Oink Oink!

I came down with some sort of flu on Tuesday. By Tuesday night, I was cocooned in blankets praying for death. Shivered and sweated all night - you know, the typical flu, right? My hipbones and the other 206 bones were aching so bad, I wanted them removed STAT.

I'm recovering now and indeed I think I might live, though I still have a sore throat and incredible exhaustion. But the fever is gone and with it, that nasty shivering weakness that accompanies it.

According to the wisdom of the internet, the "regular flu" is possible in the summer months, but not altogether probable, leaving me with the following options: a) Not the flu at all and b) H1N1, better known to most of us as the "swine" flu.

As it turns out, it doesn't really matter - the cure for most people is the same as any other flu - stay home, drink fluids, and rest up. Easier said than done with 3 kids, but they've been helping out as best they can (they are all recovering from a nasty virus themselves).

Which, of course, takes me back to a previous post.

So I've been quiet here for a few days...I'm hoping to make some banana bread with those sad bananas that have lingered in the kitchen for a week while we have all been sick. If it turns out well, I'll post the recipe. In the meantime, I'm wishing everyone a healthy week and weekend.

Pee-Power!

No, really. According to this article, "Urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices could be available in six months with new technology developed by scientists from Ohio University."

How cool and yet totally disgusting is that? But definitely cool. I love green innovations, though I suppose this one is more of a yellowish-green.

Go, Ohio University!

16 and Pregnant

First off, I'm pro-choice. Am I pro-abortion? No - that's ridiculous - no one wants to encourage abortions. But I'm pro-abortion rights. The right to choose should be available for those who are not ready or willing to give birth as well as those who, for medical reasons, deem it in their best interest. I'm not hear to debate that, however - just giving my view.

I also dislike anything that glorifies teen pregnancy or in any way makes it seem like a desirable choice. The Jamie Lynn Spears scenario comes to mind. Of course, your average teen has neither the resources nor the support to accommodate a pregnancy during her late childhood, but you seldom see that side of it in the media, with young celebrities pictured with their babies held up like trendy accessories.

So I was reading the channel channel last week - you know the guide channel? - and I saw the show "16 and Pregnant" playing on MTV. I admit I haven't watched MTV in some time, because I'm a stodgy old fuddyduddy now, but from what I recall, the quality and shall we say...moral content?...of the shows were somewhat lacking. There's a time and a place for morally dubious programming, don't get me wrong, but a show about teen pregnancy, obviously aimed at teens, probably isn't it.

Of course I was curious enough to flip over to MTV to see whether it was some crude glorification of teen pregnancy, like profiling underaged starlets' impending motherhood.

I have to say, I was not only surprised by what I found, but I was delighted.

Teens are difficult creatures - they don't want to be told what to do and they assume they know everything. Oh, and they are immortal, of course. Can't forget that. But showing them the ups and downs of teen pregnancy, which is what this program does, might actually have an effect.

And anything that has an actual effect to help reduce the number of teen pregnancies is something we need to study further. Preaching abstinence only at them, clearly doesn't work at all. I wish it did, but it simply doesn't. Perhaps showing them what actually happens to a pregnant girl might?

Each episode profiles a pregnant teenager for about six months and shows the changes the girl goes through, both physically and emotionally, but also in regard to their social life, education, family, and finances through the end of the pregnancy and for the first few months of being a new mom. And those changes are dramatic - friends are put aside for staying at home with baby, college plans are postponed, relationships are changed and in some cases destroyed.

While it also shows an optimistic view overall, the program does not spare the hardships that come in the form of swollen ankles, unattended proms, social snubbing, and staying up all night every night with a fussy newborn when her friends are out painting the town red, dating, and graduating high school. And in many cases, it shows the once-loving boyfriend continuing to enjoy his teenage years as if nothing had happened, leaving all or most of the responsibility to the mother of his child.

In short, the series is about childhoods abruptly left behind for much more difficult responsibilities. Responsibilities that can't be ignored, no matter how badly you want to go out or take a nap.

The show does not have a narrator other than the teen herself and the adults in the program are supporting characters only. The shows are in no way preachy or overbearing, but rather compelling and honest. Compelling enough for this mom of three to DRV the rest of the series - I've watched 5 so far, each profiling a girl from a different background.

If kids will listen to anything, I suspect it will be something like this, especially coming from MTV - a station most teens watch at least occasionally and which is viewed as way cooler than one's own parents.

And this is something that both those who are strongly in favor of pro-abortion rights and those who are against of abortion rights should be able to support. Reducing the need for abortions to begin with.

The show also has its own website that has links to information about how to avoid pregnancy and facts about sex and contraception as well as updates on the profiled teens and various extras, like footage that didn't make the show. You can also view full episodes. All in all, a good resource for girls who are at risk for pregnancy as well as for boys.

Thanks, MTV for such a timely and much-needed series.

Beggars

I saw some today. I was driving down a main street to take the baby to the pediatrician and I saw a whole team of them. A "team?" you ask? Yes, a baseball team.

Little league, to be precise, according to their signs. The coaches and parents had their children out begging for money on a very busy road - running up and down the median and around traffic to collect spare change.

I have a problem with that. Well, two.

First, it's not safe. It is three lanes up and three lanes down plus turn lanes with a narrow median. On Saturdays the traffic backs up and can be rather unpleasant. This intersection isn't safe for adults to be running around on, let alone children. Particularly a very large group of children. But this scenario is not uncommon - I see it all the time, especially in this area, but that doesn't mean it's safe. I certainly wouldn't want my eight or ten year old out there and I most definitely wouldn't want the liability of having other people's kids with me!

Second, it's a terrible lesson to teach kids. You want a load of money for some project you have planned (to travel to a big game, in this case)? Then you need to put some effort into earning it. What happened to earning the cash - or at least a good chunk of it? There's already such a culture of entitlement - among both big and little people and this only feeds into that further. What happened to bake sales, car washes, or even selling a product like candy bars or popcorn?

When I was 15 I wanted to go on a trip to Spain with the school Spanish Club. I think the basic cost was $1500 and then incidentals on top of that. My parents told me that if I earned $1000 they would chip in the rest. And I did - by babysitting kids at $2.50-$3.00/hour every day after school. I didn't even question it, but was instead incredibly grateful that they offered to chip in at all.

I'm not only not inclined to give to a little beggar child, but I would be horrified if my child was asked to participate in such an activity and would absolutely refuse such a request.

It's one thing to hold a carwash and accept a $20 instead of the $5 charged - that's a donation, unsolicited at that. When the Girl Scouts sell cookies outside my local Kroger, I usually ask what their favorite flavors are and then buy a couple boxes FOR the kids selling - they get the money and the cookies. The look on their faces is priceless.

Or even to ask a company for a special favor, like a donation of a product that it makes. In fact I recall my own mother going around on behalf of our Scout Troop to McDonalds asking for pickle buckets for camp to store out food in (raccoon-proof).

But outright begging on the street? Oh, no - not my child.

However, this is far from the first time I've seen children out at this intersection. Sometimes they are groups that claim to be church youth groups or other small groups which would be hard to verify, but they are often well-recognized groups like this. Is this acceptable now? Do most people see this as a legitimate fundraising source? Mr. Lawyer, when polled, was as deadset against it as I, but I'd be interested to know how other people view this form of fundraising.

Molars: The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Teeth

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Houston Children's Museum

We spent the morning at the Children's Museum of Houston today. We actually have an annual pass - the one that gets 6 people in, so I went with a friend who had a five year old and a baby and it covered them too. Phew, am I tired!

Here's a cool interactive map for prospective visitors.

If you haven't been lately they have completely renovated and grown in size - the expansion that was opened in mid-March doubled the size of the museum to 900,000 square feet, which was much needed. There are seven new exhibits which range from the baby-friendly Tot Spot to the all-new outdoor water feature, FlowWorks, and the energy burning Power Play which features a 3-story climbing PowerTower.

My kids, at 5.5 and just-turned 4 adore the FlowWorks (that sounds like something to do with toilets to me, but I digress...) water feature and next to that, the native red-eared sliders (turtles) outside, which are part of the ecology exhibit. The ecology area is actually very easy to miss on your way to flashier destinations, but it has a lovely butterfly garden, turtle pond, and a nice quiet air conditioned lodge with information about our Texan-grown wildlife.

The Beastlings also enjoyed the Kidtropolis area, though they find the concept of ATM cards which are used throughout, a little confusing still. I think that area is probably better for age six and up to reap the full benefit of the concepts.

Another hit was the How People Make Things exhibit, which shows how toys and other items are made - it includes a robot that assembles a toy - the kids could barely tear themselves away from watching it!

Misses include The Matter Factory which would be better for older (say 6-10) kids but is also positioned in an awkward area with people traipsing through constantly to get to somewhere else which detracts from the purpose. We also didn't bother with Invention Convention, though it looks fantastic for the older set - I'm sure ages 8-12 would have a great time in it.

Unfortunately, we decided to go on a day that apparently every single stay at home mom, vacation Bible school, daycare, preschool, and day camp decided to attend. For the first time ever that I have seen, there was a line out the door to the sidewalk ten minutes past opening, which did not bode well. And as feared, it was very crowded, really to the point of unpleasantness in many areas. I have no doubt that we would have enjoyed it much more on a less crowded day, though I have yet to figure out what day that might be. We might try going on a Sunday when daycares and preschools and such are closed and many families are at their place of worship - certainly it can't be more crowded than today.

They recently changed the rules to charge for any baby over 12 months. My 13 month old was in her sling or stroller 99% of the time - she wasn't feeling well due to molars and with the crowd, I couldn't let her out anyway. As a result, I would have been unhappy had I actually had to pay for her to come in. The old rule was that under-24 months were eligible for free admission and older toddlers do enjoy it. I think 18 months would have been a fairer cut-off point, personally.

Another new rule is that no outside food is allowed. Previously outside food was welcomed, but now they would prefer you purchase their overpriced, but not otherwise terrible Kid Cafe offerings. There are signs on all the tables reminding you that outside food is not permitted, however many families obviously did bring their own lunches and no one seemed to be enforcing the rule, which is good, because honestly, enforcing the rule would take the museum out of many families' reach financially. As we all know, little kids cannot wait to eat (trust me, I've tried and it's not pretty), so waiting until you leave just isn't practical. With our allergies I prefer to bring our own food and until I get booted out of the building, will continue to do so.

Positives are that the staff is fantastic and always willing to help out. There is always someone at each exhibit to help if you have any questions about how it works or something more basic, like where is the nearest changing table. I give the staff high marks for being so personable when they are dealing with such a constant crowd and probably a few brats (adult AND child) as well.

I also love that the exhibits in the main (old) building rotate regularly, so there is always something new to see there. We'll probably go back in a month - our pass expires in August, so I need to feel like I've gotten my money's worth out of it, which is ridiculous, but hey, whatever.

If you go, look us up - we'll meet you there.

I'm Surprised This Hasn't Happened to Us

Police are 'it,' assist in Pa. hide-and-seek game

GREENVILLE, Pa. – A Pennsylvania toddler did such a remarkable job of hiding during a game of hide-and-seek that the family had to call police and firefighters to help find her.

Two-year-old Natalie Jasmer was playing the game with her siblings Tuesday in their Pymatuning Township home. When the family couldn't find her, parents Dennis and Michelle Jasmer called authorities.

Emergency crews and friends frantically searched the neighborhood about 70 miles northwest of Pittsburgh for about an hour.

The family's dog, Copper, finally sniffed her out. She had fallen asleep in a drawer underneath the family's washing machine.

The little girl told her family she was sorry. Hide-and-seek is now banned in the Jasmer household.

_________________________________________

I keep the doors deadbolted when we are home, otherwise I have no doubt that the above scenario would have already happened.

Well, actually, there was this one time in college that I went missing and people started to worry, but they eventually found me passed out in a pile of laundry in the back of the closet. But I digress....

Other than the terrible feelings of panic the family must have felt before she was located, it's a pretty amusing story. I'm sure the little girl will be hearing about it throughout her childhood and beyond.

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OK - I just saw this and had to add it. Click the title for the rest of the article:

Turtles crawl on runway, delay flights at JFK

NEW YORK – A runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport was shut down briefly Wednesday morning after at least 78 turtles emerged from a nearby bay and crawled onto the tarmac......

"Apparently, this is something the tower has experienced before," said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters. "I guess it's the season for spawning."

...The FAA halted flights for about 12 minutes shortly before 9 a.m. while some of the turtles were cleared away, then quit using the runway entirely after getting new reports of "massive numbers" of turtles on the tarmac....

_________________________________________

So that's awesome and I had to post it...I keep replaying an image of a herd of turtles crossing a runway (hertle?) en masse. Even better, no turtles were apparently harmed during the mini-migration.

Happy Belated Birthday, America!

At the last minute, we decided to go out of town to Brenham, home of Blue Bell Ice Cream, arguably the best ice cream in the state, maybe the universe. And by last minute, I mean about noon on the 4th of July.

The plan was to go to the Washington on the Brazos state park:

This picturesque park is located on the Brazos River, Washington was the site of the 1836 General Convention which would decide the fate of Texas. Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site is revered as the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. Washington remained a town of some prominence in early Texas until the eve of the Civil War. The park encompasses the site of the historic town (1836).

The park hosts an annual day-long celebration culminating in fireworks in the evening. It features free soda and ice cream, free activities such as climbing walls and bouncy castles for the kids, typical and not so typical foods for purchase, pretty scenery, and generally a good time for people with kids or without.

Oh, and about a thousand degree heat.

Still, given our drought conditions, the mosquitoes were minimal, which was fabulous and there was a slight breeze which helped us deal with the heat. We had quite a (hot and somewhat miserable) hike once we parked, to where the fireworks would be shown. We asked around and were told where to look for fireworks and we planned our base camp accordingly - it was very exciting to get a good spot and we were told to expect the area to fill up considerably once nightfall was upon us.

The boys had fun; Mr Lawyer took them around the park and they did all sorts of fun things. I stayed at our spot with Babybeast who had a fantastic time prancing about in the grass after a soccer ball. She didn't even try to eat the grass even once.

Once it got dark, we sat and waited for the fireworks.

And then we waited some more.

I brought out a couple sets of those glow necklaces that you crack and shake - they went over really well with all three kids.

Finally, well after 10:00, the fireworks began. We (along with several hundred people behind us) quickly realized with horror that we could not and would not be able from our vantage point to see any of them! There was a huge cluster of trees in the way and while not tall, the fireworks were particularly low - and in a completely different direction than we had been advised to expect.

I quickly told Mr. lawyer to hustle the boys over to the parking lot to try to catch what he could, but because we had "stuff" with us that couldn't be left unattended, Babybeast and I remained behind and missed 100% of the show. It was very disappointing since I had the camera ready to try to capture the fireworks and was excited about the potential images, but the boys were able to catch the bulk of the show.

So, the kids had fun - and that's what is really important of course. I am still upset that no one from the park bothered to tell us that we wouldn't be able to see (to the contrary, actually), but what are you going to do?

I'll try to load up some photos tomorrow...stay tuned.

On Palin

I try not to get too political here, but since the actual media can't seem to shut up about her, I guess I'll chime in too.

I just read this article from CNN.com about Sarah Palin's resignation. You're going to have to read it now if the rest of this is to make any sense at all. The quotes below, unless otherwise linked, are from this article.

Go ahead, read it. I'll wait.....

There are so many problems with this situation that it frustrates me to no end, so I'll just list them out here in no particular order.

She resigned because of the tremendous pressure, time and financial burden of a litany of ethics complaints in the past several months, she said.

If one quits a task before finishing it, by definition, one is a quitter. So she probably needs to stop complaining that she's not a quitter when she just quit her job. Sorry if you don't like the word, but according to, well, the English Language, one who quits is a quitter. I don't necessarily hold quitting against the quitter, though - it's often for the best for all parties.

Sometimes there is honor in not completing something if you are not being as effective as you wanted to or are unable to put the time and effort into it that you intended and by quitting, the job will be better performed by someone else. For whatever reason. And on the face of it, legal troubles, overwhelming pressure from the political realm and media, and family responsibility are perfectly legitimate reasons. Sometimes you need to take time to pull back and regroup personally and professionally and there's nothing wrong with that if you come out of it a better person.

Sometimes it is also better to "quit" than to force significant hardship on innocent bystanders, like one's minor children, if quitting would benefit them by allowing you to be a better parent in general. Some family situations and some children require more of a time investment than others by virtue of their individual needs. It's not so much quitting as admitting that your other "job" is actually more important. Maybe that's not the issue here, but it would be a perfectly legitimate reason, even so.

But why? And why now? Do we care? Is it really any of our business? Maybe not. Maybe.

Speculation has run rampant that Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, will seek the presidency in 2012. When pressed about her future, Palin would say only that she would work in public service. She did not rule out a run for the White House or any other political office.

The thought of Palin as president of this country horrifies and dumbfounds me. Luckily, I'm not alone and not just among liberals. Most conservatives I know (in general, smart, young-ish professionals and parents) are similarly frightened by the idea and would prefer someone with not just more experience (as of this month she's unemployed, technically), but more knowledge, more composure, more intelligence, more common sense, more reliability, more diplomacy, more....just more.

I can name so many other intelligent Republicans that would fit the bill better. Even if I don't agree with their political platforms, I can respect their intellect and decision making process. Much of Palin's "campaigning" seems to revolve around divisiveness, distrust, and negativity, to put it lightly, and I have a hard time respecting someone who won't even try to pull the country together for the greater good and attack issues that face us ALL. A good politician can do that no matter his or her political platform.

While my political views fall to the left on most issues, I have faith that the thinking conservatives will feel similarly and choose a candidate based on more than polarizing rhetoric; one who truly understands the issues we are facing rather than one who seems to understand very little of the complexity of problems we are facing, but appeals greatly to the far right, the oft-referred to "Base." That is to say, one who can make rational decisions, is clear headed, and can identify and verbalize the precise reasoning that led them to the choices they made.

The feedback I have heard from my (many - this is Texas, after all) conservative friends, most of whom would tell you outright that Palin does not represent them or their ideals, reinforces this. I have heard the word, "moron" bandied about more than once by my Republican friends. I don't think she is a moron, but I think she would serve this nation as a whole very poorly. And after her recent resignation, I also think the office of President would serve her very poorly.

The days since her resignation had been exhilarating and she loved being in Dillingham, a town of only a few thousand people and no cell phone service, Palin said.

From Wikipedia (and the U.S. Census):

Downtown Juneau is nestled at the base of Mount Juneau.... As of the 2000 Census, the City and Borough had a population of 30,711. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 population estimate for the City and Borough was 30,690.

We all need an occasional break from the digital age, but even urban Alaska is a far cry from the lights, noise, and sheer number of people in Washington D.C. To put it another way, Juneau is to Dillingham as Washington is to Juneau. To be fair, Wasilla, Palin's home base is actually quite close to Anchorage, a city with, as of the 2000 census, 260,283 people residing in the municipality. Large, but hardly overwhelming when compared to D.C. with over 5.3 million people in the greater metro area. Can she adapt? Probably. I guess. Fish out of water? Maybe.

....off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down, Thomas Van Flein said....The governor needed a break after being "on duty now for two and a half years solid," he said.

A presidential term lasts 4 years (plus the year or more of full-on campaigning beforehand). It's no 4 year pleasure cruise, even during the boom times. A common estimate is that a President ages two years for every year in office. You can see for yourself here. My point is this - it's not an easy task for anyone who takes it on. And that's without the constant media critique and ribbing one will encounter. It's part of the job and part of our culture to analyze and to demand more and frankly, to poke fun where there is fun to be poked. Being president can't be easy, even if you do a stupendous job of it all and I'd venture to suggest that it's vastly more difficult than being the Governor of the the least densely populated state in the union.

I'm not saying one cannot be President as a mother with children, don't get me wrong. Not at all. I want to put that out there right now. Will it take significant time away from your children? Will aspects of it be trying? Sure, but like any mother who works full time, there are huge benefits to be had and those benefits may be more right for your family than staying at home or even working a "normal" job in cases such as this. After all, Barrack Obama has children - perhaps not the same as having an infant, but still, they are young and impressionable girls. And given the right caregiver, children will thrive - I would presume that a First Dude's efforts combined with a loving nanny (Presidential spouses have significant duties as well) could, if done right, certainly make up for the very significant time away a mommy POTUS would entail.

Friday was "deliberately chosen" for the announcement because of its proximity to the July Fourth holiday, Van Flein said: "She declared her independence from politics as usual."

That's an interesting way of putting it. Maybe she wants to get away from all of it for a while. And honestly, if that's the best thing for her family and her children, then good for her for putting her foot down.

Does it please me to think of her permanently out of national politics? Of course it does.

On the other hand, I think Palin's run in 2012 would all but guarantee Obama a second term and as things stand right now, that would be perfectly OK too.

Added Some Links

I just added a few over there to the right to spice up the place. See over there, to the right and then down. No...further, yeah, there. Check them out while your kids are working on the printables I posted below.

I literally just snorted my drink while catching up on my photo bomb posts. Fantastic site.

Feel free to suggest more.

Summer Survival: Activities for the Wee Beasts

Summer heat got you housebound and crabby? Try these:

Make your own sidewalk chalk. We'll have to try that - we go through the stuff like water.

National Geographic-sponsored Geography site for kids: My Wonderful World.

Make your own Word Search. I made one with all the kids' names and pets names and such - you could make one with all of your child's interests or local place names, too.

Simple Recipes for Kids including special diets (gluten free, vegetarian, etc.)

DLTK's Chore Chart Generator. Ok, this one is fun for moms, maybe not so much for kids. I told the Beastlings that I would give them a penny per check mark at the end of the week and that was enough to motivate them...for at least the first week. That site has a ton of other activities as well - definitely worth checking out.

Summer activities from Activity Village.

Mazes from All Kids Network.

First School: Preschool activities and crafts. A wealth of ideas for the parent and homeschooler.

Kids-R-Crafty: This site offers activity sheets, coloring pages, dot-to-dots, mazes, vocabulary and worksheets in both English and French.

Making Learning Fun: Preschool and early childhood activities and printables to make learning enjoyable for parents and child.

The Crafty Crow, for you advanced as well as beginner crafters.

Enchanted Learning for complete early learning curriculum - absolutely brilliant and HUGE site - if you have small children, you must check it out.


That's my offering for the day - hope it helps. I know with the incredible heat and drought conditions we are currently experiencing, outside play just isn't an option for most of the day and it makes me rather testy and the kids antsy. If only we could install a giant........

WHOA!

THIS is exactly what I need! Who knew someone else had thought of it first?

Garbage Service

I'm pretty big into recycling - it's important to me and it should be important to all of us since we all get to share this big blue and green ball we live on. I take it pretty seriously. I rinse and sort everything that can possibly be recycled and then either put it out for pick up (which we pay for) or find someone to take it by driving it to a recycling facility.

Our neighborhood pick-up takes plastic, non-cardboard paper, and aluminum. So I sort, rinse, and put it out in due course. It does take more effort than simply tossing it, but no big deal - it's all worth it. Hazardous waste, glass, batteries, weird types of plastic, cardboard - all that goes to other facilities.

We had missed the last two weekly pick-ups, so we were really backed up this morning. We have two blue bins, plus we have three extra blue "garbage" bins that we use for recycling that the recycle guys never fail to pick up with the recycling. We also fill up paper grocery bags with our newspaper and other paper, so that is sorted and put neatly behind the official recycling bins. All in all, you'd have to be a moron to think our recycling pile was intended to be garbage. And today, Mr. Lawyer spent a good long time getting it all put out on time before he left for work. I was excited to get it all out at once because it was starting to encroach on the rest of the garage.

Except the recycling guys didn't take it. The regular garbage truck did. And not only that, but they picked up everyone else's recycling (Yes, I followed them down the street, shocked and horrified, barefoot, and carrying a half-naked child) and chucked it in with the garbage. And that was that....into the landfill it went.

I tried to call the customer service number, but they weren't open, it being July 3. Strangely, this has happened a few times before, usually on a holiday. It didn't dawn on me, but my buddy Bill pointed out today that no doubt they had to pay the workers time and a half holiday pay today. And they just didn't want to bother. So they were screwing the customer who pays for this service, screwing the workers out of their holiday pay, and worst of all, screwing the environment. Nice.

I've called to complain before. Previously, the woman who I spoke with told me that they sort out the garbage and pull the recycling when they are done with the route. Apparently I sound like I was born yesterday, because obviously that was a blatant falsehood. They also told me that they would "let the route supervisors know." It's my opinion that if a truck isn't running its route on any given day, it's because the supervisors told them not to. Again - just a hunch here.

I'll call on Monday and report back with whatever response they have to offer. I'll be interested to see what they have to say. In the interim, I will remain incredibly pissed off.

UPDATE: I called today (Monday July 7) about 10:00a.m. The customer care woman told me that they did not pick up recycling on Friday since it was prior to a holiday. I told her yes, they did and they threw it out(!!!). She wasn't sure what to say and offered to have a supervisor call me back. I have not gotten a call yet.

ETA - Hey, I already used that graphic. Oops!

What a difference a year makes.

Here's Babybeast a year ago in her July 4th outfit at about 1.5 months old:

And here she was earlier today, July 3:

Up and At 'Em

You guys may have noticed that The Blog was down for the count over the last month. Well, so was I - taking some time to be not on the computer and getting some stuff (The Decrapping Project is well underway) taken care of. We're back.

I reorganized a lot of my photos that were hosted on Photobucket and haven't fixed them all, so if you notice any aren't showing up, that's why - I haven't finished fixing that mess. My PB account had eleventy billion images in it in no particular order, and it had to be done - hopefully it won't need to be revamped for a while.

Welcome back - please drop me a note if you like. I hope to do a little redecorating shortly - change it up a bit.

Oh, and I just submitted a fond family memory to Awkwardfamilyphotos.com, which is a fantastic site if you haven't already checked it out. I'll let you know if it shows up. It's a good one.