Remembering Brad

Today would have been my brother Brad's 35th birthday. I know he is having a better party in heaven than we could ever throw him on this earth, but I still wish he was here. Even though it has been 13 years, you are not forgotten!!

Happy Birthday Geordi

Some of you have asked how it is going with our adopted dog, Geordi. He is doing pretty well. He has not had an accident in the house for about 2 months so we are glad for that especially since it has been so cold. My parents were here this weekend and thought he looked fat so he may have to go on a diet soon. We have learned a lot about dogs in the last 6 months and believe me when I say this, our learning curve was huge!!! Our two most important lessons have been that if we don't want to hear him gnawing on his toenails in the middle of the night we need to regularly have them trimmed and if we don't want him to lick our faces at 4am, to wake us up, so we can let him out, we need to limit his water in the evening. Other than that he has adjusted quite well since the Myatt's entrusted him to us. Today is his birthday. He is six years old (which I guess means 42). Happy Birthday Geordi!!

ODE TO SPOON

Something sad happened in my kitchen recently. No it is nothing earth-shattering except to me. Maybe some of you can relate.......Do you have a kitchen tool that you find invaluable? I had a favorite mixing spoon. It was nothing special, just a hard plastic, white spoon. But, I loved it. It didn't have any give in it so it was perfect for mixing up cookies, cream puff dessert, or even frosting by hand. I probably got it about 10 years ago and ever since I have looked for another one but have never seen anything like it. I thought it was very sturdy but after we made popcorn balls the other night it got dropped on the floor and it broke in two. No, I won't lose any sleep over it, but yesterday I was mixing up some cookies and I have to say some of my joy was gone since my reliable friend was no longer there to assist. So, goodbye spoon. You served me well and even had the battle scars to prove it.

CHANGES

Today we had a big change in our household. Claremarie got her new glasses. She had not done very well on her school eye exam and they recommended taking her in to get her eyes checked. We found out that her vision was pretty compromised and so we are hoping that these glasses do the trick. She picked out the purple frames.

I think they make her look too grown-up but I'm sure that will be happening a lot in the next few years. As we were driving home, after picking up the glasses she said, "Wow, I've been missing a lot."

A Cause to Fight For

So many of you, my blogger friends, have wonderful causes that you draw attention to. Oftentimes I have felt somewhat ashamed that I am not working for anything but now I too have a cause, a purpose, a calling!!! What you may ask? Drum roll please....It is to rid the world of all race car/truck/novelty shopping carts!!! Not a cause as worthy as some, but a cause nonetheless.

Some of you probably don't even know what I am talking about. You are the ones whose kids are too old to use these monstrosities. You are at a point in life that allows you to let your children roam freely through all kinds of retail centers unafraid of the havoc they may wreak on unsuspecting jars of mayonnaise and innocent loaves of bread. These carts are usually designed as race cars or some other form of transportation. I'm quite positive some MAN thought he was being so helpful when he designed them. I can hear him thinking, "What a great idea for a mom who is shopping with her kids. This will be something to entertain them." Yeah, right.

Here is what I don't like about these "modern conveniences."

1. They are huge and cumbersome.
2. They don't hold as many groceries as regular carts do.
3. They are hard to steer because they are longer, wider, and (see number one) huge and cumbersome.
4. When I am using them I always have at least one accident with items on a shelf or another shopper.
5. They are always covered in some kind of unidentifiable sticky, slimy mess.
6. Due to number 5, it takes me 10 minutes longer to get my shopping trip started because I have to wipe down every inch of the cart.
7. Each store (even Menard's has sold me out) only has two to three of these objects which leads to tears and whining if one is not available to use.
8. If I say "not today" to using these objects then I also will most likely have to put up with tears and whining from my children and skunk-eyes from all the other childless shoppers who can't understand why I don't want to use one of those "cute, little, race car carts."
9. If the cart is designed so that the kids sit in the front towards the ground, then they can take things off the shelf while you are shopping and be eating them without your knowledge. (Yes, that really did happen!!)
10. If my child is steering one way with his steering wheel and I go another way he yells, "We are not going that way!! You are not going the right way!!" which inevitably leads to more tears and whining and probably a trip to the bathroom for some kind of discipline.
11. When you get to the checkout lane you have to switch all of your groceries over to a plain cart because, out of the corner of your eye, you catch another mom's frazzled face as she listens to her kids cry, "I want a race car cart." and out of pity you give her yours!!

I don't want to start 2008 off on a complaining note, however I do think this is a cause worth fighting for. Moms against the race car carts unite!! Who's with me???

A Great 2008!

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