Brag & Blab Monday

I KNOW!! I'm finally posting again! Are you shocked? It's been nearly a month! (And I was honestly SURE that it was longer than that, as I haven't even OPENED my blog since my morning sickness kicked in, and I honestly thought it'd been more like 2 months)

I have to say, too, that I am truly touched by the emails I have received by my readers inquiring about my health, and questioning weather or not I'm alright. Yes! I am! (A little woozy and lacking energy, overly exhausted and extremely cranky, especially if one were to ask my Lilly- but I'm okay!) And I'm back- though, I can't guarantee I'll have the stamina to blog every single day yet. MOST of my days are pretty okay lately.

This is really the shortest stint of morning sickness I've EVER experienced. With Lilly, it was like a perpetual stomach flu for 16 weeks, with multiple bouts of vomit per day, lots of sleeping from the time I got home from work on Friday night, not even waking for meals, until I had to wake for work on Monday morning, and food aversions so strong that I would vomit at the thought of them. My strongest craving was cheese puffs, though no one- including my pastry goddess mother in law- new what they were or how to make them. Truth was, neither did I. I had NO idea. I just heard them mentioned while watching That 70's Show and wanted them desperately.

With Mahone, the frame was about as long. 16 weeks before it let up, though i vomited twice only, and my biggest aversion was laundry detergent. I still remember my house being a pigsty and my laundry piling up to major proportions. I craved 2 things with that pregnancy- cheese dogs from Hot Dog On A Stick, peach flavored soft serve frozen yogurt. I wasn't able to get either of these things. I lived in New Jersey at the time, and the closest Hot Dog on a Stick was in Ohio. There WAS a TCBY at every truck stop along the utterly and horribly distorted and confusing interstate highways, though they only had chocolate, vanilla or swirl. Obviously, since I was craving peach, they were not satisfactory. The other possibility was the TCBY in Atlantic City, which was over 2 hours away. I planned to go on some weekend. But we never made it.

Scarlet was much better, and while I had that gooey nasty feeling in my belly nearly all the time, but I didn't throw up once. My house got messy, my laundry piled up, and I was ridiculously mean to my children for a few months, but otherwise, I got through it without serious issues, though it still lasted the average 16 or so weeks. I had serious cravings for raspberry filled doughnuts, which was spectacular because we had a Krispy Kreme down the street from us. The other thing I craved was a lemon dessert from Johnny Carrino's that was just divine. It was a lemon flavored cake that was filled with a creamy lemon filling, and smothered in a tangy, sour, lemon sauce and topped with sweet strawberries. I wasn't NEAR a JC's, but when we went to Birmingham for a temple trip, i was able to have lunch there, only to discover that they had discontinued the lemon dessert. GAH!!!!! You can imagine my frustration.

THIS pregnancy, however, has been solidly different. My morning sickness has been less sickness, and more exhaustion. Much wooziness, but not a LOT of actual nausea. Not that it isn't there. But then, it's also mostly at night. I'm usually fine in the morning, start getting tired around Scarlet's nap time, and then by the time they're in bed I'm sick enough to flop into bed with the lights on and crash and burn. At least I can mostly sleep through the worst of it. It's letting up, too. I feel much better more often, and I'm only at 10 weeks. That used to make me nervous, as a sudden disappearance of symptoms could mean travesty. Thank heavens for my sweet and patient nurse, who has spent much time with me on the phone, calmly, willingly and supportively calming my fears with reassurance and understanding. I have noticed that, even though i feel much better than I normally do, and some days I feel pretty normal, it is far from a 'sudden disappearance' of symptoms. I can always count on my exhaustion to kick in at least by bedtime. And in the mean time, I'm counting myself lucky. I'm especially more confident in my condition as I started being able to feel sweet baby flutters about a week ago. I am, as of today, 10 weeks and 4 days!!!

So anyway, now that you've had a not-so-short rundown of my entire pregnancy history, I can get on with my blogging.

Brag and Blab Monday.

I won't be including a mr. linky this week, as I'm writing this Monday night, and normally I post my blogs the night before the day it will be 'valid' and so, tomorrow doesn't really count for this. Also, I have to warn my Touchy Topic Tuesday fans that I won't be posting one tomorrow. I will be posting tomorrow night, but it will be for Wordless Wednesday and You Know You're A MOM When... BUT, assuming I still am feeling up to blogging next week (chances look good) then there WILL be a TTT- which seems to be a favorite amongst my readers.

So here you go, friends: Brag And Blab Monday!!!!

Brag:

I took Lilly to her kindergarten assessment on June 1st, and Lilly did spectacularly!!!

Let me break a few things down.

Our kindergarten has 3 classes:
Monday-Friday, with Wednesdays off Mornings or Afternoons.
And a full day class that goes Monday- Friday, no day off.
Well, I learned awhile ago that the full day class is only for students who essentially don't know anything and are not ready for kindergarten.

The teacher, upon finishing Lilly's assessment, asked what my preference was, and I said Mornings, (because morning starts at 8:20, and then ends at 12:00, and on Tues and Thurs, Mahone has preschool in the afternoon an hour away. Preschool doesn't get out until 4, so I'd need her in the morning or I'd have to have a babysitter pick her up at 3:20 until I got home at 5:00...LOOOOOONG story)

Anyway, the teacher asked me if I might consider putting her in the FULL DAY class because she gets to choose EXCEPTIONALLY SMART STUDENTS to fill 1/4 of that class because the peer interaction that the not-on-par students get from the exceptional students is just as beneficial for them as the teacher's attention!!

She said that she is very impressed with Lilly, and the only POSSIBLE way she can get into the full day class is if she comes in as one of the exemplary kids.

Of course I asked if this class would hinder my daughter's education at all, and she said absolutely not, because the work day is actually very intense. They don't have homework because of the intensity, but they do a lot of work in class, and she said that she has been teaching the full day class for 15 years and has NEVER had an exceptional student fall behind or become bored as they actually can in the mainstream kindergarten classes. She said Lilly is quite possibly too advanced for me to put her in a regular class, and she would worry about her progress THERE.

She also asked if my son would be skipping a grade and coming into kindergarten this year (just in talking to him, she learned that he can already read and he'll be four in July) I told her no, that he'll still be going to preschool this year.

So I came home and called Lilly's preschool teacher (my mom) and talked about it. We're putting Mahone in the morning class instead of the afternoon, and I'll be back at noon before Lilly is out of school at 3:20, though on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll have to ask another mom on the playground to watch her until school starts as I'll have to leave by 8:00 to get my son to school.

Anyway, we're working things out because my mom, I and her future teacher feel that this is the best thing to do for Lilly so that she doesn't get forgotten or ignored because of the abilities she already has. Of course, there's a small possibility that she won't be able to make the class because the teacher DID say that she has to do more assessments and they only have a limited number of spaces. I'm not too worried, though. Lilly really IS awfully brilliant.
I'm SOOOO proud!

Blab: There are a few things that I really really need to complain about. Believe it or not, during the last month, I haven't been actually dead to the world- I HAVE been online a little bit, mostly on my January '11 birth board on Baby Center. And there are just a few things that seriously irk me about women on that site:

1. I don't give a flying rat's arse what you do with your son's penis. I really don't. It's inconsequential to me, and your child's private parts are none of my business. However, I DO circumcise. Yes, I feel that that is a very educated decision made because of research as well as discussions with our pediatrician as well as between my husband and me. I am sick to death of the attitude that if I HAD done my research, then I wouldn't be circing and therefore, i need to be further educated on the matter. I'm not dumb, I'm not uneducated. I feel that I am doing what's best for my child.

Furthermore, on the same topic, I am so tired of seeing circumcision of boys be compared to tribal tradition of circumcising girls. It is a blatant misuse of argument as there is nothing even similar about the two of them. Female circumcision is done to prevent a woman from EVER being able to experience sexual pleasure, as from that time on, intercourse is painful, and since the clitoris is removed entirely, she can not experience climax. It has absolutely ZERO to do with cleanliness, or even aesthetics as is on the top of the list of reasons for male circumcision. It is done as a sort of chastity belt, to prevent women from ever seeking out sexual pleasure from a man other than her husband- as though it were pleasurable in the first place. Knowing what I know about MEN, there is nothing like this going on at all. My husband is circumcised...and he has now fathered 4 children. Without pain.

I also find it incredibly hilarious that one of the main arguments for not ciricing is that uncircumcised men feel greater sexual pleasure than men who are not circumcised. Am I really the only person who calls Bullcrap on this one? I mean, in order for anyone to really know if the pleasure is so much better, a man would have had to have been sexually active for a decent amount of time to experience enough of it to get an opinion, then be circumcised and continue to be sexually active long enough to claim an opinion. The only articles I've ever read about this sort of claim is made by men who are angry at their parents for having circ'd them when they were babies. And it's bogus. Parents decide all the time what to do for their children, and while there are some pretty crappy parents out there, for the most part, all parents love their children, and only want what's best for them. If one feels that their parents have screwed up because of a thing like circumcision because you don't feel like you are sexually fulfilled, then it's probably a better idea to overlook it in the name of your parents having done what they felt was best, and invest in a Kama Sutra.

And last but not least, while Christians know that the law of circumcision has been removed from lawful religious practice, I find it incredibly humorous that so many people say "God put it there, it should be left there" when in fact, Jews and Christians alike very deeply study the bible- old and new testaments. God put it there, alright, but he also told us to remove it, revoked law or not. Christ himself was circumcised at 8 days old, and the frequent argument that he wasn't, in fact, is ridiculous. I know of NO evidence that Jews practiced a ceremony of 'blood letting' where they prick the end of the uncircumcised penis and let a few drops of blood out- INSTEAD of actually circumcising their boys, though I DO know that in the Old Testament, Moses's wife circumcises their son and then throws the foreskin at his feet. Sounds complete to me. One last thing- Jesus's circumcision was not his baptism, which many passionately against circing mothers say: "Circumcision by water" as opposed to a traditional 8 day old Jewish boy bris.

2. "Stolen Thunder": Who the heck cares if your sister in law or sister, or cousin, or whoever is pregnant at the same time you are? Pregnancy isn't about attention, and if it is to you, then you probably need to dig a bit deeper and learn to love yourself more.

So many people complain about the mean and hurtful comments that their friends and families make in their unsupport of their pregnancy, and the same people whine and cry about a friend who announces their pregnancy and they're due at the same time. STOLEN THUNDER!!!! Ugh. Isn't being all irritated that you're not the only one expecting doing the same thing to that woman, who should be able to be thrilled and excited about her pregnancy, that those unsupportive family members and friends did to you by saying rude and inappropriate things? I should say so.

Anyway, not everyone gets pregnant on purpose. Not everyone announces that they're trying to get pregnant. How do you know they haven't been trying for months? Or even years? How do you know that they got pregnant to spite you? Um...sorry, but I doubt it in 99.9% of cases. You ask "Is it too much to ask for for those I love to be happy for my addition?" Well, now I ask, is it too much to ask for YOU to be accepting and happy for your friend/sister in law/sister, etc. who is pregnant too? Put on your big girl panties and realize this isn't 3rd grade. It's not a contest, and pregnancy should never be used as an attention getter.

For the record, I've never been able to be pregnant with my friends. I've been pregnant at the same TIME as my friends, but I've always been across the country. I would LOVE the opportunity to be pregnant with a friend. Even more so, with a sister or sister in law.

3. Baby showers: Another thing I am so sick of is hearing how it's inappropriate to have a baby shower for any child other than your first.

The most common argument for this is that a baby shower is for the first child because people bring you big items and then you are expected to use those items for subsequent children.

Well, let me ask this question: How many "big" items have YOU received at your baby shower? I was lucky enough to have 2 showers- one with my first, and one with my second, as the first was a girl and the second was a boy. My mom gave me an awesome baby jogger at my first shower, but otherwise, we have purchased all of our big items including cribs, mattresses, strollers, car seats, high chairs, etc. Mostly, people brought me clothing and accessories for my babies, but nothing big. Do YOU take big items to baby showers? Well, I sure as heck am not going to show up at a shower with a 400 dollar crib. (For the record, my regular baby gift is Baby 411, and Teething Bling (which is awesome- google it.) and an occasional book for the new dad called Be Prepared: A Mans Guide to Parenthood.)

Not only all that, but I think that the majority of women who think that only one baby shower is appropriate, are first time moms, expecting to purchase all gender neutral everything and then use it for all 10 children they might have.

How ridiculous. Who wants to dress her baby girl in yellow and green onesies for the first 3 months of her life? Furthermore, who wants to dress ANY baby in blow-out poop and spit up stained baby clothes? Because, believe it or not, even baby clothes wear out.

Honestly, I just don't see the difference between having a baby shower and having a birthday party for a previously birthed child. I mean, do you tell a kid "You can never have a birthday party again because you got one on your first birthday." And do you tell your younger children "You can't ever have a birthday party because your older brother/sister got one, and it's inappropriate to celebrate EVERY child." Uh....no.

Point made? I think so.

Not Me Monday and Brag and Blab

I did NOT totally ditch my blog last week and neglect to post at all after Tuesday.
I am NOT sitting here, on the computer while DH wrestles the kids into bed.

I am NOT craving CHALK. (I know. Ew...but it sounds soooo YUM to my pregnant taste buds.)

Welcome to my Meme, friends! PLEASE participate! We really need to get this one going!!!!!

BRAG about something great, then BLAB about something that sucks!!!!

Brag: I have TWO today! Hooray for me and my great life.

1. Lilly had a dance performance on Saturday, and she was WONDERFUL. She's so stinkin' cute. And all our family came and brought her flowers, which are gorgeous, and then we had pie and ice cream at our house. SO FUN. I love having our family over.

2. I am registering for Fall Semester at Salt Lake Community College, for Photography classes!!! AHHHHH! I'm so excited. If I take 2 classes a semester, without skipping summers, I'll be able to finish all of it in 2 years and get my own studio. YEAH!!!!

BLAB: On Saturday, at Lilly's recital, I arrived early, but still too late to get a decent seat. So we were half way back. I reserved some for family, but otherwise, we were set to deal with not being able to see, and planned on sneaking up to the front during Lilly's dances.

Except that as the show started, a whole bunch of people came in, took a bunch of empty chairs from the back of the auditorium, and moved up to the front to where they could see. I was really pissed. I mean, saving seats on a ROW for someone is one thing. But I was there (and other people too) an hour and a half early with two other children to keep in check, and they get to come into the place as the show starts, and MOVE CHAIRS up front? I think not.

People are rude. HOW did they think that that was okay? Ugh.

Touchy Topic Tuesday: Movie Food

Touchy Topic Tuesday: Movie Food.

So, as sucky as it is, Brandon's day off of work is on Wednesday. (Well, Sunday too, but that doesn't count because we have church from 11:00 to 2:00, and that's pretty much the whole day gone.)

Most of the time, we lay around the house, take Lilly to ballet, do homework and read with the kids, and do errands here and there.

This last Wednesday, though, Lilly begged her daddy to take her on a 'date' after her ballet class. Of course, my big softy of a husband agreed, and Mahone and Scarlet and I had a 'hot dog date' at home while Brandon took Lilly to lunch at Carl's Junior.

Then, they came home, and we all went to the new movie How To Train Your Dragon. (Which, might I add, is SPECTACULARLY clever, cute, and downright adorable. We'll be buying it for SURE.)

Now here's the deal. We're pretty tight for money right now. (And lets face it, who isn't.) So, before heading into the theatre, we took the scenic rout through our local Wal*Mart. For less than a dollar each, Mahone picked a package of gummy worms, Lilly and Scarlet both picked skittles, Brandon got peanut butter M&M's and I got raisinettes. 5 bucks, folks. And I'm not talking candy bar sized. I'm talking the same size you buy at a theatre for 3.50 a box/bag.

So, at the grocery store, we spent 5 bucks on what would have cost us 17.50 at the theatre- on top of tickets, which cost 7.00 a person. (For those slow on the math- that's 35.00.) We figured we'd buy a couple drinks there to share amongst us, and that would be a fair contribution to the movie gods.

I grew up doing this. Mom would bring red rope licorice to the movies, and rolls of Butter Rum lifesavers (my favorite.). But I don't really remember there being 'rules' back then.

Now there are. As we gave our tickets to the ticket guy- a 17ish year old kid with a still squeaky voice, greasy, curly brown hair, and braces- I noticed the signs plastered all over the ticket box, the wall behind it, and the individual theatre doors: No Outside Food Or Drink Allowed.

Well, it seemed that no one suspected my bulging 'diaper bag' (never mind that Scarlet doesn't even WEAR diapers anymore) so I slipped in smoothly without being noticed, and happily, we all munched and shared our Wal*Mart treats and our theatre drinks.

But I still feel a slight bit guilty.

Was it dishonest? Or is it okay considering the absolute ridiculous prices they charge? Is it really okay for them to deny anyone bringing in outside foods?

Well, I think, it's their right, as it's their premises, but I don't really intend to stop doing it. I rarely see movies, and even more rarely take my kids. And seriously? Should going to a movie with your family really cost around 55-60 dollars? Pshhh. I can almost get my family into LAGOON for that much money and enjoy an entire day of fun.

Give me your opinions, friends! What would YOU do!?

Brag & Blab and Not Me Monday

I did NOT break out my maternity clothes because I am already too fat to fit into my regular jeans. Yes, they are big...but SOOOO much more comfortable than squeezing into something so tight that you look like a muffin. I did NOT let my kids have lemonade girl scout cookies and milk for breakfast. I did NOT bawl my eyes out at church (pregnancy hormones on the fritz) during primary when all the kids were singing the mother's day song they sang last week and both my kids turned to look at me, wave, and blow kisses. I did NOT also almost fall asleep later that hour, and have to get up and walk around the church to keep from nodding off. I am NOT feeling insecure about my baby because I am not yet feeling sick .

You know how this works, my friends!!! Use this button to link back to me, link up, and then brag about something wonderful, and blab about something that sucks!

Brag: I got to spend the evening with Brandon's mom and dad and their kids last night. it was AWESOME! We love them so very much. I was sad to leave because we were having so much fun!!!!

Blab: Well, I wasn't going to sink to their level, but this is the crappiest thing that has happened in a long time.

You know how I used to write a fairy story on Saturdays for my 'other' blog (thegossamerjewelbox)- that one? Well, I've never really been shy about the kind of big dork I am, and that I LOVE to take pictures of fairies. YES, I do do some mainstream stuff- I have some really excellent (I think) pictures of my kids- portrait style- but really, I just like the hobby of it. Never have I proclaimed myself a professional, or even 'good' at it. I just LIKE it. It's a hobby. It was fun for me. I have never had any classes and I'm teaching myself to use photo shop, so I know I have a lot to learn. But I always figured that you have to start SOMEWHERE, and no one was ever good when they were beginning.

Well, on Friday, after two days of waiting through their 2 day 'waiting period' (lest, heaven forbid, they get a spammer) I was finally able to join the January 2011 birth board- which is why I joined http://www.thebump.com/ in the first place. It's an okay board, but it's slow. So I branched out and visited boards like "SAHM's" and "Preschoolers" and "Photography"

The "Photography" board was an absolute mistake because within 10 minutes of posting about my interest in photography, and the kind of photography I like to do, I was made fun of and had at least 2 other threads started with the explicit goal of demeaning me, my blog, and my hobby.

So I deleted the link.

Those who had already been there passed it around and started making mocking pictures of their babies with goat horns on their heads.

They lectured me about how my photography is no good. And it just went on and on.

My gossamer jewel box blog received over 500 hits that day from this site, and they continued to not only bash my pictures, but also to bash my writing and talk about how I abuse my dog.

So I had to set it to private.

Maybe one day- years from now, I will no longer have that blog private. But in the mean time, it's my own space. I am no longer so confident, now, in the possibility that someday I'll be 'pretty good' - which is what I was aiming for.


Still, I love it. I LOVE making wings and dressing my kids up and playing with photo shop. Even if I need a lot of education on the subject. So, even though my dignity has been crushed, I'm going to refuse to stop playing.


If you would like to check out the hateful things they said, please do at these links. All I wanted was to maybe receive some pointers, talk about styles, and maybe get some tutorials about photo shop. Stupid me. (Oh, and notice- I have 3 posts in TOTAL. And none of them were rude in the slightest.)

http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/36703585.aspx
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/36725668/ShowThread.aspx#36725668
http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/36717589/ShowThread.aspx#36717589 BTW, I am USUALLY totally up for other people's comments, whether the agree or disagree. And I don't care if people like my style or not. I realize that I'm a little strange and that my ideas are- for lack of a better word- weird. I'm cool with people disagreeing. I have never been one to want people to give me false praise or blow sunshine up my skirt, or pee rainbows or any of those other chat board phrases for 'brown nosing'. It might come from years upon years of creative writing classes- but criticism is good. I like criticism- especially the constructive kind. But I'm not okay with personal attacks, and I can honestly say that I have never in my whole life been involved in something this lacking in tact or basis, nor have I ever tried to hurt someone or diminish their importance the way these GROWN WOMEN have tried to do to me. (It makes me wonder who these women think they are, acting all high and mighty. Who taught them EVERYTHING, and forgot to teach them respect, tolerance, and love? It makes me sad for their children, because I know that MY children will be dealing with THEIR children when they grow up. And that is a depressing thought.)

Forgive me when I say that right now, my pride is completely shattered- and I'm perfectly okay if you looked at my Gossamer Jewel Box blog once upon a time, and thought it was crap. I very sincerely respect differences in opinion. But I'm not posting, nor reading, any comment that may attack me here. I have it under pretty good authority that they found THIS blog while searching for it on google.com after I set it to private. So if any of them have anything demeaning or negative to say to me, it'll be deleted before anyone else has a chance to see it. Because after I slander their names all over my blog, their value is gone.

Letters of Intent, Dear So-and-So, and Feel Good Friday

Feel Good Friday

1. Apparently the GI bill is supposed to start working again soon.

2. I sold a tiny pair of fairy wings to a good photography friend of mine-they're adorable. I'm very happy with how they turned out. it's great, because I haven't sold any for awhile.

3. Ren Faire season is beginning, so maybe I'll sell a few more pairs of wings in the next several months.

4. I'm helping to plan a fairy ball to happen at the end of June. I'm hoping to have a wonderful dress and a lot of lovely fairy pictures to share from that party.

5. While I don't have morning sickness yet, I am clinging to my sore boobs as a sure sign that I'm still pregnant. I admit, I'm really nervous this time around due to my chemical pregnancy last time...though, it looks as though this baby is sticking.

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Dear "Perfect Moms"-

You know the type. The ones who have never in their whole lives screwed up. The ones who have never lashed out irrationally. Who have never called their kids Brats and never will, nor will they let a name like "nasty", "snotty", or "naughty" escape their lips. The ones who respond to everything with cheerfulness and perfect, effective discipline. The mothers who have been in every single situation that any other mother comes across, and has not only handled it better, but also feels the need to tell the mother in question HOW to do it better.

This letter is for you.

First of all, I have to very vehemently disagree with your perfection, and move on to say that I don't believe you in the very slightest.

Like you've really never EVER let your kid watch television while you do something for yourself for 5 minutes. Like you've NEVER taken your eyes off of them and in the meantime, they amused themselves like an angel instead of doing something that causes a big mess and a need for discipline- like dumping flour all over the floor, or writing on the walls with red lipstick for example. Riiiight. You're with them 24/7. (And by 24/7, I mean, you never EVER, for a SECOND, let them out of your sight. Poor, poor depraved, repressed children!) YOU have the stamina and patience to play with them constantly, because THAT is what a GOOD mommy does.

I just have to say that you people, if you are indeed so 'perfect' are, in my opinion, the reason for the diminishing sense of respect and responsibility in today's society. YOU are responsible for the entitledness that people have today. For SURE the way to handle a child's misbehavior, gross antics, or otherwise unsavory actions is to coddle them, smooch them, and tell them that you love them soooooo much that nothing they do will ever upset you, but please don't paint the walls with poop anymore, okay, Shnookems? Yeah. THAT's the way to get your point across.

Furthermore, unless a parent is blatantly beating the snot out of their child in public, it is not your business, nor is it appropriate to approach the parent mid-discipline and correct their tactic. Nor is is appropriate to immediately dial 911, call the police, notify store security, or especially tattle to CPS.

A parent is not abusing or humiliating a child when they discipline in public. There is no humiliation involved if a child has to sit on a time out at a store, or if a mother gives a quick swat to the bum. There is nothing wrong with a child screaming in the checkout line because the mother told her that she may not have a pack of gum. For you to intervene in any of these and any other situations is out of line, and downright self righteous, wrong, and immoral.

Child abuse is a very serious, very real thing. And your self righteousness causes a lot of grief and pain and irreversible damage to a lot of good, decent families, which, in turn, takes time and resources away from the children who really DO need the help.

And for the record- when a child does something wrong, it is not automatically a sign of abuse- sexual, emotional or otherwise. If that were the case, every person, 100 years and younger, would be a victim of abuse- bar none.

Signed- Thanks for your unsolicited concern, but go find something more worthy of your passion than undermining parents in front of their children.

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Dear Sick Mommies-

Morning sickness is a part of being pregnant.

Sorry. Unless you are vomiting so badly that you are dehydrated and losing weight, medication is not necessary, and it IS required that you suck it up, work through the headaches, nausea and exhaustion.

Comfort is one thing. Taking a nap or going to bed early is one thing. But no one feels 100% great throughout a pregnancy, and the fewer drugs you give your baby, the better.

~Sincerely, ~eye roll~

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Dear Overly Sensitive Mommies-

Whether you ARE pregnant and you're pissed off because everyone else has moved past the "YAY!"'s and "Congratulations"'s doesn't mean they don't care about you or aren't happy for your new baby. It just means that they have other things to worry about besides you and how sick/happy/emotional/grumpy/sad/excited you are. No one cares except for you and your doctor. I've had 3. I'm working on 4. Believe me. It is not every one's job to bow down to you, wait on you hand and foot, and meet your every need. It doesn't make them insensitive, it makes them worried about their own things, which they have every right to be doing.

For those of you who are angry because a sister in law, or friend, or aunt or whoever, has gone on to have a happy and healthy pregnancy while you had a miscarriage, well, I'm so so sorry for your loss. I really do understand. But it is not their fault, and it is NOT insensitive of THEM to have a baby, it is insensitive of YOU to make them feel like they have done something wrong by having a child.

It is also not okay in any way to expect your sister in law, your friend, your aunt, or whoever, to put their family plans on hold simply because you lost a baby. Sensitivity, of course, is desired, and yes, i have seen some cases where women ARE sincerely rude about it. But it does not automatically make a woman a bad friend, family member, or even make her rude or insensitive because she chooses to have a baby that happens to coincide with your miscarriage.

Miscarriages are awful things that should never have to happen to anyone. But they do. And the world does not stop turning. I am very sincerely sorry.

But PLEASE look at this story from both sides before you go around whining about how insensitive they are and how you can't stand to be around them. When you step back and look at that, what does it REALLY sound like?

Signed- Who's the jerk now?

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Dear Cloud In The Sky That Looked Like A Fluffy Little Pirate Ship-

You made my day today. So cute. I wish I hadn't been driving and that I had had my camera.

Adoringly, Please Do It Again.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Well, today, I have chosen to participate with Mama Kat's writer's prompt Thursday. The prompt I chose was:
2.) Where were your shoes? Write about an interesting time when you happened to be barefoot. Begin and end your writing with a description of your feet.

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When I was a kid, I thought my dad was the smartest, most talented guy ever. He could build ANYTHING. Truth be told, I still think the same about him.

(My dad and my brother, Biege, at his wedding in Dec '08)

He's a drywall contractor by trade, and he built the house that he and my mom live in- the house that I grew up in my whole life- from the ground up. He did everything, from the framing, to the wiring, to the plumbing, to the tile floor and installation of their gorgeous claw foot tub- a relic my mom salvaged from a house that burned down across the street from my great grandmother back when I was around 7 years old.

(The famous claw foot tub that is as big as a twin bed.)

When it comes down to it, when I have an idea in my head, my dad is the first person I think of who could possibly build what it is I'm thinking of- which, knowing ME, isn't always the easiest feat: Giant birds nests, boat-like cradles (see The Roan Inish), laundry shoots that will reach my basement laundry room even though there is no REAL place in the house that makes a feasible path...and the list goes on.

Anyway, as a Drywall contractor, my dad had an easier time of taking us kids to work when we were off track, or on summer break. Often, my mom would insist on it. And we went with him a lot.

Going with Dad to work was great. We spent a lot of time playing in basements that were poured, but not finished. Wires usually hung all over the place, and pieces of scrap wood from the framers littered every corner. We brought our Bucket o' Soldiers and our Bucket O' Dinosaurs and played in the piles of dirt left by the tractors that dug the foundation. We would run through the houses- some small, some impressively huge with lovely vaulted ceilings and round front windows already installed, and claim 'our rooms'. Throughout the shells of those empty houses, my dad's music would drift through, and out to the unfinished yards where we would play, and the voices of both my dad, and his partner Val would occasionally rise with silly lyrics in place of the forgotten ones, or simple communication.

Days at work with Dad started out with us stopping at a gas station to grab a doughnut, a soda and some other candy to snack on before lunch- and then we'd go to some fast food place for lunch, which was, of course the best...except when we went to Weinerschnitzel...which was dad's favorite, but it made me kind of sick. (Except that we could sit on poles with miniature saddles attached to them, which was cool. I don't know what that Weinerschnitzel was before it WAS the Weinerschnitzel, but I think I speak for everyone when I suspect that the saddles were out of place.)

The best days at work were the days that Val brought his kids with him too. Braden and Jordan were kind of like brothers to my brother and I. Braden was a year older than myself, while Jordan was my same age. Biege was, as my loyal readers know, 3 years younger than I.

Many a day we spent breaking and entering abandoned and condemned old houses, swearing they were haunted. (Honestly, I still swear that the rocking chair in the middle of that room was rocking ever so slightly. No, I don't think it could have been the wind, even though the window was broken all over the floor, and it was a particularly chilly and rainy day.) We built miniature houses out of blocks of leftover wood, bent, rusty nails and white, chalky drywall mud. We drew all over the place with red, permanent chalk that the brick layers used to map out their laying patterns. We played many games of Jurassic Park and GI Joe. Rarely did they ever give in and play girly things with me. But that was okay. I was keen on playing boy things.

Sardines was one of our favorite games. It's like hide and seek, but backwards. One person hides, and everyone looks for them. When you find them, you both stay put and let everyone else find you.

Once, there was this great new house that was one of the very first in the beginning stages of a new subdivision. Which meant that all around it was acres upon acres of field. Of course, we're in Utah, so it was FLAT acres of field, no interesting trees or forested areas, just flat overgrown weedy fields.

There were still interesting things there. For example, there was a wonderful old car out in the middle of this field, behind the house that my dad was building. Now, the logistics of how it got there is beyond me, now that I think about it. Who in their right mind would drive a car out there, where there were no houses or roads anywhere near it? (and by the look of this thing, when it was parked there, there WERE no roads or houses for miles) I'd like to think it was the result of some romantic plot gone comically wrong, though the truth will forever be a mystery. At the time, no thought about it ever crossed my mind.

To a girl of around 11 years old (and of course the 11, 12, and 8 year old boys with her), this car might as well have been a buried pirate treasure.

It was an old VW Beetle, though there wasn't a scrap of paint left on it. The old thing, in it's entirety was brown, dull rust. There were no tires, no windows, and no doors. The seats, though they were torn, and I'm sure there was a nest of mice living in the stuffing of the back bench, were there, and still properly installed.

This car was MY sardines hiding place. I actually fell asleep in the thing while the boys were looking for me. Braden found me first, and by the time Jordan wandered out there, where the rest of us were crouched so as not to be visible through the glassless windshield, Braden had a better idea than playing Sardines.

"I dare Brae and Biege to walk back to the house in only their socks."

Well, duh, we took the dare. I mean, what 11 year old wouldn't?

Besides that, at a glance it just looked like a lot of dirt, rocks, some soft grass and maybe some wild flowers or wheat shoots here and there. So we did it.

And we stopped half way across because what we didn't notice when looking at the growing things between the house and the old car was that it was choc full of stickers- you know the kind. The kind that HURT and scrape your skin, and stick to your clothes. And by the time we got half way across, our socks were no longer socks. They were a mess of white fabric puckered and pleated together by so many stickers that you almost couldn't even see the fabric itself.

Braden and Jordan gave us piggy back rides back to the house, where my dad promptly called us to go home. And he seriously flipped when he saw our socks.

I can't say I blame him. I did then, but from a parent's point of view, the words "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" come to mind.

Well, I already told you what I was thinking, and, for an 11 year old, I still think it was sound. It made sense at the time, to walk across a vast weedy field in our socks. (Note to self: Remember this when your pre-teen walks into the house with some strange behavior having made a mess of his life. To an 11 year old, different things make sense.)

By the time we got home, Dad made us both sit on the porch and pull out every last sticker from our socks before we were allowed in the house. It took us hours. But my bare feet felt warm on the cement of the front steps, and I certainly learned my lesson. Never again did I go shoeless across an empty field. Barefoot, yes. And I did walk across a small flowing river while on a camping trip with some friends, just to find out that those wet socks were the only ones I had packed...but never again did I subject myself to a pair of socks full of stickers.

Anyway, the next day, I didn't go to work with my dad and brother because I was still mad at him for making me pick out all the stickers, as well as horribly embarrassed about my idiocy.

Jordan didn't go either, I learned, and I wonder if Jordan and I had gone, maybe Braden and Biege wouldn't have burned down the entire several acres of field. (But that's a story for another time.)

~Shrugs~ Boys and their dares.

Wordless Wednesday, and You know you're a mom when...

(How's THAT for wordless? BTW, this counter is permanantly available for study at the bottom of my blog.)

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A NEW Meme I'm participating in because it's stinkin' awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

You know you're a mom when all your chapsticks have teeth marks in themYou know you're a mom when you get chocolates from your kids for Mother's day...and let them eat all the chocolates themselves.You know you're a mom when you're about to get down and dirty with the hubster and you have to pause to remove an offending baby doll from between the sheets.