Excuse Me While I Pull The Plug On Your Power Trip

There is a pretty good chance that to someone, you are Larger Than Life. Your children, your students, your employees, your customers, your clients, your patients, your whomever. Someone looks up to you. Someone needs you, maybe even desperately needs you. Someone is depending upon your knowledge, your experience, your compassion, your ability to open doors that he or she can't open. Perhaps the outcome of someones life depends largely on how you rise (or fail to rise) to the challenge of your position. Perhaps you have just one or two chances to change someones life, or perhaps your position is such that many lives can be positively influenced by you daily. Perhaps a few words that come out of your mouth, and how they come out of your mouth, can either make someones day, give them hope and let them rest easy, or send them spiraling to the lowest depths of depression, fear, and despair.

So. Be honest. Do you abuse your power?

Perhaps sometimes you don't have a choice regarding what you say, but sometimes you do. And the delivery is always your choice. So even if you must deliver bad news, you can choose to do it kindly. And even if you have the capability to, at your whim and for no good reason, severely complicate someones life...doesn't mean you should go ahead and do it.


Because I (perhaps naively) believe in the basic goodness of humankind in general, I have to also believe that people simply fall into negative patterns, maybe gradually and unintentionally, and don't realize what complete and utter jerks they are being when they randomly mess with people's lives.  Because  how can someone consciously know that he or she is ignoring someone or belittling someone or demeaning someone or not taking someones (very real) concerns seriously, and still get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and happily go about the day? There can't be as many purely evil people in this world as there are people who regularly send wrecking balls into the lives of others, just because they can. These have to be just regular people, people like me and you; misguided and forgetful of their impact.


Slow down and examine yourself. Think before you speak. Remember that what comes out so easily may not be easily forgotten by your target. Remember that one moment of laziness or rudeness or meanness on your part could be the breaking point for someone else. Be vigilantly cognizant of your impact on others. Uncle Ben said it best when he told Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility." Use your power wisely. 

Piece of Heaven

Crazy busy, that's where I've been. Play dates, a school concert, shopping, cleaning, laundry, driving, a preschool meeting, coffee dates, reading, planning, cooking, learning to crochet, birthday parties...the list goes on.

This past weekend we had some special guests - 3 little girls who stayed with us while their parents and older sister went on an exciting star-studded trip to Toronto. I should have taken some pictures, but I was too busy with several of the items from the above list. We had a fantastic weekend, and I'm pretty sure all 6 girls were thrilled to have unlimited time together for two whole days and nights. Notice I didn't mention Connor, who spent most of the time he was home (I kindly arranged a sleepover for him Saturday night, plus he had a birthday party Sunday afternoon) hiding out in his bedroom, only coming out to eat and use the bathroom. I maintain that someday he will be overjoyed to have our home overtaken by pretty girls, but for now...sorry son. We do love you.

One of our guests just happens to be a talented (10-year old) crocheter, and she kindly and patiently walked me through crocheting a flower. 

I have since done a few more, and I think I'm getting the hang of it. I am perhaps unreasonably excited by this slight accomplishment, but there you have it. What I will do with these flowers I'm crocheting remains a mystery, but I know one person who might like some to put on hats for cancer patients for her charitable organization she is just getting up and running, Creating Smiles For Hope.

Spring Break is upon us next week, however much it does not feel like Spring. Last year we spent a few days during the break at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio, which was seriously one of the most magical places we have ever visited. We thought about returning this year, but then remembered the dangerously lacking safety standards and the fact that we now have a very feisty and high energy almost-2-year old who would not take kindly to being toted around in a Baby Bjorn. Nor would my back take kindly to it. So Hocking Hills will have to wait for another year. The kids and I will be taking a short trip with my mother-in-law, and hoping for some kinda almost decent weather so we can at least be outside some of the time.


What I'm really daydreaming about is another of my most favorite places in the whole wide world, Captiva Island, Florida. We haven't been there in a few years, and oh how I miss it. I would like to be lying on its beach right now, reading a book and watching dolphins frolic in the waves. You can walk from the boat docks on one side of the island, where manatees are almost within arm's reach, to the beach side of the island, which is literally covered in beautiful sea shells, in about 5-10 minutes. Sea urchins, starfish, sand dollars, crabs...all right there.

Lucy sitting on thousands of shells

Back when we had 3 kids

One of our many beach finds

I would love to share more pictures of Captiva Island, but naturally I can't seem to find anymore at the moment. It's a miracle, really, that I found a disc with these few on it (at 2 o'clock in the morning). I love that there are no McDonald's or any other fast food, no Walmart or any other big chain store. I love having breakfast outside at the Key Lime Bistro, I love the Christmas tree on the beach at The Mucky Duck and I love ordering 5 kinds of cake from The Bubble Room and having a little taste of each. You know how some vacations don't really seem like vacations at all, and after a few days you're more than ready to go home? Well after 2 weeks on Captiva Island, I am ready to stay for 2 more weeks. At least. I think I could live there, even though it's a 45 minute drive to the mainland (and groceries that don't cost an arm and a leg). I could just alternate between pool and beach, take turns at all the wonderful restaurants, browse the little shops, stare at the sea life, take a boat ride every now and again...for a very long time. Someday, Captiva Island, I'll be back.  


***Don't forget to enter my Nutella giveaway!! The deadline is March 31st!***

It's All Good

Last weekend, I was able to spend some time with a few of my awesome friends.  A couple of the ladies have March birthdays, so we went out to celebrate Friday night. We were not actually asked to leave, but boy let me tell ya, it was coming. Saturday I got to see some of the very same ladies again for a different kind of birthday party...one for a 3-year old. As you can imagine, it was fun in a completely different way. For example, no one was trying to hide anyone's credit card so they couldn't buy anymore drinks. Nor was anyone shamelessly singing karaoke. Or picking up (literally...picking UP, off the ground) random strangers. Just sayin'. Not that any of those things happened Friday night. This is purely hypothetical. I swear.


And now it's Spring! Finally! Spring! But wait, I just looked outside and Spring just happens to look quite a bit like Winter at the moment. Hmm. Abracadabra! I choose a different state! A warm one! Please?!


I paid off my library fines last week, so now I am free to check out tons of books again. One of my favorite things to do! Yay! 

I got some new jeans at Target for $6...and I didn't try them on in the store and they fit me perfectly. Yay!  

I went to Joann's and bought some yarn and crochet hooks and a book about how to crochet which turned out to be totally useless. But YouTube! There are videos for everything on YouTube, including crochet lessons. Yay! Plus childrens' books about crocheting from the library, which are right about my speed. I've been practicing my stitches. They look pretty but I can't yet get my rows uniform. When I figure that out perhaps I can actually make something.

Things, in general, have been going really well. But I have this mental problem. Happiness scares me.  I know, I know, I know...how stupid, right? Do I think I don't deserve it for some reason? Am I really a pessimist posing as an optimist? There is this nagging fear in the back of my mind that it can't last, that I've filled my quotient. I'm trying to combat that fear with rosy thoughts of rainbows and unicorns. Because, elusive happiness, I do deserve you. So there.

**P.S. Don't forget to enter my Nutella giveaway! The deadline is March 31!**

Bad Guy Genes

Lucy told me recently that bad people have red eyes. Wouldn't that be nice? If only it were that easy to identify evil doers. I had to explain to her that usually bad people look just like everyone else and we can't tell just by looking at someone if they are good or bad. On the plus side, since I'm fairly certain she has never met anyone with red eyes, I suppose that means I can assume she thinks everyone she knows is a good guy.

I keep saying "good" and "bad" as if categorizing people is that clear cut. How about the mostly good but sometimes bad? Or the 97.6% bad but 2.4% good? No one is 100% one or the other, right? There are always shades of gray...sometimes very murky shades of gray.

However, the fact is, someday my little girl is going to get smacked in the face with the real life knowledge that bad people don't just exist as conniving villains, empowered with magical abilities (or not), trying to take over the kingdom in a princess tale. If she meets one for real (am I naive to hope she won't?), he or she won't have red eyes, nor probably even a sinister smile, or a bone chilling cackling laugh.

She'll watch the news, or read the newspaper, or click on a link...and she'll see the horrible things people do in real life. People who are moms and dads and teachers and doctors and priests. Regular people, sometimes sick, sometimes crazy, sometimes deranged, sometimes seemingly possessed, sometimes enraged. Maybe good people who make a mistake they can't take back. Or maybe manipulative people who really are mean and horrible to the core but want you to believe they're just misunderstood.

There's a big world out there. Sending my kids out into it is scary. Fortunately, I happen to believe that the majority of folks are mostly good, and I think I do a pretty good job of surrounding my kids with wonderful and loving people. Unfortunately, I can't always control who they are with, and they're going to have to learn to be wary and cautious to a certain extent. That is, until the bad guys start being genetically mutated into red eyed beastly creatures who are easily and non-mistakenly recognizable. 

** United States Residents Only: Don't forget to go to my Nutella post and enter to win a Nutella price pack! Just "like" Michigal" on Facebook, and leave a comment about Nutella in the comments section of the Nutella post (don't forget to include your email address) by March 31!**

Breakfast With Nutella Plus A Giveaway!

I'm not quite sure how this happened, but somehow I made it past my 36th birthday before trying Nutella (pronounced new-tella) for the first time. If you've never had Nutella before, it is a hazelnut spread, generally sold near the peanut butter at the grocery store, that tastes like the insides of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Well heck, if I had known that, I would have tried it a long time ago! When MommyParties contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in hosting a Nutella breakfast, I thought it would be a great excuse to have some friends over and try something new. They sent me some fun gift bags of goodies to share with my guests, and a large jar of Nutella for sampling.

Here are some facts about Nutella that I will refer to when I want to convince myself it's fine that I've had maybe one (or three) tablespoons too many:

• Nutella does not contain hydrogenated oil or trans fat
• Nutella is very low in sodium
• Nutella contains no artificial colors or preservatives
• Nutella does not contain ingredients derived from gluten cereal; wheat, barley rye, oats, or triticale
• Nutella is Kosher
• Nutella does not contain peanuts or peanut ingredients, nor does it come in contact with peanuts during manufacturing

Turns out, most of my guests were already fans of Nutella. Where have I been?? I had pretzel rods and French bread to pair with the Nutella, plus fresh fruit, scones, shamrock cookies (the leprechauns left them) and an egg dish. I was going to make waffles as well, but let's just say my darling daughter is going to get a little lecture after school and my waffle maker is outside in the trash.

Since a few people were unable to make it to the party, I'm offering up the chance to win one of my leftover goody bags. This is what's inside: 

• Nutella sample pack and coupon
• Nutella recipe cards
• Nutella tumbler mug
• Nutella spreader

All you need to do is "Like" Michigal on Facebook (link on the right side) and leave a comment below about Nutella by March 31. On April 1st a random winner will be chosen. Sorry, but United States residents only.

**P.S. Please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win!**

In the meantime, visit Nutella's website for a $1.00 coupon. 


Note: I was not paid for this review. I was sent samples and goody bags as described above.