Song Saturday: Foster The People -Pumped Up Kicks

55 Flash Fiction Friday: You Do Know

She told her friend why she left. She felt comfortable enough after eighteen years to tell him. She said things fast and easily even laughing at one point. "You do know what he did? That's called rape.", he said worried at how easily she said it. "No. It wasn't." she said looking confused. "Was it?"






Flash Fiction Friday is hosted by g-man.

Don't Wish Time Away

All too often we race to get through life. If only this week, this month, this year would end. I'm often guilty of marking time by when I get paid. In the past it was OK to wish time away. Lately, however, I'm reconsidering this. Now I'm not just wishing my time away but I'm speeding up my kids growth. Sometimes there's a lot of crying (No, it's not all me) and a fair amount of whining (Again, not all me but I am good at it :-P ). Some days go great and others don't.

I am starting to think about how my acceleration, my desire to just get to the next easier moment, is causing time to go too fast. My Chloe is incredibly sensitive. My Bella is tough and sure of herself. As tough as my Bella is, she sees me when I pick her up and cries out "Mommy!" Yesterday she turned around and leaned against my legs looking for love and protection. As I dry Chloe off from her bath she asks, "Mommy, are you my best friend?"

A few days ago on Facebook someone I know posted what he thought being a father was. He said that essentially his job was to hunt down his kids like a bloodhound when he thought they needed it, to be tough, bug them, and worry about them. His post bothered me when he said that it wasn't his job to be his kids' friend. As a parent I have to set boundaries, be tough, and not always be the friend. But I am their friend. Not a friend who will burden them with confidences or adult responsibilities, but a friend who will always be there for them no matter what they do. A friend who will listen. It's my job to love them, provide for them, and keep them safe from things that they do not need to know. It's not my job to shatter their world. It's my job to keep them safe.

I'm far from perfect and make plenty of mistakes. I just hope that Chloe always knows I'm her friend and Bella, no matter how tough she is can lean on me for support and know I'm there for her no matter what.




Bella at one.


Bella at two.



Chloe at two and three-quarters



Chloe at three and three-quarters

Wordless Wednesday: Paul Revere's Reaction to Sarah Palin

A Sphinx!?... A Sphinx?!... Looks Like A Cat With A F#@&%$ Up Head To Me!

When I was in the final year of high school a commercial for a now defunct nightclub named Egypt played continually on my favorite local station (This station now no longer exists as well). The commercial amused me and reminded me of things that fascinated me as a kid. I would devour books from my local library on dinosaurs, weird and strange occurrences, and ancient Egypt.

As a child I watched all that PBS had to offer and one of my favorite programs that I loved to watch whenever it got aired was Pyramid by David Macaulay. This show told the history of ancient Egypt and the Sphinx through he use of live footage and cartons. I loved this show and would watch quietly soaking in every bit of it.

About two weeks ago I sat down to relax and flipped on one of my local PBS digital stations. The big one here has three stations and you can usually find somthing of interest. That night there was not one, but two... Two!... different shows on the Pyramids and the Sphinx. For two hours I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was a lot of interesting information as well as contention about just how old the Sphinx is.

One of the shows was a NOVA special. If you are a PBS lover like myself you know what a cruel mistress NOVA can be. They build you up and build you up only to end every single episode, no matter the topic covered, by saying "We may never know". NOVA kills me and yet I still watch. Go figure.

The other day as my girls were running around yelling yet another show about the Sphinx came on cable. No, I don't have cable. I have to bum cable moments when visiting the homes of others. This special too delved into just how old the Sphinx may be. How old is it you ask? Don't ask me. Ask Wiki. Wiki gets everything right. Well, assuming that Palin doesn't decide to educate us on the Sphinx. Until then, however, I'm betting the Wiki info should do the job. Didn't you read the part where I said my girls were running around yelling? It wasn't my house or my cable so I turned my head sadly watching over my shoulder as I ushered the girls out the door. Oh well. It's not like it was NOVA.

The Midnight Ride

Listen my children and you shall hear,
Of the revision of the wiki page of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the sixth of June, in eleven;
Because of Palin, kids of seven,
Will incorrectly remember that famous day and year.

I love wiki. I frequent it for all sorts of nonsense. Read a book? Do actual research? Forget that... I have wiki! Ever since Sarah Palin decided to take a "One Nation" tour she has been keeping all of us well entertained and amused. Recently she decided to take on one of the few historical facts that most know thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Kind of like how School House Rock introduced a generation to how a Bill becomes a Bill, Wadsworth took a small piece of history and made it unforgettable. Mnemonic devices ... songs... poems... these all serve to help us to remember the important but hard to assimilate facts. Just like how I will always know the ingredients that comprise a Big Mac ...Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun..., I have always remembered Paul Revere and his famous ride thanks to this poem.

Since 1863 this poem has helped many connect with and remember history. Until now most would know at least a few facts about Paul Revere correctly. That didn't sit well with Palin apparently because as she attempts to "publicize Americana" she wants to make sure we get it right. Thanks to her efforts there have been numerous attempts in recent days to update the "Midnight Ride" portion of the Wikipedia page along with many revisions to correct these revisions.

In the long standing tradition of those great Budweiser commercials I'd like to salute Sarah. "Here's to you Sarah Palin. We thought we knew the truth about Paul Revere until you set us straight. ...Real American Hero... Ms. publicize Americana... Real American hero!"

I would be slightly more inclined to record an actual singing rendition of my Budweiser tribute song to Sarah and post it to YouTube if she'd take on the actual poem and rewrite it the "right" way. C'mon Sarah... I know you can do it.

*snicker*

OCD Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

By all accounts I'm a pretty normal person. OK. I'm not. But let's move on. So I'm a little teensy bit OCD. Yes, I turn cans around so that they are lined up in my cupboard by type and the labels face out straight. Well, when I clean I do but since I clean so rarely I don't often get the chance to engage in this obsessive need.

Other than that I'm just a slob. For all intensive purposes I should have been born a man. Yes, I know that's insulting to men. OK, I should have been born a pig... no, that's insulting to pigs too. Anyway, I'm like a bachelor. I hate cleaning, hate organizing and rarely have time for either although I entertain salacious dirty fantasies of being financially sound enough to have a maid service to do this for me.

Lately my OCD has taken a decidedly bad turn. It's becoming a sickness. I'm matching my children. I can't stop buying my daughters matching outfits. No, they are not twins. Chloe is three going on four and Bella is two going on sassy. They don't look particularly alike and certainly do not act alike. Each one is definitely their own person and there is no blurring of my two girls. Despite this fact I keep buying them matching outfits. If I don't put them in the same outfit I then at least try to dress them in coordinating colors. And the shoes... please don't get me started on the shoes. Yes, I've bought them matching shoes and sandals. Yes, I know you just shuddered and started fearing for my mental health and well being. I can't help it. I'm matchy-matchy. I've even got Chloe noticing when things match. Hey... Don't look at me like that. She likes it. I swear! :)

There's just one problem. OK, there's two problems.

PROBLEM #1: Bella's in size 5 toddler shoes. Chloe is in size 10. They stop making toddler shoes after size 10. After looking at Payless I was hit with the horrible realization that soon I won't be able to match their shoes. *sob*

Problem #2: Chloe has started to say, "Noooo! I don't want to match Bella!" Thus far I've quieted this dissension in the ranks but I fear the eventual mutiny on our bounty that will leave my daughters in colors that don't even complement one another. *sob*

I need an intervention. Stat. Could all interested parties show up in matching cars? *snicker*


Yep. I even matched them for Halloween. I'm sick I tell ya! LOL

Song Saturday: Panic! At The Disco -Ready to Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind)

**Erica... computer still not set up. Publishing from phone. If the link doesn't work does this still count as a post? :P*