Surrogate Mom

Among the titles I can claim as my own such as Mom and Secretary, I now add a new title: Surrogate Mom. On Sunday, September 10, I gave birth to two lovely little ladies and I can honestly say that it would be absolutely impossible to convey what the experience is like in this short space.

Over the course of three-plus years, there are a number of people who interacted in this process, but it seems as though there are only a few people who can truly understand what this entire experience means to me. Fellow surrogates are blessed to have their own experiences that they hold close to their hearts, friends and family watched me move through this process, and my doctors know how the process affected me physically. How blessed I am to have shared this experience with the biological parents who continue to enjoy the experience for the remainder of their lives.

For anyone looking to become a surrogate mother or to locate a surrogate mother, do not take the process lightly. Do not look for shortcuts or quick solutions. There is something invaluable in the bond that this experience develops. For more information, contact the Center for Surrogate Parenting. It certainly changed my life and added a title that means more than anyone can ever comprehend.

It's So Easy Being Green

In addition to the lengthy list of movies I want to see this summer, I did make time to see An Inconvenient Truth. What a great movie! And, as my son says, you can be a Republican and still be Green. And what is truly inspiring is what each of us can do to help the planet. It's easy stuff, too, like eliminating ten miles of driving each week. That's doable! I also am trading out all of my regular lightbulbs (and I must confess I like the "reveal" bulbs) for florescent reduced usage bulbs. They reduce electric use by almost 75%! Some things I am already doing, like making a point to change my air filters on my home airconditioner regularly. IT's not hard, but everyone needs to help. The movie inspires you to do your part, and as someone who has seen several of our planet's most beautiful glaciers, it makes a difference when we all make just a little effort.

Home Sweet Home Again

We seem to be having challanges staying put. We have just moved into our eighth house in nine years. Some of them were lovely, some of them were roomy, some of them were just plain gross, but all of them, except our present locale, are not ours anymore. And now we have an adorable spot with an amazing view with a perfect location and only a few minor parking challenges, but it is just too likely that this abode will be another passing residence. So don't fall in love with this perfect little spot, don't get too settled in its rooms, and don't dare consider it home because it might just be another passing fancy. But at least this one is fancy!

Gypsies

We are, by nature, a transient family. We have moved multiple times in the last ten years sometimes to improve our living situation, sometimes due to flipping. So once again we are on the hunt for empty boxes as we take that long trek four blocks down the street to downtown Celebration. We will officially lie our heads down on Water Street for the last time on February 16 and load up the moving van to end the week on Bloom Street. Besides a lovely view and a toilet for each of us, the boys are delighted that we now live over a clothing store. The three-foot gap between our floor and the acoustical tile will allow them to run, roam, and romp through our new home like the beasts they have always wanted to be. If you are looking to drop us a line via snail-mail, make sure to include the 2¢ stamp (because 2¢ will go a long way to improving the "service" at the USPS) and include the Jones’ new address. After all, we may be gypsies, but we aren’t giving up a town like this.

National Treasure

On Memorial Day, I went to view the most beautiful piece of paper in America: the Declaration of Independence. The National Archives rotunda in which it is housed is an extremely dark room due to the sensitivty of the documents. The guide monitoring the flow of tourists into the room advised those of us at the front of the queue of some basic information and requests for our self-guided tour. He asked, due to the sensitivity of the documents, that we avoid using flash photography in the room. A small girl standing ahead of me with her family quietly asked her father, "Is that because of the map on the back of it?"

Feliz Navidad

So a couple weeks ago we were sitting at a red light next to an SUV that had all its windows down and its bass cranked up so that my car was moving to its beat. Knowing that I had a CD full of Christmas tunes in my car, I casually slid the CD into the player and scanned for a particular song that showed I was anything but hip. I cranked the stereo all the way up, I rolled down my windows and proceeded to sing as loud as I could one of the most fun, yet, extrememly un-cool Christmas songs I had at my disposal: Feliz Navidad. Before long, the boys caught on to what was transpiring and they began to sing along, too. Within moments, the annoying vehicle next to us rolled up its windows. Point taken. Don't mess with a thirtysomething Mom with an out-of-season holiday CD and a lousy singing voice.

Striker's Eulogy

Striker was a brave and hungry fish. Happy, joyful, and sometimes sad, I am very sure that his spirit is watching us right now. Amen.

- Indiana

[Striker, the 3rd Grade class fish, passed away during reading groups this past week. The three remaining fish, The Flounders (specifically Flounder #1, Flounder #2, and Flounder #3) continue to swim on in Striker's memory. They miss him, but enjoy the extra portion of fish food.]

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I have been contemplating all the ways my life has been enhanced by the simplest of gadgets. Rather than rant about all the things that drive me crazy, I am going to provide a brief list of the benefits of modern technology.

#5 EPass - this is the advance payment of my tolls. Every time I zip through the express lane while twenty cars are waiting to hand their dollars to the booth, I say aloud, "I love my EPass." (Ask the boys, they will tell you it's true.)

#4 Online Banking - I love that I can pay some (not all) of my bills at my leisure. There is no writing checks, finding stamps, or even remembering to drop the envelopes in the mail. I look at my account to make sure my paycheck arrived, I find out when my EPass is replenished, and I keep dropping money into the kid's saving accounts with a click of the mouse.

#3 The Pampered Chef Cheese Grater - I have finally stopped buying pre-shredded cheese just to avoid the hassle of grating it. I like the way it works, I like the way it cleans up, and I like how convenient it is. The only thing I don't like is how long it took me to finally use it.

#2 iPod - Granted, it is really Collin's iPod (which he named "Bert" to complement the cell phone he calls "Ernie"), but it is so useful. Not only does it allow us to buy new songs from iTunes and load our own favorite CD songs, it is simple and easy for even not-quite-hip Moms like me.

#1 Fly Clear - This is the greatest invention since September 11. A private company pre-screens each individual and when arriving at the lengthy security line, you insert the card, scan your fingerprint, and are escorted past the people who already have their shoes off waiting to not beep through the metal detectors. While it is only available at Orlando International Airport, watch for it coming to an airport near you. For more information, check out www.flyclear.com.