Wordless Wednesday - Mountains in Minnesota

You didn't know we have mountains in Minnesota?


Really?


Of course we do.

While our 50+ inches of this year's snow has been melted for several weeks, and having had a few days with temps in the 50s, we are now in prime position to show off our mountains.


Muddy snow mountains, that is.  For you non northerners, muddy snow mountains are the most hideous of hideous winter souvenirs.  They are usually found in parking lots that have been plowed, coating the snow is a dense, thick layer of black mud.  That never melts.

And in case you wonder, "are these really as bad as they look?"  Yes.  Just look for signs of perspective such as cars, buildings or, in this first one, the tippy top of the St. Paul Cathedral.

Alright, so there were more words here than a usual Wordless Wednesday...But it needed some context.


I am so glad I am on the beach right now.

It Drives Me Nuts That You Can't Recycle...Egg Cartons

Recently when I asked readers to fill in the following blank "It drives me nuts that you can't recycle _______" Anne contacted me via Twitter and said "Egg Cartons."  (She had a lot of other great questions, too, but I'll save those for another post.)


First off, once again if you haven't checked out Earth 911 yet, you should.  They have an amazing search function where you can search for what you want to recycle and, based on where you live, they will let you know if there are resources in your area to do so.  However, in this instance, it didn't yield any results for me here in Minnesota.

Egg cartons, as we all know, tend to come in two forms: styrofoam and cardboard.

I searched for information on recycling styrofoam cartons and did learn that Publix grocery stores do recycle the #6 Polystyrene (styrofoam) egg cartons (as well as their other styrofoam containers) in their stores.  More information on their great initiatives can be found here.  We don't have the Publix chain up here in Minnesota, so that didn't get me much closer to an answer.

Generally speaking, polystyrene recycling is still one of those categories that is not widely recycled.  

What about cardboard?  Why can't you recycle them?  Cardboard egg cartons are generally considered to be non-recyclable.  This, similar to pizza boxes, is due to the risk of contamination from food products. 

If you compost, cardboard egg cartons can be torn up and thrown into your compost.  If you compost through your neighborhood services, check with them before doing this as some accept it and some do not.

So while there isn't a great "you can recycle this" solution for this one, there are lots of great ways people can reuse them instead.

Here are some ideas:

1. Often schools and daycares will use them for single-use art projects of paint trays.

2. Use them for an art project on their own.  My kids have made them into caterpillars before.  There are some really cute ideas here for those of you far more crafty than me.

3. It's spring time.  You can use them to start your seedlings in before transplanting them outdoors.  However, they tend to try out quickly.  So, an even better approach is to keep the egg shell halves and place those back in the carton.  Then, plant your seedlings inside the shell, inside the carton.  You can plant the shells directly in the ground and they will compost.

4. In the fall you can also use them to store your flower bulbs.  An easy way to separate them and stack them.

5. I have heard of people using them to help keep your jewelry or small Christmas ornaments separate. 

6. You can use them to sort and store small nails, screws, caps, bolts, etc.

7. They can also be great for storing small toys (think Polly Pockets, which, thankfully I have none of in my home) or Legos.  Which I do.

8. They also make great storage solutions for game pieces when the boxes are getting mangled.

9. Put half a carton in your junk drawer of your kid's drawer and use it to hold lose change.

10. Your turn...what creative uses do you have for old egg cartons?


And what else does it drive you nuts that you can't recycle?

I Am Not a Desperate Housewife But ...

Many of you have written to ask me about what exactly a Child Hunger Ends Here rally is.

Well I am about to find out.

When the team first called to ask me to be a part of this campaign, they first told me about the jarring facts about children's hunger.  That there are 17 million children who are hungry in America right now.  They talked about the goal being to reach out into your existing community and neighborhood to do something about it.  They talked about the idea of a rally.  And I said I was there.  Sign me up.  I was in.

Oh yeah, and then there was one more little detail.

"Well given that this campaign is all about community and neighborhoods, we have partnered with America's favorite neighborhood to kick this off on a national level."

Okay, sounds good.

"And so to kick off this program, we are inviting all of the 14 bloggers to come to California to launch this campaign."

So next week, I will head to Los Angeles to meet the other amazing women who have been blogging about this in communities around the country.  During our whirlwind trip to LA, we will have the opportunity to visit a food bank there and hear, see and learn more about the issue of children's hunger.  We will meet with leaders from ConAgra and Feeding America to learn more about their partnership to do something about it.

And then for the rally.

The favorite neighborhood they mentioned?  That would be Wisteria Lane.  As in "Desperate Housewives" Wisteria Lane.

The official kick off rally will be held on the set of Wisteria Lane.

 Photo from ET Online

If you're wondering what one wears to a rally on Wisteria Lane, I am hoping it doesn't look like anything in the above photo.   Cause my wardrobe isn't going to cut it.

If you're not already following me on Twitter, this might be a good time to start as I'll be tweeting as I go.  

Finally, if you are going to do something to rally -- in a big or small way, in Minnesota or beyond -- to raise awareness of, funds or food for children in America, I encourage you to blog about it, tweet about it, let people know on Facebook... get the word out.  Feel free to link back here to encourage people to learn more.

Disclosure: I am excited to be an official blogging correspondent for ConAgra Foods during this campaign.  As such, ConAgra has provided me with background, information and a stipend to cover some of the costs I will incur.  They are covering the travel costs associated with this trip.  The words and beliefs are mine.

Will you join me to Fight Child Hunger?

Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing with you my involvement as an official blogging correspondent for the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign through ConAgra Foods.  This campaign is all about getting all of us, yes you, you reading this right now, to do things in our own communities and neighborhoods to raise awareness of, and funds for the children who are hungry, right now, right here in America.


Because millions of children in America are going hungry.  17 million, in fact.

Over the past few weeks, I have been working to rally my own friends -- both offline and online -- to join me in this cause.


I will be hosting two rally events to do just that.  First, on Saturday, May 22, I am hosting a Minnesota Blogger Rummage Sale with all proceeds benefiting Feeding America through Children's Hunger Ends Here.  The sale will be from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Highland Park Shelter House in St. Paul, Minnesota.  There are nearly twenty bloggers who have signed up to join me that day or have indicated they plan to do something on their own to raise funds, food or awareness.  If you'd like to join in (and no you don't have to have a blog), please let me know.  We'd love to have you.

In addition, I will be organizing the second Minnesota Bloggers Event on Tuesday, May 22 in the Twin Cities.  I am still working on firming up the location, but would love to have any and all Minnesota bloggers join us.  At this event, I will be accepting donations (whether raised through your own rally or from your own pocket) for Feeding America as well as donations of canned goods.  Donations are not required.

So what's this rally idea all about?  Stay tuned.  Tomorrow I'll have some exciting news to share about how I will find out first hand...




Disclosure: I am excited to be an official blogging correspondent for ConAgra Foods during this campaign.  As such, ConAgra has provided me with background, information and a stipend to cover some of the costs I will incur.  The words and beliefs are mine.

Trip Shakespeare Grew Up

Once I was a 17-year-old girl who had a big thing for a little band.  They were called Trip Shakespeare.  And they were fabulous. 

My best friend, Krissy, and I were some of their biggest fans.

They were comprised of two brothers, Dan and Matt Wilson, John Munson and Elaine Harris, a woman who drummed standing up.

Image from fasthorseinc.com

I know most of you don't know Trip Shakespeare, but you should. (However, you probably do know of a song that Dan Wilson went on to record with Semisonic called "Closing Time.")

We went to several of their concerts at Minneapolis' First Avenue (the underage ones, cause we were, after all, 17) and always got there early to be in the front row.  We wore funky miniskirts and vintage jackets.  We gazed at the brothers with giant crushes in our eyes.  We sang along at the top of our lungs.  And we made mix tapes after the shows to have the songs in the order they performed them.

After one show, Krissy even reached up on stage to grab the handwritten set list.  (Yes, she still has it).

Several weeks ago I heard through a friend that Dan and Matt Wilson were doing a show in Minneapolis.  I got tickets for Krissy and I to go.

Since we last saw them in concert, we have doubled our ages (and then some).

We have left the miniskirts and funky coats behind and embraced our inner mid-thirty year-old status.

We both did wear high heels with pointy toes.  But only because we knew that the crowd would be older and we wouldn't be standing.

Gone were the big band entrances.  Dan and Matt simply strolled on the stage.  They talked, they bantered, they sang, they screwed up and called it what it was and started again.  Gone was the long hair.  Replaced by short cuts and smart-looking glasses.

They were real.

And so were we.  There was a time we wouldn't have missed a second.  This time, we cut out of the first half 30 seconds before intermission to get to be first in line for the bathroom.

We sang along, but quietly (except for "Toolmaster"), because we didn't want to ruin the show for the people around us.

Krissy turned to me at one point and said, "When your former rock gods all of the sudden look like professors, what does that mean?"

I think it means that some things change.  And some just don't.

We still had to go see if we could nab a set list.

At the end of the show, they mentioned that they planned to have a recording of the night's performance available on their web site.

I'll be getting it.

Otherwise, I might have to go make a mix tape.

My Irrational Fear

I have a ridiculous irrational fear about air travel.

I know a lot of people do when they fly.

There are those who hate take off and grip the hand of the stranger next to them.  Those who get all sweaty during landing.  Those that have to close their eyes.  Those that won't touch the tray.  Those who won't check their bags.  Those that are worried about getting sucked down the airplane toilet. 

Yeah, I know a lot of people have issues with flying.

I don't have any of those issues.

I am completely fine with the concept of getting in a several ton piece of metal and being catapulted through the air.  That is cool with me.

For me, my irrational fear is all about what happens before you take off or after you land.

I have realized I am afraid of being on that plane that gets held up on the runway for 14 hours.  And they stop giving you water.  And there are no snacks.  And it's hot.  And it smells.  And I am sweating.  And I run out of diapers.  And have screaming children.  And everyone is giving me "that look" because I am the parent with the three screaming children, one of whom is probably in a dirty diaper, and two of whom desperately need to go to the bathroom, but we can't because we are sitting still on the runway and it might be terribly dangerous for us to stand up and air marshals would take us down if we tried.

Yes, my irrational fear of flying is that we'd be on that plane.

 Image from dot.gov

Have I mentioned that I am flying solo with the kids to Mexico tomorrow?

How do I overcome my fear?  I way overpack.  I take 15 diapers for a four-hour flight.  I bring enough granola bars to feed the plane.  I buy more cheap toys and cards and games than my kids get at Christmas.  I bring changes of clothes for everyone.   I bring 12 movies.  I come prepared.

But just in case you happen to hear that horrible story over the weekend that there is a plane that has been stuck on the ground for 14 hours with all the passengers on board and you just know it's my plane, can you help me out?

Call them and tell them there is a slightly irrational lady on board who was worried about just this.  That she is running out of granola bars and diapers.  That no one really wants to hear how loud her kids can scream.  That she knows people in the news media and is great at talking in sound bites.  And, at the very least, could they please bring a gin and tonic to seat 26A?

Thank you.  Anxiety attack over.

Airing Our Dirty Laundry

I am baffled by something.


My kids don't want to change their underwear.


Caleb and Noah, that is.


Eli, of course, is still in diapers and is happy to let us know when he needs a "Di-pah Kange."


No, this is a distinctly big kid deal.

In fact, Caleb proudly let me know last night that was able to wear the same pair for two days this week. We keep reminding them that no one wants to be friends with the kid who smells like day-old underwear.  That comment, being that they are 8- and 6-year-old boys, makes them laugh hysterically.


Each morning as they get up and start to get dressed we call down the hallway, "Hey, don't forget to change your underwear."  You see, we have to do that because we have learned that otherwise they won't.

That request is met with either moans and groans and protestations.  And a conversation that goes like this:

US:  Hey dudes, seriously, change your underwear.

THEM:  We did!

US:  Really?

THEM:  Yup!

US: Show us the waistband?

THEM:  [sheepishly] See?

US:  Um yeah, those look awfully familiar.  Want to go grab me the dirty pair?

THEM:  But we have no idea where they are?!

US:  We do.  You're still wearing them!

THEM:  Awwww man!

CALEB: But Mom, I just don't want to make more laundry for you to do!

ME: Yeah, nice try.  But I don't buy it.  And you are kids, your underwear are small, I can wash tons of them with no problems!

CALEB: But these ones are already warm!

BRIAN:  And that is the problem!

NOAH:  But Mom and Daaaad, I like these ones.  They smell like Macaroni and Cheese!

US [actually in unison]:  EVEN MORE REASON TO CHANGE THEM!

The whole deal baffles me.  I like clean underwear.  Heck, I actually look forward to it!

But this morning we didn't have to beg, plead, scold, trick or cajole.  They did it on their own.

And then I found this.

Good news is I know my kids are wearing clean underwear today.  Bad news is they still don't seem to have a clue where the hamper is).

Wordless Wednesday - A Boy and His Gubs

Now that winter is officially behind us (yes fellow Northerners, I am calling it done), it stands to reason that Elijah has just now completely embraced winter wear (after fighting it all winter).


His preferred attire now involved a hat and gloves, or "GUBS" as he calls them, everywhere he goes, even if that means somewhere indoors.

We like to describe is as "Eli rocking the gubs."


Meaning he often walks around looking like this:

Of course, you add to that the fact that he found his crocs for the upcoming trip and has insisted on wearing them and the finished look is pretty ridiculous.

Livin' on a Prayer Where the Streets Have No Name

Driving home from our friends' house the other night, we were listening to U2 in the car.  And yes, you are right, that means we generally avoid playing kid music in the car.


Caleb was requesting that we play U2's "All Because of You" (or as he and Noah call it, "Bullet Train") which is one of their personal favorites.  But Brian had him hold off while we first listened to a song he wanted to play.

He proceeded to pull up "Where The Streets Have No Name."


That is one of those songs that takes me back to a moment in time.  1987.  In a good way.


Let me back up.  My family moved from one neighborhood to another in 1985.  And I remember my dad telling me a big selling point of the new home was that we were going to have cable.  I am pretty sure we got our first remote control then, too.


And when he first told me about this miraculous new thing called "cable" I vividly recall him telling me we would have an amazing new channel called MTV.

We moved.  We got cable.  We got MTV.  And I discovered a whole new world.  A world of makeup and image and packaging.  A world of pop culture.  My brother and I would come home from school each day and run to turn on the Video Countdown.  And for what seemed like years on end, "Livin' on a Prayer" would be the video of the day and he and I would dance on the couches (yes, Mom, sorry, we did dance on the couches.  But I am sure we were pretty cute in a preppy kids trying to dance like Bon Jovi kind of a way).


And then I discovered U2.  And while I loved the "Thriller" video.  And (clearly) danced for weeks on end to the "Livin' on a Prayer" video.  One of the videos that I loved the most was "Where the Streets Have No Name."


Back in the car with the kids, I said:

Oh no you guys, this is a GREAT U2 song, and it had an ever better video.

Caleb shot back:

What's a video?

And as much as I wanted to tell myself that meant we are being great parents and limiting their exposure to too much junky TV...

And as much as I wanted to think that was just because kids call them something else today...

And as much as I wanted to believe he just misunderstood me...

I knew what it really meant.


We are old.

Ah well.  It's still a great video.

Child Hunger Ends Here - What Am I Going To Do About It?

This morning, as we all raced around to get ready to dash off to work and school, Caleb asked me "What's for hot lunch today?"


As I quickly glanced at the hot lunch menu, the section encouraging families who cannot pay for meals for their children jumped out at me.


I hadn't thought much about that standing section on the menu before.  We are fortunate enough that we can afford to purchase hot lunch or send our kids to school with lunches.

But now, especially since I was asked to the a blogging correspondent for ConAgra Foods Child Hunger Ends Here campaign, it struck me in a different way than it had before.


I decided to do a bit of research.  If you check out the Child Hunger End's Here site, there is an interactive section where you can look for information on hunger in your state.  On there, Minnesota is one of the "better" states. But better is still not great.  Here we have 12 percent poverty level with nearly 14 percent "Food Insecurity."

I decided to look into the data for our school district.


I was shocked.


According to the information I could find, sixty-nine percent of families with children in our local district qualify for the free lunch program.  69 percent.  Nearly 7 out of 10 families.


And we are in the middle of March.  School is out in just over two months.  And there is no free lunch program over the summer.

But it doesn't have to be that way.  We can all do things, big and small, to make a difference.

One of the things that most impressed me about the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign is that it's simply asking people to look at things they would already do and do more with them.  As a blogging correspondent, I was asked to do just that by hosting some kind of a "rally" in my own community.

I thought about it and asked myself: What am I good at?  What would make sense for me to do?  What is something I would already do? 

The answers:

1. I am social and love making connections.
2. I certainly have been cleaning out a lot of stuff.
3. Every year I do a big rummage sale.

So this spring, rather than doing a sale and keeping the money for myself, I am going to host a community-based rummage sale with all of the proceeds going to Feeding America through Child Hunger Ends Here.  The sale will be on Saturday, May 22 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I'll post more details as we get closer to the date.

At the end of May, I will also be gathering Minnesotans together for the next Minnesota Bloggers Event, a social event where people can meet, connect and also, if they choose bring donations or food to support the efforts.

To organize this, I started by reaching out to the Minnesota blogging community and asked them if they wanted to join in the effort and, if not in that particular way, encouraged them to consider doing something on their own.


I have been thrilled with their response.

Let me introduce you to the group of people who have stepped forward and offered to help.  If you are here in Minnesota and want to be a part of this (and no, you don't have to have a blog), please email me at molly [at] thesnyder5 [dot] com.

1. Me

2. Suzi from Pink Vanilla Cupcakes, @suzi_mn

3. Jen from The Recovering Procrastinator, @jenwestpfahl

4. Jo from MinnesotaJoY, @MinnesotaJoY

5. Carrie from 4 The Love of Family, @4mamabear

6. Laura from Mallory's Mishmash World, @lauraashmore

7. Darcie from Gust Gab, @darciegust

8. Missy from The Marketing Mama, @marketingmamamn

9. Angela from Angela's Kitchen

10. Christie from Mommy Drinks Because You Cry

11. Elizabeth from Random Thoughts from my ADD Brain, @meharty

12. Holly from Making Over Me, @bloggymama

13. Liz from Kitchen Pantry Scientist, @KitchPantrySci

14. Jennifer from Unplanned Cooking, @unplannedcooking

15. Amanda from I Am Mommy, @manda2177

16. Cindy from Meet Cindy Elizabeth, @cindyelizabeth

17. Liz from Random Thoughts of a Lutheran, @lutherliz

18. Angie from Fumbling Toward Family, @angelalindell 

19. Andrea from Blah Blah Babycakes, @missandrea

20. Andrea from Living Changerously, @andreaberg


If you are interested in being a part of the rummage sale, are planning on doing something on your own, or would be interested in attending the next Minnesota Bloggers Event (#minnbloggersevent) in honor of Child Hunger Ends Here, please email me or simply comment here to let me know.

(And of course, if I have missed anyone who has already told me they are in, please let me know.)


More to come next week, including details on the official nationwide kickoff for this campaign...







Disclosure: I am excited to be an official blogging correspondent for ConAgra Foods during this campaign.  As such, ConAgra has provided me with background, information and a stipend to cover some of the costs I will incur.  The words and beliefs are mine.

Forty Years

Forty years ago this weekend, March 20 to be exact, my parents got married.

Congrats, Mom and Dad, on 40 years.  I, for one, am awfully glad the two of you found each other.

(And I'm not just saying that because I wouldn't be here if you hadn't.)

It Drives Me Nuts That You Can't Recycle...Incandescent Light Bulbs

For awhile now, I have been trying to figure out what to do with our old incandescent light bulbs.  You know, these guys:

About two years ago, we changed out the majority of the bulbs in our home to compact fluorescent bulbs.

I think most of us know the difference just doing that can have on your energy usage, on your budget, and on the environment.  And with the increased usage of CFLs, there has been pretty clear information out there that you need to smartly, safely recycle them.

Many major hardware stores have set up recycling programs to take old CFLs.  (To find a location near you that recycles CFL bulbs, check out this EPA link.)

But what about the old incandescent bulbs?

I wondered what to do with them.  I tried contacting several of the major light bulb companies, and none of them ever contacted me back.  Ahhh, customer service.

I searched online.  And all I could find was information saying it was safe to throw them in the trash.  Which is great and good, but not my point.  Why throw something away if it could be recycled?

And just when I was feeling like I might not get an answer to this question, I hit IKEA one weekend.

Right by their customer service area they have a little wall of recycling.  I was putting some of my burned out CFL bulbs in the proper holes when I noticed a slot for incandescent bulbs.

It read:

Why recycle incandescent bulbs?  Why not!

Brilliant.  Thank you, IKEA.  I was so excited.

Yup, geeked out excited.  About recycling light bulbs.  Welcome to the dork that I am.

I decided to call them just to confirm.  Here's how it went.

THEM:  IKEA Customer Service, how can I help you?

ME:  Sorry in advance, I am going to be your random question person of the day.

THEM:  Oh my dear, I do that all day.  No worries, you won't be the first!

ME:  Cool.  Okay, so I noticed that your recycle incandescent bulbs.  I just want to make sure that is really the case.

THEM:  Wow, yeah, that is random.  I have no idea, let me transfer you.

[sit on hold for a bit and then a guy picks up...]

THEM:  Heeelllooo

ME:  Yeah, I was just checking to see if you still recycle incandescent bulbs.

THEM:  Yuuup.

ME: [probably a bit overly enthusiastically]  Really?  Oh that is great.  I am so happy to hear that!

THEM:  But you know, ma'am, you can just safely throw them in the trash.  There's nothing bad about them.

ME:  I know it's safe to throw them away.  But that is like saying it's safe to throw newspaper away.  Sure it's safe, but why do that if you can do something better?

THEM:  Um okay.  [thinking:  Um okay crazy lady...]

ME:  And everywhere I searched all I could find was that message that "it's safe to throw them away."  But the fact still remains that you are throwing them away.

THEM:  Yup, okay, great.  Yeah, well we have a service that hauls them away to be broken down and recycled.

So before you throw that next bulb in the trash, consider setting it on the shelf for your next trip to IKEA.

I know that many of you don't have a convenient IKEA around, but if you have found a way to recycle your incandescent bulbs, I'd love to hear about it!

So what else does it drive you nuts that you can't recycle...or wonder if you can?








Disclaimer:  I am by no means an expert.  These are just my experiences and I am not being compensated in any way for this post.  Just writing it to make my green heart a little happier.

Keeping Me Humble

As I was getting ready for work this morning, Caleb came into the bathroom to talk to me.


All of the sudden, he ran out of the bathroom in utter disgust yelling:

NOAH!  MOM HAS WHITE PUFF BALLS IN HER ARMPITS AND IT'S DISGUSTING!

Okay, so evidently the deodorant that promises not to leave white marks on your clothes, and is "little black dress approved" can't make any claims beyond that.

And now I get to walk around all day wondering if my kid is at school announcing to the kids (and teachers, I am sure) that I am the mom with puff ball armpits.

The Cozy Coupe vs. The Minivan

It was one of those mornings today.

On the way out of the house, Eli saw his Cozy Coupe sitting in the back yard.  And as we quickly walked by to get in the minivan, he screamed and cried and yelled "No Mom!  My Car!  My Car! My Car!" at the top of his lungs.

And I am sure he was thinking back to how much fun he had in it last night.

How free it felt to just be outside.  And play.  And not have any deadlines or responsibilities.

But this morning I had to get to work.  And he had to get to daycare.  And so we got to have a not-very-fun wrestling match to get into the car seat.


I won.  But really, I lost.

And then we had to drive to daycare.  Both feeling flat.  And torn.  And wishing we were back in the alley playing with the Cozy Coupe.

Yup.  The minivan is a lot less fun.

Wordful Wednesday - Whether or not it should be is debatable

If you haven't seen this, you really must. It's an oldie but a goodie.



And then you must know that it has been stuck in all of our heads for weeks.  At least it replaced the McDonald's Filet o' Fish song:

Questions, Questions, Questions

When Caleb was first born, the first word we used to describe him was, well, of course it was "cute."  But the second word was "curious."

This was a child who was fully holding his head up at 5 days old, not because he had super-human neck strength, but because he had to see the world and figure it all out.

And in his eight and a half years on this earth, he has never disappointed.

Each night I get home and dive into the making dinner-coordinating homework-wrangling a toddler-managing the mess routine.  But along with that are the rapid-fire questions that Caleb seems to store up all day.

To get a sense of what it's really like, for an hour one night I wrote it all down.  I missed some, but here is a sampling of the questions he came up with:

Why are we going to the bank?

Why can't you just call the bank and tell them you have the money?

How much money was in your last paycheck?

Well if you won't tell me how much, will you tell me if it was more than $5?

How do tinted windows work?

Why don't surfboards just sink?


Why is Noah grounded again?


Do cruise ships float just because they are fun?

What is the rarest tree?

Who won the lottery?

Are the people who won the lottery getting takeout?

Or maybe takeout from a really nice restaurant?

What's "blue" in Spanish?

Why do our neighbors still have their Christmas lights on?

And my favorite...


Does this have cheese in it?



Welcome to life with our wonderfully curious Mr. C.

Child Hunger Ends Here

I am honored to announce my involvement in a nationwide effort to help do something important. 

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by ConAgra Foods to join 13 other bloggers from across the country to help raise awareness for the issue of child hunger in America.

You may recall me writing about being moved by the story of a young boy from Guatemala named Omar when I volunteered with other bloggers back in January.

But hunger isn't just an issue "somewhere else."  It's an issue here in America, too.  In fact, nearly one out of every four children doesn't know where their next meal will come from.  Think about that for a second.  It's a staggering number.  That adds up to 17 million American children.

Over the next several weeks, ConAgra has partnered with Feeding America to launch a major initiative to do something about children's hunger in America.

What impresses me about this program is that it's not about having a huge gala.  It's about rallying existing groups, families, friends, neighborhoods and communities to do something.  Not necessarily to do something big.  But to do something.

Because this is an issue, whether we know it or not, that is a part of all of our communities already.

What I (and they) ask you to think about is what you can do to make a difference in your own back yard.

What can we all do to stop looking the other way.

Maybe it's deciding that you are going to dedicate a portion of proceeds from your annual garage sale to the cause.  Maybe you and your neighbors will raise funds at your next community night out.  Maybe you will scale back your monthly girls' night and all kick in the money saved.  Or maybe you are going to, as a family, put aside a few dollars a week and donate those at the end.

That's their point.

I myself will be planning a few things and will talk more about that here soon.  But if you're here in Minnesota and want to be a part, please reach out to me and let me know.

I encourage each of you to think about how you, your friends, your family and your community can do the same.  You don't have to think big.  Just do.  Just commit to doing something by saying you will "Get Involved."  When you do that, ConAgra will send you a free banner, signage, pins and tips for making whatever you have planned successful.

In addition, from now through May, every time you purchase one of seven participating ConAgra Foods, ConAgra will donate one meal to Feeding America.  Those brands include Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, Healthy Choice, Manwich and Peter Pan Peanut Butter.  (And you can check out the site to get a coupon for $1.50 off any four of those brands...)

If you'd like to learn more about this program, please check out the Child Hunger Ends Here web site, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

I'll stop talking now.  Because I want you to start thinking, and I hope, join me in starting doing...

More later.

If you'd like to visit the other blogging correspondents or link up your own post on this campaign, please feel free to join this blog hop.







Disclaimer: I am excited to be an official blogging correspondent for ConAgra Foods during this campaign.  As such, ConAgra has provided me with background, information and a stipend to cover some of the costs I will incur.  The words and beliefs are mine. 

What's For Dinner? What? Noooo!

I have a kid that hates cheese.

Yup.  Blanket statement.  All cheese.


At least he says he does.


And it drives me crazy.  I know, I know...pick your battles.  But seriously, how can person live life hating cheese?  Slumber parties?  Post-game celebrations?  Life in general?  I could live eating cheese, well, always.


It makes planning meals frustrating.  Cause, yeah, we like cheese.

I know we are lucky that we don't have major nutritional issues or allergies, but his stubborn nature (and no, it's not just cheese) is intensely frustrating sometimes.


Last week, I tried something new.  I spent three hours on Sunday and I made all of the dinners for the week that day.   Only one had cheese.  I made a mess, made new recipes and was feeling good about myself as a mom.  Chicken nuggets and pizza rolls be gone, we are cooking this week!


And 5/6 of the nights, the kids hated it.


So this weekend I didn't bother.  I didn't have the time and, quite frankly, I didn't have the energy.


I am declaring this week a "clean out the freezer" week:


Monday. Taco dinner


Tuesday: Frozen tuna casserole (I know, can we get any more Minnesotan?)


Wednesday: Crock pot chilli change that to corned beef and cabbage, forgot that is St. Patrick's Day, my bad.  Or as I call it, "The meal I will make because I love my husband, because I sure don't like it.)



Thursday:  Pork chops with apricots (one of the ones I made last week, so sure to NOT be a hit)


Friday: Takeout

Day 22 of the Great Declutter Challenge - The Junk Drawer

 

It was time to dive into the junk drawer.  As scary as it was to look at, I have to admit I was kind of looking forward to this one.  This is that first drawer as you enter our kitchen.  The first stop on the way in to the house or the last one on the way out. 

Translation: Total dumping ground.

I knew there had to be some great, truly laughable things in there.

And I was right.

This was how it started off looking.

I started to pull everything out to sort things into piles.

What would a declutter project be without finding an old high school photo of my brother.  But others were not immune this time around either.  Oh no.  Evidently I emptied a wallet into this drawer at some point.  

Starting out, I found these...

My brother on the right.  And my neice on the left.  Um yeah, she is a teenager now.

I kept digging and found more old photos.  Including some more of my brother.  I also had baby photos in there, cause, you know, I might need them the next time I grab my keys.  The upper right one is of my brother and I, oh, about 29 years ago.

And in the lower right corner is Caleb.

Deeper in the pile I found these.  Yup, my mom and sister both got to be a part of the old photo finds this time too.

Can I mention that my sister is now in her mid-20s and thankfully doesn't dress in her dance costumes anymore.

But the best finds of all were these.  Brian's senior high photos (I always loved the one where he is laying in front of giant rolls of toilet paper) as well as some classic old shots of us.

After a good hard laugh, I put these all away and dug back into the drawer.

Do you see what I saw in the back?  Tons and tons of Hershey Kisses from, well, from who knows when.  Stashed away like and addict or something.  Aye aye aye.

Then I found this business card holder.  Have I ever mentioned that I worked for Arthur Andersen (and no, I didn't work on Enron)?  I happened to be on maternity leave with Caleb when everything fell apart and the company shut down.  I think I kept this business card holder because I thought it was funny to have, because I sincerely hope I was never actually thinking it would be a good business move to use it again publicly.

And there was this.  Highly practical to keep an old fashioned key on a carabiner along with a flashlight.  In case, perhaps, you ever find yourself stuck in an episode of Scooby Doo and have to open a door with a skeleton key in the dark.  I can only imagine the kids put this together.

St. Joseph anyone?  Yes, Brian did bury him when we were selling our old house, five years ago.  And yes, he did dig him up when we sold it.  But what do you do with a saint after that?  Seems wrong to toss it.  And so he has been hanging out with our keys and baby photos and Hershey Kisses.  I have to admit I still don't know what to do with him...

And the perfect segue after that, dreidels.  Two of them.  Because, well, because we're not Jewish.  So really, I have no idea why we have these around.

Yes, I laughed my way through this project.  And I made myself commit to a more narrowly defined purpose for this drawer.  Yes, we all need junk drawers and dumping grounds.  But there still have to be some parameters on what goes where.

For temporary organization, I used some plastic tupperware.  And ended with a junk drawer that looks like this:

Amazingly, out of this little drawer, I actually was able to get rid of 3 pounds of clutter.

While I was at it, I jumped to the middle drawer.

Mostly this drawer was a victim of the kids dumping stuff in it and us not taking the time to deal with it.  Cleaned it out, straightened it up and ended up with this:

Getting rid of another three pounds, bringing the grand total to:

403 pounds!

Several of you have contacted me with questions about this project, so I am working on a post to respond to them.  If you have questions, feel free to email me or post them here in the comments and I'll include them.

Today I Tackle...

...the junk drawer.

It may not lead to a lot of weight.


But I can tell already, this is going to be good.




I'll be back soon with the results and include a linky if you want to share your decluttering projects (drawers or otherwise).

But He'll Be Great At Cocktail Parties

My kid may not be conventional, but he is quintessential Noah.  Always.

For instance, he has two school projects going on this week.  The first was an "expert" book.  The kids had to pick something they wanted to become an expert in.  They wrote books and invited the parents in for their publishing party.

Both Brian and I were able to make it, squatting down uncomfortably to sit on kid chairs and milk crates while the kids each read their books to all of the parents.

Noah's table mates had books on:

1. Wolves
2. The Human Body
3. Horses
4. The Nation of Cambodia

And Noah's?

5. Awesome Quarterbacks

Not just regular old quarterbacks, awesome ones.  The cream of the crop NFL quarterbacks.  The other kids were talking about blood circulation, and zebras being a part of the horse family, and the Camobodian flag, and my kid was educating us on the Manning family football dynasty.

Next up was his biography project.  Simple project.  Pick someone you are interested in and do a biography on them.  Other kids have picked some of the usual suspects.  Presidents, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so on.

My kid?

Bono.

As in, U2 Bono.

So, no, Noah's not going to follow the common path.  But when the other kids are discussing flags and fur, Noah will be able to hold his own talking about sports and music.


Oh yeah, and did I mention he does a mean impersonation Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell on NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me"?

Nope, he's not conventional, but he'll be the guy people want to talk to at a party.