To the Bettendorf Box Scrounge

Dear Box Scrounge in Bettendorf,

I woke up this morning to find cardboard strewn across my driveway. Thank you very much for putting your need for boxes over the clean way I attempted to recycle my cardboard.

You see, that very nice huge box that you took was holding all my other recyclable cardboard. When you took that box, you left behind an unsightly, unorganized mess. Thankfully, there weren't strong winds last night carrying my cardboard all across the neighborhood.

If you were in need of boxes, you could have come during the daylight hours, knocked on my door and asked. I would have said "Sure, I know what it's like to need boxes during a move or cleanup project." I probably would have even logged onto the local Craigslist and done a search for moving boxes. Then I would have given you my boxes and found another way to keep my cardboard organized for the recycling man.

If you found it necessary to take boxes in the middle of the night, you could have at least had the courtesy to bring twine along and clean up the mess you left behind.

What ever happened to common sense?

Sincerely,
Nicole, Bettendorf resident

How to Repair a Trick-or-Treat Pumpkin

It's trick-or-treat time!  We own two orange pumpkins and one purple pumpkin.  After careful discussion, the girls mutually agreed that Miss M would use the purple pumpkin for last night's festivities and Miss K could use it tonight. 

...Except that Miss M managed to break the handle last night.  Both girls were disappointed.

So superdad, DH, promised to fix it so Miss K could use it tonight.

To the untrained eye, this is just a Halloween trick-or-treat pumpkin. No big deal, right?  Well... all you geeks out there will appreciate how DH fixed it!

(Yes, he created a handle out of Cat5 cable then crimped network ends to it to hold it in place.  If we need to hook up a computer while we're trick-or-treating, we're totally set.  Gotta love having a geek husband.)

Tooth Fairy's First Visit

Last Friday morning, Miss M lost her first tooth!

Free for Des Moines Moms of Young Children

If you're a Des Moines area mom to a child who doesn't attend school in the afternoons, please keep reading. If you're not but know someone in the Des Moines area who is, please forward this link to them.

I've made a lot of great contacts as a result of my review blog, SahmReviews.com and I'm fortunate enough to find out about a lot of great events. Since SAHM Ramblings has local readers, I wanted to make sure to share this wonderful event sponsored by "got milk?" representatives for the Milk Mustache Campaign.

It's a sad fact that 2 out of 3 kids don't get enough calcium. But get this, kids who drink chocolate milk or other flavored milks have higher intakes of calcium than kids who don't. Duh. Chocolate milk tastes really good... I can't believe that all kids don't consume it! hehe Chocolate milk is offered as an option at my daughters' elementary school and they both often (or always) select chocolate milk to accompany their lunch.

Anyway, in an effort to raise awareness, the "got milk?" crews are on a 25 city Halloween tour around the nation. Des Moines is one of the select 25 cities celebrating this Halloween-themed event!  Here's what they sent me:

Event Activities:

• Receive quick tips on how to make this Halloween a safe and healthy one

• Snap celebrity-inspired chocolate Milk Mustache photos to take home as a souvenir

• Participate in Halloween activities and answer the latest “Twivia” question posted by @MilkMustache on Twitter for a chance to win fun prizes

• Taste and learn how to make fun Halloween-themed recipes

• Sample delicious and nutritious lowfat and fat free chocolate milk from local milk processors

• Interact with fun educational museum exhibits

Sound interesting?  Here are the specific details:

Date: Wednesday, October 7

Time: 12 - 2 p.m.

Location: Science Center of Iowa

401 West Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway

Des Moines, IA 50309

And it's free... Did I say that already?

If you think you'll be able to make it, please leave a comment or email me with your name and the number of people who will be attending with you.  My representative said if  I'm interested (or my readers) in attending, that she could bring along some goody bags especially for us!  She has also offered some prizes for me to give away on my blog, SahmReviews.com and I'll be sure to post a link when I get the contest details and prize photo posted.

This should be a fun event! Be sure to follow the Milk Mustache team on Twitter for information and a chance to win prizes or keep up on their tour by becoming their Fan on Facebook. You can also check out the Why milk? website

Don't forget to leave a comment or email me if you'll be attending the event! Not in Des Moines or can't make the event? Join the Halloween Twitter party on 10/13/09!

And that's why they closed...

DH and I decided to have lunch at Bishop's at Southpark Mall yesterday.  The last time we ate there was before we moved to California.  But I had a B1G1F coupon and Bishop's French Silk pie sounded awesome.

After we ate, we walked around the mall and were amazed at how many stores were no longer in business. I guess traffic at the mall just isn't what it used to be.

I pointed at one such store by the name of "G Spot" that was obviously empty.  Quick-witted DH responded "It probably closed because nobody could find it."

Front of the Line Fashion Sense

I couldn't put my finger on my 1st grader's funky sense of fashion lately.  I've been trying to give her some independence when it comes to selecting her outfits but I've also tried to give her a little direction.   For instance, she'll pick out a piece for the day and I'll give her suggestions about what might match it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fashionista - quite the opposite.  But I try to make sure that the different pieces work together... more or less.

Well this morning, Miss M just wanted to argue with me.  She wanted THIS shirt and THAT pair of shorts.  The shirt was mostly dark pastels with purples, greens and blues with a small pattern.  The shorts a few shades of pink, yellow,  and red with large daisies and butterflies.  No matter how many times I tried to tell her that they didn't work together, she just didn't want to listen.

Then it finally came out.  The reason for her misguided fashion decisions lately...

"But Mom, I want to wear lots of colors so when the teacher calls a color I can get in the front of the line."

Sigh.  That explains so much.