1m2aSandbox

Maddie seems to be a bit better on the
obedience front, which I always hate to say because it’s like
that part of the movie where the girl goes out in the dark forest
and you scream at the screen, “Don’t go out in the
forest! There’s a killer there!” because you can smell
the danger; only this time you’re screaming at the computer
screen, “Don’t write that it’s getting better!
There’s a big crash ahead!”


But I’m saying it, because I have faith in my girl that
she’s pulling herself together. A rough few days of
almost-constant discipline are behind us, and I’m hoping
we’re going to soon be able to narrow down our number of
breaks each day from around 30 to, oh, one or two.

Remember my daughter Cora – the
legalist? And remember how I have witnesses that I do not make this
stuff up?


So a few evenings ago, I cleaned up from dinner and snagged my
usual, clandestine two (ok, five) peanut M&Ms (c’mon,
they’re practically protein bars!) from behind a cabinet
door. I had just chewed the last one as I walked into the living
room and sat down on the floor to let Cora sit in my lap. She
backed herself up and plopped her hiney down, her head facing away
from me.


Suddenly her nose went up in the air, sniffing like a bloodhound.
She turned around on my lap, grabbed my face in her hands and say,
“Mommy, what you eat?”

The past couple of days, my darling Maddie
has disappeared and an evil twin has mysteriously taken her place.
I’m running on empty in the patience department, and
don’t know how much more of this I can take.


Maddie has been pushing boundaries like I’ve never seen
before, running away when I tell her to come to me, refusing
point-blank to take a break, hitting, and more. Coincidentally,
she’s skipped her naps for the past three days, which tells
me that even though she’s almost four, she’s definitely
not ready to give up the naps.

For those of you who don’t know (and
that would certainly be none of my friends, because I talk about
this a LOT!), Tuesday is Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s!


Yes, you read that right – go to Ben and Jerry’s, get a
free scoop of ice cream. From noon to 8 p.m., walk in, leave with
ice cream, pay no money. Everyone gets a free scoop, so bring the
munchkins without having to worry about sharing. Of course,
everyone wants free ice cream, so you may find a bit of a line;
when we lived in Chicago the line was around the block, but since
everyone was waiting for FREE ICE CREAM we were all in a pretty
good mood. And most places will even be relatively good-natured
about you grabbing your free cone, running to the back of the line,
and enjoying your scoop while you wait for another. Just
don’t be totally greedy.


Seriously, what could be better? Go after lunch. Go after dinner.
Or, if you’re like me, go during the kids’ nap times so
you don’t have those pesky “why does mommy get ice
cream when I don’t?” questions to dodge.


Don’t believe me? Click href="http://www.benandjerrys.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/"
target="_blank">here for more info. And grab a scoop.

I’m going off on a bit of a rant
here today – sorry in advance. What can I say –
it’s Earth month in my household, and this stuff is on my
mind.


It’s about all the free giveaways our society feels the need
to dole out. I’m not talking about bank bailouts or stimulus
packages – I’m talking about happy meals and birthday
party goodie bags and all the little “no biggie” toys
that flood a house filled with youngsters.


Giveaways are everywhere: I can’t buy a kid’s meal
without encountering one, complete with extraneous packaging, go to
the kid’s dentist, or even the library without being handed
some kind of “gift” or “treat”. At the
library it’s just cutout barn animals painstakingly stapled
to popsicle sticks, but try going into a bank without spotting a
bowl of free candy, or even the drycleaners these days!

Keeping in mind that I’ve had
several outside sources verify that I do not make these stories up
–


Cora is proving herself to be every bit the literalist that Maddie
is. Maddie will meticulously correct people if they aren’t
precise with their language, and that correction extends lovingly
(I hope) to Cora as well; she’ll correct Cora if Cora calls a
pink crayon “red”, saying, “Actually, Cora,
it’s red, not pink, ok?”


I expect this at Maddie’s age – she’s nearly four
(!!) and needs order and definition in her life.


I do not, however, expect this at Cora’s age – but
she’s showing signs she’ll be even worse than
Maddie.

I know, this is April, when I usually go
crazy and declare it earth MONTH rather than just focusing on the
environment for one day, but right now I’m burning the (non
carbon-emission soy) candle at both ends and haven’t had time
to pull together a lot of great sites for you. So here’s my
first tip to pass on –


This Sunday, Home Depot will give away one million compact
fluorescent light bulbs, trying to do their part to save the
environment. It’s first come, first served – just show
up and get your free bulb! No purchase necessary.


Remember your vow to try to live that life of impact this year?
This can be your deed for April – agree to only use cfls from
here on out. And you can get started for free! Click href="http://www.buxr.com/deal/free-cfl-light-bulb-home-depot-april-19th_20505"
target="_blank">here to read more about the Home Depot
giveaway. Want to learn more about CFLs, like what the best new
ones are out there, or which types are best for each environment?
Click href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls"
target="_blank">here to read on, or href="http://www.lowimpactliving.com/blog/2009/01/08/best-cfls-for-indoor-lighting/"
target="_blank">here to see even more ratings.


It’s the ultimate in Mommy Multi-Tasking – good for the
wallet, good for the environment. What’s not to love?