7 Quick Takes: Taking on the Crazy News

Hey-O! It's Friday! Time for the ever popular Quick Takes up in here! (That's totally Halle Berry on SNL but there's no YouTube clip so... just go with it yes?)

1. The Teenager Suing Her Parents

So she went home again and the law suit is off. Okay. Great. But here's the deal, nobody in the world owes you anything. At all. That's just life. I can't imagine what was going through her head and I am not her and I have NO idea of her exact situation. But suing your parents for your college savings is crazy. While I don't necessarily agree with suing over her high school tuition because, that can be free, I do understand that leaving home and not thinking it through must have been scary. It's possible her parents could have just foot the bill for the remainder of the school year though because clearly the Catholic education was important to them enough to send her there in the first place. That one I am still iffy on how I feel. But college money? Greedy greedy gumdrops! 

2. The Cheese Sandwich Suspension

Get real. Food allergies are no joke. I get that. I know they're trying to protect the kids with food allergies. It was a cheese sandwich. And the kid was TWO. And snuck it in. This is not as serious as oh say, the toddler with heroine in his pockets.  It was cheese. And bread. But whatever, they signed the rules. Homeschooling is looking more and more appealing is all I'm sayin'.

3. Kevin Bacon's 80s Awareness Video

Okay, I was born in 1986 and so he is talking directly to me in the video and I STILL think this is hilarious. 

Proof positive he's short though. 1st Degree of Kevin Bacon however! 

4. The Airplane Gone Missing

I don't even have to link to this story, I'm sure you've seen it. Sad. Prayers for all the souls and their family. It's just sad. And makes me terrified of international flights but that's okay because that's not going to happen anytime soon anyway! 

5. The Good Wife has been renewed!

Best thing I've heard all day. I LOVE The Good Wife. I even managed to get my mom hooked which is NOT an easy task mind you. I've been a fan of Josh Charles since Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. Which is still one of my favorite movies ever. 

6. I'm Getting a Haircut Tomorrow! 

I am embarrassed to admit the last time I got my hair done was... a long long time. I think it was right around last Memorial Day or the first week of June. I'm overdue is what I am saying. I am also holding out a lot of hope about this head massage, hope it doesn't disappoint. 

7. Average Households Can't Afford An Average New Car

Duh. This isn't news. This is common sense. 

Have a good weekend and link up with Jen! 

The Times They Are A Changing

So the powers that be are raising the price of Amazon Prime. Our subscription just renewed actually so I have a long while before I will need to make the decision to stay or go. About 2 months ago there was no bigger Amazon advocate than myself. Love my Kindle, love the Kindle Fire, love the shipping, love the ease and enjoy the free streaming of shows I would actually watch. And it is cheaper than Netflix.

But then we got Netflix anyway. Because we don't have cable or anything like that. And the magical 2 day shipping has turned into 3-4 day shipping lately. And the price for 1 day shipping has gone WAY WAY up. When I ordered my carpet cleaner it came in 1 day for $3.99. That's amazing. It's not like that anymore.

At the new price it is $8.25 a month, which isn't that bad really, but we'll have to see if I think it's worth it in February. It may be as Sam's Club not only got rid of my Mac and Cheese but has clearly transitioned from the P&G diapers I like (Luvs and Pampers) to Huggies.

Everyone's got their own opinions on diapers I know but here's the run down quick for me: I haven't have any issue with Pampers or Luvs at all. Husband and I unanimously dislike the waist band on Huggies, they were complicated on an infant I could not imagine wrestling a toddler down long enough to get them right. The Sam's Club diapers we were stuck with when Sam's was out of Luvs and Pampers in size 4 and I will never buy them again. Can you say droopy drawers and leaks? And while I actually know a lot a lot a lot about cloth diapers because of all you lovely blog mamas, they're not for me.

So... it is possible I will get diapers from Amazon as they are priced only $2 more than Sam's. But the normal price per diaper at Target is only a penny more and with a coupon that could turn out to be a better bet. I guess I'll take it one box at a time.

And with all this talk about my consumerism choices this week I will sign off and wish you all a Happy Thursday!

WWRW: Not a book

What I am reading today is not a book. I hope Jessica can forgive me but I feel this needs to be shared in a venue that may actually garner some views and technically it is what I am reading.

An aquaintance of mine had a baby. And 3 days later his son returned back to God. I didn't even know that his wife was expecting, we weren't close by any means. He was a funny guy with the same birthday as my brother. Though I don't know his wife I feel safe in assuming he is a wonderful husband. He's just that kind of guy.

Then my news feed exploded with people expressing sadness and condolences for him. My heart broke, how unthinkable. I don't know what happened and I don't want to speculate.

And then it exploded again with a blog post written by his wife. I read it and I keep coming back to it. I must have clicked over there 20 times in the past two days. Every time I leave the page with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart.

It is the most beautiful post I believe I have ever read. You should read it.

As a preview of what you're in for here is my (current) favorite line:

 "But my only sincere wish could be that my son would be loved his whole life long and that he would know to return that love in kind. Because he has done just that, he has lived a perfect life. I would never wish less for him."

Please offer up a prayer for this young couple as they go through this time of grief. I imagine they could use all the prayers they can get.

Musings on Macaroni

The first time it happened I thought it was a fluke.

At Sam's Club certain things cycle in and out and often the restock is on the complete other side of the store really high up and they don't want to close an aisle to bring in a skid loader etc. I get it.

But when we went a month later and they were still out, not just out but there wasn't even a spot or a lable for where it should be, and my heart lurched into my throat. I will miss you Daily Chef Macaroni and Cheese.

I know that everyone swears by Kraft or Annie's depending on your crunchiness level, but I have very specific mac and cheese needs that are not met by those brands. You see, I do not care for, what I lovingly call "cheese food." The term cheese food comes from a very funny moment at summer camp, but I digress. 

Cheeze-Its, Goldfish, Cheez-Whiz, Doritos, Cheetos and those orange crackers with cheese stuff in them? I get squirmy just thinking about them. I do not like them and avoid them at all costs. Buying Goldfish for C is truly an act of bravery and supreme love for me because when his little cheese stained mouth comes after me for a kiss or a sip of water I am pretty sure I die a little. 

So when we have Kraft or Annie's, though, I'll be honest, I can't bring myself to buy Annie's. Partly because my in-laws go on and on and on and on about it and I'm a little like "let's just calm down now" Then also partly because it's just way way more expensive and I am at crunchy level .5, so not at all crunchy. 

So when we have Kraft, I wind up only using 2/3 of the cheese packet because you know how sometimes there are spots where the cheese hasn't disolved in the heat/milk/butter and there's a clump on a noodle or 2? That is a circle in hell for me. I combat that by using less cheese and more milk and usually it works out fine. But then I am spending $9 for 12 boxes and not using all the cheese powder. 

So spending $6 for 12 boxes and not using all the cheese powder makes way more sense to me, hence, the daily chef. I generally prefer the generic mac and cheeses anyhow, for exactly the reason most people buy name brand: they aren't as cheesy! Having my generic option ripped from my hands at the only warehouse store available to me in the area (I'd love a Costco but I'm not driving 45+ minutes to get to one when Sam's is 3 mintes away.) was cruel and sad. 

In fact they used to have a different kind of generic and it was REALLY good, but that went away about a year ago so we upgraded ($1 more) to the Daily Chef. (Sam's Brand) Now, for the low low price of $3 more per 12 pack I am stuck with Kraft and throwing away cheese powder. I'm going to have to check the grocery stores to see if there's a good generic with a decent price available. 

More work. No rest for the weary. Not that I am really weary just lazy, it was so easy to stick a box in my cart at Sam's and call it good. Ah well... that is life. 

What I Learned About Laundry and Love

I don't know why, but of all the chores I've never really minded the laundry. Truthfully, I do not sort, I just throw it all in together unless I am washing something red for the first time. But that is besides the point my friends.

This past week I cleaned up our laundry area. I wish it was a noble reason like, say, 40 bag for 40 days but really it was just because it was bothering me. I also cleaned the washer and dryer. Which needed it and also was strangely satisfying. I often don't think to wash the things I use to clean but now I may take this new found clean everything routine and work on the dishwasher next.

I know acts of service is a love language, oddly it isn't one of ours necessarily. I do like to do things to show love for my family and keeping the laundry clean is one of the easiest things I can do. I love the smell of clean laundry. Love it. Cherish it. If I go to the store I walk down the laundry stuff aisle. Even at Walgreens.

I don't really miss the days of the laundromat in grad school though it was convenient to do all the loads all at once. I never could relax enough to leave while my clothes were washing/drying and with the lovely smell it made for a delightful placed to read or study. I always had an idea of writing a musical that took place in a laundromat but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Other than the scent I could never figure out why it was that I enjoy laundry. It really is a task some people just hate. Especially the folding and putting away part. Then it occured to me that it was something I get from my mom. (My dad too but definitely my mom first.) She always did our laundry and always without complaint. My parent's house has a main floor laundry room and I definitely covet that fact these days. I make do however, what's 9 steps anyhow?

This is not my laundry room. But I like it.
Mine looks way more like a nice washer and dryer in a basement. 

Her act of love in doing my laundry for all those years (and still even now when we visit) really influenced me I suspect. People always say that children learn by example--and the example of doing laundry happily made a difference in my life. I thoroughly enjoy the laundry. And my mother set such a strong example of serving without complaint. I remember when I first started doing laundry or I would try to get the clothes from the dryer and fold them for my mom. I wanted to help her out in the same way she helped me. It made me really stop and think about what I do around the house and how I go about it. I am sure I am setting a good example with the laundry but I am not setting C up for doing the dishes very well.

Perspective. It's a wonderous thing. What if we all made sure to move through our daily actions making a concious choice to set a good example? Certainly, few of us set out to be a bad example, but I bet there is something we could all improve to encourage and train up our children to be better adults.

Even in college I never had a problem walking down the hall to the laundry room to put in a load. Others would complain, some more would let their clothes sit wrinkled in baskets until the next time they did laundry--I happily folded and put away. Perhaps I was being a good example for the girls of the second floor. Who knows? But I can certainly continue to be a good example for my family.

It's the little things you know? The little things of a laundry list of things around the house. Pun fully intended. But that my friends is where love really is. Warm, clean towels folded with love.

Best $5 ever

Not even trying for quick takes today people because I just have to share this with you.

I just spent the best $5 of my life.

I got the original Madeline specials on DVD for $5 on Target.

Of course you may have zero idea of what I am talking about, probably because your name isn't Madeline and you weren't the proud owner of extensive amounts of Madeline merchandise. But I digress.

They are cartoon adaptations of the Madeline books, not that ridiculous television show that used the character, these were truth. (Though, okay, I watched that too.) They were the books come to life. PLUS Christopher Plummer is the narrator, which is wonderful. And again, as a girl named Madeline these versions were absolutely my favorite things ever. I still have ALL my VHS copies.

But alas, no VCR. So this Target find literally made my day!

Of course C would argue the Hotwheels were a better $5 but either way we both left with a fun treat.

Wednesday

It's funny, I don't have a whole lot to say but feel the need to post anyhow. It seems almost surreal that Lent is upon us. Don't get me wrong I have always appreciated Lent but somehow even though it's a pretty late one, it still feels like it was just Advent and Christmas. Oh, that's probably because the snow is still deep and cold. Yeah. That's probably it.

I have a couple posts in drafts ready to go but none of them seem right for today. I have decided to unofficially attack clutter this season as well. Not officially the whole 40 bags in 40 days thing. Perhaps I'll get that far anyhow but I am just going for less. Less clutter, less piles, less "quick someone is coming over shove this in a closet."

I have committed to giving up paper plates. And my heart aches about it but it will be a good penance for me where I can grow. It seems so trite and dumb but it also feels right and that I think it a good sign.

This is where I'd have a meme or picture or something but the someecareds just mock Lent and I don't want to do that. And I can't find anything that conveys how I feel about Lent.

I don't know why, but ever since I was confirmed, regardless of my recent attendance at Mass, I haven't missed an Ash Wednesday. It's my favorite. It's a time where we can all say, I can do a little bit better. In whatever it is we need to improve and that is of course different for everyone.

Gah. The song "Ashes" just hits me every year. I love it. I can't wait for tonight. Hopefully the snow will be stopped and plowed by then.