Where is that sippy cup?

Sing along now.  Happy Wednesday from the Veggie Tales Minnesota Cuke dvd.

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Two Places at Once

I'm guest posting over at CaJoh's place today!  So please click on over.  I'm talking about

SPRING

It's also Random Tuesday Thoughts : Fashion Victim Expensive Edition.  Visit Keely, get your own Fugly button and go to town (unless you're wearing one of these as featured in April's W Magazine).

For all the love in the land the following 'clothing' choices are so confusing I thought I just had to include them in their own RTT.  Example One:

Moncler Gamme Rouge (page 68 #4)  In case you're confused (as I was), it's a coat.  Made of silk jacquard with feathers.  Feathers.  The price makes me want to run out and buy one today - $9,125.  Available at Bergdorf Goodman and select Barneys.

Number two is tame in comparision but I still wouldn't shell out for these.  I don't really care how 'cool' they look.

The pictures a bit blurred but it's #7 that I'm featuring.  Citizens of Humanity Jeans.  What in the name of Humanity makes these ripped jeans $198?!?  (Page 66, #7)

This Justin Wu dress surely makes a statement.  I'm not sure which statement though: Am I a pink Duck or a dustmop?

For only $4,370 you too can decide what you are. (P.60, #3)

Okay I didn't find all HATE in this months issue.  I liked these next two.  But let's get real about the prices.  Lead me to the Tarjay knock-offs please! (their Liberty of London line is quite cute actually.)

Dolce&Gabbana dress (P. 54, #4) $1,995

These would also look smashing with jeans and a tank, no? (Quick who borrowed my sparkly top??)

Ralph Lauren Collection heels (P.59, #1) $1,950 (ouch)

Now normally, I really like the next designer.  Not that I've ever had the good grace to be able to afford anything she's ever made.  But she's graceful and refined.  Her clothes usually are as well.  However, this looks like she cut up my grandma's couch.

Carolina Herrera (P.82, #9) $2,290  (I think it's tweed maybe?)

I think they may want to check the credentials of the person who sewed this dress.  I'm not quite sure they got it right.

BCBG Max Azria (P.80, #12) $378.  Al least you don't have to blow a grand to get this one.

And the final doozy in my Fashion Victim RTT Expensive Edition is this:

Mars called, I think they found the other half of your dress.  Akris dress (P.142) $3,990

I'm sure there's more Fashion Victim to go around but that's all I have time for today.  Head over to Keely's for more Random Tuesday Thoughts.

What would you call it?

Yes, Gina, it also would have been good for breakfast.

Featured: two homemade chocolate chip cookies (by me) sandwiched around Edy's Thin Mint ice cream.

What have you seen this month?

Are you out of your mind? OR Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's that time of the week again.  It always sneaks up on me but I hear there is a twenty-five step program for just $19.95 available for a limited time only!



Brought to you by the fearless UnMom Keely.

Chick's new school sent home a field trip permission slip today, you know her first day.  Imagine my shock horror surprise when attached was also a waiver of damage injury responsibility from Jump Zone.  This is the venue several half-wit half-assed preschool teachers want to take a bunch of three and four year olds for a good time.  I don't know about you but it doesn't scream "good time" to me.

It sounds more like hell-o with a trampoline to me.  I just couldn't sign off on this one.  Yes, I am that mom that has kids that will eventually hate her. Because I'm just not that cool.

Chick playing wii bowling.




There this awesome Flip-Flop Swap going on over at Mom is in the Fishbowl.  Summer's coming.  Are YOU in?  Click to sign up.

This weekend we went to Newport on the Levee this great shopping/restaurant area on the river across from Cincinnati.  The weather was so nice I almost forgot where I was.

When we came home from errands this weekend we met some neighbors.  I know now who never to tell anything I wouldn't want the world to know (that's what I blog for), who is the PTA mom (aka the woman to avoid) and who walks over, hands you a beer and then sits next to you in your driveway (Yuengling no less from Pottstown, PA).  Yep, it's good to be in the hood.

We did learn that not everyone is from here though.  We have families from Texas to Chicago on our street.  With 32 kids in between.

I think that's all the Random I've got for now. See you next week. Same Time, Same Place. Visit Keely for more Random. Now.

Spin Cycle: It was so fun I just can't help myself

Spin Cycle.  What a breath of fresh air.  I can see already I've got a habit in the making.  And this week the theme is ME.  Yep, ME.  If you don't want to know about ME, then please skip onto something else.  Cause this week it's all about ME.  Jen even said so:

Well, this Spin is to write about you. Write something about YOU. No one else. Just you. You can Spin that any way you want.

So let's get Spinning....

Brought to you by Jen at Sprite's Keeper.

and no I have no idea why I can't make the image be the link even though I copied the code.  my computer just hates me

There are a lot of Mommy Bloggers out there.  There are a lot of Daddy Bloggers out there too.  The thing is, I don't classify myself as a Mommy Blogger.  I am a mom and I do blog but I don't often blog long stories about my kids.  This is my grown-up space, my entry into having an adult conversation (if you can call posting stuff on a blog and having people leave me ego boosting comments conversation, then yes, that is what we are having.) 

You know, writing about yourself really isn't easy.  That could be a reason why I like to write fiction.  I mean not that this blog is fiction (usually) but what I consider my work is fiction.  Which is funny because the only pieces of my work that anyone has actually purchased have been non-fiction.  Well, if that doesn't make me feel sorta like a failure.  There was that one time I thought I had it in the bag in the fiction world.  Remember how well that turned out??

I don't know if this is supposed to be the point of the Spin this week.  Let me run up a few paragraphs and check.....oh, yep I can write about anything I want so long as it's about ME.

So this is me:

Kind of boring I know. (And that's the Let Me Glam Up and Take My Pic version of me.)  Like I said, writing about yourself is kind of hard.  There's the boring, mundane stuff like I'm a wife and I have two kids.  I've lived in two countries and six states in my 32 years.  (That would be the United States and Germany; Washington, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and now Kentucky.) 

The hardest part of writing about myself is knowing what would be interesting for others to read.  With the success of a few other bloggers recently having memoir books published, I wondered if my life would be that interesting.  I was asked if I'd ever considered writing about living in another country and about having moved 9 times in 8 years.  It doesn't seem all that interesting to me having lived it though.  Complicated - yes.  Adventurous - maybe.  Enough to write a book about - probably not.

I doubt you want to know that my favorite color is yellow, that I love Gerbera Daisies and Tulips, that if I wasn't already married I would have to say yes to Mickey Mouse's numerous marriage proposals, and that I need books like most people need oxygen.  Maybe I should simply list what I want to accomplish and that would give you some insight into the ME theme for this week.

There are several sides to ME and this blog.  Along the top you'll notice the navi bar with links to other things.  The one that represents the other me, the obsessed-writer-ME, is the Literary Side.  This is where I write more serious or writing themed posts.  Albeit the posts come and go in streaks and I don't promote the site.  It was created to be the site for professionals (that would be potential people who would want to publish my work) to see the non-random blog side of me.  As I've learned, publishers and agents want to people with strong followings.  So it's linked here should I ever be brave enough (or maybe foolish enough??) to give this address to an agent.

Blogging Mama represents the true side of me.  The part that I am willing to share with (mostly) complete strangers.  You can peek through my archives.  I don't do "Best Of" posts because I don't neccessarily know what would be the best of what I've written.  I do Random really well, in case you hadn't noticed from this post.  What I do know is that I like to blog, no, I love to blog.  Even when I've decided, many times, that I want to walk away because I find myself getting bogged down in reading blogs and trying to find a topic to write about.  I sometimes get overcome with trying to keep up with everything and often wonder if whatever I'm writing about is really all that interesting.

But then I get a comment, and then another.  And the relationship starts to build with the people who do read here.  I find myself seeking out their blogs, hoping to gain insight into their days or worlds.  Sometimes they are places I'm familiar with like the joys of potty training, or the struggle of writing.  Some of the most enjoyable things I read are about things I know little about.  I get to see another side of someone and peek into their life.  It's fascinating and interesting and I meet people I would otherwise never get to meet. 

This summer the family and I will be packing up to drive to the Blogher Conference in New York city (9 hours of pure hell joy.)  CP and the kids are going to the Jersey shore and visiting family.  I'll be hitting Blogher where maybe I'll actually get to meet a few of the people that I so enjoy reading.  Will you be one of them?

For more eloquent (and likely on topic and not boring) posts, visit Jen at Sprite's Keeper and the Spin Cycle.

Spin Cycle: How does your blog breathe?

There's a little something called Spin Cycle with Jen over at Sprite's Keeper.  I've heard a lot about it and decided today is finally the day to play along.  If you don't know what Spin Cycle is all about head over to Sprite's Keeper for details.  The topic for today's Cycle is something along the lines of How do you blog? (I take liberties with that because I don't actually remember the full subject and I'm feeling too lazy to go over and copy and paste it.)  But here is my version of:

All the way back in 2005 we decided to move to Germany for CP's job.  I thought it would be nice to journal our adventures for our family and friends and somehow I stumbled upon this new thing called a 'blog'.  If it wasn't new then I didn't know that, it was new to me at any rate.  (*on a side note, this blog says it started in April 07, however there was a previous version called Blogging Mama Andrea in Bonn.  I'm super creative with titles.)  I gave everyone the link and proceed to spew forth lots of very boring, uncreative posts.  Eventually I happened upon a few expat blogs around Germany and began to slowly see what a blog was supposed to be about.

All I know about blogging I owe to these people:

Mausi (The Ultimate Canadian German Blogger) - Don't even click the link unless you want to get fat from making all her recipes.
J (As in Germany Doesn't Suck) - I found most of my very first blogs through his blogroll.  He takes amazing 6 week vacations to places like Thailand and Laos.  And then posts the pictures as torture.

I gradually started to get a feel for what I was doing and decided to move to my current address, Blogging Mama.  However my posts were still very boring and uncreative.  It really wasn't until just over a year ago that I decided that what I was blogging about needed to have more heart or humor.  More something.  Once I started putting more thought and effort into blogging (and discovered some great memes) my readership started to go up and I started getting more comments.

Which of course is the point.  (Isn't it??)

Now that we are living back in the US this blog is more about keeping a tab on whatever Spins into my mind.  While I do occasionally talk about my kids, they aren't the focus of my blog.  I'm a mommy blogger but my blog is not neccesarily about me being a mommy.  I'm trying to convince myself and others that I'm much more than a mommy.  I'm a writer, a reader, a friend, a cook and all around super person.  (This is all about boosting our self-esteem, right?)

I usually read blogs in the morning while having coffee.  Writing my posts tends to depend on what I have to do during the day but generally I either write in the morning or at night.  Because I've become a blog junkie I do stop by my reader throughout the day.  Even though I don't need anymore blogs to read, I'm always looking for a new voice to hear.  The connections I've made through blogging have been amazing.  There are so many wonderful, funny, enigmatic people out there.

I think that's what keeps drawing me in.  For months I've thought about maybe cutting back or giving it up but then I read one more post or think of something I want to share and I come back.  I have cut back my posting somewhat and I am trying to only post when I truly have something to say.  But I love to read.  And it's because I read a post elsewhere that I ventured over to Sprite's Keeper and decided to see if I could make a decent entry into the Spin Cycle world.  I hope I accomplished that and that you gained some insight into me.

For more Spin Cycle posts go see Sprite's Keeper.

9 years ago...

Random Tuesday Thoughts : Excuse me, but where's your decorator degree?

It's Tuesday, it's Tuesday!  That means that in S I X days The Chick goes to school again.  It also means it's Random Tuesday Thoughts with Keely at the Un Mom.



Yesterday I promised the Chick she could wear underwear.  We even picked it out the night before and put it with her clothes and she was bursting with excitement.  Then I woke upa nd remembered the 500 things I had to do out of the house.  Which means it's not an ideal day to have a fairly good potty trained child in underoo's out of the house.  I'm pretty sure Target wouldn't want the pee'd on cart back.

I've been getting the house together and the first thing I did to make it mine was yank down the scary curtains that the previous owners left.  {Okay they weren't horrid just so not my taste.  I believe my words were "they're prissy."}  Now I had it all sorted out on the main floor (for the most part) until CP said the blue striped curatins would look better in our bedroom.  He said this as I was on a stool yanking down the tacky green curtains that were in the bedroom.  The problem is the blue stripe curtains are already committed to the family room.

So of course I'm looking at the four windows in the bedroom going Dang It.  I have exactly four blue stripe panels which means two are going to waste doing nothing.  I asked CP where exactly did he get his decorator diploma...grumble, grumble.  (For the record he was't right, I just don't like wasting stuff.)

I got Milked!

Sugar Milk'd that is.  I can't wait to read this awesome book by the author of Clark Kent's Lunchbox.

We are hosting a bbq for CP's team from work in April.  I'm half scared (because these are his employees) and half excited (look! other adults!!).  I'm still obsessing over getting the wood floor de-greasified {totally a word}.  And now I have to add finding curtains into the mix.

Speaking of floors, does anyone have tips for de-greasifying prefinished hardwood floors that were washed with orange oil?  I've tried Bruce hardwood floor cleaning and Zep hardwood cleaner.  And I've had zero luck.

I swear this isn't a home decorating blog.  So all the companies that keep telling me my blog is mentioned at their XYZ Home Tips site can stop now.  I'm not giving you a link in return and feel free to remove mine that I didn't ask you for in the first place (if it really exists).

9 years ago tomorrow, on St. Patrick's Day, I married the Irish CP.  I never know if I'm supposed to say "That seems like such a long time ago!" or "That seems like it was only yesterday!"  Which is appropriate??

For our anniversary we are going out to dinner.  With our kids.  Which means do you want IHOP or Mickey D's sweetheart?

Have you noticed blogger is still without a spell check?  Hello, you're Google.  Surely you can add one stinking button.

My Blackberry is doing the dance of death again.  It's turned itself off twice now for no reason.  I don't think it likes living in Kentucky.  CP says only one year and four months and I can get an iPhone.  What he really means is HE can buy ME an iPhone and then steal it from me.

He's just annoyed iPhone isn't an option and work forces him to get the Blackberry instead.

Next week (provided it's above 50 degrees and not raining) - Me + Running = Keeping HASAY happy.  I've been absent far too long HASAY but I'm coming back, I promise.

That's way more than enough Random for a Random Tuesday so head over to Keely's and see who has far better Random ideas than moi.

Let Me Tell You a Story

Actually, to hear my story, you'll have to click over to Fiction 500.

The title of my story today is Planting Flowers.  For my previous story you can click here, New Year's Eve.

(The story should be up by 9 am eastern.)

You wanted some pictures...

So here they are.  This is only the first floor cause the rest of the house is extremely unfit for publication at the moment.  Please note how great the boxes make the decor look.  Stunning no?

 

Book Review and Giveaway: Canterwood Crest

Last month I was given another great book from Simon & Schuster to review.  I told the rep I would have to wait because we were in the middle of moving and I didn't think I would have time until mid March.  Then I picked up the book.  And I couldn't put it down!

Take the Reins is the first book in the Canterwood Crest series by Jessica Burkhart.  The book starts as Sasha Silver and her horse Charm start classes at the elite boarding school Caterwood Crest Academy.  Sasha is finding it difficult to fit in with the other girls at school and especially with her riding rival Heather Fox.  The two don't agree on anything from horses, to clothes to boys. 

As the semester progresses Sasha is determined to prove that she can fit in at Canterwood and make the advanced riding team.  But the strain of schoolwork and riding have her wondering if making the move to Canterwood was such a good idea.

I was initially drawn to this book because of my love of horses.  After I read the entire book I really took Sasha's story to heart.  As the new girl in a very competitive school, the pressure to prove herself is one that many teens will identify with.  Everyone wants to fit in somewhere and sometimes finding that spot takes determination and hard work.

Normally I only give away copies of the book I review but this time in addition to giving away 5 copies of the first book, one lucky winner will also get a copy of the second book in the series, Chasing Blue!  The second book is bound to be just a great as the first and I can't wait to have a chance to sit down and read it.

The Canterwood Crest series is part of a new group of book from Simon & Schuster.  Aladdin Mix is a program that publishes clean, coming-of-age stories for tween girls who are too old for kid’s books, but not yet ready for edgy teen fiction.  From the Aladdin Mix website:


So, you’re too old for kids’ books, but your mom will freak out if you come home with anything scandalous! Turns out, Aladdin Mix is the perfect fit. From best friend drama to not-so-tiny first crushes to new school adjustments, the Aladdin MIX characters are up against the kind of life decisions any girl your age could find herself facing. Never lame or boring and perfect for today’s tween girl who refuses to leave the house without an iPod and cell phone, the Aladdin MIX books read like a friend telling you an amazing story!
 
I absolutely love the idea of being able to find books for those not quite ready to hit the older teen shelves.  You can find a great selection of books over at Aladdin Mix so I hope you will check it out.

On to the giveaway details!  Like always my contests are super easy to enter.  Simply leave a comment letting me know you want to win.  If your email is not linked to your account please leave your email with your comment to make it easier for me to find you. This contest will be open to US residents only and ends Monday March 15 at 11:59 pm Eastern.

Good luck!

Contest closed.  Congratulations to Stacy (the Random Cool Chick), Elle, Jpetroroy, Uprobablydontknowme, and BlueViolet!

Can I bend your ear?

I said I wasn't blogging - and for the most part the reading isn't happening - but I have a situation I need help with.  The area we moved to used to be big DHL a few years back.  But they pulled up and moved to Wilmington, Ohio.  A lot of people here lost their jobs because of that.  Then last year they closed up shop in Wilmington and moved back to N Kentucky (hence why we are here now).  So here's how things have gone so far...

Friday I was leaving the house to go to the store and I met one of the neighbors walking her dog.  We did the "where are you from? - how many kids? - was it a work transfer?".  I answered "Philly, 2 and yes, DHL."  Small pause, then -

"A lot of our friends lost their jobs when DHL moved to Wilmington.  Why did they move back?"

Do I look like I know the answer to that question?  I don't know, I don't work there.  We didn't even live in the US when all this went on.  I sidestepped the whole conversation and went about my day.

Yesterday we had to have an electrician come because the kitchen outlets kept tripping and not working.  During that 30 minute visit of course "Where do you work?" is asked.  It was a bit tense as the whole "a lot of people lost their jobs" comes up.

I want to know how on earth to tactfully handle that question.  It's not my fault, nor my husbands fault the company he works for moved to Ohio and then came back again.  I didn't fire anyone.  Granted CP probably saw the people's file come across his desk in Germany since HR is his job and he did have to be involved in all that...but he didn't make the fire or hire decision.  I just don't know how to answer people who bring it up. 

I have a feeling, being such a small town (where we got a lot of looks just going out to dinner at the place around the corner because obviously we are the new Big City people in town) everyone already knows who we are.  And where CP works.  I'm worried we'll be the unpopular family on the block because of it.

What should I say when someone brings up the fact that indirectly CP is to blame for loads of people losing their jobs?  Is there even a nice way to respond to that?  HELP!

I'm not dead, just living in an alternate reality

As some of you might have thought (and asked) NO, I'm not dead.  (But thank you for the lovely flowers!)  I'm just shall we say, B U S Y.  We officially moved into the house Wednesday.  It's so nice to be a homeowner again.  What I don't like is the state the house was left in when the previous owners moved out.  The state of the wood floor in the kitchen?

Totally gag worthy (I'm going to wash it AGAIN today to try to get the crap off.)

The fridge?

Don't even get me started on the jelly in the side, the hair in the produce drawer, or any of the other unmentionable stuff.

The movers must have thought I was Insane watching me take anti-bacterial wipes to all the doornobs.  No, I'm not that insnae, I just don't want to die from whatever germs the previous owners left us.  It seemed to me that as soon as they got the contract they stopped cleaning.  Like literally never lifted a cleaning implement again?  The permanently imprinted popcorn in the basement carpet was a nice touch. 

Hey, at least the toilets were clean though.  I'll give them credit for that.

So other than cleaning like a whirling dervish just to be able to live, I'm dealing with a preschooler who suddenly has picked this time to toilet train herself.  She's doing really well but living in a hotel/moving into a house was not exactly the moment I would have choosen to accomplish this particular goal.

I also have this unholy mess of unpacked boxes.  My words were this after the movers left for good.  "Holy Mother of Satan!  This is gonna take weeks to sort out!"  The evidence (so you know I'm not making this up):

You don't even want to see the two car garage FULL of boxes.  It'll be August by the time we get even one car in there.  Sigh.  I'll be here, buried, under boxes.  I had to mark all 522 feeds as read cause lets face, I'm not blogging anytime soon nor reading anytime soon.  If you had a baby, got a new job or something equally great - Congrats!  If something bad happened, my sympathies. 

I'll hear about it...eventually.