Come Visit My Compost Bin

I have an issue with reality shows. Seriously, it's getting bad.

My reality bug started with Survivor. It was summer, I was very pregnant, it was a wonderful relationship between Survivor and me. Seven years later I still plan my Thursday nights around Survivor.

Fast forward to this summer. In walks my new addiction to reality shows. Celebrity reality shows. The Two Corys, Tori and Dean Inn Love, Scott Baio is 45 and Single. Feel free to groan.

My favorite of the celebrity reality shows deserves it's own paragraphs. It is much different from the others because I don't feel like I am watching a train wreck. Instead I am actually learning something and looking up to a celebrity. Living with Ed!

Each week I dutifully DVR Living With Ed and savor every minute. The kids actually look forward to Living With Ed and they will sit quietly with couch while we watch.

Sometimes I daydream about Ed and Rochelle coming to my house with a shiny new wind turbine and a solar hot water system. We will all clap as my electric meter runs in reverse. They will look through my cabinets and marvel at the lack of dangerous household cleaners. We will munch on an organic, locally grown fruit salad while gazing out onto the naturally fertilized lawn. When we are done with the fruit salad we will put our scraps into the compost bin and walk down to the river for a bit of exercise.

Then I wake up. Connecticut is too far away for Ed and Rochelle to drive in their electric car. Bummer.

A few weeks ago I wrote to Ed with a question and a comment. First, I needed a suggestion on how to get more light onto my kid's playhouse in the winter months. Next, I suggested that he profile cloth diapers. My hubby thinks I'm a little loony for doing this.

Guess what?

Ed wrote back.

OK, so maybe it was someone on his staff. But, it sure looked like it was Ed who wrote to me. My hubby just shrugged when I told him that a movie star sent me an email. Me: "Aren't you surprised?" Hubby: "It's been eleven years. I'm used to you by now." And here I thought that I could make him jealous. Bummer again.

Anyway, here is the response.

Hi Gruppie Girl - thanks for the kind words. A couple of thoughts on the playhouse - Skylight? That would be good. For nighttime though, battery powered lights? Also, how about solar backyard lights. They can put them out in the yard during the day and then bring them into the playhouse at night. I use them on my walkway and they work great. If you really want to put a panel on the playhouse, they make small camping kits like that - I saw one by Coleman at Costco the other day that was pretty cool - and also Fry's Electronics had one. You can order them on-line too. As far as diapers go, I'm all for that - especially if they're organic cotton! Thanks for the idea.
Ed

I am still floating on air!

As for the playhouse, I found a small solar light with suction cups to keep it on the window. That will have to do until the kids get their wind-up LED flashlights for Christmas (shhhh. It's a surprise)

Rectangle Update

6,150 rectangles clipped, counted and sorted.

All put into neat little zippy bags (reused of course) of 50. All put into a large cardboard box. Paperwork filled out and life is signed. "I promise I am not trying to dupe the good rectangle people."

I did notice a spot on the form where I was supposed to separately count the Super Rectangles. I didn't. I just lumped them all together. Will this come back to haunt me?

Off to the post office.


Note to PTO. I'm done. I'm passing the torch. Note to self. Find an unsuspecting Kindergarten parent to take over.

PTO Conspiracy

Being the involved Little Miss that I am, I stepped up to the elementary school's PTO and volunteered to collect these annoying little rectangles that you can find on cereal boxes, granola bar boxes, tissue boxes, etc. The name of those little rectangles shall remain anonymous.

Basically, the school asks the parents to cut-out their rectangles to earn "free" money that the PTO desperately needs. While I agree that the PTO really needs this money, I have to disagree that those little rectangles are free.





The rectangles come complete with a dotted edge and a drawing of a pair of scissors. Do the parents of the neighborhood school think these drawings are suggestions? Pretty pictures to look at? Do they lack the motor skills to actually cut on a dotted line? Are they just too lazy to care how all of those "special" programs come to their child's school?

Seriously folks...12+ hours of cutting (I have lost count) all for maybe $400 to be put into the PTO's coffers? This is crazy. I am not even close to being done.

Off to nurture my beautiful blisters.

Crying

My sweet son was born into this world, gently. He was born in the water at a freestanding birth center. Everything about his birth was quiet, dark and calm.

My sweet son can be anything but quiet and calm.

He has two speeds;

Speed 1. The sweetest, happiest, most outgoing little person.

Speed 2. Crying, crying and crying!

His first day on earth was spent crying and crying while the other new babies of the earth slept and cuddled. Shock.

When he cried throughout his first year, colic. When he cried throughout his second year, terrible twos. Throughout his threes, his temperament.

We are now almost half way through my sweet son's fours. What words can explain the crying away now?

After these crying jags I find myself tired and worn out. This afternoon for example, I plan on watching some DVRed reality shows and popping open a tube of cookie dough. Hello Tori and Dean. The gym, the cleaning, the thank-you notes. They will all have to wait.

My one consolation during this crying is the knowledge that my sweet son is an absolute angel in public. He is probably at nursery school right now charming the class photographer and making the Mommy Helper fall in love with him. At pick-up time I will probably hear all about how absolutely sweet my little mayor was.

A life in politics...maybe?

Rant over.

Let's Chat About the Weather

So I don't generally like to talk about the weather. I am in my early 30's and weather chat shouldn't come into play until I'm in my 60's. At least!

With all of that said I am completely FREAKING out that it is 80 degrees out today. Seriously, 80 degrees is Connecticut in late October.

I am still watering the new grass.
I am still wearing shorts and sandals.

I will NOT shave above the knees any longer.
I will NOT paint my toenails yet again.

The news is showing pictures of completely dried up lakes in Georgia and fires in California.

All of that news coverage must have caused the crazy dream I had...
Water was gone from everywhere. Only a few inches of water was left in my rain barrel. I was eternally grateful that I got a rain barrel for my last birthday because I knew our family could survive for a few more days on the water.

Then I woke up.

Maybe the kids and I will do a rain dance this afternoon. Do you think it will go with the music of Hannah Montana?

It's raining....in the house

Yesterday was a crazy Saturday like every other crazy Saturday when my 7 year old has two play dates, my 4 year old is sick and we all decide to go shoe shopping thirty minutes away.

As my daughter and I were preparing to leave for play date number two, a High School Musical party of course, I decided to toss a load of laundry in. The family has been scrounging for their few clean clothes off of my window seat for the last week. Is that normal?

Anyway, I was running off to the car yelling something about birthday gifts and finding a card when my daughter ran into the basement guided by what I can only guess is our friendly ghost. "The ceiling is raining!"

That would be the understatement of the day!

My possessed, by our unfriendly ghost, washer decided to completely let go and flood not just the first floor of the house, but travel through the duct work, collapse two heating zones and flood the basement.





Ugh...thank goodness for global warming and the 80 degree forecast tomorrow.

Tonight I will dream of towels.

Road Paving

I truly can't believe that it's been almost a year since I last blogged. I have had the best intentions and written the most insightful and whittly blogs...all in my head.

You know what they say, "the road to hell is paved with the best intentions." Where is my road leading me?

As for an update;
I am a year older and much more beautiful.
My neighbors have noticed that I am able to speak again and they are now speaking to me.
I have had a couple of girls nights out with friends. Had a great time!
I am also making more of an effort to stay connected with my old friends.

As for this blogging thing, I'm wondering if I should tell people about my blog? I have a neighbor who has a popular blog and she talks about it all of the time. Even references it at the bus stop.

The thing about my neighbor is she is a perpetually friendly and politically correct type of person. Nothing to hide right? As for me, I'm more of a heart on my sleeve, don't censor myself well type of person.

Should I go public?