Recently, I have come across several examples of what I can only call “failed young adults”.  People, over the age of 21, several of them with college degrees, who can’t seem to manage simple life skills on their own.  Things like hailing a taxi, or getting themselves from their parents home to their own (out of state) apartment.  Sometimes even little things like getting themselves, independently, to a local event they want to attend.

Now, I’m not complaining about young adults asking for advice, it’s when they need someone else to actually “do for them”, that I get concerned.

It seems to me, that a parent’s job is not, and should not be, to make sure that their child is never disappointed, never bruised, and always happy.  A parent’s job is to make sure that their child can be a fully functioning, independent adult when the time comes.  That means letting the child get bruises as a child, and make mistakes as a teenager.  Letting (and sometimes forcing a recalcitrant youth) to take risks so that they can gain the confidence required to function at a bare minimum level of competence.

As a parent, if I fail to teach my child life skills, like cooking, cleaning up after themselves, managing their money, and organizing their own transportation, then I have failed as a parent.

If we as a society are failing to teach out children these things, aren’t we failing too?

All I wanted to do was add some storage space to our master bathroom.  I use the term “room” loosely as really, it’s a closet with a toilet, sink, and tub jammed in there with a shoehorn.  It is seriously the smallest full bath I’ve ever seen.  You have to leave the room to change your mind.

So, back in May, as a birthday present to myself, I bought one of those shelving units that go over the commode.  Yesterday, I gave up on having my husband assemble it and just did it.  (with a lot of help from my mom!).  I went to put it in place, and had to take down the towel rack.

Okay, not a big deal.  I had Jason remove the towel bar, and low and behold, behind the brackets are four huge ridiculous holes in the wall!

Now we have to fill those in with putty, sand the putty down, and repaint the frigging bathroom!  Of course, repainting the bathroom my DH tells me will require removing said commode.

I don’t want to do a major remodel.  I just want some shelves!!!!

The windows of my house are completely fogged up because of the heat and humidity outside.  My kids got into my spice drawer today and managed to open and dump 3 spice jars all over my floor.  My 2 year old decided to try her hand at disassembling furniture today and took a shelf out of the television stand.  The same one she hid the remote under the other day and we couldn’t find it for ages.  My 1 year old is sick, and refused to nap at all.  My husband is still working at 7:30 at night.  He started before 6 a.m. this morning.  My basement is flooded and the carpet goes “squish” whenever I take a step.  The same 2 year old discussed above is refusing to sleep in her own bed, but is (Thank G-d) willing to sleep in the guest bed.  The sheets for the guest bed are in the washer right now, but she doesn’t seem to mind sleeping on a mattress pad, so okay.  The light in my kitchen burned out.

But, I have a lovely glass of Riesling, and am hereby telling the world it can go take care of its own self.  Mama is done for the day.

I didn’t meal plan for two weeks because we were on vacation for a good part of them, but now the world is back to normal, and so I meal plan again!

Monday: Homemade chicken pot pie (the chicken is leftover from Shabbat and the veggies are cleaning out the gleanings from my crisper drawer), and melon

Tuesday: Leftover smoked brisket from Sunday night, pasta salad, zucchini bread

Wednesday: Omelets with cheese, veggies, and possibly whatever other leftovers we have around the house

Thursday: DH and kids will either have pizza or Mac n Cheese as I will be having dinner out and a night at a hotel with my mom before she does the 3-Day 60 mile Komen Walk to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

Shabbat: I haven’t decided what I’m serving this week as both my mom and sister will be gone at the walk.  We may have take-out actually.

So, I was at Soma the other day, Chico’s “new” lingerie store.  Now, completely setting aside the poorly chosen store name, I have to admit, I’m a fan.  They (unlike another lingerie store who shall remain nameless but is known by the abbreviation VS) didn’t make me feel like I’m the size of a house for needing a bra in a size above 32 B.

Seriously, if you wear a 32 B, do you really even need a bra?  But that’s another rant.

Anyway, now that I’m officially no longer pregnant or nursing, for the first time in 3 years, I decided that I needed new bras.  My 36F nursing bras were coming apart, and just not making me feel attractive, in any way.

I noticed a sign in the shop window that they were running a “Buy 1 Get 1 50% off” deal, so I tried ‘em out.

That isn’t what this post is about either though.  I really ought to get to the point, right?

As my purchases are being rung up, I noticed a sign that Soma’s is collecting “new or gently used” bras to give to charity.  Apparently they send them off to their factory in Bangladesh or wherever, repair them to meet the special Soma’s specifications, and then ship them back to the U.S. to donate to “local” charities.

Okay, so here is my question.  Who the hell has “Gently Used” bras????  I use the damn things until the elastic is giving out and they are starting to come apart at the seams.  They just barely keep the girls contained, and I’m still wearing ‘em “just one more week” I ask of my bras, over and over again.  That sure isn’t “Gently Used”.

Okay, so if we don’t actually have “Gently Used” that we want to be rid of, why would we buy new bras (I’m assuming somewhere other than Soma where a bra actually runs $44) and then bring it in to Soma to donate?  Why not just take the new bra, tags still on even, and donate it to the charity in question?

I just don’t get it.

If a company actually wants to do good in this world, and get credit for being charitable, just give the $$$ you’re spending to ship these bras back and forth, repair them, etc, and give it to the charity directly already!

Am I wrong?

Just for my own purposes:

1. Pirate Latitudes – Michael Crichton
2. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
3. The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry – Kathleen Flinn
4. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) – Rick Riordan
5. Steamed – Katie MacAlister
6. The Sea of Monsters – Rick Riordan
7. The Titan’s Curse – Rick Riordan
8. The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan
9. Angelology – Danielle Trussoni
10. The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time – Judith Shulevitz
11. How to Knit a Love Song – Rachael Herron
12. The Last Oracle (Sigma Force, No 5) – James Rollins
13. The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) – Rick Riordan
14. Hannah’s List – Debbie Macomber
15. This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection – Carol Burnett
16. Lunch in Paris – Elizabeth Bard
17. Summer on Blossom Street – Debbie Macomber
18. Between Friends – Debbie Macomber
19. The Blessing of a Skinned Knee – Wendy Mogel
20. I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage – Mary-Ann Kirkby
21. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook – Anthony Bourdain

My To-Do List is crazy today and tomorrow:

1. Take kids to chiropractor
2. Get diapers (we travel with disposables.  I don’t even know what size!)
3. Get munchies and drinks for the road
4. Finish all the laundry
5. Change all the sheets
6. Make a cheesecake (decided to take the easy road and buy one)
   
7. Clean up the main level of the house
8. Clean out the car
9. Get new tires for the car
10. Pack everyone’s suitcases
11. Pack toys and books for the kids (both for in the car, and for at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.)
12. Try to get Asher some new shoes (may get skipped)
13. Decide if I’m taking any knitting with me, and if so, what project?

Tonight we are getting together for some very good friends who moved way too far away so we never get to see them anymore!  I’m really looking forward to seeing them, but I need like 27 more hours in my day.

It’s hot outside.  Too hot.  It’s 93F with 90% humidity.  It feels like a sauna out there, and I just can’t deal.  Normally after lunch we are outside for playtime in the backyard.  I take a book to read, and the kids play in the sandbox, run around looking at bugs, and just burn off some energy.

Today, I can’t do it.

So, we are inside, and Miriam is engrossed with the television.  She’s watching Julia Child make French Bread, and I’m okay with that.  Asher is sitting next to me while I type, enjoying his graham cracker.

Sometimes a quiet, inside day is just what the momma needs.

Sunday: Pasta with leftover lemon-oregano chicken from Shabbat, kale, onions and cream sauce

Monday: Lasagna, garlic bread, salad

Tuesday: Hamburgers and a variety of salads (bean, potato, green, etc) depending on my mood

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Grilled steaks, corn on the cob, caprese salad

Shabbat: Not my week to cook, I just bake the challah!

Monday: Sushi! 

Tuesday: Leftover chicken from the 4th, sauteed kale with garlic and tomatoes, mashed potatoes

Wednesday: I somehow doubt I’ll get to SnB (even though I really miss it), so let’s plan Breakfast for Dinner!  Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit salad

Thursday: Leftover brisket from the 4th (if there is any left), spinach salad, biscuits.  If the brisket is all gone by Thursday we’ll have fish instead.

Shabbat: Fresh homemade challah, gazpacho, roasted chicken with lemon, roasted veggies, double baked potatoes, pie