Virtual High-Five

This morning, the full House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the ALS Registry Act (H.R. 2295)! The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote, the final stage of the legislative process in the House of Representatives!

As the ALS Registry Act moves to the House Floor, I encourage you to continue to reach out to your U.S. Senators using the online Advocacy Action Center.

Organize

I'm getting fed up with the way I have organized my blog reading. I know, I have that dandy list of links down there on the right, but since I created that I've added at least 20 other blogs to my 'blogs' folder in my bookmarked favorites. At one time, I was all about keeping my bookmarked blogs in alphabetical order...and then I got lazy and just slapped them in the folder and forgot about re-arranging them. There are some blogs that I check every day, and others just every now and again...and others that I no longer read, but they're still in there. There are even one or two that I still enjoy reading, but their sites do something funny to my computer - either their columns overlap and I can't read all the text, or the site just causes my computer to have a seizure and freeze. I can't really read those any longer, but I want to and so I keep them around in case...something changes?

I can't decide if I should keep my links posted on the right - because then there is the expectation that I'll keep the list updated and, well, I'm lazy. However, when I'm at a computer other than THIS one it's very handy to pull up my blog and then use the link list to check in on other sites. That happens frequently because sometimes I grab a few minutes on the older computer upstairs that the kids use for games, and then there are those couple of times a year that I tag along on a business trip with Rob.

Lisa has a whole separate page for her links, and I'm considering that option as well. Even if I created a links page, I'd still have to use my favorites folder, I think, because a couple of the blogs I read are private.

I've got the desire to re-arrange those bookmarks in my favorites folder, but I can't get off the mark because I'm not sure how I want to organize them. By frequency - those that I visit every day, etc? By locale - the STL Metro people, and then...actually, I'm not sure I know all the locales I'm reading. And then, what about bloggers that blog at more than one site? Sadly, even if they have links to their other sites I don't always remember to click through unless they mention it. I don't have to read every one of their sites, but usually I enjoy reading them in the different areas.

I have no idea how Google reader and things like that work, and I haven't ventured there because I slightly afraid that I'll find MORE blogs that I HAVE to add to my list.

I'm ready to be enlightened, if you'd like to share your blog-reading methodology.

Was There A Second Spitter?

Yesterday at mass, there was a special blessing for all catechists - from religion and Sunday school teachers to children's choir directors and everything in between. After the blessing, Father walked the aisle to sprinkle the congregation with Holy Water. He walked down the aisle sprinkling on his left, and then came back up the aisle sprinkling on his left again (the side of church where we were sitting) which had the water coming at us from behind.

As the water came down and everyone was crossing themselves, E3 turned to look at me and whisper-hissed, "Someone spit water on me!"

It was all I could do not to whisper back, "It was Father!"

Again With The Fast Week

Where did the week go? Seriously. It's not like we had a bundle of things going on that time just zipped on by, so what, how, where?

For more elaboration on HOW WELL our team rocked the ALS Walk - the event goal was $8,000. Our team raised almost $6,200. Of course, we had more walkers as well...actually, there were a lot more walkers overall this year.

I was a little frenzied that morning, and walked as though a forest fire was licking at my heels. You see, in what I considered a moment of brilliance I planned E2's birthday party on the same day. All the pertinent guests would be down our way anyway, so why not just have them all for lunch and birthday festivities? Genius!



Sadly, I did not consider soccer season. One nephew was missing the walk to play his game, his brother had a game later that afternoon, and Birthday Girl E2 had a game at 2pm.

And we crammed it all in that day.

Oh, we kept it as simple as we could, and Aunt Christine was out from Texas to serve as my party assistant, but still...crazy. Here's how my insanity played out for all involved.

The girls excitedly showed off the streamers (Gryffindor colors) and gold 'flippendo's' (decorations that resemble a graphic image from the Harry Potter computer games) to my parents and my aunt as they arrived. We headed to the walk with them caravaning behind us.

Once at the walk location, we signed-in, chatted for a while, and then walked (I would have sore shins for two days following) around the lake three times. After taking some photos and making a pit-stop at the restroom we jumped in the van and headed home to the party. See how easy that was?

Meanwhile, Aunt Christine picked up a veggie tray, cole slaw, and potato salad at the grocery store. My mother-in-law picked up an ice cream cake (special request that they make it the first of the day using newly washed utensils in a peanut-free area - Go Dairy Queen!), and waited at our house for the call telling her we were on our way home. Aunt Christine also went and picked up the nephew (not her nephew though) from his soccer game.

As we lit out from the walk, I called my mother-in-law so she could get the Papa Murphy'sTake and Bake pizzas started.

On the drive home I realized I'd forgotten to pull the crock full of roast from the fridge and put it in the crock-pot shell and turn it on...I was making Italian Roast Beef in case anyone decided to hang around until dinner.

We arrived home, trailed by my sister and her family (E2's Godparents), Aunt Christine and nephew were here, and the pizzas were ready. I cracked open the veggie tray and some chips and we all dug in - even before my parents arrived from the walk. Hey, you stay to chat it's your own lunch. I got the crock pot going on high.

Then we opened gifts.

Then we sang happy birthday and had cake.

Then E2 slapped on her soccer gear and she and Rob left.

Then mass chaos ensued.

The Grandparents, the other two E's and I were attending the soccer game. My sister and her family were leaving to attend other nephew's afternoon game. I threw some candy in their direction with a promise that they could come over some other Sunday and have some time to play with the girls. There was much jostling as all the soccer attendees decided whether they were driving or walking to the park.

I found the goalie shirt and the cups for the water jug that Rob needed for the game just before he called to ask me to grab money to pay their referees, and we all trooped up to the park.

We watched the game and wondered why the opposing team was even in our league as they showed impeccible skill.

We returned home and collapsed in the backyard while E1 and E2 (with her new skates) maimed and bruised themselves in an effort to learn to skate in the garage.

Earlier in the week, as I was dreading how rushed the day was going to be - fully aware that it was my own darn fault, E2 complained that she wished she didn't have to share her birthday party with the walk and her soccer game. The guilt, oh how it stabs!

I agreed with her and promised that next year we'd make sure her party had it's own day. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, you know? Yet another lesson learned.

We Rocked It!

Not only did we have more walkers on our team, but our team raised the most money once again. We're so thankful to our supporters!

These Boots Are Made For Walking

We are walking in the ALS walk again this year, and would be thankful for a donation if you are so inclined or need another one for tax purposes. You can sign up here at our team page , or I'll accept Paypal through nrolvesATyahooDOTcom.

We're looking forward to the walk again this year. Our team has bragging rights to defend - we blew them away last year with our team's name (Amy's Army: A Boot in the ALS), our team's size, and the amount we raised. We mean to kick it up a notch this year!

Photos of our team from last year are at that link as well. Oh, go look - you know you want to.

Franks, people.

Seven Years

E2 has been around for seven years as of today. She's enjoying first grade, and reading like crazy which is awesome, and not just because we can send her in to read to her little sister at naptime and bedtime. While still great pals with E1, she's learning that E3 can make a better pal than a minion most days. She's playing soccer (scored a goal in Saturday's game!), and wants to start going back to gymnastics.

When she grows up, she wants to work at Sea World or the Zoo.

We're having chicken strips and mac-n-cheese for dinner, per her request, and ice cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles for dessert - because she doesn't like to waste valuable space on her plate with cake when there's ice cream to be had.

For the birth story junkies in the crowd, I wrote about her birth here.

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so damn much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body give me credit for

~ John Mayer, Bigger Than My Body

In The Name of Patriotism

I totally blackmailed my girls into wearing the clothes I chose for tomorrow.

Usually, I let them wear what they want with minimal guidance from me. Well, except on picture day - a lesson learned when E1 was in kindergarten and I let her wear the hand-me-down red/blue/green plaid skort with red tights...because she was wearing a simple white shirt and who would see the fashion don't down below, right? EVERYONE who sees the class photo with her sitting in the front row, that's who.

But, picture day was last week. Tomorrow, their PSR (Parish School of Religion) classes are celebrating Grandparents Day and have invited the grandparents to mass. Since mass is at 7:45, and the other GP's are occupied, my Father-in-law will be the only GP attending. Their (public) school celebrates Grandparents Day a month or so late in the interest of those Grandparents who have grandkids in more than one school. The also try to plan it for a Friday with an early dismissal scheduled: built in daycare! Not that this applies to me. Nor does it apply to the story I'm telling.

So, considering Grandpa that loves Hawaii will be attending mass and sitting with the girls I was encouraging Hawaii-themed clothes. All three girls have a variety of Hawaii t-shirts and Hawaiian print dresses (although the dresses are all sundresses, which go against the 'must have sleeves' rule at school), and E2 was on board for wearing a now too short sundress over a t-shirt and capri pants...but balking at my insistence that she wear sandals instead of athletic shoes. Trust me, the sandals totally make the outfit.

E1 just wanted to wear pants, claiming her classroom is cold, but wouldn't budge on choosing a different shirt. I'm not talking a Hawaii Aloha shirt - just one of the many t-shirts she's gotten from the in-laws various trips over the years.

THEN - I remembered that tomorrow is September 11th, and changed my course of persuasion to encourage the girls to wear patriotic colors. I found E2 a red shirt with blue and white dolphins, and 'Hawaii' printed on it and point out that with THIS outfit she could wear the athletic shoes she was so wanting to wear. She firmly disagreed, but grudgingly conceded to leave both ensembles out for a final decision in the morning.

E1 had nothing that covered both Hawaii and patriotism, so I suggested two different outfits, but she began making excuses about why neither would work (she actually claimed the one outfit made her feel hot last week. WHAT about the cold classroom??) when...

...she spotted a spider on the ceiling.

SCORE!

Unlike E3, these two have many forms of currency. So I told them I wouldn't get the spider unless they wore the clothes I had chosen.

E1 caved immediately. "Okay, Mom. Just pick something." E2 tried to rationalize that 'it wasn't like the spider was going to jump off the ceiling and get them' (which is an attitude I would normally applaud - HA!) while E1 appealed to her younger sister to just 'agree with Mom's choices already! It's a spider!'

My evilness knows no bounds.

The Weekend In Pictures

Okay, so they're last weekend's pictures. I'm blaming it on the short week.

Tunes on the double cassette player; a little Tampico Trauma to set the mood.

Fifty-cent roller skates from the church rummage sale - E1's first attempt at skating on something other than the basement carpet.

Life is Delicious retro Strawberry Shortcake shirt, handed down from Aunt Christine.

Swanky lounge chair wondering where it went wrong; why it isn't holding a bikini model slathered in Ban deSoleil.

Two Cardinals that came with the house and have been with us for 11 years now.





A specimin board showing pairs of the various acorns that were once found in our yard (before we lost some trees to the great storm of 2005). Kind of racy looking.

The garage has been declared clean.

Why Do They Call You Nearly Headless?

Alan, husband of Midge (see the ring?), brother-in-law of Barbie, refuses to give in even though he's lost a forearm AND has had his head popped off. He IS looking a little fuzzy in this photo though.

Cracked the girls up something fierce.

Why the heck they ever started making those dolls with ball-and-socket type elbow joints is beyond me. Alan here is the husband/Dad to the infamous pregnant Midge (with removable preggo belly) who was originally released...gasp!...without a wedding ring.