Rent-a-Friend's Popularity!

My mom sent this article from the BBC that is all about Rent-a-Pet and Rent-a-Friend in China, so I did a little research. Come to find out, it's very popular and has even started in the US. There are rent-a-friend and rent-a-pal websites, and there are many people who've started comment services (my words). At Rent-a-pal, you can rent him for yourself for the evening, or one girl rented him to take her elderly uncle to the movies (he tells all about his adventures on the site!). For the comment services (kinda like anonymous therapy!) you tell them your problems, and they respond based on the price you pay ($25 for short responses, $50 for longer, and $75 for lengthy, detailed responses). I told Mom she should so that! She has lots to tell people, and always has advice! She said if I'd set it up, she'd do it. I'll have to see about that...
One of the articles I read said that it began because people have less time to make friends, and they pay until they become friends, then it's free. It is a way (for the rent-a-friend) to announce they want more friends, then when the "customer" is not your type, you just don't go again. Easy. If you like them, you keep going out with them. I guess it's easier than saying you don't like someone and don't want to spend time with them! Anyway, I'm always surprised by what's in the news. Especially non-US news. : )

This morning I had to wrestle into his clothes. When I say wrestle, I don't mean like he's wiggly, I mean we were full-on fighting. I don't know why I made him wear clothes. I guess if I let him have his way too many times, he'll be spoiled, and won't do the important things I tell him. Somehow, I feel it's important for him to know I'm in charge. I hate being run over by a child. : ( I think he's against clothes for a couple reasons: he's been home for over a month, mostly sick (he has a cold again right now), and wearing mostly jammies since he doesn't go out and then there's the potty-training he's pursuing. He likes to be naked (well, except for his shirt) and take baths a couple times a day (or more)...
Anyway, I forced him into clothes, and we headed to Collier's (our pharmacy). I had to get Mary Claire's refill of her meter strips and lancets. We were on the last vial, and it was morning, or nothing (well, except bust into naptime-Absolutely Not). So, I got him a snack, juice, and took Lexi. On the way home, he spilled his juice down his clothes and kept telling me, "Wet". At home, I took his clothes off (he turned into Happy Child), and he ran for the tub. He took a long bath upstairs, then I just put him back into jammies. Sometimes I wonder what Ches thinks when he comes back home to a still-jammied child. I'm sure he doesn't care, I just feel unproductive when it seems like he hasn't made it out of his jammies all day! It's me.

Then, I had to choose between two children this afternoon. Yuck. Mary Claire had asked me to pick her up at school, and I told her if Ches could come home to watch Ethan while I got her or if he got an early nap and was up by the time she got out, I would get her. Well, Ethan didn't go to sleep until after one o'clock. At 2:30, I raised the garage door (under his room-usually wakes him up), and nothing. I called the school at 2:50 and asked if they could tell Mary Claire to be a car rider. I went into his room and stood by the bed. Nothing. I rubbed his back. Nothing. I felt sick-I just wanted to let him sleep, and I wished I hadn't called the school (Note to self: don't call the school unless he is Really Awake!). I patted him, and eventually I woke him since I had to get Mary Claire and it was almost 3. We drove to the school, waited in the Very Long Car Rider Line, claimed my sweet child (Clay will only ride the bus-picky children-see why I make Ethan wear clothes?). She doesn't realize what I deal with (maybe if only in my heart) to get her.

We played outside all afternoon. It was 63 degrees here today with no wind-just perfect. And I learned more good news! Can you guess? My little pup really does like Outside! She ran around and really enjoyed it! She ate cat poop twice, ate a dried up worm skin, hopped around the grass, chased leaves, smelled all sorts of new smells, and trotted down the driveway and back. I think she was really happy! This is GREAT news for me! It gives me Hope that one day she may actually bathroom OUTSIDE!! No windex required! : )
Clay rode his bike to a friend's house for a while to sit with them till their mom came home, Mary Claire played on her swing, snacked, worked on the monkey bars, and played in the sandbox with Ethan for the longest time! I ran to get my camera, as it felt like a Moment to capture. (See below!) In the pictures, Ethan is in his second pair of jammies, will need another bath, and has one pant leg pulled up due to a driveway boo-boo. It's our life. : ) When Ches rode in, I went in to start dinner (Southwestern Soup-yum!-from Southern Living Nov. issue maybe?).

We got Mary Claire changed into her leotard for gymnastics, ate, and we all went together-leaving the kitchen and table in mess. It felt like another Opportunity. We dropped Mary Claire (she's newly independent and wants to come out on her own-scary, but she's gotta learn somehow!) and headed to Fayetteville to pick up her GS cookie form from Ches' office. On the way back, we got ice cream (Ethan dropped his down the door/seat, and we had to pull over to clean...), then waited patiently for her to come out. It's a madhouse there with TONS of people, so it is actually nice that she wants to come out alone.

We came home, bathed the kids, watched a tiny bit of Peter Pan during snack (yogurt, banana), brushed teeth, little bit of the current Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book, prayers, and off to bed. I am tired today after a late night with a friend last night, so I washed up early. I had to be ready for Grey's Anatomy!

I'm blogging in the commercials, and I'll say it's hard. It's a tough show to watch tonight. And you'll be glad to know that Christina and Meredith are friends again. I just cried-it was a very emotional show. So, I'm less focused-sorry.

Ches is power-bowling, and just getting warmed up for the evening! He gets going at night and eats, works, watches tv, more eating, plays, more eating. Lots of eating. He's brought me a quesadilla roll-up thing (so sweet. He doesn't know we had them for lunch.) and I don't think I can eat it after my single scoop of cappuccino chunky chocolate in a waffle cone at Braum's. (footnote: they have jr. cones now! I'll have to get the smaller size next time.) It's hard not to eat when he does: ice cream, cottage cheese with salsa, pb/jelly sandwiches, butter sandwich, chips and salsa, pretzels, popcorn... This is every night. Yep, when you ride your bicycle to work (avg 2 hrs a day!), it seems you get to eat whatever you like and keep your perfect figure! *ok, had a bite of quesadilla-it was saying my name..* (So that's what I'm doing wrong!) *have now had 3 bites-I have no willpower* but, on the upside, once it's gone it can't talk to me anymore! *Gone!*