I have to ban myself.

I have to officially ban myself from any political discussions for at least the next 6 days. That number may be extended depending on the results of the election. I just can't take it anymore. Any thing that starts as a discussion, seems to be ending as a "discussion" around me.

I nearly got into it with my daughter's Girl Scout Troupe leader today. That wouldn't be smart. That womyn could whoop my butt in a heart beat.

This election has taken a huge toll on me, and has completely worn the filter that goes from my brain to my mouth out. I called in to order a replacement, but apparently, this has been such a bad election that they are on back order now. I just can't hold back, and I don't want to offend anyone. Well, I do want to offend lots and lots of people. That seems to be the problem.

So, please, I implore you, don't look at me and try to say Obama, McCain, Palin, Biden. Don't even say Ron Paul or rEVOLution. Don't mouth the words. Don't throw some sort of sneaky Obama or McCain gang signs. No Palin ninja arts moves. Nothing. Really.

And if you do make some sort of Obama Hope sign around me, just remember that I warned you, and you deserve what ever you unleash.

School is not Babysitting

School is not the place where you send your child just to get away from them. It isn't a free baby sitting service. After school activities are not more free sitting services.

Do not drop Jr off and then run to your me time. Stay there. Wait at school with them every now and then until the bell rings. You might just learn something.

Take some time. Get involved. Be a part of making your child's educational experience a great one both at home and at school. Care about your child and their future. Care about the future of every child at that school. Be a parent.

I wish more parents would take me up on this.

Thanks to all of those parents that do care and are involved. You should be proud of yourselves.


That is all. You may now go on your way.

The Tragic Tale of a Cupcake

That's right. This is tragic. Anytime a good looking sweet goes to waste, or meets a terrible demise, it must be called a tragedy.

Yesterday, we went to the store, and then stop at a gas station. Next to us an older lady pulls up. She goes to the kiosk to show her id, and then starts pumping gas. While pumping gas, apparently, she looses her glasses. I know this because instead of walking back over to the kiosk, she starts yelling to the attendant so that she, and everyone else near by, can hear that she has lost her glasses, and can check to see if anyone at all sees them. The person she was with found them in the car. So, all was fine.

Until, that is, we all started to leave. She pulled out just before us. As soon as we got behind her, I saw it. A cupcake. Sitting on the roof of her car. Just hanging out. All by it's lonesome. We had to stop at a light and I thought about getting out to let her know there was a cupcake on top of her car, but unfortunately, the light changed too quickly.

I was rather impressed by the cupcake. I held on through the intersection, and even when she pulled on the the on ramp to the freeway. Alas, once she actually started to accelerate, I knew what was going to happen. Sure enough, the sweet delight fell from its perch, and crashed onto the street. It was obliterated. There was cupcake carnage everywhere. We may even have some of its remnants in our tire tread.

Ahh, the poor lady will probably never know what befell her cupcake. Unlike the glasses that she lost immediately upon putting down, there won't be anyone there to find the cupcake for her. I wonder how long she will search for it. Bless her heart.

Let this tale be a warning to you. Don't ever be the cupcake lady. Every time you leave a party, be sure that you have everything you are supposed to, your glasses, cupcakes, children, and what have you all inside the car where they are safe and secure.


The cupcake is on the left side of the Volvo.


I tried to snap a picture of the carnage as well, but couldn't get it fast enough. I'm sure you can picture it, though.

Show some respect!

What do you wear to take your child to school? Clothes right? Real clothes. Not clothes meant to be slept in exclusively, right? Unfortunately, not everyone can honestly agree here.

Wearing pajamas to take your child to school has now become one of my all time pet peeves. If it were once, and you were desperate to get your child to school on time, I might be able to deal. However, when it is an everyday occurrence, one of two things is going on.

1) You have poor time management skills, and are unable to get your self ready to be out the door at an appropriate time.
2)You think your cute wearing your jammies before the world.

Now, If it happens to be one, then you need to work on it. I have. I have always been late to everything, but this is important. So, I plan it out. This isn't to say that we won't ever be late. Quite the contrary. However, with effort, you can be on time. You just have to be willing to make that effort.

If it is two, then we have a problem. It isn't cute. It is disrespectful. You are not at the corner market or even Wal-Mart. This is a school. A place of learning. An institution that is trying to instill in your child all kinds of positive values, including respect, in order for them to grow up to be who we as parents want them to be. The thing is, you can't expect them to learn respect, if you don't show it yourself. Who are you disrespecting? For starters, how about the teachers. To not even be willing to get dressed and put on real clothes before you walk out the door shows that you have no respect for what they do. How about the entire school population? Well, again, children learn by example, and every child there will see disrespect when it is put before them, in one way or another, and take that into their sponge like minds. Finally, and most importantly, how about your own child? you child should take pride in their school work. They should be excited to go, and to come home and tell you all about it. They shouldn't have any parent diminish what they do because the parent can't even be presentable to take them there.

Why do I care? Because I don't want my child to ever think it is ok to disrespect her school in that manner.

So, like I said. Show some respect. Even if you don't have it for yourself, have it for those around you. Tomorrow, get up, put real clothes and shoes on, and then walk your child to school like a normal, respectable person.

If nothing else, at least start sleeping in street clothes so that when you roll out of bed, hit the ground and start walking, we will at least be able to pretend you have some respect going on.

Thanks.

$500 a mile.

That is what the little ambulance ride to the hospital cost us. We just got a bill in the mail from the day my daughter busted her head open. To be specific, the bill is $948.09 and this was for a 2 mile ride. Now, they didn't need anything for my daughter. I had a towel on her head and an ice pack when they got here. So, there weren't any supplies used. Well, the firemen did use a couple of pairs of gloves, but that isn't the ambulance service. With no other supplies or fees, we are talking about a rate of almost $500 a mile! That is insane! I can't believe that is even legal!!

Furthermore, the bill says it is do in full upon receipt. Yeah. That isn't going to happen. It also says that it can try to bill our insurance, but we still have to pay.

I just do not understand this. Why is this $1000 again? Do they use jet fuel in those things??? Is it running on alcohol, and I don't mean pure grain, I mean like Cristal or something?

You think they can put the girl to work to pay this off? She was the one who needed to go, maybe she can wash their dishes until she turns 18 to pay for it.

Seriously. This is nuts. I guess we will be making some phone calls tomorrow to try to figure this out. Great. More dept! Yeah!

Listen to Your Mother

If only my daughter had, today. I tell her over and over again, not to run in the house, but she just doesn't listen.

Lilly was running through the house today, tripped on something and fell, head first, into the edge of a wall. She busted her head open pretty badly. It looked like the corner of a wall was taken right out of her head.

It was really terrifying as a parent, to see something like that happen right in front of you. You expect kids to get hurt, but this so out of the blue, in our own home, a place you feel safe, that it was even more mortifying.

We had to call 911, something I had never worried about before. In fact, when we moved here, we selected Vonnage as our phone company, not even considering that 911 was different, and it does take just a little longer. Something we will always consider from here on out.

The first responders and an ambulance came. We had kept a towel and ice on the wound the entire time. So, it wasn't bleeding profusely anymore by the time they got here. The crazy thing is that I knew the fire fighter who seemed to take the lead! His wife has been in my moms group for a while. I had no idea that he worked right by our house. Made that a little more comforting.

A friend of ours and her son were at the house with us when this all happened. Thankfully, my friend volunteered to stay with Ava while we went to the hospital. They took us to the ER by ambulance. Lilly was pretty cool the during the ride. She was even trying to impress the EMTs by doing math for them on the way. I guess math is impressive to a five year old.

She had to get 6 staples in her head. They couldn't numb her before hand, because she wouldn't' let them. It was pretty horrible, but she was a tough little trooper all in all.

As petty as it may sound, I am really glad they didn't have to shave her head with school starting next week. Bless her little heart.

Now, I keep telling her, this is why you should listen to me when I tell you not to bounce on the couch, run in the house, etc. Let this be a lesson to all kids everywhere. We as parents try to look out for you, not try to keep you from having fun. We don't want things like that to happen to anyone. Read them this post, and show them the picture. Tell them that they should always listen to you. Hopefully she learned a lesson from it all.

Lilly will be fine, and no one will ever see her scar unless she shows them. She will have a gnarly one to show off when she wants, for sure, though.

What are you doing?

This election has seriously had me in turmoil. I don't like any of the candidates. I don't. It seems like they are getting father and farther away from mainstream America and representing the extreme fringe elements on both sides more and more.

How did we let this happen? How has our nation moved so far away from what it really wants?

I don't know. I wish I did. The whole process has had me a bit down in the dumps. I feel like I have somehow been left out of the process before it is even over. I feel ineffective. It seems like all I can do is bitch and moan about how all the candidates suck this time. It has really left me feeling lost.

I don't like the candidate that I know I am going to vote for, but I vehemently oppose the other guy.

So, what's a girl to do? How do you get over feeling lost in this terrible storm of an election cycle?

Well, this girl has decided to take action in the only way she can. I can't in all honesty campaign for my candidate, but I can campaign against the other guy. That's what I am going to do.

I know that sounds crazy, a group that isn't designed to support anyone, but to campaign against someone instead. However, I feel like this is something that is really needed. I finally feel like part of the process again.

What are you doing to feel like part of this process?