I'm back!

Okay, I never really went anywhere, but finding time for a blog has proven difficult, to say the very least. Three kids, a job and moving . . . yes, we are in the process of moving, too. Crazy.

So I have noticed something recently. We, as a society, have an interest in steps. Not stair step, checklist step. Step-by-step steps. Goals achieved by breaking then up. Self Magazine has even added a section based on this idea. Improve your beauty routine In 30 Days . . . become an environmentalist is 30 days . . . you get the idea. There is the 100 Push-Up Challenge. The 90 Day Challenge. Does anyone try these? I like the idea, but I don't have time for even "step-by-step", it seems. Isn't that sad? I may try a few, but I am not hopeful that I have the motivation to stick with it for long. We shall see.

Anyway, Happy Election Day! Go vote!

My Girls Enjoying Archaeology Day at the local Half-Price Books :)

Yet Another Poem That I Love . . .

INVITATION

If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,
For we have some flax golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein

Whoa - Has it REALLY Been THAT Long?

I guess I'm not surprised that I haven't posted since May. June was pretty hectic, especially since that is when I returned to work. Oh - and I've never been that good at keeping up with a blog anyway. So here I am back (again) and trying to think about a good topic to write about. *Ponder* Hmmm . . . maybe I'll sleep on it.

I Heart The Asian Market . . .

. . . I really do! There are so many great food finds for so much cheaper than regular grocers. For example, my daughters absolutely LOVE the small packs of preserved bean curd crackers (yes, I said PRESERVED BEAN CURD) that my parent's neighbor (for blogging purposes, we'll call her "K") gives them when they visit. "K" is Japanese and is an amazing cook, so it stands to reason that she keeps a decent assortment of interesting Asian foods around her home. As I said, my daughters love these crackers and "K" told me that she actually gets them at the local Asian market, Choi's. We live fairly close to that store and have stopped in to check it out on occasion (mostly for bulgogi marinade, which I also highly recommend), so we stopped by on the way home to see if we could score more crackers for the kids. Did we ever! For mere $1.89 per box, we found not only the bean curd crackers, but also coconut flavor Silang crackers in boxes of 16 packs each (5 crackers per pack - the perfect snack size). So for $3.78, I have two huge packs of snacks and two VERY happy girls! Happy girls, happy mommy - not bad, huh?

Oh btw - if anyone is feeling thirsty the next time they are in the their local Asian market, we also recommend trying Calpico drinks in the Peach and Mango flavors. So good!

Pink Floyd . . . A Tired Mommy's Miracle

. . . I kid you not. I have three children - two girls and a boy - each as different as can be. They all had one thing in common - gas. Bad gas. Two I wondered if they weren't even borderline colic - though the pediatrician didn't think that was the case. Enter Pink Floyd. One exhausting night about 5 years ago, DH and I had had enough. Our daughter was crying out in pain and we knew that if she would just relax and sleep, she could pass the gas much easier. SO we put her in the car seat and went for a drive - it wasn't working. Finally, DH couldn't take the crying and put on some music - Pink Floyd's Division Bell was in the player - and a most amazing thing happened - she stopped almost instantly! Within mere minutes she was sleeping peacefully! Thinking it was a fluke, we tried it again the next time and didn't expect it to work. To our surprise, it did! We have since played the CD every time our three children needed calming down, with amazing results. In fact, as I type this, my baby son has just come off of a 45 minute crying spell by listening to Division Bell - he is now sleeping peacefully. I love you, Pink Floyd!

One of the great truths. . .

. . . never attempt to start a blog while on maternity leave. You never know when you will get back to it. I have noticed recently that the blogs I frequent most are experiencing quite the baby boom . . . and I'm happy to be a part of it :) The newest (and last) addition to my family, Marshall, has brought so much joy to us in the past month, but he does make it difficult to get anything accomplished in a timely manner (well, he and his sisters do, I should say), especially trying to keep up with the new blog you swore you wouldn't abandon. Still . . . I'm sure you'll forgive me the hiatus. I will write more as I am able. In the mean time, be well and have fun.

One of My Favorite Poems . . .

Just For Today
by Sally Meyer

Just for this morning,
I am going to smile when I see your face...
and laugh when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning,
I will let you wake up softly in your flannel p.j.'s...
and hold you until you are ready to stir.

Just for this morning,
I will let you choose what you want to wear...
and I will say how beautiful you are.

Just for this morning,
I will step over the laundry to pick you up...
and take you to the park to play

Just for this morning,
I will leave the dishes in the sink...
and let you teach me how to put your puzzle together.

Just for this afternoon,
I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off...
and sit with you in the garden
blowing bubbles.

Just for this afternoon,
I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you
scream and whine for the ice cream truck...
and I will buy you one, if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon,
I won't worry about what you are going to be
when you grow up...
I will simply love you for the joy you bring me

Just for this afternoon,
I will let you help me make cookies...
and I wont stand over you . . . trying to 'fix things.'

Just for this afternoon,
I will take you to McDonald's and buy us both a 'Happy Meal'...
so you can have two toys.

Just for this evening,
I will hold you in my arms and tell you the story of how you
were born...
and how much we love you.

Just for this evening,
I will let you splash in the bathtub...
and I won't get angry when you pour water over your sister's
head.

Just for this evening,
I will let you stay up late...
while we sit on the porch swing
and count all the stars.

Just for this evening,
I will bring you glasses of water...
and snuggle beside you for hours...
and miss my favorite t.v. show.

And tonight when you are sleeping safe and warm in your bed,
I will think of the mothers and fathers
who mourn for the children they have lost.

I will remember the parents who sit by hospital beds,
watching over the little ones they love.

I will weep for those parents whose children are cold,
hungry and suffering,

and .... this evening,
when I kneel down to pray,
I will simply be grateful for all that I have

and not ask for anything...

except just one more day.


© copyright 1999 Sally Meyer
(written for her autistic son)

And I am . . .

... an artistic mother hen! Who knew? And all this time I thought I was just a silly goose! Want to know what kind of mother hen you are? Take this quick quiz (wow - say THAT 5 times really fast).

Is ANYTHING Really Safe Anymore?

Or are we deluding ourselves in thinking that anything was ever safe to begin with? Back in 2007, I first heard about the dangers of 1,4-Dioxane and that the ingredient had been found in many of the fun bath products that my kids beg me to buy for them in the stores. As a result, I changed my buying habits when it came to such products - opting instead for those with "natural" or "organic" ingredients. Now, according to one of my favorite blogs, Green Mom Finds, even those products must be scrutinized. Apparently, the organic/natural cosmetics industry is prone to the same errors in judgment and lack of consideration in product manufacturing as the rest of the industry. And the kicker is that they don't even have to list it on the label!

So what is a concerned mother to do? Check out these tips provided by Green Mom Finds:
1) Look for products that bear the “USDA Organic” seal or that are German Natural “BDIH” Certified. These products are not allowed to contain 1,4-Dioxane.
2) Avoid buying products with the following ingredients: myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other eth, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol.

For even more info on this topic, please visit this link

And, again, I must give props to Green Mom Finds for posting all of this information first. Thanks and keep those news alerts coming!

Looking Out On The Pouring Rain . . .

. . . feeling uninspired. I may not be having much success in writing my own blog, but I'm amazed at how many really good blogs there are out there . My Bookmarks are jammed with many blogs that I just can't get enough of - right now I am flipping b/t writing this and reading the latest on baby toolkit . . . one of my favorites. If you are a parent (or just interested in cool stuff for kids), I suggest you check it out. It's cool . . . in a geeky sort of way :)

A Little About Me . . .

Okay, I admit it - I am a total information junkie. I have enough magazines to start my own periodical library. My Firefox bookmarks contain tons of blogs and other websites that I just cannot visit and read though only once. I have tons and tons of books and my DVR is always full of all kinds of crazy, informative shows with the occasional drama or comedy show thrown in for pure entertainment. I want to know everything. Not in a know-it-all sort of way, I just want to know things. Fun things. Esoteric things. Things that will make me a more informed mom or better organized house-keeper. The more I know, the more I want to know more. I often wonder what the purpose of my compulsive need to learn thing is . . . but I have never found a good answer, so I really try not to think about it. I would love to find a way to incorporate my love of research and learning into my blog, but I would also like for it to be unique - and it seems like it has all been done before. Maybe I will find my inspiration over the weekend. Until then, good reader, I bid you good day . . . and good weekend.

Hmmm . . .

I have found that the true jumping off point for a blog is to have a concept - a great idea that you can run with . . . and thus far, I have have come up short in that department. Do people really want to hear about how adorable, smart and amazing my kids are? Maybe once in a while, but certainly not every day. Are people all that interested in the daily grind of a lackey in a state government agency? Somehow, I doubt it. Music or Movies? There are lots of people more plugged into that scene than I. Politics? Ditto - the market is flooded. Culture? In Kentucky? Don't get me wrong - I love it here and we have lots to do, but I think I hear Manhattan mocking me even as I type those words. So what then? I'll keep working on it - and feel free to offer suggestions, if you are so inspired.

Testing, 1,2 ,3 . . .

Hi! Welcome to my 3rd attempt to enter the blogosphere. Hopefully, this one will be a successful attempt. I have never really considered myself a blogger, so I never seem to stay with it very long. With so many other interesting people out there on the web, I just never thought my stories could compete. However, there is a lovely group of ladies out there blogging every day who have recently inspired me to give this whole blogging thing another shot. So again welcome and we will explore the world of the novice blogger together . . .