I’ve only seen a few minutes of the Olympics thus far, but both times were synchronized diving. Um, how can I say this nicely…. what is the “sport” in synchronized diving?

And just imagine, first you have to find someone else in your country who is also interested in synchronized diving (this can’t be easy), then you have to have the same general body type/appearance?! This gives an edge to just about every other nation except the U.S. of Mutts.

Separately, from the local paper: “A 20 year-old man was in critical condition after nearly being electrocuted while trying to capture Quaker parakeets from an FPL tower in Pembroke Pines. He fell 20 feet and sustained severe burns.”

Also, we are now in the midst of Miami Spice restaurant month here in South Florida. Quite a few local restaurants offer a three-course fixed-price meal for lunch and/or dinner to encourage the locals to try places they don’t normally frequent. I would love to normally frequent most of these places, it’s just that Miami Spice month is the only time of year the prices are in the ballpark of reasonable. (and at $36/person for dinner and $23/person for lunch, that’s a big ballpark)

Since having the boys – and implementing the $15 rule – we don’t go out to nice restaurants as much as we used to. We did, however, go to the Blue Door at the Delano last week for my belated birthday dinner (had to wait till Miami Spice started!) and it was reeeeally good. And it was so nice to take our time, order alcoholic beverages, and hear only adult conversations all around us.

If I ordered a raspberry mojito with the boys around, I’d be tempted to give it to them to, you know, take the edge off….

 The boys just had their 2 ½ well-child visit and Jonah made the weight charts for the first time in … um … probably a year.  5-10%, which corresponds perfectly with his height.  (Benjamin, on the other hand, weighs a little more than average for his frame – he’s in the 25-50% for weight.)  They were perfectly healthy – and the doctor wasn’t concerned about either area of hyperpigmentation…. Benjamin has a place on his ankle that was three separate freckles when he was born, then they have slowly grown together then kept growing – now it’s about ½ inch wide.  And Jonah has an area on his cheek (see photo below – I increased the contrast so it’s more visible) that the doctor said may or may not go away, but it’s harmless.

 Just two days later the doctor had to make a house call over the weekend to diagnose and medicate Jonah for bronchitis – he couldn’t inhale without coughing.  Ugh.  But he’s doing much better now – just coughing when he’s laying down.  He’s on two different medications – both given just once per day which is so helpful for the memory-challenged such as myself.

I saw my first Beth Moore video this past Sunday. When it first came on, I groaned inwardly and looked at my watch. She, her singers, and her stage look straight out of a televangelist set-up. And she’s very perky and says things like, “I am ECSTATIC that you are on this journey through the Psalms with me…. thanks so much for coming along, Dear One.”

But by the end, my eyes were undeniably moist and judging from the sniffles around me, I wasn’t the only one. Her message was convicting (in a “Dear One” sort of way). One of her more memorable lines was: “Every time you’re tempted to hoard, give something away.”

Which means I’ll be left with about three possessions by the end of the year.

But I’ve kept that piece of advice in mind during this impromptu Home 4.0. I’ve divested a couple dozen books, a dozen colored glass bottles, several picture frames, and a couple of trivets that I have never once used. Along with an old travel computer case that never really worked, one of the boys’ riding toys they no longer use, and one of our two college yearbooks. Oh, and a pair of Jonathan’s boxers that split up the back when I was carting stuff from one end of the room to the other. That counts, right?

I now have two boxes full of infant/toddler twin boy clothes that I refuse to part with until I find someone expecting twin boys. The outfits are cute on their own, too, but most are “similar yet different” just like fraternal twins. So, people, start having sex twice in one night (someone actually asked if that’s how a friend of mine became pregnant with twins, which technically speaking is possible, but…) or doing something very unnatural (my boys are the human equivalent of aspartame, you know), but do it fast…. I need the closet space!

We’ve been debating whether or not to join an organic farm co-op this winter. I just received an email with details:

“The price is $630 for full shares, $375 for half-shares-plus a delivery fee based on your pickup site, (FREE at the farm, $40 for Dade, $60 for Broward, and $100 for the Keys), due to the crazy increases in energy costs (thank Bush).”

Thank Bush? Isn’t Bush in favor of drilling for oil in Alaska? Wouldn’t that bring oil prices down? But that would harm the environment, right? Which might negate the good the organic farm is doing.....

Hmmm, it’s all so terribly complicated.

I buy Starbuck’s stock. They FINALLY open one in our neighborhood.

I can only hope it’s not one of the 600 slated for closure this month.

I better buy more stock soon, just in case. Plus at least sixty-four lattes per week, right? That should do it.

So I’m here in Starbies, typing away on my laptop, when one of the employees comes over and asks the half-dozen teenagers within arm’s length of me: “Are you letting our paying customer enjoy her coffee in peace?” And she’s the type of person who can ask that nicely with a smile and they get the point without getting offended and cussing her out under their breaths. If I would’ve said something to that effect, we all would’ve ended up in a fist-fight. I’m just that kind of gentle, sweet-spirited, easy going person, you know?

I’ve tried both flavors of their new smoothies. The Banana Chocolate is not so tasty, but the Orange Mango Banana is delicious.

Drink up, people! Drink up!