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*