So today I was out shopping with the Nerdlings running errands as we have a habit of doing. I had the NerdPud forward facing in my wrap and the other 3 kids walking. As we got a cart this older woman walked up to us. She started talking about how cute my kids were and started touching all of them, the older ones on the head and the baby’s arm’s, head and hands.

Back to the story in a minute but, what is up with all the touching? As I tell my kids, keep your hands to yourself people. I have no idea who you are and where your hands have been but I can tell you that my baby’s hands are probably going in her mouth. So keep your cooties to yourself!

Back to the story: So she goes on about how cute and wonderful they are and then she says that NerdBug (6 year old) must not be one of my gang. I say of course he is mine, then she points out that he has brown eyes. I just say that his eyes are like his dad’s while the rest are like mine. She went on to say about her grandkids all being older (17 and 20). Then she reiterates how cute they are. Then she says that she just came from the library where she saw a woman with 4 boys and a baby girl, with one of the boys holding the baby. So she said that she asked if she could hold this baby and the mom was shocked and said “No Way!”. She asked if I could believe that the mom said no. I said yes and nothing else while silently thanking the Lord that I chose to put NerdPud in the wrap instead of the basket. The lady went on to say how she told that woman that if she was afraid of germs that the library was the wrong place to go. I politely smiled and said if she missed holding babies that Valley Children’s Hospital was always looking for people. I then went into the store where she followed me around the produce department. Luckily that was all I was getting.

I was so shocked. There is no way I would let some stranger somewhere hold my kid of any age much less a baby. Am I just paranoid? I just can’t imagine. So now I have vented and I am off to make a bottle for the baby.

So I have been doing a little online shopping lately and have had some not-so-good experiences with at least one being my own fault because I should have known better. So I am sharing so a)I can vent and b)you out there in the blogosphere can be warned.

First up is Walmart. I was looking to buy a specific stroller for the NerdPud, Jeep All-Weather Umbrella Stroller – Ice Pink. I looked around and the cheapest brick and mortar was Walmart. Well, none of them actually had it so I decided to order it. Now I should have gotten it from Amazon (since it was $2 bucks cheaper). I assumed that Amazon was going to charge shipping and handling but come to find out (at least now) that would have been free. So I decided to do Walmart’s Site to Store. I have used this a Best Buy and it is always faster since you are going distributing center to store. The website said 7-10 days but usually those are worst case scenarios. Well, apparently it takes a Walmart truck 9 days to drive what takes the rest of us less than an hour and half. According to their website my order was on a truck to be delivered at the local store on 4/27 and it didn’t get delivered until 5/5. That was for a trip from Porterville to Sanger. When I called the Sanger store to ask if they had it (you actually have to wait for the system to email you before you can get your package) I was told that they couldn’t help me and couldn’t give me any other number where I could get help or information. I will never use the Site to Store again if I have any other option.

The second store is Drugstore.com. I shop there regularly to get NerdDad’s lactose intolerance pills. While I am there I always see what else they have on sale in order to get the free shipping. So I found this great deal (Buy 1 Get 1 Free) on a Clairol temporary hair coloring product. So I put them in my shopping cart and had to get up and do some things. You know how it goes, dinner and bedtime for the kids, but that is the beauty of online shopping. Well, I come back to finish my order and my cart has been changed. They were now (versus before when I checked) charging me for each hair coloring kit. So I drop them out of my cart and went back to the coupon page. Well apparently while I had gotten up the coupon expired (I assume). There was nothing about expirations on the page at all and I had no warning. I would have finished shopping earlier if I had been given any warning. So I dropped all the hair coloring and the conditioner that I had added. I ordered only the medication I needed. I am extremely annoyed!

Technorati Tags: drugstore.com, walmart.com

So we all want to know when we are getting our tax stimulus package, right? Well if you go over to the IRS they have a chart of when you should get your money. These are for people who had their taxes processed by April 15th. It is broken up between direct deposit and checks in the mail.

Technorati Tags: irs

So I went to a wonderful women’s retreat in the Monterey area last weekend (as evidenced by previous picture). While there I got a lovely sunburn on my shoulder, chest and the part in my hair. Now by head is peeling and it looks horrible. Ug.

It is official, I am sick. I went to the doctor and my ear infection is still around or has returned. I also have bronchitis and I walked out with 5 prescriptions. I am fun to be around right now…..

My best friend Sara had her baby this week. Elijah is a cutie and big. He was born at 9 lbs and 8 oz! Joleen has posted some great pictures.

So I received this in the email today:

DON’T FLASH HEADLIGHTS AT ANY CAR WITH NO LIGHTS ON!!Police officers working with the DARE program have issued this Warning: If you are driving after dark and see an on-coming car with no headlights on, DO NOT FLASH YOUR LIGHTS AT THEM! This is a common “Bloods” member “initiation game” that goes like this: The new gang member under initiation drives along with no headlights, and the first car to flash their headlights at him is now his “target.” He is now required to turn around and chase and spot that car, then shoot and kill every individual in the vehicle in order to complete his initiation requirements. Police Departments across the nation are being warned. Their intent is to have all the new bloods nationwide drive around on Friday
and Saturday nights with their headlights off. In order to be accepted into the gang,
they have to shoot and kill all individuals in the first auto that does a courtesy flash to warn them that their lights are off. Make sure you share this information with all the drivers in your family! Please forward this message to all your friends and family members to inform them about this initiation ritual. They are also known to drive with high beams on and will do the same as indicated above.

So the first thing I did was go to Snopes. And there it was as an urban legend that has been recycled since 1993 in print. Apparently it was existed in story since the early ’80s.

Whenever you get shocking emails, especially those that are “warnings”, you have to question them. If something like this was true, you would probably already know it. If not something like this would make news agencies the nation wide. So when you get something shocking, just go check it out before you forward it around the world.

Snopes points out that sometimes these are given more credence due to WHO forwards them. By the time the sender has debunked it, it has been passed on a few times with their names on it. So take the time and research before your reputation takes a hit.

Technorati Tags: Urban Legends, Don’t Flash Headlights

You know you are sick when you go to the doctor and end up with 3 prescriptions and 2 other drugs in trial size. I have a double ear infection, the start of an eye infection and we don’t know what else. It is sad when the doctor says we won’t know if I have bronchitis or a sinus infection until the other things are cleared up. On the up side, it took all this illness to get me down;). I must be tough! So you will understand why blogging has been, and might continue to be, slow.