A sneak peek at our 4th of July tees and onsies…

For love of country they accepted death…
– James A. Garfield

Important News!!
Eli’s Lids is switching from blogger to wordpress.
What does that mean for you??
For the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting here and at our new Eli’s Lids blog… then ONLY at the other blog.
If you subscribe to the RSS feed or follow the blog be sure to follow the new blog ASAP!
The new blog is a work in progress so if you have any suggestions or notice something that isn’t working PLEASE let me know and my IT guy (Hot Hubby) will fix it.

A sneak peek at our 4th of July tees and onsies…

(Pardon our dust while we redo our site!)

For love of country they accepted death…

– James A. Garfield

I read a couple of books a month. 
One with my awesome-going-strong-for-3-years friends’ book club and usually one for fun.
We don’t have TV (hence the 3 kiddos in 4 years) and I’m an insomniac! When I can’t sleep I read till my eyes roll.
Now I’m adding the SV Moms Book Club to my list of reads. My first read with them is I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.

If you are wondering what this book is about – look no further than the title…
Nujood, one of 16 children from Yemen, is married off by her father at age 9 to a man in his 30s. (UG!!!) She is also the first child bride in Yemen to be granted a divorce! (Yay!) If you’re thinking this tale took place in the 50’s, think again! Nujood was divorced in 2008 and was named a Glamour Woman of the Year the same year.
The story follows her through her “happy” childhood in the country, moving to the city where her father can’t hold a job and her siblings are forced to sell gum to tourists, her marriage & divorce, and ends up with her moving back in with her family.
(Nujood with her lawyer Shada Nassar on the night of the Glamour awards)
Instead of recapping the whole story. I’m just going to share my thoughts. Then you read the book and come back here and we can discuss!
My thoughts…
I’m a lover of happy endings. Honestly, I wanted the story to end with a modern Yemen family whisking Nujood away so she could be away from her khat addicted father and brainwashed dysfunctional family. Nujood is so brave for seeking out a divorce but I think her choosing to live with her family again shows that she is still under the thumb of her father and brothers. She wants to continue school and become a lawyer to help other child brides but without the support of her family I believe she will never accomplish that goal. i.e. the epilogue states that she has already dropped out of her school.
Is anyone else VERY disturbed by the tribal proverb in Yemen? “To guarantee a happy marriage, marry a nine-year-old.”
Should you read the book…?
Yes! It’s a quick read (I read it during nap time), the story is inspiring and will spark great conversations with your book club! 
Note: I’m very sensitive when it comes to child abuse (what mom isn’t?) and I was worried Nujood’s treatment by her husband would be too graphic. It wasn’t. Though you know what happens and your heart just breaks. 

Is Yemen the only place 9-year-olds are on display?
Nope, you don’t have to look much farther than Orange County…

Read my post over at the Orange County Moms Blog!
Welcome to the strip club

I read a couple of books a month. 
One with my awesome-going-strong-for-3-years friends’ book club and usually one for fun.
We don’t have TV (hence the 3 kiddos in 4 years) and I’m an insomniac! When I can’t sleep I read till my eyes roll.
Now I’m adding the SV Moms Book Club to my list of reads. My first read with them is I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.

If you are wondering what this book is about – look no further than the title…
Nujood, one of 16 children from Yemen, is married off by her father at age 9 to a man in his 30s. (UG!!!) She is also the first child bride in Yemen to be granted a divorce! (Yay!) If you’re thinking this tale took place in the 50’s, think again! Nujood was divorced in 2008 and was named a Glamour Woman of the Year the same year.
The story follows her through her “happy” childhood in the country, moving to the city where her father can’t hold a job and her siblings are forced to sell gum to tourists, her marriage & divorce, and ends up with her moving back in with her family.

Instead of recapping the whole story. I’m just going to share my thoughts. Then you read the book and come back here and we can discuss!
My thoughts…
I’m a lover of happy endings. Honestly, I wanted the story to end with a modern Yemen family whisking Nujood away so she could be away from her khat addicted father and brainwashed dysfunctional family. Nujood is so brave for seeking out a divorce but I think her choosing to live with her family again shows that she is still under the thumb of her father and brothers. She wants to continue school and become a lawyer to help other child brides but without the support of her family I believe she will never accomplish that goal. i.e. the epilogue states that she has already dropped out of her school.
Is anyone else VERY disturbed by the tribal proverb in Yemen?

“To guarantee a happy marriage, marry a nine-year-old.”

 
Should you read the book…?
Yes! It’s a quick read (I read it during nap time), the story is inspiring and will spark great conversations with your book club! 
Note: I’m very sensitive when it comes to child abuse (what mom isn’t?) and I was worried Nujood’s treatment by her husband would be too graphic. It wasn’t. Though you know what happens and your heart just breaks. 

Is Yemen the only place 9-year-olds are on display?
Nope, you don’t have to look much farther than Orange County…

Read my post over at the Orange County Moms Blog!
Welcome to the strip club

I’m just giddy about announcing our MOMday Morning winner!!

 Maggie is 5 months preggers and has a 2-year-old boy! She needs our awesome products ASAP!!
A bit about her blog:  

She has some great giveaways going right now:

You’ll have a chance to win the next MOMday Morning (Monday, 6/7/10) over at Blessed Nest Perch!

We aren’t finding out the gender of the little bun in my oven.
It’s kind of strange not knowing… we found out with Eli and Cora Jane.
The a gender specific outfits are ready and washed for the trip home from the hospital…

Our 1st sonogram I think the technician slipped and said “his.”
Our 2nd sonogram I think the technician slipped and said “she.”
Our 3rd sonogram I think the technician slipped and said “he.”
Hot Hubby thinks I’m trying too hard to hear between what they are saying.
Duh!!! 
Just because I don’t want to know, doesn’t mean I really don’t want to know.

Everyone has a junk drawer!
Even the most organized of families.
Admit it. 
You have one!
Just so you don’t feel so bad, I’ll show you mine…

The junk drawer is the home of tape, rubber bands, and a catch-all for… well… everything.
In our humble abode the junk drawer is also the place where I put all our Box Tops 4 Education.
What!?!?! You don’t know about Box Tops 4 Education??? Well, let me tell ya…
Cereal boxes, hamburger helper (not that any of us would cook something so high in fat…um…yeah), cake mixes, frosting, diapers and more have this lil’ label somewhere on the packaging:

You cut those suckers out (don’t send them in ripped because parent volunteers have to spend hours cutting them straight) and send them in to the school of your choice and they get money! 
YES MONEY!! See all the Box Tops FAQs.
If your child is in grade school there might already be a program in place, but if there isn’t then you should start one. I mean, it’s free money!
My kiddos aren’t in school yet but I just couldn’t throw out free money. So I started saving them about 3 years ago. I send them to an Elementary School near the neighborhood I grew up. I knew they could use the extra help!
You can donate to them too, just send your tops to:

I’m hoping as my kiddos enter elementary school they will forgo their own school Box Top Program and choose to donate to a school that needs it more. We’ll see!
Not all schools have a program so check the Box Tops site and call the school to make sure you are sending them to the correct person.
For the cost of a stamp (or a trip to the school you are donating to) you can make a huge difference in a lower income school.
REALLY!!!
The Box Tops site also has a handy printable coupon section for products you use all the time!

Side Note: Notice the envelope that says “Box Tops” with my initials on it? My mom clips Box Tops and other things she thinks I’ll enjoy and fills an envelop to give me the next time she sees me. How cute is that??

Another Side Note: I didn’t rearrange my junk drawer before I took the picture. There it is in all it’s glory!