Nature Up Close

Upon returning home from a brief trip to our local Penzeys spice store, LP and I noticed that we had a visitor knocking on our back door. He may not look that big and ugly in the photo, but I assure you, this praying mantis is about 4 inches long - not including his legs - and even though I wouldn't squish him (are they still considered endangered?) I bet he would make a loud-ass crunch if I tried too.

PS - Since I was uploading this ugly picture, I added a picture of LP to the post below too.

PPS - A note on Penzeys. I used to get my spices at CVS for 99 cents each. I didn't realize until I started buying spices at Penzeys that you truly to get what you pay for. The cheapy ones do not even compare to the real stuff. Seriously. If you live near a Penzeys go and check it out.

Me and My Shadow

Lately LP has become very clingy. She throws herself at my legs if she wants me to pick her up and once I pick her up she refuses to go back down. I try to place her down and she pulls her little legs up as far as they will go and wraps them around me like a little koala bear.

Yesterday I was trying to make meat sauce to accompany our spaghetti dinner. LP battered my legs insistently and when I finally picked her up she was determined not to be put back down. In fact, she wanted to help. So, I gave her a wooden spoon and put her to work. After a short time the meat was browned and safe for consumption. So, as we stirred the sauce together, LP would periodically remove her spoon and lick the tomato sauce off of it. She then ventured on to picking up small pieces of ground turkey, and after a quick check that they weren't too hot, slurping them off the spoon. I think she ate more protein last night then she ate in the last three days combined. My right arm is sore from holding my 22 pound dumpling on my hip, my kitchen floor is spattered with sauce, but the sauce was better than ever.

To top it all off, last night I had to run over to the grocery store after dinner. LP got so upset when I went to leave that she tried to steal my pocketbook and hide my keys. The Hoos has to pick her up and take her out of the room so I could sneak out. When I returned, I swear she said, "Yay!" as she ran into the kitchen to greet me. I definitely don't want to encourage her to be dependent on me, but I have to admit, every once in a while it feels really good.

Setting Limits

I just looked at the Dunkin Donuts Web site and discovered that my favorite new treat, the white hot chocolate, has a whopping 13 grams of fat per serving when you get a medium. I guess if I replace breakfast with a beverage this might work...like SlimFast...but with chocolate....

Wenderina, you don't want to look up the Mocha Frappuccino on the Starbucks site....

Snark Attack

I will admit up front, this posting is catty and mean. But really, I can't help it.

Yesterday we received a memo in LP's school bag. I was so busy getting dinner ready and playing with LP that I didn't get a chance to read it until the Hoos and I sat down for dinner. Since I didn't want to be rude to him (see, I am just rude to other people), I read it aloud. Below is the note verbatim in italics with our actual commentary in brackets.

Dear Tumble Bugs' parents and teachers:

Next week we will be launching our biggest fundraiser ever. [Hoos: We pay them, right? Why do they need a fundraiser?] The fundraiser not only returns a huge profit, but it is so simple to do and is a win win opportunity. Each family and staff member will receive only ONE scratch off card. [Me, turning the paper over: Did we miss a paragraph - what the hell is she talking about?]

How it works:
Again every family and staff member receive only one card. [Me: I still don't know what she is talking about. But are they really making teachers participate in the fundraiser?!] This card has spaces that will be scratched off and a booklet of coupons. Each sheet of coupon has a value up to $100.00 dollars. [Me: Is this making any sense to you? Also, I want you to note that it says 'dollar sign one zero zero dot zero zero DOLLARS.'; Hoos: People have to give $100?!]

Each person who has the card will have his or her family, friends and/or co-workers scratch off a space. The person who did the scratching will then pay the amount that is revealed. The amount can range from nothing to $3.00. [Hoos: So we just make people scratch off and then force them to pay? That doesn't seem very nice.] In return the person will receive one sheet of coupons (up to $100.00). [Me: So coupons are their reward for scratching? What are these coupons for? Why would anyone want them?]

.....SKIP AHEAD A FEW PARAGRAPHS.....

How we will use the money raised:
The money raised will be used for big-ticket items like listening centers, library furniture, dramatic play furniture and toys (depending on the age group). [Hoos: How about air conditioners or refrigerators that work? Maybe if they put some of the tuition toward that stuff I would be less annoyed about this fundraiser.] We have also decided with money left over we will create financial incentives for the staff to further their education and to further promote employee morale. [Me: I support the idea of rewarding the teachers, but how about getting {the director who wrote this memo} a writing course?]

I am so very excited...

At this point I stopped reading. I was all snarked out. Now I am trying to decide if I should be kind, and offer my "expertise" as a communications professional to aid the center in its memo writing. I am guessing that based on our track record with the director this offer will not be received kindly.

I am embarrassed and a little shocked that this is the caliber of the "administration" at LP's day care. Granted, her teachers are great and they sincerely care about her; and, even more fortunately, she will not be learning to write extensive paragraphs while at this school...but still....

Dirty Girl

My housekeeping isn't what it used to be. And even that wasn't much.

Considering LP regularly dumps bags of Cheerios or goldfish on my living room rug and cries at the sound of the vacuum cleaner, I don't vacuum as much as I should. And somehow the unwanted food that she flings off of her high chair tray finds a way of hitting at least three pieces of furniture before landing on the floor. Again, this is very difficult to stay on top of.

Five years ago, I had a conversation with a colleague on this topic that still sticks with me.

She was complaining about her sister-in-law's housekeeping practices and asked me incredulously, "Do you believe that she doesn't wash their shower towels daily? Isn't that disgusting? It must be a cultural thing." Well, her sister-in-law happened to be South American, but obviously the one with the problem was my co-worker. I remember thinking, "Who washes their towels everyday? Who has the time, energy and that much laundry that they can do a load a day?"

Well, I now I have enough laundry that I can do a load a day; except I can't and I don't. First, it wastes way too much electricity and water to run the washing machine and dryer so frequently. Second, WHO HAS THE TIME OR ENERGY TO DO A LOAD OF LAUNDRY A DAY?

Have I just outed myself as a dirty person? Do other people seriously only use their towels for drying off after the shower once? I thought that was a luxury afforded in fancy hotel rooms. And even they are asking people to hang up their towels and consider not getting new linens every day.

Thank goodness the aforementioned colleague no longer works here. I can only imagine what should would say about my cleaning practices! Or maybe with two kids of her own now she has more important things to worry about than lightly used towels.

No More Mrs. NiceMommy

LP is now almost 16 months old. I thought it would be a nice mommy thing to do to introduce her to juice. Up until now she has only imbibed on milk and water. Since she doesn't drink as much as I would like, I thought that adding a little bit of apple juice to her water would make satisfying her thirst more satisfying.

I was absolutely right. For the last couple of days she would drink 8 ounces of equal parts juice and water at least once a day. The Hoos and I were thrilled that LP was getting more hydration.

Nothing can ever be that easy...

Apparently LP likes apple juice, but apple juice doesn't like LP. Or maybe it likes LP but it likes to torture the people that have to change her diapers. I won't go into details, but I think we will be cutting back on the juice. Maybe three parts water to one part juice and even that will be limited.

I guess the moral of the story is, even if mommies are supposed to know best, they need to do research too. Trial and error counts as research.

Dilemma Update

The comment from TheMommyKelly to my ethical dilemma was the extra bit of motivation that I needed to take action.

Rather than calling the actual store, for fear that the cashier that rang me up WAS actually the manager, I went to the Carter's Web site and found the 800 number for their customer service.

Armed with my receipt, I made the call. I didn't have to leave my name or number, and I got an "oh, gosh" from the lovely mid-Western lady that answered the phone when I explained the situation.

An Ethical Dilemma

LP and I just got back from running errands. Our second stop was at Carter's where I bought long-sleeve white onesies which I found to be indispensable last fall/winter.

Everything went fine until I went to check out. The 4-pack of onesies cost $12. I just happened to have a ten and two ones in my wallet so I decided to pay in cash. I handed it to the older woman that was ringing me up. While I waited for my receipt, I watched her open the register, pretend to put the cash in and pocket my $12! I know it was my cash because I had one of those new pink $10 bills. I accepted the receipt and saw her pocket the cash as I walked away.

I was incredulous. I had no idea what to do. So, I walked out. And I called the Hoos and told him. He said "Well, did you tell someone?". My response, "Yeah, you." My thinking is that this is none of my business. Maybe there were extenuating circumstances that I was unaware of?

What would you do?

Now We're Cooking

Tomorrow, the Hoos, LP and I are going to my Aunt and Uncle's for break fast. This is the meal that traditionally follows the 24 hour fasting of Yom Kippur. It is more like brunch at night.

In honor of this gathering, LP and I baked cookies this morning. LP was in charge of cleaning off the paddle (the mixing attachment to my standing mixer) and she very successfully removed any remnants of cookie dough - although a lot of it ended up on her clothing. Suffice it to say, when I took the paddle away, she was none too pleased with me.

I then scooped her up and carried her over to the sink to clean her up. While hosing her off, we also filled the mixing bowl with warm soapy water to let it soak. This became LP's favorite part of cookie making. She came up with multiple ways to have fun with the resultant bubbles. She would lather them on me or herself, strain them through a mini-strainer, pick them up with a mixing spoon....

She then noticed the real bubbles on the counter and insisted on introducing them to the mix. Not being a total glutton for punishment, I took the bubbles and LP outside. For the first minute of bubble merriment I was too busy making bubbles to notice the beautiful large rabbit in the back of our yard. LP noticed right away and began pointing and babbling. She then made her "rabbit face" (you would think this would be wrinkling your nose, but LP is still learning so instead she squints her eyes and the result is more akin to Clint Eastwood than a rabbit) and crawled into my lap and we both sat on the grass and watched the bunny until he hopped away.

What a great morning.

Counting My Lucky Stars

Today I didn't have any funny stories, new experiences or free stuff to write about. I was about to write about something trivial but I instead decided to just let today be a quiet day from View from the Passenger's Seat.

And then I got a devastating email from a woman I know through work...

My sales contact at an industry association, she is not a woman I know particularly well, but we talk several times a year and she is always friendly and inquisitive about my life. Yes, part of the candor has to do with her being a good sales rep and building rapport with me as her client, but she is genuine and sincere and she always remembers LP's name.

She sent me an email to let me know that her 4-month old granddaughter, the light of her life and always one of the main topics of our discussion, passed away suddenly last week. She couldn't be roused from sleep at day care and the emergency team was unable to revive her.

It makes my heart feel heavy as I try to imagine how hopeless her entire family must feel. It also makes me thankful.