What a delectable cracker...

I think that's how you spell it. And, man oh man, that's a Vinta cracker for you! Multigrain, perfect size, crunch, mouthwatering taste. Slap on a chunk of extra sharp cheddar cheese and it's droolmania!

Too bad they only sell them at Trader Joes. TJ is awesome, but about a thirty min drive from my house. Did you know that TJ accepts food stamps? I did not until I called and found out they do. IDK why I was so pleasantly surprised by this fact. I guess peeps in the burbs are hit by the economy too. (As for the "pleasant" part, ecstatic is a better word).

THE BRIDGE CARD: This is a big reason that grocery store prices are RIDICULOUSLY hicked up in the inner city of Detroit. A much greater percentage of patrons use the Bridge card, than cash or credit. Why not charge 3.98 for a bottle of taco sauce? SEVEN DOLLARS for a bag of peanut sized oranges... the state is paying for it anyways. Plus, people without cars are not likely to catch the bus a hundred miles outside the city to pay less. This is crazy to me. There are no grocery store chains in the city limits. Not a Super-Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, or even a Target, etc. Just one Aldi five feet INSIDE the city limits. Whatsupwiththat?

I remember needing diaper wipes for Noah one time, when I was on the West Side. It would have taken me at least 30-40 minutes to get to a Target or other normal priced place. I had to opt for the CVS. Target wipes=1.84 CVS wipes (with about 30 less wipes in the package)=3.89 Total ripoff=more than two dollars...double it for an equal wipes to package ratio!

I was appalled. Esp. considering how many mothers I see waiting for the bus on a daily basis. What choice do they have but to take it up the wazoo to keep their kids wazoos clean? And no wonder they can't crawl out of the inner city financial wormhole. Almost an hour of minimum wage work for barely enough wipes to last a week (if the baby never poops). Add in the price of daycare, ripoff diapers, AND time and transportation to get the baby ready, dropped off, get to work for 7 bucks an hour, take the bus to get the baby, take the bus to the ripoff market, take the bus home, bus, bus, bus, ripoff, ripoff, ripoff...Welfare Check PLEASE!!!!!! CRAZY SOAPBOX MATERIAL HALTING because I have to do my homework:)

Kids raising Kids

This phenomenon just is mind boggling to me. C and I were driving up 9 mile and we saw a couple and a baby. The female was snuggled up to the male, who had one arm draped protectively over her shoulders and the other arm cradling the baby to his hip. They could not have been older than 13. 14 tops, but that's a stretch.

I instantly want to get judgemental and blame. Blame the parents (where the heck were they at while their children were fornicating?), blame the education system (nice idea to CUT health ed classes), the kids themselves (um, condoms anyone? Oh yeah, YOU ARE 12 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD NOT BE HAVING SEX!!!), the media (objectify women, butts, boobs, sex, etc...which brings me to the next point of beef). Truth is, the Bible said this would happen. Each generation will get worse and worse until the coming of the Lord. At least these kids were trying to play grown up "the right way." No abortion and they seem to be in it together. My heart really goes out to them, but I just can't wrap my mind around it.

Next point of beef: Boobs. Why is it totally okay for men to ogle a female (of practically any age) who is wearing a low cut shirt and push up bra, but I get flack from grown up individuals about breastfeeding my baby in public. I have literally heard it referenced as "gross." ????????????????? Now that's some serious perversion on a large scale!!!!!

GRANDMA!!!!!

Grandma came to visit today...it was great! She arrived at 10 am, and Autumn woke up just in time to greet her.



She came bearing gifts of clothes for the kids and I, some great job leads for Carlton, and 3 bottles of Melaleuca laundry detergent (she must know that I do about a million loads of laundry a week...)

We went for an outing. Ice cream + pet store = fun fun fun, I love when my mom visits:)

DQ-Glad it stayed open a few extra weeks





Mojo the parrot





Autumn couldn't get enough of the birds



And the kittens couldn't get enough of Noah





Then back to the house for the sign songs DVD



love you mom, can't wait to see you again:)

the tears of a clown

I used to cry a lot, like all the time. Nowadays, it's turned into more of an "almost cry." For instance, I almost cried at just about every card they read at my friend Deb's baby shower. ESPECIALLY the cheesy ones! I almost cried when Noah dropped a kitchen chair on my foot and it totally swelled up. But I was a "big girl" and bit them back!

I also almost cried yesterday. A little background info: even though N is so totally healthy I still can barely believe it, I have these moments where I just cry. He will look at me a certain way, and it's waterworks. Or, he will struggle with something just a little bit, and I'm a weeping mess. It's like I think of where my boy has come from and want the rest of his life to be perfect and painless!

Yesterday, he was wheezing beyond belief and I decided to give him a treatment before his 1 on 1 teacher arrived. The treatments make him very jittery and what seems to be "disobedient." Imagine an already hyperactive 2 yr old boy downing a double expresso. Make that a triple. He runs into walls, falls on his face, and literally shakes while moving NONSTOP until the stuff wears off. It's a constant "no, stop, don't" and I HATE IT!! But the kid has to breathe...

So his teacher arrived with a super cool box of games and activities to teach and Noah could not control himself. He kept going for the box, making a mess of the current activity, and totally lacked the ability to "wait." The teacher kept saying "Noah, no, stop, don't" and finally "If you will not wait, I will leave and we will have to do this next week."

I bit my lip on that comment bc adults TOTALLY have to follow through on their threats with 2 yr olds. If they don't they will instantly and forever become the kid's doormat...

Sure enough .001 seconds later, Noah jumped up and went back for the box. The teacher packed up and left. I bit back tears as he was leaving. I do not want my kid to be the "bad" kid just because he can't control himself and needs to breathe!!

Hopefully God wants us to move to Florida before he enters "real" school. That way we won't have to wrestle cold and flu season, he won't need the treatments and his self-control will have a chance to mature!! Then mommy will have to find something else to cry about...

(note: The teach felt bad once he recognized that I HAD mentioned the treatment and lack of control issue. He tried to hang out w/ noah outside for a bit before he totally left for good.)

back to school

is anyone else wishing they just went through the Master's program IMMEDIATELY after ending the Bachelor's?

Some of you probably did this. I did not. Instead, I gained invaluable experience as a basketball coach, tutor, garden committee co-founder, family teacher, wife, professional diaper changer/dishwasher/kitchen floor scrubber, etc. However, experience does not equal degree/diploma. And thus, here we are, back at the beginning of a new quarter in Grad School.

This one should be relatively easy-Prenatal Development. However, I am not looking forward to the hundred plus pages to read by Wed so I can do this discussion. Should be child's play, but I literally carried my books around as I moved about the house with the kiddos today. Did not even open them until about 20 minutes ago.

Hm, so why am I blogging? Oh yeah, to thank you all who pray for me and my family! We are still considering moving to Illinois again. Carlton actually has an interview there next week for an awesome graduate program. Plus the job market is infinitely broader there. Please continue to pray for us, that the Lord would open and close doors and that I would be able to keep my attitude in check this quarter (last quarter, I failed miserably in this area!!). Thanks:)