melissa caddell » ‘burbmania

I almost didn’t let my Girl Scout sell cookies this year…

melissa caddell — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 04:06:48 +0000

Dear Girl Scout Cookie fan: it’s that time of year! The time of year the parents of a particular Girl Scout dread–the nagging to accost friends and neighbors for sales, the drumming up of business, the eventual slow cookie dispersion and money collecting…

Oh, yes, it’s Girl Scout Cookie time!

After the pain and agony of getting Sunshine to be diligent about collecting funds, distributing cookies, and generally make us not dread Cookie Time, we almost didn’t let her sell them this year. But I think that’s un-
American. And how can you be known to have a resident Girl Scout and NOT be selling cookies??

And then, I came up with a BRILLIANT plan! (insert evil cackle here)

After a discussion about our expectations and what might motivate her this year to improve her diligence, I wrote up a contract and had Sunshine initial and sign it before she got her cookie sales sheet. Feel free to use it, Girl Scout parents. I think it’s legal and binding. At least at our house . :)

P.S She came up with her own ‘no reading’ consequence. But I came up with the offers to sell off her stuff if she didn’t collect $ in a timely manner. :)

Girl Scout Cookie Selling Agreement with Parents, 2011

I, Daughter’s Name, promise with all my heart to make cookie selling a pleasant experience for myself and my beloved parents and family this year. I promise to:

1) Collect orders in an organized way (so I can read my order later and everything is accurate). ___

2) Only contact people I am able to get orders to in a timely manner. ___

3) Keep my paperwork where I can find it. ___

4) When cookies come in, I will immediately sort orders and begin delivery. ___

5) I will collect money with checks made out to my troop, NOT my beloved parents. ___

6) I will double check all math, as I know I will make up any difference in money or cookies. ___

7) I will work diligently to get orders to people and money from people within 1 week of when I get the orders.___

I agree that I will not be allowed to read any day that I have not worked to the best of my ability to make the cookie selling and delivery season as smooth and painless on our family as possible___

I agree that I am responsible for all uncollected money and I will personally make up the difference from my allowance or by selling my personal belongings within 1 week of when I get the cookies. ___

I love Girl Scouts and my family and want to be a blessing to both. ___

Signed:

___________________�
Daugher’s name, date

____________________
Parent, date

Witnessed by:
_____________________ �
Signature and printed name, date

Disney on Ice in Denver–this mom’s review

melissa caddell — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:57:42 +0000

Disney on Ice is in Denver at the Pepsi Center, Dec. 9^th-12^th (with a special show in Spanish). Use COLORADO in the coupon/promo code box for a discount on tickets when purchased through Colorado Kids.

I saw a Disney on Ice production a few years ago at the Denver Coliseum and it was, well, um….not great. I’m not sure if the venue was the problem or if I just had high expectations, but I remember thinking it was a tad cheesy and not really a show that lived up to the level I associated with Disney.

The allure of a Disney production means hope beats eternal for this writer and mom, though. So when Colorado Kids asked me to do a sneak peek (with complimentary tickets), I gathered up my two younger kids (4 & 8) and two of their BFF’s and off we went.

What you need to know if you go

Getting there: To avoid dealing with parking, we took the train in from the ‘burbs and it was very easy-peasy. The Pepsi Center is a great venue—much better for a Disney show. The staff there is just fantastic, and we got to meet several of them (which is what happens when you lose a coat and then have a kid fall on the escalator—she was fine, but good times, peeps, good times). Anyway, they were very professional and really gracious.

Concessions: We paid $4.50 for a big tub of popcorn from the Pepsi Center and then $12 for a bag of Disney cotton candy, spun by real princesses (I’m guessing). :) Know that there is ‘reasonably’ priced concession foods and then Disney snow cones, treats and paraphernalia. So plan accordingly. I made the kids get (multiple) drinks at the drinking fountain.

The show: Overall, it was a good show and I think worth the ticket price. It felt more substantial then the show a few years back, though I wasn’t as wowed as I had hoped. There were definitely little wows and by the kid’s faces, they liked it. NOTE: At about the 15 minute mark the show gets a bit creepy for young kids. Characters from Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas take the ice and the kids I was with were a bit scared. After the intermission, there is a pretty neat bit where the ice is lit on fire. All the kids in the audience sang along to a song from The Princess and the Frog and there were a nice number of very familiar Disney princesses and characters. The Toy Story characters were a crowd favorite. The overall arch of the story will be lost on most kids, so I would strongly encourage you to get seats as close as you can so they will be able to focus on the characters. (Side note: I wonder why they don’t use the big screens to project the show? Hmm…)

The actual skating was average to pretty good with several crowd pleasing moves.

But, really, your kids aren’t there for the skating—they are there for the cotton candy.

Launch of our new website–Bookalachi!

melissa caddell — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:21:22 +0000

When we couldn’t find a good website that did a content review of kid’s books, we decided to start our own! Okay, it didn’t go quite that smoothly….it was 3 years ago when we started. Casey learned how to program in at least two other languages and this is actually the third rendition of the site.

But, I think we’re finally on our way! I’d love for you to take a look at it and let me know what you think! We’re adding books daily, but let me know if there’s a book you’d like reviewed.

Head to: bookalachi.com (pronounced book-uh-LA-chee) :) Click on ‘about us’ for more info on starting the website!

Who put me in charge of all this? (or: who knew being a mom was a full-time job?)

melissa caddell — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:18:12 +0000

I know this isn’t going to come as a shock to most of you, but it has taken me years to figure this out. I am a reasonably bright girl, but I kept thinking that someone else was in charge of the daily running of our household. I don’t know who I thought was going to take care of that in our family, but it has finally occured to me that it’s me.

Who knew?

I kept trying to understand why my home wasn’t clean/organized/decorated/laundry done/de-cluttered/did I already mention clean? If I told you what I do all day, it would look like a freakish list of tasks that have been partially completed by someone afflicted with M-ADD (mom attention deficit disorder). Your day likely looks very much the same.

At this point in my life, I can either be a good homemaker or get something done, but not both on the same day. Or possibly even the same week. It doesn’t even have to be a big ’something’. Writing this post, as an example, means that I haven’t started the laundry, I have no makeup on and my desk is a mess. And the dishwasher needs to be emptied. And re-loaded. And my bed made. And books need to be returned to the library. And on any given day, a kid has outgrown some critical piece of clothes (like shoes or something lame). And the patio doors could use a cleaning. And my bathroom. And I need to find a new eye doctor. And respond to some important emails. And find a sitter for tomorrow. Oh, and CHRISTMAS anyone?

Add in working and homeschooling and, well, just remember that next time you pop in for a visit.

I do keep hoping for a nice lady to show up to clean the house, though…and maybe do a load of undies…

Twilight mom confession and how I met ‘Jacob’ (really!)

melissa caddell — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:37:54 +0000

Back when Taylor Lautner was 'Shark Boy' and not yet 'Jacob'

Hi. My name is Melissa and I have read the Twilight saga. Multiple times. No, I’m not 14. I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I’m a ‘Twilight mom’. You know, those grownup women who become addicted to the Twlight books after prying them out of the hands of their teenaged daughters. (Not that I have a teen daughter.)

I was a late fan and didn’t start the series until Breaking Dawn (the 4th book) came out. I (admittedly) rolled my eyes at the hysteria. I only read Twilight to write a book review for it, but by about 50 pages in, I was staying up until 2 am to finish it. And I was extremely grateful that a) the books were nice and long and b) that I had waited to start the series until 4 books were out. No having to wait for the next installment!

Now, I have never been to those fan websites. Well, aside from that one time when I got caught up in the buzz about how ‘Jacob’ (Taylor Lauter) had gained 30 pounds and totally got buffed out to stay in the series. I guess the director or a producer or someone was concerned that he wasn’t big enough (spoiler ALERT!) to look werewolfy. Well, being impressed with his determination, I went to a Twilight moms website. Looked like he pulled it off. And in the interest of research, I am posting this link for you. ‘Cause I’m nice like that.

I have taken one of those Facebook quizzes, and it turns out that I’m on Team Jacob, just for full disclosure. And I did meet him (back in the days that he was just Shark Boy) at a karate tournament my oldest daughter competed in, March 2007. Do you see how close I got to him?? Oh, and my kids got to meet him, too. Nice young man, considerate of his fans. Probably couldn’t get within a mile of him now.

And then, as a writer, read the series again to understand the crack-like nature of it. You know, from a purely professional perspective. What was so addictive about it? The characters? The writing? The theme? I loved how Stephanie Meyer just discarded known vampire lore when it didn’t work with her story. Creepy bloodsuckers? Make ‘em vegetarian! Turn to dust in sunlight? Nah—just make ‘em sparkly!

I own the Twlight movie and drug my amused husband to see it in theaters where I sat and whispered in his ear all the critical plot points he was missing by not having read the book. He liked the fight scene at the end enough that with the promise of werewolf and vampire fights in New Moon, he’s coming with me on Friday to see it (and only because I can’t find a sitter for the midnight showing).

So, bring on the bloodsuckers and dogs. This Twilight mom is ready! Whoop!

How (exactly) did we end up with a dog?

melissa caddell — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:39:00 +0000

If you’ve seen my Twitter updates, you may have noticed that we, the kinda anti-pet family, now have a dog.

And, it’s going fairly well, considering we are all so woefully lazy when it comes to pets. Our previous dog, who shed copious clumps of black hair everywhere, is happily ensconced with my sister. Her dog of many years died, and she wanted to ask for our shedding dog about the time I was ready to get rid of said shedding dog, so it all worked out. That was almost 2 years ago. We have baby-stepped our way back into the whole pet thing, cause it seems like people with 3 kids, a minivan and a house with a big yard in the ‘burbs should have a dog. In fact, it’s possible that it is in my homeowner’s association contract.

The girls (the same two who would’ve let their hamster’s and fish die of starvation if not for parental intervention) have begged for a pet for months. Sunshine even did a PowerPoint presentation (no joke) and research on the best dog for a family with a) no actual tolerance for all the trouble of a pet and b) no plan at all of paying hundreds of dollars for a pet. Then, Darling started working really late. And even as a grown up, our house seems to make lots of creepy noises when the big strong man of the house is gone. Then, there were a rash of break-ins in our area.

So, we capitulated. Though I did have some really strict parameters:
–NO puppies! There is no way I have time to train a puppy. And I totally know that no one else in the family will, despite their pleadings. The next living thing in our home to be potty trained will be the toddler.

–Dog MUST match the carpet. I almost took a carpet sample with us.

–Dog MUST be of a low(ish) shedding type. Really anything after the shedding black dog would be better. (As an fyi—German Shepherds shed year-round, as in ALL THE TIME, just so you can’t say no one told you. ‘Cause no one told us.)

–Not too needy. I already have a toddler, 2 other kids and a life to deal with. Must be able to entertain themselves and not stalk me from room to room.

Phew, well. I bet you’re thinking we should just get a stuffed animal. You’re right, but they won’t bark when someone’s at the door.

We decided to rescue a dog from the animal shelter. Darling watched the website and the cute pictures for a few weeks and one Sunday he said we should go look. I clarified that he actually wanted to walk out with a dog that day, cause there really was no way 3 little girls were going to go see a bunch of cute dogs and not get one. He said he was ready, so off we went. (PSA—the Denver Dumb Friends League intake nearly 100 pets everyday. Amazing.)

It cracked me up that the girls automatically walked past all the kennels with black-haired dogs. Good girls. After much ado, we brought home a yellow lab mix. She has pooped on the carpet twice, barfed once, makes a bee-line for the door every time it is open, gets into the trash can, and doesn’t like to be left alone.In addition to matching the carpet, she is gentle with the girls, loves chasing a ball and barked at the UPS guy. Life is a bit hairier and droolier, but good. So far.

An open letter to The Disney Channel

melissa caddell — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:17:00 +0000

Dear decision makers at The Disney Channel:

I have waited a few weeks to see if you would come to your senses but apparently, that is not going to happen.

I don’t know if you realize it, but you have replaced Little Einsteins–a show about smart, adventurous kids who expose preschoolers to music and art, with Oso–a show about a chubby bear who is so dim as to require everything in his life to be broken down into 3 simple steps. To a jaunty tune.

Why? Is this your idea of a joke? An expression about how you view American children?

Oh, and I’m sure you didn’t know so I’ll tell you that Little Einsteins is Lady Bug’s favorite show and it was the only way this momma could get a full shower.

So, you have pretty much jacked up my life.

Thanks so much,
a (smelly) mom in the ‘burbs

No good pics of the mom, or how to crop a kid out of your Facebook picture

melissa caddell — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:21:00 +0000

What is up with having no good pictures of just the mom? I recently spent waaaay too long trying to find a good shot of JUST ME. I searched all the way back to 2004 before I found one where you could see my whole face and that I could crop the kids out of. Is using a picture that is 5 years old considered cheating? I did have good hair that day…

But seriously–what is up with that? Doesn’t anyone want pictures of me? Me all by myself? Looking vaguely cute?

Apparently not.

But, you know, this isn’t just about me. I mean, it kinda is, but I noticed a trend as I searched years worth of pictures. Before we had kids, Darling took pictures of me. Pretty good ones. It seems that after Sunshine arrived, he lost the ability to take a decent shot of me. Either that, or I did actually look that bad. Hmm.

Once Pixie was of an age to have an opinion, she was in most every shot along with her sister. Poor little thing doesn’t have that many shots of just her. When Lady Bug arrived on scene, good luck getting a shot of ANYTHING that doesn’t include a kid streaking into the picture.

To be fair, I didn’t notice that many pictures of just Darling by himself (except the one I tried to take for his passport–which they couldn’t use because the background wasn’t white, as an FYI). He always appears in pictures with a child climbing or dangling off of him. Though, to be fair, those are a little easier to crop out.

Mommas–you have to hand the camera to someone else. And when they point it at you, don’t act like your soul is being stolen away. I have about 30 shots of the hand and swinging hair of my SIL, but not her actual face. Ya know, 100 years from now, she is going to ask why no one has any pictures of her.

Get some girlfriends together and have a photoshoot. You (and your family, and your Facebook page) need some good pictures of you. Just you. Your entire face. And not a face that has the side of someone else’s face cropped out.

Just sayin‘.

Mom jeans (a sad, but true, story)

melissa caddell — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:00 +0000

I cannot find an adequate excuse for what happened. Maybe I was behind on the laundry. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention when I reached into the closet. Whatever it was, I ended up in a pair of “mom jeans”. Technically, they weren’t jeans but the same rules apply.

You know what I’m talking about–the jeans that seem to just keep going and going and going, to settle somewhere nicely under your rib cage?

I’ve been wearing these pants (and cutely!) for years. I bought them out of the juniors section and they were pretty hip in their time (one baby and 6 years ago).

I didn’t realize they fell into the mom jean category. It wasn’t until I caught sight of my, um, backside in a mirror that I realized I was sportin‘ the look. The dark olive green cargo-style pants have no back pockets, so you get a long, unbroken line all the way up to the (high-ish) waistband.

These did not fall into the “mom jean” category a few years ago. Sinking waistband heights have created a new low (hahahaha!) for mom jeans. These sit right at my belly button. I only knew they were mom jeans when I had a sudden realization exactly WHY moms wear those kinds of pants.

The glory of high waistbands are that they HOLD POST-BABY BELLIES IN! And really well.

I did strip those puppies off and set them in the donate pile. But I DO sorta long for the tummy-retention they offered….bummer. Any chance waistband heights will be rising again soon? Or am I gonna have to go back to the gym? Argh.

we’re either the worst parents on the planet, or brilliant

melissa caddell — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:15:00 +0000

About a year ago, Darling and I discovered that our iPod is, quite possibly, our best friend. In fact, it’s maybe our entire family’s best friend. And not for the music.

I don’t know about you, but the prospect of taking a toddler on errands or on any non-toddler-specific outing can be, um, totally and completely TORTURE. Not that we don’t love Lady Bug (a lot!), but she is a total pain when she is forced to submit her little will to ANYONE ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE. Totally appropriate for development as a toddler, but a giant pain in the butt when it is not all about her. This is not shocking info for anyone, I know.

In desperation on a non-toddler-specific-outing with the family, we discovered iJoy. I think it was Darling’s idea to bring the iPod in with us to the mall one day, as he eyed a particularly wiggly and cranky toddler and our list of errands. The man is brilliant. Seriously brill.iant. We had used the iPod for long car trips and such, so we had some of Lady Bug’s fav cartoons on it.

Let me just tell say, you can get a lot done if you have Teletubbies on your iPod. I know, I know–putting that sort of abomination on a neat piece of technology is terrible…until you can shop in peace while the toddler sits happily in the stroller, her little headphones on. We’re happy, she’s happy, what’s not to love?

But, you protest, think of all the wonderful, mind stimulating opportunities the mall can offer a toddler! Think of the brain time they are missing while mom picks out a shirt that actually FITS, without having to grab 3 things to try on later at home. And then return. And what about all the verbal stimulation they are NOT getting while the parents don’t tell them (repeatedly), “Sit down!” “We’re almost done! “Quit grabbing things! These pretty/expensive/shiny things are all NO TOUCH.” “You want your binky/blanky/toy/sippy cup/$10 to quit making this miserable for us all?”

Well, if you have ever shopped with a toddler, you know.

Darling is brilliant. He whipped out the iJoy and plugged the kid in. Nearly instant peace and happiness. And Lady B was happy, too.

I was a little nervous about the public censure about using the Great Paralyzer in a mobile format. But you should see people’s reactions. People without children say, “Oh, how cute!” And smile. Probably because Lady Bug isn’t shrieking and ruining their shopping peace. People with children say, “That’s brilliant.” They look slightly dumbfounded that they hadn’t thought of it themselves and I know they are rushing home to download an episode of Dora the Explorer onto their own iPod.

There is the drawback of putting your beloved iPod in the hands of a fickle toddler–Lady Bug has pitched it over the side of her stroller on more then one occasion. But so far, it has survived. And at this point, it’s death would be seen as a worthy sacrifice for the family. And most of the metro area.