Hobbit Meals

Being home most of the day has allowed me to adjust my daily eating habits to more closely align with the very wise (although fictitious) hobbits! I am in no way trying to diet here but I have been told eating multiple meals throughout the day is healthy.

I start my day with my favorite meal, first breakfast, shared with my oldest before she catches the 7:10 bus to school. Next is second breakfast, shared with my youngest when she finally rises from hibernation around 8:30. According to hobbit tradition, this is also my favorite meal. Of course, every meal is a favorite when it is the next to be eaten! Finally, we wrap up the morning with elevensies, a nice snack very close to the implied name.

Afternoon begins with a traditional lunch and then the schedule diverts slightly from the Hobbits. Afternoon tea becomes another simple snack time, heralded by the 2:40 arrival of my oldest's school bus. The girls divvy up whatever the oldest didn't eat for lunch, a very efficient way to avoid wasted food! We finish up the day with a nice supper and are usually too full from the day's conquest to add the final proper meal of dinner.

Mmmm, its going to be a good day, elevensies are coming soon!

Adoption Shopping?

Last week we attended a conference sponsored by the Department of Family and Child Services DFCS) where prospective parents could meet with case workers and peruse children available for adoption. DFCS agents from every region in the state had displays set up with photos and descriptions of each of the children available for parents to review. There were a lot of good sales pitches - there are way too many sweet and deserving children who languish in the system, most of them teenagers who are harder to place. We're not ready for teenagers yet, but one agent nearly has us sold on a trio of tweens who may be available locally soon.

The process for getting approved with the state for fostering/adoption is long and tedious, I won't deny that! But the need is tremendous so take a moment to look over your state's website. In Georgia got to 'Meet the Children' and click on the photo listing. How can you resist that?

Collecting Bugs

My oldest has a fall festival coming up and I tasked her with removing bugs from my garden as a way to earn money for it. She dove enthusiastically into the job - what soon to be six year old wouldn't? We've found along the way some bad bugs, some good bugs and one evil spider. See below!

The first of this group is the common stink bug, which starts its life in my squash spreading disease and munching on my produce. Bug number 2 is a common caterpillar who quite enjoys our tomatoes. Bug number 3 is a swallowtail caterpillar and will eventually become a beautiful butterfly. The lovely protrusion up front is a stinky defense! The final bug is a spiny oakworm which will eventually emerge as a rather large moth. They can do some serious damage to small oak trees!

Now for some of the good bugs! Number one is the larval form of the ladybug and has quite the appetite for aphids, a tiny garden pest. Number two should be readily recognizable as a praying mantis. They are outstanding predators and this one is carrying a very large sac of eggs to further protect my tomatoes! Number three is another favorite, the assassin bug! They crawl on the back of unwanted insects and inserts a needle into their back/neck to suck their insides out! Yum!!

And our final is a common black widow just shortly before I smashed her. We don't touch or collect these!

The Unemployment Line

From movies and TV shows, I had high expectations for my visit to the local unemployment office this morning. I was looking forward to a sterile building with low ceilings and employment agents separated from applicants by thick bullet proof sheets of glass and a line of at least a hundred or more! I was pleasantly surprised to find a modern building with a large room filled with computer terminals and (gasp!) no line! I was looking around for the customary number machine to grab my slot in the waiting area (which I couldn't quite locate) when a melodic voice called out 'How may I serve you today, sir?'

It took a few seconds and a second 'Sir?' before I realize that was directed at me and stepped up to the central desk. She efficiently verified my proof of unemployment and directed me to a terminal just next to the kiddie play room - very thoughtful of her considering I had my three year old in tow! The online application was easy and I quickly found myself back at the desk to turn in my confirmation number and show off my union card (per computer directions).

I was rather tickled to discover that my union card allows me to get out of applying for other jobs while on unemployment. According to the desk attendant, my union would take care of finding job opportunities for me! Feeling quite pleased with my good fortune, I informed my wife who promptly smacked me back into reality by informing me that most certainly was going to be applying for jobs (guess she's seen my union's efficiency).

And so now I wait for the blessing of the powers that be for my very first unemployment check.

Oh, a friend on Facebook sent this to me: