Yes, I'm being nice. Read on and you'll understand the post title.
This morning, it was storming. We had lightning. We had thunder. We had rain. It wasn't torrential, so that wasn't an issue. The lightning seemed to subside and I thought that we would be okay walking to the bus stop. K-, having listened to my words in the past (hooray) said, "Mom, it is thundering. When you have thunder, you have lightning." I've taught her to treat thunder just like lightning, because you just never know. Her case seemed reasonable enough. I did the car shuffle as she put her shoes on and we drove the two driveways down to the bus stop.
By the way, we were the third car to do that.
We live on a three block street. The middle block is where the kids pick up the bus. Two cars were parked and waiting with their children. They were pointed towards the intersection. I was parked on the opposite side with the back of my car facing the intersection. That left a 1 car alley between the bus stop parent's cars for additional vehicles to get through. I waited until I saw the flashing bus lights stop reflecting off of a neighbors gutter, then gave K- and E- the okay to proceed to the stop. I saw a car coming down the road. K- saw it, too and stopped. At this point, the bus had proceeded into the intersection and was blocking the intersection about 2/3 of the way.
The car kept coming towards the intersection. K- was still standing next to the car, her door still partially open as she was afraid to step away enough to shut it and to proceed.
She was trapped, the intersection blocked by bus, a car coming at her and NOT stopping. I popped my car door open thinking that perhaps that would stop the car.
The car kept coming.
Finally, I opened my car door all the way and stuck my STOP! hand out at her. She stopped, allowed K- and E- to cross (she couldn't have gone anywhere anyhow) and then proceeded towards the intersection.
She then skinnied in around the backside of the bus and proceeded to wiggle around it and keep on with her left hand turn. The bus was pointed the opposite way, so it wasn't like she drove down alongside the bus, but couldn't she have waited?
It happens at that intersection all the time.
It is not a busy intersection.
It is an intersection off the busy street and intersecting only a secondary and tertiary road.
My child and E- safely entered the bus, but I was miffed to say the least. The other mom there was miffed, as well. My friend said she would have gone after them, but I said that I had no way to be able to.
I do believe that an e-mail to the local police might be in order. Cars need to wait for the bus to clear the intersection before proceeding. It has become an issue. It is an issue that needs to be nipped in the bud.
Thoughts?
ETA: I spent some time speaking with the city police traffic department and then they referred me to the city school bus garage. The lady in charge of the bus garage listened to my situation and told me that part of the problem is that the bus is not supposed to be blocking the intersection. An easy fix to the situation is to have the bus driver pick the kids up on the corner just across the street. It's just a hop and a skip further, then the traffic has to obey the lights. This way, the children will be able to cross in front of the bus, rather than waiting until after the bus pulls away. Hopefully, this will resolve the issues. I'm sure that will put a bit of a crink into Doofus Lady's britches when she finds out that she can't cut across any longer. Ooo, and she may consider just going down to the other end of the block and turning at the traffic light.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
hello.
I've been up to my eyeballs in fundraiser stuff for the school. The fundraiser did fantastically well, but there is a lot of finalization of prizes and whatnot that need to be dealt with. I think that the kids will be happy with the items that I have chosen for them, but I can't wait to get that all wrapped up.
I have been on the quest to lose 20 pounds and so far, I am down 5. I've stuck to my Lenten sacrifice of no eating after dinner, though I admit that I'm definitely hungry much. Not only that, but I have really put a concerted effort into eating better and again, most of the time I'm just plain starved. I've found that in giving up evening eating, I can now see what mindless snacking that I was guilty of.
Hubs called yesterday and said, "Bring something home for dinner." K- was so sad when I came in with a prescription, some Puffs for the allergy suffering Hubs, but no premade grocery offerings. In 20 minutes, I had turkey bacon sandwiches made with cottage cheese on lettuce cups. It was delightful. I treated myself to a serving of frozen Greek Yogurt and all was well.
Still :grumbly in my tumbly: I'm hungry. I'll get used to the cut down of food eventually.
Weather is in the high 60's and we have high tree pollen to match. Thank goodness for good allergy drugs!
ETA: Darn that Kindle and the auto correct. Sometimes it blops the weirdest things in there. I think that I managed to correct the few weird "corrections" it made. Sorry! I was blogging at lunch!
I have been on the quest to lose 20 pounds and so far, I am down 5. I've stuck to my Lenten sacrifice of no eating after dinner, though I admit that I'm definitely hungry much. Not only that, but I have really put a concerted effort into eating better and again, most of the time I'm just plain starved. I've found that in giving up evening eating, I can now see what mindless snacking that I was guilty of.
Hubs called yesterday and said, "Bring something home for dinner." K- was so sad when I came in with a prescription, some Puffs for the allergy suffering Hubs, but no premade grocery offerings. In 20 minutes, I had turkey bacon sandwiches made with cottage cheese on lettuce cups. It was delightful. I treated myself to a serving of frozen Greek Yogurt and all was well.
Still :grumbly in my tumbly: I'm hungry. I'll get used to the cut down of food eventually.
Weather is in the high 60's and we have high tree pollen to match. Thank goodness for good allergy drugs!
ETA: Darn that Kindle and the auto correct. Sometimes it blops the weirdest things in there. I think that I managed to correct the few weird "corrections" it made. Sorry! I was blogging at lunch!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Pink slime, school lunch and the Lunch Lady.
You have read in previous posts that my daughter is unable to eat school lunches. You know, when she started school, I thought school lunch was what I had. The lunch was served on plates on trays with ladies and nets on their heads scooping and serving.
That's not how it is now and I had absolutely no idea until I actually saw it. I have probably mentioned before that K-'s school lunches are served in little waxed squares with cellophane wrap and dished out on a little styrofoam tray as a carrier.
Can we all say, "Yum?"
I had a beef with the lunches when we finally figured out about a month into kindergarten that they were making her ill, school was sending her home and it was just triggering her reflux. No problem. I promised to never allow her to get school lunch again.
K- has recently had a hankerin' to participate in the lunch retrieval with her friends. I came to a decision, let her in on it and it works for everyone.
Last year, when the Lunch Lady was talking to me while I was updating 100 Book Challenge, we got to talking about K-'s school lunch intolerance. Remembering that, I went to talk to Mrs. S- today to iron out some permission. What we have is this-- K- may eat the fresh items that are available. They occasionally have salads, short cut carrots and dip, apple slices, a banana and broccoli (at least those are on for this month) and Mrs. S- said that K- can come through her line and she'll let her roll with fresh stuff only. Mandate for free lunch (there is no charge to any student in the elementary) is that they must take three things. White milk is considered as one and it is skim. Hooray! If they don't have suitable "fresh" items, K- can get what she needs and place the illegal item "in the middle" so the other kids can take it if wanted. K-'s been getting salad and broccoli from the middle anyhow, so it is the pit of extra pickin's. K- did eat the chili a few weeks ago, which gave me an absolute heart attack. "But mom, it didn't even give me a stomach ache or anything!" Mrs. S- and I were discussing that today and she said, "It's because it was vegetarian!" Well, there you go. She said it was delicious. It made me feel better knowing it didn't involve pink slime. She's still not going to be cleared to eat school lunch "cooked" items. It's not Mrs. S-'s fault. She doesn't cook it. She only warms it as she is supposed to do.
Rachael sent me an e-mail with a link to the pink slime report just released. I watched the video and told her that she had missed the episode of the Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver where they showed how to make pink slime from miscellaneous beef trimmings, ammonia and a front loading washer. The idea that unusable bits of animal are gassed with ammonia, ground up and considered meat because it is pink is just beyond gross. What is more disturbing is that groceries (not all) are including this "lean textured meat" as a part of their meat is really nasty. I mean, is the fattening of America and the nasticious diseases that we have in adults and children bad enough, or shall we go ahead and fill them up with chemically treated ground up bits? Mmmmm. Sign me up!
My sister buys a bulk (but not all, though today I think that it will be ALL) of her meat at a local meat farm. She said that there is a sign on their door that says, "Friends don't let friends buy grocery store meat." I told her that I buy only Amish chickens because they aren't beefed up with antibiotics and crap. I told her the brand that I buy and when she was an apprentice butcher, she said that was all she would buy. She said that there was considerable difference between the Amish chicken and the more corporately grown chickens. I know where the farms are. I've been past the farms. They have nothing to hide, proudly hang the sign outside of their farms labeling that they are a grower of that brand of chicken and everyone looks happy.
I was vegetarian for years and pink slime makes me reconsider returning to that. Truly, it isn't out of the realm of dinner offerings for me to have made meatless meals several times a week. Even though we don't eat red meat, me thinks that veggies will continue showing up even more and more and meat less and less.
That's not how it is now and I had absolutely no idea until I actually saw it. I have probably mentioned before that K-'s school lunches are served in little waxed squares with cellophane wrap and dished out on a little styrofoam tray as a carrier.
Can we all say, "Yum?"
I had a beef with the lunches when we finally figured out about a month into kindergarten that they were making her ill, school was sending her home and it was just triggering her reflux. No problem. I promised to never allow her to get school lunch again.
K- has recently had a hankerin' to participate in the lunch retrieval with her friends. I came to a decision, let her in on it and it works for everyone.
Last year, when the Lunch Lady was talking to me while I was updating 100 Book Challenge, we got to talking about K-'s school lunch intolerance. Remembering that, I went to talk to Mrs. S- today to iron out some permission. What we have is this-- K- may eat the fresh items that are available. They occasionally have salads, short cut carrots and dip, apple slices, a banana and broccoli (at least those are on for this month) and Mrs. S- said that K- can come through her line and she'll let her roll with fresh stuff only. Mandate for free lunch (there is no charge to any student in the elementary) is that they must take three things. White milk is considered as one and it is skim. Hooray! If they don't have suitable "fresh" items, K- can get what she needs and place the illegal item "in the middle" so the other kids can take it if wanted. K-'s been getting salad and broccoli from the middle anyhow, so it is the pit of extra pickin's. K- did eat the chili a few weeks ago, which gave me an absolute heart attack. "But mom, it didn't even give me a stomach ache or anything!" Mrs. S- and I were discussing that today and she said, "It's because it was vegetarian!" Well, there you go. She said it was delicious. It made me feel better knowing it didn't involve pink slime. She's still not going to be cleared to eat school lunch "cooked" items. It's not Mrs. S-'s fault. She doesn't cook it. She only warms it as she is supposed to do.
Rachael sent me an e-mail with a link to the pink slime report just released. I watched the video and told her that she had missed the episode of the Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver where they showed how to make pink slime from miscellaneous beef trimmings, ammonia and a front loading washer. The idea that unusable bits of animal are gassed with ammonia, ground up and considered meat because it is pink is just beyond gross. What is more disturbing is that groceries (not all) are including this "lean textured meat" as a part of their meat is really nasty. I mean, is the fattening of America and the nasticious diseases that we have in adults and children bad enough, or shall we go ahead and fill them up with chemically treated ground up bits? Mmmmm. Sign me up!
My sister buys a bulk (but not all, though today I think that it will be ALL) of her meat at a local meat farm. She said that there is a sign on their door that says, "Friends don't let friends buy grocery store meat." I told her that I buy only Amish chickens because they aren't beefed up with antibiotics and crap. I told her the brand that I buy and when she was an apprentice butcher, she said that was all she would buy. She said that there was considerable difference between the Amish chicken and the more corporately grown chickens. I know where the farms are. I've been past the farms. They have nothing to hide, proudly hang the sign outside of their farms labeling that they are a grower of that brand of chicken and everyone looks happy.
I was vegetarian for years and pink slime makes me reconsider returning to that. Truly, it isn't out of the realm of dinner offerings for me to have made meatless meals several times a week. Even though we don't eat red meat, me thinks that veggies will continue showing up even more and more and meat less and less.
What's your take? Don't worry, anything you say can't offend.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
They actually had to post a sign.
I was at school and saw two signs on the doors. Our doors are locked down (as I believe everyone's are at this point) and one sign was giving directions on how to get buzzed in. Many people are just shy of tossing themselves against the door. I guess that the smaller sign wasn't quite bold enough.
The second sign is what made me laugh. It says something to the effect of, "When picking up your child/ren, please discontinue any cell phone use until after. Please wear proper attire when coming into the school." In parentheses it states something about proper attire to go out into public and to conduct business and something to the effect of pajamas not being that.
They also had to state the need for photo ID needed when retrieving a child.
I was talking with the secretary and said, "You know, I'm sure that it was something really good that prompted the signs on the door. I'm not digging for dirt because it isn't my business, but I can only figure that you guys would be able to write volumes."
"You have no idea. The PTA should really consider buying me a camera."
'Nuff said.
The second sign is what made me laugh. It says something to the effect of, "When picking up your child/ren, please discontinue any cell phone use until after. Please wear proper attire when coming into the school." In parentheses it states something about proper attire to go out into public and to conduct business and something to the effect of pajamas not being that.
They also had to state the need for photo ID needed when retrieving a child.
I was talking with the secretary and said, "You know, I'm sure that it was something really good that prompted the signs on the door. I'm not digging for dirt because it isn't my business, but I can only figure that you guys would be able to write volumes."
"You have no idea. The PTA should really consider buying me a camera."
'Nuff said.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Celebrating with people we love.
So excited to celebrate with Janeen at Our Story (our sweet cousin) and Heather (a blogless friend-- can you imagine?!) that they are both expecting babies! Janeen is due very near my birthday, so I've asked that she consider holding on. (Yeah, like that's gonna happen, but she's been known to hold babies after due date.) Baby will be joining two very excited brothers. Heather is expecting their 4th and is scrambling to work out a house plan that will fit another human into their living space. She's expecting sometime in October.
As a mama who the traditional route of mommyhood didn't come by so easily for, both of these ladies know the story and know that I hold my breath until they get past the 22 1/2 week time frame. I tell y'all, I respect women with interiors that bake and hold babies for the allotted time frame. (Not that I don't respect other women for other things, but y'all know where I'm going with this.)
In other baby news ('cause we get surrounded by those baby bits, don't we?), Hubs' cousin and his wife are expecting the arrival of baby Cooper this Saturday. Mama is an ER resident at a local hospital and updated Facebook (it was sent to me since you read about my Facebooklessness yesterday) that she had delivered 12 babies in 5 days and most of those women weren't as far along as she was. Cooper will be joining his sisters, A- and E-. So happy for them and hoping that L- can take a spot of time off to be rested mama for a few. I tell you, they juggle everything and it is amazing. I have no idea how L- and B- do it all.
Babies, babies everywhere!
As a mama who the traditional route of mommyhood didn't come by so easily for, both of these ladies know the story and know that I hold my breath until they get past the 22 1/2 week time frame. I tell y'all, I respect women with interiors that bake and hold babies for the allotted time frame. (Not that I don't respect other women for other things, but y'all know where I'm going with this.)
In other baby news ('cause we get surrounded by those baby bits, don't we?), Hubs' cousin and his wife are expecting the arrival of baby Cooper this Saturday. Mama is an ER resident at a local hospital and updated Facebook (it was sent to me since you read about my Facebooklessness yesterday) that she had delivered 12 babies in 5 days and most of those women weren't as far along as she was. Cooper will be joining his sisters, A- and E-. So happy for them and hoping that L- can take a spot of time off to be rested mama for a few. I tell you, they juggle everything and it is amazing. I have no idea how L- and B- do it all.
Babies, babies everywhere!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tales from the Trenches: Friendships gone Facebook.
Hubs and I don't do Facebook. No offense to all who do, but we're anti-Facebook.
Y'all, we're in a minority.
There have been several occasions in the recent years that I've found out about different happenings with family and friends long after, because I was told, "Oh, I posted that on Facebook." They forget that I'm not one of a number of friends that they have on Facebook, so thus I'm left in the dust. I don't mean to make it all about me, but I miss the days that the telephone would ring and tell me the latest news with that member of my family or a friend.
Don't get me wrong. I understand Facebook being convenient and people getting together with people that they haven't seen in moons because of Facebook. I've also see the other side where a friend actually lost her job because of Facebook.
I've missed baby pictures.
I've missed job updates.
I've missed family updates.
I've missed requests for prayer.
I've missed praises.
I've missed frustration regarding class situations with one of K-'s friends.
I've recently missed information regarding a friend's mission trip abroad.
I've missed a lot of things.
How do you feel about Facebook? Do you miss things?
Y'all, we're in a minority.
There have been several occasions in the recent years that I've found out about different happenings with family and friends long after, because I was told, "Oh, I posted that on Facebook." They forget that I'm not one of a number of friends that they have on Facebook, so thus I'm left in the dust. I don't mean to make it all about me, but I miss the days that the telephone would ring and tell me the latest news with that member of my family or a friend.
Don't get me wrong. I understand Facebook being convenient and people getting together with people that they haven't seen in moons because of Facebook. I've also see the other side where a friend actually lost her job because of Facebook.
I've missed baby pictures.
I've missed job updates.
I've missed family updates.
I've missed requests for prayer.
I've missed praises.
I've missed frustration regarding class situations with one of K-'s friends.
I've recently missed information regarding a friend's mission trip abroad.
I've missed a lot of things.
How do you feel about Facebook? Do you miss things?
Monday, March 5, 2012
My Coke Rewards for Schools: Point matching March 6-7.
Get more points for your school! Go forth and donate! (But wait until Tuesday or Wednesday!)
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