Oh, yeah... it's always been this way!

My good friend Jen, out of sunny CA, called today to commiserate with my recent experiences with the children. Seems that she can relate as her daughter recently stuck a wooden QTip in her toddler brother's ear (far enough to land them in urgent care), as well as gave their kitty's whiskers a very short trim. All in one day. Thank God I'm not alone in all of this.

Jen also reminded me that this Katie-mess-making stuff is not so new, as evidenced from an old email she forwarded to me today. To think this was written almost EXACTLY three years ago to the date (sigh)...

Recipe for Disaster:

1 container Vaseline
1 bottle Baby Powder
A few dashes of Baby Oil
1 Extra Large bottle of Baby Lotion
A two-and-a-half-year old

Place all ingredients in a room unsupervised for 15 minutes. Be sure that it is very quiet in the room before entering it, otherwise the recipe is not working correctly.

Enter room to find mixture of the ingredients throughout the room, rubbed evenly in the carpet, on the walls, curtains, back of a rocking chair and evenly distributed throughout the toddler's hair. IMPORTANT: You will want to clean, but this mixture is impenetrable. Let dry a few hours until carpet changes to a dingy color.

After carpet is adequately ruined, walls are stained and the toddler's hair has been washed using shampoo, baking soda and other home remedies, you should have a disaster well on its way. Now dry the toddler's hair, put cornstarch in it to bring out the Vaseline, and you should have a complete disaster, such as the one pictured here.

We recently tried this recipe for Complete Disaster in our home just after placing our house on the market and it worked wonderfully. We also found that similar results can be achieved by substituted lipstick and eyeshadow for baby powder and Vaseline, which we tried on our Open House day. Enjoy!

Not much has changed since the last use of the recip... but I will let you know that you can exponentially increase the quantity of COMPLETE DISASTER if you add another child to the recipe.

Recently heard...

Katie's at that age where her reasoning, expanding vocabulary and innocent insight combine in a lethal combination of comedic quips. Here are a few heard just this past week:

Katie asked me earlier this week why girls just have the "short thingies" instead of penises, like boys have. I told her because that's how we're made. She replied that it would be so much easier if we had them, so that we could pee on trees like boys do. She then asked if boys have the "third hole." No, I tell her, boys don't have a vagina. Later I hear her telling Sadie "You have a 'banina' like me because you're a girl. You don't have a penis." Ah, great. Can't wait till my 20 month old starts running through the house talking about penises.

She loves to personalize Old MacDonald with family in it. For Jason, it's "with a poot, poot here," with me it's "and drama, drama there" and Sadie is "everywhere a scream, scream." Tells you quite a bit about our daily lives.

Katie: You know Carlee has a boyfriend now?
Me: No, really? Who is it?
Katie: It's Jacob.
Me: Oh wow, that's big news!
Katie: Yeah, but she's already tired of going with him. She's breaking up with him tomorrow, but she's too scared, so I'm going to do it for her.
Me: How will you do that?
Katie: Duh, I'll chase him when we're playing wolves, catch him and tell him it's over with him and Carlee and that he needs to move on.
Me: Sounds like a good plan. But try to be nice about it Katie. He may have his feelings hurt.
Katie: No, Mom, he's used to it. All his girlfriends break up with him that way.

Tonight, while playing animals I said something to amuse her. A few minutes later she told me that her brain was still laughing inside her head.

Moms Will Cure CHD

Today, I've been inspired and revitalized on the whole CHD front. My day was full of outstanding presentations at the Consumer Trends Forum here in Boston. I've learned a ton, and will have more take-homes than I think I've ever had from a conference. But this is CHD month, and I'm on this mission to promote awareness, and thus one thing is stuck out in my head.

These past few weeks I've been mulling over the whole CHD awareness thing. Why don't people know about it? Why is it a "silent" epedemic? Why can't we get more research dollars?

You know why? Our children do not have a vote. Most CHD survivors don't realize they are part of an overall picture. And MOMS are not strong enough advocates. Sure, we tell our close friends and family, maybe even a congress member, but we aren't using our greatest strengths to change the face of this daunting task.

Don't get me wrong. As parents of children with CHDs, there is nothing more we want than to find treatments, answers, cures. There is nothing more we want than to save another mother from the pain we have seen ourselves and watched our children endure. But we are discounting ourselves.

One of the speakers at today's meeting was Maria Bailey, founder of a mom-based marketing group called BSM Media. A lot of things she talked about struck a chord with me (e.g. finding out I'm a mompreneur, how moms will decide who the next president is and how much major brands want to woo us). I left with the new reality that more moms are coming who are connected, who share my values, and who work in a similar manner that I do, yet share my family-first values. We, the mompreneurs, soccer moms and SAHMS, have more power than I ever imagined.

Why does this relate to CHD? Because I think we're underselling ourselves as moms. I myself have said, "I'm just a mom" when referring to my role in CHD awareness. I've made a weak attempt at awareness. And I discount my desire for change (I want it, but can't achieve it on my own).

Here's the reality check. I'm part of a $2.1 TRILLION dollar buying power who can influence my favorite brands. My vote will change our future. My voice does matter, because it's not a voice of one, but of thousands. We have POWER, and it's time to tap into it.

Tonight I learned that we have more influence than I ever imagined. Now it's our responsibility to tap into that power to bring attention to the matters we care about most - the health, well-being and future of children and adults with CHD. It's time to erase the "silent" part of the epidemic we face and find answers. I'm fired up and ready for action. Now for the next step...

- How do we come together to accomplish changes in legislation?
- How do we join forces and change the pitiful funding for the research that will change our children's lives?
- And how do we use our buying power and leverage to influence major companies to join our fight for our children and future generations?