Only our great country could have produced the minds that created The Muppets. Happy Independence Day!
(And yes, I know the level of posting on this blog has now hit a new low. However, I feel the end of the "sick" stage of this pregnancy is nearing so hopefully you'll be spared future Muppet videos.)
(HT on video: Cake Wrecks)
In an article from the Los Angeles Times discussing L.A. county officials looking for "novel" ways to cut costs in light of California's budget crisis: "Supervisors suggest putting unemployed parents to work caring for their own children as part of proposed changes to CalWorks and other state government aid programs."
In hopes of reviving my blog, my loving husband is contributing a guest blog post regarding a rather interesting experience he had yesterday.
So I got an email at work today saying that I had not cashed a $500 check, and that if I didn't have it, I should fill out the form and request a new one. Naturally it gave no indication of what the $500 check was supposedly for. Of course the form asked for my address, phone number and last 4 digits of my SSN, and said if I didn't respond by June 22, the State would get the money. So I "knew" that this was a scam.
Just for fun I checked out the organization they were claiming to be; they appeared legit. But then I thought maybe this didn't really come from them, but someone pretending to be them - the email address matched the website, and the mailing address was the same. I checked snopes.com and found nothing. So then I found their main corporate number and called the directory (not the phone number in the email I got) and asked for the individual who sent me the email, knowing they would say "I'm sorry I don't have anyone by that name." Instead I got "I will connect you to her, please hold."
I spoke with this lady, still suspicious that this could be the most elaborate scam ever, but at the same time hopefully that I could be getting $500. I asked "So, why do you owe me $500?"
She replied "I'm not sure, let me check. Normally we don't have much information about these old payments." My heart sank... this is a scam...
She said "All I have is a note saying 'N' 'Y' BAR, does that make sense to you?" My spirits lifted, could this be?
I said "Yes, does your company own BAR/BRI?"
"Yes, we own West, Westlaw and BAR/BRI."
My spirits soaring (checking their website to confirm that they did), I responded, "Oh, this must be my refund check I never got from my BAR/BRI course" (rechecking the date on the invoice "9/11/06" right after I had taken my Bar exam). I said "Oh, wow, I thought this was some sort of scam."
"No, sir, we are just trying to make sure you got your money and keep our books in order. Sometimes you law students turned lawyers are sure tough to find."
I said "Thank you so much for you help, I will fax you the form today."
Lesson: Sometimes an African prince really does want to send you money, just make sure you do as much research finding out who they are, as they did finding out who you are.
A much-appreciated reader comments on my blogging absence: "I get worried when Maria isn't blogging. I'm afraid it means she is vomiting."
(Foiled again. After the astute comments of my readers, I took down the picture of the card since it had my contact info on it.)
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Any weird or wild morning sickness remedies out there? I tried all the regular ones with the first three - to no avail. I'm definitely open to suggestions, though!
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Okay, that's all I have in me today. Have a great weekend!
Rod Dreher at Crunchy Con wrote a great post today about his wife, Julie, and the important work she does as a housewife. I find it sad that there is a need for columns like this, but unfortunately our culture often devalues the role of the housewife.
Thankfully, I was brought up by a father who understood the tremendous value of my mother's role as a wife, mother, and homemaker and a mother who provided the best example possible of what it truly means to be a housewife. Then I was blessed with a husband - thanks to the wonderful formation of his mother - who genuinely appreciates and supports my role as a full-time mother and housewife. This Mother's Day I will be thanking God that I am surrounded by those who understand the real meaning and worth of simply being a mom.
I'm feeling extremely nauseous, totally exhausted, and have the world's biggest headache. Swine flu, you ask? Nope, just Baby Bremberg #4 on the way.
Lest my post title mislead, we are so excited about the latest addition to our rapidly growing clan. That said, I'm not so excited about the never-ending, all day morning sickness that insists on accompanying the good news. At least they can give you something for swine flu. Still, I suppose it's a small price to pay for the little cutie that's coming!
As Paul was released from his time out today, still quite upset about the situation, he sobs out, "You are disappointing me, Mommy."
Disclaimer: His father is a lawyer.
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I just mopped my kitchen floor with baby wipes. My German grandmother is turning over in her grave. Jane got into the wipe box, taking several generous handfuls of wipes and spreading them around the none-too-clean living room carpet. Instead of just throwing them out, I figured I might as well clean up my kitchen floor, which I mopped yesterday but was already disgusting. Who puts white tile in the kitchen? The floor looked great, but I've discovered that baby wipes used liberally on white tile leave a slight sticky residue. This is a hint I bet you'd never learn from Heloise.
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Lucy's favorite new saying: "Where's my boy Paul?" She sounds like she's in a rap video. I don't know where she picks up this kind of stuff, but I mainly blame Aunt Ruth.
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The new yard has an established asparagus patch in it. It's producing an enormous amount of asparagus. There are two varieties: green and purple. The purple is outstanding, very tender. There is one particular giant stalk that I've just let grow to see how big it would get. It is now as tall as Paul. It's a little scary.
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One of my closest friends just started a blog on her homeschooling experiences at The Chickadee Nest. She links to lots of great, free homeschooling resources. And of course, there are lots of pictures of her super-cute kiddos!
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Last week I got these fabulous mommy calling cards. I love the idea of having a "mom" business card. Plus I find it useful for my volunteer and political activities to have my contact information ready to hand out. And these particular cards were just perfect. I found the graphic on a note card by the designer and asked her to put it on a card. It perfectly captures my kids!
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I broke down and bought Davy Crockett off amazon.com yesterday. After having it checked out from the local library almost continuously for the past two months, I felt it was time.
Paul spends most of his time these days running around wearing only underwear and a loin cloth using a toy hammer as a tomahawk and trying to whistle like a thrush, "a Tennessee thrush."
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My self-imposed ban on cable news has continued pretty successfully since the results of the November elections. I feel my blogging is much less interesting, but so is my general emotional state. Given the temperament of the women in my family, I think this is a good thing.
Driving in the car this week...
Four year old Paul: "Why is spring called Easter?"
Momma: "Easter happens in the spring, but they aren't the same thing. Spring is the season when the weather gets warmer. Easter happens in the spring, but Easter is the time when we remember and celebrate Jesus rising from the dead."
Paul: "Oh."
Two year old Lucy chimes in: "Jesus rises from the dead?"
Momma: "Yes, Jesus rose from the dead."
Lucy: "Jesus rose from the dead?"
Momma: "Yes."
Lucy: "Jesus rose from the dead?"
Momma: "Yes."
Lucy excitedly: "This...this is wonderful!"
The glory and joy of Easter only hits her a week late.
