tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53907752009-10-04T15:11:23.980-05:00This blog will be my children's evidence when they sue for emancipation. Have questions? Contact me at <a href="mailto:1goodthing@gmail.com">1goodthing@gmail.com</a>fleanoreply@blogger.comBlogger1021125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-44261688088479604162009-09-29T11:19:00.006-05:002009-10-03T10:19:14.203-05:00

IMPORTANT UPDATEI am taking the blog down sometime on Monday. 1. Some of you are still posting in the comments that you would like the URL, but are still not putting your email into the text of your comment. I CANNOT SEE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES. Due to time constraints, I can't go into the inner workings of Haloscan, or to your homepages, to find your email. If you don't want to put your email

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-46335459522637708822009-09-29T10:23:00.006-05:002009-09-29T12:38:01.525-05:00

I'm pretty sure that one of my favorite things about having kids in elementary school are the science classes.This week the junior scientists in Christopher's class are studying apples. Apples! I have the words to adequately express how utterly adorable this is. One of the major purposes of elementary school is learning how to learn, and the science unit on apples (Apples!) is a fairly typical

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-11367902881229058992009-07-17T07:37:00.003-05:002009-07-17T07:45:44.185-05:00

Yep, the second meal was as good as the first. We had some green beans from our garden to add along with the green beans from the farm, and we ate our Greek pasta salad with those and with Wellhausen's roasted beets.I took some leftover beets to work with me the next day for lunch, and you know what that means - purple poo!I ate so many beets my pee was also purple, in case you wanted to know,

fleanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-70286728525893208272009-07-14T10:37:00.005-05:002009-07-14T12:29:29.178-05:00

For the past few years, I've wanted to get involved with a CSA farm. CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture," and the idea behind it is to have a group of families support a area farm that provides locally grown, in season fruits, vegetables, and dairy products to the community around it. The current thinking regarding nutritional and agriculture is that it is personally and

fleanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-79142495461492438112009-07-04T08:58:00.002-05:002009-07-04T09:28:14.264-05:00

Happy 4th of July, Americans! Here's a photo I took from last night's fireworks show in Romeoville. Many Chicago area residents trek down to the lake to watch the firework show, which is undeniably a good show, but we're too lazy for that. So we spread some beach towels down on the grass of the Romeoville public park with the rest of what Anna Wintour referred to as "little houses" and we had a

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-17295460023562989522009-06-25T15:19:00.003-05:002009-06-25T15:37:17.300-05:00

Time has started to blur for me just a little bit now. I'm losing a memory with every new gray hair. But I still remember so clearly being on the playground at recess in third grade, waiting to play Charlie's Angels, and we couldn't because of the passionate fight for the opportunity to be you.Time was ticking away, and one by one the other girls trickled off to convene in a corner of the

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-79250788821859148662009-06-19T21:37:00.001-05:002009-06-19T21:37:46.591-05:00

Christopher has an announcement.

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-65070744127050879462009-06-18T09:59:00.004-05:002009-06-18T10:56:30.693-05:00

One of the better things about Big Machine is its devotion to training. Twice a year we have meetings where we learn about construction of the new season's products, and about 4 times a year we meet to learn about stuff we don't sell, like knives and dinner plates and various kitchen equipment. This is quite helpful, because even though I work in the furniture department, and the phone tree on

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-61419158708271606042009-06-16T10:53:00.002-05:002009-06-16T10:55:46.515-05:00

Hey,I live in the U.K and have a son of 4 years old and today was the day the Doc's finally admitted (if that's the right word) he has ADHD and next week he is going to be put on Ritalin (5mg in the morning for 2 weeks and after 2 weeks another 5mg at lunchtime).After 3 long years I can't believe this stage is here.Most things I'm reading up about Ritalin are not positive and the people I talk to

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-19502508853040318182009-06-16T10:02:00.014-05:002009-06-16T18:16:58.542-05:00

America's Cookbook is really a treasure trove of crazy. There's just so much to be horrified by. Last night, though, the four of us sat down at the dinner table (eating a broccoli casserole from the Moosewood Cookbook*, thankyouverymuch) and figured out what's really going on here.Brains à la King.**3 calves' brains, boiled1 green pepper, chopped1/4 C diced celery2 T grated onion2 T butter1

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-51711934156021188572009-05-28T09:41:00.000-05:002009-05-28T09:42:47.042-05:00

This clip will make you happy.from Shakesville

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-81508291768671829472009-05-26T18:32:00.007-05:002009-05-26T18:51:16.873-05:00

Oh, citizens of the internet, if all my home projects are going to turn out looking like they were thrown together half-assed, why can't I just throw them together half-assed? Why do I have to work so carefully just to have it look so shitty?My home improvement skills are so poor Bob Villa would throw himself in front of a subway car if he saw me in action.Now that I think of it, I should have my

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-10380009249314831472009-05-25T17:46:00.011-05:002009-05-25T18:26:45.385-05:00

I've been meaning to put up this recipe for actually several years now, and today I woke up in a rare non-procrastinating mood: I painted a wall in the house that badly needed it, I did some spackling, and I used a masonry drill bit to drill 6 holes into a cement floor for a seam binder that I've been planning to put down between the entryway and the dining room. (I also need to put one between

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-90318691019535987122009-05-13T19:55:00.003-05:002009-05-13T20:10:11.612-05:00

Check him out!He's only got a couple of weeks left before Kindergarten drains completely away and nothing is left but the following bits of important information you need to learn during your stay on this little blue marble:1.) Flamingos are big pink birds that stand on one leg.2.) Teddy Bears are different from real bears in that teddy bears will sleep in your bed with you at night, but real

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-32956276610470218662009-04-30T11:24:00.002-05:002009-04-30T11:29:05.293-05:00

This latest installment of the emailbag requires the hive to recommend some good internet hotspots for feminist moms and spinster aunts:I'm hoping you can help me - I'm looking for a message board for feminist parenting, hoping to find a community to join. I'm currently trying to get pregnant, and I miss the intelligence and wit and advice and knowledge that I got hanging out with all those

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-674555404755242142009-04-21T10:42:00.004-05:002009-04-21T10:55:23.293-05:00

They leave crumbs and shoes everywhere, they rarely, if ever, clean anything, they ignore the catbox, they play their crazy rock and roll music too loud, and, if given half the chance, they'd play video games all day long. Yes, they leave the seat down, but then they pee all over it. And I don't want to even get into how much money they owe in rent.Last night, I made dinner - of course, it was me

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-57400103324164969602009-04-16T09:23:00.002-05:002009-04-16T09:43:57.867-05:00

I got an email from BlogHer yesterday saying they were terminating the ad space as of yesterday because I have not written anything in two weeks. There's nothing quite like a gentle prompting from The woMan to motivate me into putting up a half-hearted piece of crap.The reason for my self-imposed sabbatical is that my body is finally starting to show signs of the stress we've been under for the

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-3666286363698191052009-03-31T11:13:00.002-05:002009-03-31T11:16:20.528-05:00

Due to the contract I signed with BlogHer, I can't put up product reviews here if the product costs more than forty dollars. Last month, I was sent an electronic doo-hickey called The Peek, which costs fifty. BlogHer said if I wanted to write reviews for more posh items, I could just start another blog for that. I already have a book review blog, so rather than start a new product review blog, I

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-51499301633576501492009-03-26T10:18:00.007-05:002009-03-26T10:57:16.794-05:00

On the days leading up to the eleventh birthday of my friend Portia’s daughter, she began openly hoping that an owl with a letter tied to its leg would land on her windowsill on that magical morning, extending an invitation to Hogwarts. If such an owl did appear, Portia would have tried to come up with a rational reason for the fantastic, whereas her daughter would have started packing her bags.

fleanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-38269676934142921202009-03-23T21:45:00.002-05:002009-03-23T21:54:05.257-05:00

Christopher has decided to give blogging a try. He put up his first post a couple of weeks ago, then didn't mention it again until tonight, when I guess he remembered he had one.He spent most of the evening after supper fiddling around with it, and has quickly morphed into a capital B Blogger, what with the template changing and the come-quick-look-what-I-just-wrote-ing.I asked him if it would be

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-51043718178838500772009-03-21T09:50:00.008-05:002009-03-21T11:00:34.748-05:00

Alex had his third grade concert on Thursday night, which meant the days leading up to it were filled with anxious, diva-like behavior. Worry manifests itself in him by causing him to do such things as squeeze all the toothpaste out onto the counter, draw on walls, and generally raise the anxiety of everyone around him until we want to wrap him up with duct tape and throw him out into the

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-9410293238888080832009-03-10T15:54:00.004-05:002009-03-10T17:28:33.308-05:00

Since I have been putting up coupons on Twitter, I have received some emails asking where to find them. Sometimes I come across them on my own, but a lot of the time I get them from Hip 2 Save and Frugal Coupon Mom. Verily, I say unto you these ladies bring it.I have only been doing this for a month, so I am not flying nearly as high as they are; in fact, I'm just toddling along. What I have

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-40556776432042803602009-03-10T09:36:00.005-05:002009-03-10T09:52:21.865-05:00

I carry around a small blank notebook with Nancy Drew on the cover, to jot ideas into to blog about later. Then, as life occurs, I do not actually have time to blog right away, and the ideas sit in the notebook. Because I have jotted the ideas down with no basis as to their origin, when I read them again they make absolutely no sense. Look at this one I re-read last week, written down god knows

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-26169857609063312312009-03-09T19:33:00.002-05:002009-03-09T19:39:20.565-05:00

Look at this spam I found in my Inbox today:Hello Good day to you over There: Kindly give us the quote for Bible you have avilable (Hardcover or leather) with (center reference and Christ word in red ) send us the actual cost with the frieght charge to nigeria ............................. BIBLES: Qty 100 your response are expectedChurch ministryGod blessI have never seen this before. How does it

fleanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5390775.post-3755555080008353532009-03-08T19:49:00.007-05:002009-03-08T20:18:09.212-05:00

The rich hippies at Whole Foods have defeated me. During our swift plummet to the bottom of the food chain, I have learned many things, one of which is that Whole Foods does not have very many customers who use coupons. So do you know what they do? They make up their own insane rules to avoid having to accept them, and no matter how absurd those rules are, they stick to them.Example: I had a

fleanoreply@blogger.com0