Welcome Smiling Mom to my site today for July's Blog Exchange.I thought a lot about July 1st's blog exchange topic, "In my child's eyes." The reality is my life is so busy and fast paced that I often don't slow down and allow myself the time to see, I mean really see, what is important to my kids. So I decided to hand my son a camera and let him take pictures of anything important to him.This is what he saw.Our dog Kayla, one of the most important things to him.His Sister, eClaire. They live to disagree, with moments of pure love and tender moments interspersed. What boy doesn't love his Mac truck? The racetrack. Oh the racetrack. The blanket, "It has big holes and little holes. It' s my blanket." This about sums up my son's favorite things. If his Grandpa was here, he'd of photographed … [Read more...]
Dear Nice Lady Whom I Now Loathe
To the Woman in Front of Me at the Safeway Checkout,Hi! Remember me? The woman dripping in sweat because I was at the gym right before I dashed into our local Safeway? I also had the cranky toddler who everyone smiled at when she pointed to Matthew Mcconaughey and proclaimed, "Daddy!" Yes, that was me. I thought you were a nice smart lady. I thought you had your shit together when I got in line behind you. It was the express line after all. Fifteen items or less! You had more kids than groceries piled in your cart. We were simpatico. You were already sliding your credit card through the scanner when I dumped my greeting card and jug of organic milk on the conveyor belt. Easy peasy. Then you got confused.It wasn't the credit card processing. It was the coupon on the receipt. I know. They … [Read more...]
What If I Said It’s Your Own Fault
What if I said- It's not the media that kills and distorts our image of a healthy woman's body. What if I said it's us. Ourselves. We just aren't working hard enough. We skip the gym, eat a donut and then feel guilty. Is that the media slapping your wrist or yourself? Are we just using the media as an excuse for our own lack of motivation and what we see as our own failure to achieve a certain look? The body image in our brain or the one in US Weekly? Which comes first? We choose to look the way we do. Cellulite can't always be helped. Neither can stretch marks or breast shape. The extra 10-50 lbs you are carrying? What if I said that is on you. If we are unhappy with how we look the onus is on us to change it. I hate my thighs. I could change them if I worked hard enough, … [Read more...]
A Few Things
I consider myself a new writer. Just trying to make it in the world today. Yes, sometimes it takes a lot.... Really, though I'm not. I've been doing the whole writing thing for quite some time. I just never had it technically published or was paid for it outright. I did a lot of technical manuals in my day. Data sheets, course catalogs and generally dry stuff. Before that, I wrote some pretty serious papers on the life of your average gilded age princess, the civil war and how it affected women, and the every day life of the 19th Century person. I wrote some pretty kick ass stuff as I was told in not those exact words. I have talent. A passion and gift for writing.Ok fine. So here I am actually trying to make a living from it and I'm pissed. I get really angry when I see ads on job boards … [Read more...]
White Picket Fences
I'm not a white picket fence girl. I'm more of a wrought iron woman or a tall solid stone wall that would surround my compound. You know my compound. The one I'll have someday when I actually complete my book and sell it. Anyway, back to that stereotypical dream of the white picket fence.I had a conversation recently with a friend who stated, "I'm not about the white picket fence, that whole suburban thing with kids. It's not what I want." I detected a note of disdain in her voice. She might as well as said, "Blech!" and spit after that sentence. At first it made me angry because after all I live in suburbia and I tote T.D. around on a daily basis. I go to the community pool and take walks on the trails in my 'hood. I took what she said personally. As if it's ok for those other people … [Read more...]
PBS Obsessions
I love television. As a kid I ate nearly every meal that I could get away with in front of the tube. I dressed for school while watching 'Heathcliff'. I watched Love Boat and ate cheese sandwiches. Charlie's Angels and Dukes of Hazzard? Accompanied with Doritoes. The Muppets were after Saturday night bathtime with a bowl of popcorn and juice. I've been told that I watched almost an entire day of the Carter Inauguration. I was a year and a half. I was apparently so fascinated my mother couldn't break me away. As an infant I fell asleep on my father's chest to the evening news. I clearly remember watching 'War and Rememberance' and each segment of 'North and South', a series I annually annoy H with.There's a theme here. I love TV and I especially love historical TV dramas. So is it … [Read more...]
No Rachel Ray’s Allowed
The air is thick with humidity today. As I stepped out on the front steps this morning, somehow the concrete managed to feel damp and spongy. Thankfully my mind is clear. My outlook better today. I have possible sticks or long branches or whatever in the fires.Thursday night. Girls Night on my block. I called my neighbor to see what the plan was an she answered on the first ring. As I said hello I realized she was already talking to someone else and saying, "I don't know about you, but this pregnant woman is done! I need a Bellini. A Leaning Bellini from Macaroni Grill!" I kept saying her name but she didn't hear me or my laughter. No, this is not some bad mother drinking on the job. She's at the end of her second pregnancy and apparently last night suffering some serious "let's just call … [Read more...]
A Vodka on the Rocks please, hold the Rocks
Beware of Mommy. Or just be weary of me. It should be a sign I wear around my neck today. Front to back -please read before approaching- Be weary of this woman. She's twitchy evil today. Hormones? Yes. Lack of sleep? Check.Sick of "Big, Big World" playing on the TV? You betcha! Dawson's Creek is now playing in the background only slightly more tolerable. Which one is worse is a toss up at the moment. Joey Potter always irritated me a tad bit more than ginormous head Dawson. Currently Dawson and his giant head seem to be having some sort of existential crises.Things that disturb me today and have furthered this 'woke up on the wrong side of the bed' syndrome.Rachel Ray's Voice and all her "cute" little catchphrases. EVO is going to put me into a blind rage one day. Am I the only person on … [Read more...]
Tales from the Cafeteria
Like chicken nuggets in an industrial-sized oven and limp green beans sifted through a giant steam tray these are the days of our lunch time. At fourteen, I was a reserved kid prone to shyness, except when it came to matters of the heart. I could be quite expressively volatile and didn’t suffer fools easily. So when the boy I had a crush on for what seemed like forever asked me out (you know “going out” where you don’t actually go anywhere because you can’t drive and well, you’re fourteen so really your life consists of movie nights with friends and such) I was ecstatic. When he dumped me the next day in fourth period French, I got pissed. He sent me a note from across the aisles. It was lame just like him. I had to send a message that this type of weenie-ass behavior would not be … [Read more...]
Nap Situation- Critical
"Ooooooh. Uuuhhhh Oooooh." I turn and see apple yogurt glopping off T.D.'s foot and onto the floor. More importantly though a whole mess of it has splashed onto the dogs back. The dog knows it's there and is desperately twisting and turning to lick the heaven sent yogurt off her back. It's Morning in my house! The day progressed with me thinking I had to watch a neighbors kid and then realizing I got the day wrong. Tomorrow. No gym time for me either day. These pasty thighs aren't going to be summer ready until October at this point. Five bathing suits have been bought, five sent back. I'll have the perfect suit by December.Deadlines to meet. Must work! Except I can't work. T.D. won't nap. No matter what I do she just cries and cries. She's cranky. I'm cranky. The dog grumbles in a hidden … [Read more...]