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