i think in status updates

Ana says that I don't how anyone can buy pants if you're under 5'9".

Ana isn't sure if she'd like to be greeted at work with, "Where 'ya been, hammerhead?"

Ana wonders if it will ever stop raining.

When did I start thinking all my thoughts in status update format? As though everything in my head might someday be in print? And abbreviated print, at that? Oh yeah, when Facebook took over my life. And when I thought I'd write a blog but wasn't sure what to write about so I posted to Facebook instead.

Seriously, so often I find myself in terms of, "How I can fit that into my status?" How I'm feeling, what I'm seeing, what I think about something. And then I think, "Wow, this is kind of self-serving." (Duh.)

But I kind of like the responses and seeing what people think or how they interpret my brief proclamation. I like having some kind of connection with people I used to know. Isn't that the point of being on Facebook? Or why you choose not to join Facebook?

Yeah, I know it can turn on you but, at least in my crowd, people don't use FB as the place to be mean or write catty comments. The rule about if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all seems to apply here. I'm sure that's not true for all FB users, but my friend group seems pretty mellow. Which is kind of a comfort and actually helps remind me to check myself when I'm about to write a snarky (well-intended but could be easily misinterpreted humor) comment.

But if you're not happy with sharing your every moment with the world, of course there's a way that someone can help you be more clever:

http://www.facebookstatus.org/
http://kunderasostrich.com/facebook-status-generatr.html

Ana is finally posting after a long hiatus from her blog.

egg-cellent

Today we crushed another barrier in allergy-free foods. Maggie is allergic to a whole bunch of stuff, including eggs and dairy. So chocolate chip cookies aren't exactly at the top of the list of things she can eat- butter, eggs, milk in the chips. Which I think is a huge bummer. I mean, really. Who doesn't like to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough when you're sad/cold/tired/hungry/happy/watching a movie and pig out until your stomach hurts. What do you mean that's just me?

But today, we changed all that. I stumbled across Pure Hope, a blog by a mom living with lots of family allergies, and found an interesting recipe for egg-free and dairy-free chocolate chip cookies. I'll admit that as we mixed it, the dough seemed doomed- all flaky and not really sticking together. But it tasted good:


and Maggie about ate her weight in "just one more" bites. So, we put it in the oven and out came some really, really awesome cookies. I don't think you'd know they were dairy and egg-free unless someone told you.


See? almost gone. Mmmmmm. I think my favorite 'yes' is when Maggie asks me, "Is it Maggie-friendly?" Oh yeah, sister. Totally.

girls for president

I've been very proud of the way my children have been aware of the political season. They knew who the democratic nominees were, and they knew who ran for president. They knew who was running for Congress in our district and could recognize him when he showed up on my facebook page.

I realize now that, in an effort to help them understand the election process, we may have simplified things too much. Brian's elementary school had a presidential mock election in October. The 8th graders went to each class and talked about the candidates, then a few days later the school voted. When I asked Brian who he voted for, he told me Barack Obama. "Why did you choose him?" I asked. "Because he's the good guy. He's a...democrat. And McCain, he's a republican, and they're bad guys." Oh. Okay, so I might have said that, but, uh, let's talk a little more about what that really means...

And just this morning, Maggie and I were saying our goodbyes and doing the Obama "bump", a new variation on our old high five. I asked her if she was Michelle or Barack. She said, "Michelle" and I said, "Good, because I want to be Barack. He's the president." Maggie's response? "Mommy, you can't be president! You're a girl!" Seriously?! Whose child are you??

clean up your act

I've been struggling to keep up with the mess in our house. I can't even end that sentence with "lately" because it's more like an "ever" kind of thing. I mean, cleaning up isn't my forte, but even Kelly Ripa would have a hard time here...the constant un-doing of anything I've just done is pretty darn defeating.

So, we hired a monthly cleaning lady. Which means that once a month, we really commit to getting everything off the floors, counters, desks, dressers, bedside tables, and any other level surface that accumulates junk so she can clean.

Last night, we were back at it, trying to make a fun game out of this project. "Let's go, Team Tidy!" (Team Tidy is something they have at my son's kindergarten that seems to work.) My 3-year old daughter says to me, "Mom, what is Team Tidy?" I explained the super-exciting idea of a group of cleaners. "I don't think I'm on this team. Who is Tidy?" Okay, next trick.

Not long after this, I hear Brian (5) muttering, "I don't get it. Why do we have to clean for her? She's the cleaning lady!"

Pumpkin Love

Have I mentioned how much I love my husband? Well, I do. And one thing I especially love about him is his dedication to the Smashing Pumpkins.

Some may say that Billy Corgan has a nasally, whiny voice or they have egos from here to eternity. Whatever your opinion of the band, there's no denying that Rob loves them and just watching him as he listens to Siamese Dream is a whole lot of fun. He plays air guitar with intensity. He drums until you think his arms might fly off. His eyes are closed, squeezed tight together during the really, really good parts of the song. And let's face it, with 2 crazy kids, the daily grind, and a mortgage, sometimes it can be tough to find your own little piece of joy. When life gets rough, the Pumpkins are Rob's go-to band.

From: Rob T
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:09 PM
To: Tami
RE: sp advance tix

Tami, I ‘bout fell out of my chair when I heard the Pumpkins were going to be playing in C’ville. Despite some rumors to the contrary and the fact that I had a blast at the Modest Mouse show, the Pumpkins have always, and will always, be my favorite band. Do you remember several years ago they were supposed to do a surprise show at Trax and Jimmy hurt his eye so they never played? I was so bummed. What I’m excited about it the fact that they have been playing my favorite song recently, Mayonaise. I’ve seen them live 6 times and have only heard them play it once (at US Air Arena).

Allison may have mentioned the organist played Mayonaise at our wedding! Allison was actually going to pursue having the actual Smashing Pumpkins play at our wedding. Can’t you just see the letter to Billy now…”My husband is your biggest fan… It will mean so much to him and his grandma if you could play at our wedding. PS – Does Darcy know the base line to the Wedding March?”

Thanks again, Rob

----

From: Tami

Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 3:20 PM
To: Rob T
Subject: RE: sp advance tix Hi Rob,Thanks for the story. I always like to hear from true fans. We get so many disgruntled ones! Would your grandma really dig the Pumpkins if they had played at your wedding? (just kidding)

Tami

Hothead

Why do kids like to dress inappropriately? Although I'm sure it's out there, I'm not talking about little guys and girls all pimped out. I mean little girls who like to wear snow hats when it's 90 degrees out and 100% humidity.
And if that weren't enough, insist on sleeping in said hat?
And then, just to make me really crazy (you know me, stickler for fashion), include it in the self-assembled ensemble the next (hot, summer) day?

I think she's being influenced by her peers.

E.T. Phone Home

On the way home from West Virginia, we stopped at the Green Bank Telescope. My husband and son are really into all things space-related, so I thought this would be a good adventure to break up the trip.

This thing is really cool. And HUGE. It's different from an optical telescope in that it maps space using radio waves and can therefore "see" space in a different way. When you get out there, it feels a little bit like a 1950's Cold War government operation. Because they're doing everything they can to minimize radio interference, they don't allow cell phones (there aren't any cell towers anyway) or digital cameras...and they only allow diesel cars near the telescope because spark plugs have an arc that causes interference. So they have a fleet of 1950's era cars that are really low-tech (and they're all painted sky blue).

It's a bit of an undiscovered gem- the tours are free, the people are friendly, and they didn't mind our kids running around like maniacs in the visitor center. Maggie was super excited about riding on the bus for the tour. All in all, a good adventure with some educational value hidden inside.

p.s. This picture is not of the big radio telescope. This is the "original" radio telescope, built in 1937, by Grote Reber, in his backyard. It includes parts from his Model T Ford. Seriously.