Putting My Thoughts on Paper

Alabama Disaster Relief Blogging Program

2012-01-26T20:02:00.000-06:00

If you watch the news or college football at all then you are probably aware that Alabama has had a tough time recovering from the tornadoes that occurred last April. Then last Sunday night/early Monday morning tornadoes struck again with devastating losses. You may be wondering what you could possibly do to help. Monday morning, I was surprised and pleased to see this post telling us exactly what us bloggers could do. If you're a blogger, you probably love blogging and why not use your love to help a worthy cause. For every blog post written about the tornadoes, Top Alarm System.com will donate $25 to the Christian Service Mission in Birmingham. They ask that you write, in a new blog post of at least 400 words, your thoughts on the Alabama tornadoes then go to the Alabama Disaster Relief Blogging Program page and leave a comment showing where you blogged.

Last week seemed like a very long work week for me. The weekend came and I was exhausted. It seems idiotic now to say that I vaguely recalling seeing something on Facebook over the weekend about the weather “getting bad”. I may have mentioned to Dave that I heard that there were going to be some storms. You could make an argument that we were irresponsible because we just tucked Jack in to sleep and then later tucked ourselves in without much thought to the weather.

Sometime early Monday morning, Jack and I woke to the sound of the storms. I remember thinking that the wind sounded awfully strong but I was so very sleepy that all I did was get Jack back to sleep and nodded back off to sleep myself. David slept soundly throughout the night. When we all woke up a little later than usual Monday morning, I told David that the wind sounded awfully strong during the night and asked him to make sure that our trampoline had not been blown over into our neighbor’s yard.

It wasn’t until David and I logged onto our computers that we knew what had happened. Here we were just about 9 months after last April’s tornadoes and many of our neighbors in the Birmingham area were again devastated by staggering losses. At least two people died and people lost their homes. As I drove to Birmingham from our small town just to the south, you could not see the devastation. Even our trampoline was still sitting in our backyard. It was surreal as I listened to the radio and tried to figure out just where the tornadoes had hit.

As I listened, I realized that I knew people who lived in the areas that they were saying were hit. Most of our family members live outside of the areas hit by the tornado but my aunt and a couple of my co-workers live over that way. I started making phone calls truly grateful to hear that they were are all okay.

Then, as in April, I breathed a prayer that God would send the comforter to all those that lost in this tragic tornado. I thanked him for sparing us this time. I wondered if there was a way that I could help. I am truly grateful to be able to help in a small way with this post.

If you're a blogger and you'd like to help please post your own thoughts and share a link here.

Me Time Take 2

2012-01-19T10:19:00.001-06:00

So what is exactly is this "me time" thing? I have heard it's rewarding, it will help me to recharge my batteries and that I NEED this.

Apparently, "me time" must be focused on me...not shopping for my household, not planning for the "strewing" of learning activities for my kiddo, not engaging in household discussions with my husband, not working, not cooking, not cleaning...

I have a child that "senses" when I wake up. I am not kidding you. When I wake up, I sneak quietly to the bathroom so he can get the rest that I know he needs. I am shocked if I can only actually use the bathroom and manage to flush the toilet before I hear him stirring. Yes, I said, "Hear him stirring." I guess maybe it's not only the kid that does the "sensing". I guess we're kind of "in tune" to one another. Anyway, I digress.

The point is that my "me time" is not going to happen by my getting up early to make it happen. When we are both awake during the day, I'm busy with work, facilitating Jack's learning, housekeeping, spending some time with Dave, etc. Every now and then, I grab lunch with a friend when I'm between work appointments but honestly, I feel a little guilty. You can tell me that I shouldn't feel guilty but you can't make me not feel guilty.

I am not kidding you when I tell you I just have so much stuff that I need to do. As a nurse case manager, I am responsible for arranging care for a bunch of people. Since my child is home schooled, I am responsible for providing him with learning opportunities. Since I have been blessed with a lovely home, I am responsible for its upkeep. Since I am a wife, I am responsible for maintaining a relationship with my husband. Since I am a mother, I am responsible for the care and nurturing of a handful of a little boy. Since I have been blessed with a loving family, I am responsible for maintaining a connection with them.

But WAIT....isn't God supposed to be in charge of this show? Will God call me to something and not equip me for it?

Maybe this "me time" that I'm after needs to be time that I spend seeking the Lord and getting encouragement and refreshment from him.

I think I may have answered my own question.

What do you think?

Me time? What exactly is

2012-01-19T09:03:00.001-06:00

Me time? What exactly is me time?

Somewhat of a Testimony--God's Timing

2011-01-04T08:32:00.001-06:00

I had a thought while driving this morning....I realized yesterday that some of the pain from Nana's death was related to a loss of a childhood home. During my childhood, Nana herself represented a place of safety and love. When my world was unsafe and uncertain, I knew that Nana was out there loving me and wishing I was with her.

My mother was physically and mentally ill for a large part of her short life. She taught me not to respect Nana or my dad or anyone related to him. Even while I did not afford her the respect she greatly deserved, Nana represented goodness and safety to me. When I thought of "home", I thought of Nana.

I NEEDED to know that Nana loved me even as I was daily (and sometimes many times during the day) told that I was unlovable and that I was not worth loving. Nana took me to church when I was very young and somehow through all the stomping and yelling and red-faced fire and brimstone preaching of Brother Wallace, I learned that God loved me enough to send his own son Jesus to die for me. And I believed it. Without the knowledge of God's great love for me and Nana's love for me, I don't know what would have become of the little girl that wasn't pretty, had no sense, and was "unnatural".

Though I fought the messages of unlovableness, they did manage to take hold. Believing that I was not just naturally lovable, I tried to become whatever the people around me wanted or needed me to be. I thought this is what I needed to do to be lovable. Yet, there is an emptiness and an anxiety in getting this kind of "love." I constantly had the thought that people would figure out that I really was not lovable and actually did not feel lovable as I found myself changing for each group I found myself in. I really did not know who I was. If I didn't know, who else could love me?

It took many, many years for me to slowly but surely believe God's word. He says that I am wonderfully made. He says that he created me for a purpose. In other words, me all by myself without any efforts at changing to please others is worth loving. I AM loved. I have been loved. The one who created me and knows my inmost being LOVES me. It's okay to be me. I am not perfect. I don't have to be. God loves me and he has put people in my life who love me--the me under the surface.

It was only when this message took hold, that I truly felt free to be myself. People didn't run screaming that I was detestable! They loved me! My relationships were true and not couched in fear of discovery of my unworthiness. Not only did I not hide my flaws, I began to put them on display telling others, "See we all make mistakes and isn't it fun to realize how silly we really are!" No one chided me for being terrible. Instead they thanked me for being real and helping them to be real!

Only after all this, only after I had discovered and had grown in a love for myself did God take home my first source of love. My heart aches as I miss her so much yet my heart breaks with the gratefulness I feel that God let me have her here when I so desperately needed her.

So my childhood home is gone and I can never go home again but I am at home within myself now. God is good. God is great. And he has the most excellent plans for me.

What's Heaven Like?

2010-05-18T14:27:00.001-06:00

Since Nana died, I find myself thinking about heaven more than I ever have. I find myself thinking that all those sayings about someone to watch over you are just silly. I reason that Nana is much too busy being awed by the presence of God to even remember me, to even really think of anything except maybe that she (like everyone else) is unworthy to be in God's presence.

But, today, as I felt yet another pain in my heart at the loss of her I had another thought. God loves us so much more than we can fathom. I know how much I love Jack and I know how much it pains me to see him hurt. God loves me infinitely more than that so then is God pained by my sadness? And if God is saddened wouldn't all of heaven be shaken? Yet we are told there are no tears in heaven. Is that biblical or is it just a hymn? I couldn't find a New Testament reference to tears or crying in heaven on my YouVersion Bible. References anyone?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

What I Like About the Captain D's That Got My Order All Wrong

2010-03-17T12:36:00.002-06:00

Spare me the lectures regarding the health and/or quality of the food. I was hungry. They were there. Demand meets Supply.
I ordered a very uncomplicated three piece fish dinner and large diet coke. The order I was given was country style fish with green beans substituted for the usual sides.
When I pointed out the error, the crew member quickly apologized, took the wrong order back, located my fish dinner, apologized again and laughed at her own foolishness.
Just before she handed me the wrong order she sweetly asked me to call the survey number on my receipt to report my customer satisfaction and even said, "We'd really like it if you could give us all 5's." I assume that 5 must be excellent. You know what? I'm thinking about calling and giving her all 5's wrong order and all. How often is a wrong order such a pleasant experience?

Convos that Make Me Smile

2010-02-04T23:49:00.002-06:00

Dave: This soup doesn't seem right. I followed the directions. You know you don't add water anymore?
Me: (picks up can) Honey it is well past time, you so need glasses!
D: What? I followed the directions! (Takes can and holds it out while trying to read the label)
M: (pointing)It says right there "soup + 1 can water"
D: Well, there's another one of your old man stories!

M: You DO love me! (Throwing arms around Dave)
D: (continuing his cleaning) who says I don't?
M: You know, that depressing voice in my head.
D: Wha? That's still talking? I thought I shut that thing up years ago!

MA [little girl in Jack's class]: What's your name?
M: Marie
MA: Marie, I wanted to play at Jack a-doo's [Jack's school nickname] house!
M: Oh?
MA: Does Jack a-doo have a sister?
M: No, sorry, there's no little girls at our house.
MA: Well, I'm gonna need your phone number.
M: (with broad smile) Should I write it down for you?
MA: Yes you better so my mom can call you.

M: Honey why [insert complaint about some silly thing Dave did that makes no sense but irritates me]
D: Hahahah, another silly old man story!

D: Bye, Jack, have a good day at school.
Jack: Hug!
D: Aw (hugs Jack) hug! I love you!
J: I love you!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Not Me--Quack, Quack!

2009-11-22T22:52:00.000-06:00

1.I did not put spring mix mixed with honey mustard dressing on my child's hot dog to make me feel better about feeding him a hot dog for dinner.

He enjoyed it. What's the difference between that and relish (except that the spring mix is better for you) anyway?

2. I did not have a recent weight gain which caused me to change clothes three times one day and still end up being a poster child for muffin top awareness.

3. I did not comment that my favorite book is a children's book called "I Love You All the Time" cementing the thought in my mind and those of others that Marie is missing and JacksMomMarie has taken over.

4. I did not say to my preschooler look, "Ducks. Quack quack" while waddling like a duck and flapping my arms only to hear another mother say quite loudly (I'm pretty sure for my benefit) to her daughter, "Honey, take some bread for these geese."

5. I did not relate to this post at all since I am not forbidden from burning candles in my home since the time I smoked up all the cabinets in our apartment after arguing that indoor candle burning was a safe way to add a nice fragrance to your home.

Hope you've enjoyed laughing with me!

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of Life is Therapy.

Simple Cooking for the Dairy Intolerant Part 1

2009-11-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

Back when we were completely avoiding dairy (except for possible cross contamination during processing), I was frequently asked "What can you eat? What do you eat?"

I would frequently browse the internet for various restaurants' and fast food chains' ingredients lists. I compared the ingredients to my handy dairy and hidden dairy cheat sheet and made a list of "safe foods" so I could always find something we could eat when we were out and about. Of course, I also carried "safe" non-perishable foods in the car just in case.

But safe dairy free foods were not the only concern. The other hurdle was having something that Jack would eat. Food still has to be the right texture. He eats a wide variety of foods but the texture has to be right.

Now that we've been given the clearence to add some dairy back in, we've been able to expand a bit on things that we eat around here. Jack is now considered dairy intolerant.

Excessive amounts of dairy protein still lead to increased congestion for him and that can quickly spiral out of control. We still avoid actual milk, yogurt, cream, and ice cream.

Some days I work from home and some days I am gone all day for appointments but I am busy every day. While I like to cook, trying to be too fancy frustrates me. I like to try to keep it fairly healthy but I mostly figure if we are eating at home and it's not mostly boxed pre-packaged food we are doing pretty well.

I thought I'd share with you some simple easy meals that we have around here. Don't look for fancy pictures or fancy stuff. I'm a simple cook and this is gonna be simple stuff. :)

Tonight's dinner: Grandma's home grown peas/beans, baked potatoes, and leftover Publix fried chicken.

This was typed up as I prepared dinner tonight so this is how I did it.

For the home grown peas/beans, marry yourself a man whose mother loves you over and abundantly than you deserve, get her to garden, and always remember your favorite things and freeze them for you. (Or if you cannot do all that just go buy your favorite kind of frozen peas/beans.)

*All pictures for this post were taken with camera phone and while in the midst of cooking and trying not to get run over by fast tricycling preschooler. Please forgive the (lack of) quality.*

1. Rinse however many potatoes you need to feed your bunch while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Dry the potatoes and wrap in foil (I usually just kind of shake them dry before wrapping them).

3. Put them in the oven to one side of the middle rack.

4. Get the peas out of the freezer, place them in a pan of water with some salt, bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and let them cook.

5. At 30 minutes, check your potatoes. They're not done yet.

6. Crank up the oven to 450.

7. Place your leftover Publix fried chicken in an oven safe dish of some kind and place it on the middle rack next to the potatoes.

8. Set timer for 15 minutes.

9. When timer goes off, squeeze largest and smallest potatoes to check level of tenderness. Still not done. (Do not burn finger through cheap pot holder).

10. Turn chicken pieces over using tongs. Next time remember to perhaps oil your dish a little before putting in chicken.

11. Set timer for 10 minutes.

12. Check beans/peas. Yum just like I like them. Turn heat off but leave pan on stove "eye" so peas/beans don't get cold.

13. When timer goes off, squeeze taters again. Nice and squishy except those two bigger ones? Everybody out of the oven. Those two biggies are gettin' zapped in the microwave.

14. Remove chicken from oven.

15. Fix kiddo's plate first since it will need to cool a bit. Add dairy free buttery spread

to potatoes if you like.

16. Fix your plate.

Yes, we do eat that much. We're big eaters around here. :)

This was actually the night before last and I did not have time to get the post together. Last night, I added a defrosted previously cooked roast to the leftover peas/beans and potatoes. Yummy! I put them all in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I prefer oven heating to microwave because I think it all just tastes better but if I was in more of a hurry they all could have been zapped.

Hope you enjoyed this view of our dinner.

Not Me--I'm Not Posting this Late Monday Evening

2009-11-16T18:40:00.000-06:00

1. I did not dress Jack and I in our team colors every Friday and Saturday during football season for the past couple of years because I believe it impacts the team.

2. I did not tell my four year old, "Eat this. It's like pie except it's cake."

3.I did not tell everyone that a certified bra specialist snapped her measuring tape around me to prove the tininess of my bra size.

4.I did not post a link to this video as part of my Life is Therapy series because it was so darn cute that I wanted to share.

5.I did not have a Sally Field moment when I was chosen to write a guest post at 5minutes for parenting, as loyal commentor of the week at 5minutes for mom, then had the Life is Therapy series mentioned at 5minutes for mom, and received an Honest Scrap award from Jennifer all in the same week! (Thanks everyone for the mentions and the awards! I am going to do a real post about that.)

Thanks everyone for laughing along. If you want to see some good "Mommy Confessions", head over to Say it Face to Face.

Word is Out--I'm an Alabama Blogger

2009-11-09T22:26:00.002-06:00

That's right! I was born in Alabama and I live in Alabama and I blog. I. AM. AN. ALABAMA. BLOGGER!!!!!! Want to meet up with me and other bloggers too? November's Meet-up will be at Jason's Deli outside of Brookwood Mall at 11:30 on Friday, November 13th (You can remember Friday the 13th, right?). If 11:30 is too early, just come when you can - some people end up staying at lunch for about 2 hours.The hashtag for this meet-up and all future Alabama Bloggers meet-ups (to make it simple) is #AlaBlogMeet.Please help spread the word by re-tweeting and posting on your blogs! Also please RSVP at the Alabama Bloggers post so that tables can be reserved. I'm planning on being there for my lunch hour! Hope to see you there!

Not Me! I'm Not Shamelessly Pluggin' Life is Therapy

2009-11-08T21:56:00.002-06:00

I did not enjoy last week's Not Me writing last week so much that I did not decide to do it again this week.

1. I did not shamelessly post a link to my Life is Therapy series everywhere I could possibly think of because I believe that everyone could benefit from it.

2.I did not allow my child with developmental delays to climb the neighbor's back fence and nearly drop into their yard because I was so excited to see him try and wanted to see how far he could go. ('cause you know Life is Therapy)

3. I did not allow my child to nearly climb over into my neighbor's backyard (using Life as Therapy)also because I wanted to get a good look at what they did to it since the old neighbors moved out.

4. I did not gain 3.5 pounds eating leftover Halloween candy. (It was not more like five pounds.) [Unwrapping ALL those wrappers could be therapy.]

5. I did not back right into an oncoming car because I was so focused on avoiding the tow truck parked at least a car length (maybe two) behind me. (An example of NOT Life is Therapy)

6. I did not publicly admit to possibly having a blogging problem. (Possibly a problem that might benefit others.)

7. I did not try to read Phillipians on my Palm Treo everytime I stopped at a stop light because our pastor encouraged us to read it everyday one week.

8. I did not put my camera on a step stool with a children's bible, my bible, a box of crackers and another book on top to get it to the right height for shooting a video for my new series Life is Therapy

only to remember after I finished that I had a perfectly good tripod sitting in the closet.

9. I did not feed my preschooler the following lunch--dry cereal (for grains), a Kashi fruit and grain bar (for the fruit, grains, and protein), and a bag of those freeze dried fruits for toddlers(more fruit)--one busy day when we were running around and I figured it was healthier than anything we might pick up.

10. I did not get excited that our house guest would not be arriving for a little more than another 24 hours because it meant I could clean later and blog now.

Seriously, please take a moment and check out my new series Life is Therapy . Perhaps you could link up and share a story of how you help your child to grow and develop in the course of normal day to day living.

Chicken Salad

2009-11-07T08:43:00.001-06:00

A friend posted on her blog quite a while back that she wanted some recipes for chicken salad. I promised to post my recipe and I'm finally getting around to it. It's not actually so much my recipe. I think my sister-in-law Lisa who makes a fab-o chicken salad that involves cream cheese kind of gave me the basics and I transformed it into my own dairy-free chicken salad.

I took pictures as I made Jack a chicken salad sandwich for school the other night. Keep in mind that Jack eats a wide variety of foods but they have to be the right texture so this chicken salad recipe is chopped up quite a bit more than I would chop it if serving it to a bunch of adults. You use the same recipe just chop less. In fact you can skip the food processor and just do your chopping with a knife to make it more "adult-pleasing". I'll post the whole recipe at the bottom but here it is with pictures.

1.Take about a handful of walnuts (or little more) or pecans (they give a slightly different but still good taste to it) and throw them in your food processor.

2. Chop them up.

3. Rinse one apple or about 1 1/2 handsful of red or green grapes. I just cut the sides of the apple off the core and then cut the apple the apple into small pieces with the peel on.

4. Add to the food processor.

5. Mix it up.

6. Cut up chicken breast leftover from making Kelly's simple easy recipe for dinner. [Note: I leave out the second lemon that is sliced. We thought it made the recipe too lemony and instead of lemon pepper on top of everything, I use greek seasoning] You can actually use any cooked chicken breast you have on had but this particular recipe turns out a delicious chicken salad.

7. Whir it up!

8. Next you need to add some mayo.

9. Just experiment until you get the creaminess you like. I did about three tablespoons this time.

10. Whir it up!

11. Serve over salad greens on bread of your choice.

12. I actually add the spring mix to the food processor and chop it in too for Jack's sandwichs. He likes it. I just forgot to get a picture of it.

I forget to take a picture of my chicken salad all plated up and pretty so I was searching online for a picture of pretty chicken salad and came across this picture which is what my chicken salad would look if not chopped up quite as much and you used grapes instead of apples.

Her recipe is nearly the same as mine but measured and with celery.

So here's my recipe without the pictures. I'm writing these directions as if you are serving to adults or children who chew well without a texture sensitivity.
Ingredients:
One handful to handful and a half of Walnuts or Pecans
One Apple or one handful to handful and a half of Red or Green Grapes
One Cooked Chicken Breast
About three tablespoons Hellman's Mayonnaise (On most everything I'm flexible but I really think you need to use Hellman's. It has a good flavor.)
Spring Mix or other bagged salad

Directions:
1. Chop up nuts into smaller bits.
2. Cut apple sides off the core and dice. OR Cut grapes into halves.
3. Cut up chicken breast.
4. Put all cut ingredients into bowl.
5. Mix in mayonnaise.
6. Chill.
7. Serve on bed of salad greens and/or bread of your choice.

Enjoy!

Polaroid--Worst Customer Service EVER

2009-11-06T14:37:00.003-06:00

I try really hard to find the positive in most things but this time I just really can't find it in me to be understanding. A few years ago my sweet husband purchased an awesome very durable portable DVD player with a great 10 inch screen. This thing is great! We've taken it everywhere! In nearly four years of use, we've had no problems until....the AC power adapter cord took all the abuse it could handle. It looks as if the cord got pinched or crimped in one place. The wires inside must have broken. Without the AC adapter the DVD player does not work. So I tried to get another power cord. Unfortunately Polaroid has made sure that you cannot get an adapter without the Polaroid brand on it to fit its DVD player. So I went to Polaroid.com armed with my DVD user guide so I could locate my exact model of DVD player. Not listed anywhere on the site as if they have never before heard of the item. hmmmm....kay....what to do? Well, I called 1 800 POLAROID--the number listed on the site. Ummmm......disconnected....well, okay....frustrating.....I found the customer service number listed in my user guide and called it.

Sol answered and immediately misunderstood every other syllable I uttered. I asked if he was having difficulty hearing me since he kept interuppting to misquote something I said.
Maybe we have a bad connection and I should call back?
No, I'll just push through it best I can.
[Weird because suddenly I actually had his attention and he could hear me.] I need a new AC adaptor for my DVD player.
What happened to the other one?
Well it's broken.
Okay
Then we go through the rigamarole of me giving him the model number and serial number of the DVD, he puts me on hold and he comes back
Does your AC adapter have a cord that plugs into it?
No it's one piece.
It's one piece? [He says like he can't believe it.] Is there a box on it?
Yes there is a box.
Well then there must be a cord that connects the box to the DVD player.
Yes there is and it is all one piece. If you start at the DVD player connection the cord runs to the box and from there the cord runs out of the box to the prongs that you plug into the wall. None of it comes apart at least I don't think.
It doesn't? [incredulous]
So I start pulling to see if anything will come undone and quickly flip through my book to see if I'm supposed to take it apart.
Um, there's nothing in the book about it coming apart or putting it together. Wouldn't that be in the book?Hmm...hang on. [I'm put on hold for a bit] I think I found one that might work.
Think? Might work? Does that sound promising to you? Then I actually say, "would it help you if I read you the part number off my AC adapter?"
Okay.
I read the part number. He sounds perplexed and says um okay hang on......comes back again and says okay well I've got one like that.
Ummm....like that? And I say out loud, Is it the same part?
Oh yeah, it's that part. Oh, okay, great! I'd like to order it.
Well, okay but first you have to agree to our terms of sales...."All sales are final. If the part does not fix your tv, we are not held responsible. Accessories carry a thirty day warranty. There is no warranty on parts." Huh? Wait a minute. If you send me the wrong part, the sale is still final?
Ma'am [in tone of exasperation] I'm not going to send you the wrong part.
So you are 100% positive that the part you are sending me is the right replacement.
Ma'am you told me the part number and I got one of those.
Well, okay.
Okay ma'am I am going to transfer you to order processing.
Then order processing takes over, takes all my information, and does not ask me what shipping option I'd like and then says okay here's your transaction number do you have any questions?
Oh yes how long will it take for the part to arrive?
Oh 10-12 business days Ma'am.
Huh? Oh well can I pay extra and have it shipped a little faster?
No ma'am.
So I get off the phone and decide there's got to be something faster. I googled the specific part number and guess what? I can get in 2-3 business days from another company. Great. I'll just cancel the Polaroid order. It's been less than 10 mintues since I ordered. First I spoke to Michelle who reminded that I agreed to their non-return policy.
Um yes but I have not received the part and would like to cancel the order within 10 minutes of placing it.
Sorry ma'am. We don't cancel orders.
Wait a minute. You did not bother to tell me that I would have to wait three weeks to get my part until after I placed my order and even then only when I asked.
Too bad.
No I don't think so. You can't have someone agree to something prior to telling them all the terms which includes how long it takes to ship.
Ma'am we don't know for sure it will be three weeks. It could be less. It could be longer. It just depends on how many orders we get that day.
What?!!? Look it's been less than 10 minutes, please just cancel my order.
Uh, you're gonna have to hold.....Ma'am we won't cancel your order. We don't do that.
[My head is about to explode.] May I speak to a supervsior?
You can but he won't cancel it either.
Well I would still like to try.
Ma'am he's not going to cancel your order.
Um, okay but go ahead and get him.
Well, okay, you're gonna have to hold.
Thanks.
Next up is Hans.
Ma'am I am a supervisor and we do not cancel orders. You agreed to our policy.
Yes, but that was before anyone told me that it would be three weeks before I got my order.
Ma'am, noone said three weeks.
No, she said 10-12 business days and the holidays are coming and in real time that turns out to be about three weeks.
Ma'am you might have your product faster.
Well, I have found another place that I can order it from and they will actually tell me when I can expect to receive it and it's more like 2-3 days.
Ma'am it takes 24 hours to process your credit card alone and we can't do anything with your order until we receive the funds from your credit card.
Great! Since it had been less than 10 minutes between my order placing and my calling back you have not processed my credit card so there's been no sale so please just cancel the order.
What?
You just said that you will not process my order for at least 24 hours. Since it's been much less than that, you should be able to easily cancel the order.
What?
Look, you told me that you don't process the credit card for 24 hours, right?
Right.
Well it has not been 24 hours. Please cancel the order.
Fine, I'll cancel the order but you're going to be back.
Why do you say that?
You'll see.
Do you know something about the part I'm buying?
Well, you'll find out. I've cancelled your order. Goodbye.
Wait a minute. Can you tell me why you would say that?
Oh you will see.
Um, that's kind of rude.
I'm not being rude. I cancelled your order. Goodbye.
I asked to speak to his supervisor about his parting comments but he claimed that he did not have one. Dave told me to just leave it alone so I hung up.
I'm telling everybody I know. Polaroid products are good but their customer service....um, not well trained....overworked...bad policies...just lots of problems there.

***Update: I received a confirmation email today for a part that was not even the one I wanted to order. It has the nifty link to their terms and conditions website where it says "Once an order is submitted it can only be cancelled before it is processed and shipped. Please call Customer Support at the number listed below." Again it had only been 10 minutes since I placed my order when I called back and the manager acknowledged that it would not have been processed for another 24 hours. Goofy people don't know their own policies. Interesting though that the email did not come from Polaroid but Digital Support Desk. Subsidiary of Polaroid? Or maybe someone who Polaroid contracts to do non-support?

Nope! Not me!

2009-11-02T11:12:00.001-06:00

This post was not inspired by laughing at all the things that Myra did not do.

#1 I am NOT freaking out right now because all of my business appointments disappeared from my calendar on my Palm Treo. I am not trying to Wireless Sync as we speak to try to get all my info back.

#2 I am NOT trying to distract myself from the phone/computer problem I am having by browsing the internet and then composing my own nonsense post.

#3 I did NOT just let out a "Woo hoo" because I realize that it worked and I have my information back.

#4 I did NOT forget to feed my kiddo before trying to take him trick or treating. What kind of moron would do that?

#5 I am NOT now continuing to write this post instead of frantically returning to work and make up for the time I spent "futzing" with the phone/computer.

#6 I did NOT accidentally publicly tweet out my home and cellular phone numbers a few days ago. Everybody knows to send a direct message on twitter, you put a space between d and the twitter name!

#7 I did NOT let my kid stay in the nasty water in his swimming pool long after the other kids' parents made them get out. That pool was gross. Who would do such a thing?

#8 I did NOT spend a whole lot of time banging on a pot in my dishwasher this weekend just to make my kid laugh.

#9 I do NOT do blog posts and blog posts and blog posts and blog posts and blog posts about my son's basketball. How kooky would that be?

#10 I did NOT set my kid up to eat out of the bib pocket that was designed to catch his crumbs.

What about you? What do you NOT do?

Adding Veggies

2009-11-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

I recently wrote a post about healthy eating for kids on my other blog. I did not have any pictures to post for my smoothie recipe. Well, it's not really my recipe. It's Alisa's recipe that I adapt as needed depending on ingredients any given day. I really wish I had gotten my camera out earlier this particular day because I had one of those classic tv comedy moments--blender explosion! You know the scene where the stuff in the blender comes popping out everywhere including in the hair of everbody in the kitchen? Yep, that was me. Anyway, I got everything cleaned up and started over. Oh, what caused the explosion? Well, I had my frozen banana in a plastic bag and left the blender whirring as I was dropping the frozen banana into the blender. The banana stuck to the bag and I accidentally dropped banana and bag in the blender...cue the laugh track.

Okay so back to the non-comedy....

1st I blended some water, 1/2 frozen banana, and several strawberries....

Pretty, isn't it? Next is the secret ingredient that you do not taste...

Too bad you can see it...

Never fear, frozen blueberries to the rescue...

Much prettier, no?

And here's a shot of the happy kiddo getting some very nutritious fruits and veggies without any added sugar or preservatives or artificial colors or other junk.

DVD player in the bathroom take 2

2009-10-19T22:15:00.000-06:00

I tried again! I know there's poo in that tummy. He had another leaky pee, he was sneaking away for moments of quiet reflection, and I heard that sound. You know the one where you kind of hear them breathe kind of hard because they give a little push....By this time I'd had the battery charging for a little while. I seized my oppurtunity. I grabbed the DVD player and put in Baby Beethoven (his current absolute fave!). Very excitedly, I said, "Hey you wanna go sit on the potty and watch Baby BEETHOVEN!!!!" (Note: I did not scream it at him the caps are only to emphasize that I pretty much mumbled the rest of the sentence and said Beethoven with a flourish.) Beethoven? He said. Oh yes, let's go sit on the potty! Here he was...

You see? Happily sitting on the potty. Surely the poo was going to plop right out, right? Um.....after sitting a while, Jack had an idea. IRISH! Sure who doesn't need his faithful bestest ever friend to sit by while having a poop on the potty?

So Jack watched the DVD and spun Irish on his lap and listened to me say things like "Poo poo belongs in the potty" and "Poo poo likes to splash and swim in the potty (yes I said it and yes I already regret it because I'm wondering if Jack will try to splash and swim in the potty and have fun like I told him the poo poo has)" and "errr, errr go ahead and push out that poo poo err, err" for 20 something minutes before declaring, "All done."

Alright Poo Poo you have eluded me this time but this won't go on forever.

Portable DVD Player in the Bathroom--Genius Idea or ...

2009-10-19T19:31:00.000-06:00

the crazy idea of a woman still on narcotic cough medication trying to get over bronchitis? Seriously. Here's the thing. 4 year old Jack still does not tell us consistently when he needs to use the bathroom. He can easily stand up to go pee pee in an adult potty. No problems there. I've got it down to a science. When we are indoors at home, he goes pee pee about every two hours. Take him to the potty every two hours and you're golden. He can even wear his regular underwear. If he goes pee pee anytime within that two hour window it's poo poo time. No. Really. Any leaky pee pee within those two hours mean a poo poo is about to come on out. Jack doesn't mind sitting on the potty and will happily do so while reading Potty Time with Elmo or Elmo's Play Day or a book made for him by Jessica, a sweet young student who was working with Jack's early intervention speech therapist. The problem is that he won't sit at the critical poo poo time. He doesn't want to sit and read when he's given those poo poo signs. You Mamas know the ones--the leaky pee pee, the running off for privacy, the "squat". So tonight, I decided to try the DVD player. Jack loves Baby Einstein and the videos run about thirty minutes. Surely he would relax enough during that time. He was all for it. He was excited. I was excited. Ack! The battery died and the cord would not reach from the water closet to the plug! Charging the battery now. So you've heard my crazy idea....got any better advice? He's not into rewards of any kind. Doesn't like stickers, no interest in charts, will cry if you exclaim Yay! and start clapping. Tried Elmo underwear and he seems to try not to get Elmo wet but poo poo just has to come when it comes. What else? If you want to know more about Jack hop over to www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com. I'm ready! Send me those ideas. If you don't want to post here email me at empwrn(at)bellsouth(dot)net.

Behind on the Shred Updates

2009-10-06T13:57:00.001-06:00

So I'm doing days 8, 9, 10, & 11 updates today. Day 8 was fab-O! I felt great. I shredded then took my sweet cherub over to a friends birthday party at one of those places with all the inflatable bounce houses and slides. We had a blast! I'm his biggest playmate. He's not yet able to jump in them by himself and he did not want anyone else to "hup" him. So jump jump jump, I sweated and puffed some more. After the party, we went to the park but we were really too tired to play a lot so it was time to swing and enjoy watching the other kids run around. The rest of the afternoon and evening we hung out with fam and both of us stayed up too late. Me, later than him.
Day 9 I woke up but never really woke up, know what I mean? I was truly exhausted so I took the day off. After all, it was the sabbath.
On Day 10, I was tired but I jumped up and did it. I even increased the weights I was using. Wooweee! My body ached but it woke me up and I felt good the rest of the day.
Day 11 was tough but I pushed through. I'm feeling the burn and I'm feeling changes taking place. I just need to make an effort to get more sleep and cut back on the junk.
What's your favorite tip for keeping yourself motivated to make the right changes?

Ouch! I just got smacked by the economy.

2009-10-06T13:13:00.001-06:00

That was my tweet yesterday. The reason? The small little company I work for is being indirectly affected by the layoffs happening in other industries. Fortunately, we (the employees) are all rather busy so there's enough work for all of us to continue our employment. Unfortunately, the smaller the company the easier it is for cash flow to become a problem. Reserves must be maintained to keep the company afloat while waiting for payment to come in from those to whom we provide service. Since there's enough work, noone's salary is going to be taken to make up the reserves. I don't really know what options there are and how these decisions get made but, for now, our little company is no longer contributing to our retirement plans and no longer paying a portion of our group health insurance. Take a moment and surf on over to my other blog at www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com and it won't take you long to realize why I'm grateful that they've chosen to continue to offer group health insurance even if they won't pay any portion of the premium any longer. Still today's announcement knocked the wind out of my sails.

Mommy Shoes and other fashion advice needed

2009-10-03T15:16:00.003-06:00

I am one of "those mommies". You will find me in the tubes at McDonald's, Burger King, Chik Fil A, Chuck E Cheese, and anywhere else my kiddo wants to go play. I'm the mommy coming down the slide with my kiddo screaming "Wheeeeeeeeee!" so the kiddo will laugh and not be scared of the speed or height. I'm the mommy that stays on the playground in the rain because there's no thunder or lightning. I'm my son's biggest playmate. I do encourage independence and he's sharpening his social skills every day but I truly enjoy playing with him and any friends we happen to meet.
So needless to say, I am not one of the mommies running around in dresses or skirts wearing high heels. I keep thinking I'll spruce myself up a bit, though. You can still be fashionable AND an active play partner, right?
So, tell me, what do you wear all you other active mamas?
PS My feet are killing me from wearing my old "tennies" hence the shoe part of the title.

Day 7 of the Shred--Yipppeeee ki yi yay

2009-10-02T16:09:00.001-06:00

Seven. Days. In. A. Row. For seven days in a row now, Jillian has gotten me to sweat and feel a burning, aching sensation in my muscles. There have been moments where I thought, for one reason or another, I might not shred that day. But each time I remembered it's only 20 minutes and I CAN fit it in. My sweet hubby who is always quick with the compliments was honest enough to say that he cannot see a difference yet. That's okay. I feel it. And soon enough we'll be able to see it.

Day 6 of The Shred--No Shame

2009-10-01T12:31:00.001-06:00

This shredding is really going well. I feel tightening of my muscles all over. I'm NOT incredibly sore but then again I am used to having a lot of muscle tension and headacs so I take Advil on a fairly regular basis. I am really enjoying this.
My endurance is definitely improved over day 1 but the fact is, right now, I continue to struggle with doing all the jacks without modifying them some what. I'm not going to be ashamed about it. I am not "phoning it in". I am quite literally workin' my bootie off!
I am feeling much better today after Samantha and Dr. Turnley reminded just how important it is to drink plenty of water and remain hydrated.
I am pumped that I have managed to find the time to workout 6 days in a row!!!

Sent with Wireless Sync from Verizon Wireless

Day 5 of 30 Day Shred

2009-09-30T09:54:00.001-06:00

5 Days in. My endurance is definitely improved and my muscles have that good soreness of change taking place. My legs feel so heavy when doing those jacks during the first cycle. I'm not always able to do that whole portion of jacks. I don't just stop though. I do the modified jack where you still make big concentrated arm movements and you kind of lunge from one leg to the other in a side lunge. Believe me I can still feel it and I am breathing HEAVY.
I'm having a bit of a problem with what I believe must be orthostatic hypotension. I just about black out if I try to just hop up from the lying exercises to the standing. I just sit up pause, get on my knees pause, and then come to standing sort of slowly. I am able to do all this quickly enough so that I manage to be in position in time for the exercise to start. (I do it while Jillian is talking). I'm not missing out on any of the exercise so that's awesome. It's just a little troubling because sometimes I forget and go to hop up and the world goes black.
I'm already seeing body changes but I'm at that stage that always comes first with me when I jump back on the fitness wagon. My muscles feel tight. I can tell that my arms are tighter. My sweater this morning feels so good in the upper arm area where I've become quite flabby. But I have a little problem. Maybe it's just a mental thing. I feel tighter. My clothes feel good. BUT when I look in the mirror, I see flab oh lots and lots of flab that seems to be just hanging. It like the muscles tightened up but the fat cannot be tightened so it's hanging out. Hope Jillian helps me blast off this fat.
I know. I know. I need to look at what I'm eating too. A whole body needs a whole approach for change. Give me time. I'm getting there.

Sent with Wireless Sync from Verizon Wireless

Day 4 of the Shred

2009-09-29T20:40:00.000-06:00

Red faced. Felt like I was going to pass out. Had to move slowly from floor exercises to standing exercises because the world went black when I tried to hop up. This was a TOUGH day but I hung in there. I made it through it and I feel fine now. :)

Day 3 of the Shred

2009-09-29T10:08:00.001-06:00

I typed up a post yesterday but then deleted it. Joy! I was really surprised to find yesterday that my endurance has already increased! I looked forward to the workout all day. But, honestly, when I finally had the time, I was not sure that I wanted to do more than "phone it in". I went ahead and got started. I started to modify those jacks again and heard Jillian telling me that I could do it. So...I tried and I really did. I did all of them. I felt exhilirated immediately after working out. My energy really petered out over the evening though. I was tired last night. Man, was I tired!
I'll let you know how today goes!

Sent with Wireless Sync from Verizon Wireless

Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred

2009-09-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

I managed to get another work out in today. Again, Jillian would be mad at me for "phoning it in" but I could not keep up with the cardio work. I did not stop. I modified the exercises and I was still breathing heavily. Trying to keep up with their pace of jumping jacks and butt kicks was making me feel like I was going to pass out quite literally. I must have taken up smoking in my sleep or something because my cardio conditioning is kaput. This, from a person who is constantly running after a busy little guy on the go. Anyway, Day 2 and I'm feeling good. I am sore but it's a good my body is making some good changes sore.

1st Day of 30 Day Shred

2009-09-26T09:10:00.001-06:00

Other bloggers raved about Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred so I jumped on the band wagon. Today was my 1st workout. I try to watch any workout video before I do to make sure that I understand the instructions and mostly so I get the "this is how not to injure yourself" tips. Jack loved watching the work out and kept hollering "Work out" but then he wanted me to "bounce high!" That means he wants me to sit on the exercise ball and bounce him. After we had several discussions (ahem, so we each had our individual breakdowns sort of), we agreed that I would just spend those 20 minutes doing the workout video then I'd be back to playing with him. He ran around while I worked out and tried to grab me a time or two. Oh my goodness, I did not realize that my cardio endurance was so poor. I know Jillian says not to modify the jumping jacks but I had to slow down the jacks and the butt kicks. I have a ways to go but I'm feeling good. And I sweated a lot. Who knew you could get such a good workout in 20 minutes?

Sent with Wireless Sync from Verizon Wireless

Do Not Give Way to Fear

2009-08-31T12:41:00.002-06:00

1 Peter 3:1-6. I have never liked this bible passage. The NIV puts it this way: " 1Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."
The Message Bible puts it like this: " 1-4The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
4-6Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated."
I did not like this passage of scripture because it intimidated me. I read it to say that a non-believing husband could become a believer if he had a pure and holy wife because he would see her purity. So to the man that knows you better than anyone but the Lord you are suddenly supposed to appear pure? Does anyone else see how terribly convicted I felt everytime I got upset or ill in the presence of (not even necessarily upset or ill with) my husband? Surely, God knows that I am not pure and holy?!!? How on earth could I live up to this standard? Then I saw it. There it was at the end of verse 6. "do not give way to fear" Hmmmm.....number 1 reason that I find it hard to be submissive? BINGO! It's fear. Fear that my sweetie really has not thought through everything...Fear that my sweetie is just being selfish...Fear that my sweetie does not truly love me....Fear that my sweetie just isn't very bright.....Fear, fear, fear....God is telling me not to fear. So it's a choice. I can trust in God and submit to his plan for marriage or I can continue on my stubborn path of trying to figure it all out myself...
Lord, forgive me for my fear. It is often difficult for me to understand your ways especially when you use us flawed human beings to orchestrate your divine plan. I want to take each step in faith but I fall again and again as I take my eyes off you and peer into the dark, murky waters beneath my feet. Help my unbelief, Lord. I thank you for your tender mercies as you remember me on a daily even second by second basis. Thank you for being there for me even as I turn my back from you and say that I am too busy, too tired, too frazzled, too something/anything for the one that loves me best. Amen

Taking Care

2008-09-28T09:07:00.001-06:00

Question for the day:
Do men want to feel taken care of?

My husband and I are both independent people who have difficulty working together as partners. We each have our own way of doing things and, frankly, having to check in with someone else sometimes just flat out bugs me. It's the truth.
Anyway, I'v recently been feeling overwhelmed by responsibilty and feeling decidedly un-"taken care of". I work. I plan. I think think think I'm always thinking about how I can do more more more. There's so much to be done and only so much time to do it all. When I get overwhelmed (and I do often), all this thinking denigrates to if only I could count on my husband.....you get the picture and it ain't a pretty one. So this morning I was whining to a friend.....
After we got off the phone, I got to thinking about something....my friend is VERY busy too and she makes her husband breakfast every morning--sometimes she just toasts and butters a bagel but still, she also buys his clothes....I don't do these things .....

Sent from my Palm Treo

Customer Service?

2008-09-09T10:10:00.001-06:00

This is a term foreign to the McDonald's on Governor's Drive in Huntsville. At 1023, I placed my order for two hashbrowns-$1.08 came back the voice on the speaker. I pulled up to the first window where my order was confirmed and the cashier sneered slightly as she handed me two pennies and said, "2 cents is your change." [It's only 2 cents but it's my 2 cents!] I pulled up to the second window and by this time it's 1026. I was greeted by a fairly pleasant young woman who said, "Ma'am, we only have 1 hash brown. Would you like to get fries instead or wait while we cook more hash browns?" I explained that I could not eat their fries because of my dairy allergy and asked how long it would take to cook the hash browns. "3 minutes." "I don't mind waiting." I expect her to ask me to pull up but instead she walks off. I sit there for about 1 minute and another staff member hangs herself out the window and says, "Ma'am, we are serving lunch" as if she is irritated at me. I noticed t!
he time-1
028. "You should have told me that when I ordered and certainly before I paid. The other lady told me that you could make another hash brown and I don't mind waiting." Then, she says as if she just truly can't believe my gall,"There are other people behind you." I'd had enough. "Are you the manager?" "Why, you want your money back? Pull up." "I will not. Go get the manager." The manager came and apologized and said she would speak to her staff. She refunded my money but I was not to be consoled so easily. I demanded the corporate office number and left a message asking someone to call me.
And now as I blog, I think, yeah that was annoying but really, why on earth did I let it get me so riled up? The one staff member was especially rude and the lady who took my money was not especially nice but really it was not that big deal in the scope of my life and this world in its entirety. I'm not responsible for judging these people and even if I were, just how great was the offense?

Sent from my Palm Treo

Where ya' been?

2008-09-04T15:32:00.001-06:00

So today I went to a meeting for a professional organization that I belong to. Each month, we have these educational offerings but I have been busy either at patient appointments or tending to Jack. I last attended one of the meetings about a year ago. I used to make room on my calendar to attend these meetings at least every 2 or 3 months but for the last 3 years it's been a bit harder to get there. So today, I went and saw a few people that I have not seen in a while. It's surprising how many people think that I have either changed jobs or am no longer working since Jack's birth. I don't know. It's just weird to me that people would assume that I stopped working. I bust my butt so that I can work a full-time job and do my job well AND be an active Mom but people I meet and know tend to label me either a stay-at-home Mom who has time on my hands now that Jack is in preschool OR a working Mom who never saw Jack anyway. What gives?

Sent from my Palm Treo

Submission

2007-07-09T20:47:00.001-06:00

My heart rejoices this morning. Last night, God opened my eyes as I was reading and seeking to learn how to submit to a very human husband. I realized that I have taught myself that he cannot be trusted. In truth, my insecurtiy has deep, deep roots in my past which is littered with memories of those who should have been looking out for the welfare of a child but instead acted like children themselves and put their desires first. But, I digress. My wonderful, loving but very human husband has failed me, at times. It's because he's a man and is not perfect. The problem is that with each hurt and each failing, I used it to reinforce the idea that he could not be trusted. AND with each time that I let him know that he has failed me and with each time I reminded him of his failures I have made it harder for him and I have weakened him. BUT most of all, I have completely disregarded the FACT that GOD is at work in my husband. When I fail to trust my husband and fail to submit to him in God's design for marriage, I also fail to trust God. I am saying that God is not in control and God cannot work out his good plan through my husband. WHAT?!!? I willingly acknowledge that God uses all circumstances for my good. How can I believe that God uses bad things done by bad people for my good and why not believe that God uses my husband who loves me? I have a whole new view of this submisssion thing. I am ultimately submitting not to my husband but to God who knows the whole plan and every step along the way. AND the greatest part of all, with each time that I trust him, I am building him up, I am solidifying our relationship. WOWWEEEE!