Birthdays

I LOVE birthdays. Love em. I also really love making birthday cakes. I spend hours planning it and hours making it. I need people to oohhhh and aaahhhh over it. I am crushed when no one makes and/or buys a cake for me on my birthday.

Silly - I know. But true. Can't help it. It's like if I don't receive a cake, no one cares. OK - that seems really lame now that I actually type it out - but it's true anyway.

This must be why I love making cakes. I think I put so much time and effort into the cake that the person must now know how important I think they are.

So - here it is - my latest cake - Thomas will be 7 tomorrow. Think he'll understand the love that went into this cake? One can only hope.

BTW - It's a Bakugan. Don't know that that is? If you don't, you clearly do not have a 7 year old boy.


Just in case you are dying to try this at home - I covered a tray with a tie dye t-shirt and then covered it in plastic wrap. (An idea I totally stole from the internet) I then made a sheet cake and used Wilton spray on frosting to make it look like a Bakugan Card. The eyeball is made from a round cake pan and the things that look like leaves are actually construction paper that Thomas colored and then we covered them in plastic wrap so they wouldn't actually touch the cake. It looks like an actual Bakugan.

What would you do?

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

This question has been repeating itself like a skipping record through my head for the last few hours. While I ran tonight I began making a mental list - a benefit to running I hadn't thought of previously - time to think!

I began with selfish things I wish I could do, sing, dance, write a novel, compose music, play an instrument. Then I moved on to career choices - and came up a little empty there...maybe something to do with my self-diagnosed career ADD. Can't commit for fear I'll get bored within a year. Anyhow, then I began to think - maybe the question is supposed to be bigger - like feed all the starving children in Africa, create world peace etc. So I am beginning to come to the decision that the list has to be broken up into segments - personal, career, global etc.

Here's the beginning of mine - I think it'll be a work in progress for a while. And keep in mind, this is what I would do if I could not fail - not what I have skills to do or anything so real as that.

Personal things I'd do if I knew I could not fail:
1. Learn to play piano and guitar - because one is portable and one is not. I think it's useful to play an instrument.
2. Learn to speak Spanish fluently. There's absolutely no reason I should not do this already, you'd think after 3 years of it in high school I would have retained some right?
3. Sing. Well. Now - not so much. I don't want to be on American Idol or anything, but singing a line or two of a song in my head in the shower is about as far as I'll go now.
4. Act. Like - I wanna be in a movie. Wouldn't that be fun? I have ZERO talent in this area - but this is if I knew I couldn't fail right? :)
5. Write a book. A total fiction novel that people would be scrambling for - something that'd be made into a movie someday.
6. Get a PhD. I have NO idea what the subject would be - I just want the fancy letters after my name.
7. Run a marathon.

Career things I'd do if I knew I couldn't fail:
(this list is a little harder - it's not that I'm afraid of failure - it's that I'm afraid of boredom. It's not the same thing is it?)
1. Be a doctor - which would of course require accomplishing #6 above.
2. Run a non-profit organization with a multi-million dollar budget. One that does amazing things with children.
3. Direct a movie. this would of course be in line with #4 above - maybe if I don't have the talent to act myself, I could tell other people how to do it?
4. Be a graphic designer or marketing person.... My favorite people in the world do this for a living and I am often jealous of the things they do daily. Or - at least what I think they do daily.
5. Be a photographer - this might fall into the personal category...
Ya - I think that's it. I just come up empty when it comes to careers. That's not good.

Globally - what I'd do if I could not fail:
1. Teach women in 3rd world countries how to operate businesses that would be profitable for them and would take them out of poverty.
2. Join the Peace Corp and go somewhere I've never heard of - make a difference in the future of an entire village, community or city.

This is a good start. I like to think that there are about 500 other things I'd add here. Maybe some of it will turn into a to do before I die list. Some of it will continue to live in the fantasy land that is my head. Some things are meant to live there forever - it's a good place to be. :)

What's on your list?

Things I learned while I was alone for 6 days

6 days with no kids and no husband around.... good time to grow.

1. I cannot live on coffee, bagels and beer. My tummy hurts.
2. There is no limit to how many times you can watch 1 movie in a week. I’ve watched Twilight 3 times this week. It’s my new obsession. I even watched the special features on the DVD. What is it about that movie? Hmmm...maybe a whole different blog post.
3. I kind of like running. Tried it and could see how it’s addicting. Went out and bought running shoes and am even pondering a "learn how to run" class. For anyone that knows me - this is hilarious.
4. 6 days alone is too many unless you are on a beach. I am getting bored with myself.
5. I like the sound of children in the house. Quiet is not normal.
6. When I have all the time in the world I cannot remember a single thing I want or need to get done. What happened to the list of things I’ll do when I have time? Found the list today - but discovered what I really wanted to do was nothing. Well, at least I know what I MEANT to get done.
7. I like listening to music in the house – loudly. Classical, rock, top 40s chick music - it's all really good LOUD.
8. On the last day alone you remember all the things you meant to do all week and try to get them ALL done! That’s a very busy day. The list is still so long.
9. I don’t really read the paper. More of an online, radio, heard it through the grapevine girl. But newspaper is good for putting underneath painting projects. Oh - and finding out what movies are playing. But that's about it.
10. Something big always happens when you least expect it. My 2 year old slept like a champ in the big boy bed at gramma's house so in a moment of craziness I dismantled his crib today. Hope I don't regret that tonight when he gets home.

At the end of 6 days…I am ready to be a great wife and mom again. All rejuvenated. Hope it lasts. ☺

Theme Song

On day four of total quiet in the house I find I am learning more and more about myself. Besides the fact that I eat really poorly when there's no one else to share meals with and that I leave a lot of dishes in the sink when there's no one here to need clean ones - I have decided that I need a theme song.

On a positive note I have been exercising this week - and because of that, I have revived my ipod. I have been adding songs and making playlists and actually using it! Finally, that Christmas present from 3 years ago is paying off Carl!

But what I have discovered is that my mood and energy are directly related to what's playing. I thought at first that maybe I could find one song that would really define me - a theme song to life. Kind of like that show Ally McBeal - where when the mousy little lawyer came into the scene Barry White would begin playing. But maybe it's more like a theme song each day. Or each week. Or maybe it's every hour. Not sure yet.

Think I'll explore some more... what's your theme song?

PS - If you read this on FB - leave a comment with your theme song, if you read this directly on my blog - leave a comment with your song too!

Energy Suck

Why is that when you have more time you get less done? Kids are gone, husband is gone, no one is shopping right now. Time is ALL I have to do for the next 2 1/2 days... and I just want to sit. Feel sluggish.

How is it that when I have more to do than I think I can ever get done - it all gets done in record time? What is this wierd phenomenon? And how do I get rid of it?

Veggie Bootie - not so bad?

I am so excited... after all this CPSIA stuff I have seriously had my bubble burst on government and how bad decisions can have far reaching effects. BUT - as it turns out, I might get a chance to build my bubble back.

When my 2 1/2 year old was only 10 months his favorite snack was Veggie Bootie. So much a favorite that we dubbed it "baby crack". He loved it - soft, salty, easily transported - what's not to love? The fact that it's billed as healthy certainly didn't hurt - and we fed it to him all the time. Well - turns out that the spinach and kale powder used to make it oh so healthy is actually from China. And guess what? - one bad batch was full of salmonella!

Mostly it was infants who got sick - not surprising since no adult I know can actually stand to eat the stuff. They said it was because infants and toddlers have weaker immune systems - but I seriously doubt anyone over the age of 5 even eats the stuff.

Anyhow, Beck went in for his 10 month well-baby check up and while we were at the dr's office he had a poopy diaper. I went to change it and the doc saw it was full of - well... let's just say it was NOT normal. His poor little bum was raw and she was immediately concerned. She decided to culture it - and lo and behold - salmonella. So guess what they do for salmonella in infants? Nothing! We didn't actually find out what it was for 3 days and by then he'd started to get better. After all this peanut recall stuff and related deaths - we were extremely fortunate.

After we found out the diagnosis, the public health dept got involved and it got a little crazy. Apparently the strain he has was very rare and another 10 cases had been reported across the country recently. I then began the wierd task of helping to find the link between my child and other children around the country sickened by the same rare strain of salmonella. After many phone calls and interviews - we hit pay dirt - Veggie Bootie! I guess all kids think its baby crack! We even ended up in the Oregonian.


Weeks later I read about this group called STOP - Safe Tables Our Priority.http://www.safetables.org/. I contacted them because I was interested in what the long term effects of salmonella poisoning might be on Beck. For now, he's fine. but what if he has digestive problems later in life? What if he gets ill later and they don't know why? What if it can all be linked back to him having been poisoned by his favorite snack food?

I signed up for their newsletters and have been part of discussions and website updates ever since. And now I might have a chance to actually do something about the way the FDA regulates things! I have been asked to come to DC and share my (or Beck's) story with my representatives and be part of the changes happening. Apparently, since this peanut recall has happened the govt. has decided to listen to STOPand other organizations like them. They are listening to the problems in the way theFDA regulates and approves foods and manufacturers.

After the craziness with the CPSIA over the past few months, maybe my faith in government will be restored - what if they actually listen and people's lives are affected? Am I dreaming that this could actually happen? Quite possibly - but since I firmly believe that things happen for a reason - I have got to believe that Beck got sick for a good reason....and isn't change in government regulation a good reason?

Art Show at school tonight!

Tonight was an art show put on by some of the kids at my son's school. The idea was that each child was the "docent" for the parent, giving them a tour of all the art done recently in school - including many pieces done by the docents themselves. I went alone with the two kids because hubby is traveling - and it made for an interesting evening to say the least.

I think the most important feature for the evening for Thomas was the fact that he was at school when he didn't have to be. Something about the wrong timing of it all seems to amp up the energy all around. It's funny to watch - he was more excited to say "hi" to friends than anything else.

After getting over his stage fright (he definitely didn't get that from me!) he read from his script. It said things like "vincentvangogh lived in frans" and Georgess Curat's "pikchrs loked difrint upclos and far uwa". So danged cute....



We toured the pics and stoped to say hi to every friend who came along.

Beck got in on the action too - he was thrilled to be able to walk around freely in school.....something he's not usually allowed to do. At one point of course he wandered off. Took me about 20 minutes to find him - at the front door of the school pushing the button that makes the door open and close for wheelchair accessibility. I should have known that's where he was - he's two and a boy - he simply can't control the desire to push buttons...especially ones that actually have a function! Funny how sweet and innocent he seems to be here....



Here's a few more pics of Thomas and his art...




This last one is positively the sweetest thing I've ever read.... and I have no doubt it'll bring a tear to one daddy's eye. If you've ever wondered if he's paying attention and if he cares - he is, and he does.



Art is everywhere. Art is bluegrass.
Art is us. Art is a river.
Art is fire. Art is a rock.
Art is a pirate. Art is a rock band.
Art is nature. Art is the Stormbrains.
Art is animals. Art is a diamond.

Art is awesome to me.
Art is the coolest music, bluegrass.
Art is the most awesome thing that I have seen.
Art is a shooting star.

By Thomas Christoferson