Weekly "Cheap and Easy"

Yeah, I know; so much for having "blogitis," when I can barely keep up w/a weekly theme...sheesh! OK, here's a freebie for you pet owners....

In the event of an emergency the ASPCA has a pet rescue pack which includes a pet rescue window decal which alerts rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. The pack also includes an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet—a great way to keep the APCC's toll-free emergency number handy at all times!

Click on the link: Here for free pet safety pack

Or go to: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ and go to the bottom right side of the page.

I mean, I had a great party going on(one of them home parties w/food, btw) where we were going to pair chocolate and beer, but no one was able to come as it's now spring break and pretty much everyone was going to be out of town. I had an exciting day planned but everyone had told me since they got a pretty decent Christmas bonus(literally, everyone I invited had a trip going w/the family or their husbands for the weekend and it seemed weird but everyone was going to either Mexico or Vegas....hmm!). Argh, that makes me so angry! Plus, plans being changed at the last minute, IE, when someone promised to come over, bring this, hang out w/you, blah blah...and then they blow you off at the last minute, especially if it's for them to begin with....THAT really pisses me off. I understand things happen and plans can change but when it happens often and it's on that other person's end even after you make every attempt and way to meet so-and-so no matter how hard it was to do the hook up in the first place.

Funny thing about plans, but I really feel bad for Californians. RE: their state tax refund; they're getting IOU's!!! Can you believe that? So much for using your state tax refund to pay the electric bill, gas bill, Visa bill, etc...who knows when you'll get the moolah. I mean, come on, Cali!! You already are getting a governor for free, so WTF?

And speaking of the governor, anyone catch last week's "Celebrity Apprentice?" Yeah, Blago is STILL a moron, trying to "defend" himself as he ignored Joan River's diner order(ya gotta head over to Hulu.com to check it out) as he yapped, and yapped and did a bit more yapping to diner customers re: his status(or lack thereof) w/the state of Illinois. He really is delusional and he really thinks he did nothing wrong. So, let me get this straight; attempting to sell an empty senator seat for your state for XXX amount of moolah...isn't wrong...and it wasn't what he was doing...as it was all taken out of context. Whatever, Rod. Stop sniffing that Liquid Paper....



Thanks to freakingnews.com for the borrowing of the Rod image....

Weekly "Cheap and Easy"

I decided to post a weekly website or link that show's a great way to save money and/or use to print coupons.

This week's "Cheap and Easy" site is MOMMY SAVES BIG!!! This is a nice and simple little site that has listings of coupons either online, via websites through registration and what you can find in your Sunday paper. They also list some store and coupon match-ups, which is one of my favorite mechanisms on a coupon website(IE, Target, Walgreens, etc..). I LOVES it!!

Here's the link...Just hover your mouse slightly below this post.

Mommy Saves Big

Musings of a "baseball mom."

OK, let me just explain that I’m not as hardcore about extra-curricular activities as some of those soccer moms are about soccer(thus, are named “affectionately” as a “soccer mom”), but I am involved to the necessary degree in my son’s extra-curricular activities.

My neighborhood started a much needed baseball league a few years ago. Much needed here(as in pretty much in every area in the United States) as for some reason my neighborhood has a problem with keeping kids programs despite our recent election and the fact that the same jackass who ran things before and consequently ended various after-school programs for the kids in this ‘hood as “there’s no money” for them....well, the kids basically have "nothing to do" in their spare time but they're able to take a lot of time and energy to "tag" their names, gang insignias, etc... on pretty much every object that stands still. Just don’t stand too still or long at a bus stop as you may be the victim of a spray painting with the gang "flavor of the month."

It’s fantastic and very upstanding when people take the time out of their busy schedules to even consider doing something noble as coaching. I commend all of those that take the time out of their hectic lives and devote a bit of their time to mentor, coach, volunteer with fund raising, organizing, etc...It’s an honorable thing to be involved with helping and mentoring children and getting them off of the streets and out of trouble, especially with something like sports as this will give them the abilities to make appropriate judgments quickly and help them learn to work with others, ie, working with and as a "team."
It helps if the organizer, coaching, and ump staff feel the same way.
...But unfortunately, that’s not the case here.

Don’t let me get me started about the first uniform pick-up day! It was like a Russian bread line in the 1980's obviously before the fall of the iron curtain. Boxes all over, items strewn all over the parking lot and no order whatsoever.
It seems that there is a slight problem with attitudes regarding the actual organizing and operating of said organization. Granted, I understand that this league was in it’s infant stage and I know that even if the league was going on for 10 years there would still be some disorganization and other issues that parents and coaches will bring to the table; however, there should still be limits in regard to a lot of issues.

Those issues are actually linked to one issue:

Attitude.

There is a really bad attitude going on in this league. And this bad attitude leaked into the "rule" book. I, unfortunately was not able to participate in the first half of the season due to medical reasons but when I came back, let’s just say a lot of "stuff" was hitting the fan.
It starts out that when I initially signed my son for this league I was under the impression he was going to hit off a "T." In case you don’t know what that is, it’s a rubber device that looks like a pole that sticks out of another rubber "thing" that’s shaped like home plate. This is to help the younger kids get an idea of how high they need to swing their bats to hit the baseball, and as a coach on disability, I’ve used the "T" for my older girls; and it helps! After my surgery the first game in this league I attended with my son I noticed the kids were pitching at each other, first for three strike-outs, then a coach continues to pitch until the kid either hits the ball or misses, thus making two more strikes.
Five strikes....hmmm....interesting. Can you imagine the White Sox having a five strike limit? The darn game would go on forever.

But beer sales would be up considerably!

This sudden change in pitching had a big impact on my son as I was practicing with him in our yard with a "T" and he was completely used to hitting a baseball off a "T," so when he was pitched at, he panicked. He’’s autistic, so sudden change really affects him, in a bad way at that. He was so upset about it he told me he hated baseball and never wanted to play again. By the way, he was five years old at the time and is autistic. Interesting thing is half the kids in his league are five years old. The older ones, the six and seven year old's are able to hit a pitched ball much easier as they’’re mentally able to adapt but weren’t on this team. Granted, it didn’t affect the others as much as my son but it affected them regardless. Then comes another change when a player that happens to hit a home run, it doesn’t count.

Hmm...home runs don’t count. Can you imagine the Sox doing that one?

OK, I know it’s unrealistic to compare T ball to MLB, but just bear with me, will ya?
So, when the player hits a home run and is cheered on and congratulated by their coach and team with the player's confidence all up there, there’s the sudden let-down and emotional disappointment when the player is notified that their home run didn’t actually count. Now I know you’’re asking, "why even tell the kid the home run didn't count so they're not disheartened?" Well, the opposing team’s coach and the ump mention to the team with the home run that it didn’t count, it affects them. The expression "little pitchers have big ears" basically meaning kids hear everything, well, kids hear everything! And you know the player heard that. When I was at that first game I attended the player that made said home run mentioned to me(sadly, may I add) that "my home run didn’t count." How do you think that made me feel? As a parent(and this isn’t my kid, by the way) it pretty much cracked my heart a bit. I spoke with the mother of the player and she was completely livid about this and she had every right to be as I too was livid about this so-called "rule."
She also pulled her son out of the game, and out of the league all together.
Then with the overall changing of rules here and there throughout games with both teams coaches arguing about rules which one coach follows, the other one disputes it even though it’s written in black and white and given to them at the beginning of the season....it’s exhausting and exasperating not only for other coaches, but to the players and the parents. And discouraging in regard to having the players return for another season.

And the refusal of a couple hundred first aid kits that were offered by a mom who was able to get them from work for free, and then the league not supplying any kits to the coaches for the entire season?

Now, what is with that?

Another situation happening with another team and a mother that is an acquaintance from previous coaching(I coached her daughter for two years) that had an issue with a coach on her son’s team. The coach basically got a bit too personal with her son when her son was upset about a play he couldn’t make, thus telling him that he was "over emotional and needs to control himself. What place does this coach have to make a hurtful statement like that to a twelve year old boy who is going through his own emotional issues with growing up, raging hormones, etc...and doesn’t need to be “picked” on.

It isn’t the coach’s place at all, in my humble opinion, to make any sort of statement like that. This coach is supposed to mentor the players, to encourage them regardless of how much effort he expects from his players. To boost their moral and make them feel good about being a part of the team.
This situation blew completely out of proportion due to the mom sending out an email to our league’s coordinator. He basically put this on the back burner. Well, word or should I say gossip travels like a wild fire in northern California on a hot June afternoon as this mother’s email circulated all over the league. It even reached several parents who are now acting like it’s some sort of "witch hunt" on this mother and her two kids, who are now affected by said actions. Not only does this coach limit the playing time of her son, but her daughter as well(the same sweet girl I coached is on the same team as her big brother). Even a few of the baseball moms have gotten involved with this mother as she made her way to the ballpark just to start trouble. Since none of her children were playing, she was evicted by the ump that apparently didn’t know the situation, or didn’t care. I took the time out to address the situation with the league coordinator in defense of this great mom but all I got were excuses; "The coach just expects a lot from his team." "He’s a hard-working coach that just wants the best from his players," yadda yadda. There was no sympathy, nor empathy and that really bothers me. Being a "former" coach I never got that emotionally involved with my team. As kids can be exasperating at times because they don’’t listen, pay attention, etc..I still chalked it up as kids just being kids and worked with it to the best of my ability. I also used a certain method that was exemplified in a great book I got as a gift, and I think every coach, ump and league coordinator needs to get a copy and read it cover to cover;
It’s called "Fair Play: The Book. Making Organized Sports a Great Experience for our Kids," by Scott Lancaster. This book became my Bible in regard to coaching and I personally think it should be assigned to anyone participating or volunteering any coaching position. The book mentions how coaches need to separate their exasperation and anger from "bad plays" and focus on why they’re really there:
...For the kids.

Now, I’m not getting any credit for plugging this book but I really feel that anyone that plans on getting involved in coaching should read it.
This sports program is an extra curricular activity that was developed to help kids become more confident, more skilled at sports, get them off the streets and out of trouble as well as give them the ability to not only learn how to work with team effort but to overall learn "good sportsmanship." Coaches should be proud that they are the ones that kids look up to, or can look up to for help and guidance. This can help a kid in life in the future, so why would one mess this up for a kid? How can a kid learn how to be a good...anything with a coach that displays that kind of attitude. Getting into the face of a kid that is upset over a play is not the way to get things done with their team.

It sounds like that coach is the one with emotional problems and needs help.
And you thought soccer moms had it rough...

Happy Birthday, happy birthday.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO MEEEEEE! Yeah, I was pregnant and breastfeeding for the last three birthdays, so give it up to momma!

Jeesie Creesie! Will it ever end?

The spam/junk mail deal, that is. Would you believe that along with a message via email from one of my other blog sites(along the lines of Yahoo 360! Live Journal, Facebook and Myspace) someone was inviting me to be their "friend" but...it wasn't an actual invite from someone interested in being my "friend" because of the funny/insightful things I write, post, etc...

It was actually junk mail.

Or spam as this is via the internet.

I am serious! It was from someone under the guise of looking for another "cyberfriend" who was out there in cyberspace and happened to have landed in my planetary cyber atmosphere looking to push their products("Want a $3000 gift card from The Olive Garden? Then complete this survey," "Need Viagra?" etc. ....)

.....Or services.

One of my other personal sites gets only invites from female "friends" that want to be more than friends with me(along the lines of "Hey. Saw your profile, you look like fun; I am a single, blond female from Macedonia looking to have a good time," etc....). I mean, really; she obviously didn't look at my profile unless something about me just SCREAMS "Lesbian!" Really, do people really respond to these ads and messages and to do they actually end up having a good time or does it end up along the lines of that movie "After Hours?/?" I've checked them out to see what their profiles are all about and they all say the same thing, basically. They also seem to be the same person in all of 'em.

Weird.

For services, their looking for a good time. Well, hells bells who isn't looking for a good time? For products, I almost always must complete some sort of survey that takes about 45 minutes to complete and I have to use my credit card to obtain at least two of the items/services(no, it's not the "good time seeker" services). Yes, I know. Why bother even looking it up, right? Can't help myself. I'm curious.
Yes, I know what happened to the cat in regard to curiosity.

I am so glad I'm able to block those messages....too bad it doesn't prevent others from sending the same information.

I started to cry....

For some reason I started to weep when I saw this image. This is a photo of the old ice cream joint in the neighborhood where I "grew" up(which I use the term loosely in for so many reasons, not enough time to go over any of them at this moment). It was just north on Wolcott past 37th Street in the McKinley Park neighborhood. It just brought back so many overwhelming memories of having such a difficult time w/my parents, my school as I was "chastised" and horribly picked on for coming from a different religious background than the one of my grade school upbringing..and just...life being a preteen girl in Chicago.

This place, Oren's, was heaven.

And a haven for me, even if it were for the few minutes that it took to make my transaction. I was able to escape even if it were for a few minutes to an entirely different world, where everything was sweet, and happy, despite crowded surroundings and disarray in the shop. The dusty old greeting cards that had designs from the late 50s and cost $.35(yes, 35 cents!), the brick-a-brack he had all over from cheesie Mardi Gras beads to various old tin cans(YES! Tin cans) from different types of soda stacked up against the wall, the various beaded projects brought in and created with love either by grandchildren....or fans; the thick and sugary smell of ice cream and maraschino cherries that almost grabbed you by the throat and practically choked you along with that faint scent of musty old paper. To this day whenever I smell old paper I think of Oren's. The anticipation of having either a bag of Swedish fish, shoelaces, or a Green River and feeling absolutely rich in spirit and mind being able to afford all three, and various hot summer days cramming in the store to sit on the ragged and ripped cherry red vinyl bar stools that itched and scratched your legs when you made your way onto it.... and how your legs were almost adhered with rubber cement to said stool when you attempted to make your way out of the shop ....almost removing a bit of skin in the process but happy with goodies in hand and tucked into a brown paper sack, smelling of whipped cream and those candied cherries.

It saddens me so much to see that it's gone. It almost feels as if a small part of me is gone. A tiny teeny part of my one bit of happiness during such a difficult time.

Poor Oren died of liver cancer back in the summer of 1996. Going to his wake stirred something in me as he was terribly thin in that casket, not resembling his usual self as he was always a chubby and jovial man. Almost always had a smile and a joke for you. Standing there, taking your order then making his way to create it wearing his little paper soda jerk hat and gray Dickies pants and flannel shirt, giving him a Bob the Builder's grandpa look...but he didn't build houses, porches, or any other handy work. None that I'm aware of.

What he did build was a little bit of happiness for everyone. Whether it was to make a simple Green River, a walking sundae, a toaster oven pizza, or a plain old ice cream cone with the best bubble gum ice cream, Oren made you happy and made you forget all that crap stuff that made life the way it is at times; complicated, hard, horrible, sad, difficult and just downright sucky.

And for a brief amount of time this old lady became a little girl again...slightly happier than before and forgetting all about the part of her life that's compicated, hard, horrible, sad, difficult and just downright sucky.

And as brief as it was, she was happy.

Why is it....

....That when someone tells you to "kiss their ass/arse" they usually end up describing in great detail .....their ass/arse, I mean?

Example? Sure, why not...IE, "Kiss my white, hairy Irish, arse" and "kiss my smooth and dark black ass." I've even heard someone mention for someone(not I and not lately) to kiss an ass that had a pimple on it....

OK then! TMI!

As if we need a graphic account of what their ass looks like. We're already picturing your ass when you initially tell us to kiss it and believe me; it's very unappealing.

And absolutely inappropriate.

Perhaps they feel that they need to describe it in great detail so that when they tell us to kiss it then we can find it with no problem as...well, hey we may actually miss the spot to kiss them, and they did specify ass/arse, but details, details please.

They told us that it's white, and that it's hairy(but what color hair? Aaahhhh...!) and of Irish descent(or whatever ethnicity they feel they need to inform us they're descended from, whether it's completely obvious or not). I mean, you're right in front of us and you're telling us the color of your ass, so would it be presumptuous if we thought your ass was the same color as your face? Would we really miss it(IE, not be able to visualize the ass kissing process as, well, we are being instructed to do so but are not willing to do so) if there was no description and if we really didn't know what an ass really and truly is? I mean, if one just said, "kiss my ass," would you look around and ask, "well, OK, then. Uh, first of all what is that? Is that a donkey? Is that a body part? I don't see it. Where is it? Whip it out, man! BTW, what does it look like?"

Just wondering.......................................