Entries from September 30, 2007 - October 6, 2007
Apple Picking Field Trip #1
Posted by
THE Mommy
in Mommyism, Parenting, BamBam, DayCare/Pre-School
I just got home from a field trip to Butternut Farm with BamBam’s class. We went apple picking. A few thoughts:
1) What a great little farm. I was surprised by the number of different apple types. There were sheep and chicken too. I wasn’t sure if the kids were old enough to really appreciate the field trip, but they all seemed to love it. I bought THE Daddy some fresh apple cider. A nice treat for when he comes home tonight. Thankfully, the kids will miss him so much that he’ll probably crash in one of their rooms. Let’s just say that he loves cider, but it doesn’t love him.
2) There were 3 classes of 2-3 year-old kids and they were required to ride on the school bus. They leased a special bus for the day that had seat belts so that they could strap the kids into their own car seats…brilliant. That’s the number one reason why I won’t let Princess ride to/from kindergarten on the bus. It escapes me how seat belts are required BY LAW, however, buses are exempt. A 5 year-old needs to be strapped down in a moving vehicle, period.
3) Pre-school teachers DO NOT get paid nearly enough. They seem to have an endless supply of energy and patience.
4) Note to bus company: before allowing a school to strap 30ish car seats into your fabulous bus with seat belts…please make sure your bus is fully functioning. They had to change the bus for the return trip home due to a turn signal that wasn’t working. That meant the teachers had to undo all of the car seats and re-install them in the new bus. When you have 3 classes of 2-3 years olds waiting to take their nap after being outside for 3 hours, said teachers will start to lose their patience!
5) WTF is up with this 80 degree weather we’re having?!? It’s OCTOBER already, enough. This isn’t Florida. This is New England…which means that we’ll pay with a foot of snow next week;)
6) I came home with a big bag of apples. There are enough apples to bake a couple of pies…which of course, I have no interest in doing because it’s 80 degrees outside!
6) Yippee! I’m dreading so excited to do this again next Friday with Princess’s class! At least she’s required to ride with me b/c they don’t have room for everyone on their bus (one without seatbelts!). Also, we’re going to a different farm and they have wagon rides. Hopefully their cider has fermented a tad and there’s a little “something something” in there.
Have a great weekend! Any good plans you’d like to share? Any field trip horror stories? Any good apple pie recipes? Leave a comment.
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I went to The Pumpkin Wizard to check out their newest patterns and was so excited to see these stencils for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney! We already have 100’s of pumpkin carving stencils because we host an annual “Potluck Pumpkin Party” at our house. This is only the 2nd year that we’ve hosted, but we’ve attended one for about 5 years now. We should have about 100 people in attendance this time around. I have a few friends who are very into politics and I’m sure these will be a hit!
If you’ve never used stencils to carve your pumpkins before, it’s easier than it looks. I'll try to post a "how to" post soon. I’m not sure that I would tackle these the first time around because they're a bit more advanced. There are tons that are quite simple and look impressive. I'm looking for a Princess one for her majesty to help me with this year.
Note: I'm having issues uploading all 4 pictures, so I only posted the one of Hillary Clinton. That does not mean that I'm voting for her. It was the first picture I uploaded and the only one to work. I'm not sure yet which of the evils I will be supporting;)
(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to The Pumpkin Wizard. They have a TON of free patterns that you can download. Looks like they have a "members only" section with other patterns...but I fail to see what makes the "members only" ones so special.)
Want to share a stencil for carving pumpkins? Leave a comment.
I’ll keep this “PG” and allow you to follow the link to the more graphic visual.
My question is, if your last name is Smelley, why would you decide to play for a University whose mascot happens to be a Gamecock? Did he not anticipate the ramifications?!
Check out the best selling t-shirt on the University of South Carolina campus (according to College Football Forum).
My dad lives in Charleston, SC...I might have to buy him one of these!
Have a better one? Please leave a comment.
I received this article via email about the hidden Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in our food. I had been holding off writing a post about it because I could not find the original source. I apologize in advance if this is your work. Whoever wrote this definitely deserves the credit. I figured since the article was inspired by the book The Slow Poisoning of America
When I think of MSG, I think of Chinese Food. I do always ask for no MSG in my food at a Chinese restaurant. It’s become such a habit, I forget exactly why other than that it’s a chemical that I don’t want in my food. I had NO idea that so many restaurants and companies were using MSG in their products. Again, I had NO idea that it is also called “Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein”, “Aginomoto” or “Natural Meat Tenderizer”. Apparently there are many other names for MSG and it’s practically everywhere. Check out your pantry. I’m going to play a little game of “chuck” with my mine later today.
Here’s the gist of the article:
”In laboratories all over the world the same chemicals added to Doritos, Top Ramen, and Campbells soup are being used to intentionally make rats and mice obese and pre-diabetic, so that they can be used as test subjects for the latest diet drugs.
Thanks to restaurants like Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's and Applebees, you are becoming an unwitting participant in the largest experiment ever played on humanity.”
and…
“Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG at: http://www.msgfactscom/facts/msgfact12.html explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people EAT MORE OF THEIR PRODUCTS.”
No wonder childhood obesity is such a problem in America. No wonder Diabetes is so prevalent! MSG is every where you turn.
As most parents do, we really try to be more aware of the nutritional value of the food that we eat. We try to buy local fruit and vegetables. We only buy meat from a local butcher. We only buy milk if it is “antibiotic free”. We limit processed snacks as much as possible without crossing the “militant” line. We definitely try to avoid trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Those small steps alone are enough to make your head spin while trying to purchase weekly groceries for a family of 4. Sometimes I feel like we’re swimming against the tide. Unless you live on your own farm and are able to grow your own produce, milk the cows daily, gather eggs from the hens and slaughter for your own meat, there’s no hope. I know that I’m from New Hampshire, but my .60 acre lot within a subdivision doesn’t really allow for that lifestyle;)
I guess this is a process and the best thing we can do is educate ourselves. I’ll definitely think twice about stopping at a Wendy’s when we’re running late and the kids are hungry. I’m inspired to keep healthy snacks in the car to tide them over until I can prepare something safer for them at home.
I haven’t read many books or watched “current” movies since having Princess 5 years ago, therefore there are many on my wish list. These have suddenly risen to a new priority status:
What else can we do? Get the word out. I’m not doing this to increase my own traffic. Feel free to link directly to the article and don’t even mention MommyCosm. I’m OK with that.
If you have any other information to share or tips on how to avoid MSG, please leave a comment.
Joe over at joeprah inspired me this morning to tell one of my most embarrassing stories. His hilarious post involved shopping with his little ones while realizing that he, um, had to find a bathroom…like NOW.
Our family has a house in Aruba. THE Daddy, Princess, BamBam and I were last there a couple of years ago. Our friends who live there have a farm and made goat soup to celebrate the New Year. Yep, they used one of their own goats. Supposedly it’s a local tradition. I’m pretty adventurous, at least I used to be, and I didn’t want to be rude, so I tried a bowl. I definitely didn’t love it…the meat on the bones kinda grossed me out. I didn’t feel so well afterwards and came down with horrible cramps and what we like to refer to as “monkey butt” (aka monkeys flying out of your butt). Come to find out, I ended up with e-coli. It lingered for over a month. When we returned to the US, I had a horrible mall incident. I was with both the kids and, thank God, my mother-in-law. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as victorious as Joe. Let's just say the saying "never trust a fart when you're over 30" has new meaning for me. Found myself purchasing new underwear that day. I’ve only ever admitted that to THE Daddy.
Got an embarrassing potty incident you’d like to share? Please leave a comment.
I came across a really cool site today. It's called Meez. I don't feel comfortable posting real pictures of myself or my family online. I've read too many horror stories about pictures being "stolen" and used on unsavory sites. I'd like to keep our identities private. Meez allows you to create an animated image (otherwise known as avatar). It's pretty cool...kind of like the new version of playing with Barbies!! I picked my hair color and style, eye color, clothes and my dream kitchen as a background. It's eery...if I were a cartoon, this is what I would probably look like!
Have fun playing around!
(Disclaimer: I always make sure I disclose perks I might get if you use any of the links on MommyCosm. Everything I used to create my Meez avatar was 100% FREE, however, they give you "coins" for referrals which you supposedly can use to purchase upgraded stuff...not sure what that involves since I found everything I could ever want/need in the FREE section.)
One of my closest friends is about 20 weeks pregnant with her third baby right now. They already have 2 girls, 6 and 7 years old who often play with Princess. I have a sister one year older than me and my friend is a year younger. Our parents all went to high school together, so we’ve literally known each other our entire lives. It’s amazing because our 3 girls look just like us playing together…and often fight the same way we did; as 3 girls will when one is often left out of the fun. Princess loves to play with them and often comes home campaigning for a sister.
My friend had a huge scare a few weeks ago. She was bleeding heavily and they determined that she had been carrying twins and lost one. She handled the news well and came to terms with the fact that there was probably something wrong with the baby and became focused on the healthy baby that remained. She was very excited for her next ultrasound because they were hoping to determine the sex of the baby. She had her whole family there and said they were joking around about boy or girl…when the woman performing the ultrasound “got serious”. They determined that they’re having a baby girl, but they are seriously concerned about finding a marker for Down Syndrome. They sent her for more tests today.
My heart is breaking for her. She looked so anxious and sad when we were together this weekend. She’s a great mother and a very successful person. She owns a Real Estate and Property Management company with her mother and they do extremely well. They just moved into a beautiful new house in a great neighborhood in a great school district. She’s married to someone she’s had a crush on since we were kids…and is finally over the fact that I kissed him first…when I was, like, 13 years old! They have the “perfect” life. It’s killing her that they can’t give her any more information yet. The doctor commented that they might need to “make a decision” about the pregnancy. She’s pretty sure that she wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy unless they could say with 100% certainty that the baby would have ZERO quality of life. But she’s also not prepared physically or emotionally to handle a child with special needs…at least not yet. I’m sure if need be, they’ll get themselves ready. They just need someone to tell them what exactly to prepare for and, so far, they haven’t been able to do that.
I don’t know what to do other than to tell her that I’m here if she needs anything. She’s been in my thoughts since she told me. It’s such a helpless feeling to have someone so close be going through something so difficult.
Do you have first-hand experience with Down Syndrome? Have you helped a friend though a similar situation? Please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
BamBam slept really well all weekend and even took a couple of 3 hour naps. While awake, he ate and ate and ate. That can only mean one thing: growth spurt! Yep sure enough, his favorite sneakers that I just bought to start school a few weeks ago no longer fit. A new Kohl’s opened the next exit away from us over the weekend, so we decided to check out their sneaker department. BamBam has bear claws wide feet and we always have a hard time finding anything for him at the bargain stores...let's just say that we rarely get to "pay less" for his shoes. I’m horrified at how much they charge elsewhere for sneakers these days. I hate the idea of spending $30+ for something that he will only be wearing for a couple of months…or in this case merely a few weeks. We found something in a bigger size on sale for $10 at the new Kohl's, so I grabbed them, but it didn’t solve the problem of needing something NOW.
I went online and found these Inchworm shoes.:
“Built right into INCHworm shoes is the iFit technology. The iFit technology allows you to GROW the size of the shoe with a simple push of the button. So eliminate unnecessary trips to the shoe store and provide your children with better fitting shoes that last up to three sizes longer. Inchworm shoes grow in half size increments. Just push the button on the side, and pull the toe of the shoe to adjust into the next size”
LOVE the idea. You get 3 sizes out of one sneaker. They’re $49.99, but if you divide that by 3 sizes, it is a pretty good price. I’m going to try them out. I’m concerned that BamBam might figure out how to adjust them. He analyzes things and tries to take them apart. Apparently, I’m not the only parent with this concern, because they note:
“We like to say that our shoes are, "parent adjustable". They do require some hand strength to adjust- however, we would not want children to adjust the shoes, and we would not want them to inadvertently change sizes while in use. Therefore we have made them firm in the adjustment area.”
Not sure if these will be my new favorite, but I’ll let you know after BamBam tries them out. Any other shoes out there you would recommend for a 2 year old? Please leave a comment.
The Red Sox clinched the AL East on Friday night. It looked like quite the celebration. Exciting news, but that pretty much rendered the game on Sunday USELESS. THE Daddy and I were both extremely tired, so we decided to donate our tickets to my high school to give away during Homecoming on Saturday. We made someone from the class of 1960-something very happy. I was really excited to go and would have still gone if it was the deciding game. But, I was relieved to NOT have to spend the day away from the kids. We actually got a ton accomplished around the house, which made waking up this morning much less stressful for me.
Princess is home today…apparently her teachers have a workshop. Don’t get me started on that. I’m bringing BamBam to school late today so that we can go get their passports for our trip to Aruba in December. Of course, we waited too long to apply for the passports, so we’ll be paying an extra $60 each to expedite them, ouch. I can’t believe it takes 12 weeks now to get a passport, ridiculous. The good news about Aruba …my in-laws will be going down before us and leaving after us. We don’t have to open or close up the house ourselves…AND we’ll have babysitters in the house!! I’m really looking forward to our trip!
I’ll post “My Favorite Monday” in a bit.
