The Pirate Fairy

Nannie has a double life. She has the life here in the real world with us. . .and she has another life online. I have to say that as her only daughter (only child period!) I was a little leary (jealous?) of these strangers I don't know, have never met, will never meet as they live who knows where and basically exist virtually. For that matter, it is highly unlikely that Nannie will ever meet these people that she is now calling her friends -- now there IS a conference where these book readers (it's an author's site, so I suppose I shouldn't be TOO worried). So I admit that I may have given Nannie a certain amount of crap about her other state of reality. . .and as is par for the course in my life this week, now I must eat my words!

With Halloween approaching, Nan has been "talking" (on the Boards where she met these friends) about her favorite little man, Bubs, and all of the fun trick or treating activities he has coming up. Bubs is supposed to be a pirate for Halloween, but if you ask him he will tell you that he is going to be Batman or Spiderman. (This late in the game, there are no small-size Batmans or Spidermans, the pirate costume is purchased, was EXPENSIVE and IS going to be worn, I assure you!) So the other night Nannie tells me that "Ginger" has sent Bubs a pirate mask and some lollipop covers -- cute little gobblins that will hold Bub's Halloween suckers. They are the cutest things. . .expertly done too! The mask is a pirate face fully stitched and with a monogrammed eye patch. The mask is incredible, but the sentiment behind it was even more beautiful. It really touched Nannie's heart (and, of course, Bubs loved it). Ginger, thank you so much!!

~KW

I am the Going Green Mom. . .check me out at 918moms.com

This is the first post from my blog as the Going Green Mom at 918moms.com. I thought I would share it with you all. I also encourage you to visit the website. It is a the local website for moms, about moms, created by moms in the 918 area code. I promise you'll find something interesting, helpful, funny and relative!

In February, I took a huge step. . .I started a new job, leaving a company that I had been with for 8 years. Professionally, it was a good step. I had no idea that it would lead to a personal journey to reduce my own carbon footprint. . .
I now work with two ladies, T & V, who are passionate about recycling and it’s contagious. At first they would ask if they could take my empty water bottles, then they started carting my microwave meal boxes home with them to recycle, and one (*cough* V *cough*) has been known to walk in offices to make sure there are no Coke cans in the trash (granted, we actually have aluminum recycling bins in each kitchen in our 23 floor building).
Well, I started to feel guilty. I could easily take my own bottles and boxes home to recycle and the extra steps to the aluminum recycle bin would only add to my daily pedometer goal! So I got a paper grocery bag (now replaced by this cool reusable one!) and set it next to my desk for the bottles. Step one. I also have a bag for the boxes which I now collect from the 5 of us who are on Weight Watchers at work. Step two. And finally I took the biggest step of all. . .incorporating my family (namely my husband) into the process. My dear hubby is an environmental engineer after all (his precious OSU started as an AG college for goodness sake)! One would think this would be right up his alley. Um, no. So I strategized. . .what would make him want to get involved? Hmmm. . .ding, ding, ding! A trip to Home Depot!!! So we loaded up (in our SUV. . .sorry, I said I wasn’t perfect!!) and headed out in search of some supplies to make our recycling center. Because curbside recycling is not an option in our area of the 918, our plan was to set up bins in the garage and on Saturday mornings on our way to soccer we would stop off at the MET center in Jenks and drop off our glass, aluminum, plastic, and paper. Step three.
I am proud to report that these steps have added up. . .and led to more, so more blogs to follow! And with the help and suggestions of my passionate tree-hugging co-workers (love you, girls!), I am trying to make the 918 a better place. . .one step at a time.

~KW

Target and the rest of the World

My friend Tiff used to say "Target has a 'cover charge'. . .you basically HAVE to spend at least $20 everytime you are there." Truer words were never spoken as evidenced by my 2nd Target spree of the week. Tonight it mostly centered around stuff for Bubs and his upcoming Fall Festival extravangza at school; however, it ended up costing me over $200. Ugh. Schmoops is not going to be happy at all. Double ugh. I try to remind myself that this is why I work. . .so I can go buy what I want when I want and not have to really answer for it (as long as it is within reason). This might be the case except as I said this is my 2nd trip this week. The previous trip also involved stuff for Bubs, but I also threw in a super cute cardigan, tights and two books for myself.

Looking back over my $400 week of nothing. . .I am faced once again with something I have been contemplating, and, yes, praying about recently and that is partaking in a challenge called 30 Days of Nothing. It goes something like this. . .stolen shamelessly from Tonia.

For 30 days, my family will buy nothing except our basic necessities. No clothes or books. No movies, no trips to the ice cream parlor. No paper, or pictures, or magazines. No fancy hair gel or take-and-bake pizza. Lattes? Nope. Nothing except what it takes to live. . .I'd like to try and identify with some of the "least" (economically) of the world. We will try and live without electricity for a day; eat only rice for a day. Perhaps the family will sleep together in one room for a night - on the floor; or walk six miles one day - the distance some African women walk daily to get clean water. The goal of this month-long fast is to break the grip of materialism in our hearts and minds. We want to live in gratitude, not discontent; and we want to live with awareness of the great responsibility our affluence has laid on our shoulders.

Schmoops and I are currently in the phase of setting our personal parameters -- we both work afterall, so I am not sure the no electricity is going to fly, but who knows if we could go without TV for even a couple of nights or turn off these blessed computers once a week that would be progress! We need to decide what our necessities are and what we will give up. I am not sure if this is a religious thing for us, a financial test, or just plain stupidity. But we have so much and I know that I for one take it for granted most of the time. . .like tomorrow when I will probably have to stop by Target for something else!

~KW

"...happy is he who is gracious to the poor." Prov. 14:21

A Blog. . .REALLY?

"Oh, it's not going to be one of those 'Mommy Blogs,' is it?" said with only the kind of love a true friend has. Hmmm...well, I guess it is, but hopefully more! So McBFF, this one's for you and all my sisters who are juggling. . .LIFE!

There will more than likely be quite a bit of Mommy in this blog as Bubs is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. But there will also be equal (almost?) amounts of wife, daughter, friend, employee, volunteer, celebrity gossip enthusiast, spa lover and blogger (here and on 918moms.com). Stay tuned. . .

~KW