10 reasons I'm glad that it's fall

This is gonna be short and sweet! And it's because this is an easy prompt and I just love fall! As a matter of fact I haven't found a single person that doesn't! And if you happen to be one of them that dislikes fall share with me the reason you don't. I'm curious!

This list is in no specific order.

1. Apple cider. Especially if it's fresh from the orchard. The stuff from the store is alright but it just isn't the same.

2. Fresh picked apples from the orchard. The smell, the colors, the taste. Mmmm..

3. Things made from those apples. I really love apple pie.

4. Cooler weather. After hot, humid Michigan summers I'm ready for a change.

5. High school football games. I love to go and support my kids school. It's fun, we see a lot of people we know, and we have an awesome band!

6. Fall colors in Michigan are amazing! Especially if you take a trip up north. It's beautiful. Trust me.

7. Pumpkin. Another thing I love! Pumpkin is great in oatmeal, mixed in with a cake mix, and so many other things! And pumpkin pie is my favorite. And you know the worst thing happened last year.... there was a pumpkin shortage! Can you believe it?!?! I almost didn't have pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I'm stocking up this year.

8. The smell of fall. You can smell it in the crisp air on a sunny day when the leaves have changed colors and are starting to fall to the ground.

9. Raking huge leaf piles for the kids to jump into.

10. Corn mazes. We don't get to do it often but they're a ton of fun!

Actually, now that I think about just baking in the fall with apples, cranberries, pumpkin, and all that is great!

What's your favorite thing about fall?

Networking Tips - Review

I'm not going to lie. This is hard. A lot harder than I had expected. There is so much to blogging if you want to make it successful and honestly it's almost like a full time job. And I already have two full time job, one as a mom and two, my job that I go to daily that helps pay the bills.

My goal would be to not have the second one some day too. But that's another story.

I was reading the top 10 networking tips for new bloggers that was for my size blog and should help me grow my blog. And that's when I realized how much work it all actually is. I don't think that I'm going to ever close that tab in my browser! That way I always have it open to refer to so I can make sure that I'm doing all I can to grow my blog. For now I think I need that kind of constant reminder.

Instead of picking just one item from the list and talking about how I put it to use I'd like to touch on each item briefly. It helps me solidify where I'm at and in a way makes me accountable to all of you for what I say I'm going to do.

1. Join and be active in several established blog networks.
This I have done and have been part of 2 or 3 of them for a while now. Blog Frog has to be my favorite my far though as there are so many communities to join, people to meet, and great information to be found. It's been helpful to me when I was looking for a guest blogger too! I really would like to be more active though! In all of the networks. I need to figure out a good schedule for everything and stick to it!

2. Comment, comment, comment on blogs you love.
Done. I comment and I try to make sure that what I say in meaningful. Sometimes I get new visitors out of commenting and sometimes not. I keep at it though!

3. Participate in a Twitter hop.
This I haven't done. I have taken part in a Twitter party & have found new blogs and new friends! I need to look into this more.

4. Search your favorite bloggers' blogrolls
This has to be the easiest way to find great blogs to read! It also points out how interconnected we all our! This is something that I do often and especially on a new blog.

5. Get a badge
Funny thing... I just created one about a week or so ago! I also created a page with other people's links & buttons to help keep things organized on the main page.

6. Develop a tribe
This is a great idea and I think that this just happens naturally. I've already found that a lot of the people that I follow & follow me have similar blogs. As in content, size, and feel of them. We're all the same but different too!

7. Aim equal, not high with your networking
I have to admit that before they were mentioned in the post I had never heard of The Bloggess, Dooce, or The Pioneer Woman. Most of my networking started with the #31DBBB challenge and went from there.  I usually try to keep within my own realm! I have the best luck there.

8. Dedicate time each day to networking
I need to work on this. I usually have Tweetdeck open most of the day, but aside from that there isn't much that I do especially when I'm at work. And on the weekends I'm usually busy and disconnected from it all. I think that 15 - 30 minutes total each day is the minimum that I'd like to put forward and will be including more than Twitter into my routine.

9. Don't obsess over guest posting just yet
I admit. I did this. For a while it was all I was seeing on Twitter and on blogs! I put myself out there and I did it. I've had two guest bloggers and I love it! Maybe it's something that I'd do once a month. This would add a bit for freshness to the blog and bring myself and my guest new readers.

10. Put yourself out there
This sounds like such a simple thing but it really isn't. This is one of those things that takes a while to do. And admitting when you're wrong... whew... that's a hard pill for some to swallow! It's a constant work in progress, but it will pay off I'm sure! For me, one of the hardest parts is just jumping in. I don't want to sound like an idiot or something. I don't want to say the wrong thing and be shunned. It's something that I need to work on by just doing it. Right?

There is a lot that I have to work on and it will take me time and effort to do it. I'm willing to do it to! I know that someday my blog will be in a much better place, but right now I think it's pretty good for having just started in May!

Post It Note Tuesday - Random Thoughts

 

 

The Best Vacation We Ever Took

First of all I have to apologize for my homework being late. Yesterday was totally craptastic just read my post about it and you'll totally agree. And because of that I had a lot to get off my chest so I did that instead of my homework. Sorry.

Week two for Back to School, Back to Blogging has given me some trouble. I was able to quickly do the reading and come up with my list of 10 ideas. Then I started reading the 500 + ideas and could not figure out what one I should write about! There were so many good ones! I finally decided to tell you about the best vacation my family and I took.

In the spring of 2009 my family and I took the vacation of a lifetime! We all went to Disney World, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom for a week. It was the first time that I had ever been there as well!
Now, some wouldn't say that Disney is the vacation of a lifetime, some visit there on a regular basis, and then there are others who would agree with me and have never been there. And to those who haven't been there it's a damn expensive trip! But worth every last penny and I'd do it again.

Us & our ride for the week

Upon arrival in Orlando we gathered our luggage and quickly made our way to where our car was waiting to take us to the Sheraton Vistana Resort where we were staying for the week.

As you can see we had a limo for the entire week! We had the same car & driver while we were there to take us where ever we wanted.

View of the resort from our patio

The resort was huge and we had something close to an apartment with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, dining, kitchen, and laundry. Of course there was all the regular stuff there like a pool & activities, but we didn't hang out there to much!







Our entire week was planned with various parks, dinner shows, and all the fun stuff that the Disney parks have to offer.

To say that I was just as excited as the kids is probably a very true statement! And for a few reasons I suppose. Like I said before I had never been there and neither had my kids and being able to share that with them was great. To see the awe & wonder, the excitement, their eyes and expressions on their face as we made our way to the Magic Kingdom for the first time was the best thing ever. It's just so hard to describe it.

I wanted to see every inch of the park, meet all the characters, and ride all of the rides! I mean it was incredible and a once in a life time thing... I think that maybe the kids felt the same way! For my husband this wasn't the first time that he'd been here. He and his family had been several times before this.

The first characters that we met while there were the wicked step-mother and sisters from Cinderella. The costumes, they way they looked, and the way that they acted was EXACTLY like in the movie! They were in full character too!

 

One of the best things that we did while there was taking a boat out on the lake around the Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle. The evening was cool, the sky was clear, and we had the absolute best view of the fireworks available. The boat floated around until it was close to the time the fireworks were to start and then parked in full view of the castle which was lit up with ever changing colors.

It was a fantastic week!  I'll finish up with some highlight for fear that this could on for ever!

Dinner at Capones
Visted Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studios, and Downtown Disney
Went to see the Hoop De Do Review dinner show

Here are a few of the pics from our trip.

Bugs, Walmart, & My Rant!

Okay, kids! The word of the day is "Craptastic"! That's the best way to describe my day yesterday. Craptastic.

To start the day I had a meeting at work that was totally pointless and a waste of my time. The outcome for priorities was exactly as it was before we went into the meeting. I just don't understand why we had to go through that meeting that was more than an hour (scheduled for 30 min) to come to something we agreed upon a mere 3 months ago! Craptastic!

Fast forward to the afternoon. Looking at Twitter I found out that there is a recall on Similac formula due to insect parts and larvae being in the formula. Craptastic! My son drinks that brand. So, after work I went home and pulled up the site. It was slow. Terribly slow. I got the phone number and called and of course I got the automated system which went on about this and that and finally told me that due to weather they weren't available to take calls. Really?!?! Craptastic!

Back to the incredible slow website. I entered the lot number of the first container that I had. Recalled. Entered the second one. Recalled. Craptastic! What was even better was that the second one was EMPTY! Yes. I fed my son bugs. Way to go mom!

Here's where my level annoyance went from 1 to 2, maybe 3. I called the husband to let him know what was going on. And he tells me that if I breastfed we wouldn't have this issue. Really!?!?! Don't. Judge. Me. I went on to inform him that I could if I was able to stay home. But I can't. I have to work...full time. I'm gone from 7am until almost 5pm. He told me that I could just pump in the bathroom and store it in the fridge. I barely have time to go pee while at work let alone take the time to pump as often as would be required! 

Moving on. I gathered my son, the formula, the receipt (yes, I had one!) and we were off to Walmart to get something new and bug free. I wasn't concerned Walmart always has the recalls posted and I even called ahead of time stating that I had a recall about formula. They just told me to go to the service desk and they'd take care of it no problem. Do you have any sense of where this could be going?

I made my way to the service desk and waited. And waited. Because they only have one person there to help the long line of people. My first warning was that I didn't see the recall notice on the board with the rest of them, but I could've missed it.... it was sort of far away. I was very happy that my son was happy and not yet starving.

Once it was my turn I explained in complete detail everything that I read on the website about the recall and that both containers were recalled, showed them my receipt, and from here things went down hill. Fast. The guy at the service desk needed to call up a manager and luckily for us she was walking up there! He then explained that there was a recall and she proceeded to tell me that they know nothing of a recall basically telling me that I was a liar. I told her that I didn't know when the recall was released but that I had just heard about it earlier. She wasn't nice. She did check the computer and came back to tell me that there was nothing that they could/would do. Annoyance level had now reached at least a 7 on a scale of 10. Double Craptastic!

Here was the deal. They were doing nothing to help me. Nothing about the bug infested formula that was on the shelves. Nothing. At. All. I guess they don't have the internet on the computers at Walmart. Jerks. I left.

I left and went to another store down the road. Kroger. Kroger is AWESOME. But wait.... I'll get to that in a minute. I was annoyed so I called Walmart and asked to speak with the store manager. I then explained the situation to him and then he put me on hold for close to 5 minutes. When he finally came back he let me know that if I went home, printed off the page(s) with the recall info on it (actually he wanted a list of all the affected lot numbers), brought it back to the store he would then take my bug formula and exchange it for the exact damn thing. Why you ask. Because that's their policy. I explained that the site has a form, you enter the lot number and it'll tell you if it's recalled or not. There's not a list of all the lot numbers and that if they give me the exact thing I'll go home, look to see if it's recalled and have to return it too. He told me that's their policy. Annoyance level 9.

Okay, on to the Good Guys at Kroger. I needed formula. I went in and out of curiosity I went to the service desk to ask if they knew about it and they didn't, but guess what? They have the internet on the computers there at Kroger! Amazing!

To make a really long story short, they looked up the recall, looked up the lot numbers on my containers, gave me money back even though I didn't buy it there, and they pulled off all of the powered formula from the shelves!

I won't shop at Walmart anymore and I will shop at Kroger more than I did before. They exceeded every expectation that I had. They were polite, courteous, and willing to look into it. I left there with my annoyance level lowered back down to a mere 2.

Moving on.... I went home and fed my now hungry son some bug free formula and the girls some pizza rolls because that little field trip too an hour and a half.

Hour and half after that... we lost power. No storm. No wind. No rain. As a matter of fact there wasn't a cloud in the sky, just the beautiful, large full moon. I was thankful we have a generator.

Wordless Wednesday - September 21st

Niagara Falls - September 2010

View from our hotel room

The girls after the Maid of the Mist boat ride

Probably the best shot of the falls I got!

My kids!

I Finally Get It

Recently I was looking for someone to do a guest post for me, found someone, and it went really well! So well that I sent out a tweet and was able to get another person to do a guest blog post! It's great! It helps me in growing my blog but it also lets others write about something different, grow their blog, and best of all it helps build friendships!

This week Jessica from The Unemployed Mom is my guest blogger! Her blog is one the first ones that I started reading and from there I went on to finally start my own blog. I guess you could say she helped inspire me!

Family stuff, our mom's being right, and teaching our kids something valuable! Read on!!

I remember hearing my mom say things like "this is what life is all about" and I used to scratch my head thinking she was crazy. Was life really about sitting around with family doing nothing? I could have thought of a million things that seemed like more fun, instead I was dragged along to family
functions. To me, those things were boring and I never understood why she got so excited about them. Why did we always have to do family stuff?

There were a lot of things that my mom thrived on that I just didn't get. She was always about being in her comfort zone and never thought about stepping outside of it. She worried about my brother and me all the time, something that drove me nuts! She used to always say "someday you'll understand" or "just wait until you have kids".

Fast forward 20 years later and I am blown away at how smart my mom was! I finally get it! Life is all about those precious moments shared with loved ones. I never quite comprehended that until having a child of my own. In our child free years, my husband and I enjoyed a non-stop lifestyle. We were
always on the go, whether it was traveling, going shopping or walking around Disney to get out of the house. We hated just sitting around doing "nothing".

Don't get me wrong, we still enjoy getting out and about but it is much more difficult with a kid. Even a quick trip to the market takes planning (diapers, snacks, toys, extra clothing, etc.). I keep reminding my husband how our life is more enriched with our little one, but sometimes he has a hard time seeing it (he'd prefer to be sipping Mai Tai's in Hawaii or shopping in the Big Apple without worrying about a tantrum). Our son brings us so much joy, he is truly a blessing. Even on days when he shows his true
2-year old spirit, I can envision my mom telling me to savor the moments because "you'll miss these days when they are gone".

I just find it amazing that she was right on all accounts! NEVER would I admit that to her of course, but wow! It seem like yesterday my son was this helpless little bundle that needed me for everything. Now, he's so independent and growing up right before my eyes! I hope I can teach him the same valuable lessons and morals that my mom taught me!

Chelsea J. Handler and I are tops on Google!

Google like me! Ya know what this mean?? My John C. Mayer prank has succeeded and I may have to continue with it on a weekly basis! Or until I get bored with it.



Take a look at the Google search I just did.

Yea, that's right... #2 baby!

 See that! I'm at number 2 AND 4! It's absolutely freakin' amazing! What's even better.... I'm higher than that douche bag Perez Hilton and Chelsea J. Handler's wikipedia page!



Okay, that's all for now. Just had to share that bit of exciting information!

Why Chelsea J. Handler is Awesome & Needs to be my BFF!

Okay, so for a bit of fun and excitement I got on the bandwagon with the rest of Merry Band of Pranksters that follow the incredible Aunt Becky over at Mommy Wants Vodka.

The goal: pick a person preferably a celebrity (Chelsea J. Handler for me), mention them again and again, and then mention them so more in a post or two on your blog to get to the top of a Google search.

Aunt Becky targeted John C. Mayer firstly because she hates his song; “Your Body is a Wonderland”. And then the curse began…. Read her blog for all the John C. Mayer entertainment!

Why Chelsea J. Handler would want to be my BFF! Why the hell not!! I mean really let’s take a look at some stuff here.

Chelsea J. Handler and I are almost the same age! We grew up in the same era, the awesome 80’s! So we listened to the same music, watched the same TV shows & movies, and wore the same acid washed jeans!

Chelsea J. Handler is freakin’ hilarious! Have you ever watched her? You should. I like entertaining friends and they’re way better than the ones that do nothing or the imaginary ones we all had as kids (don’t lie… we all had ‘em!).

She has her own Wikipedia page that’s full of great info! And we all know that the information on Wikipedia is the truth! Check out Chelsea J. Handler’s page and I bet some day soon there will be a picture of her and I there! I may have to update Chelsea J. Handler's page soon. I want to make sure people know how awesome my BFF is!

Did ya watch the VMA’s? Yea, I know. I said on Twitter that they’re crap. And they still are. BUT Chelsea J. Handler was the host this year and that was awesome and the best part about it…. She told off that piece of crap, douche bag Perez Hilton when he said her performance was crap.

Here are a few other tidbits as to why we’d be the best friends:

1.    Chelsea J. Handler likes vodka. So do I!

2.    Chelsea J. Handler supports LGBT. So do I!

3.    Chelsea J. Handler got a DUI and had to attend a class. I had to go to a class because of a speeding ticket.

4.    Chelsea J. Handler wrote 3 pretty cool books and I LOVE to read.

5.    Chelsea J. Handler is #4 on The Twitter 20 (HA! Better than you Perez Hilton!). I’m on The Twitter too…. Just not as high up on the list.

6.    Chelsea J. Handler likes Tom’s Shoes. I love ‘em! It’s a great idea so go buy some.

Look! Here's a great pic of the two of us!

My BFF, Chelsea J. Handler, and I!

Aren't Chelsea J. Handler and I full of total awesomeness!!

What blogging means to me & why I do it.

It's that time of week again! That's right it's my post for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop!



The topic that I chose was one that I've written about before, but it was in response to a post over at Mommy Wants Vodka about why I blog. So, I answered.

I thought about simply linking back to my old post for the workshop but thought I'd do a part two and elaborate upon it a bit more. Something short and sweet. This is it.

This weeks prompt....
Write about what blogging means to you. Why do you blog? What purpose does it serve you and how have you benefited from sharing a piece of yourself online this way?

I've been blogging since May of this year and have found that be successful at it you have to put forth a lot of work. Probably a lot more than I thought and I'm working on how to balance building a successful blog, working full time, and being a mom. I won't lie, it's damn hard. Really hard.

I like blogging. I like meeting new people even if they're only online friends for now. I like knowing that I'm not the only one in this crazy place called motherhood. I like that most everyone out there is similar to me in many ways. I like that I have a hobby that I can do whenever, where ever, and it doesn't require a costly trip to JoAnn's for scrapbooking or sewing supplies!

I know that there is so much to learn about blogging, SEO, increasing readership/followers, coding, and simple maintenance of my blog. And I know that with time I'll get it! And with the great circle of bloggers out there I have found an endless supply of help that I appreciate!

One thing that I do like is that my kids read my blog. They follow me too! The often ask, 'have you updated your blog recently?' and then they go off to read it! Great kids, huh!

The husband follows me too.... just not sure if he actually reads it though!

But at the end of the day, when all is said and done I do it for me. I blog simply because I want to. It's for me to rant, rave, ramble, or just share a few thoughts. 

I hope that this answers the question.

On cookies and frustration.

Not that long ago I set out to find someone who was interested in doing a guest post for me. I posed the question to all the great people who are part of the Crayon Wrangler's Blog Frog community as well as on Twitter and was able to get an immediate response from my new friend, Maryline, from Franco-American Dream! Needless to say I was excited... and still am!

Do you have kids? If so, you can totally sympathize with Maryline! I know I went through it with my girls and am going to be going through it with my son! Wonder what we're talking about? Keep reading! 



This past month has reached new heights in dinnertime struggles with my now 17-month old.

Two nights ago was the perfect example of the doomed 6pm disaster…

And I mean it. Food everywhere except in his mouth. Constant screaming, crying, and kicking, with some head-throwing back against the high chair – just to spice it up. Me? Starting to scream back and lose my mind. Oh yes.

To the untrained eye, this baby is in excruciating pain from teething, it's so obvious. He's shoving his fingers all the way in the back of his mouth and literally screaming bloody murder. I was surprised none of the neighbors knocked on the door to check in on us.

But in reality, set him down, and all is fine again. So, now I know better.

Except this past night? Much worse. Screaming at the pasta which he normally loves, screaming at the applesauce... Come on, who screams and rejects applesauce, at 17 months old?

Do I really make food for him to just decide he will not eat? Hell no!

Food, I swear, is everywhere. He first spits it out, slowly so that the food slides down his chin and neck. He then rubs his face with his fists, slowly painting his cheeks, eyelids, and forehead with the edible body paint of the day...

Bibs at that point are WAY useless. In fact, I don't even put them on. Why add to the laundry? The clothes were going to get washed anyway!

In the past moments, I've been fuming and cursing inside; at my husband, who should give it a try once in a while to give me a break; after my son who's clearly not understanding I am feeding him THE very best; at the dog for not being able keep up with the nutritious projectiles covering the hardwood floor, the legs of the high-chair, and the tip of my toes.

By the way? Don't wait for your kids to beg you to get a dog, get one the day you start solids with your first-born. It's a win-win, trust me! (Actually, make that happen from day one if you can, as it turns out, dogs also crave wet burps. Gross? Not really, just convenient.)

And so that night, I felt like my son was going to bed on a nearly empty stomach. But soon after, realized I did not have a choice. Let me confess, just between you and I, I briefly attempted the force feeding thing (yes, the one thing all parenting books will tell you not do), it did not work well at all. The screaming was getting louder, the mess just bigger and my sanity was NOT saved.

And so tonight, I changed my approach, I filled a few small bowls with different foods he likes – Goldfish crackers, cantaloupe, raspberries – on the ottoman, and let him play/eat for a bit. Then I sat him in the chair, with a bowl of food (pasta, red sauce, beef – homemade!), and two spoons. With the dog in stand-by to clean up after him, always.

And I? Stepped away. Still there, just not by his side holding the fork or trying to entertain him as I always have done.

He actually ate at least as much as he would have with my intervention, not necessarily much more. However I’ll admit it was far less hectic.

I would not say quiet. But sustainable. And that is good news, because I have about 18 more years of dinners to go.

And this is how I realized my son is making his way through life, learning independence. Just like I've learned to let him play with the front door until he gets tired of it. Because a tantrum over a door isn't worth it.

Conveniently, my son just learned a new word over the past few days: cookie, and with the French accent, please! It's so cute, it actually sounds like ka-ki.

Tonight when he was pointing at the pantry chanting ka-ki, ka-ki, I did let him have a little piece so I could strategize on the dinner plan. At least I knew he would not go to bed on an empty stomach!

Sometimes cookies are better than nothing. No doubt the next lesson my son needs to learn is simply “no”. I will wait for my husband to come back from his business trip to get started!

When it comes to our children, don’t we all lose our mind over battles not worth fighting?

"Testing mommy's boundaries, one meal at a time."

Some Great Plugins for Blogger!

This week started the Back to School, Back to Blogging challenge that is being hosted by Gigi over at Kludgy Mom and our reading and assignment was to find a plugin or widget and share what we've found about it.



When I first started looking around I didn't realize that there were so many choices for Blogger! There are a lot that are pretty useful ones depending on what you want to do with your blog and the information that you're writing about. There are also some pretty silly/odd ones that I wouldn't use. I don't need glittery, flashy content on my blog. Although my 8 year old daughter would love it!

I decided to share a couple of the plugins/widgets that I use and one that I'm considering using. These are probably pretty well known to many, but for me they weren't. And they're ones that I like and use daily.

The first plugin that I love to use is Zemanta. This tool helps with finding images, it finds articles related to the post that you're writing, it suggests labels, and they suggest your posts to others where appropriate. It was really easy to install and even easier to use! Also, you don't have to worry about copyright issues when using the images that they suggest.

Disqus is the next plugin that I just found and started using. This came about because when someone comments on my blog posts I have yet to figure out how to comment back directly instead of 3 or 4 comments below. It's hard to respond to each of the comments that people leave and because of this I went in search of something else to use and this is where Disqus came in. Now I can do exactly what I want and all I had to do was sign up and then click a couple of buttons to install. It was super easy! I was even able to import the comments already on my blog!

The last plugin/widget is one that I am pondering and it's for using different fonts with your posts. Blogger doesn't come with very many choices and I like more options even though I may not use them all the time. This site shows you how to add custom fonts to your blog, they recommend the Google API but there are 3 choices from which you can choose. It does appear that there are more steps to get this working, but nothing all that complicated from what I can tell. Hopefully this will do what I want!

Have you used any of these or have you found one similar that's better? Share your thoughts with me!

The Breakfast Club - a memorable movie

Image via WikipediaThe prompt from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop that I has to write on last minute is.... What was it about that movie? Describe A movie you once had memorized.

Yeah, I know. It's late in the day but I had to do it. I love movies. And more importantly I love the John Hughes movies from the 80's.

"They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, meeting for the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse. Before the day was over, they broke the rules. Bared their souls. And touched each other in a way they never dreamed possible."
 
So if you don't know The Breakfast Club is about 5 high school kids who get stuck in detention on a Saturday. These kids are as different as night and day but at the end of the day walk out knowing more about each other, understanding each others social group a bit more, and even friends.


I watch this movie any chance that I get no matter how far along the movie is! I think I may even own it (I know that I have Pretty in Pink & Sixteen Candles).



Some of my favorites scenes from The Breakfast Club are when they're all running around the library dancing, sneaking through the hallways avoiding Vernon, Allison putting cereal and Pixie Stix on her sandwich, Brian reading the essay that he had written for all of them, Allison's transformation, and of course the end where they all walk out together.



If you haven't seen it go out and rent it now! Along with all the other iconic movies from the 80's by John Hughes. They are amazing!

Buzz on By Thursday!

Normally I do a post for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop but I thought that I'd do something a little different today!

Elizabeth over at Sunny Bug World as well as the ladies from Emmy's Closet, Two Savvy Sisters,  and Fashionably Organized are hosting a blog hop and a giveaway!

It's a great way to meet new people and increase your blogs readership! I know that I could use a few new readers & friends... how about you?

This week they're giving away these super cute Bee Line magnets from Sunny Bug opening later this month on Esty. Bee Line is all about: Making a Bee Line toward Positivity & Empowerment. 

Stop by their blogs, check it out, and enter in the drawing!

First Day of School - Not So Wordless Wednesday

First of all I have to say that I can't take a decent picture! I'm so annoyed that all of the pics that I took for the first day of school are blurry!

From the left is Lauren who started the third grade, Caitlin whose a freshman, and then Natalie who started middle school this fall as a 6th grader. Yes, I have kids in three different schools and driving them to school daily can be a challenge especially when the two oldest start at the same time!

Tag! 8 questions for you!

In going through all updates for the blogs I follow I was reading one from Multiple Mama about 8 questions about me.

Here's the game. I'll answer them and then you do the same! Think of it as an updated version of Tag! And it's an easy post to do!

1. Why did you start blogging?
Why not? It was something that I pondered for a long time and finally took the plunge into the pool! And now that I've done it I love it! I've met a lot of wonderful people that are in similar boats as I am! Best of all I'm not alone in this great big pool! There are so many people out there that are willing to help and it's great.
I like being able to rant, rave, tell my side of the story, or just ramble on. I like that I'm not the only one out there that won't be winning the mom of the year award. I like that I have an outlet and one that doesn't take a lot of time!

2. If you could travel any where in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why?
Hmm... so many choices. Well, I'm going to go with that there's not a restriction on the length of the trip either. I think, after some research, I'd start my trip out here in the U.S. because there's a lot I'd like to see here. Like the Grand Teton's, Yosemite, Grand Canyon (again), Salem, and a few other places. From there I'd move on to Ireland & Scotland and stay there for about a month. After that I'd warm up on the Greek islands and take a cruise over to Italy. Of course I'd take my family and a nanny to help out with the kids because I'm sure that there are times they'd want to hang back at the posh house we're staying in while the husband and I go out.

3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influence on your life? If so, what?
I probably did or not. I really can't remember. There are teachers that stick out in my mind but none that did something that greatly influenced me and my life.

4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do?
Just one?!!? Geesh... that kinda limits me. Well, the first person that comes to my mind (Don't Laugh) is Rachael Ray! I love her shows! She seems to be such a down to earth person and I would love to just spend the day cooking and hanging out!

5. Toilet paper — over or under?
I really don't care as long as we have some in the bathroom when I need it!

6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible.
I would have stayed in college after graduating high school. I stopped for a while because of a stupid boy. And that was a HUGE mistake. One of epic proportions. Stupid. But I knew everything at the time. Nope. Wrong. Shh... the parents were right. Now, I did finish college but I think that I'd be in a better place with my career had I stayed on track when I was younger.

7. Tell about your pets — if any.
4 kids ( 3 girls - 14, 11, 8 & 1 boy - 7m), 1 dog, and my husband. I have plenty!

8. Do you live in a small town or a large town. (You don’t have to name the town.)
Actually, I think it's somewhere in the middle and I'm situated in a really good area. I live between the capital city of Lansing and the failing city of Flint. But I'm also only about 2 hours from northern Michigan or the Detroit area. So finding something to do is fairly simple!


Tag! It's your turn now!

 

Another Bad Mom Moment....

So, needless to say I won't be getting the Mom of the Year Award anytime soon! I seem to have these moments every now and again. And they're more often than I'd like them.

Here's the story....

I work full time and my day starts at 5:30 am and usually ends around 9pm when I finally get to sit down and relax. That's a long damn day! This past week at work has been one challenge after another and more meetings then necessary! There were interruptions, changes to priorities, and confusion added to my projects. Honestly it sucked.

Today wasn't the best day. With the holiday weekend coming up we're planning on going camping for the weekend which adds a bit more work for me which isn't to bad since the camper doesn't get fully unpacked till the end of the season. This was supposed to be a family thing. Today my daughter calls and says she wants to go up north with her friend and that she really wants to go because she hasn't been able to do anything with this friend all summer. I understand. Really I do. When I was her age I would have rather gone with a friend instead of my parents too. But it kind of upset me because I was hoping for a nice weekend with the whole family.

With all the frustration I ended up taking it out on my daughter. I snapped at her and wasn't very nice. And it all came up before I knew it and then it was to late. I feel horrible. I tried to talk to her. I tried to apologize. But she was mad/upset with me and didn't want much to do with me.

I have to get better at not taking my frustrations out on my kids. They don't deserve it. They didn't do anything wrong (ok... sometimes they do) and it isn't fair to them.

The question is how do I do this? What can I do to change things so I don't take my frustration out on them? I suppose that like any change that you make in your life it takes time and effort.

Wish me luck! And maybe someday I will get that Mom of the Year Award!!

I'm Falling....

I wasn't going to do the Writer's Workshop today because I have a lot going on at work but then decided I to do it anyway. It's the only thing that I've been able to do with some regularity.




The options this week were sort of difficult. I wasn't sure what one to pick or how to go about writing about one of them. I thought about them a while and finally settled on a childhood fear that I've taken into my adult life.


So, how is fear defined? Dictionary.com describes it as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

A fear can be anything and sometimes so real that it can be debilitating to a person. To children, something they fear can be so strong they actually think it's real.

When I was a child, probably 8 years old or younger I had a dream that to this day (almost 30 yrs later) I remember vividly. It was so real to me and to this day I hold that fear.

It was a dark, gloomy day like just before a bad storm hits. There were dark clouds in the sky, but the wind was calm as I walked down the driveway towards the mail box. I don't know why I was going out to get the mail since it was something that I didn't normally do.

The next scene of my dream was me standing at the mailbox and the little boy who lived across the street was there with me and a little girl, a friend I assume. We talked for a bit and I was afraid, but I can't remember why or of what.

I finally opened the mailbox and as I opened it I fell into the earth. It was a huge hole and I just fell, and fell, and fell. Fast. Like a free fall.

To this day I do not like free falling rides and even sometimes roller coasters that go down at a steep angle bother me. They scare the living hell out of me. I hate the feeling of falling as we go down a hill on the roller coaster as your body is lifted off the seat. I hold on as tight as I can and keep my eyes closed even tighter. There are those who love the rush and will do it again and again. Not me.

It's possible that it's totally an irrational fear or maybe not. But for me it's none the less a fear. One based on a childhood dream and one that I can't seem to let go.

Wordless Wednesday - September 1st

Sunset over the Mackinac Bridge & Island