I'm Official!!!

(…or is that “ofeisial”?!)

So, just how addicting is a MAID’s addiction, you wonder???

Beyond the obvious addiction to Irish dance, Irish music, and the trials and tribulations of parenting Irish dancers, scientists have recently diagnosed that many MAIDs also have a psychological dependency on message board humor, MoonPies, and men in kilts. (In extreme cases, Claddagh thongs have also been associated with the addiction. But that’s another story…)

Thanks to the tireless efforts of a Chicago-area MAID affectionately known as “Nutcase”, many MAIDs also have a unique artifact known as the “MAID’s pin”, which may be worn to feiseanna in order to announce their affiliation with the international conglomeration of MAIDs.

Sadly, the demand for these artifacts was greater than the supply, and the pins are now extremely difficult to obtain.

However, persistence prevails!!!

Thanks to the miracles of instant messaging and the forging of a new friendship, I learned that Nutcase recently discovered a few forgotten MAID’s pins tucked away in the corner of a closet. And after much pleading, I was able to negotiate a deal with Nutcase to obtain one of these pins!

With utter reliance upon the diagnosed severity of my addiction, Nutcase trustingly sent one of these coveted artifacts by post last week. I promptly photographed the pin in order to properly document its authenticity…





I then scrambled to keep up my end of the bargain…

Just what is the cost of such a rare and precious pin, you wonder? Thanks to Nutcase’s generosity, the fee for this particular transaction was all of the charms from a box of Lucky Charms!



Bending the child labor laws of several countries, I enlisted the assistance of my two dancing daughters to fulfill the obligation.



And voila! The charms were packaged and ready to be mailed to Illinois!



So now, I wear my pin with pride everywhere I go!

I’m not so sure the world at large is quite ready for that, though. Yesterday, after a delicious breakfast of Lucky Charms without the charms, I brought my youngest daughter to preschool. I was wearing my pin, of course, and one of the other mother’s said, “Oh, do you have a house cleaning service?”

A friend heard the question and laughed. A little too much. (She’s seen my house.)