Let the Playoffs Begin!

The first-floor hallway of the Tapper house has been transformed!  Let the NHL playoffs begin!

Crazy Hair Day!

A Couple Malapropisms from Andrew

Andrew: "Mom, I need a chopstick!"
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Andrew: "My lips are all dry!"

Driving home together the day after the Boston Marathon...
"Mom, I heard that people are evaporating from Boston..."

:)

Boys and their Trees

Found this list posted online in relation to educational institutions which are creating safety policies regarding tree-climbing:

The Dangers of Unsafe Tree Climbing
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, “unintentional injury is the top killer of children under 14, ahead of cancer and birth defects.”

• In the United States, more than 5,600 children die annually from unintentional injuries. (NCPA)
• Each year in the U.S., 140 children die, and 3 million more are injured in falls. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Falls are the second leading cause of death from unintentional injury in the U.S. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Being a timber cutter is the most dangerous job there is. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Tree climbing is so unsafe, lumberjacks can’t buy life insurance. (Sierra Club)
• 36% of all hunting accidents in Georgia are caused by falling out of trees. (Sierra Club)
• A village in Zimbabwe is experiencing an epidemic of villagers falling out of trees. (Zimbabwe Daily News)
• Children of Ukrainian farmers often died falling out of trees.
• The majority of hunters are not injured by buckshot, but from falling out of trees. (Panama City News Herald)
• Playground equipment over 8 feet [has] close to three times the injury rate of equipment under that height. (National Program for Playground Safety)
• Professional tree climbing organizations such as Tree Climbers International do not recommend free climbing because it is so dangerous. They believe that encouraging a child to free-climb is life-threatening. (from http://www.fiftydangerousthings.com/news/some-thoughts-on-28-climb-a-tree)

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure this (below) was mighty good for some Tappers today!

Super Mom

Yeah, that's me...

Riding a unicycle on a tightrope...

With a carefree smile...

Impressing my very cool camera-toting sons...

(Gotta love the 200kg weight down below that keeps me very stable as I perform my stunt at the Montreal Science Center!)