Don’t Chew Gum Outside, People!

Serious Consequences Could Ensue!

My 5 yr old and I were having a chat last night. She wanted to warn me about chewing gum outside.

“You should never chew gum outside.”

“Oh, why?”

“Because a big animal will come up and hit you in the stomach and knock you over.”

“Really? Did you see that happen?”

“It was on TV” She was serious.

Apparently there’s a pretty dramatic commercial on TV where a guy gets hit in the groin by a ram and spits out his gum. All the guys I tell this to know exactly what I am talking about. We don’t watch much TV, and she’s only 5 so she really thought this might happen. She was worried about big animals lurking behind the bushes, apparently, watching for gum chewers.

I told her that sometimes what you see on TV isn’t real – it’s just a joke. I said I had never seen that happen and didn’t expect to see that kind of thing. I think gum chewing in the out of doors is pretty safe. We both agreed that it would be pretty weird. I wonder what other things she believes that she got from unreliable sources.

We had a conversation last year about commercials – she thought they were shows, too. So we had to have a chat about how they are trying to get you to buy something. Of course, it all looks like great stuff, and she wants it all. She even said that one day: “I see lots of cool stuff they are trying to sell me on TV and I want to buy it all!” I think that was before Christmas. So, we’ve had some beginning conversations about things not always being as great as they make them seem on TV, and how Stuff won’t necessarily make you happier (she doesn’t quite believe me), and about we can’t buy EVERYTHING we want. Phewph. What must it be like to not know this stuff yet – to take the world at face value?

This is the one with all the pictures

This was supposed to be the post with all the pictures of all the fun stuff we've done lately but not blogged about because it needed pictures. Well, I finally got to sit down at the computer this weekend for a couple of minutes and downloaded these couple of pictures. Meanwhile youngest angel daughter unrolled a whole roll of cherry flavoured dental floss and elder angel daughter got into the bottom drawer of her dresser and toppled the whole thing over on top of herself. But at least I got my pictures. See what lenghts I go through? The rest of the pictures will have to wait until I get more dental floss.

These first ones are the dolls I made for Christmas for DD's dollhouse. She was suitably impressed. I made them all on my lunchhours at work from stuff I already had (or scammed off of other people).


This one is the princess. DD was all into princesses this year (yes, she's 4 and a girl and her favourite color is pink. surprised?)

This one is the baby. It might be hard to tell, but they all have streaks of white hair just like my girls and their dad. I was proud of the brown hair on the baby- I found that piece on the floor in my office. I know not everyone would think that is cool.

I decided I want to be the redhead.

This is a shirt that I painted for my brother in law for Christmas. He's a computer guy. I hope he actually wears it someday...

And this is the shirt that I painted for another brother in law. He's a comic collector. As an aside, I learned a valuable lesson with this project - stain resistant means paint resistant also.

There's a third shirt in the series that I don't think I got a picture of. It is for the third brother in law. It is a windshield with a bug smooshed on it (sewed on wool bits), and the tag says one one side: "sometimes you're the windshield" on the other side: "sometimes you're the bug"

My thumb was sore yesterday from embroidering, so it can't have been that bad of a weekend, right? Sometimes I get caught up in the disappointment of all the stuff I'd like to do but can't. This post is to remind me that we have done an awful lot of cool things lately. There are several times more pictures back home on the harddrive that didn't make it into this post. Like the morning we had stewed blueberries for breakfast, the birdhouses, several more shirt paintings. We're just not as well documented as some people, but it doesn't mean the richness isn't there. Sometimes I have to remind myself.

Lessons learned from decluttering.

We're going through a drawer in the kitchen and I realize that my darling daughter really has been listening to the clutter banter and is, indeed, smarter than me.

kid: i think we should get rid of this.
mom: it's a pastry blender, we should keep it.
kid: but you never use it.
mom: it's for making pie.
kid: you never make pie.
mom: I'm just not ready to get rid of it yet!

Truth is I used to make pie before I had a full-time job and kids. I used to watch tv, too. i don't miss the tv, but someday, maybe 20 years from now, when the kids take less effort on my part, I'd like to make pie crusts from scratch again. I'll cook bran muffins for my husband, too, and volunteer, and maybe write poetry.

Learned a valuable lesson last night

I guess I just had to try it and see.
It was probably the stupidist thing I've done in a long time. Right up there with mentioning that cord prolapse is at least as likely as uterine rupture....

Now, Don't ask for details, please. You won't like it. I just finished answering that question to a co-worker and I'm sure he's hiding somewhere now trying to forget. I'm warning you ahead of time.

Yes, it is confirmed, once again, I should not eat wheat. Reaaly, reaaly shouldn't eat wheat.
The buns were the carrier for the garlic butter, which I should have just eaten straight. I lost count how many I stuffed into my greedy, needy gullet.
And then had 2 more before bed. Because Pregnant People can justify eating ANYTHING.

Yes, I've learned my lesson. And now that I'm all cleaned out I'm turning over a new leaf. Well, ok, because I'm on not so good of terms with my stomach today, and it won't hold anything but the most pristine of foods, I'm NOT ABLE to eat anything gross. So, yes, it's the day after Halloween and no more sugar (on the midwife's suggestion), wheat (duh), other artificial stuff. For a while anyway.

I've been pretty good so far, having eaten 2 bananas, 2 cups of tea (one ginger and one peppermint, both of which are supposed to be good for irritated stomachs), and a handful of nuts. I'm sure I'll need something more sustaining soon.

Yes, I learned my lesson. I think it's proven beyond any doubt.

Lessons learned from my ipod....

Lessons learned from my ipod:
1. The washing machine is not a good place to clean a dirty ipod. It is good for dirty leathermen, though. It's also not good for dirty disposable diapers, but that's another story!
2. When your ipod is broken, don't take it to your local mechanic. oops.
I highly recommend marrying a mechanic if you get the chance, though, there's never a dull moment.

Now the thing is, do I buy a new one now or wait for my birthday? Something in me says that I broke the thing so should suffer a little without it before buying a new one. I don't deserve it yet. But I mostly use it AT work and getting TO and FROM work, and since I will be OFF work on maternity leave in ONLY 2 MONTHS!!! (woo hoo!!) getting a new one in February would be pointless. Dearest hubby made a comment about waiting for my birthday the other day, which makes me think that he's got something up his sleeve. But I always think he's got something up his sleeve, so who knows.

If this wasn't my third post and I had actual readers I'd ask what YOU would do, but alas...