One of the great things about Mother’s Day is the homemade goodies the kids bring home from school and/or spend hours secretly crafting here at home. Today, Hannah and Jacob bestowed two such gifts on me.

From Hannah was an approximately 16×33-inch card (that opens). She drew pictures of the family on each page. The text reads, “I hope you have an excellent Mother’s Day! I think you are the best mom in the world. And I respect that even when you yell at us, you still love us. Happy Mother’s Day!”

If that didn’t make you chuckle, how about this?

From Jacob, a fill-in-the-blank card he made at school. *The bolded text was pre-printed.* Dear Mom, I love you because “ov evre thing.” Thank you for “mi skootr.”

Just in case you are unfamiliar with kindergarten-speak, allow me to translate. “Dear Mom, I love you because of everything. Thank you for my scooter.”

Well, those two have certainly made me feel like a #1 mama! Now if Bridget will just sleep through the night, I do believe that will be the icing on the cake!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas!!

I’m taking the weekend off from blogging, but I’ll be back on Monday.

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A few people asked when I would make a Root & Sprout graphic that they could add to their site. First of all, I’m flattered that you would even want to do that! Secondly, I can’t believe I actually figured out how to make one! So, please feel free to swipe the code below . . .

<a href=”http://www.rootandsprout.com“><img alt=”Root & Sprout” src=”http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll152/lisgarrett/002-1-1.jpg” />

Well, yes . . . there are some changes happening on this site. Thanks for noticing! But before I get into the changes, let me interject a little aside (if only because I need some sympathy this morning).

Remember how my husband had food poisoning this past Saturday night? Well, we believe it may have been a rather virulent stomach virus instead. Why? Because I feel like carp, too. I’ve felt like carp-warmed-over for the past few days, but I’ve continued to plow through the week. We parents know there’s no other alternative. You go, go, GO until the kids are in bed, and then you collapse in a fevered/chilled state on the couch and moan and groan that you think you’re gonna die. I don’t handle stomach bugs very well. Reminds me too much of being pregnant.

However, I can thank my lucky stars I am not as sick as what my poor honey has been. He’s managed to plow through the week, as well, with nary a complaint. But my already pale-skinned, freckle-faced husband is an unhealthy shade of cream. Truly . . . it’s a color I’m not even sure I know how to describe.

Anywho. Feel free to comment and tell me how sorry you are that we are in such a sickly state. Our house has not been cleaned in days (although I have managed to disinfect the bathroom and kitchen plenty of times). I have not practiced yoga in what feels like ages. Even Bridget asked this morning, Can we do yoga today? I’ve been feeding my kids eggs and toast and cereal for dinner for WAY too many nights. Sigh.

They’re fine, by the way. The kids. Full of their usual energy and malarky.

I swear, this is some form of parental punishment. Both of us too carpy-feeling to really parent. That would account for why Bridget is having a toosie-roll pop at 8:30 in the morning (she did have a bowl of Raisin Bran).

Oh, and I have to miss my Mother’s Day Tea Party at Bridget’s preschool today. Good thing she is not old enough to know that we are missing it. 

So if you would like to join my pity party, just let me know . . .

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Okay. Now on to business.

I’ve decided that I’m going to end my “writing” blog. That doesn’t mean I won’t be writing anymore, though. Quite the contrary! I originally thought it would be best to separate this blog and the other, but I think I may have been wrong. My husband would pay a pretty sum to hear me admit I’m wrong. Well, I was wrong!

Hence the reason for the new banner. The designer did such a beautiful job that I couldn’t let it go to waste. And considering I have a perfectly wonderful domain assigned to that other blog (www.LisGarrett.com), I’m going to transfer that over here as well. I’ll let you know when that happens. So . . . you’ll have to change your feed at that point (sorry!)

ALSO. I’m not going to have a blogroll. Please don’t take it personally. It just looks so . . . cluttered there on the sidebar. Perhaps I’ll make a separate page for it instead. But do bloggers really click on blogroll links?? I don’t usually.

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A little Root & Sprout news: If you happened to click over to the site yesterday, you may have noticed that it looked a little different. Well . . . I’ve been trying to come up with a satisfactory solution to letting readers know when new information is posted. Unlike a blog, Root & Sprout doesn’t have a feed. I ended up installing a blog function on the homepage, but the feed for that, even though it worked (for most), was just a bunch of gobbeldy gook. *thanks to those who tested it for me!* Additionally, I didn’t really like the way it looked on the home page.

Therefore, I will be offering a newsletter subscription to anyone who wishes to be notified of general announcements and when new articles hit the site. You can find the information on the home page at Root & Sprout, or you can simply send an email to newsletter@rootandsprout.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. Of course, your information will be kept confidential.

Don’t forget I need articles!! I’ve received two articles from two faithful readers, but I need plenty more. I’ve had a few people ask what type of articles I’m in need of, and the answer would be EVERYTHING!!

Remember, if you can write a blog post, you are certainly qualified to write an article for Root & Sprout. Likewise, you don’t have to spend any more time on a Root & Sprout article than you would a blog post, so please don’t feel like you need to make a major time commitment to help make Root & Sprout a success. If you have an extra 30 minutes or can even spend 5 minutes a day drafting an article - GREAT!!

If that’s me sounding desperate, it’s only because I am on my hands and knees begging for help. I Ain’t Too Proud to Beg!

It’s the first Thursday of the month, and you know what that means?! It’s time, once again, to help out Fagan and NAME THAT BOW!

Now I know what feelings this bow conjures for me, but what does it say to you?

Put on your thinking caps and send your suggestions to Fagan at VerySweetBows@yahoo.com . Fagan will then choose a name of her liking and send the winner a bow of her (or his) own. In the event that two people come up with the same name (it has happened before), the winner will be determined by who submitted the winning name first. Perhaps you should leave your suggestions here before sending them to Fagan so that no one submits the same name (just a thought).

You have until May 14th to make your suggestions, but don’t delay! Visit Fagan at Very Sweet Bows to see her entire product line. And to learn more about how Fagan started her business, read her feature ad at Root & Sprout.

Remember our run-in with lice?

Well, what can I say? There are just some incidents that lend themselves to further exploitation.

Check it out!

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May 15th: submission deadline for articles to appear in the June 1st installment of Root & Sprout

*Call for Special Content* Father’s Day is almost here (June 15th)! How will you celebrate Dad? Please submit special Father’s Day stories, crafts, and recipes. Have your child write a letter to Dad, and we will post it here (on Root & Sprout) so the world will know what a special guy he is!

Now, I realize that it’s Mother’s Day that’s almost here . . . but publications, whether print or web-based, need material in advance, hence the reason why I am requesting Father’s Day goodies.

Put on your thinking caps and get writing!!

Well now that I have that song stuck in your head . . .

Every morning when my alarm sounds at 5:40, there is usually a little snippet of some silly story that happened to make the headlines. These are always stories that leave the listener wonder wha?, or in my case thinking, You’ve got to be kidding me!

Let me preface this story with the fact of when I was in 8th grade, my Target class studied an entire week-long unit on magic. *Target was a special class to which us smart kids belonged. In reality, I think it was 15 kids who happened to get lucky on a multiple choice test. I didn’t feel any smarter than the kids who were not in Target.* We referred to the unit not as magic, but as prestidigitation. (yes, I had to look that up in the dictionary just to make certain I spelled it correctly)

Prestidigitation is the sleight of hand, just in case you didn’t know.

Anywho, a substitute teacher has apparently found himself in hot water (as in, not able to teach anymore) for showing the students how to make a match stick disappear. Angry parents claim he was practicing wizadry.

You’ll have to forgive me for turning off the alarm before I could get anymore details (I didn’t want to wake Bridget who was sleeping so peacefully in my bed), and I can’t seem to find the story on the Internet. I want to say the incident happened in Florida or Texas. Perhpas a reader from Florida or Texas could elaborate.

C’mon. Seriously?

This will blow your mind, but did you know that when my husband was in HS (in the early - mid 1980’s, I know! he’s OLD!) students actually brought weapons to school for some of their extracurricular classes? Can you imagine THAT happening in a school today??

My 7th-grade English teacher (hello Mr. Johnson!) had THE WORST temper and would frequently slam desks on the ground or hurl chalkboard erasers at students. He also had a horrible habit of calling me “Malassa” instead of “Melissa,” although I think that was more a product of his heavy southern accent than intentional rudeness.

What about my sociology professor who publicly berated his students? Heaven forbid if no one raised his hand to answer a question during class, and you might as well have signed your own death warrant if you so much as forgot your homework.

Then there was one of my elementary school teachers who refused to let my classmate go to the bathroom and then who, for pity’s sake, wet her pants in class. How embarrassing do you suppose that was for an eight-year-old girl? I have to imagine that happening to Hannah, and HEADS WOULD ROLL if I ever found out a teacher denied her the dignity of urinating into a toilet in privacy.

Do you suppose that any of the teachers got fired for any of those questionable behaviors?

And now a teacher has lost a job because angry parents claim making a match stick disappear is akin to practicing wizadry? *Like I said, I don’t have all the details. There may be more to the story that I don’t know. My response is based only on what I heard in the five seconds it took for me to get out of bed and turn off the radio.*

Anyway. I’m shaking my head . . .

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There’s something new over at Root & Sprout. Go see if you can find out what it is! (hint: I designed it myself with a little help from Hannah) While you’re over there, don’t forget to take a look at two new pages I added recently, Cool Stuff and People You Should Meet.

Remember to send in your articles!!! If you would like your article featured in the June 1st installment, please have it (or them!) to me by May 15th. If it’s a little late, I’ll still include it (’cause I’m nice). I just need time to edit and format, and I don’t want to be bombarded at the last moment. I realize there will be a lull in articles between now and June 1st, but it won’t usually be like that. Remember, my original plan was not to release the site so early. Root & Sprout will publish articles on a bi-weekly basis. I would *love* to get to a point where I am so overrun with articles that I am forced to publish them on a weekly basis. Won’t you help me get that way?? Won’t you please tell your readers about Root & Sprout and how it has the potential to be a wonderful web-based resource for parents??

At some point down the road (hopefully within the next year), I’m hoping to offer a few PAID writing positions. Yes! You may have the chance to become an official writer for the Root & Sprout website. Someone asked why I need to address all the legal and business stuff anyway if I’m just posting articles, and it’s because I’m anticipating that Root & Sprout will GROW into an online magazine (that’s running a business, friends).

So . . . start sending in those articles and polishing off your resumes!! There may be a job for you.

Having three kids means my time is divided amongst them; someone usually feels I am not paying her or him enough attention. Every so often, then, I like to take each one of my kids out of the house and do something special, just the two of us. This past weekend, it was Hannah’s turn. We had to purchase a gift for her friend’s birthday party, so we stopped for an ice cream treat at one of the mall’s restaurants.  

Sitting in the booth directly behind me was a couple and their young child, probably three or four years old. The little girl was complaining that she couldn’t eat anymore.

I’m not hungry, and you can’t make me eat if I’m not hungry.

She’s got a point, I thought to myself. I’ve learned not to battle my kids over food and certainly never to force food on them. They’ll eat when they’re hungry.

Sit down, and eat. NOW! said her mother through clenched teeth. The tension was palpable.

But I’m not hungry! You can’t make me eat! The girl was growing more and more agitated, and it was clear she was about to blow. I glanced at Hannah who was trying not to notice what was going on.

I don’t give a crap about what you want, hissed her father. You sit your ass down now and eat your goddamned food! With that, Hannah looked up, eyes open wide with shock.

My blood was boiling.

It was enough that the man was using those filthy words in earshot of my daughter, but he was spewing them at his own, very young child. While I don’t know about the specifics of what was happening at their booth before Hannah and I arrived, I’m sure I could imagine. After all, we’ve gone out many times with our own children who’ve ultimately exhibited appalling behavior. I get parental frustrations.

I don’t claim to be a saint, or even a perfect parent. I have lost my patience with my own children more times that I can count. However, there is no justification for speaking to a child, much less your own, in such a way. After all, would you speak to another adult like that? (maybe he would)

I was very close to turning around and asking the man to not use that language in front of my daughter, but thankfully they got up and huffed away. I realize, too, that there is a fine line between wanting to interject my own opinions and potentially making matters worse.

Wow! They were really mean, said Hannah.

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Incidents like that are precisely why I began a site like Root & Sprout. Unfortunately, it’s not the only time I’ve been witness to those public displays of non-affection. To reiterate Root & Sprout’s philosophy:

“Here at Root & Sprout, we believe the connection between parent and child is what’s most important, and it’s a relationship that grows through mutual love and respect. With gentle, hands-on parenting, we can give our children the necessary roots to help them sprout.”

We don’t help our children grow by yelling, ruling with an iron fist, or being too permisive. I grew up with with a mom and dad on opposite ends of the spectrum. While I didn’t often question their love for me, they sure showed it in a funny way. My dad had no qualms about parenting through fear. He spanked, threatened (and followed-thru on those threats), and generally ruled like the trained soldier he was. My mother, on the other hand, didn’t have much control over her children. Fortunately for her, I pretty much kept to myself and didn’t bother anyone. My mother is a recovering alcoholic, and I learned to fend for myself from a very early age. While I have absolutely no relationship with my father, my mother and I have managed to work out our differences. I love her very much. Depsite how much I love her and have forgiven her, however, I can’t forget the times she pulled my hair, slapped my face, hit me with a brush, or called me despicable names.

May God strike me down if I ever leave me own children with such memories.

I hope you can understand, then, the reasons why I want Root & Sprout to succeed. Not only does having such a site satisfy my creative needs, it’s helping me, in a way, to heal.

As the school year begins to wind down to a close, it seems we move at a more frenzied pace. Can anyone attest to this phenomenon, or is it just me? This week alone, we have:

two school concerts, two dentists appointments, two birthday parties, a preschool Mother’s Day Tea Party, Girl Scouts, and rebuilding of the school playground

All of this on top of our normal, day-to-day activities that are similar to any other child-oriented family’s. In other words, LOTS of homework, LOTS of messes to clean up, and LOTS of sibling bickering to squelch.

I know there are some of you who look at my schedule and think it sounds pretty relaxing compared to your own, but we are typically a low-maintenance family. We’re homebodies and enjoy putzing about the yard, gardens, and adjacent creek. We don’t like a lot of extracurricular activities, and we certainly don’t like being on the go, go, GO!

So why, then, am I still lounging around in my bathrobe sipping coffee when there is important business to attend to?

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My writing blog is feeling rather neglected. I’ve been lacking in any pearls of wisdom regarding print publishing, and me thinks I may have been too hasty in setting up a separate blog to chronicle my adventure. Go figure. I’m sure you’ve heard that one before. Anywho, I may have to address the fate of the other blog at some point in the near future.

I did manage to get published in two print publications, both locally and nationally. The local publication just hit the stands (I haven’t even seen it yet). I will provide a link when it’s been posted online. The national publication has yet to be printed. Unfortunately, no one but I will know I wrote the 35-word piece. It’s a product ad! (Between you and me, it was fun and challenging, and I wouldn’t mind writing more ads.)

Root & Sprout has been consuming all of the time that I would otherwise devote to print work (I’m contributing at least 10 articles to the next installment). But you know what? I am OKAY with that, because I have every confidence that Root & Sprout  will grow into something spectacular. Who knows? Perhaps there will even be a print version of Root & Sprout  one of these days!

FYI - Any articles that you submit for Root and Sprout  between now and May 15th will go up on the site ASAP. All articles submitted after May 15th will be published in the next installment, which will go live on or around June 1st. Articles are generally published on a bi-weekly basis.

Here are the Special Announcements from the Root & Sprout  home page:

• May 15th: submission deadline for articles to appear in the June 1st installment
• *Call for Special Content* Father’s Day is almost here! How will you celebrate Dad? Please submit special Father’s Day stories, crafts, and recipes. Have your child write a letter to Dad, and we will post it here (on Root & Sprout) so the world will know what a special guy he is!
• June 1st: submission deadline for articles to appear in the June 15th installment
• June 15th: submission deadline for articles to appear in the June 29th installment (we’re going on vacation June 30th)
• *Call for Special Content* How does your family celebrate the 4th of July? Do you participate in annual traditions? Do you have a favorite kids’ craft or recipe to share? Do you have tips for throwing a party on a budget?

Also, did you know that Root & Sprout has a forum? Check it out!

My husband and I managed to watch 3:10 to Yuma last night, which I thought was a rather delightful movie. Perhaps delightful isn’t the most appropriate term, considering it’s filled with vagrant displays of gun violence. But it was delightful in the sense that it starred Christian Bale, an actor I’ve adored since first seeing him in Empire of the Sun. Ian is not so sure he liked it, although I suspect he’ll forever have bad associations with the movie . . .

You’ll notice that I said we managed to watch the movie. This is because we had to stop and start the dvd several times, thanks, in part, to what we call Bridget’s “butt issues.” You see, every so often she gets in the habit of withholding her poo, convinced that it’s something she just can’t do. I’ve learned to feed her LOTS of high-fiber foods and apply gobs of ointment to her tush when she becomes constipated, but watching her in such an uncomfortable state is painful. She cries, doesn’t want to be touched, yells at people. I once asked my husband, Is this indicative of how she’ll act as a woman in labor? I tried to assure her that it’ll be okay, and she replied angrily for me to shut up. (Have you ever been told to shut up by your toddler??)

Bridget and I were up throughout the night, just like I knew we would be. At 8:00 this morning, she finally pooed. And you know what she said to me after going? She swiped her hand across her forehead and said, Whew! That was a close one! I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

If you find yourself in a similar parenting dilemma, read my tips on how to help a constipated toddler.

Who knew poo could cause so much excitement?!

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The other reason which caused us to abuse the pause/play button on the remote was due to my husband having food poisoning. I’ve never trusted our local P&C (horrible grocery chain, in my opinion). For those living in the Ithaca area, DO NOT purchase coleslaw from the East Hill P&C deli. My husband became violently ill last night and is currently curled in the fetal position in our bed this morning. It’s the only food item he ate that I didn’t. I actually thought about serving it with dinner last night but held off, only because cole slaw didn’t sound “good” to me (I’m the cook, after all!). Hannah *loves* coleslaw, so I would have felt wretched had she eaten it and become ill. I felt guilty enough when I once served her an expired yogurt, which caused her to spend the night hugging the toilet.

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Did you know that Root & Sprout is now LIVE??!! Visit the site at www.RootandSprout.com . Take a look at the call for special content and be sure to submit your articles. The submission guidelines are located there on the site.

I contacted a local attorney about trademarking Root & Sprout and will hopefully have a meeting at the end of the month. This is major, as I am stepping WAY outside my comfort zone.

I’ve gotta protect what’s mine, however. Like someone commented, Root & Sprout is my baby. If anything causes my claws to come out, it’s someone threatening one of my children. I’m sure you can understand.

Have a great day!

Given the circumstances of the past few days, I thought it best to release my site NOW. Without further ado (and please be kind) here is Root & Sprout:

www.RootandSprout.com

You can NOW visit Root & Sprout!! www.RootandSprout.com

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It’s unanimous!!! Root & Sprout will launch early! (Notice the “&” in Root & Sprout? After much debate, my husband finally convinced me it’s a more trendy spelling.) Look for Root & Sprout to go live sometime on Saturday or Sunday.

I worked on the site the majority of the day yesterday, but there are still a lot of “little things” that are not quite perfect. I have one article left to edit and post, although I don’t have near the number of articles I had hoped (and that includes what I had intended to write myself). HOWEVER - you can STILL submit your articles!! I will not move the first batch until mid-month (they will be archived on a bi-weekly basis). You can write and submit as much as you want - that’s the great thing about Root & Sprout!

About the trademark . . . .

The good thing about having a spouse who works for a major university is having TONS of resources right at your fingertips. We will be looking into an affordable alternative to hiring a trademark attorney (which, at this point, is WAY out of my range). There is a service through the law and business schools for small-business owners and entrepreneurs in which they can meet with law students to receive legal consulation. The law students each have a practicing mentor, so everything is handled professionally. If that doesn’t work out, my go-to daddy blogger, Lance, has provided me with a wonderful resource, as well.

Of course, there are other details that I don’t want to share just yet. For some of you, however, it could be a very nice deal if it works out and your chance to be an official part of the Root & Sprout team.

So! I will let you know HERE when Root & Sprout is officially open.

**This post will remain here through the weekend**

I appreciate your comments and advice relating to yesterday’s post. I am in the process of learning about trademarking Root and Sproutto protect the name and ideas associated with the new site. I could submit a trademark application myself, but I feel I need legal consultation. At this point, I’m just trying to find someone to assist me. My neighbor has graciously agreed to *try* and help steer me down the right path, and my husband will be speaking to someone on my behalf today, as well. 

My husband and I spoke at length recently about Root and Sprout. Like I said before, what yesterday’s incident did for me was clarify just how serious I am about making Root and Sprout a success. I am not treating this venture as just another blog. No, I envision Root and Sprout becoming a popular web-based resource for parents (we all have to start out somewhere, right?). What’s great about Root and Sprout, however, is that it’s YOUwho gets to provide the content. I’ve always thought that I have the best bloggy friends and readers in the blogosphere, so I am thrilled to be able to share this adventure with you and have you be part of the experience.

It’s difficult to say exactly what will become of Root and Sprout, but I am certain it will be fantastic. I will share more of my official business plan and goals with you at a later date, but lets just say what I have in store is exciting! Right now, I am trying to tie up a few loose ends, mainly those that have to deal with boring administrative stuff (albeit necessary boring administrative stuff).

There is a lot involved to starting a business. Yes! I am starting a business. Although it may not appear to you that’s what I’m doing, that’s what I’m doing. But like I said, we’ll talk about the details later . . .

Right now, I need YOUR vote!!

I have one yay and one nay for releasing the site live before June 1st. Obviously, Root and Sprout will forever be a work-in-progress. However, there are still a few aspects of the site I am working on to whip it into a more presentable site. Part of me wants to wait until June 1st, but another part of me wants to release it NOW so there is no question as to who is the rightful owner - ME.

So please, cast your vote!