When I saw the above picture in the Business section last Sunday I have to admit - it made me jump a little.

I first wrote of my fear of that little cardboard roll as an aside in this post from November 2006 - “Halloween Postmortem”. I’ve found that one of the best things about this blog is sharing something and finding out you’re not alone - be it parenting issues or quirky quirks.

File this under quirky quirks.

I am in good company in my fear of the Pillsbury dough canister and it’s random explosion. No matter how many times I’ve done it - it makes me jump. I liken it to the Jack-In-the-Box scene from “Elf.”

According to the article Pillsbury is doing well with sales of comfort food. Which begs the question - are the cases of explodoughphobia growing as well ?

Last summer I overcame my fear of clowns by confronting one in the Star Tribune parking lot. Perhaps I should get in the kitchen and do some serious immersion therapy with a few dozen Pillsbury cardboard rolls. Grands? Cinnamon rolls? Biscuits? Bring em on!

Any other explodoughphobes out there?

What does one write after a very sad post? Everything else seems trivial.
I was going through my pictures from Christmas and found this one. I snapped it after Ben found Grandpa’s reading glass.
Being a big “Sid the Science Kid” fan - he absolutely loved it.

And it makes me smile. Hope it makes you smile too.

We are beyond saddened to share the news that a member of our community has passed away. Emilie was a fairly frequent commenter here. She is survived by her husband, Stephen, her son Daniel 2.5, and baby Ben, 9 months and countless friends. We know several of you were dear friends of hers and extend our sincerest condolences.

For those who aren’t familiar with her - here’s just the recent part of her story. Emilie found out she had cancer in the summer of 2007 when she was pregnant with her second child, Ben. She had a successful operation to remove the tumor while she was pregnant, but it came back soon after she gave birth to him.

I never met Emilie in person yet felt like I truly knew her. I know a lot of her blog readers felt that way. I had been a longtime lurker of her blog, Lemmondrops, after I followed a link from a comment she made here on Cribsheet. We had a few e-mail conversations, not about her cancer, but about being “older” mothers, just turning the big 4-0, our Ben’s, our kids similar age spreads, and other common ground. I was inspired by her wisdom, humor, grace and attitude. I learned so much from her and often visited her archived posts to find out more about this amazing person. She had a honest and witty writing style. I loved her meme’s and lists: a quick snapshot into who she was, although I’m sure they merely scratched the surface.

Last spring I wrote to her asking if she would share her story on Cribsheet. I later checked her blog and found out she was about to start chemotherapy and thought, “Oh, no I can’t ask her to do this now.” I went to my outbox and tried to retract my request. She had already opened it and wrote back that she’d be glad to - and promptly sent me this post: Questions No Mother Ever Expects to Face.

(more…)

Of course the State Fair is going on through Labor Day but here are some other options to look forward to in early September.

CivicFest just opened this morning and is going on through September 4th at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  It is a non-partisan celebration of the U.S Presidency, democracy and Minnesota history.  There will be replicas of the White House, the Oval Office, the fuselage of Air Force One, dresses of the First Ladies, historic artifacts,  memorabilia, photos and more.

I envision - “Smithsonian comes to Minneapolis.”

I want to go if only to get the photo opportunity of each of my kids sitting behind the President’s desk in the Oval Office.  Hello potential Christmas card photo 2008! What bill would my little Ben sign into office? If he had only won his argument this morning it would probably be.. 

“Cookies for breakfast for all Americans!” (Sorry bud, but you got vetoed).

Also super excited about:

Target Children’s Book Festival  presented by the Star Tribune. It is coming up on Saturday, September 13 from 10am-5pm. It is always a good time in beautiful Hyland Park in Bloomington.  It’s free, it’s fun and this year the music roster looks like a line up just as pleasing for the parents as the kids. They Might Be Giants and bespectacled Lisa Loeb are just two of the many great acts.  There will also be children’s author book readings, those inflatable bouncy jumpy things, face-painting, a scavenger hunt,  food,  and more!

September is also time for pickin and a grinnin - apple orchards! Throw on a sweatshirt head out to an orchard for some McIntosh and some melt in your mouth cider donuts.  I do so love fall! Here is a link to a list of local orchards -

Enjoy your long weekend everyone! As I type and  look out my window the parking spaces of downtown are quickly becoming vacant. Must be time to stop laboring and enjoy Labor Day weekend!

Just got a note from our friend, Kate Hopper, the Mother Words writing instructor at the Loft. We’ve often featured her students essays on Cribsheet. (Check out the Mother Words Essay category to the right of the page). She wanted to alert Cribsheeters that her fall session is open for registration.  Give it a go. Who knows maybe one of your essays will be featured in a future Cribsheet post.

Here is a course description:

Whether you are a new mom or a veteran, whether you gave birth to or adopted your child, in this class you’ll learn how to take birth and motherhood stories and turn them into art. We’ll talk about the use of humor and explore ways to capture funny motherhood anecdotes on paper. We’ll also discuss and write about the heartbreak and loss that are part of motherhood. Weekly writing exercises will focus on telling details, character development, and strengthening your reflective voice. You can expect to generate two to three creative nonfiction pieces. The instructor will provide feedback on up to 10 pages of student writing (typed and double-spaced) in addition to pieces shared and workshopped in class. Course packets will be available for a copy fee on the first day of class.

And the link: The Loft: Mother Words

** addendum: The Loft is teaming up with the Hennepin County libraries and offering a variety of free writing labs at various times (one of which is titled The Parent Trap: Finding Time to Write) Kate will be teaching a session at the Edina Library, September 27, 2pm. What a great program, registration begins August 30 and the classes will fill quickly!