Endless Pursuit for Mom of the Year

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. - Jack London ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- We all find inspiration in different ways.  I'll admit, I've been known to snap photos in random stores, at billboards, or even of women in high heels in parking lots.  I just know when inspiration strikes me, or I see an idea I feel I can build upon, I need to either write it down or photograph it.  This is a trait Aaron and I must have in common.  We were on the road most of the day Saturday for Aaron's great aunt's funeral.  We stopped at a truck stop to fill my car with gas and get on the road for home.  While I won't name where exactly we were, to better paint the picture for this post, let's just say we've come to lovingly refer to it as the sceptic tank of Iowa.  When we were on the road again, he turned to me completely out of the blue and said, "I just got inspi...

"Opportunity is missed by most people  because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." -Thomas A. Edison -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yesterday was Aaron's birthday.  Between recovering from the flu, spending time at the doctor's office because of an ear infection, and blogging about designer shoes, we managed to get a little time in to celebrate, but not much.  Maddie really wanted to take her daddy to Perfect Games, so we picked the kids up early and finally celebrated.  Perfect Games is a place where you can bowl, play games, have pizza, play laser tag, get those little ticket things and have your kids spend them on complete crap.  I think you all get the gist.   As Maddie stepped to the counter to determine what to spend her 289 tickets on, I noticed the employee leaning in to make sure to get my attention.  I recognized her immediately as a co-worker's sister.  I didn't know she was...

I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.  - Marilyn Monroe -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  I know...I know, the photo is bad but let's say it is my way of protecting the "innocent."  Perhaps it is the fact I'm a year older.  Perhaps it's because it was 33 degrees outside.  Perhaps it was because I was tired, hungry and had a screaming child in the back.  My guess is, it was actually all of them.  However, I found myself mildly amused, while sitting in the pharmacy drive thru tonight waiting to get medication for Malea's ear infection, at the young woman who passed.  Short skirt, puffy and somewhat furry coat, VERY high heels...and going to Hy-Vee.  Really?  So amused, and maybe mildly possessed, I snapped this quick photo.  Any mother would agree that children, jobs and everyday stress change things.  Obviously, the three of t...

There is truth in wine and children. - Plato -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Sorry, I've been away for a while.  As I had a few spare minutes and sat down on the couch with my laptop tonight, Maddie said, "Whatcha gonna do mom?  Write your blog?"  "Yep Maddie," I said.  "What should the topic be tonight?  Any requests from my family?"  Dad and Maddie both shrugged.  As if I were really a human request line and my family was just dying for me to write about something in particular.  I'm sure Aaron was just secretly hoping he would not be the topic.  As I waited for my laptop to fire up, Madison was showing me her math homework.  I'm really not sure how this conversation even got started.    "Mom and dad," she said.  "Remember when I was downstairs with Megan and Gretchen and Andrew and we were playing?  And...I can't believe I'm going to tell you this....

A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn't act that way very often.   ~Author Unknown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As parents, I will admit we might not have censored what we've allowed Maddie to watch on TV as much as we should have.  Don't get me wrong, we're not subjecting her random acts of violence and other really bad things kids shouldn't watch.  However, daddy's interesting television viewings after I go to work in the morning became the topic of conversation tonight.  Aaron was paging through the menu on our television, seeing what the line-up of evening shows would be.  I'm only half paying attention when Maddie says, "Oh dad, don't make me go to my room so you can watch The Walking Dead."   THAT got my attention!  As daddy began laughing, and Maddie completed her pleading which involved a line about how lonely she gets in her room, I said to Aaron, "You ...

<meta HTTP-EQUIV="refresh" content="0;url=http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://earthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/tornado-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://earthfirst.com/9-examples-of-incredible-tornado-photography/&usg=__4QU5HQc4YkQxER5otN1PrKafgPw%3D&h=312&w=468&sz=73&hl=en&start=39&zoom=1&tbnid=_rQv-ND74v_iSM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=200&ei=5_40TfmVIcHflgesjY2wCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtornado%2Bimages%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D654%26tbs%3Disch:10,1065&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&oei=5_w0TdDDKcKB8gbHnOzICA&esq=3&page=3&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:39&biw=1440&bih=654&gbv=1&ei=-v40Tcz5CYHcgQey_dSTCw"><style><!-- body{display:none} --></style>   The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage.  A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his ...

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This weekend, I celebrated what I prefer to call the 7th anniversary of my 30th birthday.  I'm not bothered by my age.  If I were, I certainly would not make my age so painfully obvious in a blog post for all the world to see.  However, I did reflect on my life as I celebrated yet another year, and realized with great happiness that I wouldn't change a thing.  Perhaps my husband was a wee bit bothered by the man cold statement in a previous blog.  He mentioned it the other day, completely out of the blue, while I was cooking dinner.  Now, I warned him that he may be the topic once in a while so this should not have surprised him.  In fact, as I sat down to type today, he said, "Do you need me to do something silly so you can write...

You know children are growing up when they start  asking questions that have answers. - John Plomp --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's quite possible I use too many "big words" in front of Madison.  Every once-in-a-while she will have a statement with a word thrown in that I know she's heard from me.  This just happened the other day.  First, every one of us has colds.  It has made for an interesting dynamic in our household as I'm sure we all know the man cold trumps the cold of all colds.  Speaking of man colds, has anyone seen the commercial for the medicine that talks about the man cold?  I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.  Aaron, on the other hand, failed to see the humor.  Hmmm.... ...I digress.  As I was getting ready for work the other morning, I was trying to help Madison get ready for school.  I was telling her there are days we just need to be brave and go...

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing  is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.   ~Phyllis Diller ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  I had to work on Saturday, so that meant a daddy and the girls day.  I didn't return home expecting dinner to be made or the dishes to be done.  However, I wasn't prepared for what I walked into in our living room.  He did preface my entrance with "I vacuumed and dusted the living room, but you'd never notice." HOLY COW doesn't quite seem to cover the mess the girls had made.  It was as though every single toy had been touched, dropped, played with, moved, sat upon and then merely left where it fell.  The first thing I did was grab my cell phone to capture the mess.  I especially love how the drawer in the coffee table is pulled open without a thing inside, like someone ransacked our house looking for top secret information.  The...

  “A man travels the world over in search of what  he needs, and returns home to find it.”  - George Moore ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whenever I get bogged down by the everyday consumptions of life, I think of this ultrasound photo of Malea.  You know, the one where she flashes the peace sign and the tech actually gets it in a photo.  She was reminding us that life is short and should be enjoyed with a healthy dose of laughter.   The day started today with an argument between Aaron and I.  Looking back on it, it was stupid, but at the time seemed to matter.  I know I often don't take the time to appreciate things the way I should and I know Aaron would agree he doesn't either.  However, life handed us a healthy dose of perspective today.  We've all had those days.  You know, the ones that remind you what is really important.  It's certainly not making budget, hitting sales ...

"Sleepwalkers have been known to commit unprovoked violence a nd in some legal cases sleepwalking has been used as a defense in criminal trials. One textbook recommends against trying to wake sleepwalkers by "grabbing, shaking, or shouting," because "in their confused state, sleepwalkers may think they are being attacked and may react violently to defend themselves." It is safest to gently lead a sleepwalker back to bed." - Peter Breggin, author of Medication Madness ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK, first and foremost, the photo and quote are a bit dramatic, but I'm all about dramatic effect.  Over winter break, I took a few days off work to have some family time.  It was so much fun, with one drawback...sleepwalking by Madison.  I woke up one night and it reminded me of the above part in the movie Paranormal Activity.  Madison was standing b...

  A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable. -Billy Graham ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Malea has a fascination with the kitchen. I'm convinced she is destined for a bright future in the culinary arts. So, it's no wonder I opened my towel drawer the other day and found one of her Fisher Price people nested safely inside. It humored me so much, I snapped a photo immediately. Two days ago, she pushed one of my big stock pans around our living room, all while hanging onto the handles. She pulls Spongebob and Dora placemats out of my cookie sheet cabinet and leaves them all over the house. Her favorite is the towel drawer, where I often find her parading about the house with a towel on her like a cape. Why do I let her do this? Because it makes me laugh. When Madison was her age...

From Wikipedia Regarding Getting the Last Word... Getting the last word means that you win the debate.  It also shows your moral superiority, and willingness to stand your ground.  This should convince your opponent that you are correct, and will certainly impress your fellow Wikipedians. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Madison hears all the time how she looks just like me.  In fact, spending a Christmas dinner with over 70 relatives gave her plenty of time to hear all about it!  She even interrupted me one day and said, "I know, I know...I look just like you."  Not what I was going to say, but obviously still prevalent on her mind.  Well, I'm pleased to say while she might have gotten my looks, she got many of her mannerisms from her father.  One of the biggest being the need to always have the last word. I don't remember Aaron being the type to have to get the last wo...