Happy Monday! I’m feeling incredibly out of sorts as I try to master my new 2009 daily schedule which will allow me time to meet a lot of my resolutions. I’m trying not to be hard on myself for messing a few days early on as it’s hard to remember the new changes when I’m used to the old way of life. For example: Daily Showers. I mean, how am I supposed to remember that when I’m used to going a whole week without one?

(Hee.)

I mentioned last week that I want to do more to stimulate my the right side of my brain. Be more creative. More artsy. More inspired. This goal was born over this past year as I’ve opened my Google Reader to more than just parenting sites. Many of those parents, like me, have more interests than their children’s potty habits or daily menus. So, like them, I’m going to try to do more for the other sides of me.

One of the blogs I discovered in 2008 that has done the most in awakening the creative soul in me, is Hey! It’s Sierra. Her photography and her words always make me feel so excited about art. And for a left-brained geek like me? That’s an accomplishment. She has inspired me to do the 52 Blessings project this year. All you do is post a photo of something you’re grateful for once a week. Easy, right? And also a way to motivate me to photograph things other than my children.

Hmm. That makes it sound like I may not be grateful for my children. Which – after last night of hourly wake-up calls from the baby and a short span of sleeping in the twin bed with the 3-year old – might not be that far off base.

Either way – that’s one of the things I’m going to be thinking about this week. I hope you’ll join me!

Amy’s Bad Groove

Amy and I have been blogfriends forever. Or so it seems. We most often maintain contact at her flickr photos because for some reason I’m better at commenting on photos than on blogs. (And why isn’t the stuff in my purse as cool as the stuff in hers?). Amy wrote an interesting entry this week about a break-in in her neighborhood committed by someone several people noticed as being out-of-place. Nobody said or did anything about the stranger even though their guts said something was not right. It’s an unfortunate situation because none of us want to be judgmental – but, as Amy said – take heed!

But on a lighter note – she wrote another entry about holding a conversation focusing on Warrant lyrics. I found this incredibly hysterical and was singing “Heave” for a solid day after I read it.

(J: “Yes, you may stop- just as soon as I finish my slice of CHERRY PIE & put away my lotto ticket that will make me DIRTY, ROTTEN, FILTHY, STINKING RICH.”)

Randomness by Stacey

Stacey is a blogger that lives in the lovely city of New Orleans, LA. She and I have had a bit of contact since Katrina as she has done a lot of work with volunteer groups in that area. She also found out that the new Fox series K-Ville will be filming in her neighborhood. She’s a total rockstar, you know.

I hope the show does well because it is providing so many local people with jobs right now, including a friend and she doesn’t need to lose a job right now.

So watch it when it comes on please. Give it a chance. It will help us here in NOLA.

Like I need my arm twisted to watch TV, but if you insist! She also has an unhealthy love for Pumpkin Spice Lattees like I do. This is the best time of year because you can get them anywhere. I cry when they are replaced on menus across the city with stupid Christmas flavors. Can you get one for me, Stacey?

Bethiclaus

Beth and I go so far back I did her design! But we also met in Chicago and I think I followed her to almost every panel she attended. I’m stalker-ish like that. Beth looks at the Britney Spears failure a lot like I do:

Because, while I may have told my mother that the purpose of this televisual experience was to see just how far the downward spiral had descended, in my heart I was hoping that Britney would be triumphant in her return.

When she turned around and smiled, I thought for a moment that everything was going to be alright. I thought I saw a mischievous gleam in her eye.

I was, sadly, hallucinating.

I hear you, Beth. I was hoping for the water cooler the next morning to be full of SHE’S BACK! exclamations. Sigh. Beth also had a rough day awhile back when she got in a car wreck. Lucky for her, she has an adorable radical feminist at home to make her smile.

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If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’m only $500 $400 $300 away from my goal – every little bit helps!! I’m getting arrested THURSDAY – so now’s the time to donate!

Now – for the spotlights!

One of Three

Laura won me over when I found her entry with my favorite title: School Supplies.

I had fun and The Kid wasn’t too embarrassed by my swooning in the folder aisle.

That’s important, Laura. That we not embarrass our children with our love of school supplies. I’ve found it’s best to avoid drooling over the post-its too. I also love how she describes living in the “good” school district where most of the familes are affluent.

We, on the other hand, live on the skeezy outskirts, in a very mellow, working-class neighborhood. So, Lefty & I stand out a bit amongst the well-pressed and dressed group of parents. Our battered Trooper sits uncomfortably next to the huge and oh, so shiny SUV’s in the school parking lot.

I know EXACTLY how you feel. Except mines a battered Sentra with no a/c and manual roll-down windows.

Busy Busy Mommy

Kel definitely has a URL that describes her life, that’s for sure. Just her about section makes me need a nap. Seriously. I’m going to go take a nap now, I’ll be back…

Ok. Better. First of all, she homeschools her children and I immediately know that her kids a having way more fun learning than mine are. The photos alone are evidence of that, but her description of those photos says a lot as well:

Just a few pics from our school day. We ended our study on the planet Mercury today by making salt dough models. Also a pic of the kids with their sheet for their state book, we are learning all the states and capitals and doing a color sheet to add to a book when we are all done. A snap shot of Braden putting his spelling words for the week on the washer.

She has also had me hyperventilating over someday having a teen girl and the hurdles we’ll have to cross. Man. I’m so glad I’m starting out with a boy. It’s not wonder with all of that going on, she sometimes gets overwhelmed. Kel? Trust me. You’re doing waaay more than I am and I’m stressing out 10 times as much. Hang in there – you’re doing beautifully.

Muirnait’s Musings

Muirnait and I have been blogfriends for awhile, hanging out mostly on flickr. Her blog is just as cool as a place, though, especially when I can read something that doesn’t make me feel so bad about my own really expensive paperweight. As well as not feeling so bad about also being one that cries with bad customer service:

So I’m out a very expensive laptop I’m not even done paying for?! And I’m cranky and upset that I was “that woman” on the phone for commenting on his English syntax (quote: “your sentence structure leaves much to be desired” which earned me a very bitter comment from the CSR.) But the worst part? Jerks made me cry!! (wanna beat them up for me? )

She also uses my favorite blogging tool in bulletpoints when discussing the desperation involved with doing dishes. Most importantly, she lives in that foreign land called “Canada” (have you heard of it? I think it’s somewhere near The Iraq) and got the opportunity to talk about that on XM Radio with the Chick Chat girls. Congrats, Heather. So, you don’t live in an igloo?

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If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’m only $500 $400 away from my goal – every little bit helps!! I’m getting arrested THURSDAY – so now’s the time to donate!

I love Heather B for many reason – but mostly because she seemed happy to have me hug her at BlogHer. I tend to be an aggressive hugger and sometimes people shy away from my strong embrace. Not Heather. Or at least if she feared the hug, she hid it well. She also gives good panel, which I find to be an exemplary quality.

Heather recently decided that “Now” is a good time to paint her bedroom. I already knew that was a bad idea because I personally don’t believe in painting anything ever. And this is why:

Several weeks ago, I decided to embark on a little project called painting my bedroom. It should probably be more aptly named ‘a fantastic way for my head to meet the corner of a desk, over and over again’ because I about lost my damn mind. Patience is not a virtue and when a project requires roughly $200 in supplies and several coats of primer to get rid of the seizure inducing canary yellow color that the previous owner had put up, well then the mind; it is gone.

But one of the best Heather-Is-Like-Me entries was one she wrote about visiting Isabel and how she felt bad about being a vegetarian so she kept it to herself. Heather? I would have done the exact same thing. Except I eat meat. Hourly. But you know – still – same thing!

Isabel asked why I didn’t say anything. I drank the rest of the wine in my glass and said “Because I felt bad.” I’m an eternal people pleaser and she didn’t know and it all just sort of happened and god damn, those burgers were tasty and have you people ever had prosciutto wrapped asparagus?? Goes down like butter, baby.

House of H

Liz had the privilege of being around me and my hormonally moody self at BlogHer and was still nothing but fantastic the entire time. She’s funny and kind and hangs out with the coolest group of ladies in the world. I’m telling you – the next BlogHer? I want to be in their posse. They were so fun. Lucky for me, she writes entries like this that show me she knows exactly how those emotional moments are. I knew she wouldn’t judge me at all.

I mean, who wants to hear about how far into debt we are, how we’re bickering and fighting about the dumbest stuff, how I barely have the energy to actively play with my son because my mind is so occupied by Big Life Things, how the fear and uncertainty of our life, our family nearly crippled me.

I felt kinda like that in Chicago. My miscarriage was on my mind so much and I just felt like the best way to cope was to isolate myself. Luckily, she has that aforementioned awesome group of friends to fall back on. And she certainly knows how valuable that is.

Honestly, without all of your support, prayers, good vibes, and well wishes, I don’t think I could’ve gotten through this. It’s truly amazing–and so very touching–to be surrounded with such large arms to hold me in my time of crisis. I hope that none of you have to go through this, but please know that you’ll never be alone. My friendship is yours, eternally.

I’m glad things are looking up for you, Liz. Here’s to our next meeting being stress-free!

Smoke Rings, Coffee Stains

Leslie is a writer with WAAAAY too many blogs on her plate. (And I thought I had a lot of blogs.) I’m going to focus on her personal one because that’s the one she usually links to when she comments here.

Leslie is as big of a fan of TV as I am. She recently wrote her Fall TV DVR Lineup and I’m glad I’m not the only one who is going to give The Big Ban Theory a try. Man, I miss sitcoms. I also feel the need to voice my opinion on a certain doubt she has on an upcoming show:

9 PM CW Supernatural – Another sci fi themed show we’re trying. We missed the first season last year for some reason, so now we’ll have to catch up to the plot. The jury is out on whether it will stay on DVR or not.

Leslie – that is one show that both my husband and I both like. I’m in it for the cute boys and he’s in it for the demons. It’s a win/win in my home. Leslie is also getting a new water filtration system and I am suddenly very grateful for my clean and dependable water source.

Our water is so nasty and mineral/metal heavy it is road cone orange and Drano blue, I shit you not. We have water overloaded with iron, copper, some other metals and minerals that don’t belong there, and MBTEs (contaminants from gasoline run off, no one knows from where – our whole neighborhood has these). We don’t have arsenic, and seem to have no bacteria, though they will do a second test before finalizing the job just to make sure.

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If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’m only $500 away from my goal – every little bit helps!! I’m getting arrested THURSDAY – so now’s the time to donate!

Kristabella

Kristablla just won a Nice Matters Blog Award which she obviously deserves since she donated to my cause! She also looks like the kinda of person I totally need to be hanging out with if the pictures from this entry and this entry are any indication of the fun that could be had in her midst.

I’m sure all my internet friends are a little thankful they know me only through the computer. And not in person. Hell, I’m sure most of my friends right now wish they didn’t know me!

Hey! Not true! I want to come hang out and have my tongue turned purple by wine too!

She also recently got a new hairdo and of course realized she could finally answer the question of whether blondes or brunettes have more fun. The answer? Brunette.

I’ve noticed a lot more dudes checking me out. Like on the train, for instance. On my way down to the Bears game on Saturday, there was a guy I saw standing on the platform. Cute. Tall. Twelve. He was a good car length or more down the platform from me. And then crazy of all crazy, he ended up on MY car when the train finally came. And went in the same door. What ARE the odds?

And then Train Boy didn’t just follow me onto a train car, he full on stared at me. I’m not talking like make eye contact, look away. Full. On. Staring.

And I can’t say I didn’t like it. And thank jeebus for sunglasses, since I was staring right back

Suddenly I’m wanting to dye my hair…

Reed of It’s Just Radical

Reed and I know each other on a professional level because he writes for a blog on the network I work for as a “real job” during the 9-5 hours. He writes our American Idol site and does a fantastically brilliant job with it. I always feel like he’s spot on with everything he says. But he also has his own personal site which I have linked to before on my sidebar. Namely – the entry where he meets Mandy Moore.

I often times feel like when he is writing about not being able to “get in the groove lately” that he is writing about me. Man. I’ve been in a funk too and I would have totally gotten irritated about the crooked pictures. Of course, my life is boring unlike Reed’s:

Then there’s work. And comedy shows. And all the daily stuff that comes up, eating away at the few spare minutes I seem to have at the beginning of each day.”

Comedy shows? Yeah. Right there, in that sentence, he alreays shows his life is way more entertaining than mine. I totally want to use that sentence sometime, think I could pull it off?

Reed and I also share a lot of the same interests in TV and I was just as frustrated about not knowing the premiere date of Project Runway

I’ve read in a few places, including Wikipedia, that Oct. 24 is the expected premiere date. I’ve also read some nasty rumors on other blogs that the show will not be returning until December. What? Is Bravo trying to kill me? Apparently, because they don’t have anything to say about it on the official “Project Runway” site.

I know, Reed. They’re trying to kill me too.

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If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’ll put you in the lineup!

kristyk.org

kristyk is one of my favorite bloggers who I link to often. I first fell in love with the photos she put on her site. She photographs her kids constantly – but does it in a way that shows such creativity. If I had to pick a photographer on flickr I stalk the most – it would definitely be her. She sent me a Christmas postcard last year and I keep it on my desk, I love it so much.

But her parenting is also inspirational. She documents her parenting trials and tribulations with such passion and heart that I often feel ashamed of the archives of my own kids’ lives. The adventures her family goes on make me want to ask her to adopt me as one of her own. The pride she has in all of her children – that is what honestly moves me. Her writing is so strong I find myself feeling strongly proud of her kids as well. Which I’m sure they would find odd.

It was a short one, just two miles. Mia won by quite a bit. Her time was a little slow, but her shoulder was hurting again. Mica did great for her first time. She wasn’t last, which she was worried about! I’m so proud of her for doing this. Running is hard for her but she has a lot of heart. You should see her sprint to the finish!

Sandblower

Sandblower had her baby on January 11th and writes about sleep depravation and breast feeding in a way that makes me torn between missing those days, and being very glad they’re gone. But the first entry I read was one that immediately made me decide that Brian and MrZ would be fast friends. He evidentally said to her:

I think that I should learn a few dance moves . . . and that they should involve a hat

However, her best posts (to me) are the ones telling little Adriana’s birth story:

Part 1.
Part 2
Part 3 (I have to ruin part of the story to share this one bit with you)

“You need c-section,” he said.

Whenever he spoke to me that night, and throughout my hospital stay, I had to concentrate hard to understand what he was saying through his heavy African accent, but those three words were very clear.

I looked at him, as he stood to my right, down near my knees. I glanced back up at Brian who was at my shoulder. Marsha was to my left, across from the doctor. I glanced at the clock and did the math: I had been laboring for 33 hours, if I included all those hours I didn’t actually believe I was in labor. I turned back to the doctor, and told him that since the baby’s heart rate was fine, I would rather just keep laboring.

Either the doctor or Marsha explained to me that I shouldn’t keep going until the baby became distressed and the c-section became an emergency. It was Marsha who convinced me. When a midwife tells you it’s time for a c-section, you know that you’ve gone as far as you can. I struggled not to cry (and completely failed at that) as I nodded my consent.

DAMN. Girl is waaay more of a woman than I am – I just want to say.
Part 4

It’s an amazing story, and I’m so terribly glad I read it. Thanks You.

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If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’ll put you in the lineup!

Catheroo wrote a fantastic entry about “channeling Winona Ryder” and learning a very unusual lesson after her experience and then being caught -

I still vividly remember the gaudy rhinestone and blue crystal necklace that I would wear to play dress up. And I was convinced the jewels were real and so happy to show them off and tell the story of how cool it is to steal stuff because then you get even better stuff when you bring back what you originally stole! Awesome!

She also made me drool a little and want her to invite me over when she tests out the new cake pan she received. And yes, Catheroo, eating one cupcake is still okay! Especially when you share it with me.

Don’t Take the Repeats by Canape

(Who, by the way, is one of the many poor souls who lost a banner from my designs due to some JACKASS who abused my “free hosting” offer on my free blogger designs and ran my bandwidth up to where I could not afford it. I’m sorry, Canape.)

Canape has documented some boxes delivered to her that were packed by her former mother-in-law. It’s amazing reading about the treasures she is finding:

There were my school annuals from 1980-1983. The fun there was reading the signatures and having Guy almost pass out when he was reminded that his first year of college was when I was in the fourth grade. That’s always good for a laugh. Never gets old. Unlike Guy. Who is old now.

(HA! Wait. I’m older than MrZ. Maybe I shouldn’t laugh.)

My mother’s violin was in the box. It was the violin she had when she was four. Somewhere I have an audio tape of her playing that violin, and it is far more entertaining and useful than the actual violin. Perhaps I can find a nice shelf to display it upon, and then curse when I have to dust it weekly.

Make sure you also read about her Beauty Queen Mother. It’s a keeper.

If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’ll put you in the lineup!

First – let me go on record as saying I know this woman personally and I wish she would update her site more because she’s interesting, intelligent, and damn funny. My favorite entries are the ones she just recently started called “Yours Truly.” She has a Volume I and Volume II and my favorite of both is the following:

Dear Man in the Red Ford Truck,
It is never a good idea to have your finger that far up your nose. Imagine if someone rear-ended you.
Yours truly,
Aardvark

Dude. I see that guy ALL THE TIME.

She is also a mother to an adorable child who just recently started daycare so her Mom could go back to work.

I know people have to put their children in daycares all the time but that doesn’t make it easier when it is your own. I know that I am going back to work for reasons that make sense but that doesn’t make it easier. I know that the time around the other children will be good for Scout but that doesn’t make it easier.

A Family Story by Amy W

Okay. This woman’s blog has made me feel very inadequate and lazy because she is so amazing! First – two kids: Ages 4 and 1. And she works. And she’s Pursuing her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Really? Another one? How do you guys fit school in with family and job? Are you KRAZEE?

First, they couldn’t even pay me close to what the first year teachers make in my county. And basically, it wasn’t even enough to cover daycare costs. Then, I would have to walk out of my current job as classes start next Wednesday. I just can’t do that. And the school. I would be going in as a brand new teacher, no experience, teaching in a school that tests scores have gotten so bad the school is deemed a “low performer” by the state. Talk about challenging.

Challenging? I’m starting to feel that me bitching about having to stop by the store to grab milk on the way home from work may be a little insignificant compared to what’s on Amy’s mind.

But also? Check this out: She has also totally transformed her body and lost 60lbs.

And now?? I wear a size 6. I didn’t even wear a size 6 in college. I can buy a small or medium shirt, depending on the cut. With my boobs and my weight prior, that would have NEVER happened. I was comfortable hanging out in the XL sizes. And speaking of boobs, I lost a couple of cup sizes as well.

Her before/after pictures are amazing. Definitely check them out!

If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’ll put you in the lineup!

M&Co has written a few too many things about yummy food which might have made me drool a little bit on my keyboard. She discusses the burning that ensued while making jalapeño poppers and while I kind felt sorry for her, in reality I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wanted to eat them RIGHT NOW. Why didn’t she send me some? Of course, she found a way to make the burning stop by falling in love with latex gloves but that entry had me drooling over salmon patties and potato pancakes. Her blog is so yummy!

Of course, let’s not forget that while she seems to think the school should be helping her verify info about her children’s textbooks – they would rather be implementing a new show policy. I’m glad to see her daughter’s school prioritizes like most do.

What Would Buffy Do by Anya Elizabeth

One click. Seriously. click here and see if the cuteness kills you. How adorable are those photos? Of course, I also might have cried a little reading about Baby’s first bee sting. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who documents every little move her child makes. But how can we not when they’re so damn adorable, right?

But it’s not all cute babies all the time. There’s also serious stuff. She’s in school. Yuck. She just sent in her (final?) dissertation draft. EEK. How does one with a baby work on a dissertation? I think she has to have more hours in a day than I do, and I would like to find out how she does that.

There you go! Have fun meeting these lovely ladies!

If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’ll put you in the lineup!

Alice’s Adventures Underground by NG

The first entry I’m featuring from NG is her attempt to teach her child how to tell a good knock-knock joke. I like this particular attempt myself:

Attempt 6
K: “Knock, knock.”
D: “Who’s there?”
K: “Banana.”
D: “Banana who?”
K: “Knock, knock.”
D: “Who’s there?”
K: “Banana.”
D: “Banana who?”
K: “Knock, knock.”
D: “Who’s there?”
K: “Orange.”
D: “Orange who?”
K: “Orange you glad I didn’t say ‘banana’?”
D: “I like bananas.”

I’m sorry, but is “D” really short for “Donnie” and is it my husband? Because that is totally how he would have ended that joke. And I have to agree with her. I think her daughter gets the joke fine and is totally screwing with her.

The second entry is where she turned me onto a very disturbing (or funny? Can’t decide) usb device. Watch the video. I think I’m in love. Of course, she then led me to find the most awesome thing ever and I’m totally going to buy one with my next paycheck. Or maybe I’ll wait until I’m drinking Diet coke again.

Hollow Squirrel

Lucky for me I got to meet this lovely woman in Chicago and can totally vouch firsthand how awesome she is. She also has one of my favorite blog designs and an awesome banner. I also want the font for her sidebar headings. But enough about the geeky design talk…

Unfortunately, she received some bad news and it feels kinda weird spotlight that entry, but it’s an amazing entry. It broke my heart, and I want to give her hugs today.

However, on a typical day she’s doing the same thing I am chronicalling motherhood and how sometimes we have to force yourself to take a moment to write about the awesomeness so that people don’t think all we do is complain about our little tyrants.

The other evening, he was whipping around the house, and I thought I caught a poopy diaper smell, so I asked “do I smell a poopy diaper?” “No!” he answered, rushing by. “Do I need to pinch your butt?” (in a playful way; not asking if I can abuse him) “No!” he said, and kept pushing the shopping cart around the house. “Do you need kisses from mommy?” I tried. He stopped the cart, ran over and flung himself into my arms– lifting his face for kisses. It was a.w.e.s.o.m.e.

Dude. That is A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Can he teach NikkiZ that trick? When I ask for kisses she makes the zerbert sound and spits on me.

If you want to be spotlighted, feel free to donate to my bail and forward me the receipt. I’ll put you in the lineup!