Not a Fan

My mom told me "never say never" because then it will happen to you. But there are two things you will never see in our house: wheelie shoes and chalkboard paint on the walls.
Working in pediatric neurosurgery has made me a lot more aware of the dangers of jumping on the bed, sledding, and any four-wheeled vehicle. But I don't remember seeing wheelie shoes as a cause of an injury. I just don't like them. Why would you encourage your kids to run / slide anywhere but your driveway? And why would you encourage them to rock back on their heels rather than walk like a normal person. I had roller blades & loved them as an adolescent but you wouldn't see me rollerblading in the mall (not that our town had a mall), or any other crowded place.
Chalkboard paint is a new fad in home decorating. But why would you teach your child that it's ok to draw on the walls AT ALL? I'm just thinking of my toddler and he doesn't know the difference between a special chalkboard wall and a regular one. And he doesn't know the difference between crayons or chalk (not that I think Buddy would like chalk - he has texture issues and issues with stuff on his hands: so the chalk would freak him out). And personally, I don't like chalk that much either and we don't have any here at home. Maybe it;s the chalk companies way of staying in business - now that a lot of schools, churches, and businesses are going with whiteboards for their display needs.

P.S. If you have wheelies or chalkboard paint - we can still be friends. As long as you don't sneak them into my house. :)

Crazy on Craigslist

For a while now one of the sites I check every day is craigslist. It's like a huge online garage sale. I love seeing what stuff people are selling or offering up for free or wanting. I've even posted some items (when I lived in SL)with success like our dishwasher, free baby food jars, and some scrapbook supplies. My "wanted" posts have been less successful: a babysitter (hey I was going to do a background check before I had them watch Buddy - don't judge me, I was desperate), a HD converter, and a jogging stroller - just to name a few.
As far as purchasing items - well they have kind of worked out. I found our dishwasher, a LDS sitter less than a block from my home (in the stake right next to mine & yes I did call her other references) that worked out for a month (maybe less, I can' t remember now), my phone (which I'm not sure if it stopped working 3 months later because of Buddy or because it was a piece of junk), some DS games for my cousin, and now hardbound Harry Potter 1-4.
I say kind of because it's always a pain to go and get the items. Unlike ebay, you have to spend the gas and time to find the persons house to pick the item up (unless the seller is willing to deliver - which is likely for a fee :S). Take today for instance.

I'm going to digress for a minute and insert one of my biggest pet peeves here. On craigslist you post where your item you have for sale is. When we lived in SL, one of the most annoying things ever was that people would put Salt Lake (whether they lived in West Jordan, Sandy, anywhere in the valley - they would put Salt Lake). Well DUH - you're posting on the Salt Lake craigslist, I would think that your item is in Salt Lake. I would be all excited about picking up the item only to email them and realized that their item wasn't in Salt Lake City - it was in South Jordan, Holladay, or Murray (etc. - you get my point). Seriously people - - if you don't live in Salt Lake CITY - put where you live (or where your item is to pick up). I understand if someone asked where you were from and you said the nearest city BUT if you are posting an item for sale (that someone will have to pick up) be SPECIFIC. It's especially hard now that we have moved are surrounded by farms and the roads are few and far between. Basically, if you don't want to tick Becky (and I'm sure some other people are like me) off - put where your item really is. One good example is that before I moved & when I posted stuff I would put University area Salt Lake City. So although my item said it was in IF, it was really in Ucon (which I think should be considered closer to Rigby technically than Idaho Falls).

I'm not going to tell you how long - but I spent a significant amount of time looking for this house. I called John (and he called me) several times - since he was near a computer and is my GPS. Basically it was a HUGE headache.
Worth the $20? I'm not sure. I was about to give up when I was clear out in nowhere land (which I later discovered was Rigby) but in my mind I kept thinking - I've come this far & I'm going to find it & get those books: even if it kills me.
Buddy meanwhile is in the back occasionally screaming for ball and scratching his legs (yeah he has a rash - I'm spacing on the name @ the moment, but we have cream we're putting on it).

I finally found it (nope - I'm not going to tell you here how long I've been driving either), got the books, and headed to my next destination. I guess now every time I look @ those books I will remember the grr I have with people and their houses in the middle of nowhere but on the other hand - what a great deal I got on those books.