Selfies.  What are is a selfie?  Does it really matter in the long run?  It is truly amazing how much selfies matter to people.  I found multiple articles on selfies and the true definition of them.  The author of “Is This a Selfie?” was concerned by the general lack of knowledge of the definition of selfie.  He was annoyed by an article in the New York Times about a picture of Pluto taken by New Horizon’s flyby of Pluto.  The author called the picture an “extraordinary time for a cosmic selfie…”  While it is a historic picture, I would have to agree that the Photo is not a selfie by the definitions I have found.

The first documented selfie according to the BBC appeared back in 2002 when a drunk man posted pictures he had taken of his injuries to his face that he had sustained from falling down (while drunk).  But the real rise in selfies didn’t happen until 2013.  Perhaps the most famous selfie that has been retweeted and shared millions of time happened during the Oscars in 2014.  Ellen DeGeneres used her phone to take a group photo when many famous actors.  But Ellen didn’t actually take the picture… It was her phone, but her arms were not long enough, and so Bradley Cooper used her phone to take the picture.

Not every picture taken is a selfie. .“ALL selfies are photos. Not all photos are selfies. This distinction is lost on many — including brands on Twitter, television news anchors, your parents, and let’s be real, newspapers — which have used the word “selfie” to describe group photos, buildings, scenery and more. It’s time to clear up what exactly a selfie is.” (Jason Feifer, the New York Times).    People take picture all the time.  People take pictures of themselves to share with others (my kids steal the camera ALL the time and fill it up with pictures), but should all pictures be called selfies?

“Selfies are here to stay. The act of taking a photo of yourself was added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary in 2014. Scrabble also added it to its dictionary last year. A selfie, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is "an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks."Charles Poladian, IBT Pulse)

Whether one uses their hand or a selfie stick to take a picture, the consensus is that the person taking the picture took a selfie.  So I guess Bradley Cooper took the selfie not Ellen.

 

 

Wikipedia.  Wikimedia Foundation.  Web. 22 July 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfie

 

Feifer, Jason.  “Is This a Selfie?” The New York Times.  The New York Times, 21 July 2015. Web. 22 July 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/opinion/is-this-a-selfie.html?ref=opinion

 

“Pulse| International Business Times.” Pulse/International Business Times. Web. 22 July 2015

http://www.ibtimes.com/pulse/what-selfie-everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-taking-photo-according-new-york-2019933

 

"Stop Abusing the Word ‘selfie,’ Please." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 18 June 2014. Web. 22 July 2015.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/06/18/stop-abusing-the-word-selfie-please

 

 

Spencer

Little stinker!

Spencer has really honed in his climbing skills.  There is almost no stopping him!  He will climb to get anything he wants.  And if there isn’t anything to climb on, he will drag a chair in to use.  Seriously kid I don’t want another broken bone!

Savannah's arm

I got a call last Thursday from the school…  That I missed.  The voice message that they left said that Savannah had hurt her arm during recess, but that they didn’t think it was broken.  They were going to try to reach Josh, but told me to call back.  Before I could call back, my phone rang again.  This time it was my sister-in-law who works at the school.  This time I answered.  I talked with Jaimee, and then the health assistant, and then Savannah.  Savannah said that she was ok, and that she was good to stay the last 45 minutes of the day.  When she got home from school, Savannah showed me her arm and said it hurt a little bit.  It wasn’t swollen or bruised so I thought we’d just watch it.  Over the next few days Savannah kept her arm wrapped and took medicine a few times, but she never really complained.  I finally took her in to the doctor on Tuesday (I know bad mom) and they sent us for x-rays.  And wouldn’t you know it, it was broken!  She got her cast this morning!  She gets to wear it for four weeks!

 

Bully

We have always told the kids to leave their baby brother or sister alone, because one day they might pick on them…  Spencer must have been listening when we told Myra…  He has figured out how to “pick” on her.  Spencer is a solid little boy, and he can take Myra down if she is sitting down.  Then he won’t get off of her.  He even started to spit at her as well.  Little trouble maker!

Boys will be boys

The three oldest boys (my husband counts as one of those boys) went to a fireside at the church last night.  When they got home, they were so excited.  It had started snowing during the fireside, and there were several inches already accumulating.  The first question I got when they walked in the door was, “have you looked outside”?  It was quickly followed with, “can we go play in it”?  Now mind you, it was almost 9pm at this point.  I answered something to the affect of “I don’t care”, because I didn’t think they were serious.  I was wrong.  They were very serious.  They all ran off to change out of their church clothes, and then they spent the next hour or so enjoying each other’s company and playing in the snow!

 

Beds

We did a little rearranging this weekend (and by we I mean Josh).  Ben got a new bed, so that meant that his old bed got moved up to Spencer’s room, and that the crib got taken out of the room.  Now Spencer has a new bed too.  A big boy bed.  He loves it!  He just doesn’t love to go to sleep in it. 
 

Brothers

Who needs a dog when they have a little brother?  Good thing Spencer loves Josh Jr.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEQUeBzhofg&feature=youtu.be

Myra

Myra decided to sing for me :)
Here is a link for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRD-DzZDkHI&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Not sure how to respond

It seems several times this last week during conversations with different people that people are quick to hate and be angry by small actions.  With all the hate and killing going on all around the world, I have a hard dealing with people that get angry over such little petty things.  I can’t excuse myself.  I know that I have quickly gotten frustrated and angry over something I should have, but I wish I wouldn’t.  I guess it is something that I need to work on.

School

I finished my class for last semester a little over three weeks ago.  My class for this semester started this week.  After three weeks off it has been hard to get back in the swing of things.  My first assignment is due tomorrow.  It was so hard to get motivated to do it.  And then half way through I discovered that I would need my class book for it, the book I had yet to buy.  Needless to say I spent a part of this afternoon looking for an e-copy of my class book.  The book had options for as little as “renting” for thirty days up to buying the book.  I rented the eBook for 120 days (because the 90 day option was two weeks to short).  The sum total for “renting” my class book for 120 days was $60.25!  Really?!?!? $60.25 for an eBook for 120 days???  That’s just crazy.

 

He cracks me up

Most nights we say prayers together as a family.  Everyone gets a turn to pray and then pick the next person to pray.  Spencer has recently decided that he wants HIS turn praying. He is so cute when he prays.  We always have someone help him, and he mostly just giggles and then throws his arms up and says Amen.  Tonight when we were praying he was working hard on folding his arms and closing his eyes.  He was so cute that I had to take a picture of him.  Love this little guy!

The faces of Myra

We got a new printer a couple months back.  Our last printer was pretty basic. Our new printer has many more bells and whistles.  One of those whistles is a scanner.  I haven’t gotten around to trying it until today.  I have a couple picture of Myra on my fridge that were given to us, so I thought I would try scanning them.  And it worked (mostly)!  Here are the pictures of Myra.  They are a couple of my all time favorite pictures of her.

Remembering those songs

Josh (Sr.) had the opportunity to chaperone the youth dance this last week for New Years Eve.  I was able to go with him (probably wasn't the best idea, but it was still fun). I was amazed that a lot of the songs they played at the dance were the same as ones that where played way back when I went to church dances.  Listening to those "old" songs got me think on other "old" songs that they would play  at the church dances.  Songs like Rock Lobster and Shiny Happy People.  Those were great songs!

Did the plant grow over night?

Josh got a tree a few years back from work.  He planted it in a little pot and it has grown a lot over the years.  He recently brought it home from work to replant.  The kids (and I) love this tree. It is so soft.  Josh has been nice and left it at home for a little while so the kids could enjoy it. A couple days ago while shopping, Josh and I found a similar tree, but much bigger. We bought it and snuck it into our bathroom.  Last night after all the kids had gone to bed, Josh switched the trees out.  This morning the girls were very surprised. Was that the same tree?  How had it grown so much?  They didn't believe it for very long (mostly because Myra found the other one) but it was fun while they did.

I Think We Might Be In Trouble



I think we might be in trouble!

Sometimes I learn things the hard way. Spencer had taken up a new sport. The game goes like so... Spencer (no matter where he is, as long as he can hear you leave) will race to the garage to lock whoever goes out the door into the garage out. He's very good at it. Poor Ben loses often. I often hear a bang, bang, bang coming from the door after I have sent Ben out to get me something from the garage. Today I lost! Spencer was half way down the stairs to the basement when I went out to grab chicken for dinner. I couldn't have been out there more than thirty seconds when I tried to get back in. But sadly thirty seconds was to slow, and Spencer had won.

He's lucky he is so cute!

The only problem... No one was upstairs besides Spencer to let me back in. I was in a short sleeve shirt with only socks and no phone (it was on the counter in the kitchen). The garage was cold! Thankfully my banging on the door made Spencer cry, and finally one of his sisters came up to see why he was crying and let me in. And I have learned my lesson. Next time I need something from the garage, I will send a kid ;)




If he was the first kid, he might be the only kid!

Let's Try This Again

I thought I would blog every day this year...  Let's hope I do better than last year ;)

Josh Jr. getting ready to ring in the New Year!