I'm Just Not That Into It

In case you live under a rock and are not aware, today is Inauguration Day. Barack Obama will be become the 44th President of the USA and the first African American to hold the office. Even though he wasn't my guy, I have to say I have been impressed with his prep work. It's also a great day for America to take one more step towards Dr. King's dream.

BUT, (c'mon, ya KNEW there'd be a but!) if I hear one more word about what Oprah is wearing to the ball, how Tom and Katie got to Washington, and how Beyonce and Jay-Z are moved to tears, I will scream. I would like to see news coverage of Sen Obama being sworn in. Heck, it's even fun to see Michelle Obama's wardrobe choices and their cute-as-heck little girls, but seriously. Do I NEED to know what Barbra Steisand is having for dinner? I am not someone who follows Hollywood and who does what. Sure, I peek at the mags in the checkout line at the grocery store but I really don't have an opinion on Brad Pitt and his dippy wife. To loosely quote a new movie, "I'm just not that into it." It seems that the news coverage is alot more about who is wearing what and who was seen with who that Sen Obama's taking the oath of office. I am all about the human interest stuff~what kind of puppy are Sasha and Melia getting? I'm voting for the Labradoodle. I guess what it boils down to is I wish I didn't live in a place that is so celebrity-focused.

Menu Plan Monday

After 2 weeks of sickness it is time to get back on a schedule. Kids can not live on PB&J alone!

MONDAY~Tim's Cooking! Venison Meatloaf and Southern Steamed Cabbage

TUESDAY~Bar Louie $1 Burger Night

WEDNESDAY~Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Rolls

THURSDAY~Chicken and Iowa Stuffing, Green Beans

FRIDAY~Pork Tacos, Chips and Salsa

SATURDAY~Apricot Chicken, Veggies

SUNDAY~JOY GROUP!! Mexican Night

A New Member of the Family

Some of you may remember Ashley, our sweet and wonderful black lab. Ashley was our first baby and part of our family until March 2006 when she developed tumors and we decided to put her to sleep instead of painful and expensive treatments. She was a big part of our lives and we miss her lots! We have been happily pet-free until . . .NOW! We have been thinking about getting another dog for about a year now and have finally found the perfect pooch for this chapter in our lives. Yes, we LOVE labs and would get another in a heartbeat except for 2 factors~the awful shedding and the lack of lots of space. Our friends have a Shih-poo which is a cross between a Poodle and a Shih Tzu and can't say enough good things about the breed. They are small and as close to non-shedding as you can get. Not yappy and extremely good with kids if raised from puppyhood with little ones. This is a pic of BoBo who is the sire of the litter we choose from.

Once we decided on a Shih-Poo (as you can imagine Tim has had some fun with that name!) you would think the work would be over. Nope. We did not want to buy from a pet store and take a chance on supporting puppy mills so that route was out. We wanted a family breeder with home raised pups where we could meet and interact with both the mother and father of the litter. I found one breeder that fit. She was so nice on the phone and said that she would hold the last female for us since she would not have another litter until at least next fall. The pups are only 4 weeks old so they need another 4 weeks with mama dog. We went and visited, played with Bella the Mama and BoBo the Papa, talked to the family, and held the pups. We placed our deposit and on Feb 7, Gracie comes home! Without further ado. . .pictures!

Update

Yesterday, the CPSC re-stated the law to say that used children's clothing and toys are NOT included in the law. WHEW! I can go back to my regularly scheduled life now which includes Kleenex and NyQuil.

Hand-Me-Downs Are Going to Be Illegal

Yep. I am so not kidding. As of Feb 11, new CPSC standards are going into effect and they are making HUGE changes in the sale, re-sale and even GIFTING of children's clothing. Basically, it will be illegal to sell or GIVE a childrens item that you have not tested for lead according to the new standards. The fines are very high and the CPSC is serious about this law as an attempt to save face from all the lead recalls of late. So in theory, you give a bag of baby clothes to your neighbor that your child has outgrown. Illegal. Is she going to call the feds on you? Probably not but if she was mad at you for something else she could.

This law will force Goodwill and all for-profit re-sale shops out of business plus wreak havoc for Ebay sellers and Etsy sellers who make custom children's clothing and jewelry sets. It is not enough that your supplier tested the material you use. YOU need to test them also. Each test costs upwards of $500 and each item will need to be tested.

I'm mostly torqued off about this as an Ebay seller but it also seems crazy to make hand-me-downs illegal. It also means that retailers will need to throw out tons of clothing that is not purchased by Feb 10 b/c they can no longer sell it or donate it. The law went through Congress very quickly and needs to be reviewed. I'm all for testing to protect our kids from lead and other things but this seems a bit extreme.

Menu Plan Monday

Back into the swing of things. Ugh.

MONDAY~Clean out the freezer night~we're getting rid of everything that's taking up space there.

TUESDAY~Pizza Pot Pie

WEDNESDAY~Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

THURSDAY~Chinese Pot Roast, Stir Fry Veggies, Rice

FRIDAY~Italian Dijon Tilapia, Rice, Broccoli

SATURDAY~Spaghetti and Meatballs

SUNDAY~Greta's 4th B-day!

Christmas in Review

I don't often get a sweet and innocent picture of Amelia. This one belies her actual personality.The Super Wy loved Christmas. As long as no one ignored him or took him away from his mommy. And gave him everything he wants to chew on.Here's the whole Leozinga Clan~minus Sara the Photog and Joel. Where was he?

We did Christmas breakfast with Tim's parents before we left for Hilton Head. Harbor Town Park! The kids favorite place in the whole world. This was Dec 23 and it was about 60 degrees. After a holiday feast at Fuddruckers and some sweet playground time, we went to see Gregg Russell's Christmas Show by the water. Christmas Eve and we're all sampling Santa's snacks of cookies, chips, and blue cheese stuffed martini olives.Christmas Eve!Amelia and Greta in the penalty box on Christmas morning. They both got 5 for fighting.Grandma chowing on some chips and salsa!

The arrival of everyone else! That night was Mexican night. The Leo's were in charge of dinner and made great enchiladas and Jer kept us all happy with margaritas! Rich and JudySara and her margarita.Here's a rare picture of me without a kid on my lap! I was getting cozy with my margarita.
Happy Uncle Jeff telling one of his many car accident stories!I have no idea.Wyatt got some chocolate cookies on the trip home. I think we're somewhere near Knoxville here! The kids did pretty well on the 17 hour road trip but Wyatt now cries at the sight of the van. I think we've scarred him.