Writer's Workshop-- Pet Peeves

The Topic:
Name a pet peeve you have about how other parents raise their kids. Go on…stir the pot.


I try to stay out of other people's business, parenting wise. Hey, they're your kids, raise them how you want. However, there are few infractions that I cannot not let go.... 


1. Smoking in an enclosed space, with your children in the room. Smoking in general is gross. Smoking with your children in the near vicinity (like, say, your WOMB), is a death sentence. It is against the law in California for an adult to smoke in a car with a child under 12. I don't know if this law is in every state, but it should be. 


2. Not requiring that your toddler be in a carseat. I was in the drive thru at Starbucks on Sunday. There was a little girl in the car in front of me, poor thing couldn't have been more than two years old. Not only was she not in a car seat, she wasn't even wearing a seat belt. She was climbing all through the car while her mother was ordering a skinny vanilla latte. I wanted to take a picture on my phone, but I was afraid the woman would see me and beat me up. I'm kind of a sissy la la. 


3. Swearing in front of your child. I have been known to spout a few Sugar Honey Iced Teas in front of the kids, but I try not to go overboard. I don't like when people use obscenities in their every day vocabulary. C'mon, guys. Show your intelligence. Think of a different adjective. But it really irks me when people describe their children with obscenities, as in "the little shit wrote on the walls." Really? That's what you think of your babies? 


4. Smacking your children in public. I get it. Your kids are crazy. Mine are, too. But don't make me and everyone else uncomfortable. Beat your kids in the privacy of your own home. 


5. Lack of discipline in public. OK, so don't beat your kids. But don't let them just run crazy in public, either. Rein them in a little, teach them a little respect, and don't be afraid to take them out back if they step out of line. 


6. Thinking that your way is the right way. Seriously. Your way is not the right way. My way isn't right either, but it's the best I can do right now. 

30 days of me

Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one

When I was pregnant with Bug, I got pretty involved with the BabyCenter forums, and all the drama that entails. If you’ve never been to the forums, I highly recommend it! You thought your high school had drama, that’s nothing compared to BabyCenter!

Anyway, I was noticing in the signatures of several posters, there would be web addresses. I was confused. What, all these moms have their own websites? Doesn’t that cost money? Aren’t websites only for businesses?

I had no idea.

Actually, let me back up a bit. Years ago, before I met The Agent, I dated a guy who was kind of a computer nerd, and he made a website for me. It was lame. It said something like “welcome to Lovely’s website” and it had a couple of pictures. I was not under any illusion that anyone was actually visiting the website.

So, as I said, I saw all these website addresses under the signatures of other forum members, and one day, I clicked on one. Thus, opened the world of blogging for me. I was already blogging at the time-- I didn’t call it that, but I was journaling on Myspace and people were reading it. Same thing.

So, I read some of these blogs, and I thought, “Hey, I can do that!”

I wrote my first post in June of 2007. At first, they were mostly fictional pieces, written sporadically. I didn’t start writing regularly until almost a year later, when we were preparing for our first adoption.

And the rest is history.


More 30 days of me:

Day One

Day Two 

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven

Life

She walked into the 8 x 8 room and shuddered as the door slammed shut behind her.

This isn’t right. I don’t belong here.

She hugged the standard issue blanket and pillow a little closer to her. How did she get here? This was a dream, right? She was going to wake up and be with her sweet husband and baby girl again.

She took a deep breath to keep the tears from falling again. She had to be strong. Her father told her to be strong, to never let anyone see how scared she was. But she was scared. Oh, so scared.

The trial had been nothing but a blur. Her lawyer had said from the beginning that she didn’t have a chance, and never exerted more than a half-hearted effort. There was just too much evidence against her, and not enough people in her corner. And she, she was just baffled by the whole thing. How could anyone think she had killed him? He was her life, her everything. How could anyone think she was capable of such a thing? It just didn’t make sense. And the whole time, she kept thinking it was all just a bad dream. Her husband wasn’t really dead. Her daughter wasn’t really missing. She wasn’t really going to trial. She wasn’t really going to jail. But it was all true. It was really happening. Her whole life had been reduced to her new 8 by 8 room.

She closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall. This was her life now.

For life.

The Ultimate Gift

Dear ...

It’s been a busy week. Bug’s ballet recital, swim lessons, Pre-K graduation, BK’s birthday, and Father’s Day all happening at once made for a hectic Mommy. Not to mention I’ve been sick with the flu (threw up at work yesterday-- ultimately embarrassing).

So, it was probably about 9 pm tonight before I even thought about you. I want you to know, we had a good day. BK got a battery powered quad for his birthday, so he was having fun with that. We all enjoyed birthday cupcakes for dessert, and then sang an out-of-tune version of Happy Birthday. BK was a happy boy, and went to bed well.

After the kids were in bed, I was able to reflect on the last two years. Our lives are so full, so complete. And to be perfectly honest, I think maybe that’s why it took me so long to remember you. It’s so hard to think that BK could belong to anyone but me. It’s almost as if I gave birth to him myself.

But I wonder if you’re thinking of us today, and what you gave us.

Two years ago, you had a baby. A beautiful perfect baby boy. And I don’t know what was going in your life then, but for whatever reason, you didn’t think you would be able to provide the baby with what he needed. I cannot even begin to imagine what a difficult decision this must have been for you. And it would have been so easy to just keep the baby and struggle through. In my mind, placing the baby in the hands of another when you know you can't take care of him is just about the most selfless act imaginable, but I don’t know if you realize that.

Are you thinking about him today, wondering if he’s ok? Please know that he is doing well. He runs and jumps better than his sister does. He’s still not a big talker, doesn't talk in complete sentences yet, but can understand everything you say to him. His big thing is asking "Why?" to everything you say. He is constantly smiling, but will only giggle if something is really funny. He has the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.

Know that he is in a happy home. He has his own room, 2 dogs to lick him, a cat to torment, toys to play with, and a Mommy and Daddy to snuggle with.

Know that he has an older sister he adores. You should see him follow her around. It was hard to pick out toys that he might like for his birthday, because he’s always too busy running after his sister to even bother with toys. She walks into the room, and his entire face lights up. She is his everything, and she feels the same away about him.

Know that he is healthy. There have been no allergies, no colds, no reactions, and no drug or alcohol withdrawals. He has never had to go to the doctor for anything other than well baby visits.

Most of all, know that he is loved. Know I am eternally grateful to you. You have given me a most precious gift. Thank you.

Always,

Kicking Cancer's Butt

The Relay for Life was a success!

Funny story…. So my friend Melanie from One in 36 Million told me she originally skimmed through my blog post, and she thought I was doing a chicken LAP dance. No, I was actually supposed to do the chicken DANCE lap, where I would do the chicken dance at the end of every lap. But still, Melanie inspired me. Could I be a chicken worthy of giving lap dances? Could I be a sexy chicken?

This is what I looked like for the Relay for Life:

I should tell you, this is as sexy as I get.

But I was awesome. First of all, nobody was even CLOSE to as dressed up as I was. I think one other yahoo had a chicken hat on. Everyone else was wearing just their regular clothes, or maybe their team shirts.

It made me a bit of a celebrity.

The DJ saw me as I was walking the first lap and stopped me. He had me grab a bunch of people together and I led them in a wonderful rendition of the chicken dance.

And then a rock version of the hokey pokey.

And then the Macarena.

I had a blast.

I am not able to show you the taped version of my antics for two reasons:

1. I didn’t earn enough money (remember, I said I’d need to earn $300 in order to film it?)
2. My camera battery died.

But, as a group, my team raised $2000, so we were all really happy.

Even though my local relay for Life journey has ended for the year, it's not too late for you to donate. Click here to help Kick Cancer's Ass!

30 days of me

Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends


I’ve been so stinkin’ paranoid about showing my picture on my blog. I have a couple times, but what if someone I know happens to be randomly surfing the mom blogs and just happens to find my site? I don’t know that anyone would be able to tell it was me just by reading, but what if they saw my picture? Ugh!

(news flash-- there are 36 million mom blogs out there. I get that. But that’s my kind of luck)

Still, it says to post a picture of me and my homies, and that’s what I’ll do:

I am the white flower face. My girlfriend Lyssa is the pink flower face. The picture was taken at a Rascal Flatts concert last summer. Yes, we are wearing matching tank tops. Don’t hate.

Lyssa is my shopping buddy, my concert partner in crime, and my GNO go to girl. Love her. Her son happens to be same boy that Bug has decided she’s in love with. The 13 year age difference doesn’t seem to bother anyone-- I’m really hoping the crazy kids can make it work!

More 30 days of me:

Day One

Day Two 

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten

Remembered: Prepositions

about 

above 

across 

after 

against 

along 

among 

around 

at 

before 

behind 

below 

beneath 

beside 

besides 

between 

beyond

but 

by 

concerning 

down 

during 

except 

for 

from 

in 

inside

into 

like 

near 

of 

off 

on 

out 

outside 

over 

past 

since 

through 

to 

towards

 under 

until 

up 

upon 

with 

within 

without

Miss K’s 7th grade English class. We needed to commit the most popular prepositions to memory (at the time, I thought this was all there was). I’m not sure why this was important to remember, but I never forgot it.

And yet, I can’t seem to remember to pick up my wet towel off the floor.

Six Word Memoir

Couldn't think of one... here's six.

Thought it was forever…was wrong.

Lose weight. Gain it back. Again.

Smarter than most, dumber than you.

Awakened with a kiss, it’s you.

When no one knows, God knows.


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