I don’t want to blog, Twitter, or Facebook about snow. Will.not.do.it.

Of course, I then proceeded to anyway.

So I may as well go all out and show you* a couple of my favorite pictures from today.

It's kind of pretty. I appreciated it best while standing inside!

Cupcake slogging through the snow with dogged determination.

Stay warm, stay safe, and drink all that milk that you just had to get yesterday.

* you being the three people who occasionally glance at this blog but don’t actually live in the DC area!

This is Kira, Barbie’s Asian friend.

Did you know she existed?  I sure didn’t!  Thanks, Asianmommy, for introducing her to me.  Apparently she’s been around since 1990–way past my Barbie-playing days.

Now I wonder if I should hide her existence from Cupcake?

Of course, I am more anxious for The Husband’s arrival on those days. The Crew must smell a weakness in me, because they are exceptionally squirrely.

We had one of those days recently. After battling with the kids for a bit, I threw my hands up in surrender. Since the weather was nice, I decided to take The Crew to a nearby dollar store. It’s just a short walk, so Bito and Cupcake hopped along as BabyMuffin got a ride in the stroller.

Once there, Bito quickly picked out a truck, but just as quickly, he changed his mind and chose a wiggly, jelly bug instead. Cupcake considered her choices carefully, first eyeing a horse-on-a-stick toy, then fingering the dolls. A bouquet of fake flowers earned a moment of reflection, as did a ceramic figurine. However, when she spied the candy, she focused all her attention on choosing the perfect candy that would maximize her dollar purchase. Bito ditched the wiggly bug and also perused the candy as if it were a matter of life and death to pick out the best candy.

I marveled as I watched my older two children choose anything they wanted for a dollar. It amazed me how it delighted them to have such a surprise, special treat that day.

Moments later, we were on our way out the door, Cupcake happily munching on a candy necklace, and Bito opening a whistle filled with bubble-gum. So maybe their dinners were spoiled, maybe they’d have a sugar crash later on, maybe they’d come to expect special dollar store treats more often than I was willing to give them. I didn’t care, though. That one trip brought joy and peace to my otherwise difficult afternoon–for the mere price of $2.

Well, lots of things.  But today, I’m going to give in and actually tell you by posting a rare rant in my blog.

Bito’s public school and Cupcake’s private preschool are currently running the same fundraiser that all the other schools in the DC Metro area are no doubt running.

I hate that my children are little salespeople that are sent out to raise money for their schools.

And yes, it’s really me that is doing it because I’m not about to let Bito and Cupcake hawk the products of this company, even if their schools will receive 50% of all sales profits.  I’m not about to put the burden of raising money for their schools on their little heads.

I get angry reading the info sheets that come home with thick envelope of the latest fundraiser.  I’m afraid my kid will be the only one who doesn’t sell something and therefore, won’t receive a “prize.”  I don’t want Bito and Cupcake not to get some cheap little toy that everyone else will get because they sold one, ten, a hundred or a zillion items.  I don’t want my child to be sad because they don’t get to attend the Ice Cream Social because they didn’t bring in $xxx amount of orders.

And so I dutifully ask neighbors and family members if they’d be interested in supporting Bito and Cupcake.  I send out emails with the online codes that can be used for out of area friends and family.  I half-heartedly tout the awesomeness of the products in an effort to get some orders.

I don’t like it.  I feel guilted into getting some orders so my kid won’t be sad he/she didn’t get some little toy or a scoop of ice cream.

And while I’m on a rant, let me just say that what really burns is that this fundraising has to be done in the first place, especially in public schools.  This is my children’s education, for crying out loud!  Supposedly it’s an investment for the future of the country, too, right?  Why are the schools forced to to get money in such a fashion?  There is something wrong here!

Sadly, this will be a part of my life for the next twenty-some years as my three children progress through school.  The Husband and I are committed to public education and will do what we need to do.  You’ll probably hear this rant every September from me.

And if you want to order anything…let me know.

Like today.  It’s rainy, damp, and a bit chilly outside.  We don’t have any errands that need to be run, and I am content to sit in front of my computer to catch up on work and blogging.  The easiest way for me to do this without being disturbed in to turn on the boob tube.

How many programs are too many for them to watch in a row?

Guilt got the better of me, so I went in and switched off the telly to the loud protests of Cupcake and BabyMuffin.

**Side note here: Bito is at kindergarten (and doing quite well, we think!  Back-to-School-Night is tonight!), but I find it interesting that when it comes to the watching TV, he can take it or leave it.  Not Cupcake and BabyMuffin.  If the set is on, they will sit to watch, even if it’s The Weather Channel.  It’s like they are sucked in, and they become totally mesmerized.**

After the complaining died down, I firmly told them to play.  Then I returned to my office.

I have had to field a number of visits from them.  Cupcake whined and tried to pull all her tricks:  ”I’m hungry.  I’m tired.  I’m bored.  There’s nothing to do.”  BabyMuffin just came and tried to sit in my lap, push the buttons on the keyboard, and pull books off the shelf.

I decided to try a robot-like approach.  I only spoke to say, “There are a zillion toys in there.  I am sure you can find something to play with.”  I think I repeated this two dozen times in the span of ten minutes!

Now I am listening to Cupcake and BabyMuffin playing Restaurant.  I am sure the room will be trashed as they have rummaged through every bin and cubby, rediscovering long-forgotten toys.  That’s kind of sad, right?  That we have toys they haven’t even missed because we have so many?  I digress.  They are giggling and using the play kitchen to prepare meals.  This is way better than children who are zoned out from watching too much tee-vee.

As for the destroyed playroom…guess I’ll just look at it as an opportunity to teach them the fine art of cleaning up!

Cupcake’s song was Bruce Springsteen, “I’m On Fire.”  It started off when I would rock her as a baby and say, “Hey little girl.”  That inevitably lead to my singing the entire song to her.  Same reaction as BabyMuffin’s–she would comfortably relax in my arms and stare up at my face.

These days, three year old Cupcake is very into When-I-Was-A-Baby stories and asks anyone and everyone to tell her stories of her babyhood.  And this often includes asking me to sing or play “I’m On Fire,” on my iPod.

Hey little girl is your daddy home
Did he go away and leave you all alone
I got a bad desire
I’m on fire

Tell me now baby is he good to you
Can he do to you the things that I do
I can take you higher
I’m on fire

Sometimes it’s like someone took a knife baby
edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley
through the middle of my soul

At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet
and a freight train running through the
middle of my head
Only you can cool my desire
I’m on fire

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Not the best song in the world for a kid if you’re looking at the meaning, I guess!  The Husband is afraid precocious Cupcake will soon ask questions about the lyrics, as she is inclined to do.   I say we’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

In the meantime, I’m just glad to have a trick in my bag that’ll get her to hush up!