W.H.O.'s WHO

Another interesting piece-it's the World Heath Code for infant & child feeding practices.

Link: http://www.who.int/nut/#inf

Please disregard that the web addy has the word "nut" in it.

Lost in a forest

I have made a friend locally and she's really nice. We don't attend church and are not religious. I realize that we don't quite fit in in that manner here in this area. It seems like EVERYONE attends, even those who otherwise don't practice religion. You can't go anywhere for lunch on Sundays after 12pm because it's just too crowded, so we know those things. I have probably been invited to every church in the area (that's a LOT of churches) and since it's rarely someone I'll ever see again, I thank them politely and say buh-bye.

But, this friend has invited me to her church probably 5 times. It's been via email and she's given me brochures, etc. We see each other at Kindermusik and crops. I don't say anything, just thank her. I am kind of worried she'll think differently of me because we don't attend. I mean, obviously she likes me already or she wouldn't be hanging out with me, so not wanting to hang out on the basis that I don't ATTEND church, that would be ridiculous and I don't know why I am so worried. I mean, I don't think differently of her although I don't want to attend church and she does.

So, more to the point. The most recent invitation asked me if I'd given any thought to taking her up on her invitation. My options, I guess, are to continue to dodge the issue or just say to her that we don't attend. I can't tell her that I have another church, because, well, it would be a lie.

Wish I could just dodge the whole thing. I don't want to talk about it.

My daughter, the scientist

So my 4th grade daughter won first place in the school science fair. She gets to take it to the district. we ripped off Super size Me! We got a package of McD's fries and made some homemade with potatoes, salt and oil. Then we put them in jars and took pictures. The homemade ones, of course, looked foul after a few days. The McDs fries still look so nummy! I might eat them later tonight. They're weeks old.

Wooo-freakin'-HOOO

Today, my DH landed a really awesome job! We moved from CA to NC several months ago and DH took a BIG pay cut in order to be able to work for the old company from home as a freelance agent until he found something else. Because we didn't know what the future of that gig would be, he started putting in resumes right after the first of this year and went on a few interviews. They called today and he starts on Monday. The best part? He'll be making what he made back in San Diego when our mortgage was like $1800/mo--it's just over $400 here. Not bad, eh? College, here my kids come! LOL

Whew, what a weight off! What a relief!

House of depression and more depression

WTH!? I just finished watching House of Sand and Fog. Yeah, I get the whole independent vibe and creative whatever about this movie but dammit, some of us take anti-depressants to combat depression caused by daily life. We should be warned when a movie is sure to cancel out that medication...it's only fair...isn't it? I mean really...

If you haven't seen it, don't peek because I am about to spoil it for you with my Erin's Nutshell Synopsis of this freakshow of a movie.

Depressing...that's all, just...ugh..sad

Something about Little People

How much of a freak am I that I just realized that they are pretty much all the same with different outfits? I JUST realized this after nine years of parenting. DS and I were playing with them last night and I thought "how neat, some of them look alike", then I realized that there are only like 5 of them or something like that and they are just dressed up as different things. I really should get out more.

Seinfeld for Tots

One of my toddler's Laurie Berkner CDs has a song about Doodlebugs named George, Elaine, Jerry & Kramer...could it be? What the hell are doodlebugs and why are they them?

12 Degrees

I just sent my dd out to catch the bus in 12 degrees. Oh was she mad at what she had to wear to do so. I put a thick polar fleece scarf around her neck, a pair of nice warm gloves, a polar fleece cap, then her Gap Warmest Jacket and the hood. I zipped and buttoned the jacket, too. LOL It was funny, but she was maaaad! She reminded me of that kid from A Christmas Story when they pushed him over in the snow, but he had so many layers of clothing and a snowsuit on, so all he could do was flail about and he couldn't get up---too funny!

The Flight from Hell

We went to London and on to Paris over Christmas...11 days. It was a wonderful trip, but I would like to discuss the flight home from Paris.

For some reason, the flight back from Paris was about 8.5 hours! The flight into London was only a little over 5 hours...and it only took us about 2 and a half hours by train to Paris from London...so we weren't expecting such a long flight home.

2 y.o. DS started getting sick, like with a cold, in Paris a couple of days before we were to return home. He had a fever when we got onto the airplane, but I had picked up some Tylenol equivalent at a pharmacy the day before we left, so I gave him that. It seemed to help, but the fever spiked up again and he was fussy.

He was sitting on me when I realized that he had vomited on me. Not that cute baby spit up, but full on smelly vomit. He kept doing it and I got up and ran for the back of the plane where the restrooms were. We were in the very first row behind first class, so that was a very long sprint! LOL I was holding his head into my chest because I was scared he was going to vomit on someone else on the way back. When we got into the bathroom, I pressed the call button and an attendant came. I told her what was going on and she told me that she would get me a biohazard kit and I could try to clean up with that.

DH came with a change of clothes for Jordan and took him back to his seat. But...we hadn't brought a change of clothes for me on board...it was all in our checked luggage so that we could "travel light" on the way home. It just never occurred to me that *I* would need clothes during the flight. My entire top was covered and my whole lap. The flight attendant brought me CLUB SODA AND GAUZE to clean it up. As I wiped at it, I started to cry. How the hell was I going to get this out? And what would I do afterward? Was the smell going to come out? Is there somewhere I could sit that the smell wouldn't bother anyone? I took off my jeans and realized that even my underwear were soaked with it! Ugh! So I took those off, too. And here I am standing in the airplane bathroom completely naked from the waist down! Oh, and with just a bra on. Luckily that was somehow dry. And another lucky thing is that DH was wearing a tee shirt under his sweater, so I put on his tee shirt. But still, I was desperate because I knew I couldn't put my pants back on, it was too gross! At this point, I am SOBBING in the restroom because I am tired and stressed out and, well, naked.

I got a grip and looked around the bathroom (not much to look at, very small) and saw a blue folded up paper from the biohazard kit, a nice dark blue and big enough to wrap into a SKIRT! It was exactly like the paper that you put over your lap when you're getting an OB exam...except it was a pretty dark blue LOL. So I figured my only chance of leaving the bathroom and not spending the next 4.5 hours in it was to try to make the best of the blue paper. So I wrapped it around me and tucked it under and with a blanket around my shoulders, I walked back to my seat in the plane. And there I sat for the next 4 or so hours in a paper skirt, with nothing underneath! LOL

Oh no, the story is not over...So the plane lands in Washington DC and I am thinking "how am I going to get off this plane and through customs with a paper skirt on?" I needed to put more on. Maybe use a United blanket as a wrap? So we sit in our seats until every last passenger is off of the plane, so I can make a dash back to the bathroom and create my new outfit. Then all of the flight attendants are gawking at me, including one man. I make it to the bathroom, wrap up the blanket into a skirt and we leave the plane. I can only imagine the laugh the attendants are having after this.

The best part is that Morgan is saying "Mooooom! I can't believe you did this" and "why do you have to wear a blanket for a skirt?" through the airport, as if I am enjoying myself. We make it through customs and I run into the bathroom. Since we have to get our bags and recheck them for the flight to NC, Adam is able to pick out a pair of jeans and panties for me and Morgan brings them to the bathroom. I put them on. Now, low rise jeans don't normally go with high waisted panties, but at this point, who am I to complain? I put my jacket on and we get on the plane to NC.

And for our smelly clothes, well, DS's adorable Hanna outfit and my favorite jeans & tee shirt are in some garbage bin in a pink biohazard bag as we speak...