Free Food For Kids!

You read that right!
From the Lansdowne Borough website:

Free Weekday Breakfast and Lunch Available for KidsTwo local churches are offering free breakfast and lunch for children under 18 throughout the summer. There are no eligibility requirements or forms to complete — all you have to do is contact the church you would like your child to attend so that there is enough food available. Lunch will be served Wednesday through Friday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (emailPastor Dave Anderson or call 610-622-6161), while both breakfast and lunch are served Monday through Friday at First Presbyterian Church of Lansdowne (email Pastor Nancy Holt or call 610-622-0800). The program runs through August 31. Download a PDF flyerwith more details.

Clink on the link for the flyer for information.
-r

On the hooks: The epic octopus

Y'all know that for weeks I have been fooling around trying to get the octopus done for work.
I started it! (Hooray!)
I got some Red Heart Soft in Eggplant and went for it.
I found this pattern is from Lion Brand on Pinterest and it calls for working in the round which was a bit difficult for me until I used a stitch marker (my new favorite tool!). 

So far I have the head and three legs. If all goes well I'll be done by the end of the week.
Enjoy the pictures!
-r

Taken using the Decopic app

The Bee showing off the ball

Taken with Pic w/ words app

I've got a hater!

We Like to Move it!

The Bee has been diagnosed with allergies, both seasonal and food, since she was two so when I was asked to be a part of the Claritin Mom Crew I was all over it and really excited. Free samples, access to informatuion and an online suport group willing to listen to me gripe about allergies? Yes please!

Upon the release of Madagascar Three, some of the Claritin moms were asked to host a screening parties for the first two Madagascar movies. I had a small gathering and invite you to read more on the review blog, Review it Rah-shay.

#vlogmom: Dream Vacation

June 18: Elizabeth Norton from edVAcation asks: If you could travel anywhere (no expenses) Where would you go and why?

I answered in two parts: One for the family and one alone.
Here it goes:

Write a Review Wednesday: Goodnight Moon

When Pop was born, one of our neighbors gave her a copy of Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon. When I would put Pop to bed and we would read together, this book would be oh so soothing as we ended a the day with a quiet story. When The Bee was born she was gifted with Pop's copy; which we would read over and over.

Since working as a library chick, Goodnight Moon is a favorite for my infants and toddlers. Most of them are familiar with the story and they love hearing something they already know. Their parents also enjoy listening to the book (although I do think lots of parents, myself included, enjoy being read to) and it makes for good times.

Yesterday Abbe filmed me reading the book and my attempts at signing it. By no means am I claiming any expertise. I think signing is fun and I love it.





Thanks for watching!
-r

On the Hooks: Rachee Crochets

So, remember way back when I talked about Rachee Crochets? I've been hemming and hawing but now have some things in the works. More later but first let me chat about where my hooking habits have been. Lately I haven't been crocheting much but with summer reading in full swing I have been taking a stab at changing that. I am behind; my summer reading program has been in effect for TWO days and I am still not finished that darn octopus. Tonight I swear my crochet goals are to actually get the head done. Despite purple yarn gracing several hooks, the head is still in various stages of complete. Just as soon as I begin the ball I find myself frogging it; I seem unable to count and crochet in the round at the same time.

I took it to the Google to look for more octopus (octopi?) patterns and found a tutorial for an Octavio. My nitpicky Rachee thing is that I don't like the look of the legs but that is really OK. If I can get the head done then perhaps I'll be more motivated to get the legs together.









Now, back to Rachee Crochets. Since I have been knitting (squares and box things but for my money that's knitting baby!) I wanted to find something that didn't sound/appear limiting. I also wanted a cool logo (I have a very talented artist helping me with that!). On Monday, July 9th I will make an offical announcement but I can tell you that I have volunteered to make items to donate to my social media group's summer fling. 


Most of the moms in the group love the Doctor (Seuss, not Who)and I thought I would give this pattern I found on Pinterest from Micah Makes a whirl. It's a hat and, well I loves me some hats!

Source: crochetconcupiscence.com via Rachée on Pinterest

I also wanted to make a light scarf, but really didn't see anything that made me want to hook. A cowl was the next thing and I really like this pattern that I found on Moogly. It's a bit heavier than I was thinking but it looks so elegant and fun to make. Who ever the lucky winner can save it for fall.

Source: mooglyblog.com via Shelly on Pinterest

Stay tuned; July 3rd I will be making the official announcement. I'm excited and ready for some yarny goodness.

Happily Hooking,
-r

Monday Listicles: Ten Bens

Once again I am joining in on The Good Life's Monday Listicles and this week the prompt was suggested by her friend Kim from The G is Silent (awesome blog name!) and she wants to know what is what are you going to do with 1000 dollars.



Usually I have a whole lottery thing that I do and its always frivolous but I have a leak in my house that is a pain in the ass so I kinda feel that I should do something mature (pronounced mah-TOUR) instead of pissing it away but then I realize that it's only 1000 dollars (not only but not enough to be replacing all of my pipes) and frivolity reigns!

So here be my ten things I'm gonna do with my ten Bens.

1. Get a couple of those Living Social Deals for maid service for home and work 'cause, well my work and home area are a hot mess. (Did you see the picture of my desk from last week?)

2. Go get my hair did.
I'm cheap I like to do my hair myself but hair doing is not among my skill set so days after retwisting my hair it looks...we'll call it tired. I try to fake it but there is totes no faking the fuzzy mess that is the front of my hair.

3. Take The Bee to Whole Foods or Martindale's and let her have at it. Eating dairy free is not too bad but it's kind of expensive. Our normal market doesn't always have what we want and when we do make the trips to specialty type store I always experience a mini TIA when I get the bill.
(I would insert a clip of The Simpsons from that time they went to "Wellness" Food but can't find it)

4. Get some new underwear. There is something about a bra and drawers that fit that can set the whole tone for the day. It's a total "for me" thing. I mean, I'm sure someone else will benefit Effin Guy but these would really truly be for my own peace of mind. Today when I looked down I swear my left boob was smushier than the right and if I have to adjust my strap ONE MORE TIME....

5. Get my kid and nephew gift cards to Wawa. That way they can stay out of my pockets and I won't have to go digging for change all of the time. These kids are always hustling me for a dollar or something to drink from Wawa which is never really "something to drink" it's more like a whole lot of stuff that they don't always eat and they are forever spilling it in my car.

6. Get a ton of FreshPet food for Lil. Plus a little fridge to keep it in. That way she can stop running to the big fridge each time we open the door.

7. Of course, some yarn. Lots and lots of the good stuff, things that are found in places that spell shop "shoppe" and always have pictures of sheep all over.
 7.a. The yarn would need lovely places to be stored so lots and lots of decorative fancy baskets. I am partial to these I found on this site. Really any would do but since Lil is home alone, a LOT, and is always in my yarn *shakes fist and rolls eyes* I would need something with lids. 

8. Lil would be all over these baskets like a fly on honey so I would get one of those ridiculously huge kitty climbing things that she would probably ignore. Or scratch and then ignore. Or maybe climb to to the top and hide and then lazily swipe at anyone who passes. That last thing.

9. Get my car detailed. 
I'll be honest. The inside of my car is just plain nasty.

10. Finally take mom out for a mani/pedi. She loves getting her nails done and she can't always get there when it's time.

I am sure I spent $1000 plus but in this instance my time and money would be able to be stretched. Cause I said so.

Now. What would YOU do with Ten Bens?


Wanting a Ben but only finding an Abe,
-r

Flashback Friday: Summer Reading starts Monday!

My summer reading program starts Monday and (shocker) I am not feeling ready. I almost had an anxiety attack when all of a sudden I remembered that it's not brain surgery, it's supposed to be fun and, most importantly...I got this.

Here are a few gratuitous moments from summer past

First, here is a link to the making of a zombie: Work Slays.
The reason why I can be so confident (cocky?) about summer: I've been prepping for a while via Pinterest.
Rachel Isadora's lovely book, Say Hello! Was a great way to get ready for last year's theme of One World, Many Stories.
The time I questioned myself about serving my library people.

This was a short one. I'm battling this...

This is...Damn

to get ready for this:

I'm losing.

Hoping for a great summer,
-r

Between the Covers: The Artist's Way

My blogging life is full of wants: I want to be a more confident, stronger writer. I want to sit down at the computer and have the words flow effortlessly. I want to be more creative. So I was all over the sign up for Julia Cameron's The Artist Way. 


The toolkit has been described as 

My Artist's Way by Julia Cameron has motivated millions of aspiring and professional artists around the world to discover and recover their creative selves. Now some of the most powerful practices from The Artist's Way have been adapted to create My Artist's Way Toolkit, an interactive experience that will allow you to:·   UNBLOCK yourself with powerful Artist's Way exercises
·   TRACE your creative process in your own personal Artist's Way Creativity Notebook
·   RECEIVE Daily Inspirations, Affirmations, and Artist's Date ideas from Julia

I figured that my wants would be met with her toolkit, something that would inspire and encourage my creativity, and the artist in me would come undone. However I found that using the Toolkit was a bit of a struggle for me. First, using the toolkit as an app on my smart phone made for some frustration that I will totally own as my issue. I prefer to keep it old school as far as journaling go; a pen and notebook works better. Also, I found that as a night owl, the morning pages were a source of frustration. It felt like just one more thing to add to an already hectic morning schedule.

I used the app on my Smartphone and found that I restricted myself as I tip tapped answers. The contract I signed kept me more willing to work on the prompts but really, I would often find myself ignoring the app to scribble in my notebook. I appreciated that the exercises provided spanned a whole week. A week was enough time to visit and revisit each prompt and it’s interesting to read over my writing and see how my thoughts and perceptions changed along with my mood.

Using my PC, I enjoyed the process more. Even though I feel that I am not a strong typist, I felt free to type without worry of hitting the wrong key or being interrupted by a call. 


All in all while I enjoyed using the toolkit, I don’t think it’s something I would keep up with. Despite allowing myself to write when I wanted, I still felt the pressure perform and resented the feeling. The hard copy I was able to use allowed me the delight of a print book and the satisfaction of using my notebook without the pressure of digital journaling.

But, you don’t have to take my word for it; there are other bloggers who have reviewed this tool and have had varying success. For more on My Artist’s Way Toolkit visit BlogHer and join the conversation.

r’s note: Disclosure: I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

The Digital Family Summit.

In which The Bee and I get connected.


The Bee has dutifully listened to my exploits about Book Expo America (each day I remember something else about that conference that makes me smile) and asked the inevitable:
"When can I go to a conference with you?"

I'm always reluctant to answer; the first time I took her to a conference it was overwhelming, nerve wrecking (me) and I was like never again. True, it was years ago and along with The Bee there was Dill, Pop and Buffy. Trying to keep everyone together, see everything everybody wanted to see, not to mention cram it all in one day...Ouch!

So when I found out that the Digital Family Summit was in Philadelphia AND was something that catered to kids, I was interested. The Bee has been thinking about blogging, has been making videos and instead of fighting the idea of her being online I figure why not educate her, and myself, about ways to enhance what she knows, keep us both safe and secure online and hook up with local social media types.

The lineup sounds fantastic! My friends Cecily and Dresden are both speaking at the conference (possible carpool opps!). Other speakers include social media experts that I follow on Twitter and we will get to meet them in real life.

Looking at the schedule, the sessions seem like there will be an abundance of information to be had. The Bee has already picked a few that she wants to check out and I am glad that she is as excited as I am to be going.

There is still time to register. The conference is being held June 30-July 1st and if you use the code "FRIENDS" you can get 30% off. Check out the Digital Family Summit, the lineup, speakers and more here.

I am so looking forward to sharing my social media life with The Bee, learning more and just a family friendly event.

Hope to see  you there!
If you're going, please leave a comment so that we can connect!
-r

Child, Please!

Ok I lied. I was all set to hit the sack but had to do my Twitter troll (don't ask) and came across a tweet from Northwest Mommy and remembered that I wanted to participate in her Monday blog hop, Monday Listicles. 


So, here it goes:
The prompt for today is 10 Things that Make You Go Hmmm. This topic was suggested by Erin and Ellen from the Sensible Moms. 


So. Things that make me go, Child, Please.


1. Ten Weeks off for summer vacation. 
Sure I enjoyed long lazy summers as a kid but come on, why are our children, who supposedly are all being left behind (education, not rapture wise) being given ten-eleven weeks of doing nothing? That said:


2. Why does a good quality camp cost so much damn money? Seriously, I looked into a camp for my kid and it was a science camp that I thought she would get a kick out of. It was $360. Per week. And if I needed, I could pay for before and after care. 


3.Speaking of kid, what the heck is up with her school having half days for the rest of the week? Really, other than ensuring I get to work on time (Hell, even early!) this week, I cannot see why we must pretend that the last few days of school are going to be something more than her and her classmates helping the teacher clean the class room for the rest of the year.


4. When did I get so old? Specifically, when did I stop hearing high pitched sounds? We were listening to something that sounded like cats yowling and The Bee was happily singing along. Four feline duets later I asked if we could put on another song. She was all, Mom! We heard like four songs. I called shenanigans, she said I was being extra and the rest of the ride was spent listening to Steve Inskeep (NPR).


5. How come old episodes of The Simpsons don't come on TV anymore? I want to see some old Side Show Bob eps, more Patty and Selma, less sexy Simpsons.


6. Why do people litter? I swear, Wise potato chip bags dot my lawn, soda bottles decorate my front steps. Dudes! Use a trash can. That said, why do kids think the cleaning fairy is going to take care of the dishes, pick up shoes, put away stuff? My kid has no problem leaving a trail in her wake and then getting an attitude when I ask her to pick up. (I mean I'm no neat freak; while typing I can easily spot a room full of hotspots but dang!)


7. Why do people with smelly diapers think its OK to wait to change them. It never is! You will not miss a thing if you take care of that bomb.


8. Why do people think it's appropriate to wear tight, ill fitting garments? I dig; there is a little more of me to love lately but really madam? You should have two boos, not four. (I can speak because I am a member of #teamchunk)


9. Why are people so inconsiderate? When did common manners, common courtesy and common sense become bad words? Today a little girl routinely called people names (Stupid was her go to) and when corrected she rolled her eyes. 


10. Why do I fight sleep? I should have gone to sleep about an hour ago but here I be, tip, tapping away.




Check out the other things that make people "Go Hmm" (click on the shoes above) or  share your own!
Now I've got that Crash Test Dummies song in my head. Which is better than C & C Music Factory I suppose.


Heading back to the 90's,
-r


          

The Perfect Friend

I watch as she applies another layer of Downtown Brown lip gloss on already shiny lips. Vee, as always, is sharp, dressed like she has just stepped off of the pages of a fashion magazine and had had her makeup done by a professional. I attempt to sink lower in my seat when my legs make a loud sucking sound which causes Vee to shoot me the look I dubbed, "You're on my list." Sit up Dear. Don't slouch she commands. I chew at my lips, hoping to bring some color to those two brownish blobs and pull the sleeves of my ragged sweatshirt over my ragged nails. Vee glares again and holds my stare until I sit up in the seat. She rolls her eyes and caps the Downtown Brown, glancing across the parking lot.

We are meeting at the local coffee shop, my coffee shop, until the day Vee decided that it was her coffee shop and that I couldn't be there without her permission or without her present. Sometimes she says I can't be there even if she is present and in order to stay I must beg. I am blinking quickly, thinking about the last time she made me beg. It was in the same booth we now sit, the booth that i shared with new friends. With him. This group liked me, they didn't care for Vee's...charms. They had invited me to share a latte and danish and we were laughing when Vee slinked in. That day she was wearing impossibly high shoes, impossibly tight jeans and a low cut shirt that showed off a beautiful lacy bra. My lacy bra. She waved away her relaxed locks with ease and practice and her eyes danced across our group until they locked on mine. A smile, grimace played on her face and she asked in that growling voice of her's What are you doing, dear?

The group, friendly enough and always welcoming, thought it was a true request about our activities. But I knew better. Vee is pissed that I had dared break her rules and she was going to make me pay. I stammered a reply which would may have been OK if not for the dismissal. It wasn't rude, but Vee wasn't the focus of everyone's attention. The group. My group acknowledged her but she didn't get their undivided attention. Eyes slide over to her and fell away quickly. Conversations didn't pause and Vee was not happy.

Vee's eyes flashed and she dug into her bag for her tube of Downtown Brown.She jammed some on her lips and gracefully folded herself into a chair. She accepted a cup of coffee and held the cup in her hand as she stared at me.

If looks could kill.

As the evening went on, Vee gripped her cup of tepid coffee, studying the table next to us. She grabbed a balled up napkin and dropped it into her cup. She used a spoon to mix the concoction and smiled innocently at me. Let's play, dear It wasn't a request.

Nervously I smiled. Playing was not what she wanted. Total humiliation was her aim and before I could respond she grabbed my cup and moved it away from my reach. Drink, dear another command as she thrust her cup at me.  I turned my head but she kept her eyes locked on mine. I tried to laugh but a dry chuckle tickled my throat.

Drink she commanded. She pushed her cup towards me. Inside I screamed but calmly I pushed the cup away and shook my head. Vee smiled without showing her teeth and my heart sank.

Drink This time she whispered so quietly that her lips barely moved. I swallowed and as loud as I could I croaked out, No.

Vee held the cup and looked at me with that slight smile. She stretched her legs and let her eyes rake across the table. Have a good one she muttered and let the cup fly towards me.

Chill! The table cried as we all scattered away from soggy napkin coffee. I leapt away too but not before Vee grabbed me. You made a huge mistake she hissed and stomped out, her heels beating an angry tattoo.

That was four days ago so when she calls I am surprised. I haven't been able to sleep, I've been getting strange calls and there is the hushed whispers when I walk by. I don't like this. I don't like the way I feel. I don't like the stares, whispers.

We are sitting in the coffee shop and she looks at me. I fish into my pocket and pull out my own tube of gloss. Vee grabs my tube and studies it. She begins to undo the cap.

Stop. I whisper.

Vee pauses. Now it's mine she says and smiles in a sticky, sweet way.

No.

Yes. Dear.

Vee rips a napkin from the dispenser and wipes away her gloss. Downtown Brown. She reads the label of my gloss. Burnt Raisin? It's just like you to get a second rate version of my stuff.

Vee! I start but it's too late. She is coating her lips with my Burnt Raisin and smacking them together. Smack, rub, rub, stick.

Mmbrgh she exclaims.

I smile and sit up. Vee, Dear I purr. I shake my head and force her to look at me. Vee. DEAR I speak louder and her eyes meet mine.

I warned you.

I smile and tears form in her eyes.


I grab the Burnt Raisin tube and hold it in my palm. In the other palm I flash the tube of super glue.

Dear, now it's your turn to beg.






r's note: This post is inspired by mystery thriller GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. They may not have the perfect marriage, but after Amy goes missing, Nick becomes the number one suspect. Can he discover what happened before it's too late? Join From Left to Write on June 12 as we discuss Gone Girl. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

It's Friday!

Yes.
I've posted this picture all over but I think it's funny.
Here it goes again.






- Posted on the go

#BEA12: A Quick Post about the Conference

So, my first BEA and whew baby!
It's the best of books, book related materials, authors and bloggers showcased in one place. I was so fortunate to be able to hang with Pam, The Unconventional Librarian and Kim, the brains and wonder behind my online book discussion group From Left to Write. (We had some very interesting discussions in the hotel and why don't I have a picture of all of us together?)

I will attempt a proper post in a few but here nine things to hold you until then (in no particular order):

Not Simon Pegg but JENNY got Simon to
 hold twine, Jenny is holding my yarn
so ipso facto, it's a connection

1. Meeting the Bloggess. I follow Jenny on Twitter and when she was after my Simon for a picture of him holding a ball of twine I was all a gaga. She is so funny, cusses and encouraging.

2. The books!
Oh dear Barbara...the books. I have heard mentioned that BEA was overwhelming, wonderful and amazing. It's all of that and more.

3. The parties!
I was fortunate to attend a few as a "plus one" and let me tell ya...book people can party. Hard. Don't let the stereotypes about nerds and such fool you. At the Random House breakfast someone mentioned that book people have to have strong livers. He wasn't lying! I even had a few cocktails.

Eric Smith Rocks for real
Don't tell Effin Guy!

4. I finally got to meet @ericsmithrocks in person and honey, let me tell you...he is hot. Hot. HOT! Like Damn! He's fine, no FOINE and I swooned a bit. And, yes; there may have been some groping involved (not really but some thoughts about it).
r's addendum: He's awesome and smart but that's a given. I'm totally being superficial.

5. Overheard: I forget the blogger who said this and I really wish I could credit her but the phrase "BEA Hot" which means that dude (or woman if that's your thing) who you wouldn't glance at on the street, is now the person that you would chase down and stalk at the convention. This does not apply to Eric. He is All the Time Hot. *fans self*

6. Conference Maladies

• Conference Shoulder: What you get lugging around 50 (or more) pounds of books, bags, takeaways, etc
• Convention Feet: The pain your feet experience after walking miles and miles to visit displays, see authors, back and forth to hotel rooms, etc.
• Conference belly: sharing a room with people is hard. Eating on the go is hard. The two don't mesh well when you need to, ah, use the facilities.
• Convention Meltdowns: Experienced when people (me) have had enough of other convention folk. You know who I'm talking about...the people who stop in the middle of a crowded aisle to chat, adjust all of their crap, scratch their butt. In the way folks who are, well in the way. 

7. Other bloggers.
It was so trippy to meet up with other bloggers. Some of them have even read some of my stuff (dude!). The variety and talent that I met was so inspiring and there are so many new blogs to explore and read!
The Well Read Wife who was so lively and fun during her session.@4everYA who said she was going to go all "Swimfan" on John Green. There are so many others but I kinda misplaced the badge I had and all of the cards with them.

8. The authors.
Let the name drop begin (to the Tune of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire)
Ledisi, Rosemary Wells, Mo Willems and Jeff Kinney.
The Pinkneys, so dignified, and EB White who cool as ice.
Judge Lynn Toler, R L Stine, Kurt from "Glee" (boy he shined!)
Joy Bauer, Kevin Pollack, Michael and Megahn....there's more to come!

Ledisi

Rosemary Wells

Mo' Better Books

The Pinkneys

We were making silly, silly faces. Kevin won

Michael Ian Black and Megan McCain.
Michael is indeed a sexy bitch

Joy Bauer

R.L. Stine from afar (that line was like 100+ deep yo!)

9. Lack of Outlets.
So. The good folks at Javits want you to pay for power. I dig; I read City of Ember but dang! I would have a 100% battery at 9:00AM and by 11:27 be down to 55%. Forget trying to take a picture! Next year I'm totes getting a charger.

The Great White Whale of power
Found at Blog World

Being in New York was cool. The Bolt bus that we took up there was interesting (yes, I did get motion sick) but so worth it. The city was huge, bright, loud, extravagant, wonderful and just a thrill. The conference was all of those things and more and I've already got my sights set on June of 2013.

I can hardly wait!

Wondering what book to read first,
-r

Some of my booty