Freecycle Rocks!

I have been using freecycle for about 2 years, and I have to say, I love it. I can't tell you how much stuff I have gotten rid of quickly and easily, AND how much stuff I wanted I got for free! If you don't know what freecycle is - its a website where people in your area list stuff they want to get rid of, and you email them if you want it. You can also post your stuff to get rid of, and even post "Wanted" for items you want that someone may have. It's really great.

I have only posted one "wanted" for a baby bicycle seat to strap to the back of my bike -- and got one within a few days. Other great gets are huge lots of scrapbooking materials, a nice train table, and some maternity clothes. I have also quickly and easily gotten rid of desks, filing cabinets, old Corian counter tops, books, an old garbage disposal, a broken printer, photo albums, picture frames, you name it!

If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it!

Let Cami Run For President in 2040!

So there has been all this hullabaloo for a few years over what is known as the "Schwarzenegger Amendment" to the Constitution. Currently, Article II, Section 5, clause 5 of our Constitution reads:

"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

This means that people who immigrate to this country and become citizens, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, can't be President. Now I have never had a real opinion on this issue. I guess I never thought much about it. Not being a big Arnie fan, it didn't do much for me. But just recently I was reading an article about foreign adoptions and within it there was a comment that foreign-adoptees can never be President, due to this clause in the Constitution. Well, that made me stop and think. And that is ridiculous. Then I thought about it some more and realized, that while my friend's daughter, Camille, adopted from China at 14 months couldn't be President; the child born of two illegals living here could be President. There is something horribly wrong with that. I don't want to get into the whole immigration debate, because I have awfully mixed feelings about it. But realizing that foreign adoptees aren't eligible to be President really ignited my fire about this Constitutional amendment.

I am writing my members of Congress today to push for this legislation TODAY. If Cami decides she wants to be President in 2040, she should be able to run!

Weekend from HELL

So sometime on Friday around 6pm my girls turned into monsters. And basically didn't stop until later afternoon on Sunday. First the middle one had worn shoes to school that hurt her feet and gave her blisters (don't get me started on the reasons why). So when we went to the pool Friday night she screamed when she got in the water, cuz her feet hurt. And continued to cry pretty much the entire time we were there, because she wanted to go in the water, but couldn't cuz it made her feet hurt. Then when she and her big sister asked for snacks I said they could have rice cakes (they love them) - three of them. They wanted candy also. I said no. Then big sister said she didn't only want 3, she wanted 5. I told her three or none. She kept it up, so I took them away. She lost it in a screaming fighting match through when we came home. Saturday they didn't want to nap. I told the big one she could lie in bed next to her little sister until she fell asleep and then she could go to our room and watch noggin. Instead, 45 minutes later I go upstairs and they are both watching TV in our room. I ask big sister if little sister had fallen asleep, but then woken up and joined her, and she says no. They both lose all tv for a week, prompting massive meltdowns by both. Little sister actually went completely hysterical (she also forfeited her love toy in the middle of the mess) for over an hour before completely exhausting herself and falling asleep. Then today they pull the same thing with not wanting to nap and are just generally pretty whiny all day. It is something in the air? It better not be the humidity, cuz we are just at the start of that!

Bitten by the Bee

I admit it, I am addicted to the National Spelling Bee. I watched the different rounds three different times this week, and have TIVO'd last nights final rounds, which I haven't seen yet. What is so compelling?? I have no idea. But I can't pull myself away. Although, given its over for this year, I guess I will have to.

I love the different ticks and rituals the kids go through before and while reciting the words. I love the deadly serious tone of the announcer and the judges. I guess I love how seriously everyone is taking spelling. It just cracks me up. But..I do have a few suggestions for Scripps:

1) no proper-name words. That's just mean. I saw several instances where the words were based on a Proper name. Like, say Megan..if I spelled it Meaghean (which would be SOOO wrong, btw). The word was Meagheanesque. And it meant, reminscient of the works of Megan. And derived from the name Meaghean. Now, really, what is the point of that?? If the kid had never heard of me, they would get it wrong, and why? I think one of the things I like about the bee is that kids can use logic. They can learn the origins of the word and the definition, and reason some of the spelling out. Proper names are just based on memorization.

2) no purely foreign words. They used the word "beurre" meaning butter in French. That is not an English word. The only time it is used here is on a French menu. Again, unfair.

That said, I love the bee and can't wait until next year. And, BTW, I can't spell a lick.

Kiss the Girls and Make them Cry

So it turns out my Big Man is a little Casanova. Yesterday when I was going to pick up Big Man, another mother said, it was so cute, he was kissing her daughter yesterday. I laughed and said, we should watch out, I had the same report from another mother last week! 9 months old and already a play-eh. LOL. If I were those little girls, I would watch my nose. When he "kisses" me he usually is trying to bite (gum) my nose off.

Can't really help the girls though, he is such a CUTIE!

Kids and Television

So a new study shows that American kids watch too much tv. I believe that. I am guilty of that. I don't think I let my kids watch a lot of tv -- they get about 10 minutes a day m-f (as we get ready to leave, only after they are fully washed, brushed and dressed) and about 2 hours a day each on Saturday and Sunday (more if we let them watch a movie). But we are lucky. We have 3 kids. They can spend a lot of time playing with each other. When we had one, she probably watched more than this, even as an infant. We would put her in front of Baby Mozart videos so we could make dinner, do laundry, eat, etc. But now that they have each other, we just tell them to go play, and we can get stuff done.

But the part of the study that really scared me was the determination that 20% of kids under 2 have their own television in their bedroom. Are you kidding me??!! The study also said that 43% of 3- to 4-year-olds have TVs in their rooms. I am flabbergasted. I remember getting a little 5" black and white tv from my Grandfather when I went to college. I was so excited. It was my first tv, and I couldn't belive how lucky I was to have it. 43% of 3-4 year olds??!! My kids would watch tv 10 hours a day if they had a tv in their rooms. Seriously. That is nuts. Who are these people?

Like I said, I am not all doom and gloom about tv. I think the choice of programming is imporant. There are appropriate shows for kids and LOTS and LOTS of inappropriate stuff. Parents should be the decision makers on what they let their kids watch. Hard to do with a tv in a kids room.

Ewwww! Food issues.

So I'm flipping through a magazine last night and see an ad for Wheat Thins. Except it was for Cinnamon Wheat Thins. YUCK. I like Wheat Thins. They are yummy. But they are savory. Not sweet. Don't put cinnamon on them. I mean, I know cinnamon is a versatile spice. I love cinnamon in chili. I've even had it on chicken. But cinnamon wheat thins sound like they are trying to be graham crackers. That grosses me out. I hate when foods try and be something they aren't.

Of course I hate more when foods pretend to be other foods. Turkey bacon? I'm sorry, a pig and a turkey are VERY different animals. I know it is healthier, but I'd rather have bacon less often than have turkey bacon at all.

I have the same problem with shelf-stable dairy. That's just wrong. If it has milk in it -- refrigerate it! I won't eat shelf-stable pudding or milk if you put a gun to my head. At least pretend to refrigerate it. Are there less chemicals in Jell-o brand pudding? I doubt it, but they sell it in the refrigerated section, and that's where I like it.

My exception is Velveeta. Love the stuff. I fully acknowledge its a chemical stick -- but its a yummy, melty, creamy chemical stick. I also bought some of the shelf-stable milk to keep in the diaper bag from the kids. But it grosses me out.

What types of weird foods gross you out?