Ello-minnow-pee?

For Christmas, Caleb got this adorable Alphabet Caterpillar. It is put out by LeapFrog. It has 26 little legs, and there is a letter on each leg. Mommy can set the caterpillar on different settings such as: alphabet sounds, letter names, games, or songs. Let me tell you, as a former first grade teacher, this kind of a toy makes me excited. I love toys and games that teach phonics and letters. Naturally, I greatly enjoy educational games. Although Caleb is a little young to be reciting the alphabet, he still likes the toy. He gets super excited when the caterpillar's antenna light up as it "talks" and "sings."

I would like to point out that even though Caleb does love this toy along with his many other blocks, stuffed animals, balls and light-up games, his favorite things to play with are not baby toys. He loves grown-up toys. His top favs are daddy's ipod, the laptop (which for a short time last week was missing the letter P after you-know-who got ahold of it), and mommy's cell phone. The latter "grown-up toy," my cell phone, has a jammed number 8 button. Just in case you get a text from me that is missing the letters t, u, or v, now you know why. I am sort of contemplating the idea of stopping buying toys for this kid until he's about 3. Honestly, he is more content playing with pots and pans than the faniciest toys Fisher Price can put out. In fact, this afternoon, Caleb played with a large plastic spoon and spatula for 20 minutes while I was cooking. Twenty minutes! Do you know how long he would have lasted playing with one of his kid toys? Oh.... about 19 minutes shorter than that. Anyway, before you get mad at me and report me to child's services for abusing my child and not buying him toys, let me assure you that as long as grandparents are around Caleb will never lack in the toy department! ;-) And those of you freaking out about small buttons choking small children, rest assured that Caleb is not allowed to play with things like cell phones and laptops, he just doesn't seem to understand that concept, yet.

Okay, I chased a little bit of a rabbit there. Back to the Alphabet Caterpillar. Let me remind you, that I really like this toy. And I really like Leapfrog. And I really like the alphabet and do not have a problem with caterpillars in general. However... this cute little caterpillar plays a song that has me quite annoyed, and I would like to share it with you:

A, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, ello-minnow-pee..... Huh? What? You are probably wondering what-in-the-heck kinda alphabet has the letter ello-minnow-pee after the letter k. Well, let me introduce you to Sarah Sudduth's pet peeve #1. It gets on my last nerve when teachers and parents teach their children to sing the alphabet song so incredibly fast that they have no clue what letters they are singing! L-M-N-O-P would be the main problem letters. But, I try to be understanding. Most parents don't realize that this will be a problem. But Leapfrog? Come on! Don't you people do studies on education? You advertise being one of the best for learning games, and yet you are teaching preschoolers that the letter between K and Q is ello-minnow-pee! Seriously? You can do better.

Poor Wiggle Worm

A few days ago I probably would have told you that there is nothing worse than being sick. Today, I found out that I was wrong. There is something much worse than being sick: my baby being sick. My precious, ten month old son has the flu. The little guy is usually so full of energy and always ready to play, but today his sweet little heart was just not into playtime. All he wanted was mommy or daddy to hold him, and for those of you who know my wiggle worm well, you know that that's not at all normal for this busy little man.

A kind lady at church happened to hear that Caleb was at home sick and noticed that our family was missing at the staff dinner and church bible study tonight. She took it upon herself to box up some delicious dinner and bring it to our house while it was pouring down rain. I can't express how much that meant to me. I didn't ask for it, and I surely didn't expect it. I was touched by her thoughtfulness and care for our family.

I have just finished reading a fiction series by Beverly Lewis set in an Amish community in the 50s. While reading the books, I was impressed with the consideration and love that was shown to the families in the Amish communities. The people were quick to fix a meal or a special dessert for a sick or grieving family. They also loved to pitch in whenever a particular household was in need of some help canning, harvesting, or sewing. I remember reading about this so often that I found it a little odd how much the families cooked for and helped each other. It seemed like they might run out of food for themselves because of all the cooking they did for others.

My Sunday School lesson last week dealt with the topic of service. One of the scriptures we focused on was Matthew 25:35-40. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited Me......I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." I was reminded tonight of just how important those verses really are. I was ashamed that while reading a fiction book about a family who followed these scriptures so completely, I found it strange. They did those acts of kindness not only for each other but for the Lord. So did the sweet lady who brought us supper. I hope and pray that God will give me the opportunity to serve others and Him. So often God gives me opportunities, but I am too busy to notice. I also pray that God will slow me down enough to notice "the least of these."

Marshmallow jacket and Doc Martin knock-offs

It is 34 degrees tonight, and the low for tonight should be around 26. It is very cold for southern Mississippi. One thing that I have realized since moving to Alaska is that 34 in Mississippi is not the same as 34 in Eagle River, Alaska. No my friends, it is much colder. It may simply be that my body has just gotten spoiled from the high temps of summer and mild temps of winter here in the south. However, I am convinced that it feels much colder. The humidity in the air makes you feel cold all the way to your bones. I'm not joking, AK people. It is cold. I may have become a wimp, but I was cold tonight in 34 degree weather. Meanwhile in Eagle River, it was in the 30s this afternoon and my parents are declaring a heat wave. Fantastic. I may have really become the world's wimpiest former Alaskan.

As I was standing in the cold tonight, breathing in the cool air, I started having flashbacks, back to high school. For a large chunk of high school, I had to ride the bus. Yes, the bus. Go ahead and laugh a little if you must, but since I was not privileged enough to own a car, I didn't have much of a choice. It wasn't too bad. I usually got a good portion of my homework done, and my little brother and I had some good brother-sister bonding time. The only bad part was the dark, cold mornings in January. If you ever were to ask me what my least favorite month is, I would tell you- January. Why? Well, aside from MLKJr. Day, which was always a nice day off from school, January is the most depressing, coldest month of the whole year. It is dark for a ridiculously large amount of time and it is cold. Seriously cold. Well, in 9th grade I had this really puffy, white coat. It was off-white. I can't remember if it was off-white when I bought it or if it just became that way over time, but that doesn't really matter. Anyway, this cute boy that rode my bus called it my marshmallow jacket. He told me I looked like a fluffy, slightly-toasted marshmallow standing there in the snow as the bus pulled up to pick me up for school. Now looking back on it, I think I should have been at least a little offended that this cute guy was comparing me to a marshmallow, but somehow in my 14 year old brain, I thought it was great. I loved my marshmallow jacket. Since it is very cold in Alaska in January, it was wise to wear a warm coat like my marshmallow coat. But that is where my wisdom stopped. My shoes were quite another story. Now from what I understand styles in Alaska are sometimes behind styles in the lower forty-eight, but at the time the shoes that were most in-style would be Doc Martins. I had these amazingly cute Doc Martin knock-offs from Payless that I absolutely loved. And for some reason, I had the idea that I had to wear my Doc Martins to school at all times. It didn't matter if it was January, 2 degrees outside, and I had to stand outside in the cold to wait for a bus. None of that mattered. I had to wear my shoes. Well Mississippi people, I have to admit that I wore socks with my Doc Martins. I know, I know. You should never wear socks with sandals or open-toed shoes of any kind. However, rules are different in Alaska in single digit weather. In Alaska, at least in 9th grade, everyone wore socks with their Doc Martins.

I hope I have created for you a mental picture of my 9th grade flashback: Skinny girl with stringy brown hair wearing a huge marshmallow coat with her hands tucked deeply inside, thin jean-covered legs with Doc Martin knockoffs and socks on her feet. That was me. I always had to put my hands in my pockets because somehow I always managed to forget my mittens, much to my mother's displeasure. I can't tell you how many times I came home from school in trouble because I showed up at the house with bare hands. (You would think that stepping outside in frigid temperatures would remind me. Oh well.) It is interesting how life's situations often give you little flashbacks to the past. For example, the smell of freshly baked cookies may remind you of being at Grandma's, or maybe freshly cut grass may bring you back to the baseball field. For me, it is the sharp sting of cold air in my nose and lungs that carries me back to those school bus days. On a night like tonight, I am in great need of another marshmallow jacket.

Walking

Walking seems so simple. It takes no thought, much like breathing. I sometimes take walks alone. I think best when I'm walking. At times, I get so caught up in my thoughts that before I know it I have walked a mile. I suddenly look at my surroundings and realize just how far I've gone without even realizing it. One step in front of the other. Breath in. Breath out. Fresh air. Birds chirping, dogs barking, wind breezing by. A simple joy in life, to walk.

My baby boy cannot yet walk. He stands on curled-up toes trying to balance, clinging to my hand. Every step takes thoughtful determination. He grasps the couch, coffee table, or the dog's collar as he uses his little bare feet. Shoes and socks make the task even more difficult as he trips over unrolled socks or untied shoelaces. Deep breaths. Think hard. Watch all surroundings. Focus. Determination. A hard-earned joy, to walk.

One day he won't be a baby anymore. He will walk without thought. And run and jump and skip and probably bounce off the walls. It will be effortless. When babies are learning to walk, they don't get mad, give up and quit. They don't try once or twice and accept for themselves a life of crawling. Thank goodness too. Who wants to carry around a bunch of grown-up babies who never learned to walk?

I learn slowly sometimes. I am a perfectionist, and usually when I can't do something perfectly I decide it's best not to do it at all. Are you like that? Is there something in your life that you are learning slowly? Take a lesson from a baby and keep trying. You'll be glad you did.

Is it a cart or a buggy?

When I used to teach first grade, I did multiple units on writing. I taught my first graders that one of the important steps in the prewriting process is determining your audience. So, when I began to write this blog I started to think about who my intended audience might be. A large majority of my friends, family, and aquaintences are either in Alaska/from Alaska or the deep south (mostly Mississippi). So my audience is Alaskans and Mississippians.

Another step in prewriting is deciding your purpose. My main purpose is just to have fun and write a little about my life. However, I thought it would also be good to write about the differences in Alaska and Mississippi. I get a lot of questions from Mississippians about life in AK, and occasionaly I will get a few about living in the south from my friends up north. So, here is a little info I started thinking about at Walmart yesterday.

When I first moved to Mississippi, one of my first trips with my roommate away from campus was a quick trip to Kroger. To you non-southern people, Kroger is a grocery store. We don't have Carrs or Fred Meyer here. Anyway, my roommate and I were walking into Kroger and going over the list of things to buy. We needed a lot. You know how college students can go through groceries! My roommate turns to me and asks, "Hey, can you go grab us a buggy?" I said "What?" She again asked politly, thinking myabe I just didn't hear her. "Can you go get a buggy?" And again "What are you talking about?" So at this point my roommate thinks I am either deaf or really stupid, so she yells in my ear. "Please, go get a buggy! We have to get a lot of stuff!" Catching on I realize, she is talking about something to push around the store with our groceries in, I go and get...a cart. I explain to her, kindly, of course, "Dear, this is not a buggy. Horses pull buggies. This is a cart."

Over the years of living in Mississippi, I have have many friendly disagreements with people over these terms. I have not gotten anyone to really understand my point of veiw. So, I have sort of given up on that one. I will take this time to point out- even Walmart calls them carts. Next time you are in a Walmart parking lot look at the Cart Return areas. It says something about "We are not responsible for any damage caused by CARTS." There, I rest my case.

You know the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"? Well, I might have to say "When in Mississippi, do as the Mississippians do." In fact, yesterday I found myself walking out of Walmart pushing my cart of groceries and I remarked to Caleb "Caleb, this is the smoothest-rolling buggy I've had in awhile."

Dang it.

Colds, hot tea, and saving the environment

I have a cold. Colds are no fun. I know some people who are glass-half-full type people who can find good in everything. I however, am not one of those people. Even if I was, I don't think I could find much to rejoice about when it comes to being sick. Sneezing, runny or stuffy nose or both, headache, sore throat. You get the idea. No fun. Today, in the midst of my yucky cold, I have found one good thing to enjoy. Tea.

I rarely drink hot tea. Since I moved to Mississippi in 2003, I have fallen in love with iced sweet tea. And I mean sweet tea. That is the way Mississippi people drink their tea. It can be almost syrupy at times, but I love it. Hot tea is something I mainly reserve for sick days. It is a way to enjoy a bad day. Today, my tea of choice is Celestial Seasoning's Sleepytime Vanilla Herbal Tea. It is a "beloved blend of floral chamomile, cool spearmint and lively lemongrass" with "the creamy, nutty flavor of rich vanilla" added in. And of course, please note that "with it's comforting aroma and perfectly balanced flavor, Sleepytime Vanilla is an exquisitely soothing way for you to wind down your day." Don't you love how they phrase it on the box? Doesn't it make you want to just go out and buy some Sleepytime Vanilla Tea?

While visiting my brother in Colorado, my family toured the factory of Celestial Seasonings. It was a great experience minus being 7 weeks pregnant at the time and getting slightly sick by all the overwhelming aromas. The highlight was probably watching my husband wear a hair net. We all had to wear one to ensure that nothing besides tea was put into the tea bags. In fact, if I remember correctly, my dad even had to wear a beard net as well. lol. As I looked over my tea box while waiting for my water to warm this afternoon, I noticed something interesting on the box. The company explains that Celestial Seasonings chooses not to use strings, tags, staples, or individual wrappers to bag their tea to help the environment. Because they do not use those "extras" on their bags, they save more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering a landfill. Wow. 3.5 million pounds. Do you realize how much trash that is? If the average elephant weighs 2 tons, then the equivalent of 3.5 million pounds of trash is 875 elephants!

That is a lot of trash. It amazes me how much we consume and how much we throw away. I am thankful companies like Celestial Seasonings think to save our environment a little. So, everyone, go enjoy some tea and save the environment at the same time.

Squash Popsicle Anyone?

Someone smart once said "Necessity is the mother of invention." Well today, I had a need. And after some careful consideration and meticulous planning, I concocted an invention. The squash popsicle!! Ta-dah! Now, I know you are very excited about this revolutionary invention, but before you break down my door trying to get to these new tasty treats let me tell you how they came about.

As you know, I have an adorable ten month old son, named Caleb. For the past five or six months Caleb has been enjoying another great invention called baby food. AKA: mashed, pureed, or squashed foods that no one over the age of 12 months would dream of eating. Well, alas, I believe the peaceful days of spoon feeding my sweet, well-mannered son his baby food from a jar are over. Caleb has realized the true joy of self-feeding. If he could talk, I am quite positive that his favorite phrase would be, "I can do it myself." Caleb will no longer allow Mommy to feed him. Instead, he prefers to grab the spoon himself, fling pureed bananas all over Mommy's face, and throw the spoon onto the ground. Which, by the way, Max the dog, thoroughly enjoys. So, listen closely, here comes the necessity part of my invention: I have an entire cabinet full of baby food, which my child will not eat. And, as much as I enjoy being covered in pureed bananas, squash, or green beans, I decided that I needed to do something different with the baby food. So..... I took an old ice cube tray, filled it with a favorite treat of Caleb's, squash! After a few hours, I took the tray out of the freezer and there it was: a tasty squash popsicle!

I have this cool, little food feeder than Caleb loves. It is especially used for fresh fruit that is too large for babies to eat on their own. It is designed to keep babies from choking on large bites of food. I took the frozen squash cubes out of the tray and put them, one at a time, in the feeder. Ta-dah! A frozen treat, fun for everyone, well.... at least for ten month olds. Caleb thought they were fantastic and gobbled up three cubes. Yummy!

Note: I do realize that this probably is not the most unique invention known to man. If you are a mommy and have done this a zillion times....well, I guess great minds think alike! Well, I hope I have inspired you all to go create popsicles of your own. Who knows what could be next? Mashed carrot popsicles? Prune popsicles? Or maybe a juicy sweet pea frozen treat? The possibilities are endless!

I, Sarah Sudduth, do solemnly swear...

I, Sarah Sudduth, do solemnly swear... to try out this new blogging thing for at least a year....or a good six months... or well a few weeks. I must admit to you, fellow bloggers, that commitment is something I lack. At least in the writing department. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty decent with commitment when it comes to the big stuff. You know: for better or for worse, paying the electric bill on time, finishing school, going to work even when I didn't feel like it, etc. However, when it comes to writing, my commitment track record looks pretty rough. I can't tell you how many children's stories I have started, only to get halfway through and lose the only copy. Occasionally, I have been known to write poetry, but then I end up getting stuck trying to find a word that rhymes with orange and throw my pen in frustration never to return to the flopped poem. What rhymes with orange anyway? Grrrr. I'm getting mad all over again. Okay, back on topic. Distraction is another great downfall of mine when it comes to committed writing. Once I really get started and am "on a roll" so to speak, the phone rings, the UPS guy shows up on my doorway scaring me and the dog half to death, or the cookies I put in the oven an hour ago start to put off that terrible burnt smell. Nevertheless, I am going to give this new blog my best shot. Another try at this writing thing. Here it is. My blog.