Musical Monday... Adios Mi (ex) Amigo!

Seeing as I have been removed and subsequently blocked by some people who I thought were (real life) friends and seemingly patched things up with one of them, but apparently not as THEY lead on, this one's for y'all...




And to those that are my tried and true friends who are the REAL deal and not just "nicey-nicey" to your face, only to talk shit behind your back, this one goes out to you...




And for all of out there in my "friendship circle" that are in between, pick a side, or else you will be tortured ALL of the time by my rendition of...

Musical Monday...That isn't musical at all.

It isn't really "musical" this morning. I'm doing comedy this morning? Why? Because I will be at the school bright (and way too) early this morning, helping to "cook" (more like set fire to) breakfast for the teachers as a part of Teacher Appreciation Month. Believe me when I say that I relate more to the Swedish Chef than most realize.

Here's me making eggs.



Now this would be me with the pancakes.



Doughnut, anyone?

Musical Monday..It's (honestly not) A "Manic Monday"

I am kicking Monday's ass! Royally. It's probably THE best Monday I've had in quite some time. With the exception of ONE argument between the two oldest, whereas I squashed that bug QUICK, it's been a pretty awesome morning.

I've so far gotten three, count them, THREE loads of laundry washed and/or dried. Gotten all of my dishes washed, kids dressed and off to school on time AND am now working on my third cup of coffee. Oh and Gobi's (our Bearded Dragon) crickets and him all fed and watered for the time being (Gobi still eats two to three times a day).

So Monday has thus far felt my wrath. I am drenched in Awesome Sauce today. I feel good and energized. Oh! And I got my NEW blender, that I got to pick out myself at WalMart for my Mother's Day present. Plus the kids and the hubby took me to Golden Corral for breakfast (was my choice). Plus we stopped at Ollie's where my Sister-In-Law works to look around a bit. She bought ALL THREE kids up to three books a piece.

Now, for the musical part of this post, seeing as I have dubbed Monday as "Musical Monday". And it's not "musical" if I don't put the music in there, right?

Right. So, for all of those peeps out there that instead of kicking Monday's ass, is getting kicked BY Monday, this song's for you.

Musical Monday

Along with "Tuesdays From The Terrarium", I'm going to also do Musical Mondays where I will post a music video and say WHY I like it or why I'm posting it.

Today is a 90's hit (the decade where I REALLY came in to music). By En Vogue, "Free Your Mind".

The stand out lyric for me is.. "I can't look without being watched/,no
You rang my buy before I made up my mind,ow/ Oh now attitude, why even bother
I can't change your mind, you can't change my color"

Even now in the second decade of the new century, this kind of thinking STILL happens. Be with those of a minority color, a way of dress or physical appearance.

Monday Mingling w/Tough Cookie Mommy

Yeah, I thought I would try this Blog Hop out. My Bloggy pal, Tough Cookie Mommy is the glitterific chica that came up with the idea. If you want to check out her blog, TOUGH COOKIE MOMMY, click on the name there in highlight and it will take you right to her.

Below is her direct linkup button for Monday Mingle. You can get to her page through it as well.



For my new followers, I guess I'll do a bit of info about me and mine.

1) I'm an "old lady" (as in married around these parts of the South).

2) I've got three chitlins (that's kids around these parts, mind you).

3) I'm constantly driven crazy by my four...erm..I mean, three kids (being my husband can be just as big a kid as the real ones) as a Stay At Home Mama (Mom or Mommy to everyone else around the country).

4) Chocolate (of pretty much all kinds but German (blech!)) and I have had an ongoing love affair for YEARS. And yes, my hubby is a-okay with it. BONUS!

5) Where my kiddos go to school, I volunteer at least one day a week. More as needed, depending on upcoming activities and planning schedules.

6) You would never think that I was REALLY born and raised in the San Fransisco's East Bay Area of California, seeing as I have more of a Southern nature (and twang in the voice) since I have now lived here for over twelve years.

7) I also Tweet on Twitter, Face up on FaceBook and Pog on Pogo.

8) We have three cats and a (new) Bearded Dragon Lizard. Hopefully soon, we can also add back the almost 40-gallon tank of fish. Between them and the kids (and the hubby) it truly is a ZOO around here!

Now, go have a hoppin' good time over at Cookie's page and LINK UP! I may just do this again next Monday. But with something more than just stupid tidbits about yours truly.

Have a wonderful week, my fellow Bloggers and readers alike!

Magical Monday With 'For The Love Of Blogs'

It's yet again another beautiful Monday here in bloggy land. Not so much around where I live. It's cloudy and cold. And it looks like more of the white stuff is in my future. No! Not THAT white stuff. Flakes on the ground, not in my hair, silly.

I highly suggest that if you have yet to do so, to join a wonderful, friendly, and well organized blogging community. It's For The Love Of Blogs. Best thing (besides getting your blog out there)? You do *not* have to be a blogger yourself to join. It's also meant to be a wonderful tool for readers to find new blogs to read that are of their interests.

Stop on by today, and tell them that Proudmom (Missy) sent you over. No, I won't get a prize, but I'm sure that they love hearing where others and newbies are coming over from as to scope them out. Just click on the blog button (below) to hop on over to their site.

BUT!! Before you do, if you have a blog or two (or more) that you wish to promote, feel free to also do so here in my linky tool area (also below, at the very bottom of the post).

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Get A-Hoppin'! It's Magical Monday. (blog hop)

Hello and Happy Monday. I've got a lot going on around here so I'm not really writing much. But as soon as the "storm" passes, all will be well again.

But I had to at least get up the Magical Monday post for the blog hop from For The Love Of Blogs. The link to their hop is down below in their Magical Monday Button.

Before jet setting over there, feel free to also link up your blog here as well on the linky tool provided at the bottom of the post.

Happy Monday to all, and to all a good week!

It's Another Magical Monday! (blog hop)

Another week has started. What better way to kick it off on a Monday that to participate in the Magical Monday blog hop, courtesy of For The Love Of Blogs!

But before you run over there and see who all is participating, feel free to also ADD YOUR LINK HERE!

But, before you do...

please LEAVE A *GENUINE* COMMENT here on my page to show that you have read it. Not a copy/paste thing or a "I followed you/follow me back" comment... I am okay with people stating if they came from another blog hop and found me. But I don't play the "followed you/follow me back" game.

**If you cannot abide by that one simple rule for linking on my page, I wish for you to NOT link it at all, nor even leave a COMMENT on my page.**

Now, be sure that BEFORE you head over to..



...to add your link (below) in my link-up tool area! Have a great Monday, everyone.

Mix & Mingle With Me At The Magical Monday Blog Hop!

It's Monday! And what better way to start off the week than with For The Love Of Blogs and their Magical Monday Blog Hop!?




FTLOB is a great community for blog writers and blog readers can collide in harmony and find new and exciting bloggers to follow.

If you join, tell them Proudmom sent you on over. I won't get anything for it. But at least they will know where the masses are coming from.

First, before you place your link in to their Blog Hop tool, feel free to also place yourself here on MY linky tool below.

The *ONLY* stipulation I have is to please LEAVE A *GENUINE* COMMENT here on my page to show that you have read it. Not a copy/paste thing or a "I followed you/follow me back" comment... I am okay with people stating if they came from another blog hop and found me. But I don't play the "followed you/follow me back" game.

**If you cannot abide by that one simple rule for linking on my page, I wish for you to NOT link it at all. I hope you understand. Thanks...**

Memoir Monday w/Travis...The Parent Edition.

Got a memorable moment in your life that you wish to share? Then, click on the linky above, grab a button and share it with us with a Memoir Monday post!


Kids. They bring joy to your life. They let you live on, even after you are gone, being that you are a part of them. They give you unconditional love.

But they can be your worst nightmare as well. Attitudes, lying to your face, getting in to the junk food at all hours, waking you up at an ungodly hour of the morning to watch Saturday Morning Cartoons..Oh wait! That was me. My bad. Sorry, Dad.

My life BEFORE kids was much calmer. Sure I dealt with some real assholes in my time, being I have worked retail for most of my adult life (until the last kiddie came along). But having kids and dealing with them 24/7 makes you realize that dealing with the assholes of retail-society pales NOTHING in comparison, then having to deal with your own kids.

Back before my brood, I was able to stay up until four-AM, sleep in until noon, eat and cook whenever I wanted to. I would get drunk with my friends.

I even remember back in the day, out-drinking a MALE buddy with Jose Cuervo shots. Seven of them to be precise. He puked over the banister railing of the apartment complex I lived in. My poor neighbors. Talk about a surprise present.

Myself? Let's just say I got off easy. No! Not THAT kind of "got off". Get your minds out the ditch, would ya?? I meant that I had basically NO hangover, what-so-EVER! Just a slight belly ache. Otherwise, no pounding, blinding headache. No barfing on the bathroom floor, because I missed the toilet in a blinding haze of post-party rapture. Just a need for a couple Alkaseltzers, and I was good to go.

These days, I rarely get to go anywhere without AT LEAST one to two of three kids in tow. I don't get "mommy time" even while I sit my ass on the toilet! Plus, if I drink, it's ONE beer. And that is AFTER the kids are asleep. My hair now has more gray in it than a bird has feathers. My sanity is only now somewhat in tact...It doesn't help that the creatures I call my children are still on Summer Vacation.

But that changes in THREE WEEKS! Yes, I am actually counting down the weeks. And that last week, I'm gonna be counting down the days, as to remind the kiddies that I will regain my sanity the moment that I shove them under...er, I mean shove them ON TO the school bus.

Ah! What a life!! Both pre-kid, and today. I wouldn't trade them for anything. But I do miss my old, pre-kid life of pure independence.

Like A Rock... (Memoir Monday with Travis)

This is my first time doing Memoir Monday. So be gentle as I get this cherry popped, please??

If you care to jump in to the fire and have some fun spilling your guts to the world about a memory of times past, then click on the button above, then go grab the linky and do a Memoir Monday of your own.

So, here is my story...


For all of my childhood, and a small portion of my early teen-hood, I never was able to swim. Being I had a trache in my throat, if I went under the water, then the water would seep directly in to my lungs, via the hole in my throat.

Sure, I did go in to pools, but stayed in the shallow end. I never dunked under the water. But I did tilt my head back, or immerse my face. That was the limits to my "swimming".

After the trache was removed, and the hole was sewn closed (six months after the initial taking out), I was able to TRULY get wet in a pool (or even a bathtub). But I still stayed in the shallow area of the pools I would get in to.

But during those years of not being able to swim, my parents and I would camp at this one pristine lake area. Every year, like clock work, I had the same stupid accident.

I'd be walking in the lake water, that went to my thighs at the depth I would go to. But somehow, some way, every single year, the same catastrophe would occur.

The sand bed would catch my foot and pull me under, as if I slipped on a wax floor. And every year that happened, I would have water rushing in to my lungs, per the trache. And yes, I was drowning as I panicked, being I couldn't pull myself up.

After the first two times of this happening, the camp security would know instinctively the next year that if they saw us, to keep an eye out and be prepared to call 911. Why? Because it became tradition for me to drown for five straight years in a row.

Yes, I apparently loved the lake so very much, I had to go down under and kiss the sand grains.

Yesterday, we went to my in-law's house to get in the pool. Normally, I wear these yellow water wings, seeing as I prefer not to be a rock and sink to the bottom. Bryce normally wears them and/or a life vest while in the deep end as well.

But my sister-in-law kind of looked at me funny as my other sister-in-law (BIL's ex-wife) told the first one that it doesn't surprise her and both her and Scott told his sister that I never got to learn EVERYTHING about swimming on the deep end due to the trache.

Sure, I can breast stroke, back stroke, doggy paddle, and even float on my back. But never could I get the hang of bobbing-type floating. Like a buoy.

But this all changed as of yesterday as my two SIL's coaxed me to try floating without the wings in the deep end. Of course, I stayed by the wall. But within thirty minutes, I was out in the middle of a nine-foot deep pool, bobbing like a floating apple.

Then, I got gutsy and jumped off the side of the pool (with goggles on to protect my bad eye). Then, my courage and confidence came in to full swing. My husband for the first time ever in our ten years together, saw me jumping off of the diving board (feet first, mind you) and coming back up with ease, only to float like I'd been doing it most of my life.

It took me twenty years past the removal of my trache to overcome fear and hesitation. But, finally, I did so. As did Bryce. He and I both "graduated" to the big time and we are both now with the "big kids" when it comes to swim time.

I'd called my father, almost in tears, to let him know that I did it..finally, I did it. He even said it was better late than never. And I know that we both thought...if only mom could have been here to see this.