Red, White and Blue

It was a slim margin of victory, 14 to 13 in favor of Barack Obama in Connor's kindergarten class. I had to register him to vote for the big school election, so cute. He came home from school today and asked Isabel, "do you prove for Rocko Bama forever?" (somehow they have misconstrued the word vote as prove) to which she replied, "yes, I do." He said, "I prove for John MCain forever." He loved filling in the bubble on the school ballot. Here is his description of how small the bubble was (which he reported did NOT pop when he filled it in):

And Isabel got a patriotic wind sock project from storytime at the library today. Nothing like instilling a sense of civic duty in your kiddos at a young age!

As for me, this is the 5th presidential election I have voted in, as the 1992 election was one week after I turned 18. If that doesn't make me feel old...

I will not disclose for whom I cast my ballot, but will say I really stayed on the fence until the end, and then Brian and I just cancelled each other out. I am grateful to live in a country where we have a voice. Hope you all got out and voted!

Today's the day and birthday quiz results

As I was leaving last night for a book club/birthday dinner, Connor came running out the front door, yelling, "don't forget, mom! Tomorrow is your birthday!" For the record, I didn't forget (and all of your phone calls and e-mails have certainly reminded me - thanks!). But I sorta wish I could forget as I sink further into the 30-something abyss. Birthdays just don't have the magic zing they once did. Anyway...

Thanks to everyone who played the quiz! It was fun to see your answers/guesses. Here are the REAL answers:

1. I have always loved having a birthday so close to Halloween. What did I dress up as for my first real Halloween (not the Halloween when I was 2 days old)?
b. Raggety Ann
And a cute one at that! I wasn't very tricky here, as I don't think Cabbage Patch Kids were even around in the mid-70s. Oh well.

2. What did I win an award for when I was 5?
b. Dancing
And I even had my picture in the paper!


3. The summer after my junior year of college I had my worst job ever, at a small PR firm. What was the boss arrested for right in front of me?
d. Making terroristic threats
I was sitting in the office, my desk was at the front. Two men came in and asked for the boss, and when she came to the front of the office, I realized they were plain-clothes police officers when they arrested her and read her her rights! Turns out she had made terroristic threats to her ex-boyfriend. She went to jail for a while, and my last paycheck from there bounced. All $376 of it - that's a lot to a college student! I actually sued her in small claims court, and won. Of course, I never saw the money. Then, a few years ago, my sister was browsing the State of Minnesota's list of unclaimed money, and lo and behold, there was my name with the amount of $376 next to it! I was able to finally get my money, which Brian and I used toward our trip to Seattle 2 years ago. Oh, and that boss was also later arrested for multiple DUIs and child neglect, it was all over the news. I still can't laugh about it.


4. Brian and I have the same birthday, Oct. 29 1974; he is 38 minutes older than me. Where did we go to celebrate our birthday the first year we were married?
b. Breckenridge


5. When Brian and I met, what extreme activity did we discover we both wanted to do?
a. Go in a shark cage off the coast of South Africa
We both always had a fascination with great white sharks, and the coast of South Africa where the Atlantic and Indian ocean currents meet is a huge feeding ground for them. Now that I'm a mom, I'm not totally sure I'd go in one (but would still LOVE to see South Africa), but Brian says he wouldn't hesitate for 1 second if he had the chance to go in one. We have, however, been whale watching off the coast of Alaska (tricked ya!).


6. I recently did my closet in ROYGBIV (love it!). It revealed that I do not own any clothing in which color?
c. Yellow

7. I have always been an avid reader. Although it is hard to pick just one, I do reserve the title of “my favorite book” for which literary piece?
a. East of Eden
Read Steinbeck's masterpiece for the first of a number of times as a junior in high school, and have loved it ever since. I have read Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird and the Good Earth and loved each of them, but East of Eden takes top honors for me.

8. The summer after my freshmen year of college, I had my craziest job ever. I worked on a track gang in a taconite mine, building railroad tracks. I wore steel-toed boots, a hard hat, gloves and safety goggles. I used the jackhammer, sledgehammer, drove some heavy machinery, it was great! I was buff as can be. What nickname did the old miners bestow upon me?
c. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
I used to pretend to bend steel, and the miners would say I'm Bad Bad Leroy Brown from the song. My nickname then got shortened to just Leroy.


9. I have a goal to visit all 50 Unites States. How many have I been to?
c. 38


10. What senior class distinction was I named in high school as voted on by fellow classmates?
d. Class flirt
Yep, it's true. And I have the yearbook to prove it.

11. Where did Brian and I get engaged?
a. Red Rocks
On a snowy, January 13 morning.


12. How many times have I been pulled over for speeding?
b. 1
One time when I was 17, and I just got a warning. This doesn't count the few times I received mail notices when they were doing those photo radar things. But I have only been pulled over for speeding 1 time.


13. What happened to me during a business trip to Washington, D.C. in 1998?
b. I had an emergency appendectomy
Everyone got this one, guess the other options weren't too believable. My appendix nearly ruptured and I had it removed at George Washington Medical Center. I had scheduled time after the business to stay and explore DC with my aunt and uncle who live there, and instead, spent the entire time in bed at their house recovering.


14. When I worked at The Children’s Hospital full-time, one of my responsibilities was to wear the media pager (every third week) and handle after-hours media calls. I had some crazy experiences with that, including the day of me and Brian’s engagement pictures. I was on call that day. What crazy thing happened that landed patients at Children’s and prompted about 400 calls from the media that day (lucky we got any pictures at all!)?:
a. An elephant escaped at the zoo
Yep, it's true. And elephant got out of its enclosure and knocked over a baby or two in a stroller. The baby got a few bumps and bruises and was totally fine, but this was one case where the media tried everything to make a bigger story out of the truth.


15. I have always loved music, lots and lots of music. My first concert was the fall of my freshmen year in college, at historic, iconic, downtown Minneapolis club First Avenue. Who did I see?
d. Green Day
It was right before they became really big, which I think was that following spring. I've loved 'em ever since.


16. Where would Brian and I love to take a cruise someday?
c. Antarctica
We would REALLY love to take a cruise there. I think it is a fascinatingly beautiful place.


17. When I was single and living in Minneapolis after college, I did lots of volunteering. I volunteered for a non-profit minority scholarship program, for Children’s Hospital Minneapolis, and what else?
d. As a literacy tutor
It was an amazing experience. I did this for about a year and a half. By appearance, my student and I were exact opposites: he was a very large black man with dreadlocks and missing teeth who was the sweetest, nicest teddy bear of a man. I ADORED working with him. He was 32, a father of 4, and had a 3rd-grade reading level. He worked so hard to improve his literacy, and made such good progress, that he was selected to travel to a national literacy conference and read a story he had written and share his experiences; it was his first time ever on a plane. We were also featured on one of the local Minneapolis news stations.

So, there you have a few facts from my life on this my day of birth. And the winner is my cousin Amanda! Good guessing! E-mail me at melissahowell2@yahoo.com and tell me your address and where you'd like the gift card to (Target, Chili's, Pier 1 or Barnes and Noble).

I have spent a good part of the day on the phone, including a call from my dad who called me as he was driving past the hospital where I was born (thanks for the memory dad!). And tonight Brian and I are going out to dinner with the kids (Happy Birthday to Brian too!). Last, a few of my birthday presents:

Love this fruit stand from Crate and Barrell:
Love this happy serving bowl:
And some much-needed clothes:

A birthday quiz and giveaway!

My birthday is on Wednesday (Brian's too), but you could get the present! I thought it would be fun to do a little birthday quiz about me, so here are 17 questions (half of my upcoming age, ugh) about me. They are totally random things that I don't think many people know. So whether you know me a little or a lot, you're all probably on even footing!

Just leave me a comment with your answers (or guesses!) by Wednesday, Oct. 29. I'll reveal the winner then. At stake is a gift card to the winner's choice among a few of my favorite stores: Target, Pier 1, Barnes and Noble, or Chili's. Good luck!

1. I have always loved having a birthday so close to Halloween. What did I dress up as for my first real Halloween (not the Halloween when I was 2 days old)?

1. A witch
2. Raggety Ann
3. A Cabbage Patch doll
4. A butterfly

2. What did I win an award for when I was 5?

a. Singing

b. Dancing

c. Spelling

d. Reading

3. The summer after my junior year of college I had my worst job ever, at a small PR firm. What was the boss arrested for right in front of me?

a. DUI

b. Assault with a deadly weapon

c. Child abuse

d. Making terroristic threats

4. Brian and I have the same birthday, Oct. 29 1974; he is 38 minutes older than me. Where did we go to celebrate our birthday the first year we were married?

1. Estes Park
2. Breckenridge
3. Keystone
4. Colorado Springs

5. When Brian and I met, what extreme activity did we discover we both wanted to do?

1. Go in a shark cage off the coast of South Africa
2. Go Bungee jumping in Costa Rica
3. Hike the entire Appalachian Trail
4. Go whale watching off the coast of Alaska

6. I recently did my closet in ROYGBIV (love it!). It revealed that I do not own any clothing in which color?

1. red
2. orange
3. yellow
4. purple

7. I have always been an avid reader. Although it is hard to pick just one, I do reserve the title of “my favorite book” for which literary piece?

1. East of Eden
2. Grapes of Wrath
3. The Good Earth
4. To Kill a Mockingbird

8. The summer after my freshmen year of college, I had my craziest job ever. I worked on a track gang in a taconite mine, building railroad tracks. I wore steel-toed boots, a hard hat, gloves and safety goggles. I used the jackhammer, sledgehammer, drove some heavy machinery, it was great! I was buff as can be. What nickname did the old miners bestow upon me?

1. Taconite Trudy
2. Iron Ore Lenore
3. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
4. Muscles Melissa

9. I have a goal to visit all 50 Unites States. How many have I been to?

1. 25
2. 32
3. 38
4. 44

10. What senior class distinction was I named in high school as voted on by fellow classmates?

1. Biggest gossip
2. Class ditz
3. Most school spirit
4. Class flirt

11. Where did Brian and I get engaged?

a. Red Rocks

b. Estes Park

c. Garden of the Gods

d. On a carriage ride downtown Denver

12. How many times have I been pulled over for speeding?

1. 0
2. 1
3. 5
4. Too many to count

13. What happened to me during a business trip to Washington, D.C. in 1998?

1. I got hit by a bus and broke my leg
2. I had an emergency appendectomy
3. I was in a car accident and got a concussion
4. I got a tattoo

14. When I worked at The Children’s Hospital full-time, one of my responsibilities was to wear the media pager (every third week) and handle after-hours media calls. I had some crazy experiences with that, including the day of me and Brian’s engagement pictures. I was on call that day. What crazy thing happened that landed patients at Children’s and prompted about 400 calls from the media that day (lucky we got any pictures at all!)?:

1. An elephant escaped at the zoo
2. A roller-coaster ride got stuck upside down at the amusement park downtown Denver
3. A school bus crashed into a house
4. A stray dog attacked a group of children at the park

15. I have always loved music, lots and lots of music. My first concert was the fall of my freshmen year in college, at historic, iconic, downtown Minneapolis club First Avenue. Who did I see?

a. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

b. They Might Be Giants

c. Sonic Youth

d. Green Day

16. Where would Brian and I love to take a cruise someday?

a. the Mediterranean

b. Alaska

c. Antarctica

d. The Caribbean

17. When I was single and living in Minneapolis after college, I did lots of volunteering. I volunteered for a non-profit minority scholarship program, for Children’s Hospital Minneapolis, and what else?

a. As a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters

b. At the Minnesota Historical Society

c. As a grant writer for a non-profit health agency

d. As a literacy tutor

Is it over already?

Our girls weekend has come and gone! It was so super fun, and I am so sad that it is already over. We had a most fantastic time shopping, eating, talking, walking, eating and talking some more. I was really looking forward to actually sleeping in on Saturday morning, but was wide awake at 6:20. Oh well. I did, at least, get to lay in bed for an hour and a half. Dreamy.

It was great weather, with a brief afternoon shower (so typical for the mountains). Our hotel was conveniently located at the end of main street, so we could walk pretty much everywhere we went. We were there until late afternoon Saturday, after which we drove down the mountain to my stake center for the General Relief Society Women's Broadcast (for our Church), which was beautifully uplifting, as always.

Going to dinner:

Our hotel:
View from our hotel:
The girls again:

It was so nice to come home to freshly bathed, pajama-clad kiddos! They had a fun time with dad, but were really happy to see me. Isabel said she "mist-ed" me, Connor had lots of adventures to talk to me about, and Lucas just looked at me for a minute then got really happy and excited. Nice to know I am loved!

So, my proverbial bucket was filled in every way this weekend: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The question is, how long before it empties again?

Thanks, Elizabeth, Kristie and Paula, for a fantastic time, and to Brian for being so supportive of girl time.

A few things for this Friday...

A few things as we head into this lovely weekend...

1. I am feeling sorta dumb with my finger and my thumb in the shape of an "L" on my forehead. Wow, your responses to the 100 book list are making me feel kinda like a loser! OK, not really, but lots of you totally blew me out of the water! There are a few more on the list I wasn't sure about but think I read, like A Christmas Carol, and a couple others, and I've read lots of Shakespeare, but not the complete works, so maybe I can push it up to 20. But that's about it. Lots of you were in the 30s and 40s! Good for you. My thought on some of those books is if they didn't make me read 'em in high school, I ain't gonna read 'em now. Plenty of others, though, I need to get on my "to-read" list.

2. I made this fashion mistake once, will never make it again. Have you seen some of the celebrities wearing rolled/cuffed jeans? I did this in junior high and will never ever do it again, no matter how trendy they try to make it. Then again, it won't possibly take; just look how far skinny jeans went this time around! Would you roll your jeans again now, 20 years later?


3. We're talking the real Desperate Housewives. I am in the midst of packing for our girls weekend getaway! We are all so excited to get away! It is a bit challenging knowing what to pack for late September in the mountains. It's been hot as summer down here this week, but up there, who knows? I've got 4 outfits and 3 pairs of shoes - for one night! Better to be prepared, right? We have been looking forward to this for months. We have a combined 12 children between us, 13 this winter. Can't wait to head out of town!

Have a great weekend (I know I will!)

Perfect ending to summer

We went to the Rockies game last night with our very good friends, Trent and Elizabeth. It was the perfect way to spend the official last weekend of summer. It was a beautiful evening, but got cool and rainy toward the end of the game. We stuck it out, and by the bottom of the 9th the rain has stopped.

I always enjoy a MLB game - the atmosphere is so fun. We had a great time!

Lotion, storytime and gems

Every boy needs soft feet, don't they? I was downloading pictures and came across this beauty that I didn't know about - clearly Brian took it. The greatest thing about this picture - and I hope I don't get in trouble for outing this - is that Lucas did not learn this from me. Nope. This is all HIS FATHER'S doing. If you didn't know, Brian has a major thing about lotioned feet, and applies Bath and Body Works body cream to his feet frequently. He always goes for the least feminine scents he can find. Some nice Bath and Body Works salesgirl tried to steer him toward the men's products on his last visit, but he politely declined, staying true instead to his old standby. Here we have Lucas applying Warm Vanilla Sugar, I believe. I think Brian is secure enough in his masculinity to have this little secret out there. He is, after all, the one who captured this priceless photo. And I ask, innocently, how can I share the photo without sharing the reason for it???


I enrolled Isabel in storytime on Tuesdays at our library. Do you not just *heart* your local library? And free, quality, educational kid entertainment always ranks high on my list! She is adoring storytime. They have the greatest things to play with, including some fabulous animal alphabet puppets. Storytime always includes books, of course, a days of the week activity, some music and dancing time, and a take-home craft. Today the theme was the ocean. Miss Jan read 2 ocean-themed books, they danced to "Octopus's Garden," and got take home a fish project. She truly is an art girl, and couldn't wait to do this project:


My cute cousin Colleen had a blog auction for the NieNie recovery, and I won this little beauty. It's an amazonite, jade, petrified wood, swarovski crystal, and glass beaded bracelet:
Brian's calling it an early birthday present to me. I'm just happy to be calling it MINE, and to have contribued just a teeny bit to this great cause. Did you see her siblings on the TODAY show? Amazing. All the blog auctions together have already raised more than $100,000. Goes to show a lot of littles can certainly add up to something big.

I accept!

My friend Elizabeth awarded me this most prestigious award, Kreativ Blogger.

Upon accepting my award, I am to list 6 things that make me HAPPY and then send on the award to 3 more "Kreativ friends."

Here are my 6 happy things:
1. Shopping with my mom and sisters. Always a super fun time, with honest opinions and lots of laughs. Miss them!

2. Time to myself. I love being a mom, wife, freelance writer, etc. But I do value some me time when I can get it, to go walking/jogging, crafting, reading, shopping,etc.

3. Fall. Best season, hands down. From pumpkins to Halloween, birthdays (Isabel, me and Brian) to back-to-school, and cooler weather to wearing jeans/sweatshirts/sweaters, I love everything about fall.

4. Being with Brian, Connor, Isabel and Lucas. Love them to pieces. Especially love fun family outings or hanging out at home.

5. Friends. Been blessed to have lots of good ones. Y'all know who you are ;) Some are old friends, some are new friends, and they are scattered 'round the country. They all bring different things to my life.

6. Music. Lots of kinds of music.

And now ... I award the Kreativ Blogger award to ... Lori, Susan and Vycci.

Five for Friday

What I'm thinkin' 'bout today...

Is it OK for my son to wear my pink flip flops???
Lustrous. Youthful. Poetic. This is how Bath and Body Works describes my favorite new fragrance - Rainkissed Leaves. Not sure I feel lustrous youthful and poetic, but I sure love the scent! It is really light, clean and fresh.
Brian and I went to the Parade of Homes this week (thanks to our good friend Trent for comp tickets, who served as a judge for this year's parade; and to my mom-in-law for taking the kiddos). We agreed on our top home from the parade, La Belle Maison. Most of the homes (there were 8 this year) had things we loved (except for one house that I couldn't find anything redeeming about; it just felt cold and unwelcoming to me; I tend toward warmer, cozier homes).

It's fun to get ideas from the homes. One thing I noticed was that every kitchen had a bowl of fake lemons. Might have to get me some of them! Several also had fake artichoke heads, which were also darling!

It does make me wonder as I wander through 7, 8 and 9,000 square foot homes if I would ever really want a home that big (not that it would happen!). Would you??? They are dreamy, though!

We're getting closer to finalizing our Halloween costumes. I tried and tried to convince Connor to be an entomologist, but he is standing firm in wanting to be a firefighter. I found a homemade costume idea that looks cute that I think I can replicate. Lucas will be a cowboy, a costume from when Connor was that age. Isabel might just be a witch again - last year's costume was SO cute, and would probably fit her better this year. She also wants to be a paramedic or a butterfly catcher(???). Stay tuned!

Maybe it's what we get for backing to a field, but we've been doing some critter control as of late. Brian just destroyed 1 yellow jacket nest on our house and there is another one that needs to be destroyed. Then there's the bunny who had dug a hole under our fence and is eating our grass and leaving lovely little surprises all over the yard. And don't even get me started on the mice that have taken over the garage and (Brian thinks) the basement. Gross! We've got traps set, hope they catch the stinkin' things. And just this morning we watched a black widow spider devour a yellowjacket - seriously creepy! I'd never seen a real live black widow before. It was in our window well just outside a basement window. Talk about giving me the creeps!

Happy Friday!

Five for Friday

1. Kindergarten update: School is going well! After the first day his teacher told me Connor is a "sweet boy" and did great for the first half of the day. But halfway through the day he announced he was done and ready to go home. Clearly he is not used to being in school for a full day! He'll get used to it. He reports his favorite part of school thus far is riding the bus. I was a nervous wreck about it, but it has gone well! He also has enjoyed reading time at school, recess, and eating lunch there.
2. I had to copy it. I loved Just A Girl's pear sconce so much that I headed to my local flea market (a first for me) and found my own pair of sconces for next to nothing:
I spray painted them black, got some faux pears, tied ribbon on the stems, and hung them on either side of this artwork in my kitchen. Love!
3. Family trees. How cute are these?

My sister Lara found them on a blog and now she and I are both making our own. I'll post when mine is finished. I'm aiming for a more simple one like the green background one.

4. Olympics. Are you watching??? I am sad that gymnastics is over, but relieved that I won't have more bleary-eyed mornings from staying up late to watch them. Seriously, I was sometimes napping at 10 p.m. for a bit so I could be up until 11:30 or midnight to see results. I like both Nastia and Shawn, and am glad they both ended up with a gold apiece. My kids have been "swimming," flipping, jumping, somersaulting, "diving" and running around the house to simulate the events. Isabel calls them the "o-lipsticks" - every time they start she comes running, yelling "mom, look! The o-lipsticks are on again!"

5. Twilight and book club retreat. OK, so I read it. I finished Twilight this week and am in the middle of New Moon. It's this month's book club pick. My thought: It was good, not great. I enjoyed it for the most part, but was not consumed by it as some of you have been. Frankly, Bella gets on my nerves. But the story was interesting, even if it is about vampires. And I liked that I've been to Forks (spent a night there in the Dew Drop Inn; didn't see any rain, but we woke up to the coolest, somewhat creepiest fog ever). I am actually enjoying the second book, I'll post final thoughts once I've finished the series.

Speaking of book club, the girls and I are headed on a "retreat" late next month to Estes Park that I am SO excited for! Shopping, eating, relaxing, and a break from kids - can't beat that! Brian has never been alone overnight with the three kids (or even with two kids!)

Have a great weekend!

Bugs for my boys

I just finished my latest project - painting bugs on canvases for the boys' room. As I've mentioned, Connor is way into bugs, so I decided to try to make some for his and Lucas's wall. Honestly, I can't draw to save my life, but somehow these managed to turn out OK, I think. I sort of used some cartoony bugs from the internet as my general models.


After the hours I've put into these little critters, I've become very critical of them (although the only thing that matters is that Connor loves them, and he does). I'm mainly having issues with the dragonfly. I got a little crazy with the multi-colored wings, and I fear they are looking a mite too rainbow-y. To re-do the wings or not to re-do the wings, that is the question.

And for the record, my favorite is Mr. Grasshopper. :)

Sunday sampler

Are you getting tired of summer yet? I am. We're on our 15th straight day of 90+ temps, and I'm waiting for our afternoon monsoons to start - I love them. But nothing yet. Well, OK, we had a fantastic downpour Friday afternoon, except we were out driving in it. I'm growing tired of heat. And getting ready for the welcome routine school brings (only 22 days!!!). Summer has its fine moments, but it has never been my favorite season. Fall is, which is another reason I grow tired of summer because the best season is on the horizon. But alas, I know it's a good couple of months still before fall arrives.

This summer, I've noticed a new "fragrance" on Connor. As he spends so many hours outside, he comes in smelling more like a boy - sort of like sweat mixed with outdoors. It's lovely. My friend Elizabeth nicely calls it smelling like "sunshine."

On another note, I am seriously in love with the girls rooms in the Pottery Barn Teen catalog. In general I love PB teen stuff better than the kids stuff. Here's a few of my faves. I love the colors in this room, especially the fun flower vinyls above the bed:
This room is OK, but I do love the wire lettering. How cute is that?
And my favorite. The paint is completely a Melissa color, and I love the quilt:
And wouldn't this chandelier be just perfect in Isabel's pink and blue room? But at $269, there's no chance. Oh well. I just love looking at it. Think she'll end up with pink, blue and white paper lanterns. Not quite as lovely, but still would look cute.
Also love this bedding from Bed Bath and Beyond.

And last, a very sad and random fact about me: I absolutely cannot bake cookies. I've mastered chocolate drops, and that is it. I think I'm fairly adept in the kitchen, from dinners to baking, but cookies have eluded me all my life. In high school I was infamous for ruining cookies, usually due to the fact that I would inevitably neglect a key ingredient. But here I am, years later, and I still can't make a decent cookie for anything. You can throw all the tips you want at me, but Brian uses the same tools and same ingredients, and they turn out for him. It's a great mystery in my life. Every once in a while I attempt some plain old chocolate chip cookies or something, only to find the same results. Yesterday I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and here's what they looked like:

Flat, weird consistency, strange shapes. They don't really taste bad, the kids will totally eat them. But I will have to continue to pass on cookie sign up sheets - or bake a substitute dessert, or get Brian to lend a hand.

A memorable tag

Here's the drill (This one's kind of interesting...)

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you (if you have a blog).

Play along if you wish!

I spoke

Today was my advocacy speech at Children's. I'm relieved it's done, and I think it went great. I was one of 3 parents on the parent panel. There was also a mom who had a preemie baby who continues to have lots of health problems; the mom has taken on insurance fights, testified in front of the Legislature, is very involved with community organizations, etc. The other parent was a dad who, along with his wife, adopted a meth baby who ended up having severe CP. He has done a TON of advocacy.

I think our stories all worked together to highlight the many ways parents can advocate for their children's health care needs, and speak up for larger issues. The room was packed, and the audience was quite engaged. After we each shared our story, there was a question-answer session, and there were actually lots of questions.

I felt very comfortable speaking, and made a point about how the best way to speak up is to know your own talents and abilities and put those to good use, that it takes all levels working together. That seemed to be a very well received comment.

I must have done an OK job, because afterwards, the chair of Children's Family Advisory Council said she'd love for me to be on the Council, would I be interested in joining? I said send me an e-mail and we'll see :) (According to the Children's website, "The Family Advisory Council is composed of family members of patients and hospital staff to provide feedback, guidance and creativity for the hospital staff, ensuring that the voice of families is heard in decisions that can impact them. Over the years, The Family Advisory Council has offered valuable insights and advice on the design and delivery of services, including the new Children’s Hospital. The Family Advisory Council meets regularly and provides input to help ensure that patients and families have as good an experience at The Children’s Hospital as possible."

How do I get roped into these things? If I actually receive an e-mail, I'll make a decision.

Anyways, it was a great event, and I'm happy to have been a part of it.