Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

No chicken for you! Come back 1 year.

April16

After getting my hair cut, I didn’t want to cook.  At Steve’s request, I went to pick up some dinner at KFC.  KFC doesn’t provide a plethora of choices.  You’ve got chicken in a couple of forms and some side dishes.  No burgers.  No fish.  No turkey clubs.  Just chicken.

I pull into the drive thru and find the man in the car in front of me engaged in conversation with an employee through the intercom.  I’ve learned to dial back my impatience a little bit here in the south.  People here like to have conversations in situations in which northerners would cut you for making small talk.  But there are limits.

Man: I’ve been wanting to try that new grilled kind. Is it good?

Employee: Most people seem to like it.

Man: If I didn’t get the grilled, what are your other kinds?

Employee: Regular and crispy.

Man: What is the difference?  Is the regular crispy at all?  Because my wife likes it pretty crispy.

Employee: It is a bit crispy but if she likes it crispy, you  might want to order the crispy.

Man: I have some coupons at home.  How much would I save with them?

Employee: I’m not sure sir – depends on the coupons.

Man: Should I go home and get them? We just live down the road a bit. We’ve never been to this KFC before even though we are just down the road.  Oh probably only 2 miles or so.

Employee: If you want to go get the coupons, we can get you fixed up when you come back.  (I must say, this young man had great patience.  I could tell he was trying to hurry him along but he was never less than courteous.)

Man: Well, I just don’t know.  And I’m not sure how many pieces to get.  What do you think?

Employee: How many people are you feeding?

Man: 4 I think.  Unless Bobby has a friend over. I think the 16 piece would be too much but the 12 piece might not be enough.

Employee: We have a special on the 7 piece for $9.99.  You could get 2 of those.

Man: But then again if Bobby’s friend is there…

At this point, to avoid ramming my car into him, I drove around and went inside.  I ordered, paid, and waited for our food.  As the girl was handing me my order, the kid from the drive thru window came over and asked if I had been behind that gentleman.  I laughed and said I had.  He apologized profusely and I told him I thought he did a great job of dealing with him.  He said he had JUST gotten him to pull ahead.

Memo #462

Dear Sir:
You are too stupid to order chicken.  Go home.

Sincerely,

A woman who really wanted some mashed potatoes

LOL Cats

April16

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I have a memo to write because some people are too stupid to have chicken but until then I share this because it made me laugh out loud.  Also, if you need another laugh, go visit this video post Are Preschoolers Unfit Mothers? I rarely watch video on blogs but this is worth it.

See more LOL cats here.

posted under humor | 6 Comments »

Proof that I need to get out more

April15

I’ve been playing around with coupons lately.  There is a whole coupon clipping culture out there that I was completely unaware of – it is strangely fascinating to see women spend $7 for a weeks worth of groceries.  I mostly watch from the sidelines.  Being lazy, I wait for someone else to figure out the good deals and then try to cash in on the ones that are applicable to my life.

The fact that I am posting this is proof that I need to get out of the house more often.  Steve is home with some funky virus so I ran to CVS without kids.  I returned with all of this but spent only $4.90 out of pocket (I had about $5 CVS bucks from last week and a bunch of coupons).  The Neutrogena men’s products were on clearance 75% off and Steve loves these products.

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I think I need a hobby.

posted under Misc. | 19 Comments »

Purple flowers

April14

For Maddie.  Her funeral is this afternoon.  All of my good thoughts are going out to her family because I’m not sure how you get through the task of burying your 17 month old baby girl with any shred of sanity intact.

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posted under Misc. | 4 Comments »

Bounce, bounce

April13

It was a big weekend for Sabrina.  We took a trip to Target and picked up some Dora Pull Ups and some Dora panties and Elmo panties.  That is some exciting stuff.  All through Target she yelled “NINA’S DORA PANTIES!”  So we spent our Easter hostage to her little bladder.  When does the having to go every 20 minutes thing lessen?  Because wow the clapping and celebrating and pulling on and pulling off of the pants and pull ups gets old quickly.

In addition to the Dora pull ups, Sabrina was running around on a sugar high yesterday.

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The basket mommy put together had a lamb, 2 things of bubbles, a ball, and 2 very small items of candy.  The basket that Grandma sent?  A stuffed rabbit and a boatload of candy.  Steve thought we should let her do what kids do and consume mass quantities of candy.  Then she ran in circles for 3 hours.

She was quite cute with the stuffed rabbit.  She thought it was THE Easter Bunny.  She kept thanking him for the candy and trying to share it with him.  And she had the Easter Bunny and the lamb talking to each other “Hi Easter Bunny”, “Hi Sheep. Baaa baaa.”  The cute rarely ends in our house.

Steve usually puts a little basket together for me and then sends me on a hunt for it, directed by clues on post it notes.  The first year we were together, the clues were so ridiculously hard that I ended up getting irritated.  It was something along the lines of “If e=mc2, solve for x”.  My apartment was probably 500 sq ft and I couldn’t find the next clue.  Since then, Steve has worked to make them a little less difficult.  This year, I found a clue on my coffee pot.  It said “Someone stole your battery”.  That is a line from one of our favorite comedy CDs – and it is about a car battery being stolen.  So I went to my car and there was my basket.  I remarked that was awfully easy.  Apparently, I was supposed to go to the battery drawer and then about 6 other places before ending at my car.  Oops!  Sorry honey – but thanks for the candy 🙂

And a gratuitous photo of Tessa.  It is a couple weeks old but I love the Muppet pants.

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posted under family | 8 Comments »

Maddie

April11

I haven’t been able to face this post.  Depending on what circles you travel in the blogosphere, you may or may not have heard about Maddie.  I didn’t know Maddie.  I didn’t read her parents’ blog. I had never heard of Maddie or her family until Wednesday when this beautiful 17 month old died after a short hospitalization for RSV.  The outpouring of shock, grief, and love around the internet has been staggering.  I have found myself in tears many times over this little girl I didn’t know.  I can’t even wrap my mind around the grief her parents are feeling.  There can’t be anything worse.

People all over the country are donating to the March of Dimes in Maddie’s name.  Teams are forming for the MoD in Maddie’s name.  Lotus started our Nashville team and has a running list of teams. My entire family will be walking Sunday the 19th for this little girl we never knew but whose death leaves us incredibly saddened.

If you would like to donate to the MoD in Maddie’s name, you can click on the banner below to donate through the Nashville team. (That is Maddie’s sweet face on the banner.) But mostly I write this post to remind everyone to hug their babies tight and to offer up a prayer or good thought for Maddie’s family.

maddie

posted under Misc. | 4 Comments »

Egg hunt

April9

dsc09458We hunted Easter eggs with my mom’s club on Wednesday.  Sabrina had a fabulous time and is great at finding eggs and putting them into her purse.  She was quite pleased with herself.  After finding eggs, she had a great time playing with the other kiddos on the playground.

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And I obviously need to get this child a sit and spin.  This thing is like a big version of a sit and spin and she had all of these kiddos spinning around.

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The candy filled eggs have become treats when she goes #2 on the potty.  She earned 1 the first day this reward was implemented.  The girl sat on the potty for 40 minutes because she wanted that damn egg filled with candy.  Stickers remain the reward for peeing.  She earns several stickers a day.  We are just about ready to start training in earnest.  I’m scared.

posted under family | 7 Comments »

Making lattes at home

April8

wfmwI love good coffee. I allow myself 2 cups each morning.

I have a love/hate thing with Starbucks.  Their plain coffee is awful but I love me a large (I refuse to use their stupid sizes) skinny hazelnut latte now and then.  I hate that they drive cute little local places out of business but I respect that they have a business model that works.  And I love that they have drive thrus for those rare occasions that I indulge – I don’t have to lug 2 small children out of the car to meet my minimum daily caffeine requirement.  (And putting them in Target and in turnpike rest areas? GENIUS!)

We went from 2 incomes to 1 when I moved to Guatemala (talk about good coffee – *drool*) and the economy is in the toilet (What? you haven’t heard?) so I indulge very rarely these days.  Pre-children I used to make my own espresso and steam my own milk for cute little cappuccinos at home.  I don’t have that kind of time anymore.

dsc09429 I found this silly little milk frother at Sur La Table a couple of years ago and bought it for my mom.  But I ended up trying it out and loving it so I ordered her one online.  (I would link to it but it looks like they don’t make this model anymore.  Search amazon for ‘milk frother’ and you’ll find lots of options.)

I microwave my milk for 45 seconds then froth away.  dsc09431

I add my coffee and voila – I have a poor girls latte.  Beats paying $4.25 for a latte!  I even keep a bottle of sugar free hazelnut syrup around but I only use it if my latest coffee choice is crappy.

dsc09433 I share this because I see these things and wonder if they work.  (In other words, no company gave me this product to review…just something I love and wanted to tell you all about.)

posted under Misc. | 11 Comments »

Not a soap box – I need some schooling

April7

I’ve made no secrets of the fact that I am a bleeding heart liberal.  I am pro-choice.  I am pro gay marriage.  I am anti death penalty.  Having worked in non-profits my most of my career, I love a  good social program.  (Good being the operative word – yes, they can be hard to come by when the government gets involved.)  I have mellowed a tiny bit as I age.  I am more moderate when it comes to fiscal issues than I used to be.  And I accept it is the right of law abiding citizens to possess guns…I just wish there was an IQ requirement.

Despite my passion for those causes, I am able to see the other side of things (except the opposition to gay marriage but that is another post).  I can put myself on the other side and understand why the person believes what she does.  I don’t agree but I get it.

churchstateEnter today’s post.  On Twitter and around the blogosphere, I heard some of my conservative friends (yes there are a few willing to overlook my liberal leanings and still speak to me) mourning a statement made by President Obama yesterday in Turkey.  He said: “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation.  We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” Conservatives around the internet seemed greatly bothered by this statement and kept saying we are no longer a Christian nation.

We were never a Christian nation, regardless of some of W’s actions.  We are a Repulic made up of Christians, Jews, Buddists, Muslims, Atheists, Wiccans, etc.  One of the tenets our nation was founded upon is freedom of religion.  The founding fathers were very clear on the separation of church and state.  This is not a grey area in our constitution.  And this is not me trying to rile up the conservatives – these are facts.

My question is this:  Why is this a bad thing?  Why do so many Christian conservatives want to blur the line/role between government and religion? Because I really don’t understand.

This is a sincere question – I really want to hear from those who believe it is a bad thing that President Obama made this statement.  (My liberal friends are always welcome to chime in too.)  Please help me see your side of it.  You aren’t going to change my beliefs but I do like to feel I can see both sides of an issue.

As always, play nice in the comments.  Respectful debate is encouraged – especially today.  But if anyone starts kicking sand, you’ll have to take your ball and go home.  Feel free to comment anonymously if you don’t want your blog linked with your religious or political beliefs.

posted under political | 31 Comments »

Wide Open Spaces

April6

dsc09422Is everyone tired of me lamenting my inability to keep my babies babies? Then look away.  I was always a little sad and a little proud when Sabrina moved from one stage to another but I knew that there would be another child some how, some day.  But Tessa is our last baby and she just keeps breaking my heart growing.  This weekend, we put away the baby swing.  I will never again have a sweet baby napping in a baby swing.  Sure, I am happy to get this piece of living room real estate back but I just can’t help but be sad.

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dsc09402We are still working half assed slowly on potty training.  Sabrina is having more success at actually going when on the big girl potty.  She earns a half sheet of stickers when she goes.  She chose to use 2 of her rewards to cover Daddy with Dora stickers.  Steve was a good sport until she put them on his arms and tried to pull them off, taking some hair with them.

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Sabrina is enchanted with her Easter bow.  She has trouble leaving it alone because she wants to talk to and kiss the bunny.

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This day, she settled for hopping like a bunny.

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posted under family | 9 Comments »
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