HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween!!

Hope you have a safe and fun day!

Olive had a Halloween parade and party at school this morning then we'll be trick-or-treating this evening. Can't wait! Halloween is a bit "trickier" this year with the peanut allergy - did you know that peanuts are (or possibly are) in almost all chocolate candies?? Read the labels and you'll see that even the most unsuspecting candies might have peanut matter in them. Who knew?? Candies that are OK for my little pirate princess this year are: Hershey's kisses, Hershey's milk chocolate bar, Rolos, York Peppermint Patties, Dum Dums, Tootsie Roll Pops, Skittles, Starburst, Twizzlers, and a few other non-chocolate candies.

Speaking of candy...be sure to check all your kids' candies before they eat any - check for tampering or opened packages, along with ingredients if you have a kid with allergies. While I hate that we won't be able to give Olive all of her candy (as if any 2 year old really needs it), I am secretly a bit excited that Dennis & I will really enjoy all the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&Ms that she gets :)

Don't forget your flashlight tonight too and be sure to travel in groups. As a kid, I once remember a high school boy stole one of my friend's trick-or-treat bag and there are always a few pranksters out there looking to start trouble. Stay close to the kids and have fun!

Happy Haunting!

Chugging along...

It's been so long since I wrote on my blog that I don't even know where to start! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. To get you up to speed, here's what has happened:

1. Visit from our friends from NY with their son (our beautiful godson)

2. Visit from Dennis' brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law and their super fun little dog

3. A Little Pink Pansy show that lasted two days

4. Discovery of a peanut allergy in little Olive (who we've also now affectionately been calling "Peanut")

5. Dennis ran the Marine Corps Marathon

6. Neighborhood Halloween Parade

And an assortment of other activities and events, each more exciting and fun than the next and all have kept us busy and exhausted. So here are a few pictures to keep you up to speed. I'll try to be better about posting!

Racism and the upcoming election

Two weeks from today is Election Day.

I recently saw another blog post at Pink & Green Mama with some thoughts on racism in the upcoming election. I am excerpting some of it here but to read her full post, please visit this link. This definitely gives us all something to think about.


"How Racism Works...

What if John McCain were a Harvard grad and former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to?

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?

What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter...."


No matter who your favorite candidate is, think about these statements and how different things really might be if their personalities were opposite. Scary thought, isn't it?

Monday, Monday

Back to the real world and busy times...

We had a great weekend with our friends in town. It's so nice to just hang around and relax, but today is Monday and it's back to the grindstone. Olive has school today and they had a parents brunch this morning where we got to talk with her teacher and she did some parent education on positive discipline and language acquisition. Very informative and neat. I'm so glad she's at such an amazing school. Now I'm home trying to get ready for a little pink pansy show I'm doing this week, then we're off for a doctor's appointment this afternoon. We run around busy all week but I must admit, I wouldn't have it any other way! Life is too short and I don't want to miss anything. After all, it's the little things that make it worthwhile.

Crazy 8

A friend recently told me about this kids store called Crazy 8. It's owned by the same company that has the Gymboree children's clothing store but it's less expensive. (I think of it like the Old Navy vs. Gap relationship). The clothes are strikingly similar in style but just a little cheaper. Right now they're having a 50% off sale, as well as $5 tees, $11 denim, $7 leggings, $6 tights, and more! How can you beat that? And every order has only a $5 shipping fee!! (that makes it worth it because you don't have to lug the kiddos to the store). If you do want to visit the actual store, click here for the store locator. I can't wait to get some new clothes for Olive from here! They are just too cute!! (and a great place to buy Christmas presents for nieces and nephews)

Clean Up

Why is it that when we are expecting guests we clean up more than we do for our own family? Or when we are expecting the housekeepers, we clean up before they arrive?

I must admit, my house is not as tidy as it used to be. I do what I can but I have so much fun with Olive that I try to let some of the little things go and not worry so much about them. But when friends or family are coming over, it seems like I often do much more than I would if it were just us. I guess that's good - we don't want our friends to know what slobs we really are, right? - but shouldn't our families hold the same sort of power over us? I really should be better about this but I have too much stuff. I need to throw away about 50% (well, probably more like 85%) of what we have and then go from there. That would certainly be easier. In the meantime, I'll remain on my everlasting quest to find better organizational tools and keep the house spic and span for my family. And maybe tidy up a little extra for our guests this weekend...

Book Review: GRITS Friends are Forevah

GRITS Friends are Forevah by Deborah Ford


A friend gave me this book as a gift. Both being GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) who now live in Yankee Town, we've often struggled to adapt to life in a place with different customs and traditions. This book was a great chance to remember where we're from and what lifestyle is comfortable for us. While I often feel like a fish out of water here, this book made me say, "AAAHHH, yes, that's what life is like". This was a fun read but one where you can just read a few pages at a time. A great lesson in friendship and the importance of having super great friends. Spouses and children are not enough - friends are essential! Whether you are from the South or not, you would enjoy the lessons in friendship and companionship and friendship at 20 or at 75! Overall, I'd give it about 3.5 stars.