Sunday Sound Out

From Chicago, home of Garrett's (Chicago mix!) Popcorn, it's Sunday Sound Out starring your host, the woman who rode the L for the first time in her life, Dawn Meehan.

Parents of tweens, check out the new articles (including mine) on the Don't Fret the Sweat site! Parenting tweens today is hard. Get all the help you can with informative articles here, and join in the discussion! DON'T FRET THE SWEAT

Did any of your kids refuse to sleep in their own bed and throw a fit to sleep in yours? If so how did you deal with it?
Brooklyn did. I dealt with it by letting her sleep in my bed every night for 3 1/2 years being calm and consistent, sticking to my guns, putting my foot down, and insisting she sleep in her own bed. Honestly, there's some great bedtime help on the Goodnites site HERE. There's helpful information about bedwetting, and also tips on creating bedtime routines, helping your kids have the confidence to stay in their beds throughout the night, and enjoying bedtime rituals with your children. You can also download and/or listen to the Iggy Bedtime Theater stories with your kids. (You won't want to claw your ears off while listening to these with your kids either! I promise they're entertaining for adults as well!) And you can join me for the next bedtime chat on Gather.com April 14 from 8-9PM Central Time.

But is it just me, or is Brooklyn's the same picture as before?
It's just you.

Totally weird question I know... But I was wondering, could you post what colors each of your kids uses for the Easter Egg Hunt? Just out of curiosity, lol.
That really is a weird question. ;) Austin finds blue eggs, Savannah finds purple, Jackson finds the green ones, Lexi finds pink, Clay finds orange, and Brooklyn finds yellow eggs.

So basically what you are saying is that Austin is just like you?[ the bad comments on my report cards]
Except that I had a little higher aspirations than he does. Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up. Go ahead! Ask him! I'll tell you his answer! He wants to be a hobo! Yep, a hobo. He doesn't even know what a hobo is!

What about first grade? You must have been an angel in first grade, right? A good teacher that could see your real potential?
I was a total angel in first grade and I had the best teacher ever! I still remember her - Miss Heater. She had Duso the Dolphin. Anyone remember him? "Hey Duso, come on out!" You gotta love friendly dolphin puppets and the slightly creepy songs that accompanied them back in the 70s, right? Please tell me that at least one person knows what I'm talking about here. I tend to wander off-topic now and then, by the way. Did any of my report cards mention that little tidbit?

completely unrelated, although i know my report cards looked like that too - with a lot of 'doesn't complete work on time' and 'spends too much time daydreaming'... but i have to say that my daughter is very disappointed that you changed your pictures. she loved austin's old picture and anytime she saw that i was on your blog, she immediately said, 'i want to see the boy with the blue tongue!' haha! AND smooth on the absence of the 30 something (and lack of replacement mentioning of age)! ;)
I was going to put that picture here for you, but then you had to go and mention my advanced age! Grrrr! OK, I'll be nice anyway. Here ya go...

I started following your blog about 7 months ago. Right after I read 'Because I said so!' (Loved it by the way!) Can't wait for your new one..SSO? When is it supposed to be coming out? I am dying to read it.
Good question. I'm not exactly sure, but it's supposed to be coming out this fall. I'll get back to you with an exact date when I have one. And THANK YOU for reading my book and taking the time to tell me you liked it. :D

Nothing to do with this post (sorry - SSO?)but are you still using the neti-pot thing you mentioned ages ago? I too find the idea of pouring salt water up my nose revolting/terrifying but I have yet another cold & would like to rediscover breathing...
Yes, breathing is one of my favorite pastimes. I don't use the neti pot regularly, but I do use it if I have a cold. Don't worry, I promise to never make a video of me using it.

Did you share these [my report cards] with Austin? He might have a better outlook about the whole school thing if he sees that you had your moments, too. Plus, being able to laugh at mom is always fun.
Oh, he doesn't need any more reasons to laugh at me! And showing him my report cards will only make him say, "See? Why should I try harder? You didn't and you're doing pretty well for yourself, don't you think?"

Might sound like a really dumb question, but is the address sufficient if i was to send a get well card from Australia??? I know a dumb vegemite eating Aussie question!
Not a dumb question at all! Just use:
Savannah Meehan
836 S. Arlington Heights Rd.
#230
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
USA
if you want to send a card to Savannah. She's scheduled for surgery next week.

Dawn, do you sometimes wonder what this year is meant to be about? Is it meant to teach us out here in voyeur land something? You something? Is it just crap because crap eventually comes around to everyone eventually? Although you are getting an extremely unfair amount of crap lately.Do you ever ask "WHY? After everything else WHY??" Cause if I was you I sure would.Thinking of you all and hoping that whatever the reason for the crap it has decided enough is enough and leaves your lives.
Hmmm, I actually don't wonder or think that at all. In fact, I think I have it pretty good. I've never (knock on wood) had anything really bad happen. I figure God's got it under control, so why should I worry about silly little things.

SSO; I would love to know what kind of laundry detergent you use? With 6 kids I bet you do a ton of laundry! I only have 4 and I do about 3-4 loads a day. I can't keep up!
OK, honestly, I used to use Target brand detergent, but I recently did a review of Arm & Hammer with Oxi Clean. I was paid to try it out and write about my experiences. I figured when that bottle was gone, I'd go back to my Target detergent. But that Arm & Hammer stuff is really good! It has a fresh, clean smell and it really gets out those nastified stains, so I've recently switched to Arm & Hammer with Oxi Clean. But don't worry, I buy it at Target. (Don't want to hurt Target's feelings.)

SSO: Could you give us newly single moms some advice on how to make it work money wise? I would love to know how you do it now with 6 kids. I have 3 and its hard doing this alone. Are you a stay-at-home-mom still? Thanks for any advice.
Well, I'm newly single myself and trying to figure out how it's going to work. I think it's important to distinguish between wants and needs and teach your kids this lesson too. You may not have as much discretionary income as before so extras like going out to eat, buying things on a whim, vacations, going out to the movies, etc. may have to be cut back or done away with. That's not to say you can't have any fun. Instead of taking the family out to a movie which can be really costly, rent a movie at Red Box for $1 or check it out for free from your local library, for example.
Accept hand-me-downs (even seek them out!) and shop resale stores for your kids' clothes.
Do a clean-sweep of your house and have a garage sale or eBay those things that are just taking up space in your home. You'll clean and organize your house while making some money.
Cook at home. You can save a ton if you skip the restaurants and drive-thrus in favor of eating at home.
Call your utilities and see if you qualify for a discount based on your income.
Drop unnecessary things. Maybe it's cable tv, or magazine or newspaper delivery. Maybe it's your monthly manicure or your child's violin lessons that they hate and want to quit anyway.
Create a budget. You probably had to do this when filling out divorce paperwork anyway. It's good to see on paper just where your money is going.
Make mutually beneficial friendships! Maybe your friend can fix things around your house or drive your son to hockey practice. In return, maybe you can fix their computer or mow their lawn. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but return the favor when you can.
Hmmm, I guess I had more ideas than I thought I did. Anyone who has other ideas, feel free to chime in and share your wisdom!

I just googled something ridiculous (looking for an exact Bill Cosby quote) and your blog was the first thing on the list. It made me laugh really hard! So when you see "so i went upstairs to my bed which is where i wanted to be in the first place" I have explained myself and deserve credit. ;) And for future reference, the exact quote I was looking for is "And my wife sent me to me room... which is where I wanted to go in the first place." (I was pretty close.)
I did see that search phrase in my stat counter! Although I didn't think twice about it since the one right after yours was, "Jesus woke up my mom to feed the baby".

Whew! What a relief it will be when Austin can drive!
Relief. Yeah, that's the word I was looking for. Not apprehension, fear, nightmare, horror. Nope. Relief.

Forgot to mention the other day. Happy one year anniversary on the release of your first book. What is the proposed release date of book two? Eagerly awaiting number two.
Thanks, Sandy! Wow, it has been a year! Time has FLOWN by!

Do the other set of grandparent's get to see the kids? And how was your Easter?
Easter was good. My parents see my kids. My inlaws never did see them much, so nothing's really changed there.

I also have a question about leaving a question for you for Sunday Sound Out. I tried last week sometime to write a brilliant and probably the most witty and inspiring question through your "Get in Touch" button and somehow it got lost in cyberspace. (I can compliment myself multiple times since it didn't go through you see! lol)So my question now is...is it a problem for others since you said you had a lack of new questions...or is it just techno-challenged me?
Ummm, ???

Does Lexi watch iCarly? Or Drake and Josh? Or does she just like Miranda Cosgrove?
Yes, yes, yes.

he [Joe]might have a terminal illness and that is why is doing what he is doing to save the kids greive
Sorry, but this is ludicrous. What Joe has is not terminal. And even if that was the case, a parent who abandons their kids before dying is not going to save them grief in any way, shape, or form.

I swear (but I try not to), some people must give their kids ice cream out of the container in order to have a peaceful conversation on the phone. If that were me, the ice cream would be all over the house and them! You are so down to earth and normal. Thank you for letting me know that I am not alone in my parenting adventure.
Oh, don't get me wrong. There are plenty of times I let my kids have whatever they want to buy a couple quiet minutes on the phone. "You want a fruit snack? Sure, take the whole box! You want a giant candy bar ten minutes before dinner? No problem, have two! You want a pony? You got it!"

Don't forget to check out my Arm & Hammer review HERE and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a $200 Visa gift card.

And check out the Pop-Tarts post HERE to be entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Sunday Sound Out

What a long tiring week this was. Vacation bible school should really be renamed because it is NOT a vacation. Nor is camping, but we're getting ready to go camping this week too. Joe and I had a date for the first time in many years on Friday. It was nice to go out without any kiddos. Then Saturday, we all went to the Jelly Belly factory in Wisconsin and bummed around Kenosha for the day. Here are some pictures from that trip...











Here we have all the kids except...


...Brooklyn, who didn't want her picture taken thankyouverymuch.






This was taken right before Brooklyn fell in the lake necessitating a trip to a very icky Walmart to get her some dry clothes before stopping at Cracker Barrel on the way home.


It was raining when we left Cracker Barrel. The whole sky was very dark. Except this one little spot of light. As we watched, the heavens opened up and the sun peeked through. It was very cool. I wish I'd been able to capture just how dark the sky was around it, for as far as we could see.


And now for a little question answering before I go to bed...

Okay, question for you...What were some of the best ideas that you received from your fellow blog fans about car design? I'd be curious...Did you get to pass them on to Ford?
Did I miss where you posted the winner of the drawing for your autographed book for posting info to share with Ford?
Thanks for the reminder. I did get to talk to the Ford people and pass ideas on. You wouldn't believe how many of your ideas are already in the 2010 Ford line-up! I'll write up a post about my visit to the Ford manufacturing plant this week and announce the winner of the book.

It was great to meet you Dawn and I just loved it how everyone screamed when they saw you in the Expo Hall. You really are a famous blogger!
LOL! Yeah, in case anyone's interested, the way to get a group of people to scream when you enter a room is to enter just in front of an actual celebrity. In this case, I walked in right before Tim Gunn and everyone screamed for him. I only bowed, thanked everyone, and offered to sign autographs for a minute before I realized he was standing behind me.

Did you go to Sears (Willis)Tower and have someone take a pic of you standing on the ledge (new glass enclosure - even the floor - where you feel like you're floating in mid-air?
Nope. I was too busy napping going to BlogHer seminars and didn't have time to sightsee.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the gifts that God has given to you?
I'm overwhelmed by 6 particular gifts daily.
In a nutshell (or nut house, as the case may be) - yes.

I have a question for you... I'm thinking of going to the next BlogHer convention... firstly, are foreigners allowed? (Yes, Canada is 'foreign') And how do you get a roomie? Did you know your roomie and make arrangements ahead of time or can you request to be shacked up (ooo la la) with somebody (and, if so, is Matthew Perry going to be there?!?)? I think having a roomie would help me meet people. As long as they aren't lame, stinky or prone to stealing my half of the toiletries!
Yes, Canadians are allowed. LOL Two of my favorite Canadians were at this BlogHer, in fact. Susan and Janice from 5 Minutes For Mom were there. (They have an awesome site, btw. Check it out when you have time.) I just went to the hotel without a reservation and started knocking on doors until I found someone who took pity on me and let me room with her. But you can check the BlogHer website for information on booking a room and such for the 2010 BlogHer conference.

Weren't those butter bars delish? btw the fruit flies kept following me all weekend. Did they eventually leave you alone?AND did you make it to vacation bible school on time!
I didn't actually try the butter bars. Can you believe it? I had just chugged down 2 Izze sparkling juice things (I had never heard of these until BlogHer, but now I'm addicted) and I was too full to try one.
And fruit flies? Ummm no. I'm thinking maybe it's just you, Michelle...
As far as vacation bible school...well, I really thought of 9:00 as more of a guideline, if you will - a kind of a ballpark time to shoot for.

Awesome artwork Austin! Thinking about using that as a career path? I'm sure you'd be great at wherever that road would take you!
According to Austin, he wants to be either a hobo or a bagel salesman when he grows up. Yep, that's working up to your potential, hon. Go for it.

So is Austin going to school in Savannah or Sarasota when he graduates? Awesomeness.
I'm just praying he makes it through his freshman year of high school.

Question: When your first child was 3 yrs old, did you get to sleep in at all? I have been trying to sleep in even though Jazz wakes up super early. Then I got "yelled at" by some other moms. Just wondering what you did before you had the older ones to look after the younger ones in the morning.
I can't even remember back that far. I think my memory has suffered from lack of sleep.

Was Joe home polishing the shotgun?!
No! He's much more calm than I am about the whole dating/boys talking to our daughter thing. What's up with that???

That's right! They had the story about Jesus asking Peter to step out of the boat in the middle of the lake with him, didn't they?
I don't think they did that story. They did have the kids write down a mistake they'd made and felt sorry about on a piece of paper though. Then the kids gave the papers to the leaders who lit them on fire while holding them in one hand. The message was - when you tell God about your mistakes, God forgives you and forgets about it; the mistakes disappear. So the leaders lit these pieces of paper on fire and they instantly (poof!) disappeared in mid-air. They used magic paper that completely went up in flames and vanished before it hit the ground.
I give it a week before Clay burns down the house trying this one out despite my telling him a thousand times that they used special paper and he can't try it at home.

Sunday Sound Out

forgive me if I missed this - but how do you know Mimi?
We just "met" online this past summer.

My husband has Aspergers and I'm wanting him to try the Feingold diet (is that what your kids are on?). How long before you noticed a difference with the diet change with your kids?
They are on Feingold. It took a couple weeks before we saw a difference in Clay. We just took Jax off his medicine, so we'll see if it's really working with him...

Ok I have a wustion for next weeks SSO How come you didn't put the persons name after the wuestion like you normally do?
What's a wustion?

Also I plan on buying your book where will it be sold?
at book stores

Impressive map! How many pieces of mail does it represent without counting all of the entries?
I'm not sure. 300? I need to update it again. I have another dozen or so to add to it.

Thank you for posting that song -- now it's stuck in MY head!!! Who sings it?
The Newsboys

Here's a new one for you...


6 kids?? Are you crazy
I had to have six kids or my URL wouldn't make sense.

Being that I am also "pear shaped" and short, PLEASE tell me where you got those pants!!!
I got them at Lane Bryant. They've got a great line of pants that actually FIT!

When is your book going be out in the bookstores?
August of this year

Do you plan to have book signings if so, where?
I don't really know yet. I am meeting with my publisher later this month though. Hopefully I'll get some more details soon.

When you throw up does it make you have to throw up? I mean, you can't do your kid's puke so how in the world do you handle your own?
YES! It was so awful. Thank God for my husband who CAN handle puke.

I dont see how you lasted this long .I can tell your tired when you write its not near as funny as it used to be actually some things just dont make sence anymore..then again what does make sence when raising kids?
Yes, it looks like you may be a bit tired too. You're not making much "sence" either.

Okay, Dawn, so, seriously, this week's blog is an April Fool's joke, right?
Umm yes. That's why I wrote "April Fool!" on it.

So how do you figure out the google searches?
I use Stat Counter.

with all the things that need to get done regularly, which things DO you get done and how do you decide which ones to let slide a while?
Ugh. Lately I feel like everything has been sliding. I keep telling myself, "If I can just get through this week, things will settle down." But then the next week rolls around and it's the same thing all over again. This is a really busy month for me.

Can you set up the links in your blog to open a new page instead leaving your site?
I don't know if it can be done or not, but I certainly can't do it. Be patient. I'll be getting a brand new website in 2 more months.

"Won't he be surprised, when he gets his 50 rolls of film back..."Hey Dawn,the 90's called, they want their camera back! No one gets rolls of film developed anymore.
The guy who sat behind me on the plane does.

And a quick question, how do i actually get people to start reading my blog:P?
List a pack of Pokemon cards for sale on eBay.

Did you contact your editor and publisher or did they contact you? If you contacted them, how did you go about it? Just wondering, thanks.
I had agents and publishers contact me. Yeah, I know, I did things backwards.

Aaargh! Dawn, you just couldn't let me go to bed tonight without having something else to feel guilty about, hmmm? Just one more ball that I've dropped... Ugh, I'm sorry. I've dropped so many balls, I feel like I'm living in a playland ball pit.

OK, I've got to finish going over my manuscript so I can get it back to my editor tomorrow. Have a great week everyone!

Sunday Sound Out

No post last night. I was sick. I haven't been this sick since I got food poisoning 14 years ago. Oh.My.Gosh. Do you have any idea how awful it is to have your body explode from both ends at the same time? On the bright side, I lost 5 pounds last night. Ugh. Joe is my hero.

OK, here's an updated map...


View Larger Map
Thank you again to all of you for taking the time to send us information about your city!!! We really appreciate it! Remember, this map is TWO pages. If you don't see yourself on the first map, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "page 2". It will bring up a second map and list of names.

Now, on to your questions. I got a zillion questions this week, so here are some of them. I'll get to the others next week. (and the next week, and the next week...)

Maybe you've already answered this- but why did you name all of your kids after U.S. cities?

Because it's hard to pronounce foreign cities.

I was reading in our local paper today that Chicago colors their river green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. How do they do that?

Lemon-lime KoolAid

What kind of things did YOU do as a kid? When I read about the crazy things yours come up with, I have to wonder where they got it from.

I was perfect. They get it from their father.

Are you making any more appearances (like Fremd) that people in the area can come see you? (fingers crossed)

I don't have any planned right now.

Have you found cold breakfast cereal you can eat on the diet?

Yep! Joe's Os, Crispex, a lot of Envirokids ones, some Kashi ones... There are several others too.

So at what point did you start drinking and I don't mean coffee LOL![about the first day of spring break]

It's ok to put Bailey's in your coffee, right?

Why are people smelling their best friend's feet?

Because it would be just gross to smell your best friend's butt.

You do seem to have a lot of butt stuff going on for some reason?

Ummm yeah. Weird. What's that all about?

Did you know you have the #1 ebay auction on the best of ebay? pretty cool!

I didn't know that. Totally cool!

Do you think that your children might be encouraged to "misbehave" when you're taking a photographic record of their misadventures for your posting on the blog each time they create a disaster?

I hope so. Otherwise I'd run out of things to blog about.

You mentioned the other day that you boil enough eggs for each kiddo to dye a ton! What do you do with all those hardboiled eggs?

OK, I know this is going to sound crazy, but we EAT THEM.

Ok, someone has probably already asked, but how did Brooklyn get locked into the cabinet, if you have to have a special tool to get it open in the first place?

Yes, we have magnetic locks, but it's not like we actually use them.

I hope you had a joyous Easter! I know you're half Greek, but you're obviously not Greek Orthodox if you celebrated Easter yesterday. Were you Orthodox at one point, or did your religion come from the non-Greek parent?

The religion came from my mom who is not Greek.

What are the red Greek egg thingies????

This explains it. By the way, I was last person with an uncracked egg this year. :)

Would you consider starting links for those of us who would like to support your site ( and household) by buying quality handmade pet clothing and accessories?

Ummm no.

How did you handle the hey-mil-you-brought-food-my-kids-can't-eat situation?

Eh, whatever. It was no big deal. Even Joe has a hard time remembering what they can and can't have. I just made some that they could have.

Clay was like Jesus - left behind in the temple. Where was he, teaching the Senior Citizens a thing or two about God?

Um close. Actually he was running around Fellowship Hall chasing other kids.

Do your older kids know about the Easter bunny, and how did you break it to them?

Yes they know, and I didn't have to break it to them. There comes a time when you just realize that bunnies don't hop into your house to hide eggs. If they don't catch on, you've got to kind of wonder about them.

Wow when you get this many comments do you read them all?

No.

Why can't your kids have splenda or colored sprinkles?

Because my kids are on a diet with no artificial additives and preservatives.

How about a "BECAUSE I SAID SO" mommy blogger cruise?

Oooo, a mommy blogger cruise would be fun!!! I'm not going on a cruise, but I am going to New Jersey with other mommy bloggers! You can check out the details here.

Can you just give me step by step instructions on how you do that [moving your blog to your own domain]? My husband gave me my own domain name for Christmas but I haven't a clue how to move off Blogger!!!

Yes I can!

1. Pick up the phone.

2. Dial your web designer's number.

3. Say, "Can you move my blog for me?"

Ta Da!

What is the link to your other site where you review products?

Mamaslike is the site where Angie, Melissa and I review products and services from other WAHMs. I've been getting a lot of requests to check out products from various companies, so I just started another blog to talk about products and services from other companies. You can see it here.

What do you do when your not yet potty trained child takes off their messy diaper and paints on the walls with their poop?

Clean it.

Why do people post songs they can't get out of their head to their blog?
I listened to the song the first day. Could not get it out of my head. Then, the next day, I couldn't remember it. So, I came back and listened to it again. That worked, for one day.
I had to come back again for a third dose.
Now I really cannot get it out of my head.
I would really like to get rid of this song can you please post a different one?
Happy to oblige! Here ya go...

Exactly how much is a "trabillion?"

More than a quarillion. Hey, I never claimed to be mathy.

At what point did you realize that your post on e-bay had "taken off" generating so much attention?

I think it was when I got a wake-up call from Good Morning America.

How do you keep your older ones still interested in church?

I don't. They don't especially like going, but I make them go anyway because I'm just mean that way. I remember wanting to sleep in instead of going to church when I was a kid too. It's ok. It'll all sink in at some point and they'll change their minds. At least that's my theory.

I was wondering if coming up with a topic for a blog entry is becoming a "chore" or if you still are having "fun?"
It's still fun. Writing my book was even more fun! I can't wait to really get going on my second book, in fact.

Are you going to have a say on what goes on the cover of your book? Will there be funny pictures in it?

Well, the folks at Guideposts came up with the cover design. I can give them my opinion of it, but in all honesty, unless it's totally hideous, I don't really care too much what it looks like. I really like the cover they've come up with right now. I'll show it to you guys as soon as I get the okay.

If you were a tree what kind would you be?

A tree? Hmmm, definitely a palm tree. Then I'd be living in a tropical climate. (They're calling for snow later this week! Whatever happened to "in like a lion, out like a lamb"? Will winter never end???)

Sunday Sound Out

OK another comment.......more like a question, that address, is your PO Box address still OK?? I have stuff here to send you....... - nutralady2001
Sure, you can still use my old address and it will be forwarded to my new one. :)

It is sad that no one from Mississippi has sent you what you need for this map project. Therefore, I’m gonna go for it. What is it that you need? I’m actually from Pearl a suburb of Jackson, MS but I promise to mail whatever is needed from the downtown Jackson post office. I hope that will suffice. - Robin
That would be great! Just a postcard or note telling a little about your town is all we need. You can send it here:
Dawn Meehan
836 S. Arlington Heights Rd.
Suite 230
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

I have never understood why one would take cereal or crackers or whatever out of the original container to put it in Tupperware? - my3boys
Ahhh, that's easy. By putting my food into those Tupperware containers, I save a ton of space. Think of your average box of cereal or crackers or whatever. The top half of the box is just air. By taking the food out of the packaging and putting it into an appropriately sized TW container, I save a few inches of space on every item in my pantry. Also, it keeps food fresher longer. Especially in the summer here(or in warm, humid climates)crackers go stale in a couple hours after opening the package. By keeping them in airtight containers, they stay fresh and crispy for weeks. Also, they keep critters out. Bugs are as attracted to the glue and packaging as they are the food. You won't have to worry about ants, assorted bugs, or heaven forbid you have Suburban Correspondent's on-going mice saga! You really wouldn't want to find mouse droppings in your cocoa krispies.
Wow! Can you tell I used to sell this stuff?

Do you find girls better behaved than boys are? - Carissa
ROFL!!!!!!!!! I find this question hilarious. In fact, I have a section in my book on this very topic!

What a neat birthday. Just curious, is Joe just naturally becoming more thoughtful and creative or do you think the pressure of knowing the world will learn about it on your blog has helped him to delve deeper into his creative and thoughtful self? :) - Sherry
Bingo! ;)

Does the editing irritate you, or do you enjoy making changes to your writing? As a writer, it drives me crazy to have someone tell me to fix something or change my work, so I don't think I could ever do a book. - Raising Country Kids
I don't like being told what to write, so I don't think I could ever write for a newspaper or magazine, but my book is a different matter. I kinda like making changes to my book. Of course, I love my editor and she's really nice about making suggestions so that probably has something to do with it. And I'm not just saying this because I know she reads my blog. Really. :D

Btw, I graduated from Fremd. I am really interested in seeing the video of you from Writer's Week. I had no idea you'd be there otherwise I would have come to see you. I live 5 min away. ;) Anyway, I cant wait to see the video! - Amanda
I still can't figure out how to get it from my sister's video camera to my computer. Sorry. :(

Am I the only one who thought...omg...what if he (or you) had accidentally let go [of the balloons with the earrings]?!? - Anonymous
LOL! Nope, Joe thought the same thing as he was holding them outside!

So ... how did he get the box into the balloon? - Elisabeth
Umm, he put the box in the part of the balloon that opens.

Can you please tell me how to see your older posts??? - JV
Look along the right column and, under the title "Old Stuff", go ahead and click whatever month you'd like to read.

Please tell me you are not that calm during tantrums... - Meredith
I think the word is "numb", not "calm".

Well now I am in official grandma worry mode. My grandson turned 2 right after Brooklyn did and he doesn't talk in sentences like she does. - Megryansmom
Don't worry about it. Brooklyn's a little ahead of most 2 year olds, I think. she says full sentences really clearly, but not all of my kids were early talkers. In fact, Lexi didn't speak English until she was three. She spoke "Lexinese" and had 3 years of speech therapy because of it. They all develop in different areas at their own speed.

If that is the height of her terrible twos, wow you are lucky. Did the other 5 have the "terrible twos"? - Mabunny
I'm pretty sure Savannah, Lexi, and Jackson never threw fits. They were very easy going babies. Clay never went through "terrible twos". If I told him "No, don't smear yogurt on the TV", he didn't throw himself down on the floor and scream and cry. Oh no. He'd simply look at me as if to say, "What-ever", and then he moved on to bigger and better things, like throwing Matchbox cars into the toilet. If I'm remembering correctly, Austin was the biggest tantrum thrower of them all. And Brooklyn is my only whiner.

Hi Dawn, I was wondering how potty training goes at your house? Did the girls catch on better then the boys? - anonymous
Ah, the joys of potty training!

Oh, and a question for you, Dawn. I have to make a decision about whether or not to send my son to kindergarten next year (he misses the cutoff by just a bit but academically is doing what he needs to do in kindergarten). Did you have any kids at/near/past the cutoff date for kindergarten? If so, what were your rationales for sending/not sending and how did they work out? I so don't want to do the wrong thing for my kid (granted, what parent DOES?). - Michelle
First of all, I don't think there is any way to ensure you don't do the wrong thing for your kid. No matter how much we agonize over it, we're bound to make mistakes. That's the bad news. The good news is that it probably won't matter in the long run anyway.
Jackson just made the cut-off for kindergarten here. After talking with many parents and teachers, I opted to hold him back a year. I couldn't find a single person who said, "I wish I had sent him!" I did, however, find numerous people who said, "Holding him back was the best thing I ever did," or "I wish I'd held him back." I personally went with that. Plus, although Jackson was/is a smart kid, I wasn't sure he was ready emotionally/behaviorally for kindergarten.

Also growing up in the South has made me appreciate things that DO NOT drawl. I love your accent! - Cayla
I don't have an accent, silly!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The Inland North
Boston
North Central
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Thanks for the quiz, Irishmama!

Hey Dawn! Two things...how do you keep your kids socks separated and sorted properly? - Lauren
They just don't wear socks.

Here's a SSO question: how do you color Easter eggs at your house? With just my 4-yr-old, and 1-yr-old trying to help too much, it was stressful. Do you end up with six dozen colored eggs? - Amy
Yep! I boil 10 or so eggs per kid, so they each have several to decorate. And yes, we usually end up throwing a few out.

Anywho, maybe this'll get me a SSO question (yeah, because you KNOW it's already a contest). If you were to have another kid (and no sarcastic comment from you please :P it's hypothetical), and most likely a boy, can you think of a city you'd like to use as a name? - Sara
I'm confused and don't know how to answer since you told me it can't be sarcastic! Actually, we liked the names Dallas, Houston, and Branson for a boy. And we liked Charlotte and Abilene for a girl.

Dawn, how do you deal with "real" tantrums?Do you leave them to it (providing they are in a safe place)? Or do you try to talk to/rationalise with them? - Kia
LOL! "Rationalizing with a child" is an oxymoron.

Question for you. You have comment moderation enabled... does moderating take a lot of time and do you have to delete very many comments each week? - Sherry
Nah, it doesn't take me long to read the comments and no, for the most part, I only delete duplicates. For some reason, there are always a couple people who leave 2-4 identical comments.

I just noticed something, and a question occurred to me...does Savannah ever feel left out because she is the only one of your children whose name doesn't end in an "N"? (or the "in," "on," or "yn" sound, which are all very similar)? Or does that make her special when you holler all their names out the back door? And before you ask, yes, I do think too much.Laura
Well, she was fine until she read your comment!
Just kidding. Actually, I seriously thought about naming Brooklyn, Abilene (Abby), for that very reason. Savannah just looked at me like I was stupid when I asked her if it bothered her. I guess not.

You'll probably get quite a few comments with the same question, but what candies can you give the kids while the family is on the diet? Angela
I just give them carrot sticks and tell them that it's candy.

Where do you buy candy without additives? - BoufMom9
I can get several things at the grocery store actually. Sunspire makes Sundrops and they're just like M&Ms. Trader Joe's makes yummy peanut butter cups that have no artificial stuff. You can get stuff online at Squirrel's Nest too. They can have many varieties of Ghirdelli chocolate as well.

I'm not sure if you've really posted about it before but if not, can you post a little more about this diet you have your kids on? :) - Domestic Spaz
Surely. I'm doing the Feingold diet with them. I started it primarily for Jackson to help with his ADHD, but it's benefiting Clay (and probably all of us) too. I've found that it works for us if we follow it to a T. It's good because it's nothing too weird or restrictive. It's simply taking out artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and such. However, there are drawbacks too. It's very difficult to eat out. Cooking is more time consuming, it's more expensive to buy whole natural foods, and (in our case anyway) if the kids slip up and have one little thing with artificial junk in it, they totally spaz out. Still, in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to try it out. Eating healthier can only help, right?

Take care and hope you had a great weekend. Hope Joe and the kids come back with all limbs in tact. - Mabunny
Funny you should say this. All their limbs were intact, but Austin and Savannah have the worst sunburn I've ever seen. Their poor faces were so swollen this morning, they could hardly open their eyes. :(

Sunday Sound Out

Do you answer EVERY question you get throughout the week? Or do you just pick out the good ones? - plainprecious
Nah, I'm an equal opportunity answerer. I try to answer the stupid ones too.

one more time on the address for the postcards, please! - denise
Actually, I have a new address. It's farther away, but it's a real street address. It's...
Dawn Meehan
836 S. Arlington Heights Rd.
Suite 230
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

I've been looking at your map. You're not making any inroads into North Dakota, or Montana. Nevada is not a hot bed of love for your blog either. What are your plans for making some headway into those territories? - Rick
Do people actually live in those states?

Anyway, SSO question, is there anything else you "don't do?" Like, phobias or things you physically CANNOT get near? - Jenny
puke, styrofoam, balloons, pointy toed shoes, and math

So what are you going to do with all that loot (tax refund)?!?
I dunno. New couch, perhaps?

I have a question for you.. maybe for next Sunday? What about germs? Are you a freak about germs, or have you just given up over the years? - TheHMC
Let's see...
First kid - you boil and sterilize everything before using it. Kid drops something on the floor and you dive for it, snatching it up so you can quickly boil it again.

Second kid - you wash stuff with soap and hot water before using it. Kid drops something on the floor and you pick it up and wash it off.

Third kid - you rinse stuff off with water and some soap if it's available before using it. Kid drops something on the floor and you wipe it on your shirt to brush off the germs.

Sixth kid - you tear the package open in the car and give the toy/pacifier/office supplies/measuring cups to your child immediately to stop their crabbing. Kid drops it on the floor and you tell one of the older kids to pick it up, brush off the hairball and green slime that has attached itself to the item, and give it back to the baby.

What do you think?

I have a unrelated question for next Sunday. Do you ever buy your kids clothes from any thrift stores. It can be time consuming finding nice clean name brand ones but so worth it. - Kristine in Michigan
I was just talking to my friend Sue about this and we decided that we should really go check out the resale shops more often. If you're patient and persistant you can get great deals. I do buy stuff on sale and I LOVE hand-me-downs.

Oh, Dawn. So sorry to hear the kids are still sick. Definitely no fun for anyone. - m8price
Yeah, it isn't "fun" when they're sick, but still, in a way it's nice. In a "relaxing" sort of way....

Hey Dawn, Can you spare a square? - Sue
I don't have a square to spare. I can't spare a square.

Hi Dawn, I was wondering if people from all the places that your children are named after have sent cards for Autin's project? - anonymous
I have ones from Austin, Savannah, Clayton & Brooklyn, but I don't think I got any from Jackson, MS or Lexington, KY.

Thirdly (and finally), what grades do yo teach at Sunday School? - K
It's funny. When I volunteered to teach, I asked the Christian Ed. Director, "I'll teach again this year, but can I have an age group that my kids aren't in?"
She replied, "I don't think there is such a thing."
"Oh yeah. I guess I do have them in pretty much all age groups, don't I?"
Anyway, I teach 2nd & 3rd grade this year.

I have noticed in the past couple days though, whatever you added recently causes the windows to freeze up, scrolling freezes up, it's really hard on the computer. Scripts, java, or something? - La
Huh? Scripts? Speaking of - I have to memorize mine and soon! Java? I could go for a cup of coffee right about now...

Me again - I found my name on the map. And as I said on my postcard, there's something I'd like to share... We've been living in Dakar, Senegal (West Africa) for over a year, and I got involved in charity work. One particular programme really caught my attention and I posted about it on my blog. One of my readers was so touched about the story that she made a web page.
If your kids whine about their school... please show them these pictures! - Pat in Dakar

I know this is going to sound kinda strange....but I would really like to know where you purchased the t.p. holder in the picture. I really like it and really like that it's not the "spring-loaded dead rod". If, by chance, you remember where you got it, I would love to know. - Kristen
I got it at Target, but it doesn't work. They still don't replace the tp with it.

Sunday question: How often do you do grocery shopping and do you buy in bulk from Sam's or Costco?
I do a big shopping every 2 weeks and fill in with small stuff at least once a week. I never shop at Sam's or Costco. I used to shop at Aldi because groceries are really cheap there. No name brands, small store, no extra frills. I cut my grocery bill in half when I started shopping there. Now that we're doing the diet with no additives or preservatives, however, I have to shop at other places because Aldi just doesn't carry much of anything without additives. I shop at Meijer, Jewel, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Peapod.
Also where on earth do you store all the food an toliet paper?
OK, don't hate me, but my pantry is insanely organized just because I used to sell Tupperware and I acquired enough containers to open my own store.



Hi Dawn, I wonder if anyone else does this...Squezze the roll so it won't roll around as fast? So the kids won't use as much paper. I remember my mother teaching me that trick. Kristine in Michigan.
You NEVER squeeze the roll!



its a bit of a mystery isnt it? They can change their underwear everyday but seem to have trouble changine ONE roll of toilet paper? - roseys madhouse
They change their underwear every day?!?!?!?! Lucky!

SSO potential question: Any advice for a mommy of a 19mo about to become a mommy of two in nine days (hopefully sooner)? - becky
Don't believe them when they say that drinking mineral oil will put you in labor. It won't. And it's not a pretty sight. Trust me on this.

Thanks, Dawn! I'm feeling much better about the two black Russians and handful of snack mix I had for dinner! Or maybe I'm feeling better just because I had two black Russians for dinner...
Sandy in Tucson
(P.S., Just so everyone knows, I don't have two black Russians for dinner every night. Once in a while a salad and some steamed asparagus do manage to creep into my diet...)
I don't always have 2 black Russians for dinner either. Sometimes I have 3.

Here's a question for your Sunday Sound Out - What ad program do you use? Do you get to choose the ads that go on your site or do the powers that be choose it for you? Deb in OPKS
BlogHer Ads. They choose, but I can refuse to run any of them on my blog if I don't like them. Honestly, I've never had the need to refuse any ads as they always choose nice, tasteful ones, in my opinion.

Hi Dawn, This is a question for Sunday SO. How many box's of cheese crackers..I mean..cereal do you go through in a week? Also how many gallons of milk? I can only imagine! - Kristine in Michigan.
We go through about a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread a day and maybe 2 boxes of cereal a week.

SSO question perhaps? How do you fix something for dinner that all 6 kids will eat? I have trouble enough with 4 kids. One doesn't like peas, the other doesn't like corn....blah, blah, blah. Drives me batty it does! Queen Elaine
I just give them all chocolate. It's the one thing they agree on.
OK, I make one thing for dinner and they can eat it or be hungry. The end. Actually, if it's a new recipe or something I know that they don't really like, I give them the option of making themselves a sandwich, but I don't cook a bunch of different things. No way.

You have stopped mentioning weight watchers... are you still trying to follow the plan? - MaBunny
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I suck. But I'm sure I'll start again on Monday. It's tradition after all.

First, where do you find "Sweet Coconut Chai Tea"? It sounds wonderful! - kimikki
It's just Celestial Seasonings. Mmmmm

Just wanted to ask what you wanted me to bring back for you while I'm in Cancun? Jenn loves Derek
Sunshine! 80 degree weather! Tequila?

Dawn, I'm glad the surgeries went well! I'm sorry to put this here, but I can't find a place to put it on your other site. Did you guys post winners for the wriskey and rock the vote contests (on Mamas Like)? I can't find them, or maybe it's just mommy brain:) anonymous
Yep, winners were chosen and announced on Mamaslike.

Eek you have to put height, weight and eye colour on your license?? - nutralady2001
Yeah, they're more fun that way.

Dawn, what is a class 'D'. Laura
the grade I got in math

Wow - what a rubbish experience. (I'm guessing being there for four and a half hours was a SLIGHT exaggeration?) Here in Britain the driving license used to be a bit of paper you had from age 17 to 80. Now it's a photo card and has to be renewed more often, but it's all done by post rather than creepy DMV office! Heather
Who? ME? Exaggerate? Never!
And your license is just paper? For real? What happens when it goes through the wash? I'm really curious because I wash my license, library card, debit card, and grocery store card on a regular basis. Apparently I haven't learned to empty out my pockets yet.

What are you doing to celebrate your birthday? Don't forget Daylight Savings is this weekend too. Hoffman Family
Let's see...I went over to my parents' house today (Sunday) for dinner and I'm going out tomorrow night with my sister. I'll update tomorrow on that because I only got 5hours of sleep last night thanks to daylight savings time and it's now 2:30 am Sunday night and I'm not even halfway finished with this post. I'M TIRED!

thank you very much for being a organ donor. Heaven know we need them here. - Brent
I can't see any reason to NOT be an organ donor. What do I need with a liver when I'm dead? It should go to someone who can use it.

That is a GREAT photo. And hasn't anyone explained to you that when it says "weight" it means "GOAL weight"? They just did not have room for the word goal in that spot. - Brenda
Well darn! NOW you tell me!

You are so pretty!! How do you keep from getting any wrinkles??? - anonymous
I iron my face daily. HA! Actually, it's just all the fat. If I lost weight, the wrinkles would show.

would you hate to know that arizona licenses don't expire for like 30 years? - Spider Lady
Somehow that scares me more than going to the DMV to renew every 4 years! Note to self: Stay off the streets in AZ.

By the way, what happened to your other earring?? - Donna
I figured, dork that I am, that I just forgot to put it on, but the next day, Savannah found it outside the front door of my house. I guess it fell out.

I almost always have sunglasses on my head. My mother is constantly griping for me to take them off when we have family gatherings because, god forbid, anyone should get a picture of me with sunglasses on my head!! *gasp* - TheHMC
My friend Gin, who is a hairdresser, says that she's going to invent a headband that works at well as sunglasses to hold your hair back. Nothing beats 'em!

Ahhh the Illinois DMV, what a joke! My best and quickest experiences with them have been in Morris, IL. You probably could have driven there and back in less than 4 1/2 hours. IMO, Morris is the closet to Mayberry you'll find near the Chicago area. - megryansmom
Hmmmm, are there any Sonics near there?

How many more years before you have to take a kid to get their license> Its tons of fun. - plainprecious
Well, Austin will be 16 in 2 1/2 years, but he's grounded until the end of time, so I guess I have until Savannah turns 16 (about 4 more years).

What do you REALLY want for your birthday...I mean, besides world peace? (Might as well have it WRITTEN here in black and white so there's NO "I didn't know what you wanted" EXCUSE from anyone!) - Nancy Binky
I wanted a birthday margarita, a birthday cookie, or a birthday tirimisu. I got all three!

Oh my gosh. I couldn't figure out what the "GRN eyes" was. Am I stupid or what? anonymous
Hey! Are you the girl on the commercial for Beauty and the Geek who says, "It's not that I'm stupid. I just don't know stuff."?

Sunday Sound Out

It's that time of the week again. Time for me to scroll through hundreds of comments and try to pick out all the questions from you, my loyal readers.

Let's see here - thank you again to all my readers who took the time to send us cards, letters, postcards, pictures, and information about your towns! We really do appreciate it! Here is an updated map. I'm caught up with all correspondence received up until last week.


View Larger Map

Thank you to everyone who has voted for my blog in one of more of the Blogger's Choice Awards. I guess the voting will continue throughout the year.

And now for your questions...

OK - I have to know how to do that glorious cheeseburger cake!!!!!! How are the layers done? - Gramma
The "buns" are yellow cakes and the "burgers" are chocolate cakes. I think I just used commercial chocolate frosting on the chocolate cakes and I used no icing on the yellow cakes. Then I put icing "lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and sesame seeds" on the cakes. Super fast and easy!

How is the play coming along? Are you finding it to be a good release/time off or is it another thing on your to-do list? Hey, your husband could video your scenes and then you could post it on your blog for all your readers. What do you think?? - Lisa, San Antonio, Texas
Eh, the play's going ok. A fellow cast member switched parts with me so I have a much smaller one now! Yay! Thank you Pam! Maybe now I'll be able to memorize my lines before opening night. And as far as putting my scenes on here...ummm, I think no. I was in Arsenic and Old Lace last year. My friend wanted to see the DVD of the play so I mailed it to her. She was only able to handle watching 5 minutes of it before she went blind.

Did you take the (cake decorating) class at Harper? COD? MCC? - Michelle
Yep - Harper!

Here's a question for you: when you delegate to the kids, do you go fix what they've done afterwards? - Raising Country Kids
Hmmm, it depends how insane busy I am on that day.

Now, along with all the other things you need to accomplish, how's that Dr appt coming along? - Kathy
I'll have you know that I called to make an appointment and was told, "The doctor doesn't have any openings for new patients until June."
"That's fine. That fits right in with my procrastinating. Can I schedule the appointment for June then?"
"No. You'll have to call back at the end of March to set up the appointment."
Wanna take bets on whether I'll remember to call at the end of March?
Then I called my OB to set up that appointment and was told that they could see me right away in April.

I used to wait tables as well, and have similar dreams frequently. Except that instead of missing my tie, I'm missing all upper body clothing. And no one notices. - Janet
Uh yeah, if that was me, people would notice. "Excuse me Miss? Could you please lift your boob out of my soup?"

Question for your SSO: With 6 kids, how do you handle daily chores? Do your kids work off a chore chart? Do they get paid for doing those chores?
Lisa in San Antonio
I usually just scream at them to do something and then I break down and do it myself.

Just one question, how many lists do you have? I have a daily list, a meal plan for the week list, a grocery list, a wish list, and a finish that project list! Allisha
Oh man! I've never thought about it before! Oh great! Now I'm going to have to make a list of my lists so I know how many there are!

Maybe a question for your Sunday Sound out thingie... when did each of your kids start walking/crawling? - anonymous
They didn't walk. They ran. And before they were a year old. I remember back to when Austin was a baby. I'd walk with him, holding his hands, trying to teach him to balance and walk on his own. By the time the third came around, I knew that walking was highly overrated and every time Jackson would start to stand up, I'd just kick him back down. It didn't work though.

Didn't you know that the more kids you have, the more puke you have to deal with? - anonymous
NOOO! No one told me that! That's not something you read about in those parenting books - the more kids you have, the more puke there will be to clean up.

ELDERBERRY Extract~!! it's an immune booster that helps short-circuit the flu or help those around it not get it. - Kate
And it can put lonely old men out of their misery if you mix is with cyanide, strychnine, and arsenic.

A question for your Sunday Sound-out: You mentioned in a previous post that you can't go to bed knowing you have e-mail in your inbox. Were you checking your blog comments while you were sick, or are you past all the excitement of thousands of e-mails a day? - Stephanie
Ugh, I've given up on that. At any given time, I'm a week or more behind on my email.

Oh Dawn! The things we'll do for our kids! I hope you all feel better SOON. I'll keep you in my prayers. And I hope Brooklyn is still speaking to Clay. LOL - Karla
She's speaking to him, but she calls him, "ClayPunk".

Also: What kind of camera do you use that takes such great pictures? (especially at night of the eclipse) - anonymous
I have a Sony Cyber Shot with a 12X optical zoom. I got the display model for 50% off too! Score!

Today Dawn you can be an honorary Brit and have an extra 'Mother's Day'. Today (Sunday) is Mother's Day here in the UK - and let's face it with so many kids you deserve an extra one!!!! - Gail
Woo Hoo! I never knew that other countries celebrated Mother's Day. It's interesting that it's on a different day too. Learn something every day!

Why exactly DID Joe paint the closets? To brighten them up so you could see inside better? That's the only thing I could come up with. - Robin
Because he's Joe.

Are you still in touch w/Mimi??? - anonymous
Of course! We email a couple times a week and I read her updates whenever she posts them. I loved her update from a couple days ago, in fact. It gave me goosebumps....

We left ,picked up Dana and went to have lunch . Then T. wanted to go to Julian's grave site , step I hadnt taken yet.
It was strange , I didnt let myself think too much as William was with us, therefore didnt let myself feel much...
Since most of you cant be here and visit Julian here you are ...


I didn't let emotions take over that is until emotions didn't give me a choice...
As we were walking out , William pointed at something and wanted to run after it . We looked and there was a yellow butterfly . WOW !!
Then a second one fluttered around .As we kept walking towards the gate , we saw more and more yellow butterflies .It gave us goosebumps all over... We must have seen a dozen ... We thanked Julian for his gift , and walked to the car still in a happy daze... As we approached the car ,outside of the gates , we looked for butterflies everywhere, but NOOO, we couldn't see any. William turned around and pointed to the otherside of the gate " Butterflies in there" ....
It was amazing and heartwarming...

I just put a new toilet seat on and installed a new spayer for my kitchen sink. - Kristine in MI
OK I know this was just a typo, but it cracked me up anyway. Now you can wash your hands and have your cat fixed in the kitchen sink at the same time!

So Dawn, when you are planning an event at your house, do all the kids chip in the help out? - Korkie
You bet your butt! They were awesome with this last party. Austin and Savannah did a ton of stuff to help me!

Hubby just found a dead mouse behind our fridge.... my question is what do you do to get rid of the decaying dead mouse smell once you have gotten rid of it. I can still my the lingering wafts of decayed meat. - Korkie
Just have the kids throw up in the house. That'll cover up any other smells.

I was surprised to see how many other people "don't do barf". One time, one of the boys threw up on the carpet in their room. After my husband cleaned and cleaned and extracted it, it still smelled so I cut the whole patch of carpet out and tossed it. We went with a big square of bare floor there for years. If it was up to me, we'd move to another house every time someone threw up.
I also do anything in my power to avoid getting sick myself. A couple years ago, we had friends over for New Year's Eve. My friend had some stomach virus and was feeling kinda oogy. She said, "I think I'd feel better if I could just throw up." OK, she might as well have said, "I think I'd feel better if I chewed my foot off." Ewww! So after a while, she went to the bathroom, threw up, and came out saying, "I feel much better. What's for dessert?" Oh my gosh! If I'd thrown up at someone's house like that, I would've curled up in a little ball, and stayed in her bathroom crying for the rest of the night.

I was also surprised how many of you are neurotic crazy curious about the idiosyncrasies of cartoons. They're CARTOONS people! Not reality. It's ok if Donald Duck doesn't wear pants and yet wraps a towel around his waist when he gets out of the tub. He's an ANIMATED DRAWING OF A DUCK! It's ok if Max & Ruby's parents aren't in the cartoon. It's a PRETEND SHOW ABOUT BUNNIES! Deep breaths. In, out. In, out. It's ok.