My friend Kimmer has been here since Thursday and we have been having so much fun…I haven’t been able to post. But I’m back and I have a challenge for all of you…so, listen up!

I had been trying to figure out a way to do some sort of volunteering or becoming involved in something that would set a good example for Emma and help her on the road to becoming a charitable and concerned citizen of the world. A favorite blogger of mine, Beth, offered up this challenge to all of her readers and it was exactly what I had been looking for, so I accepted the challenge. I hope you will as well.

Beth is calling it “Small Change” and it is essentially just doing one thing a month for a child other than your own. Our task this month (before the 14th of February) is below. I will post our contribution by the end of the week, we are still working on which child (or children!) we are going to send something to.

Monthly Challenge
This month’s challenge is to send a get-well card to a sick kid. You can buy a card, make a card, sit your kids down with a pile of construction paper and crayons and glitter glue and put them to work, whatever. You can do this really easily through Make a Child Smile. Think you can do a little more? Send a gift instead of a card. Or, check out your local Children’s Hospital (you can search by state and get links to websites here) and find out if they take cards or gifts for the kids. (This was was “borrowed” Beth’s site. Click to read the whole blog about Small Change.)

What a cool way to make a difference, huh? And you know, it is for kids!

Hop to it…and send me an email or pictures of anything you might do if you accept the challenge so I can post them!

…and it happens to live across the hall from us. When we arrived back at home this afternoon he was snarling and barking at us from his window above the sidewalk.

My first reaction was “Ah….#%$* – this is going to be great!” Then I realized that there really isn’t a lot of complaining we can do since our two girls are louder than any puppy, any day.

Then I met the “dog” and his owner. And now I am so very unhappy about this dog and his proximity to my family. The owner proceeded to tell me that although the dog looks like the “Target” dog (you know the white one with the little black eye), he is very powerful and an “aggressive” dog! He told me their (English Bulldogs?) mouths are more powerful than a pitbull’s and sometimes he can’t even get his dog’s mouth open.

Um…ok.

And he asked me, “Do you know how to get a dog’s mouth open if it is clamped down?”

(At this point the hysteria is rising and my chest feels awfully tight…)

Apparently you STEP on the dog’s throat so that he will gasp for air and let go of whatever it might be taking a bite out of. Yeah, great. Helpful to know, I’m sure, if you aren’t so hysterical that you can actually remember that.

So, it gets better….

We exchanged some small talk and he asked how old the girls are and he brought Spot* out for us to “meet” it. I told Emma she was under no circumstances to touch the dog without me and it’s owner around. I did not like the looks of him. He is SOLID dog. And I mentioned something about not letting the cats out (we were in the hallway) and he said, “Oh, yeah. Don’t let them come over here. Spot killed two cats. Two cats that he had lived with for five years.”

At that point I hurried Emma back inside and felt like I was going to throw up. Spot’s owner assured me that he had never even tried to hurt a person and he is “great” with his son. And he will always be on a leash. So there is nothing to worry about.

BUT HE KILLED TWO KITTIES!!!

I mean come on…it is only a matter of time until something else may happen. If you know your dog is powerful enough that you need to warn anybody that comes in contact with it, then why bother having it?

I feel just sick about this. The more I think about it and complain about it (to our landlord and the downstairs neighbor who has outside cats!), the more angry I get. He essentially told me that I should be afraid of living next to this thing. And I am! I’m afraid to share the same hallway and the same stairs with it. I’m afraid to let the girls walk outside if I know they are around. Everyone keeps saying that he has been living next to kids and is just fine, but who is to say that my girls, or the kitties downstairs or some random stroke of bad luck is not enough to set him off?

You haven’t heard the last of this one, I’m sure.

*Name was changed to protect the, uh, innocent?

It’s that time of year again…to thank Debby for giving birth to James and Jeff.

I have known them for 20 years! How crazy is that?

I met them both my very first day at my “new high school” when I was a freshman at good ‘ol Leslie High. Cathy Hannahs invited me to sit with her at lunch and Jam and Jeff had me laughing so hard that I spit (blew?) chocolate milk out of my nose. They have had me laughing ever since.

Jeff is the best brother-in-law and an amazing Uncle Hef. We all adore him.

And Jam, well we all know how I feel about him. He is “the bestest” Daddy (as proclaimed by Emma), a great husband, love of my life, and my best friend. I could go on and on…

Separately they are both fantastic guys, and together…well, they are perfect.

Happy Birthday, J & J. We hope you have a great year.

As promised, here is the first (of many) photos of Emma’s new Christmas present from Aunt Meesh, Uncle DJ and the girls.

I know, I know…we are still trying to locate one of the three bike helmets we own for her. I need to unload the garage tomorrow and see if we can find one.

As far as her first “ride” – it was really more of a “push/drag” around the park. Em is having a little bit of trouble getting the whole riding vs. braking concept down. We’ll be working on that, you can bet.

Still, she did look very cute riding it!

In other Emma news, she decided she wants a chore chart. I know, right? Isn’t that every parent’s dream? We were in an office supply store and there was a chart with sparkly, star stickers and Emma “had” to have it. So I explained to her what it was and how they worked, and realized, um…this was a perfect opportunity. So I seized on it. I bought the chart.

Emma has been obsessed with it – all day long.

Our living room has never been so toy-free. Her bed was made, which it rarely ever is. Plus I was a bit sneaky and added no whining and listening to the chart…and it has been working like a charm. If only I had Emma had thought of this months ago.

She keeps calling it her “choice” chart, though. I don’t think she can remember “chore,” but I think that is pretty ironic. Just like the potty training, everything always works better when it is her “choice.”

My sister has shamed me into writing a quick entry tonight.

“Two days with no blog!!”

Truth of the matter is I am in barely-holding-on mode right now. With the projects at work, the “household stuff” that needs to be done, preschools that need to be picked out, and sick kids…I am seriously overwhelmed and feeling a little close to the edge.

So, I promise tomorrow a bigger, better blog – complete with some pictures of little E. on her big girl bike!