May 30th ~ Overwhelmingly Mommy

I was warned that girls can be difficult as they enter their teen years.

I think everyone forgot to tell me that boys become emotional hormonal maniacs too.

Not that I'm complaining .....exactly.... its just that there are days when I collapse from the physically emotional strain of trying to keep everyone on an even keel. It's damn exhausting!

Our 12 year old son tries to hold everything inside of him.....doesn't want anyone to see when he's upset.....tries to always keep everyone happy.....even if doing that makes him unhappy. And no matter what I say, he can't seem to help himself. He does seem to see the glass as half full.

Our 11 year old son holds over-reacts to all things. If he stubs his toe, he thinks he has broken his leg. If he gets a splinter, he thinks his finger has to be amputated. He fights back in all things...even if things are going his way. Yet he is warm and loving with kids younger than himself.

Our daughter falls somewhere in between. It'll be interesting to see how she is when she is their age.

I need to buy stock in Tylenol. lol

All three are brilliant, wonderful, loving, people..... We are lucky to have them. It's just hard to not worry that something we say or don't say as parents may not be the right thing. Logically, I know we're not perfect, and we are doing the best that we can, and that we are good parents. I want so much for them to grow up as happy, healthy people. To know that love and family mean more than any material success. If they have that.....they have it all.

I guess that means I already have it all. :)

May 20th ~ Closing my eyes

I'm not really closing my eyes...

but oh how I want to.

I want to let myself believe that Americans would never harm prisoners

That we will always be the knights in shinning armour

That'll we'll lead other countries in civil and human rights

But every time I open the paper.....or turn on the computer.....or catch a glimpse of TV news

my eyes are pried back open.

The majority of US citizens are loving people filled with compassion and humanity.

But we aren't being viewed by the world in that way. It breaks my heart.

We need to do more as a country to bridge the divide ~ to get to the root of our own flaws and fix them. We need to find our commonality with the rest of the world and celebrate it, enhance it, build on it

and work together not against.

Remember the golden rule? Do unto others.... Have those in power forgotton?

May 16th ~ Tom Tom

I admit it...

I love reality TV

NOT ALL of it

but Survivor, Amazing Race, The Apprentice, Extreme Make-over Home Edition
It's bubblegum for the brain. I can watch, enjoy, be moved, effortlessly. Plus, as soon as I feel "too hooked" the show ends.

It's a short term commitment. :)

But what the heck was Tom (on Survivor) thinking?

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad he won. I wanted him to win. He deserved to win.

HOWEVER.....How could he manipulate Ian so pointedly, that he'd cause Ian to give up a million dollars JUST to regain Tom's respect? They are in a GAME fergawdsakes and NO ONE was without fault. Everyone was guilty of misleading someone at one point or another. Ian may have been thinking of voting Tom off.....but he never wrote Tom's name down. He never actually betrayed Tom.

It's a GAME..how could ANY of them NOT be thinking of all possible scenarios?

They are there to try to win a million dollars. They all know that going in. I'm sure Tom thought of the same scenarios as Ian.....but either he didn't speak it out loud or the camera didn't show it to us.

Tom KNEW he could beat Katie.

He knew it!

It would have been a MUCH tougher win against Ian, although, he probably still would have won. I'm just really bugged that he would be so warped that he would not only guilt Ian into feeling so badly for his THOUGHTS but that Tom would even accept the offer of bowing out from Ian.

Sheeeeesh.

Tom ~ you were good on Survivor. I was pulling for both you and Stephanie from the start....but you were certainly no saint and your behavior in the end left a very bad taste in my mouth. While I could understand your anger and disappointment with Ian, you profess to being so honorable. Where is the honor in stooping to such a low level of twisted manipulation.

Tsk Tsk Tom Tom

May 13th ~ Cruelty

It's odd to me.

I was reading a couple of popular blogs online this morning and found the volume
of vociferous cruelty in people's comments to be deafening.

The same things happens in online chat, I guess.

It's as if the veil of anonymity somehow gives people a desire, and even permission, to say things they would never say to anyone in public.

It's vicious.

Is it that anonymity shows a person's true colors?

Or does that anonymity allow some people to "try out" what it feels like to be evil and cruel without any social repercussion?

Or, (even worse to imagine) are there simply a lot of dog kickers out there, hiding behind minty breath and bleached smiley teeth?

I'm a glass half full chick.
Always.
I'm going to believe that it's option number two.

But it still pisses me off.

LOL....this sounds like a cranky Friday the 13th. Time to go cuddle the munchkins and recharge me. :)

May 11th ~ Science Projects (AKA Urban HELL)

Arrrrrrrrghhhhhhh

It's "Science Project Season" here.

I don't know how our house survives the trauma .

Both boys have been calculating what their year-end Science grade might be if they get an "F" on their Science Projects (for deciding to not turn anything in). They figured that they could still earn a "B" for the year.

They agreed it was worth it.

I put on my responsible mommy hat and made them do their projects anyway. Mean, huh?

Both projects look good to me.

It clearly states in the instructions that the project will be marked down if it looks like a parent helped. You'd think that would take some of the stress off.

Instead it makes it worse ~

because of COURSE the parents are going to help.....

at least in some small way.....

at least with advice or suggestions....

and then you have the added element of: "OMG don't make it look THAT good!"

(sigh)

Luckily, when you walk around the school gym, and see your childrens' science projects along with all of the others on display.....a sense of wonder and pride softens the extra wrinkles...

and eases the migraine hangover.

May 10th ~ Ok, so how'd you find me and how do I find you?

Ok, so I know how to Google celeb blogs.

Rosie is my fav.

She turns off her comments sometimes,
probably because Blogland can suck you in if you're not careful. Just a guess.

I plan to avoid that suckage vortex too.

I can do it.

I am strong. I am invinsible. (You're singing now aren't you? )

But how do I find other blogs? How do other bloggers find me?
Any why, oh why, would they want to? lol

This is a little like being in outer space and not knowing how to navigate my ship.

Houston we have a problem. Houston? Oh Houuuuuston?? San Francisco? Seattle? New York? Anyone? hello? hello? hello? (ok, is there an echo in here?) :)

May 9th ~ Losing my Blog-ginity

I have only recently learned of "blogs"

never thought I'd create one.

But then I realized:

"free audience"

lol ~ What's not to like? :)

Guess I'll learn as I go.

Maybe it's like seeing a shrink...

takes time to open up. lol

Day one/Blog one/Do they have BloggersAnon if this become a habit?