Hey, Caine’s Arcade: Do you need a vending machine?

June 14, 2012

Most mornings, the kids wake up and get some time in front of some sort of screen. (Please don’t get too judge-y here: I work from home and am training for a 10K, so mornings are pretty much my only time to get stuff done.)

But one morning, the kids were especially cranky about shutting things down for breakfast, so I snapped, “No Screens Tomorrow!”

Oh, joy: The punishment that gets me too.

So, when D came stumbling down the stairs the next morning at 7am and asked me for the iPad, I reminded him of the “no screens” day. I then said, “But you can do any craft you want“.

He said, “I want to paint.” At 7am. Le sigh.

So, I pulled out the paints, got him into a smock, and let him go at it. His sisters came down a while later and started thinking bigger.

“Do we have a big box, Mom?“, Belly asked.

There was much running up and down the stairs to the basement, but they were all quiet and intent on their work. I had no idea what they were doing, but at their age, they can be trusted to not paint the furniture.

When they finished, they called me into the living room. And what they had created that morning was pretty cool.

Behold, a homemade vending machine:

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close up of fruits for “sale”

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close up of key pad (on right)

Yes, it works, as long as D is behind the machine. Put the money in, push the “button” for the number snack you want, and using little plastic pegs (that normally hold their Slip N’ Slide onto the lawn), a fruit gets knocked down below where it can be collected. Here’s a video of it being used. (Forgive my terrible camera person skills. All my videos look like this because I cannot hold still for 2 seconds.)

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the back of the machine

 

No, we haven’t given out television away and filled the house with cardboard boxes. But, you can bet we’ll spend a few more mornings than normal with the paints out, the screens off, and the kids’ imaginations intact.

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Though they’ve made many creative things before, this vending machine was, no doubt, inspired by Caine’s Arcade. If you haven’t seen this video yet, drop everything and watch it. It’s the best feel-good story out there, and it makes me so happy that kids like Caine are out there.

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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Kids, Homeschooling, The Outside World, Uncategorized 4 Comments

Circling wagons around Adopt-A-Lab (UPDATE 1.13.13–please read)

June 8, 2012

Photobucket*****My heart is sick to read this story about a raid on Adopt-A-Lab headquarters. As someone who worked in animal rescue, this hits me to my core. I will never regret bringing our Star home and out of that environment. My only thought can be is that this is one couple who was so overwhelmed by the amount of unwanted dogs that they lost sight of what they were doing. I would like to thank those people who questioned my support and for bringing this to my attention. ******

*****11.12.12 I will be talking to Lee today and writing an update shortly. I know the tendency is to go after people with pitchforks when this happens, but I can’t help but think about the thousands (and thousands) of dogs they have saved and how something doesn’t add up in my head. I’d like to hear their side of the story and then will post my thoughts.*****

*****1.13.13 I’ve included a new paragraph at the bottom rather than write an entirely new post since I assume that most people who come here are familiar with the AAL raid and closure story.

 

Long before I had my own Star, I volunteered at a couple of animal shelters to help exercise, groom, and find homes for other dogs–and cats– who had been abandoned, abused, unloved, or just unlucky. It was one of the hardest, and one of the best, things I’ve ever done. I worked with so many people who gave so much more than I ever could—they were incredibly dedicated to the cause of helping give pets a second chance.

When it came time to get our own dog, there was no question that I would go through a rescue organization. Adopt-A-Lab was recommended to me by a good friend from my animal-shelter days. We had a wonderful experience with them, and I know that even today, nine months later, I could call them with a question, and Lee or Patty would be on the phone to talk through the issue.

But today, I’m asking you to circle wagons around them to insure that this amazing organization–that has adopted out over 7,000 dogs–doesn’t get sucked under by one poorly researched, sensationalized news story.

Apparently, a woman adopted a yellow lab from Adopt-A-Lab. She was told that the dog needed some extra TLC, and when he arrived after the long stressful trip from Indiana to Massachusetts, he was very thin, no question about that. It’s also been reported that he smelled bad, a fact I find hilariously obvious to anyone who can imagine what a dog crate holding a scared dog in a multi-state road trip might smell like.

The obvious course of action, if she had any concerns, would have been to call Adopt-A-Lab and talk to the organization about next steps, and to contact her vet. Instead, her boyfriend filed a complaint of animal abuse to the animal control officer in Adopt-A-Lab’s area. A complaint that was then picked up by the local news.

What blows my mind is this: Who did they think realistically did this to this poor animal? The rescue group? The foster family? Or, maybe—just maybe—this dog was abused by its previous owners, or starved because it had been lost on the streets, or so thin from the stress of being abandoned?

I’ll be the first to say that adopting a rescue dog can bring certain challenges that you may not get with a dog purchased from a breeder (just please, please, please tell me you’d never even consider buying a dog in a pet store, okay?) Even our Star has a few issues, though nothing I’d ever blame on the one group of people who saved her from a life on the streets.

If you are shocked at the state of Chance—the dog in the news photo—and are shocked that Adopt-A-Lab believed he really just needed some TLC and good meals, you should know that he is now a happy, healthy 75 pound lab who really did just need some TLC and good meals. And, recently, his vet  jokingly suggested he may need to go on a diet.

The woman who adopted Chance has, for the first time, spoken to Adopt-A-Lab, and claims that her boyfriend acted without her knowledge. But, the damage is done: The news story implicating Adopt-A-Lab did something wrong is out there.

What I ask is that you go to the news story and post your own comment, especially if you have a shelter animal that you’ve adopted. And then please let Adopt-a-Lab know that you support what they are doing to help so many animals (like these Akita pups! gah!)

I can’t imagine our life without our shining Star. But what is worse is imaging that others may be turned off by an organization that has done so much to find homes for dogs that have no other chance.

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Well . . .

As I mentioned at the top, I did talk to Lee and Patty after the raid and got their side of the story which was published on their website.  The gist of their claim is that they were set up by a disgruntled employee who left their shelter in filth and then called Animal Control to complain. They even sent me photos of the shelter in better days and those photos are like night and day. In fact, if it wasn’t for the same flooring, I wouldn’t have believed they were the same place.

Where things fall apart for me is that I don’t understand how they could’ve leave someone in charge of the shelter who was obviously not doing anything correctly. I understand that people get busy. . .but, if the conditions were truly as bad as animal control states, being “busy” is no excuse.

At the same time, my conflict comes from my own personal experience with Lee and Patty which is very different from some of your experiences. My adoption was a pleasant experience without any major glitches, and the dog we have now is our sixth family member: I cannot imagine life without her. Let’s say she did live in less-than-ideal conditions for a few weeks before she was adopted to us. . .what other options were open to her? Life on the street? Overcrowded city shelter where healthy adult dogs are put down weekly? Unfortunately, it’s very unlikely that there is another rescue group ready to jump in and take over for those animals that AAL adopted out.

Bottom line: I think after 10+ years, AAL ran its course. Perhaps it was run differently early on and this was a “blip” in care, or perhaps this was its standard. Perhaps this was a set up, perhaps the accusations against them are true, or perhaps the owners were just tired of the endlessness of animal rescue, where no matter what you do, it is never “enough” and there is no end in sight. I’m no reporter and will never know for sure.

One thing I do know? I am heartsick for the animals who may never find a home unless some other person or group decides to jump into the never-ending grind of animal rescue.  —Christina

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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Me, Non-Human Friends, Uncategorized 47 Comments

Jeff Galloway is an effing genius

June 3, 2012

For most of my adult life, I have wanted to be a runner. Even when I wasn’t actually logging any miles, I’d see people running down the street and wish that were me: Sleek, fast, with a look of determination and not defeat. . .It  spoke to me in a way that team sports never did.

But, my reality has always been so far from my daydreams. I have never been all that speedy even 15 years ago when I had much more time to train.  Whenever I start  adding multiple miles, my knees start hurting. That first mile Always Sucks, and my runs never squeaked much past a few miles, even at my most fit. Throw asthma and some horror called “cystocele” into the mix and you start to understand how an 80-year-old toothless man finished ahead of me a couple of years ago in a 5k. Hey, what can I say, he was a speedy senior.

But, nevertheless, I get bit by the running bug a few times a year and usually find myself plodding down my street to achieve that wonderful “runner’s high”.

This time, though, I’ve been bringing Jeff Galloway along with me. I had heard his name before but never knew that he has championed the “run/walk” method as a way to build miles without injury or insane training schedules. And once I started reading about his method– and found his Easy 5K app for the iPhone–I had to try it to see if it would work for me.

It’s been a few weeks, and I just got back from a 5 1/2 mile run. Five-and-a-half miles (5.8 if you count the warm up/cool down walks). I have never gone so far. I could cry from happiness. Nothing hurts. And, other than my post-exercise asthmatic cough, I feel great.

What I love about Galloway’s plan is that he  incorporates short walk breaks even from the start of your run, before you get tired, as a way of avoiding early exhaustion. With his voice in my ear and my music playing, I’ve been dutifully going out three times a week at a pace of two-and-a-half minutes of running, broken up with one minute of walking. Somehow, telling myself, “just two-and-a-half-minutes” over and over chops up the running portion into little chunks that I can handle mentally. And the app uses Lolo to speed up/slow down my music to my pace (9 minute/mile while running) so that I can just find the beat and keep to it.

But, this isn’t just about running longer and farther. Galloway also says that walk breaks can improve your performance so that you actually finish a race in less time then if you just ran the entire time. But how is that possible?

Last weekend,  I decided to test his theory by running in the same 5K I did last year (remember this photo?). Like last year, it was a hot day, with the sun beating down at 11am when the race began. I did not have a great race. I was just coming off a respiratory virus, felt dehydrated, and just got too hot, too fast. But, I followed the Galloway method throughout.

And? I finished one minute faster this year than last. (last year’s finish time:  33:36 ; this year’s finish time: 32:48.)

Suddenly a 10K doesn’t seem like some crazy pipe dream for this almost 45 year old asthmatic with bad knees. And I’m feeling more like  a runner than ever before.

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Jeff Galloway did not pay me to write this (c’mon, does he sound like he’d say “effing”?) nor did I get the Easy 5K app for free to test. I love the app though it does sometimes “lose” my play list which means I have to re-import the music from my iphone which takes all of 20 seconds. 

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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Me, Health n Food Talk, Shredheads, Uncategorized 4 Comments
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