Everything costs more these days - even paper towels

While on a mission with the kids to find an umbrella stand on Tornado Wednesday - something that proved to be more difficult than I thought - our adventure took us to BJ's Wholesale Club in the late afternoon.

Amidst all the running around from Target to Walmart to Home Depot and then BJ's I managed to consume 32 oz of Diet Coke easily.

God-willing, we were able to find a nice 50 lb steel umbrella stand at BJ's, roll it up and into a shopping cart, check out without any "extras" in our possession and head straight for the rest room where I corralled the kids in and made a dash to a stall.

Upon exiting with a renewed sense of relief to wash my hands I noticed my daughter was standing with her hands dripping wet from the sink and mumbling, "I don't like those dryers".  The jet engine dryers that blow the skin on your hands in various directions are not her favorite.  I waved my hands under the automatic faucet at the right angle to finally get the thing going when I hear her exclaim, "I did not know they had paper towels here!"  I glanced over at the steel holder on the wall at the precise moment she screeched, "WHOA!  They charge 25c for paper towels here.  Why would they charge 25c? I can't believe anyone would charge for paper towels!! Look Alex, 25c for paper towels."

For what seemed like eternity she "Whoa'd" and "Wow'd" about the 25c paper towel holder so much that my son was now fascinated at the steel contraption hanging on the wall that clearly did not dispense paper towels.

With a quick and feverish motion I waved my hands and shouted "Let's go. We don't want anyone stealing our umbrella stand from our cart out side.  Let's move. Step away from the box. It's not paper towels - carry on."

That last observation should have been kept inside my head because as we were exiting the bathroom the conversation continued with "What do you mean it wasn't paper towels? What was in there? What costs 25c? Tell me. What was in there for 25c?"

"Can I buy you guys an icee while we're here?"

Colored, sugar infused ice will distract them every time.

So, parents - when is the right time to discuss the expandable, tube shaped paper towels on a string with my daughter? I'm frankly not prepared to do go there yet with an 8 year old!!

How do you like them...errr...strawberries?

I failed as a home gardener - mainly because I hate weeding and also I didn't enjoy all the bugs that accompany vegetable plants. Last summer I was amazed by some perennial tomatoes that regrew after a fairly mild winter of '09 (that was kind of cool). However, in the summer of '10 I gave up on beans, lettuce, asparagus and herbs and was happy with the tomatoes and a few strawberries that sprouted up out of a strawberry pot we bought - that was about this size:

After the 6 feet of snow melted in our back yard, I noticed something happening in the "garden"...and I'm not sure what to do about it...

It seems my little strawberry pot spawned some friends and now I have a strawberry garden.  Who says I can't grow my own food????  Anyone need jam?  I suspect that will be my next "do-it-yourself" project. Lord help me.

Healthy fighting habits

After 18 years together my husband and I rarely fight.  We disagree about a lot of things but we don't fight. 

We had enough drama and fighting early on in our relationship to fill us up so since we've been married (11 years in August) we've been pretty cool.  Until the other day. When my hormones and motherly instincts got the best of me and I blew up.  And perhaps some profanities flew out of my mouth.  And I may have slammed a door on my way out of the house.  And I'm sure there was a noise that resembled GRRRRAAAARRRRGGH that came out of my mouth.

But given it was T-Ball night I gathered myself together, came back in the house and pushed on with our night.

And then the questions came out of Abby's mouth at the game:  "Why were you and Daddy fighting? Why were you so mad at him?"

And then it hit me. She's NEVER seen us fight - at least that I can recall. We argue but neither of us has ever left the house to cool off - or shown any real aggression towards each other.  And frankly, I'm realizing that could be a bad thing.

We aren't perfect - to say the least. We don't always get along. We are sometimes warm, sometimes cold towards each other.  But at the end of the day, we lead by example and I wonder what example we've set by not fighting at time or two?  Marriage is work - say "Hell Ya" if you know what I'm talking about.  And while I've raised my voice with the kids on couple several occasions, I rarely do it with my husband.

I'm contemplating if I should start throwing some objects across the kitchen?  Or slam more doors? Perhaps call him Poo-poo face more? And while I make light of it, I do wonder if we sometimes hold back for the sake of our kids and if that is the best choice. What do you think? Ever toss a vase across a room like in the movies?  I think I may go invest in some boxing gloves....you know....for the sake of the kids.

High aspirations

My children only want the best. Kraft mac n' cheese.  Nestle chocolate milk. Third place.

What?

Field Day is Friday for the kid's school, and since Abby snagged a 1st place ribbon in Kindergarten and a 2nd place ribbon in 1st grade she is desperate to win a 3rd place ribbon this year.  You know...to make the set complete.

And, you'll be happy to learn that my son has already decided on his life's occupation. He proudly exclaimed today:


"Mommy. When I get bigger, I'm going to be a guy with gloves and a big trash bag and I'm going to walk around picking up all the trash on the ground."

So while most would think my kids are setting rather low standards, I argue the opposite. I think my daughter has learned that life is not all about winning or coming in first but completing the job...and her brother truly understands the environmental ignorance and its affect on his generation.

Our family would be proud of 3rd place trash collectors....what do your kids aspire to be?  A first place surgeon? They clearly don't get it.

Thou shall not have religion

If you and I sat at a bar 15 years ago and you asked me "So, when you have children do you think you'll raise them Catholic?" I would have laughed so hard the walls would have shook. No CCD for my kids. Religion shmaligion - in fact I believed the Bible was written by a bunch of stoned and drunk men telling stories around the hearth.  That could still be true.

However, if you ask my daughter today why she is excited for tomorrow she will tell you two reasons:

1. It's the Kentucky Derby
2. It's her First Communion day

Our decision to put our children in Catholic school had little to do with being Catholic. But what has emerged out of this situation is a new appreciation for faith, trust, respect, love and a bit of routine. It feels good to learn about tradition and ritual and to see my children glow when they talk about a universal love that is bigger than just the four of us and our extended family.  I'm learning more about faith then I ever imagined - in fact, it's really as if I'm going to Catholic school too and it's fascinating both historically and religiously.

And while I may not be the world's best Catholic, I appreciate and understand their love for their school, teachers and church.  And tomorrow, when my little girl is all dressed in white and smiling proudly with her friends, I'll be confident again we made the right choice. Then we'll be rushing home so she can see the horses race.  She is, after all, just an 8 year old girl with a love of animals.

Just wait, there's more...!

Did you survive spring vacation at your house? Our children had an extra day off...after having 5 days off...which inevitably led to me hiding in my bedroom last night for an hour just to enjoy "me" time after a realllllly busy couple of weeks (literally...hubby entered and proclaimed "There you are!").

But things are back to "normal" today. I'm alone in the house with the dog, cat, two fish and my @ThisIsRobThomas stream on Twitter.  I absolutely love month 10 of unemployment.  Ok, that's not true but I do love my quiet house today.

Naturally this post is about my kids - after all those days together something was bound to come about.  And while I'll spare you the bickering, hitting, kicking, crying and overall nastiness that occurred, I will share this bit of information which you may find helpful:

 

Now if you tilt your head (because when I view this in a Photo Editor it is horizontal but when I upload it to Blogspot it is vertical so just deal with it!) and look at that card you'll notice this is not a love note to Mom for all the wonderful things she did over vacation like take them to see the movie Rio, or into Boston to the Children's Museum where they each go to pick a toy marked up 5000%, or help them with their school projects...this is the 800# for "Grow your own Butterflies".  You'll notice in the upper right the cost is $19.99 and "You18" means you have to be 18 to order (which is why it was left for me).  This week they started to recite "Just wait, there's more..." and "They'll send us 2 for the price of 1". 

On the bright side, he's practicing his numbers, right?  I'm hoping the results will show there is some educational value after spending 75% of our school vacation in front of the tube...because they obviously forgot about the 25% when we got out and had fun!

Bed time stories

My daughter isn't a reader.

It baffles me because I love to immerse myself in a great story.  Although I honestly can't remember the last time I picked up a book, or ibook, for that matter.

In an effort to TRY to get my daughter reading more, we've been doing the "pick a book and we'll read it together at bedtime" thing - which we should be doing anyway but by the time homework is done, teeth are brushed, pajamas are on, goofing off has finished and she's tucked in bed, neither one of us wants to read.

So I asked her to pick a book. She selected Charlotte's Web (the actual book from my childhood that I gave her...how sweet) as her next novel...and then I came home from NYC and found this on the kitchen table from her school library:

I guess Charlotte is taking a back seat to Jesus.

Why are you on those social things again?

Ahhh...the question is always the same: Why are you on Twitter?  And while I did start out on Twitter purely for social pleasure, I've learned a lot about how to use it for social interaction and networking.  Here is how it has helped me lately:

I asked some local businesses to raise their hand on Twitter so we could get to know each other.  I was pleased to get a few responses and one person was Michele from Cookie Central.  She and I made a date on a random Friday afternoon for some cookies and conversation at her home where she bakes and delivers her own gift baskets!  She also bakes with a mission - a true mission to end childhood hunger.  I was inspired - and in awe - of her baking talents and commitment. And we did some networking while we chatted.  Simple and social and thanks to Twitter.

Also this month, I was part of a great event hosted by Interise's StreetWise MBA program in Lowell.  Once a session, they invite "experts" to their speed networking night and I was one of the fortunate attendees.  Every 10 minutes I had a fresh, new face in front of me reciting their elevator pitch and asking me what I do at Carlton PR and Marketing.  This interaction was really just a conversation between two people to learn more about each others businesses.

It was a joy. Mainly because I'm a social person and learning about other people fascinates me. But what I really loved is that these 15 companies are all trying to figure out how to better their business. They aren't looking for VC money, or angel investors. In fact most of them have been in business for years as brick and mortars.  They were just looking for new ideas. New approaches. New ways of looking at their existing business. And someone to listen and offer some simple advice.

For 120 minutes (and a couple of drinks after with them) I realized that the real importance of Social Media is the Social part.  I was able to provide insight to them about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and  Foursquare.   Many had heard of these social tools but knew little about how to apply them to their businesses.

I'm also learning that you are either social, or you aren't.  And if you are not, that's not a big deal - but you should find someone that can help your business be social.  If you'd rather sit in the back office and make sure the bills are paid and the orders are filled, that's fine. But in today's increasingly changing economy, creativity and socializing are quickly becoming the norm.  If you see people sitting in your establishment typing away on their smartphones, you need to be aware they could be typing away about your product or service.  I really enjoyed introducing two Pub owners to their Foursquare Mayor (virtually of course) and showed them the 3 positive tips they had on there as well. 

Being involved with mainly technology companies, and innovation events, I have been taking for granted that the local restaurant, gift shop, insurance agent, home painting company, and printing store may need a little more social education to keep their dreams alive.  Growing locally is increasingly critical these days.  Let the social tools help with the introductions, but then really apply the "social" in "social media" and get out to meet your neighbors!!  I guess that's the reason I'm on those social things....

The flood of '10 - I never shared this story??

OMG! I can't believe I crafted this wonderful, heartwarming post and never shared it?  Wow. Let's go back a few months to when the employment opportunities looks grim...my credit card debt was increasing...and the sound of water dripping still made my eyes twitch!

November 26, 2010:

I thought I wrote a blog post about the great flood of '08 in our basement, but I can't seem to locate it.  Boy, that was a crazy time.  Lots of memories were drenched in basement water from a hole in the foundation that created a mini waterfall.  We have three sections in our basement - two for storage and one is the kid's play room. It was all soaked that year. Ugh.

We learned our lesson after that...we put everything in plastic bins.  We no longer have anything sitting on the ground...we ripped up and redid our entire basement flooring because it is used by the kids every day.

We were NOT going to be victimized again.

That was until Wednesday around 11:30 when my daughter shouted up from the basement "Mom. I have a problem. The carpet is all wet!"

No Mother-bleeping-way!!!  This was not happening again.

Oh yes sister, it was.  Only instead of a running stream down the wall that covers the floor, this time it was a spewing sump pump pipe that had essentially burst so I had a fountain on my hands - like the pretty ones you see lit up in Las Vegas - only it wasn't Vegas, there were no lights and it WAS NOT PRETTY!

I cried. There were Christmas gifts "stored" in the same area as my new fountain.  Christmas gifts that were now soaking, soggy messes of cardboard and plastic.

I called hubby in a panic because, while I pride myself in handing most household emergencies, I had NO IDEA how to get a sump pump to stop pumping into the air.  After praying I didn't die from electric shock, I stood in the ankle deep water, grabbed the plug and gave a pull.  The water from the ground may have stopped spewing, but the water from my tears had not...then it took about an instant to realize it was over.  Nothing I could do but start to mop up. And cry some more.

And then almost instantly I thought of families whose homes have burned down before the holidays, have been evicted and have lost their homes to foreclosure...and while my carpet was soggy and some gifts were now headed in the trash, I still had heat and a roof over my head. 

The moral of the story - don't pile your Christmas gifts anywhere near water pipes. And be thankful for what you DO have, not what you wish you HAD.  We'll be okay.  A little worn out, but just fine.

Does floss get stuck forever?

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGH!

That's the sound I ultimately make 20 minutes after I tell my lovely 8 year old that it's time to floss her teeth and she still won't let me near her mouth.

That girl could talk rubber off a tire - she has every excuse in the WORLD as to why she doesn't (and can't) floss. Lately it's: "It'll get stuck."

But at the end of the day (or night) it's ultimately terror. She is terrified of anyone trying to come towards her mouth. And I've tried to let her to floss herself but her attempts are insufficient - she just bounces the floss on the top of her teeth and exclaims, "I did it." No you didn't sister - I was watching.

She laughed the other day and I caught a glimpse into her mouth and the tarter and plaque we JUST got off her teeth at the dentist in December was back - she just doesn't take good care of her mouth.

So, here's my question to you parents: Will she outgrow this or is it time for some help? I asked her if she'd like to talk to someone about her fear because as I shake my head and think "What more can I do?", I am starting to think there isn't much more I really can do.

Oh, and yes, I still do pin her down to floss. Horrific. Bad parenting. Traumatic. But the only alternative is cavities and the *thought* of her having to deal with that is worth losing the Parent of the Year Award, for sure!!!