Where to begin now that it's all over

As I'm sure you can imagine, we're back from Disney World. The vacation happened. So did Christmas and I'm still here to talk about it. If I thought I was stressed in my last post, hang on to your hat, it got worse.

Before I even begin, there's irony to be noted. Just the day before I sat in traffic on Carolina Forest Blvd, attempting to make a left onto 501 towards the beach and I said aloud, "I need to blog about the honest idiots on this road!" Let me set the scene...

There are three lanes of traffic on Carolina Forest Blvd. The right lane is for right turns only. It's clearly marked as such. The center lane can either go straight through the light or make a left. The left lane is for left turning only. What folks will do, though, is turn right out of the Kroger parking lot with the full intention of blocking traffic in the right through lane because they're waiting for someone to let them into the stopped traffic which is waiting to make a left when the light turns green. People will sit precariously stuck in the way of oncoming traffic to make that light. That forces others to use their 4WD and off-road to get around them if they want to make a timely right. If they choose not too, they wait the length of the light. It's infuriating. The other little trick these people pull is driving out into that right lane just as the light has changed with the full expectation that you'll let them in. I, if I can safely avoid it, do not. Jerks.

Now here's where I eat crow. Evidently I am one of those crazy drivers, just of a different variety.

Three days before our trip, I was trying to make it through that light to make a left onto 501. As we were approaching, the light turned yellow, but still with plenty of time to get through. The gal in front of me aggressively whipped around the slow-moving car in front of her and sped off. I followed her, but at the last possible moment, she made a split second decision to stop and slammed on her brakes. I did the same but the road was wet, I skidded a bit and bump...metal touched.

At this juncture I can say, with an honest heart, that I'm beyond thankful to God no one was hurt. But if you asked me on that day, I was drowning in "this sucks!" so much that I couldn't see that forest from the trees.

I, of course, got a ticket. I, of course, will now have two points on my license. My, of course, insurance premiums will go up. I, of course, sat there waiting for the police to arrive knowing for certain we would not be traveling to Disney World. Our other car is 11 year old and is driven approximately 6 miles a week since my hubby has a company vehicle.

Never in my life have I had such a visceral reaction to stress. The gal in the other car was very polite and even somewhat nice. Despite the fact that I still contend she contributed, she had every right to be quite mad at me. Instead she commiserated. I, for fear of vomiting on her, barely spoke.

When the police officer arrived, he, too, exceptionally nice. If I could remember his name without digging out the paperwork, I'd give him a personal momorable mention. Unfortunately, at the time, I barely answered his questions for fear I would puke.

I held it together until I got home from the whole thing and called my dad. Suddenly I turned into a 16 year old and burst into uncontrollable tears. What the heck had just happened? It felt surreal. Was it a bad dream? There is no way I had just, theoretically, caused an accident. I'm an excellent driver! I don't speed. I'm cautious. I was devastated.

When hubby came home from work that night, he quickly determined that the damages were worse than he originally thought. It was decided that we would drive our old clunker down to Disney World, which made me nervous. But that was if I could get ourselves together enough to even go. I was in a dark dark place those days.

The good news is that I received tons of support from friends and family. I worked through the process of calling my insurance company and submitting the necessary information. I still cried on and off.

Again, I'm so thankful no one got hurt. But car accidents super suck.

I'll write later about the trip. There are lots of high points in that tale.

The stress has set in...happy freakin' holidays

In the next three days I have to pack for our trip, do an extraordinary amount of work for the two sites I am employed by, get gifts ready for our faith formation teacher, church angel, preschool teacher and two kindergarten teachers. I have to complete my Christmas cards and wrap my gifts. I remember when I planned our Disney World vacation for this coming week I swore up and down I have work really hard to have things under control. At this very moment, I feel quite out of control. :-( Let's just hope the magic of it all outweighs the anxiety I feel getting ready to go.

As we get closer, I start dropping things off my "to do" list. I don't really need to wrap before we go. I would, however, like to know exactly what I have. I need to shop for my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, mother-in-law and husband, but I'm thinking I can shop online while on vacation and have those packages waiting for me when I get home.

*deep breaths* *calming thoughts* *ohmmmmmmmmm*

If you ever have the opportunity to get a standing ovation - go for it!

I was watching a show just a minute ago where this gal was talking about always wanting to be a performer. She laughed about being that kid, singing into the hairbrush in front of the mirror. I was that kid too. Some of us are just born attention seekers, I guess.

Once while at *blush* band camp...yes band camp...I was given the opportunity to receive a standing ovation. About 250 high school kids were sitting in an auditorium and the famous Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser stood in front of us on the stage talking about how great it feels to be supported and appreciated. He sheepishly asked, "has anyone ever received a standing ovation?" Most of us shook our heads. "Anyone want one to see how it feels?" My hand shot up.

As luck had it, I was sitting in one of the front rows and got called right up. Dr. Tim exited the stage leaving me looking out amongst a sea of faces. I blinked, unsure of what to do. Dr. Tim gave the command and the crowd went wild! Their response was deafening!

They jumped to their feet! They cheered! They whistled! They hooted and hollered! They clapped! They yelled "Bravo!" Despite having done nothing at all, I reacted.

I kissed my hands and blew it out to the crowd. I mouthed, "Thank you, thank you!" I waved. I expressed gratitude for the appreciation. I felt so full of life and energy. I felt like I wanted to do something great for these people. I was ready to take on the world!

Imagine dialing that whole experience down a few notches. Maybe I wouldn't be moved to tears, but appreciation and recognition goes a long way. In fact, small amounts often is probably the ideal situation. So note to self - applaud people in your own way. It's a worthwhile investment!

Now a small note of irony...the image used above is from www.guardian.com.uk in a blog post about how the standing ovation has gotten all too frequent and meaningless. LOL Despite my complete lack of effort put out to receive my own, it still meant something...to me, anyway.

Brookgreen Gardens' Night of a Thousand Candles

An event that is touted as one of the most wonderful family traditions in the Grand Strand is upon us next weekend and through the end of the season. It's Brookgreen Gardens' Night of a Thousand Candles.

Brookgreen Gardens is beautiful, filled with amazing statues, flowers, plants, a boat ride and even animals. It's definitely a "must do" for visitors to our area and families who live here. The Night of a Thousand Candles event is dazzling but...and this is a big one...not for families with small children.

Last year we coordinated a few families worth of friends and took our infant, toddler and preschool-aged children for, what we thought, would be a night filled with "ooohs" and "ahhhhs". Instead, we all found it quite stressful!

The gardens are lit only by candles. And while there may, quite literally, but 1000 of them, it's still dark! If I was there with my husband only I would have considered it romantically lit. I would have enjoyed slowly strolling hand-in-hand with him. I may have even considered bringing a blanket and a bottle of wine. But since I was with my kids, I found the whole thing panicky dark. I felt the need to hold on to hands, full-time. I got nervous when I got minorly separated from my family. I was freaking out about my girls walking any where other than in the middle of the paths because on either side there were open flames.

As could be expected, the event was PACKED. So add very dim lighting and open flames to mobs of people and you've got a far-less-than-enjoyable evening.

Make no mistake. The Night of a Thousand Candles is gorgeous. It's so lovely. It's just not a family event...especially if your children are less than about 10 years old. If you want to enjoy it, get a babysitter. :-) I highly recommend Frank's Outback for dinner prior to your visit. The food is exquisite! It's one of the few truly fine dining experiences in the Grand Strand.

Thoughts on a stay-at-home-saturday

More Thanksgiving joy - my older daughter is sick! Seriously, we're cancelling this holiday next year! Thankfully one of the docs in the practice we see was able to phone in some antibiotics. My poor kiddo. It was like a fever just whacked her on the butt. What's worse is that to the touch, she felt cool. I reluctantly took her temp, telling her "I'm sure you do not have a fever." When the thermometer beeped, 101.6. Nice.

So today it's a bona fide rainy day. We were thinking about taking the kids out to see Bolt, but we'll just how my pumpkin girl is feeling. I'm completely confess that hanging around the house, cleaning up, making out Christmas cards, maybe wrapping a few gifts, being lazy and working on some Christmas decorating sounds like a pretty good day to me. I'm such a homebody.

Tomorrow we have a holiday brunch that everyone is on board for. Lots of our friends will be there. My favorite jolly old elf will make an appearance. We'll eat loads of good food. There's no way we're missing that! But for today...we'll just hang.

And in case anyone is counting...only two more weeks until our Disney World trip!! Everyone is on a strict "stay healthy" regime. We can not wait! Hubby's cousin and his family are heading down tomorrow. I am giddy to hear their trip report. All of the anxiety about getting everything done before the trip so I can actually enjoy it and not feel stressed when we get back is fading away. Another close friend and their family will be traveling down there at the same time and I think she's experiencing the same. But I'm honestly praying and crossing fingers and toes that everyone stays well. Traveling during the winter is so risky!

What Thanksgiving means to my family...

To our family, Thanksgiving means injury and illness. That's right... injury and illness. While we definitely do take time to say "thank you" for all of our wonderful blessings, I think next year we're all going to work, eating pizza for dinner and generally acting as if it's any other day. Perhaps we'll roast a turkey the day after or something.

Just to list a few, the Thanksgivings of years passed have included two gallbladder removals and something involved blocked intestines. This year my mom is sick to the point where she had no voice, I dropped a steel stand-mixer bowl on my foot breaking a toe and quite likely another bone in my foot, my sister-in-law's brother is on the brink of death in the hospital from congestive heart failure and I found out that my oldest niece has two ovarian tumors, one nearly the size of a lemon.

This morning my daughter is crying intermittently about a sore in her mouth by her cheek. My foot is a lovely shade of black and purple. My mom is hoping her doctor is open and will see her today.

Maybe all of my neighbors who have had their Christmas trees up for a week and outdoor lights on for a few days have the right idea. I've always gotten a little cranky about how, more and more, the North American society skips over Thanksgiving in a huge rush to get to Christmas. I, personally, refuse to give up pumpkins and turkeys and replace them with red bows and wreaths until at least Black Friday. When I do that, I feel like the "to do" list of Christmas totally gypped me an entire holiday. But given my family's health issues related to this one, I may opt to express my thanks to the universe sometime in July next year.

I'm off to get our Christmas decorations down from the attic. *sigh* Hubby is all ready to dive in. I still need a few days.

Get annoyed or not, the result is the same.

I gave this advice to my mom the other day. She and my dad were out, which can sometimes, itself, be a challenge. Mom wanted Dad to try on sneakers. He needs new ones and no matter she brings home, he won't like or they won't fit. It's absolutely necessary for him to try them on. But like I said, getting him there and getting shoes on his feet can be exhausting.

So there they were, all poised to try on shoes, when Dad's stomach started giving him trouble. Mom wanted him to try to just try to quickly get through finding shoes. Dad was distracted by his stomach. Mom urged him to try on a pair. Dad said he felt like he needed to go. Mom got frustrated because so much effort had already been put forth getting there and now they were leaving empty handed. In defeat, she said, "Let's just go." Dad, like a kid who finally breaks their parent down then feels guilty, said "Well that pair would be fine." Yeah, the pair he didn't try on. Meaning it would be no different than if mom came alone and bought something. They'd get home, he'd try them on, they wouldn't fit or he wouldn't like the way they looked and lather, rinse, repeat.

When my mom told me this story, my advice was to not get annoyed because the result was going to be the same. Once Dad's stomach starts to give him issues, there is nothing else he can think about no matter how much you want him to, essentially, suck it up for a few minutes.

Isn't it funny, though, when you have to take your own advice?

I was set on taking our annual Christmas card photo this year. It was a simple set up. My girls both have on nice neutral cream-colored shirts. Everyone is having a pretty good hair day. I was going to slap a holiday bow on the dog's head, go outside in our mild temps and beautiful afternoon sun and get that magical shot. Instead, my older daughter came home in a mood. When I started brushing her hair, she immediately burst into tears saying I pulled half her hair out. She cried and whined for no less than 10 minutes. I was losing all sympathy because I felt pretty sure the tears were only caused by the knots so much. She was obviously fragile for some other, unknown to me, reason.

The more I tried to rush her through properly reacting to her horrific injury and usher her back into shoes and outside, the more she upped the drama level. Finally I decided to just stop the whole process, sit down, turn on the TV and start writing. I don't have the energy to fight this losing battle.

Is it wrong to Photoshop my kids' heads with the dog's and insert the image of a bow? How recent do these pics have to be? :-)

Happy flippin' holidays....................................

*deep breath* No stress, no stress, no stress

Oh the irony...

Today I got on a roll of crossing tasks off my ever expanding "to do" list. One I had been particularly dreading was writing an email to my daughter's principal about our upcoming vacation to Disney World. It's against school policy to take your child out for travel. It's against district policy to do so for more than three consecutive days. Double whammy.

I'm not sure what got into me, but I fired it off. My wording acknowledged the policies. I expressed our reasoning for travel. I stated that our decision was made. I hit send without doing more than proofreading. That's not typically my style. I like to mull for awhile. I like to save things in my drafts. I like to read it to a minimum of a dozen people. Okay, so maybe that's a slight overstatement, but you get what I'm saying.

My daughter received an award for perfect attendance for the first quarter. I think that bolstered my confidence. Even when the principal emailed back about needing to schedule a meeting with the vice principal and the attendance officer to create an Attendance Intervention Plan, I was almost smug. No sweat. Hell, we're in mid-November and the kid hasn't missed a day! Then the phone rang...

"Mrs. Byers? This is Lori, the school nurse. We have your daughter here and she's running a temperature of 101.7. She doesn't say anything is hurting, but we'd like for you to come get her."

Obviously I went right to the school and got my little rosy cheeked girl. I called the doctor and we got in for a 4:00 PM appointment. The verdict? Double ear infection. She'll be out of school at least another day.

Anyone see the irony? I braved up to the principal. The the school nurse shot me down. Sure sure, these days will be medically excused. They won't count towards the ten maximum of unexcused. I already have the doctor's note. We're good to go. Still...oh the irony.

Be careful for what you wish

Ever since we got our new couches, which are extremely soft and cushy, I have longed for the opportunity to wrap up in our fluffy down throws and lounge like my life depended on it. For the past three days, I've done exactly that. Both my little one and I grew sicker as each day went by. I took her to the doc on Thursday and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. Why I didn't make an appointment for myself is beyond me. My temp still lingers around 100 and I'm still coughing. Frankly, it's getting exhausting. Though I am thoroughly acquainted with our couches and the throws. I'm growing to resent them.

Today my older daughter got her first of many pairs of specs. Last night we had her eyes evaluated by our optometrist and the impairment in one of her eyes is so bad that her two don't work together. It's on the borderline between moderate and severe. If the glasses don't do their job in the next 6-8 weeks we will need to put patches over her eye. How friggin' traumatizing.

This afternoon we found some frames she liked and her glasses were ready in about an hour. As luck had it, her doc was in at that time and was able to take a quick look at the glasses and her eyes to make sure they were as he had prescribed. This falls into one of my "it was meant to be" moments file. Her doc has his own office and studio that isn't open on weekends. Only today did I learn that's because he works on Saturdays at LensCrafters. How convenient for us!

The frame choice of Miss Priss may have been swayed because this pair came with magnetic clip on sunglasses. They are a wire frame made of a dark copper color. I swear pink or purple would have won out. Regardless, she looks adorable. If only there wasn't a vision issue associated with them.

So I'm mildly devastated and quite relieved. I'm afraid that she'll feel a difference in attention she receives from classmates after the glasses go to school on Monday. It sounds like I'm being boastful, but I promise that's not where I'm coming from. My daughter is the popular little girl in class. All of the boys love her. I've seen it myself! Even today when we went to her school's fall festival, we sat across the table from a mom and her little boy. Our children knew each other from the bus. His mom introduced herself as my daughter's boyfriends' mother, laughing as she added "but your daughter didn't know that yet." I'll be sad for my little girl if that attention fades away. Not because I really want boys chasing her, more because I think it boosts her confidence.

Though bottom line, I feel so blessed that this vision issue was found now. I have no binocular vision. This develops in your brain between ages 6 and 8. My disability was realized too late to do anything. My daughter is 5 1/2 and I honestly pray we're early enough. I want her to have the gift of good vision and I'm crushed she hasn't had it all along. I swear, I still say we had no idea. :-(

On a totally unrelated note, we got a new vacuum today. I joined http://www.consumerreports.com/ for one month to research vacuums and ended up trashing their recommendations. We had $200 in Target gift cards and I didn't feel like disregarding them because the top rated brand is only sold at Sears. So we threw all caution and research to the wind and got a Bissell Healthy Home. Wish me luck that this mother is effective. We couldn't resist the urge to crank it up tonight and it seems to have done a good job.

Another project I've been working on is finding Christmas gifts for my girls. My brother and his wife rely on me to provide a list of presents for them to get. I did one better this year and actually purchased one. The Disney Store clearance priced their Halloween costumes two weeks ago. These guys retailed for $39.50 and were now priced at $10. I bought my older daughter a Belle costume that I have since realized is too big, but fixable. I was holding out for Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty for my little one, but darn it - they are STILL full price! On that first day I picked up an Ariel one for a friend's daughter's birthday. Since she and my daughter are the same size, I had my little one try it on to make sure it would fit her friend. Lo and behold, my daughter fell in love.

Tonight I made, what I vow to be, my final Disney Store run trying to complete this stupid gift. What's got my eye now, though, are their "deluxe" costumes. Imagine what the "real" Cinderella's dress looks like and miniaturize it. These absolutely beautiful dresses retail for $79.50. They are clearance priced for $22.50. *gasp*

You'd think I'd snatch them up, but I've resisted. "Are you nuts?" you may wonder. Perhaps. But the lingering question floating around my brain is "who am I buying it for? Me or the girls?" When I was little, I wished and prayed for such an amazing costume. I dreamed of twirling and singing in one. I'm sure at some point I begged my mom to make me one. My girls, on the other hand, won't appreciate the extra petticoats. They've been there, done that in various forms. Besides, the Belle dress I already purchased for $10 is really really beautiful! The Ariel costume, which I ended up getting for $7.50, is quite a bit less grand, but let's face it - it's a mermaid tail. How full can that be? So now I have to try to stop thinking about the amazing deal. The girls have FAR too many toys. They are getting a buttload for Christmas. They do not need more. We don't need to spend more money. They will love the costumes I've got. Do not buy them. Stay away. Disney should let us vacation in the World for free based on the huge amount of money we spend on their products yearly. *deep breaths*

Sick and sad - the joys of motherhood

Why are children such petri dishes of germs? My younger daughter has had a fever for the past 36 hours. She stayed home from ballet class last night and preschool today. As a result, my throat is killing me and my ear is aching. Thanks. I still love you, but thanks.

Perhaps the shock of this week weakened my immune system. Yesterday morning I got a call from the school nurse. It turns out my older daughter has impaired vision. What? Wait...WHAT?! Ladies and gents, I had no idea! Looking back, perhaps I should.

I have severely impaired vision. It's so bad that my eyes don't work well together so I have issues with depth perception and tend to bump into things and trip on them ALL the time. Who else is klutzy? You guessed it. And I never put two and two together.

I have a few thoughts running through my head. 1) I am, of course, thankful that this has been identified and we can get my little sweetie specs. I'm praying she notices a difference and is happy about it. I'm also seriously praying that her coordinated vision isn't impaired. As I've been told, you either have it or don't by the time you're six. I have like 5 months to do my best to ensure she is, indeed, looking at objects with both eyes. 2) I feel like a bad mom. Somehow I should have known!!! 3) I'm sad because I feel like I'm looking at her cherubic little face for some of the last times without glasses. Will she get picked on at school? I can tell she's the popular little girl in kindergarten. All of the boys like her. Will she feel the difference?

I know that last one is shallow but it comes from experience. I've had glasses since I was literally 18 months old. I've heard every joke in the book and I'd love to spare her from them.

Woe is me. It's 8:12 PM. Somehow the gals were in bed by 7:15 PM. I just spent the last hour working on expense reports and I'm off to bed. My last project for tonight is deciding between Sudafed and the hard stuff...Benedryl. I'm leaning towards the Bennie. I need to sleep!

Newsflash - I just firmly said "no" to something. I'm shocked!

A really good friend of mine just asked for our family to be involved in a lovely holiday party at a local nursing home for the elderly. Her grandmother is there and she'd love to bring some cheer to the other residents with decorations, crafts, children, treats and probably gifts. I adore her for putting her effort where her heart is because it's all too often folks have these thoughtful ideas and no time or resources to execute them.

Are you humored about how I've titled this post "I've just said"no" to something" just before telling you what a beautiful party this will be?

We will return from Disney World on 12/20. The party is on 12/22. I had taken that week off from work to bake, do holiday crafts with the kids and generally get ready for Christmas without having to juggling my mountain of vacation laundry AND my job.

I know my children. They are not those warm fuzzy kids that come with an easy smile. They won't go along with the other children, merrily singing Christmas carols. They won't accept a cookie a friendly elderly lady offers them. They won't entertain the conversation. The event will be stressful for us and frustrating for those we're trying to spread cheer too. It's so well intended and will be lovely - it's just got a good match for us.

Normally in this situation I would beat around the bush, half-way commit, dread, feel overwhelmed, somehow try to make it work and leave thinking "why didn't you just say no to begin with!?" Today, without hesitation, though, I said no. I was tactful and gracious. I meant every word of praise I offered about putting this party together. I sincerely hope it turns out beautifully and is a really fulfilling experience for everyone involved. But still...we will not be there and I don't feel guilty about that. I did, however, offer to bake something or contribute a gift. LOL

A interesting advantage of having the Obama family heading up the ole US

As I mentioned, I wasn't in love with either presidential candidate. I ended up voting for McCain *gasp, it's true* only because I felt he was stronger in the national security arena. Palin was charming, but a bad bad choice for his campaign. He had a better shot at winning without her. Regardless, the point of this story is that I wasn't devastated with Obama won because he could have very well been my choice as well. In fact, I've said a dozen times I wish I could have combined the campaign with McCain as prez and Obama as VP. That would have been the perfect ticket!

Today, while eating lunch with my 4 year old and scanning this week's issue of People magazine, I said to her, "See this man? This is the new president of the United States. When we waited in that long line to vote last week, this is who won." I then explained the process about how the whole country had to vote, much like when I take a vote for going to the aquarium or park and whichever choice has the most votes wins. I talked about Barrack Obama had the most votes and now he's president.

I flipped through the magazines and showed her pictures of Michelle Obama and their daughters. Suddenly, at the sight of the children, she grew interested and asked questions. "Where does he live? What's his phone number? When will I see him? Is he a dad?" I got almost giddy. I never thought about it, but I think having a young family in the White House will rope in the interest of children in civics all across this nation!

Our conversation ended with my daughter telling me that I should let her know when we'll see him because she'd like to make him a picture at her school. While McCain was my choice, he wasn't be nearly as relatable to her.

I'm doubting she'll be asking about changes to domestic fiscal policy come January of 2009, but she knows far more about our government and how it works because of a picture of Barrack Obama than she did a few hours ago and as a parent, that's a success!

I, about an hour ago, turned into my mother

I can remember my mom having this glow-in-the-dark plastic #1 key chain that she'd stick masking tape too with notes to herself. I can remember being in 4th grade and she had "violin" on the masking tape. Guess she thought I needed some practice!

Tomorrow is my daughter's snack day at kindergarten. Miraculously I remembered to purchase said snack at the grocery store with no panic. I found exactly what was requested. I have the popcorn bags in my handy dandy reusable bag. The water bottles (which cancel out the reusable bag ten-fold, in case anyone is keeping an environmental score on this one) are still in the garage so I don't forget them.

As I prepped our things this evening to ensure a smooth morning (which included a thirty minute search for a missing blankie) I taped a piece of paper that reads "Snack Day" on both my steering wheel and jogging stroller - didn't want to limit my mode of transportation! As I walked back from the garage, it hit me. I have just turned into my mother. I, again, realize she is brilliant and deserving of a momorable mention. You rock mom!

Idle conversation in the hour and half wait to vote

As my daughter told my husband on Tuesday night, "I boated" (voted). She proudly wore the sticker she earned. Sure she didn't actually select a candidate, but she waited with me and her sister. That was a bigger commitment to her than choosing the next president of the United States.

Of course, I'm tragically late in talking about this topic, so no need to discuss who I voted for and who won. I will say I didn't have my mind made up until I got into line, so I wasn't in love with anyone. Yet I will say that several people I know have been laid off or lost their jobs completely since Tuesday, so that's a little scary. I pray it's not an indication of what the economy will be like during the next four years.

So anyway, while we waited for roughly 90 minutes, I listened. Everyone around me was making friends with each other. I was on my own as, I guess, I had my children to talk too. Here are snippets of what I heard. Gotta love idle chatter.

"I wasn't sad when my parents sold the house I grew up in. Most of my memories were of getting yelled and grounded there."

"What is dog rescue? I mean, were the animals actually in a threatening situation?"

"Are golden retrievers good with kids?"

"I remember walking through snow that was waist high to school" (uphill both ways, I'm thinking)

"Do you teach them at home?" (said to me)

(said to my girls) "Girls, in my Happy Meal, I have a boy toy. Would you like it?"
(oldest daughter) shakes head
(me) "Mommy would"

"Man the line is long."

"How much longer will we have to wait?"

"We've been waiting for 50 minutes."

"Waiting sucks."

"Waiting, waiting, waiting..."

"Have you ever noticed that Wal-Mart's loud speaker is really loud?"

Feelings of dread

To say I've been busy is a horrid understatement. Since my last entry, I've spent a week in the Bay Area for work, had my older daughter lose a first tooth, celebrated my 34th birthday, celebrated my younger daughter's 4th birthday (several times, actually), went to two fall festivals, attended a kindergarten field trip to a farm and threw a party. You'd think I'd be spending this weekend in a pretty blissful state of quiet. Nope.

I'm held by a few confidentiality agreements, but without saying too much, it feels like so many of my friends and family are losing their jobs. It's hard to not worry about when our family's "other shoe" will drop. We're doing okay financially. Our Christmas should be good. We're heading down to Disney World. I'm not complaining in the slightest. Though I suddenly feel strongly that I should be dedicating a set amount of time each week to work on the book I've started. There may come a day when I'm desperate for that income.

While one specific friend is trying to keep her spirits high, when I saw her today and she told me her husband was laid off, I could see anxiety and tears just below the surface. I really want to take her out to dinner just to talk, but I wouldn't want to ask her to spend needless money and I don't want it to seem like I'm pitying her by paying. Maybe it should be a cup of coffee, so there's no big expense. I don't know...but I want to hug her. Her kiddos were with her, so I knew she had to put on a strong face. I feel so bad. :-(

While my husband and I have our jobs, I just feel so dreadful. I'm nervous. I'm anxious. I have huge bags of Halloween candy that comfort me in the way of killing me.

Why do these things always happen right around the holidays? I just feel so bad.

Anyone else wanting to have a baby for the love of German engineering?

I love Brooke Shields. I'm not a lesbian or anything, but I love her. She's gorgeous. She's smart. And adding to her resume...she's got dry humor under her belt! These commercials for the Volkswagon Routan are cracking me up! And...since I believe we'll be in the market for a new family car in the next year, I'll take it one step forward and give Volkswagon a honest-to-goodness Momorable Mention! I'll always be happy to give a public thumbs up to clever advertising. Brooke is convincing in this role and as luck has it, a quick tour around the Volkswagon website has convinced me she's actually pushing a pretty cool product!

The difference between a woman on a business trip and a man...

When my husband goes on a business trip he packs, kisses us goodbye, leaves, does his business, eats good food, drinks good beer, sleeps well and returns home, ready for some R&R.

When I go on a business trip I spend weeks prior detailing the ins and outs of our family's days on lists, spreadsheets, narratives and post-its for my husband and mother to use as a guide while I'm gone. I pack for me. I make sure everyone else in the house has appropriate clothing clean for the week I'm away. I clean the house so that the crap these people need on a daily basis is easy to fine. I prepare meal plans. I grocery shop. I barely sleep the night before. Cry as I kiss everyone goodbye and get on the plane absolutely exhausted. When I return, I'm refreshed, having thought my way through everything in the world during the past week uninterrupted. I've gained perspective on how much I love my family and how being so busy all of the time keeps me from just enjoying that. I read two books, both of which (unplanned) dealt with the death of parents and a partner so I'm in a sudden state of true appreciation. I've reaffirmed my relationship with God as we did a lot of talking through a "maintenance" issue on one of the flights that ended with the nervously chatting pilot slamming us into the ground.

When I walk in the door, I'm energized despite being tired. I want to talk about my trip. I wake up the kids so I can kiss them and tell them I'm home. I roll around on the floor for five full minutes when my dog, bless her elderly heart. I kiss my husband confidently. "I missed you so much!" Within minutes, he's asleep on the couch.

Anyone speak martian? Because after this yearly trip, I truly feel like I'm from Venus.

I missed my family despite flirting with the doorman at the hotel. I ate at a restuarant that I know hubby loves and toasted him over jack and gingers. I wandered the levels at Barney's gasping at the price tags on the $2500 Versace "little black dress" and $1200 Manolo Blahnik rhinestone strappy sandal. I saw an amazing show called Beach Blanket Babylon, which was a Plan B after the night tour at Alcatraz was booked. Hubby would have HATED it. I, on the other hand, LOVED it!

I worked hard, thoroughly soaking in the office environment I never get to experience anymore. I argued with a taxi driver who yelled at my friend. I thanked God as He provided a shoe repair shop literally minutes after I broke the strap on my new leather laptop travel bag. I calmed my friend as she grew really nervous about an odd character disrespecting our personal space while waiting for a train. I felt horribly guilty about missing the opportunity to chat with my girlies due to the stupid timezone difference. I left really hoping I'll get to take this trip next year.

When I ask hubby what he does on his trips, he says "nothing". *insert eye roll here*

What *is* the deal with airlines these days?

I've had to wackiest experiences with airlines lately.

My parents booked a flight from Wilmington to Orlando on Allegiant Air a few months ago. Their ticket price seemed pretty reasonable until we went through the checkout process. There is a fee per bag starting at the first. I believe it was $15 for the bag if you purchased the right to check it at the time you bought your ticket and $25 if you do it at the airport. Then when you attempted to choose a seat, each of them had an additional price. Those closer to the front were more. Seriously, if your ticket price isn't paying for your seat, what exactly does it pay for. Sure there's the gas, but without a seat to sit in, what good is the gas?

So this week I've been on the west coast for work. On my first flight, the crew kept telling us how limited overhead cabin space was. Folks were getting a little nutty about shoving crap in. Ladies and gentleman, if it doesn't fit, pushing it in harder won't change that. What humored me, though, is that the two first class compartments I could see were completely empty. I advised the guy sitting next to me to just go ahead and put it in there. He sounded confident when he said, "they usually get a little testy about that." And indeed they did. That was just before they pulled the little mesh curtain. *insert eye roll here*

On my second flight I was placed in a row of seats that were obviously not part of the original design. Imagine that there is about 10 inches of clearance between the seat's cushion edge to the back of the seat in front of it. That's enough room to slide in, perhaps move a bit to place your belongings below your seat and that's about it. In my seat, there was about 6 inches and let me tell ya folks...there barely enough room for sliding and certainly not enough room for moving at all. Niiiiiiiiiiiiice.

I was supposed to sit with a friend who was pregnant. Oddly she and I ended up separated and I'm envious! She was on the end, two rows from the bathroom. I was forced to become very close with my seatmates for five and a half hours as I was by the window. Can anyone say blot clot in the leg?

I suppose the bottom line is that I arrived safely and I shouldn't really complain. But it's hard when now I'm charged $2 for a beverage service, $7 for a boxed (and not-so-great) lunch, and no pretzels or peanuts whatsoever. Again people...five and a half hours!

I was charged $15 for a checked back and I'm sure to be charged for it again on the way home. I guess to make air travel economical in the future I will need to stand without taking anything along with me. That should be a fun trip!

*sigh*

Lindsey's Little Miracles

I know the chances are slim that anyone local is reading, but I have to write about an organization centered around a very little girl holding a very big event tomorrow. Lindsey's Little Miracles was founded by a friend of mine, Quaker Grubbs, whose daughter, Lindsey, was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer just after her first birthday. You can read their story on the site as my words could never do it justice. The gist is that Lindsey is considered NED (no evidence of disease) and if she maintains that status for the next few years, she's considered cured. If she does not, she will be considered terminal.

For the past two years, the Grubbs family has put together a huge fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation for local children. Even as I type it, I'm getting goosebumps.

I've known Grubbs family for a little over a year. My oldest daughter and Quaker's son were in the same preschool class. In one of our early conversations I actually said the words "you've lived through every parent's nightmare." to her when she talked about Lindsey's illness. In a later conversation, had over baby shower preparations for one of the teachers, I heard about how the diagnosis and treatment sent a ripple through the family.

I instinctively hold my breath when I think about the fears this family must face every day. Lindsey is a beautiful child in every way. She's bright. She's friendly. She's articulate. She's curious. She's snuggly. She lights up a room! I thought that long before I ever knew she was *thee* Lindsey of Lindsey's Little Miracles. When I did find out, I secretly cried.

I'm humbled by how the Grubbs family can channel the tears that must live somewhere below the surface into helping others. And darnit, they're productive at it!

I first send out my prayers to Miss Lindsey for her health. My next set go out to her family for their strength and peace. And last, I pray that the event tomorrow goes off without a hitch, including beautiful weather, and raises a ton of money for a very very worthy cause.

Sorry to keep referring back to their site, but if you'd like to attend the event or contribute, give it a click.

[photo courtesy of http://www.lindseyslittlemiracles.com/]

Why has the Supernanny never covered the "Java" technique?

For years and years, I have been decaffeinated. It started just after college when I was having horrible stomach issues. An ultrasound showed no issues and the doc's recommendation was to eliminate trigger foods one at a time to possibly identify the problem. It turns out, the offending food group was caffeine. Flash forward about 10 years, one year post-gallbladder-removal and I can enjoy a nice cup of coffee again without doubling over and weeping. Who knew I was such a delicate little flower and could detect an issue before it even shows up.

So last night my husband was out of town on business. Whenever he has these trips I always talk them up in my head. "I'm going to relax after the kids go to bed. Maybe I'll catch up on Lipstick Jungle and Project Runway. Maybe I'll pop in some Sex and the City DVDs. The possibilities are endless!" What actually ends up happening, invariably, is that I work well past my bedtime. Last night was no exception.

I typically like to hit the hay around 10:30 PM. We'll just say I saw AM on the clock before turning in this morning. And as luck would have it, five minutes after getting into bed I hear "Mommy...Mommmmy....MOMMMMMY!!" It turns out the little one wet her bed. :-( I take responsibility because I must have forgotten to ask her to use the potty before going to sleep. Poor kid. I'm kind of pleased I was still up, though, because I was better able to care for my little pee-pee princess with loads of compassion. She was lucky there was extra space in my bed. And believe me when I tell you she used every inch of her allotted amount and some of mine.

I don't recall actually sleeping last night. The alarm was set for 6:00 AM. I set two just in case one malfunctioned. I woke at 5:50 and decided to lay in bed until I heard beeping. What a glorious ten minutes of sleep that was.

Promptly after getting out of the shower, I indulged in a very large cup of freshly ground and pressed coffee. With its assistance, I was able to pack a lunch, get us three girls dressed and fed, and walk this whole crew to school. I was cheerful and efficient. And that's when it hit me. Coffee helps me be a better parent. Sure I'll pass out in a few hours once it's out of my system. Sure it gives me horrible breath for that "one last kiss" before school. And then there's the issue of stained teeth. But it's all good. For today anyway... Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm hopeful a few extra winks of sleep will alleviate the need for my new parenting crutch!

[photo courtesy of http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2007/08/science_vault_coffee_as_a_cure.php]

The joys of Facebook

Is it me or is Facebook the same as high school? I admit it, I'm late delving into the world of social networking. I created an account several months ago when one of my cousins dragged me in. There it sat, with no friends and no activity. I honestly forgot it had it. Then one day I get an email that someone else I knew "friended" me. Two weeks later another friend emailed about how fun it was, blah blah blah and off I dove into the sea of old friends, acquaintances, enemies and others.

It didn't take me long to find the graduating class at my high school. Just recently my mom asked me, "Do you think you'll ever go to a reunion?" My answer, "it's not very likely."

In high school I definitely had a group of friends, but the ones I've wanted to keep in touch with are on my speed dial. The rest I haven't talked to in about 10...okay okay...15 years and I'm okay with that. I wish them well. If I ran into them I'd love to have coffee and catch up. But I'm not really inclined to search them out.

On Facebook I've got a list of some of those people sitting in front of me waiting for me to friend. There are some folks I requested friendship from immediately. Usually the message sent with the request went something like "Kimmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" or "OMG! Remember that time we fill-in-the-blank?!"

The second layer of people were folks I was friendly with but it took some time for me to request their friendship. Thankfully I haven't been denied yet, though there are still many out there. I went to school in a small town. Some of these people I met in kindergarten and graduated with. Yet in high school, we merged with a few other towns and I basically lost them.

Since I live about 600 miles from the area I grew up in, and have since 8 weeks after graduation, I don't tend to run into these people. I've certainly never socialized with them beyond the prom. It's actually amazing to me how many of them stuck around!

So here I sit. I'm nearly 34 years old. I'm accomplished. I'm confident. I'm pretty much okay with who and what I am. So why do I care who I'm friends with on Facebook? *insert eye roll here*

i'm bloated

I was sitting at my younger daughter's dance class tonight, half reading a magazine, half listening to the conversation between another mom and her mother, who was sitting on a wicker bench beside me. Passed me toddled two adorable cherubs with the sweetest cheeks imaginable. I squinted through the sheer curtain of the studio every now and then trying to catch a glimpse of Miss Ballerina doing her thang. It was then that I caught the horrifying reflection of a very bloated girl who sees herself to be quite a bit more svelte in her own mirror.

I'm fat. I'm not self-pitying. I'm not self-defaming. I'm stating fact. Sad sad fact. When I was in high school I was never skinny, but I was fit. I danced. I twirled batons. I ran. I was active, busy and while not the best eater, a better eater than I am now.

I've just come off a party weekend. There is still a box of chocolates on my counter and spinach dip in my fridge. I feel like if I didn't eat for the next 48 hours, I'd be fine...and I ate dinner 3 hours ago. I wonder where this is all leading me? 200 lbs? 250? What will be my limit? Both of my brothers have had gastric by-pass surgery and a second "revision" because they were able to outsmart a bodily alteration. Our family history of obesity is pretty obvious. So is the history for heart disease and diabetes.

I got on a kick the week before last, almost desperate to find a personal trainer. It came as a result of watching The Biggest Loser. Oh how I wish I could do some version of that show for the slightly-less-than-shockingly-obese. I need a Jillian or a Bob. Here I am two weeks later and I've already discontinued working out, riddled with finding time again.

This would be the time for me to write about how I've got a new plan all together and ready to roll out. Something comprehensive that included diet and exercise changes. Yet as I'm sitting here, I feel unoptimistic. I don't know how my time issues will work out. I can definitely work on eating better...the first step being ridding my house of leftover homemade mac and cheese and ribs.

I'm a rational girl who can think clearly and lucidly about almost any topic. Rarely do my emotions get the better of my decision-making processes. Yet I can't seem to "just do" this. We all have our issues, I guess. I"d like to resolve this one, though. I don't like the reflection of the gal staring back at me in the reflection on the glass. She looked like a girl who is lazy. Someone who doesn't play with her kids. She looked unhappy. I could cast a lot of judgements on her.

Happy Birthday to hubby!

I'm thankful to report that our first round of fillings went really well. There was so anxious crying the morning of, but overall, the complaints have been minimal. Today we made our way over to Build-A-Bear workshop for a little reward. I'd really like to get off this bribing system for dental visits, but since I've got another appointment to go, I'll hang in there and keep my trap shut!

Today is my hubby's birthday and he's spent it with his sister, brother-in-law, two nieces, mom, mother-in-law, father-in-law, two daughters, me and two friends from Australian. Once upon a time, he would have balked about all the extra obligation on "his"day. But this year, he seemed genuinely grateful to have everyone around celebrating with him.

We had muffins for an early breakfast and a big brunch. Most of the family left and he, very open hearted, spent the next several hours with our international friends, walking around Broadway at the Beach. When we parted (they'll be traveling on tomorrow) he sincerely thanked them for visiting.

Normally family visits stress me out. I procrastinate in cleaning. I over-think schedules and overwork menus. Everything has to be *just so*. In short, I drive myself nuts. When one thing derails any part of it, I, personally derail. This weekend I made decisions that were good for me, and ultimately ended up being good for others. I went with the proverbial flow. I enjoyed the company of our guests. As a result, everyone involved walked away feeling content and pleased.

It's hubby's birthday, but I believe we're both growing up!

Random thoughts about the new fall season of TV and cavities

Mom confession here... I couldn't be happier that the new seasons of my favorite shows are back on. Suddenly my DVR is humming again with quality television rather than reruns of Dirty Jobs. No offense, Mike Rowe. You're a hottie. I adore you. It's just...well...I'm read for chic shows.

This afternoon I'm sitting here, attempting to work, but I've been drawn to last week's episode of Lipstick Jungle. Truth be told, I'm not even sure what channel or night it's on. Without my buddy, the DVR, I'd be stuck watching Judge Joe Mathis or Maury because the only time I can watch a few minutes of my TV is in the afternoon while my younger daughter is "resting". And by resting, I mean sitting in her room, singing, reading books, running around in circles and playing with the doorstop. LOL

I swear we're still adjusting to the new school schedule. My mother-in-law is visiting for the week and I just told her that I can't imagine what summers will be like now. I feel like we're running all the time. How can we go from that to absolutely nothing. Blissful. Nothing. But I bet the kids will be bored within 10 days!

We've got dance class on Monday night, faith formation on Wednesday and I have meetings on Thursday. This week I have meetings tonight and we'll have company on Friday. We've gone from quiet and routine family dinners every single night with rare exception to feeling like a week has gone by without so much as a salad between all four of us. I used to say "folks just need to make it a priority. I can't imagine not eating together!"

Well here I am with yet another plate of fried crow. With that I'd like a side of baked crow because on Saturday we discovered that my older daughter has four cavities. FOUR CAVITIES. I must not brush her teeth, right? She must eat candy non-stop. She was left with bottles of formula or milk in her crib. She must have ten cups a day of Kool-Aid. I must be clueless about dental health and nutrition. But just for the record she brushes twice a day, eats candy once or twice a week max, she was breastfed until she was 15 months old and probably had 10 bottles in her life none of which were while she was trying to sleep and has never had Kool-Aid or soda, for that matter.

Anxiety about the upcoming fillings and guilt about our lack of flossing have made this quite the emotional event for me. Heck, even my hubby has been down about it. Needless to say we've started a stringent flossing program for both daughters. Friday is the big day and I'm nervous to see how it goes. I'm hoping to not project that on the patient!

Get ready for "Lactalicious" ice cream!

Can you tell the new school year's schedule is hitting mom pretty hard too? I haven't written for nearly a week! This headline, though, has stopped me in my "frantically-cleaning-up-before-my-mother-in-law-arrives" tracks. PETA wants Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream to use mother's milk in their treats.

I was going to give PETA a courtesy link here, but I went to their homepage and couldn't stop myself from clicking on a video where pigs, allegedly, raised for meat in Hormel products were abused, beaten, etc, etc, etc. The video was on for a total of about 7 seconds before I had to x-out. That site is not for sensitive views, like myself. My immediate next search was for tips on how to become a vegetarian. My great-uncle had a pig farm and while those cute piglets ultimately ended up in sausage they had a good life full of sunshine, soft ground beneath them and room to, oh I don't know, MOVE! Seek out that video on the PETA site if you'd wish, but be forewarned.

Anyway, what humors me about PETA's publicity stunt...er...suggestion to Ben & Jerry's is that it makes no sense. How could they be even the teeniest bit convinced that moms providing breast milk for ice cream wouldn't eventually turn into the new form of dairy cow. Surely moms would be paid. And surely the quantity each mom produced would be monitored. Perhaps she'd feel pressure to lactate more. So she'd fill her body with every "remedy" she could find to support her family. Suddenly we have hormone-laden milk from a sack-of-bones woman whose sole purpose in her life is to produce enough milk for ice cream. Is that not factory farming?

Now I get what the PETA folks are saying. I breastfed one daughter for 15 months and another for 20. I say I'm "pro-breastfeeding" is an understatement. I do think it's the absolute best. I do get frustrated when moms are unsupported in continuing. I roll my eyes when I hear "formula is better for them anyway" or "it was just too hard." Breast milk is the ultimate in nutrition for babies and toddlers. But make no mistake. It's a bodily fluid. And folks, I don't swap those with just anyone. Ice cream filled with breast milk would be doing just that - except it would be from many somebodies. The concept of breast milk being ingested by a human is beautiful. When that milk comes from a stranger, could carry disease or the tastes of what she had for dinner the night before, I'm icked out.

The health screening used in breast milk banks is stringent. Plus, it's intended for infants, babies and toddlers. Beyond that age group, I'd love to see research that suggests there are health benefits to consuming breast milk.

If PETA was truly interested in ethical treatment, why are they not approaching Ben & Jerry's about using soy or other organic product in their ice cream?

[photo courtesy of www.benjerry.com]

I hate the Wolfpack

That's all I have to say. NC State's Wolfpack just beat the ECU Pirates in OT and I'm bummed. I've never liked them. I hate Raleigh, NC. I wanted my Pirates to kick their puppy butts. :-( It's okay boys. You still rock!

More time sucking...

I have so much to write about and zero time to write the past few days! Today obsession is a new Disney Rewards Visa cardholders discount being offered the week we'll be in Disney World. Upon learning about it, I promptly applied for the card...something we've been intending to do for like two years! Theoretically I'll be able to call tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM and change my existing reservation to include the free basic dining plan! That will be like a $540 savings for our family! Rock on!

I have to admit, though, that I'm feeling a little scammy. I don't have the card in hand, nor will I for several weeks. So I paid off the vacation tonight via the official Disney website with that new card. When you apply through the site you're giving instant approval. So while I don't have a card number or anything, I can rack up some debt. LOL Better yet - debt that is repayable over the course of six months interest free! Thankfully we're not in the financial position that this should be a problem, but I see how easy it is for folks to get in deep very quickly!

Why would I pay off a vacation when I plan to get a discount on? I'm creating documentation, you see. It's proof that I am, indeed, a Disney Rewards Visa cardholder. I'm in for like $1500 with them, therefore eligible for the discount. Do I sound compelling? I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me! And then keep them crossed that I get all the work done that should have been done today whilst I was clicking all over the world wide web to figure out if I could make this work. *sigh* Yet still...I'm literally counting the days until we go. I can not wait!!!

Chili's needs to chill out with the salt!

On Friday afternoon we had planned to eat with my parents at their home. I cuddled with my younger daughter after playing for a bit and thought "you feel warm." I took her temperature and sure enough, it was right at 100. My dad isn't in the best health and typically when my girls are ill, I keep them away from Grandpa as to not stir his pot.

I called my husband, asking him to please pick something up for dinner. He chose Chili's, which isn't my favorite, but I was willing.

I looked at their website to choose from their To Go menu. I ordered hubby a Chipotle Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger and Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers for myself. We had chicken fingers at home, so I just got my girls a side of fries. I know, I know...bad mommy. :-p

When hubby arrived home with our food, his order was wrong. He got a plain bacon cheeseburger. My food was so salty, it was almost inedible. I ate two of my chicken strips and had to toss the rest. Hubby's food was mediocre, at best, as well.

While I didn't get it this time, one thing I love at Chili's is their skillet queso. Other than that, I can't say much draws me to this restaurant again. I do, however, still ove their "I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, I want my baby back, baby back, baby back" ribs commercial! LOL

Surf's Up v. East of Chicago

I've recently had the opportunity to go to both Surf's Up Family Fun Center in the Carolina Forest area of Myrtle Beach and East of Chicago pizza, on Business 17 near 48th Avenue in the heart of town. Both establishments are reminiscent of Chuck E. Cheese, which was a staple of my childhood! The difference in the food is a pizza and pasta buffet and in neither restaurant did I notice any teenagers in a large, grey mouse costume.

East of Chicago has been around a few years and we've been a few times. Kids can make their own pizza, which is always a hit! In my experience the pizza has always been of pretty darn good quality featuring a taco pizza and a buffalo chicken variety along with the usuals like cheese and pepperoni. I'm also always enjoy their salad bar too, which includes loads of choices such as beans, fruit and other goodies. I definitely eat as many calories in salad as I do in pizza! I also love their cinnamon and brownie pizza desserts.

The games at East of Chicago are pretty predictable. Skeeball is, of course, always a family favorite. I love "Deal or No Deal". Dad loves the "Wheel of Fortune" games where you try to press the button to make the light stop on the bonus space and get 300 tickets or whatever. While these games are, of course, a huge money eater, they do have a large selection that seems to appeal to a wide age range. The downside, of course, is that you spent 45 minutes playing them to the tune of $15 only to have your children load your 200 tickets on their card, proudly present it to the attendant at the prize counter and realize they can only "afford" a ring pop and Hannah Montana sticker.

In my opinion, East of Chicago is expensive. The good news is that it's pretty easy to find a coupon for "Buy one, get one buffet free" coupons. Without one, I'm not sure how often we'd go. The other interesting note is the wording on the menu. If you want your child to make their own pizza, it's an additional $4 (I think) added to their buffet price. If your kids are like mine, they're hardly going to eat their kid-sized pizza, no less anything off the buffet other than three bites of dessert. When I questioned the cashier, she charged me only the $4 for each child to make their own pizza rather than adding it to the buffet price. They got a wristband that indicated they had not paid for the buffet. That helped out! Also, East of Chicago offers a local discount. Don't forget to ask for it if you are, indeed, a local!

Surf's Up Family Fun Center is relatively new and we've been only once for a birthday party. Theoretically, the two places are remarkably similar. Pizza, games, tickets, prizes... For some reason, though, the food just didn't seem as good. What's funny is that if you blindfolded me and fed me a slice of pizza from each place, I'm not sure I could tell you the difference. The food area, though, just isn't as cozy and appealing. It looks kind of sterile. Not in a sanitary way, though I have no reason to question the cleanliness, of course, but in an aesthetic way. The pizza seemed like the dough had once been frozen and there were only four varieties. The salad bar had no tomatoes. Overall it just wasn't as appealing to me as East of Chicago.

One really cool thing about Surf's Up is that they have a huge rock wall that I, personally, would love to try and a laser tag arena. Maybe one day when hubby and I are on a date, we'll stop there for a short time to do these activities! They looked fun! Note to self - take your 16 year old nephew there when he's visiting next. He'll love it!

Another difference is that Surf's Up has a pretty large play area for kids. It is filled with tubes, a slide, a bridge and other fun things. My complaint about this area, however, is that it's really dark. The ceiling is painted black and they just don't have enough lights to compensate for that. Normally that wouldn't bother me, but when kids need to be surefooted for their safety and I need to be able to clearly see them up in this apparatus, sufficient lighting is necessary.

There is a ton of similarity between games at East of Chicago and Surf's Up. We did find several of them not working properly at Surf's Up. That could have been an unfortunate coincidence that they all crapped out at one time or it could be a sign of improper maintenance.

Our family has definitely had fun at both place and felt fully germed up after leaving both. Surf's Up has sanitizing gel stations throughout, which was much appreciated.

If we had to choose one we like best, East of Chicago beats out Surf's Up. The downfall? It's not as close to our home as Surf's Up. Though for anyone visiting the Grand Strand, East of Chicago will likely be more convenient for you. I'm certain, though, that I will return to Surf's Up.

The Disney planning continues

I've said it before. I've spent hours and hours and hours and HOURS and HOURS planning our upcoming trip. It's par for the course, though, as this experience is no different than our previous three trips. I'm beginning to wonder if it's an obsession. Is it because I love planning things? Possibly. I'm already Christmas shopping, deciding which cookies to bake and contemplating a Christmas dinner menu. Is it because I want to make sure the trip runs smoothly? Also possible. I been to Disney World once without a plan and that first day was miserable and frustrating to me. We promptly returned to our hotel room with maps, a laptop and a phone to make reservations. What I think is the ultimate reason for my compulsion to hit all quality WDW trip related sites, though, is how happy thinking about this upcoming trip makes me! Today it is 2 months 3 weeks and 6 days until we go. Thank God we have a really busy fall to help time pass in a pleasant way otherwise I'd be going nuts!

I did something funny last week. I found out DisneyWorld.com is looking for their 2009 Moms Panel. They accept up to 20,000 applications and accept 16 parents. Nice odds, huh? Anyway, I couldn't resist applying. Cause, ya know, I have soooo much extra time. But I couldn't resist. I love talking about Disney World! I have to participate in online communities and talk to a select group of friends who fall into the category as to not drive my mother and husband crazy! I feel like there should be some version of AA for Disney World vacation addicts.

The only downfall of getting accepted to be on the Moms Panel is that it will only fuel my desire to go to WDW more. The compensation for this position is a free trip, though I would return home from it on Tuesday and go on my own scheduled trip on Saturday. Don't get me wrong. I'll take it! Though it would rock to spread out my fun a bit. Matters not, though...a 1 in 1250 chance doesn't make me put a lot of hope in being chosen.

The new couches have arrived...

and they're great! The layout is great! The room looks awesome! The kids are already bouncing all over them! And with three minutes of the delivery guys leaving the dog slobbered all over the ottoman. Gotta love the optional fabric protection plan!

Here we go Pirates, here we go! *clap clap*

Holy crap, ECU beat West Virginia! We're ranked for the first time in nine years. And we're not at the bottom of the list either. Check out this AP article.

14th Baby!!!

Why did I not knock on wood?

Our plan, for our December Disney trip, is to take our older daughter out of school for five whole days. On some level this feels very very wrong to me. My parents NEVER let me miss school for vacation. Once during my junior year I was allowed to leave a few hours early, but much discussion was had about it prior to the final decision being made. When talked with my mom about this upcoming trip, she was definitely wary, the say the least, about her granddaughter's truancy.

I talked to many moms about it and everyone assured me I should go for it. I succumbed to the temptation and booked with the caveat that if our kindergartner missed time due to illness, we would choose another time to go.

Today, a mere two weeks into the school year, she has a fever. We'll have to get through the night fever free and walk up perky for her to go to school. I normally have a 24 hour fever-free rule, but we'll see since it appears she just has a cold. *sigh*

Little one's health is, of course, my first concern. But...it's hard to not already be a little disappointed. I'm a bad mom for not surprising my kiddos on our way south rather than building it up from the minute I book it. :-( When will I learn?!?

Ahhh, the magical Disney memories!

As I've mentioned, we love Disney World. The task of planning the trips exhaust me, but they really are great. I honestly feel blessed to live in an area where it's a feasible drive. If I had to fork over an extra $1000 for airfare, we could never go as often. And obviously going often is a priority to us as our 5 1/2 year old daughter will be embarking on her 4th trip in December.

Our last WDW vacation was last September. It was amazing! For those Disney novices, for the past several years, Disney has offered their dining plan for free in the fall. Since we were just dealing with a preschool schedule then, we thought nothing of taking our older daughter out of school to travel. This coming year, with the start of kindergarten, we didn't want to take her out so close to the start of the year, so we've missed out on 1) free food and 2) fall festivities. I just saw this blog documenting the start of the beautiful autumn decorations going up throughout the world. Ahh, the memories! Be sure to click. I've borrowed one of her images, but there are loads of other great ones. She's really captured how Disney has a knack for really knocking a theme out of the park - pun intended.

Friends of our are on their way home from WDW as we speak and I'm jealous. I can't wait another three months to go!! I want to go nooooooooooooooooooooow! :-)

[photo courtesy of http://www.disunplugged.com/]

I just found the most hilarious blog! Cake Wrecks

Several months ago my mom and I took a cake decorating class. I've been a fan of the Food Network Challenge and Ace of Cakes forever, completely amazed b their creations. Our class barely scratched the sugary surface, but it was a jumping off point. Let me be the first to tell you that cake decorating can sometimes be a humbling learning process.

To make myself feel a little human, I'm adding Cake Wrecks to my bloggy favs. I think you, too, will enjoy photos and descriptions of when professional cakes go wrong!

In search of nanny to put up with my child(ishness)...

I'm humored by this article about a mom looking for a nanny. She describes her children as "a pain" and says "I can be a tad difficult to work for. I'm loud, pushy and while I used to think we paid well, I am no longer sure." *insert eye roll here* I think someone has seen too many episodes of the The Real Housewives of New York City and is prepping to apply for a future season.

She goes on to mention how she stacks her dishwasher and challenges her new nanny to keep up with her own passive aggressive tendencies. The lucky children in her care are being forced by their mother to endure it as it's a job requirement.

The woman who has accepted this position committed to one year with the family. It's either an extreme case of idealism or self-loathing. God bless the children and the nanny.

It's fun when adults throw up the white flag of acceptable behavior and ask others to tolerate it. My favorite quote is, "if you suspect all wealthy women are frivolous, we are not for you." LOL By blogging about it, I'm only feeding the huge attention appetite.

Good luck, folks! Tell the countess and Ramona I say hi!

My ballerina and the fight for her darn slippers

I realize I'm being a tad dramatic, but indulge me.

My little girl will be starting dance class for the first time on Monday. She's been talking about taking ballet for months. When we registered her a few weeks ago, she contained her anticipation, I but could see it just below the surface. Her sparkly blue eyes were just beaming with delight. You should have seen them when we tried on tap shoes!

That day we were unable to get ballet slippers because she needed a narrow size and the local dance shop doesn't carry them. That very afternoon, two weeks ago tomorrow, I ordered the correct size online from a company called Dance Distributors another friend had used before. I can't offer them a courtesy link because I'm mad at them today. Anyway, by Thursday of that week I began teasing my daughter with things like "your ballet slippers should be here today or tomorrow!"

More days went by. I looked online. It appeared that the slippers were in stock, but the sweater I also ordered (the wrap sweater I always wanted as a child dancer!) was on back order. The whole thing was being held up because of that sweater. Gee folks, thanks so much for letting me know about the delay. If I had known, this whole thing could have been resolved before it was a problem.

I called immediately and asked if the slippers could be shipped separately. I was told it would be no problem, the gal I was talking too was going to the warehouse to make sure it got sent that day and it would be two-day FedEx home. She tried to charge me an additional $3 in shipping. Ummm, no. Regardless, I should have gotten the order by Wednesday.

This morning, they are STILL NOT HERE! So I called at 9:00 AM and was told they would look for tracking info and get back to me. By 1:00 PM I hadn't heard back, so I called again and got a minor run-around with someone who obviously just answered the phone. She was very nice and understanding, just didn't seem to know how to help me. I continued to wait for a phone call back from the original person. At 5:45 PM I called again and said, nicely, that I really felt like they needed to overnight FedEx me another pair so I could have them tomorrow or Monday. The gal said she would get back to me ASAP. Within an hour we get an email notice that the slippers shipped via FedEx home and would be here TUESDAY. ARRRRRRGH!!!!!

I called again. To be honest, I have no idea how the world of FedExing works. Perhaps they could call them and bump up the shipping time? I don't know. *shrug* Evidently, that's not possible. I will not have the slippers for my sweetie pea's first lesson on Monday. I already called my mother and cried to her.

It's not fair! Let me be the first to say that my daughter can totally be...shall we say, challenging? But with regard to dance class and her shoes, she's been so patient. She's the president of the "never let 'em see your emotions" club - which is odd since her mom and big sister are among the gushiest people alive. I know she's just dying to enjoy these slippers even if she won't let on. And I'm pissed she's had to wait. And I'll be darned if she goes to her first class ever without shoes.

I will now have to go to the dance shop tomorrow to buy her slippers that don't fit properly. They'll be too wide. I will only allow her to use them on the carpet with the small hope the real ones arrive on Monday. I guess I'll hang on to the other slippers for recital, since we'll need a new pair then. In fact, I may put away the wider ones just in case her foot changes shape. *sigh* It's not fair!!! Oh, and just for kicks, the dance shop doesn't do refunds. If I end up returning the slippers, I'll need to exchange them. Perhaps I'll get the wrap sweater I have since cancelled!

The humorous part in all of this is that during my last conversation with one of the gals (who, also was very nice and tried very hard to help) she mentioned wanting to kind of compensate me for this issue. She offered me a coupon towards a future purchase. Ahahahahahahahahaha! I told her I wanted a refund of sorts of this purchase because I had no intention of buying from them again.

I know today's little ballet slipper was intensified because I've had a frustrating day. We were kind of stuck inside by the weather. I had a TON of work to do. My children fought or tried to crack their heads open on coffee tables all day long. I should have closed up the laptop and not even attempted to work. We would have all been better off. They're such great kids and it's not their fault...but man they just about drove me over the edge.

Next week little one starts preschool and I'll get 9 hours of beautiful uninterrupted work time in a library a week. I think my stress level about work is going to plummet as a result of this precious time. All I pray is that the wifi in the library is reliable!

Now I'm off to work...tomorrow I have a fun Lane Bryant store to tell.

[photo courtesy of www.discountdance.com]

Yet another Deceptively Delicious recipe review - Macaroni and Cheese 1!

Try to control your excitement folks! But yes, it's yet another Deceptively Delicious recipe review!!! *and the crowd goes bananas*

Yesterday I tried the Macaroni and Cheese 1 recipe which has cauliflower puree in it. It was easy to prepare and I think it turned out really good! My husband, older daughter and I all enjoyed it. My little one, though...ya know, the one with the very discriminating palate...was not thrilled.

I would definitely say there is a texture difference. I'm, of course, comparing it to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinner, which is completely smooth. This was not. I'm half wondering if my puree wasn't smooth enough. That's something to work on for next time. I also think I'll add about a quarter of a cup of additional cheese.

Unfortunately, I did not low-fat cheese or cream cheese, both of which this recipe calls for. So our result wasn't quite as healthy as it could have been. Next time I try it, I may go with neufchatel cheese as I usually like it more than low-fat version of the original.

Hold onto your hats! Hanna is on her way!

While I'm mildly annoyed that hubby is working tomorrow, school has been canceled. Hanna is supposed to be a category 1 hurricane, which means it has sustained winds of 74 - 95 mph. It shouldn't be terribly spectacular, but still requires bringing in all of our crap from the yard and porch. That's never a fun task.

I'm doubting we'll lose power or even internet, but you never know. Regardless, we're well stocked. Hopefully we won't need any supplies. My bigger concern is Hurricane Ike, who is out in the Atlantic brewing as we speak. He's a Category 4 right now with all the potential in the world to strengthen or weaken. If he slams into our neck of the east coast, we'll be on our way westward. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he's just talking a big game right now and fizzles out before he comes in contact with any land.

I'm off to consult the school calendar to see when tomorrow's day off will be made up. I think there are a few built in, but this is my first rodeo. I have a lot of learning to do.

[photo courtesy of www.weather.com]

Guilty Mom Syndrome

My daughter (almost 4) just told her Bitty Twin that she has to go to work now and the Bitty Twin started to "cry". "I want to spend time with youuuuuuuuuuuu!" she wailed in a voice that sounded just a tad higher pitched tone than her "mother's".

Ironically yesterday we had a conversation about daycare. We were at the vet getting one of our dog's many meds when we heard a child crying for his mommy. It was coming from a daycare center across the street. Daycare is a foreign concept to my kiddos. My older daughter literally went three times as a four month-old and that was it. I do work, however...like 30 hours a week as a writer/researcher/community manager from home. So while I'm physically here, I'm not always mentally engaging with my kids.

I'm cringing as I watch this dramatization of a working mom continue. :-( This one is suddenly feeling pretty darn guilty.

An interesting, but consistent, phenomena

No matter what time in the morning I get up and think I'm going to get something done, one of my children gets up. My older daughter has been struggling to get up at 6:30 for kindergarten. Last night, neither my husband or I slept well. We tossed and turned, inexplicably...and not in a good way. *wink wink nudge nudge* By 5:00 AM he was in the shower. By 5:20 AM I was out of bed also, even though I could have slept for another hour. We were just simply up.

I made a cup of coffee and cut up a pear. I sat down and thought to myself, "I can knock out a little work and watch Project Runway, one of my not-so-guilty pleasures.

Within five minutes of turning on the TV (quietly, I might add) my older daughter comes walking out into the living room. *sigh* This was at about 5:40 AM. Now, at 6:40 AM she's complaining that her belly hurts, she's tired and shouldn't go to school.

*whine whine whine* Unless I leave this house, there is no alone time for mommy.

Petition against "Tropic Thunder" for its hate language

While this news is a bit old, I can't not blog about it.

Two weeks ago a friend of mine emailed me about the newest Ben Stiller movie, Tropic Thunder. I'd give it some linklove, but I'm not terribly pleased about it so I'll refrain. I can't find an accurate count, but the word "retard", as a noun and label, was used so many times throughout the movie that David Tolleson, president of the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), stated, “To say this film is offensive is an understatement. For me, watching this film felt like sitting through an assault.” Other advocates have reported that the film is much worse than even they anticipated from the offensive promotional materials (which have been taken off of the air by DreamWorks).

Check out this letter written to Ben Stiller by Dave Hingsburger. I love you, Dave, for asking Ben to take personal responsibility for his offensiveness. They were his words, spoken by him. They'll generate a profit that fill his pockets.

I guess it's funny, Ben, to make fun of someone who doesn't have the best of abilities to fight back. I guess it's funny to crush someone with words. I guess it's funny to project the acceptability of my first two points to loads of impressionable movie viewers.

Truthfully, I'm bummed. I liked Ben Stiller. The "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers" movies are among my favorites. But I just can't look at him in the same light anymore. If he thinks it's perfectly fine to use the word "retard" with such a casual aire, I dare him to use the word "nigger" to the same extent in his next movie. Up for the challenge of taking on every African American and those against hate language, Ben, et al? I'm thinking not.

For those interested, here is a petition against Dreamworks studios and the actors in the film, Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. I've proudly signed it. Such hate is just unacceptable in today's American society. It's bad enough someone would use language perpetuating it - but to profit from it? Disgusting.

The September 11th program

**This is something I got as an email forward (which I normally detest, by the way) and I couldn't stop myself from posting it here**

The September 11th program

THE PROGRAM:

On Thursday, September 11th, 2008, we hope an American flag will be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States . Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this seventh anniversary of one our country's worst tragedies.

We do this honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds

Action Plan:

So, here's what we need you to do ...

(1) Let others know!

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day. Thank you for your participation.

God Bless You and God Bless America !

My friend and Gustav - an update

I got a call tonight from my friend who was in harm's way of Hurricane Gustav. Instead of evacuating, she hunkered down with her family at her in-laws house. Despite losing power, they are back home tonight and all doing fine. She says they're hot! LOL I'm thanking God that's the only thing bothering them. What a huge relief! I'm still praying for everyone affected by this storm. It was a big guy!

Good grief, how hard can it be???

I'm writing in pure frustration this afternoon. Our living room has had a multiple of furniture configurations and we've been to maaaaany stores in the past two days searching a new set of sofas, love seat/sofa combo or sectional. We've been to a few stores twice. We're exhausted.

I've decided that on one hand there too many options out there. On the other, there are not enough of exactly what we want. The couch I *now* think we're settled one is one that my hubby swore just wouldn't do yesterday. ???? I can't decide if I think I wore him down, he genuinely changed his mind or he's simply delirious.

My house is a mess because I've completely neglected it in lieu of shopping and measuring full-time. Our couch, two chairs, two end tables and a random dining room chair is in the shape of our new set, but looks ridiculous. I'm waiting for a call back from another sales rep regarding the order time. It seriously takes three full months for a couch they make a million of every day to be covered in one of the five fabric choices they offer? I can have the very light beige fabric within a few days. I'm leery of that, though. We have a black dog and kids who are fairly dirty at any given time. It's nice, just too darn light. When she calls back, here's my pitch. "Is there anything you can do to get this sooner than three months? We're deciding between this and another set at another store and it's this wait time that will make our decision for us." That's not entirely true, but it sounds good.

Ay yi yi. I don't know if it's the three day weekend of full-on family time, an excessively messy house, indecision over couches or P/MS, but I'm at the end of my rope. I want to go into a cleaning craze that takes me through bedtime (read that to mean my husband makes dinner, cleans it up, gives the kids a bath and puts them to bed). *deep breaths*

What's my loyalty obligation here?

This afternoon my family embarked on a task I should have tackled on my own - furniture shopping. Let me paint the picture for you.

Our couch and chair were purchased used for $150 in early 2000. At that time, it was at least 5 years old, but in good shape. It is fugly, but was a good deal and we were poor.

Since then it has been peed on, puked on, laid on by a smelly big dog, had Cheetos eaten on it, milk spilled on it...the list goes on. To me, despite being cleaned many times, it feels sticky and smells. I basically want to burn it.

From a previous shopping trip, I had my heart set on a beauty of a sectional at Ethan Allen. It would run about $5000. And while I know that's a bit pricey (a bit? hahaha), I thought hubby was on board. I already threw all other brochures, measurements and cards of sharky furniture sales people since we had reached a decision. As of yesterday I have learned that he was only like 35% on board. He's a good bluffer.

Inspired by all of the "No finance charges until 2013!" commercials, we headed out this afternoon to test out a few additional models.

Despite our pre-entry pep talk, the girls skipped, bounced and ran from couch to couch, narrowing missing expensive lamps and plaster statues of frogs sitting atop ship wheels. They flung themselves over ottomans and laid on sofas with little sandals comfortably perched up on the arm. Threats were issued. Energy levels waned momentarily but eventually perked back up. It was only until we were really done in one store did our sales associate want to sit and chat at a group during which my older daughter almost fell asleep. To me, that's actually a sign of a really good couch!

Anyway...silly us moved on to another store where we were greeted by another vulture...er...sales associate. Funny enough, I really wanted some help. When he asked what we were looking for I said, "a sofa or sectional with a deep seat and high back." He replied, "Oh, okay. Well I don't want to be on top of you, so I'll let you folks walk around on your own." Gee thanks.

Twenty minutes later he found us to hand us a flier with some special deals on it, and was gone in like 15 seconds. That was it.

I ended up calling him later to ask the measurements on a few pieces of furniture and that conversation went something like this.

Him: "Which collection was it?"
Me: "Chamblee"
Him: "Chandler?"
Me: "No sir, Chamblee"
Him: "Can you spell it?
Me: "Sure. C. H. A. M..."
Him: "F?"
Me: "M as in Martha."
Him: "C. H. A. N..."
Me: "No, M as in Martha."

GOOD GRIEF!

This went on for a few more minutes as his first repeat back of the fully spelled word had an R and F in it. WTF?

When he came back to the phone with the measurements, his first question was, "When are you planning to purchase this?" *sigh*

So my question to world out there is what my loyalty obligation is here? To be honest, I think we are going to buy a few of the pieces from this collection. I don't particularly like this guy. I can't imagine dealing with him through a purchase process. I certainly wouldn't want to address any bumps in the road that may come along with ordering and having it delivered. I'm a patient girl, but I really thrive when dealing with competent people. This guy is falling a little short of my mark. Okay, a lot short. But can I be brazen enough to walk into the showroom tomorrow, and yes, he'll be working 9:00 - 9:00, and buy the furniture from another associate? I don't want to wait until a day he's off because their great financing deal ends tomorrow. I'm in a pickle!