Going Into Hiding

I've been reading on a few blogs today about a new blog that's out that is taking pictures of blogger's children off their blogs and photoshopping them. I don't like that thought at all. I dont want pictures of my kids in other people's hands. I got to thinking about it, and I realized that's just what I'm doing. I am putting out pictures of my kids, and their names for ANYONE to see.

I used to think, "Well, its safer than taking them to the grocery store where someone could see them and follow us home."

But maybe not. So, I've decided that I'm going to take down all of the pictures of the kids, and go back to using aliases. I'm going to get working on that right away. You may think I'm overreacting or silly, but I can still blog great blogs while using an alias and not showing you pictures of my beautiful munchkins! ;)

On another note...the new project will be up and running VERY SOON!! Keep an eye on this blog for the update!

My First Time...

My first time was set into motion my senior year in high school. Interest is actually doing it was fueled by lots of encoragement by my Senior Social Studies teacher. He taught us how to be educated over our choices. How to get behind closed curtains and do it right.

It was the year 1999, and we spent the first whole part of the school year (all leading up to that first Tuesday in November) studying the primary candidates for the 2000 Presidential Election.

What did you THINK I was talking about?

Although I was only 17 at the time, I was able to vote in the primaries because I would be 18 by the time of the 2000 election. We were able to register to vote right from our classroom desks. We had posters made up for all of the candidates and their views on all of the issues all around the classroom.

I remember the feeling of what it was to truly be an American the day I walked into the polling office(which happened to be the music room in the elementary school I attended as a child). Talk about full circle. I walked out of that school heading to the middle school. Feeling scared and not wanting to leave. And when I walked back in...I was an adult. Filled with pride for my country.

I'm writing this for you all today for the organization Women's Voices. Women Vote. In the last election 20 million woman who COULD have voted DIDN'T! If you are one of those woman you need to check out this site. A huge reason why women dont vote is that they dont feel as though they are informed. This site will FIX that!! Get informed, get registered(you can register from the site also), and get voting!! You need to vote to make a difference.

If you are a woman who does vote and would like to encourage other women to get out there and vote. Visit the site. There's so much info!! And lets Mommy Bloggers pull together and get our voices heard!

Mr. Sensitive?

Punk is such a sweet boy. He is very sensitive to other's feelings, and if someone is anything but happy, it really upsets him. In the past couple of days there's been a two examples of how he deals with things when someone is physically hurt. Let me share those with you...

Twinkletoes and I bumped heads. You'd have thought it was the end of the world for her because she screamed and screamed. Hayden came rushing over and this is what happened:

I need to fix her!! First I need to listen to her heart. He proceeds to put a Mega Block on her chest.

You are so smart! Now what do you have to?

I need a wrench!!

Okay so he was little confused about the actual process of how to fix someone. But how smart is that, that he knew that the first thing a doctor normally does is listens to someone's heart!! Oy! I was so impressed!!

Okay, next example. He ran out of the house yesterday when I was in the kitchen. I heard the front door slam and I took off running after him because we live on a State Route and I didn't want him going down by the road. (He was only heading over towards the cow fence to "say hi" to them, thank goodness!)

It had been raining all day yesterday and I got to the edge of the porch just getting ready to run down the steps and my feet slipped out from under me and I landed on the cement step, and my hip slammed into the hard wooden porch. (I'm still in terrible pain and all swollen and bruised!)

Well of course I started to cry and Punk by that point was running up because I must have screamed when I fell. He was yelling at me!!

Mommy, you're NOT hurt! Dont cry!!! STOP IT MOMMY!!

Then he proceeded to start smacking me in the face.

YOU'RE NOT HURT!! DONT CRY!!!

Hmmm....how do I rank. His baby sister gets hurt and he is all about fixing her up. I, his mommy, gets hurt, and he just wants to smack the sense back into me!


How do your kid(s) react to other's when they are hurt or sad?

Let The Madness Begin!

Believe it or not, but the holidays are fast approaching! Once October hits, it's like you blink and you're eating Thanksgiving turkey. Blink again, and Santa Claus has filled your stocking! One more blink, and you're singing Auld Lang Syne.

I have been enjoying the leaves changing and the cooler temperatures, but I hadn't put much thought into the fact that the holidays were near until I kept getting asked by friends and family if I'd started my shopping yet. Believe it or not, but some of my family members have, and it's only mid-October, but now I feel behind!!

So, I need to get cracking and start making lists. I need to plan our Thanksgiving meal since I'm hosting again. I need to find a babysitter for New Year's Eve in case my husband and I decide to go out.

The holiday stress has begun at my house, and I am feeling behind. I need to start planning so when they actually do hit, things wont be in total chaos for me. That way I can actually enjoy the food, gifts, music and magic. Because before we know it...we'll be watching those July 4th fireworks, again!

Have you started your holiday shopping/planning yet?

My Apologies!

Lately, I have been an awful blogger! I think it's because of the dial-up. It just take too much time to get online these days and so I haven't really devoted much time to my blog, or to reading everyone else's blogs that I normally LOVE to read.

Dial-up is really sucky, and I dont know how much more of it I can take!! Half of the time whatever I'm trying to look at ends up timing out because things take too long to load. It's getting really ridiculous! So, I just wanted everyone who reads my blog to know that I am trying to update my blog, but it's not happening like it used to. I

have been working on a new blog project, but only on paper, because actually putting it all online right now gives me half of a panic attack just thinking about the time it's going to take. Not because there's THAT much to put up...but because it will take

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So, if you've noticed that I haven't been stopping by your blog much or that I'm not commenting. It's nothing personal. It just is taking too much time, and I do have a couple of kids to raise! ;)

We're heading up towards Cleveland tonight to go visit my Dad and Aunt and Uncle. I have that Alzheimer's walk tomorrow up that way and so we'll be staying with them through Sunday.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Passing Notes

Dear Zak,

I know you saw me because I saw you look away when I looked your way. You could have at least smiled in acknowledgment instead of acting as though I wasn't there.

Yes, I know your kid was a little angel. I saw the way he was gazing into your eyes and the two of you were cooing at each other. Believe it or not, my kids used to do the same thing. Just you wait. It wont be that long before that little angel will be like my one year old and will be up on it's knees backwards in the bucket of the cart grabbing at everything it can get it's little hands on and throwing it on the floor. And before you know it you'll be wishing for those days because then he'll turn into a two year old like mine and will be screaming "I WANT CANDY!!!!" for the whole world to hear while running away from you and grabbing things off shelves that you then have to pry out of his hands only to induce more screaming.

So, I know you were thinking, "Thank God I broke up with her when I did in the 5th grade so I didn't get stuck with those terrible kids. What a horrible mother she must have turned out to be." Yes, I know that's what you were thinking, and you can go right on ahead and think that. Because in another year when I see you and your ex-angel now devil-toddler in the store and he's getting disapproving shaking of heads from strangers, I'll look your way and smile. I'll smile a smile that will tell you, "Don't worry, everything is going to be okay, it's just a stage. You are not a terrible father."

Then maybe you'll regret ever having judged my parenting. Because I know you did!

XOXO,
Jen

Legal Cocaine

If you haven't heard about this already you may have been living under a rock. I heard about it a few weeks ago on Ellen, who was not endorsing it, I might add. There has been a bit of controversy surrounding it and I dont think that most people are big supporters of the whole concept or idea.

Last night, my husband and I were watching the news and we saw the preview that it had been released, finally.

W, "I'm so getting some of that!"

Me, "You better bring me some home! I wanna try it!"

Cocaine is only being carried in NYC for the time being. I wonder if it will be accepted in our area or if it will even make it here. (Newscaster report)

W, "You've got to be kidding me, I really wanted to try it!"

Me, "Me too, this sucks!"

Apparently, the makers of Cocaine do have a market. If with no one else, then with the people in my living room! Even my stepson who came in the living room towards the end of the news story was disappointed to hear we wouldn't be getting it here anytime soon.

I dont know if it's that we all have addictive personalities but are smart enough not to actually use the REAL cocaine, or if it's just a novelty thing and we want to try it because it is new and it is controversial.

Or maybe it's just that every energy drink we've tried sucks and this one might actually work...

So...what's your thoughts on Cocaine?

I'm Married!

After almost two years I have finally officially become my husband's wife.

Alright, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. I had never went back to the courthouse after our wedding to get a copy of our marriage license so that I could do all the official "stuff" with it. So..my driver's licence, bank account, social security card all still had my maiden name on it.

I also had never went to have my rings sized. I've been wearing them with a bandaid wrapped around them to keep them from falling off.

Wednesday, I took my kid's to my mom's and got all of that done!! So now I have a driver's license with my married name and my bank account is changed (I even ordered new checks), I still have to make in the SS form, but I'll do that next week. And I dropped my rings off to be sized! He bought me a size 7....I'm a size 5.

It's was really hard handing my rings over. They're not super fancy, but that's not what matters, it's what they stand for. I already feel like I'm missing a piece of myself by not wearing them. If they were to be lost forever, oh that would be so sad!

My husband of course had to tease me that it took me 1 year and 8 months to decide that I actually wanted to commit fully to him. I guess he thought I never did all of that stuff so that if I were to change my mind it would be easier to go back to "my old life".

After almost 5 years being with him, and 2 kids later....going back to my old life...could never happen.

How long did it take you to do all of the little formalities after you were married? Was it hard letting go of "the old you"?

Adventures In Parenting

I have to apologize to Valerie!! She's my renter this week(what's left of it) and I didn't even introduce her!! I promised her a post on Friday, but I really wanted to get that Alzheimer's information out there and leave it up for the weekend!!

So, Valerie, I'm very sorry!! Valerie's blog is her everyday stories that she chooses to share with us in the blog world. She covers a wide range of topics...heck up on her blog right now you can read about ghosts, Clomid, and sweating!! If that doesn't hook you than I dont know what will! ;)

So go! Tell Valerie Jen sent you and you may just get a surprise*!

Back to regular blogging tomorrow! But today is all about Valerie and her Adventures In Parenting!



*the surprise being the satifaction of supporting another blogger by visiting her site!