*EDIT There are many emails, tweets and comments so I”ll edit to add that we do not have fluoride in our water. So, Butterlump gets no fluoride at all.

**EDIT EDIT Also, Aaron’s Pediatrician has recommended and prescribed fluoride drops.

To keep a long, ranty story short, Jonathan and I are torn on a couple of things regarding our little baby butterlump. It’s shocking that Jonathan and I in disagreement about something, huh?

Right now the debate is giving him fluoride drops daily.

I am all for it, Jonathan is against it.

It’s really quite odd that I am the liberal of the family but  my uber conservative husband is almost always the one holding up the hippie-tree-hugging herbal/alternative treatment as the end all be all.

Seriously…it’s weird.

Jonathan doesn’t think that flouride is meant to be ingested.

I want to add it to the city’s water supply (and voted for that but was shot down).

I used fluoride drops with my first and did not with my second. I know that the genetics are different as James is from my first marriage but seriously, his teeth are MUCH better than his brother’s.  And I haven’t ever noticed any negative fall out from them.

Gah.

Does anyone else struggle with this?  Disagree? Pro or con?

I am not staking my cross on any hill to die here, I am really looking for information and input. I don’t make important decisions just based on the Internet but it is a HUGE resource of information and thought for me.

So, while I don’t know if it will change my mind or not (and I guarantee it will NOT change Jonathan’s. Heh.) I might find how much of a deal this is to me with more discussion.

So…whaddya think, peeps?

And while you’re pondering…Butterlump turned 8-months-old yesterday!

Where has the time gone?

Imagine if your children were a half a world away without you.

That would be horrible, wouldn’t it?

Now imagine if you learned that a devastating earthquake hit the country and the epicenter was right next to the orphanage where your much loved and wanted babies lived. What if you didn’t know if they were hurt or even alive? What if you knew that if they made it through the earthquake they would have no food. No shelter. No water. No clothing, blankets, medical supplies?

There is NOTHING worse then the desperate feeling you get as a parent on behalf of your children that are in need and if your hands are tied and you are unable to physically get to your babies to protect and shield them the feeling is devastating. Nobody knows that feeling right now more then our family friends, Lori and Brent Rosenlof.

They have been trying to adopt two precious little ones from Haiti.

Meet Jessica and Nathan:

Lori and Brent have been trying to get Nathan and Jessica home with them for a long time. They may not have the papers yet but these two are every inch their children in every way that matters. Adopting from Haiti is a very long and complicated process full of red tape and a lot of frustration and heart ache. With the recent tragedy there it is now full of more red tape and more heartbreak then any human should have to experience.

Things are CRITICAL in that country…especially for Lori and Brett’s little children and the orphanage they live in.

I am helping them try to spread the word in hopes that people looking for a more specific cause to donate to Haiti will PLEASE consider helping the orphanage my friends are adopting from. Their situation is CRITICAL.

Information has been difficult to get but this is what they know so far in an email that I received from Lori. I will quote her so that it comes straight from the horse’s mouth:

“We have heard mixed reports about where our children are and their status (I really mean “safety” but that word tears at my heart too much).  We believe that they are literally living the street in Carrefour (earthquake epicenter) with Nadia (orphanage director) right now.  They have no supplies at the moment.  People can’t live long without water, particularly in 91 degree temps (in the shade).

We have found someone flying to Haiti tomorrow (please literally pray the FAA lets their flight leave – it’s already been delayed a day) and they are taking cash from the HLAH nonprofit to give to the people on the ground there and they are going to help us get money to Nadia.  We have heard that there are supplies available “for a price” and that the costs are astronomical.

We believe the orphanage itself was leveled.

Our daughter, Jessica, we know was not at the orphanage and we’re praying that they can find her and 2 other children that were also known to be at other locations when the quake hit.  Our son, Nathan should be wherever the other children are.

100% of ALL funds go directly to the children. The people that run the non profit organization all volunteer so there aren’t any administrative costs.  We are sending money now (and obviously in the coming weeks) for supplies, but then we’re going to have to rebuild.”

I normally do not rally for donations, I know that there are scummy people scamming those online, but this is different. I can vouch for these people absolutely and I am just sick, sick, SICK with worry for these little children. I am worried for EVERYONE in Haiti but it is even harder when you have knowledge of a specific individual’s pain.

The plight of these little ones keeps me up at night and I worry for them so.

SO…I am asking you to help in any way you can. Donate, comment, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE spread the word on your blogs, Twitter, Facebook, ANYTHING.

PLEASE.

Here is all the information that you need. The orphanage is called HOPE FOR LITTLE ANGELS OF HAITI. They have a Facebook page and a cause page as well. There is a Facebook Causes Button on our FB Cause page. And most importantly, there is a Paypal DONATE button on the Rosenlof’s blog for supplies for the orphanage.

And if you can do nothing else, please go over and leave a comment of support on their blog and say a prayer for the safety of their children.

You are amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for ANYTHING you can do.

(Comments closed in the hopes that you will leave your kind words of support or questions over with Lori and Brent.)

(EDIT: I forget this every flipping year (obviously), but it’s National Delurking Day! Chime in and say hello and I’ll reply! You know, as long as you don’t agree TOO enthusiastically about the “I can totally look fugly” part of this post. Heh.)

I’m an interesting looking person.

I don’t really consider myself beautiful nor ugly. I can take some DANG nice photos and have some really lovely features, but enough funky ones to keep my looks at the level of (and I loathe this term, much as it is correct) “striking”. Usually I hear the phrase, “STRIKE THREE!”, or think of my big freaking nose knocking over a set of bowling ball pins when I hear it,  but “striking” is far and away the most often used term used to describe me.

Here is another thing about me.  I’m not one of those glowey, sun-kissed, natural beauties that roll out of bed looking amazing. They look good ALL THE TIME. Even without makeup. I am not in that category at all.I usually either look REALLY bad or REALLY good. Granted, I COULD look REALLY GOOD most/all of the time, but for the huge lot of lazy I have in me. Usually the “really bad” comes with bed head and no makeup and my glasses, but it’s been known to happen at other times.  I can even swing wildly on THE SAME DAY.

For example:

REALLY GOOD

REALLY BAD

(Ok, this WAS during the delivery of the little butterlump and last photo WAS after 8 hours of induced and un-medicated HARD AS HELLO SUNSHINE I AM BEING GANG RAPED BY A HEARD OF STAMPEDING BUFFALO!!!! labor, but I feel like it just drives my point home. Also? When I use the term “UGLY CRY” from now on you, um, know that I mean just that.)

EVen big events are not immune. Take BlogHer for example.

REALLY GOOD

REALLY BAD (I’ve actually never looked so wrinkly either in person or in a photo. Ironically, Lou is the person that took the above photo. He survived the glory that was me at breakfast after no shower, sleep, makeup or will to live.)

I am not a high maintenance girl nor an overly vain one. I am WAY too lazy for that. On a day-to-day basis I am pretty low key. I am like many moms that stay home to mind their children and spend several days in yoga or pajama pants.

I’ve also never let how I look stop me from venturing out and doing something.

This is not necessarily a good thing.

I think my utter low came when my personal and emotional life was at rock bottom.  It was so rock bottom that I was looking UP to see rock bottom. I’m not proud of it, but I went to take a final, um…wearing THIS:

Yeah, I know. Stunning, aren’t I? Truly…it’s one of those moments that make you joyful for the posterity of photography. To cut myself a LITTLE slack, this was taken a few days later, so I do brush myself up from time to time.

And, lots of the time it’s not THAT bad, but I am still guilty of going to public places pretty much looking like a rumpled mess.

I had one particularly memorable day this week.

I had an appointment to set up an account at a credit union with fellow board members of The Social Media Club of Cache Valley. We have been running around putting together our first event. (A “Tweetup” on January 14th (THAT WOULD BE TODAY, PEOPLE) at 6:30pm at Cafe Sabor in Logan. There will be free Pepsi products, swag for everyone and groovy door prizes like the new and adorably wee ipod shuffle and gift cards to Borders and Best Buy. You should all come if you’re in the area!).

Our appointment was at 10am.

Normally, that would have been plenty of time to get where I was going and look decent doing it, but I got a phone call during my “shower, hair, and makeup” time.  A really important phone call. From a really important person. In a really far away place. Basically, it’s one of those calls you don’t miss, you know?

I hung up the phone at 10:05 and I bolted and SEWED LIKE THE WIND!!!!! (Or, you know…ran. Sorry, did I mention that I have had huge hankering to watch The Three Amigos lately?) I threw on a shirt and pants that ended up being way too big (I’ve lost some weight.Who knew?), tennis shoes with NO socks and a leather jacket and scarf (which I kept zipped as to not reveal my “no bra” status) and I ripped through my hair with a brush while running out the door.

I was very late, but I got there, huffing and puffing and probably much too apologetic for looking like roadkill. But hello, I had no choice because my fellow board member Jill always looks and smells amazing.

The worst was that I had a LOT of business to conduct that morning  for the TweetUp.  And I did it all. And did a good job at it, despite feeling ill at ease due to appearance. I coped by just kept telling myself that while I didn’t look amazing, most probably wouldn’t give it much, if any, thought.

And it worked!

Until it didn’t!

On my last stop of the morning, I had to run by Jill’s office to drop off one of the donations for the party tonight. She works at the local Health Department.

I don’t know about where you live, but our Health Department houses and runs MANY different and wonderful programs. In fact, when you go in the door to get to Jill’s office, you pass through the “SUBSTANCE ABUSE” entrance that sits on one side of the wing and has “SUBSTANCE ABUSE” in big lettering on the glass door.

I walked up the path on the opposite side of the building and went in the door on the opposite side of the vestibule leading to the “SUBSTANCE ABUSE” door.

I wasn’t avoiding the entrance or really even thinking about it other than remarking to myself that the big, plain “SUBSTANCE ABUSE” lettering on the window made it look like a door on a movie or TV set and that I would now see that term in caps and bold in my head forever. I just headed in the direction I was going and pretty much gave every physical indication that that place was in the opposite direction.

All that indicating  didn’t stop the man that was headed into the “SUBSTANCE ABUSE” door from MARKEDLY looking me and my awesomeness up and down, holding the door open and saying, “Aren’t you coming in?”

STRIKE THREE!

Sigh.

.

*I know “SUBSTANCE ABUSE” (Gah! CANNOT HELP!) is a serious disease. Given my addictive personality I am grateful I have never gone there. If I had any serious vice outside of Diet Coke I would probably end up on a urine-stained mattress under an overpass, so kudos to those that have kicked it and have the courage to walk through that door.

**I also promise NOT to look like road kill at the Tweet Up tonight, so I really hope you can come!

I will be pretty.

And smell like flowers.

And wear a bra.

For reals.