The 3-year-old boy wanted some of her crayons. He tried to get one. She held them all firecely and said, “Peaaaaase!” (Please!)

He got frustrated and told the babysitter that Nugget would not let him have any crayons. The babysitter suggested he say “Please” as the Nugget had instructed.

Of course, the 3-year-old did not want to give in. He sat there and sat there and fumed. Finally, the desire to have a crayon overcame him.

He approached the Nugget and said, “Can I please have a crayon?” She handed him yellow. He wanted purple. She clung to purple with her small hands.

Most everyone knows not to get between the Nugget and a purple crayon.

The babysitter said, “you had better take the crayon that the Nugget is offering you. She might not offer it again.”

There you have it. My daughter is a budding Miss Manners at the tender age of 16 months.

This is an excerpt from the web site for him:

Cal was born with a genetic motor neuron disease called Type 1 SMA, or Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

The facts are brutal: SMA kills kids. The disease affects the brain’s ability to communicate with the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, breathing, and swallowing. Type 1 SMA is usually fatal; most Type 1 babies will die before their second birthday.

I am donating money to help him and hope you will, too.

VISIT: http://www.desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml

Sure, I love trees, but… Raking leaves, as Sarah says, stinks. For the first few years, I even enjoyed raking the leaves. My neighbors looked at me like we were nuts because we didn’t have a leaf blower and, probably because they felt sorry for us, sent their children over to help us gather up the leaves on a tarp and carry them to the front yard.

On principle, DH will not get a leaf blower because they are so noisy and because — darnit! — we’re all supposed to enjoy the physical activity involved with raking leaves.

Blisters on my hands is more like it.

We have a delicate and small tree in the front yard that sheds small and delicate leaves. I’m happy to have a small, small tree with dainty limbs.

Our big monster tree fell on our house last July, and it was not a pretty picture. DH looked out the window and saw it falling towards our house and yelled for me to get into the basement. Lots of rain plus lots of wind equals many trees on houses.

Poor tree.

Our house is so much hotter now in the summer. On the other hand, we have a better view of the sunset.

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He writes: “How much should you blog about your kids? And when should you stop? And if you stop…well, what the hell do you do after that?”

He continues: “I was blogging about my family less even before VA [A blog called Violent Acres took photos of children posted on blog and photoshopped them to make it look like the children were doing something gross] broke. I’ve always blogged wherever my interests and instincts take me. But since VA, my family postings have slowed to a crawl. It’s not that it doesn’t seem safe anymore – it’s that it doesn’t seem interesting. The occasional family post can be humorous and entertaining… But a daily dose of them? It’s worn thin.”

That’s one reason why I don’t blog often about my child or my family. I figure what interests me about my child is not going to interest others and I’m uncertain about giving away too much information about my child.

For instance, I’ve become fascinated with how human babies acquire language. I enjoy watching the connections made by my little one as I’m sure most parents do. However, I don’t think other parents would be all that interested in what my child is doing.

Who knows?

Some of the most popular parent blogs discuss, in great detail, the goings and comings of the children. Their audience might enjoy getting a peek into the blogger’s life in the same way people enjoy watching reality television. Even I enjoy reading and writing the occasional ‘family post’ yet I don’t want that to be the main focus of my blog.

My aim here is to provide a resource and general parenting stomping ground. Since I tend to share my research and findings with others in real life, I thought it’d be a great idea to offer that to a wider community. Sometimes I’ll blog about something The Nugget does. Most of the time, I’ll be blogging about issues that concern us as parents. And I hope that what I write about proves useful.

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Well, I just reviewed a book called The Baby Shower Kit, and it can show you how to budget and give you ideas for shower themes, games and invitations.

You can read my review of the Baby Shower Kit for more info.

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They have provided friendship, stopped by when I was harried, lent me Mothering magazines for a relative who needed it, gone for walks with me so we could get back in shape, and given me their baby’s outgrown clothes. We have even drunk wine together after bedtime at our local slightly hip restaurant.

I am grateful and fortunate to have these Mother Friends. I had no idea the fascinating women I would meet when I had a baby–English Ph.D people, Political Mama, Writer Mama, Historian-Writer Mama, Organizer and Mediator Extraordinare Mama, Documentary Film Maker Mama, and more. I know professions are only one slice of the pie when it comes to a peron and their personality; I just think what my Mama Friends do during the day is darned interesting. And I think they are interesting beyond the ‘mama talk’ we talk.

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When she woke up after a good nap one morning, we were out of the house asap to lunch (having learned that right after a nap is an excellent time to do things with her). We planned on finally eating at a restaurant I’d had my eye on for months. Somehow I’d never think of it until we drove right past it, and we’d always end up at our favorite Burmese place instead.

Today I was starving — as usual — and nearly delirious with hunger. My blood sugar was probably zero.

We gathered up all the baby equipment — the diapers, wipes, a toy or two (I always regret when I try and travel light and don’t bring a toy) and her cool Swiss Sigg bottle full of water. Since this would be the Nugget’s first Ethiopian food experience, I took the camera along with everything else.

Husband locked up the house, and I carried the baby, my purse and a bag to the car.

Flash forward. We are driving down the road when I hear this thump. Immediately, I think of the old joke (now a cliche) of a dead body in the trunk. I said nothing though.
A few miles later, I heard another thump. We make a comment about it and kept going up a hill, around some turns and past this cool playground where I want to take Nugget one day. We were approaching the restaurant. I was imagining the soft bread wrapped around warm lentil stew and golden millet soaked with butter. Yum.

Then I realized what the thump was.

Then, I had to tell Husband. It was the camera.

I’d placed the camera on top of the car while getting the baby into her car seat. We drove up and down the busy roads. Either we didn’t see it or someone decided a camera that dropped off the roof of the car is good enough for them and took it.

Husband drove while I sat in back with my head out the window. It was raining, and my hair was wet. I searched every inch of the curbsides as we drove slowly past. Nothing. I got out of the car at one point because I saw something silvery and shiny, but it was an old can.

Husband asked, “What did you think when you put the camera on the roof of the car?”

I said that I thought I’d remember to get it down.

Note to Self: Do Not Place Items on Roof of Car Ever Again.

Stay tuned for part two of this story…

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Above are the kinds of questions you can be asked on a job interview in Pennsylvania. In a lot of states, asking such questions is illegal. Help prevent discrimination against your fellow mothers.

You can help make history by signing this petition to help mothers, which will help pass legislation that would make asking the questions above illegal.

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