wherein sophiekat sees the futility of trying to control the chaos

so i let the blog die for a while there.  again.  sorry 'bout that.

things are getting exponentially nuttier around here as the bean is now crawling (well, more executing moves eerily reminiscent of "the caterpillar" from the 80's break dance craze).  almost all of my computer time comes in spurts whilst nursing, and (rather sadly) is mostly my only interaction with the "real" world.  i try to read the newspaper or magazine or even the exotic non-junk mail, but typically these days i only get a word or two in before one of the girls (human or feline) is either laying on it, running off with it, or trying to eat it.  

we won't even talk about the (lack of) knitting occurring.  

and now i have two screaming children to tend to plus a yowling cat so i'll cut this short.  more (hopefully) to follow.

give them enough rope . . .

courtesy of the new york post:

KINKY NEWS NETWORK
CNN'S QUEST A VERY 'KNOTTY' BOY
By DAREH GREGORIAN and PHILIP MESSING

TYING ONE ON: CNN broadcaster Richard Quest was busted in the wee hours in Central Park yesterday with a rope tied to his neck and genitals. "I've got some meth in my pocket," he helpfully told the arresting officer.

April 19, 2008 --
This is CNN? Kinky!
CNN personality Richard Quest was busted in Central Park early yesterday with some drugs in his pocket, a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his boot, law-enforcement sources said.
Quest, 46, was arrested at around 3:40 a.m. after a cop spotted him and another man inside the park near 64th Street, a police source said.
The criminal complaint against Quest said the park was closed at the time - something Quest should have known because of all the signs saying "Park Closed 1 a.m. to 6 a.m."
Quest was initially busted for loitering, the source said. Aside from the oddly configured rope, the search also turned up a sex toy inside of his boot, and a small bag of methamphetamine in his left jacket pocket.

It wasn't immediately clear what the rope was for. (bolding mine)

. . . story continues here: 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04192008/news/regionalnews/kinky_news_networkcnns_quest_a_very_knot_107174.htm

really, do we want to know what the rope was for?

because i can't keep it in anymore

if you wouldn't consider giving your newborn a nose job so they can "match" their father, WHY would you consider doing it to their genitals?????

previous rants on circumcision here and here.

weird comments

if you're going to leave a comment on the blog, especially if its a weird one, at least have the decency to leave a name or an email address so i can figure out what you're talking about.  kthanxbai.

and just for fun, a cat.

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

a Public Service Announcement

should you walk upstairs after changing out the laundry and see your toddler playing with and possibly feeding your infant something that looks scarily similar to cat poop, before shrieking and starting to have a complete hissy fit that includes seriously considering calling your husband to come home and deal with things because the idea of your child eating cat poop is just too disgusting to fall into the realm of things-a-mom-should-do, make sure that your toddler is not playing with black play-doh.  it'll save some time (not to mention some sanity).  

and then you can have a chat about not feeding the baby things found on the floor.

go gently down that slippery slope

idealism is a wonderful thing.  except when it isn't.

i belong to an attachment parenting/"natural living" forum.  it's quite well known.  i generally like it, because the posters there are all against circumcision, environmentally conscious, pro- babywearing and breastfeeding and co-sleeping.  the board itself backs up these ideals by discouraging or outright banning talk of non-religious circumcision, formula feeding absent medical necessity, sleep training/"cry it out" methods, and other non-AP practices.  there are also many posts about how best to advocate for the things we believe in.

in a recent post about advocating breastfeeding, a mama mentioned that making snarky comments about how "evil" formula is doesn't win any fans to a lactivist's side and may in fact alienate someone.  turns out this mama has a little one with special needs who is unable to tolerate breastmilk and must be on prescribed elemental formula.  she's had people tell her that she's "poisoning" her child by giving him the only food he can tolerate.  which is bad enough in and of itself, but when she posted her experience she was told that she can only mention that her child is on formula in the "special needs parenting" forum.  and then had it "suggested" "gently" that she was either making up her son's medical problems or was merely using them to encourage formula feeding by choice.  and when this mama attempted to point out that stating the fact that her son requires medically-prescribed elemental formula does not in *any* world equal advocating formula feeding by choice for every mother, she was banned.

what.the.FUCK.  seriously.  

my brain is just boggled.  

first, because the mods claim to speak "gently" but are far from it.  don't patronize people by denying her child's problems exist and prohibiting her from talking about how her family deals with it, then claim to be doing it "gently."  no matter how many times you use the word "gentle" in your message, there is no.bloody.way that accusing someone of using her child's health as a way to violate a board's user agreement is gentle.  

second, gain some perspective!  just because there are a few instances of medically necessary formula does not mean that every mama who reads those posts are going to trot down a slippery slope of deciding to formula feed to keep their boobs nice and perky.  or do the powers that be think so low of its members that all nuance in discussion should be quashed? not that there's a lot of nuance here, though -- even the most strident lactivist SHOULD be able to realise that if a child is going to DIE without formula, the kid should get the formula.  the number of situations where that's really the case are few and far between, but they do exist.  and the mamas of those kids shouldn't be beaten into submission and silence.  

i am thankful every day that i was and am able to nurse my girls.  i hope every mother can have a wonderful nursing relationship with her child and i have and will continue to advocate breastfeeding as the best way possible to feed a child.  but i would never want to make another mother feel badly if her child has a medical need that prevents it.  and i'm ashamed to be lumped together with women who do.

53 questions

courtesy of Dawn

53 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me:

1.  What is in the back seat of your car right now?

*crap.  juice cups, random toys, empty water bottles, a couple of jackets, and the spare diaper bag

2.  When was the last time you threw up?

*when i was pregnant with the bean, i think it was at 24 weeks.

3.  What's your favourite curse word?

*bloody f-ing hell

4.  Name 3 people who made you smile today?

*my husband, AJ, and the bean

5.  What were you doing at 8 am this morning?

*wishing i was asleep

6.  What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

*reading AJ the 200th rendition of "Olivia" before she went to bed

7.  What will you be doing 3 hours from now?

*sleeping, i hope.  probably nursing the bean, too.

8.  Have you ever been to a strip club?

*yep

9.  What is the last thing you said aloud?

*"please be quiet and go to sleep"

10.  What is the best ice cream flavour?

*chocolate peanut butter

11.  What was the last thing you had to drink?

*milk

12.  What are you wearing right now?

*black fleece yoga pants, a white nursing cami, and a gray henley tunic

13.  What was the last thing you ate?

*chocolate chip cookies

14.  Have you bought any new clothing items this week?

*yep.  a couple t shirts from old navy when i got the girls some summer stuff at their baby sale.  exciting stuff.

15.  When was the last time you ran?

*this morning i had to run across the room to try to stop AJ from fishing raisins out of the toilet, does that count?

16.  What was the last sporting event you watched?

*besides highlights of the last Avs game on the news, the Super Bowl (yay Eli!)

17.  Who is the last person you emailed?

*sadly blogless Sara

18.  Ever go camping?

*yep, and can't wait to go again!

19.  Do you have a tan?

*nope.  i'm pretty glow in the dark white right about now.

20.  Do you drink your soda from a straw?

*only if it has ice in it and is from a fast food place

21.  What did your last IM say?

*i don't remember, its been so long since my stupid MSN chat has worked.

22.  Are you someone's best friend?

*according to AJ i'm hers.  :)  and yes, i hope so.

23.  What are you doing tomorrow?

*trying to clean, taking AJ to her dance class, getting ready for DH to be back from his conference tomorrow night.

24.  Where is your mom right now?

*i think she's at home

25.  Look to your left, what do you see?

*my milk glass, a reading lamp, and the bean protesting her confinement in the swing

26.  What colour is your watch?

*stainless steel

27.  What do you think of when you think of Australia?

*the Sydney Opera House.

28.  Would you consider plastic surgery?

*consider it? sure.  actually go through with it? nope.

29.  What is your birthstone?

*sapphire

30.  Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through?

*drive through -- too much trouble trying to get both girls in and out without major meltdowns

31.  How many kids do you want?

*if i don't have to be pregnant with all of them, 5 or 6.  if i do, i think 3 will be good.

32.  Do you have a dog?

*not yet

33.  Last person you talked to on the phone?

*DH

34.  Have you met anyone famous?

*yep.  quite a few people, actually.

35.  Any plans today?

*well, i had grand plans to clean, finish sewing some slipcovers, shower, get some knitting in, watch Project Runway and paint my toenails, but its 10 pm and none of that has yet happened.

36.  How many states have you lived in?

*3.  Colorado, Washington, and Louisiana.

37.  Ever go to college?

*yep.

38.  Where are you right now?

*on the couch in the den.

39.  Biggest annoyance in your life right now?

*the clutter that is slowly invading my house and choking off my will to be organized and tidy.

40.  Last song you listened to?

*besides Backyardigans?  i think it was Van Morrison "moondance"

41.  Are you allergic to anything?

*chalk, sulfa drugs

42.  Favourite pair of shoes you wear all the time?

*slippers from target like these 

43.  Are you jealous of anyone?

*yep.

44.  Is anyone jealous of you?

*i don't think so.

45.  What time is it?

*10:05 pm

46.  Do any of your friends have children?

*most of them

47.  Do you eat healthy?

*um, aside from my raging sweet tooth?  most of the time.

48.  What do you usually do during the day?

*toddler wrangling, cat herding, baby nursing, diaper changing, and damage control.

49.  Do you hate anyone right now?

*no.

50.  Do you use the word 'hello' daily?

*i think so?

51.  How old will you be on your next birthday?

*31

52.  Have you ever been to Six Flags?

*yes.

53.  How did you get one of your scars?

*i fell whilst carrying a chain saw and cut the pinky finger of my left hand badly.  not only do i have a scar my pinky finger's top knuckle is now non-functional