Being the Crazy One Pays Off. Sometimes.

While I continue to work on my deadline and download/upload photos behind the scenes, here's a little update on our local initiative to get healthier food into the schools.

A bit of background before I link you out to a newspaper story: The school in the story, Brush Creek Elementary, is the boys' school. Kelly Liken, the chef in the story and contestant on this season's Top Chef, has a restaurant up valley and lives in our neighborhood.

Obviously, I'm very excited about the outcome of years and years of meeting with the school district personnel. The real hero behind all of this is my sister, Tara (and her friends), who started this initiative when my nephew was in kindergarten. He starts middle school a week from today. Better late than never. Of course, this trial program at our school is only planned for the elementary schools at this point.

Ah well, this year the elementary schools, next year, the world. I'd better sharpen my vegetable peeler.

Read on.

Home Sweet Home

We are back. Lots of photos to share. Lots of laundry to be done. Work deadlines call. I'm in the process of all of this and will be back soon with an update on where we've been and photos of what we've been doing. It will be riveting, I swear.

We Interrupt This Summer to Blog

I KNOW. You hate it when I don't post. Some of you even told me this in person when I saw you. I hate it when I don't post, too. I have a computer at my disposal at Mom's so why aren't I posting?

Single parenting hogs my time. I know, wah, from those of you who are single parents. I have a million excuses. We've been on the go. I have to get the kids in bed. I still have to work at night. I want to spend time with my Mom. I may or may not be going out on occasion. I may or may not have been hungover once. Or possibly twice. I may or may not be in a food coma. I may or may not have spent way too much time at fairs and waterparks.

Still about nine days to go.

I may or may not be ready to go home. But then I read that one of those convicts who escaped in Arizona was apprehended about an hour from our house and that freaked me out just a tad. Maybe I'll stay tucked in here in Ohio for just a bit longer.

Here's a little sneak peak at what we've been up to...

We celebrated little Stella's third birthday (Stella is my cousin's daughter and the boys LOVE her)


We drove large pieces of farm machinery with Great Grandpa.


We tried to beat Great Grandpa at checkers. Repeatedly. And failed.


We swam with some of our friends from our old playgroup. We miss them! A LOT!


We went down the Giant Slide at the Ohio State Fair. Some of us screamed like girls.


We milked a cow.


We have eaten ice cream all over town.


We hung out with friends and made s'mores.


We ate sushi with Stella.


We spent ALL DAY, all day I tell you!, with friends at the water park. Some of us forgot to put sunscreen in important places and have a sunburn.

Our pants seem to mysteriously get smaller when we come to Ohio...

Much more to come from our next, undisclosed location...