I have to be honest-last Wednesday sucked! My son has a cold and gave it to daddy who lovingly passed it on to me. Hey, I don't want to miss out on all the fun do I? I am not sure what was worse-watching my new patio furniture being delivered and to congested to care, listening to my husband whine he's dying, or watching my son rub his runny nose on the couch? On the one hand, snot on your furniture is gross. On the other hand, he sure was easy to keep track of that day.
So minor miracles of miracles, my husband says go take a nap. I was already falling asleep on the couch so I was pretty game and headed upstairs with a spring in my sick step. All is quiet and peaceful, I can hear birds chirping outside my window and just when I am thinking all is right with the world, I realize I have turned into Porky Pig (no comments about my weight now) and I realize I can't sleep! It was an experience straight out of an evil Warner Brother's cartoon where I tossed and turned and listened to every little noise-who knew a house could creak so much? The good news is, I got my nap later in the day. Apprently Sesame Street and the couch did for me what peace and quiet could not-it put me out like a light bulb. But I fail to understand what it is about a loud room and a lumpy piece of furniture that can make me snooze. Surely there have been studies done?
So now it is Friday, nose feels slightly better, patio furniture is partially set up-how do I get my husband to stop whining?

A couple months ago I was talking to some mom's who have young children and they bemoaned the fact that they don't seem to have a hobby. Hobby? A hobby infers you have free time but I was reminded of these conversations as I looked at my closet and I looked at my laundry basket. I have a hobby, I just hate it! Laundry seems to take up all my free time. My son either spits, drools, leaks (I won't say where but it is gross), or snots on my clothes. I am sure he is a secret agent for some major laundry deterregent. We seem to burn through cleaner quicker than the candy bars hidden in the frig-and that's saying something. My son is very clever about what he leaves behind on me too. Running late I put on the first pair of pants I could find only to discover a dark, crusty spot when I scratched my thigh. Sure it blended in, which is how I missed it in the first place, but how can I feel like a compentent adult knowing there is a mysterious substance located on my person that I am hoping doesn't start to smell? Plus there are the nice things I never wear. Anything that has to be dry cleaned is in storage and I look at my wool sweaters and silk tops like I am Ingrid Bergman leaving Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca". Everytime I see a well dressed woman with kids in tow I want to ask her "Are those kids yours or for show because you look clean". Although why anyone would walk around with fake kids is beyond me. Maybe us mom's look cooler than we think. Lesson has been learned though-all clothes get washed by default so no secret crusty spots. Of course that leads me to more laundry. Good thing I love my son to pieces or he would be in a hazmat suit labeled "beware-leaks constantly".

Legislating Manners

In my heart of hearts, I am a curmudgeon. I love that word! I saw it in a book I was reading and now I use it as much as possible! But really, I am a conservative curmudgeon. I start thinking about all the things I want to change in the world and I start sounding like Billy Graham. Better, stronger families, less violence, peace with our creator-the list goes on. And then on the radio this morning I hear that the governor of Washington State signed some legislation protecting homosexuals from discrimination. This frosts me. My views on homosexuality aside, why do we have to waste time and money legislating we be polite to people? Why can't we be polite to them on our own? Are we as a society that pathetic that someone else has to MAKE us be polite? I am not saying you have to agree with a lifestyle, accept a choice that makes you uncomfortable, or bow down and kiss someone's patootie. But regardless of moral views, we are suppose to treat each other as we want to be treated. We are suppose to respect each other. How hard is that?
As a college student, there was a guy who was friends with someone in my group and very infrequently he joined us for lunch. I couldn't stand "Joe". A blowhard with an ego the size of the state, he was quick to tell you if you were wrong. He was fun. Anyway, he joined us for lunch and I chatted on. After all was said and done, and we were on our way to class, someone said to me "Hey Dena, I thought you didn't like Joe, and yet you were so friendly to him. What made you change your mind?" I didn't change my mind!!!! He was a jerk that day, just like any other day! But I don't need a piece of paper and a congressman/woman reminding me of my manners. Joe wasn't coming over for Christmas or joining for a camping trip-he didn't even know where I lived. But for the short time he was with us, I could put on my best game face. This is where I become a curmudgeon-I want the rest of the world to be like me.
As society gets more diverse, this type of legislation will come up again and again. It started with skin color, moved on to religion and ethnicity, and finally we are looking at the person beneath the skin. Just because we disagree with someone for whatever reason, do we have the right to treat them like shit? Regardless of whom we are trying to protect, the bottom line is that if we were more polite in the first place, maybe we wouldn't have to be forced into it.

Solidarity

So I went to lunch and made the mistake of looking at the newspaper. As a sports fan, when you here another school in the news you automatically boooo. Maybe not out loud but in your head, you think your team could whip their ass, even if it isn't true. But when the headline is a tragedy, like Virginia Tech experienced, sports rivalry goes out the window and you become a parent/concerned citizen. Every textbook I have ever looked at will give me a timeline as to when my son stopped being a baby. But when he brings me my first grandchild, in my head I will say "good job baby". Our children grow and change, but their place in our hearts remains the same and to everyone who lost a baby at Viriginia Tech, my heart hurts for you.
As with all tragedies on this scope, we come togther as a nation to help those who need it, and to remember how fragile we all are. Pointing fingers is fun and easy but it solves nothing and helps no one. Say an extra prayer today for the grieving, give a warm smile to someone looking down, and appreciate the loved ones in your life-whether they are related by blood or just stuck by you in thick and thicker. I don't know the exact quote so forgive me for butchering but Mother Theresa said something to the effect that she couldn't change the world but she could certainly make her corner of it better. Let's all strive to make our corner of the world a better place for everyone.
Best wishes and a healing pray from an old Duck fan and a new Hoakie in Oregon.

Well, I have returned from the wild blue yonder! Actually, I didn't go that far, but I did go camping with my 1 1/2 year old plus two other small children. I think I left a few gray cells back in the woods! We had a great time, Leanne and I, but I have learned that small children should NEVER share a tent! One kid fell out of bed, the next youngest gets scared and starts crying, scaring the one who feel out of bed even more so she starts crying, and the oldest just can't resist joining in. Who ever invented Starbucks is my hero! A 15 minute drive and I was human again thanks to some hot chocolate and a scone. I think back to when humans didn't have these luxuries and I realize that I would have been eaten.
For those of you who may not be familiar, some state parks in Oreogn have yurts. Yurts are a permanent tent that have a small heater and a lamp plus one low voltage outlet (we used ours for a nightlight). It is still cold enough in April that heater just kept us from freezing. No more camping in April. but for the lazy camper, such as myself, a yurt is the way to go. No bringing, setting up, or taking down your own tent and if it rains, who cares!
We are going camping again in May, again reserving a yurt in an Oregon State Park. I am very excited to see where we will mess up this time! Hard core campers and parents know what I mean-every time we go out we forget something and it just adds to the adventure!

My First Time

Okay, first time blogger, long time computer user. We will see how this goes. I can't imagine that many people taking a peek at this (the internet is awfully big) and I know that I don't check out other bloggers for fun so i can't imagine anyone doing that to me. But I hope those who know me get a kick out of this and it helps keep up on each other's lives. Hmmm-I will have to think of how to be more witty next time. I think this reads like a dry textbook, or worse. Fun.