The March for Maddie yesterday was a big success. The kids are still recovering from waking up so early, or as Annabel said, “While it was still night time.” Like their mama, they are not morning people. This week starts the beginning of a very busy month for us, leading up to Annabel finishing school the first week of June. I am so ready for it to be summer!
Around The ‘Net
~The Oregon Trail Generation This totally nails my generation of not-quite-Generation-X, not-quite-Millennials.
~Jon Stewart: why I quit The Daily Show
~The man who broke the music business
~Blind fan inspired USC’s football team; now he could be a part of it
~New York City Walks This is really cool.
~This Is What Recess Looks Like Around The World
~On Time-Lapse Rocket Ride to Trade Center’s Top, Glimpse of Doomed Tower Wow
~How a New Dutch Library Smashed Attendance Records
~The original 1865 dispatch from AP, from the night Lincoln was shot
~My daughter, who lost her battle with mental illness, is still the bravest person I know
~Bruce Jenner and the Modern American Family
~Mitch Harris, former Navy officer, called up by Cardinals to join bullpen Cool story! In his debut last night, he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
BUBBLES!
~Several of you have asked about the bubble machine I got the kids. We actually have two bubble machines. This one, the creative motion machine, has an a.c. adaptor, which I thought was such a great idea because then I wouldn’t have to use a ton of batteries. It’s a great machine but I was limited by where I could plug it in. A couple weeks ago, I bought the fantasia party bubble machine, and this one is fun because it lights up and spins – but it runs on a million (okay, AA batteries. We’ll use both of them at James’ birthday party at the end of May.
James takes bubbles very seriously.
More For Mom
A few more gift ideas for Mother’s Day!
~This flower mandala coloring book (yes!) for adults is gorgeous. Coloring is a great way to relax! Get her colored pencils, too.
~I kind of want this personalized mixtape doormat.
~Thumb pianos! So cool!
~A pretty yarn bowl is a great gift for the knitting mom or grandma.
~Digital polaroids are neat.
~These wraps are really pretty.
Happy Sunday, everyone!
Kim Root says:
My neighbor’s son was good friends with Jake growing up. I never met him but would hear his story and remember when he had the surgery to remove his eye. I always thought that would be a game ender for me and don’t know I would have had the courage to overcome that as a young kid. I hadn’t heard anything about him in years so what an amazing surprise to see the link on your blog. What an incredible young man he has become. Such an inspiration to all of us.
Jordan says:
LOL @ Annie getting up when it was “still at nighttime.” This semester my teaching practicum started at 7 am. SEVEN. AM. Who decided that high schoolers needed to start school at 7am?!?! It was still dark when I left every day! The first week of the practicum I got up around 5:30; after that, I decided to screw wearing makeup and slept til 6:15! Much better decision. For my sanity.
Oh, how the mental illness article left me in tears. I never knew/realized how serious mental illness was until I was diagnosed myself. I had NO. IDEA how scary and miserable this disease is. I never considered it a “disease” up with other major illnesses until I started living it. I’m in a similar time frame as Natalie (22 years old) and was recently diagnosed with general anxiety disorder after having a series of severe panic attacks last fall (which led to an even scarier period of severe anxiety/mental breakdown that left me unable to sleep). It took me months to talk to anyone about it, and 6 months to write about it.
My counselor said that it’s around this age that chemical imbalances in the brain begin showing up. I never thought about that- this time is considered the prime of your life. Yet this is when our brains decide to go haywire?
I like the idea of possibly being able to test for psychosis like you would test/screen other illnesses. I think that that brings up the point that this is an ILLNESS. It’s an illness literally of the brain, meaning it effects EVERY aspect of life. Yet it gets treated like nothing to some people. I didn’t ask for it, nor did I do anything special to get it (my mom asked me why I was anxious and why I was having panic attacks. I know she was meaning well, but that is NOT the question to ask!). No one asks if you do something to deserve cancer or any other major illnesses- why ask that about a mental illness? It is something that can be treated, but it first needs to be seen as more than something “in people’s heads.” It’s so much more.
Sorry for the soliloquy, but man did that article hit me hard.
As for mom’s day presents: Love the coloring book, may I suggest another (longer) one? http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Garden-Inky-Treasure-Coloring/dp/1780671067/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=0EWYY2EYXC42ED37R0X5
I can’t wait to get some adult-ish coloring books. Such a stress reliever!
Stacey says:
I love every single link in this Surfing Sunday! I’m a little obsessed with the walking New York one!