I have a few friends who are either currently pregnant or a currently trying to get pregnant so I want to put together a post just for them. It seems as soon as you announce that you are pregnant or start showing (whichever comes first) people will come out of the woodwork to give you advice. Being pregnant is like winning the lottery, people just magically appear to shower you with the dos and don'ts (as they see it) of pregnancy, parenting and just about anything other topic under the sun that because they have raised children in the past, or have grandkids now or possibly just knows someone who used to babysit for a kid once they feel they have a leg up on you and your situation. Most of these people are completely well meaning people who occasionally have helpful advice to impart. Occasionally you will encounter someone who seems to want to tell you the one and only way to do something like the perfect stroller to buy who doesn't really have your or your child's well being at heart and only want to boss you around, as it were, but in my experience these incidence are few and far between.
Now that I am a Mom I can tell you that the urge to share the little bit of "wisdom" that I have picked up while parenting over the last two years is strong. I will see a Mom-to-be in the Mall and I will want to walk over to her and give her a tip about something that worked for me. Being a Mom is so hard I want to give my fellow Moms all the help I can, I don't know a lot but I do know that Diaper Genies and Baby Bathtubs aren't worth the money and I want to tell her that before she puts either of those items on her baby registry. I am proud to say however that I have never done this, I only give advice when asked, I have been successful in restraining myself from unsolicited advice. Until now...
Most of my friends actually had children before I did so I was the one asking them for advice but now two of my friends are coming into the Mommy ranks and I have a couple things I am just bursting to tell them. Luckily, I have this blog where I can share my advice for them to read or pass over without having me talking their heads off, backing them into a corner while they gracefully look for an exit line.
After thinking long and hard about it I have two pieces of advice, they are extremely simple but require practice, patience and presence of mind. Almost like two meditations.
1. Just Sit Down
There is one thing that children want from you and that is You. Sure they want milk and clean diapers and rest and stimulation but those things alone are no good, they want them from You. When their child cries most Mothers do not hear "Milk,Diaper, Sleep, Toy" they hear "Mommy I want some milk,Mommy I need my diaper changed, Mommy I'm tired, Mommy I want to play," they hear those things because that is what their little one is saying. In the beginning they can do nothing on their own and as they get older you are one of the most important people in the world to them, they seek your attention and approval. In my experience, when things get crazy if I stop and listen my little guy is asking me for something, sometimes its just attention and other times it is something more tangible like juice or a banana. When he was just a baby he would cry and I would pace from room-to-room trying to figure out what was wrong while worrying if the neighbors could hear his cries, so in my frustration one day I just sat down in the middle of the floor and hugged him. He immediately stopped crying, I talked to him and laughed with him all the while cuddling him and giving him little kissies. He calmed right down and so did I, after a few minutes I got up and we continued our day as normal. He needs a clear signal that I am paying attention to him and am not blowing him off and I need a break, it's a win/win. As a toddler sometimes I will be walking around the house trying to work on chores as I check my email all the while thinking about needing to get to the bank before nap time the more hectic things get the more the little guy feels it he starts whining and following me from room-to-room trying to show me his car or get me to let him watch tv. Sometimes it escalates until I think I will lose my mind and then I remind myself to sit down, right then and there I sit down in the floor. The little guy runs over to me and jumps in my lap he drives his car on my arm and babbles away. I calm down and so does he, he will get another car and we will both play for a few minutes then we get up and go on about our day. So, when things seem over whelming and the little one is giving you Hell, just sit down. This has worked for me in parks and crowded malls too, find a bench and sit down you both might just need a little break from all the chaos for a minute.
2. Begin as you plan to go
I read a wonderful book called Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
Extra Quickie: Hand Sanitizer for the changing table. You won't have time to wash your hands and you just touched poop.
When push comes to shove those are my sage words of advice. Please feel free to take them or leave then whichever works for you and I am sorry if anything sounds preachy I just needed to get it out there, I couldn't help myself. I won't force any other ideas or tips on you but if you have a question please ask. Its not that I don't want to talk more about the little one it's just that I don't want to push any more unsolicited advice, but if tips/tricks and pointers are what you are looking for then by all means solicit. You know where to find me.
My baby advice
What's on my nightstand this month
Books I finished this month:
- Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want
by Obert Skye. I feel like I have been reading htis book forever. It was ok and every time I started reading it I would really get into the story again but it was so long that I had to put it down and when I did it was easy not to pick it up again. I really Loved the first book in this series so I will keep getting them until they are over, according to the back of this book there is another one coming out and according the Amazon it already came out last September (where have I been? oh yeah buried in the Eyes of the Want) So, I guess that one goes on my reading list now.
- Fool: A Novel by Christopher Moore I love Christopher Moore. I have loved every single one of his books that I have read. I haven't read them all yet but I am working on it, this is his newest novel and it is one of his best. It is loosely based on King Lear but from the eyes of the Fool but even then quite a bit of it has nothing to do with Shakespeare at all but is just it's own thing and what a wonderful thing it is. I laughed out loud quite a few times causing my son to look at me funny and wonder if he should laugh or if I was just crazy. If enjoy reading fiction/Shakespeare/humor you will like this book and if you don't you should head straight to the Doctor and have your humors sorted out.
Books I am currently reading
- Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words
I am STILL in the middle of this one, it has been on my bookshelf for a few years now. I picked it up to try to jump start my writing but it is now buried under a Parents, Good Housekeeping and Playboy on the back of the toilet so we will see about this one. I feel bad about this one being on my currently reading list for two months now. I might finish it this month, we will see.
- Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover (Kinky Friedman Novels)
by Kinky Friedman. This one landed on my nightstand after Leven Thumps. I have had this book for a long time too. I am not loving it but it is an easy read so hopefully I will finish it soon and have more books on my finished list next month. It seems like a simple straight forward mystery except for the fact that it is fiction and the main character's name is Kinky Friedman just like the author maybe there will be a twist that will surprise me.
- The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Truth be told I have only listened to two seconds of this audio book but I am really looking forward to the rest of it, I have wanted to read one of the Dalai Lama's books for a long time and finally I am.
Up Next: books I will be reading soon.
- Dirty Little Angels
by Chris Tusa. This one is I have in ebook format that I am greatly looking forward to as well. I am not sure what to expect from it storywise but just from what I have heard it will be a great read. I'll keep you all posted on this one, maybe I will have my Iphone soon so I can take it with me to read instead of having to have my laptop.
- My Story: A Photographic Essay on Life with Multiple Sclerosis
by Amelia Davis. This is an interesting one for me, I won this book in a giveaway. I don't know anyone who has MS, that I know of. but that is the thing there are people all over all around us living with diseases that we know nothing about, too often we don't learn about ailments until they strike us or someone very close to us no wonder people discriminate how can you not when you are ill informed? If an effort to be more open and knowledgeable I am looking forward to experiencing this book.
Now I have to ask...what are you reading? If you keep your own blog then I invite you to visit the 5minutesforbooks blog by clicking on the picture at the top of this post then write a post of your own if you don't have your own blog then please leave me a comment telling me what you are reading now.
Wonderful Daughters of Eve Giveaway
If I could get through life without purchasing anything from a factory I would. Handmade items have so much more value, just the idea that a person spent time to make it makes it “worth” more. I met Courtney from Daughters Of Eve on Twitter a few weeks ago when you see the items in her shop you will know exactly what I mean. Just looking at the pictures of the baby blankets in her shop put a smile on my face and warm my heart and now one of you lucky readers won’t have to just look at pictures any longer.
Courtney has generously agreed to give one winner any item in her shop up to $15.00 plus free shipping and 25% off one more item just in case you can’t decide on just one item. Which I must say could be hard, she has so many cute things in her shop like this I Love Mommy and Daddy Blanket.
This blanket is fleece and measures approximately 38 inches by 49 inches. Making it plenty big for a baby, a toddler, or a good lap blanket, even my little guy who is really tall can be completely covered by this blanket, I love that.
Another favorite blanket in the Daughters Of Eve shop is the Space Man Blanket. Every little astronaut needs a snugly soft space man blanket and what little boy doesn’t want to be an astronaut? Or little girl for that matter? The hem is double stitched and the mitered corners are also reinforced to ensure that this blanket is as durable and everlasting as your little space man's energy level.
Courtney makes more than just blankets, her shop includes wonderful bead jewelry (my favorite are the lavender and blue double drop earrings) and some ingenious little kitty toys.
These kitty toys are re-purposed baby socks. They are so adorable I don’t know what to do with myself. These little socks have been filled with catnip and a jingle bell to entice the furry ones in your house. It would be simply impossible for any cat not to love these toys.
“I want to win my choice of any item in the Daughters of Eve shop (up to $15)” you say “I want free shipping and 25% off any other one item of my choice” you say “how do I win this wonderful prize?” you say, well here is what you do:
1. Visit the Daughters of Eve site then come back here and post a comment telling me what your favorite item is, maybe even the one you would pick if you are the winner. You must do this one first all other entries are void without this one!
2. Twitter about this giveaway, then leave another comment here telling me you did so and where I can find the tweet ie. a url or your twitter id so I can find you. This will get you one more entry.
3. Follow our blogs. Become a follower of this blog, then comment letting me know and you get an entry. Become a follower of the Daughters of Eve blog COME BACK HERE TO COMMENT letting me know you are now following her for another entry. If you already follow either of us leave a comment letting me know and that is worth an entry too. This step is worth two entries one for following the Moms Not All blog and one for following the Daughters of Eve blog. Remember to leave two separate comments.
4. Follow us on twitter. This one is worth two entries too follow @momsnotall for one entry and @daughtersofeve for anther entry. Leave two separate comments one for each follow, include your twitter id in your comment so we can verify.
All-in-all you can rack up 6 entries for this giveaway.
What are the Rules to this Giveaway?
1. An email address is required so leave it with your comment or make sure it is easy to find on your blog or profile page (how else will you know you won)
2. A winner will be chosen using random.org
3. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to reply before a new winner is chosen.
4. Open to US address'
5. Ends on Sunday 3/29/09 @ 9PM CST. Good Luck!!!
This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Kendra!!
Burning B-B-Q Sauce
Yesterday my son and I went through the drive thru at Wendy's, we both got an order of chicken nuggets. I used a packet of B-B-Q sauce, he takes his plain. After I finished I threw the half used container of sauce into the paper back and left it in my car overnight. This morning when we were driving to the park I noticed what looked like holes that had been burnt in to the paper bag. I smelled the air but it didn't smell like smoke and there were no other signs of a small fire what ever could have caused that I do not know but I looked for signs anyway. Then I picked up the bag and realized that the B-B-Q Sauce had burnt holes through the bag.
We have all heard about Cola having the ability to eat through a bite size chunk of meat in a night but has anyone every heard of this? Whatever is in the B-B-Q sauce that they sell at Wendy's is pretty potent stuff because it really did eat three holes in the paper drive-thru bag.
Things like this make you wonder if it can do this to a paper bag what is it doing to your stomach? No wonder people get Ulcers.
I'm sorry this is so crazy it deserves two pictures.
mmm...tasty.
We bought this at the local Asian food store a while ago, actually it was so long ago that we did not even remember we had it. We just found it the other day in the cabinet. What it is? You ask. Squid Jerky. Sounds good right? Well, let me tell you it tastes a lot better than it smells. The smell of squid jerky can only be likened to a wharf. Not one of those touristy wharfs that are all cleaned up with just the faintest whiffs of sea but a real one. A wharf where the fishing ships go out in the early hours of the morning and pull back in laden with fishiness in the evening. Upon returning the fishermen remove their loads and fillet them right there on the docks. That is the wharf I am talking about, if you have never been to a working wharf and you feel as though your life is missing something look up your local Asian food store and pickup a package of squid jerky.
On the back of the package it says:
"Enjoy Wel-Pac Prepared Squid at anytime and any place. Just open the bag and serve at parties. Make sure you have enough! It's also a convenient snack to take on picnics."
Although for a seafood lover they are not all that bad I can not envision the party at which I would serve Squid Jerky. On top of that serving such a thing would be like serving onions and garlic at a dinner party. A big No, No. Remember the wharf I described above? That is what your breath smells like after having downed a few pieces. Same goes for picnics. Not recommended for gatherings of people in any way unless of course you have started a Squid Jerky Lovers Meetup Group in that case these are the snacks for you.
On a high note they are low in calories, 0 grams of fat and high in protein. the only down side on the nutrition facts is the high sodium count but that comes with jerky doesn't it?
going over the list
On Monday I posted a list of things I need to get done. I was wondering how many things I actually got done so far, and keep in mind it has been two days and not just one. So, then I thought why not share it with you here.
1. scrub kitchen floor
2. vacuum inside hall closet.
3. take little guy to the park (hope it doesn't rain)
4. find an atm that lets you take out $10 at a time
5. take $10 out of the bank
6. drop off books and video at the library (try not to worry about how much we have racked up in overdue fees since I can't pay them til Friday)
7. write more blog entries... this one is still in development so it gets green.
8. clean bedroom
9. clean LG's room
10. repot plant
11. finish laundry...laundry is washed an dried and now in a pile on the bed so again Green
12. put futon mattress back on futon frame
13. Come up with crap to do with LG so he doesn't watch TV all day
14. bring in garbage cans
15. take shower
16. give LG a bath
17. make more coffee
17.5 try not to worry about using all the LG's milk for my coffee
18. make lunch
19. make dinner
20. try not to worry about Super Hubby flying today
21. try not to worry about being alone for a week and a half
22. get a babysitter for Saturday night
23. try not to worry about not being able to find a babysitter for Saturday night
24. try not to worry about not having any money until Friday
25. make time for myself
26. make time for something calming and relaxing.
Everything in Red still needs to be done, Blue is finished and Green is half way done. Just for the record I did make lunch and dinner for the last two days but since we are back around to another day they are back on the list again. There is a blog that is nothing but one Mom's to do list. I need to find that blog and compare my lists to hers. Maybe I will feel better...of course I could feel worse, it's a toss up.
Cool new Beta
I also post over on metroblogging. If you don't know what it is you should totally check it out. It is a great resource if you are moving to a new city or will be visiting somewhere and want to get a feel for the local scene. Anyway they have a cool new feature that is in really early beta but I am going to try it out here and see what it looks like.
Just another...
As if the list of things couldn't get longer. That is exactly how I feel totally overwhelmed and helpless all at the same time. What is the deal with that. When did I start loosing control of my life? Ok forget that when did I actually lose control? I feel like I have a million things on my plate and none of them amount to anything. Like 1. scrub kitchen floor and 2. vacuum inside hall closet. I am not kidding that is actually something I need to do, The LG opened up the closet last night and pulled out a board game which he is way too young to play when I realised there are dust bunnies in their the size of real little bunny rabbits. I start thinking of all the things I need to do, then I start feeling sorry for myself and just complaining about things like "it's cold in here." I don't get up to do anything about it I just sit here being cold. I have goose bumps on my arms right now as i type this but I'm not getting up.
I think this is depression maybe, ok maybe it isn't I can't tell. Is that a sign of depression? Being totally unable to make a decision? Alright, let's move on...
3. take little guy to the park (hope it doesn't rain)
4. find an atm that lets you take out $10 at a time
5. take $10 out of the bank
6. drop off books and video at the library (try not to worry about how much we have racked up in overdue fees since I can't pay them til Friday)
7. write more blog entries
8. clean bedroom
9. clean LG's room
10. repot plant
11. finish laundry
12. put futon mattress back on futon frame
13. Come up with crap to do with LG so he doesn't watch TV all day
14. bring in garbage cans
15. take shower
16. give LG a bath
17. make more coffee
17.5 try not to worry about using all the LG's milk for my coffee
18. make lunch
19. make dinner
20. try not to worry about Super Hubby flying today
21. try not to worry about being alone for a week and a half
22. get a babysitter for Saturday night
23. try not to worry about not being able to find a babysitter for Saturday night
24. try not to worry about not having any money until Friday
ok now I am too overwhelmed to go on. I really need to work on my self management. I need more calming, relaxing things in my life. Things that help me focus on the important things in life.
25. make time for myself
26. make time for something calming and relaxing.
oh great now I have more things to do.
Something "borrowed"
This is a list of things I have been "borrowing" from the hotel this week.
1.Milk
The LG needs a cup of milk at night and one in the morning and there is no refrigerator in our room. What to do? Well, they have free breakfast every morning including those little 8 oz individual cartons of milk. His morning cup of milk comes fresh from the breakfast line and another unopened carton goes back up to the room with me. Then the little guy and I take a fun trip to the ice machine and I "hide" the unopened carton of milk in the ice bucket during the day to serve as his cup of milk at night.
2. Peanut Butter
This is another treat snatched from the breakfast bar. Near the bagels and toast there are baskets for different condiments such as jelly, butter, cream cheese and peanut butter. Each in little individual containers usually just enough to spread on one slice of bread. Well, since the LG loves peanut butter and could care less whether it is spread of a slice of bread or not, I grab a few of these individual containers each morning along with a spoon to serve as little snacks throughout the day. He likes that he has his own little thing of peanut butter that he can carry around with him. Obviously eating the same snack every day doesn't promote variety but most toddlers don't care and when you are not at home but trying to live cheap this is one corner I am willing to cut for the week.
3. Coffee
You know those coffee packets that come with all hotels rooms? The ones they replace everyday like the shampoo and conditioner? Ok if you use those, great but if you don't, take them home. I take mine home, open them up and bump them into my coffee canister at home. If you are a coffee nut who has to drink such-n-such brand or you will die then this will not work for you because what you end up with is a jumble of different kinds of coffee for a while after you return from a vacation but if you collect two - four packets per day for the length of the vacation and every packet will make 2 - 4 cups of coffee then you are saving a weeks worth of coffee money. I usually only drink coffee in the morning so I put the coffee packet from my room in my bag (letting the maid replace the ones in my room) and grab a cup downstairs in the lobby with my free breakfast. Plus, if you really want to save money and don't mind the some decaf jumbled in with your regular at home then grab those packets too and save more.
4. Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion and Mouthwash
This is the no brainer one, everyone does it and if they don't do it they think about it and if they didn't think about it, they probably just forgot. Take it home and dump it into your big bottles or if you hit the gym then these little hotel bottles are perfect to throw into your gym bag for after workout showers. Also, they are great for camping, hiking or boating adventures or even foreign travel to areas where you aren't sure these types of things will be provided. Another great thing about the lotion and mouth wash is they are usually under 3oz which means they are the perfect size to throw in your clear plastic bag and take on the plane with anytime you fly.
Photo Album Giveaway
I am doing this giveaway in conjunction with the Secret is in the Sauce Spring Fling I have had lots of wonderful feedback from the Sitsgirls and want to help spread the love as well as giveaway this great photo album. This album is brand new, it was given to me at a jewelry store with a purchase I made but I am more of a scrapbook kinda gal rather than photo album so I want to give it to one lucky winner. It is brown leather about 20 pages long with places for 2 photos per page and a space to write down your memories next to each photo. Also you can add your own cover photo to personalize the album even more.
How do I enter? Good question. There are 4 ways to enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post, yep that's it just tell me what you think about this post/giveaway and you will get one entry.
2. Twitter about this giveaway, then leave another comment here telling me you did so and where I can find the tweet ie. a url or your twitter id so I can find you. This will get you one more entry.
3. Follow Me and you will get one more entry just leave another comment to let me know they you are a new follower and if you already follow me leave a comment telling me you already do.
4. If you have a blog of your own, spread the word about this giveaway on your blog then leave one more comment here telling me about it and giving me a link to your blog. This one is worth 2 entries.
All in all you can have up to 5 entries into this giveaway bringing you that much closer to your owning this wonderful photo album.
What are the Rules to this Giveaway?
1. An email address is required so leave it with your comment (or else how will you know you won)
2. A winner will be chosen using random.org
3. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to reply before a new winner is chosen.
4. Open to US address'
5. Ends on Monday 3/16/09 @ 10PM CST. Good Luck!!!
Pink and Purple
Today we went to a birthday party for a little girl in our playgroup. She is turning 2 years old. It was actually a lot of fun. I never thought I would say that about a child's birthday party but they are old enough to do a lot of playing on their own so I could have some adult conversation. I met some new people, ate s
ome cake and potato salad and a triangle of roast beef sandwich, was that too much? Oh yeah and I had a drink. When I was there it didn't seem like I ate a lot but now that I am writing it down it seems like I may have overindulged, Oh well.
This was the first time I had ever been in a house that belonged to a girl toddler.
Ok that is not entirely true remember the people I mentioned before who are really 
giving they have two girls but I have never seen their toys all over the house. They mostly stay in their bedroom. The toys not the little girls.
The house had an air of pink and purple. It just happens naturally I guess. I have never looked around my house in that way but even though we don't conscientiously purchase things "for boys" there is no denying that a little boy lives here when you look around at the toys we have sitting around. The differences between boys and girls are natural we have never forced one thing or another on our son but still he loves cars and trains and the color green. The parents of the little girl whose birthday it was today are the exact opposite of girly but their daughter loves dresses and barbie dolls and everything pink.
Why?
Why is it that companies jerk their employees around with stupid crap all the time? Anybody?
How about this one? Why is it that US Airways can't keep a plane on schedule to save their lives? How about to save their company? No answer for that one either?
My SH (That's Super Hubby) was supposed to fly into the local airport at 9:15pm and although it would be keeping the LG (that's Little Guy) up a little past his bedtime we were going to go pick him up because we haven't seen each other all week. Now however his plane doesn't even leave Charlotte until 10pm which means he won't be home until way past when we would be able to go get him.
Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame. This makes me so angry but I am trying not to say anything stupid. I really want to say lots and lots of stupid things to and about the airline and maybe even a bit about why if you were looking at all the flights on the Orbitz screen would you pick a flight with a layover in Charlotte when going from ATL to New Orleans. I'm just saying.
Piddha
Yeah that is LG (Little Guy) speak for Pizza. All day long yesterday he was chanting over and over Piddka, Piddha, Piddha. I would ask "would you like some pizza?" of course he would say "Yetha" (LG for yes) just like he knew exactly what both he and I were talking about. So we made a trip to the grocery store after his nap to pick up a Digorno (not delivery). When he saw the box he nearly jumped out of the cart with joy repeating to anyone who was within three aisles of us "Piddha, Piddha." I made sure not to offer him anything to eat on the way home or while the Pizza was in the oven. I didn't refill his juice/water so that he would be good and hungry when the pizza came out of the oven was cut into bite sized pieces and placed onto his plate.
I sat down next to him with my slice of pizza. He looked at me then started to get down form his chair and run around.
I said "don't you want any pizza?"
Again he just looked at me
I said "look there is pizza on your plate."
The look
I said "you don't want any pizza?"
The look punctuated by him running around and around the table.
He never came back for pizza
Childrens book review
I love to read so when I learned it was good to read to little ones all the time I was very happy for the opportunity to get even more titles under my belt. I started reading to my son even before he was born, then when he was so little that it didn't matter what i read I would sit in the rocking chair nursing him and reading out loud from whatever book I was in the middle of at the time. A little Life with Jeeves (A Jeeves and Bertie Compendium)
All that reading paid off because now I have a 2 year old who loves to read. We read a book before nap and a few books before bed and then throughout the day he will randomly bring books out of his room and ask you to read them. If you ever visit our house be prepared to read a few books to the little one, just letting you know.
In the spirit of all those children's books that we read every day I thought I would do a little review here to maybe help out any of those parents or grandparents or friends who are looking for a book to read or gift to the little ones in their lives.
My Car by Byron Barton. I want to say this book is simple and when I first picked it off the shelf at the library I thought there was no way I would enjoy this book but because my son LOVES cars I would take one for the team so to speak and check it out. Each page is illuminated with bright high contrast colors which put a smile on my face each time I opened the book. Only a few words expand the story on each page making it perfect for the youngest readers. Sam (the main and dare I say only character) takes you through the workings of his car and a day in his driving life. There is even a little twist at the end which as a parent I could see coming form a mile away but my little guy found very amusing once he 'got it' which was about the third time around. All-in-all we hated to give this one back to the library and if my guy was a little bit younger I would probably purchase it for his collection but at his age I don't think it would hold his literary interest for much longer. If you are looking for a book for the very youngest ones I would say newborn to 3 years old would really enjoy this book.
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. I am putting this one on here for two reasons. 1. It was Dr. Suess' birthday earlier this week and 2. people seem to wonder what the right age is for Dr. Suess. Dr. Suess is like Reese's peanut butter cups, "There's no wrong age to read Suess." It is bright, it is cute, it is smart, it is funny, it rhymes, it teaches a lesson, the list could virtually go on for ever (especially since this is a virtual platform but who cares about semantics). We all want our children to be bright, smart, cute, full of lessons and speaking in rhyme which would be funny and there in proves my point. Read Dr. Suess to your children from the youngest age for all of those reasons and one more oft overlooked but truthfully very important reason, you will like it too!
This next one I haven't read yet but it is much anticipated
Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman. I have a weird relationship with Neil Gaiman mostly because we have never met written each other or spoken to each other but over looking all of those things I don't like his books. At least I can't seem to get through a single one of his books for adults, his children's fare however are real page turners for me, go figure. Anyway this is his newest tale for tots, it comes out very soon and I am very interested in picking up a copy to share with the little guy. Here is a cool website where you can here Neil read the book.
Cool Find
Anyway these Acrylic paints are 2 for $1.00 at Micheal's crafts. They might not be great for super professional stuff but for fun painting or everyday crafting they are great. I just wanted to pass this along.
Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World
I love camping. We used to go all the time when I was little and I just loved it. hubby? Not so much and although he is a good sport about it we haven't gone very much together. Actually I think we went once not counting the days we hiked the Appalachian Trail in 11 years. Anyway, I want to take the little one because he loves the outdoors and I think (hope) will like camping too. So, we (I) have decided that this spring we are going to go camping. It will be awesome! With that in mind we have to buy a tent. The tents we would have bought in the past are not going to work this time around
given that we will need space for the little guy but he is not old enough for his own tent so we are looking for something much larger than we would have ever gotten before. This is leading us on a search for the best type or price tent we can get. I had heard of Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World stores actually there is on in Florida I had passed by a couple times but had never been inside. I look them up online and the closest one to us was Baton Rouge and since we are always looking for day trip places to go it was perfect.
The best way I can think of to describe this place is Disney World for the Outdoor Man and by outdoor I don't mean "I like to go to the park," I mean "I like to hunt/fish, Sportsman's Paradise." It was amazing and disturbing all at the same time. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face no matter what was putting it there. the little one really liked it though. There were clothes and boats and grilling gear. They have an indoor pond with real fish and ducks and a raccoon living in a shack on an island in the pond. The elevator is glass and lowers into a fish tank so when you get on you are in the tank with the fish (
hope that makes sense). All of the columns are decorated to be trees with stuffed birds on the branches and bears and deer and all kinds of other animals all over the place. They also have guns and bows and rows and rows of fishing gear. I was surprised and a bit disappointed by the small amount of camping gear they had but the experience was worth it anyway. I was making fun of myself because with all the hunting gear around I was telling the little one to pet the (stuffed) ducks when we would pass them in the cart, which I don't think is what that place is all about. All-in
-all if you need sportsman outdoor things then this is the place for you, if you are looking for more "environmentally friendly" ways of visiting the outdoors maybe not but it was a fun day trip. Pictures 1 & 2 are us on our way to Baton Rouge, Picture 3 the little guy pointing up at picture 4 and you can see in pictures 4 and 5 what I like and then what I don't like about this place.
Giving (Up)
So the theme for NaBloPoMo if you chose to write on it (which I definitely won't all month) is Giving (Up). I like how they opened it up with the (up) part because it is unfortunate but true that very few people could honestly write about the things they "give" every day for a whole month. I want to say that I could but I know that after a few days I would just be nitpicking about things like doing the dishes "giving my family clean dishes" and feeding the dog "giving the dog dinner" and really these are giving but somehow it doesn't feel like what someone means when they ask you "what do you give?"
I have some friends that really do give, maybe even enough to write for a whole month about it, which of course they would not do because they are not those kinds of people. They are the people that just do it and do not talk about it. All together though they give blood, and donate time to the local sherrif's office, they help find missing children and donate gift boxes full of presents every year for Christmas, they give to needy people at their church and have even been surrogates for another couple who couldn't have children. These are only the things I know they have done, I am sure there is more.
I am not that selfless. I would like to be (maybe) but I am not and that is the way it is, at least for now. I think I am an average amount of selfish though I don't think someone would describe me as selfish but I could definitely do better. So this month I am not going to write on this topic every day but I plan to keep a look out for the things I do or can give (up) for the good of myself, my family, my community and the world.
NaBloPoMo
That stands for National Blog Posting Month. It is a off-shoot of the National Novel Writing Month which I took part in (and won) in 2007. No you can't read my novel. I did make it to 50,000 words but after I went back and read it the whole thing was complete crap. Ok not complete crap, the original idea for the story was ok and then it turned into something completely different, there was a murder mystery sort of ascpet but I never said who did it at all or even talked much about police looking for the main characters or anything. Anyway the bottom line is that the whole thing wasn't very thought out and if I ever do it again and to anyone that has ever thought about doing it, have an outline. If I had an outline the whole thing would have gone a lot smoother and probably would have been at the least readable when November 30th rolled around alas I did not have someone (like you have now) giving you such a valuable pointer such as HAVE AN OUTLINE!!
I digress. What this post is all about is announcing to one and all that I will be participating in National Blog Posting Month for March 2009. If you would like more information just click on the badge at the right...down a little bit...a little more...there.
