Photo Hunt - Original

Daybreak in the Holler. A beautiful fall September morning taken before going to work.

What's safe anymore?

I am getting pretty tired of hearing about this product and that recall that poses serious health risks to the gen pop. We all know about the massive and on going toy recalls dealing with lead. I already picked through the kids toys and removed anything I thought could be suspect. Now I have to do it again. But be assured that China has agreed to stop making toys with lead paint in them from now on.....Go China! (what ever happened to toys made in the USA? Did that ever happen and why was this not an issue when the manufactures went overseas to get cheap labor? Wouldn't specifications about not using lead be communicated then?)

Then there is the plastics issues. I have heard everything from all plastics are unsafe and stop using them to putting them in the dishwasher or microwave is unsafe cause of the toxins they release to all of it is hogwash and they are just fine. What about baby bottles or in this article Bottles of Death? What do you believe? Throw it all away and use glass and boil them to sterilize or continue on with the status quo? With so much conflicting information I don't even know where to start if I wanted to rid my house of so-called toxic toys.

Then there is the milk issue. To go organic or not? Do the hormones that are found in non-organic milk really harm growing kids and cause them to develop faster? What about cancer? I am not disputing organic may taste better but if I decide not to buy organic or hormone-free milk one week will my girls get their boobs faster and what about the extra antibiotics cows get? Do they get passed onto their milk as well?

Here is the latest fear, air fresheners. Of course the risk here...cancer, again due to something called Phthalates. Just one of those little pleasures that I partake in (I love those plug in kind from Bath and Body Works) and my whole house smells like pumpkin.

I am not even going into the artificial sweetener debate. It shows up in so many foods and I have heard it all.

What does this all mean for me? Worry...worry and more worry. I am a constant worrier anyway and I really don't need more things to keep me up at night. Especially ones that are not yet proven to be unsafe and those that are so controversial that when you do an Internet search all you find are peoples slants one way or another. I am scared when I buy milk that doesn't say no hormones. I am scared to buy a new teether for my infant when it says Made in China or may contain plastic toxins. I am now worried about removing all the air fresheners in my house and just let it smell like three kids, food and dogs and worried when I heat up plastic ware and put bottles in the dishwasher.

But do these things really pose health risks or is the media partly to blame here? I try hard not to watch too much news on TV or read too many articles because I often feel that they are part of the problem in this country and not the solution, "Coming up at 11, how everything in your life can kill you - details at after the sports and weather". Are we living in fear because of potential Neilson ratings, lobbyists and other radical groups or are these new (and daily) reports supposed to really help us be healthier people? Will we ever really know the truth? But I am getting sicker and sicker of the constant reminder that I always have something new to worry about.

Haiku Friday - HDTV

Oh hail to TV
The new season is starting
Bow down to TiVo

So many to choose
Which will we watch in HD?
Our evenings are full

Fit Friday #7

Progress from this week:

Current Weight= 133.9
Goal Weight = 119
Pounds to go = 14.9

Exercise this past week = Bad week. V and I were sick with a cold.

Diet = Low Carb - While out of town I had a bagel and last Sat was Yom Kippor so during break-fast I had some goodies.

Pant size - Adding a new section. Since weight loss has slowed a bit I want to keep track of pant sizes since that seems to still be changing some. As of today I am wearing a 10 but they are mostly big on me. I can fit into some of my 8's depending on the cut.

Goal for next week = Try to get back into my routine once I am feeling up to it.

Thursday Thirteen #6

Thirteen "Do you ever's....?"

1. Do you ever wonder how you got here...married, three kids, mortgage and wonder where the time went?

2. Do you ever feel like you are not old enough to be a mom and a wife?

3. Do you ever feel like you are just pretending to 'play house' and tomorrow you will be 13 again?

4. Do you ever think that everyone else is a better mom/parent than you?

5. Do you ever want to totally change your career and do something you never thought you would like to do, like own a business or go back to medical/law or other school but assume its too late now?

6. Do you ever wonder why you have good and bad days and try to analyze why certain days were better than others when you did the exact same things?

7. Do you ever wish you were either more busy or less busy so time goes either slower or faster?

8. Do you ever think you would want to be famous or be a house-hold name but not necessarily and be actor or model?

9. Do you ever wonder if you should have accomplished more by this time in your life and what do you consider an accomplishment?

10. Do you ever which you didn't like sweets so much?

11. Do you ever want to change one thing about your body but didn't have the nerve?

12. Do you ever worry about your future and how your relationship will change with your kids as they get older?

13. Do you ever wonder if what you do today will affect who your children become as adults?

Wordless Wednesday - Two Girls & A Boy

Photohunt - Paper

Paper airplanes. One of the only toys in my house that isn't toxic for my kids to play with.

Ads on Eggs??

We were making egg salad this morning for tonight's dinner. My Hubby found a bunch of eggs with writing on them. Looks like PBS is putting their programming on eggs now! I guess I am surprised and not surprised all at the same time. What will they think of next??

Haiku Friday - Sick Baby

Poor Little Miss V
You have your very first cold
Feel better real soon

Holding you all night
Your poor stuffy little nose
Hates the snot sucker

Fit Friday #6

Progress from this week:

Current Weight= 133.6 (this was after breakfast - V got up real early)
Goal Weight = 119
Pounds to go = 14.6

Exercise this past week = Vacuuming count? I guess that's a stretch.

Diet = Low Carb - Did pretty well. The one night I was out of town I had some corn chips and on Sun I had 1/2 of english muffin.

Goal for next week = ????

Thusday Thirteen #5

Thirteen Things that proove you are not getting enough sleep. 1. My one morning cup of coffee isn’t keeping me awake all the way till lunch time anymore at which time I can refuel on diet coke. 2. I forgot to bring my laptop to work one day last week. 3. I cannot remember large chunks of time: “What did we do last Saturday?” or “Did I eat dinner last night?” 4. My boss commented on just how awful I looked. 5. I call the kids by their wrong names. The dogs get called the kids names and the kids by the dogs’ names. And don’t even ask me to remember my hubby’s name. 6. I doze off on the ride home from work most days. Luckily most of those days my hubby is driving (we carpool often). 7. When we leave the house in the morning to go to work I cannot remember if I let the dogs out or back in and I worry about it all day. 8. The alarm clock is going off. I hit snooze on auto-pilot and cannot remember what day it is for hopes that everyday is Saturday. 9. We missed Back-to-School night for my kindergartner because we swear they never told us about this day on orientation (or in the newsletter that got sent home which we read but didn’t retain). 10. We rent movies that we have already seen. 11. Go to the store for 4 items and leave with 2,405 items and none of which were on your list and you still need to get Diapers/Formula/Eggs/Milk. 12. I order food for my kids just after my hubby ordered the exact same thing for them. 13. I forget large chunks of time: “Did I already do my blog entry today?”

WW - Mystery Crab Apple Tree in my Yard??

A new trick

Miss V has learned a new trick...rolling. Except this is causing trouble for mommy and daddy cause she gets real frustrated at this new task. Not to mention during the night when she wakes up and practices her new talent she gets stuck on her tummy and is very unhappy, we have to flip her over multiple times a night....were very sleepy. I hope she learns to turn reverse and roll onto her back soon, especially at night. I wonder, what is so bad about sleeping on her tummy anyway?

Here's her showing off her skills (and mommy sounding like a total mommy-idiot - don't judge)

Fun at the Hibachi....not!

We took the kids out for dinner Friday night cause 1. we're stupid, 2. we were lazy and 3. we had a coupon for the local Japanese steak house that the kids really love. We got out of work late and picked up the kids later than normal so we were hitting prime time dinner hour. So we call ahead and make a reservation. We get to the restaurant exactly on time and get seated right away at a table with a couple that were clearly perturbed by our presence. We take our place across the large section of the table in our 4 seats with the two older kids in the middle and the baby in her seat in a high chair. That leaves a seat in the corner between me and the woman. Then comes the next couple who sits next to L and on their short side and again leaves a seat empty. So all in all, a good start cause we are not crowded. The kids are excited about being there and Z was asking me over and over and over where the 'cooker' was. Meanwhile the woman to my right, clearly not friendly, kept moving the empty chair in between us, which she felt she was entitled to cause she piled all her crap on it, and was hitting me in the leg over and over again. So I move toward Z and start to crowd him and start to get annoyed. We order and get our soup. E loves soup and starts to tear into her obviously piping-hot bowl and proceeds to spill it over her...typical. Meanwhile, Z is still asking where the 'cooker' is cause he refused to eat any of the soup or salad and wants his kid's chopsticks which the waitress clearly had forgotten along with my sweetener for my tea, the Sprite that Z ordered (she brought him milk) and refills for the Diet Coke. More annoyed. L and I start snapping at each other which makes the couple to my right clearly unhappy. While the kids were annoying us, they were actually fairly well behaved and sat in their seats and were not very loud throughout the whole meal. Because I was worried about bothering the engaged couple to my right who has never even played with a child and can never imagine ever having one (the DINKs) and the elderly grandparents to our left (the DORKs), I started getting self conscience about their behavior. However, that went out the window after I saw how the DINKs and the DORKs acted; "This salad is slimy, send it back", "I want my noodles cooked real well and served to me during not before the meal", "I want different dressing on my salad" and so on...
By this point Z was real excited when the 'cooker' came and it was time for the show. Now, he's terrified of the large fire during the meal and based on the looks I was getting from Mrs-to-be DINK we were hesitant but we asked the 'cooker' to tone down the fire. Well I could have just pissed in her food based on the look she gave us. I realize I brought my kids to a somewhat adult restaurant but they were not bothering them..much..so I thought it would be OK to ask for a 'favor' of the adult patrions. This was the first time someone had a problem with a scared child in all the time we have been going to the Hibachi. More whispering from the DINKs going in and they are clearly unhappy with our ruining their fine Hibachi dining experience. So I kick it into high gear cause at this point I want to see how many more ugly faces she can give us. Baby starts screaming from the noise so I sit her on my lap in view of Mrs DINK. I cuddle Z and make a big stink about how even if there is fire that he shouldn't be scared and I was here for him the whole time. I totally, by accident, dump the entire bowl of the kids rice onto the floor and scream and rant about it and L and I start bickering even more. Both the DINKs and the DORKs are starting to be the ones feeling uncomfortable and whisper to one another while I try to talk cryptically about what is going on to L cause he was clearly missing much of the looks we were getting. The 'cooker' is done with his display and Mrs. DORK is totally unhappy with the way her food was cooked and asked for it to be put back on for a few minutes while Mrs. DINK who hated her salad refused to eat any veggies and only wanted to slurp up the seafood sauce which she lathered onto everything and needed more.
OK, so we are all done and the kids ate fairly well. Of course this is the time of every meal (when we eat out) where Z has to go potty. So L sets off with both Z and E to the potty while I get the check. With the kids gone I wanted so much to ask WTF the DINKs problem was with my kids. They were not noisy, they were not all that fidgety and they ate well. But I refrained. Instead I scooped up the rice I dumped on the floor to show good graces. The DINKs get up to leave first..yay..and we are left with the DORKs who were still complaining that their shrimp was underdone and that this was the WORST experience ever.
I have never been with two couples clearly disturbed by the fact that we brought our kids out to a restaurant and they acted like we did so specifically to ruin their night. My kids have just as much right to be there as they do, as paying customers (kinda), but I know clearly that they felt that we were the worst parents in the world. What a night. I guess we will be laying off the Hibachi for a while.

How I get my exercise

This is how I got my exercise for the day. That's what we call multi-tasking!

Fit Friday #5

Progress from this week:

Current Weight= 135 :( (At least it didn't go up)
Goal Weight = 119
Pounds to go = 16

Exercise this past week = Did one day of my jogging program on Sat.

Diet = Low Carb -Except for RH dinner - did you see those cakes?

Goal for next week = I sound like a broken record here....

Thursday Thirteen #4

Thirteen Pictures from my Rosh Hashanah Dinner

1. Jewish Apple Cake fresh from the oven.

2. Z With his coloring pages

3. Apple Cake on serving tray

4. Kids at the dinner table

5. Gefilte Fish

6. E Coloring

7. The Brother

8. Matzoh Ball Soup

9. Rainbow cake, Honey Cake and Apple Cake

10. The Hubby

11. Z with his Kippah
12. My mom cutting cake
13. My Dad with V

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 5768

Wordless Wednesday: Out my Backyard

Lovin' my new iPod

I knew I would love this little gadget if/when I ever broke down and got one. I have been adding my CD collection to my iTunes and I love being able to listen to songs that I haven't heard in years! But I put it off for as long as I could cause now I have the itch to accessorize. But hey, Apple was smart with their we-will-give-you-a-free-iPod scam cause now I want to spend more money with them. They are not stupid, its me who is a sucker. So now I want a clock radio docking station for work, an arm band for my workouts (or lack there of), some new tunes from iTunes and a new set of earphones, cause these ear buds are too big for my ears. It may be cheaper to get my ears enlarged though (kidding...kinda). Its funny cause since I bought my new iMac I think I have used the features for the iPod and iTunes more than the computer itself and this iPod was an after-thought. Again...the Apple people are smart.Real smart.

Now I feel guilty...

I decided to fire our cleaning service. They have been cleaning our house for about 4 years now. They are a small local service and generally we have been pleased with them until recently. When they first started cleaning our house they used some sort of chemical that ruined a section of our powder room wallpaper. While they couldn't fix, it the owner was very responsive and we decided to keep them on. I used to love to come home on Thursday afternoons cause the house was so fresh and clean. Lately though that hasn't been the case. It would look like a tornado has hit the house after they were here. The blinds were facing all different directions, the lights were left on and the dog/baby gates left open. The last couple of straws were we found a pack of gum clearly taken out of our pantry left by accident by the door. They would miss vacuuming a whole room or not clean the bathroom floor. The mirror in my bathroom looked like someone sneezed all over it and the kitchen floor was 'slimy' like they didn't mop it well enough. One time while I was home with V on an Thursday and I saw that they were using a carpet vacuum to sweep up our hardwood foyer. They just were not up to the caliber that they once were. We've complained to them a few times and they would get better for a little while but it didn't last. I was getting more and more disappointed with coming home on Thursday's and going through the Wed night stress-fest of getting everything in the house just perfect for them to clean around just to have them miss whole rooms and leave the house in disarray. So we broke the news today that we wanted a break for a little while. Having the cleaning service is something I wanted and felt it was worth the money to me to have a clean house every other week. But lately I don't think I was getting my money's worth. So, now I go on saving myself money and I will attempt to clean my house myself. Maybe later I will get some other quotes but I am thinking that they will be more expensive cause I am pretty sure our service was one of the cheapest around. But even though I know I am doing the right thing (why pay for something you not happy with) I cannot help but feel guilty that I fired them. Why do I do this to myself? I did do the right thing...right?

My first Controversy Around Kindergarten

So my kindergartner had his first 'media' day and the class went to the library to pick out their first book. He was all excited when he brought this book home to me to read to him. They get one week to keep the book before having to return in to the school. So Friday night I proceed to read this book to both him and my 2 year old, as I read to them every night. Z was so excited at the prospect of this book cause he knew it was just going to be so funny. So, reading the cover and knowing what the topic was, I set out with an open mind and started reading him the story of this 'Pudge', which I believe is some rendition of a pig with a trunk and horns. As I was reading I was getting more and more uncomfortable at the blatant message that this book was portraying, especially to my 5 year old. Now let me start off my saying that I myself have once been a vegetarian and have relatives and friends who adopt this lifestyle as well. While I don't follow it now, since I love a nice juicy steak as much as the next gal, I am totally in favor for those who do. However, this book's message was way harsh for a elementary schooler to digest.

The gist of the book is Herbert manages to escape from the Pudge Processing Farm. He grew up into a full grown 'pudge' with his friends from the jungle and came back to the farm to release all the animals and threaten the farmer. This farmer then gave up eating fried 'pudge' and started working out, married his trainer and started selling soy hot dogs.

While the message of the book is generally OK (get rid of inhumane slaughter houses) I totally disagree with the way in which it was presented to a child. The author implies that meat eaters are fat slobs and all meat is greasy and gross.

Some of the excerpts are:

Pudges never got a chance to fully grow up. While they were still young, they were trucked off to the meat factory, where they were processed into TV dinners, microwave sausage links and other greasy food products.

Then Herbert greeted Farmer Jake, who was gorging himself on deep-fried Pudge knuckles.When the He saw Herbert (after he grew up) he nearly choked. After making him promise to stop picking on pudges and find something better do to with is life, Herbert let the Farmer Jake down. (the illustration shows the Farmer being held in the air while Herbert tell him to "Say Uncle".

(after Jake stopped eating meat and got thin) Together they started Jake and Heidi's (the personal trainer) Tofu Hot Dogs Company. They hired pudges to turn the giant tofu mill. Their tofu hot dogs were a rip-roaring success because they were healthful and tasted much better than the real thing.

There are other sections of this book that are disturbing but these are the highlights. I was shocked as I read through this book and luckily my 5 year old didn't really understand the message. This is a kid who lives on meat - bacon, pepperoni & ham, cause as a child he had trouble with large tonsils /adenoids and had a hard time eating. He resorted to flavorful meat items since when he couldn't breathe he couldn't taste. He has become a better eater now that his tonsils and adenoids have been removed. However, if he understood the message of this book and decided that cutting out meat was a good idea that would eliminate 1/2 of his diet. But thank goodness I read it real fast and didn't give him time to digest the message.

But besides all that, what is this type of blatant message doing in the public school system? This message wasn't delivered in a manner that I feel is appropriate. This isn't a positive message, regardless of the the topic and I feel that it shouldn't have ever gotten into the hands of my 5 year old. I am not even sure I feel that this book is appropriate for people who live as vegetarians and want to teach their kids about animals and slaughter. In any case, I expected the schools to neutral about most 'lifestyles'. I would never expect my child to bring home a book about Jewish people's lives in contrast to others in a negative manner, or any other religion, gender, race or life choices. I just wonder why this specific topic was acceptable.

We are thinking of calling or sending a note to the Principal and call her attention to this book and explain that we are disappointed it would be in their library for my son to bring home. I think that is the first step here and maybe she will explain to us how this is considered appropriate reading material.

I just felt sad that my excited 5 year old on his first media day came home with such a non-funny book and I believe he was sad and confused when the story was over.

Fit Friday #4

Progress from this week:

Current Weight= 135 (I saw 134 yesterday - figures!)
Goal Weight = 119
Pounds to go = 16

Exercise this past week = You know what, I should just remove this completely from my updates. Its.just.flat.embarassing.

Diet = Low Carb - I had 1 chocolate chip muffin from DD on Sun. I had been craving it so I decided to listen.

Goal for next week = Hmm...lets see, do I have to really say it again??

Thursday Thirteen #3

Thirteen of my Favorite Musicians/BandsHere is a list of some of my time favorite bands or musicians. Again in no particular order except how they come out of my brain. The Beatles - I used to collect records (yes you read it right, records) of the Beatles as a teen. I love them. Great music and timeless. They will live on for generations. Rush - I have seen them in concert three times and every time is an experience. I love their musical talent with only three members and their lyrics. They rock. Sarah McLachlan - Her voice is beautiful and her music is touching. I have seen her in concert too and she is just so moving. Dokken - Like I said, I am into 80s hair band metal. These guys are prob one of my favs and it doesn't hurt that George is a hottie! Toad the Wet Sprocket - I truly miss this band. I loved their new-age sound and the vocals of Glen. I wish they would regroup and record together again. John Mayer - I really like his laid back bluesy (is that a word) sound. Pink Floyd - I love Roger Waters. I think he has awesome talent and each of their albums has a different feel to them that I think are all special in their own right. Level 42 - They had a short lived career in the US, but I understand they were more popular in the UK. They didn't have too many songs but I really liked all of them and Mark King is a kick-ass bassist. Joe Satriani and Stuart Hamm - I am lumping these two amazing musicians into one catagory since they played together often. I love them both for their musical abilities and making wonderful music with none or little vocals. Dixie Chicks - I admit that I really dislike most country music with a few exceptions. I really like the Chicks. I have seen them twice in concert and they are amazing. I think their music is fun and funky and their performances awe me. Yngwie Malmsteen - If you cannot spell it or pronounce it than you don't truely know him! The Bee Gees - Disco anyone? I love listening to retro disco and I LOVE me some Saturday Night Fever! Joss Stone - If you have never heard her sing, you are surely missing out. She is one of the most amazing singers expecially considering her age. Again these are just a small sample of the music I love. There are so many more artists that deserved to be on this list but these are the ones that came to mind today.

The up and down the staircase night-night game

I don't know what I am going to do with E at night time these days. Once she is asleep she is a great sleeper. Well, sometimes too good cause she is like a teenager in the morning when we go wake her up, but getting her to sleep is becoming a bear. She has been sleeping in her own twin bed since we found out #3 was on the way and she loves her new room and her bed but she is learning how to play us me. The game goes like this:

Me - "Good night E. Say, Good night"
E - "Good Night"
Me - "Say, Bye" (cause if she doesn't say bye she will call me back in to her room to say bye)
E - "Bye"
Me - "Say, See you tomorrow"
E - "See you tomorrow"
Me - "Say, I am not coming back up here, go to sleep"
E - "You are not coming back up here"

I proceed to close the door and go downstairs.

5 min passes

E- "Mommy...mommy...mooooooooommmmmmmmyyyyyyy"
Me - (I am a sucker and despite what I said to her earlier, I cannot ignore her first request) "What E, you should be sleeping"

Then one of the following usually erupts from her tiny mouth/brain:
E - "Its too dark"
"Its too light"
"Turn on the colored lights (night light)"
"The house is breaking" (??)
"I need more water"
"I am scared of myself" (???)
"My house is broken"
"I'm gonna scare myself"
"You didn't say bye/good night/see you tomorrow" (which clearly I already did)
"You need to get your PJs on"
"I need more water"
"I need my duck/baby doll/water" (and anything else she wants to sleep with this week - usually they are right under her covers or pillow)

So after dealing with this first request, I tell her to go to sleep and I am not coming back up there.

5 min later:

E - "Moooommmmmyyyyy"

When I don't answer:

E - "I want Daaaaadddddyyyyy"

Sometimes I go up and hear her repeat one of the above epiphanies, after which I tuck her in again. Lately though I try to limit my up and down game to one move. I hate hearing her call my name especially if she is really truly scared of something. I want her to know I am there for her, but to tell me to put on my PJs, its clearly a game of 2 year old stand-off and I am loosing cause its getting worse. I have no idea where the house breaking concept is coming from but she clearly is taking advantage of my mommy-guilt factor and stalling her bedtime.

I have to admit its.getting.old.

I Got it from my Momma

When I first heard this song I wasn't too sure I liked it. But I have to admit it is growing on me.



So, do I win the worst mom award for teaching my kids this song. But they sounded soo cute singing it.

Drinking the iKool-Aid

We took the big iPlunge and replaced our dying old desktop that was on its last leg with this beautiful 24" iMac. Actually my hubby surprised me with it for our anniversary. iWoohoo! So far this thing rocks and the iMonitor is amazing. We have tons to learn about a Mac (the last time I used one was when I was in college which was during the stone ages) so I feel very awkard using it. But it has been fun getting to know it. Luckily we could leverage my student discounts which offered a free iPod with the new beautiful piece of iMachinery. Double iWoohoo! Now I have never had an iPod or even really used one but I can tell you that having both the iComputer and iPod is really double the fun. I am hoping that this new iMultimedia platform will help me enhance my new iPhotography hobby as well as film editing with the iSmoking set up. Of course it would be nice if it also makes me a better photographer but I guess that's a stretch. So all you Mac users out there, tell me what you love about your iComputers! (I think now that I own a Mac I will talk like this all the time now!)

Lots of Niceness!

Awww, thanks so much to Whatworksformom over at What Works for Us who gave me the Nice award. YAY! Now I get to pass it along also.

I am sending this nice award to Mom not Mum at Don't Call Me Mummy who awarded me my first award. Thanks! I am also passing this off to WI Mommy at Wisconsin Mommy and I'm a Mom!..? from The Incoherent Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mom who had nice things to say about my very first post!

Thanks again for the honor.