I Need Bubbles

This morning, I think I am going to start looking for bubbles.
Not the kind you blow. We have tons of that stuff around.
Not from champagne, or any other drink, either. We don't need that right now.
Certainly not the old chimp from Micheal Jackson days.

No. I want big plastic bubbles. The kind you can put your kids in to keep them away from germs and everything else. I need 4 of them. Two in adult sizes and two in a child size, please.

I'm not really sure what else to do at this point. We wash hands. We carry anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, and use it. I do my best to keep everyone healthy, but apparently it just isn't working.

I know kids are walking, talking germ factories and/or magnets, but this far, this season has been ridiculous. We have had at least 2 bouts of strep throat, some colds, and maybe a little scarlet fever thrown in for good mix. Apparently, whatever comes rolling their way, they catch. This isn't good.

It has been so bad, I am actually considering flu shots for the whole family this year, and we never get flu shots. I actually think they are a little creepy. Vaccines in general creep me out, not because of all the war about whether or not they cause autism and all that, but because the idea of shooting a dead version of the actual virus you are trying to avoid straight into your body just seems really off to me. While I really do get the science behind it, the cave womyn in me says "Virus no good. Me no get." and doesn't want to get near it. Not to mention the fact that I hate needles with a passion.

Actually, hate is the wrong word. I am terrified of the little things. I think it stems from having bad veins. I don't know, but lets just say my mother has never worried about me having any tattoos. Though, I did get some piercings, but that is a whole different story.

Anyway, I'll be looking for those bubbles, and some other way to keep them germ free. In the mean time, if you see a red headed mom at a park with one of those SARS masks on, and a little blond running around with one on too, don't freak out. It's just us, sick and tired of being sick.

Little Things Matter Sometimes

A piece of advice that may save your life, and mouths, some day.

Always check, and double check labels before you use something.

You may think you have the right product. If you didn't read the label though, you never know.

Why, you ask, is this so important.



One of those is chili powder. One of those is cayenne pepper. There is quite a difference between the two.

I only realized that the containers look different after I tasted the chili currently in my crock pot. It is a little spicy. Actually, a lot.

I'm not sure how much The Girls will like tonight's supper. We may be utilizing that buy one get one free kid's meal coupon I have for McDs. I think the grown ups will be able to eat it, though. If there is a bright side, on top of the label checking lesson, I can't breath well right now, and this may well take care of that tonight. Hey, I'll take what ever bright side I can get.

I Think Some People Need to Move Off The Street

Two posts about one subject. Something must have really pissed me off.
Oh, wait, it did.

I just posted about Katy Perry and her wardrobe choice on Sesame Street. This morning, I got to see the video of the producers on CBS Early talking about the whole affair. (Sorry I can't embed it. You just have to click through. Trust me you want to.)

While I was miffed, more because I like the video and some poor choices made it not appropriate, now I am actually pissed.

I can't believe the producer actually had to gall to make some of the statements she did. What I took away from that video was this:

1. The Producers of the show do not see any merit in the notion that Katy Perry's outfit was really inappropriate.

2. They were only reacting to a strong parental disapproval then they pulled it, not because they actually agreed.

3. The producers need to reevaluate what they view as appropriate, because until they can actually see where the fault in something like this lies, it may happen again, and parents will have to continually watch what they are putting out for problems, not because we want to sit down and watch it with our children. This is actually going to cause parents to stop watching it or letting their children do so, the exact opposite of what they were trying to accomplish. If these producers are incapable of seeing this, perhaps they need to be replaced.

4. If their goal was to make more stay at home dads sit down and watch with kids, they surely will have succeeded. Come for the boobies, stay for the skits (thanks SNL for that one). In the mean time, congratulations on pissing the rest of us off.

5. It has to suck to be the person playing Elmo sometimes. I can't imagine always responding like an innocent 3 year old, when you really want to say things like "Elmo nearly got a black eye during that play date, but I want to do it again." Or better yet "Would Mr. Harry please just shut the f**** up and move on?"

In summation, I think the producers need to take a nice long look at what values are appropriate for their show, and hopefully come to some better conclusions so that we can all go back to loving the show and everything it puts out.

We may all go back to regularly scheduled, non Katy Perry boob filled programing now, thankfully.

Cheap Is as Cheap Does

I admit it. I am cheap. I don't know any other way to be. I love a good deal. Sometimes, a great deal is better than chocolate. It may even, on rare occasions, be better than "relations". I'm just saying, I am cheap.

I think I may have done my cheapest thing ever.

The keyboard of our computer is old. I think most people would have replaced it at this point. Not because it doesn't work. Quite the contrary, it works just fine. The problem is, there are no letters. Do you have any idea how confusing that is for a 7 year old? Actually, unless you know your and placement very well, it difficult for anyone.

I know I could go get a new keyboard equivelient to this one for like $10. I am aware.
I just don't see the reason.

I tried to make everyone use it as is for a while, but it became an issue for The Big One, and was starting to hold her back from being a little mroe independant online. Not sure if that is good or bad, but she just couldn't log onto Webkinz by herself. That was a probelm.

So, I solved it.

Yes. I before you ask, I really did do it.

I got a sharpie, and I wrote the letters back on. Problems solved. It may look all jacked up, but she can use it, and thats all that matters.

I would show you a picture, but then I would have to clean it first. A messed up looking keyboard is one thing, but a dirty one is another.

I'll go get a new keyboard eventually. It just isn't high on the list right now.

Put Them Away, Katy. Just Put Them Away.

Katy Perry is embroiled in controversy. This time, it's all about her girls and Elmo.

Katy made a guest appearance on Sesame Street to sing with Elmo. The problem is, that her girls made as much of an appearance as she did. You can check out the video to see for yourself, but even with a still shot, I'm sure you will get the jiggly point.



I like it when stars make appearances on Sesame Street. Some of them are cute. I thought Norah Jones was super cute singing with Elmo. Wyclef Jean and Cookie Monster singing about healthy food was fantastic. The list of great guest appearances goes on and on.

The thing is, no matter how controversial or edgy a star may be, when you go on Sesame Street, you need to play to the appropriate audience.
Colin Farrell appeared with Elmo, and not once did I see him drop a F-bomb, drink something, or have sex with some random woman walking down Sesame Street. He was, though, still a bit scruffy and straight up sexy. So it is very possible for stars, even those with massive reputations, to be great for the show and still be cool. Katy, could have stayed true to her own fashion, and worn a different style outfit as she is known for, as long as she covered up the boobage area.

I don't have any idea how that outfit made it out of her dressing room. I really don't understand how it made it onto a final cut for the show. At some point, someone should have stopped her, and suggested that her boobs were a bit much for running around with Elmo, because they are. Someone should have gently suggested that she change to a "Dress up outfit" a little more appropriate. If nothing else, when she walked on camera, no one should have yelled action until she was totally ready to go. They should have been yelling for wardrobe instead.

Our children are already bombarded with overly sexual images on a daily basis. Sesame Street should be safe from this, and something that parents should be able to feel confident about letting our children watch without worry, especially worry of wardrobe malfunctions.

I am disappointed in the entire production staff of Sesame Street for letting this slip in. I think her performance was great. She had great facial expressions, and I bet she is great with kids. Then again, when you take note of who she is marrying, you would think she would have to be. Had it not been for the outfit, she really would have made it to my top favorite guest star list. Now, it can't even be aired.

So, Katy, please, visit Sesame Street again some time. Do another song. Just, please, wear something that leaves the girls out of the picture So we can focus on how cute you and Elmo are together.

Happy Pregnant People Are From Mars

The other day, I was talking to another mom about how many people we know that have been surrogates. I think being a surrogate is a wonderful, beautiful thing. Women who are willing to put themselves and their bodies through all that for someone else are doing such an incredible thing.

They are also off their freakin' rockers.

They must be.

Ok. That was (mostly) a joke, but I can tell you I won't be one of those glorious pregnant woman sitting on a lily pad somewhere worshiping their own round figure and loving every moment of being with child. No. No thank you. Not even for all the money in the world. Maybe, and I mean only maybe, if it was for my own sister and she needed it desperately, but even that would take some convincing.

I hated being pregnant. Hated it. Each time. It's like having the flu, with all the nausea, aches, and pains, and having your body invaded by an alien, at the same time. For those that have never been pregnant, if you saw Aliens, and how those things burst out of people's stomachs, it really isn't much different.

Being pregnant was actually one of the most horrible things I have gone through. It is painful, and I don't mean the delivery, which certainly is as well, but the pregnancy itself can be excruciating. With one of The Girls, my hips seemed to be spreading to wide, too quickly. So, picking up my legs more than an inch was so painful, it nearly made me cry. I couldn't even get into the bathtub each night without a break down. My back ached constantly. It hurt to stand for too long. It hurt to sit for too long. It just hurt. You get sudden, terrible pains in your va-jay-jay, and that isn't pretty. I haven't even started on the three months of constantly feeling like your going to vomit in the beginning.

No, it isn't fun. It isn't glorious. Not for me, anyway. It just stinks.

I'm not trying to say that I regret being pregnant, or having children. Not in the least. I love The Girls, and I am so thankful for them. That doesn't mean I had to love the process. No. It just means I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, stretch marks, scars, and saggy boobs to prove it, and I don't need to do it again. Actually, I didn't even get a t-shirt, which was the best thing in that list. That, and I don't know what would happen to my boobs if I did it again. I can't imagine how much more damage could be done to them, and I don't want to think about it. That might give even me nightmares of walking around with flap jacks tied to my waist.

So, if you love being pregnant, consider yourself lucky.

I am not that lucky.

And, if you are a mom of a pre-teen or teenager, feel free to let them read this word for word, confirm for them everything I stated, then make it sound even worse with your own experiences. Hey, we moms need to stick together,and keep our own children from going through this for as long as possible.

And The Sign Said "People with children need not come...to school"

Tonight was Back To School Night, aka Open House, at The Big One's school.

We didn't go because at the last minute, we were un invited.

Rude, huh.

I love Back To School night. I love talking to the teacher, checking out the classroom, all of it. I love being a part of her day to day experience, in any way I can. I try to be involved at school as much as I possibly can.

Then, today, I was told I wasn't wanted.

Well, only because I have children. The event was deemed adults only. Unfortunately, I have no one else to care for my children tonight, especially not when they notify you last minute. The first I heard that this was adults only was yesterday, when The Big One came home. She said something about it, but it sounded more like a request, understandable, and believe me, if it were easy and free for me to get a sitter at the drop of a hat, or if MimMim (grandma) lived here, I wouldn't take them anywhere I didn't need to, especially not when I wanted to talk to my child's teacher about that child. Shew. That would be great. Unfortunately, that isn't our reality. Our reality is that we are often a one parent household by way of the U.S. Navy, and definitely don't have the budget for an on call nanny. So, where I go, they go. I guess the school decided that wasn't ok with them.

I have a few issues with all of this. Just a few.

1) We are in a predominantly military area. This means many of the families that attend this school, like us, have no family, and no one to call on in a pinch that would be free. So, we are excluded from all adults only activities.

2) The notice was totally unacceptable. We got a phone call, followed immediately by a email carbon copy of the phone message, only this morning, after school had started. While it may have been difficult, had someone made this very clear the first day of school, which I grant you was just about a week ago, I could have called around to friends and begged for a little help. Someone, with some notice, would have been able to help me, but telling after the school day has started to suddenly change my plans is so unrealistic, I can't believe anyone who has ever been a parent would have done this.

3) The worst part of all it, and there are other arguments that could be made as to why having open house be adults only is wrong, is that we are a Title 1 school. Being a Title 1 school means that you have been recognized as having a large portion of your student population who belong to economically disadvantaged families. The schools are setup with extra funding and specific guidelines to assist these families in breaking down the barriers to those children's success. One of the greatest barriers to a child's success in school is a lack of parental involvement, and Title 1 schools are specifically supposed to combat that. In fact, they are required to have in place a plan on how they intend to improve communication between the school and parents. It would seem to me, that what this school did goes against everything that being a Title 1 school is supposed to be about. They, in fact, put up a specific barrier between the school and parents tonight.

The school could have done something that many other schools do; offer on site child care for those that had to bring their children. However, when I called to inquire as to why I was dis invited today, the front office staff told me that they had no place for childcare. I suppose that very large multipurpose room where were initially supposed to gather, then separate to our individual classes, wouldn't contain all the children that would be left behind? Wait. That doesn't make any sense. So, someone, somewhere, just dropped the ball, and upset parents. At the very least, I am upset.

I know for sure that there are parents who will be bringing children with them. I know there will be rule breakers. I am just not one of those parents. I might have feigned ignorance of this ridiculous demand, especially since it was sent so late I could have actually missed it, but I got called out earlier. My husband, trying to help out, and find out as much as he could, went to the teacher to ask what I should do, as the teacher and I had planned to discuss my assisting him with something right away tonight. The teacher ask that I meet with him tomorrow. So, I just couldn't go against his wishes.

While I am very upset, heartbroken truthfully, I will handle it the any adult will. I will make a huge fuss, stomp my foot a lot, and then be sure things are changed for the better. Hurting my daughter, though, is crossing the line. She was very excited for me to see her classroom, and so on. She said she cleaned her desk really hard today. She was totally heartbroken to see me so upset.

I will talk to the principal, and make sure they try to fix all of this before the next open house, because we just can't have The Big One hurt again, and she shouldn't be by a silly policy like this.