Altruism isn't born . . .

. . . it’s learned when your mommy takes away your birthday presents and makes you cry . . . oh wait, did I just say that out loud?!

The other day I went to a meeting for a wonderful philanthropic organization.  While there, a woman made an extraordinary statement that really resonated with me.  She said “philanthropy is not innate, it’s learned.”  I truly believe this whole heartedly – I learned from my mom who I remember letting me put dollars in the red buckets and adopting children from the “wish trees” at the mall AND, from both my parents who I can’t get to stop meeting with the Development Officer at their alma mater who keeps convincing them to give their University all of my inheritance.  Oh, wait, I said that out loud too, didn’t I??!! 

During this season of giving, I began reflecting on what I might be teaching my girls (other than cuss words, smart@$$es)!  And then I realized that as with anything in this Runamuk household, it hasn't always been pretty!  The intent is there, but the execution is sometimes lacking!  :-)

6 months ago following a particularly annoying episode of cleaning up one too many naked Barbies (who I'm pretty certain have not had clothes since the girls opened them), 15 too many doll shoes (15 individual shoes, NOT pairs), and 10 Happy Meal toys that the girls haven’t touched in 2 years, I decided that for the girls’ birthdays, rather than gifts from their friends, they would tell their friends about a charity to which they wanted to donate items. Of course, when I informed the girls of this, you would have thought I took away their birthdays . . . oh wait . . .

The screaming, yelling and crying in the backseat of the car could be heard for miles!

Of course, it wasn’t until a few days later that I realized this idea may have been the result of a particularly bad case of PMS.  But, I had already committed, and the more people I told about it, the more encouragement I got.  So, I decided we were going for it!  

But, as we come to the end of another giving season, mommy decided to share what she learned in 2013 about charity that's Runamuk:

     

She's Makin' a List . . . Checkin it twice . . .

. . . . gotta make sure some things are naughty, while most things are nice!

It’s that time of year again, and mommy has a whole new list for her holiday wishes (these, of course, are wishes she’s already fulfilled herself, but she loves them so much she thought she would share them with you too!) And, of course, mommy includes her latest naughty book!

And, today, a bonus, a guest post by BFF Molly’s very funny real life (yes, she actually gets up on stage in front of people) comedienne sister Jessie who shares her lessons learned the hard way about one of the items on my list!!

Here are mommy’s top picks for makin it through the holidays and everyday!

Favorite new Alcohol (where else would I start???)

      1)   Kambucha!  This drink has alcohol naturally (who knew that Kambucha could do that?!), but it also has cleansing properties and you can drink it while you are on a cleanse!!  Now, lets not kid ourselves, this will never come close to Skinnygirl, but when you just need a little something to keep you from losing your mind while losing your toxins, this will do the trick!

Favorite App(s)

      1)   iAllowance – sorry, this has to make a repeat performance.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this app.     

      2)   Food onthe table  - not only will this keep track of your grocery lists, it will keep track of which stores you get what from, whether the store has coupons on items you need, which store has the best deal that day, and it even will give you recipes if you tell it what you have in your pantry!  If only I cooked!!!!  J

Favorite Website 

     1)   www.everythingessential.me - to go along with my essential oils obsession!!

Books/Magazines

     1)   WomanCode – Will change the way you look at food and how it impacts your overall health and hormones!

      2)    The China Study – Will change the way you look at food and particularly how we are feeding our kids and how to solve many chronic health issues and change your life simply by changing your diet.

      3)   Take Me – Novella by J. Kenner that concludes the Stark Trilogy.  Definitely not the best in the series, but closes it out nicely.

Bath Product

     1)   FairyTales Rosemary Repel Leave in Conditioner – See Jessie’s post below!  Plus, it can prevent lice!

Gluten Free Food Product

      1)   Cup 4 CupFlour – People often ask me what flour they can use or how they can make their favorite holiday treats and still be gluten free.  This flour is magic and it will be torture for your waistline (just ask mine that scarfed down 5 mexican wedding cakes and about 4 tablespoons of batter over the weekend)!  D@MNIT!  (you didn’t think I’d make it through the list without at least one swear word, did you??!!

And now, before I get to Jessie’s post, I just found out that she has been selected as a finalist in an essay contest sponsored by Oroweat Bread!!  She needs us to help her get more online votes than the other two California b!tches, I mean finalists.  If she wins, she gets a big chunk of dough (and not the bread kind), and she says she’ll share half with me!  Oh, wait, maybe that wasn’t part of the deal.

At any rate, Jessie deserves our support (that means you Nana), so please vote for her at www.feedyourbetter.com.  Hers is Essay #4, a letter that begins “Dear Diabetes."  The contest goes from December 9 – January 3 and you can vote up to once a day.  So, vote early and often.

And now, as we enter the season of family gatherings and family photos, Jessie’s post that beautifully encapsulates the f*&#ing nightmare that every parent encounters when they try to prevent their children’s hair from becoming fodder for Ellen’s ugliest family photos contest!  Bonus – you may find some stuff to add to your wish list!!

Keeping us in stitches . . .

So what happens when your week starts out on Monday with a 4am wake up call from the baby that says “Mommy, I barfed in my room . . . can I sleep with you?”   By Friday when you are sitting in the hospital with your oldest child, you will ask yourself “can we just go back to the barf on Monday”.

The holidays are off to a Runamuk bang for the Dugdale clan.  The Monday before school was out before Thanksgiving (so two weeks ago) the Ego and the Id stayed home with a terrible cold and stomach flu.  By Wednesday the Superego had broken her arm in two places while doing a trick at gymnastics, and by Friday (when we were supposed to be flying to Denver to see Grandma and Grandpa), Mommy had stitches removed for a previous skin procedure, and we were in surgery to fix the Superego’s arm.

By the Monday of Thanksgiving week (a week ago) we had finally made it to Denver (3 days late), but almost immediately the Superego came down with a stomach bug and was vomiting all night long.  Exhausted can’t begin to describe how we were all doing, but I have to say, the Superego is my hero.  Her strength and resolve is unmatched.  After everything she had been through, she only complained when the pain meds and antibiotics made her sick.  That kid is amazing. 

Smiley cookies from Auntie Ju Ju (that might have been out in the sun too long.  Either that or their eyeballs are supposed to be running!!)

But, as it always does, life just kept on movin’, and taught us some lessons along the way – such as: