The R Family Diaries

Home for the Holidays

2011-12-23T11:31:00.001-08:00

Being "Home for the Holidays" is what it's all about for me.

The wonderful memories I have from my childhood- and the memories I am creating with my boy now.

This video sums it up.

Watch it.

It's what the holidays are all about.

People coming together to celebrate.

And the singing? It's unreal.

T-Mobile did it right.

This post is sponsored by T-Mobile

Boyhood Magic

2011-05-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last night, my 10 year old son and his teammates experienced the magic of boyhood at its best.

They won our local "World Series" for their age group.

The best part?

Every single player got on base.

Every single player contributed.

And, when that 3rd strike crossed the plate securing their victory?

Magic.

I am so grateful I got to be there to witness such joy and pride on the faces of 10 year old boys.

To my son, who had a season which included 2 over-the-fence-home-runs, and dozens of zinger ground balls and RBIs, a great season of pitching and playing first base like a confident young man- I am so proud of you. I am even more proud of the times you hustled back after a strike out, or got right back in the game when things didn't go as planned- those are the times that shape the man you starting to become.

To my husband who is the best coach I've ever seen, thanks for making those kids feel like kings and pushing them to reach their potential. Will is such a lucky boy to have you for a father.

Boyhood goes by in a flash, here's to hoping we get a few more moments of magic.

Tide Stain Booster Field Day!

2011-05-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was contacted by the folks over at Tide about trying their new Tide Stain Boosters product and sharing my results with friends both online and in my everyday life.

I am already a big fan of Tide, so I jumped at the chance to be involved.

We thought it would be fun to do a local event- a Mom and Kids Field Day.

It was so much fun.

We ate messy snacks like cupcakes with frosting.

And potato wedges and ketchup

{Yes, that is sushi in the background. Do I know how to throw a party or what?}

And we played some games

And learned about Tide Stain Release and its satin-fighting power!

{BTW- I was THRILLED with the results I had on grass stains, ketchup, BBQ sauce and soy sauce, check out my video here.}

A great time was had by all!

Wanna try it out for yourself?

You can enter to win some pretty cool prizes!

Visit Tide on Facebook!

*I am a brand ambassador for Tide and have received material and/or payment incentives for my involvement.

Renewal.

2011-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

So its here.

Spring is upon a us.

A sense of renewal.

I know we usually make resolutions and goals are often set at the new year mark, but I think I am going to use this awakening of Spring as inspiration to wake up too.

To slow things down, to savor the simple.

This month in Fishful Thinking Newsletter, Dr. Reivich talks about "Savoring Spring". Taking time to watch the earth around us spring back to life. Slowing down and focusing on the positives- noticing the beauty.

Not only is it a great reminder for me, but she includes a list of things to watch for with your kids.

I love the idea of passing on "savoring" to my son.

Creating a tradition of enjoying.

It's been 4 months since my mom died.

Four months of a blur.

I'm using Spring to refocus on living.

Living well.

What about you?

What does Spring hold for you?

Friendship

2011-02-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

I received an email from a friend.

A good friend.

A friend who knows me in and out.

Up and down.

When I am looking for a safe zone- she is it.

When I need to feel selfish.

When I need to brag.

When I need to whine.

She sees the worst I have to offer and loves me anyway.

The words she sent, had been sent to her.

Now, I am sending them to you.

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

That friend?

Just called.

30 seconds ago.

While I was writing this.

Pink Chair Deliciousness.

2011-01-21T21:19:00.001-08:00

I am completely in love with this chair.

Apparently, it's sold at Home Goods.

But not the Home Goods near me.

Boo.

That is all.

My Mom

2011-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been a blur since my mom passed suddenly and unexpectedly from a pulmonary embolism on December 20, 2010. Today, January 6, 2011, we celebrate her life on what would have been her 58th birthday.

The outpouring of love and support I have received from the blogging community has been nothing short of amazing. I shouldn't be amazed- I've seen you hold people up through their worst moments, over and over again.

For our family and friends who are not able to join us in person, my sister and I wanted to share our mom with you. Below are the eulogies we each wrote and the slideshow we put together.

Your love, support and prayers have wrapped us tight and held us up during the worst hours of our lives. The gratitude we have is more than words could even begin to express, so a simple "Thank you" will have to suffice.

Tiffany:

I’ve thought a lot about what I wanted to say today. Wrapping up the complexities and love between a mother and daughter spanning 35 years is a daunting task. But when I do pour over the memories and who and what my mom was to me there is one thing that remains a constant. Love.

The love I came from, the love that filled my childhood, the love I searched for and found in my own partner.

My sister and I are living proof of the old adage, “the best thing a father can do for his children is love their mother.” He loved her to the ends of the earth and back. Every day of every year of every decade they spent together. My sister and I grew up and followed my mom’s lead- marrying honest and kind men who we knew would make excellent fathers.

The way my mom loved me can be understood by every mother in this room. Deep, endless, complete and without conditions.

One of my earliest memories is being sent to my room for misbehaving and having my mom come in a few minutes later to say, “No matter how mad I get, I always love you. There is nothing you could ever do that would make me not love you.” My sister and I heard these words regularly throughout our childhood. What a gift. A gift to know that there was a love out there that would carry you through anything. And it did.

That love stood up for her 4 year old daughter when the local public elementary school refused to consider me as my birth date fell after the cutoff. They told her that while I could handle the work academically, socially I would eventually fall behind….. Upon their refusal, this love drove her to a private school and convinced them to test me. Wowed by my clearly superior intellect and non-stop chatter, I was accepted. That single decision changed the course of my life. My love for learning blossomed.

That love sat on my bed and cried with me when I lost the election for class secretary in third grade and 2 neighborhood girls ran by me on my walk home to tell me they didn’t vote for me.

That same love made every Halloween costume, cordoroy knickers and self-designed homecoming dress I ever asked for.

That love lead girl scout troops, volunteered at CCD and was classroom mom every year.

That love let me wear a party dress and tights to everyday of kindergarten.

That love rubbed my legs when the growing pains were too much to bear.

That love was first face I saw when I woke up from surgery at 10 years old and spent the next 5 nights on a cot next to my bed.

That love helped me rip out the carpet in my room and lay down a black and white checkered floor- because I had a vision and thought it would look so cool. {It did}

That love looked me square in the face during the height of my seventeen year-old-know-it-all-sassiness and said “I would have done anything to have had my mother at your age.” I now know exactly what she meant.

That love hugged me hard when I nervously told her I had given my brand new coat to a man at the soup kitchen.

That love sobbed in the other room when I packed up and left to try my hand at the University of Oklahoma. And then welcomed me back 4 months later when the tragedy of the Oklahoma bombing was to much bear without my family.

That love was there at 3 am when I knocked the cord of my word processor out of the wall and lost a 20-page college paper.

That love quietly left gifts on the desk of a struggling colleague so her children would have Christmas.

That love brought me clean laundry, medications, Orange Julius’s and quiet strength during the worst 9 months of my life and held my son on the best night of my life.

That love showed me how to live. To travel, to laugh, to enjoy life. To be a best friend to your spouse and the giver of unconditional to your child.

The greatest gift my mom gave me was letting me be my true self. Loud and friendly, silly and creative, bold and brazen, fiercely independent and incredible driven. Even when she didn’t understand it. Even when she didn’t agree. I was always allowed to be me.

The best way I, and everyone else in this room can honor her is to offer that same deep, abiding and unconditional love to those around you. To hold space for others without judgement.

I need to take a moment to thank Rick and Laurie Turner and my sister in law, Leslee Gonzalez who sat with my dad during the most unbearable hours of his life as my sister and our husbands battled rain and traffic for 4 hours to get to him. They also acted as our advocates when ridiculous emergency room timelines threatened to take my mother’s body from the room before we arrived. It is because of their efforts and persistence that my sister and I were able to kiss our mom goodbye. This is something for which we are eternally grateful.

To Dave Schneider Jr who, on a recent vacation, was able to truly capture my often camera shy mom in pictures we will cherish forever, thank you.

To her siblings Anne, Sara, Dave and her sister in law Janet- she loved you all so much. Thank you for sharing the pictures and memories of her childhood.

To my husband and his family, who lived through the same devastation 15 years ago when their father passed away suddenly- your example of continuing on and living life well in his honor gives me hope that better days are ahead. The thought of my mom meeting Bill can’t help but make me smile.

To all the girls of Agoura High who Amy and I spent our childhood with- your being here today means everything. My mom loved each of you. Some of us were together almost a year ago to the day to celebrate the life of Connie Bereny- I am quite confidant Connie and my mom have already met up and swapped stories about their beloved grandsons... and somewhat nutty daughters

To my son, Will, who gave us a reason to celebrate Christmas, who sat in my bed and helped me with the slideshow, who gave my mom such joy- thank you.

To her Princess Cruise family, especially Bruce, Anabelle, Eleanor and Chantal thank you for all of your support during this time. We know you adored her as we did.

To my dad’s USC family- the phone calls checking in on him have meant so much to us, thank you. We know your support will continue when he returns to work.

To everyone in this room who is here to celebrate my mom’s life, there are no words that can express the gratitude we feel- its overwhelming.

My life has been changed forever. Not by the day of her death. Instead, it has been changed by the 13,082 days that she was my mom.

********************************************************

Amy

Many of you here today have told me how much my mom loved me, and I thank you for that. But in all this craziness, that is the one thing I have never questioned, because she showed me everyday.

She showed me with fresh baked cookies, brownies or rice crispy treats waiting for me when I got home from school everyday.

She showed me every time my asthma would flair up and she would sit up with me all night reading to me, watching movies and just holding me and rocking me back and forth.

She showed me by coming to every soccer game…and believe me there were A LOT of soccer games.

She showed me with every Halloween costume she made me from scratch.

She showed me by making every Christmas morning absolutely magical.

She showed me by never buying herself new clothes or nice stuff so that Tiff and I could have new clothes and so that we could all take amazing family vacations together.

She showed me with the proud look she would get on her face when she was introducing me for the first time to her co-workers.

She showed me by loving and respecting my husband as if he was her own son.

She showed me by telling me how excited she was for me when I told her I was moving to Colorado, even though I know it broke her heart to see me move away.

She showed me by taking every one of my millions of phone calls. Whether it was to complain, vent, ask the most random question, or just chat about life, she always had time for me.

She showed me by always understanding and supporting me even if she didn’t always agree with me. She was definitely the one person who knew me…the real me…better than anyone else. I have truly lost my best friend.

She always made such a big deal of every ones birthdays, every one except her own. She would never let us throw her a big party. Partly because she didn’t want us to spend the money but I also think partly because she didn’t think anyone would come. So, I want to thank you all for being here today and for proving her wrong. Happy Birthday Mommy.

***************************************************

While all that my mom was could never be summed up on a few pieces of paper, we hope you have a glimpse into the incredible person she was.Below is a slideshow we put together for the service from pictures of her life.

mom memorial service from Tiffany R on Vimeo.

Enough.

2010-09-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

You're probably bracing your self for some rant on me having "enough" of something negative...

But that's not what this is about at all.

It's about having enough.

When is it all "enough"?

In a world of more, more, more, I worry about teaching my son about "enough".

Helping to recognize the abundance that's around him.

Enough.

It means so many things to so many different people.

We sat down and did this FT kids activity.

I was really pleasantly surprised at his list, which included:

Enough stuffed animals.

Enough food.

Enough wii games.

Enough friends.

But the best one?

Enough love.

What are you feeling "enough" of today?

You Get Me.

2010-09-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

You know how we always hear these cheesy, yet, fabulous lines in movies?

Lines that you know aren't real, but make you secretly hope your husband will look across a crowded room at you and say, "You. Complete. Me".

Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

Tonight, it happened to me.

It was a regular night, like any other.

Tucking in my 9 year old boy.

The boy who has started rolling his eyes and getting a certain "tone" in his voice.

A boy whose hugs and kisses come just a bit less frequently.

A boy whose childhood is flashing before my eyes.

That boy looked right at me from his pillow and said,

"Mom. You get me."

It literally took my breath away.

I looked at him and replied,

"I'm your mom. Getting you is kind of my thing."

My life had a movie moment tonight.

In the midst of the ordinary, my son made me feel extraordinary.

Mockingjay.

2010-09-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

So, many of you who stop by this place once in a while know that I am a huge fan of reading.

I love books.

Period.

I've been known to term certain fabulous works of fiction as "Crackliture".

You've heard me rave about Hunger Games.

And of course, the follow up, Catching Fire.

Last night, I delighted in the third and final installment.

Mockingjay.

I would just like to take this moment to personally thank author, Suzanne Collins, for being true to her characters and story til the end.

Although I will miss Katniss, Gale and Peeta, I leave them feeling satisfied and complete.

Amen.

Kindness

2010-08-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

As many of your know, I am one of Fishful Thinking's faculty moms.

Its a fabulous program, and I am thrilled to be part of it.

The other night, we had a conference call about kindness in our kids.

Can I tell you how fascinating it was?

Research shows the earlier you begin modeling kindness, the more likely your kids are to be kind.

It got me thinking about our home and the things we are modeling for The Boy.

What about you?

What are you doing to instill real, everyday kindness in your kiddos?

Gratitude Day 8.

2010-05-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

So, apparently, 30 continuous days of gratitude just wasn't doable....

But, I'm getting right back on the blog and continuing.

Today, my son and I walked by the most gorgeous bougainvillea.

It grows so well in our desertish climate here in Temecula.

I had to just stop and stare.

I love how hearty, strong and vibrant it is.

Fierce, but delicate vines just embrace whatever it's growing up or down or around.

Reminds me of the kind of women I want to be.

Gratitude Day 7.

2010-05-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a mellow day, little work, a little play.

Right now, I am snuggled up in my bed.

I looooooooove my bed.

500 thread count sheets {overstock.com baby}, lots of pillows.

I feel at home.

Totally comfortable.

Full of gratitude for our beautiful, happy home and cozy beds.

Gratitude Day 6.

2010-05-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Sephora.

AKA, "The MotherShip" and found a new shade of lip gloss that I LOVE.

It's this perfect light pink color called "litchi shine"and because it's the Sephora Nectar Shine, it didn't cost me $30 bucks like my Dior Addict Lip Polish, that I love, but have a hard time justifying....

I am grateful that I live near a Sephora and can wander aimlessly in all the cosmetic goodness.

{Hey, we don't need 30 days of deep, right}

What's your favorite-somewhat-frivolous, must-have-item?

Gratitude Day 5.

2010-05-10T12:06:00.001-07:00

Today has been a bit bumpy, some unrest and debate on the home front.

I am grateful that I know it will pass and if these silly things are the biggest challenge I have at the moment, I am incredibly blessed.

Today, I will be grateful that I know better than to sweat the small stuff.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Gratitude Day 4.

2010-05-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day.

I am grateful for my mom who is my biggest fan.

Who always let me be exactly who I was, even when she didn't understand.

From letting me design my own homecoming dress (that she then sewed) to letting me rip up the carpet in my bedroom and install black and white checkered linoleum because I had a "vision" of what my room should look like, she always encouraged and supported my creativity.

To all the moms out there who are letting their kids blossom into their true selves, thank you.

Gratitude Day 3.

2010-05-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

I love music.

Country, R&B, Pop, Rock, Classical, you name it.

Music moves me.

I can picture my life as a slide show and I know each song that would perfectly represent each time period.

I also LOVE to dance.

There is something about dancing that is joyous and liberating.

I'm pretty sure my husband fell in love with me during a performance of CopaCabana at a local karaoke bar {and trust me, it wasn't the singing}.

You should see the boy and me rock out to John Cougar Mellancamp's "Hurt So Good" or Lady GaGa's "Just Dance." I hope those jam sessions in the car are something he always remembers.

I am so grateful for the music the stirs my soul and the rhythm that moves my body.

Gratitude Day 2.

2010-05-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today I went over to my sister's place and spent some time in the pool.

The weather was gorgeous and it was so relaxing to just hang.

My sister and I have very different personalities.

She would rather die than stand up in front of a room of people, and me? Well, I'd carry around a mic and host everyday if I could.

She has all our Barbies shoes from 1981 in a zip lock bag and I can't find my son's baby album.

Regardless of all the differences, we can chat for hours about... well.. nothing and everything.

Today we did just that.

And it was perfect.

Today, I am grateful for my sister.

Gratitude.

2010-05-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

So, my last post was like 425 bojillion years ago.

Spring Break trip was awesome and if I was a good blogger, I'd post fabulous pictures and regale you with witty stories of our travels.

But I'm not, so I won't.

Wondering what to do with this here space.

I talk to lots of you everyday on twitter and see you at Bloggy Boot Camp.

To get myself back into the grove of blogging, I am going to do 30 days of Gratitude.

For them next 30 days, I am going to do my best to post about something I am grateful for.

Thanks for your encouragement and interest.

Day 1: I am grateful for you.

Spring Break, Baby!

2010-04-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Remember those days of bikinis and baby oil?

A little "Sun in".

Scouring to Contempo for the latest "Spring Break" fashions.

Maybe head to Palm Springs or Vegas.

Drive "the Strip".

Ah yeah.

Well, the R Family is mixing it up a bit.

I mean, let's be honest, the last time my abdomen saw sunlight the year still started with "19".

So, we are taking our wild-spring-break-selves on an East Coast "live history tour".

We fly into Boston- check out the "freedom trail" then head off to see the Yankees play the Red Sox at Fenway Park. {the boys VERY excited}.

Then, we take the train to NYC.

Two days in the big apple.

Statue of Liberty, Central Park Carriage Ride, Times Square, Subways, and more.

{We will go ahead and skip the all-night clubs I frequented during the 1994 Spring Break I spent in NYC.... does "the Tunnel" still exist?}

Then, the train to Washington, DC.

Two days in our Nation's Capital for Mount Vernon, all the monuments, museums, etc.

As a huge history buff, this a trip I've always wanted to do as a family.

I.AM.SO.Excited.

And, the best part?

No bathing suit required.

Amen.

That Fabulous Face.

2010-03-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

So last night I was watching tv in bed with the boy.

There is something about his face.

The freckles, the chub, the soft roundness to his eyes.

I.LOVE.THAT.FACE.

"A face only a mother could love." is so full of truth.

Not that my son isn't handsome- he is.

Do people on the street stop and stare in awe of his beauty?

No.

But I do.

Last night, I said, "Can I just tell you something?"

Without looking up he replied, "Yes, mom, I know you love me and my face."

Me: "Do I really say it that often?"

Him: "Mom, 59 times a day is a lot. How about 20?"

Honey, I Just Want to Connect Women.

2010-03-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to respond to the article in the NYT about Bloggy Boot Camp.

But, I'm not really one to sit by quietly. Below is the comment I left on a post about the article.

So I am finally going to pipe in here.

I am Tiffany, the barefoot sorority leader who runs Bloggy Boot Camp.

First of all, I did not serve any cocktails in sippy cups. If they were there, it wasn't part of the conference.

Matt, we will not be adding a bunch of stops to Bloggy Boot Camp for 2010- since my site {SITS} nor the boot camp site was linked in the article, its not very easy to find. And, honestly, I'm not sure how many out there are interested in hearing about how many hits you can get on a tutu tutorial.

If this is all Jennifer got out of a day that produced comments like:

"Thank you for reminding me I should be authentic in my blogging."

"I was nervous to come, but felt so welcomed and everyone was so kind."

"The information was so valuable, thank you!"

Then she was alone in her feeling that the conference and the women who attended were nothing more than silly ladies, driving minivans and having girl time.

I could go on and on.

But I won't.

I am a huge fan of women. Period.

I run a site dedicated exclusively to featuring them.

I run a conference whose entire goal- from assigning seats so women feel included, to personally trying to meet each attendee, to offering speaking opportunities to women who have never done it before- is to make women feel included, empowered and connected.

When Jennifer, who was on the waiting list for a ticket, proposed the idea of writing for the NYT, I agreed BECAUSE SHE HAS A BLOG-with pictures and stories of her beautiful family all over it.

I also understand that an article for NYT is not going to be all rainbows and unicorns. But I thought she would be more balanced, and less trite.

I was wrong.

I am not in this for publicity or money. I am in this because I love connecting with women. I love the camaraderie this community we have carved out offers each of us.

As for having "the enthusiasm of camp director"- I am grateful for that everyday. It allows me a wonderful lifestyle in which my husband and I both stay home with our son and spend the summers with fantastic children.

Now, excuse me while I go find my shoes.....

How Twitter Killed My Blog

2010-01-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

So, you may have noticed.

It's been pretty much *crickets* over here.

I was looking back over my blog and realized something.

The waning of my interest in blogging coincides with something.

My introduction to Twitter.

Yep.

I am a full blown Twitter lover.

It's so quick.

So easy.

So engaging.

It used to be that I would think of something I wanted to share with you guys.

I'd write a blog post.

Now, I just tweet it.

I guess some could argue that a tweet is not as fulfilling as a blog post.

But it does offer something I love.

Instant Gratification.

Instant Conversation.

With the blog, I have to write the post, wait for you to come on over, read, decide to leave a comment.

Then, if I want to return the comment, I have to head on over to your place and read your entire post and comment.

Over on twitter, we are chatting right away.

And if you think of @ replies like comments, well, then, I am getting my feign satisfied.

Plus, while over 400 of you follow this blog, over 4,500 of you follow my tweets.

You do the math.

For someone like me who enjoys being heard, twitter is my crack.

I know some of you are thinking that tweeting doesn't improve your writing skills or allow you to put forth your thoughts the way a blog post can.

I beg to differ.

Twitter may actually improve your writing skills.

When you have to get something across in 140 characters or less, and you do it successfully?

Now, that is good writing.

And, some of you might say that twitter won't foster the connections that blogging does.

Again, I must disagree.

I chat with @mamakatslosinit @lula34 @mindlessjunques @buriedwithkids @lemusingsofmoi and so many MORE people than I ever did just through blogging alone.

Plus, Twitter can help your blog. Yep. More people to know and communicate which means more people to read your stuff.

In fact, I'll be tweeting a link to this post.

I am certainly not making the case for dropping your blog and running to twitter.

It's not for everyone.

Remember, I am not a writer.

I am a talker who writes.

Twitter offers me the ability to "talk" with my keyboard.

And, I am not saying that I am done blogging.

What I am saying is, if you are truly interested in what I am up to and want to connect RIGHT NOW....

You can find me @SITSGirls

Photoshop Actions- Free!

2010-01-05T22:50:00.001-08:00

Okay.

I am in LOVE with this FREE photoshop set of actions!

It whitens teeth, brightens eyes and smooths skin.

Took this:

to

And, now you want to know where you can get it, right?

Now, Rita, of Coffe Shop is CRAZY generous and has listed a ton, and I plan on trying them all, but the one I used for this shot is called "Powder Room 2".
{It's down towards the bottum under "Retouching".

You do need minimal knowledge about layers and such, but I mean minimal- AND, this can be used in Photoshop elements, which is a bit more tricky of an installation, but doable.

{I must thank my friend, Carissa for turning me on to this site!}

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies. And Martinis.

2009-12-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

Do you use Whrrl?

If not, you should check it out- so easy to upload pics- just drag and drop.

Plus, it can send your story to facebook and twitter- great way to use social media.

You don't need to join to check out my story, I made it public.

Just click on it!

A Dynasty. Really?

2009-12-13T22:30:00.000-08:00

So the remaining Jackson brothers have a reality show coming on soon.

"The Jackson 5. A Dynasty."

Really?

Dynasty seems a bit strong, doesn't it?

I mean, when I think dynasty, I think Mao's Dynasty.

The Kennedys.

Maybe the 1991-1993 Chicago Bull's Basketball team.

But if we are going to call the Jacksons a Dynasty, I've got some issue.

So, the Jackson 5.

Good band.

One stand out member.

Micheal.

He becomes a star, a legend perhaps {NOT a Hero}.

His sister Janet, also incredibly talented, power player in the music biz, big star, for sure.

So, if all it takes is TWO siblings "making it" to warrant the title of "Dynasty", then we have quite a few more among us:

If the Jackson's are a dynasty, then the Osmonds are most certainly a Dynasty.

And, I'd say the Baldwin's beat the Jackson's for famous siblings.

Hello, the Jonas Brothers, of course.

Mary Kate and Ashely qualify.

So do Candice and Kirk Cameron.

Hanson.

Oh, and what about the Lennon Sisters?

Or, Frank and Sylvester Stallone?

Oh, and then we have Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.

And, Paris and Nikki Hilton.

Owen and Luke Wilson.

Um, hello, Brandy and Ray Jay are totally a dynasty.

Emilio Estavez and Charlie Sheen.

The Phoenix Family boasts the talents of River, Joaquin and Summer.

The Arquettes, no question.

I'm sure I could go on and on.

I have to say, it really bothers me that members of the Jackson Family have decided to use the attention brought on by the untimely death of their brother to increase their own fame.

I am not interested in the goings-on of anyone who names their son, "Jermajesty."

Period.

You?

Liar. Liar.

2009-12-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Things I say that make me a liar.

"I'm just going to run into Wal Mart real quick."

"I'm happy to help."

"I'm not really into vampires."

"No problem, I've got time."

"Yes, I made it from scratch."

"So good to see you."

"I'll be off the computer in a minute."

"I'm 32."

"I'd love to play xbox with you!"

"I am so happy for you."

"I couldn't eat another bite."

"You have a lovely home."

"Winning isn't what matters."

"Bless her heart."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Your turn.

What make you a liar?

Merry SITSmas!

2009-12-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

From my family to yours..... Merry SITSmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I hope each and every one of you has a holiday full of love, laughter and joy!

Here is fabulous 2010!

xoxo,

Tiffany

The Truth.

2009-11-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Remember when I wrote this anguished post about The Boy believing in Santa?

It's happened.

The Boy knows.

Knows the truth.

The truth about Santa.

Sigh.

We made it 9 years.

Sigh.

It went down like this at 4:34PM on 11.30.09.

The Boy:"I think I want another Star Wars Light Saber". {The $100 that actually light up}.

Me: "Um, from who? You already have 2, and you are asking for a dirt bike."

The Boy: "Santa."

Candy Man: "You need to ask your friends about Santa Claus." {Candy Man thought he should've known last year.}

The Boy: "Wait. You guys buy the stuff from Santa?"

Me: "What do you think."

The Boy: "No, you don't."

Candy Man: "Let's think about this for a minute. You really think a man travels around the world delivering presents?"

The Boy: "So Santa is not real. I kind of thought so."

Long Pause.

The Boy: "So, the Elves- they aren't real either."

Me {on the verge of tears}: "No."

The Boy: "Then why do adults try to trick us with the books, the movies, the stories?"

Me: "Well, its all about the spirit of Christmas and giving. It's fun to see kids get s excited."

Me: "Are you sad?" {Fearing we have traumatized him for life.}

The Boy: "Yes."

Pause.

The Boy: "Now that I know it's your money that means I can't ask for a car."

Clearly, he is devastated. ;)

Party Like I'm turning 35.

2009-11-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

I am turning 35.

In a few months.

Not a big deal, really.

But, I do want to celebrate.

Big time.

Candy Man agreed to a party!

I know.

I can't believe it either.

Drinks.

Dancing.

More Drinks.

And, instead of presents, canned goods for charity.

I'd love some good appetizer, dessert or drink recipes.

I'd also like to know how you celebrate.

What's you idea of the perfect party?

Any fabulous parties you've been to lately?

Do tell.

One Mom Blogger

2009-11-12T23:46:00.000-08:00

Yep.

That's me.

I went and bought myself a dotcom.

Easy to remember.

Will come up in search engines.

I like it.

And, I'll be making that change to Word Press.

Ladies, it's fantastic.

The pageviews over at SITS have increased dramatically in just 3 days.

Why?

The layout.

Instead of scrolling, you click.

The more clicks.

The more pageviews.

Plus, it has all these cool ways to tag your posts.

Awesome SEO plug ins.

Don't worry, not much will change here.

But, if you want to update me in whatever place you keep my blog address, please do.

I am now www.onemomblogger.com

Dreaming Oprah.

2009-11-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

"Oprah in my dreams
As real as it may seem
It was Oprah in my dreams"

So that was little play on Debbie {now non as Deboarah} Gibson.

You're Welcome.

Anyway, on to "Dreaming Oprah".

The other night I had a dream about Oprah.

I don't remember much except I was REALLY excited to talk to her and she was super nice.

But, that's not what I want to talk about.

I want to talk about the actual act of dreaming Oprah.

It's not like I watch her show regularly {although I am DYING to be on it}, so why am I dreaming of her? Why is she in my the deepest part of my consciousness?

It must happen to lots of people every night.

But how many?

What is she doing in their dreams? Skiiing, Cooking, Stripping?

Yesterday, I tweeted,

"I am formulating a post about dreaming of @Oprah. I think it happens more than we realize."

And, within minutes, I got this tweet from IndieBizChicks:

"@SITSGirls I wrote a blog post on a dream I had with @Oprah in it before… http://hw4bd.th8.us"

Seriously? People are not only dreaming Oprah, they are posting about it!

I went to go buy DreamingOprah.com- ITS TAKEN.

People, we have a phenomenon on our hands.

So tell me-

Have you ever dreamt Oprah?

If not, do you know someone who has?

What strange popular culture folks have popped up in your dreams?

H A L L O W E E N

2009-11-01T07:51:00.001-08:00

We had a fabulous night of trick or treating with friends.

And, I had a fabulous time enjoying Captain and Coke.

Which led me to need to pee half way through our trick or treating extravaganza.

Fortunately, a kind stranger allowed me to use their facilities.

To that stranger- I am eternally grateful.

And, I leave you with this cuteness:

SITScation.

2009-10-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

More stories at Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

It was incredible. Motivating, Inspiring, Fun and More.

Sigh.

Let's go back.

Eight Year Old Antics

2009-10-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

So, while was out of town at a retreat, my hubs took the boy to a Padres vs Dodgers game.

We are huge Dodger fans, but live closer to San Diego, so they went to Padres Stadium and sat behind the Dodger dug out.

They got 2 balls tossed to them- one from a Dodger and one from a Padres, had amazing seats and.... got on TV.

My husband dvr'd the game knowing they would be seen.

Within the first 2 minutes, here is what happened.

My son is the kid in the bright blue, just to the bottom left of the batter.

And, all along we've been thinking he's shy.....

Who knew?

Keep the Secret. PLEASE!

2009-09-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Dear People Who Over Commercialize Brilliance and Ruin it:

My name is Tiffany.

I love to read.

So much so, that I created a word to bestow upon those literary gems that leave you changed inside once you've read them.

"Crackliture"

What's Crackliture, you ask?

Books like this one.

The word Crackliture was created to describe a set of books I'm sure you have heard of by now- a little old series called, Twilight.

I read Twilight before most of you knew or cared about Edward and Bella.

And now, you can't sneeze without germing up someone who thinks THEY are the biggest fan.

Fine- you take Twilight.

But only on one condition.

I keep Hunger Games.

I read Hunger Games on October 7, 2008.

Almost exactly a year ago.

Again, at the time, it was just a book.

A few weeks ago, I finished it's equally wonderful sequel, Catching Fire.

Now it's becoming a phenomenon.

I cannot STAND to see that fabulous story go down in commercialized flames the way Twilight is burning now.

I knew Twilightease (as in disease) was getting bad.

The half ass movie, the stupid t-shirts, the perfume.

Then I saw this brilliant post by Heather and I died a little inside.

Burger King crowns?

I am begging you, commercial America, please leave Hunger Games alone.

Let my future Mockingjay tattoo be original, not a sticker in a happy meal.

Let the book remain a secret amongst those who haven't yet found it's beauty, not the script for a bad after-school-type-movie.

Let Peeta and Gale love Katniss and tell their story without being pitched against one another on "teams".

Put a stop to the madness. The action figures, the Halloween costumes, the lunch boxes.

Yours in All Things Crackliture,

Tiffany

Whose with me?

Start by making a vow.

A promise to keep Hunger Games and Catching Fire to yourself.

Maybe if we don't blog and tweet about it, we can keep it safe?

I'm willing to take any and all ideas.

Go.

Yes, She Is Alive.

2009-09-20T22:00:00.001-07:00

So I've been back for a week.

Still adjusting to life without room service.

And a chocolate on my pillow.

And giggling in the night.

And reading six books at my leisure.

And floating in the beautiful waters of Cozumel while Samuel brings me drink after drink after drink.

Needless to say we had a fabulous time.

And, since it was my turn to have Mona ride around with me, she got to cruise too.

Here is a little video for your enjoyment.

Yes, apparently, I say "apparently" a lot.

Want to know more about Mona? Kathy's got the scoop here.

Hookers on Vacation

2009-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well ladies.

I am off.

On a trip.

With these two hookers.

I know, I called them hookers.

I'm feeling feisty.

And, really excited.

Oh, and this hooker will be with us too.

More to come.

Muuuuuhahahahahahahahahahaha.

Blogging for Dollars?

2009-08-25T00:04:00.001-07:00

My friend, Melissa, recently wrote this post, expressing her frustration with the small circle of bloggers who seem to be getting all the perks.

I read it and left a lengthy comment, then realized I had even more to say.

So, here it goes.

I have been feeling some stress and increasing negativity in bloggyland lately.

Unrest among the masses regarding PR, "A List" (whatever that is) Mommy Bloggers, the lack of money in blogging, etc.

I've personally considered withdrawing completely and have spoken to a few other bloggers who are also feeling somewhat "disenchanted" with blogging as of late.

It seems to have lost its luster.

Here is how I see it:

You begin blogging for fun.

For connections.

For camaraderie.

You get a few followers and comments.

You want more.

You begin to see others talking about the free stroller or set of books.

You want that too.

Then you hear that some are getting to travel, meet with PR firms, speak at conferences.

That sounds fun.

You wonder, why not me?

As a blogger who has a blog that generates some income, will be speaking at a conference (so what if it's my own conference, still counts, right?) and is paid to work with a PR Firm, I want to give you the low down.

The way I see it.

Take it or leave it.

1. Contrary to popular belief, unless you are Dooce or Pioneer Woman, there is no real money in blogging. Some of you are incredibly talented writers. You work on your blogs daily. Hours of time crafting posts, coming up with blog fodder, agonizing over what to post next or why your pageviews are dropping. Stop. It doesn't matter. Even if you made $100/month, would it be equal to minimum wage when you added up the time spent? In the scheme of your life, do pageviews really matter?

Here is some perspective, Chic Chick Media (made up fo 4 blogs, 1 being SITS) gets over ONE MILLION combined pageviews each month and sells ads for $75/month. Split between 4 blogs.

2. Most PR firms and brands have not figured out the true value of "mommy bloggers" and they never will as long as someone is willing to do it for free. The PR firm that does Fishful Thinking got my involvement for two reasons: A. Fishful Thinking is a great program, not a product. It's something I am thrilled to be part of and has personally improved my parenting and enhanced my life. B. They compensate me for my time, offered real training and truly wanted input from the moms involved.

I receive "pitches" all the time. I choose not to participate, as unless they are offering monetary compensation for MY hard work and prime "bloggy real estate", I'm not interested in making them money. My choice. I have no problem with review blogs, but I rarely read them.

3. Most PR firms and brands do not look beyond pageviews. Until they start matching bloggers to brands, we will continue to see the same women representing the brands. How many times have you seen an ad on a particular blog and wondered, "What the hell were they thinking?". There is one blog in particular that has me scratching my head every time I see a new ad.

4. Women are often each others worst enemies. We will find any reason to be outraged at one another. Jealousy is alive and well in bloggyland. We won't share our secrets or tell the truth when it comes to our contacts, stats, income, etc.

5. So even after the above, you still want to be a Queen Blogger- (whatever that means) Here is my 2 cents. If the popular girls at your high school went to another high school, would they still be popular? Probably not. We make them "A List" by giving them pageviews. For a great blogger, I am thrilled to do this. Happy to give her my "business" in clicks. She has earned it. For a blogger who baits traffic by causing drama and linking it up- not so much. Want to stop giving drama queens traffic? Stop linking to their drama-ridden posts. Spend your time getting your blog out there. Educating yourself on how SEO works. Network, promote yourself- that's what they did.

So here is my final piece of advice.

Blog if it brings you pleasure.

Enhances your life.

Makes you smile.

It IS a choice.

Unless it's making you over $40,000 a year, it's not worth 40 hours a week.

If you come by here one day, and this blog is gone, don't worry about me.

I'm fine.

Just ready to move on.

No, I am not planning to take my blog down anytime soon, but if it was all gone tomorrow, I'd shrug my shoulders and move on.

Happy with the friends I made, the laughs I shared and the lives I peeked into.

Feeling Lucky?

2009-08-23T23:23:00.001-07:00

So, SITScation is coming up in October.

It's going to be a fabulous weekend at a fabulous hotel with fabulous women.

Whrrl {this totally awesome application} is going to sponsor one lucky lady to the conference.

Airfare, hotel and ticket.

All paid for.

So get your sweet ass over there and enter.

Yes, even if you already have a ticket, you can enter.

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

And, can't wait for some luck to rub off in me in October.

True Blood- I'm a Sucker for It.

2009-08-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

Get it?

My clever play on words.

I'm a "sucker".

As in "blood Sucker".

I crack myself up.

My obsession started last season.

I could only dream of it during the summer, as we had no HBO at the summer place.

I came back home and watched 4 episodes in one day.

Heaven.

Bliss.

Eric.

I am obsessed with True Blood.

And, completely and totally devoted to Eric.

For those of you not watching True Blood {and living incomplete lives}, Eric is the bad boy version of a vampire.

He's tall.

He's blonde.

He's immortal.

He's smokin' hot.

He's a "sheriff". {And you know how I like a man in "enforcement".}

Sigh.

So how about you?

What's on your mind these days?

Time is on My Side.

2009-08-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

So camp ends on Friday.

My busy, hectic, fun summer of hundreds of kids comes to an end and I go back to being a suburban mom.

A suburban mom with one kid who goes to school all day and a husband who is home.

I have quite a relaxed Fall/Winter ahead of me.

It's strange to go from everyone needing something to no one needing anything.

What shall I do with my time?

I thought I'd make a list.

1. Sit in bed and watch the entire second season of True Blood.

2. Figure out how to actually run a blogging conference, since I have never even been to one.

3. Blog at least once a week.

4. Visit at least 4 blogs a day.

5. Go on a cruise with Heather and Lula.

6. Cut my hair short. (This one is still up for debate.)

7. Report for jury duty. UGH.

8. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read.

9. Announce some exciting news. (NO, I am NOT pregnant).

10. Have lunch at the vineyard with friends.

What would you do if you had the time?

I laughed so Hard I Peed a Little.

2009-07-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe I am the only person alive that hadn't seen this, but I just about died laughing. I am not a fan of cats- but creative kids? Love them.

The Black Out.

2009-07-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I've kept quiet about this PR "Black Out" as I do not do reviews on my blog or on SITS- we give stuff away from mom-prenuers, but do not review the item or receive any product for ourselves in return. The money we do make is off ads and put directly back into SITS- (like buying bounce houses).

But then I saw Scary Mommy's take on it {which I loved} and my comment to her was turning into it's own post- so here you have it.

I don't care about black outs and I am not interested in slamming other bloggers. I don't read blogs I don't enjoy. Why give someone the page views?

I would love to see brands and PR firms really look at the blogs they are advertising/supporting. Page views can be VERY misleading depending on how a blog is set up. The content, the loyalty and the readership should be the focus- the MATCH of brand to blog.

Working with Pepperidge Farm and Mr Youth on the Fishful Thinking initiative has been a wonderful experience- they offered real training, real compensation and chose their 10 faculty members based on more than page views- an interview was involved- questions about your online and offline reach- I wasn't chosen for the campaign because SITS has lots of page views (in fact, they contacted me through my personal blog and didn't even know I was the "Tiffany" of SITS)- I was chosen because I am a summer camp director who also blogs.

The truth is very few bloggers will ever make any real income from ads on their blogs. If you enjoy free stuff, go for it. If not, don't. But do take the time to know your audience- the connections we've created through blogging are not because of reviews- they are because of the glimpses we offer into each others lives.

If you are feeling burned out from blogging, turn off your computer.

The free bottle of BBQ Sauce will be there to review when you get back.

And if it's not- you'll survive.

I promise.

Facebook Fiasco

2009-07-04T11:45:00.001-07:00

So facebook seems like a great idea right?

Are you aware it can be used by your enemies?

It can.

Like the my arch enemy.

We will call her "Sue".

Sue is one of those people who you seem to always cross paths with.

One of those people who has always been, well, jealous of your life.

And, in love with your husband.

We recently attended a party.

She was there.

With her camera.

And, a sole purpose to take as many bad pictures of me as possible.

After calling my name and taking a very close photo of my surprised face, she said, "These are going up on facebook."

Then proceeded to snap away at me all night.

To the point that my husband even noticed.

The pictures of course, ended up all over her facebook page.

The worst pictures ever.

Like in the midst of laughing with eyes half shut and double chin pictures.

She of course tagged me.

I untagged.

She tagged again.

Really?

I thought of the perfect revenge.

Tonight, and for all the nights after that, I am going to sleep with my hot husband.

And she's not.

I Will Remember This.

2009-06-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

I wish I still had my pink sleeveless t-shirt with the Bille Jean iron-on on the front and my name in felt letters on the back.

Sigh.

I watched the Thriller video at least 500 times in an attempt to know every.single.move.

Today, on my usual route home, driving down Hayvenhurst, I passed his parents home.

Tons of people were gathered outside, news trucks were everywhere.

A stack of flowers was beginning to mount.

No matter what else went down, he was and always will be the King of Pop.

For the real Michael Jackson experience, watch the video in full screen.

Coming Up for Air

2009-06-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Wow.

It's been a loooong time.

Too long.

Still busy, but wanted to let the few of you who still come by to know that I am alive and well.

Hope to return to blogging soon.

I know, you totally miss me.

I totally miss you.

New Moon Footage: Oh My.

2009-05-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

Laugh Out Loud- PG 13

2009-05-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Since I am crazy busy I thought I'd pull out a re-post... this is one of my favs...enjoy.

I do have a good love story, but it's full of drinking and good lovin' and Barry Manilow songs and stripper bars and is totally and wildly inappropriate. So we will pass on that for now, but I can't promise I won't hit some kind of writer's block one day and spill every dirty detail. But for now, it's staying back in the past where it belongs.

I do, however, have a story about a crazy lady. Those are always good, right? Well, right or wrong, here we go... (oh, one more thing. I am going to try to make this all cliffhangerish, so play along and beg for more...)

So, you know how some names are ruined forever? Like "Mikey", cause the boy in second grade who had a booger collection and smelled like feet was named "Mikey". Or "Amber", who played "6 minutes in Heaven" with the boy you thought you were "going" with AND went WAY further with him than you EVER would have?

That's how I feel about "LOL". My life would be easier if I could just type those 3 letters to let you all know I think you are funny. Can't do it. It's been ruined. Taken from me like a favorite toy. Gone.

None of you did it. This happened during my "pre-blogging" life...(when I used to take care of my family and shower.) It was a crazy lady who ruined it. And, now, I am left "lol-less", refusing, just to spite her, to ever use it again.

It all began innocently enough. I was new in town, and looking for some local friends. I thought the internet would be a great place to start, and I opened a women's book club on a local meet up site.

It was a day I would live to regret. FOR.EV.ER (Sandlot)

Big Pimpin'

2009-05-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends.

Apparently I am pimping myself out to all kinds of blogs.

Guest posting again.

Yeah, that's how I roll.

This time you'll get to see pictures of my house.

Interested?

Thought so.

Come see me at Mimi's!

It's Just Going Too Fast.

2009-05-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

Whose baby boy is this?

And why is this picture making me cry?

Click on the photo and look at the determination in his face. Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Come See About me..

2009-05-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am guest posting.. and you know what that means... I need you to come see me over there and leave a comment.

Make me look good girls.

Rachel is a fabulous blogger, I was thrilled to be asked and I don't want to stink up the place.....

Click Here.

NOW!

Thank you.

Mother's Day.

2009-05-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is what I posted last Mother's Day. It is still exactly what I want to say.

Breast or Bottle.

Your Bed or Crib.

Home School or Public.

Single or Married.

Nanny or Not.

Six or One.

Disposable or Cloth.

At Work or At Home.

Juicy Sweats or Cat Sweaters

Homemade or Store Bought.

No matter your Mommy style. I love you. I support you. I thank you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.

2009-05-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

So, I am so not a blogger.

That last post was up for a week.

Sheesh.

Anyway, I am totally busy with life, but still love and adore you.

So, don't worry about me, I'll make it back to blogging.

Eventually.

I Heart Spring.

2009-04-28T20:40:00.001-07:00

And these cuties I got at CVS.

{Go over to Angie's for Wordful Wed.}

$10,000.

2009-04-24T15:17:00.001-07:00

So, by now, you know I am on the Faculty for Fishful Thinking.

It has been such a pleasure representing this program, and they just raised the bar.

They are debuting a new Storybook Feature.

You can upload some photos and create a story about your child.

And, BE ENTERED TO WIN a $10,000 Scholarship.

I did one for the boy {he's the kid in the goggles}... it's in the sample gallery. Check it out.

He thinks it is so cool.

$10,000.

It's worth your time.

Go ahead. Click on the blue book.

Stinkin' Adorable

2009-04-17T21:03:00.001-07:00

I actually teared up. Such simple advice. Such a difference we can make.

A Few Notes.

2009-04-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

Um, yeah, so about that rant yesterday. {Scroll on down if you missed it.}

Thanks for seeing me through it.

I do want to say a few things in hindsight.

I actually enjoy Twitter. It is a great way to keep up with you guys and Ashton Kutcher.

My experience there for the most part has been great. I encourage you join in. There are lots of totally cool and super nice, rainbow-and-unicorn sitstas hanging out!

I want to clarify something about SITS- you can use profanity on your blog and still be featured, we just ask that it's not in the 3 posts we link to. Many bloggers just change it for the day and then change it back. Your blog is your space. Period.

While I know some of you would LOVE to know who I am talking about, I won't say for 2 reasons: {1} I'd rather slide down a razor blade into a pool of acid than give them a single pageview. {2} I have no interest in perpetuating drama.

What I needed was a good, ol' fashion vent, and you let me have it.

You "stroked my hair and told me I was pretty." {©Kathy}

You "loved me through it" {©Heather}

You offered to "make out." {©Lula}

You offered to "beat them up" {©Summer}

You told me I "should feel lucky." {and, I do! @Katie}

You ALL made me feel heard and validated.

I know it's silly, but every girl needs that once in a while.

With a big vat of chocolate and a bottle of wine.

So a big, fat, Thank You to each and every one of you.

Rainbows and Unicorns for everyone!

My Rant. This Can't End Well.

2009-04-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

If you are here for a quick, happy visit, you may want to move on, I am about to rant.

{I do violate my own style and use the "f" word for referring to itself. You'll understand why.}

When Heather and I started SITS last year, we thought it would be great to have a place where any women blogger could get featured, find blogs, and participate in a positive, welcoming space.

Over time, we have grown at a steady rate, and have received WONDERFUL feedback from our SITStas. Thank you.

Recently, I have become active on Twitter, and introduced to a larger version of the blog world. I have been shocked at the snobbery and exclusion that goes on. SITS has kept me very safe and sheltered from this "cut-throat" side of mommy blogging.

There is definitely an "in crowd" and as with every "in crowd", a group trying desperately to get in. And, of course, to cement their reign, they need people to ignore or snicker about.

I did high school {and while I actually enjoyed it} I'm a grown up now. Looking to hang out with people who are comfortable enough in themselves to include and respect everyone. Not just the girls with the snarkiest comment, loudest opinion or biggest words.

SITS seems to have a reputation of being "rainbows and unicorns".

Somehow, we're not "real" as we feature based on participation, not "brilliance".

That because we don't feature posts with profanity, somehow we are censoring the "real" bloggers out there.

This puzzles me. So we know our audience. So changing "fucking" to "freaking" for a day in exchange for a few hundred visitors is asking to much? To make everyone comfortable for ONE DAY is over the top? Maybe the real brilliance is getting your point across with it?

I totally and absolutely respect bloggers who are not willing to change to be featured.

But, I don't respect bloggers who dismiss the community because of it.

Our biggest obstacle as women is often each other.

The judgment is ridiculous, cruel and totally counter-productive.

Whether it's breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, spanking, immunizing, Democrat, Republican, profanity or rainbows and unicorns- just because someone makes a different choice, it doesn't mean their choices aren't valid.

It doesn't mean they are ignorant, naive or criminal.

It means they are different.

The purpose of SITS is not to feature fabulously intelligent, witty bloggers, full of snark and sarcasm, or to feature mommy bloggers who gush about their adorable children, impeccable decor, delicious recipes, or Martha-esque crafts.

The purpose of SITS is to support one women every.single.day.

Recently, I saw a blog that's mission is to "feature" blogs.. {great idea, by the way}.

However, the "feature" gets rated.. Ripped apart. Chewed up. Spit out.

And, of course, it's all done anonymously.

What purpose does this serve?

Singling out blogs and tearing them down?

If you want to have a laugh with all your superior bloggy friends, why not make the blog private?

Is the public humiliation where you get your kicks?

I was seriously ready to close up shop and head out of dodge.

I want no part in "world" that celebrates a platform for choosing victims to scathe with atrocious insults.

Then, this came into my inbox:

"Thought I'd just let you know how AMAZED I was at the number of SITS girls who stopped in today. So many of them had very thoughtfully read the posts and left unique, insightful comments. Lots and lots of the visited every posted link and commented on each one. In this oft-snarky world of blogdom, I think SITS is in a category of it's own--offering a truly supportive community, a true band of SITSta's. Thanks for bringing us all together!"

I was reminded that SITS has become what Heather and I intended.

A positive, clique-free environment, where we are interested in doing one thing-

Making one women feel heard, appreciated, interesting and absolutely fabulous.

So, I think I am crawling back into my safe SITSland.

Where everyone is "the in crowd".

You all take such good care of me.

If you want to disagree, fine, but you'd need to be legit and have a blog.

Anonymous is Prohibited.

An Easy Update.

2009-04-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

So the blog isn't the only thing that got a makeover around here.

My husband started with this:

and ended with this:

And, I just proposed to him.

And, He said yes.

Happiness really is in the little things.

I am IN LOVE.

2009-04-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

With my new blog design.

Oh my, how Shannon of Eight Crazy makes me swoon.

I proposed to her last night.

She turned me down.

But left me with this beautiful blog.

If you've been thinking about a "bloglift", she is your girl.

But, remember, she was mine first.

A So Cal Easter.

2009-04-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Easter was absolutely beautiful here in So Cal.

We were lucky enough to spend it at the park with a great family {all blond children photographed belong to them. My boy is in the orange.}

I brought my camera along.

Have a look.

Sandbox fun...

Beautiful girl in bubbles

Is that some golden hair or what?

Ready for the egg hunt....

And, they're off!

Gorgeous Children Alert- do I have friends with cute kids or what?

This one is my favorite...

Or maybe this one...

Well, this one is pretty cute too....

Then, I saw this one...

But, wait....

One more...

I hope you had a wonderful Easter/Passover/Whatever.

I'm on a Roll- with Pictures!

2009-04-09T03:45:00.000-07:00

Not only am I blogging for the THIRD day in a row.. HELLO.... I've included pictures.

Ava and I may have just gotten our groove back!

Easter egg dying went down over here.

The supplies... don't you love the plastic containers they included? So easy.

Then of course, there is that metal,egg-holder-thingy...

Which apparently, can be used to improve vision and help you look like a Count.

Hmmmm.... what color? Oh the decisions.

Then, the actual artist in action...

And, then, the final product!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I Get By With a Little Help.

2009-04-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm talking about you.

I was feeling all pity party-ish yesterday and you all rallied with your loving comments.

I am very blessed to have wonderful friends IRL and amazing friends out in bloggyland....

I like to think you get back what you give.

I must be a pretty awesome chick.

See how I can always bring it back to me?

It's like a gift.

And so are you.

The past year in the blogosphere has changed me.

I could have never imagined the connections I would make, the friends who I have never "met", but make me laugh every single day.

Thank you for sharing your highs, your lows, your secrets, your vices, your loves, your losses.

Thank you for putting yourself out there.

And over here.

I leave you with my favorite:

"I am so glad that you have come. I will pour out everything inside me that you may leave this table satisfied and fortified. Blessings on your eyes. Blessings on your children. Blessings on the ground beneath you. My heart is a ladle of sweet water, brimming over." {The Red Tent, Anita Diament}

I Suck.

2009-04-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

I love celebrations.

And, you know how I love to give away things.

Did you know my $#@%ing 1 year Blogiversary was March 29th?

HOW did I let that get by?

Ugh.

Seriously.

I feel like I just caught a glimpse of my birth certificate and I am older than I thought.

I am really bummed.

I had BIG, BIG plans for this.

Does someone want to throw me a surprise Blogiversary Party?

No?

Okay.

At least leave me a nice comment telling me how over the past year my writing has changed your life.

Thanks.

B I N G O

2009-04-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm back!

We had a great time exploring the Grand Canyon and living large in Vegas.

One of my favorite things to do is people watch.

Vegas just might be the all-time BEST place to do so.

My parents joined us, which allowed Candy Man and I to "go out" one of the nights we were there.

How sad is it that we decided to stay at our hotel and play Bingo?

Don't answer that.

Did you know that Bingo has gone hi-tech? Yep, you sign up and they give you this nifty machine which has all your "cards" downloaded and it let's you know when you've won.. {which I did, by the way, $50, thankyouverymuch.}

I know what you're thinking, "What fun is that?"

Surprisingly, really fun.

And, much less stressful.

I am always worried about being the ass that yells "BINGO!" when I've made a mistake.

The machine tracks all that for you.

While you drink free Coronas.

But, if you insist on rolling old school with the paper and the daubers, they still allow that. Not sure why- as the chance of an faux bingo is much more probable, but I respect your bingo decision.

So, enough about the Bingonater. {my name for it}

Let's talk about the people.

The blue hair.

The smoking. Good Lord. I've never seen so much smoke in one place.

The gold jewelry- a ring on each chubby finger.

The polyester pan suits.

The "bingo bag" full of daubers, Virgina Slims and lucky Virgin Mary statues.

Yep, we hung on the senior side of Vegas.

It was so nice to be the youngest, hottest chick in the room.

Crackliture- I was feining.

2009-03-28T03:30:00.000-07:00

"That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and then that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive- and all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment."

- Juliet Ashton "The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

Did you know that I majored in History?

I love just about all history, but have a few areas that really interest me. Colonial America and World War II {specifically the Holocaust} being two that have captured my interest completely.

At USC, I took a class on the Holocaust taught by a Rabbi. It changed the core of who I was.

Not only did we have survivors come in and speak, we actually studied how such horrific events could come to pass. The seeds go back farther than you could imagine. How an average man, rejected from art school, could start a political movement in the back of a bar that would grow into the loss of more than 12 million lives.

The ramifications of WWII are mind-boggling. I am fascinated and inspired by the stories of survival, of friendship, of doing what was right even in the face of dire consequences.

In my studies, I have read books on Nazi propaganda to a story of French Huguenots who started their own "underground railroad" of sorts, saving one Jewish life at a time. I have read books that have given me nightmares for weeks. Books that have made me seriously consider my personal character, inner strength and resiliency. Books that have me questioning humanity and books that have me celebrating it.

Today, I finished a book that had me laughing out loud, and weeping in silence.

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is now one of my favorite treasures.

Comprised of letters.. yes, just letters, this work of fiction paints an amazing picture of life during the German Occupation in Europe. You do not have to know a single stitch of history to love this book and it's fascinating characters. The humor is snarky, the relationships are tangible, the writing is perfect.

Based on a small Channel Island, Guernsey, that spent FIVE years occupied by German troops with NO contact to the outside world, this book tells the story of a group of neighbors who looked to literature for distraction, for conversation, for camaraderie. The events of WWII and the time directly after unfold naturally as they tell of their lives- this book is not about the war or the Holocaust. It's about these "ordinary" people who lived through an extraordinary time.

It tells of hardships not always mentioned. Of details not often discussed.

As I read, I turn down pages when I find a sentence I love or a passage that moves me.

In this book, every 3rd page has a crease.

When I finish a book I am grateful to have read, I close it and caress the back cover.

This is my way of saying goodbye friends.

And, thank you for your story.

Visit Me. NOW.

2009-03-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

I am over at Angie's Seven Clown Circus today.

I'm giving something away.

Like money.

Plus, I am totally clever, and funny and witty- over there.

Lets Go Digging!

2009-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

So we were at a stop sign in our neighborhood and we saw 2 boys walking down the street with shovels.

Full-sized shovels.

My husband says, "I wonder what those boys are doing with those shovels"

The Boy quickly {and confidently} asserts, "Oh, they're on the school digging team."

I seriously almost peed myself.

Where does that kid get this stuff?

"Digging team"? Bwaahahahahahahahahahaa.

Winners- of Optimism Pays: $35 gift card- Natalie

$20 gift card- Kimberly

(Email me! vampmama@gmail.com)

Touched.

2009-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have spent the evening reading through your Optimism posts and am so incredibly touched.

The inspiration and depth has me in tears.

We can make such a difference in the world by sharing hope.

By dwelling in the possible.

By believing in abundance.

By knowing we are worthy of wonder.

Thank you for celebrating the good. For seeking it out and savoring every bite.

I adore each and every one of you.

A winner will be posted on Wednesday.

Until then... keep optimistic.

Optimism Pays: Let's Get Linky With It.

2009-03-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Ladies!

Welcome to the Optimism Pays Link Up!

Here's what is going down:

In celebration of fishful thinking's 5 ingredients, I will be highlighting one every few weeks.

Today, is OPTIMISM!

So, there are two ways and win and to participate.

1. Link up below a blog post about optimism... a story, a photo with a caption, your thoughts on it...anything related to a positive outlook.

2. Make sure to refer people back here in that post to vote for you!

3. If you want to play, but don't want to to post, you can leave a comment here with the 2 links you feel best represent optimism.

4. Click the fish in the top left corner (site meter will let me know you did!)

5. As usual all my "followers" get an extra entry.

Oh, and if you use a picture, head on over to Cecily's place and link up to her Friday Photostory...that gets you 2 link ups for the price of one!!

Prize: Those who link up are entered to win a $35 gift card- their choice.

Those who just comment are entered to win a $20 gift card- their choice.

{Those who do both of course get extra entries.. plus, you want to vote for yourself right?}

Contest ends Monday night 10 PM PST, so link up anytime before then!

{Don't forget to click that fish- the info is fabulous.}

PS- Fishful Thinking is looking for mom ambassadors with kids between the ages of 4 and 12, if you are interested, email me for details... this is a great opportunity for us moms! (vampmama@gmail.com)
Optimism Pays! Participants

1. Shalee-Be Speechless
2. Tiffany- R Family
3. Cecily- My Chaos My Bliss
4. greedygrace
5. Things I Like About my Church
6. Le Musings of Moi
7. Paula - Welcoming Spirit
8. Jamie :-) StampinMom
9. Joy
10. Mrs. Jelly Belly
11. Trenches of Mommyhoo
12. Amy Escape Into My Thoughts
13. SEVEN CLOWN CIRCUS
14. A Wonderfully Crazy Life
15. Art Spectrum
16. Ivon
17. Keeping up with the Schultz Family/Amy
18. Ivon
19. Daris Day

20. Megan R.
21. Casey@ Quilao Triplets
22. Sera @ Laughing Through the Chaos
23. Cure CF 4 Reilly
24. 3 Bay B Chicks
25. Cecily R
26. TATTOOED MINIVAN MOM
27. Angie\'s Spot
28. Tiaras & Tantrums
29. Ryan Ashley Scott
30. Kandace - One Crazy Chick!
31. Jennsue wild
32. Alex the Girl
33. Heather
34. Karol@Mrs.Incredible
35. Jori
36. Future Mama@Baby Makin(g) Machine
37. Carissa @ GoodNCrazy
38. Kimberly@Take A Nothing Day

39. Alaskan Locavore? Yup!
40. Oz Girl
41. FranticMommy
42. Mammatalk
43. Holly Hearts Bowheads
44. The Caretaker
45. The A-Priori Mommy (a little late)
46. April Greer
47. Christyzee
48. Cutie Booty Cakes
49. Lolli @ Life is Sweet
50. Natalie
51. tristan
52. jen
53. Lora @ Take Me the Way I Am
54. Wildfire Belle
55. Sue Anderson

Awkward Monday.

2009-03-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

If your here for the Optimism Pays Contest info, that's here.

The Boy and I went on a walk.

Well, I walked, he rode his scooter.

Um, rode might be to much of an action word... it was more like, barely ride, wait for mom to catch up and then ride a second or two more.

Anyway, it was a gorgeous day in the neighborhood and at one point, we walked by these two gorgeous boxers.

Off the leash, but apparently very well trained, as they slowly approached us and began to give us the once over... with their noses.

Of course, their heads were at my crotch.

By the time one of them was done getting their fill, I think we were married.

{At least I hope so, otherwise I feel really used.}

As we walked away, The Boy says, "Mom, that dog was totally smelling your butt."

I said, "Yeah, I guess he was trying to get to know me."

Will looks disgusted and says, "Well, that was totally awkward."

Yes, son. Yes, it was.

Optimism Pays.

2009-03-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

The "Optimism Pays" link up and contest.

With so much drama in the blog world {and the real world} let's focus on something fun.

So here is how Friday's link up/contest will work.

The theme is Optimism. You can write about anything, a story, a poem, your thoughts, why it's imporant, one line under a photograph, etc.

The prize. $30 gift card {winner's choice}.

How to enter:

1. Write a post about Optimism.

2. Link it up to the Mister Linky {will appear on Friday}. Be sure to use the link of the post.

3. Include a photo and you get linked here AND at My Chaos, My Bliss's Friday Photostory {this will get you some nice additional traffic}. I will also be mentioning it on SITS.

4. The post does not have to be new! You may have something in your archives that just needs some tweaking.

5. Links must be relevant to Optimism and cannot contain profanity or anything else I deem rude. {Muuuuhahahahahaha.}

Winner will be chosen by me and my crazy methods and announced on Wed, 3/24.

Let me know below if you are participating, link up are a great way to get new visitors!

Fishful Thinking Friday: Overview.

2009-03-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

So the name "Fishful Thinking" may you leave you wondering "What the heck?".

"Guide to Secret Fishing Spots"?

"Guide to Best Sushi Restaurants"?

How about "Guide to Raising Optimistic, Resilient and Empowered kids"?

Yep.

The last one.

Pepperidge Farm has joined forces with Dr. Karen Reivich to develop an initiative that promotes parenting for possibilities called Fishful Thinking.

As you know from yesterday's post, I spent this past weekend with Dr. Reivich and 9 other moms who make up the "Fishful Thinking" Faculty.

Dr. Reivich is the real deal.

Not only is she the co-author of "The Optimistic Child" and "The Resilience Factor" and heads up cutting edge research studying the benefits of optimism and postive thinking- She is also a mom.

A mom to FOUR kids.

I am always a bit wary "self-help" programs and to be honest, there are only a handful of parenting books I've read that aren't totally confusing or unrealistic....

I need hands on techniques for real world situations. My staff are in their 20s, they need specific technuques, not academic theories containing words that require a PhD to dissect. FT provides just that... ideas, suggestions and activities that really work.

I also believe that there are all kinds of parenting styles that work. Many of you with multiple children know that many times, you have a different style for each of your different children!

In my view {in the past 15 years I have worked with 1,000s of kids}, Fishful Thinking's approach to Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience and Empowerment can be used successfully with all types of kids.

As a summer camp director {and mom}, I consider it my responsibility to stay current with the latest in child development ideas- some grounded in true research, others, passing fads. I have access to and attend conferences for many different schools of thought concerning kids. Very few have come close to being as well researched, presented and executed as Fishful Thinking.

One of the greatest things I took away from the symposium was that my son needs to be sure of what his strengths are.

My job, as his mom, is to set up situations and tasks that highlight his strengths. {This is a big for me, as my son's strengths are totally different than my own.}

Ultimately, I want my son to believe that things are possible.

That if something doesn't work, instead of quitting, he looks for a new approach.

A new solution.

Fishful Thinking helps parents to help kids do just that- and so much more.

I don't want to overload you in one post, but I have so much more to say.

I have already begun working Dr. Reivich's strategies and techniques into our camp staff training.

As a family, we have started using them at home.

Armed with this information, parents, teachers, coaches, etc can absolutely make a difference.

A great place to start is this Quiz regarding your child's Resiliency.

And, a wonderful piece on Emotional Awarenes.

As always, I would love your feedback.

Next Friday, I will post about Optimism and offer a link up. I would love to have you write a post about optimism {anything about optimism, doesn't have to be related in FT} and link it back.

I think I will do a little mention on SITS too, so those in the link up can get some extra traffic!

Of course, there will be some kind of contest/giveaway involved....

40 hours. No Sleep. This Should Be Good.

2009-03-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wow.

What a crazy week it has been.

I left for NY on Friday, did some Fishful Thinking all day Saturday with some AWESOME moms, stayed up all night because with the time change and East Coast to West Coast, I would have slept maybe 3 hours.

3 hours.

That's just a tease.

I was so amped up on the FABULOUS women I met and the incredible information I had just been giving, I could.not.sleep.

Car came to get me at 5:30 AM EST.... which {with daylight savings} was 1:30 AM to me.

No, I decided it was better to just stay up.

Heck, I used to pull 30 hours in college all the time.

Right?

Right.

Got the JFK.

They had a Brighton shop.

Dangerous.

I was in there for 2.5 seconds and spent $120.

But I did get a free umbrella.

And the hottest wallet ever.

Screaming baby on the flight home.

Not like cute baby crying.

Like "i-have-special-baby-future-seeing-power-and-this-plane-is-going-down" crying.

I don't know about y'all, but I had a secret flying trick when the boy was a baby.

Infant Tylenol.

Knock that kid out.

So, baby is screaming.

Guy next to me takes his shoes off.

Dear God.

Strong head winds turn a 5 hour flight into a 6 hour flight.

Fab.u.lous.

Once in San Diego, I had an hour drive back to my place.

Get home.

Amen.

Finally, at 9:30 PM, I give up the ghost.

40 hours later.

I am so 30-something.

So, tomorrow I am going to give you the low down on Fishful Thinking and the 10 moms involved.

If you have any in interest in helping your child cope with frustration, be successful at goal-setting, and build resiliency, come back.... I was so totally impressed- and as someone who has worked with children for the past 15 years, that's saying a lot.

So, it's a date.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Winners?

2009-03-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

So the winners.

That's why you came over, right?

Lie.

Tell me you came by because you love me.

Because you think my thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating writing on Tampons and Resiliency are genuis.

Not because you want to know if you won this or this.

Okay, now that you've stroked my fragile ego.....

The winners of the $100 Target Cards are: Sandy and Finding Joy and Choosing Happy

The winner of the Spring Fling Bag is: The Smith Family

So there you have it.

If you un-follow me now, I'll die.

So don't.

Spring Fling: Funky & Fun Etsy Bag

2009-03-09T23:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Spring Fling ladies!

I am giving away a brand new bag by Etsy vendor "retrofied"

I love the Amy Duck fabric she used and the quality is fantastic.

The included coin purse is adorable.

$68 value!

Here is the info from her shop:

This hobo bag is made with Amy Butler's Acanthus in Duck Egg on the outside and a coordinating river rock colored cotton twill inside.

There is also an attached wristlet - yes - a throw back to the purses we all carried as little girls, so I hope this one makes you feel like a kid again.

A large 1 1/2 inch fabric covered buttons and elastic loop hold your Duck Egg Hobo closed.

There is arow of three slip pockets inside.

Size:

12 inches wide at top
15 inches wide at bottom
22 inch handles
2 inches deep
11 inches tall

2 pleats add extra depth to hold lots.

1 entry, comment

2 entries follow me.

Good luck!

The winner of this contest and my previous contest will be announced on Wed!

My Big News and a $100.

2009-03-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

It just dawned on me that I have had some super exciting news that I haven't officially shared!

You all know how I feel about the importance of optimism and resiliency in the successes I've had in my life and how important it is to pass those on to my son.

Did you know my company is named "Bright Future Managment"? Doesn't get more optimistic than that!

A few months ago, I was contacted by a PR firm representing Pepperidge Farm.

They were interested in interviewing me for a faculty position for Fishful Thinking, an initiative that offers parents tools for fostering optimism in kids.

Now, as the director of one of LA's largest and oldest private summer camps, I get contacted to participate in all kinds of things for kids... usually, I pass, as I want to spend all my free time with my boys.

But in this case, the message and the presentation was so incredible, I jumped at the chance and agreed to the interview.

Within the first 5 minutes of the interview I was out of my mind excited. Fishful Thinking headed by Dr. Karen Reivich , was new, innovative and well executed.

I LOVED that they were looking to moms to send the message.

When I got the call a few weeks ago that I would be one of 10 moms flying to NY to learn more about the program and meet Dr. Reivich in person, I beyond was thrilled.

So, I leave this weekend to embark on an exciting new journey and can't wait to share the info with you.

I can absolutely say, without a doubt, that my optimism and faith that I can achieve amazing things has been the key to living the life I love.

You all know how much I LOVE a good contest.

And, I feel so strongly about the Fishful Thinking Initiative, that I am giving away a TWO $100 gift cards to Target.

Yes, two people will win a $100. each {I've had these cards sitting around from our credit card points and was waiting to do something special...}

Head over to Fishful Thinking and take a look. Then come back here and tell me the best feature. I will know if you really went over there, so do this right!

Post about the contest, linking back here and to Fishful Thinking for an additional FIVE entries.

Contest ends Sunday, March 7th at midnight.

Blessed.

2009-03-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

After a very looooong 2 weeks of camp enrollment and a long day of camp tours, my oldest, best and closest girlfriends showed up.

All together.

To surprise me.

To honor and celebrate my birthday.

It was truly incredible.

That these women who I love so much, thought of me, planned for me, celebrated me.

I am humbled.

I am grateful.

I am touched.

The night was amazing.

The surprise was surreal.

The food was delicious.

The drinks were delightful.

The letters of love where incredible.

The fabulous shoes, the to die for bag, the glamorous make up, the balloons and confetti, the ice cream cake, the princess tiara, the feather boa, and the hotel rooms were the things birthday dreams are made of.

The company was perfect.

To Erica, Shanell, Ginger, Kim, Rachel, Dani and Kai- my deepest gratitude.

You really did add a year to my life and memories and happiness to last a life time.

To the girls who couldn't be there but wanted to- all my love.

To my husband who had a hand in the plan and called ahead to pay for the amazing dinner, you never cease to amaze me.

Thank for you making this thirty-something girl feel like something special.

PS- To the weird guy with the smooth chest, the fake tan and the odd dance moves...yuck.

"Real" is a Relative Term.

2009-02-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

So I have a secret love.

No, it's not another man.

It's a women.

Well, actually 5 of them.

{Six, if you count Laurie.}

I love the Real Housewives of Orange County.

{"Real" oh the irony.}

I just watched the "reunion episode", man, it cracks me up.

Grown women bickering, accusing, crying, lying.. oh, it was just all so good.

Vicki's face every time she disagreed with something... priceless. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head! I love that she said Lynn made her cry... yeah right. She eats a Lynn every morning for breakfast.

Tamara- you can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you'll never take the trailer park out of the girl!

Jeana- Could you make more excuses for your rude, obnoxious son?

Lynn- even her crying was delayed by 20 minutes... it's like she got the insults a half hour later. She is my least favorite... and could her legs have had anymore spray tan on them? Weird.

Gretchen- as much as I don't want to believe Tamara's story about the boyfriend, it's probably true. Can I just say how much I love Gretchen's hair?

Laurie- she looks like a horse with a blond wig and a dress. Never liked her.

So, now that you know how I really feel....

Can I tell you another secret?

I have the whole season on the dvr.... muuuuuhahahahahaha....

You'd think being from So Cal, I wouldn't be so interested.

It's not the location, or even the money. It's the women.

They are crazy.

And I love it.

I'm baaackkkk

2009-02-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

First of all, Welcome to my place SITtas!

Let me introduce you to Ava, my blog. Isn't she pretty?

Next let me thank the 14 wonderful bloggers who babysat Ava the past two weeks... scroll down for some great posts. You ladies were awesome.

Take a look around and let me know what you think.

A while back, I wrote a 3 part story about a crazy lady in my book club and her abuse of the term "LOL". You might find it entertaining. That's Here.

Besides being the co-founder of SITS, I am known for something else in bloggyland... the term Crackliture. Initially, I coined the term to describe the Twilight Series and it caught on quite quick... google it if you don't believe me... but don't steal it... {I.copyright.everything. }

And, if that's not enough, check out "My Best Posts" over there to the left.

Have fun and come back and see me again... I mean if you like what you see, why not follow me?

Right? Right.

Reminders.

2009-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all! My name is Rachael, from Little Bites of Heaven. Before I get into the post, I want to first say that I am incredibly honored to be able to guest post for Tiffany...so, thank you Tiffany for trusting me with Ava. Initially, I set out to write a humorous post, but honestly...I am not really all that funny. I do try, sometimes. But my attempts are usually met with a crickets chirping type of silence. So...I figured I would spare you that pain and instead share with you something that has been on my mind.

Every so often, I get little reminders that my life is finite + fragile.

They can be internal or external, they can be personal or impersonal, they can be tiny nudges or full blown shoves; the impact tends to depend on what is required at that moment in time. I am always looking out to see what comes next, but as it so often goes, I am never ready for them. And yet their timing is, somehow, always perfect; hitting right where I need it, just when I need it.

And there really is no consistency or predictability to these reminders...they just are what they are.

They are reminders that are filled with love {or hate}. Reminders that come in tiny packages or giant hearts. Sometimes they are handcrafted by woman or man, sometimes by nature. They appear with random acts of kindness. Or clouded by random acts of violence. Some appear in words or float through song. Others need no words at all, just an image. They come with happiness + sadness. They come with tragedy + heartache. They come with hope.

And sometimes, the reminders encompass more than I ever imagined possible.

Despite the fact that they aren't always positive, I like the reminders. Quite a bit, in fact. It is comforting to know that they will be there, helping to guide me along as I stumble through life; because there are times when I really, really need just that.

While I know that I always have the choice within my power to change, sometimes I need to be presented with the stark reality that there are no second chances in life to be forced to change. To be reminded that once an opportunity has passed, it is gone. Because really? This is it. Life is short. It can be sweet, it can be bitter, it can be both. But, this is it.

And sometimes, I need a reminder of that.

I think we all do, from time to time.

Rachael

PS - I just found out from Lula!'s post that today is Tiffany's birthday, so don't miss out on wishing her a Happy Birthday in the post below!

I Snuck In Here...

2009-02-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Psssssssst....
Today is Tiffany's birthday, y'all. Give her mad love and blissful greetings, OK???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIFFANY!!!!
Love you,
Lula
p.s. Don't kill me!

TMM and RFD are BFF's Forever or Something Like That

2009-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there everyone!

(I don't know why, but I start a lot of my emails and stuff with that phrase. It's casual and fun yet not too cozy. Ya know?)

I'm Tiffany's friend C.

(Right Tiff? You'd say we're friends, right? Can I call you Tiff? I've been meaning to ask you that. Or does that nickname bug the heck out of you? I'll let you call me a nickname. But you have to be nice about it. I'll even tell you what my family calls me. And no one else in bloggyland knows. Of course, you know a lot of things no one else in bloggyland knows. And you better keep your mouth shut cause I've paid you quite the pretty penny in bribe money and...I guess I better not piss (can I say piss?) you off huh?)

Some of you may know me as Tattooed Minivan Mom. Yep. That's me. Don't worry. This is a strictly G rated post (minus the piss). You can keep your eyes open.

(And before I forget, if you have a chance today, stop by my blog. My very next post will be my 100th and I'm giving anyone who wants to, a chance to ask me a question that I shall answer. It may be the truth, it may be a lie. I don't know. We shall see.)

I realize Tiffany usually keeps her posts short and sweet. And while I usually start off WANTING to keep it short and sweet, I can kind of be long winded sometimes. (A lot of the time.) The good intentions are there. Really. They are. Maybe it's cause I'm always having conversations with myself on the side?

I thought I'd tell you a little bit about how I got to know Tiffany since a lot of you don't know that we know each other "in real life". We live in the same city. The same part of the city too. So our kids go to school together.

She moved here last year I think?

We both volunteered for our kids' first grade classes. At our school we have hallways in between classrooms where us minions, I mean moms, do our slave work, I mean volunteer work. They call the hallways "work rooms".

Which technically they are, but I think they should actually be called, "The super secret tile gauntlet" where if you step on the white ones instead of the brown ones you'll fall to a firey hell. At least that's what the kids who walk up and down the hall to go to the bathroom must think cause they jump from brown tile to brown tile on their way there refusing to step on the white ones.

OR

they could call it 'The peeping hallway". Cause the kids seem to jump up and down at each classrooms' windows so they can get a peek inside on their way to the bathroom.

OR

they could call it "The 40 yard dash hallway" cause when the kids go two at a time to turn in the attendance folders to the office they are forever doing that "I'm not running, I'm walking, but really I am running/walking so I don't get in trouble when a teacher pokes their head in the hallway to see why there's so much noise"race to the office and back.

See, Tiffany, "a.k.a." Tiff, would've been done with her post by now. I still haven't even told you how we met yet.

Ok, short story long, we volunteered in the "work room" hallway in classrooms right next door to each other on the same days sometimes. And we were both chosen, clearly for our stellar volunteery skiz-illz, to create the new first grade stations for Rocket Language (The Tiff-ster got that one) and Rocket Math (me-sters.)

We had to go on a little field trip to the scary second grade hallway to see how their's was done so that we wouldn't screw up ours. So in a way we were kind of setup on a school volunteer playdate. We got to talking and the rest was history.

She told me about her blog, I read it, we drifted apart over the summer, then when second grade started I sent her a pathetic email that was like "Hey, remember me? Wanna be friends again?" and she was all "NO! Go away!"...ok, not really...she was all "YES! I remember you! I've missed you! I'm going through withdrawals from you, I need you in my life again!"....ok, not really...she just said she did remember me and we started talking blogs again, and I told her I wanted to start my own but I was a fraidy cat, and she said I should, and I cave to peer pressure easily, so I did.

Yes. That's right. You have Tiffany to blame for my existence in blog world. All complaints and/or restraining orders can and should be sent to her.

So Tiffany, Tiff, Tiff-ster, The Tiff-meister, I'm so glad we met and became friends, blog buddies, Bunco mates, my linky pimp and email sisters.

"Did you ever knooooooooow that your my heeeeeeerrrrrrooooo...."

*tears of joy*

C.....OUT.....

*drops keyboard*

*picks keyboard back up because she forgot something*

Because I have an extremely juvenile sense of humor, I'm recommending you go read one of my favorite posts of Tiffany's here.

I'm On To Your Little Game, Gymboree.

2009-02-18T05:34:00.000-08:00

Got a little girl? Then you know all about Gymboree - the overpriced children's boutique that sells perfectly coordinated "collections" with corny names. (Just so you know...it's owned by satan.)

You walk in and find - oh, let's say a sweater with a pink butterfly on it - and surprise! there's a matching cordory skirt and - ooh! look at the darling tiny butterfly tights and - oh my gosh, look at those butterfly hair bows! and before you know it you have $80 invested in one crappy pink butterfly outfit that's carefully stored in your daughter's closet waiting for THE perfect opportunity to be shown off. (Like a family holiday where your offspring has to one-up your sister's kids.)

When that far off day finally arrives, you hover over your daughter protecting The Precious (the outfit, of course, not the kid...who cares about the kid?) and scream whenever your daughter goes near a Crayola product or dares to reach for a condiment. She's miserable, but she looks good, right?!?

Alright - I was the idiot who bought the butterfly crap. After Elizabeth ~~ate spagheti~~ broke it in, that outfit worked off it's $80 debt. I'm sure the playgroup moms sneered, "Jaci has her in that sweater again. What, does she only have one Gymboree outfit?" *snooty middle class laugh*

Gymboree just isn't in my budget. I would love to dress Elizabeth in those perfect little collections, but when Target is selling a similar sweater for $9....it's stupid to fork over $40. She's only going to wear the thing for 5 months! Sometimes I hit their clearance racks, but the clothes lose their shine when all that's left are picked over puppy dog pants and a 0-3 month Christmas onsie.

But this time I hit clearance gold. I found a kitty cat collection on the clearance rack IN TACT. It was incredible! A kitty cat shirt for $2.99! The tights for $3.99! A leopard print skirt for $5.99! OH. MY. GOSH. It's a Gymboree miracle.

I snatched it, drug it home, and hung it up in my daughter's closet. Ha! Just wait until fall! My little Elizabeth will have a cute GYMBOREE outfit! Mmm-hmmm! Normally I wouldn't go for leopard print, but whatever, it will look cute with her....um...red hair, and...

Oh no. She's going to look like--

Oh, thanks a lot, stupid Gymboree clearance rack!

*You must go and read one of my favorite Tiffany posts: Circling Dreams. Hmmm...I wonder what ever happened to my Caboodles?*

You can also find me at Ravings of a Mad Housewife.

10 Secrets to a Happy Marriage

2009-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! It's Summer from Le Musings of Moi, and I'm more than happy to help Tiffany out with her blogging vay-cay. Only, I just realized I was supposed to post this Tuesday not Thursday. Oh no. Bad bad guest blogger. But, hey they both start with T's. Does that excuse it? What about the fact that my three year old is up out of bed a thousand times a night? Or that I'm on a dumb diet that has taken away my mind?

Regardless, here's my post, and tomorrow Tattooed Minivan Mom will take it away. (I'm so so sorry, Tiffany!)

So, you should know that I'm considering the occupation of motivational speaker. You know, it's just that I have so much wisdom inside, and it's all I can do not to bust it out to every person I see on the streets.

Especially when it comes to marriage. I just feel that everyone should know the secrets I have within me. I mean, you think "The Secret" is motivational? Well, just wait till you hear mine.

What secrets, you ask? You are just dying to know how we have made it through all the years and tears and still be as much in love as we are to this day?

Well, thanks for asking. I am more than happy to share.

The 10 Secret's to a Happy Marriage:

1. We like to sleep on opposite sides of the bed.
(the hump in the middle proves it!) How does this keep a marriage happy? We miss each other in the morning, that's how.

2. We only say the dumb stuff once.
I'm sure I have some examples of dumb things I've said, but I have even better examples of Jimmy's stuff. So, lets go there. Like that one time when we were dating and he said as I handed down my clothes to his tiny skinny sisters..."I can't believe that stuff fits my sisters." I sat in shock staring at this man I was considering to be my husband. Hmmm....doubts were kicking in. I took off to another room and let the tears roll. (I'm dramatic even without a baby in my belly....) What seemed like an hour later, he finally came after me. So much for a dramatic exit on my part. Anyway, he comes in, sees my tears and asks what's wrong. I blubber something about how he thinks I'm fat, blah blah blah....His comforting response? "Oh honey, I didn't mean you were fat at all! I just meant that my sisters are so little and you are just, you know, bigger boned than they are." Um....ya.....he never said this again. And so 6 years later, we are still together.

3. We let the little stuff go.
See #2.

4. Patience, patience, patience. And always remember, there are bigger issues.
Eventually he will learn to throw the clothes in the hamper, not beside the hamper. And when there are dying children in Africa, really this is a small issue. I will stop leaving trash in the car after he's cleaned it. And when the economy is falling around us, who is he to really make this a big deal?

5. We make sacrifices to keep each other happy.
I will never forget his biggest sacrifice. When we first got married, I realized quite quickly how much he loved his snooze button. He loved it times 7. At times I felt he loved to snooze more than he loved me. (did I mention this was in that honeymoon wonderful first year?) Finally, I could take it no more. I would be wide awake thinking of how to hurt him and his clock, and he'd be in a peaceful happy place somewhere in snoozeland. So, I put my foot down. No more snooze. And what do you know, the next day after the first alarm, my man (the hero that he is), got up and left the room. A week later, same thing. I felt so proud. He does love me more than the snooze, I thought! And then, one morning two weeks later, I got up to use the restroom minutes after he had left the room. I nearly tripped over a body on the kitchen floor. The body of my snoozing husband. The poor man had set the alarm of the microwave, got a pillow from the couch, and was continuing his snoozing addiction on the linoleum instead. Now, thats love.

6. We are best friends.
Best friends submit to each other, they serve each other, they put each others needs before their own. In our world, one is not above the other. We are equals and we are in this together. Well, except for when I don't want to make the decision or I don't want the blame to fall on me...then of course, I submit submit submit. Good christian wifey!

7. We support each others dreams and hopes.
Me: "Yes honey, you are a ninja."
"Of course you can be a secret spy in the FBI."
"I truly believe that the call you made to the cops to bust the homeless pot smoker will make them realize that they need you on the force starting tomorrow."
Him: "Of course you can be on broadway, you are a natural Roxie Hart. Just hear the wonderful voice God blessed you with." (soooo not true!)
"And your dance moves? Well, that alone is talent."
"Go on now, dear wife, and turn on the Rent's soundtrack and keep practicing your performance of Mimi and the candle. I can't get enough."

8. We try to laugh at the little things.
Ha ha, it was so funny that time that I forgot to put the car in park and it started to roll into the street....with our toddler in it. Remember that honey? Ha ha ha, that was soooo funny. Or the time you...Oh wait, you're not ready to laugh about that yet. Okay, we'll try again tomorrow.

9. We accept our differences.
I can dance (at least I think I'm good), he can't, and that's okay. We'll live. He can surf, I can't. I cuss like a sailor out there, so we keep this little hobby just for him. I'm always right, he's always wrong. Or another way to put, I'm never wrong, and he's never right. We know that, and it works. We can't help that we're different.

10. Never use the word never or always.
See #9, last couple of sentences.

So you agree now? Am I sooo the motivational speaker that "The Secret" is missing on their team of experts?

And now, since we're on the topic of motivation, here are some other reasons Tiffany's marriage works.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll see ya soon at Le Musings of Moi!

Hugs...Summer

Either I'll become social or...

2009-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'll continue to hide from strangers. (And talk about them on the Internet.)

We went to the park a few days ago. When we arrived there were several Moms, all whom had other mom companions. We arrived just before lunch since we were going to have a picnic. All the mothers did there motherly stare down at which point they decide who I am, what I am about and whether or not I'm worthy of a hello.

Okay, so maybe that stare down thing is just my imagination running wild but it sure feels that way.

Let me start by saying, I keep to myself and have not one single friend within a 30 mile radius of my house. Okay, so maybe that makes me sensitive to other mothers who actually have friends. Whatever. That is so not the point.

Also, until 30 days ago I didn't need any friends. In fact, I didn't have time for any friends. Clearly, now? I'm desperate. But, that desperation is for another post.

First, I need to tell you about the playground. The ever loving playground and the mommy's who lurk there... a recap if you will.

The Nanny's. Hard to spot at first glance because you never just want to assume a young woman couldn't possibly be that cute and trendy whilst wiping bottoms and cleaning up drool without pay. A few trips to the park and you can quickly tell a Nanny from Mom just by her cell phone. Generally speaking a mom will not sit on a park bench with another mom and talk and text on her cell phone whilst corralling two toddlers. Not that any mom is not capable of that kind of multitasking. It's just when a mom gets another real mom in front of her, you know, someone who uses complete sentences, she will give that non-toddler non-drooling woman her almost (because one eye is always on the babes) undivided attention.

The Older Mom. This is the mom who, for whatever reason, decided to wait to have a family until the very last possible second. (I get that it isn't always a choice, quit hating.) For whatever reason the area I live in is full of this mom. This mom is often a first time mom who, because of her age, suddenly knows everything that is best for your child even if you didn't ask. For some reason this mom makes me the most nervous. Maybe it's because some of them are old enough to be my mom. Or, maybe because I suddenly feel like a teenager who has two toddlers waiting to be reprimanded. I find the best way to deal with this mom is to avoid eye contact at all costs because I can't handle feeling like a teen.

The Know It All Mom. This mom closely resembles the Older Mom but only with more youth and less tact (if that's possible) and access to the Internet. This mom generally travels alone and is the first one to start a conversation.

TKIAM: Oh, I see your child has a drink.

OCC: Hot out today. (Notice the slight change in subject.)

TKIAM: You know, breast milk is best.

OCC: Uh, huh. (Doing my best to not sound interested.)

TKIAM: The WHO recommends that baby's be breastfed until the age of 2.

OCC: Yeah. It's just water. From a cup. Because it's hot out and it's the Park. (Speaking slowly. How dare she assume I don't have the Internet. Slightly annoyed, walking away.)

TKIAM: (Following) Well I guess water is better than juice.

OCC: Uh, huh.

TKIAM: And way better than formula.

OCC: (PISSED) Look, she's still breastfeeding and will be 2 next week and for your information she was fed formula for the first day of her life. Do you see 4 eyes? Horns? (Yeah, I see the horns too but that's not from the formula.) I think it's great that you are spreading the word. I already have this information. Thank you. (Grabbing both children suddenly needing to go potty.)

Yeah. She's pushy AND wants everyone to know about her knowledge. I generally can forgive this mommy for being outgoing with her information since she thinks she is doing a good thing. But, she needs to back off. You know, I might even like this mom if she would just chill the eff out.

The Mom Who Tries Too Hard. This is the mom who when she packs a picnic for the park it is not in a grocery bag or reusable sack. No, it's in a picnic basket, you know, with plates and utensils encased in a basket like structure. Not only does she pack water for each individual, she also includes juice, chips, pretzels, sandwiches and a blanket to sit on and a back-up blanket in case the first gets wet. This mom also packs both children's bikes for playing after the picnic. At first glance she appears to have her ducks all in a row until you watch closely to learn she is just like you and me. It starts with forgetting her daughter's sunglasses, then forgetting the helmets to ride bikes then the crows take the chips while they are taking a potty break quickly followed by what may be the most awkward park experience of my life (but that's a story for another day).

The Mom Who Hovers: This mom is characterized by constantly needing to be within 2 feet of her child at all times. And, I blame to media. I realize that some play structures can be a little advanced for 2 year olds and some 3 year olds but unless you have a really daring child or a really klutzy one your child will not willingly risk it's life for a little thrill. It's not that I don't understand. Heck, I blame the media for implanting that all people want to do is steal our children and harm them. Yes, I agree, watching our children is their best defense against bad things. But, hovering squashes independence and really effs up my play date parent to parent time. Trust me, you'll know when she's hurt.

The Mom Who Observes: This mom is characterized by a non-inviting grimace which states by the furrowed brow do not approach, unfriendly person behind the mask. The Observer likes to watch how moms and kids interact and likes to know that interaction between parents exists but does not want to actually participate in said action with strangers. She prefers to wallow in her own pity about not having any friends than actually do something about it. The mere thought of social interaction with strangers frightens her yet has never been disappointed from an encounter yet. She is the one quietly judging you wishing she were talking not making up stories about you. Although, often the stories in her head are far more entertaining than reality. The Observer is the one who actively practices the stare down (mentioned above) and who may or may not suffer from social anxiety or be known as One Crazy Chick.

*I have so many favorite posts of Tiffany's it was hard to decide what to tell you to read. I mean, it seems everyone loves them a good OB story and so do I. But, no one loves a copy cat, so I say go read Boot What? Tiff - I need some follow up on that hell!

*My name is Kandace and you can find me writing about my life over at One Crazy Chick...sometimes I even write about our Stripper pole!

Dearest Girl Scout Cookies

2009-02-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

Dearest Girl Scout Cookies,

Yes, it is that time of year again, and I for one am terribly excited as usual. SO excited in fact I ordered FIVE boxes this year. Oh yes, all of my old friends are there from the decedent caramel delights, to the thin mints, and peanut butter patties. Even my new friends the chocolate shortbread and healthy lemonade ones. You are all there. But I need to introduce you to a not so good friend of mine.

Cookies, I would like to to meet Mr. Diet. Yes, I know you have never met before. You see cookie time is ALWAYS in February, and Wep has usually given up on Mr. Diet by the time you come visiting. But this year is different and you will need to work together and play nice. Now don't be scared, Mr. Diet isn't as mean as previous years, there is only one rule. Read the portion size, and only one portion per day. So I only have one question for you...

TWO COOKIES?

Are you kidding? Who eats two cookies? Surely that is a typo and you meant two SLEEVES of cookies, right? I mean I would need to eat two BOXES of Thin Mints to equal a serving, right? Since I get to have a whopping four thin mints, right? Let's get serious cookies, that's a little extreme no? I mean I bought your healthy Lemonade ones, doesn't that earn me an extra cookie? What if I work out, can I earn cookies that way? Let's put a chore chart on the fridge. I'll earn more cookies I promise.

Do you know what I have had to resort to? The coworker who I bought the cookies from is maintaining possession of the cookies. I get rationed out a box at a time. I had to argue with him to switch it up from Carmel Delights to Thin Mints. But still, only two cookies?

It's like crack. And rice cakes are my methadone (is that what people take methadone for? I don't remember but it sounds good). And believe me those carmel cakes are NO DELIGHT.

I can quit anytime I want. I swear.

But until then, please baby baby please can I have three?

Love and chocolately kisses,

Wep

****This Blog is brought to you by Wep while Tiffany is away. This post is inspired by Tiffany's open letter to Tampax. One of my personal favorites. ******

Conversation Instead of Confrontation.

2009-02-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, y'all...these ubiquitous candies will be distributed by the hundreds of thousands over the next couple of days.

Generally known by their given moniker, Conversation Hearts, I prefer to call them by their true description: flavored chalk.

I have never been a fan of these little gems, however my girls will down them by the handful. Meanwhile I'm begging, "Hey, let's see if we can use these hearts to write on the driveway!" Seriously.

Over the years I've read stories written by Romeos and Juliets, who owe their love to the clever boldness that is conversation hearts. "Johnny gave me a heart that read "Call Me" when we were freshmen in college and we've been together ever since!" gushes Susie. Or, "Mary revealed her intentions by giving me a "Love You" heart on Valentine's day," recounts Bobby. Gee, Mary...way to play it like a guy.

Yeah, they're cute...they're small and heart-shaped and pastel and emblazoned with cute sayings. Our new millennium finds Convo Hearts getting all techno with phrases such as "E-mail Me" and "Web Site." (Just "Web Site?" What's that supposed to mean? Oh, ok...love you, too, "Web Site.") But I have never been a fan of flavored chalk. Or of goofy sayings on small candies.

However I do think it would be really fun and rather useful to have convo hearts printed up for specific occasions. For instance, instead of confronting an annoying co-worker about her serious breath issue, you could sweetly hand her a pack of gum and a conversation heart that reads, "U Smell." Or, "Don't Breathe," if you want to be nice about it. I am all for avoiding confrontation. It makes me nervous and tired. Distributing convo hearts would be so much easier 'cause they'd do my dirty work.

How about a few to hand out at the gynecologist's office? "Ouch!" or "K-Y Please."

For that rude person who jumped the line at Starbucks: "Shove It," or "Kiss Off."

Celebrity bloggers getting too big for their britches? Yes, Perez, I'm talking to you: "New 'Do," "Get Real," or "You Suck."

When you want to tell off a friend: "Fear Me" or "Kiss Crack."

In-laws getting you down? Give them: "I'm Done," "Go Now," or "Step Off."

Husband feeling frisky but you've got a headache? Try: "Not Now," or "Ask 2-Morrow."

Fasting and praying for a better New Moon?: "Don't Suck," "I Beg U," and "Be Good!"

Met a hot vamp but afraid to make a move? I'm going with: "Bite Moi."

Eric, I love you, and I'm ready for True Blood to return. Amen.

Yep...these are the kind of conversation hearts I need in my life. Not a lame one in the bunch. (Do not get me started on the planned Twilight Convo Hearts, debuting next month. 'Cause I've already used the term "lame" in this post. Ahem.)

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Thanks, Tiff-My-Love, for letting me be all up in your Bloggy Kool-Aid. I love you more than my luggage...

XOXO,

Lula

p.s. Jennifer P. outed your hot OB as her favorite post, which is mine, too. So I'll go with my runner-up: Marketing Genius. You know me and some tampons...especially cheerleading tampons.

Blogopause - Or How to Break it to Them Gently

2009-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today it's my turn to give Ava ( the name for Tiffany's blog) a lesson on the facts of life...here goes. When you're all done reading this (if you even get past the title) swing on over to my place and see how Debbie Does Dallas ** thanks, Swirl Girl

**mostly because I am a comment junkie and I need a fix. Also because Tiffany asked that I keep the 'naughty language' to a minimum here, but I am free to unleash over at my joint. And, unleash, I usually do.
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Dearest Ava-

I think it's time for you to learn about the facts of life. Your author won't discuss it with you because , well - she has a son and isn't verse on the delicacies of discussing these things with a 'tweener (yet). So, mommy asked Auntie Swirl Girl to have this little chat with you. My pleasure, since at least somebloggy here will listen to me....unlike at my place.

I know you are still young and all fancy free and all, but let me tell you darling - being a blog is not an easy thing. Oh sure, had you been born a magazine article or a simple flyer on the community board at the Man Store (Home Depot) we would not have to have this post-ersation. You are a budding young blog, who is growing by leaps and bounds. You've already mastered the best friend thing (hello, SITS) beautifully! Sharing your time and thoughts and feelings. Spreading the love, so they say. But when you start spreading your love the way you are doing, and I thought I told you not to spread your love until you were 30 by the way...it may be time to visit the Blogocologist.

You see, your author gets tired...I know this is hard for you to believe, but yours are not the only keys she strokes. Yours is not the only Intel Pentium processor that she feeds. She loves you yes, but you have to recognize the symptoms you have been experiencing as part of the normal course of life. I think, dear Ava, that you are experiencing PeriBlogopause.

One of the first signs that you are going through 'the change' is that the frequency of posting changes or dimishes. What was once daily has turned into twice weekly - if that much. And, that's okay. You don't have to shine all the time ...we readers love you no matter how often you share with us. Be it a quickie 'chello', or a photo montage , or something like this where you extoll the virtues of your hawt blogocologist - whom , by the way - I have an appointment to see next Thursday. Consider yourself lucky , Ava - when you get as old as me - and I am in full blown Blogopause...sometimes spreading your love, even for a professional Blogocologist - is not as easy as it looks.

Alas - poor Ava : there is no Blogmone replacement therapy available for what ails you. You just have to boot up and chill. Maybe a nice aroma candle ( I suggest you stay away from the hot bath , you know for the electrical shock avoidance), and a bag of Oreos will do the trick. Let mommy's fingers do the walking when she feels like it. There are no rules in Blogosphere. That's why they call this a Bloggy practice and not a perfect. Just practice safe blogging, don't let unauthorized people into your admin, and don't share your password with anyone.

Feel free to call on your old Auntie Swirl Girl anytime. And remember - I will always have gum.

who wants to be a writer? anyone? anyone?

2009-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Jennifer P. here! So happy to be guest blogging for Tiffany while she is out hob-nobbing with the celebs (or at least their assistants...)

This year I am finishing up school to get my degree in English with a Writing emphasis. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a writer. From the first book I won an award for in 1st grade (it was about litter box training my cat and came complete with drawings of stick figures picking up poop...!) till the present day--I have never had a period in my life where I wasn't writing SOMETHING!

Right now I am taking a poetry class taught by a well-known local writer, J.Reuben Appelman. He was on Oprah a few years back as part of her book club review. He wrote a documentary that was produced by George Clooney. One of his movie scripts was a finalist for HBO's Project Greenlight. He was the first Boise State University Master's grad to be published. In other words, he's living off of his writing.

He's a little curious about this whole world of blogging I've tried to expose him to. And I think there are probably quite a few of us bloggers who are a little curious about what it must be like to be a "real writer"---the kind that prints out their pages and puts them in manila envelopes and sends them out with cover letters to publishers, and waits and waits and waits-- with no instant comments to hold them over. Then, hopefully, gets told "yes, you're good enough. In 6-8 months you will be published". Unlike just clicking "Publish Post" and voila! (you're ALWAYS good enough for Blogger! :) ).

Here's my big question to you for today: Do YOU consider yourself a "real writer"? Or is blogging just a warm up for something larger one day?

My two cents on the whole thing would be this.....I would LOVE to see my work on the shelf of a bookstore one day. I would LOVE to make money off of doing something so close to my heart. However, if that never comes to pass---I am accomplishing RIGHT NOW what I have always wanted to with my writing: reaching an audience on a regular basis. Being able to inform, entertain, and/or uplift them in some way. AND I get to read others' writing and make connections with them. **PERFECT!** The Peterson's Go Public! may not be the next For Whom the Bell Tolls, but I think it's a step up from, say... Us Weekly :).

So--have at it. Let me hear if you think blogging is real writing or not! ~and a big THANK YOU to Tiffany for letting me do this, and to you for reading! (wanna send me some money now ;)?! )

~Jennifer P.~

OH YEAH! Let me not forget to mention my fave post of all time that Tiffany has done! I have never looked at the ceiling in my ob-gyn's office the same since reading this (even though my Dr. is small and strange and not so hot.....ya know--the way it should be :) ).

Snow Daze

2009-02-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Veggie Mom here, helping Tiffany out today. Let me just say I’m honored to help launch what I like to call “Project Ava.” I know I’m trying to fill pretty big shoes here. After you read what I have to say, I want you to do two things, if you please. First, visit my giveaway. Next, show Tiffany some Comment Love by reading one of her Best Posts Ever, Generosity & Gratitude. OK, here goes. Hope you enjoy what I have to say!

The white stuff makes me sneeze.

At the ski resort, I’m the one dressed up in the colorful sweater, who’s really into the après ski. With a heavy emphasis on the après. I’m the first to cast a vote for hot cocoa with plenty of those teeny-tiny marshmallows. But I’m also going to be the one who doesn’t need the infusion of warmth because I haven’t been outside all day.

I fear I have a phobia.

When other children were out building snowmen, and pummeling each other with snowballs from behind ice-fortified front yard forts, I was usually inside with a book. Snow ice cream? Never interested. Frozen slushies made out of the stuff my Dad knocked off the bushes out back? Not a chance.

After all—what if the neighbor’s dog had been there before?

Oh, yes, I always did the Snow Dance of Joy with my sister and my friends when the school district cancelled our lessons because of inclement weather, but I just wasn’t too keen on the concept of playing tag in the drifts that surrounded my front porch.

I’ve always maintained that snow paints a pretty picture, as each flake falls from the sky. Mother Nature puts on some of her best shows in the dead of winter. I’m just not all that interested in coming into contact with those pretty particles of frozen precipitation.

I can trace my Snow Phobia to a couple of incidents from my wayward youth.

The afternoon I took the lead on a 3-person toboggan, and slid right into the back of a house comes to mind. And the morning I was waiting at the bus stop—let’s see, I must’ve been all of 7 or 8—and my neighbors Jimmy and Mitch started pelting the crowd of grade-schoolers with ice-hard projectiles. I took one for the team that day, right in the left temple.

My slippery relationship with snow continued into adulthood. In my 20s, I had the great fortune to score a trip to a posh South American ski resort. There I suffered a severe case of altitude sickness on the way up a precipitous lift, and wretched all over my cute ski bunny outfit, my equipment, my lift partner…you get the picture. I continued to lose my cookies all the way down the mountain with the ski patrol, and the bus on the way back to town had to stop every 15 minutes or so, in order to let me Call Ralph.

And now, as a Mom with kids at college, I continue to suffer. My girls both go to school in Northeastern Wisconsin. I dropped in for a visit about this time last year. The Badger State was, at that time, in the throes of the worst winter weather ever recorded. I think we saw snow six days out of the seven I was there.

I borrowed my daughter’s Honda Civic—we call it the “Midgetmobile”—one day. Of course, snow started coming down in great gobs while I was running errands. The plows were out in force, and had everything “scraped down to pavement,” as my Hubby likes to say, right away. Trouble was, the snow kept falling, and the drifts kept rising.

Let’s just say I had a lot of trouble parallel parking. The wheels on the little car spun and spurted and then, finally, stuck. We weren’t going anywhere fast. Two nice men—by the size of ’em, from hearty dairy farmer stock—happened along and offered to dislodge the car. I asked if I could help them push.

“No problems,” the younger man said. Then he and his partner picked up the Midgetmobile and lifted it back onto the pavement.

Like I said, the white stuff makes me sneeze. I think I might be allergic.

Who wants to Guest Post?

2009-02-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

So you, know Ava and I have been going through something.

We are working on it, but this coming week also happens to be camp enrollment so my life will be NUTS.

Veggie Mom offered to guest post and I am thinking hell to the yeah!

So, if you'd like to guest post for me next week, please leave a comment here and I will choose randomly (or whoever offers the most money.)

Veggie Mom gets the first spot, cause she's the genius with the idea.

Here's the twist... when you guest post, you have to include a link to your favorite R Family post at the bottom... I'm a pimp, remember?

I think this will really help me out girls.

Thanks.

Blogerapy.

2009-01-31T23:36:00.000-08:00

I'm here, not sure what is going on, but I've lost my blog-jo... (as in mojo).

I have every confidence that Ava (that's the name of my blog) and I will work this out. She's a wonderful blog... I just think maybe we're going through something.

Afterall, I have been paying a lot more attention to my pink and leopard print girlfriend. But I love her too. I mean she doesn't hold all my thoughts and dreams like Ava, but it is always a party over there.

Not that Ava isn't social, she is. Just not a few thousand hits a day social... and, she doesn't generate any income. Maybe I am nothing more than a blog pimp. Obsessed with delusions of blog grandeur.

Maybe it's not Ava or SITS at all. Maybe it's my total lack of motivation. I really haven't had much interesting going on.

I'd love any suggestions. Blogerapy? How do Ava and I get our groove back?

What's up

2009-01-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hi.

I know.

It's been for.ev.er.

I've missed you.

I've been having some fun.

Played BUNCO with tattoed minivan mom (jealous?).

Saw John Edwards talk to dead people (it was awesome.)

Tried to get back in time to meet up with her, but didn't make it. :(

And, I gave up my addiction to facebook.

Only to be replaced with an addiction to Webkinz.

Yes. Webkinz.

My son asked me to help him earn some money.

Sure, I say. I'll play a game or 2 while you do your homework.

Cash Cow 2.

Ugh.

Let's Get Uncomfortable.

2009-01-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Last night I saw Slum Dog Millionaire. (yes, on a weeknight at 9:45. it was heavenly.)

What a fantastic movie. The story, the acting, the cinematography.

For those of you who don't know, the movie is about a young man from India's slums who goes on his country's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" He is answering all the questions correctly, and the police think he is cheating, as he has absolutely no formal education to speak of.

The answers have all "happened" to him. Meaning, each answer he gets, he only knows because it happened to him personally.

And, wow. The things that happened.

I won't spoil it for you, as I am hoping you take the time to see it.

There are parts of his childhood that will make you cry. But don't let that deter you. Some of the best films make us uncomfortable, as they put other people's reality in our face.

The movie got me thinking.

Something I have always wanted for my son is resiliency.

To be able to survive and even thrive in the face of real adversity.

To think on his feet.

To keep his integrity when giving it up would be easier.

To believe in possibility even when it doesn't seem to exist.

Setting our kids up for success doesn't mean making things easy.

In order for him to grow, prosper, and feel the sense of accomplishment of truly rising above a difficult situation, he must experience true adversity.

Sometimes we are so busy interfering with our kids lives, that we don't allow things to unfold. Our kids often don't get a chance to overcome, as we've already done it for them.

This week Oprah has a series of webcasts. I watched Monday night's with trainer Bob Green. He was talking about that one of the biggest obstacles people have with exercise is allowing themselves to be "uncomfortable". To actually exercise at a level that offers results, you have to be willing to experience discomfort.

Kind of like life.

To grow and expand you have to be willing to be uncomfortable.

Same goes for our kids.

Protect-a-Sauras

2009-01-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

My son has been setting these guys up every morning.

Apparently, he is concerned about a potential intruder.

The best part is that the "Dino-Guards" are a more obvious solution to him then shutting the door.

Man, I love that kid.

Sucked In.

2009-01-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

So I have always been someone who does things 100%.

When I played Barbies, I played for days. Setting up my dream house in the living room with my sister and not cleaning up until I was completely over it. Then, I moved on.

When we got our first Intellivision, I played "Pitfall" endlessly.

Seriously, that may still me the BEST video game ever created.

When I got internet access, same thing. Hours of time. I had this really WEIRD infatuation with Mark Macquire.
I would just look for all these sites about him online.

Let it be known, I am a total freak.

And you all know how I DEVOUR books. I.Become.Obsessed.

When this blog started, I was crazy. I would refresh my page hundreds of times and PRAY for comments.

I commit 100% and then I lose interest and move on.

Now, I love you all, and I do love my blog. And, of course, SITS is part of my life.

But, something new and shiny has caught my eye and attention.

I swore I wouldn't get sucked in.

I put it off for YEARS.

Facebook has taken over my life.

Help.

New Treats for a New Year.

2009-01-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

A new year needs a new bag right?

Well, around here, it's more like a new month needs a new bag, but that's another post.

This little sweetie caught my eye and I feel into deep and abiding lust.

And, it was under $100, which makes me really happy.

Don't think I'll use that longer strap to much, but it'll come in handy for traveling....

I'm going to Vegas AND Idaho this Spring. And, probably Arizona.

And, of course, a new year needs a new duvet set right?

It's flannel. I am going to go with crisp, white sheets.. the matching print they show it with is a little busy for my tastes, but I LOVE the green paisley.

Both are coming by mail.

They should be here shortly.

It'll be a little party.

What about you?

Any lovelies to bring in the new year?

Men in Snow.

2008-12-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys! I am back!

We spent the holiday in Big Bear, CA at a cabin with family. It was awesome.

Yes, that's a mohawk. He gets to grow it until school goes back...cutie.

My dad got The Boy and himself these dart guns... so much fun!

We had an awesome Christmas Dinner, with crowns and all!

Me and my princes....

My cousin Suzanne and her man, Sean...

The ski slopes were packed, so we opted for sledding. In true So Cal fashion, it was $25 per person to enter the slope area, BUT they had a motorized walk way up the hill, so as not to exert yourself!

Here are a few pics of our holiday fun....

I love this picture of my cousin, Stephanie!

Man, my husband makes me happy....

Have a fabulous New Year!