Charities Are Beginning To Get on My Nerves
Well, that should get me some brownie points with karma, right?
About six months ago, I donated to a cystic fibrosis charity. As you may remember, Rolo was at risk for possibly having an atypical type of CF, but it seems he's fine and I was feeling like I should do something to pay it forward. So I donate. And since then I get another request via snail mail every week to donate more. Requests that come with packs return address stickers, personalized just for me. As if to say, "we made you these labels, now don't you want to make another donation". So I now have no fewer than 500 return address labels. Whatever.
But now, other charities have gotten wind of my charitable nature and I'm now getting literally 3 donation requests a week from all sorts of organizations. Breast cancer research. Diabetes. Alzheimer's. Lung cancer. And they all come with personalized return address labels. Or some other gift. Like a nickel. There's actually some charity that mails you a freakin' nickel in order to entice you to donate. Wha? YOU ARE A CHARITY. SAVE YOUR NICKELS!
Today from the cystic fibrosis people, I got a personalized notepad in a fall theme, along with, you guessed it, some fall-themed return address labels.
My question is, what to do with all this stuff? I mean I feel bad just tossing all these labels. It seems wasteful. But is it also wrong to use free stuff from a charity to which I'm never going to donate? And couldn't they just take all the money they'd save in printing all these labels and use that for their charity?
I'm going to use the notepad I received today. But that's only because I will eventually donate to CF again.
Labels: annoying me, CF
The Joy of Allergies
So...finding a recipe for a dairy-free cake may be harder than I thought.
Rolo's birthday is only a couple of weeks away and lame-o that I am, I've waited until now to really give his cake some thought. While it's not essential, of course, that a one year old be able to eat his cake, there is the traditional let-him-smash-it business and I'd like to be able to let him do that without having to have a paramedic standing by.
I've found that people seem to mistake a milk allergy for lactose intolerance. Boy, do I wish it was lactose intolerance. But no, Rolo has both milk and egg allergies. His reaction to the skin testing was severe enough to believe at least in theory, that were he to consume a product with either of these as ingredients, he could have an anaphylactic reaction. Not good. It's possible he'd just get hives, some nasal problems, bowel issues, etc. But it's not the kind of thing you can really test out. Once they test positive for an allergy, just about every doctor you talk to would tell you you're crazy for even trying to give your kid anything that includes an ingredient to which he's allergic.
In fact, because 30% of babies with a milk allergy also have a soy allergy, we have to get Rolo involved in a "soy challenge". He didn't test positive for a soy allergy, but there's a high false-negative rate with infants, so to be sure, he's undergo a 6 hour testing, where he'll be given increased amounts of soy formula at regular intervals under surrvelience. Does 6 hours of testing sound like a good time? For a baby? With no naps?
The whole allergy business is a huge pain in the ass. We can't give Rolo table food when we're out, because we're not always sure how it was prepared. If he didn't have an allergy, I'm sure I'd give him pieces of bread, or pieces of pizza, or some of my ice cream (well, maybe; not sure I want to share my desserts) when we're out.
Anyway, back to my cake dilemma. I've found some egg-free recipes but they seem to substitute with some sort of milk. Sometimes coconut milk. Does the milk allergy apply to coconut milk? I have no idea but I don't think I'm willing to find out. Then there are some recipes that might be okay from a dairy perspective, but they're chocolate-based. Yeah, that's another thing: you're not really supposed to give your kid chocolate either until he's like 2? I think? So I need a cake that doesn't involve eggs, milk (for now that includes the soy version) or any dirivitive of these: whey, lacto-anything.
At any rate, I was planning on having two cakes: one for everyone else, and a small one I made for Rolo. Worst case scenario, he just won't have cake. I'm going to see if Whole Foods has any store-bought dairy free versions. And I'll continue to search for recipes. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.
Labels: annoying me, Living, parenting, Rolo, winter of my discontent
Annoying Me
Dear Rolo,
It's been nearly a month since you learned how to roll from your back to your stomach. Could you please get on the rolling from your belly to your back part now? This is not a particularly difficult concept and frankly, most babies roll from belly to back first anyway. So what's the problem here, exactly? We've rehearsed this, this rolling front to back, ad nauseum. Yet, you still can't seem to understand that you need to move your arm out of the way to complete the roll.
In case this hasn't occurred to you, this non-rolling impacts me (of course, or else why would I care?). I'm the one who has to go rescue you at 3am when you roll halfway over onto your own arm, causing much screaming.
So really, if you could just get with the program and really focus next time I show you how to roll, I'd really appreciate it.
Love,
Mama
Labels: annoying me, not the mama
Annoying Me
So I've been having problems for the better part of two years with the photography studio that shot my wedding. I've received hard-copy proofs, but never received digital proofs (as stated in my contract), parent albums and enlargements (both of which I ordered last spring, and I've been unable to design or order my actual album.
This past fall, the company stopped returning calls and emails entirely. I filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and Ron and I were considering a civil suit, when we started getting strange mass emails from the company that they were moving to an internet only based company. As in shutting their offices down. Which seemed....shady.
Then a got a call from a friend, who had read online how the company is going bankrupt. I don't know if this is true, but there are message boards of frenzied brides threatening a class action lawsuit against the company. Which, by the way, is Celebration Studios, and you can find their
website here. It's a new redesign of their old website, but in this version they removed all names of contacts, and only have one phone number (the company serves Philadelphia, NJ and NY and used to have offices and phone numbers in all those locations). Also, their mailing address is now just a P.O. Box.
Sigh. I'm pretty certain that sound I'm hearing is a few thousand of my dollars going down the drain.
Labels: annoying me, winter of my discontent
I Am a Victim of My Own Stupidity
About a week ago, Ron and I filled out a Residential Parking Permit application. We already have a parking spot for our apartment, but the permit only costs $35 for the year, so we figured we'd get one anyway. Ron asked me to fill out the application, which I did and he had gotten copies of his license, our vehicle registration and everything else we needed. He put all the items in the envelope, with the application, and mailed it off.
Then we realized we never included the check for $35. Ron tried to make that out to be my fault, since the check was mentioned as part of the application, and I had been the one filling out the application. But I argued that since he's the one who sealed the envelope, it was up to him to make sure everything we needed was in there.
Regardless, late in the afternoon today, I decide that I'll go to the Parking Authority and get the permit, because if you apply in person, you get a permit the same day. I thought carefully about this decision: I had the day off from work, but I was supposed to be resting. The Parking Authority offices are about 26 blocks from my apartment and these days going anywhere involves me thinking out what would happen if I went into labor at said location. I figured I'd go late in the day, when it was less likely to be crowded, and I'd take a cab. I could do this. What was the worst that could happen? That my water breaks in some smelly cab? It probably wouldn't be the worst thing that's happened to that cab. Besides I know it will make Ron very happy to get home from work and find that the permit is taken care of. I'm not much help to him these days, but at least this I can handle.
So I gather everything I need. Double check my documents. Bring a copy of my lease in case my change of address card isn't enough. Get out onto the sidewalk and realize I forgot my checkbook. Go back inside and get the checkbook. Hail cab and find the Parking Authority. Am very pleased to see there's no line. Nice lady gets the permit application for me and asks for my driver's license and vehicle registration. My vehicle registration. The one that's in the car. The car the Ron has in NJ.
I walk out with a blank application, which is exactly how far in the process I was a week ago when we mailed off an application with no check.
Someone shoot me.
Labels: annoying me, i like stories
