Playing Along

Of my three girls, only E2 has had serious loveys during her little lifetime.

E1 has had some favorites, but never anyone that she was distressed by their absence. In other words, if we accidentally left the lovey at Grandma's she was easily placated by the explanation that said lovey was having a sleepover. Even though she's soon to be ten years old, she has a soft, stuffed doll that she'll often take along to a Grandparent sleepover.

E3 is similar, in that she likes to have a sleeping buddy, but the chosen buddy changes all the time. If I happen to choose one for her, she's just fine with it and is simply happy to have a snuggly friend.

E2, on the other hand, has had two major loveys in her 7 years. The first was Pink Baby, a soft stuffed baby doll, and the second (and still today) is Baa. Baa is a sheep, in case you were wondering at the mysterious name. Both of these loveys were gifts E1 received before E2 was born, but as she grew E2 claimed as hers. My Mom even tried buying a Yellow Baby that was similar to Pink Baby, but she wasn't an equal to Pink Baby in E2's eyes. She informed me, when she was a little older, that Yellow Baby's neck ribbon wasn't as silky as Pink Baby's. Baa too has a silky ribbon - the silky ribbons were what she would rub while sucking her thumb back in the day.

E3 now has both Pink Baby and Yellow Baby, but she calls them Star and Moon for reasons unknown.

For a while this summer I would tease E2 that Baa really wanted to be with me...particularly if Baa fell out of bed in the middle of the night.

"See? Baa was trying to get to my room last night."

One night, after she had taken an inpromptu afternoon nap in my bed and left Baa behind, I tucked Baa under my sheets with her nose peeking out just before bedtime and when E2 began looking for her I off-handedly suggested that Baa probably went to sleep in my bed. She laughingly accused me of stealing Baa until I pointed out that SHE was the one that had taken Baa into my room.

Over the summer, there was a night that the girls slept over at their cousin's...and she took a small, stuffed polar bear that she'd gotten as a prize somewhere. When I asked about Baa she assured me that Baa would be okay.

Rob and I had painted our bedroom that day, and so we slept in the girls' room that night. Delighted that I could continue the charade, I had Rob pose with Baa and me.

"Baa wanted us to sleep with her."

Happy Love Thursday!

Chewie Played Drums, Storm Troopers Played Bass

We're recovering from a night spent at Rob's parent's house after our power went out during a storm last night, and a marathon of getting the girls ready for school away from home. We did well, all things considered.

While we were waiting for the power to return last night, Rob and E1 worked on washing the dishes that didn't fit in the dishwasher. I found a station on the weather radio and this song started playing - E1 said, "YEAH!". For me, it always brings to mind this video from the 2006 MTV Movie Awards.

Learnin' Her Up Good

"Mom, karate rhymes with potty."

E3, four year old.

Kid Tested, Parent Approved

E3's birthday is two weeks after Christmas, and the gift-receiving seems to just go on for a whole month. One advantage to this is we only have to make one 'wish list' and we can let her go to town and add many things to cover all gift-givers for both events. E3 is the youngest of three girls, which means we already have loads of toys and girl stuff; it's often difficult to come up with gift suggestions for her. This year, when asked what she wanted - what was on her list- she told someone, "Everything at Target." I think she meant the toy department, but who knows?

She turned four this year, and four is a wide-open age as far as toys. The concerns of choking are pretty much past, they can follow most simple rules, they understand (even if they don't always practice) taking turns. With that in mind, I'd like to applaud a couple of toys/games that we received this year that have just been an awesome addition to our household.

Playschool's Honeybee Hop is, in a nutshell, jumprope for beginners. The little bee circles the hive, and the kids hop over the arm that connects the two - simple, right? The first time we tried this there was non-stop giggling for at least 30 minutes - and boy does E2 have an infectious giggle. It was as much fun for me to watch them, I think, as it was for them to participate. Whether they were hopping as intended, or running as though the bee was chasing them, it was a good time. If the game is out, any one of the girls (ages 4, 7, and almost 10) will give it a start and hop for a while - and if one of them is hopping, more almost always join in the fun. One note: stock up on C batteries.

Cranium's Hullabaloo is another age-spanning game that all three girls, and their similar aged cousins enjoy. It's a fun format that encourages movement while teaching color, shape, and picture recognition, and it's simple enough that they can set it up and play it without a parent directly involved. I know, that's SO not the way we parents are supposed to be, right? But crikey, sometimes it's nice that they can play an organized game without parental involvement. I need time to eat my bon-bons you know, or for frivolous things like folding laundry and preparing meals.

Both of these games have been great for working off excess energy during the cold winter day. We give them both an A+.

National ALS Registry Seeks Support of Senator Obama

A frequent commenter emailed to ask about Barack Obama's position on the ALS Registry Act.

Truthfully, my information is second-hand; something I was told the day of the ALS Walk when walk organizers were asking us to sign letters of support for the registry. It was also mentioned in the newspaper in Mt. Vernon, IL, which is where we participated in the ALS Walk.

However, Gacki said, Senator Barack Obama’s office tells her that the junior senator does not usually sign on to medical-type bills, though she thinks he would cast a favorable vote when the bill comes to the floor. Calls over the weekend to Obama’s Washington D. C. and Marion, Ill., offices were not answered.

According to Barack Obama's website, he supports:

• Lowering Costs Through Investment in Electronic Health Information Technology Systems: Most medical records are still stored on paper, which makes it hard to coordinate care, measure quality or reduce medical errors and which costs twice as much as electronic claims. Obama will invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records, and will phase in requirements for full implementation of health IT. Obama will ensure that patients' privacy is protected.

• Advance the Biomedical Research Field: As a result of biomedical research the prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease is better today than any other time in history. Barack Obama has consistently supported funding for the national institutes of health and the national science foundation. Obama strongly supports investments in biomedical research, as well as medical education and training in health-related fields, because it provides the foundation for new therapies and diagnostics. Obama has been a champion of research in cancer, mental health, health disparities, global health, women and children's health, and veterans' health. As president, Obama will strengthen funding for biomedical research, and better improve the efficiency of that research by improving coordination both within government and across government/private/non-profit partnerships. An Obama administration will ensure that we translate scientific progress into improved approaches to disease prevention, early detection and therapy that is available for all Americans.

So why he's holding out on the ALS Registry I have no idea.

This is an explanation of the proposed ALS Registry.

Here is a blog written by a person with ALS, and his letter to the editor.

Here is a Wall Street Journal article emphasizing the need for the ALS Registry.

Again, please contact your Senator.

The One That Got Away

It's Love Thursday - and a happy one to you!

When we picked up the tulips last week, E3 chose the colors we purchased. When she later noticed that the purple flowers matched her outfit, she insisted she keep one of the beautiful blooms in her bedroom.

Contact Your Senator

As the Senate returns to Washington, DC this week to reconvene for the second session of the 110th Congress, now is the time to continue your outreach to the Senate in support of the ALS Registry Act (S. 1382). Thanks to the efforts of advocates from across the country, nearly 70 Senators - more than two-thirds of the Senate - have cosponsored the bill! However, it is important that we continue to generate new cosponsors.

Listed below are the Senators who have yet to cosponsor the ALS Registry Act. If you live in one of these states, please contact your Senator today and forward this alert to friends, family and colleagues who live in these states as well. Sample letters that you can personalize are available in the Advocacy Action Center of our website. Let Senators know how important an ALS registry is to their constituents and why it is so critical that the Senate pass the bill as soon as possible. Let them know that people with ALS don't have time to wait!

Please remember, since Members of Congress are most responsive to their constituents, only contact these Senators if you live in their state. If your Senators already have cosponsored the bill, please thank them and ask that they work with their colleagues to pass the ALS Registry Act as soon as possible this year.

Arizona: Senators John McCain & Jon Kyl
Colorado: Senators Wayne Allard & Ken Salazar
Idaho: Senator Mike Crapo

Illinois: Senator Barack Obama (note from me: He claims he won't vote on 'medical' things because he has no medical knowledge or somesuch. This, to me, is not a medical issue but a technology issue.)

Indiana: Senator Richard Lugar
Kansas: Senator Pat Roberts
Kentucky: Senator Mitch McConnell
Mississippi: Senator Roger Wicker
Missouri: Senator Kit Bond
Nebraska: Senator Ben Nelson
Nevada: Senator John Ensign
New Hampshire: Senator Judd Gregg
New Mexico: Senator Pete Domenici
Ohio: Senator George Voinovich
Oklahoma: Senators James Inhofe & Tom Coburn
Pennsylvania: Senator Arlen Specter
Tennessee: Senators Lamar Alexander & Bob Corker
Texas: Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison & John Cornyn
Utah: Senator Orrin Hatch
West Virginia: Senators John Rockefeller & Robert Byrd
Wisconsin: Senators Herb Kohl & Russ Feingold
Wyoming: Senator John Barrasso

As we continue to work with our champions in the Senate, Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and John Warner (R-VA) to bring the ALS Registry Act to the floor for a vote, we will keep you up-to-date on the latest developments and let you know what additional grassroots outreach is requested by Senators Reid and Warner.

In the meantime, please keep up the great work!

Thank you! (this is from an ALSA Advocacy email)

Meet Our Newest Neighbor

This friendly little feline, along with his humans, recently moved in to some nearby rental property. He spends at least a portion of his day outdoors, and upon discovering the girls has been spending a lot of time in our yard.

The girls are positively gleeful when they see him in our yard. At first, they were all "Poor Baby! We must hug him and pet him and call him George!" about him...and then they decided that the cat was a she and they'd call her 'White Whiskers'.

And then they added 'Whitey' for short.

It's taken some convincing, but I think they're finally coming around to my notion that he looks well-fed, so NO, we don't need to feed him every time he's here. Oh, I'm sure they don't AGREE with me, but at least they've stopped pestering me every day. Because that's how often Whitey comes over - every day after school, or any time he hears the girls, or any time he hears the garage doors open, or Any Time...and sometimes he just camps out on the welcome mat. Sunday morning he was up on the front windowsill (it's low), peering in at Rob and the girls.

E3 loves cats.

We have no pets of our own, so the girls are thrilled by our new visitor. I can only guess this is what being a grandparent is like - we play with the cat, snuggle it, pet it while it purrrs...and then send it home and leave the pesky details (food, vet bills, etc...) to his owners.

One night at dinner E1 asked how you can tell if a cat is a boy or a girl and I said, "By looking at it's...butt." Last Saturday my parents dropped the girls off after an overnight visit and my Dad declared Whitey to be a boy.

E2 suggested we change his name to Lucky.

Whitey is a very frisky cat. He enjoys batting sidewalk chalk around the back porch, and last night E2 and E3 discovered that if they ran through the back yard while dragging a jump rope Whitey would chase and pounce on trailing end.

He's also very snugly, and doesn't mind being toted around the yard and garage by little hands. Many evenings, as the sun is going down, the girls (particularly E2) can be found outside in the 20-degree weather, sitting with the cat in her lap.

Tonight, E2 suggested yet another name-change for this cat who isn't even ours and probably already has a perfectly nice name. I threatened to change HER name...to Gertrude.

(Ever since they announced the nickname 'Whitey' I haven't been able to stop thinking of the story of Whitey McBrother. )

My Favorite

Hang Me Up To Dry

I'm all wrung-out.

My best guess is I got a bad shrimp-wrap at lunch on Saturday, and although I never 'zuked' (borrowing Rob's terminology there) I felt awful Saturday night and all day Sunday, and most of Monday. I'm better, but still feel like I'm clawing my way back to normal.

SO! Last weekend we ventured North so Rob could attend a business meeting of the metal-working kind. The meeting just so happened to be taking place about 30 minutes from the home of my college roommate and her family, so I tagged along. We departed shortly after lunch on Friday after depositing E3 at Grandpa's and left the other two to walk uphill both ways in snow to Grandpa's after school, or ride the school bus - their choice. We arrived at our hotel in Manteno and, upon checking in, learned I was the Guest of the Day! I was rewarded with a candle-holder.

After dropping the luggage and adjusting the heat, we went off in search of dinner which we found at the lovely Tuscany Steak and Pasta House. As we were being shown to our table, I pointed out the revolving pie case showcasing out dessert options, but when we reached the end of our meal we decided to skip dessert and drive through town a little before finding the ice cream shop that was listed in the 'dining' portion of our hotel's welcome book. Such a wise decision!

PJ's Ice Cream and Coffee Shop, which sadly has no website, served us some yummy ice cream. The store is decorated with completed jigsaw puzzles, and has a big shelf of games and puzzles for customer use. The table closest to the ice cream freezer was covered with a 1000-piece puzzle that had been started - the outside was complete, with some other parts filled in a little. Rob asked if we could work on it and the lady behind the counter said yes, anyone can work on it. Work on it we did - for about four hours.

That wasn't our original intent when we first sat down to the puzzle - we figured it was close to closing time as the place was pretty empty - but when we asked the lady behind the counter when the closed she said 11pm...and that's when we tucked into that puzzle to see what we could do. The place soon started hoppin' as reportedly there was an all-church concert somewhere in town that ended around 8...or maybe 9? One table of gentlemen was playing a card/dice game, another table had some women playing some other game, and the other tables filled and emptied while we were there. A family came in to celebrate a young son's birthday and the card/dice playing guys not only serenaded him with Happy Birthday, but also Good Night Birthday Boy (to the tune of Good Night Ladies). It was all very Norman Rockwell and had me wishing we had something like this near home.

We finally left at 11:30, even though the place was still packed with game-players; the puzzle, about 3/4 finished.

New Year's Eve Leftovers

A few pictures from New Year's Eve...

Candy sushi, made by Aunt Christine and oh, so yummy!

How to make juice boxes FANCY.

Live

Want to know what it looks like at Waikiki Beach right now?

It's almost a year since we left on our trip there. SOME PEOPLE we know are heading back this year. NO, we're not jealous at all. REALLY.

My Days At Court - Final Edition

At least I hope so!

Monday after E1 & E2 left for school, I dropped E3 off at my parents house so she could hang out with Grandpa while I made my debut as a witness for that trial - the one where I was originally almost a juror.

I entered the courthouse with my book (necessary for the incessantly long waits that come with court proceedings), my id, and a water bottle, passed through security, and proceeded up the stairs. I saw one of the lawyers for the defense in the hallway, and stopped to ask her if I should go directly into the courtroom or if I should wait somewhere else.

"What? They told you to come today? Did C (her secretary) tell you today?"

"Um...I thought so...at least the paperwork I got from the court officer indicated today at 9a.m."

"Because we won't need you until at least Wednesday afternoon, maybe Thursday morning - if we need you at all."

She apologized profusely, even though I figured I probably misunderstood. For what it's worth, the papers from the court DID read Monday at 9a.m., but it also instructed me to call the lawyers office (I had) to get further information - I don't recall the secretary telling me anything other than they'd call me if/when they had a more specific time.

So, I left, strolled through a furniture store to investigate the cost of bunk beds and drool over couches, visited the town's tiny (by today's standards) Mal-Wart (in the process of being replaced by a SUPER) for some of those short cans of root beer, stopped by the Farm Bureau to pick up the free family photo we had taken last month, and got a Cherry Ski before heading back to Dad's to get E3. In between stops I called Rob to update him on the court thing, and called my brother-in-law to let him know I could get Nephew F from pre-k after all. The morning turned out to be a nice block of unexpected free time.

That afternoon I got a voice mail from the lawyer where she again apologized profusely for the mix-up and told me she wasn't sure they would need me...if they did it would be Wednesday afternoon...and she would call again Tues afternoon to let me know for sure.

Yesterday she called - they would not be requiring my presence. They felt all the information I could provide had already been covered, and the jury was looking antsy (I can SO sympathize and I told the lawyer that if they were looking antsy they most definitely WERE, based on my recent experience) and they were looking to turn it over to the jury by noon today (they could be deliberating as I type).

I had a question to ask though - The day of the accident a couple stopped to help. They got to the injured girl before I even got out of my car and, since they were helping her I sat with the injured girl's younger siblings and drove them to the hospital as well. You see, although 911 was called and the EM T's arrived very quickly the police never did and so in addition to there being no one to take charge of the kids, a police report was never completed and they had NO names of the people who stopped to help - that couple, a guy in a truck, and me (with E1 & E2 who stayed in the car listening to their Princess music CD). Finding me in the jury box was a complete shock to them, and though they had learned the identity of the guy in the truck, as of the day they'd interviewed me they did not know who that other couple was and I was only able to tell them where I thought the couple had said they lived.

So I had to know -did they ever locate the unknown couple that also stopped that day, and helped provide basic first aid to the injured girl?

THEY HAD!

Based on what I told them in the deposition they placed an ad in a newspaper local to that area - the lawyer's secretary is from a neighboring town and claimed no one reads that particular paper...BUT! A friend of the couple saw the ad, thought it sounded familiar, passed the ad to them, and they in turn called the lawyer.

The couple testified yesterday.

I was pleased to hear it.

No Plans To Move

But if I had such plans, I'd choose these guys. That's funny stuff right there.

Tossed About

I spent some time sifting through the Mamalogues site today looking to quote Dana, but I had no luck.

Some time ago she equated her family's week to being whipped around by a tornado, only to find themselves tossed out at the weekend.

That pretty much sums up our December and start of the new year.

Yesterday we celebrated E3's fourth birthday; she declared it a FUN FUN BIRTHDAY - the FUNNEST EVER!

Today we finally undecorated the Christmas tree and dragged it outside; nephew F will be relieved as he informed me on Friday that Christmas is over and it's Time to put the tree away - his Daddy said.

Tomorrow I get to go to the courthouse again, this time as a witness.

The stuffy-headedness has taken over Rob and is moving in on me. I don't like it.

After tomorrow, we're getting this ship back on it's regular course already.