Gimme a break!

So I was just reading an article about that little phone message Alec Baldwin left for his daughter Ireland. (I heard a recording of the message on the news over the weekend). Mr. Baldwin apologized for "losing his temper" and then blamed his wife Kim Bassinger for leaking the recording when all communications (etc) are sealed from the public due to the ongoing court battle. What a jerk! So rather than saying: "yes, I verbally abused my daughter and intentionally proceeded to pyscologically harm her and physically threaten her...", he presents himself as a victim by saying "I'm mad because I got caught. Oh and by the way, it's my ex-wife's fault."

My question would be this, does Mr. Baldwin think that it's ok to verbally abuse a child as long as no one finds out? Because when I read his statements I can't help but think he's more concerned with the image his publicist is going to deal with than with the damage he's done to his daughter. Really I just think he's bugged that Ireland likes her mother better. Wonder why.

What a schmuck!


For a laugh check out msnbc.com "Parental Controls: 10 reasons celebrities shouldn't have kids"

Spring Break!

Our family had a great time visiting St. George, Utah last week. The weather wasn't all that great but it was still comfortable. I so enjoyed being with my children. Whenever we're on vacation and we have time to relax I'm always excited to re-discover them. They are growing up so fast and turning into such great little people. Here's some pictures from our adventures.

condolences

May I add my voice to the many who are expressing sorrow and sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. As I read through the bios of those who lost their lives, I can't help but hope that we all take a moment to show the ones we love and appreciate how much we care. It seems easy to do and yet is all too often something that I overlook each day. I assume they know.

At the same time I can't help but wonder what the family of the shooter is feeling today. My prayers are with them as well. I won't pretend that I don't have my preconceived notions of what drove this man to do what he did. I am trying to look past them. Before yesterday he was just another guy after all. I can only imagine what they will face.

All I can do is make something good from this. I will act when I see someone who appears lonely or depressed. I will try to be a friend to those who may not have any and I will do my best not to judge. In my way, I hope to comfort those who have suffered loss by learning something from their loss. Please take some comfort in knowing that the world is different today not just because of your tragedy but because someone has learned from your tragedy and will do their part to keep it from happening again. Once again, I send this out into the wide expanse and hope that it makes something better.

Volunteer!

I'm trying to help our local PTA get positions filled for next year and I'm having a difficult time. In a moment of frustration I'm going to suggest that everyone take a moment and ask yourself, "what could I do for someone else?" (I'm not suggesting that everyone sign up for PTA.) It's not about spending lots of hours and doing hard physical work (although those are greatly appreciated), it's about doing something to help someone else for no reason other than it feels good. If you're looking for a way to volunteer whether it's locally, or on a bigger scale, try starting at you'r city's web site or local food bank. Churches often have programs in place and could always use more help. There's a never ending list: old folks homes, hospitals, schools and rec leagues. Still can't find anything? Try www.volunteermatch.org. It's a web site that matches people looking to volunteer with companies, non-profits and organizations looking for volunteer help. It's a nice time of year, time to get out and enjoy the revitilzation that comes with spring. Use that energy to help out in your community.

Lock Down

My son asked me again last night if he could get an email address. That was after he wanted me to log him into the chat room his friend invited him to. I'm seriously freaking out here. My son is 10! My husband and I are scrambling to find parental controls that will basically convince my son that there is nothing on the internet worth looking at. Do they make those?
Seriously, I realize that if my children are going to succeed in life they have to have a working knowledge of the interenet and it's functions. My fear stems from all the horror stories I've heard lately. For example, People Magazine (I realize this is fluff) just ran a story about a girl who was abducted, tortured and assaulted by a guy she met online. Locally our law enforcement officers caught a guy meeting a 16 year old girl at a mall to "hook up". He was in his 30's and he had his kids in the car. Then there is the other guy who was a teen himself and had sex with a minor in the bathroom of the local mall. Guess where they met? He didn't even know her name and they had met before. Can you see why I'm a little freaked out? So after I'm done writing this little diatribe I'm going to install a fortress around my "virtual home" and talk to my kids about internet safety. I'll let you know how it goes. If anyone has some good tips, send 'em my way.

The Great Roundup

Spring is here and I'm so excited. I've been watching my rose bushes begin to bud and unfurl their little leaves. It won't be long until I have blooms to cut. The trees are beautiful in all their spring splendor and the warmth of the sun is getting everyone out of doors. As I survey my yard I am excited as I plan the gardening tasks that I need to get done in the next few days and weeks but there is one small smudge on my shiny green thumb outlook. You see, last year my husband got tired of fighting the grass that kept creeping into the rose garden. You know the pesky three blade clumps that somehow climb over the six inch rock edging and within hours have produced a whole colony. After pulling and pulling week after week he simply decided Roundup was the best solution. Now the pragmatist in me says right on! Quick and deadly. No more bending and weeding with no result. It worked in fact until I reminded him that underneath those tyrranical blades of grass rest my Tulip bulbs. All winter I fretted about whether or not the Roundup had penetrated into thier underground incubator. Well I'm here to tell you Roundup doesn't kill tulips! It Mutates them!
This year with great excitement and anticipation I watched my tulips come up, stretch forth their green blades and.....that was it. No blooms, no flowers no nothin'. So in the next few days I will go out and cut off all the green blades, gently cover up the opened earth where they emerged and hope for better next year.

On Target

" I love being a mom", I LOVE being a mom"! This is what I was repeating in my head as I checked out of Target yesterday. No, this isn't my normal behavior I was under duress! As my three year old was literally lying on the floor screaming, (and I'm not exaggerating here), I WANT A SNACK! The checker was really nice but I think that is only because my one year old inexplicably cut her finger on the wall clock I had just picked up in Home Decor and had bled onto the now cracked glass face. By the time the "Target Team Member" brought me a replacement clock my son had worked himself up into a category five tantrum and I had to carry him to the car. At this point he ran away into slow moving, oncoming traffic while I placed his bleeding sister in her car seat. My six year old thought this was all amusing and quite thankfully his laughter convinced me that were still good things in this world. Soon after I found myself at a nearby bakery buying bunny shaped sugar cookies to feed my six year old because the extra time it took to get my hurricane three year old into the car put me off schedule and my kindergartner was now unfed, poorly dressed and late for school.

While it may sound like I'm griping in this post I am actually performing a public service. Because later that night I had to return to Target (alone) to get some things I had forgotten earlier (because I was distracted) and as I was strolling through Home Decor, what do you think I found? The cracked faced, blood covered wall clock I had opted not buy earlier that day. I'm not kidding! There it was in all it's unclean splendor just waiting for Dateline to come do a swab test. So let this be a warning to you, shop alone at Walmart!