all dressed up

S had a Halloween party this morning. Really, it was just the make up class for the music class that was canceled a few weeks ago. All the kids dressed up, and that apparently makes kids crazy. Note to all parents and teachers...it's not the sugar in the candy that causes them to go nutso. It's the costumes. All the kids were running around like they were on speed. The teacher gave up about halfway through and just let them have treats. At that point, S was already passing out the stickers and spider rings we'd brought to share.

Anyway, here are a couple of shots. For the record, S did wear her costume, but when she started sweating, I took it off her. It was a smidgen warm in there this morning.


This is S with her friend S. She was a poodle...but she swore she was a lamb. Baa.


S thought this was the best thing ever. She really thought Elmo was there. She kept going up to the poor kid and touching him. It's how I'd react if I was in the room with George Clooney.

morning has broken

Remember that old Cat Stevens tune? Sure you do, and if you're like me, you love a little Cat Stevens every now and then. Peace train? Come on. Admit it. You love it.

Anyway, this morning broke me. As in, I nearly lost it.

S and I took a little jaunt into Nashville this morning. I needed some more dish detergent from Target, and we were hunting for a new POTTY CHAIR. S decided yesterday that she was interested in the potty. Really, I think she was just using it to stall at naptime and bedtime, but I don't know for sure. She also woke up this morning asking to watch her "big kids" video, which is about potty training, so I'm hoping that she's ready. I had been planning for awhile to replace the potty chair that we already had. It had multiple parts that she could take off and use as hats or costumery. (I know that's not a real word.) As that completely grossed me out, and her potty chair looked miserably uncomfortable, I thought another one might be better. Plus, I've read that if you let your child make the decision about their own potty chair, she might be more apt to use it.

Moving on...

First we went to Target. Their potty chair selection was seriously lacking, so we picked up our dish detergent and some Halloween stickers and headed to Toys R US. This is where the morning got out of hand. S wanted to walk. In and of itself, that isn't a huge deal. She's been into walking on her own lately, and I thought I could trap her inside in the little cart vestibule area and get her into a cart. No dice. She's smart enough to understand automatic doors. So, I grabbed a cart and hightailed it inside after her. Then, I realized that I felt woozy. Like, "I may actually fall down, and I feel seriously overheated, and, "S come here right now and put down that baton," and what is wrong with me?" After standing there for a minute, I realized that I had forgotten to eat or drink anything this morning and it was already 10am. That likely had something to do with it. I've never really thought about my blood sugar, but I'm pretty sure I was bottomed out. Halloween candy bags were right there at the door, so I grabbed one. I then ate a peanut butter cup and just stood still for a minute while S oohed and ahhed through the aisle. Okay, I felt well enough to proceed. I convinced S that it was a good idea to follow me so we could look at potty chairs, but she got sidetracked by this. Just shoot me. It took a good five minutes to get her to leave it alone. I finally made her understand that her options were to come with me or be forced into the cart. We made it to the potty chair aisle, which also happens to be the shampoo/bath crayons/lotion aisle. S was interested in two different chairs. One is the same as Kristie's daughter's, and I've read good things about it online. I was hoping for that one, but I was prepared to have to bring home the Elmo potty even though I'd sworn never to buy a potty that does tricks. While she kept looking at the Elmo potty and talking about it, she kept wanting to sit on the Baby Bjorn potty, so we bought that one.

We also had to pick up part of L's 1st birthday gift, and that little errand, which should have taken all of 47 seconds, took almost half an hour because S kept stopping to go all googly eyed over the toys.

She'd had all she could take by the time we got to the checkout lane, where you know they were as slow as molasses. We had to finish our little transaction through many tears and sobs. That was rather tricky as, unbeknownst to me, S had been filling our cart with all manner of crap while I wasn't looking, and I had to keep looking at what the girl was ringing up and saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't pick up that Thomas the Train soap or those nine packs of bathtub markers or that robot book."

My poor overstimulated child was in complete hysterics by the time I was able to wrangle her into the car. She calmed down when I got her some lunch.

Since we've been home, things have been a little calmer, but not much. I've got my fingers crossed that the remainder of my day goes more smoothly, otherwise, I may take to drinking.

Happy Thursday, peeps.

weekend in pictures

Another photo assault from the Ouiser family adventures. Ghouls at Grassmere (the zoo's halloween event). Family lunch for O's birthday, which included apple picking in the backyard and jumping on the trampoline. Afternoon excursions in the park. Please note my child's literal interpretation of what we should do with acorn "caps."











And, FYI, I'm letting Feathernester share pics of L dressed up for Ghouls. Which means, "woman, you'd better post."

how do i get myself into these messes?

I've been sitting at the desk for large stretches of time over the last two days. Sitting at the desk, making phone calls. Phone calls for "Dickson County Friends of Bob Tuke." Let me tell you, that's a mouthful to say on the phone.

"Hi, is this Mrs. Smith? Good morning. My name is Ouiser, and I'm calling with the Dickson County Friends of Bob Tuke. How are you today?"

I then get a chorus of, "you're calling with whom?"

Then I have to explain that he's the democratic candidate running against Lamar Alexander for U.S. Senate. Then I get to further explain that we're hosting a fundraiser next Saturday at the Dickson County Democratic Headquarters from 12-1:30. Do they think they might be available?

"Maybe."

Hallelujah.

"That's great. We will be serving lunch, and the candidate will be there to answer questions, and it should be a great time. It is a fundraiser, so it's a fifty dollar per person donation."

"Well, I can't afford that," or, "I just remembered I have to wash my hair."

It's hard to make phone calls to people during a nasty economic crisis in a small town where no one has a bunch of extra money lying around to donate to what is, honestly, a hopeless cause. Plus, "Dickson County Friends of Bob Tuke" is hard to say, and I'm getting really frustrated.

Besides, I need to devote more energy to the phone bank I'm pulling together for next Tuesday night. And I still have Halloween costumes to finish. If anyone has a time-turner laying around, I'd love to borrow it for a few days.

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday. I'm going to make some more phone calls.

i am super mom and you are, too

I declared myself Super Mom this afternoon. S and I attended the fall kick-off meeting for Relay for Life today at noon. We had picked up a happy meal for her on the way because chicken and fries is usually a surefire way to keep the kiddo still and quiet. Not today, though. Today she wanted to talk to people. And she wanted to eat the strawberry salad that came with my lunch. Fine. Not a problem really. The Super Mom thing came at the very end. S and I won a door prize...a very pretty little floral arrangement that I realized immediately that I didn't want to have to carry to the car with my huge bag and my 35 pound toddler in tow. Someone else won a bunch of purple balloons that S had been making eyes at the entire meeting. Turns out that someone was with a friend of mine, and she brought the balloons to S. I traded her for the floral arrangement because I knew she worked at a bank and lots of people would enjoy it there. Then I realized that I hadn't really traded up in terms of getting to the car. Luckily, S was an angel and walked while holding my hand the entire way through the hospital. She even avoided the catnip that is the elevator buttons. Then we hit the parking lot. The kid has a thing for walking on curbs. You know, one foot on the curb, one on the parking lot. I have a thing for not getting run over.

So, in the gale force wind, my child sat down on the curb and cried because I wouldn't let her play in the parking lot. Then she realized that there were five bright purple balloons swirling around my head and all troubles were forgotten. I somehow managed to get the kid, the bag, the balloons, and myself into the car and home. That's when I decided that I am Super Mom. In fact, all moms are Super Moms because we all have crazy days like this and no one is ever around to really appreciate the absurdity of our situations.

Happy Tuesday, super mom peeps. I'm off to make cookies.

Oh, but here are a couple of pics from this weekend.




And, that's right, Scarlet Lily and B, S is wearing a cardigan. A fancy posh cardigan to go with the fancy posh flower hair bow.

few words

The past eight days have been a blur. I can't even begin to describe it, so I'm going to make up a little game whereby I think of the words most pertinent to the past 192 hours of our lives...and then there will be pictures.

1. OBAMA
2. Boots
3. Mulch
4. Allergies
5. Roses
6. Accident
7. Recruited
8. Corny
9. Pumpkin drink
10. Fancy Posh

that's right, i'm famous

Not really, but almost.

I was this close to actually getting to talk on air. On HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS. Chris Matthews was looking straight at me, walking to me...then the camera hog next to me started spouting off about wanting to vote for a winner. Oh, well. It's really probably for the best. Either way, my mug was on national television. Scarlet Lily was kind enough to take pictures.

Despite my inability to become famous, I had a completely wonderful, though exhausting, time yesterday. Even M agreed that being in such an excited pro-Obama atmosphere is a little intoxicating (my word, not his). I really do wish you all could have been there.

It's so amazing to just meet a total stranger and immediately have something in common. Something to talk about. Something real...not, "man, the Vols are really stinkin' it up this season, huh?" or, "dude, the weather today sucks." Real conversations that make you feel really connected to other human beings that you'll likely never see again. Jessica the Occupational Therapy student, Tyler from Vanderbilt, Amanda the English teacher, Lane the Interior Designer, Taurus the coffee lover, Darla the autograph seeker...it was great to meet them all. It was also great to be in an atmosphere of cooperation. An atmosphere where, for the most part, everyone realized that we are working toward the same goal. There were the random islands of McCain support, but they were few and far between to say the least. Then there were the protesters that had to be led away by the police as Chris Matthews nearly lost it with them and their bullhorn. When Chris Matthews finds it difficult to talk over someone, you know it's bad.

Alas, the glitz and glamour for the Nashville political scene is over, and it's time to get to work. I did talk to one of the Victory '08 Tennessee bigwigs, and they are starting to ask people to really hit the battleground states hard. Tennessee is within fairly easy driving distance of Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. They're asking people to make weekend trips to those states to knock on doors if they can. I'm trying to convince M that it would be worth it to make a trip...also, I do have an aunt in Florida who is trying to find a buddy to knock on doors with. I'm going to try. I make no promises about actually traveling, but I hereby declare that I am going to get on the phone and start making calls to battleground states. I hope that you will, too. Obama's website makes it so easy. They are also really encouraging people to help get out the vote. If you know anyone who needs help getting to the polls to vote, please don't miss your opportunity.

Also, in all sincerity, just being nice and smiling at people while you're sporting Obama gear can go a long way. I walked past an assisted living facility yesterday morning as I was decked out in my Obama shirt, and I stopped for two minutes to talk to the residents that were out front rocking and watching the passersby. Just smiling and talking to them was great, and it leaves them with positive thoughts about Obama and his supporters. Remember that there are a lot of people who haven't made up their minds about this election, and positive thoughts are, well, positive. Honestly, for some people who are undecided, the issues may not be what decides this thing for them. Their experiences with people from the campaigns can be important...so, smile, people.

I've got to get some things done. I promise more pictures later, until then, have a great day, peeps.

the early show

At 4am, I flipped on the computer to make sure I knew exactly where to meet for my 530 am "I Love Obama" shift in Nashville. I had managed to peel myself out of bed at 315, so by 4, I was showered and dressed and ready to leisurely gather myself and get on the road. Then I opened my email.

The CBS Early Show was broadcasting, and they wanted us early risers to get there at 5 instead of 530. Crapola. I grabbed my coffee. I grabbed my keys. I attempted to kiss my sleeping husband goodbye. I ran out the door.

I was actually one of the first people there, which I considered a monumental accomplishment as I live 45 minutes away. I ended up sitting in a chair in Belmont Mansion for just under three hours. I'm pretty sure I never actually made it on TV, but boatloads of the signs I made the other night did. In fact, I was able to give my sign to a tall girl a couple of seats over, and she was able to block a McCain sign with it. Mind you, the Obama to McCain sign ratio was about 10:1, and all the McCain signs were more like, "We woke up early to be on TV," than they were about McCain. It was a good showing for Obama. By the time I left Belmont's campus, there wasn't a McCain supporter in sight.

I'm home now for a few minutes before I head to a doctor's appointment...then it's back to Nashvegas. I wish you all could be there. It is so much fun.

it's almost here

The VEEP debate. It starts in six and a half hours. Make sure you tune in.

Speaking of things that happen soon...the deadline for voter registration around the country is looming. I doubt that anyone reading this is still unregistered or planning to sit this election out, but just in case, I wanted to remind you. Or, if you know anyone, and I mean anyone, who isn't registered yet, get them registered. It's not difficult. Google it.

the audacity

I finally picked up a copy of The Audacity of Hope yesterday. I almost bought it when we were in Florida, but I felt like I was cheating on Reading Rock. I couldn't do it.

I've read the first 90 pages or so, and I can confidently say this: reading Barack Obama's words on paper are doing nothing to quell my love for the man. Nothing. In fact, it makes it all the more tangible as there is now a tactile aspect to the whole thing. I can see the words. I can reach out and feel the pages, and, frankly, I'm a visual person.

Obama has taken a lot of flack for being full of high ideals and, according to opponents, lacking in actual substantive ideas. Hogwash. He does have actual ideas. I, however (and once again), am here to say that I believe in the power of high ideals. I know I'm naive in my idealism. I always have been. I've always wanted to believe that things can be fixed. Things can be made better. Life can be fair and equal for everyone. A child born in Compton can achieve the same things in life as a child born in Greenwich. I believe that. I have to believe it. If it's not possible, what is everyone working for?

I believe that everyone can have real, decent, affordable healthcare. We're supposedly the greatest nation in the world. I don't buy that if we can't get our citizens to the doctor.

I believe that we can protect the planet while still having a functioning economy.

I believe so much that it makes it hard to accept the reality that we're currently facing.

S is screaming for more eggs. Short order cook/mom to the rescue. Have a great hump day, peeps.