A 14-year-old boy from California became the last child under LB 157, the state law that designed Nebraska hospitals, police and fire departments as safe havens. On November 21, 2008 the legislature passed LB 1, which limits the age of a child, who a person can drop off at a hospital and not be prosecuted, to the age of 30 days or younger.

A total of 36 children have been dropped off in Nebraska and I predict that when they turn 18, they’re coming after their parents, Stephen King style.

Many of the stories are heartbreaking. For parents without insurance, the options for dealing with difficult or emotionally disturbed children must be overwhelming. Unfortunately, while the media is great at publicizing the problem, I haven’t seen a lot of sites offering resources for a solution. Here are just a couple. Please email me at (katie at barelysaneparent.com) with any others and I’ll add them.

• Boys Town 24-Hour Free Hotline 1-800-448-3000
• Covenant House 9-Line for Teens in Crisis - 1-800-999-9999

These guys represent a mis-managed, backward thinking industry. The fact that Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler are so clueless as to fly private jets into D.C. to ask for a billion dollar bailout redefines gall.

Detroit killed the electric car while waterboarding SUV’s down consumer throats and now it’s time to say goodbye. Let them go bankrupt and offer packages and retraining to auto-workers.

Did we bail out the typewriter industry when computers were emerging? What about Kodak and Fuji Film drowning in the wake of digital cameras?

The greening of America is snowballing and not even a Hummer can stop it. Consumers don’t want the melting of the polar ice caps on our conscience. Still, if our government decides to contribute money, I hope they’ll ask Google or Apple to manage the reshaping and rebranding of the American Car. I’d drive a gas-Googler any day.

“Hey Mom and Dad, I’m not a wussy desk-job girl!”

Part resolution and part contribution, my sister Andrea and I ran a hilly 5K in Calabasas, Calif. today to recognize our friend Travis D. and his family as they fight T’s stomach cancer. Mark drove DC up later in the morning and she participated in her first mile run with me. Mark was our photographer!

After some really major surgery on the 28th, T. is going through six weeks of chemo and possibly radiation. Because of this treatment, he is currently unable to work as an actor and the family is raising funds via the Talbert Family Foundation, who hosted the race today.

T’s family does have insurance via SAG; however, he is juggling co-pays and a gap in income. All donations are tax-deductible. Please see their web site and help spread the word.

Thank you!

When I spend my weekends hurrying from place-to-place, using gas, spending money and brainpower on arriving at a destination or completing a task, I rob myself, and my daughter, of two free days of rest and relaxation.

I transform from shiny, happy Katie into one of those impatient people who snap at baristas. This is absolutely no good for anyone, especially employees of Coffee Bean.

Here’s how I *try very hard* to reclaim my weekends:

1. Stay off the phone.
2. Exercise.
3. Limit lessons. OK, easy for me to say as I forgot to sign my daughter up for soccer.
4. Attend Agape once or twice month.
5. Treat myself.
6. Try to only commit to ONE event per day or weekend.

I’m the Queen of “succeeding as a working parent is keeping your kids on the DL”—not a lot of doctor’s appointments, photos, etc. It’s OK to bring your dog to work but your kid- no way! This way people treat working women like bosses, co-workers and NOT like Moms.

My philosophy was completely shot to hell late last month as, in between camp ending and school starting, my childcare fell through! My husband saved the day and invited DC to his office at Raymond James to buy and sell stocks.

DC pleaded and cried not to go. She actually said, “Mom, I like investing but kids needs their moms!”

I explained that she would need to be up at 5:30am and that she basically would have to sit at a desk and make a Bon Voyage card for my co-worker and not talk to anyone. If she went to a meeting- SILENCE.

Sure enough the next morning she tapped me on my arm fully dressed and ready for Starbucks at 5:30am. At the office she:

• Created a Bon Voyage card for Andy, introducing herself to everyone in the office to gather signatures.
• Talked non-stop not only to me to a woman who sat near her.
• Charmed everyone by passing out construction paper snow flakes, which are still pasted on various bulletin boards.
• Ate lunch at her desk (I know, I know. Well, it was busy).

As I put her backpack full of stuffed animals, crayons, construction paper and homemade books into my sister’s car around 3pm and watched my little assistant drive off, I almost got a little tear.
I would do anything for her… even lose my cool cred at the office.

I’ve received several emails from working women friends urging me to take a shot at Palin via womenagainstpalin.com. I can’t do it. I’m drinking the Palinade. I like her!

Although I support Obama and Biden and am against McCain, I do not want to be against Sarah Palin. She’s smart, hard working and bringing home the bacon AND moose. (The moose felling is a bit odd but I blame her Dad).

She said that she doesn’t sleep much. She’s “either breastfeeding or on her Blackberry”. I can completely relate to that (That was seven years ago, but still). While I do not agree with her stances on most issues, I still want to high-five this woman. 

She’s the Break Girl, Wonder Woman and Geena Davis from “Commander and Chief” all rolled into one. Just as Obama usurped Hillary’s media attention, the Palinator is the Republican rockstar.

As I’m getting ready to schlep my kid to yet ANOTHER structured camp, robbing her of a stay-at-home Mom’s summer of swimming, activities and sleeping in, these five words go down smoother than bio-diesel in a Volvo conversion car: Colin Farrel is a Parent.

Once again a celebrity parent helping us all in the real world feel better about ourselves. At least we bathe every day…well, unless we work from home.

When my boss asked me to lunch I wanted to believe that good news was going to be delivered over a delicious salmon salad; however, in the past I’ve been burned by this presumption. I sat across from him and his color-printed PPT plan for the department expecting nothing but lunch with some Omega-3’s.

My boss unveiled some PPT pages and showed off an org chart.  He pointed to my name on a blue rectangle.

“Congratulations, we’re reorganizing the team and you’re running one of the groups. You’re getting a promotion!”

I nodded and pseudo-smiled because there were a lot of other boxes under my blue rectangle and that’s a lot of squares to manage!

BSP’s Tips for Working Parents to Get Promoted

• Arrive earlier
• Stay calm, solution-oriented and laugh a lot
• Set up support system for child pickup and drop-offs
• No whining - we choose to work and parent!
• Keep appointments out of the office vague (kid-specific ones on the DL)
• Stop gushing about your kids to people who don’t have them
• Give back with your time, talent and finances

(Photo credit: collegecandy.com)

Sometimes my news intake consists of NPR during my commute and a glance at the headlines during the day at Yahoo.com. In late May I saw two headlines stacked on top of each other:

1. 100,000 people suspected dead in Myanmar cyclone

2. Conservative group raised over 2M dollars to overturn gay marriage in California

Let’s get our priorities in the right place. As Americans we have power to raise money for any cause yet a group of self-righteous jingoistic individuals places a higher priority on stopping California men and women from loving someone of the same sex than helping starving and homeless families in Burma or China.

Help gay Californians keep their right to be married by contributing to Equality California.

Assist the efforts to rescue homeless families around the world by contributing to the Red Cross or Shelterbox.

Every day I read about the violent deaths of U.S. soldiers and civilians in Iraq. Approximately 4,300 coalition members have died in Iraq including 174 Britons. Some estimates list the number of Iraqis who have died at 80,000.

All this blood shed in the name of democracy and Britain can’t even allow a work permit for Nashat Akram, 24, a young Iraqi hero to play for Manchester City Football Club? (Full Story: LATimes)

Sports bring us together and Britain should allow Akram to play for Manchester. I’m angry and ready to accompany an international team of ball-kicking envoys to help get this kid to play. I recommend the UFC’s Mirko Cro-cop to bust through the door to get everyone’s attention and then Madeleine Albright and Tony Blair can smooth out the situation over high tea. Let’s get the Brits to TapOut.