Rocks In My Dryer

You must read this post by sweet Sarah at In the Midst Of It.  It took my breath away.

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You're probably already reading her, but if not, don't miss BooMama.  Prepare to laugh!

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Lastly, Barbara at Mommy Life shares a story that cuts to the heart of a very important issue. 

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Remembering September 11

It's hard to believe we're approaching the 5th anniversary of September 11.   A fellow blogger named D.C. Roe is undertaking an impressive effort to memorialize each of the 2,996 victims on September 11, 2006.  The effort is named, appropriately, 2,996.  D.C. writes

2,996 is an effort to bring together 2,996 bloggers in a massive memorial to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, the 5th anniversary of the attacks, 2,996 bloggers will each post a memorial to one victim. We will remember the innocent victims of that day–we will not remember the murderers.

It's simple to participate--all you need is a blog.  You sign up by leaving a comment at DC's blog, or by e-mailing him at dcroe05ATyahoo.com (remember to replace the "at" with the @ sign).  He will assign you a victim to memorialize on September 11, 2006, and he'll give you a link with information about that person.  I've already received my assignment and am very moved by the process of reading more about this particular man. 

This is such a simple way to pay tribute in a powerful way.  Please consider participating, and be sure to publicize this effort on your blog.  If you plan to sign up, please leave a comment below.  I'd be interested to see which of you are participating. 

Perhaps Someone Should Take Away Our Computers

Hubs was out of town on business last night, as was Chilihead's husband.  Being the problem-solvers we are, we took this excellent opportunity for a girls' night, and she and her kiddos came for a sleepover.  The kids watched a movie and then all sacked out upstairs, while Chili and I got into full blogging mode downstairs (she had brought her laptop, of course). 

So, we're sitting in my kitchen, me at my desk and Chili at the kitchen table, fingers clicking away furiously, when Chili says, "Oh my gosh, you have to see this.  I'm going to e-mail it to you."

"Um, yes," I replied, "or I could just walk over there and see it."

Because, you know, those 8 feet from my desk to my kitchen table are an awful strain for a girl who has some bloggin' to do.

The Thing About Google

I often make reference to the Google searches that bring people to my site, and I frequently receive e-mails from people asking how I know what these searches are.  For any beginning bloggers who might be reading this, I thought I'd tell you how to do it.

I use Site Meter to track my blog traffic.   It's free, it's reliable, and (don't say I didn't warn you) it's addictive.  There are similar web counter sites out there (if you have one you like, feel free to share the URL in my comment section), but Site Meter is my favorite. 

If you haven't installed Site Meter on your site, I'd highly recommend it.  It's easy to do (as evidenced by the fact that I did it all by myself without calling Chilihead late at night whining "I'm stuuuuuck....").  Once it's installed, and you have logged in, you will be taken to a page called "Site Summary".  Most of the information there is self-explanatory.   Over on the left side of the page is a header called "Recent Visitors".  Underneath it are listed all your options for finding out how people came to your site, where they are from, how long they stayed, etc.  The second line in that section says "By Referrals"; click on it.  As you look through the list of referring websites, look for sites that begin with http://www.google.com... or http://www.msn.search.com... (these seem to be the two most common search engines, at least for my site).  If you click on that particular line, it will take you to the specific search criteria that the person was using when they clicked on your site.  Make sense?

In addition to being interesting (and ohmygosh funny), it's an important security feature, in my opinion.  It gives you at least the tiniest feeling of control to know who is visiting your site.  If creepy searchers are stringing together some otherwise harmless words into a questionable phrase (and yes, it's happened to me and to more than one of my friends), you can make the necessary adjustments to your site (i.e., removing the words in question).   You can't be too careful. 

Thursday Thirteen

(And if you're reading this wondering what in the heck a "meme" is, here is a definition for you.  It's quite the bloggy word; throw it around and impress your friends!)

1. Yesterday my mom participated in WFMW for the first time (yay, Mom!), so if you missed her tip, you can see it here.  (And will you please leave her a comment and help me try and get her addicted to this blogging thing?)
2. Katherine posted a thorough and realistic look at potty training.
3. Amy at the Motherload suggested a smart method for creating kid snacks.   Tina had a clever idea on the same subject.
4. Chilihead and Gabriela came up with some activity ideas that are truly inspired bits of parenting.
5. KimC offered some fun ideas for kids' summer lunches. 
6. Jane's paper idea is going to revolutionize my art cabinet.
7. Traci thought of way to help us save all of these good ideas we run across, whether they're from a magazine, or from WFMW!
8. Then there's this one, from Minnie, which made me laugh OUT LOUD.
9. Lolly's idea will help you keep track of your ever-growing list of birthdays and anniversaries.
10. Joy's idea for prayer time with children is precious.
11. Amy has a great idea for teaching your kids your phone numbers.
12. If anyone's kids are bickering as much as mine are this summer, try this idea idea from Barb.
13. Stephanie shares a wonderful method of managing her (and my!) addiction to little girls' hair supplies.

If you're doing Thursday Thirteen today, feel free to enter your link below.

Ouch

Kim C over at Life In a Shoe is live-blogging her labor today.  Yes, you read that correctly.  She's giving birth at home to her 8th child.  I plan to follow along with her and do lots of sympathy breathing today; thought you might want to also!  (And somehow--somehow--she managed to post a WFMW post in the middle of labor.  Can you believe that?  Superwoman, I tell you!)

Works For Me: I Dare You To Read This Without Scratching Your Head

First things first...what REALLY works for me is a long and happy marriage like the one my parents have--happy 36th wedding anniversary, Mom and Dad! 

Back to regularly scheduled programming....

Susie pointed me toward this creepy, but informative, article.  Evidently the head lice of the world are uniting in revolt against over-the-counter cures. 

Now let's just come clean for a moment, shall we?  Have your kids ever had head lice?  Mine have.  I confess that, before they did, I thought it only happened to families who lived in total squalor.  I am by no means a great housekeeper--but head lice?  Nope, couldn't happen here.

UNTIL a couple of years ago, when my oldest son shared a community batting helmet at a t-ball game.  Yep, he came home with head lice.  And he passed it to both his brothers.  I was mortified.  I completely freaked out and called the nurse (who was, I'm sure, chuckling to herself--"Isn't this lady supposed to be an experienced mother?") 

So I'm writing this to tell you that if it hasn't happened to you, get ready, because it likely will.  It doesn't mean you're a slob, or that your home is about to be condemned by the health department.  You're not a bad mom, or a dirty one.  To help you avoid a frantic call to the doctor, here's what worked for our family:

1. Try the over-the-counter stuff.  Couldn't hurt. 
2. If you have boys, go ahead and buzz their hair off.  It's not exactly necessary, but it is helpful. 
3. Wash every single linen in your house in HOT water.  This part takes forever, but when you're done, your house smells all nice and Downy fresh.
4. You can buy some over-the-counter lice spray that I used to coat all the non-washable surfaces (like sofa cushions).
5. This next step really works, but it's messy.  Coat your kid's head with vaseline.  Yes, vaseline.  It smothers the lice.  Then cover their head with a shower cap, and have them sleep that way.  Seriously, it works.  But it takes 2-3 washings to get all that vaseline out.  No problem, though--everyone can have a few days with the John-Travolta-in-Grease look.
6. If all else fails (and I didn't try this, but I read it on-line), get your kids lice-free and then just leave town.  Lice can only live 3-4 days without human contact.  If no one is in your house to serve as "host", then they will all die. 

See?  This isn't that bad.  Don't panic.  If it happens to you, let it be one of those humbling motherhood experiences that reminds you that NO ONE has her act perfectly together.

Leave your Works-For-Me Wednesday link below!  Remember to link directly to your WFMW post, NOT to the front page of your blog.  Guidelines can be found here.

Don't Miss This!

For a sobering look at what Christians around the world are enduring, visit the Persecution Blog.  Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

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Have you seen the Blogging Chicks blogroll popping up all around the blog world lately?  It's a great webring run by my blogging friend Michelle.  For more information, go here.

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Jamie at Surviving the Chaos is one of the girls I met at the Kansas City blogging lunch.  I love her writing style; you should check her out!

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I've told you about her before, but I'm enjoying her blog so much I thought I'd tell you again--you will love Planet Nomad.  EDJ, her husband and children live in Mauritania, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.  Yes, that Sahara Desert.  (And I complain when my kids track in sand from the sandbox??)  It's a predominantly Muslim country, and she and her husband own an English bookstore and teach graduate students.  Right now they are visiting family back in the states; her observations of American culture after so much time in Africa are fascinating.  And a little embarrassing, really--we have way too much, don't we?

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Remember that tomorrow is Works-For-Me Wednesday.  Can't wait to see your clever ideas!

The Dryer Family Version of Gender Equity

In the car this morning, I was listening to talk radio, when a story referencing a mayor came on.  Here was the ensuing conversation from the peanut gallery in the backseat:

Adam:  Does [Our Town] have a mayor?

Me:  Yes, her name is [Insert name].

Stephen: We have a GIRL mayor?

Me: Yes.

Adam:  Really?  Girls can be mayor?

Me:  Yes, of course they can.

Stephen:  I guess we have to have a girl mayor because we always have boy presidents.

Kansas City: Who Was There and What Happened

Well, I'm home.  Jules is not, in fact, a crazy serial killer.  Shalee is not, in fact, a middle-aged bald man in a wife-beater t-shirt.  The entire group was a bunch of amazing, funny, courageous women who have left me challenged, encouraged, and laughing so hard that my cheeks have only just now begun to stop hurting.

First, here's who all was there, in no particular order...

Chilihead at Don’t Try This at Home

Jules at Everyday Mommy

Shalee at Shalee’s Diner

Janna at Bread Crumbs

Antique Mommy

Susan, a self-proclaimed lurker

Jamie at Surviving the Chaos

Michelle at This One’s For the Girls

Tina at Antique Mommy

Sarah at Sarah’s Other Blog

Mary at Aunt Murry

Kristi at Basketballs and Babydolls

Addie at Life With Little Women

Beckah at Happy Mom

Lammyann at Lammyann Life

Michelle at Love to Chat

KPJara at Can You Hear Me Now?

(Did I leave anyone out?  If I did, PLEASE e-mail your URL and remind me.  I'm operating on very little sleep!)

Now for the details.

Chilihead and I left our fair city at the crack of dawn Saturday morning.  It was an easy drive to Kansas City, and we arrived a few minutes early for lunch.  As each blogger arrived at the restaurant, it was like greeting old friends, not meeting strangers.  Even those of us who hadn't yet read each other's blogs found ourselves drawn together by this strange and funny blog world.  Here are some pictures.

Here is Sarah, Shalee, Antique Mommy and Michelle:

Here is Kristi, Addie and Beckah:

Here's an awful picture of me looking strangely excited about my barbecue (mostly I just wanted you to see the nametags we improvised--napkins tucked into our shirts!):

Here is Jamie, Jules, and the always be-spectacled Chilihead:

Two lovely sisters, Michelle and KPJara:

Here is Shalee sniffing the Antique Mommy's oh-so-famous Cole Haans.  This makes more sense if you've read this post by Antique Mommy, and if you've witnessed first-hand the spunky Shalee's tendency to do or say just about anything:

Shalee and Lammyann:

After lunch, about half the crew headed to Jules' house for lots and lots and lots of talking.  And laughing.  And crying.  And praying.  And more laughing.   Then Shalee and her husband graciously hosted Chilihead and me in their home for dinner:

Because any gathering in which I'm involved will always include dessert, we adjourned to Cold Stone Creamery.  We laughed so hard that it took great effort not to squirt ice cream out of our noses.  Very strange looks were shot our way by people at surrounding tables!

I'm sure it's no surprise that after the dessert, we headed back to Jules for a lot more talking, a lot more laughing, and a little bit of wine.  Jules' home is just like Jules--full of life!  It's the type of home where every corner invites exploring, examining her husband's artistic creations and her impressive antique collection.

After a bit of sleep, we shuffled around Jules' house some more, talking with her delightful husband and her sweet son (who, by the way, calls me "The Shannon".  I have a "the"!).  We all headed to breakfast and said our goodbyes, and Chilihead and I hit the road.  We used the opportunity to stop at the interesting little flea markets/antique stores  along the way, like this one... 

...and this one:

Be sure and ask Chilihead about the gorgeous table she bought for thirty dollars.  THIRTY DOLLARS!

This weekend surpassed my best expectations, which were set very high.  I continue to marvel at the type of women I meet at every turn in the blog world--women of such substance and intelligence, who are making courageous choices every day for their family, who manage it all with such humor and grace.  Go check out their blogs in the list above--you're in for a treat.  A special thanks, again, to Shalee and Jules for planning and hostessing this bunch.  You two are great!

Counting down the days to the next big blogging get-together in Dallas, in October...