Top 10 things to do on a FRIGID day...

Well, we left my husband's family in Siberia upstate New York on Sunday to travel home to a warmer climate where I could sufficiently thaw. When we left it was 5 degrees, when we got home it was a balmy 22 and today with the wind chill it is 7....SEVEN DEGREES!
 

So, because I love all my readers and from what Al Roker said this morning, almost ALL OF YOU are up to your armpits in chilly weather, here is my Top 10 things to do when it is C-O-O-O-O-L-D outside!

10. Don't go out to the bus stop! They are young, they will survive!

9. Break your coffee maker's auto shut-off timer so it stays HOT all day!

8. Climb back in bed with a fleecy blanket and read (with said java)!

7. Either do short stints of housework in between snuggling up in bed or choose those things you can do WHILE snuggling up in bed.

6. Fold laundry UNDER the covers.

5. Decide to FINALLY organize your sock and underwear drawer...UNDER the covers.

4. Make your grocery list from your bed, although post date it 'JUNE' because it feels like it won't be warm until then. Once again, the kids will survive! They are a remarkable species and can live on Ranch dressing and cheezits for months!

3. Sleep! Remember to remove coffee from your frozen grip PRIOR to dozing or you will have to DO laundry and you can't do that from the warmth of your bed.

2. Make all the phone calls you have been meaning to make...doctor's and dentist's appointments, insurance complaints, 1-800 magazine subscriptions (those will come in handy on the NEXT frigid day), registration for COME 2 U SPA, where all the lxuries of a spa come to you...in your warm bed!

See!!!! It would be SO much cheaper if it were WARM IN PENNSYLVANIA!

AND THE #1 thing to do when you are snuggled up in bed on a FRIGID day.....
BLOG YOUR BRAINS OUT!!!!

Go check out some of those amazing Mommy Blogs and then share your finds with us!
Peace.

The Halls of Skin and Bone...

*(I bumped this post up! It's a repeat, ENJOY!)*
 
Today we did some school shopping. I got a babysitter and I took my older two to the mall.
 
I love the smell of Back-to-School!
 
Not the fact that the fruit of my loins will actually spend hours away from me 5 days a week (I hate that part) but just the tingly excitement of that first day. The new kids, new teachers, locker combinations, new notebooks, cute boys, being late to the class I didn't even sign up for but ended up being on my schedule, unexpectedly getting my period, tripping up the stairs in front of the boy I was planning on having a crush on that day and having egg salad soup at the bottom of my locker at luchtime.
 
Well, not ALL my memories are good ones I guess. But, I still get excited for the shopping!
 
On our trip, we went to all the stores that kids love: Children's Place, Old Navy, GAP and some department stores that Mom dragged them into in hopes of a good sale. But then I had the great idea to travel into a world unknown...Hollister.
 
I have never been able to figure out the fashion phenomenon of a NAME. What makes a name when it comes to fashion? How do the words GAP, ABERCROMBIE, AEROPOSTALE define multi-millions in sales? They are cool clothes, I enjoy the styles and quality but I have a strong feeling if they looked identical but were called SMITHSENSTRUBER they wouldn't be so cool!
 
So, we walk into Hollister - our first time. It's a dark and loud store. I actually felt like I was walking into a bar. That's how they sell clothes! You are squinting and can't see a thing and the music is so loud when you ask where to find the clothes that cost less than $400 you can't hear what the 4-year old sales girl who weighs 20 lbs. says. So, you grab up a couple things, head to the register, swipe your card and head for the nearest CVS for some Advil, Oil of Olay and Slim Fast.
 
I am not a name-dropper or someone who needs to have the latest name brand fashions and I try to deter my children from feeling that is necessary.
knock off designer purses don't count because they are not real


But, I have shopped long enough to know that even the stores that cause you to take out a second mortgage just to outfit your three children for one day DO, in fact, sometimes have good sales. I just thought it would be cool for my first-time middle-schooler to have a Hollister T-shirt for school...I would do anything to give him a leg up on the sometimes cruel competition.
So, we walk in and head right for the clearance racks.


Of course, we had to pass the posters...ugh, the posters...what was this, the red light district? Are they SELLING SKIN in this store? Well, then why is so much of it showing?? The girls in the posters weigh approximately 14.5 ounces and have the slender shape of Gumby! Their apparent poster boy love interests have 6-pack abs that go the whole way dowwwwwwwwwn to a VERY TOO LOW waist line.

I was covering my daughter's eyes and blushing before we got past the cash register! I think I actually felt myself get fatter in this store. I could see the sales staff wasting away while I unbuttoned my shorts to relieve the pudge that was growing underneath my not-Hollister, mom clothing. I wanted to BARF. THEY needed to eat.

"C'mon, honey, have some fries, a milkshake, SOMETHING that will make you weigh more than my purse!"

I found some great sales after asking a nice kid who walked us
because he had lost his voice from screaming directions to the customers all day


I know, I know. I should not be school shopping for ME but I have to say, I got sucked into the Hollister haze and wanted to wear the word, too! Of course, that feeling quickly faded when I held up a t-shirts that could have doubled as a sock on this mom body.

They got shirts.

I got perfume and pretended each squirt would airbrush me to the size of that $@!#! poster girl!
Still squirting...

NOTHIN’!

Peace out, Mamas!

Moms, can't we just stick together?

The work I do with teen girls has me handing out advice all hours of the day. One thing I wasn't expecting when I started this ministry was all of the calls and emails and facebook messages I would get from MOMS! It has been amazing helping moms hash out their relationship issues and being the sounding board for those who want to make sure they are giving sound advice to their girls. I have even had moms ask if I could run workshops for moms in between the workshops I run for teen girls!

I love BOTH sides of this coin. Walking girls through the most difficult times in their lives while standing firm with moms and supporting them in the drama of raising a teen girl. Whether you have a responsible teen or one who stretches you to the limits there is drama. Sometimes that drama is friend-induced and sometimes it is brought on directly by your daughter. Either way, we are in this together! And I always make sure I am NOT taking the place of the moms, I am constantly giving girls advice on how to go to their moms with the things they come to me with. The relationship between mother and daughter is SO valuable as they navigate their way through their teen years.

But, in the conversations I have both with moms and girls, there is a common thread that causes many of the issues. And it has happened enough even in the last 2 weeks that warrants a blog post!

Some (and I stress SOME so that you don't get angry with me) moms are getting lazy. I feel like the more drama that comes into their lives, the more laxed they become in sticking to their guns. Sure, it is EXHAUSTING being a mom of a teen girl and many of you have more than one (God bless you)! But this is all the more reason to stick to the boundaries you have set. If you think they don't know how to play their cards and push you to your breaking point just to get you to say, "FINE! Just GO! Do it! I don't care! Just STOP bugging me!" then you have completely forgotten your own teen years!

Let me give you a scenario -

Tamara asks her mom if she can stay out past the Cinderella curfew on her licence (which is 11pm) b/c her friends, Callie and Tessa want to go out for ice cream after a movie. Callie and Tessa live on the other side of town and will be taking Tessa's car to the movies. This means Tamara and Tessa will have to break curfew if they are doing ice cream after. Tamara's mom says "no" because that is breaking the law. Tamara flips out and says it's not fair b/c Callie and Tessa are allowed.

Tamara's mom calls Tessa's mom to chat this out and finds out that Tessa's mom HAS given Tessa permission to be out later than curfew, "because I just feel bad, they really want to go out for ice cream after. You know, I don't wanna be the bad guy all the time."

Moms, can't we just stick together?! Come ON!

Why are we getting lazy? Young teens are going to R-rated movies, the songs on their iPods are atrocious, the language they use and lack of respect they have for adults is insulting to say the least, and what they post on facebook - ooohhhhh, don't EVEN get me started on that!!

Why do we all of a sudden, during the years that will shape the adult they will become, do we take a break? We didn't take a break when they wanted to dart out into traffic, why now, when they are testing the boundaries with sex, drugs and alcohol do we decide it is our job to make their lives comfortable?

I am pleading with moms everywhere to TIGHTEN your reigns! Check their facebook, don't let them see movies that are intended for older audiences, don't let them drink in your home, don't give them permission to stay out beyond the curfew set by the law makers who KNOW the statistics of fatal car accidents involving teen drivers.

I talk to teens everyday who are SO confused about right and wrong because the lines have been blurred. Somewhere over the last 15 years society has trained adults to believe that the kids have a handle on this growing up thing and we should just let them do it, on their own.




Sure, Wally, that's why I made sure you had money with you.
Yes, honey, the condoms are in Aisle 7.
Have a good night. Be safe.



I don't need to ask you if there is something terribly wrong with this picture!

I had a mom tell me that she found naked pictures on her 15-year old son's phone sent from a girl he knew from school. Those pictures were accompanied with the "activities" she was offering.

You can imagine my shock when she told me she went out immediately and bought him a box of condoms.

I questioned her as to her responsibility to lay down some laws, her responsibility to tell him that having sex can mess up your whole life. There is no reason a 15 year old should think that his mom is condoning sex.

"I'm not condoning it. I told him it was unacceptable."

But by handing him the condoms after verbally setting this boundary she is sending the message, "I know you will screw up. There is no part of me that believes you can be trustworthy. I know you won't listen to anything I tell you so here you go. I am giving you permission to have sex even though I just told you it was unacceptable."

So, my questions for you today are...

Are you just lazy?

Are there things you allow your teen to do because you just don't have the energy to be consistent?

Do you give in because you hate the arguing?

...and, finally....

Are you READY for the ramifications of your laziness?

Pass this on to the moms in your circle of friends.

Agree to ALL stand up for those boundaries you have set.

And, most of all, agree to SUPPORT each other in upholding the highest standards for our teens.

Aren't they worth it?

Peace out, Mamas!

Waiter...there's a bug in my SHOWER!

So, I thought on this SUNNY day in June, I would re-post one of my RANTS from winter. Enjoy!

SNOW DAY! No school!

I hop out of bed before my husband leaves for work to guarantee a shower.

Three kids home makes for not so much Me-time! And I didn't shower yesterday so I REALLY needed one today!

No sooner am I in and I glance down to find a huge bug on the floor of the shower. HUGE.

I think it was a stink bug. Anyway, I am one of those pacifists that probably gets on your nerves b/c I DON'T kill bugs. We (insert quiet first-grade-teacher-voice here) secure them in a soft covering (aka toilet paper) and set them free out the front door.

So, I say, "Ew, there's a bug in here. Did you know that?" to my husband who just got out but I am not the least bit freaked out - I'm happy to share...maybe he was thirsty.

Hot water, no screaming kids and a massage for my head with my new, yummy-smelling shampoo and I forget all about Mr. Stink on the floor until...

CRUNCH!

Yep...I turned to wash the shampoo off my face and when I put my right foot back down I squashed him flat! FLAT! I felt the crunch vibrate all the way up to my knee!

Now, I truly don't mind bugs...at all...unless they are the size of an armadillo and stuck to the bottom of my foot!

I started to wail! WAIL, I tell you!

"YOOOOWWWWWWWWWW! I STEPPED ON IT! I STEPPED ON IT! GET IT OUT OF HERE!"
"IS NO ONE LISTENING? GET IT OUT! THE BUG! I STEPPED ON IT!"

On most occasions, someone's life falls apart as soon as I am in the shower and before I know it, they are ALL staring through the steamed glass door and throwing questions at me left and right.

But, not today! Today there is NO ONE coming in! Today when I have 6 pounds of shampoo foam all over my face and I can't wipe it off or open my eyes because I am holding onto the rail of the tub because I have bug guts on my foot and I don't know where he flew when I shook his dead butt off my foot! NO ONE!

Finally, my husband came to my rescue...albeit, laughing his pants off! I rinse off and step out only to find 3/5 of my family right outside the door in my room watching like I was Cirque de Soleil!

NAKED Cirque de Soleil!

Happy Snow Day! It can only get better from here right?

Until I catch my 4 yr old at the top of our staircase on a skateboard! That's a whole other story!

Peace.

Hello, is this Ms. Way-too-Busy?

Um, why, yes, yes it is. But you can call me...

Ha! Yeah, never mind, I won't be in your life all that long, but you can call me Mr. Sanity.

Can you hold on one second? "PLEASE STOP teasing your brother! Give him the curling iron...he likes to play with it!" Sorry. OK. What can I do for you?

Well, let me start with congratulating you on the new position you have been chosen for. Not many women can fill the shoes of Sanity, Inc. but, you, YOU Ms. Way-too-Busy, you have beaten the odds.

Uh. Really? Thanks? "I SAID GIVE HIM THE CURLING... WHAT?! Sure, if it will keep him quiet while I am on the phone, then let him take a bath!"

So, your position with Sanity, Inc. is to...

"DO NOT LET HIM HAVE THE CURLING IRON WHEN HE IS IN THE TUB!"

Ma'am, your position with Sanity, Inc. is as our Chief Executive Officer. You will be responsible for coordinating the rides for 3 children who are in 5 activities...4 of which are on the same night.

(Chuckle) OK. "WHAT?! Well, if you MUST know, I am locked in the bathroom so I can actually HAVE an adult conversation! Please go start your homework and...WHAT?! He's WHAT?! BRING HIM HERE!" So, that's all I have to do? 3 kids, 5 activities? That's it?!

Well, Ms. Way-too-Busy....

Listen, enough with the Way-too-Busy-thing...I have a name.

I really don't care. I just need you to also volunteer for at least 3 parent/teacher responsibilities in 2 different school buildings each week. Do you think you are the right candidate for...

YES, sure, whatever you need. "WHY DOES HE HAVE GUM IN HIS HAIR?! Ummmm....HELLOOOO??! Where does everyone disappear to when the baby has foreign objects in/on or around his body? HELLOOOO???!"

Hi. I am still here.

NO, sorry, I wasn't talking to you, Mr. Sanity, I was trying to get gum out... "WHATTHEHECKISTHIS?!" Look, do you know how to get nail polish off of eyelids? Can you use nail polish remover? Won't that sting? Should I...

EXCUSE ME! I am having a hard time giving you your list of responsibilities. Is there any way I can have your full attention?

Sure, can you email me?

No.

Why?

Because I need to tell you all of this information RIGHT THIS MINUTE if you would like to take part in our fantastic opportunity!

(Sigh) OK. "Look, sweetie, Mommy bought you a new video. Here's your juice. Good boy. WHATTHEHECKISTHATNOISE?! WELL, STOP! Get the paperclips OUT OF THE MICROWAVE! GO. START. YOUR. HOMEWORK." OK. I'm ready. Go for it!

We will need you to take a small amount of cash that will be issued to you twice a month and use it to feed the 3 kids and a husband and various pets, pay for postage, gas and toiletries...

No sweat.

...and you will also need it to order school pictures, buy a cheer uniform and replace library books that were run over by the bus and lost lunch money. Oh, and you will need to set some aside for the kid with the fundraiser at the front door, craft supplies for your homeroom mom duties and ALL the mandatory football raffle tickets because you know you will never sell them.

Piece of cake, Mr. Sanity, I got it. "Cake? WHOSE TURN IS IT TO BRING THE SNACK FOR TOMORROW? REALLY? And you were going to tell me this WHEN?!" So, what's the big deal about this position, I'm really not impressed?

That's why we chose you, Ms. Way-too...

THAT'S NOT MY NAME!

Eh hem, well, Ma'am we chose you because you have proven yourself to be the ultimate multitask-er, you are quite crafty, an ace at scheduling and your husband says you are the QUEEN of SPENDING! The PTA also says you are a YESMOM, you will say "yes" to anything! But we have one last responsibility that will qualify you for this position with Sanity, Inc.

And...are you going to tell me what it is? Hold on. "WHY THE SNOT IS IT SO QUIET OUT THERE? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU MAKING HIM EAT FUZZ AGAIN? YOU BETTER NOT BE MAKING HIM EAT FUZZ!"

Ms. Way...eh hem, Ma'am, the only thing left to bring you on board is you must sign a waiver. It's a the most critical part of this position! This waiver states that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will you attempt to complete your obligations to Sanity, Inc. without taking a day off each and EVERY week. A day in which you pamper yourself however you see fit. Your day off will start at 5am and continue through midnight...
BWAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAAAHAA!!!!!!!

Ma'am?

NOW you are just dreaming! HOWINTHEHECK do your expect me to have the time for THAT?!! Mr. Sanity, I have NO MORE time for you!

It's possible, Ma'am, there ARE 24 hours in a day. You should be able to fit in some ME-time somewhere in that schedule. If you just.....

(Silence)

Ma'am?

I'm sorry, you have the wrong number! This is Ms. Way-too-Busy. (Sigh) "You did WHAT in the dog's bowl? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WELL, I AM GOING TO......" (Click)

Ma'am? Hello? Dang, one more mom who is NOT fit for SANITY!

(Dialing)

Hello, is this Ms. Way-too-Perky?....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Are ya feelin' me?
Peace.  

Butterfly girlz

...a swarm is forming...

I AM SO EXCITED!
As I wrote this week and worked on my project for TEEN GIRLS, I had an epiphany (LOVE that word!)

What if I created a TEAM of girls who would be my advisors during the writing process? These girls live ON the inside. They are teens NOW! They are a wealth of knowledge that I can't pretend to have. They could contribute their thoughts and feelings and be quoted throughout the book.

Then I thought of what a ripple effect it could have as they will be the first ones processing the information and exercises within my book. They will be "trained" in a sense to carry out the confidence I hope this book provides. They could become mentors within their group of friends...within their schools...within their towns.

I will provide activities and exercises for them to get to know each other so they will become a cohesive group that will inspire each other with positivity!

(OHMYGOSHTHISISSOEXCITING!!!)

So, through a large facebook following of moms from around the country, there is an amazing group of girls forming that will serve as my "butterfly girlz" for this project.

This group is still open but I will have to close it at some point so they can form close friendships with one another as we travel this road of RESPECT together.

Leave me a message with your daughter's name, age and YOUR email address if you are interested in participating in this project- you can also email the info if you would rather michellebrownlow@yahoo.com

So glad to have all of you to share this process with. As always, I am always open to your input!

Peace out, Mamas!

The MOM Show Episode #2 (re-run)

I used to have my own show.

This was my favorite episode.

Thought I'd share.

I have other episodes on THIS CHANNEL if you think you'd like.



Peace out, Mamas!

Another RANT about music lyrics...

"What's a menage a trois?"

Now that's a question you don't expect while grilling up some black bean burgers...

But when your child forgets to have you to approve the iTunes list - THIS is what your conversations revolve around.

Needless to say, that song is GONE!

Just last week I sang Katy Perry's praises, today I ripped her song from one of the iPods in our home.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is my new and improved LYRICS FROM THE SOAPBOX!

Katy Perry's LAST FRIDAY NIGHT
Rhianna's S & M (now from THAT title, you should KNOW, right?)
Enrique Iglesias TONIGHT (this version is OK, just know that the chorus in the original version does not say "tonight I'm loving you" - replace the L-word in that phrase with the F-word) Enrique? REALLY?
Cee-Lo Green's FORGET YOU (once again - this F-word ..."Forget" is not the same F-word in the original song. Yes, the original song is called F*** YOU!

How long do I spend looking at song lyrics? Hours.

How many times have I contacted the school, coaches, teachers about songs my children are hearing while in their care? Too many.

How often have I talked to my kids' friends about the awful messages today's music sends? Quite often.

My kids spirits, minds and bodies? Priceless.

Just an FYI, here are some other links to popular songs over the last year - be sure to take a look, you might be surprised what they are REALLY SAYING!

Black Eyed Peas' IMMA BE
Lloyd's BEDROCK
Rhianna's RUDE BOY
Kevin Rudolf's LET IT ROCK

Now, please keep in mind...
These are songs that are played on the radio...there are songs EVEN WORSE than these that your kids can easily get on their iPods.

I have had people bash me in the comments section saying I am a crazed psychopath mom who hovers too closely to her children's business...

Here's my response...
Until the are 18 years old, their business IS MY BUSINESS! What is on their facebook, in their emails, getting pumped through iPods, notes in pockets...and so on and so on...

They are my responsibility.
Sure it would be WAY easier to say, "It's none of my business." Would save me a whole SNOT-load of time to NOT be so careful of what they are exposed to...

But they are my responsibility.
They are precious gifts entrusted to me to do my very best to raise them to be productive members of society. RESPECTED members of society.

I guarantee you this type of music is where SELF-RESPECT starts breaking down.
What goes in, comes out.
Think about it.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.


Peace out, Mamas!

A full plate and a life's purpose...

No, I am not at an ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet. That actually sounds good until I remember all the things that VEGANS don't eat and I realize that would be a STUPID waste of money! LOL!

I am talking about the proverbial "mom plate" - No! Not the one with the grilled cheese crusts and soggy goldfish crackers - FOLLOW ME PEOPLE, I feel like I am talking to my headphone-wearing teenagers!

As moms, we all wear lots of hats. For the last 14 years, my hat has been the one of STAY-AT-HOME mom - anyone knows that is a REALLY big hat because it holds EVERYTHING you do in ONE category. I would never say that I do more or have more stress than a working mom. A working mom just has more hats...doesn't make it a contest.

I am itching to move into new hats - and I don't know if I am emotionally ready for what that means. But before I can decide if I can mentally handle a new responsibility, I need to decide WHAT that responsibility is...

Let me explain...

My passions are simple - Christian, wife, mom, teacher.
That's it.
Plain and simple, right?
NO WAY!

Besides being a mom, my most rewarding job ever was teaching Art in Room 62 at Vestal Senior High School and Room 120 at Vestal Middle School from Fall 1993- Fall 1997. At that time, I didn't have children and those kids I saw each day, those who cried in my room during lunch, those who spilled their guts to me, those I lost to suicide, those I still talk to today were my first kids. All couple hundred of them!

The trouble is, I now crave that feeling with a LARGER group of kids than those that take art class in middle or high school.

And that's why I WRITE!
And 5 years ago I started the journey to publication.

So, while I write and submit to agents and publishers, network with fellow writers and work on the many manuscripts that speak to me from the files I get drawn in to other projects that are also in the teaching vein.

*writing a teen program on RESPECT that will travel to schools, churches, teen centers
*teaching a summer art program
*writing more teen subjects
*counselling teens online
*blogging for parents (moms)
*writing and illustrating emergent reader books
*considering applying for adjunct art positions at local universities

...and the list goes on...

AND THERE IS THE PLATE!
Catch that!
Oops it's dripping!
HELP!
Ugh!
I just made a mess, didn't I?
When I close my eyes what do I see myself doing - if I could control my own destiny, which I believe I have a part in...

((((((((((((((((((insert dreamy music and wavy visuals here))))))))))))))))))

I see myself (and this is the truth) standing on stage in an auditorium.
I have a microphone.
And I have goosebumps.
I can feel the energy of the kids tuning in to what I have to say.
I can hear nothing.
The room is silent except for my voice.
Their eyes are on me and their minds are open.
Their hearts are mending.
Their brains are inspired.
...
There is applause.
My book is handed to each student as they leave the auditorium.

((((((((((((((dreamy music and wavy visuals again)))))))))))))))))))

Don't tell my husband this -
but I don't care if I ever make a CENT touching the lives of teens.

It truly is my destiny and my focus.
I just have trouble not saying "yes" to EVERY thing that falls into that category.

An agent taking a chance on me would REALLY help me focus!

So, that's it...back to square one...what I started doing 5 years ago - trying to find the needle (right manuscript) in the haystack (perfect agency/publishing house).

So, tell me.
What would complete YOU?
What is YOUR purpose while you are on this planet?

Peace out, Mamas!

Lady Gaga - P!NK - Katy Perry - speak the TRUTH

*UPDATED*

I am supposed to be setting up my FED UP FRIDAY rant - but instead I am praising some of the top POP STARS of today. Odd for me I know...

Well, if you have read my blog for any length of time you know my SOAP BOX is pulled out quite often for lyrics to today's music. Numerous times I have ranted and raved about the under-the-radar content of the songs we allow our kids to listen to. I have mentioned (and then been brutally bashed) that my teens MAY NOT buy a song for their iPods WITHOUT my approval first.

Soulja Boy RANT
Lady Gaga RANT
Fed Up with Song Lyrics

Well, today I am actually singing the praises of three artists that I would probably just chalk up to inappropriate music. So, those of you who came to bash - you will be disappointed because I am actually thrilled with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, P!NK and their latest songs and here is why...

Even though I have had issues with their songs on the past, I feel these three women have stepped up, recognized an issue and used their fame to get the message to the population of teens that NEED this message more than anyone. In my past rants, my issues were based in the ages of my children and my complaints were about friends THEIR age listening to music that was NOT aimed at 10 yr olds. My complaint was more toward the parents who don't monitor the music more than directed at the artists themselves.

My 3rd runner-up is the latest song by Lady Gaga, BORN THIS WAY.
(this video link is simply to the audio - not the actual video of this song)
CHECK OUT THIS VERSION though, these kids are AMAZING!

Lyrics

Now, let me preface this review-of-sorts with the disclaimer that there are lyrics in this song that many may find questionable but I am simply basing my opinion of her attempt to have a positive message.

What I like about this song is the underlying message: God made me this way and he doesn't make mistakes. Too many teens feel the need to judge and criticize when someone is different and this is where bullying begins. The message that no one has the right to judge is a good message... still not sure I love ALL of the song but I give Gaga props on her good try at positively influencing youth.

"Whether life's disabilities
left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby, you were born this way"


2nd runner up is (UPDATE) OK...one of my readers (thank you Patti) just shared THIS video with me from P!NK, I like it even better! It's the CLEAN version and is just the words with her singing - LESS THAN PERFECT



P!NK's RAISE YOUR GLASS
(disclaimer: this video is quite strange, has some sexual content and bad language which is a shame because it overshadows the lyrics which is where the GOOD message lies.)
Lyrics

Once again, I need to forewarn you, there are profanities in the un-cut version of this song. I do not enjoy hearing the F-word when I am listening to music so, I would suggest you listen to the CLEAN version of this song.

What I like about this song is the overall message: Celebrate who you are ESPECIALLY of you don't follow the crowd. Be true to you, first! Don't sell out to be what someone ELSE thinks is cool.

P!NK is the first person to act like a goof - just check out the video, she loves being a dork! This is something that needs to be embraced by teens today...just have fun, be you, "cool and popular" is SO overrated and steals who you were really meant to be right out from under you.

"So raise your glass if you are wrong, in all the right ways,all my underdogs,
We will never be never be anything but loud
and nitty gritty dirty little freaks"



\Now, my NUMBER 1 pick is Katy Perry's FIREWORK




Do you ever feel like a plastic bag

Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again


Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in


Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing


Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you


You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July


Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y


Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own


You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow


Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know


You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July


Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y


Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe"


Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through


Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

So, that's that.
I won't say that there aren't things that bother me or that I feel are questionable but sending the message that YOU WERE BORN TO SURVIVE, BORN TO BE BRAVE, BORN THIS WAY is SO important for teens who are struggling to fit in.
As parents we have to be careful not to just give them free reign, but at the same time we need to also remember they are NOT living in the world WE lived in. It's not safe, it's mean, it's filled with HATE.
Taking the good with a little (off color words/themes/humor) may be the only way to get to some kids. They are a dying breed, teens.... literally.

Looking forward to your comments!

Peace out, Mamas!

The Invisible Woman...

I love speaking to large groups of people... and making them laugh!
I love making people think.
Part of me is ready to take on a speaking 'gig'! (Should I have even SAID that?!)
Yes, I should have because plans are in the works!
(more info to come on THAT subject!)

However, I have never spoken for as many people as Nicole Johnson does.
Watch her in this video! You will be blessed!
She makes me laugh, inspires me AND makes me think!


 

It's 1:30 am...this invisible woman is going to bed!
Follow Nicole over to her home at Fresh Brewed Life to find "hope for the daily grind!"

Peace out, Mamas!

When your muse has you by the....BRAIN

This is a VALENTINE'S re-run from a couple years ago!

Enjoy!

2/12/09

Today was a hamster wheel kind of day...I ran...I ran...I ran!

Man oh Man, I should be ready to crash but I am feeling a creative vibe today that I just can't shake...and here's how my muse works....

(for those of you new to my blog... I am a writer of children's books...and I dabble in the grown-up stuff, too!)

She (my muse) likes to visit me when I don't even have a second to grab a pencil to jot down her ideas. So, for the rest of the day I traipse through the grocery store, walk the dog, pick up the kids, go to the doctor's and clean the house with the same story outline mantra running through my head...

"mean girl and nice girl stuck in school overnight, mean girl and nice girl stuck in school overnight..."

or "humor essay about girlfriends, humor essay about girlfriends..."

or "doogie howser kind of kid/wants to be a teacher, doogie howser kind of kid/wants to be a teacher..."

So, you see why the checkout girls turn off their light when they see me coming...I am the "repeater" they talk about in the lunchroom. Sigh!

So, my muse must've slept in this morning as I packed lunches, watched over the neighbor kids, got them and 2 of my 3 on the bus and drove my oldest to the doctor without any "a-ha" moments.

But in the middle of a conversation with the doctor about my middle schooler's ailments she flew in...and started banging me on the head with her bag of ideas! I continued looking at the doctor but, like a puzzle, I had no control over the pieces as they started coming together...and they kept coming. They wouldn't stop!

It was an important conversation the doctor and I were having and I didn't want to miss a word so it is a good thing I am "Mom" and not "Dad" because I can do more than one thing at a time.

Then it was off to an area church to drop something off....chatting with the pastor and still, I am putting the pieces together, wishing desperately there was a pad of paper and a pen surgically implanted in my forearm and finger respectively as he spoke. Like an Inspector Gadget kind of deal...little sliding door right above my wrist that reveals a never-ending supply of notepaper and a ballpoint pen sticking out of the tip of my first finger. Oh no, is that another book idea?

"super kid with funky gadgets, super kid with funky gadgets..."

We raced home to get my youngest off the pre-school bus, then some dishes and straightening put me right at the hour that I had to get him to the neighbors so my I could head off to meet my oldest I had just had at the doctor's at ART CLUB (I teach it). A room filled with 36 5th and 6th graders is NOT conducive to carrying on a conversation with the voice in your head or taking notes, for that matter. But I still mumbled, making sure I hadn't lost a single piece of that puzzle.

5pm - it was time to run home, grab the other two kids from the neighbors and throw together something that resembles dinner..."How's a breakfast-dinner sound to everyone? Eggs, waffles and bacon?" SCORE! They ALL said "yes!"

After I (somewhat) cleaned up the kitchen, I poured yesterday's cold coffee still in the pot into a mug, nuked it and sat on the floor and played cars for a bit.

Books, PJs, diapers and 30 repeats of "Silent Night" and all 3 are in bed. It's after 9pm!

That's when I started melting chocolate to make the rest of the 120+ dipped pretzel rods that I started for the 14 teachers and bus drivers who were worthy of something sweet for tomorrow's 1/2 day Valentine's Day celebrations.

Hubby came home, scarfed down some leftovers and we watched the last hour of the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice cross-over event. He kissed me and went to bed.

That's, of course, when I placed my sprinkled chocolate pretzels in decorative bags and started the cupcakes....yep, cupcakes. It was 11pm and I had 48 cupcakes to make. I will ice them tomorrow before going in to my daughter's class. I think cupcakes is all I was responsible for. You would think as Homeroom Mom I would know these things. But my brain space is being taken up by the book idea I can't seem to find the time to write down. Repeating my mantra, going about my work.

The second batch of cupcakes goes in the oven and I breathed an "everyone is asleep and I have two (maybe three) articles and essays to write" sigh of relief. I even thought maybe, just maybe I could bang out a couple of pages of this new idea my muse was now suffocating me with.

That's when it happened, the inevitable....

"MOOOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYY!"
...his eye hurts... WHAT?!!!

It is now 12:34 am...the cupcakes are out of the oven cooling, the baby is back to sleep, I have a cup of tea and I am sitting at my computer wondering how I could possibly have enough energy to write this book NOW!

Because everyone knows it would take a minimum of 100 re-writes, 2 1/2 years in production and hours of phone calls and emails about illustration development before it would actually BE on the shelves.

But what a cool story it would be if I did....and it caught someone's attention. Can you see me on the TODAY SHOW as they introduce me as the newest New York Times Best Selling Author?

"Well, Meredith, it really wasn't that difficult, I had an idea and I wrote it."

Good night! Apparently, in the wee hours of Friday morning, I have now become delusional! :)

...AND THE BABY IS UP AGAIN!!!

Webster's says...

(an oldy but goody...reposted) 

shin·gle [shĭng'g*l]n. - a thin oblong piece of material, such as wood or slate, that is laid in overlapping rows to cover the roof or sides of a house or other building.

Our house has them. They protect us from water damage. Our children have a play house that has them. Keeps them dry as they are saving the world (or the cat, depending on the day). If our dog was an outside dog, I am sure my dear hubby would have adorned her dogbox with shingles.

None of these are the kind of shingles I have. And mine are not on my roof....they are closer to my basement if you know where I mean...

Tonight was the night I was looking forward to for 2 months. A while ago I was teasing my husband that HOME DEPOT does not a date make. I hinted that I would like to have a reason to buy some nice clothes and a reason to wear them.

Me: "Ya know, I have never been anywhere that has an actual dress code. Like, NO JEANS."
Him: "Yes, you have!"
Me: "Name one."
Him: I can think of a lot of them. What about the DuPont Mansion?"
Me: "OK, if I had to be in a bride's maids dress, that doesn't count. You get a re-do."
Him: "Um."
Me: "Yep. My point exactly."
Him: "Well, we will have to change that now won't we?"

Two days later I get an email from my usually-to-busy-to-email hubby. The subject said, "get a babysitter." It's an e-invitation to a corporate event at a VERY posh country club. The body of his email said, "NO JEANS! I love you."

The event is tonight. For the last week he has been telling me I am too sick to go. That I will never feel like going.

mar·bles [mahr-buhls]n. - metamorphosed limestones, consisting chiefly of recrystallized calcite or dolomite, capable of taking a high polish, occurring in a wide range of colors and variegations and used in sculpture and architecture.

These were NOT the marbles I told him he had lost. "Honey, I have been chasing a 2-year old all day, done the grocery shopping in torrential down-pours, helped with homework and got all 3 kids to bed single-handedly while you were in Chicago, all while feeling like death was looming. What in the world makes you think sitting and eating with other couples while listening to live dinner music and sipping expensive wine would bring out the CODE paddles?"

When I had him take a look at my "rash" yesterday and told him I thought it was Shingles, he said, once again..."See. We are not going!"

Last night I went to the spa, got my hair done and shopped for a new outfit (shoes and jewelry, too)! Came home and did the fashion show....I get, "Listen to your voice, we are NOT going."

So, why do I need to talk? I am very talkative, as you all know, but I would be thrilled to just sit, look pretty and be waited on without saying a word. The mere possibility of a dinner where no food gets spit, spilled or spewed, no one fights over the last piece of garlic bread or whines about having to eat just two more bites brings a smile to my face.

I head off to the doctor this morning, leaving my toddler with the neighbor (you ask why the need for a babysitter? See my previous post).

Dr: "Yes, my dear. I believe you have Shingles."
Me: "Oh no. We have huge dinner plans tonight. Should I not go?"
Dr: "Well, you can only spread them if someone touches them."
(pertinent information - they are on my backside)
Me: "Oh, no worries. It's not THAT kind of party!"
Nurse: "GAAFFAAAWWWW!" and trips over herself as she leaves the room.

I pick up the baby, get home and call my hubby.

Me: "YEAH! We can go. The doctor said."
Him: "Um. I feel like crap. I finally caught the cold you have."
Me: ((sniffle, sniffle)) "OK, hope you feel better!"


defeated [de*feet*ed]adj. - 1. beaten or overcome; not victorious; 2. disappointingly unsuccessful

When Chaperoning turns U-G-L-Y...

I am a career chaperone! I love it! I have a third- and a fourth-grader and I have been homeroom mom and class trip chaperone every year for one or both of them. I anxiously await my youngest to start school so I can carry on my tradition! The trips are always to somewhere fun, the groups are small and the kids are very well behaved...


UNTIL TODAY!

I had no idea what I was in for! I arrived at my son's classroom just in time to be assigned with my group. SIX kids! 4 girls, 2 boys! They are 9 & 10 year olds, shouldn't be too bad, right?! It wasn't until we loaded the bus. My sweet son is in the it's-cool-to-ride-in-the-very-back-seat stage! And also the have-mom-sit-on-the-inside-so-I-can-still-chat-w-my-friends stage. This is all fine with me b/c then I can text friends and just chill.

Apparently, however, the bus drivers got wind of some kind of hold up on the turnpike so we started our trip on back roads. Up and down, around and up again. That danged back seat flings you all over to heck and back! I think I was bleeding internally by the time we got to the Camden Aquarium!

My six kids and I got our bracelets and headed in to a facility that most obviously over-booked the day. I swear it was standing-room-only at most of the exhibits! Kids were cranky, the adults were crankier and my group was starving! Do people no longer feed their kids breakfast anymore? We had a schedule to abide by so I couldn't feed them until my schedule said to head for the Skyline Lunchroom!

By this time I had kept an eye on my group, freaked out onscolded one child for her melt-down and tried to lose themmade sure we all arrived at the lunchroom safely.

I think I would have been OK finishing the trip and heading home on my own. I really think the return trip did me in. No one should even be made to ride 90 minutes on a bus filled with 2-3 kids (apparently who ALL needed Ritalin) to a seat, only a handful of chaperones and enough video game paraphernalia to keep us off the Ben Franklin Bridge due to excessive weight.

There were kids singing to their iPods and I am being kind by saying "singing" - one girl just had her mouth open and all the sounds of hell were coming out of her face...I watched her thinking she was having a stroke or something but apparently the music was so loud that she THOUGHT SHE WAS SINGING!

Then there was a group of boys who had "linked" their Nintendo DS's and were playing some race game that causes you to lose all sense of how loud you are screaming in the nice lady chaperone's ears as you egg on your opponents with your trash talk. One small kid, whose mouth was bigger than he was, screamed, "OH, YOU ARE GOIN' DOWWWWWWN!" so loud in my ear that I saw stars and I honestly imagined myself head-butting him! ME...headbutting a 9-year old! That would be the LAST field trip of my career, I imagine! Maybe not such a bad idea...

The noise on that bus was deafening! COMPLETELY deafening!

When we finally arrived back at the school, I saw a dear friend leaving her bus looking frazzled. She and I have known each other since we were the STUDENTS on the field trip bus! And as I walked past her I said, " I have come to the conclusion that I could never be a bus driver." She looked me square in the eyes and said, "I have come to the conclusion that I will be stopping by the liquor store on the way home!" (thanks "B" - that was the best laugh I have had in a long time!)

Today, while dropping off a forgotten instrument at school , I ran into the gifted teacher who chatted with me for a minute about "my group" for Friday. Yep....just call me GFP, (Glutton For Punishment) - I am off on another field trip as "Queen Chaperone" on Friday, yes, like TOMORROW! I close my eyes, rub my temples and start my mantra, "It's aaaaallllllll blog fodder, it's aaaaalllllll blog fodder..." which quickly starts to sound a little like, "There's no place like home....there's no place like home..."
lost

A day in the Life...an Ode to Mommies

I was peeking through my photo files instead of writing or going to bed at a decent time and I compiled an "Ode to Mommies!" Can't you just hear your response to the following photos? Leave your OWN comments/responses and add to the fun!

"This is your NEW time out area - stay put in the positions I have assigned you- don't move! I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE SLIDING, CRAMPING OR YOUR BUTT HURTS!! I SAID DON'T MOVE!"

"Replace the roll? Oh no, don't bother...it's way easier to find the end from a mass of cavorting toilet paper rolls strewn on the floor!"

"You can't have the hairy lollipop until you finish your vegetables!"

"Non-toxic? Please be non-toxic! Please let green poop be the biggest side effect of this art project!"

"Where do you get this dramatic behavior? Knock it off!"

"Oh."

"Of course you can play with the phone, swim goggles, Daddy's favorite hat and a spoon ON the counter! Would you like to make a playdate of it? I bet little Johnny would like to swing from the ceiling fan!"

"Honey, can you bring all the RAW VEGGIES into the living room? I want to make a salad for dinner!"

"Non-toxic? Please be non-toxic! Please let purple poop be the biggest side effect of this art project!"

"And how is this cleaning up? And where are your pants? WHY IS THE BIKE IN THE HOUSE?!"

"You need to get out of your sister's clothing right now! NOW! NO MORE PINK FOR YOU!"

*sigh*

Have you ever had one of those days? Post some pics and let us see!

The more the merrier! Misery loves company!

Peace.

Wii and Coffee...I thought it was a good mix!

So, I kept myself up later than I should have last night...I was a drawing and painting fool! It was awesome! My iPod, my watercolors and ME! The whole rest of the house was sleeping! Ahhhhh...perfection! Oh yeah...and I watched a few FRIENDS episodes on YouTube...which is why I said "perfection"! LOL!

So, this morning a little person, one just tall enough for his chin to hit the top edge of my mattress runs into my room and says, "Ma! Ma! Dare is sumbuddy sweepin' on da table. Come on, yook! Sumbuddy sweepin' dare!"

OK, so if you are in a deep sleep and someone squeals that in your ear...are you a little freaked out? Well, as I follow his skipping body down the hall and to the steps, I am wiping sleep out of my eyes and thinking...What the heck am I going to do if he is serious? What if 'sumbuddy' broke in and (for some ridiculous reason) fell asleep on our kitchen table? Even as I was thinking it, I knew what a FREAK that made me...to even entertain the thought...but I did.

"DARE! DARE him is! Yook!"

I squint. I 'yook.' I try to look muscular, in case this sleeping intruder is bigger than me. You know, I go into protective Mama Bear mode.

"My shwoggie! Him is on da table!"

His froggy. The %$#%**&%* plastic frog I bought him at Michael's last night! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

"Yes, bud, there is your froggy. Is he awake?"

(mumble, mumble)

"Maa, you pway Wii wit me?"

"Baby, just let mommy fill her veins with something that will make me happy to be playing Wii with you get some coffee first.

I galumph over to the coffee maker as the sound of a way-too-awake Mario and Luigi race around my living room.

Finally, I sit on the couch and we start a two player race. He likes to do the battles, which means there are like 429 games in a row. I blink my eyes, sip my drug, and prepare to KICK HIS BUTT!

In between races we high-five and giggle. This is sweet. We do it every morning. And by the second race (thanks to my coffee), I am totally into it - we have a blast!

This morning we were 3 games in and I couldn't tell you who was winning because every time I get ahead of him, we pauses the game and we trade steering wheels...ha...so technically HE is kicking MY butt!

In between the 37th and 38th race (I am exaggerating) I lay my steering wheel in my lap and reach down for my coffee that was sitting at my feet. He peeps over at me as I put my cup to my lips and start to sip....

...some crazed lunatic entered his body (maybe it was that growling spiky turtle thing that he chooses as his character to drive his race car) and he, with all the force capable of being in a 4-year old body, he punches me. Not in my arm but IN MY COFFEE CUP! And it's a KO!

The angle in which his little fist struck the mug sends scalding coffee UP MY NOSE, all over my face, on my PJs (that I was hoping to keep clean so I could justify wearing them to the bus stop in 28 seconds when his bus rounds the bend), all over the leather couch, the off-white rug....you get the picture.

I have to tell you...12 seconds later I was giggling.

Not because I had finally lost my mind. Not because I was dreaming of the glorious free time I would have while he is duck taped to the wall (DO NOT EMAIL ME! I AM JUST KIDDING!).

I giggled, with coffee dripping from my nose and my chin, because the look in his eyes as he realized what his body had done, apparently without the approval of his brain, was priceless!

He did the 'eyeballs put of the head' gawk and then took off like a shot! His little body zipped in a mini-human blur out of the living room, in and out of the kitchen, through the baby gate that he broke (busted a rung off of so he could fit through) a couple months ago, up the stairs, into his room and slammed the door! SLAM!

The coffee cleaned up without a problem. And I found out that SNORTING coffee isn't all that bad and actually wakes you up more than drinking it.

He bravely walked down the steps and sulked into the kitchen, tail between his legs, and said, "Sowwy, Mommy. You pway Wii wit me?"

We had 4.6 seconds to get to the bus stop...no Wii...but time for

a big snuggle for saying "Sorry"

a "Please don't do that again."

and a smile as he waved from the bus window.

Lesson learned? DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Peace.

Where did November go?

Is it just me or did someone do the "rip the table cloth out from under the dishes" trick with the calendar? I feel like I just erased October from my dry erase calendar and added all of our November to-dos. Yesterday I had dejavu as I erased November to fill in December! Is it because I will be 40 this year? Is this what they mean when they say the older you get, the faster time goes? I had no idea it would be THIS sudden? I was just going along, minding my own business in October...November hit and B L A M! It's DECEMBER! I did the math... I am technically 39 1/2 as of this month! I am wondering if that "1/2" has done something to the universe, at least MY universe, to click my life into overdrive! I can't do my life at super speed! HELP!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/19 HELP.ME.

So.

I'm.

Having.

Trouble.

Blogging.

Everyday.

Tips?

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/13 To go or NOT to go?

Last month I had a really sore throat for almost a week...now I am NOT a baby when it comes to pain! Remember, I am the one who had the 11 lb baby! But, I was actually spitting in the sink instead of swallowing b/c it hurt so bad that my entire body would flinch.

Just about the time I was ready to go to the doctors it went away. Then, I got a pretty bad cough...lasted a week then when I had peed myself one too many times from the strenuous hacking, I was ready to call the doctor. Then it went way.

This went on for a month. A WHOLE MONTH! My mom was calling every day to see if I had gone to get some meds but it was a strange pattern of events...just when I thought I had had enough, the symptoms would go away. I would feel REALLY good for a day and then BLAM! I would come down with some other symptom.

So, after not seeing my brand new baby niece for 4 weeks, I broke down and went to the doctors. He heard my plea for meds, jotted down some stuff I said, listened to my chest and said, "WHY on EARTH did you wait a month to come in?"

I had no answer. Like a 10 year old being asked why she has toilet paper in her training bra, I said, " I dunno."

"Well, Michelle, you have PNEUMONIA!"

Nice.

So, I grabbed the Z-pack and the Advair disc (that is disgusting, btw!) and I was as good as new in about a week.

So, this weekend I came down with that same spit-in-the-sink sore throat. Was up by 5am drinking tea and doing shots of honey all the while downing 1/2 a bottle of Advil to kill the pain.

I call my doctor and tell the nurse that I am being proactive and I want to come right in so I can get on some meds and NOT be sick for another month! Of course they can't see me right away and I have to wait a day.

So, today I head in with my responsible big girl panties on. Call my mom from the parking lot and tell her what I am doing! "Yes. No, I am NOT kidding! I am standing in the parking lot! I swear! I will text you a picture!"

I tell the nurse that I was playing it safe and not letting my I-don't-need-a-doctor-I'm-a-mom pride get in the way. I was there for medicine so I could get back on track!

Dr. Lou came in and I sat up straight, took some deep breaths, fished for the pat on the back deserved for coming right in and not waiting.....

He sits back down and chuckles.

"Your throat is barely red."

"WHAT?!"

"I hear NOTHING in your lungs."

"WHAT?!"

"You just have a cold."

With my tail between my legs, I walk out to the nurse's station to turn in my diagnostic paper (after writing SCARLET FEVER and WHOOPING COUGH across it with the red crayon from my purse) and then head to my car.

What a waste of my time.

Today I NEED THE TIP...cuz apparently, I got nothin' out of this lesson!

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU REALLY SHOULD GO TO THE DOCTOR AND WHEN IT'S JUST A COLD? I had the SAME FREAKING symptoms both times!!

Leave your comment/tip along with your blog link. Go back and blog an anecdote or tip for your readers and leave a link to me. Invite your readers to play along and enjoy a whole month of MOMMY TIPS!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/9, 10/10, 10/11, 10/12 Forget the Valium, give me some Velcro!

Did you think I gave up the ship? Or fallen overboard? Nope.

Let me tell you about my weekend and you will see that this whole TIP parade idea is a selfish means to get advice about my life! LOL!

Friday night as part of my volunteer position with the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, I had dinner with some pretty TOP NOTCH editors, reps and agents who are smack dab in the middle of the Children's Publishing world.

Saturday I had an all day conference where I met with an editor from Simon & Schuster who wants to see a book dummy (a mock up version of a finished book) of the manuscript I had sent her prior to the conference. This is the first book I have proposed that I illustrate as well as write so I was not sure how high to get my hopes.

I then met with a couple of lovely ladies who are art reps and we had some great discussions about my portfolio, what they liked and how to plump it up with one single style (that they loved, btw) to ready it for a trip to NEW YORK for some art rep reviews.

Yesterday is when it hit me...the sore throat that had my spitting in the sink instead of swallowing for the last 2 mornings @ 5am kicked me in the butt. Of course, I am the mom of 3...4 if you count my husband who is getting over being sick, too. I just wanted to climb back in bed after church and sleep the day away. But my daughter, the only NOT-SICK person in the house had to cheer at a football game so my husband took her and I was the parent in charge at home with the two sick boys. One thought he was dying and the other just bounced off the walls in hopes of making himself feel better by way of knocking himself senseless, I suppose.

So, then there is today. Columbus Day. ALL the kids stayed home b/c school was closed. (I even called to plead with the janitors to let them come in for some community service - no go!) Mommy is still sick. Oldest son needed a doctor's appt and I needed milk and butter from the store. Laying in bed all day and snurfling and moaning was not an option ONCE AGAIN! *sigh*

My daughter could stay home while I took my son to the appointment, but I couldn't ask her to watch my little hell-on-wheels so he came along, too. After he licked the chair and made out with the bottom of his shoes in the waiting room, I decided this germ-panic thing was useless...what could I do besides make him gargle with Germ-X? I said a, "please sanitize his innards prayer" and was done with stressing about it.

The doctor did a strep test and I briefly thought about asking her if she would do one on me so I wouldn't have to go to the Doctor's tomorrow when they are all back at school. I said another little prayer for strep...b/c I was thinking if it WAS strep I could just call MY doctor and tell him and he MIGHT just call in a prescription without making me come in....that day all snuggled in bed was on the horizon...I reached out to grab it when.....POP! The doctor returned, shook her head and uttered the V-word. VIRUS! Well, chicken crap, no hope for antibiotics now!

I came home feeling sorry for myself and looked at my calendar...my daughter has an ortho appt @ 10:45, I have a 1:30 dr appt and my daughter has gymnastics @ 4. I slumped to the floor and cried. Well, not really, because I have had no energy for the last week, the floor is DISGUSTING!

My tips?

I told the receptionist at the pediatrician as I was chasing my youngest in and out of exam rooms and through the stacks and shelves of files that they need a velcro wall and a couple massage chairs. You know, an entire wall of velcro. Each wild child receives a velcro suit upon checking in. VOILA! They spend the entire time trying to free themselves while you round the corner to the spa-like massage room where you sit and do NOTHING until your child has been seen and is ready to be checked out.

Does that make me heartless? I am sure to 1st time moms, the thought of not accompanying your child into the room while the doctor pokes and prods sounds horrifying. Well, let me be the first to tell you, it's overrated. The kids just want the sticker and lollipop when they leave. They could care less who walks them through the appointment.

Forget the Valium, hook us up with a Velcro-lined pediatrician's office and I believe we have found Utopia!

What are your Mommy sick day tips?

Go back and peek at some of the other tips, leave a tip that links back to you, post an anecdote to a mommy issue on your blog, link to me and tell your readers to join Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade!

Peace.