Can You Feel It?

There's a change out there. An electricity in the air. We have a new leader of the free world and his name is Barack Obama.

Never before have I seen such excitement, such fervor around a presidential election. And I'm willing to bet that won't happen again in my life time. It was almost like watching a rock star rise to lead this country, complete with rhinestone studded t-shirts proclaiming our loyalty.

He promises change; big change. Do I think he can bring it? Yes, I do. But here's my concern. How long will we give him to make those changes? I hope, really, really hope, that we understand that our economy is probably going to get worse before it gets better. And it's going to take a while before things in Iraq are straightened out. Health care and health insurance? The educational system? The list goes on and on, and I worry that with our get it now, microwave it, follow the news on my cell phone, don't have the time to wait for it dammit society we have that we don't really grasp that President Obama probably won't have bluebirds singing on every windowsill by this time next year. Or maybe even the year after that. I sincerely hope that this honeymoon thing we, the people, have going on with the new president doesn't turn to anger when, even after his first term is done, some of the kinks are still being worked out.

So, please, let's not forget that we all need to roll up our sleeves and work this thing through. And be patient. And excited for what the future holds.

I am.

How Low Can You Go?

Living in NE Ohio we see some pretty brutal winters. And today is just another example. Not so much with the snow; we get that, lord yes, we get snow, but today it's just the bitter cold. According to the local news it's -12 right now and that's before the wind chill. Schools everywhere are closed due to the extreme cold. And can you believe it? Kayla was upset about it.

About a month ago I decided on a whim to have a fun day with my daughter. Being the horrible, awful parent I am I called her off school "sick" and when she woke up I, with a stupid grin on my face, told her what I'd done. She was quiet for a moment, then her face just crumpled and the tears started to fall. Hard.

"What? What's wrong?"

"But I WANT to go to school!"

"Really?"

"YES!"

I felt bad. Really horrible. I mean, what kind of mother was I? I know if my mother had done that when I was her age I'd be dancing in the street but apparently times had changed. This was now some sort of child abuse.

So I told her we'd all get ready for the day and I'd get her to school around lunch time. She cried harder.

"But what if I miss something really fun before then?!?"

All righty. I suggested if she hurried up and got ready fast (a miracle in and of itself) I could get her to school close to the first bell. Hell, I may be such a super mom that she might not even get a tardy for this.

The crying stopped. Just like that.

"Welllllll, maybe I changed my mind."

"You changed your mind?"

"Yeah. I wanna stay home."

"But... But..." insert your own confused look here "You were just sobbing because you didn't want to miss school."

"I'm over it."

Your "Ewwww!" Moment of the Day

Not that I could ever outdo Hallie for a gross post - she has the most, errr, interesting(?) Morbid Monday posts - nor would want to even try. I just wanted to share this with you. You'll thank me later. I promise. (Heh heh heh...)



Anyone wanna take a guess what that is? Anyone?

Anyone?

No? Ok, I'll tell you. As our dear peach of a daughter reads herself to sleep she apparently picks her nose and wipes it on the wall above her headboard. Please feel free to click on the image to get the full effect.

No. 2's anyone?

As I take stock this New Year's Eve, both of my physical and emotional health, I look at things I'd like to improve. Emotionally I want to be more patient with my kids. I want to reclaim a little bit more of the person I used to be; not necessarily be less "Mom", but more Lori. Do more of the things that I'm interested in. Physically? God, I don't know anyone who doesn't have a list of improvements they want to make. While looking at myself I remember something my mom told me once - your boobs are officially saggy when you can lift one up, put a pencil under there, and when you let go the pencil stays put. Probably never to be found again. After nursing 3 children I'm pretty sure I can hide an entire pack of those biggie pencils (like we used in first grade, remember?) under one boob.

I hate resolutions.

I should just let this go

But I can't. I just can't.

I had to see what Scarlett Johanson's dirty tissue sold for on Ebay. God, I hope you're sitting down. Ready? $5,300.00. Five THOUSAND three hundred dollars. And people say we're in a recession.

I wonder what I can sell my snot for?

Today's quote compliments of my daughter

"When the dinosaurs were around, it's too bad they didn't have blenders!


Yeah, I don't get it either.

Please help the little guy

I'm a crafter. I love to knit, make jewelry, I'm learning to sew, and if you've seen it on Martha Stewart, odds are, I've tried it. I'm also a big fan of Etsy, a fabulous site where you can buy anything (and I do mean anything) that has been hand made.

Recently, the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed to rightfully improve the safety of children's products and was a direct result of last year's scare of imported toys from China that contained lead and other toxins. This act, while a good idea in theory but not so good in actual practice, will go into effect February 10, 2009 and will force many smaller, and some larger, domestic toy and clothing manufacturers to shut down. The majority of those affected are anyone from merchants at craft fairs who use natural products to larger businesses that have gained your trust over the years. The mother who sews childrens' clothes or the gentleman who carves trains out of untreated wood will have to choose between paying the $4,000 per item fee to have it tested or illegally continue to sell their products. Great companies like Melissa and Doug, Hearthsong, and Magic Cabin will likely be affected, too. You can read more about the act itself and the impact of it on businesses at CoolMomPicks.com. This site also includes other links about the issue and how you can help. Clicking the 'Save the Home Made' button on my site will also take you to the same page.

Please help these quality manufacturers out. It only takes a few minutes of your time, and what would you be doing otherwise? Bidding on Scarlett Johanson's tissue? It's over $3,200 now.