Baby, You Were Born This Way

Crazy Eyes probably thinks vaccines do this type of stuff, too.

Well, Michelle “Crazy Eyes” Bachmann is at it again.  In an interview with Matt Lauer, the reigning Tea Party Queen said, in a question regarding her stance on Rick Perry’s platform to require all girls in Texas that meet the age requirements to get the HPV vaccine, that she believes that the vaccine has the potential to cause retardation.  While I’d love to focus on what a scary, scary thought this woman becoming President is, I’d rather focus on something that most Spectrum Moms think about, at least on occasion:  the great Vaccines=Autism debate.  This issue is huge to us.  It divides us (even though God knows that the mothers of Spectrum Kids need to stick together) into two camps:  the “Vaccines Poisoned My Kid!” camp and the “My Kid was Born This Way!” camp-and that’s never a good thing.

Here comes the Hate, and I’m ready for it:  I do not for one second believe that the Techie’s autism comes from anything other than her own genetics.  Autism is as much a genetic trait as her blue eyes and her brown hair.  I sympathize with the moms who believe with all their hearts that scheduled vaccines caused autism in their kids; it’s so easy to place blame when your kid is having a meltdown or stimming or doing anything obviously autistic.  Living with autism is hard.  It’s heartbreaking and exhausting and sometimes makes you want to run away to the Caribbean.  I get it.  However, isn’t it just a bit like passing the buck to blame vaccinations for something that can’t be helped? 

There’s so much fear and doubt in the autism community.  Fear about our kids places in the world.  Fear about what “typical” kids will say/do to our angels.  Fear that our kids won’t go to college/get a job/live on their own/get married/put us in the good home when we get old.  Some kids will, some won’t.  We are so very blessed that the Techie is high functioning; she goes to mainstream school, she’s verbal, she has a quirky sense of humor and shows affection and acts like a regular kid 75% of the time.  Many other parents, however, aren’t so lucky.  Their sweet children have bigger challenges ahead.  I can definitely see how believing that an outside factor caused this roller coaster would be much easier than believing that God just made our kids the way they are for a reason.  It doesn’t help the fear and doubt when celebrities write books about how they “cured” their children’s autism (I’m not going to mention any names here, but you’ve probably heard of this book.  As happy as I am that this woman’s precious son has made such strides, I still don’t buy that she “cured” him. ), and go on lecture tours about the evils of vaccinations.  One of my Agnes Friends (let’s call her Dr. C) says it best:

“It is far more dangerous to not vaccinate because you fear autism than to vaccinate.”

Dr. C  also reminded me that the person who came up with the Vaccines=Autism Theory was not only disproven by the American Association of Pediatrics, but also asked to stop his research, as there was no scientific backing and he was causing such public hysteria.  Diseases such as pertussis, measles, mumps, and a host of other disgustingness are making a comeback now, because more and more parents are deciding not to vaccinate.  Scary stuff. 

Look, the bottom line for me has always been that other people’s kids aren’t my business (unless they’re actively being abused or something).  What works for my family might not work for yours, and that’s okay.  I just think it’s wise to educate yourself before making such huge decisions on behalf of little people who can’t necessarily make them for themselves.

My quirky, gorgeous, fabulous Techie is autistic because God made her that way.  Your quirky, fabulous Spectrum Kids are autistic because God made them that way.  When the bumps in the road happen (and believe me, they will happen), it’s helpful to remember this very important message:  God doesn’t make mistakes.

 

Tags: autistic kids, Vaccination

That’s Reality, Folks.

"Do you want me to call the Hoarders people? Clean this bloody mess up, you filthy slob!"

Want to hear something funny?  When reality TV first exploded (way back when in the 1990s), I didn’t watch it.  In fact, I thought it was the dumbest thing ever-why would I want to watch some losers fight over a vapid, silly girl when I could be watching Buffy?  All those romance shows were so shallow and trashy…and then I saw my first episode of What Not to Wear.  Stacy and Clinton made me change my “No reality shows” mantra to “no reality shows…unless they’re makeover shows.”  I guess you know what happened when a friend introduced me to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, or when the Fashionista clued me in to American Idol,  right? (Meeting Adam Lambert sealed the deal with that one.  And yes, he is most definitely prettier than I am-but a super nice guy, so I’ll forgive him)  At that point, it was silly to keep denying the pull of reality television; now, even though I still don’t watch stuff like The Bachelor or Jersey Shore (even though I’ll bet Snooki is a trip to party with), I have joined the massive ranks of reality-watchers.  That’s about the time I figured out that one can find a reality show to fit any type of moment.  For example:

• If you want motivation to clean your house, watch:  Hoarders.  Seriously.  I know most people say to play music while you clean, and I agree, but if my living room needs a good scrub, Hoarders it is.  I know it’s pitiful and sad-but I also know that there’s nothing like watching those poor cleaning crews unearth 35 cats or 2,000 lbs of adult waste to make one clean like there’s no tomorrow.  For something slightly less disturbing, try How Clean is Your House?  Those two British women have no problem telling the owners of a filthy flat that they’re lazy pigs. 
• If you want to feel like the best parent on earth, watch:  Toddlers and Tiaras.  The sight of a bunch of four year old girls tarted up like streetwalkers makes me feel so much better about occasionally letting the Techie wear a spritz of my perfume or letting the Flirt stay up past bedtime to finish Meet the Robinsons.  Y’all know how pageants skeeve me out in general, and this is GLITZ pageants we’re talking about.  Blechhhh.  Hate all you want, but all the scholarship money in the world wouldn’t be enough for me to spray tan my preschooler.  And don’t get me started on “flippers” (which are apparently big fake scary teeth) and the little girl that recently went to a pageant as Julia Roberts in Pretty Women-complete with toddler hooker heels!!!  (I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as they sell thongs for grade schoolers.)
• If you want all of the drama without actually being involved in said drama, watch:  The Real Housewives.   Any city will do.  My personal favorite is New Jersey (hey, I’m a former Jersey girl!); I swear, if I lived in the Franklin Lakes area I would absolutely be friends with Teresa Giudice and have all kinds of playdates with her-take away the huge house and being famous and all that jazz and it just seems like we’re cut from the same loud, sassy, Italian cloth.  Beverly Hills, Atlanta (I don’t know why I never really watched that one-probably thought it would hit too close to home or I’d know someone on the show or something like that!), Orange County…this is the place for drama without making you turn to a bottle of wine and two Xanax afterward.
• If you want to feel completely normal and mainstream, even if you’re not, watch:  Sister Wives.  Oh Lordy, Sister Wives… do I even need to explain?  The slightly scuzzy husband with the lame early 90s surfer hair.  The wives with their unfortunate fashion choices.  All those kids.  Makes me feel like a soccer mom, let me tell you.  By the way, why in the hell do all those shows with fundie Mormons and/or a billion kids (ahem, Duggar family!)  involve dressing like it’s 1870?  I know plenty of Mormons and people with large families who dress like it’s the 21st century.  In fact, the Hacker’s family is both Mormon AND large, and they all dress normally.   Is it a fundamentalist thing?  A polygamy thing?  An “I have no time to care about fashion” thing? What?
• If you want to justify your reality television watching with a “lesson,” watch:  Maury.  No, really.  Maury Povich’s show has led to many a lesson on how to be a strong, classy woman in my household.  Whenever those trashy ghetto women start carrying on, I turn it into a lesson on why the girls should respect themselves and their bodies, why they should care enough about themselves to not have sex all over the place (please PLEASE God!!!), why they deserve better than they see on the TV.  This is usually before the Techie shouts “you are NOT the Father!!!” and collapses into hysterical laughter at the shenanigans on screen.  Hey, whatever works.

Hey, reality TV is here to stay; as much as I miss the great sitcoms of my youth, I’ve come a long way from my Reality Boycott.  What are y’all’s favorite reality shows?

Tags: Reality television

Things I Just Don’t Get: Yo Gabba Gabba edition

Think Jack Black is as confused as I am?

Happy Tuesday Evening, y’all!  It’s quiet here in the Eclectic Household; the Techie is chillin’ on the couch, the Flirt is taking on a bowl of Spaghetti-Os (they’re putting up a good fight, as evidenced by the state of her face/hair/highchair/hands.  This is why anything red is eaten in only a diaper!), the chicken pot pies are in the oven, and we’re all watching Yo Gabba Gabba.  Since YGG came out when the Techie was too old to enjoy it, I’m late to the party.  In fact, I used to scoff at Yo Gabba Gabba, thinking it stupid and it’s host, DJ Lance Rock, frightening in his furry orange hat and jumpsuit.  Then the Flirt discovered Gabba Land and we’re all hooked; the songs stick in your head for days, the theme song makes the Flirt dance wildly in front of the tv, and the messages are relevant for good home training.  However, YGG still makes me scratch my head in consternation at least once an episode.  Ergo and therefore, I thought it would be the perfect topic to introduce my newest category:  Things I Just Don’t Get.  There are lots of things I just. Don’t. Get-so I should have plenty of fodder for this one, right?

Anyway, back to the land of the Fuzzy-Hatted DJ…

The first part of Yo Gabba Gabba that baffles me is Plex the Yellow Robot.  Okay, I get that he’s a badass robot and all, but how come he can do random stuff like check Muno’s eyes or fill up Jack Black’s minibike (the Jack Black episode=the straw that broke the camel’s back).  How come Plex doesn’t have his own land?  I mean, all the other Gabbas have a land, and I guarantee you Plex does more for GabbaLand than the other four combined.  I just don’t get it.

Speaking of the various suburbs of GabbaLand, am I the only one who’s noticed that 90% of the secondary characters in Yo Gabba Gabba look either crazy or stoned?  I notice this most in BrobeeLand.  I swear, there’s some wacky tobaccy growing in that forest; maybe that’s why there’s always a party going on in Brobee’s tummy. (and why he always eats the yummy stuff first and makes the healthy stuff cry to join the tummy party!)  However, I’ve noticed questionable rocks/trees/icebergs/moles/whatever in all the Gabba Suburbs.  A slick joke for the parents, or are they trying for funny and not quite making it?  Again, I just don’t get it.  Archibald the Purple Nearsighted Worm also falls into this category, as does the bar of soap that wears a cape.  I’ll just let you picture that for a minute-and yes, the Super Soap does indeed look like he’s been in BrobeeLand before getting to his soaply duties.

The third confusing thing on my list is courtesy of the Techie.  She just asked me “Mommy, why do they put honey in their lemonade?”  Good question, my Love, good question indeed.  I have never heard of anyone putting honey in their lemonade, and I think it’s safe to say that I qualify as a Foodie.  Is it a GabbaLand thing to encourage less sugar intake? (Not that not eating so many sweets is a bad thing, mind you)  Does DJ Lance moonlight as a beekeeper?  Say it with me now…I just don’t get it. (Oh, and if you put honey in your lemonade at home, let me know how that works for you.)

Ahh, DJ Lance Rock.  The things that perplex me about you are many, my good man.  Why in the hell do you wear a furry orange hat?  I’ll give you the retro 70s tracksuit (also orange-I guess DJ Lance wants to make sure the Gabba friends can find him in a crowd?  Better not ever go to a UT Vols football game, that tracksuit would be camouflage) and the thick black nerd glasses, as those are cool, but the hat?  No.  Why do the Gabbites dance so much better than you do?  Who’s the chick with the Dr. Girlfriend singing voice that loves sparkles?  Why can’t there be more Dancy-Dance guests that the parents have actually heard of?  (We’ve watched the first 2 seasons courtesy of Netflix, and there are only 5 that I recognize: Jack Black, Elijah Wood, Sugarland, Andy Sandberg, and Rachel Dratch.)  DJ Lance, you’re wrapped in a ball of things I just don’t get. 

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that Yo Gabba Gabba is my kids’ version of PeeWee’s Playhouse-something that they love, but that confuses me half the time.  Oh well, it could be worse.  It could be DORA.  Just don’t get me started on the complete incognito skeeve factor of Muno-but that’s probably best left to your imaginations.

Tags: YO GABBA GABBA

Just Another Day at the Mother LoDE…

"Mrs. EMJ, are you free?" "As soon as I finish this load of laundry, Captain Peacock!"

Good morning, folks! (all ten minutes more of it!)  Is anyone else experiencing the dreaded “weird week after school holiday” that we’ve been having this week?  Nothing too dramatic, just generally off schedule and blah.  Today is at least sunny and gorgeous after two days of rain-and it’s finally (finally!!!) feeling like fall after weeks of 100 degree heat.  The good weather led to an escape to the grocery for myself and the Flirt (not dragging a one year old out in a monsoon, thank you very much.), followed by a nice long nap (for her.  Did y’all honestly think it was for me?  I wish!) and a nice long scrub for the kitchen while Are You Being Served plays in the background.

And that’s it.  Really.  The rest of my day involves studying for the 3rd grade spelling test, taking the girls on a walk, and making pasta Carbonaro.  Oh, and laundry.  Endless, endless laundry. 

Oh, there are days when I yearn for my carefree Agnes Scott College years, when all I worried about was grades and papers and which party I’d go to that weekend.  There are other days when the only place I want to be is on  my couch, listening to the dishwasher hum and watching Captain Peacock ask Mr. Humphries if he’s free while Mrs. Slocombe tells Miss Brahams an amusing story about her pussy. (cat, you pervs. Y’all should really check out this show-especially if you’ve ever worked in a department store!).  Such is the life of a Domestic Engineer.  Some days are crazy.  Some days, like today, are smooth sailing…and all days involve cleaning at least one thing and washing at least one load.  

Which is why we DEs all have strong opinions on cleaning products.  Some people do the all-natural, organic, fancy schmancy stuff. (I love Mrs. Meyers too…but only if I get it at Big Lots.)  Some people do the no dye/no perfume/sensitive skin stuff.  (for the kiddos?  YES.)  The Eclectic Household does what many other households do these days.

We buy whatever’s on sale.

Yep, no brand loyalty here-as long as it’s a good deal and smells good I’m all over it.  I’ve found a couple of great little known gems by using this method.  For instance?  Fabuloso.  Fabuloso is a Hispanic cleaning product that’s along the same lines as Pine Sol, except it’s always at least a buck cheaper!  It tackles kid mess as well as the fancy stuff, and smells awesome. (well, the lavender kind does, I haven’t tried the other smells.  But they’re all pretty strong, giving you that “I just cleaned and I want everyone to know” smell)  They’re super concentrated, too, which means I can water down my spray bottle until it’s pale pale purple and still get the power of Fabuloso. Good stuff.   Why I never tried it before, I don’t know-guess I was too caught up in pretty packaging and ads on daytime TV.  All this cleaning also makes one inventive-a paper towel, artfully folded, works just as well as a Swiffer wet pad if you spray the floor with cleanser first.  Baking soda paste scrubbed into stains with a toothbrush combined with a long soak does wonders.  (Baking soda and vinegar will also unclog a drain in a pinch)  When you’re done with the Brillo pad, use it to scrub out your sink.  You’d be amazed at all the random shortcuts and housekeeping wisdom one can accumulate after a couple of years on the job.

So, fellow Domestic Engineers, got any cleaning gems you’re dying to share?  Any tricks of the trade?  Believe me, anything that makes cleaning more fun would make my day!

Tags: Agnes Scott College, Are You Being Served, Cleaning, domestic engineer

Nothing New Under the Sun

I'll bet you $5 one of these is a sequel.

Did everyone have a good Labor Day weekend?  If your family is anything like mine, you were thrilled to wave goodbye to the summer season for another year.  The Eclectic Family did the usual over the weekend-grilled (the Hacker=Grill Master Supreme), visited family, sat around in our PJs and watched movies.  Lots of movies.  On Saturday night, the Hacker and I watched Fright Night, definitely a classic from our childhood.  This got us talking about the Fright Night remake that just came out; that got us talking about remakes in general.  Anyone else notice that 90% of movies these days are either reboots, sequels, or books made into movies?   Yeah, me too.  Sometimes this works-think the new Star Trek, the rumored Ghostbusters III (I’m actually looking forward to that), or The Help.  Most of the time, though, the end result is..meh.  Usually not terrible, usually not wonderful. (yet almost always visually interesting at least). 

Is it possible that the deluge of mediocre reboots/sequels/books-into-movies might be due to a lack of vision by the powers that be in Movieland?  Maybe.  In any case, there are definitely movies like this that I’d love to see done.  Stuff like:

• The Casteel series of books by V. C. Andrews.  Oh, V. C. Andrews-I’ve had a long relationship with your sweet young heroines and their dark secrets, and I’ve loved every second of it.  V. C. Andrews has been among my favorite brain candy authors since 1989, when I read Heaven for the first time.  Since then, even though I’ve read all of her older stuff and a good chunk of her newer stuff (the books she wrote before she died are much better-sorry, ghost writers, I know you’re trying and you almost make it. ), nothing in her vast collection quite gets me like the story of the poor hillbilly girl from West Virginia.  The whole series (Heaven, Dark Angel, Fallen Hearts, Gates of Paradise, Web of Dreams) has “summer hit” written all over it.  Come on, a poor (yet beautiful and brilliant) girl from the wrong side of the tracks finds out her maternal family is rich beyond belief, but twisted as hell?  Half of the movies set at a huge New England estate, complete with youth-obsessed grandmother, controlling grandfather, and handsome-yet-mysterious stranger?  Gold, I tell you.  Not to mention that, since Heaven Casteel supposedly looks just like her late mother except for having dark hair, one good actress could play both roles.  If the Twilight series can make a gazillion dollars, so could this. 
• The Police Academy Movies.   I wouldn’t actually like these to be redone-just for Lassard’s men to pass the baton to the next wave of very, very fine recruits.  Say what you will about cop movies, they’re entertaining-and it would be interesting to see what the Academy would do with all the technology that they didn’t have in the 80s.  This will only work, however, if they get as many of the old Police Academy in on the project as they possibly can-I’ll bet the lady who played Hooks would be thrilled to call someone a dirtbag again.
• The Anita Blake series and/or the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton.  Honestly, with all the True Blood mania I’m surprised that one of HBO’s rival networks hasn’t snatched Anita Blake up yet.   Laurell K. Hamilton’s vampires run more toward Erik Northman than Edward Cullen (but with way, way more sex. ), and Anita Blake is a badass, tough as nails, zombie-raising, vampire-loving, bad-guy-killing piece of work.  If you wanted a new trendy supernatural creature, the Merry Gentry series is all about Faeries; Merry, the main character, is an honest to God faerie princess who winds up in the middle of some severe family drama.  She also enjoys the company of numerous gorgeous men. (again, lots of sex).  What are you waiting for, other networks?  You’re welcome.
• Troop Beverly Hills.  I loooove this movie so much!  It reminds me of childhood sleepovers and of selling endless boxes of Girl Scout cookies.  Unlike some other childhood classics that should never, ever be touched (*ahemDirtyDancingahem*), I actually think Troop Beverly Hills could make a cute reboot.   Those spoiled Beverly Hills kids of the late 1980s got nothin’ on kids today, after all.   Someone like Emily Blunt could star ( I think Emily Blunt would kill at comedy), the troop could be filled with the various casts of Disney and Nickelodeon shows, and the co-leader could be a fabulous gay dad.   Get Jane Lynch to play the evil rival troop leader, and get Shelley Long to reprise her role as Phyllis Neffler- now head of the Wilderness Girls!   The Scout Moms and I would probably have a troop field trip to see this movie-and probably try to make a patch for it afterward.  Fabulous!

So, my friends, what are your thoughts?  Are you sick of the Hollywood regurgitation?  Are there any reboots/books-to-movies/sequels you’re just dying for?  Let me know!

PS.  This post would’ve been much more interesting if I could figure out how to get more than one image to post.  Working on it, y’all, working on it. Promise.

Tags: Laurell K. Hamilton, Police Academy, reboots, sequels, Troop Beverly Hills, V. C. Andrews

A Pox on This Poor House

If any of you are fellow Moms (and I assume at least a couple of you are), then you know how one’s life can go from humdrum to miserable seemingly in an instant.  This is called the Phenomenon of the Sick Baby.  Sick Babies aren’t much fun; in fact, they’re pitiful and feeling poorly and want all the rest of us to know it, dammit!  Sick Baby Syndrome (not to be confused with Fussy Baby Syndrome, or SmartMouthed Grade Schooler Syndrome…or Crazy Mommy Syndrome, now that you mention it) manifests itself by making your formerly happy little snugglebug whiney, weepy, and clingy.  Sometimes they will have fever, or a rash (the rashy ones are the tricky ones, as  usually SBS with Rash acts completely normal until you realize that they could be a tiny stunt double for someone with bubonic plague), or, God Forbid, vomiting and/or diarrhea.  SBS w/ Puke n’ Poop is by far the worst, as anyone that’s dealt with an outbreak of RotoVirus will tell you; however, it’s never fun for your favorite tiny people to be under the weather, is it? 

In case you haven’t guessed yet, the Eclectic Household can claim a case of Sick Baby Syndrome, in the form of the Flirt.  The Flirt, for the most part, is extremely healthy-in fact, today’s doctor visit was the very first time she’s ever been sick.  This is probably why she seems to feel that the whole world has turned against her; only Mommy, cold drinks, Mommy, her Wubbie, Yo Gabba Gabba, and MOMMY (I’m sensing a theme here)  can even hope to comfort and console the poor kid.  Thank God for DJ Lance (and you’d better believe I never thought I’d say that), because I’d have rocker sores on my nether regions if it weren’t for Yo Gabba Gabba getting the Flirt to half heartedly dance by the tv every so often.  Seriously, y’all, it’s pitiful.  The worst thing?  The Flirt was diagnosed with a virus that takes 5-7 days to get over, and there’s not a damn thing I can do for her.  No medicine handed down from the hallowed pen of her pediatrician.  No shots or pills or that gross pink crap that the Man claims tastes like “bubble gum,” but never quite makes the grade.  Nope, all I can do is keep her comfortable and hydrated (hence the cold drinks and endless Mommy time), give her baby fever reducer if necessary or Benadryl for itchiness (Benadryl, by the way, makes the Techie loopy as hell, so I don’t think I’ll try it on the Flirt), and that’s about it.  I’m sorry, but I need something more concrete than this!  My heart breaks a little bit when my kids get sick; if I could have this funk myself and spare the Flirt the misery, I’d definitely do it in two seconds.  It doesn’t help when I’m told that there was nothing I could do to prevent this illness, or that every kid gets it eventually.  I always feel like if I had scrubbed harder/washed hands 250 times a day instead of the usual 249/fitted the Techie with a HAZMAT suit when she started school this year to avoid bringing home nasty grade-school funk, my kids wouldn’t have gotten sick! 

So send the Flirt some good faeries, will you?  She could use them as she gets back to her fabulous flirty self.  Oh, and send some my way too while you’re at it, because the only thing worse than Sick Baby Syndrome is it’s cousin:  Sick MOMMY/Well Baby Syndrome.  We all know what that’s like, don’t we? 

Have a healthy week, friends!  May none of your kids come home with grade school funk this week!

Tags: sick babies, sick kids

Jenn and Martha’s Big Day Out

I took Martha, my good friend and fabulous organizational muse, out for her birthday over the weekend, and we had a grand old time.  Did we go see a band play, followed by drinks at the hottest spot in town where we partied until the wee hours? (And we could, believe me, Martha is a mover and a shaker)  Did we go drink cheap beer at one of Nashville’s many honky-tonks and ride the mechanical bull? Did we party like it was 1999?  Um…no, y’all, we’re mamas now.  Not that I don’t advocate a wild night out now and again, but what Martha needed was time away from her sons (Lightning McQueen and the Buddha Baby are awesome kids, of course, but y’all know how it is) without sacrificing precious, valuable sleep time.  Did I mention that Martha suffers from severe sleep deprivation?  Since I couldn’t give her the gift of a weekend hidden away with only a bed and a bathroom, I did the next best thing:

We went to Chilis for 2-for-1 Margaritas, and then we went to Super Target.

Seriously, she loved it!  We split one of those big appetizers and a desert to go with our margaritas, and then had some retail therapy.  Our husbands watched the kids.  It was the best afternoon ever.  I helped Martha figure out what color lipstick to buy; she helped me dig through clearance bins to see if we could find something great.  We strolled through the aisles, browsing through the baby clothes and kitchenwares and groceries. (hey, I was at SuperTarget.  Might as well pick up something for dinner, right? Besides, Archer Farms stuff is awesome.)  While we strolled, we talked about kids and husbands and how Martha liked her new church.  We brainstormed ideas for her business and for my writing and for the kids in general. We kept getting separated, since one or the other of us would stop to check something out while the other kept right on going-usually talking a mile a minute.  Afterward, Martha told me that she had a great day, even though “only we would celebrate by going grocery shopping.”

Know what?  She’s right-but that’s the great thing about Martha.  She’s happy when things are simple and streamlined and organized.  She reminds me how much easier life is when one has a plan; I remind her that, sometimes, cutting loose is a good thing.  We’ve been friends for ten years, so we must be doing something right!

Martha, you asked me to blog about our big day out, so this one’s for you.  Love you, girl.  Next year, maybe we’ll be extra fancy and go to the mall!