Raising4Boys participated in two carnivals this week. Here they are along with our posts that were included in each.

The Best of Me Symphony included “Overscheduled Parents.” Also included was “Saving Money: Focus on Big or Small Items?” from fivecentnickel.com.

The Carnival of the Vanities included “Dealing With a Finicky Four Year Old Eater.”

“My kids are the reason for everything. The reason everything is out of place, broken and dirty.” -Unknown

Time for another quick trip through the archives… Here are some of our favorite posts from the month of August…

08/04/2006 — Our Trip to the Georgia Aquarium
08/07/2006 — Disney Raises Ticket Prices (Again)
08/11/2006 — Braces for an Eight Year Old, Update #3
08/15/2006 — Hauling Furniture, Reckless Youth, and the Sunday Paper
08/24/2006 — It’s a Wonderful Life…
08/25/2006 — First Day of School Jitters? Yeah, Right
08/28/2006 — Dealing With Six Year Old Procrastination and Dawdling

And here’s rundown of what was happening at FiveCentNickel during August…

08/03/2006 — The Danger of No-Interest, Same-as-Cash Purchases
08/04/2006 — AmEx Buyer’s Assurance Warranty Extension Program
08/08/2006 — Are you Saving Enough for Retirement?
08/10/2006 — Craigslist First Impressions: Lots of Scammers
08/11/2006 — Pre-Paid Legal Plans
08/14/2006 — Choosing a Health Insurance Plan
08/17/2006 — Accidental Death & Dismemberment: What’s the Point?
08/21/2006 — Spending Money to Save Money
08/22/2006 — Dish Network Customer Service STILL Sucks
08/30/2006 — How Much Life Insurance do You Need?

On Thanksgiving Day, I decided that I wanted to install a basketball hoop for the boys. We had thought about doing it as a Christmas present, but we decided to go ahead and do it now instead. So instead of avoiding the crowds on Black Friday, we ventured out to the sporting goods store and came home with a shiny new basketball hoop. I’ve never been a fan of portable basketball hoops, so we ended up going with an in-ground hoop instead. Unfortunately, this meant that the installation process would be considerably longer and more difficult. [more]

I’m still in a Thanksgiving mood, so here are a couple more related jokes…

Q: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
A: Pilgrims.

Q: What happened to the turkey that got into a fight?
A: He got the stuffing knocked out of him.

Raising4Boys participated in two carnivals this week. Here they are along with links to our posts that were included in each.

The Best of Me Symphony included “Dealing With Six Year Old Procrastination and Dawdling.” Also included was “Solving Customer Service Problems” from fivecentnickel.com.

The Festival of Frugality included “Mazes, Mazes, Mazes (And All for Free).”

Just thought I’d share some Thanksgiving thoughts courtesy of our nine year old. These come from a little booklet on thankfulness that he put together at school:

I am thankful for my friends because… I can play with them.

I am thankful for God because… He made the world.

“When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they’re finished, I climb out.” -Erma Bombeck

After years of finicky eating, our four year old has really turned the corner over the last couple of months. The last real hurdle for us has been cutting the crust off all things bread — sandwiches, toast, etc. Pretty much no matter what we’ve tried, he’s flat out refused to eat his crusts — until the other night, that is… [more]

Lovely. I’m sitting here in the kitchen and our youngest (he turns two next week) just came running into the room carrying a diaper saying “Dookie! Dookie! Dookie!”

Sounds like somebody is getting ready for potty training. Now he just needs to learn to announce it before he fills his pants.