friday four

I had every intention of doing an amazing post today but of course, never got around to it. I have several ideas rolling around in the caverns of my brain but none have seemed to come to full fruition. So I thought I would just throw out the snipits of the posts I am pondering, mash them all together and serve it up for your consumption. Sorry if it leaves a bad aftertaste or leads to a bad bout of indigestion. I tend to lack in the cooking department.

1. Crabs - No, I don't have them... well actually I do, but as pets. No not on me personally but in a cage. Well, I killed one. Not intentionally you see.... it just.... happened. They (the crabs) were out playing in the sand table and when I ran in to make the boys dinner. When I peeked out the kitchen window to check on them I noticed that one had been abducted. Obvioulsy the guilty party of either a hawk, seagull or other miscilaneous bird, decided it was hungry and was going to feast on some succulent crab legs. Yes, I earned yet another Bad Mommy Star for my trophy case. Go. Me.

2. I really wanted to participate in Mommy Always Wins Friday Flashback about the cars of our past. I was even going to take this opportunity to admit that I have a car problem. Some may call me a car hussy or auto whore but I seriously can't sustain a relationship with a car past three years. After three years the love is gone and I need a new fix. In the 17 years I have been driving I have had 8 different cars. That is a lot of rubber tire rotations!

3. Then there was the discussion today with Grady's pre-school teacher about what a good student he is, how he is always well behaved and that he was such a good helper today. Uh, seriously? I think you have the wrong kid. My kid, aka Spawn of Satan, spits food and runs around chanting "Nudie Boy!! Nudie Boy!! Nudie Boy!!" He screams, cries and whines with such passion he puts the most ill behaved children to shame. Hmmm, maybe my kid just dislikes me and enjoys making me cry and rock in the corner by the end of the day. I think that makes my second Bad Mommy Star of the day. Excellent!

4. I also really wanted to present at BlogHerNot 08 but just couldn't get my act together in time. So I have been taking some of the amazing course offered (in my jammies while consuming ice cream and cheetos) and even stopped by Izzy's for some other distractions and non-BlogHer going fun. All this knowledge is making me dizzy. It could also be the wine consumption but who am I to point fingers!

So there you have it - my non-post (and a definite glimpse into the reasons I was not asked to speak at BlogHer). On a good note, by attending BlogHerNot 08 you could get the chance to sleep with George Clooney or, if you are extra lucky, David Duchovny. Guess I had better shower!

friday flashback - punk rock girls revisited

Now, if you have followed me for a while you know I am a fan of The Dead Milkmen. I have posted about them here, and here, oh and here too. Punk Rock Girl is especially a favorite. Grady loves to move and shake it to that song and I of course indulged him and play it extra loud!! Hubby and I often fight disagree on the bestest song eva. He brings up some good ones; Big Lizard (which I had the t-shirt of BTW), Bitchin' Camaro, Surfin' Cow, but in my mind there is only one. This song has passed the test of time and has remained in my heart and brain for, I am sad to say, decades. Nothing screams "I love the 80's" like this song. And now, for your viewing and listening enjoyment I give you this.


Now go rock your mohawks and black leather and join in on the Friday Flashback fun. This week's theme is music. So pull out the vinyl or cassette tapes and pick your favorite or two. Be sure to add yourself below and of course, leave some comment lovin'!!

friday flashback - aliens, ghosts and trolls, oh my!

Woo hoo, it is finally Friday!! Which means yet another installment of the Friday Flashback. I will actually be posting two Friday Flashback - cause that is how I roll - reminiscing about my perversely deformed body three years ago. Believe me the pictures will scare you and have not been approved for those under 18. With that said this weeks prompt is "What was the first movie you ever saw? What was your first notable movie memory? And what effect did it have on you?"

The first movie I saw in the theaters was E.T. I love that movie and will still watch it when it is played on television. I still have my original video cassette but alas, nothing to watch it on. Well, technically I could watch it in the playroom on the old and dying VCR but I am terrified it may eat the movie. Yes, I too find it quite strange that I have such a weird affection for an old video when I could easily go out and buy the DVD. I remember being so excited to finally see a 'real' movie in the theaters. I remember having candy and crying when the astronaut like beings wheeled him off because they thought E.T. was dead. I also heart Drew Barrymore in that movie. sigh...

The movie "Cats Eye" by Stephen King (also with Drew Barrymore) is one that haunts me to this day. Truly - I hear things in the walls and think it is that God forsaken troll. The number of nights sleep I lost because of this movie is frightening. It did not help matters that I grew up in a century home with crawl spaces. One of the crawl spaces was in the back of my closet. I HATE that crawl space. I would pile boxes, toys, anything I could find, in front of it and still the door would pop open. I was, and am, convinced that there were things in there. I will still, to this day, have nightmares about that frickin door. Gaaawww... I HATE that door. I am so happy my parents moved and I don't ever have to sleep in that room again! Curse you Stephen King!! Mamalogues mentioned how she was traumatized by Poltergeist - ya! That movie was SCARY and I refuse to ever watch that movie again. The whole rope through the ceiling freaks me out. When we built our house a few years ago - by a little cemetery - I made sure I was there when they dug the hole to make sure NOTHING was unearthed. Crazy how certain things warp you for life.

And on the lighter and fluffier side there is Dirty Dancing. I know, I know...I hear you internet. But there is something about that movie that got this small town girl's heart. I will watch this EVERY time it is on television but only if my husband is not home. Heck, I will even sneak to watch it when he is home. Ask him what movie he dislikes most and THAT is the one he will tell you. I remember buying the sound track and singing the songs with my friends. I remember renting it one night with my BFF and watching it while she was babysitting. Sigh... Yes, I still love that movie. Nobody puts Baby in the corner!!

Please join in! As usual copy the list of participants and add it to the bottom of your post -- and don't forget to add yourself!
For more posts on the “Something about movies when I was a kid…” theme, click these fine divas...
Sweetney
Her Bad Mother
Oh The Joys
Mamalogues
Izzy Mom
Mrs. Flinger

friday flashback - dirty little secret

Friday Flashback prompt this week: What memory/story from your youth (or childhood) - if any - would you never share with your own children? Why? And if there's nothing from your history that you wouldn't have them know, why is that? (Note, as always, that you can play around with this - is there some story that you want them to know, but only when they're much older? Something you'll only share when/if they ask?)

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. This quote is the first thing that popped in my head when I read the Friday Flashback prompt for this week. Sadly, I feel, the possibilities are endless. There are so many things I would not like my children to know, but each one for different reasons. Maybe it is because of their youth right now that I want to remain a star in their eyes. A wonderful mother and role model that they can look up to - yeah I know I am sooo dreaming here. I have my plethora of bad mommy stars proudly displayed in a well lit trophy case as proof that this is an extremely large pipe dream.

There are many things from my past that I am not proud of - many mistakes made - many, MANY stupid mistakes. But all of those stumbles and mistakes have made me who I am today. It has been a long and trying road, but God has continually been good to me, and for that I am grateful. I am especially grateful because not once, but twice as a teen I tried to quickly end the pain of my youth. Obviously, I failed both times, but the scar from the first one remains as a reminder. It goes unnoticed by many in my day to day activities, but it will catch my eye from time to time. Days like today, Drake's birthday, make me take a second glance. What if.....? I would have missed out on all the wonderful things my boys have to offer me. And as much as I write about the follies of my attempts at parenting and their attempts at driving me crazy, I love them like no other. This occurrence in my life is one that I do not want to share with them and hope, that as a mother, I am never faced with.

As always, check out the other lovely divas participating in this weeks FF - Mamalogues, Her Bad Mother, Mrs. Flinger. And of course, because I still can't figure out how to auto link them with my Mac, you can find their links in my blogroll for your viewing pleasure!

friday flashback - prom nightmares revisited

Prom or not to prom... that is the question. Or at least the question for this week's rendition of the Flashback Friday. This stirred up many memories, some good, some bad and some ugly (and not just my dress!) Let us take a journey back in time.....

I dated the same boy through most of my high school career. We met while working at the local Phar Mor so he went to a different school. It was kind cool to date a guy that went to another school back then, maybe it still is. Anyway, he was a year older so I got to go to prom as a sophomore at his school, this was the good year. At my podunk school you could only go to prom as a junior or senior. My first prom was not eventful - bad dress, bad hair, that's about it. My parents wouldn't let me go to any after prom parties or the post prom trip the next day to Cedar Point. So all in all, very boring.

Flash forward to my junior year, this would be the ugly year. We had made plans to go to his prom since he was a senior. I got the dress, he bought the tickets and then, well how can I put this.... I got grounded. Here is how it all went down. While stopping at a local seven eleven to purchase some beer for a party, I got busted. And not just a little busted - BIG time busted. The FBI was doing an undercover investigation and raid on this place for selling to all the local teenagers. I went in with my boyfriend's best friend, he grabbed the case of beer, handed me the money and I paid for it. Because I am the one who handed over the money I was the one that got in trouble. Hell, it wasn't even my money let alone beer! Bummer. Needless to say when we got pulled over by the FBI I was beyond hysterical. The agent told me I was going to have to go home and tell my parents (cruel SOB). Long story short - he called my parents, they wigged out and threatened to send me to boarding school and grounded me till eternity. After much pleading by my boyfriend and because he was not with me when it happened, they let me go to prom with him but no after prom. I was asked to my school's prom by the 'prom king' (as friend's) and had to say no. Another bummer.

The bad year - It is now my senior year and my previous boyfriend and I were on a break. Think of the Friend's episode and that about sums it up. We were dating other people and I was asked by my physics lab partner, Andy. We were going to double with my BFF and her boyfriend so it should be a lot of fun. What I also need to mention is that I was somewhat dating this guy, if you can call it that, I met skiing in New York. We would write and call each other blah blah blah. On the weekends he would drive to my town and take me out to dinner or a movie. Nothing majorly serious in my eyes - he obviously had a different idea. Well this guy turned into psycho stalker guy. He found out I was going to prom with my friend and freaked out. He called my friend and cursed at him. He even threatened to hit him in the knees with a baseball bat. I found this funny since Andy was a big guy and was part of the defensive line of our football team. Andy, on the other hand, did not take it well. He was upset and angry. He said if I didn't want to go with him all I had to do was tell him. I felt horrible as I had no idea all this was going on. I told him I DID want to go with him and that is why I said yes. Drama, drama, drama. I still feel like crap about that whole scenario to this day. Andy if you are out there - I am oh so sorry. Please forgive me!!

So there you are. I will hunt for pictures to add to this post later. I will have to scan them and I just can't do that from work. I do remember wearing men's boxers under our dresses and flashing people at the prom our senior year. Oh to be young again!

Don't forget to check out Mamalogues, Oh the Joys and Mrs Flinger's posts!! And be sure to add your own and leave a link in the comments.

friday flashback

"Where were you when...?" is the question of the day posed by the fine ladies at "Sweetney" and "Her Bad Mother". I perused some of the entries and had AH HA moments with each of the incidences they wrote about. I was in the hall at my locker between classes in sixth grade when they announced the Challenger crash. I also remember my mom waking me up extremely early to watch the 'once in a life time' wedding of Di and Charles. I can recall the destruction of the Berlin Wall and rushing home from my anatomy lab to watch the sentencing of OJ Simpson. All of these memories are still fresh in my mind, though I can't remember what to get at the store to save my life. Another occurrence I can vividly recall was the arrest of Jeffery Dahmer. 'Why on earth would you remember this' you are surely questioning. Well, the reasons are plentiful.

It was the summer before my senior year of high school when he was arrested in 1991. I had done all the university tours my junior year and had decided to go to college in Milwaukee. I grew up in a small town on the eastern border of Ohio, two miles from Pennsylvania to be exact, and I was ready to get the heck out of Dodge. I yearned to be in a metropolis with up to date fashion, trends and culture. I applied early and was accepted. So the countdown to freedom began.

"Newsflash! Officers arrest a serial killer in Milwaukee. When apprehended in his apartment they find corpses, human remains and severed heads in his refrigerator." The trial began in the middle of my senior year. I was continuously questioned about my school choice, "Are you really going to school THERE??" "What if there are more killers like THAT there?" and so on and so on. To small town minds this type of killer was incomprehensible. To be fair, he was mind blowing to many across the country as well as around the world. As the investigation unraveled it was discovered that he was originally from Ohio and went to Ohio State (my second choice for college). Suddenly the six degrees of separation was quickly closing in. As well as being on every national news station, he was also on all the local station because of all the discoveries they were finding in Ohio as well. I was glad when school was over and I could escape the verbal questioning and harassment.

When I moved here the story didn't have the same zest and appeal as it did back home. Maybe because they had been hearing it for over a year and by then and the shock value had resolved. I embraced the silence and went about my merry way and all that college had to offer to a wide-eyed freshman.

It amazes me that this was the occurrence that was sparked by the question posed. Maybe the small town girl in me is still stuck in there after all.

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This post was written as part of Catherine and Tracey’s “Where were you when…” writing prompt.
“Our parents' generation can recall exactly what they were doing when JFK was shot - a cultural moment that defined a generation. What big cultural or historic event occurred during your childhood/youth that you recall clearly? What was its impact on you?"

Feel free to join in and write a post on this theme. All you are asked to do is copy the list of participants and add it to the bottom of your post -- and don't forget to add yourself!

For more posts on the “Where were you when…” theme...
Her Bad Mother
Sweetney
Mamalogues
Mrs. Flinger
Whoorl
Oh, The Joys

self-portrait truthiness at its best

Well I was originally wooed by the idea of a Friday Flashback post when I read about it on 'Mamalogues' and 'Her Bad Mother'. Their first choice was "A song by... that changed you". I pondered it for quite some time and eventually decided against it. All my stories were risqué and things I am just not ready to share with the blog world or truth be told, have my children read someday - yikes!! This week they chose the 'self-portrait of truthiness'. I fell in love with the title and am always one to take a dare. The idea is to post a picture of you first thing in the morning - no make-up, no prep work, NO coffee. Now I was perusing the photos and I highly question many of them, either that or I am one of the scariest morning people alive. Most of these women have nice combed hair, fresh looking faces, heck, some even have smiles. I NEVER look like these women in the morning. My hair looks like the stomping ground for a family of ferrets, three blind mice and a large wild boar. Now I will admit there is not much difference when it is clean and "done" due to the amount of curl and product that goes into the coiffure, but it does look a bit more tame. Because of this I am going against the rules and posting a pre and post picture just to prove that I am not a deranged lunatic in real life and to show you that objects are not as scary as they appear!


Oh yes, this is 5 am at its finest! I am even scared when I look at this picture. Guess if my husband can roll over, see this and not run for the hills he must be a keeper!


So here I am with my hairstyle of the moment. No makeup but my hair is somewhat decent.


Ok, this is a flashback to three years ago. I am glammed up and looking quite cute I must say. This is pre-Grady so the bags under my eyes are not as defined as they are now. I also have a lot less, shall we call them laugh lines?


And then there is the long haired version of me. I loved it this length but simply for the reason that I never wore it down - it was always pulled back. I could throw on a hat or throw it in a pony and go. I like my short hair but it does take more time and effort.

Be sure to check out these other brave women as well:
www.mamalogues.com
www.izzymom.com
www.othejoys.blogspot.com
www.badladies.blogspot.com

As a side note - I can't do the fancy little "do dad" to link you to other blogs on my apple lap top. I have tried and tried with no success so take the web address as they are. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated.

So now I post the same dare to you - show the world the real you first thing in the morning. Be sure to link it back to me and the others involved and we can fill the blog world with an overabundance of beauty.