She's crawling. Our life will never be the same. I tried to prolong the inevitable by pushing her over gently when she tried to crawl or just handing her the toy she was after. I sent her to daycare on Monday, a normal, stationary baby and she came home crawling. I clapped. I cheered. I cried. She's just a baby. My 8 month old baby.  This growing up stuff and reaching milestones and all of that other nonsense? It can stop. Please and thank you.

This morning when I dropped off the girls at daycare I was joking with one of the owners and said, "Why did you let her crawl?  Didn't you know that's not supposed to happen?  I just knock her over!"  He laughed and had me repeat myself for his wife, who was clearly not amused.  She informed me that I was "terrible" and that Jordin was "behind and should already be in the waddlers class (the walkers) by now" and that I shouldn't be "hindering her development."

Excuse me?  I think not.

I didn't defend my actions, or my child.  I stood there, and I laughed a little, and said, "She's 8 months old.  Crawling is normal.  I just didn't want it to happen now."  I left it at that and mainly because her statement and way of thinking is just asinine.  Jordin is 8 months old and developmentally on track.  I know this because I spend every single day with her.  Talking, playing, singing, feeding, changing, watching, listening...  I also know that most children crawl between 6- 12 mo but every child is different and holding each child to the same standard is just ridiculous. 

I don't think that I'm going out on a limb here by saying that we all raise our children to the best of our ability and we do so in the way that is the best for us, as their parent.  My children are happy and healthy little girls.  By most standards they're considered "normal" and for someone who works with children on a daily basis to tell me otherwise?  I do have a problem with that.  I'd like to go tell her to reread some of her early childhood educ. manuals, but that wouldn't be kind of me.  I'd like to tell her that her judgement has no place in her career.  That just because she spends a few moments with my child doesn't make her an expert.  Sure, she's a parent, she's a child care owner, but she's not the parent to my children and until she's paying their bills, she has absolutely no right to judge me or say things about them that are foolish.




I've faced some of the worst judgement at our own daycare, at the hands of people who are all just like me.  And I find it disgusting.  Disgusting that people think that just because they think that they know me that they can spout of something about me or my child and that I won't react.  I will, in my own time, in my own way.  Quietly.  Kindly. 

Even this past weekend I was approached at Panera by a complete stranger, a young male who was visiting from Tampa, FL, who walked up to me, and said, "WOW!  That baby looks heavy!  What do you feed her?!"  Obviously fast food.  Every day.  All day long.  No.  I didn't say that.  But I wanted too.  Instead I just said, "She's a sweet girl  God made everyone different.  Have a great day."  The couple behind me chuckled and as he walked away the wife said, "I cannot believe some people.  Your baby is gorgeous." 



I find this way of forcing standards on our children mind numbing.  We feed our children organic, healthy food because it's what is best for them yet we forget that they should learn and grow organically as well, because it's what is best for them.  There is so much judgement in our world today and instead of beating ourselves up over what our kids should be, we should just let it happen.  Stop comparing your kids to other kids (or yourself to others!). Don't measure their accomplishments based on somebody else's results.  A quote that I read on a blog earlier this week, I think it was Raven's said, "You will never be able to tell in a room full of doctors which ones have been breastfed as babies."   Think about that for a second.  Because it's so incredibly true.

In the grand scheme of things does it matter that Jordin crawled at 8mo instead of 6mo?  Absolutely not.  She's going to terrorize her sister either way.  She's going to run and walk with all of the other kids in her kindergarten class.  Or maybe she won't.  Maybe she'll stand to the side and watch them play.  Because that is what is best for her. 



I'm not sure where I'm going with this.  I'm just tired of the constant judgement.  Tired of the should be and could be comments.  Tired of other people trying to make me feel like a failure.  So let's stop.  We live in a world of so much judgement over such simple things that just doesn't matter.  It's our job, as parents, to make sure that our kids know what is important. And as parents, we need all the support we can get.  So let's support each other.  Deal?

"What are we waiting for, Pooh?"
"Watch, Piglet, a dream is about to come true"

Waiting, waiting. 
That's exactly what I am doing. 
Baby is due on Saturday. 

***Excuse me while I go off on a little rant***

My patience is growing thin.  I'm growing more and more uncomfortable as the days go on.  Sometimes I feel tons and tons of pressure and I feel like my insides are going to explode and other times, I feel nothing.  No tightness.  No movement.  No scraping of little elbows and kness.  I do have contractions but nothing to get excited about.  But then I tell myself that when I was induced with Cameryn I was having intense contractions that I didn't even know about, I really didn't feel anything until I was going through transition, so what, 8cm or so?   So maybe, just maybe, something is going on down there. 

Most of my frustration is mental - there's a date in my head, Saturday, June 16! that has been there for the past 39 weeks, so if there is no baby to "show" on that date.. this is going to be one slightly angry mama!  I'm just over being pregnant, over these clothes, over not being able to get comfortable.  And then, once again, I have to remind myself that once baby does come it doesn't get any easier.  I should just be thankful that I'm still sleeping well, still able to walk around without waddling too much, still healthy, still pregnant with a healthy child... I get it.  I'm a head case.

Sigh.

My appointment is today at 10.  I'm praying to the baby gods, like I do every single day, that I get good news. 

3 days and counting.

This was one of my first posts almost two years ago and it's still an issue that I encounter daily.  I am re-posting this today because I have found that this problem is so universal, far too many people can relate to this, and for me, it's frustrating.  We, as a community, are truly incapable of being content with ourselves.  We must be connected to the outside world, we must have some form of stimulation 24/7.  So many times I find myself in a conversation with someone who is glued to their phone, iPad, or laptop whether it be at home, at work, in the elevator, or at a meal.  It's rude.  I seriously want to rip their link to the outside world from their hands and ask them if they really know the people around them and what they are saying?  I challenge you to 'unplug' yourself for a few hours each day to enjoy your family, step outside and enjoy the fresh air,  to really be in the moment with the people you love. I promise that the news won't change that much while you are gone.

***

Have you ever met someone who cannot unplug? Someone who, no matter where they are, must be connected to something that runs on a battery and has contact with the outside world?

I do.

Facebook, Facebook games, pictures, movies, songs, TMZ, CNN, random sites, random information... And that's just on a computer. But then there are phones with free apps galore. Free games. Free random information. Free random quotes.

STOP!

Seriously. 

Unplug yourself. 

Walk away from the computer. Put your phone down. Make an effort to be there, really 110% there, when people that you know and care about are around. Talk to them. Be a part of their lives. Spend quality time with them. Moments are precious and rare, are you making the memories that you should? 

Unplug yourself, people. Live in the moment.

I know where you put your power cords.

My husband watches some weeeeeird stuff on TV sometimes.  Thanks to our new subscription to DirectTV he has found some really high class programs.  He's usually into Animal Plant, Discovery, and anything about "bugs and shit."  He's also a movie watcher and we probably have more movies recorded that I have watched my entire life.  I have the attention span of a toddler and I have trouble watching a program that lasts for more than an hour.  However, he recorded a Penn & Teller:BULLSHIT! show on Showtime and I was somewhat sucked into this one. 

Penn & Teller's show, "Cheerleaders,  argues that high school cheerleading should be classified as a sport to increase required safety measures due to its risks. Also discusses how the majority of competitions and cheerleading goods are managed by Varsity Brands Inc. and if cheerleading were to be declared a sport Varsity would have to forfeit managing competitions to an independent body creating significant conflicts of interest. " {source}

Cheerleading is something that both Chris and I are familiar with. Chris cheered in college (for in-state tuition!) and later coached at a very successful elite program and I was a gymnast, but never a cheerleader, though I coached both gymnasts and cheerleaders at the gym that I worked at.  We're familiar with cheer competitions, the Varsity brand, and the multiple entities that Varsity Brands Inc. owned (there are over 30 of them, one of them is UCA, for example) so the show was pretty entertaining.  I believe that cheerleaders are athletes.  Sure, they dance around in cute little uniforms with gigantic bows on their heads, but they train just as hard as any other athlete and I can guarantee you that most of them are stronger than your average baseball player.

Penn brought up some extremely valid points, the first being that cheerleading is the most high risk "sport" there is.  The injury level is higher than any other men's or women's activity including football, gymnastics, and ice hockey.  Cheerleading isn't classified as a sport in many school districts (Title IX) and therefore has no governing safety courses, except for those offered by Varisty Brands, Inc., so the participants must rely on the basic safety training of their coach.  Problem?  I think so.  I was a gymnastics coach at a competitive level and I had to undergo multiple yearly safety tests given by USA Gymnastics in order to walk into a competition and declare myself a coach.  The cheerleading safety course offered by Varsity Brands Inc is approximately three hours long and once you've completed it, you're done.  Now, this doesn't mean that private clubs don't require more safety training, but if the three hour course is all that is offered and required for safety certification in cheerleading, how many of the private clubs are going above and beyond?  I think that something should be done.

Secondly, Title IX is the leading cause as to why cheerleading is not considered a "sport" in our schools.  Why?  Because the cheerleaders are not participating in a competition, they're not trying to win anything while cheering on the athletic teams and therefore receives no funding.  Since cheerleading is not considered a sport, it is also the reason why cheerleaders have no athletic trainers to assist them with injuries the way the football players do.  (Silly if you ask me!)

I agreed with the entire show until this point.

There's no doubt that Varsity Brands Inc. is the mack daddy of the cheerleading world.  They own and sell everything from uniforms, shoes, and makeup and sponsor or run almost every competition out there.  Now, the argument that Varisty Brands Inc. brings up is that if Title IX and the government were to declare cheerleading a sport, Varisty Brands Inc would have to give up managing competitions to another body, creating conflicts of interest, but most of all, lose their stake in the cheerleading world.

I call BULLSHIT.

How would Varsity Brands Inc. have a conflict of interest?  Most states have a "State Cheerleading Competition."  Are they funded by Varsity Brands Inc.?  Maybe?  I honestly don't know.  However, I have a difficult time believing that Varisty Brands Inc. would lose a lot of money if it had to give up 50 cheerleading state cheerleading competitions.  The number of private clubs practicing elite cheerleading, most with more than 5 levels of cheerleading teams at ~20 kids per team, would by far fund the Varsity brand.  Uniforms are $200 or more.  Competition fees, for the cheerleader, range from $70-150 per competition (and that doesn't include the cost of admittance for their families.)  Add in the monthly cost of training, coaches fees, expenses... We're talking about thousands of dollars per person per season.  Have you ever been to a private (not school affiliated) cheerleading event?  Insanity.

I'm not an expert on cheerleading.  I didn't cheer.  I've been around it enough to know that this isn't right - I don't understand why Varsity Brands Inc. wouldn't want their 'sport' to be declared a 'sport' for the people that they represent.  Why wouldn't they want it to be as safe as possible?  Do they really think that declaring it a sport would make that big of a difference to their income?  I think that it's disgusting that they wouldn't want their athletes to have the best and safest experience possible every time they take the mat.  But, I guess they've found a way to make money, and that's really what the world is all about these days, right? 



(But, as a former gymnast [and any former gymnast will say the same thing] I also believe that my girls should be a gymnast first!  Just because.) 

Have you seen this video making the rounds?  What a heartbreaking reality this is for many kids these days.  I hate it.  The shit talking that kids engage in now, for no apparent reason other than to just do it, is ridiculous.  Jonah states that his bullying started in the first grade.  The freaking first grade.  Where do first graders even learn this behavior?  Children should be taught kindness and tolerance, and our job, as parents and role models, is to teach them. 

I also wonder how his parents feel watching the video.  Did they know that he contemplated suicide?  And, if so, did they do or not do anything?  Do they realize what an incredible kid they have?  Which brings me to another thought - how do we protect our kids without overprotecting them?  When do we step in and stand up for our kids and when do we sit silently and scream obscenities in our head? 

I see glimpses of trash talking (already!) in the life of my own child.  I will ask about her day and she will tell me that she didn't play with two of her friends today and when I ask why it's because one friend said that,  "She told me she wasn't my best friend and I should go away.  She was mean."  My heart breaks for my kid, her friends are a whole three and a half years old.  I know the girl's parents, it's not like she comes from a "bad" home, where did she learn this?  So, I do the only thing I can, I ask Cameryn how it made her feel and when she says, 'Sad', I ask who she played with instead.  When she tells me her other little friend at school, I say, 'Oh, she's a nice girl, did you have fun?'  We don't dwell on the bad things.  I encourage her to play with all of her friends, even though some of them are apparently total buttheads one day and they are back to being BFF's the next.  She's three.  The social order shouldn't be established yet, but apparently, it's in the workings.  My kid is strong, smart, beautiful.  We don't use the words stupid, fat, or ugly.  We talk about exercise and foods that are good for your body.  I don't talk about my stuggles with my own self image around her.  I struggled with my identity growing up, never really fitting in anywhere, with any particular group.  My goal is to present a stronger front for my child than what was presented to me in order for her to grow up feeling like a strong, powerful, young woman. 

Do any of you watch Parenthood on NBC?  One of the boys on the show has Aspergers and is being made fun of at school without realizing it.  The mom does and she steps in and confronts the boy who is doing the bullying.  While the boy on Parenthood probably cannot stand up for himself due to his condition, some kids can, and some need to learn when to fight their own fights and when to turn to an adult for help.  Watching this play out on tv, I thought to myself, 'She is SO out of line!  She should not have confronted that boy, he's not hurting her son physically, therefore, she needs to butt out and go confront the parent!  Go to the school administration, something!' Whereas a friend of mine thought, 'Yes!  Do it! Stand up for your kid!' 

Do you remember being bullied as a child? Was it even classified as bullying or were we told to suck it up and deal with it when our so-called friends were acting like fools? I think it was probably the latter, but I also feel as if what we call bullying today has been taken to another level.  What a fine line we must walk as parents.  We're an overprotective bunch, like lions guarding their cubs from hyenas.  We don't let our kids get out of our sight in fear out of what might happen.  The world that we live in has changed, so much, since we were young.    Yet, at the same time, we must let go.  We must let them learn on their own how to navigate this strange world and the people in it.  But sometimes, I really, really don't want to.

 The roommates from hell are gone!  I seriously felt like running around my house naked, just because I could, but I didn't, because it's just too much junk flapping in the wind.  Chris and I talked about it last night and we both agreed that it was her that had the major issues.  He was very appreciative and thanked us multiple times when leaving last night.  Her gratitude, as expected, went unexpressed.  We also think that he had no idea what she was doing when no one was home.

Her parting gifts to us?  A broken soap dish from Thailand (so it's not like I can replace it).  She ate 3/4 of the leftovers.  And, this may be my favorite of them all, she ate half-eaten cupakes.  Seriously.  My mom purchased some special cupcakes for Cameryn who ate the iced animals off of them and put them back in the box.  The [female] roommate from hell decided that they looked yummy and ate them.  I, being the super bitch that I am, can only hope that she catches the nasty disgusting cough that Cameryn has now.  I haven't even been upstairs to check out the guest room.  Fun times are ahead, I'm sure.  I've got my bottle of Lysol ready though.  Chris did tell me 'thank you' last night.  And I said, "For what?  Being civil?"  He just laughed. 

Respect.  Such a difficult thing to gain and such an easy thing to lose.

I am currently struggling with respect issues at my house.  Not with my husband or child, but with roommates.  Yes, roommates.  (And no, I am not worried about them ever reading the blog.  At this point, there's nothing left to worry about as our friendship is probably six feet under anyway.) 

Remember college?  When living with other people was so much fun?  There was always someone to talk too, always someone to hang out with, always someone to help cook dinner and clean with.  I've decided that roommates are overrated and I am much too old to share my house with other people.

Several weeks ago, Chris approached me and asked if one of his childhood friends could come live with us for a week or too.  He was moving from PA to SC and just needed a few days to get on his feet until he could find a house to move into.  His wife and kids would not be coming down until October.  I was a bit hesitant at first, I mean, how much of a "friend" could this guy be if I hadn't met him in the 11 years that we have been together?  It seemed a little odd to me, but I've moved before and I know how stressful it is, so I agreed.  Chris assured me that it would be temporary and that it would fine, I would like him.  The friend moved in with us on Aug 7.  A week later we get a call while we are at Great Wolf Lodge, the friend is on the way to Myrtle Beach to see his family while they are on vacation but his wife (who is supposed to be on that vacation!) and two dogs are in town and are going to be staying with us as well.  Umm, what?! 

That's when it started to go downhill.  I should have listened to my instincts and put my foot down and just said no, it's too much. 

Week 2:  (the week of my birthday) They find a house but it won't be ready until September 1, which they tell the landlord, is fine, because they have a place to stay.  They assured us that they would probably be out before September 1, but as of today, it's not looking good.

Week 3:  At this point, I am 100% about to lose it.  Every night Chris and I cook dinner and every night they eat with us.  Tuesday I walked into the guest bath to grab some of Cam's things and I was disgusted.  I like a clean house and it's pretty evident as soon as you walk in the door, so I just assumed that they could clean up after themselves.   I immediately put on my rubber gloves, grabbed the bleach, and started scrubbing.  Later, I walked into the laundry room and tripped over their laundry basket because naturally, they have dirty clothes.  I just didn't realize that I was to supply the detergent, downey, and dryer sheets.  Oh, and the milk, diet coke, dinner every night and leftovers for them to take in their lunch, plus a place to sleep, a garage to keep boxes in, and a carpet for their dogs to pee on.

Apparently, I need to grow a pair and tell them what I am feeling.  Chris knows how I feel and he also agrees with me that this is just too much, it's not what was expected, we both thought that it would be different.  Both Cam and I are not sleeping well (she has to be at work at 4am and he leaves around 6am.) so we're headed to my mom's this weekend to escape.  I need to get out my house, because I don't even want to be home (isn't that terrible?)  Thursday cannot come soon enough. 

I am a good friend, but I do not run a halfway house, nor am I a chef or maid.  I know that when you take things for granted that in the long run, the things you are granted are usually taken.  I also know that when you stay with someone, whether it be your parents, your grandparents, or a friend, you pull your own weight, you offer to help, you contribute financially if staying for more than a week.   More importantly, the lesson that you learned in kindergarten still holds true:  Treat others with the same level of respect that you would like in return.  Obviously, this lesson is lost on them.  Ironic, since he's a teacher.  And sad, too, because the high hopes that we had for their friendship have officially crashed and burned.

I have this thing with white shoes.  I don't like them.  I never have and I never will.  I don't like white shoes after Memorial Day. I don't like white shoes before Memorial Day.  I don't like white shoes with heels.  I don't like white shoes on men, women, or babies.  I don't like them in the store.  I don't like them on my floor.  I don't like them in the mall.  Damn it, people, I don't like them AT ALL. 

If I see you in white shoes I will say something, probably out loud, about how ridiculous they are.  White shoes make your feet look big.  White shoes stand out no matter what you have on.  White shoes scream first day of school.  I will be sure to comment on how clean they look because you know that the people who are rocking their white shoes are also the ones who go home and clean off the scuff marks because their white shoes have to be bright white.  Like white out for your feet.

Just check these out...

I'm a pet owner.  I certainly don't claim to know everything that there is about animals, how to raise or how to train an animal, but I do have pets that are well trained.  I do have strong opinions about pet owners and their responsibilities to their pets.  There have been several stories in the news about abandoned animals.  Animals left out in the cold.  Animals being abused.  There was recently a story in the Upstate of SC of a dog being set on fire, just because.  This kind of behavior is despicable.  I don't condone cruelty to animals and I would like to "do unto others" in these situations.  I feel that if you choose bring an animal (or a child!) into the world that you have a responsibility to care for them in every sense of the word.

That being said, IMHO pet owners have a responsibility to train their pet and give them the boundaries that they need.  Yes, in case you were wondering, we are avid Dog Whisperer watchers in our house.  We have read his books.  We have tried his techniques.  They work.  But if, and only if, you take the time to work with your dog.    Chris has much more experience than I do training animals and as much as I bust on him for being "Mr. Animal Planet", I do appreciate and respect his opinions on behavioral training. Chris has worked long and hard with our two dogs to ensure that they are not dangerous to other people or to other animals.  He has also worked with Cameryn to be sure that she knows how to behave around our dogs and how to approach a strange animal. That being said, yes, we have had a previous incident with our Bull mastiff having aggression towards animals that come onto our property "uninvited", so we are definitely not perfect or strangers to dog aggression issues.  Since then, we have gone back to basics and worked to make sure that it does not happen again. 

My mother has two dogs, a Cocker Spaniel and an English Bulldog, both female.  They are her 'babies'.  Both have similar, minimal training which has resulted in bouts of chaos.  They have no boundaries, no rules, no limitations.  They get little exercise.  The Cocker Spaniel is seriously the most hyper dog I have ever seen.  She NEVER calms down.  Recently, they have been fighting.  The Cocker Spaniel instigates it and the Bulldog reacts.  The Bulldog, being the stronger of the two, actually tore tendons in the Cocker Spaniel's leg.  Naturally, my mother blamed all of the aggression the Bulldog because she is stronger.  Dogs don't bench press, they don't know their own strength- it's not the Bulldog's fault just because she's bigger and stronger!  We have encouraged my mom to get in home training because she may end up hurting herself when trying to break up their fights.  She instead chose to go to a Behavioral Specialist that took blood to see if either of them were hormonally imbalanced and GASP! both of them came back normal (DUH!)   Last night my mom was bit on the face.  Both dogs were on her bed and my mom was attempting to get into bed.  I don't know exactly what happened but the Bulldog bit her on the face.  After a late night trip to the ER and a few stitches later, my mom is okay.  For now.  What happens next time? 

I am tempted to hire an in-home dog trainer for my mom but know that she will be offended.  She has no control, but needs to gain some quickly before her house, literally, has gone to the the dogs.

I'm disappointed today along with a dose of more than slightly annoyed.  There is a new, unexpected and reoccurring trend in my life right now that I would really like to kick in the ass and drag by the ears all the way to the dump.  I'm hoping that it won't be a permanent trend, but for right now, it sucks.  I don't like being blown off by people that I care about.  I feel used.  I'm a good friend.  I deserve to be surrounded by the same. 

***

My dog wanted to go outside at 2am.  He started panting like it was 100 degrees in our house but really his Saint Bernard cold weather sensors went off and he just wanted to go outside and lay in the really cold grass for awhile.  I was annoyed, naturally, but when I opened the door to let him out I was awestruck by how clear the skies were.  The stars were incredible little jewels and I felt like I had my own magical, twinkling, secret gift at two in the morning.

***

Cameryn has discovered her nose.  She tells us when she has a booger and then she goes for it before we can get her a tissue.  Yesterday I told her that there were germs in her nose and that she should keep her fingers out of it.  She said, "Germs?  Oh, okay."  And that was it.  She didn't go digging for the rest of the evening.   This was the conversation last night when I was putting her to sleep:

 C:  "No picking nose.  Germs in there?"

 "Yes, Cameryn, germs in are your nose.  When you pick your nose you get germs on your hands and then germs on your toys." 

C:  "Oh. Germs on fingers.  Germs on toys.  Germs on the floor.  Mommy has germs?  Daddy has germs?  Madison has germs?  William has germs?"

"Yes, Cameryn, we all have germs.  We don't want to share our germs."

C:  "Share, Mommy!  Be nice!"

"No, Cameryn, we share our toys, but not our germs.  Don't share germs."

C:  "Oh.  Okay.  No share germs.  No pick nose.  Germs in there.  Why?"

"That's right, germs are in your nose, don't pick it.  Please go to sleep, Cameryn."

C:  "Germs go to sleep too?"

The mind of a two year old is a wondrous thing.  And yes, the first thing that she did this morning was point to her nose and say, "Germs in there!"  I'm glad that the point got across.

***

The battery in my car had to be replaced.  Normal maintenance of a car owner.  However, the heart of my car is the technology package which works off of a code.  The battery replacement forced a reset of the computer in my car that needs to be activated with the code.  The secret code.  The code that I have tried to guess over and over.  The code that forces me to be SOL and riding down the rode in silence.  Because my radio won't work.  My cd player won't work.  The freaking 1980's cassette player in my 2008 car won't work.  I cannot even plug in my ipod.  I do however, get to see an annoying red light that continuously flashes and lets me know that my anti-theft is working and tracking.  Damn technology. 

***

It's cold outside.  I like it.  Because it feels like Christmas.  And that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Cameryn and I went to her BFF's neighborhood to Trick or Treat with Madison and her dad, Spam (his real name is Chris, we call him Spam, long story) since Chris and Stephanie (mom to Madison, wifey to Spam) had to work.  Cameryn was like a seasoned pro and took off running out of the door saying, "Trick or Treat!"  Her BFF, Madison 'The Monkey', wasn't sure about it at first but as soon as she figured out that they were putting candy in her bucket, she had a great time!  Madison liked to ride in the wagon, but Cameryn refused and when we asked if she wanted to ride she would say, "No, thank you.  I walk."  She kept her costume on the entire time - I was so proud of her.  

(No, I don't have any pics uploaded from our camera yet.  Don't hate.)

Of course Chris and I raided inspected (and then hid) the candy after Cameryn went to sleep.   She had quite a selection; I was shocked that she didn't choose smarties at every house! 

***

When I was little I wore the same Halloween costume for 8 years.  I am not kidding.  I was a witch, with a cape and a hat.  My mom made the cape and recently she tried to give it to Cameryn.  I told her no.  I am sure that I hurt her feelings but I saw that same costume for 8 years.  I have seen it enough!

I noticed so many people driving their kids around the neighborhood.  These are probably the same people who sit around and wonder why they are fat while raiding their kids candy buckets.  Hmmm...  Rocket science.

My parents didn't chaperone us after we were old enough to look both ways when crossing the road.  They would send us off and running with pillowcases to collect candy while they sat in the driveway and drank beer.  My parents and their friends always had a little cook out the night of Halloween and they would hand out hotdogs and soda to the kids instead of candy.  That kind of thing is non-existent these days thanks to all of the weirdos out there who want to ruin Halloween with botched candy while getting their rocks off watching kids who aren't theirs.  It's really a shame.  Freakin' weirdos. 

I'm not a big Halloween person, it's never been one of my favorite holidays.  And I certainly don't understand adults in costumes while their kids trick or treat.  It just seems creepy to me.  To each their own.

***

Saturday was our "college reunion" game with our friends.  Chris had to work and my mom bailed on me as a babysitter (yes, I am just slightly bitter) so we didn't go.  I really, really, REALLY want to go next year.  We skipped our beach reunion trip this year too, so it has been 2 years since we have seen these people.  I hate that.  The group did go downtown after the game and I, being the super nice wife that I am, stayed home with Cameryn while Chris went downtown to see everyone.  I'm really glad that he was able to spend time with our friends, and yes, I'm also jealous that he was able to leave the house kid-free after dark and divulge in adult conversation and drinks that don't involve sippy cups.

***

I have one pair of jeans that I wore before Cameryn that I haven't been able to put my big toe in since she was born.  I have gone through my closet and given things to charity countless times since her birth, but I have never been able to put them in that box.  Sometimes, like yesterday, I try them on for shits and giggles.  and OMG. they. fit.  I have no idea why.  I certainly haven't been doing any exercise (wait, does vacumming and laundry count?), but hey, whatever it is, works! 
Go me!

 

Have you ever met someone who cannot unplug?  Someone who, no matter where they are, must be connected to something that runs on a battery and has contact with the outside world?  

I do. 

Facebook, Facebook games, pictures, movies, songs, TMZ, CNN, random sites, random information...  And that's just on a computer.  But then there are phones with free apps galore.  Free games.  Free random information.  Free random quotes. 

STOP!

Seriously. 

Unplug yourself. 

Walk away from the computer.  Put your phone down.   Make an effort to be there, really 110% there, when people that you know and care about are around.  Talk to them.  Be a part of their lives.  Spend quality time with them.  Moments are precious and rare, are you making the memories that you should? 

Unplug yourself, people.  Live in the moment.

I know where you put your power cords.