LOST RECAP: FUTURE HURLEY IS STILL FAT

First, let me just say that I watched bits and pieces of the Lost "Recap Show" that aired prior to tonight's season premiere. If you know nothing about Lost, then the story sounds incredibly goofy - smoke monsters, an electromagnetic island, a four-toed statue - but since I am a walking "Lost Encyclopedia," luckily all of this mumbo-jumbo makes perfect sense to me.

Most important, tonight we learn that Hurley is still fat in the future and that Charlie looks good when he cleans himself up. Other things to note: A creepy guy visits Future Hurley in the mental hospital who really isn't a lawyer for Oceanic airlines. Future Jack is a big drinker. Back on the island, Ben is put on a leash. Noami, who is badly injured, crawls through the jungle, dies, and hands Kate the satellite phone. Jack's dad might be the guy in the scary house with the lantern? The group chooses sides after hearing of Charlie's message that the rescuers aren't with Penny's team. Jack tries to shoot Locke, but then discovers that the gun wasn't loaded. Locke takes a group to the compound previously occupied by the Others. Sawyer leaves Freckles to join Locke. Kate and Jack look like they are going to kiss about 20 times during the episode, but never do. During the last two minutes, Kate and Jack encounter their rescuer as he parachutes on to the island.

There you have it. For a brief moment I thought Charlie was really alive and I got very excited. Then I remembered that Hurley is crazy and the whole thing had to be a hallucination. Dang it. All in all, it was an excellent episode. How much you want to bet that the series finale will be a trip back to the island?

GRADE: A

UPDATE: I am posting this screen capture from last night's episode (I know I'm a dork). It really looks like Christian Shepherd to me in that rocking chair! Don't you think?

THE WORST DAY OF THE MONTH

Today is the last day of the month which usually means it is the worst day of the month for spending money. That was one of the first major ironies I noticed when I stopped working - so much time to spend money while having so little money to spend. Currently, we are trying to save money for a down payment on a house, among other things. This means that we do crazy things like try to live well below our means. Saying it, of course, is always easier than doing it. Like I said, we're trying to do this.

In order to help curb our spending, we've adopted the cash system. This means that I carry around a coupon organizer similar to this:

I label each slot something different, some of my labels are Food/Household, Date Money, and Fun Money. At the beginning of each month, I go to the ATM and draw out the cash. That is why the first day of the month is the BEST day and the last day is the WORST.

No matter how hard I try, I always end up scrounging through our change bucket on the last day of the month for money to buy bread and milk. It never fails. Like yesterday, I was buying eggs with quarters and dimes, while wrestling with Luke at the checkstand. Not fun. It was as if I could hear my debit card calling me from my wallet, "It would be so much easier if you would just swipe me." I kind of try to view the whole cash system as a game. I could use my debit card, but then I would lose the game!

Please don't think we're starving. As I type this, I'm eating an apple turnover from the bakery that I purchased this morning with nickels. Also, we always seem to have rice and beans, stuff to make spaghetti and chocolate chip cookies, plus lots of bacon. I've never had a problem meeting that 60 grams of protein requirement for pregnant women. Although, I do find myself around this time of the month fantasizing about my first of the month shopping trip. I can't wait to buy ice cream and tri-tip on Saturday. It's going to be sooooooooooooooo good.

ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT

I have been resisting the urge for some time now to post any political diatribes. However, consider yourself warned. This week I might start going a little crazy with the political talk. Erik blames my obsession with the presidential primaries on the writer's strike, but I think I would feel the same way even if we did have new episodes of the Office and 30 Rock to discuss.

I want to make it very clear to all 20 or so of my readers that this blog endorses Mitt Romney for President.

Things I do not endorse are:

John McCain
Hilary Clinton
Citizens Who Do Not Think Politics Are Important
Citizens Who Do Not Vote
Citizens Who Do Not Keep Themselves Informed

Here are just a few of my reasons why Mitt Romney should be the next President of the United States:

1. He supports the enforcement of immigration laws and opposes amnesty.
2. He has a proven track record of success in business which will carry over to success in revitalizing our economy.
3. He is smart, articulate, and well educated in foreign affairs.
4. He will fight for moral causes like the preservation of marriage as we know it.
5. His presidency will most likely avoid a "Clinton-esque" soap opera, thus avoiding any embarrassment to our country.

There are many reasons, but these are the most important to me. The last thing I have wanted to do was to support Romney only because he is a Mormon. Just because I am irritated by all the media coverage of bigoted voters in Florida who said they did not vote for Romney because he was a Mormon, this does not mean that any of us should vote blindly for Romney just because he IS a Mormon. However, I am confident that if you do your research, you will agree that Romney is the best candidate.

I guess what I am really asking is that we all read a little less on Britney Spears and start studying up more on the candidates. After watching the media's coverage of the GOP Florida primary, I can't help but think that people are easily swayed by media bias, don't do their research, and frankly, don't care. I have talked to numerous friends over the past few weeks who have told me that they a) aren't interested in politics because it is too overwhelming, b) don't know much about any of the candidates, or c) won't pay attention to anything until the general election. While we all have a right to be ignorant and passive, this indifferent attitude towards deciding who will be the next leader of the most powerful country in the world drives me up a wall!

Now, please, be pro-active, and don't forget to vote on Super Tuesday. If we have learned anything from Florida politics, it is that every vote counts.

I NEED A LOBOTOMY

Last week, American Experience on PBS was about the history of the lobotomy. It was pretty fascinating, except for the fact that I had to turn it off half-way through because the old fashioned surgeries were making me pretty queasy.

One of the first lobotomy patients was a 29 year old housewife and mother who was brought in to see the Lobotomist. All she kept saying was, "So tired. I am so tired. So tired. So very tired." The doctor then took her in the back room, operated on her brain and - boom - she was as good as new. American Experience interviewed her daughter who said, "It [the lobotomy] was a good thing. It brought my mother back to me."

The Actual Pre-Lobotomy Photo

This post-lobotomy picture proves that she at least had enough time to do her hair -

Well, if that's all it takes, then I NEED A LOBOTOMY. I am so tired. So tired. So very tired. It's unfortunate that in the wake of medications to treat mental illness that the lobotomy has received such a bad rap. It's like the option is to either take pills every day to treat your problem or a one-time screwdriver to the brain and you're all better. I don't know about you, but a one time deal sounds a lot better than a lifetime of remembering to take your meds.

Back to the tired business: Luke discovered how to escape out of his crib very gracefully and lightening fast, and one night this week he was up until 2:30 a.m going in and out of the crib, roaming the house, and pushing chairs everywhere to turn on light switches. I'm not sure how the evening ended, all I know is that I fell asleep and woke up with him on the pillow next to me, drooling in my face. (Erik took a drill to the crib the next night and created another hole to make the mattress even lower than it is supposed to go. I know we're avoiding the inevitable, but we're not ready to train him to sleep in a bed just yet.)

I have come to the realization that I will probably never stop being tired until my children like to sleep-in more than I do. Once we get Luke to sleep (and stay put) in a big boy bed, I will be waking with a newborn every 2 hours. When the new baby comes I will rarely be able to take naps because Luke is already taking them less and less. When everything seems to calm down, we will probably have another child and the cycle will begin again...

Where's that Lobotomist when you need him?

ELIMINATION COMMUNICATION AND OTHER FUNNY JOKES

You know how everyone thinks their kid is a genius? Well, I totally think that sometimes. I don't like to admit it, but when Luke is saying phrases like, "Here you go" and "What you doing?", as well as identifying many of his body parts, I can't help but beam with pride! Then he goes and does something like try to eat food with the pacifier still in his mouth or attempt to climb into his highchair with the tray firmly pushed against the chair, and I'm like, "Hmmm, maybe you're not so smart after all."

Lately, Luke has been doing a really good job of telling me when he has a dirty diaper. This is accomplished by either screaming "Poopie!" or just taking his diaper off and handing it to me. Yes, gross. Now I know he's probably a year away from being potty trained and I wouldn't even attempt to do it while he is this young, but you know how you start thinking your kid is an exception because he obviously recognizes when he goes... so, I did a little research online and discovered a method called "Elimination Communication."

Yes, people, this is for real.

From what I can gather, Elimination Communication begins when your baby is first born. You don't use diapers, in fact, you let them wear crotchless onesies. According to Wikipedia, as a parent, you must listen for your baby's signals, such as:

- a face they make (you know the "constipated" look I'm talking about)
- a particular cry
- squirming
- squirting (I added this one because most kids do tend to "squirt" a little before they really go)

Besides the above signals, you can also rely on parent intuition and cueing your baby when they are in an appropriate place to defecate. According to this website, appropriate places for a baby to defecate are:

Into a bowl,

outside the car,

and into a potted plant.

Yes, people, this is for real.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Cristin, how can you knock this when you are doing something crazy like having your baby at home in a big birthing tub?" Good point. However, I have a feeling that if I were to try Elimination Communication with Luke, it would probably go something like this:

Me: Oh, Luke, your face looks funny and you are grunting, plus my intuition tells me you have to go. Good thing you have a crotchless onesie on because I'm going to hold you over this potted plant. That's your cue to go - NOW.

Luke: (screaming and fighting to get away from me) NO NO NO NO! Go bye-bye! (15 minutes later, in the midst of struggling to get away, he misses the plant and poops all over me.)

Maybe I find this all unbelievable because I don't understand how it really works. I am all for Attachment Parenting, but this seems like a joke.

Speaking of jokes, you know what else seems unreal? This bucket, uh, I mean "Bath Pod" featured on Nancy's blog. For a good laugh, read this link for the reviews of it on Amazon.com.

THE END OF AN ERA

As you all know, President Hinckley passed away today at the age of 97. I hope we can all live to be as old and as active as he was. I'm sure he's a happy man right now, but I will really miss hearing him speak. It's crazy to think that he's gone. General Conferences won't be the same for awhile. It truly feels like the end of an era.

My Favorite Shopping Spots (Kelley's Post)

Lately I have become obsessed with home decorating projects. Here's a list of my favorite stores to hit up for amazing deals.

1.) Tai PanThis store was amazing. Be sure to always check their clearance section, that's where I found this giant wall clock for only $23.50!
2.) Downeast Outfitters
I love this store because they are constantly getting new items in and marking down their old ones. Return policy reeks since they will only give you store credit. I found this antique green armour there for only $250!
3.) Finders Keepers
This store is adorable and VERY inspiring. Prices aren't bad either...

4.) Burlington Coat Factory/TJ Maxx/Ross
All 3 of these places have amazing deals on curtains, accent pillows and wall art.

5.) Big Lots
Ya- I shop at "Pick 'n Save". Actually, most of their stuff is pure garbage, but candles are a bargain and they also sell gallons of paint there for only $6. They also have a pretty sweet "garden" section where I found a pretty cool iron wall decoration for only $9.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

I thought we got a lot of snow a few weeks ago, but it started yesterday afternoon and has been continuing off and on since then.... supposedly will even through Sunday. I love the snow, but unfortunately, Luke hates it. When I try to put his snow suit on him, he screams. It's like he knows I bought it from a thrift store for $2 and is embarrassed to wear it. So, while I'm feeling like a prisoner in my home because of my "snow-hating" son, all this good snow is going to waste. I mean, if I wasn't so pregnant I could probably even go sledding in our backyard!

As you can tell, snow is still a novelty to me, and I don't know when, if ever, this "novelty" will wear off. Even after living in Oregon, Utah and Northern Arizona, I still get excited like a little kid when I see snow in my front yard. If anyone wants to come up to play in real snow (rather than white trash sledding), this is the time!

WHY WE MOVED TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Just a short post to say how proud we are of Erik. The project he's been working on for the past 15 months was featured today on Fox News and MSNBC. I'm still not too keen on the idea of going up in that thing, but since I can't afford a ticket anyway, it's thankfully not an option I even have to consider.

LET'S ALL PRANK CALL MITT ROMNEY!

I love this video for many reasons, but mostly because my sisters and I have tried using the same exact soundboards found on Ebaum's World to prank call each other. Of course, it really doesn't have the same effect when you can look down at your caller id and see that it's one of my sisters and not really Dr. Phil or Tom Cruise.

(By the way, you wouldn't know it from the news, but latest polls show Romney leading McCain in Florida by 5%!)



I will pay money to anyone who can look at this video of Romney's son prank calling him and figure out the number he dialed. I want to try prank calling Romney now too!

I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU

I've never been a big Heath Ledger fan. In fact, the only movie of his that I liked was "10 Things I Hate About You." I couldn't stand "A Knight's Tale" and "Brokeback Mountain" was just plain awful. (Okay, I never actually saw "Brokeback", but my hair stylist did and she told me the whole movie start to finish, so I feel like I saw it. That was enough for me.)

However, no matter how you feel about an actor, it is sad to see someone die so young. He was only 28 when he passed away today from an apparent drug overdose. With all this "news" about the Associated Press already writing the obituary for Britney Spears so that it would be ready for immediate publication, I wonder if anyone at the AP thought to write one for Heath Ledger last month too. Stars who keep low profiles die all the time too, you know.

Heath Ledger's death reminds me of something my mom always says: "You really don't know what is going on behind closed doors." In other words, think of how many celebrities have screwed up lives that their publicists keep well hidden. Remember how highly we all thought of Rosie O'Donnell and Tom Cruise until their publicists changed or quit? It makes me wonder if Tom Hanks is really as "nice" as he seems or if Miley Cyrus really is as "virginal" as she wants us to believe.

Anyway, sad news.

WHITE TRASH SLEDDING IS THE BEST

I love it when people come to visit us. Especially now when it is too cold to go outside and I am bored. Not to mention that I am getting to that point in a pregnancy when sitting in a car for any extended period of time is really uncomfortable.

My one big fear when we moved out here a little over a year ago was that no one would come visit us. When I told my mom about my fear, she confirmed it by saying, "You're right. Why would anyone come visit you? You live far from the airport and there is nothing to do out there." Thanks, Mom.

So, ecstatic does not even begin to describe how happy I was to have my sister-in-law and brother-in-law came visit us yesterday. The only problem was that it had been warm earlier in the week and all the snow melted! With no snow, there really isn't much to do in Tehachapi during the winter except look at each other and pick our noses.

Luckily we were able to find enough snow/brown ice near our house to do some real good white trash sledding! (Our new creation. Maybe one day they'll make it into an Olympic sport.)

How To Go White Trash Sledding

Things You Need:

Cardboard Boxes
Garbage Cans
Very Little Snow/Mostly Ice
A Hill

Instructions:

1. Find some old cardboard or moving boxes to use as a sled.
2. Use the garbage cans to transport snow to your hill of choice. You can also sit on the garbage can lids to go down the hill.
3. Slide at your own risk. Beware of the ice. You may need to wear a helmet. Ice hurts.

Luke HATED white trash sledding. What a shame.

Luke and his cousin, Wyatt, on a hike.

The ironic part is that the day after Ditte and Jeremy leave I wake up to a yard full of snow!

D.I.Y.: Thrift Store Clock (Kelley's Post)

Cristin has allowed me the pleasure of being a guest author on her blog. So I'll be popping up every now and then to share a thrifty tip or other creative ideas I might have.

Ideas for an old junk clock:

I found this wall clock at Savers for $3. It was only about 14" x 14" which is pretty small so I decided not to hang it but instead use it as a decorative piece in a book shelf.

Step 1.) Paint "antique white" because I was going for the shabby chic look, but your house, your color choice. (bought paint from Big Lots. $6 for a gallon. This was paint I already bought and was left over from another project.

Step 2.) After drying, I took sand paper and distressed the corners and edges (Sand paper was bought from the $1 store. 10 pieces for $1)

Step 2.) I used scraps of scrap booking paper to re due the face. Simply cutting a square and a circle. Then I carefully drew the numbers on the clock.

And the finished project....

Grand Total: $5

OPTION B:

Forgo the clock and with another piece of Scrap booking paper and a large single wooden letter from the craft store, make one of those personalized letter decorations. Or simply draw a large letter yourself on the scrap book papaer.

Either way I am pretty happy with my $3 find!

THE OTHER WOMAN

So, the other day I'm on this blog and I learn from this post that my husband thinks Kate McCann is hot. His actual comment was, “Is it just me or do you think Mrs. McCann is hot?” This isn't a secret. He wrote it on the internet for the whole world to see. I am just passing this important information along to all of you.

First, I was a little taken aback. Erik and I don't have the kind of relationship where we commonly talk openly about celebrities we think are "hot." I'm not stupid. I know that when guys get together they probably talk all about how "hot" so and so is, etc. Once I asked Erik who he thought was a really attractive female celebrity and it was like pulling teeth to get him to say "Keira Knightley, I guess." Of course, we're all human. We know good looking things when we see them. However, how many of us go blabbing to our spouse who we think is "hot"? I think it's pretty much agreed that all husbands and wives should think their spouse is THE hottest thing EVER. Or at least way hotter than Kate McCann.

The night I read of Erik's love for Kate McCann, I acted totally normal. He came home from work, and when we sat down for dinner an hour later, I finally said (trying really hard to not laugh), "So, you have a thing for Kate McCann?" He just started laughing and tried changing the subject. Ha! As if I was going to not tease Erik about his HUGE crush.

For example, later that evening we were talking about some random people I had met during the day:

Erik: Was this lady good looking?

Me: Well, let's see. If Kate McCann is a 10, this woman was a 7.

Erik: (Backtracking from embarrassment) Now, that I think about it, Kate McCann really isn't that good looking. I don't know what I was thinking. Yeah, she's totally a dog.

So, here's my advice: If you do find out who your husband thinks is "hot," don't tease him about it. It's kind of like dealing with a little sister. You have to build trust by not teasing, even though every fiber of your being wants to make some insane joke at their expense every time you discuss their inane love life. On the other hand, do I really want to know who my husband thinks is "hot", if it isn't me? No, not really.

Deep down I think about what if Erik really does meet Kate McCann and runs off with her? I can just see him now saying, "I warned you, but you wouldn't listen. You thought it was a joke!" Oh well, like he'll ever meet Kate McCann. That's about improbable as him meeting Harrison Ford.

POOR ERIK

Erik just emailed me this picture from work. Poor Erik, his job must be super hard. Let's see, two weeks ago he flew to Half Moon Bay and back just to eat lunch. Then, as if that weren't enough, today he gets to meet Harrison Ford who just happened to fly in for a tour of the company. I'm like, "Don't you EVEN start to complain about work."

The worst part is that Erik said to him, "Remember that one time in Indiana Jones when you found the Holy Grail, that was really cool." Okay, he didn't really say that, but he SHOULD have said something like that. How often do you get to meet Indiana Jones and make funny comments? Then again, if you're as lucky as Erik, you'll probably get another chance.

For those who are interested, here is a picture of Mr. Ford's plane:

FAMILY PICTURES

Why you would spend millions of dollars on a presidential campaign and not have every aspect of it "orchestrated" is beyond me. I do not understand why people criticize the candidates for purposefully presenting a certain public image. Millions of dollars is a lot of money to blow, especially when your political aspirations are tarnished because of "little things" like a crazy scream (see Howard Dean) or having your son hang a dog at Scout Camp (see Mike Huckabee).

I also don't believe the people that say it is not important to have a "First Family" who will make a good impression. I, at least, don't want President Joe Schmo looking perfect, but with a white trash wife who never graduated high school. As silly as it may sound, when I vote for a president, I want to be able to visualize the impression, we, as a country, are going to make to the rest of the world. With that being said, here is a comparison of the presidential candidates' family pictures (or lack thereof).

DEMOCRATS

Does this picture look old to you? It was the most recent Clinton family photo I could find, and it was on Hilary's website. I think this must be from an old presidential holiday card. Since she has just recently decided to base her candidacy on change, I suggest she change her photo to one that isn't at least 10 years old. Besides, poor Chelsea. She's grown into a nice looking young woman, I would be totally embarrassed if my mom kept perpetuating an ugly picture of me as an awkward teenager

GRADE: D (At least she has a family photo.)

John Edwards' family photo is one of my favorites. They look happy, albeit a little windblown, but I would probably want to be friends with these people. Good work, John. You got something right.

GRADE: A (Nice work.)

I love the Obama family photo. I love that it's outside. Whoever posed this knew exactly what they were doing too. They obviously want Obama to be the center of attention. With the kids all over him, the photographer definitely succeeded in getting that message across. I love his daughter sitting in his lap. Nice touch.

GRADE: A+

REPUBLICANS

Remember how I mentioned earlier that Mike Huckabee's son hung a dog at scout camp? What do you think they're trying to convey in this photo? Could it be, "Huckabees Love Dogs"? The dog is in the center of the picture and wearing a freaking bow tie! As most of you know, although I would never go as far as to hang a dog, I am not a huge "dog lover." To me, people who dress their dogs up (especially in bow ties) are silly. Then you start getting into things like, "Well, if the dog has to wear a shirt, why doesn't he have to wear pants?" or "Yuck, the dog has a shirt on, but no pants. He is totally exposing himself to us! Ew!" Whereas if you didn't put a shirt on the dog in the first place, you wouldn't even have this issue.

GRADE: C (I don't like dogs that wear clothes, but at least the family has a photo.)


This family photo is on John McCain's website. I always feel that whenever McCain mentions his website, he has this face like, "I'm using this new fandangled thing called the internet! Not sure what it is, but my advisers tell me it is really good." I know he has kids, but I couldn't find any real family photos. Erik thinks his wife is a trophy wife. Wrong... I'll show you a trophy wife...

GRADE: C (Where are the kids, John? Oh, with your first wife? Okay.)

Normally, I would feel bad calling any woman a trophy wife, but when Fred Thompson was recently asked his favorite possession he answered, "Trophy Wife." So, there you go, straight from the horse's mouth. At least he's not afraid to blast pictures of himself with his wife that's old enough to be his daughter and their cute children. He does, however, have two adult children, from his first marriage, that you rarely see. I wonder who's choice that is.

GRADE: B (His wife is photogenic.)

Just in case you were wondering, Giuliani is still running for President. I honestly couldn't find a family photo for him, only this fun layout of his marriage history. I've heard his kids don't want anything to do with him. Great, Rudy. As if America isn't dysfunctional enough, all we need now is a president with estranged children. I wonder if his wife regrets wearing that tiara on her wedding day. It looks funny, like a little pyramid balancing on her head.

GRADE: F (For obvious reasons.)


This is the grandaddy of all family photos. When you search for any other candidate's family photo, this one inevitably pops up. Obviously, Mitt Romney wants us to know that he has a wholesome, good looking family. There are even groups of "Mittens" consisting of women who love Mitt because of what a family man and devoted husband he is. After looking at this photo, can you blame the Mittens? The Romneys look perfect. Some people see a perfect family image as bad, but I would be okay with this kind of image representing America. They almost look like a Ralph Lauren ad, don't ya think?

GRADE: A+

FOOLED YOU!

I am really impressed when people with small children have really clean homes. I feel like no matter how hard I try to clean, Luke manages to destroy my good efforts within minutes. Whether its throwing Cheerios everywhere, taking things out of the refrigerator and breaking them or scattering dirty clothes all over the house, it feels like a hopeless battle.

We are fortunate to be renting a house with lots of rooms, so I have tried containing toys in the toy room or Luke's dirty clothes in his room, but I just don't feel like it's working as well as I would like.

Here's the larger problem: We invite people over and we don't want to look like the freaky messy people that we are. So, how do you clean a super messy house with a very active toddler in 30 minutes or less? While I struggle with many, many things, I feel like I am really starting to perfect the art of "surface cleaning" (my husband - and probably my Dad- would call this "Half-A$ Cleaning"). In other words, I can make the house look and feel really clean to a casual visitor, and sometimes even fool my husband!

My tips on how to quickly make your house feel clean for visitors, when it really isn't:

1. Cleaning smells are really important to the trick. Now you don't want it to be too overpowering. If you're house smells like an indoor swimming pool, then you have used too much bleach. Clean one window out of 10 and your house smells like windex, spot mop the floor and you have the bleach smell. Get the idea?

2. Pick a room (or closet) that you know your visitors won't enter and throw the clutter in there. Deal with that mess later.

3. Light candles in prominent places in your home. Your visitor's eyes will be attracted to the light. People (and fish) like shiny things.

4. Start the dishwasher to make it sound like you've been cleaning.

5. Put plants or flowers on the tables. Make sure they are alive. Dying plants (like the ones in my house) may make your home appear messier than it really is.

6. Vacuum your carpet enough to get those "freshly vacuumed carpet lines."

7. Put on some quiet background music.

If you have any other tips, please let me know. I feel like I am finally getting the hang of fooling people into thinking I am a productive housewife.

SPOT THE MORMON

One of my favorite games to play with reality television is "Spot the Mormon." Last night on American Idol, contestant, Brooke White, was throwing out all sorts of clues. We had her at, "I'm originally from Mesa..." What do you think?



If I'm wrong on this one, I will eat my shoe. Literally.

VEGGIE TALES

Today we drove down the street and picked up our first week of fresh produce from Abundant Harvest Organics. I signed up for their weekly service a few weeks ago and was really looking forward to finding out what we would get in our first box. We're paying $16 per week for a small box (feeds a family of 1-2) of fresh organic and seasonal produce from family farms around California.

Here's what we got in our first week's box:

Mandarin Oranges
Fuji Apples
Kiwis
Russet Potatoes
Garlic
Red Onions
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Red Lettuce
Turnips
Arugula

Needless to say, I am very pleased with the selection and quality. It's true that I wouldn't normally buy things like brussel sprouts and arugula, but I'm hoping that by doing this we will be encouraged to eat more produce and try new things. (It also helps that they hand out things like recipes and instructions on the correct way to cook brussel sprouts at the time of pick-up). Plus, since I am so cheap, I did a quick calculation of how much all this organic stuff would cost me at the grocery store, and this is a great deal... not to mention really fresh and convenient!

They have things you can add on to your weekly order like brown eggs, organic skinless chicken breast, grape juice and organic milk, but I don't think we're to that point yet. This could really get expensive if I'm not careful!

THIS WILL PROBABLY MAKE HIM BE LEFT HANDED

Last night after dinner, Luke pinched the pinky finger of his right hand in between the sliding glass doors in our kitchen. It wasn't pretty. His finger, at the base of the nail, was hanging on by a small thread of skin (or at least that's what Erik tells me because I couldn't look at it). We rushed down the street to the Tehachapi Hospital (very similar to the Appalachian Emergency Room skit on SNL*), and had him all stitched up. The worst part was the screaming and blood. The hospital staff tried to restrain him, but he kept breaking out of the papoose they had him strapped to. They sedated him during the stitches, but he was still awake and screaming while his eyes were zooming around from the drugs. He kept screaming, "Go Bye BYE!", "Oy OY!" (which means OUT in Luke-speak), and "On!!" (which means OFF, because he gets those 2 words confused). It was really unsettling to him see him so upset. I did not enjoy it.

Our big concern has been how to keep him from picking at his wounded hand. They bandaged it up pretty well, but he can still undo it if we don't watch him 24-7. We put a bright orange sock with dinosaurs over it and he seems to really like it. In fact, when we remove the sock to look at his hand, he gets mad because he wants it back on! He keeps punching us with the wounded hand, holding it up and saying, "Ouchie!"


Another way to distract him from playing with his wound has been to let him have almost anything he wants. For example, he got to eat steak and Elmo cookies for lunch, and then we let him watch Finding Nemo while sitting in the dirty clothes hamper (his favorite place to relax). He was really happy.


This has brought to our attention the need for an emergency plan. I'm sure this won't be our only visit to the E.R. Luckily, Erik and I were both home when this accident happened. Erik had to hold Luke so tightly to keep his finger from flying off, that it would have been impossible for just one person to hold him and drive at the same time. I don't even know how one person would have held his finger together and made a phone call for help.

I need to have a good mental list of who I will call if something like this happens again if I am alone with Luke. Many of my good friends here also have small children and that would make it hard for them to help me in an emergency like this, so I need to think of women with older children or no children who are home during the day to call. We also decided that we need to put things like tape, screwdrivers and popsicle sticks in a common area so we can get to them quickly if necessary. (The tape and popsicle sticks would be used for salvaging digits, and we've used the screwdriver before to get Luke's limbs unstuck from strange places in the house.)

So, yay for stitches and antibiotics, and boo for mean sliding glass doors that try to eat little boy's fingers!

*Alright, the Tehachapi Hospital wasn't that bad. The staff was nice, but the waiting room was itsy bitsy, like maybe 8' x 10', and the hospital only has 3 beds. I am just grateful that we only live a 1/2 mile away from it.

ONE MAN'S JUNK IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE

Or the alternative title for this post: ARE THESE PEOPLE DRUNK?

Like I mentioned before, I'm trying to get more organized. Part of this is going through what is in my house. If I haven't used it for 4+ years, then I am tossing it, giving it away to the Goodwill or selling it on Ebay. I am making very few exceptions to this rule. I have to, or I'll eventually turn into one of those people on Oprah who are unable to invite people over or walk through their living rooms because they have accumulated so much junk. Those "people" always say, "I don't know how this happened. It was soooo gradual." How scary! I could be turning into a junk recluse right now unless I stop the madness and throw things out!

I call selling things on Ebay "reverse gambling" because you really never know what is going to happen when you put something up for sale. You can research completed listings and take nice pictures, but sometimes things just don't sell for as much as you think they should, and then there are times, like this, when there must be a whole bunch of people on crazy pills bidding on my stuff.

The best example of crazy people bidding right now are these:

Our hometeacher gave us these strange S'more ornaments a few years back for Christmas. It was "nice", but every year I put them on the tree and think how weird they are so I figured I would just sell them. The last I checked, they are currently at $64.83 with 12 hours left. Not bad for junk I was this close to giving away to the Goodwill last week. I am now getting kind of worried that these people might be mad at me when they get the package and realize they just paid $60+ for some weird looking s'more ornaments. I better use bubble wrap.

I know other people have had much greater success with junk they found in their closets, such as my sister, Kelley, with her old clothes, or those people that list potato chips they found in their cupboards with an image of the "Virgin Mary," but since I was going to give this stuff away anyway, I was thinking just to get an extra $10 would be nice.

I love Ebay.

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS

Yesterday, I asked a friend if she was going to take her 18 month old to nursery this Sunday. She emphatically said, "No." When I asked why, her reasons came in this order: 1) It's flu season, 2) There is a kid that pushes other kids, 3) Two of the leaders are high strung, and 4) She asked the Bishop to give her a nursery calling and he said no. Of course, if a parent wants to continue sitting out in the hall with a squirmy toddler during church, that's their own prerogative, but as for me and my house, unless my child's life is being threatened or they are giving him drugs, we will take advantage of that glorious gift from God called "nursery".

Along the same lines, I have heard similar comments from women who won't "camp for 10 years" because they don't want to do it with little ones, fly with their child without their spouse, or attend church for the last 2 months of their pregnancy because they are tired. While admittedly, it would be more ideal to do some of those things with a spouse or "helper", sometimes you just have to do hard things as a mother.

Before I jump all over these folks for being wimpy, I totally make the same excuses, just with other stuff. I want to be tougher when it comes to doing things alone with Luke, but sometimes I am so tired, that I just don't feel like trying. Erik is constantly saying to me, "Don't be a wuss. You can do that with Luke. Why do you let him stop you from doing things? This is part of being a mom." (The "This is part of being a mom" comment bothers me the most. I always respond with, "Well, I'm not a single mom.") Fortunately, Erik's comments about doctors' appointments and shopping stopped when I "allowed" him the privilege of taking Luke shopping alone with him a few times to Home Depot, as well as trying to hold Luke down during my last ultrasound. I also had a friend point out the irony that husbands complain that you haven't accomplished anything all day while being alone with the kids, but then they complain if they are going to be alone with the kids for a few hours because it will prevent them from getting anything done. Very good point.

Example, here are some things that I avoid doing alone with Luke at all costs, that I probably could do if I had more chutzpah:

- Huge Shopping Trips to Bakersfield that take Half the Day or Longer
- Going to any Doctor's Office (unless its the pediatrician)
- Taking Luke to Young Womens Activities
- Hosting Dinner Parties When Erik Won't be arriving until 15 minutes before the Guests
- Attending Fancy Wedding Receptions
- Eating Out at Restaurants

Then there are the things that I have done alone with Luke, that I wish I wouldn't have:

- Drove to Arizona by myself when he was 8 months old, stopping to nurse him at scary rest stops every few hours or so.
- Tried to do 20 hours of freelance work from home per week when he was 2 months old.

I know a lot of this has to do with a child's age and temperament. Plus, it really does make a difference when I have Erik with me to help do these "hard things." Although, every time I think I "can't" do something because of Luke, I imagine this anonymous women with 4 little kids, staring me down, saying, "Oh, you think it's hard now and you only have one! You wimp!" That's one of my biggest fears with having 2 boys, 2 years apart - that I will never leave the house because it will be too hard. That's when I think of this poster below instead of the "inspiring" one at the top:

PLEASE DON'T KISS

When Erik and I were watching the 4 hours of debates on Saturday night there was this strange moment when all the candidates (Democrats and Republicans) were on stage together. They kept hugging and talking to each other really close, (I'm sure because it was so loud in the room), but it really looked like they were all going to kiss. It was kind of gross. This picture on tonight's CNN's homepage reminded me of that. Hillary and McCain are facing each other. Hillary is puckering up and John McCain looks like he is in the midst of screaming like a little girl.

I have a headache from watching so much primary coverage tonight. I can't stop watching it even though the news people are saying the same things over and over again. Good thing I have another week to recover until Michigan's.

Despite all this nonsense, I would just like to point out that the pledged delegate tally according to CNN (what really matters) is now as follows:

Democrats
Obama - 25
Clinton - 24
Edwards - 18

Republicans
Romney - 24
Huckabee - 18
McCain - 10
Thompson - 6
Paul - 2
Hunter - 1

Tonight I only heard one newscaster (local L.A. guy) say that he didn't understand this craziness when delegates were what mattered, and he was quickly brushed off by a political "analyst" as not understanding momentum. So, yeah, take that McCain. Romney is still ahead. HA.

Just for fun, here's a great article I read about discrimination (particularly against Mormons) in politics.