Dumpster Diving

What kind of mother lets her kid climb into the recycle bin to look for entertaining things?

Well, um, me. I do.

Hey, at least he knows to only climb in when someone else is with him and only when it’s over half full so he doesn’t get stuck in there.

And he’s brought home some good stuff that the school recycles, like mini books.

And yes, I'm aware that there might be rats or hypodermic needles in the recycle bin. Maybe he'd better stay out of it.

Is this stealing or good, clean fun?

Carrying Pictures of Your Kids

Do you carry pictures around of your kids? Most people do. Everyone I encounter can whip out a photo of their family. I never used to because my kids were ALWAYS with me. A couple of years ago we had an extra picture of the kids with Santa, so I put it in my wallet, but they all look like Santa just told them they were getting jack squat for Christmas!

Just curious ...

Good Pizza in Kansas City?

Where can you get a good slice of Larry Tate pizza in Kansas City? Probably nowhere.

What is the Larry Tate, you ask? He was the boss on Bewitched, for one thing. He had white hair. So the pizza named after him (found at Two Boots Pizza at Grand Central Station in New York City) has a white sauce, cream cheese, garlic and I think maybe even feta cheese. Two Boots, when are you coming to Kansas City????

Wheat State comes close, as does Minsky’s.

What would a pizza named after you have on it? Mine would probably have baby swiss, baby spinach, baby portabellos, baby everything with tons of cheese and would be called the Dairy Queen.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Wow! My second child, also my second son, is 7 years old today! Lord, this boy is smart. And he goes with the flow so well. He can stay at home for days and never be bored. He can go out and do activities days in a row and be content. He loves Legos and puzzles. He recently spent the night alone at Poppy and Nana’s, without his big brother. It was a milestone, and he had a great time.

He was ready to move into his own bedroom at our house before his older brother was! And he says the funniest crap, some of which I’ve put on this blog. He used to be pretty quiet but in the last year has really come out of his shell and now alternates between periods of Lego or art concentration and periods of nonstop talking! I'm telling you, this boy will make one hell of an engineer or artist or anything he wants to be.

I love you so much, Michael! I can't wait for the next year with you, my sweet boy!

How to Welcome New Neighbors

The “For Rent” sign came down the other day, and I immediately had my oldest kid (Joel) on the case to find out who our new neighbors were going to be. I told him the next time he saw the owners of the house to ask them who would be living next door to/behind us (we’re on a corner).

Soon after, Joel came in and told me the renters were a couple with a 5-year-old son. Immediately I’m like, “Oh, crap! People with only one kid usually think someone like me is a nutcase and they like to point out things like how stained my kids’ clothes are and how their hair needs brushing.” Wait! My own MOTHER is a person with only one kid and SHE does those things!!!!

Once they are all moved in, I plan to put on my best sweatpants, put in my best dentures, take over a muffin basket (yeah, right) and give them my mommy/business card. I’ll say, “If you want to read about yourselves, check my blog periodically. By the way, can I borrow your Internet connection? And when can you babysit?”