Breaking The Dress Code

Elmo Elmo Pie

Translation

L – M – N – O – P

So tired of this month

I’ve been completely neglecting this blog. It’s just been one of those months. School started, life got busy, kids got sick, work became stressful. Life took over. I find myself incredibly stressed by this whole economic situation. I work for a large company that is doing okay, but only okay. We’ve cut back and we’re looking for more ways to cut back but there is only so much you can do. Stress.

Plenty of good things have happened but usually September is my down time month. My restful month before October takes over and we’re in an all out sprint for the New Year. This year it just all seemed to come full on.

I wasn’t ready.

I just feel like I need everything to stop for a week and let me catch up. The Laundry. The house cleaning. Everything.

Sorry to be a downer. Just that’s all I can think to say and that is why I haven’t been saying much.

I’ll shut up now.

Second Chances

Back during the back-to-school shopping I wrote a post about Old Navy and their advertising which I thought was well sort of off in it’s messaging. It had a sort of “Wear what the cool kids are wearing” theme and then proceeded to label the school uniforms as the “smart kid” section.  I didn’t like what they implied – that smart and fashionable where mutual exclusive. It just wreaked junior high stereotypes. From a marketing perspective, I thought it was lazy. As a result, we spent $0.00 dollars of our back to school budget at Old Navy.

 

Today I saw one in my inbox that prompted me to consider giving them a second chance. The email was strictly centered around the idea of friendship. Come in with your friend get a discount. Old Navy gets two people in the store instead of one.. they both giggle, they both buy. Much better Old Navy. Much Better. Promoting community and friendship… not clichés might get you back in my wallet.

 

 

So I rewarded them with a click through – and I LOVED what I saw! Look at these two girls!

 

 

They are not dressed as little hoochie mamas

 

They don’t have sarcastic remarks on their shirts that aren’t appropriate for their age

 

They are not glamorous

 

They ARE totally and completely normal

 

They look like two kids who would hop off the bus and come home with my daughter.

 

They are awesome!

 

And bam – just like that I dropped over $100 on shirts and hoodies and jeans!

 

I’m not silly enough to think that my blog post made a hill of beans to a company that size but I’m guessing that the earlier ad wasn’t terribly successful either. Someone has put on the thinking cap over there at least and I applaud their efforts.

 

Well done Old Navy, well done. Now don’t screw up again.

Does anyone know where my children are?

Finally finished Breaking Dawn last night. OMG, just OMG.

 

I can’t believe how those four books just sort of took over every spare minute I had. Like a drug – I just had to know what was going to happen next.

 

No one is happier than the Dr. to see those books put to rest. I think he’ll actually be happy to see me sitting on the couch with my laptop again. Score!

Guess I can start paying attention to the blog world again. Hello Blog World!

 

Now if I could just figure out where the kids have wandered off to in the last week I’d feel a little bit better. Kids? Mama’s back … Kids?

Wordless Wednesday

I spotted your granny at the Obama rally.

For anyone who still is going around thinking that he doesn’t have a plan.

Saturday is still so crazy in my head that I haven’t been able to put it into words. 12,000 people in the park, the 8,000 outside who couldn’t get in. It was overwhelming and awesome. Here is a little taste of why.

Hi, my name is Melissa and I’m a TV Addict

The thing that made me finally agree that we would not be selling the old HDTV and would instead stick that way-way-too-big-for-a-bedroom-projection-tv in the guest bedroom and hook up an additional HD DVR cablebox for an additional $15.00 per month:

Monday Night

8:00

Gossip Girl

Heros

Sarah Connor Chronicles

and

wait for it …

How I Met Your Mother

Success for ADA Bill

Disability rights and protections reached a new milestone when Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) on Wednesday, September 17. The bill is now awaiting the signature of President Bush.

Signed into law in 1990, the intent of the original ADA bill - to provide inclusion and equality in the workplace - has slowly disintegrated as protections have been repeatedly ignored due to narrow interpretations by the court. The strongly supported, bi-partisan ADAAA restores the original law with a more fair and broad definition of "disability," and ensures that individuals in need of protection under the law will not be shut out.

The ADAAA is of great benefit to the multiple sclerosis (MS) community, which experienced setbacks and barriers to protection under the original law due to misguided court decisions. People with MS and other chronic ailments had, in some cases, been denied ADA protection when courts overlooked the severity of their conditions because they were treatable by medicine or other measures.

Today, the ADAAA will help ensure that there will no longer be discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the workplace. Thanks to your help and activism, we can celebrate a big victory in the passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.

Witnessing History In the Making

Saturday I will get the opportunity to take my daughter to see something that has never been done before. A first. A moment in time when history is being re-written. I hope she will remember it for the rest of her life.

One of The Many Ways in Which I Am A Total Dork

Did I tell you how I sort of embarrassed myself in front of the babysitter on Saturday night? No? Oh well let me tell you…

So we had a babysitter Saturday night because we had a little wine tasting thing to go to. I had gotten ready a little early so I was back in the bedroom reading when she knocked on the door and Puddin let her in. I stood up and walked out into the living room carrying my book …

Yes that’s right people after months and months of listening to all of you rave and rave  and rave  and rave about these books I finally broke down and started reading them. And you were right they are totally addictive. Although don’t hate me if half way through New Moon I’m finding myself sort of pulling for Jacob. (I think it’s the whole warm vs. cold thing – the cold thing sort of creeps me out)

So I walk in book in hand and there stands the babysitter holding this  ….

At which point I totally had to confess to the babysitter that I am hopelessly addicted  and oh-my-god what’s been your faborite par and how far into it are you? And  then she concludes that I’m a complete 40 year old dork.