My Semblance of Sanity

My Favorite Thanksgiving Message...

2009-11-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

For: You

From: Me

...because I DON'T EAT TURKEY ON THANKSGIVING!

Peace (to the turkeys!).

GlassesUSA hooked me up!

2009-11-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

I remember being a teenager and thinking it was so cool when I got my first prescription for glasses! Wearing eyeglasses was going to be SO cool! A couple years later my frames were huge compared the the latest styles and I never had time to go get new frames...picking them out took a lot of time and I just didn't have that kind of time. I stopped wearing them.

As a mom, I NEED my prescription glasses! The print on medicine bottles gets smaller each time I fill a prescription! So, I take the kids and go browse through the thousands of choices and can NEVER pick what I like. Distractions or no distractions, it's tricky!

I didn't think I would be able to choose eyeglass frames online. I figured I would need to see them on my face to know what I liked. But at GlassesUSA.com I found a lovely pair that I HOPED and PRAYED would look good! I had just had my eyes examined so I have my new prescription (which is Greek to me).

At GlassesUSA.com, your order is processed quickly, using YOUR prescription, and your glasses arrive in no time packed in their own sturdy case! And then prices...HOLY GOODNESS, they are so economical! This was a SUPERB experience!

Thanks GlassesUSA! They are awesome! I feel like a HOT MAMA in my new specs! ;)
Whadda ya think?

Peace.

I love tiny*prints!

2009-11-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

I now know where I will be shopping for my HOLIDAY GREETINGS!

Here are a couple samples from the tiny*prints website!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THEIR HOLIDAY SALE! GO! GO! GO!

I just got my Tiny*Prints order and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This website is so EASY to navigate and personalize...I'm not always a "quick learner" when it comes to new sites and ordering and personalizing but this site was a breeze.

Their products are so gorgeous, I found myself looking through other styles and cards for events and holidays I wasn't buying for but I just kept wanting to see more!

tiny*prints is FIRST CLASS! This company is definitely worth a bookmark in your FAVORITES file!

Check out their deals for the Holidays! This is ONE STOP SHOPPING at its BEST!

HOLIDAY PARTY INVITATIONS

HOLIDAY RETURN ADDRESS LABELS

HOLIDAY GIFT TAGS

HOLIDAY MINT TINS

HOLIDAY THANK YOU CARDS

NEW YEAR'S CARDS

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY INVITATIONS

They are bangin' down my door!

2009-11-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

I know it's been awhile, I apologize! I've been feverishly working on a couple books and preparing for a speaking engagement - yeah, ME, SPEAKING! Like a bumbling idiot, probably! I may grace a post with some video of it after it's over - heck, if I can figure it out, maybe I will SKYPE it - we will see!

I love y'all for subscribing and it will pay off in the VERY near future. Listen why.

My inbox has been INUNDATED with companies asking me to review products and some are offering extra items for giveaways! JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

PBS, TinyPrints, VTech Toys, Simon&Schuster and MORE!!

Can you say FREE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? Enter a contest and win a toy or discount that will help to complete your holiday shopping list!

SO...if you haven't already...SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE!

Peace.

At my art table...

2009-11-03T05:47:00.001-08:00

Well, here I am back at my art table (WITH caffeine in my favorite cup - it's my own design!)...ready to dedicate the entire day (well, at least until the pre-school bus comes) to my latest project...

A BOOK DUMMY FOR SIMON & SCHUSTER

I want to thank all of you for supporting me through this publishing journey. So many of you contact me and ask WHERE you can buy my books. I don't have any published but I have many written and even more partially written. I have notebooks FILLED with simple ideas that would make a one-of-a-kind, quirky story! I will never live long enough to write every one of them!

This current project is a first for me. I am submitting as an AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR! Yep, I am taking your advice! I have been thinking all along that I wanted to just concentrate on ONE or the OTHER....writing OR illustrating. Come to find out, it make my writing SO much better when I can use MY OWN illustrations to SHOW the story. It's cleaner. Clearer. It feels like I have found my niche.

I recently had a review with an art rep from NYC who selected a few illustrations in my portfolio and said it was such a unique style that I needed to "run with it!" You can read more about that meeting HERE at my children's book blog.

OK! Back to work (and my coffee!) before I get sucked in chatting with you!

(Not that that's a bad thing!)

Peace.

NAMESAKE Christmas Gift EXTRAVAGANZA

2009-10-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

Original, hand painted NAMESAKES on 9 x 12" bristol board: $50.00 each

I sold about 30 of these last year right before Christmas and I am opening
my "ORDER PAD" once again but for a SHORT amount of time.

My ORDER PAD will be open until November 1st.

I will contact you via email to discuss design options

and special requests for your child's artwork.

Peace.

Kate and I: Crafting together...

2009-10-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. You are thinking, "Where did that come from?"

Well, if you have been around this blog for any amount of time, you know that I am on TEAM KATE! Especially, especially especially during this time of her life! Ugh! I cannot imagine going through something like this and even more, I can't imagine it happening so publicly!

My heart is with ya, sistah!

So, I decided on something that would take her mind off the "junk" people are putting out there because the have nothing better to do than bash people they don't even know…

A NEW reality show...Kate and mine…a spin-off of sorts. With my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants creativity and her very structured nature, I think we could keep the ratings up and satisfy a major network simply on the fact that we would never be totally OK with the other one’s idea of fun. But, we are adults, we are women, we would have a blast.

I have a lot of friends and thousands of you reading my blog and from time to time you all think I have completely lost my mind.

Like when I tell you the creative projects we get into at my kitchen table. Having been a high school art teacher, messes don’t really freak me out. When we are working with supplies that won’t wash off, you know, the kind that stain your skin for a couple weeks, then we go outside. Easy. My outlook is, “no medium will last as long as a tattoo!”

Our NEW reality show would highlight the fun you can have with your kids without having an aneurysm. With eleven kids on our heels, can you imagine the number of segments we could tape in a short time?

Unlike me, Kate is adamant about her hate for messes. She doesn’t do them. Ever. And quite honestly, with 8 kids, who would?! In one episode, she and Jon take the kids to the Crayola Factory in Easton and she barely lets the kids try anything. Although, I totally respect her fear of messes (remember, I have lived with a fear-of-messes husband for 15 years), I have made it my mini-mission in life to show moms that Art doesn't always = messes. It is doable with the RIGHT supplies and an ample amount of planning ahead. I did one of those projects with my youngest this morning and it was delightful. Not a messy hand in sight!

My husband has a hard time with my messy tendencies. When it rains, we go outside and play in the mud. When it’s hot we have water fights...with our clothes on. We have even been known to have a small food fight or two. Although messy and causing my husband a few small strokes, the fun we have will create life-long memories of family fun. It's good to see Mommy and Daddy getting messy and being big kids! Even if Daddy twitches a little.

In my “research” on reality shows it is necessary to have a couple things to be a long-running phenomenon. One of the things on my reality show checklist is an interesting venue.

A place that has never ending possibilities for interesting outings … check. Lancaster County is filled with fun and not-so-common-to-the-rest-of-the-planet adventures. I can see me and Kate overseeing a finger painting project using a horse and buggy as our canvas. I see a big sheet of paper clothes-pinned to the side of the buggy...of course the horse's tail will probably whip away a fly and get into the paint...oh that would add a VERY cool element to a kid-style painting! We could donate the “painting” to Hershey Medical Center to hang in the pediatric wing. Who knows, that horse could become famous! Elephants do it!

Talent is a definite must on my checklist and I think Kate has this covered. Any woman that can juggle 8 children day-in and day-out is Mom-of-the-Year in my book. And I have the creativity piece of our show covered! How cool would it be if the Gosselin kids could do art projects and then we could have greeting cards printed with proceeds going to charity! I could write funny blog entries and illustrate each episode to give viewers juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits. People love that stuff! I LOVE THAT STUFF!!

Of course just the right amount of sheer chaos completes the recipe for blockbuster reality show. Just re-read the above paragraphs, close your eyes and visualize the opportunities for chaos. (although in my twisted brain I REALLY TRULY don't see it as chaos! Honest!) Mom viewers would love it.

Well, maybe I just needed to talk myself into believing that as my 12-year anniversary of being stay-at-home mom approaches, I actually have a ‘marketable expertise’. Maybe I am distracting myself from cleaning. Either way, I think I may be onto something.

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/21 ME? Speaking?

2009-10-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

So, this post is for you moms who have done speaking engagements before.

I have.

I love them.

But I get real nervous.

And I am always looking for ways to "keep it fresh."

My tip for public speaking? Pretend you are talking to one of your best friends on the phone... under a spotlight... with 100 people staring at you ...and don't snort! Easy, right?

So, lay it on me! What are your PUBLIC SPEAKING tips?! If I get enough, I will post the video of the event here on my blog.

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/19 HELP.ME.

2009-10-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

So.

I'm.

Having.

Trouble.

Blogging.

Everyday.

Tips?

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/14 Childhood Cancer SUCKS!

2009-10-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago I started a mission...I was going to bring smiles to the faces of every child on the planet with cancer!

I started its4thekids! With some very generous artists, we formed a philanthropic organization that sold art to raise money for what I called the human side of cancer.

Many people don't know that electric still gets turned off, insurance companies drop your spouse, etc, etc, etc all while you are watching your child battle cancer. I had heard enough and wanted to help.

The very first child we raised money for was Jessica! She was diagnosed in 2006, at 7 years old, with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.

In her own words:

"I am 7 years old and have alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer. I had a bump on my leg one day, and the next week I was at ACH having biopsies. I will be on chemotherapy and other treatment for 43 weeks, possibly longer. I cannot go to school or play sports until chemo is finished, and may lose my right leg too."

Her leg was amputated and she was fit with a prosthetic she affectionately named, Elvis!

This photo (below) was taken at the Arkansas Children's Hospital to celebrate Jessica's last chemo treatment. She was 8 years old!

On Valentine's Day 2007 Jessica got the news that her cancer was in remission. She was thrilled to get a second shot at a "normal" childhood. And she was even more thrilled when her hair grew back!

In November of 2007, Jessica was having some breathing issues and was sent to have scans done to rule out a relapse of the cancer. Unfortunately, after months of waiting and getting test results, doctors revealed that they had found a tumor in her back. Jessica underwent removal of the tumor in April 2008 and started another round of chemo almost immediately. A relapse of this type of cancer has a VERY poor prognosis.

December 3, 2008 and just in time for Christmas, Jessica was told she had achieved a SECOND REMISSION! By this time Jessica had also exhausted her lifetime allotment of chemo and could not afford another relapse.

Jessica and her mom, Teresa, put all the rebounding energy into a BIG project. A cookbook of recipes collected from across the country to benefit Childhood Cancer!

Once again her hair grew back and she was back to the energetic kid she always was. This photo is of her and her sister, Katie, goofing around! What a beautiful smile!

8 1/2 months later (August 2009), Jessica was having trouble breathing once again. The family's fears mounted.

This beautiful 10 year old's body was shutting down. Her mother reports on their caringbridge site, "CANCER BACK, wrapped around aorta and shoving heart up chest cavity, invading spine at T11-12, multiple metastases in lungs and lymph nodes." Jessica spent the next 2 weeks in the hospital.

I saw this on Jessica's facebook page (September 9th... less than ONE WEEK AGO):

"i'm home finally i got home bout 45 minutes ago and i'm here on hospice..i still have the chest tube in and an iv hooked but now all i do is lay and bed and wait till God comes to bring me home!!"

Jessica Easley turned 11 today...she blew out her candles with Jesus!

What will YOU do about Childhood Cancer?

46 children every school day are diagnosed with some form of cancer.

Only a small percentage of them will live 5 more years.

The American Cancer Society gives 0.03 on the dollar to childhood cancers.

Donate to organizations like CureSearch and Alex's Lemonade Stand where ALL funding supports research for childhood cancers.

Sign the Childhood Cancer Petition!

Leave a comment for Jessica and her family here or at their CaringBridge site!

Tips for the TIP parade?

DO SOMETHING! Don't turn away!

If you would like to purchase Jessica's cookbook, please email Teresa @ tlradke2@hotmail.com

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/13 To go or NOT to go?

2009-10-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last month I had a really sore throat for almost a week...now I am NOT a baby when it comes to pain! Remember, I am the one who had the 11 lb baby! But, I was actually spitting in the sink instead of swallowing b/c it hurt so bad that my entire body would flinch.

Just about the time I was ready to go to the doctors it went away. Then, I got a pretty bad cough...lasted a week then when I had peed myself one too many times from the strenuous hacking, I was ready to call the doctor. Then it went way.

This went on for a month. A WHOLE MONTH! My mom was calling every day to see if I had gone to get some meds but it was a strange pattern of events...just when I thought I had had enough, the symptoms would go away. I would feel REALLY good for a day and then BLAM! I would come down with some other symptom.

So, after not seeing my brand new baby niece for 4 weeks, I broke down and went to the doctors. He heard my plea for meds, jotted down some stuff I said, listened to my chest and said, "WHY on EARTH did you wait a month to come in?"

I had no answer. Like a 10 year old being asked why she has toilet paper in her training bra, I said, " I dunno."

"Well, Michelle, you have PNEUMONIA!"

Nice.

So, I grabbed the Z-pack and the Advair disc (that is disgusting, btw!) and I was as good as new in about a week.

So, this weekend I came down with that same spit-in-the-sink sore throat. Was up by 5am drinking tea and doing shots of honey all the while downing 1/2 a bottle of Advil to kill the pain.

I call my doctor and tell the nurse that I am being proactive and I want to come right in so I can get on some meds and NOT be sick for another month! Of course they can't see me right away and I have to wait a day.

So, today I head in with my responsible big girl panties on. Call my mom from the parking lot and tell her what I am doing! "Yes. No, I am NOT kidding! I am standing in the parking lot! I swear! I will text you a picture!"

I tell the nurse that I was playing it safe and not letting my I-don't-need-a-doctor-I'm-a-mom pride get in the way. I was there for medicine so I could get back on track!

Dr. Lou came in and I sat up straight, took some deep breaths, fished for the pat on the back deserved for coming right in and not waiting.....

He sits back down and chuckles.

"Your throat is barely red."

"WHAT?!"

"I hear NOTHING in your lungs."

"WHAT?!"

"You just have a cold."

With my tail between my legs, I walk out to the nurse's station to turn in my diagnostic paper (after writing SCARLET FEVER and WHOOPING COUGH across it with the red crayon from my purse) and then head to my car.

What a waste of my time.

Today I NEED THE TIP...cuz apparently, I got nothin' out of this lesson!

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU REALLY SHOULD GO TO THE DOCTOR AND WHEN IT'S JUST A COLD? I had the SAME FREAKING symptoms both times!!

Leave your comment/tip along with your blog link. Go back and blog an anecdote or tip for your readers and leave a link to me. Invite your readers to play along and enjoy a whole month of MOMMY TIPS!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/9, 10/10, 10/11, 10/12 Forget the Valium, give me some Velcro!

2009-10-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Did you think I gave up the ship? Or fallen overboard? Nope.

Let me tell you about my weekend and you will see that this whole TIP parade idea is a selfish means to get advice about my life! LOL!

Friday night as part of my volunteer position with the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, I had dinner with some pretty TOP NOTCH editors, reps and agents who are smack dab in the middle of the Children's Publishing world.

Saturday I had an all day conference where I met with an editor from Simon & Schuster who wants to see a book dummy (a mock up version of a finished book) of the manuscript I had sent her prior to the conference. This is the first book I have proposed that I illustrate as well as write so I was not sure how high to get my hopes.

I then met with a couple of lovely ladies who are art reps and we had some great discussions about my portfolio, what they liked and how to plump it up with one single style (that they loved, btw) to ready it for a trip to NEW YORK for some art rep reviews.

Yesterday is when it hit me...the sore throat that had my spitting in the sink instead of swallowing for the last 2 mornings @ 5am kicked me in the butt. Of course, I am the mom of 3...4 if you count my husband who is getting over being sick, too. I just wanted to climb back in bed after church and sleep the day away. But my daughter, the only NOT-SICK person in the house had to cheer at a football game so my husband took her and I was the parent in charge at home with the two sick boys. One thought he was dying and the other just bounced off the walls in hopes of making himself feel better by way of knocking himself senseless, I suppose.

So, then there is today. Columbus Day. ALL the kids stayed home b/c school was closed. (I even called to plead with the janitors to let them come in for some community service - no go!) Mommy is still sick. Oldest son needed a doctor's appt and I needed milk and butter from the store. Laying in bed all day and snurfling and moaning was not an option ONCE AGAIN! *sigh*

My daughter could stay home while I took my son to the appointment, but I couldn't ask her to watch my little hell-on-wheels so he came along, too. After he licked the chair and made out with the bottom of his shoes in the waiting room, I decided this germ-panic thing was useless...what could I do besides make him gargle with Germ-X? I said a, "please sanitize his innards prayer" and was done with stressing about it.

The doctor did a strep test and I briefly thought about asking her if she would do one on me so I wouldn't have to go to the Doctor's tomorrow when they are all back at school. I said another little prayer for strep...b/c I was thinking if it WAS strep I could just call MY doctor and tell him and he MIGHT just call in a prescription without making me come in....that day all snuggled in bed was on the horizon...I reached out to grab it when.....POP! The doctor returned, shook her head and uttered the V-word. VIRUS! Well, chicken crap, no hope for antibiotics now!

I came home feeling sorry for myself and looked at my calendar...my daughter has an ortho appt @ 10:45, I have a 1:30 dr appt and my daughter has gymnastics @ 4. I slumped to the floor and cried. Well, not really, because I have had no energy for the last week, the floor is DISGUSTING!

My tips?

I told the receptionist at the pediatrician as I was chasing my youngest in and out of exam rooms and through the stacks and shelves of files that they need a velcro wall and a couple massage chairs. You know, an entire wall of velcro. Each wild child receives a velcro suit upon checking in. VOILA! They spend the entire time trying to free themselves while you round the corner to the spa-like massage room where you sit and do NOTHING until your child has been seen and is ready to be checked out.

Does that make me heartless? I am sure to 1st time moms, the thought of not accompanying your child into the room while the doctor pokes and prods sounds horrifying. Well, let me be the first to tell you, it's overrated. The kids just want the sticker and lollipop when they leave. They could care less who walks them through the appointment.

Forget the Valium, hook us up with a Velcro-lined pediatrician's office and I believe we have found Utopia!

What are your Mommy sick day tips?

Go back and peek at some of the other tips, leave a tip that links back to you, post an anecdote to a mommy issue on your blog, link to me and tell your readers to join Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade!

Peace.

Sanity's BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE: 10/08 Respect!

2009-10-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

The past week we have enjoyed a laugh or two with some silly anecdotes and funny posts regarding motherhood and all it's "woah is me" moments. Thank you to those of you who have joined the TIP PARADE! I have enjoyed knowing that you are all at least having fun with this.

Well, this TIP POST is going to be a little more serious....actually, A LOT more serious....thanks to Dr. Phil. Did any of you watch his show yesterday? TEEN SEX TRENDS should be something EVERY mother, father, aunt, uncle, teacher, administrator, doctor, nurse, counsellor, coach, Sunday School teacher, pastor watches. Yes, it will turn your stomach. It might even make you cry. But it could save a child's life!

I want to publicly THANK Dr. Phil for doing this show. His concern for children and their welfare is astounding and even though I am sure a show like this was less than "fun" he did it to get the word out about what is going on INSIDE our schools and AT HOME and EVERYWHERE you can imagine.

In his own words, Dr. Phil says, "We’ve made a commitment here at the Dr. Phil show to keep parents informed. I have said that I want you to be ahead of the curve. You don’t want to be the last one to find out what teens are up to in this day and time," he says. "If kids are coming up with new games, new drugs, new habits or patterns that are putting them in harm’s way, I’m going to find out what it is. I’m going to bring it here. I’m going to tell you about it. You’re not always going to want to hear about it, but I am going to tell you the truth."

In short, this show was outlining the new sex trends for teens and tweens...yes I said tweens! Did you know over 50% of boys AND girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have participated in oral sex? Do you know that a reality at school dances and Prom is to engage in intercourse ON THE DANCE FLOOR! When I heard this I texted a friend and said, "WTH?" She knew first hand that this was happening at one of her local schools.

I bet you are wondering HOW.... How can you secretly be having sex on a dance floor without a chaperone knowing? If you can't figure it out then you haven't been present in enough of the activities your child is participating in. Dancing has changed. Society has changed. So much so that the gyrating and bump-n-grinding that was NOT acceptable 10 years ago, is just brushed off now as "just how they dance." Shame on you! Shame on ME! Shame on everyone who is responsible for how out of hand this epidemic has gotten!

Ironically enough, the day before watching the Dr. Phil show I spent almost an hour on the phone with Annie Fox. If you and your teen/tween don't know her, YOU NEED TO! This woman is AMAZING and has a heart for middle and high school students that is bigger than most of the hearts that actually touch these kids lives on a daily basis INSIDE the schools! Annie is changing the world one kid at a time! She has even made one of her books a FREE downloadable e-Book that I think everyone should print out and make sure your guidance counselor has it! Go check out The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating! She should join Dr. Phil the next time he does one of these teen/tween topics.

So, my head was already filled with ideas and my passions were flaring for this age group I used to teach in public school and currently teach on a volunteer basis. I decided I needed to somehow use my gifts of speaking/writing/teaching/art to make a difference. Then, yesterday I was enjoying my youngest's longer-than-usual nap with a cup of coffee and the remote...something we moms RARELY do. I heard the "have your children leave the room" segment before the TV had even warmed up enough to show a picture. My curiosity was piqued. I put the remote down.

The book they discussed was THIS ONE. Yep. Reality sucks! Sharlene Azam did a fantastic job writing this and producing her documentary.

An hour later my sister, a HS guidance counsellor, texted me, "Get the kids out of the room and turn on Dr. Phil." Her curiosity was piqued as well, and she sat through the second airing of the TEEN SEX TRENDS show. I waited for the phone to ring. She was astonished that even though she is with HS kids everyday and thought she had seen/heard it all, there were still things she would never DREAM kids would be brazen enough to do.

Bottom line... my sister and I decided that the missing piece is as simple as R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Why are we not teaching this? Why are 12 year old girls having sex at parties? Why do I see thongs for sale in teeny-bopper stores? Why do I cringe when I overhear the way girls "come on" to boys...in MIDDLE SCHOOL? Because, we, as parents, are failing an entire GENERATION!

Let me say that again!

WE, AS PARENTS, ARE FAILING AN ENTIRE GENERATION!

Sound harsh? Well, reality usually is!

I will soon be launching a blog where teens can spill their guts, confess, share their hearts, get mad, fight back and BE HEARD! We are NOT LISTENING! When it gets tough, it's easy to just chalk it up to "changing times."

I will also be interviewing students (anonymously if they prefer) about what makes them tick. What makes them associate SEX with fitting in? What makes them go that ONE STEP TOO FAR?

I have 1/2 of a notebook filled with what needs to be said in auditoriums across the country to smack on sense into these floundering children...for crying out loud they are children!

Don't pass the buck. WE ARE TO BLAME! We allow our kids into a world they have no business being because we are too freaking busy at work or too freaking lazy to care! No one is home. They are taking on the world ALONE because we chase the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!

Don't look away. This travesty is just around your corner. I promise. Don't deny it. Look deeper. Get involved. Save a life. It might just be YOUR child's life you save.

Whew....anyone got tips? Leave 'em. I've got a travelling in-school program to plan!

If you have a teen or tween in your life...take this post VIRAL! Send it to anyone who needs to CARE! And pray they will!

(Go to a previous post to find out the guidelines of how to join in the TIP PARADE, I am too exhausted to type any more....)

Peace.

Sanity's BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE: 10/07 "I Quit!"

2009-10-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Family,

I'm done!

I quit!

I won't do one more load of laundry.

I won't wash one more dish.

I'm not cleaning the toilets.

I refuse to feed the dog.

Let the hamsters, rabbits and fish go, unless you will clean their cages/tanks.

Wipe your own butts.

Here's my signature, learn to forge it, I'm not signing any more homework papers.

I threw the vacuum in front of a truck today.

I shopped until the credit card machines spewed smoke.

I filled my journal with all the things I have done wrong and then wallpapered the bedroom with them.

I turned the stove into a planter because there will be no more cooking done there.

I broke all the crayons.

I got a little silly from taking a little too much cough syrup.

I HATE THIS DIRTY HOUSE!

Did you hear me? I FREAKING QUIT!

*****

These are just some of the confessions and never uttered secrets of stay-at-home moms.

Today's tip:

Let it all hang out - sign in as anonymous and LET IT RIP! Give it all you got! It will feel good!
You know the drill....leave your confession. Go back to your blog and post something you need a tip for. Link back to me. Watch the advice and tips pour in! Invite your readers to do the same.

Peace.

Sanity' Blogtober TIP parade: 10/06 Multitasking

2009-10-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

Multitasking! We are the QUEENS when it comes to getting 37 things done at once, aren't we?

I have paid my bills while sitting in line at the bank to deposit that bill-paying money into my account.

I have changed a diaper, talked on the phone and watched the weather report all while making a list of what to pack for a weekend away.

I can help with homework, play with a toddler, make dinner and kiss my husband when he walks in from work.

I am an ace at blogging, texting, facebook IM-ing and searching YouTube on the other computer to keep my little guy enthralled just a little longer.

What I haven't figured out how to do is make dinner, get a pedicure, clear my schedule, get my daughter FREE Jonas Brothers tickets and lose 50 pounds....any tips?

Please?

Leave your best multi-tasking scenario below and join the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE!

You know the drill: Leave your tip. Blog about something you need or can give tips for. Invited your readers to do the same. Link back to me. It's the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE! 31 days, 31 tips for moms!

**Check out my review blog for a Jonas Brothers Contest**

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/05

2009-10-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Stuck.

In.

House.

With.

Sick.

Kid.

(4 yr old with Pneumonia)

Need.

Remedies.

HELP!!!

He has an earache...I hate those dang things...besides Advil and a heating pad there's not alot you can do...

BUT! My grandmother, who was Pennsylvania Dutch, SWORE by an old remedy! You don't wanna know. No. You don't.

OK! OK! But I warned you!

Urine!

Yep, drops of your own urine in your ear would cure an earache.

Told ya you didn't want to know!

And, NO, I have never tried it!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/04 Girl Power!

2009-10-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

You've got 'em. You love them. You don't know what you'd do without them!

NO, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT SHOES!

I am talking about your BFFs! You know, the ones you laugh and cry with. The ones who can call you a nerd because you cried when you dropped your 1st born at his 1st dance (eh hem) and you still speak to them. The ones who drive to their 1st tattoo appointment (eh hem) and make you laugh so hard you don't feel the steel rod piercing through your flesh. The ones who you can be yourself...and I mean REALLY yourself...in front of and be comfortable in your own skin!

I got 'em. I'm quite sure I have the best BFF posse on the planet, and I truly mean that! But, I am sure you can argue....and that's wonderful! I pray each and every one of you feels that way about a group of women (or even just one).

But, isn't it hard to make time for them? It is! It's either a busy schedule, a sick kid or an unforeseen glitch that keeps you from connecting with your 'peeps.'

BUT...and this is a BIG BUT (and you can have one of those with 2 t's, too, and they will still love you...I know this for a FACT!)...you also know how AMAZING it feels to laugh until you pee a little, to vent until you cry, to hug and not let go, to finish her sentence, get the "had to be there" joke because you were. You know how intoxicating that is? Isn't that proof enough that we need regular DATES with our girlies?

Obviously, the biggest tip is that we need to SCHEDULE that time! That's a no-brainer! But, making it memorable and all the more ridiculously fun, takes a little planning!

My tip for you is to, of course, plan time together BUT...another big one...do something you've never done before - something whacko - something that will bring 10,000 giggles in the years to come.

My BFFs and I did this just last year and we mention ALL the time how we need to do it again! There is an amazing outlet center only 35 minutes from our town, and we love to shop there. So, last year we planned a shopping trip, AND we got a hotel room nearby so we could extend our time together by staying out as late as we wanted and being goof balls till 3 am if we wanted to AND the room we rented....was a THEME room! LOL! Our PIRATE SUITE was SWEEEEEET!

Going that extra step made our typical shopping trip not so typical and it was truly an ODE to how crazy fun our friendship is!

So, what can you think of or what have you done with your BFFs that keeps you grounded and connected?

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/03 Time Warp

2009-10-04T10:47:00.001-07:00

How is it that the weekend is supposed to be a BREAK from the craziness of the week and yet...

IT IS NOT!

This week blew by, you know, I told you about it in my "HOLY CRUD I HAVE 63 THINGS ON MY FREAKING CALENDAR" post.

When you are busy, life just passes you by. AND I HATE IT! Little moments you would like to remember, but won't because you were too wrapped up in being late for soccer. Something the kids said that made you giggle, but how will you ever jot it down for the baby book while driving to what seems like the 37th parent/teacher/coach/team mom/chaperone meeting in 2 weeks?

For example, I am a HUGE scrapbook fanatic...there is a 9,000 square foot scrapbooking store less than 20 minutes from my house and I can easily drop $100 on supplies, yet I have 4 years worth of photos on my computer that I have never even had printed, let alone scrapped!

I need a time warp!

DID YOU HEAR ME, POWERS THAT BE??!!

I NEED A TIME WARP!

I need a time warp that will stop the earth's rotation just long enough for me to get everything I need to get done for my kids, DONE! And I am not talking about their laundry! I want to preserve their childhood enough so they can look back and almost HEAR their squeals and giggles!

I'm tired of feeling defeated as I plop on the couch at the end of the day to veg out in front of the TV only to be stared down by the THREE unfinished baby books on the shelf of the entertainment center.

I'm tired of kicking myself when I hear something I should write in the THREE "to my kids" journals I have not written in in a couple years.

I'm tired of being too tired to organize my photos. Our FAMILY photos! My legacy for my kids.

The only solution to this is a TIME WARP, I am sure of it!

Unless you have another idea!

Help!

So, you know the drill....as part of Blogtober's TIP PARADE you need to leave your "tip" here and that will link us back to YOUR BLOG where you should let loose of a MOMdilemma in your life and then have your reader's give their 2 cents! Then, invite them to do the same! But, please remember to link back to me!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/02 The Curse of the Calendar!

2009-10-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is my calendar!
One one hand, this magnetized, dry-erase calendar is a dream for scheduling... on the other hand, it actually shoves how stinkin' busy we are in my face every morning.

Today, I was curious so I counted...
There are 63...yes, SIXTY THREE, things that I am responsible for or places I need to have myself or my kids on any given date.
(insert Twighlight Zone music here)

This....is....THE CURSE OF THE CALENDAR!
MWaaaaaahhh AHhhhhhh AHhhhhhhh!

I know I am not alone. And I am SURE there are many of you who have me beat by a mile! I only have three kids. Some of you scribble 4 or more kids games, lessons, projects, events on your calendar each and every month. If that were the case for me, I'd toss the magnetic calendar and just write it directly ON my fridge in dry erase! That's about the SIZE it would need to be to fit it all on!

Some of you keep a crazy busy schedule AND WORK outside the home. If that was the case for me, I would need WAY MORE medication than I am already prescribed! I bow down to those women! Truly! I don't know how you do it!

So, tips on keeping your head on straight...
It's called a DEAR LIFE LETTER...

Dear Life,

I don't know how we got here. I'm certain this is not where we saw ourselves 10 years ago. What happened to all the walks in the park, the lemonade on the porch of our beach house, the hours we would spend just reading or chatting with a loved one?

Why haven't I sat down yet today? What do you expect from me?

I would love to tell you that I quit, but, quitting LIFE is never a good idea!

So, all I am asking is that you just take it easy on me and remind me when I need to slow down.

Thanks!
Me

Seriously though, we all preach to our kids about time management! We give them the necessary tools to "just say no"! We teach them how to prioritize!

We need to slow down long enough to take my our own advice! Could it be that simple?
Manage time + just say no + priorities= Complete and utter Bliss?
Well, it may not be THAT SUNSHINY...but we can dream, right?

What are YOUR TIPS for holding it together while succumbing to The Curse of the Calendar?

Remember the rules:
Leave your comment and tip below.
Then post a similar story and tip on your blog.
Twitter, Facebook it!
Leave a link to me.
Invite your readers to join the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE!
30 days of tips from moms just like you!

**If you are having trouble SEEING your calendar...CHECK THIS OUT...Hot Mama Glasses!**
Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP PARADE: 10/01 What's Grosser than Gross?

2009-09-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, before I get to the gore...let me explain my BLOGTOBER "TIP" PARADE!

Everyday in October I will choose a mom-centered problem/issue/question, write a short post about it and then offer a tip that will hopefully make life easier for many of you.

Post your OWN tip for that problem/issue/question on your blog and then come back and leave a comment so your blog link can be used for readers to visit YOUR blog. Don't forget to leave a link to ME in your post!

Come back and read what your Mommy Bloggin' friends have to offer. Just think, it may make your life a little easier, someone might tell ya something you never thought of!

Join me in the BLOGTOBER "TIP" PARADE!

10/01: WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Well, today had to be one of my Top 10 Grossest days as a mom and since misery loves company, I am going to share my day with you in a style you may remember from 6th grade...