Intentional Marketing with Unintentional (?) Grief

Intentional Marketing with Unintentional Grief

I was attempting to look through my daughter’s agenda (a fancy word for a $97 spiral book that I also had to buy the binder for that my daughter draws “the type of day she had” with a green happy face, a yellow flat mouth face or the red sad face.) Before I could open the agenda my baby girl handed me a glossy tri-fold booklet that was given to her today at school. See, an organization, a highly reputable organization visited her school with some music and skits and information about their program that relies strictly on donations.  Baby Girl says to me “Mommy! If you sign this then I will get a pair of light up glasses and a CD!”

Uh-oh.  Upon reading I realized that this was a monthly gift, that at this time we truly can not afford, and therefore my baby girl was going to be very sad and disappointed.  Great. I can see it now. She will now know the definition of haves and have not’s.  She will now see that she can’t always get what she wants…which is not a bad thing, except for the way it was presented. “Hey kids…do you want these super duper ultra cool light up glasses?????”  Have your parents sign and return this form.  That’s it…and you get these awesome one of a kind fabulous glasses!  Why didn’t they explain that there was more to it than me signing a form? Why didn’t they explain that it would be a monthly gift of $35.  Why didn’t they explain that we are already rubbing pennies together to pay for this private education and we may not be able to take on this extra $35?  How do I explain this one without breaking her heart, or her spirit?

Will they be there to catch her tears when she has to sit in class while the other kids "whose parents only had to sign a form" go forth and grab their cool sunglasses?  Hmm?  Will they be there to help her stand strong when the other kids flash those expensive shades at her and ask where hers are?  Will be there to pick her up off of the floor when those same kids tell her how mean her parents are and that they must not love her enough?

Shame on them for the grief they have inflicted upon me….(and the embarrassment). 

And since I am on my high horse (is there any other way to travel?) let me talk to those makers of the  lip glosses and miniature Disney characters that are child eye level in the check out counter. Seriously????

I should have taken stock in Kleenex

The Parent Drop-Off Line…wahhhhh!

I have always been a bit “stoic” when it comes to my Baby Girl. You see, growing up and even in my present day I have been told that I am just too emotional. Trying to keep that influence out of her life (hey….if it has passed on to her through genes, there is nothing I can do but say “Hey! It is in our genes!!!!) I sucked it up, dried it up, etc.  Well, that has all changed. August 2011 has become a milestone for me. A sloppy, wet, tear-soaked, ugly-cry milestone. 

Baby Girl has turned five and she has started Kindergarten. (Tito…get some tissues!) She is going to the same ‘school’ as she did last year for Preschool, however, things are different.  Up until a few weeks ago I would drive her to school, park and then walk her in to her classroom. She started socializing or clinging to her teacher’s leg, depending on how she was feeling.  The teachers and I would chat it up and then I would say a loving goodbye to my girl by kissing her hand and she would place it on her cheek just like in "The Kissing Hand.

Those days are over.

I would send her to school with lopsided ponytails and she would come home with the prettiest tightest braids. Sometimes one big braid, sometimes two, and sometimes she would have intricate patterns circling her little precious head. All thanks to the amazing ladies who cared for her.

Not anymore.

I had an investment in the teachers and the children she was surrounded with. Her lunch was brought to her (price included in the tuition) and she had delicious naps and serious playground time.

Finito. Nada. Done.

Wahhhhhh!

We now enter the Parent Drop-Off line of traffic.

I pull up and stop as directed and someone else opens her door, unbuckles her car seat and helps her out of the car. They assist her with her back pack and lunch box. Sometimes a conversation is started between Baby Girl and the Parent Patrol Person and I don’t get to send my loving, although possibly embarrassing, “love you” and “have an awesome day” and blow kisses. Sigh. Sniff. Errrrt. Sniff sniff sniff.

No longer do I get to walk her to her class, chat it up with the teacher, and get dozens of hugs from the other children. Her lunch is made the night before by me and no matter how many cute little ways I come up with to make her lunch FABULOUS, it comes back to me just like I sent it. The Goldfish Bread, the heart shaped fruit that I cut out for her, even the cute little notes I write on sandwich bags and napkins come back. Does anyone actually read them to her? Bahhh wahhh wahhhhhh! Her hair looks more frazzled when she comes home than what silly excuse for pigtails I sent her there in. “Tito…where are you and those tissues?????”

Steamed Artichokes lead to burnt pan.

I had this inspiration. Inspiration to steam an artichoke. See, I have been following a blog of a gal that I met at church. She and her family have since moved to California and are serving God in a wonderful way. Her blog, diJESStibles, is a fantastic place to visit....often!  Anyhoo I have been trying to get pumped to kick up the family meals a few notches during the week.  I get home about 5:45pm so I want to be able to love all over my family and eat a good dinner and be able to wind down all before 9:00pm.  So, I am planning on doing her Mac & Cheese but I need to hit the grocery store first. Tonight, I felt a bit inspired. See, I purchased a lovely artichoke at Trader Joes on Friday and it really needed to be cooked, so...I decided to steam it.

The instructions were simple. Cut the stem off and remove the hard outside leaves. Check. Strategically place pats of butter and garlic in the leaves. Check.

Boil water, just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and place the steamer in the pan. Check.



Allow to steam, cover and cook for 25 minutes....here's where we had a problem.

See, I followed the instructions perfectly, except for one thing. I allowed the burner to stay on medium-high (note the red circle there underneath the pan). 

We made it to 12 minutes and then the steam became burnt. Seriously burnt. The fire alarm went off. 

I would have taken a picture of the after mess but I was so discouraged that I just cleaned up the mess and threw away my artichoke.  Then I bagged up the trash and promptly removed it from the house, opened all of the windows, sprayed Febreeze on everything and turned all four Scentsy's on!

I will try again another time.

Eleven things.

Everyone has lists of 10. I thought I would shake things up a little bit, upset the balance of the earth on it's axis, get a little crazy. Eleven things.  So, my first list of eleven will be about...me.
1. I am a natural born ginger head.  At 40 years old I must now pay for my ginger. It's all good.
2. I am a reader. I will read the same book five plus times.  Especially Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga. I learned to read at age three according to my mom.  She was pregnant with my sister and when she needed a bit of rest she would turn on Sesame Street. My teacher had yellow feathers. My great-grandmother "Little Grandma" told me at age 5 that when I could spell the word 'encyclopedia' and tell her the definition that she would buy me a set of them. I did, she did, they were white with gold lettering on the cover. What I wouldn't give to have them still.
3. I really like coffee. A whole lot. Seriously.
4. I have been on about 37 diets. None of them worked. I like to think it was because I refused to give up the creamer in my coffee. See number 3 for more details.
5. I love music about this much more than I love coffee.  My first love:  Bay City Rollers.  My second love: Journey. My third and final true love: Duran Duran.  My third and final true love blossomed me into multiple affairs littered with musical notes...none as deep and gratifying as D2...but some serious romps none-the-less.
6.  I could get lost in parent-teacher stores. The 200 colors of Sharpie, cutie patootie post-it notes and stationery with cheesy sayings and quotes, index cards and highlighters and board games and puzzles and bulletin board stuffies...oh my! Did the room just get about 20 degrees hotter all of a sudden?
7.  I have a dream of serving women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. I have this passion sweltering in my soul. I haven't gotten the nerve to put a plan into action. But...I want to. I am working on this.
8.  I am a nappper. I am a professional. I will put everything I have into it. The atmosphere is always just right from the temperature (cool) to the lighting (non-existent) to the ambiance (spa like music) and the texture (cool sheet, fluffy blanket, heavy blanket), leverage (two pillows, one firm and one soft). 
9.  Massage Therapy will cure almost anything....at least for 30, 55 or 90 minutes.
10. Tea is good for the tongue and the soul. My current flavor is Earl Gray.  When I hit SB I go for the London Fog. Yum.  I also enjoy peppermint, oolong, and kava.
11. I love Jesus. There, I said it. I am a Jesus follower. I love Him, really, I do.  He is my Papa, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Healer, my God, my Sanctuary, my Deliverer, my Provider, my Friend, my King. I could go on and on and on and on.

Garden of Eatin'

Witness a child, who will not eat much of anything except for chicken nuggets, french fries, and various sweets, pick and eat the broccoli we have grown.

She picked it and....

...ate it! and then she ate the leaf!

 Dad got in on the action!

Our lettuces are ready.  I picked spinach...

Iceburg

Romaine

and then I ate a big massive healthy salad. That my family and I grew. Nice.

Garden Part 1: Planning and Planting

John:  "I am ready to plant the garden."
Me:  "Let's do this thing!"
John:  "Who are you and what did you do with my wife?

Seriously. He is not kidding. We have only been discussing this garden since we moved into the house in 2001.  We can't even decide where to hang baby pictures of Olivia in the house. For. the. last. four. years.

We visited many places including Lowe's, Home Depot, and finally the Co-Op.  The Co-Op was Olivia's favorite. It had baby chicks for sale and a slide.

Get Ready....Get so.....GO!



Whhhheeeeeeeeeeeeee!



We bought a raised bed as we don't know how to 'cultivate' the crappy soil we have.  It was fairly easy and even I stepped in to help build it. Again, John:  "Who are you and what did you do with my wife?"

"Seriously. Where is my wife?"

We built the bed and then planted our veggies, herbs and flowers.  There is Rosemary, Lavender, Onions, Shallots, Garlic, Brocolli, Bell Peppers, Romaine Lettuce, Iceburg Lettuce, Spinach, Cucumbers and Tomatoes.  Then we watered it. Then we prayed. Then we waited. Water, pray, wait. Water, pray, wait. 

  

 water, pray, wait

 



 water, pray, wait




 water, pray, wait





While we watered, prayed and waited, Olivia got in on the action and planted some flowers. What a joy to see her get her pretty litty hands dirty.  Pretty cool stuff.

 And, after lots of watering, praying and waiting...something sprouted. Lots of things sprouted.



brokkoli. cavolo broccoli. brassica oleracea var. italica. broccoli.

Pretty, isn't it?

Raw Cleanse...done!

Whew! I did it! I actually made the commitment and stuck to that commitment. For eight days I ate only fruits and vegetables. I drank plenty of water and herbal teas. I did not put one drop of dairy, sugar, high fructose syrup, chocolate, or diet cola into my body. My only deviation (and if you know me, this is an absolute line drawn in the sand) was my morning two cups of coffee with non-dairy creamer.  I am thrilled to say that I lost four pounds and a few inches. I gained energy and a new confidence that I really can do it if I set my mind to it.  I attended a birthday party, a special dinner banquet, McDonalds and Chick-fil-a and still stuck to my plan.  I have since decided to continue to eat this way with a few revisions. I am going to eat as little dairy as possible. I have discovered that it doesn't like me very much.  I will do my best to eat whole foods as much as possible.  And, I will try to eliminate as much processed foods as possible.  This is my plan for during the week.  On the weekends I will loosen the reins a bit. Not go crazy, just loosen up a bit.  I am borrowing this plan of attack from both Dr. Josh Axe (whole foods) and also from Chantel Hobbs (caloric and portion control along with fitness AKA 80-20 rule).