The Adventures of the Headless Family

Just Curious-School Volunteering

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:05:00 +0000

(For most of you that read here my "Just Curious" posts were started earlier this year to get people commenting, start a dialogue. I ask a question, you answer, then I give you my answer next week, or next JC post. Play along, won't you?)

My question this week has to do with volunteering at your child's school. Do you volunteer? What, specifically, do you like to do when you go to the school? Do you go weekly? monthly? Just for special events? PTA? No? Let me have it!

And, if you're curious about the "Just Curious" series, click the tag below and see for yourself!

The Fog Has Got Me

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:12:00 +0000

Thank you, oh thank you Loyal Readers. As I'm sure you're aware, the last week has been CRAZY around here: start school for the 2 littles, moving into the dorm for the Girl, and getting ready for the cruise for HD and I. Then of course the actual cruise. Boy am I tired! I have taken some sort of nap for the last 3 days running and the fog has not lifted.

So! In light of that I'm going to give you a bullet list! To catch everyone up and get it off of my mind so I can hopefully move on.

*The boys both got the teachers that they wanted, and they both love them. Headless Boy 1 has 2 teachers and he equally loves them both. HB2 has a woman with our same last name and he thinks that it is the funniest thing ever.

*On Back-to-School night HD and I had to 'divide and conquer', so he went to the 1st grade classroom. Imagine his surprise when one of the contestants for Biggest Implants bent over in front of him to sign the volunteer list! I went to the 3rd grade class. Uneventful.

*Friday morning we took Headless Girl to her dorm at APU. In short, we were in and out in about 2 hours, and that was longer than she wanted us there. (I'm sure that I will post more about that later. My baby went to college and you really thought that I'd only give it a sentence or 2? Come on!!)

*We then went to pick up some friends from HD's work to go to the boat for the cruise. Cocktails by 1:30. 'Nuff said?

*No? Well, it was this cruise and there were about 120 employees, spouses, and friends of the family. It was a little awkward at first since most of us don't really know each other very well, but we ended up having a great time, and meeting other couples that work for the company that we would definately be friends with outside of work. It was an extremely generous gesture by the owners of the company, and a great way to relax after a hectic summer.

*As I said, I've had naps every day of the last 3-2 of those were of 2 hours or more. Last week kicked my butt.

*The other thing that kicked my butt was working in the 1st grade classroom today. Oy. I always forget how tired I get after the first day of volunteering.

*Finally, I have to give a huge THANK YOU to my parents for coming out to stay with the boys while we were away. Not only was the house still standing and the children still alive, but some chores were done (ironing and bathrooms anyone?) No one has better parents, no one. I love you Mom and Dad, more than words can say.

Well, there you have it. We are back in the swing of things around here, more or less. Let's hope the fog lifts soon so I can keep up!

Not a Good Start

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:41:00 +0000

UT 24 UCLA 27

I'm Having a Party. Won't You Come?

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:11:00 +0000

Auds at Barking Mad is hosting a virtual dinner party. Each participant is supposed to invite 10 bloggers so we can all meet new and wonderful people in Blogoslovakia. Welcome to my party!

I'm going to try to go off of the beaten path today and invite some people that I met at BlogHer that I had (mostly) never read before. These people are fascinating, talented, intriguing, funny, and more. Pull up a chair, grab a glass of wine, and make your self at home! (To my old pals: don't hate me! I really couldn't only invite 10 of you, could I?)

First I would like to extend an invitation to Sarah from Dopp Juice. She was on a great panel at BlogHer that discussed coming clean to your readers about BIG issues in your life, some that you don't necessarily discuss with people in your real life. I was blown away by her maturity (she's only 25!) and her poise. I was lucky enough to get to meet her on Saturday evening and have a great chat. Read her writing and you'll see what I mean.

After talking with Sarah on Saturday I got to meet Genie of In a Bottle. She's a newlywed-she and her husband are still trying to get in to their new house. Won't you go give them some luv?

I can't forget my new AllMediocre pal Andrea from The Sweet Life. She is as cute as her name. And if you thought that you had interesting thoughts about the Olympics, just read this.

Also, Kellan from On The Upside. We really bonded over our kids of similar age and our frequent trips outside to enjoy the refreshing San Fransisco breeze. ;-) And not only that, she just had her bloggoversary!

I also ran into Erika several times over the weekend. She writes at bipolarlawyercook and covers it all! I enjoyed getting to laugh with her over the craziness that was around us sometimes. She writes about her own brand of craziness with such grace and open-ness-very refreshing!

I enjoyed a great dinner with Jennifer (and a bunch of others) on Friday night. She blogs about Green parenting and going non-toxic in your homes at The Smart Mama. Lots of great info there, friends, and she does her homework and will call you on it. She's also a lawyer and her husband is a crash-test dummy. I'm not lying!!

I can't leave out Amie from Mamaloves. Anyone who puts "I peed on myself...and immediately went home to blog it" on their business card definitely deserves a place at this table. She's having a rough go right now-go give her some luv!

Next I'd invite Leslie-her three sites make me feel undereducated, but she never did. An amazingly smart woman with a passion for the education of our children, we had a great talk on Thursday night. She also writes for BlogHer in the Research, Academia, and Education. Yikes!

I'd also invite and Missy. She is so young and has such great energy, and certainly gets the award for Longest Flight-she came all the way from Australia!

Finally, I would extend a special invitation to Jenn of Mommy Needs Coffee. It is hard to express what she means to me. We have some things in common-we're moms, we have teens and elementary school kids, but the bonding went way beyond that. I would never have thought a 'rock star' blogger and I would hang out like we did, but we did. And I could have talked to her all weekend. She is funny and sensitive and open and...I don't know. We just clicked. Thanks, Jenn, for a great first BlogHer experience!

Headless Dad has decided that we will serve Chateaubriand, with Bernaise, potatoes, and asparagus. (Sorry if you're a vegetarian-I'll be sure to have salad and other stuff on hand, but you'll be missing out. He's a fantastic cook!) So while you're waiting on each course, grab a glass of wine and check out these great blogs over the long weekend, let them know you were there, then come back here and tell me what you thought!

*****

Thanks for hanging out for my party. Now I'm going to go party the weekend away with my husband's company on a 3 day cruise to Mexico for their 50th anniversary.

That is after we take Headless Girl to move into her dorm. Don't start! I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Hopefully I will have some great pictures to share, and a post that won't render me sobbing in the corner about MAH BABEE. A mom just has to be ready to talk about these things.

Works For Me Wednesday-School's IN!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:22:00 +0000

On the first week back to school I've reflected on what works for me regarding being organized for school. I've learned that I need to do a few things to have a smooth first week, like:

Menu plan and grocery shop for all dinners through at least Thursday. This makes afternoons go sooooo much easier. With all of the forms, new homework methods, etc. having to think about dinner is the last thing I want to do.
Get up EARLY. I am now getting up at 6am to have my coffee then start breakfast, lunches, etc. before I get the kids up at 6:30.
Try not to plan too much. (Yeah, right.) If I don't have other plans then I can focus on the kids, random cleaning up projects that haven't been done, and sometimes a nap. (Getting up early usually kills me-especially after the Olympics!) I have done this so far this year and I feel great-I have not put any outside stress on myself and it shows.
Start the new routine THE FIRST DAY. Sounds easy, right? In the past I would say things like "Oh I'll start exercising later-I deserve a day off." WRONG. Get going on whatever routine you want to have so it will all feel like one big transition, rather than drawing it out. (On this note, I have been walking the kids to school and plan on keeping it up every day. I pick them up because of the heat at 2:30.)

This plan of attack really Works for Me-head on over to Shannon's place for more tips!

More, but Less

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:46:00 +0000

Meet my headless nieces. This is what you do in Hawaii when you are 10 and 7. (Of course I tried to get one of the boys but they didn't turn out headless. Oh well!) They were so much fun to be around-I hardly get girl time anymore! The kids had such an awesome time, and 95% of the time that they were awake was spent doing just this.

Below is Sam the Butcher and Alice. They are there, I promise! (They are the two heads just past Mr. Gorgeous on the paddle board. ) Wasn't it nice of them to be in this picture so I would have a reason to post it? I realize that they are not actually headless in this picture, but you can't actually see them either so I guess it fits the 'theme'. *wink*
(I really just wanted a reason to post this 'visual vitamin'. As if I need a reason. It's my blog!)

So there you have a little More of our Hawaii trip with Less heads involved. (Lame, I know. I tried.)

WOMM- Juice!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Well, it's not technically juice. But Oh My Heavens! Do I love this stuff.

It is the perfect summer refreshing drink-yummy on a hot day like today!

Read more Word of Mouth Monday posts over at Kelly's place!

The Great Interview Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and signed up for Neil's Great Interview Experiment. (If you're not familiar with it check it out! But basically when you add your name in the comments the blogger above you sends you questions, and you send questions to the person under you. Once the questions are answered they are published on your blog.) So many great bloggers have been a part of this and I'm honored to be on the list too.

I had the honor of interviewing Mary P. Jones, (a pseudonym,) from A Room of Mama's Own. She has a great blog! I urge you to check her out-she covers so many topics you're sure to find something to nosh on.

1-Do you consider yourself a topic blogger? a mommy blogger? or something else?

My blog is all over the map, so I wonder about this myself at times, especially when I'm registering with any site that asks me what category my blog falls into! I blog about addiction, codependency and recovery, so in some ways I'm a recovery blogger. I blog about my kids, so in some ways I'm a mommy blogger. I blog about my son's autism, so in some ways I'm an autism blogger. I blog about marriage and family, so in some ways I'm a relationship blogger. I guess I like to think of myself mostly as a writer, who happens to be interested in a jumble of topics.

2-You seem to have taken great steps to remain anonymous. Has anyone in your real life found your blog that you did not invite?
2A-Talk about the aftermath of that. Was it positive or negative? (see below)

I have tried hard to remain anonymous. (Although sometimes I think I haven't tried hard enough. If I really didn't want anyone to know, the blog would be a complete secret, which it's not!) So far no one from my real life has found my blog (that I know of), but a few of my close real life friends know about (and in some cases regularly read and comment on) the blog.

In addition, I've come out to a few bloggers since I started. I didn't know a thing about blogging when I started. It seems silly to me in retrospect, because this is so obvious now, but the interactive nature of it surprised me. I had no idea that I'd form such important and deep friendships through the blog, but I'm so grateful I have. Some of the other bloggers I've met have become some of the most meaningful relationships and supports in my life.

3- You talk about writing almost as if it is your own "addiction." Are you published? (Other than the blog, of course.)

In my "real life," I have worked in writing and editing. That work is much more widely read than my blog is, but it's a very different kind of writing. I actually started the blog in part to get experience writing more personal, creative pieces than what I'd worked on in the past. However, I've found that to retain my anonymity, I can't exactly stick the blog on my resume! So I've had to build an entirely new writing life with new connections under my pseudonymous persona. And I actually had a few pieces from the blog published in the San Diego Reader last year under my pseudonym, which was tremendous fun.

4- In reading your post "Why I Stay" I was reminded of what my mother once told me (paraphrased) "No one knows what is truly inside of a marriage except those two people." Would you agree? Why or why not?

I was going to say I absolutely agree -- I certainly agree that no one outside the marriage can know what's on the inside -- but I think even within the marriage, Mark and I experience things differently. I know I certainly had a different perception of what was going on in the marriage than Mark did when he was active in his sex addiction. I think our perceptions are more in line with each other now, but I have to admit, I'll never really know for certain, and that uncertainty about what is real and who I can trust is something I often come back to in my blog and that often occupies my thoughts away from the blog. In spite of that, I do know that Mark and I know more, even when Mark is hiding things from me or I from him, about what goes on between us that anyone else either of us chooses to share with.

Of course, some of the people I'm choosing to share with are the people who read my blog. In many ways, I'm sharing much more with the blogosphere about what goes on inside my marriage than I am with people who know me in real life, and I think my readers feel they know me well. But at the same time I have to create a picture of Mark, of me, of our kids, of our marriage for people who can't see and experience us directly ourselves. People who just read the blog but don't know us in real life are missing the full experience of us as humans, those wonderful 95% of experiences and thoughts that just aren't blog post worthy. (Which is probably going to make you think, "Wow, that's the best 5% you've got?")

The people who come closest to knowing what's going on in our marriage are probably those few people who both know us and love us in real life and read the blog. People who just know us in real life but don't know about the sex addiction are missing a huge chunk of what our married life is about. But the people in my real life, who know Mark and know about the sex addiction, who have really seen us being ourselves together, see a much fuller, richer picture of us and of our marriage than either blog readers or others in our real life alone.

5- When your children become adults how much of you and Mark's experience with sex addiction do you think you'll share with them? Or will you at all?

We definitely plan to share the addiction information with our children. We already share that Daddy goes to meetings and plan to keep sharing in an age appropriate way as they grow. Addiction and the family dysfunction that go with it thrive on secrecy.

I also see this as part of their medical history. They need to know that they are at risk for addiction themselves. However, one of the things that scares me most now is knowing how powerful addiction is and how hard it can be to escape. Mark was raised by two alcoholic parents and has older siblings who are all drug addicts. After seeing the ravages of addiction in his own family, and terrified that he would become an addict himself, he refused to ever smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs. When I met Mark in college, I was so impressed with his strength in breaking away from his past and the strong stand he made by his choices; he was reluctant to even take aspirin for a headache. He definitely stood out in the party atmosphere of college, but never backed down in the face of peer pressure. And this was one of the things that really attracted me to him. Still, addiction just found another way to manifest in his life: through compulsive sexual behavior.

So, in addition to telling the kids about addiction, we are trying to build a more functional family and model for them (as we learn ourselves) healthier ways for coping with stress, anxiety and emotional pain.

6- In many addiction/recovery programs there is a "Higher Power."
Who/What is your & Mark's Higher Power and why? Has this answer
changed over time? Do you go to church? If so can you tell me the
church affiliation?

Both Mark and I were raised as Christians. My experience is in the Catholic church. Mark spent his youth in black churches. We both grew up with very religious mothers and atheist fathers. When we met in college, we had both moved away from religion; Mark considered himself and atheist and I defined myself as an agnostic. (I was still kind of scared I'd go to hell if I fully admitted I didn't believe in the God of the Bible!)

Building a relationship with a Higher Power has been difficult for both of us, because of our childhood experiences with religion and our own personal beliefs about how the universe works. Our relationship with our Higher Power has changed and is continuing to evolve and develop over time (mine has evolved significantly just in the year or so I've had the blog). We both now refer to our Higher Power as God. Using "God" for my Higher Power was a long, hard road for me due to bad associations from my Catholic youth, where I very much saw the God of the Bible as an angry, arbitrary, dictatorial alcoholic father rather than a loving presence in my life.

Neither of us sees God as a kind of all powerful, conscious, personified force directing our lives. We both experience God as an energy, as a way of looking at things differently, as a source of inspiration and compassion and love. I experience God as a light within myself and all people. The more I can connect with that light, the better I'm able to live my life, the safer and less fearful I feel, and the more compassion and love I'm able to show.

Neither of us goes to church. I don't think Mark is averse to it, but although I've come to accept my own God in my life and I've always loved Jesus, I still have too many negative associations with churches to go back to Christianity. Of organized religions, I feel the greatest comfort and connection with Buddhism. Mark connects to his Higher Power through 12 Step meetings and daily meditation and prayer. I connect through yoga and meditation, but am still working on the concept of prayer. I sometimes go to a local Zen center to sit with others in meditation and am working to make this a more regular part of my spiritual practice.

7- You say that you are "40-ish." What one piece of advice would you
give your "20-ish" self? What advice would you give to someone who is
turning 40?

I think I would tell my 20-ish self to do things just the way she did them and trust in the future. She ended up as me, and I'm pretty happy with how that turned out!

I would tell someone turning 40 to enjoy getting older and keep growing and learning. As long as I do that, I'm happier each year than I was the year before.

Mary emailed me with the following update to question 2:

And actually, I should probably amend one of my responses. You asked if anyone from my real life had ever found my blog and between the time I answered and now, someone did actually find me for the first time. A friend of mine e-mailed this afternoon to say she found the blog and offer her love and support. I'm very glad she found the blog, since I've been tempted to tell her for some time. However, my husband and I agreed a few years back that we wouldn't tell anyone about his sex addiction who didn't already know unless we thought it was really necessary. She hasn't quite met the criteria for a burning need to share, but because she's been going through some struggles of her own, albeit of a very different nature, I thought it might be nice to share some of mine. Now we do get to share, and I'm really happy about that. I don't yet know how she found me, so I remain curious about that.

*****

Well, there you have it. Many thanks to Mary for answering my questions (I'm no journalist!). I certainly feel like I've made a new friend and learned more. Now, go check her out! And if you're interested in being a part of the Experiment head on over there (link at the to of the page) and leave your name in the comments.

Open Letter to People with Pools

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Hey! I'm so glad that you chose to come on by. Have you been enjoying your summer? I'm sure that your POOL has given you many hours of glorious fun with your children this summer. Countless memories of splashing, wet, laughing moments.

I'm really happy for you. Really.

I do however have one request. I hope you don't mind. It's just a small thing.

Are you sure? OK. Here I go.

Next summer? Could you refrain from saying, in front of my pool-less children, that you would love to have us come over? That you'll call and set it up? That you would love for my children to come over to SWIM?

Now, like most kids, mine love to swim. They are fish, when they are able to get in a pool. They are good swimmers; I don't even have to get in the pool with them anymore.

I have 2 boys with memories like elephants.

Next year I would like to not have to field the questions of "When are we going swimming at _____'s house?" If you say it, they will remember it. And I will have to make excuses for you.

(Which, really? I need to make excuses for my own shortcomings, so making them for you is cumbersome at best.)

Don't get me wrong, we would love to come swimming. The kids (and me!) love getting in a pool when it is 100+ outside for most of the summer. Just, please, for the love of God, don't say anything in front of my boys until we have a set date and time.

Now, don't get me wrong. If you really don't want us to come, that's ok. I'm sure the constant stream of wet children through your house gets old. I can imagine that there are many parents that "drop and go" assuming that you are happy to watch their children while they go get a mani/pedi. I am not one of those moms. I will happily watch my own kids unless you tell me to leave.

If you haven't noticed, I'm also not one to call and invite ourselves. I was raised that inviting yourself is rude. If you say "Oh, they can come anytime," but don't expressly call to invite us on a particular day you won't hear from us. Well, at least to come and swim in your pool. You may still hear from me because I would like your kids to come and entertain my kids-

While I blog.

The Flora

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:19:00 +0000

I somehow missed some of my other favorites, but aren't these beautiful? I love the Hawaiian flowers-the colors and shapes are amazing. Using my cool, fancy camera doesn't hurt either!

Ha! And You Thought The Complaining Was Over!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:37:00 +0000

I know that you're all tired of my busy summer-fighting kids-vacation posts. In reality, so am I. I have many posts floating around in my head and so little time to write them, or at least that is what I am telling myself. I have less than a week before school starts, which in and of itself is great. I'm thrilled to get my kids back on a schedule, and myself for that matter. (Here's the part that you all know has been coming...)

BUT-

My "General To Do" list is so long that I feel paralyzed. (Yes, I've blogged about this before. Yes, it is a common thread in my life. Shut up.)

ON THE LIST, in no particular order: wash linens in the bedrooms, clean 2 of 3 bathrooms, vacuum, get to Costco, prepare for my parents to come in next week, pack for the cruise, help Headless Girl pack to move into the dorm, BLOG so my traffic will come up and I will get some checks from my advertisers, look into a part time job some where, start exercising regularly so I can lose those few pounds that I've found this summer, clean my room so that I can paint it before my head explodes from the PINK (don't ask, I'll get to that post eventually,) finish the front bathroom (again, don't ask,) get the kids signed up for fall activities.

Am I forgetting something? Probably. But the worst part of all of this is that I keep derailing my own list with things like reading blogs and the Olympics. Oh, and pesky things like having to feed and bathe the children.

So, in conclusion, I suck. What I really want to know is, what has been your time suck lately? Is it the kids? The blog? The job? Something else? Let me know in the comments because, you know, I really need more of a deterrent from getting any of this stuff done any time soon.

WOMM- Hair, Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Welcome to Word of Mouth Monday.

Step 2 of my hair routine:

Aveda's Confixor Liquid Gel. (Click on the image to find out more about it from the Aveda site.) I fought this product for a long time. For some reason I really didn't want to like this product. My long-time stylist and friend Becky introduced me to this about 5 years ago but I didn't jump on the bandwagon until about a year ago.

If you have curly hair, or wavy hair that you like to scrunch, this.is.for.you. (I would show you a picture but I don't have one.) (For those of you that have seen my hair curly please chime in. Please?)

How I do it: Just out of the shower I use Frizz-Ease, then scrunch. (Now I do a few other things: makeup, brush teeth, whatever.) Then once the first stage is partially dry I use this gel-about a dime size, rub it in my hands, then start at the crown, paying special attention to the top layer and the ends. Scrunch as you go.

Done.

When we were in Hawaii I did this each day and I was 100% happy with my hair. Every day.

It sculpts each curl, and although it goes on a little sticky, once it is dry there is no sticky. At all. You can even wet it the next day (a little) and get a great style. 2-for-1! How can you loose? It is a little expensive but definitely worth it.

Head on over to Kelly's place to find more products that women like us love! And, do you have something that you love? Get the word out: write your own post and get it on her Mr. Linky!

Passin' Along The Luv

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:49:00 +0000

The cool thing about awards is that you get recognized. Most of us don't do this bloggy thing because we get accolades, but because we enjoy being a part of a great community of people that enjoy writing and connecting with others. Even if it is in our living rooms in our pajamas. *cough*

Just sayin'.

So when Kelly passed this to me I was excited! (No matter that I've known her since 1979. For that alone she almost had to give it to me. Right?) (Just Kidding!) And now I must pass it along. Here are the rules:

Award 5 bloggers! (this is the hardest part)
Let 'em know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award
Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to http://www.mammadawg.com/2008/08/kick-ass-blogger-award.html
Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on (which you can also get to on the above link)

So, the "Kick Ass Blogger" Award goes to:

*Carmen at Mom To The Screaming Masses. She was the first "big" blogger to come around these parts and I'm honored to now call her my friend.

*Keetha at Keetha Stuff & Such. She has been a constant friend and is my fellow bloggy football fanatic. I can't wait for the season to start and for our friendly rivalries to pick up again. (Kee, I hope you're not offended by the language. I'm just passing along the luv.)

*Soliloquoy at She Just Had To Say It. This girl keeps it REAL. She inspires me to look to God in all situations. I'm sad that I had to pass up an opportunity to meet her IRL, but it is on my list of things to do ASAP.

*Gwendomama. I discovered her just before BlogHer then got to meet her there. I really admire her authenticity and her fortitude. Plus, her lighter/bottle opener rocks.

*Mary P. Jones of A Room of Mama's Own. I have just discovered her through the Great Interview Experiment. I am in awe of her strength and am excited to get to interview her. Her site is very different from mine- she deals with BIG issues but I suspect she's a lot like me- just a mom trying to get through the day to day with her kids and husband.

There you have it! If you haven't checked out these bloggers, do. They are totally worth it. And I can't wait to see who they choose to pass along the award to. My reader totally doesn't have enough blogs in it.

Thanks, Kel!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Kelly over at Something Funny Happened Today... gave me this award. Wow! My first award!

Thanks, Kelly! I'll be back tomorrow to pass it along.

Tattoo Family

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Since you've already seen Headless Girl's Henna tattoo I thought that you might want to see all of our tattoos. This is one of my nieces and Headless Boy 1. Hers is a dragon and his is a gecko.

Below is Headless Boy 2 getting his shark tattoo.

This is Headless Dad's marlin. He has actually considered getting it done for reals, especially since he actually caught one. Any thoughts? We'd really like some help with this-Please comment!
And finally, mine. I really like it but I don't think that I would get it permanently. What do you think? The center is a plumeria and there are hibiscus on the sides.

Well, there you have it. It was a blast getting all of these on our first day of vacation. Maybe I'll share later what my mom and aunt got- It was quite the family affair.

Cop Out Post-But worth it!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Hey, one of my favorite bloggers has reposted one of my faves of ALL TIME. Won't you go on over and read it?

Take your tissue. I even printed this so I could read it again and again.

(I'll be back later with a real post. I hope.)

Summer, Shummer, Blah Blah Blah

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:14:00 +0000

*sigh*

What do you do with all of this heat? With all of the fighting? With the filthy house that you just can't seem to get off of the couch to clean? School is still almost 2 weeks away-always the most excruciating weeks of summer. Tomorrow a couple of the kids' friends will be over to play for a while, and next week the boys go to 'Robot Camp.' Meanwhile, if I hear "Mom, he won't play with me," again I think my head will explode. Add to all of this my Olympics habit and you have a recipe for one lazy and very behind mom.

Yes, I realize that we just got back from vacation- maybe the vacation let-down is making this blah worse? I would post more pictures from said vacation but I've been so lazy I haven't even put them on my computer yet. I know, such a difficult task!

Yesterday, Headless Girl woke up with what appeared to be bug bites on her knees and elbows. We applied cream for the itching, started washing all of her sheets, and gave her Benadryl. Now, 24 hours later, it has spread down her legs, to her back, all over her belly, and she is miserable. Any thoughts? I have a call in to the doctor and hopefully we can get right in. (Update: The doctor's office just called and we're going in at 10:15.)

To add to all of this I have "found" some of the weight that I have lost over the last year. I know all of the reasons that I have gained-no need to list them for me, thanks. Add exercise to my already long to-do list!

I also just added my name to Neil's Great Interview Experiment list. I've enjoyed reading so many of the interviews so far-I'll let you know when I know-should be interesting!

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago that my van died? Did I even blog it? Anyway, it died, and I got it back from the shop the same day that we left on vacation. On Sunday when I got home I tried to start it to run an errand and no go. Literally. Nothing. So, yeah, one more thing that I really don't have time for, or the money, for that matter. (Um, vacation in Hawaii, anyone?)

So, in conclusion, summer sucks (at this end, anyway,) and I'm ready for a routine again!

Word of Mouth Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:16:00 +0000

My pal Kelly started this a few weeks ago and I've been such a schmuck by not participating before now. (It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I've been traveling and throwing giveaways of my own...ahem.) All of the participants write a post about their favorite products- no real advertisers! and we all get recommendations for great new stuff.

My entry is John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum. I CANNOT do without this stuff. I have been using it since about 1992 and it is the ONLY hair product that I use every day, without fail. I use it when I'm scrunching my hair, I use it when I'm straightening it, and I get perfect results every time.

In these parts it runs about $7.99 at Target, but it would be a bargain at more.

Go check out more Word of Mouth Monday posts over at Kelly's place!

(On our way) Home Again, Home Again...

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:22:00 +0000

We're on the last leg of our Hawaiian Adventure. We are packing, eating all of the leftovers, and squeezing the last bit of suntan from the tropical sun. We have eaten, drank, and laughed all that we possibly can.

We have a beautiful trade wind to wave goodbye to us.

Mahalo, Hawaii. Aloha until the next time...

The Islands, A Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:47:00 +0000

Gecko, held by Headless Boy 1, caught by Dad.
Sunset on our first night. (This has actually been the best sunset of our whole stay.) This is our view off of our back patio. Sucks to be us, right?
We all got henna tattoos on our second day. Headless Girl's turned out really awesome. Well, her perfect 17 year old figure probably has something to do with it, too.
This is the 200 lb. Marlin that Headless Dad caught on Monday. We spent the morning fishing: 6 bites, 4 hook ups, and landed this one. Not to mention the 4, 10lb. tunas that we caught for bait. (Your husbands will be impressed. I promise.) The captain said that it was the best day of the year so far. Definitely worth the money.

Yea Winners!!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:19:00 +0000

Here are our winners, chosen with random.org. I still can't do screen shots, (or maybe it's the wine?), so you can't actually SEE the numbers, but here they are...

My Studio 13: Random number 29- reiza

Inspired Art by Dana: Random number 39-Miss Heidi

Little Alouette: Random number 27-cmartin0055

Congratulations Girls!! I will be getting to all of you shortly. Remember that you have until Friday, August 8th to respond with your mailing address or I will choose a new winner.

Vacation Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:59:00 +0000

Something you never want to hear from your father

"It was throbbing earlier."

Nevermind that he was talking about the automatic pool cleaner, it's just wrong.

3 days left!

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:35:00 +0000

There are only 3 days left to enter my giveaways-Go check 'em out, Time's a wastin'.

My Studio 13- Art by Carrie-soooo worth the click.

Inspired Art by Dana- Dana rocks the jewelery and pins. You'll believe.

Little Alouette- Amy's baby stuff (almost) makes me want to have another. (I said almost!)

And just so you know I'll be away until I close comments for the giveaways and announce the winners. My whole family (mom, dad, aunt, bro, wife, 2 nieces and the 5 of us,) is going to Hawaii. Needless to say, posting will be sparse, the wine and boat drinks will not.

Aloha!

For The Love of My Life

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:33:00 +0000

I know that we are normally headless around here, but the birth of my Love is a day to celebrate and throw caution to the wind.

Happy Birthday to Headless Dad. I love you more than words can say, and thank God for the true gift of you.

My Love forever, your loving wife,

Little Alouette

noreply@blogger.com (Headless Mom) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:40:00 +0000

Giveaway Number 3 is from Amy at Little Alouette. (She also writes at doobleh-vay, was featured on The Crafty Crow, and is an editor for BlogNosh Magazine and Kirtsy. In addition to being a busy writing woman, she is an amazing mother of two small boys, a creative powerhouse, and the best BlogHer roommate ever. (Well, tied with Meghan, anyway. I won the lottery of roommates, I tell you.)

Amy has donated one of her Solid Maple Teethers and a Baker's Twine Bundle. Amy's husband is a Master Carpenter and all of their pieces are amazingly beautiful. The teethers are finished with organic seed oils and are safe for baby. They will also take custom orders (details on the ETSY site,) or you can contact her directly by email: amytsharp (at) gmail (dot) com.

(Click on the picture for the complete description of this teether.) This item sells for $15.00 on her ETSY site.

These bundles are delightful! And handy to have around for those little projects (crafts, scrapbooks, or anything that you can imagine) that require a little string to make it 'just right'. This item sells for $4.50 and the one that I will send you has blue and white twine.

How To Enter: Check out her ETSY shop, and any of her other amazing ventures (listed at the top of the page), then come back and tell me which piece you love, or which site you like the best. (Amy will be reading- she is a savvy blog mama so be sure to show her some love in the comments sections at the other places, too.) Make sure to leave your email address in the comments here so I can contact you. You do not have to be a blogger, just have a valid email address. One entry per person, please. Comments/entries will be open until Monday, August 4th. I will choose a winner with a random number generator and I will contact you be email. You will have until August 8th to get back to me with your mailing address or I will choose a new winner. (Please note: I will be on vacation so these will not go out until after the 10th.) International entries are accepted. Please remember that you need to leave a comment on EACH giveaway, individually, to be eligible.

If you haven't been entering all of the great giveaways at Melanie's Bloggy Giveaways, you should be. What's better than something for nothing?

COMMENTS FOR THIS GIVEAWAY ARE NOW CLOSED