Want to get to Know Me Better?

Isabel Princess from Mommy's in the Bathroom did this meme earlier in the week and she tagged me for it. I guess she wanted to get to know me a little better.


What are you wearing today? Grey capi's and a purple tank top. It is finally warm enough to do that.


What’s for dinner? I have no idea. Hopefully, the pizza place will help with that.


What would you eat for your last meal? Everything that I could possibly could eat and then I would vomit and eat some more.


What are you listening to right now? The whrrr of the washer and dryer and my husband yawning while playing Wow.


If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? The Food Network kitchens to eat my heart out.


Which language do you want to learn? Vietnamese so that I would know what they are saying when I got a pedicure.


What do you love most about where you currently live? The view outside our windows.


What style is your current home decorated in? Kid. There is picture of my children and their art work all over the place.


If you were a time traveler what era would you live in? Don't want to be a time traveler. I think this day and age right now.


What is your favorite color? Purple, hence the color of the shirt from the first question.


What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? I love clothes, especially the ones that fit just right and make you look, Oh So Hot! I just got some new things and I really, really like them. They are a little bit trendy but also functional. I love the fact that my kids are getting older now and I have graduated from the over-sized, vomited stained shirts and shorts. Don't get me wrong, I still wear those things, well not the vomit shirts, I threw those out. But now I have more time to actually look cute and feel good about myself.


What were you doing ten years ago? In college and cause its the weekend, I was mostly likely working at the hospital trying to make money to pay for nursing school. Or I would have been hanging out with Jeff.


If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on? Put it towards a new laptop or a pool.


What are you going to do after this? Go swimming at my brother's house.


What are your favorite films? Dirty Dancing, Gone in 60 Seconds, and Gone with the Wind.


Your favorite books? The Stephanie Plum series.


Do you collect anything? No, just my children.


What makes you follow a blog? If I can relate to the author. If it touches me somehow by making me laugh, making me think or inspires me. If I like the writing style.


What was the most enjoyable thing you did today? Sleeping


What makes you comment on a blog? I like to get comments so I just assume that other people like them too so if I want them, then go got to give a little to get alittle. I also like to share my opinion. Its the one place that people really can't shush me or interrupt me.


What is your favorite thing to do when you have some free time? Blog, Online shop, watch TV, read, chat with friends or cook.


Would you home school your kids? NO!


What is a talent you wished you had? I wish that I was a crafty person. I wish that I was able to come up with cool craft projects for my kids to do.


If you could be any other animal other then Human, what would you be? A cat. They get to lounge around and sleep all day.


By 2042, white people will be the minority. Do you believe that? Would that be a big deal to you? I certainly believe this and really it is not a big deal to me. The world is a colorful place, lets me more of that rainbow.


Would you want your blog to be as popular as Dooce? What would be some of the pros and cons? If I wanted my blog to be my profession and make money off of it, then yes I would want it to be a big as hers. But since I just want this to be my hobby and something that I love to do, I want it to be well liked. And if that means that I have 200 readers or 1000 readers than that is good for me. I think that if your blog becomes too big and thousands and thousands of people read it then you loose your connections with people and for me that is what blogging really is all about.


There you have it. If you feel like answering question, then consider yourself tagged.

Oh and one more thing, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. We love you, very, very much!!! Wishing you many, many more years of happiness.

Five Years of Celebration and No One was Hurt

There is a lot going on this holiday weekend. As many of you, we have plans to spend time with family celebrating our nations birth.

If the weather holds there will be time at the beach, cook outs and hopefully fireworks.
But before any of that begins, I thought it would be cool to look back at the 4th of July of years past.

Here they are, 5 years of 4th of July actives
since Jeff and I have become parents.

Top Right Corner:
Hayden's first 4th of July with Gigi at Keller's

Bottom Right Corner:
Hayden's second 4th of July at Keller's and his first real swim in the lake.

Bottom middle and going up:
The babies second 4th of July but first time in the sand at the beach and Hayden, now an old pro at this holiday stuff.

Top Middle:
First 4th of July for the babies. Jake and Claire came home from the hospital. It gave independence day a whole new meaning
(Quinn came home two days later).

Center photo:
Just last year. Hayden and Jeff waiting for Fireworks. Hayden's first time seeing them but all he wanted to do was go home and go to bed.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday.
I can't wait to see what adventures this year's celebration brings.

Happy 4th of July.

Are You Guilty? Not Me.....

Mommy guilt is something that most mothers deal with. I say most mothers because I try not the let it get to me. I feel that I can keep all that guilt bottle up and pushed down. I don't let it come out. Let me share some examples from a typical day at my house.


Quinn did not eat any breakfast because he did not like what I made for him.

Did I feel guilty?

No. I am not a short order cook. You eat what I make or you will wait until the next meal.


Jake climbed up onto the cupboard and was playing with all the baking ingredients and then almost fell but didn't because I came into the room just at the right moment.

Did I feel guilty?

Not really. I wasn't watching him as closely as I should because I was on the computer but he should not be climbing on chair and standing on the cupboard.


Claire had a major tantrum during lunch that ended up in her room and I slammed the door three times because it wouldn't close and screamed at her at the top of my lungs making things worse and scaring her.

Did I feel guilty?

A little bit because I shouldn't scare my child and a picture fell off the wall and broke.


Claire had another even bigger, even loader tantrum when I did not pick the right shoes for her. She wanted to wear a pair that was way too small. I was so frustrated with her tantrum and lack of reason that I slapped her.

Did I feel guilty?

Well, sorta. I hate it when I loose my temper. I should be able to control myself and my reactions. I am the adult after all.


During the chaos of the day and all the tantrums, Hayden very quickly got his shoes on and ran into the car after I asked and then said, "Did I do a good job, Mom? Are you not mad at me? I listened and obeyed very fast."

Did I feel guilty?

You bet your ass. I felt so guilt that I almost cried. For the most of the day, he had taken the brunt of my frustration with his siblings. It was not fair. All I could do was hug him and say, "Yes Hayden, you did a great job. Thank you for making me so happy."


I guess mommy guilt effects us all. Some days are just filled with more guilt than others. And that is why I keep a well stocked wine rack and hug and kiss the kids more the next day.

This post was a confession inspired by Writer's Workshop
Hosted by Mama Kat.

Going To Get Some Ink

This year, I will be turning 30. I had a really awesome Birthday last year so what would top that but a trip to Vegas, of course.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my Birthday. It is going to be awesome!
But there is something that I really, really want.....

A tattoo.

I think that to mark my 30th Birthday, while in Vegas, I am going to get a tattoo.
I have no idea what to get but I am sure I will figure something out.

Well, Jake must have over heard me talking about his and he decided to ink himself too.

But I am not so sure how happy he will be with his ink in 20 years.

Worful Wednesday is Hosted by

I am Asking for Your Opinion

I don't know how many of you watch the TNT show, Raising the Bar, but a recent episode made me think and want to discuss (I love when this happens). So lets, shall we?

The episode was about a father who took a innocent naked picture of his son getting out of the bathtub and then posted it on his web page on a social networking site. The picture then was downloaded by a child pornography site and the sold as child porn.

The prosecution said that the father was responsible because he took the picture and posted it on a on a web page that was hosted by a social networking site. Even though the picture was meant for family and friends, it was on a public site available for anyone to see and use. It was like the father threw a loaded gun into a jail cell. He provide the child porn site with the means and the motivation to show that picture as child porn. Basically they said that it was his fault that the picture was used in this way and because he posted the picture on a public web site, it was just as if he handed the picture to the pornographer himself.

The defense said that yes it was in poor judgment to post that picture online but it was not a crime. The father is not a sexual predator. The father meant no harm to the son by posting that picture. He posted it to share with family and friends. He had no knowledge that it would be used and sold as child porn and he is not responsible for the fact that it did. In fact, the was disgusted and appalled that this happened.

Now the show concluded with the jury unable to reach a verdict, they were hopelessly dead locked. The prosecutor offered a deal of probation, parenting classing and the father being registered on the child sex offenders list (something that would follow him for the rest of his life).

So now what do you think?

As bloggers, most of us put pictures of our kids out there. Should we be prosecuted for posting these pictures, whether they be in good taste or not, because some sicko uses them in a perverted manner?

Is it in poor judgment to post pictures of our kids? It is our job as a parent to protect our kids from the evils of the world. Is putting pictures of our children out there just exposing them to this evil and leaving them open for harm?

I don't know the answers but I thought about this. For the most part, I know the people that read this blog and look at my pictures. But I don't know everyone and I don't know everyone's intent. I often wonder if I put too much of my life out there. Am I making a poor judgment call or a bad choice as a parent? Should I be arrested for this decision? I mean I did post picture of my children in the bathtub, naked. Is this child porn?

But I also take my children out in public, to the park, to the mall. I let them run around in a swim suit at a pool and sometimes in just a diaper or underwear at the beach. Should this be considered sexual exploitation? Is it making them available for kidnapping? Is doing this in real life any different than what I am doing online?

I don't know the answers. I am not really sure where I stand on the whole issue. But I would love to hear your thoughts. Lets discuss.

I Really Don't Know What to Say

This is a conversation that Jeff and I had in the car the other day. Why is it that the car brings the weirdness out of the men in my life? And why do they feel the need to share it with me?

Jeff: Do you know what I would do if I won the lottery?

Jen: No, What?

Jeff: I would drain all the water out of Loch Ness and prove once and for all that Nessie does or does not exist.

Jen: silent

Jeff: Then I would build a whole Nessie themed amusment park with sweet rides and roller coasters. And we would serve Nessie burgers.

Jen: Wait? What? Nessie burgers?

Jeff: Well, if Nessie does exist then I would make burgers out of her and serve them at the theme park and they would be gooooood.

Jen: Why wouldn't you just keep her alive and let people see her? I bet that you would make more money if you had an exhibit where people could come and see her.

Jeff: Well, if I did that then I would have to deal with PETA and laws and stuff. I just don't want to got there. It will be easier just to make burgers out of her.

Jen: silent

Jeff: Do you want to know what else I would do with the money?

Jen: still silent

Jeff: I would have the only fire department that put out fires with fire....

Jen: What!?! Ok, thats enough. You're done. I am not listening to you anymore. And just so you know, if we ever win the lottery, I get to control how we spend the money.


There it is, Jeff at his finest. But at least now you don't have to wonder where Hayden gets his imagination. He comes by it naturally. It is in his genes.