Six Thinking Hats for School, 1992.

WHITE: is neutral and objective, concerned with objective facts and figures
RED: relates to anger and rage, so is concerned with emotions
BLACK: is gloomy, and covers the negative - why things can't be done
YELLOW: is sunny and positive, indicating hope and positive thinking
GREEN: is abundant, fertile growth, indicating creativity and new ideas
BLUE: is the sky above us, so is concerned with the control and organisation of the
thinking process


The WHITE Hat
The facts, and only the facts
The white hat, like a blank piece of paper, is completely neutral, impartial and
objective. It deals with only facts, figures, and information at hand.

When using the WHITE Hat we ask a few basic questions:
1. What information do we have? (About the topic in question)
2. What information do we need?
3. Where can we get the required information from.
4. What is relevant?

At any point in a discussion, sometimes it is helpful to stop and have some “white hat
thinking”... pause for a moment and look at the information and hand.
Cease all speculation and arguments and take stock of where you are.



The RED Hat
fire, warmth
The Red Hat deals with intuition, feelings and emotions.
When dealing with feelings, views can be presented without justification or
explanation.

When using the red hat, some things we consider are:
1. How do we feel about the topic?
2. Consider emotions such as fear, likes, dislikes, love, hate, anger.
3.What are your gut reactions?
4.What intuitions do you have?

"Putting on my red hat, I think this is a terrible proposal."


The BLACK Hat
stern, like a judges black robe
The black hat is judgemental, critical. It is the hat of caution, which allows the wearer
to reflect on the negatives of an idea and list the drawbacks.

Some things to consider when wearing the Black Hat are:
1. Costs. (too expensive? Not enough money?)
2. Regulations. (to strict? Not strict enough? Unable to work within them? )
3. Design. (not practical? Looks wrong?)
4.Materials. (high maintenance? Too hard to get?)
5. Safety issues or risks.
6. Identifies difficulties and problems.

The Black hat is a very useful hat, but be careful not to bring it in to early in a
discussion as it can stifle creativity and ideas.



The YELLOW Hat
brightness, optimism
The yellow hat symbolises all that is positive and optimistic.
It can be used for looking at positive results in the past, or all that is possible in the
future, for assessing the benefits of an idea, or finding its values.
It is about effectiveness and getting a job done.

Some things to consider using the yellow hat are:
1.What are the benefits?
2.Why is this preferable?
3.What are the positive assets?
4. How can we make this work?



The GREEN Hat
new growth
The Green hat focuses on creative ideas and looking at all the alternatives.
It allows for new approaches and innovative thinking with potential for growth.
In green hat we look to new ideas and solutions.

Questions you might ask while wearing your green hat include:
1. Are there any other ideas here?
2. Are there any additional alternatives?
3. Could we do this in a different way?
4. Could there be another explanation?

The green hat is often the hardest because it is all about thinking outside the norm
and going against our habits of function, recognition and criticism.
Be careful not to use the green hat too much as you may stray too far from the
original idea.



The BLUE Hat
sky, overview
The Blue hat is the overseer or “process control” making sure all thoughts stay
relatively on track by redirecting thinking eg. If an emotional response (red hat) is
given while using the yellow hat, the Blue hat will keep the discussion on track.
It is responsible for setting the agenda, being the time keeper and ensures the 6 hats
guidelines are observed.



Using the Hats
The purpose of the hats is to direct thinking, not classify either the thinking or the thinker.
Indeed, by wearing a hat that is different from the one that one customarily wears, one may
chance upon a variety of new ideas. Wearing a hat means deliberately adopting a perspective
that is not necessarily one’s own. It is important that all group members are aware of this fact. A
group member must clearly identify the color of the hat he is wearing while making a statement.
Wearing a clearly identified hat separates ego from performance. The Six Hat Method is useful
even for individuals thinking by themselves. Hats may be used in some structured sequence depending on the nature of the issue.


Here is an example agenda for a typical 6 hats workshop:

Step 1: Present the facts of the case (White Hat)
Step 2: Generate ideas on how the case could be handled (Green Hat)
Step 3: Evaluate the merits of the ideas - List the benefits (Yellow Hat),
List the drawbacks (Black Hat)
Step 4: Get everybody’s gut feelings about the alternatives (Red Hat)
Step 5: Summarize and adjourn the meeting (Blue Hat)


Six Thinking Hats
Intuitive
Informative
Constructive
Cautious
Creative
Reflective

saved an Andrew Jackson!

my trip down experimental lane took a turn for the great.
I was able to make 10 baby food containers of squash, 10 of cauliflower, and 15 of sweet potatoes. Gerber charges 1.09 per package of 2 containers. But it gets much better... The bill from the vegetable store was $15 so i already got my money worth, but the great news is.. I also got two packages of carrots, celery, about 6 apples, a bundle of bananas, one onion, and 4 pears!
I pick when I cook also, so this was a healthy endeavor. Far better than chocolate cake!

here are a few pictures of the baby food fest and the sampler himself:

order pizza the best way- the lazy way

I just ordered a pizza online!

www.papajohns.com

they even send you an e-mail notification saying when and how much- they also deliver!
Dunkin Donuts needs to adopt this business strategy (asap)

day long learning..

today I am attempting to make baby food other than sweet potatoes pears peaches and bananas. (ones i have been making)

the list of attempts include:
carrots
green beans
cauliflower
pineapples
apples
squash


if you have any suggestions let me know!

Cameron is curently eating bananas whole.. grham crackers and cooked sweet potato pieces. So again- finger food suggestions are also welcome!


so, I haven't really learned anything YET but i have a feeling i will by the end of the day

ssoooooo jealous

A snail can sleep for three years


some more fun facts about snails..

	The largest land snail ever found was 15 inches long and weighed 2 pounds!
	Snails' bodies produce a thick slime. Because of this slime, they can crawl across the edge of a razor and not get hurt.
	Some snails have been known to live up to 15 years.
	Snails are hermaphrodites which means that they have both male and female reproductive organs.
	Snails usually travel in irregular paths, often traveling in a circle.
	Snails reply mainly on their sense of touch and smell when finding food because they have very poor eyesight.
	Snails cannot hear.
	Snails can retract one or both of their tentacles at a time.
	Because of the suction created by their slime, a snail can crawl upside down.
	Snails are nocturnal animals which means they are more active at night.
	Garden Snails mainly eat garden plants and vegetables, but they will also eat decaying plants and soil.
	The fastest snails are the speckled garden snails which can move up to 55 yards per hour compared 23 inches per hour of most other land snails.
	Garden snails hibernate during the winter and live on their stored fat.
	Garden snails breathe with lungs.
	Garden snails evolved from sea snails about 600 million years ago.
	The garden snail is cooked and eaten as a delicacy called escargot
	May 24th is National Escargot Day

I'm not even being facetious!

There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous":

tremendous –adjective

1.	extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity: a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.

2.	extraordinary in excellence: a tremendous movie.

3.	dreadful or awful, as in character or effect; exciting fear; frightening; terrifying.

horrendous –adjective
shockingly dreadful; horrible: a horrendous crime.

stupendous –adjective

1.	causing amazement; astounding; marvelous: stupendous news.

2.	amazingly large or great; immense: a stupendous mass of information.

hazardous –adjective

1.	full of risk; perilous; risky: a hazardous journey.

2.	dependent on chance.

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order:

abstemious –adjective

1.	sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet.

2.	characterized by abstinence: an abstemious life.

3.	sparing: an abstemious diet.

facetious –adjective

1.	not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.

2.	amusing; humorous.

3.	lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous: a facetious person.

**** I had no Idea what abstemious meant so i technically learned 2 things today.
and just as a side note, facetious is my favorite word of all time.