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Go Nigel, Go!
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Would You Like To Buy My Monkeys?
Sep
18
My Wholehearted Attempt To Woo You
by Leslie
My family and I moved to a new town when I was in 5th grade, midway through the school year. During the first day at my new school, a very tall and cheerful girl approached me and said, “Hi, my name is Tricia. Will you be my friend?”
I remember staring at her and thinking, “Who are you Teddy Ruxpin? What a cheeseball!” Yeah, I didn’t have the best attitude about being in a new place; moving was not something I wanted to do. But, I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to get far on my own, so eventually I took her up on her offer. We became, and still are, friends. Her influence left such an imprint on me that she is very much a part of who I am. Although time has parted us in a lot of ways, there is a bond we will always share. I gained so much from our friendship and it started with Tricia taking a courageous step and extending a hand of friendship to me.
Now, I am willing to be the cheeseball. I ask you, “Will you be my friend?”
You may be wondering, “How can I do that? I live here and you live….gee, I don’t even know where you live. And I don’t know you. And this is the internet. Having friends on the internet seems pretty creepy.” Well, here’s how you can do that.
- Comment. Leave a comment here on my blog. Really, I’d like some comments. Don’t know what to say? Just say, “Yeah” or “Right On” or “What the hell are you thinking?” Just comment. I care. I really, really do.
- Submit something for publication on My Mommy’s Place.com. It’s really easy. And, it extends beyond me. It goes out to the other moms that come to us looking for something - information, inspiration, empowerment. You just might be the one that can give it to them! E-mail me about that cute and funny thing your child just did. Tell me about the book that changed the way you look at life. Tired of looking my kid’s picture? Think yours is cuter? Submit a picture for the Photo of the Month! Share your favorite quote or time-saving tip. Feel like you have more to say? Write an article and submit it. Don’t think you’re qualified? Think again. And if you have a website or business of your own, we’ll give you a few lines with your published item to plug it.
So, please, be my friend. Click something. Type something. You’ll feel good. I promise.
Sep
17
Looking Forward
by Leslie
Moving day is nearly here. I’ve been sorting, packing and trying to eliminate clutter so we don’t take it with us. As I’ve been going through things I decided: if I haven’t used it in more than 3 years, I’m getting rid of it. So, lately I’m like The 40-year-old Virgin, selling my nerd toys on Ebay for loads of cash. Except, I’m not 40 or a virgin and I’m not selling nerd toys or making loads of cash. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’ve been selling the stuff on Ebay.
I recently sold my now “vintage” concert t-shirts. Skid Row, Poison, Damn Yankees, Cinderella…all of them. The 16-year old version of me would be ready to kick my butt, but I’ve got 100 pounds on her now, so I think I’d win. Anyway, the 30-year old me doesn’t wear them and it seemed sort of sad to just let them rot in a box. I guess it’s a sign that I’m getting older. Those t-shirts used to be some of my most prized possessions. They were more than just remembrances of the concert I attended; they were status symbols that proved I was a hardcore fan. And maybe they showed the boys that I was a wild child, a party girl or something. Now that I’m not so worried about proving myself - I’m pretty comfortable with who I am - I’m ready to let them go.
There have been a lot of little things (i.e. watching a DIY show and enjoying it, stopping my car and winding down my window to tell kids to stop playing in the road, asking someone to turn their music down) that have made me feel like I’m not so young, lately. There are times when I miss the spontaneity and idealism of my early 20’s and then I question the time when those ideals began to crumble and play the what-if game. Still, as much as I’ve enjoyed my life up to this point, and knowing what I do now, I’d rather go forward than back.
I like to believe that I’m getting better as time goes by and it feels good to expect that the best in my life is yet to come.
Sep
16
Looking Up
by Leslie
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Sep
15
The Port-O-Potty
by Leslie
Julia has been showing signs that she is ready for potty training. We had started about two months ago, but decided not to push it until after we moved. So, she’s been wearing Pull-Ups and successfully using the potty first thing in the morning. Once in a while, she’ll make it there during the day, but there’s been no pressure from me.
A few days ago, she woke up determined to go at using the potty full-tilt. She used it first thing in the morning and then again after breakfast, quoting her favorite potty book Bye-Bye, Diapers
Later in the evening, I was cleaning in the kitchen and she was playing in the living room when she said she had to go. I yelled, “Okay, let’s go to the potty!” and quickly ran to help her get there in time. I rounded the corner to find her standing there naked.
She said, “I go potty.”
“Okay, let’s go,” I said as I began to usher her in the direction of the potty.
“No. I go potty!”
“Did you already go?”
She nodded and smiled.
“Where did you go?” I asked, looking around.
“I go right there.” She pointed to her riding toy.
I went over to inspect it and found that she had peed into the storage space under the seat.
Well, at least she’s resourceful.
Sep
14
My Budding Comedian
by Leslie
Last night Julia, Dave and I were heading upstairs for the night when Dave realized he forgot something downstairs and turned back. I walked into the bedroom after Julia and she asked, “Where’s Daddy?”
“Oh, he forgot something downstairs. He’ll be right up,” I said as I began to put some clean clothes away.
Julia started to play with some blocks. A moment later, she approached me with a worried look on her face, “Mom, I see monster.”
“You saw a monster? Where?” I looked around to see if there was anything that might have scared her.
“I see monster!”
“Where did you see a monster?” My concern was growing. She looked really upset.
“I see monster with big toes!” She demonstrated the size with her hands.
“The monster had big toes?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, where is the monster?”
Julia pointed at the doorway and shouted, “There it is!” as Dave walked through it. She bounced up and down, clapping her hands and laughing. She’d made a joke and Mommy fell for it.
“Oh, Daddy’s the monster,” I said.
“Yeah,” she laughed as she lunged toward him and they played out the monster attack, wrestling, jumping and screaming like monkeys on crack.
I continued to put the laundry away, marveling at her sophisticated sense of humor. She had set up a joke, reeled me in and timed it just right. The kid is truly amazing.
Does your child amaze you? Tell me about it at Mommy Moments.
Sep
13
I made a major Mommy faux pas today while at an indoor play center with Julia’s playgroup.
About ten minutes after we arrived, just as I was talking about Julia’s recent, successful, spontaneous self-motivated potty training attempts, she pooped. At first whiff, I didn’t think it was Julia because the odor was so strong and she was playing all the way across the room, but it quickly became obvious that she was the source of the overwhelming stink that was the result of an exclusive two-day canteloupe diet and could only be described as a Doo-Doo Heartbreaker. Thankfully, I had thrown an extra Pull-Up in the car, even though I’d neglected to bring the diaper bag. So I scooped her up, made a quick dash to the car and came back inside to take advantage of their wonderfully baby-friendly bathroom facilities.
I got Julia cleaned up and changed, but was left with a diaper dilemma: How do I get rid of this smell? I had already tried dropping the loose pieces of poop into the toilet to flush them, but this poopy was really welded to the Pull-Up. I didn’t have any diaper baggies and didn’t think it was wise to walk the bomb out through the play area and to my car. So, I wrapped it up as best I could and shoved it deep into the trash can believing the odor would be contained there. We washed our hands and went out to resume playtime with our friends, closing the bathroom door behind us.
The children played and the moms talked. At one point, the subject of this blog and corresponding website came up. I was really excited to talk about it and started to tell them how My Mommy’s Place began and what I hoped to achieve through it. As I went on, the poopy stench encroached upon our area. It was like a Peppy Le Pew cartoon where the swirling, green aroma creeps up and tickles the nose of helpless victims whose eyes bug out just before they lose consciousness. Trying to ignore it, I kept right on talking about this post where I did the unthinkable and wore sweatpants in public.
Later, the woman in charge of the play center came out of her within-earshot office and went into the bathroom to try and resolve the undeniable odor problem. And she was in sweatpants. I could have melted into the floor.
I wondered what I should do. Should I confess and apologize? “I’m sorry I stunk up your bathroom. I really underestimated the power of that diaper odor. Oh, and by the way, I think sweatpants are absolutely appropriate when working in an indoor play area.” I also could have blamed it on exhaustion, citing the brief four hours of sleep I got last night, but it really comes down to the fact that I’m an idiot sometimes, which is pretty obvious. So, I thought it best to leave it alone and thank God that we’re moving soon.
Sep
12
What Moms Want Dads To Know About Them
by Leslie
The authors of the upcoming book “Men Behaving Dadly: What Dads Want Moms To Know About Them” are gathering material for their second book and they want to hear from you!
Go here to read what other moms are saying and to share your thoughts about what you think Dads need to know.
Sep
11
Playing Outside
by Leslie
Sep
10
Have you ever contemplated the spelling of a word so much it begins to look wrong no matter how you spell it?
Their. Thier. No, their. Wait, “I before E except after C…except when…” How does the rest go?
Recently, David asked me to proofread something he was writing. I pointed out that he had misspelled the word “believe” and told him, “Remember it’s I before E except after C.” Since then, we’ve had an ongoing debate about the validity of the “I before E except after C” rule. He is determined to point out every single instance in which this rule does not apply. In retrospect, I can see where quoting the rule may have seemed a little patronizing, but I was only trying to be helpful and I admitted that the rule does not always apply.
Still, I am forced to endure the torture of being interrupted while I’m working or on the phone or reading or in the shower or sleeping to hear, “What about science, huh? That rule doesn’t apply to science. And did you think about weird? Weird doesn’t work either!”
This morning, David was writing and asked, “How do you spell their, honey?”
“T-h-e-i-r.”
“Is that right? What about I before E…what’s that rule?”
I thought about it a minute and then, I wrote it down. Their. Thier. I really started to question myself, until I heard him giggling. Then I said, “The rule is I before E except after I kick your butt.”
Sep
9
The New Casual Friday
by Leslie
Last night after dinner, I was clearing the table and Grandma was getting ready to head back to work to manage a new software release. Julia asked her, “What doing, Grandma?”
“I’m getting ready to go back to work.”
Julia disappeared around the corner and came back a moment later completely naked. She picked up a wholesale size Goldfish Cracker box and put it on her head, then slipped her feet into a pair of my shoes. Inching toward the door she said, “I go, too!”
Grandma said, “Oh honey, I think that outfit violates our office dress code.”
I said, “I’m not sure what she thinks you do at work, Mom, but it involves being naked.”
Julia replies, “I not naked. I got shoes and hat!”
Julia’s new Casual Friday. Hat, shoes and nothing in between.
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I Write A Haiku Each Day
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Hurts So Good
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Categories
- Daily Haiku
- Mommy’s Stuff
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You Should Do This
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Ooooooh. Aaaaah.
