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...