Those wiser-eimers!

7 reasons not to mess with children.




One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed tha t her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.
She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?'
Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.'
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?'

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a w hale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.


A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.'
The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.
'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.'


A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.'
'Yes,' the class said.
'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?'
A little fellow shouted,
'Cause your feet ain't empty.'


The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
'Take only ONE . God is watching.'
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'



These are so smart-*ss. SOme of them I think adults made up, not kids. Still, they gave me a chuckle, especially the first one. It's so true..... I fear my payback as I was more than handfull for my parents. If life is fair, Charlie will be a terror. Hopefully, life is NOT fair!!!

Charlie's HAIR

Look what I did!


Ok, what is this called? Finger twists, I think. Or maybe pencil twists?


Anyway, I saw this technique on a blog (Cathy's I believe) and tried it on Charlie. It turned out looking pretty cute and since there was a minimum of pulling, she didn't cry much. There are many, many super cute little ringlets. The pictures don't do it justice because the flash captures her scalp more than it shows off her curls. But anyway. I'm proud. I like how it turned out.




Now, on to BRAIDS.



Ok, parents, how on earth do you get the kids to sit still long enough to make even one braid?? Do you do each braid in installments?

My Little Girl Is Growing Up!

Argh!
Today I left Charlie in the care of virtual STRANGERS at her daycare for the first time. Here we are at the front of the daycare, check in hand, ribbons in hair. All three of us accompanied her to the day care, Opa and Babcia waking up WAY earlier than usual, to spend a little time with her at the place before leaving her. She is very loved, this little one, to have a trio of accompaniment for her first day at school.

She had met her teacher the other day, and several of the kids, although I don't think she remembered any of them. The teacher made her a spot for brekkie and (amazingly) Charlie left her bib on and sat still, as did all the other children. I was most impressed. She is a total wiggle worm at home, and rips her bib off WITHOUT FAIL.

She did great! Here she is with her teacher, eating brekkie.



I LOVE that her class is so diverse. It's like the K-UN (Kindergarten United Nations) in there!

There was one funny moment when Charlie attempted to make a trade of a dusty toy she found on the floor for another kid's bagel. Well, she didn't really ask to make a trade, she just gave him the toy and took his bagel ;-) Nice deal, girlfriend! That's the way to do it!

(Just kidding, I made her give it back).


No tears, no problems with me or her grandparents leaving.

I, on the other hand, had some serious pangs.

Anyway, the reports were that she was friendly and playful and took a long nap on her cot without a BABA (another amazing thing since she refuses to sleep at home without one).

I think this day care situation will be a great thing for Charlie. She will get to play all day long, with other kids (something as an only child she can't do at home), and come home nice and tired out for cuddling and dinner and nighttime rituals. Then on the weekends we can do fun activities. On the few holidays I get when the daycare is still open I can drop her off and do all the oil change/doctor appointment/gardening chores I can't do normally.

I think she had a great day, it couldn't have been better. No tears, she had fun, it was wonderful. Yay Charlie!

She amazes me in many ways but for certain one way is her adaptability. I'm not sure if that is a remnant from the "orphanage days" or just her personality (for sure I met some of her care center buddies who were no where NEAR as flexible and accepting as she is), but whichever it is, I'm so grateful she seems to let each new (and potentially scary) situation roll off her back like no big deal. It makes my job MUCH easier as a single mom. Thanks, Charlie ;-)

If you insist on calling me Wonder Woman, at this point I may have to agree :-)

Despite the disaster that was the spring planting effort of 2009, I was thrilled to dig up THIS!!!!




These are POTATOES, ONIONS and GARLIC, my first ever attempt at root veggies. Digging up the potatoes was like going on an Easter egg hunt, very exciting to spot the occasional yellow skinned lump among the soil. The markers had faded in time and I couldn't really remember where I had planted them. In fact, it was a complete experiment in the first place: I had found some old potatoes in the pantry, in a brown bag, that had sprouted 3 foot tendrils. I planted those just to see what would happen. THIS is what happened! Yay!

Here is everything cleaned up. The garlic lost it's paper skin.

In case it's not clear by the title of this post, I'm quite proud of myself. Not only am I a single mom, but I'm also able to keep up in the garden to a SLIGHT degree (we'll see about next year, this may be the last year I do this until Charlie is quite a bit older). It also follows my goal of feeding her as naturally as I can.

So now, I need to use up the garlic, as I waited a little too long to dig them up and therefore I had to take their skins off. Perhaps some shrimp scampi this evening.....

And in Hollywood news...

Katherine Heigl recently became a mother when she adopted this sweet little girl from Korea. Her name is Naleigh. Apparently, Heigl's hubby runs some sort of animal rescue which makes me like her a lot more. I kind of thought she was snooty... what with declining to put herself in the Emmy race and citing her writers as being lame, etc. But now, with adopting a girl and the animal rescue.... Hmmm... my opinion is changing.




In other news, Elton John and his partner have been denied as adoptive parents of a Ukrainian HIV positive infant boy due to Elton being gay and his age (62). The age thing I get... I mean, he's more a grandpa than a dad and how long could he realistically parent the boy? Probably not until the boy became an adult. But the gay thing is awful. I mean, this kid could have so many more opportunities being Elton's son than living in an orphanage! It's ridiculous!


So then, probably after getting a lot of flak over it, the Ukrainian official decided Elton "has the right and opportunity to invite the family of this boy to visit him, take them under his guardianship and help him grow into a good person." Meaning basically, "Elton can pay for him to have a better life without officially being his parent." Well, I guess that's better than nothing, but it reeks of homophob-ism. And age-ism (although I don't know the answer to that one.)

What are your thoughts? Should people over a certain age be restricted from adopting? After all, biologically there are no laws as long as your body can become pregnant and deliver (remember the 60 year old mother?)

And what about gay partners adopting? There are no studies showing this is in any way harmful to the children. What do you think? Some countries have restrictions on singles adopting and single men adopting.... Of course I'm against restrictions on single women adopting, because I did it. And although I can understand the concerns with single men (due to pedophiles and other nefarious folk) but it seems unfair for all the good single men out there (where are they, by the way??)

Your thoughts on adoptive restrictions?

By the time you read this, I may already be...

at work :-(

Let us all.....

hang our heads....

Maternity leave is officially over.

sniff.

PS Charlie is enjoying the next week at home while her grandparents visit. Lucky.

Need some music help, readers....

Ok, I suppose it's all part of "being a mother", but if I sing the "Wonder Pets" theme song ONE. MORE. TIME. I'm going to lose it.

Or "Loco Legs" by the Fresh Beat Band. At least that one has a beat unlike the Wonder Pets. I mean... REALLY. Since when do kids songs no longer rhyme at all? This Wonder Pets show is like a really bad musical:

(singing in a rythmless way) "A baby seal is in trouble!"

"This is serious!"

"We need to help him!"

"Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets we're on our way! To help a baby seal and save the day! We're not too big and we're not too tough but if we work together we've got the right stuff! Yay Wonder Pets YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY".

Normally I would be all about an animal rescue show for kids. But I can't take the theme song anymore. I really can't. Help.

So I need some suggestions on music that BOTH Charlie and I will enjoy listening to. When we were at the family reunion, my cousin had a CD of U2 songs that had been turned into lullabies... It was actually quite cool. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" turned into a gentle tune. Who would have thought that would turn out actually great? Well, it did.

That kind of thing. Or something peppy, but not ridiculously saccharine.

Thoughts?

To Sleep! To Sleep! (Night Terrors)

Reading some fellow bloggers' posts, I realize HOW LUCKY I am that Charlie is a good sleeper. I put her down at 10 PM and she sleeps, most nights without waking, until 9 AM. (I don't really get why some parents put their kids to sleep at 7 PM and then have to wake up at 6 AM.... unless one has to get up for work at 6 AM it doesn't make much sense....)

On a few occasions per month she suffers from night terrors - exactly an hour after putting her down (this is one way I know it's night terrors and not something else bothering her). The pediatrician has told me NOT to wake her during these episodes, but just stand there and be there in case she needs me. It's torturous to hear her SCREAMING in terror and then pathetically whimpering in between screams, and NOT try and wake her. (I forgot to ask the Dr. why I shouldn't wake her... anyone know?) The dream lasts about 5 minutes and she stays asleep and continues her night peacefully.

From Pediatrics.com:

Night terrors are a common sleep problem among children. By some estimates, about 15% of younger children have occasional night terrors. Although most common in children between the ages of 2 and 6 years, they can occur at almost any age.

Although usually considered to be normal or benign, they are often very scary and distressing to parents who often overreact, especially during a child's first night terror.

Symptoms: When you hear how most experts describe night terrors, it is easy to see why parents find them distressing. Children who have night terrors are usually described as 'bolting upright' with their eyes wide open, with a look of fear and panic, and letting out a 'blood curdling scream'. These kids will usually also be sweating, breathing fast and have a rapid heart rate (autonomic signs). And although it will seem like they are awake, during a night terror, children will appear confused, will not be consolable and won't recognize you.

Typical night terrors last about 5 to 30 minutes and afterwards, children usually return to a regular sleep. If you are able to wake your child up during a night terror, he is likely to become scared and agitated, mostly because of your own reaction to the night terror, especially if you were shaking or yelling at him to wake up. Instead of trying to wake up a child having a night terror, it is usually better to just make sure he is safe, comfort him if you can, and help him return to sleep once it is over.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis of night terrors is usually made by the history of a child 'waking' early in the night screaming and being inconsolable. Night terrors are most often confused with nightmares, but unlike night terrors, a child having a nightmare is usually easily woken up and comforted.

The other worry for many parents is that these episodes are a type of seizure. Although different types of partial seizures, including temporal lobe and frontal lobe epilepsy, can appear similar to night terrors, they are usually brief (30 seconds to a few minutes) and are more common in older children and adults.

Treatments: No treatment is usually necessary for routine night terrors. Since they are often triggered in children who are overtired, sticking to a good bedtime routine and making sure your child is getting enough rest can help to prevent them.

For children who get frequent night terrors, it might help to wake your child up before the time that he usually has a night terror. This is thought to interrupt or alter the sleep cycle and prevent night terrors from occuring (it also works for sleepwalking).

Rarely, sleep medications might be used for a short time if your child gets very frequent night terrors.

What You Need To Know:

*Night terrors are also called sleep terrors or pavor nocturnus.
*Similar to sleepwalking and sleeptalking, night terrors are considered to be a disorder of arousal and are a partial arousal from non-REM sleep.
*Unlike a nightmare, children usually don't recall having a night terror.
*Also unlike nightmares, night terrors usually occur in the early part of the night, about 1 to 4 hours after going to sleep.
*If your child gets night terrors, make sure that baby sitters and other caregivers are aware of them and know what they should do if one occurs.
*Most children outgrow night terrors as they get older.

But in general, I am super lucky with Charlie's sleep patterns. Another adoptive mom I know is up from 11 PM to 5 AM every night. She works from home, so I guess that part is lucky for her, but still it seems like my life would end if Charlie's sleep patterns were that extreme.

Last night I had such a nice sleep I dreamt Angelina Jolie was camping in the park across the street and was teaching me how to drive a scooter (while Brad was away do-gooding somewhere). I love dreaming about Angelina because we always have such a blast together. She's a fun dream partner. (I did mention already that I'm lacking in a life, yea?)

Sleep is so important to me, I just cannot function without it and my day can be completely ruined after a bad night. Unfortunately, I suffer from sleep apnea, so that happens frequently. I'm just very thankful that Charlie is so good at night. Especially since there is no husband to share the wake up duties with and a full time job to get to every day.

Does (did) your child have night terrors and if so, did you wake them? Why or why not? What time do you put them down and when do they wake up?

Drama at the US Open!

In case you missed it, Serena temporarily lost her mind last night at the semi-finals against a line judge... The line judge called a foot fault against Serena, and Serena got super angry and allegedly threatened the line judge's life using plenty of four letter words thrown in to make her point.

It was a close match already, Serena was already steaming (she had broken her raquet earlier), Kim Clijsters was winning, and as a result of her outburst, she lost the match as she was fined a point. Unfortunately for her, that point was MATCH POINT.

YIKES!

Here it is :




Ahhh... reminds me of the good old McEnroe days. We haven't seen a temper like his since then.


And here she is, NOT apologizing for it:


I think she should have apologized for what she said, even though this is clearly not a foot fault. Her feet have not advanced on the court past the base line by the time she hits the ball. She hits the ball while in the air, then her feet land. According to the USTA, the service stroke ends when the ball is hit.

What do you think? Exciting stuff or reprehensible behavior?

P.S. I also just realized this is the anniversary of when her sister was shot. Perhaps that had something to do with her short temper.

Blasted Dingos!

Wow, I got rid of a virus!

Thanks to Cathy and Sarah I was able to figure out how to get rid of the Windows Police Pro malware that was infecting my computer.

There was all kinds of in depth registry stuff to change and I thought for sure I would ruin my computer, but no! I figured it out and things are working well!

In case anyone else has to deal with this, go to http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ and there are step by step, and picture by picture, instructions. It would be hard to screw it up following this. Eventually you have to download MBAM, which is what Cathy tried to send me. I couldn't download it from her email because part of the virus prevents you from downloading anything... so I had to do the step by step.

Phew!

Thanks ladies!

I'm starting to get sick of Jon and Kate Plus 8 now.

And it's not because of all the dirty laundry they have been airing all over the media (Team Kate, here by the way!)

It's because I rented Season 1 on Netflix and watched the whole thing, and then started on Season 2 and realized tht Season 2 is when the show starts feeling scripted and "planned."

Every episode has to have "something" they are doing as a family. Season 1 was more about every day, laundry, diapers, cooking, sibling rivalry, managing a household of 8 kids, etc. Season 2 is "Cara's Special Day at the Cow Factory" or "Collin Goes to The Train Museum" or "Maddie Cries Like a Baby Getting Her Ears Pierced". You get the gist.

I liked Season 1 much better, before they decided they needed to come up with "episodes" to keep the viewers entertained.

Then I read they make something like $75,000.00 PER EPISODE!!!!!!!! And now, poor things, they will have to split that amount. Aww....

For awhile it was fun to see if I could catch any clues about the break up (other than Kate bossing Jon around all the time of course) that was coming in the future. But when I found out that the last two seasons they were already in splitsville but didn't tell the viewers so they could keep raking it in.... well, then the "reality' part of "reality show" is completely gone. They might as well be another episode of The Hills.

I felt duped. The show is a complete sham.

I have little to no interest in watching Kate put up tents or ride horses. I think the show is on it's last legs. Jon better start saving some of that money instead of buying his girlfriend diamonds.

So I've stopped watching. Bah.

I have been keeping up with the dirty laundry though. (Disclaimer: I do not get my info from The National Enquirer by the way.) (I get it from Perez Hilton ;-)

If forced to pick sides, I'd have to go with Team Kate. Jon is such a crybaby. And he seems really irresponsible too. I can see why Kate had to keep him on a short leash, if this is how he acts after the leash is cut.

The latest rumor is his new "soul mate" Hailey What's Her Name has kicked him to the curb for being too much of a womanizer. She put up with SOME of that behavior, but when he doesn't even bother to erase women's pictures on his phone and sexy texts, that was the limit for her.

Hmm... Do I need a life?

Have you ever felt anything as soft as...

Me, while changing Charlie, to (Charlie's 4 year old cousin) Zoe: "Zoe, feel Charlie's tummy...."

Zoe: "That's soft!"

Me: "I know! Isn't it amazingly soft?? Have you EVER felt anything as soft as Charlie's tummy before?"

Zoe: "Yes."

Me: "Really? What was that?"

Zoe: "Charlie's thigh."

So cute. :-)


PS I'm battling a computer virus here known as Windows Police Pro... It's causing a million pop up ads saying I need protection from viruses. DUH.

However, the ads lead you to a site that takes your passwords and credit card info and steals from you!

It's not allowing me to open any programs other than IE, so luckily I can still blog and check email, but that's it. No pictures, no video, no NOTHING until I get this solved. Apparently it's possible to download a Spyware program that will get rid of it, but after downloading and running several of the suggested ones, no luck. Any ideas?

Raised by a pack of wolves?

These pictures speak for themselves... Please don't call social services on me!


"Ok, everybody LIE DOWN!"

"And this is your SISTER, Hannah..."

I know what you're thinking... and no, I've never shut the gate on her!

Disclaimer: The bowl had JUST been filled with fresh, clean water! No dogs had drank from it yet! I PROMISE!

This is proof positive she thinks she's a dog...

There's nothing more delicious than dog kisses... except maybe baby kisses!

(Please ignore the baby talk -ugh I can't believe I do that so much!)

It's not easy co-habitating with a pack of dogs, but sometimes it's really cute :-)

What do you guys think?

Melancholic...

Today when I woke up it was 60 degrees and totally foggy...

I felt sad.

The end of summer.

It reminds me strongly of the days in my youth when the first hint of coolness in the air meant the fun was over and it was time to head back to school. I still get that feeling, every fall.

Only this time, it's more true since soon I will be heading back to work. I really don't want to go... I've gotten used to my slow paced days (although chasing Charlie around is not "slow" by any definition) and dread returning. I will miss my time with Charlie, but mostly I will miss not having to be anywhere at any given time, being able to plan my day as I see fit, drinking coffee until 11 AM and staying in my PJs until I start feeling guilty.

I do miss the adult conversation and my colleagues, but I don't really miss the concept of "work".
I know some women who would go nuts without their careers, but I'm not one of them! I could find a hundred things to do in a day that I rather spend my time on than working. I'd rather go antiquing, go to the matinee, go out to lunch with girlfriends, go to the park with Charlie, take the dogs out, travel, work in the garden, read, read, read... watch T.V.

Ok, that last one isn't that great. But the rest are!

We only get one life and to spend 40 hours a week working seems like an awful lot to me.

On the other hand, these past 3 months of leave have been unpaid, and I'm getting nervous watching my bank account dwindle. Of course I knew this time off would eat into my savings, but watching it happen is scary.

Also, I am not taking into consideration most of the rest of the globe, who work way more than that just to survive, plowing fields, doing hard manual labor, carrying water in a bucket on their head 5 miles back to the hut. I need to be grateful I *ONLY* have to work 40 hours at a cushy desk job that pays me well and takes care of me and Charlie.

Still, I have that melancholic feeling of the end of summer...

Blech.


Photo credit to Andre Kertesz: "Melancholic Tulip".

Splish Splash

Charlie loved the kiddie pool while we were on vaction, so upon returning home I bought her one. Her Opa had suggested getting her a kiddie pool at the beginning of the summer, but I hesitated due to wasting large amounts of water and cleaning the thing (it gets very heavy with all the water in it), etc. I had already bought a kiddie pool for the dogs one year, and they didn't use it at all and I ended up giving it away. I didn't want to buy something that Charlie might not use and then have to give it away. But since it was proven that Charlie really loves the pool, I got her the Zebra Pool.



I tried blowing it up on mere lung power and soon realized that would never work and borrowed the neighbor's pump. I didn't set up the slide part because Charlie's still too young for that. Maybe next summer.

Here are some pictures of her having fun in the pool, and Hannah deciding it was a good day to go swimming as well. I learned back in film school that trying to shoot babies or animals is the hardest type of filming one can attempt. These pictures prove that. Although they were super cute in the pool together, I was not able to catch the cuteness.




Do your kids like the water?

2 Year Old Slapped by Strange Man in Wal-Mart

What would you do if a 61-year old stranger came up to you and your screaming baby in Aisle 7 of Wal-Mart and told you:" If you don't shut your baby up, I will" ???

And then what would you do if he actually came back 5 minutes later and slapped your baby 5 times on the face!!!!

What is this world coming to? I know that babies can be annoying, especially in places where one can't escape (like a plane), but this is outrageous! This man must be mentally ill, although the video doesn't mention anything about that. He's definitely lacking in the impulse control department and also lacking in boundaries. Why didn't he just walk away?? Again, he's not trapped in Aisle 7!

Jeez!

Here is the article:

Imagine this for a shopping nightmare: Your 2-year-old throws a tantrum at Wal-Mart, and a strange man walks up to her and slaps her across the face to shut her up.

This happened to a Georgia mom on Monday. Sonya Mathews' daughter, Paige, was crying in the store when 61-year-old Roger Stephens told Mathews that if she didn't make her kid stop crying, he would. When little Paige continued to cry, he walked up to her and slapped her across the face several times. After he did it, he told Mathews, "See, I told you I would shut her up."
Mathews screamed at him and called for security. Another shopper stopped him. He was arrested and charged with cruelty to a child, a felony, and is being held without bail. Paige suffered no injuries, except for some redness in the face. Of course, that says nothing of the psychological injuries she might have experienced.Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/09/shopper_slaps_a_toddler_for_crying_at_wal-mart.php#ixzz0Q4dh5hN0

Here's the video, which embedding is disabled so I can't post it here, sorry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rCNjbQsoh8


And here is his picture. He actually DOES look like the type that would abuse a child. Usually one can't really finger abusers based on looks. But this guy....

The Secret to No Longer Having to Sweep Your House!

Today I did what I should have done back in April: I shaved all three dogs! (Actually, I should have done this 7 years ago...) I bought a clipper on EBay (they are expensive!) and went to work. The girls look a bit strange, but who cares? As long as I don't have to sweep the entire house every day, I'm happy.

I took each dog, one at a time, out onto the deck. Charlie came too, of course, so I could keep an eye on her. She helped by "pruning" the plants while I shaved the dogs. Lethally pruning. I let her because I figured pulling leaves off house plants was better than her helping me "prune" the dogs. She also took this opportunity to lift my shirt, study my back, practice her octaves ("Wa-WAH-WAHHHHH, Daa-DAH-DAHHHH, Ma-MAH-MAHHHHHHHH!!!!!) and sample a tuft of dog hair off the floor.

Each dog was faster than the one before it, as I got better at understanding their fur direction (it goes back, forth, and twirls around... it's complicated!) They are all so soft now! They feel like velour cue balls. Not that I know what velour cue balls feel like...

Then later in the day, while Charlie and I were hanging in the kiddie pool, I took the opportunity to wash the three dogs (poor things, it was a really awful day for them!) So now I have a clean pack, virtually hairless, and smelling like Garnier Fructis (I couldn't leave Charlie to go downstairs and get the dog shampoo so I used my own).

Yay! No more sweeping!

Charlie lying down with the girls since I commanded them all to "lie down".

Boo (not much difference, she had short hair to begin with.)

Beulah (looks lighter in color, but also had short hair to begin with.)

Hannah, the most uneven job since her hair has a thick undercoat. Click on pics for more detail.

So, what do you think? How do they look?

Duggars pregnant with 19th child. WHy is this soooo annoying to me??

UGH.

I canNOT believe they are preggars again.

On the Today show yesterday, the Duggars announced they are pregnant with their 19th child. Michelle Duggar is 42 years old. They are expecting their first grandchild this fall. Their grandchild will be older than their 19th child.

One thing that I find really annoying is that they use their religion as an excuse for what they are doing... As if they are raising a Christian Child Army!!!

Poor earth. I really think this is totally irresponsible environmentally.

It's also irreponsible parentally: the older kids raise the younger ones as mom tends to the newborns.

Some frightening stats from the Huffington Post:

After the next generation of Duggars breeds at this rate, there will be 400 members of the clan (not counting the husbands and wives that married in). The third generation will have 8,000 members, the fourth will have 160,000, and the fifth will have 3.2 million...more than five times the population of Vermont. This would mean...

* One in ever hundred people in America would be a Duggar

* There would almost be enough Duggars to have one in every square mile of America.

* If all the Duggars earned $30,000 annually, they would collect $96 billion a year before taxes, enough to bailout AIG and have enough left to buy Marvel Comics three times over.

* There would be more Duggars than Muslims in America.

* There would be more Duggars than residents of America's 21 least populous states.


SCARY.

Here is a lost of their kids:
Joshua James, 21
Jane Marie, 19
John-David, 19
Jill Michelle, 18
Jessa Lauren, 16
Jinger Nicole, 15
Joseph Garrett, 14
Josiah Matthew, 13
Joy-Anna, 11
Jedidiah Robert, 10
Jeremiah Robert, 10
Jason Michael, 9
James Andrew, 8
Justin Samuel, 6
Jackson Levi, 5
Johanna Faith, 3
Jennifer Danielle, 2
Jordyn-Grace, 8 months

Is it just me, or does having 19 "J" names just make everything way more confusing?

I'm confused as to why I dislike this family so much, yet enjoy Jon and Kate's show tremendously. Hmm.

What are your thoughts and feelings about the Duggar family?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!

Charlie is ONE today. September 1st, 2008 is her birthdate. Happy Birthday, Charlie!!!!!

We are thinking about Charlie's birthmom and wondering if she is thinking about Charlie. My guess is "YES, she is". I wonder if today is a difficult day for her...

Today is "Charlie's day". I'm going to let her direct whatever we do. If she wants to go out, we'll go out. If she wants to open the door 50 times, that's what we'll do. If she wants to go swimming, etc. I'm also going to let her have some sugar today, to celebrate. Maybe some cookies or a cupcake. We are not having a party, because we had one while on vacation so she could celebrate with the whole family.

She celebrated her 1st with her cousin Anders, who was also turning one. She got naked and I put a plate of cake in front of her and let her go to town. She started with real gusto, but soon petered out. I guess she didn't like it that much. Anders had naked cake too. They both got lots of presents. I'm going to keep most of Charlie's presents and give them out throughout the year. I don't want her to get spoiled with gifts, and I think handing them out one by one she will be able to appreciate each one more than if she got them all in a big pile. Of course, I could be wrong about that... Everyone was so generous and she will have plenty to keep her busy all year long! Charlie, I hope your second year on earth is filled with love and good health and lots of learning and fun times! MWUAH, Mama

What do you do with your child's gifts throughout the year? Is Christmas different than their birthdays?