It's 20 Freakin' 12 Y'all!

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It's 20 freakin' 12 y'all.  That just sounds so futuristic.  I feel like I should be teleporting the cookies I'm craving right now from the fridge directly into my mouth.  But instead, I guess I'll have to get up and get them myself.  LAME!

Honestly I don't even KNOW what all of my New Year Resolutions were last year.  But, if I had to guess I'm sure one of them was to lose weight.  #fail

One awesome thing that DID came into my life in 2011 and stick around to ring in the new year with me was this blog.  I started it in March of 2011 with a post entitled 'I Feel Nakie'.  And, although this blog wasn't part of a New Year's Resolution, as busy and chaotic as 2011 was at times, I'm thankful to be celebrating my one-year bloggy birthday in just two and a half months!

This year, my New Year's Resolutions are pretty normal, which is pretty strange for me.  After all, you're reading the chick's blog whose past resolutions have included things like 'to open all of my chip bags upside' or 'to find a way to work the word echelon into a sentence at every opportunity possible.'

So, back to 2012:

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Not yet, but it could be if I don't get it together....

One of my main focuses will be to make organization a priority.  I'll be *cough* starting my own business this year and running it from home so organization will play a big part in my sanity during all of this.

To help me get organized I'm taking part in the 52 week organizational challenge at Home Storage Solutions 101.  I've already done about 80% of week one (holla).  Did I mention how extremely thankful I am that someone took the time to break household organization into 52 easy steps so that it might actually have a chance of getting done?  Because I am.

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I want to purposefully turn off ALL electronic forms of entertainment for one hour per night on weekdays--not just my electronics--all of them.  Honestly, I'd love to get that number to two hours a night, but I'm planning on starting it with 30 minutes beginning next Monday, after the kiddo has been back in school from the break and we have more of a routine.  (Note--No, electronics are not always on at my home.  That's not what I'm saying.  I'm talking about designating a specific time that they are not allowed so as to facilitate more talking, family time, and togetherness.)

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Another obvious resolution is weight loss.  *yawn*  I love My Fitness Pal and have been using it off and on for quite a while.  I hope to use it a little more religiously throughout the year and to shed some excess poundage.  {Oh, and if you're using MFP email me and I'll give you my SN so we can like, totally be MFPBFFs!}

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What else?  What else?  Oh, I'm also (of course) hoping to knock out some more of my 30 before 30 list.  I also want to live more in the moment (which is very hard for me and I hate that.)

So, yea... 2012's goals are pretty calm but they'll be challenging in many respects.  Above all, so long as my my family, friends, and our health greet me as I welcome in 2013 in a year I can't say I'll have too many complaints about what happens with much else.  It's the little things people.

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

5 x 4 = 20 Things About Me (That I'm OBVIOUSLY Awesome at Mental Math? That's a freebie.)

{5} Things You Don't Know About Me

{1.}  Sometimes when I'm belting out songs in the car by myself, I pretend I'm on the phone.  Haye, I'd rather a stranger mistake my passion for 80s Love Ballads for an angry business call than to chance being on the next season of Tosh.0.  I have a reputation to uphold here.

{2.}  I've licked The Alamo and a Mammoth's tooth... on purpose.  Why would I want to do that you ask? Who else do you know who can say they've licked both The Alamo and a real Mammoth's tooth?  Hmm?  Nobody?  Exactly.  If you don't think I won't put that on a resume as a conversational piece, think again.  

{3.}  I've played The Stepmother in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.  What's the opposite of being typecast?  Whatever.

{4.}  When I turned 20, I was so sad about not being a teenager anymore that anytime someone would ask my age I'd tell them I was twenty-teen.  

{5.}  I'm ranked in the top 15% of my law-school class.  (I had to put one "fact" about me in this section that wasn't self-deprecating to please my mother who will undoubtably read this.  Hi mom!)

{5} Things I'm Knowledgeable About

{1.}  Surrogacy:  both the process and the laws governing it.  I researched it for 9 months then wrote a 60-paged paper on it for law review and to satisfy my upper-level writing requirement.  Oh, and I was a surrogate in 2009 too, duh.  Ask away.  ;)

{2.}  Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss:  I have quite a few works by both authors memorized by heart

{3.}  Breastfeeding:  I never planned on breastfeeding my son, but when he was born sick and it was all I could do to help him, I read everything about it I could get my hands on and ended up not weaning him until he was 18 months old.

{4.}  College:  Oh, college.  The "do's" and the "don't you dares!"  From financial aid to organizations, I pretty much know it all.  In fact, I posted about The ABCs of Being a Student back in April!

{5.}  How Much I Still Have to Learn:  That's right.  I know that I have a TON of learning left to do!  I know everyday I learn more.  I know that every person I meet has a lesson to teach and a special talent or skill to share.  I know that learning doesn't come from a book.  It comes from listening, sometimes with your eyes closed and your ear up against the wall, but other times just with your heart.  

{5} Things I Know Nothing About

{1.}  Technology:  Sure, I know how to work a Mac (well, I was going to use an analogy here but the only one I can think of is "like a stripper works a pole," and that doesn't sound very appropriate so I just won't use one.)  But if you told me to guess what's inside this thing, I'd tell you that I guess whatever it is doesn't need to see in order to work because it's probably dark in there... I mean, duh.

{2.}  THIS!!

I mean... is it magic?  HOW do people do that?!  Obviously *looks at category* I do not know!!

{3.}  Cows:  That's right.  I said it.  COWS.  Sure, there's black ones and brown ones and some are white with black spots.  But like for example, do the cows that give the milk ALWAYS have milk?  Are they born producing milk?  Or, are they like humans and only produce milk after giving birth?  And why are there black and white boy cows?  To me--ALL black and white cows are girl, milk cows.  All black cows are boy cows.  At least, that's how it should be.  Color coat those suckers.  Well what about brown cows you ask?  Well, I was going to say they just shouldn't exist at all but "How Now Black and White Cow" just doesn't have the same ring to it, now does it?  So, we'll just have to consider them as the "mule" of the mommy cow, who is white with black spots, and the daddy cow, who is solid black.  And apparently they have like 38.16 stomaches?  Whatever.  I'm over it.  Moving on.  Or should I say, Moooooving on!

{4.}  Hair:  Some hair on our body will grow indefinitely.  It will grow until we cut it or until we die.  Got it.  But other hair KNOWS to stop at a certain length.  How does it know that?  Like, if I trimmed my eyebrows with scissors to half their normal length, the hairs would be like, "Alright guys, lunch break's over.  We're down an 1/8th of an inch.  Looks like we're putting in overtime tonight."  HOW DOES IT KNOW?!

{5.}  The alphabet:  Sure I can say it, but I have no clue why the letters are in the order they are.  At first glance you might think it's in the order in which they're most frequently used.  (We obviously use 'A' way more than 'Z' but upon closer inspection, this is not the case.)  So who picked this order?  And why?  Someone had to have done that.  I need answers. And while I'm complaining about the alphabet, allow me to share this thought as well.  It should be a RULE that if you can SPELL OUT a letter, it CANNOT be a letter.  For example:  'A' is very short.  But then there's 'W.'  Clearly it does not belong:  DOUBLE U?!  Really?!  It's NOT a letter.  'W' is a blatant alphabetic impostor if you ask me.  

{5} Things I Believe

{1.}  I believe that being able to be a mother by far makes up for all the other crap we have to put up with as women--from being seen as inferior in the workforce to being forced to work in sheen pantyhose.  It makes up for it all.

{2.}  I believe that for many, myself included, independence is spelled e-d-u-c-a-t-i-o-n.

{3.}  I believe that the ability to genuinely laugh at how absolutely ridiculous you are or have been gives you one of only a few golden tickets that exist in this life which can alter your situation and circumstances in far greater capacities than Charlie Bucket's golden ticket altered his.

{4.}  I believe that we, as humans, only have the ability to truly and intimately know a dozen or two people at any given stage in our lives and that what we think we know about all others really isn't knowledge at all--it's our perception of their actions completely removed from their life's story.  I believe that if we would stay conscience of this limited perception the world would be a lot kinder place.

{5.}  I believe that there's a cosmic symmetry to life, a balance, always teetering to find its center.  And therefore, in whatever ways it is that you are blessed, it is your responsibility to bless others to the best of your ability.  Because if you don't do your part to level the balance, it will find a way of doing it itself.  It's not karma in the one-dimensional sense some make it out to be.  It runs deeper.

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

I Miss Her So Much

On June 29, 2010 I lost my great grandmother.

I knew I'd miss her long before she left us, but I could never have guessed how much.  Looking back I was crazy not to have realized how much of a hole she'd leave in me.  After all, she was a part of every special memory in my life.

Every Easter I that I can ever remember was spent in her backyard.

Granny would sit on the porch and watch the children go wild.

Everyone would hunt eggs....

....and spend time with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and siblings.

Our last Easter together, she wasn't feeling well so I'm thankful to have snagged one photo with her.  

Every Halloween we'd stop by to make sure she saw our costumes.

Every Thanksgiving, it was her house the whole family flocked to in order to fill up on turkey and dressing.

And every Christmas Eve, it was her tree that everyone always gathered around to pass out gifts.

She hadn't been herself months before she passed, but two days before she left us she gave us all one last special gift--the gift of her company.  

She was very alert and ready to talk to everyone.  

She even smiled.  Oh, she smiled.  

And she even gave us a hard time and all of us laughed.

I'm so thankful that she gave us one last day to soak her in.  When I get too sad about her not being with me anymore it's these memories, and many more, that I try to focus on.  I'm so blessed to have had a relationship with this strong-willed, opinionated woman that I often see in myself.  

The day she passed was a very bad day, even though we knew it was coming.  And this past year has been difficult for my family as we seek out a new way of coming together to celebrate without her.  In many ways, she was our family's center of gravity and we've all been off balance since her passing.  

But thankfully, she left a little bit of herself in each of us and that gives me the hope I need to know that no matter what, we'll get stronger everyday.  

I miss you granny.  

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

**While you're here enter my current giveaway

for a chance to win $30 to spend on Frigidaire accessories!**

What I Find Most Challenging About Blogging....

What do I find most challenging about blogging?  This is easy for me to answer, really.

.....just being myself....

In many ways, stepping into the blogging community in the year 2011 can be a lot like stepping into a new high school.

Everyone has their cliques, their groups, where they "belong."

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"See her.... she's the cool girl."

"Her.... everyone LOVES her because she makes everyone laugh."

"Those girls, they're part of the group that only blogs about __________" [Fill in the blank:  parenting, being a stay-at-home mom, deals, being crafty, and the list goes on and on.]

In many ways, everyone has their friends.  They've carved out a place for themselves among them.  And this can be intimidating to "the new girl" despite how kind I've found many individuals in the blogging community to be.

It's difficult to begin a blog, know your goals, and then to visit the blogs that have already obtained those goals (and way more).

"Oh, well her blog is extremely successful and she does this.  Maybe I need to do that too if I want a successful blog."

"But she does that and everyone loves her blog.  Maybe I should blog about that."

No, I just need to be myself.  I need to blog about whatever I want to blog about, when I want to blog about it, and how I want to blog about it.

Sometimes my blog will be funny.

Sometimes it will be informative.

And sometimes, it may be ridiculous.

But that's me.

And ya know what?  

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So just know that what you get when you read this blog is me.

And I hope that what I get when I read your blog is YOU.

My advice for the newbies of the future?  Don't worry about what others are doing.  There's room for all of us.

And of course, whether in the real world or the bloggy world, never forget.... 

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This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  

Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

Mind Your Own Damn Business

Ten things I wish I could say to strangers 

when given unsolicited advice about my parenting skills....

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1)  Hmm.... I'd never even considered the fact that he may be sneezing because he's allergic to something.  Wanna know what I'm allergic to?  People who don't know how to mind their own damn business!

2)  Maybe I do need to learn how to be more time efficient.  Say, while you're at the store later multi-tasking, why don't you go ahead and pick me up a bag of mind your own damn business!

3)  Thanks for the great idea!  You know, I have a great idea too!  What if.... stay with me now.... just what if.... you learned how to mind your own damn business!

4)  You sure seem to know a lot about how to parent other people's children.  But, you know what you don't know an awful lot about?  Minding your own damn business.

5)  You're right, I probably should teach him that.  You know what someone should have taught you?  How to mind your own damn business!

6)  That's absolutely fantastic.  You know what else would be fantastic?  If you'd learn to mind your own damn business!

7)  I'll get started on that right away.  You just be sure to start right away on learning how to mind your own damn business!

8)  Since you put it that way, maybe we should give him a sibling after all even though I must admit, he's never complained about being an only child.  You know what he does complain about?  People who don't mind their own damn business.

9)  Well, why didn't I think of that?  Geez, you're so smart.  Maybe you can help me out with this other problem I'm having too... See, I'm having trouble getting you to mind your own damn business!

10)  Oh, really?  Well, I'll buy that book for him then since it taught your child how to read at age 2.  Speaking of books, you know what book I've really come to enjoy?  It's in the children's section and it's entitled Mind Your Own Damn Business!

Whew!  Now, I don't know about you but I feel much better!  ;)

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

Five Gift Ideas for the Royal Wedding

As you may have heard about 8 million times in the past few months, Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married.

A royal wedding!  How exciting!

Don't they look so happy?  [Note:  Happy and uncomfortably forced into an awkward pose sometimes look the same.]

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Sadly, I was overlooked on the royal invitation list.  It's okay.  I was too busy not caring to attend anyway.  

But for those who were rich fortunate enough to get an invitation, here are five gift ideas for the couple who has everything:

1:  For Princess Kate:  How about a lovely bedazzled neck brace for when that huge crown puts too much of a strain on her delicate frame?

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2:  Or, what about a big giant poster of Princess Diana to hang throughout the royal home as a reminder that she will be compared to Princess Diana for the rest of her life?

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3:  Now, we all know Kate loves her some hats.  

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Okay... you get the point.  

So, what about adding another hat to the collection?  Something that says, "I can wear this hat if I want.  You know why?  Because I'm the future queen... and I do what I want."  

If any hat in the history of hats has ever made such a statement, it'd be this one.

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4:  Now, we can't forget the groom.  For Prince William, I recommend a disguise so that when he feels the need to get away from the old royal ball-and-chain he can roam around without being recognized.

Before awesome disguise:  "Haye, look.  It's Prince William... at the bar!  I'm telling Kate!"

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After awesome disguise:  "Haye, who's that dork!?  Oh wait, who cares?!"  Such a classic gift.  And one that keeps on giving!

5:  And finally, a gift for the couple.  Recently William and Kate have announced that they would love to add to the royal family in the future through adoption.  

So, if you need a gift for the couple, might I recommend one of the Duggar children.

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...or possibly even one of the Jolie-Pitt children.

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Let's face it... neither family would probably even notice one of them were missing.

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!