This afternoon, I got a chance to speak with Mitchell Solaric, the Producer of Gospel Dream, a vocal talent search program, about the show and how you or your friend could audition.  You can listen to our conversation below.  Then if you want to sign up, you can begin the registration process on the Gospel Music Channel Website here.

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Posted: March 31st, 2009 under Helpful Info, Show Notes.
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So I was spending time at my computer today (a usual sight for me), when I stumbled upon an article about how much time we spend looking at screens. It turns out that the average American spends 8 hours looking at a screen. That could mean a computer, tv, whatever.  I’ll be the first to admit I love watching TV shows and playing computer and video games.  And I easily pass that 8 hours a day based solely on the fact that I use a computer all day at work.  But I decided in an effort to help you and me avoid becoming screen zombies, I’d think of three things I should be/want to be doing instead of just starting at a screen.  Here’s my three:

1. Spend time with my family.  This could include playing with Bekah, and enjoy a board game and conversation with Amy.

2. Read a book.  It takes me forever to get through a book when I used to be able to read one in a week.  The reason? I’m playing video games instead.

3. Ride my bike.  This one only works when the weather gets nicer, but it’s definitely one I’m looking forward to.

So, what are your three things?

Posted: March 30th, 2009 under Crazy Stuff, Show Notes.
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One of the worst parts of being a parent is having sick children.  As a father, I think the problem is that I am incapable of fixing the problem.  I want to magically make Bekah feel all better when she’s sick, but I can’t.  That meant that this weekend, due to a variety of factors, Bekah ended up in the hospital this weekend with a fever and dehydration.  Her fever and general not feeling well caused her to not eat well, which caused her to get dehydrated and feel worse.  It’s a vicious cycle, especially when you’re 5 months old.  After some time with an IV of fluids, some antibiotics for the fever, and as much TLC as we could give, we all go to go home on Sunday.  It’s not somewhere I want to be again, but considering how many times I injured myself growing up, I have a feeling I’ll be back soon enough.

Posted: March 30th, 2009 under Life at the Lansers', Show Notes.
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Being a parent involves building a new set of skills.  You learn more about patience, love, how to feed children, changing diapers, and of course the all important skill of sneakiness.  Take last week for instance.  Bekah hadn’t been sleeping well and Amy took her out to the living room early in the morning.  About the time my alarm was going off, Bekah had woken up screaming again, and Amy wasn’t having any luck getting her to calm down.  So I came out and got her, cuddled up with her on the loveseat, talked to her, rubbed her chest, and after a little bit she fell asleep.  Now I have a problem.  She’s laying on my arm and next to me, but I really need to get in the shower and get ready for my day.  As carefully and sneakily as possible, I extracted myself from under her and off the loveseat.  Thankfully she stayed asleep.  Hopefully this means I’m getting better as this parenting thing.

Posted: March 30th, 2009 under Life at the Lansers', Show Notes.
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It was a lot of fun watching Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl this year, but now Kurt’s taking his work ethic off the field and he’s coming to Cedar Rapids this summer. Kurt will be working with Americorps and Habitat for Humanity as they build 20 homes in Cedar Rapids.  The main building project will take place June 14-20.  Habitat representives say that while discrimination laws keep them from donating all the houses to those affected by the floods, they hope that many of the houses built can help those families who are in need.  If you’d like to learn more about Habitat and how you can help, contact your local Habitat for Humanity at their website here. Just enter your zip code to find the office nearest you.

Posted: March 30th, 2009 under Helping Others, Local News, Show Notes.
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