My First Award!

A big THANK YOU to Frugalapolis who nominated me for "The Versatile Blogger" Award! Please visit her informative blog HERE.

Part of the responsibility of accepting the award is to share the love! The rules for "The Versatile Blogger" award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 5 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! Make sure to contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

(Rules are flexible, in case you're not good with rules!)


SEVEN THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I have freckles. LOTS of freckles.

2. I am the only person in my family who can NOT roll my tongue.

3. I love watching Monster Trucks cause destruction!

4. Despite being extremely clumsy, I have never broke a bone or had an injury that required stitches.

5. I am allergic to nickel.

6. When I was a little girl, I didn't want to put my head under water in the bathtub because I was positive a shark would come up through the drain and GET ME!

7. I have read the children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl more than 25 times. Check out some great quotes from the book here.

Trivial Thursday

I've decided to start a new, quasi-regular posting on Thursdays called "Trivial Thursday". Each week I will post a few questions that I will answer and encourage you to answer too. The questions will generally be random and of little consequence, but isn't everything I post?

* * * * *

1) Do you *snort*? Sometimes, but only when chortling in excessive laughter

2) One of our daughter’s has the nickname “Monkey Moo.” What's your nickname? Most of my family calls me Baby Red or Weezie as a nickname.

3) Do you know sign language? Took one year in high school & wish I had stuck it out longer.

4)What's a sample convo from your hood? I'd love to say I can tell you one, but I really can't think of an example at this time! My eldest is only 9-years old, so hopefully all my "convos" are still sweet. Right?! Ummmm... yeah, right! That's the ticket!

5) Do you sleep with electronic devices - i.e. laptop, Blackberry, iPhone, etc? I sleep with my blackberry under my pillow

CLICK NOW TO DONATE A BOOK

"Books are such simple things. On the surface, they are nothing but pieces of paper bound together containing strings of words -- but books contain amazing power. The ability to read and access to books can change a child's life. I know this because I believe they changed mine."


BlogHer and BookRenter, a company that rents textbooks to college students, have joined forces because we know that books makes a difference. Help us meet our goal of 1,000 books donated -- we're not there yet!

From May 3-28, together we are working to make a difference in children's lives by generating new books for children who need them most, via the nonprofit organization First Book.


Want to help? For every comment you leave on this post, one book will be donated. That's right: All you need to do is leave a comment, and BookRenter will donate a book to a child in need -- up to 1,000 books.

Comment as many times as you like. How about telling us about the books that changed your own life? You can also blog it this week and let us know. Your post will count as a comment as well! See who else has blogged this book drive here.

Question of the Day

You know how you stay up too late with your husband drinking "icky pop" (code: soda & rum) and then you wake up at 4:30am and can't go back to sleep, and four hours later you get in a mini-van with 4 children for a family field trip to the zoo in 90+ degree heat with humidity in the 90th percentile, and then you walk around for four hours in the sweltering, unforgiving heat, and you watch a grizzly bear regurgitate and re-eat it's lunch over and over again, and sometimes the grizzly bear even takes a moment to lick it's co-grizzly bears butt, and then you go to lunch and give thanks that you didn't pack bologna because the smell might just be the straw that breaks the camels back and forces you to hurl, and then a bug flies in your mouth, and on the ride home your three year old AND four year old fall fast sleep the entire way, which means they don't fall asleep until way-to-late-o'clock on a school night?

Yeah me too.

Nice. REAL NICE!

Explicit Lyrics

Hello Friends,

I am experiencing an extremely challenging and intersting time in my life, so today's lyrics reflect that. I need to warn you:

DO NOT READ OR LISTEN TO THIS WITH ANYONE UNDER AGE 18.

This song is a great example of "social disobediance" -- if you take it with a grain of salt. It truly isn't only all about the swearing, even though I think almost every line includes a very bad swear word. As I heard it, Korn (who I am not a fan of) wanted to release an album of greatest hits but their music label told them that before they could release a greatest hits album, they had to create at least one new single in order to have the labels backing and support. I guess this single was the end result. Read the messages that flash across the screen as the video plays. If your modest sensiblities are offended, mute the music, but still read the messages.

I have always been against big business, conglomerates and monopolpies controlling the media I take in. I like this song, solely for the messages it tries to share with the uneducated, naive public.

Remember, you're been fair warned. DO NOT READ FURTHER WITH CHILDREN.

Enjoy!



Y'all Want A Single...
~Korn

Y'all want a single say f*ck that
F*ck that, F*ck that
Y'all want a single say f*ck that
F*ck that, F*ck that
Y'all want a single say f*ck that
F*ck that, F*ck that
Y'all want a single say f*ck that
Boom Boom Boom Boom

What's going on today?
We gotta break away
We got a problem and
I think it's going to make us go down

They think we're all the same
And always we're to blame
For sh*t I think is lame
It's time to stop the game
I think it's time to pay for everything you made me say

Y'all want a single say f*ck that
F*ck that, F*ck that [x4]

What's going on today?
Why must it be this way?
We're going nowhere and
We're still knocking the need to bow down

They think we're all the same
And always we're to blame
For sh*t I think is lame
It's time to stop the game
I think it's time to pay for everything you made me say

Y'all want a single say f*ck that
Fu*k that, F*ck that [x4]

We are the ones breaking you down
We are the hope to drown out your sounds
All across the world you think we're to found
All across the world you're breaking you down

Y'all want a single say f*ck that
F*ck that, F*ck that sh*t [x4]
F********************ck

Y'all want a single say f*ck that
F*ck that, F*ck that [x6]

Change is Good

Had to change up the look of my blog. I am in need of change. Let me know what you think...

For You, Dad!

And for my daddy-dearest, I am adding the four letter word:

LIAR

to my blog's earlier posting.

Love you tons, Pops!!!!!

Served

I adore teacher's blogs. They are the best. Super funny and insightful and oh-so-brutally honest! Today I was reading Ayn's post. Too cute and a perfect example of children trying to use their recently acquired, ever expanding, vocabulary skills. Hee-hee!


Little illuminations: "Wednesday's Witticism - Out of the mouth of babes"

For today's "Witticism" post, I thought I would share a cute story that happened yesterday. We're finishing our last week of school with the "tale" end of our fairytale unit. Today's story was "Jack and the Beanstalk". I usually try to find literature to share that is relatively free of violence and "bad words". I started to read the story and realized it was a particularly gory version, so I swapped it for another. The second version was pretty accurate with original violence, but I continued. As I was reading the part about Jack cutting down the beanstalk and the giant falls to his death, I was praying that the friends wouldn't focus on the violence. (You know there's always one who will do just what you hope no one will! )

Just as I finished, one of my most enthusiastic friends jumped up and yelled, "MAN, HE GOT SERVED!"

I stifled my laughter and said with an almost straight face, "Ben, what does that mean, 'he got served'?"

He looked up at me with a big smile (proud of his newly expanded vocabulary), "I don't know, but that giant sure got it!"

Kids, you gotta love them!

Almost as good as a burger flipper

I don't remember the exact date of my “blogiversary”, but I do believe I have just passed two huge (for me!) milestones. Wait for it… wait for it…

I have now been blogging for over two years AND I have posted over 500 posts.

I suppose that isn’t a big deal to most folks, especially since there are many more accomplished and talented mommy bloggers on the humongously big world wide web, but for me… Wow! Go me!

When I started, I hadn’t written anything in years. I was so tired and busy with all those not-so-lucrative-but-soul-consuming parenting duties of newborn babies. I had read a lot of memoir-ish stuff by writers about my age, writers who, while humorous and amusing and talented and intelligent, were simply relating stories from their everyday journey – my everyday journey.

It was the sort of writing that some people, mainly really out-there feminists, always wring their hands over: “Oh no, young mommies are writing about themselves! How dare they!” As a former militant feminist, it took a lot of soul searching and attitude adjustment for me to admit that I actually wanted TO BE a mommy blogger. Despite my best intentions to not "ONLY" be a mom or housewife that is exactly what I was seeking. It took me years to come to grips with the fact that I no longer desired a high-powered, prestigious career.


I want, more than anything, to be the very best mommy possible and be with my children as much as possible.

For the wee ones are only young once, and for such a very brief time… There may be moments, or entire days, that seem to last an eternity – times when I don’t think I will survive this toddler phase or that preschooler phase. However, the old cliché “this too shall pass” is so very true.

So, instead of finding it discouraging that I was not the “successful, accomplished” adult woman I thought I wanted to grow up to be, I had morphed into something new. And I was inspired. Really, truly inspired. I conciously made the decision to be a mommy and still hold on to my feminist notions and afterall, I could be a mommy blogger too. I had all these hilarious coming-of-age “nothing happens” kind of stories floating around in my old journals, or happening in my daily life. I thought, perhaps, I could just share them and maybe people would actually read and enjoy them, just as I was reading and enjoying other women’s stories.

So, here we are! Over two years and 500+ posts later. It’s not what award winning stuff is made of, but I’ll take it.

After all those years of struggling with it, I’ve found an inner peace and a medium that works for me and I’m simply enjoying writing again. I’ve loved having this little virtual open mic to share my thoughts. Thank you so much for reading!

Red Stapler

Kiss Me

When I first heard my daughter singing along with Kate Perry's song "I Kissed A Girl" as she heard it on television, I was horrified! How did she know this song? I was still expecting her to sing Sesame Street songs... I didn't care that she was nine-years old! I guess I need to get with the times. My little girl is growing up, and I must admit, I find the song catchy and like it too.



I Kissed A Girl
~ Katy Perry

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion

It's not what
I'm used to
Just wanna try u on
I'm curious for you
Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

No I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
You're my expiramental game
Just human nature

It's not what
Good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets
So confused
Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

Us girls we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

It's Therapeutic!

As long as I am on a sarcastic streak with my blogging, today's posting is about the fantastically awesome and oh-so-true website titled "Sh*t My Kids Ruined." It describes itself as "THE STRONGEST VISUAL BIRTH CONTROL ON THE MARKET TODAY." They "want to know about the shit your kids ruined. Perhaps your couch? Your TV? Your marriage? Your dreams? CONTRIBUTE. It's therapeutic."

It is a rollicking good time exploring the misfortunes of fellow breeders who blinked for the briefest of moments during their parental watch!

I was made aware of the website by a co-worker who thought, perhaps, I would have a few pictures of my own to share. Oh! You bet your bottom dollar I have incriminating pictures of ruined sh*t! I just don't happen to be organized or motivated enough to local them at this moment. However, now that I know this type of website exists -- I am so going to post the next pictures I take of ruined items AND, very unfortunately, I am positive there will be a next time for ruined items.

P.S. My nine-year old just read this posting and is very upset with me. She thinks the website is awful and "blaming children for things they didn't do on purpose." Which may be true... perhaps the kids didn't intend to ruin the stuff. Yet, it was ruined just the same and when said daughter grows up and reproduces her own hellions, she will better understand. Hugs!

MotherBi*ches

As I was surfing mommy blogs last week, I found the fantastic slogan of:

MotherBitches: What the mean girls of junior high turn into when they age and than procreate.

LMAO!

Four Letter Words

Four letter words...

diet
soda
bras
love
yawn
nope
kiss
aged
oath
baby
piss
bold
jest
deft
late
soft
wife
play

Cuddling

I have to put the clothes in the dryer and do one more load of laundry tonight, but I keep cuddling.

I have to find his sister's other sandal for tomorrow, but I keep cuddling.

I have to call that prescription refill in to the pharmacy, but I keep cuddling.

I need to call my sister back, but I keep cuddling.

I need to send out a reminder email for an upcoming Girl Scout event, but I keep cuddling.

I should wash and dry my hair tonight instead of trying to drag my butt out of bed early tomorrow morning, but I keep cuddling.

I'm getting hot, hugging my wee, little space heater, but I keep cuddling.

* * * * * * * * * *

In my quiet bedroom, with my youngest child, my only son, my very last baby (who is no longer a baby but a three-year old preschooler) snuggled against me breathing softly, I keep cuddling. He's sound asleep. I could carry him back to his own bed right now. But I keep cuddling and try to quiet my mind. I ignore the voice that keeps trying to remind me, one by one, of the things that I still need to do.

I breathe in my baby boy’s scent and rub my cheek against his hair.

Cuddling my last little baby is what I will do. Just for another minute or two…

ThisBig

Blogging is a narcissistic act.

To blog is to call undue attention to oneself. "Undue" being the operative word. A blogger and her readers are one big mutual admiration society.



Blogging has created a first draft society -- where anyone can put ideas and opinions out there, unvetted & unedited. Presenting information as if it is worthy of reading and reflection when most of it is idiotic or senseless rambling with no value in terms of public discourse.

As a writer, if I wrote in a journal every day and kept it in my night stand, would that be a more noble, more humble, more appropriate thing to do? A private journal makes no demands on anyone else. There is clearly no motivation to elicit feedback (or attention). I would not be burdening the general public with my mood swings, grammatical errors, pictures of my children or my thoughts on breastfeeding, Burt’s Beeswax lip balm, local politics, and old-school songs from the 1980’s.

Is journaling supposed to be done in private, so as not to show off how silly or stupid or smart or troubled or wonderful you are? Is this type of writing a more pure act, with cleaner motivations, simply because you aren't intentionally sharing it with the whole world. Why?

Show off.

When I glance back through my archived posts it is apparent to me that I don't have time to be a writer. Maybe someday, but not currently. There is rarely anything posted here that I would hold up as a piece of work that I am really proud of.

With one exception, I've recorded things here about my children that I'm happy with. When I feel stupid about blogging, I hold on to the thought that maybe someday, if I can keep at it long enough, there will be posts I can pull out of archives (among the silly and stupid and pointless things) that will capture how I felt about my wee ones as I watched them grow up. Things I promised myself I'd never forget… So I don't quit.

Even when I feel thisbig about being a blogger.

Click Away

Bloggers always say: You don't have to read my work.

Something similar to the argument that you can always turn the radio station or refuse to buy the book or surf over certain television channels – You can always choose to click away from my blog too.

But the point of this post isn't "if you don't like my blog, click away."

The issue: Is there VALUE in the act of personal blogging? Value in terms of me spending time doing it; spending time away from my other responsibilities or people important to me? In particular, I am interested in the personal blogger’s presumption that people will find their writing interesting enough to read, and possibly even comment.

For writers who are actually paid for their work and consider themselves a writer by trade, I understand that having a blog can be a useful tool to facilitate feedback that helps them hone their craft. But what about the average "mommy blogger?"

Am I indulging in something so essentially self-serving that it is really, at the most basic level, nothing more than an ego feeder?

"It's MY blog. I can say what I want here. I'm going to vent my internal dialogue in public and feel better about myself when the comments come in saying how nice I look or assuring me that I'm right or not alone or doing great. Because… Hey! IT'S ALL ABOUT ME."

(For a moment, suspend reality and disregard the issue of hateful comments/trolls. We all experience them sooner or later, but for the most part, a blogger's readers are a faithful and sympathetic audience of like-minded people who say nice things. You know, like virtual friends.)

Is there an “attention-grab” inherent in personal blogging that actually taints it? Is this a form of hubris that I should be repenting of, not indulging in? Is it not the height of presumption to think random people would be interested in my feelings and experiences? And worse yet, isn’t it arrogant to continue to feed that beast of egotistism once people start to show up and watch me do my blog thing?

How is it not considered absolutely ridiculous to make our personal journals and baby books public?

Go get some real friends already … ?

Freak On

Just because I don't want to think too much and I heard a clip of this song the other day....



"Get Ur Freak On"
~ Missy Elliott

hit me, hit me
gimme some new shit
gimme some new shit
gimme some new shit
gimme some new shit

(Missy)
Missy be puttin it down
Im the hottest round
Ill told yall mutha (skurt)
Yall can stop me now
Listen to me now
Im lastin twenty rounds
And if you want me (people)
Then come and get me now (bounce)
Is you with me now (bounce)
The biggie biggie bounce (bounce)
I kno you dig the way i sw..sw...switched ma style
(Holla) People sing around
Now people gather round
Now people jump around

(Chorus)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha freak on
(2x)

(Missy)
(is that yo chik..)
People you know
Me and Timbaland been hot since twenty years ago
What da dilly yo
Now what da drilly yo
If you wanna battle me then (people) lemme know
(Holla) Got the feeling son
Lemme throw you some
People here I come
Now sweat me when im done
We got the radio shook like we got a gun

(Chorus)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha freak on
(2x)

(Missy)
Quiet !!!
Shh, hush yo mouth
Silence when I, spit it out
In yo face
Open yo mouth, Give you a taste
(Holla) Aint no stoppin me
Copywritten so, dont copy me
Yall do it, sloppily
And yall cant come, close to me (yes)
I know you feel me now (yes)
I know you hear me loud (yes)
I scream it loud and proud (yes)
Missy gon blow it down (yes)
People gon play me now (yes)
In and outa town (yes)
Cuz im the best around (yes)
With the crazy style (go)

(Chorus)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcho freak on..(go)
Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha freak on
(2x)

Poop

Wow! Did today royally suck. There was NO grace in today. Let me share a few kernals of today's journey...

* Monday’s are usually incredibly hectic. True to form, today was no exception.

* It rained. Which in and of itself is not suck-worthy, we need the rain. However, I am sick of the cold and rain. Why was it gloriously beautiful in March and April in MN but so far May has been hideous?!

* Rainy days seem to bring out the worst in the wee ones. If I had a dime for each time I heard, “You’re so MEAN!!!”, I’d be a flippin’ millionaire.

* My nine-year old daughter had a stomach bug. She didn't quite make it to the bathroom and therefore had an accident in her pants. It was quite a poopy mess. And yes, it was disgusting. I had to suppress the gag reflex. I was NOT successful.

* I had to listen to no less than 3 sets of parents, separately, rip me a new one while they "shared their opinions" about how our Girl Scout troop is being run.

So please, I beg you, HELP ME find the GRACE in today. Because I’m really trying, and it’s just not showing itself. I need guidance.

Show me the way out of the poop and I’d be eternally grateful.

Talent

George Michael is talented, but Aretha Franklin's talent eclispes Mr. Michael's. Together, the two of them, are fabulous in "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me". Who doesn't love a song about true love that is won after "some nights consumed by the shadows"?



"I Knew You Were Waiting For Me"
~ George Michael and Aretha Franklin

Like a warrior that fights
And wins the battle
I know the taste of victory
Though I went through some nights
Consumed by the shadows
I was crippled emotionally
Somehow I made it through the heartache
Yes I did, I escaped
I found my way out of the darkness,
Kept my faith (I know you did)
Kept my faith

When the river was deep I didn't falter
When the mountain was high I still believed
When the valley was low it didn't stop me, no no
I knew you were waiting
I knew you were waiting for me

With an endless desire I kept on searching
Sure in time our eyes would meet
Like the bridge is on fire
The hurt is over, one touch and you set me free
No, I don't regret a single moment
No I don't looking back
When I think of all those disappointments
I just laugh (I know you do), I just laugh

When the river was deep I didn't falter
When the mountain was high I still believed
When the valley was low iIt didn't stop me, no no
I knew you were waiting
I knew you were waiting for me

So we were drawn together through destiny
I know this love we share was meant to be
I knew you were waiting, knew you were waiting
I knew you were waiting, knew you were waiting for me