tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62950686847100397532024-02-20T17:15:50.028-05:00Sisters by Chance, Friends by ChoiceA parenting blog co-written by two sisters. They are blogging to keep sane through the ups and downs of parenting.Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-1632983956234990132015-08-18T01:16:00.001-04:002015-08-21T13:17:20.858-04:00Trophies for everybody!NFL player James Harrison recently returned his kids' participation trophies claiming the league was rewarding mediocrity. His kids are 8 and 6. He was also arrested in 2008 for allegedly beating his girlfriend. This makes him, in my estimation, a complete and total asshole. But please, by all means, let's take parenting advice from this guy.<br>
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I recently signed my twins up for their second season of baseball. They have March birthdays. This resulted in them just missing the cutoff for another year of T-ball. They had to play in "Mini-Minors" which effectively put my kindergarteners, who were preemies, in the same league with second graders who were easily twice their weight.</div>
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The season started when there was still snow on the ground. They played with real gloves under their baseball gloves. They played on Mothers Day, and their coach gave them roses to give to us (another reward for mediocrity? Do all mothers deserve flowers on Mothers Day? Or should we only reward the ones whose children make it to the NFL, or become President of the PTO, or get into Harvard? Is the final product more important than the effort?). Our baseball season ends in late June. Those last couple of games were played in 90 degree heat with sunscreen dripping in their eyes and the kids each respectively begging for their favourite flavour of Gatorade.</div>
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Antonio is teeny-tiny, weighing barely 40 pounds at his sixth birthday. He was by far the smallest kid on the team. What he lacks in size he make up for in enthusiasm. He was often the first kid in the field to make it to the ball. Hitting posed a bit more of a challenge for him, but by the end of the season, he got a few good hits in. Maybe he could have qualified for Most Improved or Player Who Gives His All, but probably he wouldn't be the one and only kid deserving of the title of MVP.</div>
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Mariella on the other hand was initially reluctant to play. She would have been just as content to sit in the stands and be a spectator. We talked her into playing. Nevertheless, as she played, the smile never left her face. While she started off as one of 2 girls, the other girl on the team didn't finish out the season. Mariella played through the whole season as the only girl on the team, and one of only a handful in the league. She has a hearing impairment, which makes coaching her from afar difficult. On occasion, the coach had to send someone out to right field, where she was picking dandelions, to inform her the inning had ended. She would then go up to bat. She was afraid of the ball, and would close her eyes. This resulted in her swinging a full 5 seconds after the pitch landed in the catcher's mitt. She was adorable, but would admitably never get an MVP trophy, even if she was primed to shatter glass ceilings. </div>
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Thankfully our league rewards simple participation and gave both twins simple, stupid, participation trophies. And they loved them. I wouldn't dare to take them away, even if they do only reward mediocrity. </div>
Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-66243614613193032112015-08-03T20:08:00.001-04:002015-08-04T12:22:23.704-04:00Our Crazy Cross Country Trip South Dakota and onto California<i><a href="http://sisterschance.blogspot.com/2015/08/our-crazy-long-cross-country-trip-new.html">We last saw</a> our fair travelers in a corn field during some very severe weather. </i><br />
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We did make it out of that corn field and back onto I-90, but we were still half a day behind where I wanted to be. The original plan had been to see Mount Rushmore that afternoon, but it was unlikely we would make it there before dark, so the new plan was to see it first thing in the morning. We had our nice picnic lunch at Sioux Falls, where I had hoped to stay the night previous. Sioux Falls is pretty, but a little smelly (I'm not sure why).<br />
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At this point the kids were starting to feel the trip. My friend Moe suggested that I threaten to throw candy out the window as they whined. I tried it, but then they started to threaten to throw each other's things out the window. <br />
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We quickly got back on the road, hoping to make up a little ground. As we made our way through South Dakota and into the Badlands, I started my daily hunt for a hotel room. Trouble is, we didn't realize the <a href="http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/">Sturgis Motor Cycle Rally</a> was taking place. Not one room was available on Hotels.com. We stopped at the Visitor's center by the Missouri River (really cool spot if you ever find yourself driving on I-90 in South Dakota) and their very helpful staff explained our predicament. They armed us with several Penny Savers that had local numbers. <br />
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I started calling around and finally found a place with a room available. It was double the cost of anywhere else we had stayed, and had worst Continental Breakfast of any that were offered. We did however meet some awesome bikers, one of whom encouraged the kids to try his bike out. <br />
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<b><u>DAY 5</u></b></div>
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We headed off for Mount Rushmore. First we needed gas, and also coffee. We stopped at a gas station on the way up the mountain. Leo pumped while I got coffee. I came out to see my husband, in a polo shirt, pumping gas into our white minivan, surrounded on all sides by dozens of bikers. I wish I had taken a picture of that! (Imagine the guy from the picture below, next to the minivan pictured above with about 100 extra bikes and beleathered bikers surrounding him)<br />
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We did make it to Mount Rushmore that day. It is a sight to behold, though a bit smaller than I had imagined (Leo says it was way bigger than he imagined). We got what is perhaps my favorite picture from our vacation. <br />
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After Mount Rushmore, we went onto see Crazy Horse. The thing about Crazy Horse, it costs 3 times as much as it does to see Mount Rushmore. It is also unfinished. So we pulled up, saw it from the base, then turned right around and headed out. We had time to make up anyhow. That was not to happen however. We opted to cut down some back roads to meet up with I-80 rather than head back north to reach I-90. This was not the best plan. GPS via cell phone is apparently not a thing in Wyoming. Back Roads in Wyoming are not the best labeled, so good luck even if you thought ahead and got those paper maps from AAA. There are barely any towns or even intersections to guide you. We just kept driving, heading South and or East, and hoped to eventually hit I-25.<br />
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We made it to Cheyenne for dinner, and having not had lunch (we should have paid through the teeth to eat at Mount Rushmore) we were starving. We found yet another good Mexican Restaurant and ate ourselves silly. We got back on the road, headed West on I-80. We made it to Rock Springs and found an affordable and nicely appointed hotel this time (<a href="https://ssl.hotels.com/ho246515-tr-r23079670/americas-best-value-inn-suites-rock-springs-united-states/" target="_blank">My Review Here</a>), complete with working Wifi (Working Wifi is less common than you would imagine!) even if they did take away their breakfast at 9am on the dot.<br />
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Since we now had more than our phones and paper maps, and we were now a full day behind, we decided to reevaluate our route. The original plan had been to visit a friend in Reno, then head to San Francisco and make our way down the Pacific Coast Highway. We decided to nix the trip to Reno (sorry Jasen!) and head instead to Las Vegas, which we could easily make the next day if we made minimal stops. <br />
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<b><u>DAY 6</u></b></div>
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We woke up to the most amazing vista. We didn't get to see it the night before, as we had arrived after dark. Armed with our new plan, we hit the road, and headed towards Salt Lake. We caught the I-15. Utah is pretty, and I wish we could have enjoyed more of it, but we booked through pretty fast, with promises of pools to the kids once we got to Vegas. There were some lingering questions of why there was a great big Y and B on the mountain sides. As we Reached Nevada, I was amazed at the scenery. It is quite picturesque, different than any place else I've ever seen. <br />
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We did make it to Vegas in good time and before dark. We decided to stay at <a href="https://ssl.hotels.com/ho118583-tr-r23084747/circus-circus-hotel-casino-las-vegas-united-states/" target="_blank">Circus Circus</a>, despite Mariella's fear of clowns, with hopes that it was one of the more family friendly resorts. The thing about Vegas in August, it is HOT. We were at the point in our trip where my practical plan of one suitcase per night rather than per person had reached its end. My husband had been quite spoiled by this one suitcase scenario, and fought me as I told him to take more than one into the hotel. He wanted to unpack and repack into one suitcase in the 105 degree parking garage rather than take a couple of suitcases in and reorganize in the air conditioned comfort of a hotel room. Sometimes I wonder about him. We did make it to the pool, which was most welcome. We swam until they kicked us out of the pool, then headed out in search of food. The kids about fell asleep at the dinner table, and all 3 were passed out as we drove back up the strip, unable to appreciate all the glitter and glitz of Las Vegas.<br />
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<b><u>DAY 7</u></b></div>
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I awoke on the 7th day to find my toothbrush, MY TOOTHBRUSH, uncovered and left in a pool of water on the side of the sink. My loving husband then proceeded to call me a princess because I insisted on getting a new one. It is clear that the trip was starting to wear on us both. We did however get to visit the spot where we got married, just in a nick of time to remind us of our origin story. We were up and out of the hotel by 8am (the crack of dawn by Vegas standards) and we headed to the <a href="http://vivalasvegasweddings.com/about-our-lasvegasweddingchapels.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjwovytBRCdxtyKqfL5nUISJACaugG19wnWErYqsu1P9_URz3uqjjrWUDemDg9IKJjFjrHpghoCzA_w_wcB">Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel</a> where it all began. <br />
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We then found some breakfast, and tried to do a little sight seeing, and souvenir shopping. Mariella picked out a little snow globe with the Statue of Liberty (the New York, New York Casino's replica) in it, as she has quite the obsession with our lady in green (her brother would later destroy this beloved object and it would be replaced for double the amount plus shipping). The heat hit us and we hit the road. One tip I will give you, if you ever drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, is to stop at the border. Stop even if you don't feel like you need to because there is little to be found on the road until you get to the suburbs of LA. We encountered what may be perhaps the worst gas station bathroom I have ever seen somewhere between Baker and Barstow. We got to LA in time for dinner on the 7th day. And then we rested. But not really. Because vacation.<br />
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Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-20515271211571873662015-08-01T22:57:00.002-04:002015-08-03T20:10:10.993-04:00Our Crazy Long Cross Country Trip - New York to South Dakota<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><u>DAY 1 </u></b></div>
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We left on a Friday. Our kids had day camp till 2pm, so we used that time to drop off our dogs, run some last minute errands and to pack the car. We headed out on I-88 west, and had to make a stop for an early dinner at one of our favorite all time places, Brooks BBQ. The nice thing about Brooks is they have a playground for the kids. Aurora had some fun with my decade old digital camera, but complained that the twins would not stay still for pictures. Sister friend, welcome to my world. <br />
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With our bellies full of yummy BBQ goodness, we were back on the road. Till they needed a potty break.<br />
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All of my lovely Bingo games had been played out. As darkness descended we brought out the movies. From the back seat, Aurora asked if we are going in circles. She kept seeing McDonald's golden arches every 5 minutes or so on I-80 and wanted to be sure we weren't lost. We assured her we weren't. <br />
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This was our first go around booking a hotel room. We decided not to book out our trip ahead of time. We instead used Hotels.com to book as we got close. That first night, I picked up a Penny Saver and saw the rates were cheaper than on Hotels.com. I called a few of the hotels to be sure one of them had a room available, but didn't think to ask the rate. When we arrived, we were told the rate in the Penny Saver wasn't available on weekends. Being that it was one of the few hotels that said they had available rooms, it was past midnight, and we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, we took it. Lesson learned, trust that on the day of, Hotels.com has the best rates going. <br />
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<b><u>DAY 2 </u></b></div>
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We woke up not to free breakfast, but kids free breakfast. The kids were all thrilled to get hot chocolate and pancakes, except for Mariella. Usually she is a happy little soul, but she did not seem to enjoy being taken out of her routine at all whatsoever. <br />
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We had found out that we would be passing near to Twinsburg Ohio where there is a large festival of twins. I figured it would make a great pit stop. What I did not figure was that there would be a large thunderstorm passing just as we got to the gates. So we go to see the festival, but did not go in. We did however get this great Shaggadelic picture. (The theme of the festival in 2014 was Twinstock, so all 60's all the time baby).<br />
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We continued on our trek after a quick lunch at Dairy Queen. The thing about Ohio, it is flat and there are a lot of tolls on I-80, a lot of dime and nickels here and there, but they have the most fabulous rest stops. <br />
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We popped up into Michigan for dinner, just to add to our state count and Leo wanted to drive through the mitten. There we found some awesome Mexican food (Who knew?)<br />
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We bedded down for the night, this time in my Hotels.com find, the Hammond Indiana Super 8. It was cheap and <a href="https://ssl.hotels.com/ho228761-tr-r23085917/super-8-hammond-north-northwest-indiana-united-states/" target="_blank">my review</a> can tell you all you need to know.<br />
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<b><u>DAY 3 </u></b><br />
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The next morning we headed to Chicago. Leo always wanted to visit Downtown Chicago, especially since I got to go without him once. It was just like he dreamed as he grew up with Architect and Engineers and it showed quite the majestic buildings and such. We and brunched at the West Egg, home to the famous Mister Mister and then took a jaunt over to Navy Pier. As I bought our tickets for the Big Ferris Wheel, the girl behind the counter spied my St. Rose ID. She too was an alum. Who have thought over a thousand miles from home, I'd run into another Rosebud?<br />
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The Ferris Wheel is what eventually brought Mariella around. I think she finally realized why we were doing this trip. <br />
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As fun as Chicago is, and I'd have loved to stay longer, the road was beckoning. We got stuck in a lot of traffic near the airport, the roads under construction throughout the Chicago metro area, and there were a ton of tolls getting out of there (and not nickels and dimes this time). <br />
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It was smooth sailing once we got to Wisconsin however. It was a little sad that we missed my dear aunt, who had lived there for years, but had just moved back to the east coast a few months prior. I did take her advice and hit the Wisconsin Dells for dinner. My goodness is that place a trip, it is so Wisconsin's Vegas, in the middle of nowhere for no good reason, but to separate tourists from their dollars. It does have a good atmosphere though, family feel for sure. For those that are familiar with Lake George, multiply that by a factor of 10. We had dinner at a great little spot complete with Gluten Free pasta for me (YUM!). The kids would have loved to explore, but we had to make up some ground lost to the Chicago traffic.<br />
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We crossed the Mississippi River at dusk. It was quite breath taking, even in the almost dark. What was even eerier to see in the dark was the windmills, thousands of them spread across the prairie, like monuments of technology upon the grasslands of mother earth and what not.<br />
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We stopped after a long day. I had hoped to make it to Sioux Falls, but playing tourist and the traffic (did I mention the Chicago traffic?) delayed us more than we had planned for. We did find a wonderful little hotel this time with one of the friendliest staffs that I have ever encountered. This hotel got a pretty good <a href="https://ssl.hotels.com/ho201004-tr-r23097603/americas-best-value-inn-albert-lea-united-states/" target="_blank">write up from me.</a> The hotel offered laundry, which was clean and right by our room, so I took full advantage. The pool, or lack thereof, was the only down side as it was closed for repairs. <br />
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<b><u>DAY 4 </u></b></div>
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The breakfast at this hotel did not disappoint. Not only was it free, there was bacon, eggs, bacon and biscuits in addition to the cute little boxes of cereal the kids so enjoy along with bacon. The waitress was super sweet too and she kept bringing the bacon. <br />
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Before getting on the road, we stopped at Walmart for the makings of a picnic lunch. They were out of ice to fill our cooler (and I had not thought ahead to take ice from the hotel) so I went into the attached Subway, offered to buy a drink to get ice, but the girl wouldn't take my money. Love that Albert Lea, Minnesota. <br />
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It is true what the say about Minnesota. There are 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter and Road Work. We encountered plenty of road work. At one point we were diverted off the highway and literally into a corn field, during a thunderstorm, like that movie TWISTER, Dorothy the robot was hanging out our trunk ready to take some weather readings. We were all thinking "this is how it ends."<br />
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<i>Will our fair travelers make it out of the corn field? Will they live to tell the tale? <a href="http://sisterschance.blogspot.com/2015/08/our-crazy-cross-country-trip-south.html">Find out in the next installment</a>. . . </i></div>
Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-75723792898620916922015-06-10T13:51:00.001-04:002015-06-11T09:40:05.199-04:00We may be peanut free but are we nut free?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was one of those people who used to roll their eyes a lot. I think this whole ordeal may be Karma, or God laughing at me.<br />
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I worked at a summer camp a long time ago. The second summer I was there, the director had decided to go totally nut free. I used to joke that the camp may be peanut free, but there were more than enough nuts floating around the place. I was the camp secretary, and all around whipping girl. I did some of the purchasing, so I had a quick crash course in the peanut free market place. Lots of stuff that you wouldn't expect has peanuts in it. It can be "traces" or peanut oil, so you have to read carefully. Baked goods and candy are especially problematic. Planning events for school age children is not much fun if there is no candy or baked goods.<br />
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Fast forward 10 or so years. My eldest daughter started preschool. There was a child with a severe peanut allergy in her class. Snack days thrust me back into the peanut free mindset. No peanut anything was allowed in the classroom, even in a personal lunch. Being that Rory could not have any peanut butter in school, she would always ask for a PB&J on the weekends.<br />
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One fateful day, she decided to share her sandwich with her little sister, MJ. Hives and vomiting quickly ensued. There was a frantic call to the pediatrician, and a debate over whether or not to go to the ER. I was also scolded for letting a 14 month old have peanuts. Hey - I didn't give it to her, my 4 year old did. I was just happy they were sharing nicely. I wonder if this person has more than 1 child. Seriously - who are they to judge?<br />
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I did call the pediatrician back that week, and discussed the whole ordeal some more at our 15 month appointment. I was not quite happy with the answers they were giving me.<br />
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A. Keep her away from peanuts (DUH!)<br />
B. Do you really want to put her through allergy testing?<br />
C. She is too little for an Epipen<br />
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Thankfully, she was also under the care of an ENT. We had ear tubes put in just after her 1st Birthday. In addition to ENT, they also do some allergy stuff. I called them for a second opinion. They informed me that no skin testing was necessary. There is a blood test they can do. We were all over that.<br />
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A week after the blood test, they called me. The nurse called with the news that MJ indeed has a peanut allergy. She was also allergic to eggs. The egg allergy was not as severe as the peanut allergy, but something to watch. They also gave us a Rx for an Epipen Jr.<br />
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To that point I did not think I had seen an egg reaction. She had an MMR and a Flu shot with no repercussions. Then I started to think back. I had a text conversation with my husband as proof. The first time I ever gave her pancakes, she vomited all over the excersaucer. I detailed for him the joy of cleaning all of the nooks and crannies of the plastic monstrosity. I realized then that all of her seemingly random vomiting was likely a result of her egg allergy. <br />
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Things went along fine for a while. She eventually grew out of the egg allergy. We had a peanut challenge, and it took her quite a bit to react, so we don't worry as much about accidental contamination as we used to. I lightened up and let some peanut butter back into our house, which is when we found out Antonio has allergies of his own. <br />
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<a href="http://sisterschance.blogspot.com/2014/07/what-new-hell-is-this.html" target="_blank">Read more about that ordeal if you wish.</a><br />
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Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-8128414533630077272015-06-10T10:20:00.003-04:002015-06-10T10:20:48.508-04:00Cross Country Trip Preparation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As you may know, we had decided to embark on a cross country trip. The planning for this type of undertaking is by far the worst part. It all fell to me, as my husband was putting in as many hours as possible in preparation for taking the 3 weeks off from work. Anyhow, he tends to be more spontaneous. For him, packing is throwing an extra pair of undies and a clean t-shirt into a grocery bag. The logistics of a cross country trip with 3 kids involve a little more forethought than he would generally give a vacation.<br />
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My first order of business was to get a AAA card. I then contacted them for help planning our route. May I just say, AAA was great. They sent us tons of maps, one for each state, and every big city we would pass through, all for free. The membership cost was more than paid for just in maps. Not to mention I locked my keys in the car several days before we left. Money well spent for the membership (I just hope we don't need it again for a while).<br />
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One thing we didn't do was make reservations at hotels. This again, is my husband's spontaneous side. He prefers to drive, see how far we can get, and then book hotel rooms from our phones along the way. I did sign up for the Hotels.com rewards program, so we should end up with a night free at the end of all of this. (edited to add we did, but still have yet to use it 10 month later)<br />
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As we got closer to our departure day, I made a spreadsheet. The list was quite extensive. I made a check off box for each of our sets of shoes, and for the sum total of suitcases, to be sure nothing got left behind. One trick I learned a while ago is not to pack a suitcase for each family member, but pack a suitcase for a day, with one set of clothes and PJ's for each family member. I had 4 small carry-on size suitcases, so I was able to do 4 days worth. I then packed 2 bigger suitcases, one for the kids and one for myself and the hubby, with our nicer wedding clothes, and extras of everything for our week long stay at our eventual destination. I had all of our bathing suits in one bag, and sweatshirts and rain gear in another, in order to be able to quickly grab for everyone at once when they were needed.<br />
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</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Ipad<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Lap Top<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Camera<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Basket<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Batteries<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Floaties<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Towels<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Cooler<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Snacks<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Fruit<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Cutting Board & knife<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Cork Screw & Can Opener<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Benedryl<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Advil & Tylenol<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Epi pen<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sunblock<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sunburn Stuff<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Bug Spray<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Rain Ponchos<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sweat shirts<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Pillows<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Blankets<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Laundry stuff<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Insurance cards<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Wallet<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Coloring books<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Bingo<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Maps from AAA<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
First Aid Kit<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Wipes<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Paper Towels<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Kids Maps<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Folders<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
License Plate Print Out<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Folders<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Scissors<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Duct Tape<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Toilet Paper<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Tampons/Pads<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Shampoo/Conditioner/Gel<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Contact Stuff<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Deodorant/Soap<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Make-up<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Clinique<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Jewelry<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 143.75pt;" valign="top" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Socks<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 71.75pt;" valign="top" width="96"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In Van<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="5" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 215.5pt;" valign="top" width="287"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Flip Flops<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="5" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 215.5pt;" valign="top" width="287"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sneakers<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="5" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 215.5pt;" valign="top" width="287"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Dress Shoes<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 43.1pt;" valign="top" width="57"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="6" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 215.5pt;" valign="top" width="287"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Suitcases<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.9pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.9pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.9pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.9pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.95pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.95pt;" valign="top" width="48"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-39752447911044499512015-05-07T15:32:00.000-04:002015-06-23T19:15:21.557-04:00Emily Rose (The Little Peach) – A Mother’s Day Update, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">My Darling
Emily Rose,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">(Or
should I call you “Peach” like I usually do? Even your grandmothers, brothers,
and six-year-old cousins call you that. Maybe we should all face the facts. . .
.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">I’m no
rookie at this whole mom thing. Not anymore. And you would think by now that
I’ve seen it all, and yet you find ways to surprise me. Every day. I wish I
could say it was always in a good way. But you’re two-and-three-quarters this
month. Need I say more?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Don’t
worry. I will say it all anyway, because that’s my way. . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">In the
years since your birth, you’ve matured into a beautiful little girl. As of now,
you’re still a blonde. How did THAT happen? You hair is pin straight as well
and what’s cute, you twirl it in the back when you’re thinking or distracted by
something. My hair–a wavy, deep brown, slightly auburn–is the lightest and
“straightest” in my Irish/Italian family. Your father–a medium ash brown–facetiously
blames the Swedish milkman (Hmmm. . . ? Nope, couldn’t have been. I would have
remembered.). But he has more blonde relatives than I do. And what about your
blue eyes, the ones you use to manipulate everyone with? Those I take credit
for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">You’re
welcome. </span>:)<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">And,
Little Peach, it’s amazing how much you’ve grown. No, really. It’s amazing!
Because you eat nothing. You’re doing fine, but even so. There are one year olds
out there who look like they could swallow you whole. So could you do us both a
favor and broaden your palate beyond bread and cheese? Someday? Please? Great.
Thanks. (You’ve inherited your dietary habits from your father, too, by the
way. I wasn’t nearly so picky.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Okay,
now it’s time to get serious (because I’m a serious writer now and I do this
for a meager living). So where would you like me to restart your story, Emily
Rose? Should I tell you how much we’ve both changed in three years? Share what
we’ve done? And where we’ve been? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Throughout
my life, my dear, I’ve tried my hand in many places–cities, small towns, and even
<i>smaller</i> towns, and now we’re
officially living in the suburbs. And it’s all right, I guess. I’ll compare it
to beige wallpaper–hard to get jazzed up about it, but after a while, you get
kind of used to it. It makes things easy and fades into the background,
allowing you to focus on other things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">Sure, we
don’t have breathtaking mountain views anymore and we can’t stroll off the
front steps and get spicy Thai food ten feet away, but our grass is green(ish)–though
keeping it that way costs a pretty penny and is treated in our area like a
competitive sport–and there is a Target, a Home Depot, a Panera, etc. a five
minute minivan or SUV drive away (since we’re totally hip, we’ve opted for the latter).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">And
people are “nice” here. Kids come over and shoot hoops with your brothers. They
don’t need permission or an invitation. Cars drive around meticulously slow,
and if they don’t, we have a neighbor who yells at them (God, I love New York!
And missed it all those years away!). Otherwise, neighbors chat with each other
about their jobs, their kids’ accomplishments, or the weather. Why, just the
other day, one of the neighborhood’s most sought-after mommies (her family’s
grass is REALLY green) powerwalked by and we had <i>at least</i> a thirty second conversation about whether the good weather
(like how I made that distinction?) would hold. For me? The perpetually
misplaced lone-wolf introvert? That ain’t half bad! But after that, she
strutted on and didn’t look back. She likely had “grass” to tend to and I was
left wondering why I couldn’t make myself care about the green stuff, hers or
anyone else’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">At times
like these, I’m forced to come to the same conclusion; there may not be a right
“fit” for me, not here or anywhere, or with any particular social group. I don’t
like isolation or crowds, and I can’t find my place among the hardcore
smarties, the disgruntled lefties, the overachieving mommies, the hungry
go-getters, the free spirits, or the godly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">There’s
no such thing as Utopia, Emily Rose, especially when you consider the needs of
every individual in this family. Like your father, for example, needs constant
motion, an adventure, a challenge, a goal to achieve every day. He sits still
about as well as I adjust to unfamiliar surroundings. In other words, not well.
Because I need peace, stability, warmth, and good conversation. And your
brothers need fun, freedom to be who they are, and plenty of other kids to rabble-rouse
with in a parent sanctioned sort of way.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">So we
did the best we could. We tried to establish roots between the tufts of grass
we inherited from our lawn lackadaisical predecessors (he was more into flashy cars
and his “man cave” than that gosh darn grass!). And I hope you like it here,
Little Peach. I think you will. If you don’t over-contemplate your existence,
what’s not to like? You have your own room with your Disney Princess bed and
you can toddle around your quaint little piece of America, and I don’t have to
worry too much about you, even if you accidentally stumble into the road (thanks
to resident-only traffic and our New York loudmouth street-vigilante neighbor).
And you’ll have your mother home with you for the foreseeable future. That’s a
good thing. We’ve both realized the hard way that there are no substitutes. I’m
flattered . . . really. But could you cut Grandma some slack every once in a
while? Your tantrums, though rare, are truly legendary and usually have
something to do with “unjust” abandonment. Your very best work is usually performed
for crowds in public places where those <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">highly
effective</i> “time outs” aren’t even an option. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn_0z4DKnFIaIoregzpwEAiGHy56-_VwxyIsMRxZbacEyjaT1b-DTMjLoEBr2MMjknIhIW6TmruPGjaYvwrZVE3NPZ7QYufTL9TdkFo82dEN1S_ev2wWZbTRr54h9SXgj_eIZqffrFjE/s640/blogger-image-1074353312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn_0z4DKnFIaIoregzpwEAiGHy56-_VwxyIsMRxZbacEyjaT1b-DTMjLoEBr2MMjknIhIW6TmruPGjaYvwrZVE3NPZ7QYufTL9TdkFo82dEN1S_ev2wWZbTRr54h9SXgj_eIZqffrFjE/s640/blogger-image-1074353312.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">I love
you, Emily Rose, and I genuinely enjoy snuggling away the day with you–in
between “pee-pee in the potty” breaks every ten minutes, snack attacks, and
beverage runs–but I do occasionally need to go the dentist or spend some time
alone with your father. It keeps him happy. And since he funds this mommy-and-me
endeavor by an insurmountable margin, you should really do your best to share
me once in a great while. I know I’m asking a lot. From day one, you thought I
was yours and yours alone. At the same time, I’m aware this attachment won’t
last forever. Someday, when I’m not ready for it, you’ll stretch too far and
break away. And I will miss you when you’re gone. For now, though, I’ll take
all the “big smooshy hugs” and “mommy hold me’s” I can get . . . while they
last. . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">So, for
this Mother’s Day, Emily Rose, I’d like to thank you for making me a mother a
third (and final) time. Thanks for the life experience I wouldn’t have gotten
with another boy. I now know how to trim bangs, put on little girl swimsuits
with confusing criss-cross straps, and I understand better than ever that tears
sometimes have nothing to do with physical pain. I appreciate the
earlier-than-three potty training and the pleasant manners–the sweet “thank-yous,”
“you’re welcomes,” and the situation appropriate “sorry mommies.” Catastrophes
large or small, it’s hard to get too upset with you when you play on my
weaknesses like that! Best of all, Little Peach, thanks for giving me a sense
direction. I may be lost in other ways, but I’m certainly meant to be with
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt;">With
much, much love,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">Emily Rose: A Pregnancy Story </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"><o:p><i></i></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/9084309-emily-rose-a-pregnancy-story">http://www.wattpad.com/story/9084309-emily-rose-a-pregnancy-story </a></div>
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Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12996088557753947675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-24137535314020528712014-07-29T21:41:00.003-04:002014-07-30T10:46:26.709-04:00What new hell is this?T minus 72 hours till our big cross country journey, and I get a phone call from the allergy doctor. I had brought my son in for some allergy testing recently. His twin sister has a diagnosed peanut allergy. He had never been given peanuts, until recently, at Easter, where I let him have the peanut butter cup he got at the egg hunt. Of course he broke out into hives. I talked to our pediatrician who recommended going with him to the allergist. We finally got him seen a couple of weeks ago. They gave us a script for a blood draw. A few days later I got him to the lab. I happened to be there for another appointment for myself 2 days later, but the results had not come back at that point.<br />
<br />
So they call me today. I had nearly forgotten about the tests. I'm in the midst of trying to pack, do laundry and make sure the house is not to much of a wreck for when house sitters come to check on things. My mind wasn't in the place for this. Given, we have dealt with food allergies before. My daughter had an egg allergy that she grew out of, and continues to react to peanuts. I myself am gluten free, so I am used to carefully reading labels and grilling waitstaff as to the contents of various entrees. <br />
The nurse starts off by confirming that there is a peanut allergy. We more or less knew this already. She says all tree nuts are an issue as well. This hadn't been an issue for my daughter; hers is a peanut allergy only. So no nuts of any kind, and worse no pesto. But we can deal with that. <br />
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She then goes onto tell me he is allergic to shellfish. Now this kid can down several bowls of ceviche in a sitting and has not reacted at all, but okay, we can eliminate shellfish. <br />
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The other big allergy is dairy. I did have a feeling about this. He has never liked milk, and did seem to have at minimum some lactose intolerance. But an actual allergy means no cheese and no butter (butter and hard cheese do not contain lactose for those not in the know). <br />
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She says okay those are the bad ones, the 4's and above on a scale of 1-6. She then goes down the rest of the list: garlic, tomato, potato, wheat, barley, oats, rye, sesame, soy, and he had a mild reaction to pork and chicken. Okay so what is this kid actually supposed to eat? He can't have milk or the most obvious replacements almond milk or soy milk? I'm Italian and my husband is Mexican. Every last one of my recipes contain garlic and/or tomatoes. And try eating Asian food without soy sauce. Heaven help me. Even given that I am used to gluten free cooking, I may also have to eliminate oats and potatoes. That is just cruel. We are left with rice and corn as carbs go. Pretty paltry. <br />
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And again, this happens all just before we are set to drive cross country, where I will have little to no control over the food. At the very least the nurse said to focus on the allergies that registered 4 and above, so that is the peanut, tree nut, shellfish and dairy. Deep breaths. Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-68586743688651116752014-07-10T13:26:00.000-04:002014-07-10T14:04:52.031-04:00Gluten Free Manifesto - Bacon, Wine, Chocolate & Cheese<a href="http://m.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/backlash-has-begun-against-gluten-free-dieters/2014/07/06/61953aba-f7be-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html?wpsrc=AG0003374" target="_blank">Articles like this one burn me up.</a><br />
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For me, being gluten free is not just a fad diet. It is not all in my head. So you can roll your eyes at me all you want, but I'm not going to just eat that slice of cake because you think my health issues are annoying. <br />
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I think this has been an issue for me all my life. When I was a kid I was super skinny. In high school, I had a number of stomach problems. At that point they told me I was lactose intolerant. I cut out dairy, and it helped. I always had fatigue. My periods were never ever regular. In college, I started to have mysterious swelling in my hands and joint pain. <br />
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It only got worse after I had my kids. I had this mysterious burning sensation in my abdomen. My hair was falling out in clumps. I went through every diagnostic test imaginable. After ruling out lots of other diseases, my doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I was put on Cymbalta, which is basically an antidepressant that is used for pain management and Hydrochlorothiazide for the swelling. They helped my symptoms, but came with their own side effects.<br />
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Then my gall bladder became an issue, maybe because of all the drugs, or maybe from my underlying issues. Once it came out, I still had symptoms. I had diarrhea every. single. day. The surgeon washed his hands of me and my phantom gall bladder, so I went to a gastroenterologist instead. This wise man said he suspected my issue may be with gluten. I was skeptical. I mean, I'm Italian. How could you ask me to give up pasta? He convinced me to give it a shot for 2 weeks. If I felt better great, if not, we'd investigate some more.<br />
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So reluctantly, I cut out gluten. It didn't take 2 weeks for me to be convinced. It only took 48 hours. Suddenly, the burning in my abdomen that I had been living with was magically gone. The swelling in my hands abated. The aches in my knees, that I had attributed to my advancing age and too much weight, suddenly disappeared. All this pain that I had been just living with as my baseline normal didn't have to be.<br />
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I did the blood test to see if I had Celiacs. It came back negative. I haven't done the endoscope or the liver biopsy that they suggest for a more definitive diagnosis. I figure I feel better, the results are not going to change my mind or my diet, so why bother? Ain't nobody got time for that! The problem is that if you don't have Celiacs, some people will tell you it is all in your head. I guarantee you it is not. A little gluten and I am running to the bathroom. A lot, and I throw up. (Yes I'm talking to you trendy sandwich shop girl, who rolled her eyes then gave me the wrong bread after I asked for GF). It is not in my head. <br />
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It's was not so easy at first. Gluten hides in a lot of places. Ketchup, cold cuts, soup, salad dressings are all problematic. Little by little I learned to make replacements. Now, I barely miss it. I can cook just about anything without gluten. The GF pastas are good. I make fabulous risotto. I got myself a fryer, and make my own french fries and corn dogs. You could eat at my house for several weeks and never notice the lack of gluten. Plus, I still can have bacon, wine, chocolate and cheese. What more does a girl need?<br />
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It is hard to eat out. Most places I am left to choose between steak and a baked potato, or plain chicken and a baked potato. Thankfully there are more and more places expanding their menus. It seems that gluten free salad dressing is becoming the norm in most places, so I can at least get a salad to go with my chicken.<br />
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Parties are hard. I tend to bring my own food just to be safe. What are we eating? Pizza, wings and birthday cake, oh and a sub platter. Great. I can have the celery they sent with the wings, but probably not the blue cheese dressing. Tip - tortilla chips and salsa are an easy fix. Better yet, skip the pizza and go for a taco bar instead. Queso is a bonus(see above remark regarding cheese). Fresh fruits and veggies are great as well. I don't expect anyone else to eat gluten free, but if you invite me somewhere, know that this is an issue for me. Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-16195648229209807852014-07-06T23:04:00.002-04:002016-01-25T16:10:28.309-05:00Songs for the First Day of Day Camp<br /><br />We have a town day camp. They pay town's teenagers minimum wage to watch the town's children. The kids get to swim and play on the playground, and run around in the heat till they come home at 2:30 and collapse. It is a beautiful, wonderful thing, and worth every penny of the $250 family maximum for 4 whole weeks of peace. This is the first year that all 3 of my kids will be going, leaving me with an empty house for several hours each day. I'm singing little tunes to myself.<br /><br /><br />♫I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it, I'm about to lose my kids, and I think I like it. ♫<br /><br /><br /><br />(Sung to the tune of Leaving on a Jet Plane)<br /><br />♫The bags are packed, <br />And ready to go, <br />The lunches ready <br />inside the fridge door.<br />I can't wait to wake you up to say goodbye.<br />The dawn is breaking, it's early morn, the minivan is waiting<br />Dad's blowing his horn.<br />I'm so happy to finally be alone, I could die.<br />So kiss me and smile for me, tell me you'll be good for them,<br />no more holding my leg and not letting go.<br />Cause you are leaving to go to day camp<br />I have 6 hours till you all come back again.<br />Oh yes, you have to go.♫<br /><br /><br /> Or how about this one that speaks their language (sung to the tune from Frozen, no not that one, the other one).<br /><br /><br /><br />♫For the first time in forever,<br />There will be quiet, there will be fun,<br />for the first time in forever, <br />I will be asked for by no one.<br /><br /> Don't know if I'm elated or gassy<br />But I'm somewhere in that zone<br />Cause for the first time in forever<br />I will be alone.<br /><br /> And I know it is totally crazy<br />To dream I'd get to relax<br />But for the first time in forever<br />At least I've got a chance<br /><br />I know it all ends in August,<br />But at least I have today, <br />'Cause for the first time in forever<br />For the first time in forever<br />No children are in my way!♫<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi4kPGe-d31BJnTlwcGCSaX2DUNePF8FyV8g2mAoYNnWbotUKAbM3otq0EaXyGgxbT7MLWfv3BjovtrineJxDn05TBeFyWYiqBFi_X5hrWu2E5oqDLVoIHBJS8WV0No8HtoXaUWibANhJoUCGKRLhg=" /><br /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
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We have done longer trips with our kids, but this would certainly be the longest yet. We drove to Virginia when they were infants, and we managed. On that trip, we had to actually stop and take them out of their car seats to feed them rather than just throw apples and goldfish into the back seat. (Though having kids in diapers may cut down on bathroom stops, or would if I had any bladder control left after giving birth to twins.) <br />
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There are those that think we are crazy, and maybe we are a little bit. My mother keeps trying to talk us out of it. She offered to take my kids on the plane with her while my husband and I drove out. She obviously wasn't getting the point about family togetherness and creating memories. She offered to stay home, missing the wedding herself, and let me and my husband fly, failing to consider the fact that their other set of grandparents may actually want to see my kids.<br />
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I think that she thinks it is 1846, and that we may all die of dysentery as we make the trek westward. I know stuff happens, but armed with cell phones and AAA, I think we can handle most things that come up. <br />
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She warned of it being tornado season in the midwest. I reminded her of the fact that a tornado touched down a couple of weeks ago not 30 miles from where we lived. The fickle finger of fate may just as likely land a tornado on my minivan as I drive my kids to Little League than when we traverse the Great Plains. <br />
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She warned of entire areas of the country with no people, and no where to stop, and no cell reception, and no gas. Didn't you see <u>Tremors</u>?! <br />
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I had to promise her I would call or text every hour or so. I just hope that snake monsters don't snap the axle on our new mivan. Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-37700605149070144932014-06-11T13:17:00.000-04:002014-11-17T20:53:07.267-05:00I’m…Movin’ Out<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I guess Billy Joel is right about me on at least one count; I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am</i> moving out. But I’ve also moved up,
moved down, back, forth, in, out, and out again. Now that I’ve…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one…two…three…four…five</i>……..tabulated all
my glorious residences, I’ve come up with a number. I’ve moved SIXTEEN TIMES in
my life and I’m really not that old. It averages out to be about once every two
years. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I’ve been through it all. Passive aggressive landlords,
cockroaches, lacrosse team neighbors and their parties that never ended, leaky
everything–pipes, floors, ceilings, roofs, walls, basements. And of course there
was one notorious Pink House. It could be the subject of a whole novel, but
I’ll just say “creepy” and call it a day.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Instead of packing boxes, purging, and organizing like I should
be, I’ve decided to mentally prepare for M-Day by reaching out to some of the
other “experts” out there. I was hoping to get some good advice (so I can do it
right for once) and compile some of the tales that are funnier than mine. And
don’t worry; I’ve included some of my own “horror stories” as well: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Dogs and skunks are never a good combination,
especially the night before moving day. No amount of tomato juice makes that
smell go away. We ended up throwing away a lot of stuff that couldn’t be washed
and had to go through extreme measures to cleanse the air in TWO homes. Poor
Schuyler-dog (may she rest in peace). She got sprayed right in the face and on
a damp or humid day, there were still hints of the odor even years later. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Alicia,
Massachusetts</i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Best advice. Hire movers. Worth every penny. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Daniel,
Arizona</i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Your [Alicia] first
Boston apartment on Beacon St. when the elevator puked parts! </span><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>–Andrea, New York</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ah, Boston. Yes, make sure the elevator works
when you’re moving into the fifth story of an apartment building or your moving
buddies will never let you hear the end of it. And every time the story gets
retold, it gets more and more outrageous. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It
was 98 degrees…300 percent humidity…and there was a hurricane looming on the
horizon…and then a flock of flying monkeys started hurling overripe bananas at
our heads… </i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">–<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alicia, Massachusetts</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My move outta
Brooklyn was a beauty! 95 degrees with a major hangover! 3rd floor walk up to
the apartment. No help and crates full of albums and couches! I saw a homeless
guy pushing a shopping cart down the block! I hired him, told him I would
murder him if he stole anything! Promised him $40! He did such a great job I
paid him $80 and gave him my bicycle! Guy saved my a$$! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">–<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mike, New York</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Oh dear. So
many to choose from. The time I bought a couch specifically so I wouldn't have
to lug it to my 3rd floor apartment, and the delivery guys left it outside. We
had to rig a pulley system to get it up over the balcony. When we left we redid
the pulley, but gravity took over at 9.80 m/s2. Or the time the mattress fell
off the roof on I-787. Or the time the new boyfriend was helping me move, and
found not one but several condom wrappers in a couch that had been in storage. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Carissa,
New York</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I was going to
include the I-787 one from my perspective because I almost died that day! It
was windy and raining and rather than drive through town, my sister [Carissa]
decided to take the “faster” route, the highway, which by miles was a longer
distance. Unfortunately, my father’s [Steve] roof rack wasn’t meant to hold a
mattress, in the wind, going 55 mph…and it snapped off and the mattress went
with it. Good thing my boyfriend, now husband, had the skills and reflexes of a
NASCAR driver. </span><b style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>–Alicia, Massachusetts</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Yeah, good
thing. You’re ’89 Camry would have been done!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Greg, Massachusetts</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Then there was
the POD incident. They couldn't get it into our driveway because the tree hangs
too low. The put it in our backyard, but the driver rolled over the corner of
our neighbor’s property, leaving tracks. I wasn't the one driving the truck and
at that point I was not even really sure where the line was. That didn't stop
the guy from banging on my back door and screaming at me when I was home alone
with my 2 year old. It was terrifying. Nice way to welcome the neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Carissa, New York<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Oh, there was
the time the ex and I had to move an entire apartment in a utility van because
U-haul screwed up our reservation. We got the van at 6pm on a Friday and had to
have it back by noon Saturday (the next day). We worked through the night,
stopping to get 2 hours of sleep. We got the van back to Enterprise with 5
minutes to spare before they closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">–<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alex,
Rhode Island<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When you’re
moving out of cockroach pit, they say to leave your furniture outside for at
least 24 hours. But just make sure it’s not raining the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For us, it was, and the moving van got stuck
in the mud. By the following day, there was literally an inch of mud on the
floor. We needed something close to a chisel to get it off! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Jeanne,
New York</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Make sure you
have a backup plan when you arrive at your new place, especially when you have
children with you. There was one time the previous tenant, a royal SOB,
wouldn’t leave the premises until his lease was “officially” over. He planned
on being there until 11:59 pm on the last day. With a sick kid in the car, his
wife finally convinced him to let us in, but it was still after ten o’clock at
night. The same guy tried to sue us for the cost of the heating oil he left in
the tank, nearly full, of course. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Steve,
New York</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you move a
washing machine make sure you have it roped to the dolly. The bottom is hollow
and the insides plastic. If you use movers, definitely get a referral and hear
stories about them. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Paul, Georgia</i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I once helped
some friends move and had to help carry what seemed like hundreds of large Rubbermaid
boxes packed with old textbooks out of their basement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Phil, New York<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Those
"friends" must be jerks! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Greg, Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sorry, Phil,
[not really] chemistry and physics haven’t changed that much in fifty years and
I was still teaching at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">–Alicia,
Massachusetts</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Your father
[Steve] once helped your Uncle John move me from Saratoga, NY to Long Island in
a snow storm with a record 150 car pile up on the Northway. What a day.
Thankfully while we have moved several times, we have gained knowledge and
advice from many on how to do it right! </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">–Andrea,
Virginia</span></i></b><br />
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Advice from the “experts.” It’s hard to believe I have to go through it all
again in a few days, but the complete life upheaval should be worth it in the
end. Because the next house is for keeps... </span></b></div>
Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12996088557753947675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-25788684533129855212014-06-10T17:20:00.001-04:002014-06-10T17:20:37.776-04:00Gluten Free FavoritesI have been eating gluten free for over a year now. I've learned a lot along the way. I decided to put together a list of my favorite things. Some of these tend towards the more "processed" foods. We try to do whole foods and naturally GF stuff more than the replacements. Every once in a while though, a girl needs to eat a cookie, or just open a can of soup for a quick meal. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer- I have not been paid by any of these companies, it is all stuff I have actually eaten and liked.</span> <br />
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<u><br /></u>
<u>Udi's Gluten Free Snickerdoodles</u> - These are quite possibly the best cookies that I have ever eaten in my life, with or without flour. They are thick and chewy and just all around wonderful.<br />
<br />
<u>Herb Ox Bouillon Cubes and Packets</u> - So many soups and gravy mixes contain flour. These babies are great to start a gravy. I use them with Minute Rice as a quick side dish that isn't "just rice". The packets are great to make dip with.<br />
<br />
<u>Boar's Head Cold Cuts</u> - If you go to their page they say "We were gluten free long before you thought to ask." I love that. <br />
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<u>GF Bisquick</u> - This stuff is magical. I have used it to make pancakes and to bread fish. I also mixed cornmeal with it to make a great corn bread. This is another pantry staple. <br />
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<u>Perdue Chicken Tenders</u> - These are a great convenience food. It is rare to find "breaded" foods that are safe to eat. These are in regular rotation around here for busy evenings.<br />
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<u>Ore Ida Potato Crowns</u> - These are naturally GF, and another great thing to just throw in the oven quickly for dinners on nights where we run from dance to scouts to Little League. <br />
<br />
<u>Schar White Bread</u> - So far this is the best national brand bread that I have tried. There are a couple of local bakeries around that do more artisanal bread and rolls, but this one is good toasted, and makes a nice grilled cheese.<br />
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<u>Robert's Pirate Booty</u> - We ate this all the time, even before making the change to be GF. It is a great low calorie snack, and perfect to sate carby cravings.<br />
<br />
<u>Cape Cod Potato Chips</u> - Potato chips should be GF, but depending on the flavorings, you have to be careful. All of Cape Cod's are, and they are not cooked in peanut oil, as Utz's are. <br />
<br />
<u>Amy's Lentil Soup</u> - This is a terrific, nutritionally dense soup, and great for an easy lunch. Also, it is quite portable, so I tend to keep a can on hand to bring places where there may not be food for me.<br />
<br />
<u>Amy's Frozen Dinners</u> - My husband's favorite is the tortilla bowl, and he can appreciate the tamales, even if they aren't his mother's. I myself love the cheese enchiladas and the Mac n cheese. I wouldn't recommend the Cheez version however, unless you have really bad dairy issues or tend towards the vegan. GF, Dairy free Mac n' cheese is pushing the boundaries a bit.<br />
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<u>Progresso Clam Chowder</u> - A great soup that is naturally GF, and is found in the regular old aisles of the grocery store. <br />
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<u>Progresso French Onion</u> - I usually use this soup as a base in recipes. I used to use Lipton's dry soup in a lot of things, and this is an acceptable GF substitution. <br />
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<u>Annie's Gluten Free Mac n' Cheese</u> - I love that there is a boxed version that we can still eat.<br />
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<u>Sam Mills Pastas</u> - GF pastas generally have come a long way. Major brands are offering their own, but I still like this one, as it comes in 16 oz. packages for just slightly more than regular pasta costs (other brands reduce the package size, and so I have to make 2 boxes for the family). It is corn based, and perhaps less healthy than some of the brown rice versions, but it is the closest to regular pasta that you can get.<br />
<br />
<u>Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough</u> - I was very excited when I heard about this product. There is just nothing quite like a warm chocolate chip cookie. Of course I can make my own, but I love the option of making these quickly on cold winter days to warm up the house. It's also a good thing to keep on hand to bring to a party, so you will have something sweet to eat. <br />
<br />
<u>Plated</u> - This is a more of a service and not a product. They put together all the ingredients for a meal for you, and mail it right to your door. Their recipes are based on whole foods, and well over half are naturally GF. The recipes tend towards gourmet, but are simple enough that even my husband (a non-cook) can make them. If you want to give them a try, <a href="http://click%20here%20for%20a%20good%20deal./" target="_blank">click here for a good deal. </a><br />
<br />
What are your favorites? What should I add to my list? <br />
<br />Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-5491100526306136242014-06-04T01:04:00.000-04:002014-06-04T01:04:39.286-04:00Early Childhood and Video Games<div>
I was talking to a friend of my mother's recently. She directed some questions to my 5 year old son, and he started chattering on about Minecraft, his latest obsession. I had to explain all that is Minecraft to luddite. The second she heard the words "video game" an audible tsk tsk escaped her lips. I don't think she understands the world of video games today. However, she is not alone as quite a few of my mommy friends don't let their kids have video games of any kind (which is a shame because I could hook them up with my connections). I respect their choices, but I hope that they don't judge me for my choices. </div>
As a disclaimer, my husband makes video games for a living. I personally would consider myself a hardcore-casual gamer, as in when I get into a game that I like, I will generally play to completion. My kids were exposed to video games from a very young age.<br />
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When my eldest was 18 months old, she discovered the wonder of the GameBoy, as did we on a 6 hour cross country flight. Shortly thereafter, the iPhone debuted, in all of it's toddler amusing glory. My friends watched with awe as she flipped between aps, showing her favorites, and then showing off pictures, and even took pictures of them. </div>
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Now, a half dozen years later, my kids are big into video games. They do spend a lot of time playing games, but much less time watching television. I actually prefer they play games, where they are an active participant, rather than sit passively and watch TV or a movie. I think most parents and educators would be pretty amazed at some of the learning that takes place during game play. </div>
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<u>Minecraft</u> is the game of the moment at our house. It is like Legos in the virtual world (and you don't ever step on them!). You can build things, dig in the dirt, raise animals, plant trees, all in a virtual world. There are a couple of different modes in this game. In Survival mode, you start with nothing, and have to craft pick axes and armour and build houses. Then somewhere along the way, they discovered Creative mode, where all possible objects are at your disposal from the get go (no more mining for hours looking for one lousy diamond). My kids had played for several months in Survival mode before they discovered Creative mode. They were all like, how did we not know about this sooner?! Now they build all kinds of crazy huge structures, stores that sell vegetables and lumber, waterfalls from the clouds, lava filled tubs, and huge roller coasters. The level of imagination they display is incredible. There is a magenta carpet path that connects their houses. This game allows for 2 players. When they stray away from each other, they use their maps to find one another. They make up little stories about their villagers. All in all, I feel it is time well spent. </div>
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<u>Skylanders</u> will forever be an all time favorite in our house. One of my favorite parts of this game, as a mother and an educator is how they speak the text, and highlight the words as they are spoken. For emerging and struggling readers, this is a fabulous way to support their reading skills. In the most recent iteration with the addition of the Swap Force characters, my kids are learning about combinations and permutations. There are 16 guys, each with 2 pieces, and a total possible 256 combinations. There is a chart in the menu that shows what combinations you have used. My kids have made it their mission to try to get all 256 combinations. </div>
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<u>Scribblenauts</u> is yet another great game that game that allows for spontaneous learning. In this game you let your imagination run wild, and insert whatever random object pops into your head into the scene. The trick is, you have to know how to spell the word. After a dozen "Mom how do you spell. . ." I got wise. Sound it out. If they get close, autocorrect with in the game will do the rest and make suggestions. They are all gaining confidence as spellers and as readers by playing this game. </div>
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Those are just our 3 favorite games of the moment. Otherwise there are so many skills that are implicitly taught in the video games that they play. For example, you need 50 whatevers to open said area. My son learned to subtract at the ripe old age of 4 because he knew he had 39 whatevers, and needed 11 more to get to 50. Physics is another biggy. Your roller coaster can't make it up the second hill, try making the first hill taller. Can the motorcycle make it through the loop? No? Try going faster. They may not know the terms momentum centripetal force yet, but they get concepts.</div>
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In this era, there is so much great stuff out there. It's not all like Grand Theft Auto (but don't get me wrong, I have played GTA and loved it, though my kids have not yet experienced it). Learning and playing are not mutually exclusive as any Kindergarten teacher will tell you. </div>
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Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-79336255703811390952014-05-29T15:53:00.001-04:002020-05-27T14:34:17.163-04:00Toilet Paper Bride Gone Bad My girls are now 8 and 5. I have gotten to the point where I no longer micromanage bath time. I occasionally stick my head in to make sure they are cleaning what they are supposed to be cleaning, and not flooding the bathroom. Mostly they are fine, but this past time they bathed together, not fine.<br />
Somehow they got the idea to play toilet paper bride in the shower. They make veils out of the toilet paper, and pretend they are brides. They didn't realize the toilet paper would dissolve when it hit the water. Little pieces of toilet paper were stuck in their hair.<br />
Now, for those that don't know me personally, my girls' hair is the curliest of curly. I should further add, I use Deva Curl's No-Poo, which is more of a conditioner specially designed to care for curls.<br />
My eldest tried to wash out the toilet paper with the No-Poo. This had disastrous results. It basically made a paper mache of little toilet paper bits that clung to their curls.<br />
My older daughter came down the stairs, towel on her head, crying. "You are going to be mad at me" she said. <br />
"What did you do, did you cut it?" I asked.<br />
"No" she sobbed.<br />
"Did you dye it?"<br />
"No" with extra sobbing now. <br />
At this point I thought, it can't be so bad if those more permanent options have been ruled out. I went over to her and snatched off the towel, to reveal her white encrusted curls. She wouldn't tell me what it was despite my prodding and repeated inquires. Then the little one pokes her had down the stairs and I see that there has been a second victim. The little one pipes up "It's toilet paper!" Lovely.<br />
I proceed to try to comb it out. It's not really working. I figure it will be easier if it's dry, so I send them to bed. <br />
The next morning, we work on it, and get some of it out, but each and every individual curl is encrusted in white. My daughters fight us as we attempt to brush it out, and this is taking a lot of time and it's soon to be time for school. My eldest got sent to school with half of her hair still encased in white toilet paper mache. (At least we know what to do for the next crazy hair day!)<br />
I continue to work on the little one, who is not yet in school. I get the idea to flat iron it. Thankfully this worked beautifully. Once her hair is straightened, the little white flakes brush out fairly easily. She was very pleased with her new do. <br />
Meanwhile, at school, the second grade teachers are quite concerned with this new hairdo. They discuss it with her, and she refuses to tell them what it actually is, out of embarrassment. She doesn't know that what they are thinking is actually far worse. The child gets sent to the school nurse for more questioning. I can only imagine what the nurse thinks. She does some more work on the rat's nest of hair and toilet paper, and does a fairly thorough job. <br />
When the bus arrives, I am please to see I don't have too much left to do on her head. This is a good thing, because it is time for dance recital dress rehearsal. Of course these things always happen on days when they are going to be getting pictures of them taken.<br />
So the moral of the story is do not play toilet paper bride in the tub. And don't use conditioning, non-sulfate shampoo to try to wash any foreign objects out of curly hair. <br />
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<br />Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-21545552629007854012014-05-15T14:51:00.001-04:002014-05-15T14:51:45.952-04:00Tweenage Sexual EducationMy eldest daughter just turned 8. We have had the "where do babies" come from talk. The daddy puts a seed in the mommies belly yadayadayada. Lately though she is asking more and more difficult questions, like how do some people have babies before they are married, while others do not. I do my best to be honest with her while still keeping the conversation age appropriate. I hope to do right by her, and prepare her well for the big scary world out there.<br />
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I think back to my own "talk" with my parents. As I started to show signs of puberty, my parents asked me if I knew the low down. I had read plenty of Judy Blume, and had a general idea. I answered in metaphors and my father, a scientist, told me I had no clue what I was talking about. Looking back, it may have been overly poetic, but I was at least sort of right. I was handed a copy of "Our Bodies Ourselves" and sent on my way. <br />
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While I did have a general sense of the biology behind the female cycle, there was so much that I did not feel prepared for. The Sex Ed both at home and at my Catholic school were all about "DO NOT". There was no help for dealing with the finer subtleties of social interactions with the opposite sex. Like so many women, I had to rely on my peers for advice, not that they were any more knowledgable than myself. I was a source of information for my younger sisters, and I hope they found themselves slightly better prepared for the world than I was. <br />
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One thing about my coming of age in the midst of an AIDS epidemic, there was a lot of information about condoms all over the place. "No glove, no love" commercials abounded, and there were many PSAs like <a href="http://youtu.be/ptDINzYj9aw" target="_blank">this one with Johnny Depp</a>. When I was in 5th grade, the word <i>condemn</i> was a vocabulary word one week. Each week our teacher would have us pronounce the word and venture a guess at a definition. When we got to condemn, the class fell silent. We were all thinking the exact same thing. The teacher was stunned by our silence. She prodded for a few minutes. Surely someone must know this word. Finally, knowing I was a voracious reader and may have an idea, she called on me. I meekly said "condom". Thankfully she burst out laughing so I did not have to proffer a definition for the word. Nearly in tears, she said, "No, they wouldn't put that on a 5th grade vocab list." Honestly though, I think we all could have benefitted from an explanation of what one was, just as we should have been instructed as to the correct spelling of the word condom. <br />
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I remember being asked by some older girls if I was a "virgin" when I was about 12. I had no concept of what the term actually meant beyond reference to the Virgin Mother and perhaps the Madonna song. Of course I was one, but I didn't really know what the question meant. I had not even kissed a boy at that point, but given the paradox that Mary can be a virgin and somehow end up pregnant, what sense is the word supposed to make to a kid? <br />
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Fast forward 2 or so years to high school. After years in a nice little Catholic School environment, I was thrust into a large, inner-city public high school. The first week of school, an upper classman pinned me against a locker and said to me perhaps the dirtiest thing I have ever heard, even to this day. I had no idea what to do or what to say. This for sure would now be labeled sexual harassment, but back then, I'm not so sure that even if I had said something to someone that anything would have been done. Several male teachers and even the Vice Principal at the time were known for placing advances on young pretty girls.<br />
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I eventually found my way, though it took some trial end error, and a failed first marriage to figure it all out. I'm hoping my daughters have an easier time of it. I do hope to arm them with more knowledge than I had, and maybe even some vocabulary words. Otherwise they may turn to their friends, or worse, to the interwebs for answers. God only knows what will come up if they search for certain keywords. Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-1566944502455245912014-03-19T19:26:00.001-04:002014-03-20T14:33:44.919-04:00In Defense of the Common CoreI hear a lot of Common Core bashing. My 2nd grader is one of the first to be educated with the Common Core, beginning from Kindergarten. The math has changed from when you were a kid, we are aware. Parents are frustrated. I get it. Not being able to explain things to your 7 year old who doesn't really want to do their math homework, and you don't get it put you in a less than ideal situation. <br />
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Half the parents I know posted this <a href="http://www.activistpost.com/2013/12/4th-grade-common-core-math-problem.html" target="_blank">video</a> when it came out, as a blow against the Common Core. In case you didn't watch it, here is the gist. There is a math problem. The kids are expected to use a method that the mother in the video deems ridiculous. <br />
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Mr.Yamata's class has 18 students.If the class counts around by a number and ends with 90. What number did they count by?<br />
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Most reasonable people would simply divide 90 by 18 to get 5. However, in this scenario, the kids are expected to draw 18 circles and make hash marks rather than treat this as a division problem. How ridiculous is this? Turning a one step quickie division problem into a 108 step problem. What is the point of that? Let's throw out all the skills that are being taught and go complain to the school board. <br />
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The point of that is it teaches procedural knowledge. It gives them an alternate method to get to the answer. This may not seem important when we are talking about a simple division problem, but what if the problem is more complex? <br />
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In an Educational Psychology class I am taking, we were given a seemingly simple problem. Here we are all graduate students. The majority of us have taken statistics in some form. All but 3 of us took the NYS Math Regents Sequence. There were even 2 math teachers in the room. So here is the problem:<br />
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You are making a fruit salad. There are 5 fruits you can use - apples, strawberries, grapes, bananas, oranges. The bowl you are using will only hold the salad if you limit it to 3 fruits. How many different combinations are possible?<br />
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A. 10<br />
B. 15<br />
C. 20<br />
D. 30<br />
E. 120<br />
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The discussion begins. "Don't we use 5! and multiply out 5*4*3*2*1?" "No, you would would do that if the order were important." "I think she is right, but you have to divide it by something." "But what? What do you divide by? Do you remember the formula?"<br />
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Then finally someone suggest we write it out. A S G B O. Apple Strawberry Grape and so on.<br />
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ASG<br />
ASB<br />
ASO<br />
AGB<br />
AGO<br />
ABO<br />
SGB<br />
SGO<br />
SBO<br />
GBO<br />
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So there are 10 combinations. We as graduate students used a process very similar to drawing circles and making hash marks because not one of us remembered the formula to figure out combinations and somehow we got to the right answer. Yes, if we could have recalled the formula it may have been quicker. Does that make our method less valid?<br />
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The point of the seemingly ridiculous exercise talked about in the video is to give the kids an alternate way to do the problem. You can't always recall every formula for each problem by wrote. Occasionally you may need to figure something out using a less than ideal method, and that is okay. In this era of high stakes testing, it is important for kids to understand that there may be more than one method to get to the correct answer. You can also use a method like this to double check your work. So please, do all of the 4th grade math teachers a favor and cut them some slack. They are teaching skills that will be useful in a variety of situations, even when you can't remember the formula. <br />
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If you are curious the way you would do this problem follows.<br />
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5<span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span>3<br />
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<img src="http://www.mathsisfun.com/combinatorics/images/combinations-no-repeat-b.png" height="53" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: -webkit-center;" width="248" /><br />
<br />
n=5<br />
r=3<br />
<br />
<u>(5*4*3*2*1)</u><br />
(3*2*1)(2*1)<br />
<br />
<u>120</u><br />
(6)(2)<br />
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120/12= 10Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-13145014584893098782014-03-04T22:53:00.000-05:002014-03-06T23:06:35.863-05:00The Rules of Frozen Sheet Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I grew up playing Disney songs. I had a big thick Disney Songbook that I wore out, and had to replace because I loved it so much. I taught music lessons and often went back to the Disney songbook for various lessons. I would teach Scales and Arpeggios from Aristocats as a fun way to teach modulations. Teaching music from Sleeping Beauty means you are actually teaching Tchaikovsky. "When I see and Elephant Fly" and "Cruella DeVille"are great songs to teach jazz patterns.<br />
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When a movie like the Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast came out when I was a budding young pianist, one of the best parts was getting the sheet music and learning all of the songs. Many happy hours were spent at the piano learning those songs by heart. So when Frozen came out, I knew that I would be buying the sheet music. Somehow, now as a mother with children, my experience of the music was quite changed.<br />
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First, when the book arrived, there had been milk spilled upon it within 5 minutes of it's entry into the house. I should have taken that as an omen. I saw a post from <a href="http://www.rantsfrommommyland.com/2014/02/the-rules-of-singing-frozen.html" target="_blank">Rants from Mommy Land</a> on the Rules for Singing Frozen. I knew I had to put my own twist on the playing of Frozen songs.<br />
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1. There must be a child in my lap as I play anything from Frozen. Playing piano around a child while also sight reading the music can prove challenging. Sitting next to me on a piano bench is not acceptable. Using pedals won't work either.<br />
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2. If it were up to me and my usual musical process, I would play the first song in the book, and then play through each one till I got to the end of the book. This cannot happen. I have to play "Let it Go" first. Then there after some in fighting we may finally agreed on "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"and then "In Summer" could be next. When I try to play "Reindeer are Better Than People" I was met with a chorus of nos. <br />
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3. The kids would be happy if I just banged out the melodies for their favorite songs. They really do not care if I play the chords and accompaniment or not. When I try to play intros or bridges they get impatient.<br />
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4. If I miss a sharp or flat, they let me know "Mommy, you are not very good." They don't understand that the chromatics and modulations in "Let It Go" are a bit tricky, especially since the song is already starting off in A flat. <br />
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5. I am not allowed to sing, ever, even if it is to help them with the words, or to correct their pitch. Which leads me to -<br />
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6. Children singing Frozen are never off key, or at least you can't tell them that they are. They can effortlessly sing a song that spans the entirety of 2 octaves, even if it means growling the low notes or screeching the high notes. <br />
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7. I may not turn Frozen sing along time into a music lesson, in any way shape or form. Frozen transcends notes and rhythms and any mention of "Peanut Butter" or "Every Good Boy Does Fine" will not be tolerated. <br />
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8. I can now only play Frozen songs. Any attempts to play anything other than Frozen are met with booing. <br />
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<br />Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-51869275933985243592014-02-11T10:50:00.000-05:002014-02-11T10:50:29.685-05:00A Fairytale Journey<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">On
November 25<sup>th</sup>, 2009, I was in a parking lot, waiting for my older son’s
preschool class to be over for the day. Before I had to drag my sleeping
toddler out into the cold, I spent a moment typing on my blackberry the first
line of a story I had floating around in my head. “Much farther north than most
humans would dare settle, December unleashed its relentless fury.” Until that
day, writing as a career was just a far-fetched fantasy. But having one
sentence down was a step I had never been brave enough to take before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I
didn’t always know that I wanted to be a writer. My experience was quite the
opposite, actually. I never kept a diary as a child. I wasn’t even an avid
reader. I preferred playing outdoors and I survived the long New York winters
with Mario Brothers and Disney princesses. Reading and writing were both chores
that went along with schoolwork. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">By
high school, though, I came to realize that my high grades were not due to brilliance,
much to my dismay, but because I could write those thesis papers, expository
essays, DBQs, creative projects, and get “A’s” on top of them. But I never had
a passion for journalism, I despised all study of grammar, and I liked but
didn’t love the “great” literature I was exposed to. And I was raised to be
practical. I wanted to graduate from college and find a job. I was a true child
of the Renaissance, good at everything, phenomenal at nothing, but I had to choose.
So I picked biology as a major.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">College
for me was like a day job. I never lived on campus. I would go to class, do the
work, and when I went home, “life” began for the day. Again, writing was just
part of work–lab reports, papers for my electives–and it helped boost my
grades, but the bulk of my achievement was measured with exams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I
did pretty well in college with biology, so I assumed I had made the right
choice. I never asked myself if I enjoyed the content. I did…enough, I thought.
I would never love science as much as music, art, English, history, or psychology,
but I didn’t see that as a problem. I believed I’d be able to pursue other
interests in my “down time.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Then
came graduate school. I was doing so much science around the clock that I could
barely stay awake in class. There was no down time. And here’s what happened. While
trying to cram facts, theories based on facts, and theories based on theories
into my head, the information just wasn’t taking root, and the creative side of
my brain kept getting louder and more resentful. If any of my former co-workers
ever looked over at me and thought I was in my own little world, I probably
was.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSRq6lEiWC3C7aZ2eCsCsY4risVTVMmv_KJPSCHvQHUcKFFgzokLf4WbmCZsLKz2BHbf-GFQ9W8R9SYMqhMoa9vvIDoK1z4UZ5kgs4hdS0MxQNtL90IvNN9pZDSgutXV18vHKwld_Pwk/s1600/IMG_1554.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSRq6lEiWC3C7aZ2eCsCsY4risVTVMmv_KJPSCHvQHUcKFFgzokLf4WbmCZsLKz2BHbf-GFQ9W8R9SYMqhMoa9vvIDoK1z4UZ5kgs4hdS0MxQNtL90IvNN9pZDSgutXV18vHKwld_Pwk/s1600/IMG_1554.PNG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter'; font-size: 11pt;"> Thanks Eileen and Mike for your creative
genius/computer wizardry </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
first “book” I imagined was a sci-fi thriller. I don’t remember the details.
After I left school, I had to put the writing idea away for a while. Life
intervened. I had a baby by this point and I was working in a genetics lab full
time. By 9:30 at night, when my near sleepless firstborn FINALLY called it
quits, I was too exhausted to watch television, so writing was out of the
question. But, during those long experiments, my mind kept wandering to the
idea that fairies seemed underrepresented in the fantasy world. And I knew why.
Tinker Bell, circa 2007, was the fairy world representative, and what appeal
did she have to an adult audience? Not much. And so, Christopher and Joseph
MacRae were born. I had the basic storyline in my head for two years–two
modern-day American brothers who believe they’re human, their missing fairy father,
his evil fairy-queen ex-wife, and Cassiopeia, the fairy princess who thickens
the plot in every way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">After
I wrote the first line of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy Tale</i>,
the project idled until after the New Year. But then, thanks to improved
cellphone technology, I could write anywhere, anytime. The true birth of
“Pyxis” began in the microscopy “caves” of Skidmore College. By the third
chapter, there was no turning back. I woke up before sunrise, went to bed late,
and was chased in my nightmares by the very villains I had created…and they’re
pretty nasty. In other words, the story wouldn’t rest, and essentially, it wrote
itself. By August 2010, my rough draft was complete, and I was stoked. It was
one of those “best day ever” feelings, something I had never experienced in all
my years as a scientist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">After
that, I tweaked, revised, trimmed and fattened the manuscript, and then had
some family members help me out. I considered their feedback and revised it
again. When I decided it was “finished,” I attempted to find an agent, and the
process was heartbreaking, especially after one of my first letters received a
promising response. But nothing ever came of it. And the rejections letters
kept piling up at a time when my husband and I really needed a lucky break. I
was also looking for a job again, in science. I had two major interviews, but
they led to more rejection. By my thirtieth birthday (April, 2011), I was at an
all-time personal and career low. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Fortunately,
my husband received a life-changing promotion at his new job. So we moved out
of New York and left some of our problems behind. My career issues didn’t exactly
go away, but the pressure to find employment was off. So I continued writing–I
never really stopped–and I finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Rising Star</i>, the second book of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy
Tale</i> series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">By
2012, I was pregnant (again), and spent my “free” time editing and entering
book one, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Winter’s Bite</i>, into a few
contests. Rejection then took on a new name. It was called “feedback.” It’s one
of those things new writers can’t get enough of, until they do, and then they
wish they could give it back in the form of some very choice words. Was it all
bad? No. There was a fair amount of positive or constructive feedback. However,
there were a few judges out for blood, and I overwhelmed myself with their
reviews at a time when I was emotionally and hormonally unstable. The
experience culminated in a disastrous meltdown at a Friendly’s in Bennington, VT.
Luckily, my sister came to me with the idea of this blog at the perfect time.
For my health and wellbeing, I needed a lightweight distraction from the
series. So I spent the summer before Emily’s birth blogging about my
pregnancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Jt7aupg_Nkpj344gGWS6P8giPESYeOXbGd2eNG4c6lO7Hk6LoTaCVJGIWqFuX68tiNwNO-gUr5rptpm9jTPBJkrLjG2qS9wL53fXVWCV5HE1VBspZoT_k3owLhQiKphKgwghAHor5-w/s1600/IMG_4937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Jt7aupg_Nkpj344gGWS6P8giPESYeOXbGd2eNG4c6lO7Hk6LoTaCVJGIWqFuX68tiNwNO-gUr5rptpm9jTPBJkrLjG2qS9wL53fXVWCV5HE1VBspZoT_k3owLhQiKphKgwghAHor5-w/s1600/IMG_4937.JPG" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter'; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Emily Rose: A Pregnancy Story</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Once
life plus one stabilized to some extent, I revisited the contest feedback. I
took what I could from it and ignored what I disagreed with. Then I embarked on
the most ambitious revision project to date. The work was tedious and more
challenging than I expected, and early on, I had doubts the corrections were
necessary, or even possible in some cases. The point of view of my book
(omniscient) wasn’t wrong, per se, but it didn’t meet “industry standards”
(third person, limited). But I kept at it, sentence by sentence, chapter by
chapter, and ultimately fixed what I once worried wasn’t fixable. By the fall of
2013, I called the project “finished,” once again, and despite my initial
qualms, it was better than ever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So
why did I continue with a path so full of rejection, self-doubt, and heartache?
Why didn’t I just get a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">paying</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>job, go back to school, or succumb to
the mommy-brain-drain powers of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr. Oz</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Days of Our Lives</i>? The answer is
simple. Because in every <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy Tale</i>
character there’s a piece of me–the brooding loner, the analytical smartass,
the optimist who refuses to let darkness prevail. And so their story deserves
to be told…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">And
while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy Tale: Winter’s Bite</i> is in
the hands of an editor, I’ve been wearing in my sexy sweatpants, firing up my
Keurig with the dedication of an addict, and cranking up the heat both real and
imaginary, all so I could take a trip back in time to Gloucester, Massachusetts,
1979. There, I met up with Scott MacRae, the patriarch of my fairy dynasty, and
the one who started it all–an epic fantasy war and a forbidden love affair with
a human–and I let him tell his own story in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Disgrace</i>.
It’s free on Wattpad,</span> <span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/11656358-disgrace">http://www.wattpad.com/story/11656358-disgrace</a>.
You don’t need to join the site to read it, but feel free if you’re ready to
catch the new wave in indie publishing. Plus, I’m always on the market for new
groupies </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "American Typewriter"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI2rsXVqpHuLBoJVqcHQPy3wQ4qPkgr4KQt00eY83ajCY6yPgEvRGYpKePuhJHhPsxxyiisJ_KMQAUy-av02Oan81VAofQR154lnHKKudbb1XEXgCWxH-QqlCRIqoZDWSY7OvPFOnMho/s1600/IMG_5779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI2rsXVqpHuLBoJVqcHQPy3wQ4qPkgr4KQt00eY83ajCY6yPgEvRGYpKePuhJHhPsxxyiisJ_KMQAUy-av02Oan81VAofQR154lnHKKudbb1XEXgCWxH-QqlCRIqoZDWSY7OvPFOnMho/s1600/IMG_5779.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">For
more information about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy Tale</i>
series, check out my new author page on Facebook (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alicia-Britton-Author/351622061645290"><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alicia-Britton-Author/351622061645290</span></a><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">). In the “about”
section, I’ve posted a summary of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Winter’s
Bite</i> and a brief excerpt. Please stop by. Let me know what you think. And
go ahead. Be a fan. I dare you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Lastly,
I want to thank my dedicated readers–Carissa, Eileen, Greg, Katie, Steve,
Brooke, Janet, my editor, as well as Leo and Mike for taking a look at my
synopsis. Without you, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy Tale</i>
wouldn’t be as grammatically correct (Carissa), romantically succinct (Eileen),
action packed (Greg), or logical (Steve). And thanks to all my future readers,
like you. Anyone who has read this blog post in its entirety must have some
interest and you are certainly worthy of mention!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Best,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Alicia<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "American Typewriter"; font-size: 11.0pt;">P.S. This photo is just for fun. Thanks again, Eileen and Mike. I think I laughed for a good ten minutes when I saw this for the first time...</span><br />
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Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12996088557753947675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-66648252436166408912014-02-10T12:23:00.002-05:002014-03-06T23:09:44.628-05:00Million Dollar Babies How many distressed babies does it take to pay a CEO? 12. Cheaper by the dozen? Is there a discount for multiples. The recent remarks by AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong really hit close to home. <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-07/aol-ceo-blames-workers-costly-pregnancies-obamacare-for-401-k-cuts" target="_blank">In case you didn't see the news, here is an article about his original comments. </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/02/tim_armstrong_blames_distressed_babies_for_aol_benefit_cuts_he_s_talking.html" target="_blank">Click here for the response from one of the mothers of said distressed babies. </a><br />
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We lovingly call our twins the million dollar babies. I spent 6 weeks hanging upside down in the hospital, then when the twins were born they had 26 days of NICU time between the 2 of them, which all in all was a lot less than it could have been. Thank God we had health insurance through my husband's employer since I had been unable to work through the majority of my pregnancy. <br />
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When I first found out I was carrying twins, my mind automatically imagined bed rest and NICU stays. At my 20 week ultrasound, I went in so excited to find out the genders of the babies. My husband and I had agreed to a moratorium on the name discussion till we knew for sure what we were looking at. I left that appointment being told I was on bed rest for the foreseeable future. To add insult to injury, I was told that my baby girl had a heart defect, and may not make it. The words "selective reduction" were used. I don't care what your stance is on abortion. When you are carrying 2 very wanted babies, the thought of killing one of them and simultaneously putting the other's life in jeopardy is not something you want to think about. But I suppose Tim Armstrong would have had me cull the herd rather than shell out for a "distressed baby". <br />
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Obviously this man has never felt the pain and anguish of having your babies whisked away before even get to look at them, as he was stitched up post c-section. He has not had to lie in recovery, shaking from post operative hypothermia, and beg the nurses to check on the results of his baby girl's EKG and sonogram. He has not had to walk the length of a football field one day post surgical to the NICU because the nurses were on the shift change and too busy to get him a wheel chair when it was time to feed the babies. He has not felt the anguish that is leaving the hospital without the babies that he carried inside for too short a time. He has not had to take one baby home, leaving one behind. He has not had to beg his husband to take him back to the NICU at 10 pm for one last feeding of the sick baby still at the NICU, because there is another baby at home that will keep him up all night. If he had gone through that, he would not be so quick to judge. <br />
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Does he think that any mother would want a baby to have to be in the NICU. No one would wish that for anyone. Conversely, if it were his baby, wouldn't he want everything possible done to ensure that baby had a chance at life? <br />
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Tim Armstrong has apologized, but I don't buy it. I think he needs a little sensitivity training to be sure. Maybe he should go visit the NICU at his local hospital (and perhaps even donate a bit of his $12 million dollar salary). He should bring some food for those families who are in crisis.He should sit and talk to them, and look in their weary eyes that are red from crying. He would then know that no amount of money was too much to protect these delicate lives. <br />
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<br />Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-64128771772077997652014-01-14T22:45:00.001-05:002014-03-06T23:06:35.902-05:00Volunteer Blues<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have been a volunteer in many capacities. I have served on parish councils, headed youth ministry, chaired many a committee, been on boards of not for profits and I am currently the Secretary of the PTO. I have </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">planned Science Fairs, Easter Egg Hunts and Family Picnics. I have hosted ChristmaHanaRamaKwanza shindigs, and Not So Scary Halloween Parties. I have directed plays and conducted musical groups. I understand that not everyone is cut out for this type of work. I am happy to take on the role. What frustrates me the most is the "helpful" comments and "constructive" criticism from the arm chair quarterbacks that feel that it is their right to do post game analysis when they had zero role in the planning and execution of the event. If you aren't going to contribute, then don't criticize. At every event, I have my own running list of what could have gone better, what went well, and what could be changed for next time. I don't need anyone to point it out to me after the fact. It is really not at all helpful, and will cause me to mutter curse words under my breath. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of the below have been actual comments made to me over the years. As a public service I will share them in hopes of making the world a little better for all of the harried volunteers our there. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1.<i> "Why don't you hold a bake sale, car wash, or pancake breakfast?"</i> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Um we do. Every year, several in fact. We fund raise in many different ways, continually. We carefully chose the events we did based on our talents and interests, and what we thought would give us the greatest amount of return for our time. If you would like to plan an additional fundraiser that you would plan and execute, feel free to do so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. <i>"My other group had a wonderful consignment sale, hosted a conference, put on a full scale production of <u>Into the Woods</u>."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's great. Again, would you like to chair it? I have already bit off more than I can chew. Adding another huge event would likely send me over the edge. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. <i>"Wouldn't it be wonderful if our Pastor/President/Principal would MC, get in the dunk tank, or play Dumbledore at Harry Potter night."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You know, I had the same thought in my initial vision. Unfortunately our Pastor had an unexpected funeral, our principal had a District wide board meeting, and our President's kids got sick at the last minute. These people tend to go above and beyond in their jobs. It is wonderful if they can give more time, but if they can't it is okay for them not to. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. <i>"I didn't hear anything about the event. You should do more publicity"</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have meetings, we have a website, we have a Facebook page, we have a newsletter. Emails were sent. Flyers were posted. There is a giant banner outside of the school advertising the event. We sent a note home with your kid as well. While I can understand a physical note may not have gotten to your hands, there are other means of getting the information. Please use them before criticizing us for not getting the word out. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. <i>"I know I forgot to RSVP but can I possibly sneak in at the 11th hour?"</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If the people planning an event request an RSVP, they do so for a reason. It is nice to know if we are having 14 or 40 or 400. Food has to be ordered, photocopies made, swag bags stuffed. When an Easter Egg Hunt is put on, be sure it is not the actual Easter Bunny hiding all of those eggs. It is nice to know how many people to plan for. On the flip side, it is good to know if there is no interest at all in our event so that we can cancel, and spare ourselves the pain of planning the event only to have no one come. Once we cancel though, no whining, as we gave you the opportunity to sign up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. <i>"I was on my way out the door and I called/texted/emailed to ask you a question about the event, but you didn't answer."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So sorry I failed to answer your question in a timely manner. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off setting up said event. It is very unlikely that I will have a moment to check my email or hear my cell phone. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. <i>"I know I volunteered to help, but I didn't realize that I would not be able to also watch my kids."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh really, you don't think a hot, crowded kitchen is a good place for kids to be. Because I don't have 3 of my own, including a set of twins that are way younger than yours. Meanwhile I now have my husband scooping ice cream to replace you and I'm hoping my 14 year old neighbor is actually watching my kids like I begged her to. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. <i>"How come we changed venues/vendors?" or "How come we use the same vendors every year?"</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There are a lot of considerations that go into event planning. Was the date available? Does the venue require insurance that we don't have? Does the park have public bathrooms and/or a pavilion in case of rain? Does the bouncy guy have a law suit pending? Was the clown we used last year arrested for selling marijuana? Or maybe we use the same place over and over because they give us a deal. Or maybe the known is more comfortable for the person actually doing all of the work. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">9. <i>"It seemed like you could have used more help." or "Why weren't they passing out programs at all of the entrances, not just in the rear?" or "Why did you have to close some of the tables?" or "Why were there 12 year olds running things?"</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It may seem like we were short staffed, because we were, </span><span style="font-size: large;">which is why I spent the last 3 months of my life begging for volunteers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">10. <i>"I know you took a poll/vote, in which I did not participate, but now that you made plans based on the majority, I am going to crap all over what was decided."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I often ask people for feedback. I have done Facebook polls or used Survey Monkey. Which night of the week works best? What time can everyone be here? Which restaurant should we hold our Mom's Night Out at? I want to be successful, and therefore attempt to do what the majority wants. Not voting, and then telling me 6pm is too early, or that the restaurant that had the most votes once gave you food poisoning is not at all helpful. </span></span><br />
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<br />Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-24102934937545398472013-11-21T15:38:00.000-05:002014-06-08T00:18:01.578-04:00My Son - Future President<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I had written a <a href="http://nesmalltownparenting.blogspot.com/2012/05/dancey-dance-dilemas.html" target="_blank">post</a> a while back about the decision to put my son in dance. Fast forward a bit, he loves it. He stole the show at the recital last June. I would over hear people talking about the cute little chef. People commented on the studio's Facebook page about his performance.</div>
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Now his teacher is trying to top that number. They are dancing to a Frank Sinatra song. She thought maybe we should put him in a tuxedo for this year's recital. He asked me what that was, so I showed him this picture. </div>
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<a href="http://images.tuxedosonline.com/ssl/tools/GetImage.aspx?s=4&id=149-blk" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.tuxedosonline.com/ssl/tools/GetImage.aspx?s=4&id=149-blk" /></a></div>
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He looked skeptical, so I figured he needed a better reference point. I Googled Frank Sinatra in a tuxedo, but the images skewed towards older Frank.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bquJbZVwGUI/S8YW9OQBUxI/AAAAAAAABWE/RNo_QOsRzyc/s1600/frank_sinatra-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bquJbZVwGUI/S8YW9OQBUxI/AAAAAAAABWE/RNo_QOsRzyc/s1600/frank_sinatra-1.jpg" height="320" width="259" /></a></div>
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And then of course there was the famous mug shot that popped up. </div>
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<a href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/dr/teg/tsg/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/670xX/photos/sinatramug1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/dr/teg/tsg/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/670xX/photos/sinatramug1.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
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So my son in his infinite wisdom, says </div>
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"I don't want to look like that guy. I want to look like Obama."</div>
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<a href="http://weaselzippers.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/obama-tux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://weaselzippers.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/obama-tux.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
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I think he is onto something. </div>
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Really, as a mother, would you rather your son be a member of the Rat Pack?</div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSMenr6PDjldIgRYuVmUS9wtNdCccF348WGOFpjCaCO1Eur2KsUtw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSMenr6PDjldIgRYuVmUS9wtNdCccF348WGOFpjCaCO1Eur2KsUtw" /></a></div>
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Or President? </div>
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<a href="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02458/obama-ball-dance-2_2458419k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02458/obama-ball-dance-2_2458419k.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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Either way though, the dance lessons will come in handy, I'm sure. </div>
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But, for now, he looked pretty cute in his white tuxedo.</div>
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Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-30011547399382596982013-08-29T19:20:00.001-04:002014-03-06T23:08:42.227-05:00Classroom Separation Anxiety When you have twins, there are a number of parenting questions and challenges that come up that the singleton mom never has to face. (A singleton mom is one that birthed just one child per pregnancy in case you are not up on the lingo of the multiple mom). Perhaps the biggest question that plagues our minds is whether to not to separate the twins when they get to school.<br />
There are valid arguments on both sides of the issue. On the pro side, separation can help the twins to form their own separate identities and not be viewed as a unit of "the twins". Having them apart prevents the teacher from mixing them up, or comparing the two. They will be more likely to have their own friends and interests, and not ride one another's coat tails. Sibling rivalry can be problematic in the classroom. You would never hit a classmate, but hitting your brother is a daily occurrence. Also, if one twin is more dominant, and the other more introverted, the more loquacious will answer for both. <br />
On the side of keeping them together there are just as many valid arguments. Being together keeps them from feeling alone or abandoned. If one of your twins is an "informer" you will get a better picture of what is going on in the classroom. There isn't the inherent unfairness of more or less homework, or better field trips. You don't have to split yourself in two on parent's night or at the holiday parties. You only have to make 24 cupcakes on their birthday, not 48, and invite just one class, not two, to a party. <br />
From early on, I felt that I would like to keep my twins together. I recently got confirmation that our district is very flexible, and has done it both ways. This was a relief to me. I don't want to be bullied into separating them, as so many parents are. While I can see both sides, and would never criticize those that think separation is best for their kids, I want to make the decision as to what is best for my individual kids. <br />
If you ask them, they will tell you without hesitation that they want to stay together. I realize that I am the parent, and my husband and I are responsible for making decisions for them. However, their own wishes and desires should be taken into account nevertheless. <br />
Some other factors that are particular to my children are present as well. I'll share my reasoning for argument's sake. For them, there truly is not a dominant twin, which per anecdotal history is a rarity. My singleton and eldest is most assuredly the dominant personality in the house. <br />
The fact that they are boy/girl twins will prevent the teacher from mixing them up (hopefully) and assures that they likely will have different friends even if they are in the same class, as they are already quite individual in their tastes and preferences.<br />
Another burning issue for me is my daughter's hearing impairment. While we have been working on her speech with a therapist, and made a second home of our ENT's office, the issues persist. I hate to put her in a setting without him. I do know that she eventually needs to make her own way in the world, and that I really should not saddle her brother with the burden of being her ears. However, I can't help but think that the fact that they are twins is a blessing in disguise. <br />
As for my son, my daughter is his conscience. I fear for the teacher that gets my son without my daughter present. That teacher would have a rough year for sure. There is no one who can calm him down after a melt down like she can. His future wife will need to make use of her expertise. <br />
Also, I have a family history of twins. Though my grandmother passed away shortly after the twins were born, she and I did have long phone conversations while I was pregnant and on bed rest. She imparted much wisdom on the care and feeding of 2 babies at once and all other twin related issues. She kept her twins (my aunt and uncle) together in the early years and felt that it worked well for them, and then they went their own way when they got to middle school. I will likely take her sage advice and opt to keep my twins together for now, until it becomes a problem or they ask to be in separate classes. <br />
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<br />Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-20927392333611313592013-08-22T01:13:00.002-04:002014-03-06T23:08:36.054-05:00Mommy's Favorite MilestonesSome parents wait anxiously for that first word, or the first steps. Those milestones are for chumps. You spend the next 17 or so years telling them to sit down and be quiet. The real milestones that actually make a difference in Mommy's world are way different than what you find spaces for in baby books. <br />
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1. Being able to hold your own bottle - I had twins, and I can tell you, I contorted into all sorts of positions with various pillows and boppys to be able to feed 2 babies at once. As soon as they were able to hold their own bottles, my entire world changed!<br />
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2. Being able to self feed - Once you are able to sit them in a high chair with some puffs or a saltine, again, your world changed. You can cook a meal, you can eat a meal, perhaps even while it is hot!<br />
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3. Throwing up in the toilet - When the twins were 3 or so, we were cursed with a stomach bug. However, my daughter had an aha momet. "I frow up in da toilet so I don't make a mess." Yes YESYESYES!!! Life changing indeed. <br />
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4. Being able to get their own cereal - This will change your weekend mornings. You may actually be able to sleep beyond the break of dawn. <br />
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5. Being able to answer the phone - My house phone is able to announce the name of the caller. I have it programmed to say if "Daddy" or "Grandma" is calling. My cell phone has pictures of beloved family members. It is wonderful to let them pick up the phone, especially if I am in the shower. If they do happen to acidentally pick up and get a telemarketer, the results are often amusing. My preschooler once gave one poor unsuspecting person an earfull about how there aren't many words that begin with the letter X. <br />
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6. Locating their father - No longer do I have to scream up the stairs, or tramp out to the garage in my pajamas. I can relay messages through my children. <br />
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7. Packing lunches - This is not my favorite thing. Some moms do love notes and cute heart sandwhich cutouts. I use my credit card to put money in the school lunch account. My eldest quickly learned that if she didn't want to eat goulash on Tuesdays, she would have to pack her own lunch. One less thing for me in the mornings. <br />
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8. Dressing oneself - Speaking of mornings, picking out their own clothes and being able to actually put them on their body is a big deal. We have discovered that my younger daughter has quite the fashion sense. In contrast, my son has a sense of humor about his clothes, and frequently declares it is backwards day if you point out that Mario should be on his chest and not on his back. <br />
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9. Buckling seatbelts - No more back seat yoga poses! I have ended up underneath the car on an icy day whilst attempting to buckle wiggly toddlers in snow suits into 5 point harnesses.<br />
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10. Being able to tell you about their day - Relaying a story is no small feat. I have 2 kids in speech therapy. Them being able to tell you that they had grilled cheese for lunch and then did fingerpaints at grandma's house is a really big deal. For the moments that I miss, I get to feel like I was there.Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-56905928803872732002013-08-22T00:46:00.001-04:002014-03-06T23:08:36.079-05:00Amusement Park Woes We had the occasion to go to 6 Flags Great Escape this past weekend. The kids had a great time, but it made me realize that we are in sort of an in between stage when it comes to rides, too small for some, but heaven forbid you suggest a baby ride.<br />
My eldest just hit the 48" mark. This brought with it the milestone of the first upside down roller coaster.This also meant we were no longer together as a family for the day. My husband and I took turns taking her on one thrill ride after another, whilst the other took the twins on the kiddie rides. <br />
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My son is not quite 42", which means that there are a great many rides that he is just shy of making the cutoff for, rides that we cold have ridden as a family. For example the Raging River, which is one of my favorites. It is one of those few rides we could all five get on together, in one boat, not having to split the numbers awkwardly. <br />
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We did get to go on the Desperado Plunge, but had to split up. I took the twins, and my husband took my eldest. While in line, a woman asked as to their age, thinking they were a bit small for the ride. I assured her they were 4 and 1/2. She said they are a small 4. Just what I needed to hear in that moment after watching my son try to stand on tip toes all day long. My son loved the ride, it was one of the only big rides he got to go on, and he begged to go again. My yonger daughter was terrified the first go around, but was a good sport and went for a second ride. My eldest took the opportunity to ride yet another roller coaster. <br />
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We have been talking about the possibility of going to Disney. I'd like to wait until everyone is tall enough to ride the majority of the rides. I checked their website, and Space Mountain as well as a few other big attractions are at 44" not 42"! It may be a while before my son gets there. I don't want to wish their childhood away, but it would be nice if he would actually get onto the growth curve.Carissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05422466134262936669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6295068684710039753.post-34655257656073112902013-08-19T11:47:00.000-04:002013-09-16T09:13:23.212-04:00Small Victories<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Today, August 19th, is my daughter's first
birthday. She's a toddler now, discovering her world, testing her limits,
finding herself. She loves to sing, hoard as many spoons as she can hold (and
usually hijacks the one I'm using), and she loves her brothers (but if they
infringe upon her mommy time, they get a good whack in the head.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b>Spoon Hijacker, a.k.a. Silly Peach</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This day is a milestone for me, too. Though
I can't say this has been a great year for personal growth, in July I made the
(wise) decision to channel my frustration more constructively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">"I'm going to start running," I
said to my husband out of the blue one day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Smart man that he is, he didn't argue (for
once), or complain when I said I needed new running shoes. The only sneakers I
had were older than my first born and he's going into second grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">When the shoebox arrived in the mail, the
trim along the ankle was a little more <i>pink
</i>than I remembered from the picture, but they fit perfectly and as an added
bonus, I'll glow in the dark if I ever run at night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I was, in terms of sportswear at least,
"ready." I hit the road the next day and let's just say it hit me
back. I did gymnastics and diving when I was younger, but that was a long time
ago, and even in my prime, I shied away from endurance sports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I was in denial, I guess. I may have lost
my baby fat through nursing and self-neglect, but the road reminded me that I
had the lung capacity of a teaspoon and the muscle tone of a 13-year-old
computer nerd. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The first two weeks were rough. I would jog
little more than a mile and couldn't WAIT for it to be over. I don't know when
things changed for me, but I soon started noticing the New England Colonials
and admiring the Berkshires (though I now and always will hate all the hills in
my town) rather than chanting, "Am I there yet, am I there yet?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I began looking at my times, trying to
improve upon them. One mile runs became two mile runs, and then I decided I was
(almost) ready for my first race. Eight weeks of training were recommended for
new runners, but I decided to go for it with only six.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I did a few 5Ks for practice. My stamina
was still lacking, so they were a challenge but not impossible. I pulled back
the last few days–faster runs, shorter distances–and took the day off before
the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Two days before my daughter’s birthday, I
ran my first 5K in Bennington, VT. It was as much for her as it was for me. And
I couldn't have asked for a better morning–sunny and cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">After the cannon went off, the crowd took a
while to disperse. I had to start off slow. But once we spread out, I started
passing people. I maintained my race pace the whole way, and even though I
wanted to finish strong, I didn't have a lot of extra oomph in me at the end. I
still made good time, though, and finished with a personal best. Somehow I even
managed to finish first in my age group and 14th overall for women. They even
mentioned me in the Bennington Banner: </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">For the women: Sarah Umphley took the
12-and-under group (22:26.39), Katie Lynch took the 13-15 group (27:08.97).
O'Callaghan was first in the 16-19 group followed by teammate Shelby Whitman
(23:06.26). Rebecca Beagle was first in the 20-29 group (24:29.94). <b>Alicia was first in the 30-39 range (26:34.53)</b>, while Julie Hoar took the
40-49 group (23:10.13). Laurie George took the 50-59 group (28:26.48) and Patty
Surdam won the 60-69 group in 49:08.01.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Last August, I was over-pregnant and could
barely climb a flight of stairs. Now, a year later, I can declare this
experience a small yet significant victory, and first thing this morning, I
was back on the road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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True athletes have their reasons to stick
with their sport whether it be good health or a sense of accomplishment. I run
for those universal reasons, too, but also because running gives me a reason to
get out of bed in the morning that doesn't include taking care of other people.
It's my only "me" time. And yes, there are days when I can't manage
to get up at 6:30 in the morning, but on the days I <i>can</i>, it's worth it, and hopefully, more victories will follow... </div>
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Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12996088557753947675noreply@blogger.com1