Curbside Treasure

While strolling through the neighborhood the other day, I came across this lovely thing, left out for the garbage.



Actually, there were two of them, which were joined at a hinge or something at one time. They are old. Like early 20th century old. Worn and speckled with paint, and just a wee bit rusted.

I hoisted them on my shoulders and marched them home.

One of them lives here now.





And the other? I'm still thinking...

Next curbside treasure to renovate... this thing.



(There actually two of those too!) I already know what I want to do... just need to make a trip to Home Depot.

A cautionary tale

IF you have unmentionables where the elastic is completely worn through at the leg holes...

THROW THEM AWAY NOW

lest you happen to be taking a LONG walk, such as a very spread out neighborhood garden tour...

on a very HOT and SWEATY day.

Trust. Me.

*Very gingerly stepping down off my soapbox.*

The Four Rs of Monday

Repair

My oven is finally operational. Believe it or not, I was getting sick of eating take out. For just $150 more, I could have gotten a brand new range. You know, a CLEAN ONE. But I went with the repair job. Even though the allure of a completely clean oven was strong, it would only be a matter of time before it got dirty again, right?

$150 buys a lotta lattes.

Replenish

The day after the oven was repaired, two guys in a pickup truck pulled into my driveway and gave me a sales pitch to buy wholesale meat. Although they were trying to sell me FIVE CASES of meat (for a mere $800), I talked them down to one. It seemed like a bargain, although Rocket Man and Big Guy were appalled that I bought meat from strangers off the back of a truck. (It WAS in a freezer, you all.) They are probably right, but the first batch of it was tasty and no one contracted food poisoning, so I think it will be ok.

Refurbish

I accepted a challenge on The Inspired Room to take on a decorating project for the next two weeks. I decided to do my armoire, even though I won't get it finished in two weeks, I could make some good progress on it. Hopefully I will be inspired to keep going until it's done. However, I haven't done a thing yet. And this is ONE CRAZY WEEK with some volunteer committments that are hitting the fan and other zaniness. If you are feeling crazy inspired, head over and sign on.

Resell

A few years ago, when the real estate market was in its overheated BLOAT, we looked at a house that was PERFECT for us. It needed some updating, but had wonderful, plentiful space. (And an office AND a crafting-type room - The Sue Room.) Despite the fact that we paraded our gorgeous and well-behaved kids through there several times while the owners were home (really, they were OUR kids... on Benedryl of course), they were asking a crazy amount of money.

And they got it, but not from us.

Well, for some reason, that house is going back on the market just a few years later. And of course, housing values have dropped considerably. I can't imagine that the current owners will take a loss in reselling, but I can dream, right? I still have this picture on my computer and look at it every now and then.



Picture mGal and Little One, in wedding dresses, floating down those stairs. (Of course that railing would be painted black and there would be a different light fixture and I would tone down those red tiles a bit to blend in more with the blues...)

Sigh.

Maybe this is the week to play the lottery.

Sundries

The Adorable

Little One was looking out the window, watching our neighbor's lawn service and she said, "Mommy look! That guy is taking the long grass and turning it into short grass!"

The Annoying

My local appliance repairman did not return my first message about my broken stove. A second call yielded a callback, but he can't come until late NEXT WEEK. Considering I first called him a week and a half ago, I'm a little annoyed. He claims he didn't get my first message, but this has happened before. If he can't operate an answering machine, how can he fix my oven?

I have a Sears repair person scheduled to come out today. Between 8-12. It's 1:50 right now. He's not here. I'm leaving in 45 minutes, so I'm not hopeful that I will have a working oven any time this week.

The Disgusting

I cleaned out my car. I've been using it as storage and it's been too cold and rainy to clean it. TWO full bags of garbage, FIFTEEN waterbottles (enemies to the environment here) and a whole bag of crap for Value Village. (And I didn't stick ANY of it in the oven!) Go me!

The Frustrating

mGal continues to have behavior issues in school. I have got to start exploring some solutions to this... I'm just not sure where to turn. I have yet to find the web page that will allow me to self-diagnose ADHD and then allow me to buy medication from Canada without a prescription.

The Hilarious

I found a side-splitting blog the other day, Not That You Asked. I was laughing so hard, I had liquid pouring from several parts of my body. I will leave it to you to guess which ones. My favorite post and possibly the funniest thing I have ever read is My Big Fat Bungled Gynecologist Visit. Go pee before you read it. Trust. Me.

You're welcome.

Über

My Stimey post is here. But then come back and read this one too!)


Dear Barclays Bank of Delaware,

I have to say, you've given me quite a chuckle, on a day when the chuckles have been few and far between. I opened my mail today to find your kind invitation to become an exclusive holder of the prestigious Black Card from Visa. (trademarks and patents (patents?)) pending.

Apparently, I have been accepted in a group of only 1% of the U.S. population (from the census of 2000, which IS 9 years old by the way. There are more up-to-date population estimates from the American Community Survey project on the Census website. But whatevs.)

I'm curious how you selected the 1%. I doubt it is based on income. Certainly not household income per capita, because that calculation puts us near the poverty level. (Although because you are using the 2000 census data, perhaps you are not aware that our number of dependants has doubled since then.) I also assume that you are aware that I am not actually employed, other than as the unpaid CEO of My Party of 6. An important job to be sure, but the compensation leaves a little to be desired. And as a corporate entity, My Party of 6 has posted NO NET PROFITS FOR MANY YEARS.

That being said, your benefits are impressive.

Limited membership.

I'm not sure how that benefits me exactly, unless I would enjoy the shock factor of having my friends see me whip out the patent pending Black Card. I'm sure you're not familiar with the circles in which I travel, but my posse is far more impressed if I can whip out a lip balm with a top on it that hasn't gotten all covered with crap from the bottom of my purse. Or a pack of hand sanitizing wipes that hasn't dried out. Or crayons. I AM known as the lady who ALWAYS has crayons in her purse. Can your Black Card top that? You may or may not be able to discern from this, but the people who see me whip out my credit card are most likely to be age 11 or under. As long as it buys them the candy or pizza or video game they are waiting for, I am quite sure they don't care what color it is or whether or not it is made of carbon and has a patent pending. Just sayin'.

24-Hour Concierge Service.

Now this sounds appealing to me. Is there someone who can deliver a gallon of milk to my house at 11 o'clock at night? Or read Pinkalicious to my 3-year old just. one. more. time. when I am about to go through the roof? Or drive my morning carpool while I take a shower? (And heck. Come back with a latte while you're at it.) That is the kind of concierge I could use.

You don't really offer specifics on this concierge, other than to say it will help me with my business, travel and leisure needs. Hmm... we've already covered that I have no business... perhaps my extensive volunteer commitments would qualify. I need someone to set up folding tables and chairs for the school auction. And make potato salad. A LOT of potato salad. Got a good recipe for that?

Travel is really not something we do a lot of here at My Party of 6. And if we do, we pack in brown paper grocery bags, drive a minivan with that embarrassing turtle thing on top, and have a DVD player showing an endless loop of SpongeBob episodes. Let me know if your concierge can somehow enhance this experience. If we could tolerate this situation for longer than 2 hours, we might actually travel farther. Or more often. But still not on an airplane or anything.

My leisure needs are also quite simple. For the summer, it means keeping a fresh supply of sidewalk chalk, bubbles (we like the expensive kind) and band-aids handy. I would also love some help at the pool, especially taking Little One to the potty. And supplying everyone with enough quarters to hit the snack bar at every rest period. (Yes, I'm sorry to say that our pool snack bar does not accept Visa, so although I'm sure the middle-aged woman who sits at the desk would be suitably flabbergasted by my fancy CARBON Black Card (patent pending), she'd never see it.) It's a cash and carry operation only.

On occasion, we may attend a major league baseball game, where a Visa card is certainly a necessity as the worst seats in the outfield cost $40 each. However, on our last such venture, my 11-year old was treated to such an education in the variety of ways to use F*CK in a sentence, that I'd have to say, it was not money well spent.

Exclusive Rewards Program.

I must say, your brochure is rather vague about this program. A point is earned on every dollar, but what those points can be used for is quite mysterious. I'm quite sure that whatever you could offer me, I could probably buy for cheaper at Target. Or even Value Village. (Which DOES now take credit cards! I'm SURE that the checkstand clerks at Value Village would be impressed with my Black Card as I buy cast-off housewares that I can take home and spray paint. How do you say Black Card in Yoruba?)

You probably already know this, but I HAVE a credit card that I use frequently. It's a Mastercard, by the way. That card takes 2% of my purchases and puts it in my kid's COLLEGE FUND. If you want to impress me or win me over from Mastercard, start talking college funds. (Newer census data will show that we have FOUR kids to put through college.) It's not black or carbon, but I get comments on it all the time.

You also mention that points are not awarded on cash advances nor buying gambling chips at the Casino. You don't define which casino (which you should if you are going to capitalize it... just a picky legal editing thing...) But, duly noted. However, I have never been in a casino in my life, nor do I plan to go to one. I'm far too much of a cheapskate to give away money for free unless it's to a tax-exempt charity (LIKE THE MARCH OF DIMES! See RIGHT.) And really? Anyone who's going to a casino or the Casino, to charge chips on a credit card and then expect rewards for such behavior, is probably not a good credit risk. Not in this economy. Just sayin'. Again.

Luxury Gifts.

No other information given about what luxury gifts I might receive or what I would have to do to receive them, so see above. COLLEGE WILL BE A LUXURY by the time my kids get there. In addition, my life is about as full as it can be of luxurious gifts. The macaroni necklace I got recently. A clay rendition of the Pieta from my 3rd grader. A too large bite of banana that was just, seconds ago, lovingly deposited in my hand. What more could I ask for? Ok, a few things. Diet Lemon Snapple and Jose Cuervo. And. Bacon.

Patent Pending Card.

This one just makes me giggle. Is there some new way of swiping it through the swipey machine at Target that is going to change my life? Does it beep when I lose it? Or sound an alarm when my tween is about to type in its number on shopjustice.com without my permission?

You say, "It's not just another piece of plastic. Made with carbon, it's the ultimate buying tool." Carbon is an interesting substance. Diamonds are made of it. A carbon tipped saw blade is the strongest and sharpest. A Brita filter uses carbon to get the crap out of my drinking water. It's also what charcoal briquettes are made of. And what my toast turns into when I've left it in the toaster too long.

Maybe I'm not your target audience, because the carbon thing? Really doesn't do it for me. The most handy thing I use my credit card for, other than purchasing, is scraping ice off my windshield and opening up a bedroom door when someone has accidentally locked themselves in. If a carbon card would make those two things easier, I'd have to consider it. On the other hand, couldn't carbon scratch my windshield? In which case, I would like one of my luxury gifts to be a pink ice scraper. (Pink would ensure that it doesn't end up in my husband's car. Which is where I think the last one went.)

Annual Fee.

Wait, what?

You HAD me at Concierge and Luxury Gifts.

ANNUAL FEE?

I find it curious that you would put this at the bottom of the list of benefits. Especially since your annual fee is FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE DOLLARS. Are you freaking kidding me? And? A companion card (which I'm assuming would be for my spouse, you know, the guy who actually has the JOB) costs another $195. SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for the privilege of carrying around your Visa Black Card?

You have GOT to be joking on this one. I haven't paid an annual fee on a credit card since... um... actually EVER. Nope, never. You can even get an American Express card without a fee now. Especially if you are a Costco member. And oh wait, Costco is one of those places that doesn't even TAKE Visa.

On top of the annual fee, I notice that your annual percentage rate is $13.24%, variable. That doesn't really matter to me because I pay off my balance every month. (No. You would not like me as a customer. You won't make any interest money off of me. None.)

Have you heard of the recession? Have you heard that consumers are getting more savvy? Have you seen the interest rates? Who in their right minds would pay you SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for a Black (carbon) Visa, patent pending or not, and presumably agree to a high interest rate like that? Perhaps the 1% of the population you selected was the dumbest?

Apparently, one of the advantages of these kinds of cards is crazy high credit limits. You don't mention that in your fancy brochure, but once again, I'm not your gal. I don't spend more than I have, and as I've kinda mentioned, I don't have a lot, so crazy high credit limits are useless to me.

So, Barclays, although you have provided me with a welcome source of amusement and a slick, carbon-esque black brochure and envelope, don't look for my application in the mail. I'm busy rolling pennies to take to the dentist with me later this week.

Fondly,

Sue, Partying for 6 with my lame-o plastic credit card and paying no annual fees.

Addendum No 1: While looking for a picture for this post, I found this blog post that says Barclays is courting the ÜBER RICH with this card. Woo! Did you know *I* am the ÜBER RICH? I sure as hell didn't. And evidently, neither does my bank because they keep telling me there's no money in my account.

We must have been über rich in 2000. I did have a paying job back then. In that elite field of part-time über rich librarians. Maybe I am among the über rich because I refuse to pay annual fees and high interest rates? Hmmm.

Addendum no. 2: I'm sure as soon as I hit POST on this, I will NEVER be invited to be an exclusive card holder of ANYTHING. Ah well...

Motivational Momma - Next Up - Jean from STIMEYLAND!

So my plan was to have a Motivational Momma every month. But you all know how good I am at keeping up with things, right? So it's been a few months, but here we are! It's Motivational Monday and I am happy to present someone who many of you know, Jean of Stimeyland.

Jean writes in a lot of places. Which is one of the reasons I wanted to interview her. How does she find the time? She writes Stimeyland, The Junk Pyramid (her decluttering blog, which has motivated me many a time), things. and stuff. (her review blog), and she is a contributor at DC Metro Moms (where I first found her), and Trusera (an online health community where she writes about autism).

She ALSO has a part-time, work-from-home job with a company that builds informational databases for hotel concierges. She researches restaurants, tourist spots, and more in various markets around the country. (Sounds like traveling with Stimey would be FUN!)

She ALSO has a videography business and takes on about 4-5 projects a year.

She ALSO (I'm tired already) is starting to do some special education advocacy. She is doing a lot of preparation for working in that field... reading the law and getting familiar with methods and ways of advocating. She goes to as many workshops as she can find on special needs parenting or advocacy. (Seriously? How cool is that?!)

Which leads me to, her MAIN job and life's work...



MOM to Sam, who is in 1st grade, Jack, who is in Kindergarten and Quinn, who is 3 and in preschool three mornings a week. (That taller guy is Alex, her partner in crime.) Like someone else I know really well, she has a lot to cram in to those few mornings, including co-oping at the preschool and volunteering in Jack's class once a week, and Sam's class every other week. Jack has autism, which is where her personal experience with special education comes in. Stimey is one of the best writers I know who so eloquently tells of the triumphs and heartbreak of raising a child with special needs, all in the same post. Like this one here.

Go ahead. Read it. I'll wait.

Beautiful.

So I don't know about you, but just writing what Jean does in a day has me ready for a nap. You?


How long have you been blogging and how and why did you get started?

Wow, I just passed my two-year blogoversary. I started blogging in March, 2007. I'd been reading a few blogs and found it intriguing. I love to write, but hadn't had a chance to do it for a long time. My favorite type of writing is memoir-style essays, so it came naturally to me. I'm really happy to be getting the writing practice, and having an audience makes it that much better. The support my readers have given me has been phenomenal.

Jean is modestly not mentioning her Masters degree in Journalism here, so I thought I would. :-)

Do you have a posting schedule for your personal blog, or do you just post when you have something to say? What about the other blogs?

I just post when I have something to say, which is obviously a lot. It's funny, because I'm sort of introverted in real life, but I have no end of things to say on my blog. Interestingly, I think the confidence that blogging has given me has helped me with some of real life social anxiety.

I do try to post 3-4 times a week on Stimeyland though. I do feel more pressure to write on my Junk Pyramid blog because I'm supposed to be decluttering every day. But when I'm busy, it kind of falls by the wayside.

For my review blog, I try to give each review a few days to be on the top of my blog, with the exception that I'll put my new "Right Now Reviews" up whenever I watched, read, or heard something I feel like writing about.

I'm supposed to write on Trusera 3-4 posts a week. They specifically want autism writing, which is why so many of my autism posts end up over there instead of on Stimeyland. I kind of miss having that at Stimeyland though.

On DC Metro Moms, I write once every two weeks.

When you write, do you like to be alone (like in an office) or are you right in the middle of everything? Or do you do it at night when everyone is in bed?

I try to do it at night, when all my kids are at school, or while they're watching a TV show, otherwise I get caught up in it and ignore them. My office is in the TV room, so I'm right in the middle of everything. When I write, I can shut everything out and get lost in it. Which may be a good thing, and may be a bad thing.

How do you organize your day, time-wise with work, kids and writing/reading blogs?

I tend to run all my errands, do my cleaning (HA!), have playdates, and periodically check my email and Google Reader throughout the morning while my older two are at school. Unless I have something burning at my fingertips, I don't spend too much time on the computer during that time, although it is always on. I do take all kinds of notes of blogging ideas in notebooks I have stashed everywhere. My big guys get home at around 3:30. We then do homework, maybe have after school playdates, or go to therapy sessions. I don't let my kids watch TV or play videogames before 5 p.m. (and I try to keep them off of it longer most nights), so then we'll play. Dinner is at 6:45 when my husband gets home and soon after that they go to bed. Every night at 7:30, I sit down and work, read blogs, write blogs, and return emails. I read far too many blogs.

I tend to do [my job-related work] every night after my kids go to bed. It's easy, so I can do it while I watch TV, but some weeks I have more work than others, so I often will work during the day on weekends also, and Alex has to take care of the kids. It's probably 20-25 hours a week.

What is one of your favorite blogs right now?

I'm madly in love with Problem Girl. But there are so many I love. I don't want to start listing them right now because then I'll feel bad about the ones I leave out. There are really some tremendous writers out there writing mainly in blog form. (Including you!) I think it's pretty incredible. And wonderful that there is this platform for all of us to use to showcase our work.

Aww shucks... you're too kind. Here is your $5. What do you like to do besides blogging and reading blogs and kid stuff and work? Is there any time left?

I love movies. There are more than 200 movies in my Netflix queue. I love to read. I always have at least two books that I'm reading at any given time. However, it takes me about two months to read them because I have to read them in two and three page increments between playing trains and building Lego spaceships. I like word puzzles, and I have this dream of doing an actual jigsaw puzzle again once all my kids are in elementary school. (I know, I'm a total nerd. You can write that down.) I like to run. Unfortunately, exercise has been the thing that's suffered the most, I think. Honestly, I'm really, really waiting for September 2010 when Quinn goes to kindergarten. I think it's going to be really good.

Any tips for people as to how to set limits and still participate in the blogosphere?

I'm not doing a very good job of setting my limits, I don't think. Really, you just sort of have to know your own boundaries. If it gets to where it stresses you out, don't do it anymore. If you are reading a blog because you feel you have to instead of because you want to, take it off your Reader list. If you miss it, bring it back. If you're worried that you don't have time to write full-fledged blog posts all the time, make your peace with it. Maybe connect with your readers via Twitter instead. And Twitter? Treat it like a room full of people that you walk into. You don't have to catch up on everything they said before you got there. Open up your TweetDeck (GET TWEETDECK!), join in the conversation, and then leave the room. If your family life is suffering because of your internet addiction, you might want to take a break.

What is the best part of your day?

Naptime. If I get it.

Also when I'm able to meaningfully interact with my children. Whether it's playing Candyland, building Legos, or hanging out in their classrooms, being with my kids is the best part of my day.

Dude. You are so much more patient than I am. Candyland? Like daggers in my eyes. What is the worst part of your day?

Waking up from naptime. Really. I'm tired ALL THE TIME. I also don't care for any part of the day when my kids are whining at me. I like all of the things I do, including my jobs. The only problems I really have are trying not to stress over how to get everything done and figuring out how to fit everything into the day.

The most productive?

I guess it depends on what you consider productive. If it's quality time with my kids, it's after school. If productive means that I get a lot of work done, it's probably when they're all at school and I get a chance to sit at my computer.

What inspires you?

My kids. Without question, my kids inspire me. They're phenomenal. A big part of why I write my blog is to leave a record for them. I print out my posts and put them in a binder so they can read them some day. I love seeing what they come up with and how they're growing and what goes on in their heads. They're a neverending source of inspiration.

The more I learn about special needs kids, the more I'm inspired by them too. That is one of the big reasons I want to get into special education advocacy. These kids can be so amazing, and it's so important to give them the opportunity to reach their potentials.

That's all my questions. If you weren't already in love with Jean, you should be now.

Dear God. After all of that, even I'M sick of myself. :)

And now, a new Motivational feature (because we just keep getting better all the time here), Jean will answer YOUR questions. Leave a comment and stop back in again later to see her words of wisdom. Or at least her answer. Or quite possibly a snarky comment. Whatever. And Jean, thank you for being my second guinea pig contestant victim Motivational Momma!

Like Mother, Like Son

Today

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tuck everlasting

I woke up at some point in the middle of the night to a head wedged firmly in my armpit. Also, I could hear a voice in the dark telling me a long and complicated story involving a fence.

I tried to push it all out of my mind, as I was in a complete fog and had NO IDEA who had their head in my armpit or who was talking and what a fence had to do with any of this.

A few minutes (I think?) later, I heard someone playing with the cord of my bedside lamp, on the floor next to my bed.

WTF?

There was still a head in my armpit.

"mGuy?"

"Yes." I heard from my armpit.

"Why are you here?"

"I had a nightmaew."

"Who is on the floor?" I said, praying that a familiar human voice would answer as my imagination was running wild at that point.

"Me," said mGal.

Whew.

"What are you DOING down there?"

"I. JUST. TOLD. YOU. Do I have to say it all AGAIN?" said my exasperated daughter, who had come in and started talking to me while in a SOUND SLEEP and was annoyed by my lack of ability to pay attention. (Yes, this is the child who cannot pay attention when she is fully awake.)

"Remember my NIGHTMARE? About the fence?"

"You can't fit in here. There's already 3 people in this bed."

"Can you come lay down with me?"

I pulled myself out of my cozy nest and mGuy scooted over to claim my warm spot as I tucked him in and then padded through the house with mGirl.

I layed down with her and tucked us both in. I drifted off as she was repeating the nightmare of the crazy fence lady.

As soon as I got myself back into a lovely REM cycle, there was SCREAMING from the bed next to us.

"Is she GONE? Is she GONE? Are we SAFE?"

Little One was having a nightmare too. I'm not sure if it was crazy fence lady, because she was too incoherent to say. But some SHE had terrified her.

I scooted her over and tucked myself into that bed and rubbed her hair until she fell back asleep.

If only all their problems were this easy to solve.

Post departum

For 5 days, we had a packed house. And now it seems empty here. Which is funny, because this little house with 6 people is hardly empty, but it is a matter of perspective.

I asked Little One which cousin she would miss the most and she said "Lots of them."

Exactly.

After 5 days of eating, drinking, and chatting over cups of coffee, I am mourning my loss of adult conversation and endlessly patient cousins willing to entertain my children. Yet the waist of even my yoga pants is admonishing me for 5 days of transgressions. Margaritas. Hummus. Chips. Guacamole. Birthday cake. Pork barbeque. French toast. Ahhh. But it's time for glycemic detox.

Which should be a challenge as my oven did a super nova on Saturday night and mysteriously turned itself on REALLY, REALLY hot (like possibly self-cleaning hot?) and wouldn't turn off without us shutting off the power breaker. It's a good thing Rocket Man was home, because I probably wouldn't have thought of that solution and would have fled the house instead.

So I am left with a microwave, a tiny toaster oven and the grill - you know, that thing sitting out there in the RAIN. Unless anyone can share recipes that are cooked at 600 degrees. Or maybe it's time for us to check into this whole raw foods movement. (We are waiting on the verdict of the appliance repairman, but it will take him a few days to get to us.)

Besides a possible raw foods experiment, I have 3 days of spring break left to fill. And some rather uncooperative weather. I'm planning bowling and maybe a movie. Unless all my money will be going to buy a new range. In which case, perhaps a vicious game of charades.

I hope your Easter/Passover was filled with good food and good conversation. Don't forget to hug your babies.

Why

I don't talk much about my faith here. Or anywhere. It's a part of who I am, but not something I am comfortable talking about. I am Catholic. My kids go to Catholic school, which is important to me. We go to Mass every week. I am not the best Catholic. (If you were to ask the Pope or someone official.) I have my differences with the Church. No need to go into them here, because that's not the point, but I would say I am like many other Catholics.

God and I have had our ups and downs. I've been a better or worse believer in different times in my life. But my faith has gotten me through difficult times. The rituals. The ceremonies. The prayers. When you are numbed by grief or terrified or unable to know what to do to help someone - there is a ritual. Say a rosary, attend a funeral Mass, shout out a Hail Mary. These things help me to define and relate to a God I find too big to comprehend on my own.

I used to think that everything happens for a reason. I don't believe that any more. I thought that good comes out of every horrible situation. Maybe. But I don't think that the horribleness can in any way be justified by the good.

I am struggling today to understand why God takes away babies from their parents. Rips them out of their loving arms and lets them watch while they die.

Why would a benevolent God send a baby, a surprise baby, to an unsuspecting family who thought they were complete? A shock. A surprise. And yet, as that little lima bean grew into a baby boy, excitement and anticipation. A willingness to participate in the crazy plan that God must have had for this family, that was completely different from their own.

And then, just months later, WHY, WHY would that baby be taken from them in a horrible, tragic, nightmarish scene that I can't even bear to imagine?

I am having a hard, hard time with this. I can see why GOD would SEND someone a baby she didn't expect. But why would he then take him away?

You can express your thoughts to Shana here. Whoorl has started a fund to help them with hospital and funeral expenses. I know that Thalon's birth was a big expense for them. It just doesn't seem right that they are now coping with expenses for his death.

No words

Shana lost her baby boy yesterday. I can't even think what to say here. There are no words.

Easter Miracle Needed

Shana, of Gorillabuns, is in need of a miracle tonight. Her little baby boy, Thalon, is in the hospital, fighting for his life. I don't know particulars, just that he needs all prayers he can get.

My babies are feeling very precious to me right now. Hopped up on sugar and overtired as they are. Life is fragile. Take no moment for granted. All those stories about SpongeBob to listen to, skateboard tricks to watch, cups of juice to pour and opportunities to dress naked Barbies... take them and drink them up. Check over your babies tonight while they are sleeping and smell their sweet, healthy breath. And kiss them while they can't wipe the kiss away. And think of Shana and her little guy tonight. They need our prayers.

photo by Shana - hope it's ok

Things Dara Torres and I have in common

We're both 42.

We both like to swim.

We both have toddlers.

Um.

That's it.

We are currently hosting Easter-a-thon here, a multi-day eating and socializing eggstravaganza.

I am, perhaps, an OVERESTIMATOR when it comes to food. I have a delicious vegetarian chili recipe that I thought would be great for Good Friday. But, seeing that we had a large crowd, I tripled the recipe. And cooked it in a crock-pot big enough to fit a small child.

I could easily have fed 20 more people.

Tonight, we are having pork barbeque and coleslaw, in the aforementioned crock-pot. I am a little worried that there will be too much.

When my visiting niece saw all the food in my pantry and refrigerators, she wondered if we were becoming Mormon.

Maybe I have found my lost calling.

Look what love can do

Did you look over there -------->?

At Maddie's donation page? Did you see that her FIGHTING SPIRIT is still fighting for premature babies and babies with birth defects? She has raised OVER $20,000 for the March for Babies.

TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.

Amazing. And God bless every one of you who has donated. And prayed for Maddie and her parents. It's one of those things I can't even think about in big doses because it's just so unimaginably painful. I'm holding my kids a little closer this week, even though they are fighting like the Hatfields and the McCoys in honor of... I don't know... Easter?? Jesus Christ is risen! Let's kill each other!

It makes it all a lot easier to take with a little perspective.

Now, on to my random acts of goodness project. Had I started this earlier, I would try to do 42 different random acts. But a girl's gotta sleep and my birthday is tomorrow. Next year, I'll start earlier.

What I decided to do was something I had thought of months ago, but probably never would have actually done except for this challenge. There is an older woman who is the head cashier at the grocery store where I shop. She's Irish and friendly and just adorable. When you buy wine, you, of course, must present your ID. Because even though I am one day shy of 42, I could PASS for 20 ANY DAY, I tell you. (Ha!)

Anyway, several times, this woman has rung up my wine and mentioned that we share a birthday. 4/11. So I planned to buy her flowers for our shared birthday.


You know you are becoming a crazy blogger when you start taking pictures with your phone in the grocery store.

I went grocery shopping on Wednesday, but my birthday buddy was off that day. I brought the flowers home and went back yesterday. I walked up and handed her the bouquet and told her it was for her birthday and reminded her that we shared the date.

She looked at me like I had 4 heads.

"Your birthday is Saturday, right?"

"Nooooo...." she said, with her lovely Irish lilt.

For a minute, I thought perhaps she had a twin. But then it occurred to me that a twin would have the SAME birthday as she does.

"My birthday is in November. November 4th." she said.

And then it dawned on us.

4/11.

11/4.

Except she grew up in Europe where 11/4 is 4/11.

Haaa! We both got a good chuckle and I told her that they were Easter flowers instead.

(I must add here that there were two other cashiers standing there who looked like they were about to call the police on me because I looked like a complete NUTJOB at this point.)

She gave my hand a squeeze and off I ran before the coppers showed up.

I think I win the prize for RANDOM.

I also cleaned up the stray shopping carts in the Trader Joes parking lot, so that was 2 for yesterday. And no one called the police on me for that one.

If you want to join in on the Random Act of Goodness Fun, leave a comment on this post.

And now, I must get back to shoving crap in closets preparing my house for my impending Easter guests. I hope they notice how nice my color coordinated bookshelf looks.

One of our own

The Silicon Valley Moms lost one of our own babies. Madeline Alice Spohr, 17 months old, died yesterday. Maddie was born a preemie and was apparently suffering from a fast-moving and virulent respiratory infection when she died. Heather's blog, The Spohrs are Multiplying, is unable to handle all the traffic it is getting right now, so you might not be able to get in.

Maddie suffered respiratory problems her whole short life due to prematurity. Every illness was a scary one. On April 25th, her parents along with members of the LA Moms Blog, will be walking in Maddie's memory (instead of WITH her, as they had planned) in the March for Babies, to support the March of Dimes and their fight to ensure that every baby comes into the world healthy. If you would like to make a donation to Team Maddie, you can use the widget to the right.

The March of Dimes uses 77 cents of every dollar raised in the March for Babies to support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. Funds are also used to bring comfort and information to families whose baby was born too soon, or sick. (from the March for Babies website)

Fly with the angels, little Madeline. And many prayers to her parents, Heather and Mike.

(photo from Heather's photostream)

Ah... it's spring again...

Living in the DC area, our kids have such amazing opportunities. A stroll by the White House. A drive by breathtaking vistas of monuments to presidents and war heroes. Museums of unparalleled collections. It truly is one of the most beautiful and unique cities in the world. Especially in the springtime. Right?

To read more, hop on over here.

A challenge

I was reading Hello My Name is Kimberly today (Nie linked to her, so I'm sure she's getting THOUSANDS of hits), and I was inspired by one of her posts. For her 29th birthday, she and her boyfriend were in New York City and did 29 random acts of kindness for strangers.

29!

Meanwhile, her boyfriend had contacted 29 of her friends and asked THEM to do an act of kindness in her honor and text in the results. So all day long, she was getting texts from friends about the random acts of kindness that were happening all over the country in honor of her birthday.

Wow.

You can read about some of the creative ways Kimberly and her friends went out of their way to do a random act of kindness.

So here is my challenge - my birthday is later this week... if you chose, do a random act of kindness for a stranger OR a friend. I have one in mind. If you want, post what you did in the comments, but you don't have to. Just spread a little love.

Hey good lookin'

We had a busy weekend here! You can read more about it tomorrow, but for today, take a look at my new love. (And what may be my most crooked photo ever.)



Ok. So she doesn't look like much right now. Especially INSIDE, blech. (Excuse the junk my kids already started filling it with.)



And can I pause a moment here to say, that it was $59 at La Villagarie? (My new name for Value Village!) FIFTY-NINE DOLLARS! I know?! I can't believe it either. Rocket Man thinks it's worth $.59, but he doesn't have my VISION. But he did move it for me, and it nearly killed him. It's got to be pretty good if it's heavy, right?

And the transformation has already begun. The chopped up back has been taken off and the innards that were meant to hold TV components are gone. (Well, they're sitting out on my curb, actually.) Those crazy white plastic hooks are gone.

Coming up, this lovely wallpaper



some crackle finish



and a rod for hanging clothes.

I can't wait to get started with sanding and priming, but we are having company for Easter weekend and there is MUCH cleaning to be done. And what does any sane woman who is expecting company and has a house that looks like a hurricane blew through it do? She organizes her books by COLOR, of course.



I'm not sure if I like it or not. I seem to have an overabundance of white and brown books. And as a librarian, I'm kind of horrified by this idea, but it was a free way to make a change, so why not?

Things a 3 year old can get away with that the rest of us WISH we could

Laying on the floor at CVS and crying because it took them 25 minutes to mix up a prescription (that was already "filled") even though we were the ONLY ONES THERE.

Stealing a strangers snack because it looked good.

Taking off your clothes because you are just. sick. of. them.

Looking at yourself naked in the mirror and smiling.

Licking jelly off the kitchen floor.

Slamming a door when you don't get your way.

Having 6 pieces of cinnamon toast for breakfast.

Having 6 pieces of cinnamon toast for lunch.

Wearing a summer dress with pink Fuggs.

Looking great with bedhead.

Declaring that today is the day you will eat only PINK food.

Smiling a great big smile and saying "I LUV YA" and getting away with all of the above.

Photo by Carol Floto.