Food Inc and Our Family

Just a note, Paul and I recently watched the documentary "Food, Inc" and it scared the beejeezus out of us both. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend. Michael Pollan is featured in the documentary and I've read his book - "In Defense of Food" and really agree with his thoughts, particularly following the recent salmonella/egg outbreak.

I just spent 45 minutes walking around WalMart searching for food to put in Kate's lunch that we have to provide each day she's in daycare and Ashton's daily snack that did not have the main ingredients as high fructose corn syrup, sugar or some other random ingredient list. My goodness...even the Mott's applesauce has high fructose corn syrup in it (except two select varieties). But, after a week of little to no eating out, mostly organic and higher quality food, Paul and I both agree that we are feeling much better. He's had the energy to work out and I've been sick, but not sluggish. Ashton and Kate seem to be in better spirits as well. I think that going forward, to be sustainable, I'll try to focus on feed our family seasonal produce, organic dairy (to reduce the amount of hormones already large Kate is exposed to) and grass fed meat and free range eggs.

We are also planning on taking the kids to more working farms, farmers markets and really making sure they understand where their food comes from.

I highly recommend the change, it's worth the investment of both time and money.

The way I view the way our family eats is this, if I'm not spending the money to feed us well, I may as well plan to spend the money on medicine to heal us and I'd rather be proactive instead of reactive.

As the kids have had multiple visits to the dentist (Ashton's had a root canal!), my mother's been ill with mysterious digestive issues, my aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer, my father has issues eating foods and my husband's family has a terrible history of health problems, I have to really work and am trying to make sure my children have some sort of chance at health and happiness... We'll see if this is sustainable, and I hope it is, but even if it's not, I suppose every little bit helps.

Food Inc., check it out along with reading "In Defense of Food". Life changing.

What Being a 2nd Born is REALLY Like...

This video is a perfect example of what being a 2nd born is really like. I mean, look at the way we don't even pay attention to the poor infant (Kate) and the fact she is a few weeks old at most and probably suffered a bit of brain damage or something from this.

Had that been our 1st born, a wild toddler (Ashton) wouldn't have been allowed within 10ft of him. Poor Kate, but she took it all in stride, as she continues to do each and every day. Such a sweet girl! We don't intentionally ignore her, I keep telling myself we just let her experience more things... *Watch Kate's head the WHOLE clip.

Southern By the Grace of God

WOW! Ashton just said "Shucks!" when he didn't get what he wanted. LOL! Paul and I tried to keep moving along, like we didn't notice, but a few giggles did sneak out.
Also, as I type, he's helping Paul try out the new Waffle Iron we got him for his birthday. They are mix. Or, since Ashton just assured us in his best big boy voice ever while trotting over to the fridge to grab 2 eggs, "I'm the chef Daddy.". So, well, I guess Paul's assisting him. :)

Thankful

Two days ago I heard some tragic news that made me stop and be thankful for my own situation. Someone I know had a niece who gave birth this week to a baby that died due to strangulation by it's own umbilical cord during delivery.

This was horrible to hear, particularly since Kate, when born, had her umbilical cord wrapped and knotted around her own neck. I remember the doctor saying he had never seen anything like it and him likening it to a sailor's knot of some sort.

You see, it all started with impatience...mine. Being as big as a house and chasing around a toddler in the dog days of summer was just about more than I could handle, never mind that Kate was taking her sweet time arriving. After her due date came and went, I think it was around the 1 week mark after it I started pleading with my OB to induce labor and get her out of me.

He agreed and we scheduled an induction for Sept. 15, 1.5 weeks after her due date. We checked into the hospital the night before and I was given Ambien (sleeping pill) by the nurses so I would be rested and ready for labor inducing in the morning.

Around 4:15am I remember being roused from sleep by what I thought was labor. I woke Paul up and told him the baby was coming and to call the nurse. Two nurses came in and told me it wasn't time yet and to go back to sleep. I tried to, but the contractions were too strong.

I then made Paul get the nurses back in to check me about 15 minutes later. I remember the nurse was grumbling to herself that she was busy and I wasn't ready, but agreed to check my cervix. It was then that she lifted the sheet and yelled to me "Whatever you do, don't push yet! I've got to get the doctor!" She then hurried out of the room.

Frantic and dazed from the sleeping pill, I looked to Paul trying to figure out what was going on. He then checked under the sheet and screamed out "I see the baby's head! Where is the doctor?" I then looked to the door of our room just in time to see the doctor stumbling in putting his shoes/booties on. He hurriedly sat down on a stool and pulled up to my "area" just in time to coach me to push, the baby was in fact, as I had told them, "coming". (Why doesn't anyone EVER listen to the mother in situations like these???)

After the normal birthing process occurred, Katherine Elizabeth (Kate) arrived into this world and we received the standard "It's a girl!" (which we knew) and I waited for her to be placed on my chest so I could meet her. I guess I got caught up into hearing the nurses talk about her amazing strawberry blond hair, (me thinking she must be blond like her daddy but it was tinted with blood or some fluid) but, as the minutes ticked by, I became worried. As soon as I began to speak up, she was given to me and we were told of how lucky we all were. She did have her own umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and it had become tied, so had she waited until we had scheduled her for delivery, she may not have made it. The doctor also went on about the oddness of the type of knot it resembled and how unique that was. But, honestly, I guess I thought death in childbirth was a thing of long ago historical novels and surely it wouldn't have happened in the new high-tech hospital we were in, so I just shrugged him off thinking she was never in any REAL danger.

Now, two and a half years later, as I heard the awful story of my friend's niece's loss, I was reminded of how lucky we are to and how thankful I am that Kate is with us today, happy and healthy!

Super Parenting...and What the Rest of Us Are Doing.

On Here and Now with Robin Young this segment caught my attention: "Bad Parenting - Literary critic Steve Almond joins us to discuss a slew of new memoirs in a hot new genre that some are calling “Bad Parenting.” Authors discussed in the segment: Diana Joseph, Robert Wilder, Rebecca Woolf. Find Steve Almond’s essays in the books, “Blindsided by a Diaper” by Dana Bedford Hilmer and “The Book of Dads” by Ben George."

I find myself laughing, thinking and sympathizing with this segment. Fascinating is the subject matter to me, particularly the discussion on where today's culture of "Super Parenting" comes from. Steve Almond talks about how, 40 years ago, parents were surrounded by extended family and were given advice and help by the experienced. Now, in our culture of high achievers and distanced families, parents project this need to be the best and least vulnerable upon ourselves and hold each other to impossibly high standards that may be tearing the fabric of our communities apart.

I hope that, through my honest and direct blog postings and stories I share with everyone I am single handily helping to change this stigma. I hope that my parenting is portrayed as rocky, but filled with good intentions; clueless, but learning; and filled with many emotions, but ultimately cemented by love and humor. Honest and true, it is what it is, a wild and unexpected ride filled with stomach lurching turns and thrill filled descents and climbs. As crazy as it is I wouldn't trade this part of my life for all the money in the world. But I would like more calmer days and less chocolate on the carpet mornings! :)

Where Does The Time Go I Still Wonder...?

It's been so long since I've wrote, I'm not sure where to start! Here's a stream of conscience list of things that come to mind -

• Kate wakes me up most mornings saying "It's a beautiful day Mommy, wake up." She then locks me out of my own room to keep me from trying to crawl back in bed at 6am.
• Ashton blows me kisses when he leaves to go somewhere when I have to stay home.
• Ashton is VERY excited learning about plants/seeds this week at preschool. He rushes outside every morning in his PJs to check on our strawberries to see how they are coming along. He rushes to school to see how their seeds are sprouting.
• Now that we are finally out of the drought our yard and gardens are turning out beautifully! We are growing carrots, lettuce, strawberries, broccoli, peppers and watermelon in a beautiful raised box planter Paul built me one afternoon.
• Every day Ashton asks if it is December yet, eagerly awaiting his 5th birthday.
• Every day Kate asks if it is Angelique's birthday yet, eagerly awaiting the time when we will give her the inflatable pool we bought for her.
• Ashton is trying out small talk on the phone. He says things like "Hows it doing?" and "So.....what are you going?"
• Ashton got a medal today from his 1st extracurricular activity, soccer. He is VERY proud of it and tells me he will wear it every day for everyone to see.
• Kate is a wonderful helper, empyting the dishwasher and doing the laundry with Daddy's help.
• Kate is a tremendous artist and can draw a nearly perfect face and includes eyes, nose, ears, mouth and hair. It's her signature and appears everywhere - on the walls, on papers on my desk, on her toys.
• Kate enjoys painting and I'm currently searching for a gently used kid's easel to put out in the garage for her. Ashton's BIG time into tools and loves to fix things. I'm looking for a gently used workbench for him.
• Blue's Clue's is out, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob Square Pants are in on tv.
• Hide and Go Seek is the new favorite game to play inside or out and they are actually counting now and taking turns seeking and hiding.
• Ashton is very much into board games and tried to play "Life" the other day with us, pretending to get money and pay money. Kate just likes driving the pink car around the board across the hills making "vroom-vroom" sounds for now.

There is so much more, but that's all I can think of right now! I wish I could freeze this summer in time for eternity...but knowing I can't...will try to enjoy it as much as possible.

Good Genes

I just wanted to mention that my grandmother, Grandma Rossmeisl, just turned the big 9-5 this week! WOW! 95 years old!
Born in 1914, she has seen so many things change and so many stay the same. She told me today she remembers the depression and people running on the banks. She spoke of the lessons she learned to be careful with money and how they are as applicable today as they were 80 years ago! I mean, wow!
She used to fill an afternoon telling me of all the changes and advances she's seen happen to the world and I'm so glad I was able to listen.
The greatest thing of all about my Grandma is the youth she still carrys with her and the sparkle in her eye as she jokes and laughs with me. She still keeps busy and her mind is sharper than mine is today, always remembering to ask about my husband and children. I wish that I am half as active as she is at 52.5 and am just like her! She is firm and stern, but a big softy when it comes to babies and small children.
The most precious thing she has taught me was to leave the working world and to "hold tight to my little ones, because when they go to school, they belong to someone else for 8 hours a day and are no longer mine." She is soooooo right! I love you Grandma and I miss you! Until we meet again. ;)

My Little Valentines

Each night before Ashton & Kate take a bath, they set a decorated apple juice container outside our front door for "Cupid". While they take a bath, Cupid comes by and deposits some sort of Valentine's Day fodder (chocolate hearts, tiny snow globes with hearts inside, mini-puzzles, etc) into it, but only if they take a bath/brush teeth/put on pjs.

For 4 years I fought Ashton and for 2 Kate on getting into the tub (they have always loved it once they were in it) and now as soon a the last bite of his dinner is chewed Ashton is naked and running the bath water without even a prompting. He always sounds so excited drying off asking Paul each night "Did Cupid come? Did he??"

I guess I could have continued to carry them/threaten them/punish them into doing what I was telling them, but this way has been so much more pleasant! And they have learned about Valentine's Day and filled the dreary cold and dark winter month of January with the warmth of anticipation and excitement of a holiday that is about L-O-V-E and for L-O-V-E.

Next month I will try my best to delight them into noticing signs of spring - think flower buds, seeds sprouting, daffodils appearing to both instill the wonderment of mother nature's passing of time and begin a lifelong appreciation of nature. I feel in the rush-rush-rush of our daily lives, taking time to stop and notice the flowers is paramount and smelling them is a necessity. Oh yes, and, as the red-haired Kate so clearly demonstrates, we'll be sure to squeeze in some talk of leprechauns to discuss our Irish ancestry too...right around March 17! (My great-grandmother is from the County Cork in Ireland...but were Kate gets her leprechaun-ess is another story for another post!)

Second Born - KER

Second Born Share: Here are my answers to a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about my second born! Let's see how much I remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes, we knew we wanted someone for Ashton to play with



2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes



3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Wow, that was fast. We only tried for a month! (Ashton & Kate are 22 months apart - we were going for more like 24-30 months)



4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24



5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Pregnancy Test



6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Paul, then Paul's mom this time



7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Absolutely



8. DUE DATE? September 2 I think, Kate was two weeks late!



9. 9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes, all the time for the 1st 4 months



10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Milkshakes and spicy food (Mexican, Thai, Cajun, etc)!



11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Morning sickness and maternity clothes and Kate coming two weeks late in the dog days of a hot NC summer!



12. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX? girl



13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?no



14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 20 on top of the 20 I still needed to loose from my first pregnancy.



15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?Yes, two



16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew



17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS? She was two weeks late. Also, when Kate came out she had her umbilical cord wrapped around her throat in what the doctor could only describe as a knot he'd never seen before. She almost was a stillborn baby. Thank God she came when she did!



18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Presbyterian Uptown in the same birthing center



19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 3 hours. Pushed for 5 minutes.



20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Paul



21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Paul, she came so fast there was no time for anyone to get there!



22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural



23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? yes, an epidural and I regret it



24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8 lbs 4 oz



25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? September 15



26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Katherine Elizabeth (Kate)

Potty Humor

Let's see, where do I begin? Ashton has gone 3 weeks without pull ups and is, dare I say, potty trained? Sure he tends to drop trow and pee on anything that doesn't move, but hey, at least he's not having accidents in his pants! I guess having a restroom in his new preschool class was all he needed. (His old preschool had a shared restroom in the hallway for all rooms)
Kate is restarting her potty training now that her new preschool is on board and just cracks me up. She told me yesterday that her naval is her "pee pee button" and if she pushes it hard enough pee pee will come out! Also, when she tries to make #2, it's like something out of the Austin Power's movie. I almost expect to hear "Who does #2 work for?" with all of the loud grunting noises she thinks she needs to make.
Also, yesterday in the span of 10 minutes all of the following happened:

• First, Ashton was trying to "fix" Paul's assisted pull up machine in the garage with a screwdriver, slipped and fell hitting his private area on the way down. We rushed in to the wailing child make sure he was not bleeding (he wasn't) and carried him to the couch where I held and hugged him.


• Then Kate, ever the caring sister, came to him with a look of concern all the while telling him "No cry Ashton, no cry." She then offered to help the boo-boo to make it "all better", saying "I kiss your pee-pee and make it all better." I quickly redirected her to his cheek, assuring her that would be the best place to heal the pain.


• While Paul and I were consoling Ashton in the living room Kate wandered into the kitchen where Paul and I had been cleaning up from dinner. Noting we were busy with Ashton, she decided to sneak a few sprinkles that she found in a jar on the table. The next problem arouse because they weren't sprinkles, they were crushed red pepper flakes. Having near convulsions she screamed out in agony as I rushed to see what she had done. Me: Here is some water. Kate: (Chug chug chug) Me: All better? Kate: Noooooooooo! Paul: Try some chips! Kate: (Eat eat eat) Me: Chips make it all better? Kate: Nooooooooo! Me: Here is some milk. Kate: (Drink drink drink) Me: All better? Kate: Nooooooooooo! Me: How about some crackers? Kate: It hurt Mommy! Me: I bet it does Kate. Here is some more milk. Kate: Ok. Ouch Mommy ouch! Me: Drink your milk Kate. Paul, can you open this bottle of wine?


• All this was in the span of 10 minutes or less!

Yes, kids keep you on your toes. I tell you what, the FEMA Director has nothing on me!

Seemed Like a Good Idea!

Tried to teach the little ones to ski over the holidays. Two- and four- year olds with waxed boards strapped to the bottom of their feet pointing down a steep snow-covered slope. Yeah...seemed like a good idea at the time. The good news is noone broke ANYTHING! :) (That's Paul's ski next to Kate's ski!)

Check out Grandma Darlene's photos of the excursion: http://ronanddar.shutterfly.com/58

Here are my photos:http://the704reids.shutterfly.com/2991

PLCMC

Here are all the reasons I love the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (particularly the Independence Regional Branch):

• Free movie rentals with a great selection - Take the Blockbuster!
• Free CD rentals - Where else can you get this?!?!
• Concierge service - I log on, pick out what I want, give my card # and it's waiting for me on a shelf to pick up.
• Open Story times - If Kate is ready and in a good mood, we can just drop in and join the fun. If not, no need to call and cancel.
• Child-Sized - Enclosed reading room with toys and games for the kids to play with, and we don't even need to order a Happy Meal!
• Kid Friendly - So large that we've never been "shush-ed" by anyone there.
• Weather proof - Open rain or shine.
• Literature Love - No other place that we go to encourages the life long love of literature like the good ol' library. Ashton just said to me "Mom, where does sand come from?" As I began to explain he stopped me saying "Let's just get a book about it from the library." :)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Know That I Am

I know that I am all grown up now. You see, today I realized that I am more excited about giving gifts than I am about receiving them. Watching Asthon, Kate and Paul's excitement was something that no one can box up, buy and give to me, but I'll treasure it always and forever just the same.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Dawn's Post About Jonathan's Post

From Jonathan B's Blog (I'd Buy You a Monkey)-http://http//idbuyuamonkey.blogspot.com/2008/12/meeting-someone-you-already-know-kinda.html

(Jonathan Wrote)On Sunday I got to go to a Charlotte 49ers game with Dawn, a long but not lost friend from Jr. High School. While at the Northeast, I shared several classes with Dawn, I know we ate lunch at the same table at times and would also talk in the mysterious wasteland that was the grouping of benches behind the cafeteria. After leaving grade schools we never really had any contact. Hence the beauty of facebook.

(My responses) I have to agree with Jonathan, but I remember having a closer bond with the people I went to Northeast with because, well, we were the "smart kids". If you took Academically Gifted classes, there was only 1 or 2 for each subject a day. So, pretty much, you had the same kids in all the same classes (give or take a few electives) with you for the entire year while you were there. I remember all my Northeast classmates so much more than any other school I went to.

(J)Through facebook, I got to learn about what she was up to now. I read through her profile and she even posted a picture of me from the eighth grade. I would read her blog (to the right on my links) about parenting, she would comment on mine.

(D)I've "friend-ed" a few other people from Northeast and other parts of my distant childhood past on Facebook, but I haven't found a way to re-include them in my grown-up life. I will admit, Jonathan, you were the first! I recently explained to my mother who I was going to the UNCC game with, and all I could tell her was "With a guy that I used to know back in the day. Found him again on the internet. He reads my blog about everything in my life and I read his postings about his car and his new house, but I haven't seen him face to face in 10 years." And, well, actually maybe 2-5 years ago this would be weird, but it's pretty common place now for most the late-20's and under crowd.

(J)I posted available tickets here, she took me up on the offer. As an aside, we got four adults and three kids in for free, wicked awesome. I met her husband and kids, got to know her a little bit about what she did in the 9 years or so that had passed between us.

(D)I was actually thinking, during the game, that if I were to reconnect with someone from the past again, at an event is probably the best bet. Watching the game and having action in front of us made the awkward silences that usually happen in the reacquainting of anyone, even through Facebook, a whole lot less awkward, at least for me. It was nice to have something to watch if the conversation stalled for a moment or two. GREAT IDEA JONATHAN!

(J)The best part and to me most interesting part was getting to know someone you kind of already know. Most of time when you first meet someone you are trying to figure out if they are a good person, you are hoping that they are not crazy. You are trying to see if there is something about them that would prevent a friendship. This time is different because those questions were answered a long time ago. So I just had to listen to what she actually had to say and get to know all about her. So really, I was getting to know someone I already know.

(D)I don't know if I agree with you on all of that, because after 10 years, you are a completely new person and I don't know if I "already know you". I would have probably thought of seeing you at the game as actually meeting the grown-up Jonathan B. for the 1st time, if I had not been an avid reader of your blog and social site profiles. Like, for instance, if we had met in passing through a mall and had exchanged numbers, I would have been a whole lot more nervous than after all the info we've exchanged online. Does that make sense? So, you kinda new a "Dawn Rossmeisl" from jr. high, but you also kinda knew a "Dawn Reid" from the internet. And the same for me. (P.S. Just so you know, we are crazy though. But it's in a good way)

(J)No clue weather that makes sense. I look forward to hanging out with Dawn and family again soon.

(D)Either way, after having moved around quite a bit in high school and there after, it was so great to reconnect with someone from a much simpler time in my life. I don't know if you realized it, but when I talk with you or think about those days, they were right before my life got super complicated and I enjoy the nostalgia. Thanks for taking a chance on us and I look forward to meeting your wife and hanging out again! Merry Christmas Eve!

Side Note - I applaud Jonathan and find him brave. You see, I took the less brave route of ensuring safety in numbers. I brought my husband, two kids, brother and nephew. Jonathan showed up solo and didn't seem intimidated at all.

GREAT ARTICLE FROM CNN: When toys were magical without being pricey

By Christy Oglesby CNN Story Highlights: Meaningful presents for children don't require lots of cash

In her childhood, presents that required imagination and creativity were favorites.She says joy "came from playing with people who loved me," not the toy itself

(CNN) -- Athleticism goes a long way in picking a spouse when you're just a child. While playing a jumping-rope game, I missed when my friends called out "Marcus." Now I was destined to marry the snottiest boy in second grade and probably in the whole wide world.I was hellbent on not having a lousy reception. So I was leaping my little 7-year-old heart out. As my playmates chanted menu options, I focused on my footwork. I needed to guarantee that my wedding guests ate well. "TUR-key! CHICK-en! Ol' DEAD dog! TUR-key! CHICK-en! Ol' DEAD dog! Turkeychickenoldeaddog-turkeychickenoldeaddog!" They turned the rope faster, but my cadence was perfect. I would not miss on canine carcass.

Thirty-four years have passed, but I remember planning my future in the driveway of my childhood home. That unforgettable memory came from a rope that my mother might have paid $2 for at the corner T.G.&Y. More likely, it was a construction castoff from my grandpa the carpenter.

But what's certain is that meaningful presents for children don't require lots of cash. Give it in love, make sure it requires creativity or imagination, and you're golden. (Oh, and these days, you have to check it for lead.) Look, I'm the mom of a 9-year-old testosterone-drenched boy. I get the blinky-light-deafening-surround-sound-battery-powered-gotta-have-the-latest-hottest-gizmo-cuz-everyone-else-has-one craze. But for the next 450 words, you 40-somethings indulge me.

Was your childhood any less fun without a remote-controlled Dinoraptor? Was your 10th year of life horrible because you didn't stand in front of a flat screen and pretend to bowl? Stop contemplating pricey Wiis, or the hand-held electronics that feed Junior's myopia, or the cranberry-colored Nano, and go back with me. Do you remember the first time you got the 64-pack of Crayolas? You'd gotten a box of two dozen crayons before. But this one had cornflower, goldenrod and sienna! There were five shades of yellow, and what's that in the back? A sharpener! See what kids want for Christmas this year

My hefty, creaky grandmother crawled under the kitchen table to draw with me. Then she taped my masterpieces to the front of her avocado-green refrigerator.

The year my older sister got Monopoly was fabulous! My divorced mom, who always had to juggle at least three jobs, found time to sit at the Formica kitchen table and build an empire starting with Connecticut Avenue and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Did you Hula Hoop? Or did you pick up your cat's eye and take a break from "keepsies" to watch someone move the hoop from her hips to her neck to her fingertips?

Be it a board game, marbles, a jump-rope or a pack of crayons, none of them cost more than $10. But if you think about it, I bet you remember the names of the kids with whom you played. I bet you remember a particularly intense game of Scrabble. I remember that the joy wasn't from the toy. It came from playing with people who loved me, like my mom, sister and grandma.

I'm not putting down the blinking, electronic $450 gizmos. I'm not saying your child won't remember their hefty, creaky grandma playing Wii tennis with them three decades from now. But try this. Go on and get Junior that pricey thing he just has to have. Then think about a great game from your childhood that didn't cost as much as a monthly car payment. Throw in a jump-rope too, or a paddle ball. Put the BlackBerry down, refuse to let the PlayStation baby-sit the kids. And see if you can out-Hula Hoop your daughter. Show her what fun was like back in the day. She'll remember it for a long time to come, and you'll have cash to spare.

Buddy, Family Cat

Buddy is our lovable cat. Everyone that meets him finds him sweet, adorable but a little odd. Here are a few reasons why:

Buddy refuses to eat table scraps of meat, but LOVES yogurt (even with strawberries).

• Does not run. Ever. Not after birds or from dogs.




• Walks quickly to meet strangers, not away from them. (Don't most cats run from strangers?)




• Comes when you call his name.




• Snores loudly.




• Does not know how to climb a tree.




• Enjoys visits with our neighbor's dog, Scotty.




• Has terrible balance.




• Has fallen from our loft and broken his leg.




• Grows back different colored hair if you shave him.




• Has blue eyes.




• Lets my daughter put necklaces on him and play with his hair.




• Stalks me in all rooms of the house, at all times of the day and night.




• Avoids his water bowl, preferring to drink only from algae covered fish bowls or toilet water.




• Gets attacked by birds if he is in our front yard.




• Lays under my neighbor's bird feeder watching birds all day, never chasing them in anything faster than a SLOW crawl.




• Tries to scratch my brother Brian's eyes out every chance he can.

Even with all his eccentricities - he's mine, I love him and you can't have him!

Christmas-ville USA

We took the kids to McAddenville, NC http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/ Tuesday and they both loved it. We've taken them there before, but this was the 1st year they were both aware and in awe. In all the times I've gone to McAddenville, I've never gotten out of my car and walked the town. We did this time and discovered the following:

1. The church in town plays old instrumental Christmas songs from it's bell tower.
2. In front of the church is a nativity scene made of statues perched high on a hill of sand.
3. Judging from all the footprints in the sand, it's ok to walk up to it.
4. There is no baby Jesus in the nativity, (I guess he appears on Christmas day), but we did find the following note: "If you want to see Jesus again, give us $1,000,000 or he will die."
5. There is a path around the lake with all the lights, but it's behind the trees.
6. The light sculpture of the old north wind blowing snow flakes is perched on a flat bed trailer.
7. When you walk along, 1 out of 3 cars will have a passenger that calls out "Merry Christmas" to you. (You get used to it)
8. You can walk the majority of the town in 30 minutes or less.
9. There is one restaurant in town, "The Village Restaurant".
10. Walking around you get the added bonus of "smelling Christmas", most of the lit trees are some kind of pine (Frasier fir maybe?) and smell amazing.
11. The kids loved picking a small branch of one of the pine trees, so they could take Christmas home.

Loved doing it and looking forward to many more visits around this time of year! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Leading the Way in Technology...Preschoolers and Senior Citizens?!?!?!

Found this article in the NYTimes quite interesting, thought I would share! My 2 and 3 year old kids "visit" with both Grandma's over a webcam and my daugther has even refused a phone call and demanded a computer visit instead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/us/27minicam.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

"Video calling, long anticipated by science fiction, is filtering into everyday use, and two demographic groups not usually thought of as high-tech are among the earliest adopters — the nursery school set and their grandparents. According to the AARP, nearly half of American grandparents live more than 200 miles from at least one of their grandchildren, and about two-thirds of grandchildren see one set of grandparents only a few times a year, if that. Some veterans of the technology fear that the video cam has started to substitute, rather than supplement, actual time together. And no one quite knows what it means to a generation of 2-year-olds to have slightly pixelated versions of their grandparents as regular fixtures in their lives."

Climb the Mountain!

Yesterday Ashton, Paul, Kate & I actually climbed a mountain! Kate and Ashton, all by themselves, summited Crowder's Mountain.



That would be 0.9miles of strenuous climbing and stairs to the top and 2.0 miles
of strenuous climbing down the back trail.


I am soooooooooo proud of them! Both children were insistent they make it to the top all by themselves and, at times, running up and down. It was a beautiful fall day, not only in weather but in the marvel I held at their changes and growth. Once upon a time they were a small cluster of cells and now they can climb a mountian. WOW!


You see, Crowder's is where I first began to suspect I was going to be a mother and I hiked it while pregnant with both children, so it holds a very special place in our family folk lore.

Ruby Red and Crimson

Falling From Me

By Dawn Reid

O leaves that fall from our tree.

Stay one more week, frozen in time and frost.

Your peak is pretty as can be,

But in the wind and fluttering you are lost.

To my little ones I request the same,

Stay for me, young and innocent a little longer.

Alas they do not listen either,

Growing always older and taller.