Wordless Wednesday: Little Girls


These are my little girls. Not so little, anymore, I know, but to me they will always be my little girls.

♪Some women are dripping with diamonds

Some women are dripping with pearls

Lucky me! Lucky me!

Look at what I'm dripping with

Little girls♪
(Ms. Hannigan in Annie)



Monday Minute with a Theme Song

Monday Minute

It's time for the Monday Minute, though it's gonna take me a lot more than a minute to think of answers for some of these questions. Who thinks of these questions, any way?! Oh yeah, that Ian, guy. I'm thinking Monday Minute needs it's own theme song. Imagine it: to the tune of The final countdown: ♪ It's the Monday minute dun da duh duh dunda dunda duh dada♪



Has anyone you've known personally lived to at least 100? hmmmmm, nope, not yet, but I'm working on it.  ♪I could walk 500 miles and I could walk a 500 more♪ (The Proclaimers)
What material possession do you value the most? This is such a hard question!  Most everything can be replaced. It's the memories you create that matter most. But, to answer the question: Maybe, my Rolling Stones bobble heads, they're pretty cool, or my leather bound complete works of Shakespeare, (yeah, I know, I'm a complete nerd!) or my computer, because I'd be lost without it, or my journals, or photo albums, or...or...or  ♪living in a material world, material♪ (Madonna)


What do you think happens to us after we die? Wow! This question may just be too deep for a Monday morning! Of course there's the legal stuff that has to happen: coroners, death certificates, funerals etc...but while all this is the end of the physical form, it is just a continuation for our souls. Our life force lives on as energy around the world. What some may call Heaven is the place of Nirvana as you no longer know the pain of the body that carries this energy. Over time, this energy once again brings life to a physical form starting the circle of life over again. ♪Circle of liiiiiiiiiife♪  (Elton John)

Most embarrassing item in your house? Right now? My cat who is always sitting with her leg in the air just licking away! "Enough already, cat! You're clean! Stop it! you're embarrassing me!" ♪F you kitty, you're gonna spend the night...OUTSIDE!♪ (The Presidents of the United States of America)


and finally...

If you could rename yourself, what would your name be? You mean other than Amethyst Moon? I don't know, maybe...Bob?! For some reason saying the name Bob makes me smile. Some words are just fun to say like "nugget" or "bucket" (if you say it like you're a chicken talking it's extra fun. Did you try it? Hahaha!) "Bob" is just one of those fun words. ♪Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Sponge Bob Squarepants♪

Summer Swap Treasures


This is all the cool stuff I got, (Well almost all, my daughter snagged the pack of gum before I could snap a picture, and the freezer tray is already in the freezer with a batch of pudding pops in it, Yum!) in the Summer ♪summertime summertime sum sum summertime♪  in the Summer Swap at Dot Dot Dot.  Thanks to my swap buddy: Bloggin in PA at You Can't Google Everything! I had so much fun shopping for the exchange, and even more fun getting my package at the door!

Friday Fragments: We're Adopting!

It's Fraggin Friday! and we're celebrating the 100th edition of Friday Fragments at Half Past Kissin' Time. Wow! That's a lot of fragmented thoughts!  Welcome to all of you from Friday Follow. I hope you'll stick around and read a little, and let me know what you think.

*give us a week, and we may be the proud parents of a baby boy...Labrador. We put in our application for adoption yesterday, and now we wait to make sure he's healthy and no one claims him. Him and his 7 siblings were abandoned, and while we weren't necessarily looking for another dog, I just couldn't pass up this sweet face. ♪When I opened my eyes and see your sweet face, it's a good morning beautiful day♪ (Tim McGraw)



*Woohoo! I now have a place to stay on the first night I'm in NYC for Blogher10, and I'm waiting to hear back on the other 3 nights. I'm so appreciative of these women helping me out when my plans changed at the last minute!  ♪Thank you India, Thank you terror♪ (Alannis Morrisette)

*Tomorrow I'm marching in support of gay rights at the largest Florida Pride event. I don't know how much of a difference the march makes, but I think it will be a good time. Hopefully some laws can be changed to allow gays and lesbians to adopt and marry. You can't help who you love, and being gay has nothing to do with parenting skills! ♪One heart one love, let's get together and feel alright.♪ (Bob Marley)

*#1 is feeling much better after her fight with Mono, but she still gets pain in her stomach and Doc says it will be a couple months before it will be safe on her spleen for her to do anything active, so the trip to Dollywood was cancelled, and she will be spending most of her Summer doing a whole lot of nothing. ♪What a way to make a living...it's enough to drive you crazy if you let it♪ (Dolly)


Mommy's Ideafriday-follow

I wanna Be MADE...Into a NYC Bum?!

Yesterday, JVC announced the winners of their BlogHer contest, which I, of course, entered because I'm going to Blogher 10 in NYC, and I don't have a sponsor, so the next best thing would be winning a contest that pays your way, right? Right!

With luck being absolutely non-existent around me, I didn't win, but I was happy to see that my roomie did! "I really must congratulate her, how exciting," I thought. So, off I went to talk to her on Twitter, and that's when I saw it!

She had tweeted last week that she wasn't going to Blogher, and our other roommate tweeted that she needed and eventually found a new roomie. But, what does this mean to me?! I built my airline schedule around the first roomie being there on Wednesday! We made these arrangements in February! It was all set! What happened?! ♪If you had told me this last summer, I'd be on the floor laughin', instead of standin' round breakin' down wonderin what happened♪ (Gretchen Wilson)

I know I could have done a better job of staying in touch, but, I made sure to leave comments on her blog that I was looking forward to the conference, and I sent her a couple of tweets. I thought everything was a go, and we would just talk more as we got closer because she's been so busy. Boy, did I mess this one up! ♪All at once, I'm drifting on a lonely sea♪ (Whitney Houston)

See, I do this a lot. I'm the girl who thinks I'm bothering you, so I don't always reach out. I'm the girl that figures, if you want to talk, you'll let me know. I'm the girl who thinks about buying a small gift for you, but then overanalyzes and thinks you might be creeped out by the gesture. I'm that girl! And, this time, that girl is left all alone. ♪One is the loneliest number, one is the loneliest number that you've ever seen♪ (Three Dog Night)

I'm still really happy for my original roomie, because now that she won that contest, she'll be able to go to BlogHer. So that's very exciting for her. I'm just frustrated because it's only 5 weeks away, and now I don't have a room to sleep in, and I've made all my plans around staying at The Hilton, and splitting the cost with 2 other people! And, everyone else has already made their roommate arrangements!

On the bright side, I hear Central Park has a lot of benches, so...

Ooh, I know I'll just sleep at MTV Studios! I mean I love music, so that just seems like the logical place to go. Maybe, I'll be the next Reality TV Star..."Amethyst in the Big Apple."   What do you think? It's New york, so anything can happen, right? ♪In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of ...these streets will make you feel brand new, these lights will inspire you♪ (Jay-Z w/ Alicia Keys)




@Amethyst_M

Tweet Tweet Twittering

♪He rocks in the tree top all day long....Tweet tweet tweedle deedle dee♪

I tweet. Do you? I love Twitter. Because of it being an ever flowing broadcast of information,  I get so much useful news and tips and links.  For a research nerd like me, it is sweet and heavenly!

I'm happy to say, I finally got Bear tweeting, after about 6 months of talking to him about it, and he admits that he likes it. He likes getting news before it hits the mainstream media. 

Twitter, like blogging and most social media, gets better with more followers.  If you tweet, make sure to follow me @Amethyst_M  If you don't tweet, and you want to, I'd be happy to help you get started, just send me an e-mail.

Oh, and if you want to get sponsored for your tweets try Sponsored Tweets. It really does pay.
♪Tweet tweet...Rockin Robin♪

Tuesday Tag-Along

Monday Minute: Secret Questions of Song and Poo


Monday Minute

This week's questions are...




1 - Have you ever had any feelings towards one of your teachers back in the day? I had some feelings for my teachers, alright! Man, did they make me mad, asking me to do my work, at home. What the heck?! Isn't that what school's for?! If I wanted to do homework, I would've been home-schooled! Duh!  Oh, yeah, and my ROTC Sergeant had the dreamy smile of Andrew McCarthy! *sigh* ♪ Oh, Dream weaver♪  (Anyone else picturing Garth in Wayne's World?)

2 - What's the most embarrassing thing that happened while at work? So, I was in HR's office, when all of a sudden...Pop! Oh my freakin Gawd! My bra, just snapped! And my size G boob is laying on the freaking floor! I'm all hunched over trying to hide it, with one hand on my boob, and she's cracking up as she closes the blinds on her office, and tries to find me a safety pin. We finally get it fixed, and I leave all red in the face, but glad it was only her. Just then, as I'm walking back through the 20 or so people that report to me, just then, the damn safety pin breaks under the weight, and like slow motion my girl is falling once more to the floor, and their is no hiding something of that size... ♪ Catch me now I'm falling♪  (Pretty Poison)

3 - When was the last time you crapped yourself sharted? This week's questions may as well be the story of my most embarrassing moments! WTH?! Who comes up with this stuff?! So, It was in the second grade. I was at PE, and my stomach was hurting, but there was no way I was going poo in school, in that one little classroom bathroom. Everyone would know that I poo, and we can't have that! So, I stood under a tree willing it away with the strength of my mind, and yeah that didn't work so well. The next thing I know, I've got a lump in my underroos and I'm running towards the classroom. I pulled down my pants, sit on the toilet, and that lump plops on the floor! So what the hell do I do?! Well the only logical thing...I take off my socks...to clean it up, of course. Now, it's smeared everywhere, My bare feet are on the cold floor, I have crap covered socks in my hand, the smell is horrendous, and the sounds of an entire second grade class are filling up the room outside...I'll save you all the mean kid details, but I did get out.  ♪ I gotta get out of this place, if it's the last thing I ever do♪  (The Animals)


4 - What is one thing you have always kept a secret and why have you kept this a secret for so long? See 2 & 3 above  Why so long?! Really?! and ruin my uber cool image?! ♪ Secret agent man, secret agent man♪  (Johnny Rivers)
5 - What's your best advice for us habitual coffee drinkers as to not have to poop right after drinking it? Really?! I don't think I'm qualified to answer this. I can't keep from smearing crap on the walls, let alone keep it inside! ♪ Inside I'm slowly dying, but the rain won't hide my crying crying cry ey ing♪  (Allure)

Writer's Workshop: A Happy but Blue Reunion

So Mama Kat wants me to write about a happy reunion. (Actually, she doesn't really care what I write, but that's the prompt I'm choosing.) So, Write about a happy reunion she says, and I think "hmm, it's always a happy reunion at the end of the day when I get to lay in bed and once again be reunited with my pillow!" but, as much as I love to sleep, it's really not an exciting topic "there I was making mad passionate sleep with my pillow,"  ok, why the heck is Blue Moon playing in my head right now?! ♪ Blue moon, I saw you standing alone♪  what's wrong with me?! Never mind, Don't answer that!

Anyway, so on to a different happy reunion. This morning I'm happy about an upcoming reunion with my dear childhood friends. It's over a year away, but I just know it will be a very uber happy reunion! In fact, it will be a smurfing good time! Yes, I'm talking about the Smurf movie! Thanks to the magic of CGI, we will see the smurfingly awesome little blue people as they are chased by the ever-nasty Evil Gargamel, through the streets of NYC!

On August 3, 2011, almost a year to the day after I hit the streets of NYC for Blogher 10,  that's when we'll see the great blue adventure! And, I can't wait! Really, I can't! ♪ la la lala la la la la la la♪



Mama's Losin' It


A St. Augustine Weekend

Bear and I had a great time in St. Augustine. We didn't do any of the tourist things because we figure we'll need to go back, soon, with the girls. There are so many things to do and see, between the museums, the Fort, and the Fountain of Youth, (Maybe, I should have gone there; I think I saw a gray hair this morning!)
We walked around the Historic district looking at all the little shops. (History and shopping in one place, it was like heaven for a nerd shopaholic like me!) And, we ate sooo... much... food! This is the salad and sandwich we ate at Cafe Hidalgo. I tried to get a picture of the gelato we ate right after this, but it was too good, to last long enough for a picture! ♪ Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy♪ (Ohio Express)


We took a morning and went to the beach which is where I got these wildflower pics. The water was freezing!  We looked like a couple of old folks from the home trying to ease our way into the water and wincing at the splash of each wave!  When I was little, my grandmother would get so mad at me for splashing her. At that time, I couldn't understand why she didn't just run in, like me. ♪ Hope I die before I get old ♪  (The Who) Yeah, now, I get it.
♪ I'm gonna soak up the sun, I'm gonna tell everyone to lighten up♪
(Sheryl Crow)



Temper Tantrum Tuesday

    Tuesday seems like the perfect day for Temper tantrums. It's the day after Monday, not quite humpday. Seems like a good day to get a few things off my chest. This is a stomp your feet kick and scream Temper Tantrum post! 

Why the hell is Tuesday traffic so bad?! And, always when I'm already late! Did everybody have a crappy Monday and oversleep on Tuesday?! It really is the worst day of the week for driving! I just barely hit the gas when the light turns green, and I have to stop again because some assjack cuts me off! ♪I can't drive 55♪ (Sammy Hagar) 

This oil spill thing is really pissing me off! How many generations will be impacted economically and environmentally by this mess?! And, yet, we're still drilling all over the world, despite being able to grow hemp and corn for fuel! I know it's all about profit, and where you can make the most, but why can't we find some kind of balance?!  ♪Cause in the real world, they're shutting Detroit down♪ (John Anderson)

Spam! not the goodiffriedwithbrownsugarcannedstuff, but the constant bombardment of offers that I do not want! What's the purpose?! I'm not going to see an e-mail and think "well, yes, I do want to give you my money, you seem like a very reputable company..."  ♪I've got some Ocean front property in Arizona, from my front porch you can see the Sea♪  No, I don't want my thing to be longer! I don't want a thing at all! Well, um, ok, I want one...I just don't want to have one...I mean...on me...um...attached to me, oh you know what I mean! Damn Spammers!

What has you wanting to throw a tantrum?

Tuesday Tag-Along

I can't Get no Satisfaction, but there's Triscuits

Even though we've been together for more than half my life, I still worry about how I look to him. So, on the night of our 18th Anniversary, I make sure to spend a little extra time in front of the mirror doing my make-up, and trying to get my curl crazed hair to just control itself! With hair and makeup done, I now turn to the suitcase to decide which of the 10 outfits I've packed is going to fit like it did before I packed it. This shirt with this skirt, or these capris with this top, or, or, or... Finally, an hour after we decided it was time to go get dinner, with hubby patiently waiting, ♪waiting on a woman♪ (Brad Paisley) (at least he looks patient, I mean he's watching ESPN, so he must be ok, right?) finally, I'm ready to go.

I turn to him and say "Do I look ok?" and you know what he says?! He says "yes, you looked good an hour ago." I know that's a compliment, and I know he just means that I always look good to him, but where's the appreciation for my hardwork?! Doesn't he know what a sacrifice I just made?! I stood in front of a mirror for an hour! An hour! I plucked hairs, lathered myself in moisturizer, stuffed and cinched and sucked in my fat rolls, and inhaled poisonous hairspray fumes, all... for... him! All, so he wouldn't look across the dinner table and think "what the hell happened to her?!"  ♪She let herself go♪ (George Strait)

Anyway, so, I'm looking good, he's looking good, and we're hand in hand off to dinner at Raintree in St. Augustine. We know right away that this is not our kind of place, but decide to stick it out, because of the special occasion. I had the $28 Ribeye, (do you know how many ribeyes I could cook for $28?!) and he had the Chicken a la Zingara (that's fancy talk for tiny chicken breast with cheese.) The food was good, there just wasn't enough of it! And, it wasn't like we were paying extra for great service, because there wasn't enough of that, either! With the bill paid, we leave, agreeing to get something more to eat later, after a little anniversary ♪bonchickawawa♪  in the hotel room.

I'm swooning as he opens the hotel room door, and with sultry sexiness, I...run past him, straight to...the bathroom, where I stay long enough to dispel this alien life form thats suddenly waging war on my intestines, take a shower to wash off all that damn makeup that I had to put on for my special night, and then drag myself into bed...to sleep, leaving Bear to spend the rest of our romantic evening with the TV and a box of Triscuits.  ♪Did I shave my legs for this?♪  (Deana Carter)

Boycott BP so the Children May Suffer

With oil continuing to spill at record pace into the Gulf, and cleanup efforts failing miserably, I hear people everywhere screaming "boycott!"  With any luck, it just may bankrupt a large Global company, and that seems like a fair punishment for the astronomical environmental and economical damage that has been caused! ♪ give me fuel, give me fire, give me just what I desire, ooh yeah!♪  (Metallica)

Heck, let's do it! Let's boycott, then we can throw a huge party as we watch all the Big business people lose money. I'm sure they have their big bonus money tucked safely away somewhere, so it's not like they'll suffer any. They'll just move on to some other big shot job where they can further wreck havoc on the world!

So, how do we make sure they stay down? How do we really punish them?! Oh, I know, let's get some lawyers involved! They can file class action suits! Then, not only will BP have even less money, but then the out of work Fisherman will be able to feed their families for a couple nights with their portion of the winnings. I bet they'd be able to easily get a couple cans of surplus tuna with their share! ♪ Everybody hurts, sometime♪  (REM)

As for the little people that work for BP companies all around the world, well, they should have known better than to build careers with a company that would make such a stupid mistake! so for their stupidity in job choice, they can can just be unemployed, too. And their punishment for poor decision making can be facing the little faces of their teary eyed children begging for food because Mommy and Daddy didn't plan for the bankruptcy of the seemingly stable company. ♪ Well, we're living here in Allentown, and they're closing all the factories down♪  (Billy Joel)

When it's all over, and we've accomplished our Boycott goal, we can then sit back and relax and enjoy the new improved oil enriched beaches, as we soak ourselves in the moisturizing black waters of our new world. A world transformed because people seeked the punishment of a large company and succeeded. Leaving no money left for BP to contribute to the resolution of the problem, and resulting in the loss of millions of jobs, and investments!  ♪ It's the end of the world as we know it♪  (REM)

Behind every Big company is a lot of little people. Maybe, a better solution is to spend our time looking for a way to help, as opposed to a way to punish. Boycotting works well to bring about change, but is it the right kind of change?



friday-follow

Writer's Workshop: Soundtrack of my Life

You know, with all these songs bouncing around in my head, you would think Mama Kat's prompt to pick the 10 songs you would have on the soundtrack of your life would be easy for me! But, as excited as I am about this musical prompt, it's so hard to pick just 10 songs, and I know I'll forget something, but here goes, The soundtrack of my life:

Hot Child in the City by Nick Gilder- Picture it: a little 4 year old girl with red curly afrolookin hair blowing in the wind as she sticks her head out the car window singing 
♪ Hotshot in the City do do dodo runnin wild n lookin pretty♪  My dad's nickname for me was Hotshot and I thought this was MY song.

Tomorrow- Annie soundtrack- Ok, so this has to be on here, because, red curly hair, I thought I was Annie. Okay, not like in a delusional way, but I was 7 years old, and finally there was a girl in a movie that looked like me, and she liked to sing! It was just like me! only I didn't live in an orphanage...and there was no rich Daddy Warbucks in my future...but...maybe, if I sang enough, someone would notice me and put me in a movie! ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow I love ya tomorrow, you're only a day away♪

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel- This song kicked off the 80's and just stuck with me through those childhood years of Smurfs, and Grease, Carebears and Pound Puppies, of summers with grandparents, and coming home when the streetlights came on. It was all accompanied by fun, live your life 80's music, and it was all great to me. ♪ Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk, it's still rock and roll to me♪

Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones- I'm 16 full of teen angst and I attend my first concert without parents; The Steel Wheels Tour was amazing! the showmanship, the gritty beats, I love it all! I could really pick any song by the Stones, but this one is full of the misery and rage I felt at the world around me. When Mom felt the dishes weren't clean enough, and decided to use my arm as a cloth to wipe the knives off on, it was the Stones that comforted me, the sound that filled my world, my personal retreat. ♪ I see a red door and I want to paint it black, no colors anymore, I want them to turn black.♪

She's in love with the boy by Trisha Yearwood- ♪ And even if they have to run away she's gonna marry that boy someday♪  I didn't care what anyone said, it wasn't puppy love, and Bear and I were getting married!

Sunshine of My Life by Stevie Wonder- for the 2 beautiful girls that brighten up my days, the best things I've ever done; My Princess and My Rose, without them life would be dark. ♪ You are the sunshine of my life, that's why I'll always be around♪

Where've you been by Kathy Mattea- After the video to this song ended, he turned to me and said "Where've you been all my life? I love you. Will you marry me?" Over the years it has become the song I sing when we've argued, when we're apart, etc... It brings me to tears, reminds me of the strength of our love, and ultimately soothes me.
♪ Where've you been, I've looked for you forever and a day. Where've you been? I'm just not myself when you're away♪

The Dance by Garth Brooks- Because the experiences of our lives make us who we are. Though there were struggles along the way, and each day brings new challenges, I wouldn't change a thing. ♪ I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance.♪

Imagine by John Lennon- representing my spirituality, a plea to the world to think about another way of life, of other possibilities.  ♪ you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one♪

Dancing Queen by Abba- I really can't sit still when there is music on. I dance to the beat of my own drum. I'm a little bit different, and I'm okay with that. I love my life, and I plan to keep on dancing through it. ♪ Having the time of her life, ooh see that girl, watch and see digging the dancing queen♪ 



Mama's Losin' It



Turn and Face the Change

There comes a time, ♪there comes a time when we heed a certain call, when the world must come together as one♪

Okay, sorry, got that out. There comes a time for everyone when we are just not happy with the way things are going. It may be in our personal lives, or our careers, but it happens to everyone. The question is always: Is it bad enough to make a change? or is it just something that will change on its own, if you ride it out?

Many people continue with things going the way they are for various reasons. They may be afraid of change, they may just be comfortable with the way things are, or they may not feel they have any other options, but whatever the reason, there is no doubt that making significant changes in our lives is difficult.

To complicate things more, some changes still seem to come with a certain stigma attached to them, because our society says "it is not the norm," and people are embarrassed that they will be judged and looked down upon. Some examples: Filing Bankruptcy, allowing your home/car to be foreclosed/repossessed, quitting your job without another one lined up, getting a divorce, etc...

It is a shame that we, as people, can't support one another more and encourage each other to make these tough decisions. Despite the state of our economy, we continue to define success on what we own, what kind of car we drive, and how big our house is.

How many times have you met someone and one of the first questions you ask is "What do you do for work?" or even more directly "Where do you work?" Does a person's career define who they are? Do you ask because you want to do business with them, or do you use it as a measure of there success?

How many parents still ask their daughter what her boyfriend/significant other does in hope of hearing "he's a doctor?" While at the same time we encourage them to do whatever makes them "happy."

But how do we define happiness? Is it financial success, or is it truly doing whatever makes them happy? Is marriage always part of the happiness formula? Would you be okay if your child decided to just "live in a van down by the river?" (Can you see my Chris Farley moves?) Or do you really have a more established "normal" more responsible idea for what they can do?  If you truly are okay with them doing whatever makes them happy, why is it that we have such a hard time with others taking the leap towards happiness? And an even harder time with making the leap ourselves?

I don't have the answers, but, clearly it is time for us all to think differently. To reevaluate what happiness and success really mean to us, and take small steps towards change. And, even more important; we need to support one another, and share our experiences, so others may know that it's okay.

I have had numerous friends quit jobs recently to pursue their own happiness, not for more money, but simply because they wanted something different.  Though some may say they're crazy, I admire their strength and courage in doing so. Facing the unknown is scary, but if we all join together, and support one another, no matter how big or small the change, no one will have to do it alone.

♪Don't want to be a richer man...just gonna have to be a different man...time may change me, but I can't trace time♪  (David Bowie)

Planning on a Long Marriage, That's what I'm Planning

I'm not what you would call a planner. I'm real good with just "going with the flow," "seeing where things take me," and I'm a notorious "it'll all work out kind of girl." Now Bear, exactly the opposite. He likes to make plans like weeks, months, sometimes even years ahead (He already planned an event on facebook for 12/22/12; the day after the world is supposed to end. You should come it's sure to be a blast.) ♪ Tonight we're gonna party like it's... two thousand twelve♪  (Prince) nope doesn't sound right.

I try to be supportive of the planning. Every week, we plan what needs to be done on the weekend, and every week when the weekend comes, I have every intention of accomplishing all the planned things that need to be done, but the weekend is just not long enough! Between reading, and movie watching, and eating (because you know calories don't count on the weekend,) all the other things just don't seem to get done.

Oh yeah, there's this other difference between Bear and us that seems to play a tiny part in what gets accomplished and what doesn't. You see, I'm an avoider, a procrastinator, a professional theresalwayssomethingbettertodothanclean-er. Yup, you heard me right. I HATE Cleaning! Let me repeat: I HATE CLEANING! But I love the Internet, I can't help it, I do. ♪ I hate myself for loving you, can't break free from the things that you do♪  (Joan Jett)

It's really a problem. I try to limit my time on-line, but there's always "just one more thing" or "just another 5 minutes." So this weekend while I found one more thing that had to be done right then: Bear mopped the floors, did the laundry, washed the rugs, took out the trash, marinated the chicken, loaded the car for Goodwill, and, swept the patio!  No Ladies, you can't have him ♪ The boy is mine, not yours, he's mine ♪ (Brandy/Monica)

I'd like to say that this was all because my back was flared up this weekend, which it was, but, it wasn't. Nope, I have to admit that he just cleans more. He does, I admit it. There, I said it.  "knowing's half the battle" *said in my best GI Joe voice* and I'm okay with winning half the battle. Because "it will all work out," "the chores will wait for another day," "our house is not dirty it's lived in" though that might be because of Bear cleaning. :o)

Now to plan for this weekend. There is so much to do around the house. We really do need to minimize. We have yet to get in the attic. It's my turn to plan and everything will be done! I'm jumping on board and there will be no Internet until the day is done!

Because this weekend we'll be in St. Augustine for our 18th anniversary, well, unless he plans to kill me first. ♪ I used to love her, but I had to kill her ♪ (Guns-n-Roses)

Follow-Friday Me: Teachers!

friday-followHappy Friday Everyone! I am so excited to be the winner of space #7, which is just like being #1, only with some wicked awesome people in front of me, over at Friday-Follow Me. If you haven't checked out the site yet, what the heck are you waiting for?! Get over there! ♪It's unbelievable, oh!♪ (EMF) No! Wait! Not yet! I meant after you read my post! Geez!

I don't normally rant, but today, it is very necessary.

I want to talk about teachers. Not the good ones that take time with your kids, and try to find new and creative ways to teach, no not those teachers, those are awesome!

The other ones! You know the ones, the ones, that think teaching means the opportunity to make up for all their years of unhappiness by making the lives of others miserable. ♪Hey, teachers, leave those kids alone♪ (Pink Floyd)

These are usually the teachers that complain that they're not making enough money. Well, take the amount of money they make per year, and divide it by the amount of hours that they actually teach, and you'll find they're making pretty damn good money, for a job with no real accountability. It's real easy for them to blame the kids for being unable or unwilling to learn, rather than blaming themselves for being unable to adapt their teaching style.

I remember having teachers ask if there were any questions, and then when I asked, I was told "if you read the book, you'd understand." Well, I didn't understand, so now I'm asking! And, it hasn't changed with my children. They've both had teachers tell them the same thing, and one even had a teacher tell them that Freshmen are dumb and immature and she couldn't wait to teach upper-classmen. Only to have that same teacher, later treat her the same way as a junior. And, this is the daughter that is in the top 10% of her class! Certainly not because of help from her teachers!

Administration; they're even worse. It took a week of repeated phone calls and e-mails to finally get a response on what they can do to help since she's been out of school for a month with Mono!

I realize there is a shortage of teachers, so there isn't much that can be done, but with unemployment what it is, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that would make better teachers, and administration, even without the college degree. Just because you got a degree in education, doesn't mean that you should be doing it!

To all the teachers, out there: Take the summer to get your much needed break, and then in the fall; Please, Teach because you want to, not because you can.

♪School's out for Summer No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks♪ (Alice Cooper)

Three Things Thursday: I splurge

Joining in on Three Things Thursday, today, since I'm late, (which really is quite normal for me, so really, I'm on time) I figure this is a real easy post to join in on. So here goes.

What are three things you splurge on?

1. Starbucks! I know it's more expensive than other places, but I don't care, I love it! (plus, I don't drink coffee daily, so it really is a splurge :D )

2. Makeup: ♪Wake up grab a brush and put a little makeup♪ (System of a Down)  I'm not a lipstick girl, but I love my eye shadows. Usually glittery or shimmery. They're just so much fun! There is nothing like a lunch break at Sephora for a mid-day makeover stress relief! ♪Oh make me over I'm all I wanna be♪ (Hole)

3. Books! ♪Take a look, it's in a book♪  (Yeah, I learned to read from a rainbow.) Well, now that I have my Nook, (another splurge) I get the digital ones, so really I'm saving, but I love to curl up with a good story! ♪The neverending story ohoh oh ohoh oh ohoh oh ♪

So what are your splurges? Link up at:

You Just Cant Google Everything

Wordless Wednesday: Iced Cold Coffee


This is the picture message I sent to Bear last week when I bought this most awesomest (totally a word) cup. Why would you send a picture of a cup you ask? Because last summer, I wanted it so bad, and it was sold out, everywhere!

Everywhere, except E-bay! Where some enterprising people were smart enough to get in on the craze and sell the cups for more than twice the retail price. And, Bear knew I wanted one so he was prepared to pay $30 for one for me. And, I almost let him! But, I just couldn't let him pay that much for a cup. I just couldn't. *sigh*

But now, it's Summer again, and Starbucks has this cup well stocked, and I feel like I got mine on sale because I only paid retail! I never pay retail, I'm all about the bargains, but in this case, I feel like I got the best deal ever! It just goes to show that sometimes you just need to have patience. ♪Have a little patience, yeah yeah♪ (Guns-n-Roses)

And, ♪you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need♪ (Rolling Stones)
And, I totally need iced coffee in this really cool cup!

Post it Notes: Hurricane Season

Since, I live in the (not so sunny during hurricane season) Sunshine State, hurricane season is a big part of our lives. ♪We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun♪ (Terry Jacks)

June 1st, the official start of Hurricane Season. This means that all event planning, concerts, barbecues, weddings, etc... will all come with the unspoken understanding that even if it's a "rain or shine" event, that you shouldn't be out there in your best summer whites when the rain is coming sideways and the wind is blowing from all sides!  ♪ Here I am, rock me like a hurricane♪  (Scorpions)

This year, with that fabulous gift BP gave us, we are all wondering what a hurricane will mean to the Gulf Coast ecology if the oil is not cleaned up, which of course, it won't be! So, we know the coast will be damaged, and we know it will take years to recover. What my child wants to know is:
And what I want to know is:


Anyway, back to hurricanes. I have to admit one of the things I love about hurricanes is watching the news to see where it will go. I am always in awe of Mother Nature's power when I see the images of where it has been. Thunder and lightning, and everything that is frightening♪  (Eddie Floyd with some lyrical liberties of my own)And, there is some excitement around the possibility of it coming close enough to get some time off work, but we hope that it dies out before it actually hits.

If you're in a hurricane prone area, it's important to plan ahead. Don't wait til the last minute to check through your supplies from last year, and see what you need to replenish.
  • I'm sure you drank all your water, by now, so, make sure to buy more to have on hand.
  • Check your flashlights to make sure they still work. 
  • Make sure you have a radio to dance to, (and for important announcements, of course)
  • Have an evacuation route planned, and have cash on hand. 
  • Make sure you have a plan to entertain the kids, (and yourself,) ♪ Here we are now, entertain us♪ (Nirvana) should there be a power outage, ex: board games, books, crayons, paper, arts and crafts supplies.
Put these things together with the rest of your emergency supplies, so you'll be prepared and you won't have to fight the crowds at the store when the first storm watch is announced. Have a safe and happy Hurricane Season.