Calling All Moms For A Little Advice

Thank God for blogging. Anytime I start to second guess myself when it comes to my daughter, I have the best opinions and experience to draw on right here.

So here's my latest "Should I or Shouldn't I?" question.

My daughter has been going to pre-school since September. During that time, she has made plently of little friends and I have met several of the moms while we wait outside for class to end.

My daughter just turned four this month. Many of her little friends are also celebrating birthdays and inviting her to their parties. The first one was easy to attend. That mom made it clear that parents were more than welcome to stay to watch over and it was held in a recreation center. This felt comfortable to me, the other moms I knew would be there and it was being held in a place with lots of parking and room for everyone. This center only charges $25 so it is very affordable for anyone to book a party.

The question I have now is that my daughter has been invited to a "house" birthday party. I hardly know the mother and her little boy is new to the school. I had to ask the teacher who he was when I didn't recognize his name. When I asked my daughter about him, the first words out of her mouth were "I don't like Michael".

So I tracked down his mom next time I was waiting for class to end. I asked her about the birthday party and found out they have several pets (my daughter is not used to being around animals). Then when I asked if parents would be attending, she hesitated before saying that I could stay if I wanted to. I made some excuse about our cottage and that I would get back to her about whether or not my daughter would be attending. Personally, I think that hanging around to watch my daughter in a house where I hardly know the parents is just plain weird.

Two questions today:


"How old were your children when you felt comfortable dropping them off at a birthday party when you hardly knew the parents?"


 and 


"Would you tag along with your child and then hang around in a house where you didn't know the adults or care to?"

Parking Lot Update Plus Green GiveAway Winner!

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for not only entering the "Go Green For Spring" Giveaways that Erin of The Mother Load and I introduced last week but also for all of your supportive comments. I hope we can give you a little "food for thought" about the carbon footprint you are leaving along with what we can all do to help reduce the "footprints" of others.

And now, on to my winner!

Please join me in Congratulating:  


Alyssa of Bloggin 2 Noggin

who will soon be well on her way to "Going Green For Spring" once she receives the two cloth reusable shopping bags from my Giveaway! No more plastic bags for your Alyssa!

And before I sign off for the weekend, I wanted to let you know what's happened since telephoning the manager of that store and complaining about the garbage in the parking lot there. Anyone who is interested in viewing the before photos will find them Here.

So here's what's happened since my initial phone call. I spoke to the manager again and he told me that the first clean up has already taken place. As promised, he did hire a separate cleaning team to help his employees get rid of the first layer of garbage and crap although he was quick to point out there is more cleaning to do. In his opinion, they are about half way to how he wants the parking lot to look.

Here are a few updated photos. You can see there is still lots of crap smushed up against the curb in front of the cars and that dirty pile of snow is continuing to melt exposing more shit that needs to be picked up and scrapped off the pavement.

The next stage of the clean up is the re-writing of job desciptions for some of the employees. He will be dividing the parking lot into zones and giving each of those employees their own zone to be responsible for so he can monitor who cleans up and who doesn't. He is also planning to hold a meeting with his staff in the hopes of encouraging them to take more pride in their place of employment so they pay attention to the outside of the building and the impression it makes on customers.

So that being said, I agree with him that the parking lot is about half way to where it needs to be and you can bet that bitchy Meno Deb is gonna keep right on his ass to not only get the job finished but to keep it clean.

So now go on over to Erin's place and see who the lucky winners of her "Go Green For Spring" Giveaways are. You just might be one of them!!


And by the way, there are more "Go Green For Spring" Giveaways coming up so stay tuned!

Just When You Think You've Heard It All......

This little story comes to us compliments of my folks who have been married for about 55 years. You'd think with that many years together under their belts, they would be out of surprises but you'd be wrong.

You see, the other day, mum was sitting in her favorite chair in the living room, probably with her laptop when dad walks into the room looking a bit sheepish and says "I just did something I've never done before".

Mum looks up and sees the shitty look on his face and wonders if she dares to ask "what?" but curiosity being the bitch it is, she says "What did you do?"

His reply catches her completely off guard.

"I just flushed my wallet down the toilet." Turns out that while my dad was straightening up after hitting that flush lever, his wallet popped out of his pocket and right down into the toilet bowl and out of sight with the cascade of rushing water.

Now, the good news, my dad is a plumber which saved him the embarassement of calling someone in to help him retrieve the thing, so he made a plan. Knowing that one flush wouldn't be enough to move the wallet out to the pipe on the street, he goes down to the basement and opens up the trap in the cement floor. His plan was to get mum to flush that toilet again while he waited downstairs watching for the water to shoot that wallet right out through the trap and into the sewer pipe. He thought if he moved fast enough, he could catch it on its way by.

So he hollers "Ready!", mum hits that toilet lever on cue but instead of flushing, the bowl fills up with water. Turns out that wallet hadn't made it all the way out of the toilet but was stuck.

She yells down that the toilet is plugged so upstairs he comes. He bails out the toilet bowl, tries to reach the wallet but no luck. Finally, he gives up, goes out to the garage and gets his toolbox. In he comes, the water gets turned off, bolts get unscrewed and that toilet comes up off the floor.  There wedged in the back of the trap is my dads sopping wet wallet.

A new wax seal goes down, that toilet gets bolted back to the floor, the water gets turned back on and mum goes back to her computer. Dad dries his wallet and goes back to whatever he was doing.

So there you have it, just another normal day at my folks house.

So tell us, what's the funniest thing that's been flushed down the toilet at your place?

Yes, When It Comes To The Environment, I'm A Bitch!

It's been an eye opener linking up with Erin of The Mother Load in an effort to convince as many of you as possible to "Go Green For Spring". Doing that post and the research that went along with it have drastically changed my own perspective when viewing the environment.

Like everyone else, I shop on a regular basis for food, clothing and other necessities and up until the other day, was more focused on my shopping list than my surroundings. For as long as I can remember, the parking lot of this one particular store has always been a mess of swirling paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, styrofoam food trays and of course, countless plastic bags. Usually I would just wade through it anxious to get in, get my shopping done and get the Hell out.

So after doing my post the other day with Erin, I went to this same store to pick up a few items and suddenly, that swirling cesspool of paper, plastics and cardboard pissed me right off. How dare they allow such a mess to clutter up not only their own lot but blow freely into every other yard and probably right down to the harbor about a mile away and into the ocean.

I happened to have my camera in my purse and here is just a sample of how that parking lot looked. It was an absolute disgrace and I knew their head office would be appauled by the state of it.

So guess what this Bitchy Meno New Mom did? She got on the phone when she got home, she asked to speak to the manager and then very nicely told him of her concerns and that the state of their yard was unacceptable. After making a few excuses for the mess, the manager admitted that they could do better and that I was right. It would be addressed and he was going to hire a cleaning crew to take care of it immediately.

I haven't been by yet to see it but you can bet that if I'm not happy with the result, photos will be going to their head office where I know a mess like this will not be tolerated.

So here's what I want you to take away from this experience. Pay attention to the garbage that you see blowing around. When you see a store that is so obviously doing a piss-poor job at managing it, call it to their attention. They have a responsibility to their neighbors and the environment to keep their grounds in reasonably good condition. If they don't, WE ALL have the responsibilty to hold their feet to the fire until they do.

And just like I pointed out in my "Go Green For Spring" post, it's never been so easy to make a difference. All I did was make a quick phone call and take a few photos. All of us can find the time to do that for our environment.


And if you haven't already entered the Giveaways to help you "Go Green For Spring", links are Here and Here.  Good Luck!!

Go Green For Spring! And A Little GiveAway To Get You Started!

With the warmer weather and the first signs of Spring, who better to join forces with when doing a blog post promoting "Going Green For Spring" than Erin of The Mother Load.

And just like Erin, one of my biggest pet peeves are the more than 500 billion new plastic bags that are passed out to shoppers each and EVERY year. Did you see that staggering number? 500 BILLION!!, with a "B"!

And yes, I've read the excuses the plastics people shove down our throats of how these bags will be re-used to store our crap, or to carry our junk around in and even end up in our homes for decades just like in the houses we see on the TV show Hoarders.

Okay then, for arguments sake, let's say it's only Millions per year that end up in the landfills, blowing across our yards, hanging from trees, floating in our rivers, lakes and oceans and stuck inside the bellies of wildlife. Does common sense tell you that even that number per year is outrageous, sickening or ridiculous? For the sake of our children and grandchildren, I hope it does.

Saying "NO" to plastic bags and making the switch to cloth can make a HUGE difference in putting an end to this disturbing trend. I know that finding good quality cloth bags at affordable prices is probably a heck of a lot easier in Canada since Superstore, one of our largest grocery chains has stepped up and is now charging for plastic bags. They've done the research on fabrics and durability and now offer their customers a good quality, low-priced, reusable cloth bag alternative. If you're thinking of making the switch, Erin gave us lots of great tips and other ideas on how to "Go Green" in a post she did Here.

When selecting your cloth bags, just make sure they are washable so they can be cleaned on a regular basis. You don't want bacteria, mold or mildew growing in the bags you pack your groceries in. So simple, just keep those bags in mind any time you throw on a load of laundry and notice a little extra room. Once the bags are clean, hang them to dry either inside or outside your home and they will be good as new and ready for your next shopping trip.

And while we're thinking about "Going Green", let's make our blogs carbon neutral too. It's so easy, just write a quick post like this paragraph announcing that your blog is now Carbon Neutral, link to this Website, pick a "Carbon Neutral" button to match your blog, display it proudly on your sidebar, send a quick email to confirm that you've done your post and they will plant a tree on your behalf to help neutralize the carbon dioxide emissions from your blog. Hell, you don't even have to get your hands dirty!

So to get you started on the "Go Green for Spring", I'm giving away 2 brand new Superstore reusable cloth grocery bags. These are well made and I use them every time I'm shopping and need a bag to carry my loot home in. Doesn't matter if it's groceries, a trip to the mall or to the corner store.

And it's never been easier to enter a GiveAway


Mandatory:
  Leave a comment here for 1 Entry

and make sure that you follow both me and Erin of The Mother Load and that's it. You're in the draw, sweet, simple and so easy just like using these bags is.

Want to increase your chances of winning? Here's how to earn extra entries:

Tweet about this giveaway and send us a link to your tweet
(1 entry plus you may tweet once daily)
Become a fan of  The Mother Load on Facebook.  
(1 entry)
Follow Erin on Twitter (@erinlynn76)
(1 entry)
Post links to these Giveaways on Facebook
(1 entry)
Write your own "Go Green For Spring" post
 and link up to our posts within yours
(5 entries)

Giveaway begins NOW and ends one week from today, Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 7 a.m. CST.

Winner will be announced shortly thereafter.  

So now that you're thinking of "Going Green For Spring" and how you can be a big part of the solution, head on over to Erin's Place and enter her "Go Green For Spring" Giveaway too!

It's never been so easy to make a difference!

In Honor of Easter Weekend!

What a perfect time to share the support and awards that everyone has been so sweet to pass along to me and I admit, I'm getting behind in saying "Thank You". Being recognized by other bloggers will always put a big smile on my face so please take a moment, visit these terrific bloggers, take a look around their place say "Hello".

And rather than hand them out one by one, in honor of our long weekend, anyone who wants to snag any or all of these awards today can BUT only after doing the following:

Stand up;
Clap five times;
Jump up and down three times;
Spin around three times;
Do five hula rotations;
Shout "Holy F-ing Monkey Balls" (this is only required for award #5)
Take a bow
Sit down, and then

FOLLOW each and every one of these great blogs

From Traci of 38 and Growing, New Mom Over 40 (to be), Susan of Just Me And My Thoughts and Kiss Keep It Simple Sister I received the Sunshine Award and I can tell you that after the long Winter we've had, I'm happy to have it!

From GunDiva and Debbiedoos Loves Livin in the Carolinas I received the Beautiful Blogger Award and what a nice pat on the back that was - twice!

From Boobies Babies and a Blog I received the One Lovely Blog Award with all these pretty pink roses. I'm just getting to know this gal and I can tell you, she's good people and you want her on your blog roll!

From New Mom Over 40 (to be) I received the Best Blog Comment Award, Wow! Who knew?! She's a real sweetie so pay her a visit.

Tina,  Kat, and Heather all honored me with the prestigious Holy F-ing Monkey Balls Award which I have to admit, is my favorite new expression.  Just wish I had known this little "saying" when I found out I was pregnant at the age of 44!

And Susan at Just Me and My Thoughts honored me with the Sweet Friends Award and oh those cupcakes look delicious!

Linda of The Good,The Bad,The Worse gave me The Circle of Friends Award and I can tell you, this gal is a riot and I'm so honored to be included in her gang any day. 

From Suzicate of The Water Witch's Daughter I received The Golden Cup Award.  Talk about an honor! Kind of makes me feel like I ran a race or did something athletic for a change!

So everyone, please grab whichever award here catches you eye or makes you smile.  And don't forget to do the little dance number above to make it legal.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Hope you have a wonderful time with your family and if not, just think of the blogging material you'll have!

Post Stealing or Deja Vu??

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no author and that's obvious to anyone who reads my blog. For the most part, I just sit back and wait for something to happen that triggers that lightbulb of "I need to write up a post about that!"  If life is boring, I just don't write. 

Unfortunately, that isn't always the case when others experience "writer's block" or life in a rut.

A few months ago, I read a post by Theta Mom where she wrote about having one of her posts copied and published on another blog. Of course she was outraged. She is one author who puts a heck of a lot of research and effort into her blog and to have someone just copy/cut and paste it and pass it off as original material is frustrating.

Then I read Arizona Mamma's post on Wednesday and my jaw hit the table. It's too late now but I give you my word, I saw all four posts before the "other" blogger put up an "Invitation Only" sign on their blog door. No kidding, the material was copied practically word for word on two separate occasions directly from Arizona Mamma's blog. If you want to know who, just check out her blog.

This same blogger published a photo of Erin's (The Mother Load) twin girls and when she was confronted about that picture, her explanation was that she had just googled "twins photo" and Erin's girls came up. Might work once but to have this same blogger copy/cut/paste Arizona Mamma's two posts? I'm just not buying it.

So what can we do when we learn that someone has stolen our material? Leave a comment in the hopes that someone will read it and be just as outraged as we are? Not much chance of that considering that your comment will probably just be deleted by them.

Here is what we can do though.

Get the word out.

Warn your readers and maybe this will stop or at least happen less often. Our own blogs is somewhere we can out a dishonest blogger and that information is safe from being deleted.

You can read Ian's thoughts on it Here.
Erin's post is Here.

 Anyone else who does a post, let us know and we'll gladly link up with you.

Bottom Line:  PLAGIARISM is not cool and if we find out, we're gonna yell about it!! If you don't believe me, check out your blog roll and I'll bet others are already shouting!