Fabulous Miss S.

Silver Linings and Crap

When I Tweeted that I was having a great! carefree! most-awesome! Spring Break and having the kids home was great! carefree! and most-awesome!, I clearly stuck out my tongue and laughed in the virtual face of KARMA because Mallory is on day two of a 104 degree fever an ear infection and possible strep.  Our long awaited zoo plans for yesterday got rained out, WEEP.  And ... urgh. Sigh. Fuck. I'm done with Spring Break.  I haven't left the house alone in three days and I'm desperate for a workout and some time when no one is vomiting on me, peeing on me, demanding that I wipe their poopy-ass or runny nose or lifting my shirt for a suck on my boob. 

This was today's silver lining:

Child Hunger Ends Here

Click here to jump to the comments section to leave a comment that equals ONE POUND of food donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.

My biggest food-related dilemmas these days are finding new things to call "nuggets" that Noah will eat and having them ready and in front of him, with ketchup, before he melts down from low-blood sugar.  I am so very fortunate to have never had to worry about feeding my children.  I'm even more fortunate that as a child while my parents may have juggled a few bills and pinched pennies now and then, we never went hungry - not even close.

But this isn't the case for 17.2 million children in the United States who go hungry. 

I had a wonderful opportunity to tour the National Capital Area Food Bank last week and learn about how they distribute 25 million pounds of food to the DC Metro Area each year and how the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign is taking off in our area and nationwide. 

Personally, I would like to thank Jessica, A Parent in Silver Spring and Jill, Scary Mommy for inviting me to this event.  I was truly inspired to work to make a difference in our community's child hunger problem. 

Over half of the families served by the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) have at least one working adult.  Sadly, in our region, hunger isn't an issue confined to homelessness, we are talking about regular, middle-class working people who are forced to choose between paying the mortgage and feeding their kids.   Our country is too rich and our region too wealthy for this to be an issue.  In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.  In DC, that number is 1 in 2.

ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here Campaign has four awesome ways that YOU can join the fight and help end child hunger here in the US, in your own neighborhood. 

• Go Grocery Shopping:Through May 2011, if you purchase specially-marked ConAgra Foods brands and enter the 8-digit purchase code online at www.childhungerendshere.com, the company will donate one meal to America, up to 2.5 million meals.  Participating brands include: Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Fresh Mixers, Kid Cuisine, Marie Callendar’s and Peter Pan.  Products should be purchased through May, but codes may be redeemed through August 2011.

 

• Text to Donate:  Text “FEEDKIDS” to 5055 to make a $10 donation directly to Feeding America through June 30, 2011.

 

• Spread the Word on Twitter:  You can follow them on Twitter @ConAgraFoods and you can post about the issue with the tag #childhungerendshere

 

• Share Your Story on Facebook:  See the stories of those you benefit at www.facebook.com/ConAgraFoods.  Every time you share a story on your Facebook page through August 31, 2011, ConAgra Foods will help Feeding America secure an additional meal, up to 100,000 meals.

I also have a little deal for you here:

For every comment left on this post I will buy ONE POUND of food for donation to the Capital Area Food Bank.  So, leave a comment telling me your favorite food and I'll buy one pound of food for each comment. 

Ready?  GO!  Comment here and I'll give back to our community on your behalf. 

 

 

Pieces

Shall we start on a light note?  I'm really bummed that I have too much going on this week; something every day that is keeping me from enjoying a $50 Spa Week facial. 

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I'm really excited that the thing keeping me from a cheap and glorious facial tomorrow is that I get to see some of my favorite writers and ladies at a great event at the Capital Area Food Bank to learn about the Child Hunger Ends Here program.  I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say about this tomorrow night.  I have no idea what I'm going to see or hear and I'm excited for this opportunity to learn.

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Mallory has a weird foot issue that is bothering me.  When she started standing many months ago I pointed it out to the doctor that her left foot seemed to be turned out in an exaggerated sort of way, more so than the right foot.  At the time, the doctor said it was normal for feet to face outward at that age and it was all part of learning to balance and I listened and nodded and waved my hand, Phew! ... next issue, more snot!  But, I was laying on the floor watching her walk the other day and while she still does the just-learned-to-walk lurch thing, it looks like she is reliably using her left foot in a strange way.  She walks sort of on the arch of her left foot, and when she is in her harder soled shoes, the left foot makes a Thub-Thub sound as it smacks on the floor, more so than the other one. 

After a horrifyingly hand-wringy few minutes while I Googled Baby-Foot-Deformity I realized she DOES NOT have a club foot by any stretch of the mind but most likely has a very mild deformity probably corrected with a shoe or even just massage/therapy/manipulation, etc. 

Last time I had that nagging concern feeling in my gut about my child possibly have a tiny bit of a delay I stuffed it down with some Hydrogenated Fat and High Fructose Corn Syrup and then allowed a doctor to talk me out of my concerns.  And Boy! Was he wrong!  (I don't recall writing it at the time but an old pediatrician consistently blew off my concerns about Noah's lack of words, butt rashes, picky eating ... need I go on?)  Do I wait until her 15 month appointment in two and a half weeks, or do I call and go in TOMORROW?  I just want to address this immediately and since I suspect we'll need to see a specialist, why wait?  I'm thinking, proceed with urgency but pass go first and collect that $200 because you are going to need it for that Out-Of-Network specialist, dammit.

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I'm running again. 

I'm running a 5K on Saturday for Autism Speaks.  Of course I have a personal interest in the organization but the run is really for me.  I needed something to train for, something to do all on my own, goals, blah blah blah. 

After a few weeks of NOT running and doing mostly weight training, I got back on a treadmill last week and did a few three mile runs.  Day One I ran 3 miles in 30:22.  Impressive, for me.

Two days later I got back on the treadmill and set out to do it again.  Without setting out to reach this goal or even thinking about it really, I ran 3 miles in 29:53.  I achieved the ever-elusive SUB-30 minute 5K.  I was pretty damn impressed with myself.

I'm really really *really* thinking about doing a brief little 10K on Sunday morning too.  It's only 6 miles, I know I can DO it.   It's mostly downhill.  It is in a dense urban area with lots of stores so there will be plenty of distracting scenery, I mean, why not, right? 

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In between running and weight training to maintain my sanity I am trying to spend quality time with Mallory.  I still feel so much guilt because her life has been impacted so much by Autism. When I mention this piece to other people I usually get a roll of the eyes-nodding of the head Psshaw! because she is SO LOVED! and SO HAPPY! and Don't worry she's going to be the most resilient and most considerate person ever! comment and it's missing the mark, or maybe I'm just not good at explaining what I really feel.  Her reality of not having enough time to eat breakfast, EVER, crawling after me crying in the mornings because she just wants a cuddle or a hug or a few minutes of her mother not rushing around begging Noah to make pee-pees and put his damn shoes on already and "OK! Fine! Here's Super Why but SHOES FIRST THEN SUPER WHY." 

To assuage my own guilt I enrolled her in a class at Romp & Roll and she absolutely loves it.  She acts happy there.  She leaves my side.  She sits in her teacher's lap during story time.  She doesn't get upset when it is time to put the scarves away and get out the shakey eggs.  Who knew that that was a problem!?  Watching her imitate other kids, engage and enjoy these normal activities is like a breath of fresh air on a ten degree day, it feels refreshing at first, until the sting of the cold air reaches your chest and you cringe shut. 

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My little couch potatoes eating in front of the TV.  WHAT?!