No Identity Crisis Here

For the longest time we've been calling Sam Bing Bong. Long story on how that got started, so we'll save it for another day. In any case, today we were watching a video that was going over identifications such as mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, boy, girl, baby, etc. When they got to the part about girls I asked Sam if she was a girl. Her response? "No girl. Sam Bing Bong", implying that she was Bing Bong, no other identification needed. In regards to Riley (who we call Riley Roo), "Rye-ee Roo, no girl."

So we have Bing Bong and Roo, mystery solved.

How to clean a bathroom with two toddlers in 7 easy steps

1. Assemble all supplies (you don't want to leave toddlers alone, unsupervised in a bathroom.)
2. Find simple time consuming jobs for toddlers. For instance, a wet rag and something to "clean" is sufficient. For our experiment they were directed to clean the door. When they tired of that we moved on to the door frame, and the cabinet doors.
3. Take advantage of the time that they are distracted. During this time I was able to clean the mirror, walls, countertop, sink, faucets, and most of the toilet. However, cleaning the toilet suddenly looked like fun to them. Hmmm, what to distract them with next. How about an Aunt Cathy who showed up at just the right time? Worked great.
4. Have toddlers take naps while you try to finish cleaning the bathroom.
5. When the toddlers wake up, return their cleaning rags to them, and point them at a wall.
6. Desperately try to finish job with the cleaning of the tub while fending off "help" from toddlers. Quickly move all cleaning products from within their reach. Have them read to you, pick up toys, get you a ball, move the step stool.
7. Give them cheerios and put on a video tape for them while you finish cleaning the bathroom (which as you might note has taken all day.)

Boom, ass, and quilts

Today started off with a loud boom as someone wrecked their car right outside our house this morning. We were jolted out of bed by what I was sure was someone actually crashing into our house. As it turns out, it was a woman who took out a traffic signal, street light, and a street sign before crashing into a tree. Bill called 911 and the helpful emergency folks were there within a minute - pretty impressive. In the meantime, an animal control officer showed up, and started directing traffic. It all ended well though, as the woman's airbag apparently deployed and she appeared to walk away without a scratch.

After being jolted awake, my SIL called because we were supposed to go to the Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF)today. I was going to beg off cuz I've been sick, the girls are sick, Bill is sick, but I just couldn't resist the draw of the annual show, so off I went. Boy am I glad I went too, cuz otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get this special pic for Liz.

Afterwards I headed home where I remained for the rest of the day. Played with the girls, visited with Liz and Val, and later Andrea, put the girls to bed, watched some junk tv and here I am with all 6 of my blog friends.

A good day indeed.

Tipping is not a city in China...

Or so I've been told. However, that is not the issue today. My issue
is with restaurants that instill a mandatory tip for larger groups which
seems to imply any group larger than 6 or 8 depending on the
restaurant. I just don't understand this practice. My issues are as
follows:
1. First and foremost, tips are OPTIONAL. They are to show
appreciation for good or exceptional service, and the amount is in
direct relation to the level of service.
2. I don't think any group stiffs the waitstaff unless the service was
extremely. In the rare chance you get a group that does not tip, that's
the price you pay, and refer back to issue #1.
3. I usually tip much better than their "required" tip, however if I am
forced to tip, I will only tip the amount they are demanding rather than
the larger amount that I probably would have left. Have I let
restaurants know this? Yes I have.

And yes, I have worked as a waitress in the past, and no, I never felt
tips should be mandatory. I was always grateful for whatever I got, and
always tried to give the best service possible with the old fashioned
smile and politeness. I think I must have done a good job as my tips
were pretty good. This is the purpose of a tip.

How do you feel about this practice?

"Really depressing shoulder update", or alternately "I am in denial"

Ok, I saw my sports shoulder orthopaedic doc again yesterday. We'll call him Dr. SSOD. After looking at my nerve conduction studies, reviewing my films again, doing yet another physical exam, and evaluating my progress he has come to the conclusion that I need surgery. However, Dr. SSOD must also be very intuitive as he could tell I was not ready to go down that path. Unlike most surgeons he did not push it, recommended 8 weeks of intense physical therapy for the torn rotator cuff, and he is referring me to yet another doc for more diagnoses on the brachiopathy (nerve damage). At this point, I am set up to do both in two weeks.

Church is no longer clothing optional.

For those of you who were following the saga, we made it through mass last Sunday with all clothing intact. Woo hoo!