TODAY. I. AM. FREE. (For four hours.)

Will, fully clothed, soaking wet, and lying in the water
table...this is what I felt like at the end of every day.

To say I almost didn't survive the last last two weeks is not an exaggeration. Will's first week of school, Tom's first week of school, three days of in-service training, one meet-the-teacher night, company visiting, buying (plus insuring, inspecting, registering, and licensing) a new car, selling an old car, an in-home bug crisis, two school orientations, Hallie first week of school, three days of substitute teaching, one PTO meeting, four karate lessons, and one dance lesson ran together, one to the next, in what felt like a muddy landslide of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. Add to that laundry list the fact that we rarely see Tom for the first half of the semester (so more often than not I wrangle the kids on my own) and my crazy plan - on which I followed through on six out of 10 weekday mornings - to workout at 5:15am...and you have a barely functioning Erin.

Last Thursday night I was so tired that I accidentally ate dinner twice. As in, I ate dinner, forgot that I ate dinner, and then ate dinner again 30 minutes later. Just as I was drifting off to sleep (at 8:45pm), I thought to myself, "hmm. I feel exceptionally full...what did I eat for dinner? Grilled cheese? Yes. Wait, I think I also ate a bowl of cereal and a piece of toast. Did I eat two dinners? I sure did. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now." And then I fell fast asleep until 6:15am when Will woke me up asking if he could "whip up" some eggs and oatmeal for breakfast.

But today, my fall begins. Tom, Will, and Hallie have all settled in at school. I'll continue to substitute teach at Hallie's preschool, but I certainly won't work every day. I've signed on to serve as the room mom for both Will and Hallie's classrooms, but I saved all of my email and paper communications from last year so that this year, the job will take less time. Karate, gymnastics, and dance will continue, and though baseball has yet to start, when it does, I'll be prepared to take on the job of team administrator. (Some may laugh at my self-assigned and unofficial title, but those of you who've coordinated the behind-the-scene details for a youth sports team know that the job deserves a title. And a badge. And an all-expenses paid vacation to a resort where children aren't allowed when the season is over.) My home, personal, professional, and shopping/errands to-do lists are each a mile long, but I'll finally have time to start tackling them once I get my hair cut and colored - my number one priority this week - on Wednesday.

Summer rocked, we survived the seemingly endless and utterly exhausting transition from summer to fall, and now my fall begins.

I love fall with every ounce of my being, and today, I feel like a million bucks. I hope you do too.

Weekly Wrap-Up (9.6.13)

The Greatest
After two incredibly l...o...n...g and exhaust-zzzzz-ing (sorry, I dozed off there for a minute) weeks, I needed to read - and therefore needed to write - a post to really pick me up and dust me off. I decided to focus on some of the greatest underdog stories - stories about overcoming challenges, fulfilling dreams, and giving 100% until the final buzzer - I've come across recently. I hope they give you the pick-me-up they've given me.


Perhaps the Greatest Website to Help Kids Survive the Awkward Teen Years...Ever
I wish the Awkward Years Project (and the internet, for that matter) would have been around back when I served as President of the "Middle School Dorks Association". Seeing the photo pairings and reading the "I've been there" stories from once gawky-and-awkward but now attractive-and-successful adults would have greatly improved my confidence as a teenager. I'm thinking about joining the project with one of these two beauties:

Perhaps the Greatest Example of Audience Participation...Ever 
Every musical theater geek dreams of Broadway. The theaters, the music, the actors and costumes and sets that come alive under the bright lights every evening. Standing center stage in front of a packed house and singing the character-defining ballad you've been practicing in front of your bathroom mirror since you turned six. Unfortunately, very few of us musical theater geeks see this dream become a reality.

This woman in this video - I believe her name is Sarah - was randomly selected from the audience to sing "For Good" (from Wicked) with Kristen Chenoweth onstage during Kristen's concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I assume that most of the time, audience participation doesn't go smoothly and as a result, the professional singer performs most of the song on their own. But that wasn't the case when Sarah stepped on stage; this time, the stars aligned and a musical theater geek's dream - complete with the music, the actor, and the bright lights - came true.

Sarah's experience is my musical theater dream come true. (And I cried both times I watched this video.)

Perhaps the Greatest End to a High School Football Game...Ever
If you live in my neck of the woods you've likely already seen this video. But since most of you reading don't live anywhere near me, including it in this week's Weekly Wrap-Up was an absolute must.
Last Friday night, Copperas Cove scored a field goal and took the lead over A&M Consolidated with one second left in regulation play. Copperas Cove followed up their field goal with a squib kick - presumably a safe move given the circumstances - that Brandon Jackson caught. Just watch what happened next...

Nothing like watching "Friday Night Lights" brought to life, right here in Texas.

MomsEveryday: What Happens When You Let a Four-Year-Old Go to the Bathroom Alone
In case you missed it the first time around (or just want to reread my tale of embarrassment), MomsEveryday ran my the story of Hallie locking herself in the karate bathroom stall and me getting stuck under the stall door last week. Check it out here!

A Drive-By Peanut-ing

A couple of weeks ago I wrote briefly about how parents can help non-allergic kids protect their allergic friends. I received almost entirely positive feedback: parents thanked me for my suggestions, and a few mentioned that they already are or will be making an effort to send peanut-free lunches to school with their kids, even though their kids don't attend peanut-free schools. Thank you!

A few days after I wrote that post, a friend of mine, Jane*, shared with me that the school where she works as a second-grade teacher opted to go completely peanut-free at the beginning of the current school year. Because 12 of the school's kindergarten through second grade students (based on overall enrollment, 12 students is actually well below the national average) carry Epi-pens for severe allergies to peanuts and/or tree nuts, the school banned all peanut products, as well as all non-peanut products manufactured on machines that also manufacture peanut products. (Non-peanut products manufactured in facilities that also manufacture peanut products are still acceptable.)

According to Jane, the school district sent a communication about the new policy to parents prior to the start of the school year, but it became clear to her just moments into Back-to-School Night that very few parents knew about the change.

Two parents completely flipped out. They argued with and even yelled at Jane (can you imagine this going down? During Meet-the-Teacher Night? I mean, COME ON people), who to her credit remained completely calm while she outlined the policy and what it meant for students.

But instead of allowing Jane to move on and talk about, I don't know, the ACADEMICS of second grade, one mother in particular dug in her heels. With arms crossed, through clenched teeth, and from her new position in the corner of the room (she was so angry that she'd gotten up out of her desk and essentially put herself in timeout in the corner), she started firing questions in Jane's direction.

"What if I just ignore the policy and send whatever I want?", she asked superiorly.

"Well," Jane replied, "if you choose to send foods that contain peanuts we will remove those items from your child's lunch."

"So you're going to starve them, then?", the mother shot back.

Jane explained to the mother than the school would provide these children with replacement items for them to eat.

Eventually some of the other parents grew frustrated with this mother and convinced her to shut the hell up sit down and listen to Jane talk about the upcoming school year, but the story doesn't end there...

A few days later, the school's security cameras caught that mother as she drove up to the school, took a bite out of a peanut butter sandwich, and then threw the sandwich at the door of the school. This woman was angry enough about her daughter not being allowed to bring peanut butter sandwiches in her lunchbox that she vandalized the school using the one product from which the school was trying to protect its students.

The mother accused the school of implementing the policy to protect themselves from a lawsuit. The school probably did implement the policy to protect themselves from a lawsuit. The mother claims the policy creates a difficult situation for her and her picky eater. The policy probably does create a difficult situation for her and her picky eater. The mother publicly stated (on the evening news, after she called the network and encouraged them to run a story on the "injustice" taking place at her daughter's school) that the policy caters to the needs of a few at the expense of many. The policy does cater to the needs of a few at the expense of many.

But at the end of the day, most elementary school students are not yet mature and/or responsible enough to serve as the exclusive advocate for their own health and safety. And they shouldn't have to. There's a reason children have parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and teachers and principals in their lives. Our job as grown-ups is to protect our children until they're able to protect themselves.

Without the policy, that mother's child gets to eat what she wants at lunchtime. Without the policy, other mothers' children die.

(Insert the sound of me stepping up onto my soapbox...) 

Get over it, lady. I have two children, one of whom is allergic to peanuts and one who is a picky eater. I'd give my right arm to have two picky eaters instead of having to worry about what my allergic child will come in contact with at school and whether or not it could kill him.

(And now I'm coming back down. Thank you for allowing me that brief moment to lose my cool.)

Will's Uncle Adam made this shirt for him
when he was first diagnosed. In this picture
Will's making his "don't give me any
peanuts" face.

Late last week a little girl in Will's class celebrated her birthday with peanut-topped treats. During our after-school conversation about the treat, Will informed me that there are two kids in his class of 18 students who are allergic to peanuts.

Will is allergic to peanuts, and was once also allergic to dairy, eggs, and wheat. My darling niece, Lily, is allergic to peanuts and eggs. And just last week, my sweet, smiley, six-month-old nephew, Carter, was diagnosed with allergies to peanuts, dairy, eggs, and wheat - the exact same laundry list of foods that tormented Will years ago.

The increasingly dangerous and largely misunderstood problem of food allergies in children (and eventually adults) is getting worse, not better.

I'm not suggesting that all schools implement campus-wide bans on peanuts. I am suggesting that we continue the conversation about the very real dangers people with food allergies face, as well as the causes of and treatments for food allergies. Perhaps with improved and increased education, beneath the dialog we will begin to hear compassion and not anger in the voices of those who speak the loudest.

* Name has been changed.

When I Grow Up

Pre-kids, I worked for the American Red Cross, first as a Financial Development Associate and then as a Blood Services Volunteer Coordinator. When Will and then Hallie began asking questions about how I spent my time back when it was just me and their daddy, I explained these positions to them as simply as possible. But both kiddos had trouble - understandably so - wrapping their heads around the fact that I didn't build, fix, or grow anything they considered fun or useful.

Around the time Will was born, I began a new job as the Director of Volunteer Resources for the American Red Cross. New job, same problem: eventually Will could tell people that I worked for the Red Cross, but even as he grew older he couldn't elaborate on what I actually did during the hours I spent away from him. (Though he often shared that I had my very own computer and telephone and that I squirreled away snacks in my bottom desk drawer.)

When we moved to Texas I left my "office job" with the Red Cross to spend more time at home with Will and Hallie and to pursue a part-time writing career. Once they noticed my increased presence at home - I no longer physically left them every morning - both Will and Hallie started asking me what I did. I always provided them with the same answer: "I'm a writer".

"But what do you DO?", they'd ask again.

"I write," I'd reply.

If they didn't immediately walk away, I'd add, "I write about our lives in Texas; what it was like to live in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan; emergency prevention, preparedness, and response; health and safety for families; parenting; food allergies; cooking and baking; and ... "

Disappointed that I hadn't suddenly switched gears and taken up race car driving, lion taming, or fighting fires, they'd wander away. I'd sigh, and turn my attention back to the computer screen.

Throughout the last going-on-three years they've posed the same question over and over again, seemingly expecting - and perhaps even hoping for - my answer to change. They've never been impressed, which doesn't bother me - I don't expect them to be impressed, or even all that interested. But I'd love for them to acknowledge my career choice. (Questions like, "What does your mom do?" receive responses in the vein of, "I don't know", "nothing", and "she bakes stuff" from both Will and Hallie.)

A couple of weeks ago Tom and I took Will to Meet-the-Teacher Night at his elementary school and left Hallie at home with our wonderful babysitter, Peyton. When we arrived home, Peyton relayed to me this short but sweet conversation between her and Hallie.

Peyton: Hallie, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Hallie: I'm already grown up.

(Yes, of course you are, Hallie.)

Peyton: Ok, well what kind of job do you want to have when you get older?

Hallie: I don't know...maybe I'll be a writer like my mom.

Tears threatened to spill from the corners of my eyes as I listened to Peyton describe the moment when, for the first time, one of my children recognized me as something - someone - besides their mother.

That little nod from my little girl meant the world to me. And the fact that she'd even consider following in my footsteps? Just icing on the cake.

The cake that I baked. Because when I'm not writing, I bake. I guess they know me better than I thought.

Hallie would make a wonderful writer - she loves to tell stories and proudly flaunts her wild creativity - but I don't imagine her choosing this career path for herself. I document, she does. I write stories, she creates stories. Someday she'll become the president and I'll write her biography. If she lets me.

Summer Bucket List Wrap-Up

Will started first grade last Monday and Hallie begins her final year of preschool today, which means that summer vacation has officially come to an end. Won't you join me in a "cheers" to the start of the new school year?

Attack of the mosquitoes.

Just like every season, the summer of 2013 had its ups and downs. I could have done without the incessant fighting (Will vs. Hallie and Hallie vs. Lily), a challenging overnight hotel stay, the heat, the mosquitoes, the hullabaloo surrounding the topics about which I choose to write, and getting stuck under the karate bathroom stall door, but beyond those mishaps, our summer kind of rocked. We made it through most of our Summer Bucket List, and filled the gaps between planned activities with luxuriously peaceful afternoons at home. Here's our Summer Bucket List report card...

In the Field Trip category:

Schlitterbahn 

For the second year in a row, we failed to make it to Schlitterbahn but had a fabulous time at the Mt. Olympus Water and Amusement Park in Wisconsin Dells. Hallie's mama beamed with pride when she finally summoned the courage to go down water slides all by her-big-girl-self.

Miniature Golf

My dad, Will, Hallie and I had a great time playing a round of mini golf in Madison. Hallie thinks she's an amazing golfer now though, because whenever she had trouble hitting her ball in the right direction or through an obstacle, I'd haphazardly hit her ball toward the hole. She never actually saw me hit her ball though, so when it went in - TWICE - she assumed she'd gotten hole-in-ones. (Or is it holes-in-one? I don't know...) You could almost see frustration coming out Will's ears when we wouldn't let him tell Hallie that I'd actually hit her ball into the holes.

Children's Museum

If you ever visit Lincoln, Nebraska, don't miss their Children's Museum - it's wonderful. I'd recommend staying away from the face paint though...

Zoo

Of course we made it to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison - no trip to my hometown would be complete without paying a visit to the lions we hear roaring from my parents' deck and the flamingos who once escaped from the zoo and found temporary companionship next to the fake flamingos in my parents' backyard. 

Splash Pad

We visited our local splash pad, but Will and Hallie had at least as much fun - if not more - playing in a city fountain in their clothes.

Bowling

Despite signing up for Kids Bowl Free, we never made it bowling.

Chuckie Cheese

Yes, we went. And no, I did not enjoy it.

Movies

We saw every (new) children's movie that came out this summer: Epic, Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, Turbo, Smurfs 2, and Planes. Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 were my favorites, but I think Turbo topped Will's list and Hallie, surprisingly, liked Smurfs 2 the best.

Farmers Market

Does it count if you go for three minutes and buy nothing? If so, we went to the Farmers Market.

The 19th Hole

During our three afternoons/evenings spent at the UW Memorial Union, we drank plenty of Blue Moon and Spotted Cow beer (lemonade for the kiddos, obviously), ate bag after bag of popcorn, the temperature reached 100 degrees twice, I received a combined 147 mosquito bites, Grandpa skinned his face and knuckles, Hallie received a minor concussion, and Lily fell in the lake. It was awesome. (No, really, it was.) 

Wicked

I loved the show as much as I ever did, and sharing it with my kids made me happy.

In the Activities category:

Schedule Weekly Playdates
Done and done. Will even had a couple of impromptu playdates while we were in Wisconsin with little girls who live in my parents' neighborhood. Thanks for playing with us, friends!

Have a Garage Sale/Set Up a Lemonade Stand
Both were short and sweet, but the grown-ups walked away with nice "paychecks" and Will pocketed $6 (he actually made $12, but donated 50% of his proceeds to the American Red Cross).

Camp in the Backyard
Will camped on the back deck with Grandpa Paul...good enough for me! (I don't love to camp, at least when it's hot and buggy outside.)

Catch a Fish
Will caught a dinner's worth of fish with Grandpa Mike...again, good enough for me! (I don't love fishing, at least the "fish" part of the experience.)

"Hawaii"

Play the License Plate Game
If you can believe it, between Thursday, June 20th and Friday, August 2nd we saw all 50 - even Hawaii!! - license plates. Hallie strongly disliked the game because she can't read, and Will didn't quite understand how the game worked (EVERY SINGLE TIME he saw a license plate that didn't say "Texas" he shouted the state name: "MISSISSIPPI!", then 12 minutes later, "MISSISSIPPI!" again), but this might be the accomplishment of which I'm most proud this summer. I LOVE the license plate game.

Fly Kites
We had a blast trying out the kids' new-ish (gifts from the Easter Bunny) kites a couple of weekends ago. Turns out Texas weather conditions perfectly support kite flying!

Eat Popsicles at the Beach
Discovering that our beloved beach no longer sells popsicles (or creamsicles or orange push-ups, for that matter) was one of our greatest disappointments this summer. I ate a popsicle at the beach every single summer weekday for 10+ years as a child - an estimated 600 popsicles - and not enjoying one with my kids this summer made me feel a little melancholy. We ate popsicles at the zoo and in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard, but it wasn't the same.

Read Charlotte's Web Out Loud
Reading this book to Will and Hallie was a wonderful experience, as was wrapping up the month-long activity by watching the movie.

In the Cooking/Baking category:

Jello Worms
We just plain ran out of time on this one - maybe we'll fit jello worms in this fall.

Pigs in a Blanket
It seems odd that this food item made it on to our list, but Will really wanted to make them (I think he saw a "recipe" in one of his High Five magazines). We did, and Will ended up the only one to actually enjoy them. Hallie and Lily cried because "some-ting is touching my hotdog!"

Watermelon Cupcakes
We used strawberry banana jello to turn the cupcakes pink, and as a result, none of the kids liked how they tasted. They licked the frosting off though!

Sunflower Cupcakes 
Will's first foray into cake decorating was a hit, if by hit, you mean that the cupcakes looked like pee and poop (picture a dollop of dark brown frosting resting on top of a swirl of yellow frosting). More to come on our summer cupcake adventures...

Lemonade Popsicles
These were a hit, but not quite as popular as the plain water popsicles we also made. Go figure.

And finally, in the Goals category:

Graduate to a Yellow Belt (Will)
Our proud boy successfully achieved his yellow belt status early in the summer. He hopes to graduate to a camo belt - the level at which they begin to spar - midway through October.

Go Off the Diving Board (Will)
Will tested the waters, so to speak, on a small diving board first, but by the end of the summer he was ready for tricks off a regular diving board. Next summer we aim for the high dive! (I think he would have gone off a high dive this year, if we could have found a pool that still has a high dive.)

Swim One Full Length of the Pool (Will)
Will's swimming has improved a great deal, but he still hasn't grasped the correct way to breath and therefore ends of up stopping to tread water every five yards or so. Maybe next summer!

Water Ski (Will)
For one second!

Swim (Hallie)
YES!!! After years of struggling to even get her into the water, Hallie made great progress this summer. It was like a switch flipped, and when it did, she decided she could swim...and she could. It was just like when her potty training switch flipped - one day she was peeing on the floor, and the next day, when that switch flipped, she was completely potty trained.

Pierce Ears
Hallie says she's ready, and brings ear piercing up every couple of days, but every time we walk past Claire's in the mall she says she'll get her ears pierced "tomorrow". Perhaps she'll be brave enough this fall!

And that's that!

Just reading through this blog post in preparation for posting it made me tired - I'm kind of glad we don't have a Fall Bucket List to work out way through...

(Not) Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!

Or if you live in my neck of the woods, happy Regular Monday on which Grown-Ups Still Work and Kids Still Attend School!

I recognize Labor Day as a day to celebrate the achievements of our American Workforce, and to be honest, it really bums me out that neither my husband's university nor my son's public elementary school recognize today as a holiday.

And because today is not a holiday for my husband or son, today is not a holiday for me either. No, I don't have to go into an office (though I do have multiple writing projects, three loads of laundry, and two errands to tackle this morning; a workout to squeeze in this afternoon; and a karate lesson for Will and Parent Orientation for Hallie's preschool on the calendar for this evening), but who do you think wakes up early to make sure everyone else won't sleep through their alarm clocks and then packs lunches, checks backpacks, makes breakfast, approves outfits, brushes hair, checks teeth, and gets everyone out the door on time? My days may not revolve around the kind of labor the holiday originally celebrated, but they're jam-packed and somewhat labor-intensive none-the-less.

So for those of you who, as a result of your geographic location or type of employment (a special thanks to those who work on the days the rest of us consider holidays), won't spend today driving home from a glorious three-day vacation or enjoying one last day at the beach or even just relaxing at home with your family, here are a few suggestions on how to make today a little less laborious:

• Sleep in, if even for just five minutes. Though now that I think about it, if you're reading this you're probably already awake and therefore past the opportunity to sleep in. Oops! Catch a power nap instead, maybe while your kids eat breakfast or brush their teeth...those activities take at least 20 minutes each at my house, and sometimes I fall sleep standing up, with my head resting on my arms and my arms resting on the kitchen counter. I should really go to bed earlier...
• Treat yourself to a fancy coffee. If your normal routine includes brewing yourself a cup of hot coffee at home, stop on the way to work or school or the gym to pick up a cup of joe - or maybe even a white chocolate mocha or a pumpkin spice latte - that someone else makes for you.  
• Take a break during the day to do something small but significant for yourself: go for a walk, read a book, email a friend, or fit in that nap.
• Unless you love to do it and have the time, skip cooking dinner and go out. Or better yet, bring home dinner or have dinner delivered and enjoy it curled up on your couch with a good book or an entertaining movie.
• Put the kids to bed early, and then go to bed early yourself - you deserve a little extra rest!

Happy Labor Day to all those who work - both outside and inside the home - to make our country a worthwhile place to call home.

Tomorrow's Tasty Tailgate

You're tailgating tomorrow, right?

I certainly hope so.

Even if you loathe college football (in which case we probably can't be friends) and head home before kick-off, there's no better way to spend Saturday mornings in September, October, and November than lounging in a lawn chair, beer in hand, surrounded by friends.

This Southern Living Magazine article, which highlights what they call a "TAMU Aggies Tailgating Menu" (howdy cocktails, spicy queso dip, layered spicy black bean dip, Twelfth Man wings, beef fajitas and pico de gallo, and oven-baked churros) - inspired me to share a few of my favorite tried-and-true tailgating recipes.

Breakfasts
Irish Coffee
Start your morning off right with a hot cup of coffee and a shot of Bailey's. This beverage is of course best on cool mornings, but I'm sure an iced version would hit the spot when the temperatures on Saturdays mornings reach 85 degrees by 7am.
Breakfast Tacos
A few years ago I learned that scrambled eggs can be cooked on the grill (in a pan, of course - don't just throw those babies directly onto the grill), and since then I love to start my tailgates with bacon, egg, and cheese - with peppers and onions thrown in there with the eggs while they're cooking - breakfast tacos.
Blueberry Power Muffins
If cooking eggs on the grill is too complicated for you, make these muffins ahead of time and bring them along. They're delicious, and they'll give you the boost you'll need to win that mid-morning beer pong tournament.

Appetizers/Side Dishes
Corn & Walnut Dip
I've taken this dip to countless tailgates and never have I NOT been asked to share the recipe. It's amazing.
BBQ Potato Salad
This bbq-infused twist on traditional potato salad goes over well with even the pickiest eaters and pairs perfectly with grilled burgers, chicken, pork, and vegetables.
Hot Chili Dip
When the weather's warm, stick with the corn and walnut dip. But when the weather turns cool, opt for this savory chili dip instead. I wonder when the weather will turn cool...

Main Dishes
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
If grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and/or chicken wings don't fit your tailgating style, give this tenderloin (the recipe explains how to cook the tenderloin on the grill - perfect for tailgating - but it can of course be cooked in the oven as well) a whirl.

Desserts
Oatmeal Chocolate Fudge Cookie Bars

This one's for all the chocolate lovers out there. Make this dessert. Now. And then try not to devour the entire pan before the tailgate starts tomorrow morning.

Raspberry Crumb Bars

A slightly lighter dessert for those of you who don't crave and gravitate toward chocolate in the same way I do. These bars could also be made with strawberries or blueberries; go with your favorite berry, or choose what's in season - either way, you won't regret making this delicious treat!

If you start shopping, dicing, cooking, and baking now, you'll still have time to whip up a couple of these recipes before tomorrow morning. And while you're at it, let me know where you tailgate - I'd love to stop by and join you for a blueberry power muffin or an oatmeal chocolate fudge cookie bar.

Happy college football season, friends!