Categories
Random

Charity links

I’ve been tagged in a charity link meme. I’m supposed to give five charities some link love now.

I have a bit of a dilemma. I only have one charity…

But guys, this one charity is pretty awesome. 100% of donations go to people in need—not to marketing, not to salaries, not to overhead. All labor is volunteer labor. Some of their supplies are even donated. They were one of the first people on the scene after Katrina and one of the last to leave (I’m not even sure they’ve left). They’ve helped after like 150 crises in 150 countries in the last few years.

</infomercial>

I’ll go dig up some others…

  1. LDS Humanitarian Services — donate to charity
  2. American Red Cross — emergency response
  3. Wasatch Homeless Health Care Incorporated/4th Street Clinic — health care for the homeless
  4. Newborns in Need — knitting for preemies
  5. Habitat for Humanity

Here are Andy’s links:

  1. American Red Cross – disaster relief
  2. Raleigh Rescue Mission – homeless raleigh
  3. SOS Children’s Villages – sponsor a child
  4. Samaritan’s Purse – emergency relief programs
  5. St. Jude Children’s Hospital – cancer research

And finally, I get to tag people!

  1. Plain Jane Mom
  2. An Island Life
  3. 5 Minutes for Mom
  4. Boo Mama
  5. Embracing Momminess
Categories
Kids/Parenting Ryan/Married Life Fulfillment

Interview with . . . Me!

I’ve been doing several interviews lately, so I was excited to be interviewed as part of an interview meme by Mountain Mama. (I was even more excited to learn that she’s from the Old North State. Come on, you know, where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.) (North Carolina. Geez.)

On to the questions!

Where is the one place in the world you have always wanted to go and why?
Europe. Probably because I’m an American. And beyond that, because I have a completely romanticized view of Europe. I dreamed of living in England when I was a teenager, and have since been quite taken with Spain (minored in Spanish in college). I’d also love to see Italy (again, highly romanticized view). Beforew we started dating, I learned my husband had backpacked through all these places. I could have smothered him with jealousy. I’ve made him promise to take me one day. I would have made him take me on our honeymoon there, but we thought it was better to go to New Zealand to meet his parents (they were missionaries there at the time).

What about you will most embarrass your children when they grow up?
Probably something terribly normal and stupid like driving them to school or wearing sweatpants or mom jeans. Possibly something obnoxious like this terrible tendency I have to always have to be right. Hopefully not our beliefs or a complete inability to shut up.

What skill or talent have you always wished you possessed?
Having a little boy, I should say athleticism. The only sport I can play is kickball. However, lately I’m really wishing I possessed patience. Man. And after playing the piano for 15 years, I wish I could play by ear. That’s probably the one I’ve “always” wished for. Or the best I can come up with right now.

Who or what do you think has been the greatest influence on your growth/development as a person and why?
Hands down, my religion. I made a quick list of things that it directly influenced: where I went to college, who and when I married, when we decided to have children, the closeness of my family of origin, the things I eat/drink, the standards I keep, the shows and movies I watch, the goals I have in life. Of course, my views on motherhood. It’s all encompassing and beautiful. Also, if it weren’t for my religion, my parents wouldn’t have met, being from opposite sides of the country—so basically I owe my entire existence!

What brings you the most satisfaction in life right now?
The little moments. Today, it was sitting on the couch with Ryan and Hayden. Snuggling with one (or better yet, both) of my boys and not having anything else in the world that I have to think or worry about, even if it’s just for that one minute. It’s especially sweet when Hayden initiates the snuggling. (I do like Ryan to initiate the snuggling, too, it’s just really special coming from my little boy who doesn’t have any other way to express his love.)

Want to be next?
Since this is a meme, it gets passed on. You know, memes are like viruses. Here’s how this one works:

1. Leave a comment, saying “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to choose the questions.

3. Update your blog with the answers to my questions.

4. Include this explanation and offer to interview anyone who asks.

5. When someone asks to be interviewed, you will email them five questions of your choosing and they will answer on their blog. And so on and so forth.

Categories
Random

What hath Hayden wrought?

Hayden hath wrought upon my glasses. Notice anything missing?

broken glasses


Wordless Wednesday

Categories
Random Ryan/Married Life

How Rummikub House Rules Almost Ended My Marriage

One big adjustment for me when I got married (I’m not kidding, this really might be the biggest thing that surprised me about Ryan.) (Okay, I am kidding that it almost ended my marriage.)—anyway, it was a big shocker to learn that not everyone played some of my favorite games the way my family did. I didn’t grow up playing Phase 10, but I could tell that the game could be somewhat like Monopoly and last forever (hence their adjustment to have everyone changes phases together on each hand, ending the game in 10 hands).

However, I did grow up playing Rummikub. My family quite enjoyed it. Our first set didn’t have directions in it (maybe it came from a thrift store) but we’d played it at my aunt’s house, so we already understood the premise.

Our House Rules for Rummikub

  1. Each player (or team) draws one tile from the pile. (Pile tiles should be well mixed and face down.) On the count of three, players reveal their tiles to everyone. The player holding the tile with the highest number goes first and play proceeds to the left (clockwise).
  2. Each player draws an additional 13 tiles from the pile, setting all 14 tiles in his/her tray.
  3. If the player who drew the highest number is able to play tiles from his/her tray, s/he does so.To play tiles, they must be either:
    • a “run”—three or more sequentially numbered tiles (1-2-3) all the same color.
    • a set of three or four tiles of the same number (10-10-10) of all different colors.
  4. If you cannot play on your turn, draw a tile from the pile. Play continues to the left.
  5. Another way to play tiles, once you have laid down at least one set or run from your tray, is to play tiles “against” runs and sets on the board. For example, if there is a red 5-6-7 on the board and you have a red 8 (and have already played a run or set of tiles from your tray), you can add your red 8 to the red 5-6-7.
  6. You can move tiles on the board around into different groupings, provided you play at least one tile from your tray and all tiles end up in proper groupings of three or more. This can be highly complex, such as rearranging five groupings and adding two of your tiles to create six new groupings, or simple, such as breaking up a run of 7-8-9-10-11 to make a run of 7-8-9 and a second run of 9-10-11. (This is the best part of the game!)If you can’t successfully wrangle the tiles into groupings of at least 3 tiles, you must return all tiles to their previous positions (including any tiles from your tray!).
  7. The jokers: There are two jokers in Rummikub. They are “wild” and can represent any tile and can be used to create runs or sets. If you are able to “free” the joker from a grouping on the table, it is once again “wild” and can be used as any tile on that turn only. You cannot “free” a joker from a grouping on the table and hold on to it for future use.
  8. As in card rummy, the ace is high/low. You may “round the corner” with a single color run of 12-13-1, but you may not proceed to 2 (unless you’re the oldest and can convince your younger siblings that you can) (but never to 3. Come on, there are reasonable limits to everything.).
  9. If ever you cannot play any tiles from your tray, you must draw from the pile. If you run out of tiles, play continues until you’re all stuck. (I don’t remember that ever happening.)
  10. You win by playing all of your tiles from your tray. Dancing and gloating is optional.

How these rules are different from traditional rules
The traditional rules, which I now know because my husband and I got a new Rummikub game, state that you must have a total 30 points to be able to play tiles the first time (points are added from the values on the tiles). This means that you could have four runs of 1-2-3 on your tray, but still not be able to play them. The joker can be included in the 30 points total. Tiles “played off of” someone else cannot count toward the 30 points.

The joker must be replaced by a tile of the same numerical value and color that it represented on the table. The rules state that you cannot replace the joker with another tile already played on the table; only a tile from your tray can replace a joker. If you have a set of 3 with a joker (red 10-blue 10-J), either remaining color (here black or yellow/orange 10) can replace the joker.

The official rules expressly prohibit “rounding the corner” with a 12-13-1. Poo on their shoes. (Games bring out my mature side.) (Which is why Ryan and I actually fought over something as stupid as a board game.) (Okay, it was mostly me doing the fighting!)

Ryan’s family’s house rules include that the joker cannot be played at all on your first turn laying down tiles, even if you have <30 points from the other tiles you’re playing. Also, when you play a joker in a set of 3 (red 10-blue 10-J), you announce the color that it represents. It can only be replaced by the tile designated.

Another house rule that I’ve encountered for Rummikub is that you cannot create a five tile run on the table (3-4-5-6-7), leaving a maximum of four tiles in a grouping. (The official rules expressly contradict this rule in their example plays, but if you like it, then who cares?)

Neither Ryan’s family nor mine kept score, although it is in the official rules.

Our hybrid
Ryan and I have developed a hybrid that allows us to play without fighting. We follow his family’s rules on the initial play (30 points, no jokers), and follow my family’s rules on the joker (if you can “free” it, you can use it how ever you want). This is also known as a compromise.

We plan to teach our children never to play by the real rules (although we probably will want to teach them both sets of grandparents’ rules, just so they’ll know how to play when they visit).


For more fun and games—or at least game rules—see Classic Kid’s Game Group Writing Project.

Categories
Kids/Parenting Random

Six of one, half a dozen of the other VII

I’ve been a little remiss in talking about Hayden lately—and what’s discussing motherhood without mentioning the one who made me a mother?

So, here are some of the things he’s been up to lately!

Six recent Hayden firsts
More signs. This week, Hayden learned ‘doggie.’ It looks a lot like ‘hi’ when he does it, but he does it when he sees a dog. This is a bit of an improvement over signing ‘kitty’ when he sees a dog. He’s also learned to blow when he sees a fan.

Hugs. Yep, spontaneous hugs. Don’t believe me? Watch this:

See, he tries to hug the kitty and then he signed ‘kitty.’
Kisses. Yep, Hayden give and (mostly) receives more kisses!
Weaning.
Separation anxiety. Suddenly, Hayden really cares about being left at the gym daycare. They’re really good at distracting him, but it’s still heart wrenching to hear him cry out.
Climbing. Yesterday he climbed onto one of our couches. Here’s one of his first climbing experiences:
Half a dozen not-so-recent Hayden firsts
Babbling. He’s been talking up a storm for a few weeks now. Still no words, although he does seem to whine “mamamamam” to me and “dadadada” to Ryan.
Grabbing my legs. On the whining note, Hayden has learned to grab my legs and plaintively look up at me (while whining “mamamam!”). This is most common when he’s hungry, and when I’m trying to walk around the kitchen to get him something to eat.
Walking backwards. I’m not sure exactly when he acquired this skill, but he’s quite good at backpedaling.
Sense of humor (and feeding himself) (video)

“Teefers!” We’ve gotten him to show his teeth when we say this. In fact, he’s so good at this, that he does it even when I ask him where are his feet are, he shows me his teeth. (He points to his feet when you ask him where his stinky feet are.)
Typing. Here’s a sample of his work.

/ “”””””””” I?II?i ,bbbbbbbbbbbbbbby,,.dz h ionjnyn GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVMMMM*
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
V 88B6666666666666666666 VVVVVVVVVVVV 088888888 h i8n mj gvgftfrtfhft 0 66666666666666666666666666666cvN v6c FDZS J8 B K VVVVVVVVVVVGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG N ===================================================
================OKM

That’s our boy!

Categories
Kids/Parenting

Five Things Moms Do Right

It’s official—moms are hard on themselves. Don’t believe me? Just ask Pew Research. 56% think mothers today are doing a worse job than their parents did.

So, in the face of all this discouragement, let me offer a little encouragement:

Five things moms do right

  1. Give to their kids. One of the biggest sacrifices that all moms make is their time. Whether it’s nursing a baby all night, entertaining a toddler all day, or running kids from softball to soccer to saxophone lessons all afternoon, moms give up their personal time to help their kids grow and develop.
  2. Make important choices for their kids. Everything from eating vegetables to going to bed at a decent hour, there are things that we do for our kids not because we particularly love doing those things (or fighting with our kids to get them to do them!), but because we know it’s best for them.
  3. Let their kids make their own choices. We try to help our kids learn to be independent and decisive by letting them make their own choices—mostly on some of those things that aren’t quite so important, like what color to wear today.
  4. Try. Some days it seems like I’m killing myself trying! Even if we fall short, I truly believe that if we have tried, something positive we’ve done for our children will make an impact on them.
  5. Love their kids. Even if we’re not perfect parents, and even if it were true that we’re doing a worse job than our parents did, don’t accuse moms today of not loving their children.

What else do you think moms do right?

Enjoy this post? Vote for it at GNMParents!