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Santa needs some help

Posted Dec 7, 2009 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Dec 8, 2009 at 11:52 AM

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View more photos from last year.

Dozens of terminally ill children in Manatee County will get a treat when Santa Claus flies in this Thursday.  But Santa needs some help.  He’s still trying to raise all the money needed to buy the children the gifts on their wish lists.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is seeking donations to make this a special day for almost 80 children and their families. Donors can send checks or drop off cash at the office, 600 301 Boulevard West, Suite 202 in Bradenton.

The 25th annual “Flight to the North Pole” takes place Dec. 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport Fire Department.  Each child will receive a stuffed bear while clowns entertain them with balloons and antics.  A school chorus will perform holiday songs and McDonalds is donating Happy Meals to the children and their families.

Sidney Ettedgui with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has been putting on the program since it began in 1985.  “The only reason I do it is to see the eyes of the children light up when they see Santa and the gifts they receive.  It makes it all worth it,” he says.

This year’s wish lists include requests for Barbie and Dora the Explorer dolls, video games, a chance to swim with dolphins and games of skill including one request from a child who wants the game, “Operation.”

The children range in age from one to 16 years old.  For more information, please call Sidney Ettedgui at (941) 747-3011, ext. 2581.

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Blue paint on little hands = uh oh

Posted Dec 7, 2009 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Dec 7, 2009 at 03:07 PM

You know you’re in trouble when your 3-year-old wakes you up to show you the blue paint on his fingers.

“Look, Daddy!” Jay said this morning, waiting until the clock had a 7 as the first number, like he had been taught.  “I painted and I was real careful!”

My husband, Carter, came instantly awake, throwing off the covers and jumping out of bed.  “Jay, what did you do?”

He washed the blue fingerpaint off Jay’s hands and the two of them headed down the stairs, Carter examining every inch of wall and carpet for tell-tale blue stains.  So far, so good.

There on the kitchen table was the proof of the crime.  We had made colorful handprints on some photo mattes last night and I had left the mattes on the newspaper on the kitchen table to dry.  And I had committed a cardinal sin: I had not put the paint away.  Instead of being in its customary place high up on top of the refrigerator, it was right there on the table, within easy reach of any enterprising preschooler.

Jay had flipped over one of the mattes so he could have a fresh, unused palette. Then he had taken a paper plate out of the pantry, opened up the paint and squirted a healthy amount onto the plate, just like he had seen mommy do the night before.  All the while, my unsuspecting husband was sound asleep upstairs.  Jay was careful not to wake him; after all, the clock still showed a “6” and he knows he has to wait until there is a “7” before he can wake us up.

Did I mention I had committed another cardinal sin?  I had forgotten to lock the gate at the top of the stairs, which I used to do religiously but had grown lax lately. 

Fortunately, he didn’t fall down the stairs.  Fortunately, he had been very neat and had done a great job making handprints on the matte.  Fortunately, he had managed to walk down the hall, up the stairs, into our bedroom and past the cat without once touching anything with his blue-stained hands. 

And fortunately, I have learned a valuable lesson about living what I preach: Put away your toys and projects when you’re done.

Now where did I leave the scissors?

More from my blog: Laptops and Lost Socks

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Heart goes out to parents of missing boy

Posted Nov 28, 2009 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Nov 28, 2009 at 12:09 PM

I’m heartsick as I think about what the parents of 2-year-old Luis Martinez must be going through.  Deputies say the toddler was playing at a neighbor’s house and may have wandered away near State Road 60 and Mulrennan Road in Valrico.  My reporter there says it’s a heavily wooded area, with a drainage pond and a very active railroad track. Full Story

Some of the commenters are asking, “Where were the parents?” and “There’s something fishy about this.”  I’m praying this was an honest mistake.  I have a 3-year-old and an 17-month-old at home, and I know how easy it is to be lose sight of a toddler.  I vividly remember having Jay at Kohl’s with me as I shopped about a year ago, when he was two.  There weren’t any strollers with kid seats available, so Jay was holding my hand.  He pulled free and darted away, playing what he thought was a great game of hide-and-seek.  I panicked.  I could hear him laughing as he ran behind the racks of clothes, darting away each time I approached, and all I could think of was, please, God, don’t let anything happen to him.  We’ve all seen the surveillance video of a child being led out of a store by a stranger.  My heart was in my throat as I repeatedly told him to “Come here” and “This is not a game.”

Fortunately, I caught Jay, although it did take a bribe of a Matchbox car.  But it just goes to show how easy it is to become separated, and the heart-wrenching feeling you have as a parent when your child is suddenly missing from view.

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The 5 types of annoying Facebook parents

Posted Nov 27, 2009 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Nov 27, 2009 at 12:24 PM

Are you a Facebook junkie?  What do you tend to post?  Pictures of your kids?  Status updates when they drive you crazy?

My boss sent me this funny link.  It pegs five types of parents on Facebook: the Bragger parent, the Whiner parent, the Cool parent, the Obsessed parent and the Zen parent.  While I’m sure you’re the perfect poster who strikes just the right balance, we all know somebody who falls into one of these categories!

Facebook’s Five Most Annoying Parents

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Got Milk? Scholarships available for HS student-athletes

Posted Nov 20, 2009 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Nov 20, 2009 at 12:28 PM

Know a milk-drinking high school student who deserves to be recognized for his or her excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership?

The National Milk Mustache “got milk?®” campaign is looking for entries for the 13th annual Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year Awards. The SAMMY scholarship rewards recognizes 25 student-athletes who refuel with milk.

Celebrity judges will help select the winners who will receive a $7,500 college scholarship, an awards ceremony at Walt Disney World and an opportunity to appear in their own special Milk Mustache ad.

For complete contest rules and applications log onto http://bodybymilk.com. The contest kicked off Wednesday and ends March 5, 2010.

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