Our most valuable asset is our most precious asset: our children. We all want to see them happy, healthy and safe. We try, with all our might, to teach them how to be happy now and how to remain happy throughout life. We know they will have to grow into well adjusted, productive  adults in order to be happy adults. The following pieces are intended to help with some of the lessons children must learn (in a FUN and EASY to remember way). I hope you enjoy them and they help you convey your points of view to your kids. These pieces will be included in a series of illustrated childrens' books as soon as all the details have been worked out. Please let me know what you think of them by responding in the comments section.

Thanks,
Randy McArthur

Wherever it Goes

I follow my nose

Wherever it goes

It keeps me out of trouble

When some things we fear

I cannot see clear

It warns me on the double

Like smoke in a room

Before a ka-boom

That none of us can see

It’s hidden by the door

And burning much more

My nose is telling me

The message is clear

I must flee from here

A fire! Is on the way

So outside I go

To the place that we know

Where my parents told me to stay

My parents meet me

Under the tree

That I do love to climb

To find it’s not hard

It’s in the backyard

I can find it every time

So there we all stay

It’s no time to play

We have to stay still and wait

Waiting what for?

I need patience, lots more

It’s fire trucks

We anticipate

Soon a siren we hear

The trucks must be near

That didn’t take too long

Now you can see

Why we should stay by the tree

Leaving it would be wrong

 Now the firemen jump out

We give them a shout

“Hooray! We’re so glad you came”

Our house is on fire

The flames rising higher

But they run in just the same

When the firemen ran in

Dad said with a grin

“They will put out the flames”

In ran four

Then came some more

They never told me their names

At the tree, we stood near

Feeling both dread and fear

For all of the firemen sake

Heat you could see

Fire you could hear

Hot enough, to bake a cake

After a bit

Those flames did submit

And a fireman did reappear

His hat was still smoking

But he was not choking

He sang out “all is clear”

Please pardon me

If I scared you, you see

I didn’t mean any harm

This had to seem real

It was a fire drill

Not just a false alarm

 Randy McArthur

Potatoes and Fried Chicken

Potatoes and fried chicken

Are good for dinner

Add some fine gravy

And you have a winner

Start with a salad

To balance the meal

The food smells so good

Your hunger is real

Tell the cook thank you

With genuine zeal

For fun add a bun

With hot melted butter

There’ll be excitement

You’ll feel your heart flutter

Let there thanks

In the words that you utter

But don’t speak with your mouth full

You’ll only mutter and stutter

The blessing is done

And it’s time to eat

Potatoes and chicken

What a tasty good treat

I do love fried food

It can’t ever be beat

If I do clean my plate

That’d be a great feat

And I’ll get desert

Something chocolate and sweet

We don’t eat like this

Each and everyday

We usually eat

In a healthier way

From nutritious food

We seldom stray

 Eat too much fried food

And one day they’ll say

What did him in, he put on his tray

With his own life, he did not have to pay

If he’d had a good diet

He’d be here today

Instead up to heaven

He’s now on his way

The healthy way to eat

Is a well balanced diet

Please don’t make fun of it

Until you can try it

All that you eat

Try not to fry it

It might taste good

But too soon you’ll buy it

That trip up to heaven

Too soon you’ll fly it

A bad eating habit

You must try to defy it

And there is no way

That you can deny it

 Randy McArthur

Sharing

Ice cream and apples

Or even pink snapples

All make for a wonderful treat

When you share them with friends

The fun never ends

It’s a feeling that cannot be beat

It shows when you share

That you really do care

About a good friend’s

Immediate need

There’s a lesson you’ve learned

Friendship can only be earned

And your heart isn’t darkened by greed

The best thing is knowing

It keeps your heart growing

When you freely give

Something away

You’ll feel your heart getting bigger

In your life it will trigger

True happiness, every day

Now that you get it

There’s no need to sweat it, you’ll have friends

Who will share back with you

It’s some what you think

And more what you say

But mostly, what you choose to do

You can take great satisfaction

You’ll get a terrific reaction

From yourself

And everyone that you know

Your life will be more fulfilling

And you’ll just be stone cold chilling

Any time, any place that you go

 Randy McArthur

Chores

Hobble dee hook and goble dee gook

It’s just what it sounds like to me

When my children complain

Yet their chores still remain

To be finished, oh can’t you see

My children so dear

The time has come near

To go and clean up your room

Put the trash in the can

That would be a good plan

Then you can vacuum or broom

There’s no need to complain

When your chores still remain

All of us, have work to be done

Do your chores quick

That’s the first trick

Get finished, the go have some fun

There are more tricks than one

To keeping chores on the run

Here’s another, I have for you

It’s a real time saver

Do yourself a favor

We can call it trick number two

When you’re playing in your room

And you need to get a broom

Because a small mess, has clearly been made

Go ahead and get it clean

Do you know what I mean?

And you’ll have it, made in the shade

When you have gotten through

With trick number two

Trick three is there for your pleasure

Take care of the trash situation

Without hesitation

And you can clean up, at your own leisure

 Now for trick number four

Concerning counter tops

And the floor

Your mom won’t have to look sickly

If, when you spill what you’re drinking

You clean it up without thinking

Just make sure that you clean it up quickly

That’s enough for today

Now run off and play

Next time, we’ll start with trick five

If you’ll clean as you go

Good habits will grow

And you will be able to thrive

You will not merely survive

Randy McArthur

Playtime

Playtime is fun

It’s really a treat

You can swing on a swing set

Or run with your feet

Or sit in the sandbox, with a new friend

When you’re at playtime

Friendships begin

You can play different games

With different names too

You can play with Bob and Gloria

And Ted Bartholomew

You can climb on the monkey bars until you see stars

Or sit back and pretend

You’re driving race cars

Playtime can be

Great exercise

It will increase

Your muscles’ strength and size

Never let your game controls

Be your only master

Sitting on your rear all day

Leads to disaster

Please go outside and play

And feel your heart beat faster

If your parents will abide

You might go to the park

Where there’s stuff to ride

And climb until dark

Sliding down the slide

Is really such a lark

After you slide

Ride the merry go round

Until you are dizzy

And falling on the ground

Or play a game of kickball

It’s fun for one and all

But you’d better get busy

Night is gonna fall

 When your ball game is done

And you're still having fun

Play hide and seek

Out there in the sun

First you will hide

Then you will run

If you are "IT"

Just start by counting

It's so much fun

The excitement is mounting

When you have finished

Then open your eyes

Then you will start looking

For all girls and guys

The one that you catch

Will get a big surprise

Now that playtime is over

It’s time to go in

To do your homework

And make your brain spin

Back to your lessons

As we all know

Homework is exercise

It will help your brain to grow

 Randy McArthur

Everybody needs a hobby. Something that you do for the pure pleasure of doing it. Something that you simply love to do without any consideration given to profitability or productivity. For some it's cooking, for others it's gardening, for others it's collecting things, etc. In fact, it can be anything, you choose. As long as, it does not become work. Once it has become work, it's just one more obligation that has to be satisfied and will no longer be satisfying, as a process, to you as a human being. On the other hand, once upon a time, my hobby was my job. I love working with wood and was a carpenter years ago. Now, I make things for the pure enjoyment of seeing them come together. Over the past 30 years and by virtue of a mountain of mistakes, I've become pretty good at it and would like to share some of the things I've learned with you. Please read the next 7 articles and respond in the comments section with any questions you have.

Thanks,
Randy McArthur

When starting a project, the first thing to do is to decide what you want the finished product to be, right down to the final step of completion. For example; when adding wood to a room the first thing to decide is whether you want to paint the wood or stain the wood. This decision changes everything, from your materials choices to the methods you will use to fasten boards together and to the walls. After you have picked a finish, start thinking about the features you want in your room. Consider vertical features first. For the sake of demonstration, let's say your room is a den or living room. Pick features that will enhance the daily activities you perform in your den or living room. Here are some examples. If you like to sit by the window and read, you need a built in window seat and some built in book cases. If you like to watch T.V. and collect D.V.D's,  you need a built in entertainment center with adequate, organized, storage for your, ever growing, collection. If you collect and display collectibles such as; antique dolls, sports memorabilia, crystal figurines, dishes from places you've been or anything else for that matter. You need built in display cases that are customized to facilitate and accentuate the pieces you want to display. After you have decided on vertical features.you can start to think about choosing horizontal wall treatments like; wainscoting, multiple piece or single piece crown molding, wall panels, multiple piece or single piece chair rail and baseboard. At this point, I want to make you aware of something that most people don't consider. You can make some of your own pieces in order to give your own project it's own personality. Read the article on shaping.  I hope this has been enough to get your creative juices flowing. Please respond in the comments section with any questions that you have.

Thanks,
Randy McArthur 

DON'T buy anything until you have completed your layout. Once you have decided to do a project in your, let's say, den or living room and you have planned it right down to the final step of completion, you are ready to, physically, lay out your idea. This step will allow you to; better anticipate problems, visualize the finished project, do a materials take-off and estimate cost. You will need; a chalk straight line, a 4 foot level, a pocket level, a speed square, a framing square, a pencil, a utility knife, a ladder ( 4 foot will work for up to 9 foot ceiling height, you just need to be able to comfortably reach the ceiling) a tool belt and a construction calculator, unless, you are very good with math or you are already familiar with converting a 1/10 scale to a to a 1/12 scale to a 1/16 scale. The layout step is the step in which you physically mark the locations of vertical features, horizontal wall treatments and horizontal moldings. First locate and mark all vertical features but consider the verticals contained within a horizontal treatment, such as wainscoting, to be a part of a horizontal treatment not a vertical member. Do not locate and mark them at this time. After laying out all the verticals. lay out the horizontals. Tip: Use the squares and levels as little as possible. Use them only to check existing conditions or when you have a mid-wall stand alone feature. Wherever possible, pull equal distances from a fixed plane like a wall, the floor or the ceiling. This will keep your reveals (margins) consistent. Now that you have marked everything, pop your lines and go to the store. If you plan to paint, buy 110% of your total measurements. If you plan to stain your project, purchase 120% of your total measurements. For a painted project, buy finger joint wood. For a stained project, you must buy clear wood. Please respond in the comments section with any questions you have.

Thanks,
Randy McArthur