Oh happy day! I have been waiting for the iPhone to come to Verizon since it hit the world by storm in June, 2007. But, as much as I wanted to buy it back then, I held out because 1) at the time, it had a hefty price tag and hefty monthly charges 2) The practical side of me usually trumps my impulsive side so I generally wait for at least the second generation of any new technology 3) I wasn’t ready to jump ship quite yet from Verizon. So what did I do? I bought the iPod Touch instead so I could still have those amazing apps and “pretend” I was just as cool as my friends sporting the iPhone. But,  it just wasn’t the same.

So here it is…the day the iPhone is actually available in stores and I still sit here iPhoneless? What’s up with that? I’ll tell you what’s up with that. It’s because practical me has taken over once again and sees iPhone 5 on the horizon and whispers… “Kath, just wait. It’ll be here soon. It’s going to be so AWESOME! You can hold out. You’ve waited this long.” It’s times like this I really hate practical me. Sigh!

“Hey, Mom, guess what?”

“What?”

“My friend, Steve, was really jerking my chain today?”

“Honey, you shouldn’t say that. Do you know what that means?”

“No.”

“Well…it means…(explain, explain, explain).”

“No, mom. He was sitting behind me in class pulling on my diabetes chain.”

Oops!

]]> http://escapethechaos.com/2010/06/19/stop-jerkin-my-chain/feed/ 0 http://escapethechaos.com/2010/06/01/i-hate-the-ice-cream-truck/ http://escapethechaos.com/2010/06/01/i-hate-the-ice-cream-truck/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:09:47 +0000 kathy http://escapethechaos.com/?p=395

“I hate the ice cream truck.” There I said it. I hate the sound of it, the smell of it, and the look of the scary people who drive it. I liken it to clowns. Sure, they’re supposed to be fun and make people happy, but to me, they’re just plain creepy and make me cringe.

That may seem harsh for something that brings joy to little girls and boys, but when it trolls my neighborhood every other day after school and my kids drop to their knees pleading for money, it’s hard not to hate this steel money pit on wheels. No matter whether I say I have money or not, or remind the kids that we have a freezer full of ice cream, somehow they manage to find some buried “treasure” between the couch cushions and end up racing down the street to get their “chocolate taco” or “Sonic the Hedgehog” ice cream bar covered with blue goo!

I’m considering putting up a sign at the two entrances that says, “No ice cream trucks allowed.” You think I’d get in trouble for that? Oh well, I really don’t care. Somebody’s gotta put an end to these “nutty buddies.”

So, a couple months ago at my son’s football auction, I was captivated by a photograph of Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan on the golf course. I said to myself, that’s really cool. A picture of two of the most famous athletes on the planet. So, I put a bid on it and won. It was inspiring at the time, until…

Headline: “Tiger Woods fathered secret love child”

Headline: “Tiger Woods Impregnated Porn Star Girlfriend Twice While Wife Was Expecting”

Headline: “Susie Ogren: Tiger Woods Took Ecstasy, Hoped To ‘Get Me Into Bed’”

Well, that did it. The picture that was proudly posted on my living room wall now sits in the corner of my dining room floor facing the wall in an infinite time out. Just like Tiger.

So this is why my son won’t “friend” me on Facebook. I understand that he doesn’t want his Mom in his “business,” but these days, technology is pretty much the only way he’ll communicate with me. “Talking is old school,” he tells me. Or should I say, texts me. We haven’t talked in so long, I forget what his voice sounds like.  So…we Tweet, we text, we e-mail & we stare. Ahhhhhh! Good times. Good times.

My husband and I caved and bought our 13 year old a cell phone for Christmas. We agonized over the decision, but for our particular circumstances…two parents working…son with diabetes…we decided it would be OK to “take the plunge.” However, after seeing all the horror stories of kids getting into trouble with these little technological gadgets, we wanted to minimize what features he had access to.

Well, of course with modern technology, 99% of the phones out there have all the bells and whistles. That is…except for one. Yes, it’s the one you would normally buy for your aging parents. Clearly displayed on the keys are 911, ICE (in case of emergency), and very large numbers for those not so spry peepers. Despite our desire to keep our son safe, even we couldn’t resort to “geeking him out” with such a contraption. So we bought him one of the less expensive LG phones and made a few minor adjustments with the help of our knowledgeable Verizon rep (whom I’m guessing had kids of his own). Anyway, we turned off our son’s ability to send & receive pictures or access the Internet, but allowed him the ability to text.  Currently, he only knows about 10 people with cell phones, mostly family, and we weren’t too concerned about him “sexting” with grandma. Now, that’s just plain creepy.

Oh yeah, and the next service we’re adding…the locator function. It basically turns your child’s cell phone into a GPS so you know where they are at all times. If they enter a “forbidden zone” or if you just want to make sure they got home safely, you can have a text message sent to your cell phone. So watch out, kid. Big Mother’s watching!

My eldest son just went to the Barton Center for Diabetes Education - a camp for diabetic children located in North Oxford, MA. We sent him there with his brother (a non-diabetic) for a special weekend camp they were having called Wacky Weekend. We thought it would be a great opportunity for him to be with other diabetic kids and experience what it would be like to be at a stay away camp. Oh yeah, and it was also an opportunity for Mom and Dad to get away for a belated anniversary weekend *wink*wink*.

So, of course when we picked the kids up on Sunday, I couldn’t wait to hear all about it. First they told us about the games they played, the songs they sang, but the best part was what my son said next…

“Hey Mom, guess what?”

“What?” I eagerly replied.

“I learned how to give myself my own insulin shots.”

Hug. hug. kiss. kiss.

Can you say…monumental! For the last year, our lives have been centered around counting carbs, checking blood sugars and giving insulin shots. Trust me, I’m not complaining, but it does take away a little independence from both the parents and the child. So, the fact that he can now do it himself allows all of us a little more freedom and a big boost to my son’s confidence handling his new disease. He’s taking charge of his D-life and we couldn’t be prouder.

After being home for nine years with my kids, I finally decided to go back to work so of course my kids were curious to know what I would be doing. So, I told them.

“Well, I’ll be writing emails that we send to customers telling them about the cool products we sell.”

“Oh. And what did you do before that?”

“Well, I used to write letters we sent to customers telling them about the cool products we sell.”

“Oh. And what did you do before that?”

“Well, I used to produce television commercials telling people about the cool products we sell.”

My sons, being the TV hounds could finally relate. “Wow, that’s awesome.”

Then I had a revelation about my career.

I used to produce TV commercials, which people now ignore thanks to TiVo and DVR technology.

I used to create direct mail, which people throw away.

And now…I’m making emails, which people delete.

So, basically, I’ve spent my life making JUNK!!!

Perhaps, it’s time for a career change?

The cubby has been painted, the coats hung with care, Hubby did such a great job, thumbs up from Mama Bear.(o;