The Scoop on Poop

I miss you guys!

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:48:00 +0000

I haven't been hugely active lately, I know, but moving to wordpress and not being able to take my subscribers and Google Friends with me was like moving from VA to Iceland or something. I hope y'all will come see me soon in my new home.

Here!

Summer's Ending & Changes

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:23:00 +0000

I have been hard at work all summer long trying to move all aspects of The Scoop on Poop to wordpress. I am still working out a few kinks, but I am ready to make the move. It even has a new url. I have not been able to move my subscribers over yet, so I hope that if you subscribe, by email or rss, that you will continue to do so with the new site. The options are there for you in the sidebar.

Are you ready?

Click HERE.

Hope to see you THERE!

Guest Blog: Celebrate 90 Years

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 04:57:00 +0000

Please welcome back Patty of Pampered Patty as she holds down the poop today.

My grandfather turned 90 today. I think about that and it really astounds me that my Poppy is 90. We had a party for him yesterday at the Vet's home where he now lives. He had a great time, there were some family members that came from out of town. Some people he had not seen in such a long time. It was sweet to see how happy he was.

He always called everyone " Dear". When he was asking a question it would he " How about that eh Dear?" So today all we heard was " Eh dear?" It was too cute.

On the drive home with my kids I started to think about the last 90 years and what it must be like to be that age. I know some of his younger years during the war and after were very hard. He was a very young man in World War II. He parachuted out of a plane and into the trenches in the dark of night. What he saw during that night and what came after it had such an impact on him that he was afraid of the dark for the rest of his life. I used to ask my grandmother why he slept with the light on. She replied " He doesn't sleep until the sun comes up sweetie, the light just helps him get through the night."

I think about everything he has seen in his life. The year he was born was the year the very first robot was built, the birth of artificial life. He has lived to see some of the greatest inventions like Antibiotics, Insulin, Television, Radio, Polaroid Photography.

Other inventions perhaps not so great like Nuclear Power.

He has also lived to see such atrocities as The Great Depression, The Holocaust, WW II which he fought in, The bombing of Hiroshima, The Civil Rights Movement, The Vietnam war. This is to name a few.

He was born at the time of silent movies...in black and white...which then moved in to talking movies or as he called it " the talkies...still in black and white. He remembers when the movies moved into technicolor, then television as well. A real feast for the eyes. He remembers the very first drive-ins.

There is so much he has seen and lived and is still living. It truly amazes me and makes me realize how much we take for granted. We are born in a world where there are still inventions but I don't believe they will be as huge as what my grandfather has seen. It was a time where man and technology came together and made things that changed the world. And the world itself changed.

It is still changing and it always will except now it seems to be at a faster pace. Today I have to say it was really nice to take a step back, to rewind a bit. To listen to my aunts and uncles sing older songs like Old Cape Cod and more. My children really enjoyed the time with their great grandfather. I know I certainly did. When I was little I remember my grandfather was always laughing, telling jokes that my grandmother rolled her eyes at. he always seemed to have a smile, a quick sense of humor, and a funny giggle.

Seeing him today, although he may not always remember, he still laughs and smiles. It is so nice to know that in this changing world there are some things that stay the same. I take great comfort in that.

Pampered Patty

Want to know more about Pampered Patty? Check out her feature here from Friday.

BSOW: A Little Pampered Goes A Long Way

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:33:00 +0000

It's Friday again? Where are the weeks going? Man, I feel like if I blink, it will be Christmas! Anyway, on with the show {and the ice cream!}

This week's Best Scoop of the Week found her father's family. She wrote a letter of acceptance to her body that we should all do. She made promises she didn't keep.

She's wonderfully honest, and not the least bit pampered, but she is a Pampered Chef consultant. Today's Scoop of the Week is better known as Pampered Patty.

I asked Patty if she could switch places with anyone alive or dead, famous or not, who would she choose and why?

" if I could switch places with one person this week it would be my husband. I think it would be neat for him to be me and see my perspective on things and it would be cool to be him as well."

Patty will be back on Monday to guest post. Have a great weekend!

Summer Blog Social: Advice For You

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0000

I know. Everyone is at BlogHer but me, and you if you are reading this. I don't feel to left out though since BBCD and 4 Plus an Angel came up with the #SummerBlogSocial to help me feel in the loop.

What's that you say?

Oh. Well click the link and find out. You won't be sorry. Can you wait until after you read my post though? Thanks so much. ;)

As for me? I chose Prompt #5: What activities, practices, features or events have helped you most in terms of blog or social media growth?

Have you ever noticed my sidebar? It seems really cluttered, doesn't it? But, if you look a little closer to the right, you see a list I call "You Can Find the Poop Here". Those are the places I frequent, most notably groups like The Red Dress Club, a writing club for women (though we have recently had some men join in too). There are other writing groups as well, and just above that space in my sidebar, you see "The Poop is Writing on the Walls Here".

Say what? Your writing poop on other people's walls?

Yep, I sure am. I post every Wednesday at Rage Against the Washing Machine (though its currently on hiatus for a couple of weeks) and I lead the writing workshop group for Tiffany at Bloggy Moms.

Why is this important?

Did you know that by joining Bloggy Moms your blog gets noticed? And? if you join the Writing Workshop, I notice your blog, and when you participate? I tweet about it. As often as I can, because your blog deserves to get noticed.

Why did I tell you about my weekly post at Rage?

That gets my blog noticed too. Seriously. I have met so many new people via her blog I can't even begin to explain.

The next piece of advice I have? Memes.

Participate in them. There are so many out there to choose from. I'm quite sure you can find one that suits your style. My current memes are

Post It Notes Tuesday, hosted by Kristin of Only Parent Chronicles
Pour Your Heart Out, hosted by Shell of Things I Can't Say
Wordless/Wordful Wednesday, hosted all over the blogosphere, but specifically by Parenting By Dummies and Seven Clown Circus
Summer Photo Challenge, hosted by Alicia of Project Alicia and Kristi of Live and Love...Out Loud.

I also participate in By Word Of Mouth Musing's Friday Facebook hop, which gets my Facebook page noticed. Do you know I went from 105 "likes" to 493 within 2 weeks between her hop and a discussion in bloggy moms? WOW!! That's a jump! Participation on the page has even gone up.

I run a feature every Friday, too. I call it The Best Scoop of the Week. Its a chance to get your blog featured, and break in your guest posting abilities at the same time. How do you do that? You just email me 3 of your favorite links. It's easy as pie (or maybe I should say ice cream, since that's what you get when you are featured. Three scoops to be exact, and I promise its not poop.) When its your turn, you'll get an interview question from me for your feature, and a prompt for your guest post. Need more info? That's easy to come by. Just click the Best Scoop of the Week (BSOW) tab at the bottom of my header.

Did you see what I did there? I promoted MYSELF. Ha. AND? I told you about a cool meme of my own.

And it didn't even hurt.

Did you know blogger makes it easy to promote your posts? At the bottom of every post you write a little grib pops up. I always click on the twitter symbol to tweet, and post to my facebook page too. The google + button is there as well.

I also joined some websites, though I don't really know how to get promoted on them, so anyone with the goods on getting syndicated on BlogHer or getting published on Studio 30+ and Indie Ink, I would grateful for. (Ha. So I worked in Prompt #6 or 9 here too.)

Basically, the more you join, the more you get promoted. It's been made SO easy for you. All you have to do now is sign up. What are you waiting for?

Have you joined Google + yet? I have invites.

From the Poop Files: A Love Story

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0000

This was originally posted last year, and I thought it would be fun to bring it back. Enjoy!

Once upon a time, there was a girl. We shall call her Drama Mama.

She was floating along in life as a single mom to a gorgeous little girl called Jellybean. She wasn't lonely as her days were filled with hard work and keeping her daughter occupied. They were two peas in a pod who enjoyed their little life.

One day, Drama Mama was waiting at the local bus station to take the bus to work when she saw a friend of a friend parked in his taxicab at the local station.

The buses were running late as usual, and when he finished his phone call, she struck up a conversation with him, just to fill the time. He ended up offering Drama Mama a ride to work, no charge.

He asked her out on a date as he dropped her off. She gave it a quick thought, since she really wasn't looking for a relationship and figured "Why not? I deserve dinner and a movie" so she said Yes.

From that moment on, every time she called to request a cab, his was the one that was waiting for her. They would talk about everything and nothing in particular. She would ride with him for a little while as he worked. Finally, the big date came.

Drama Mama gets all dressed up. He picks her up. They decide to see "The Village". There's popcorn. There's large sodas. All the right stuff for a night at the movies.

Except there is one problem. Mr. Taxicab is the touchy-feely kind. He firmly plants his right arm across her shoulders, and his left hand on her thigh.

Throughout the ENTIRE movie. This is no joke.

She's looking for an oxygen tank to rescue her and not finding one in sight. She fakes a headache at dinner, ordering nothing. He ordered his food though, and her silly old self just couldn't stomach the date anymore and asked him to take her home.

And he did.

Two weeks later, he calls and asks for a second chance, promising to not be Mr. Space Invader. He kept his word.

Three months later, they were madly in love with each other.

Three years down the road, he changes her life completely.

They knew that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together from the moment they fell in love. February 2005, he pulled out an engagement ring, while they were stopped at a traffic light, on her birthday. He didn't say a word, just looked at her. A simple "well, duh!" later, her ring finger was decorated with shiny new bling.

He may not have been who I was expecting, but he certainly has done everything in his power to make my dreams come true. He is my forever love. He is, and forever will be, my Knight in Shining Armor.

For better, for worse, through the uglies, and the beautiful, we are bound to each other for eternity. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Guest Blog: On Writer's Block

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Bella is back from the trenches of {If This Is} Motherhood today. Her prompt was "liberty" and here is her response:

On Writer's Block...

If you’ve ever had writer’s block then you understand just how frustrating it is. I’ve been suffering with it big time! So when The Drama Mama asked me to guest post, I was thrilled! I thought to myself “What a great way to get my MoJo back!” Not. I sat down, grabbed a cup of coffee and nothing came.

As I write this, I am 3 days late on the deadline and I’m honestly not even sure she will be able to publish this. But I’m sure as hell going to try.

It isn’t as if I have nothing to write about. Oh, the boys give me plenty. There was a time not so long ago when my blog was becoming quite popular before I dropped of the face of the earth and used the cowardly excuse of being overwhelmed at home when well-meaning bloggers sent emails asking about my sudden absence.

Life with boys is never boring. The Gremlin is an evil genius. But his genius will likely go unnoticed in the rock star world he is determined to be a part of. The Professor is a budding paleontologist with a fall back career of a lawyer. They give me plenty of writing inspiration and they are the star of both my blog and my heart. I hope that if you visit me, you’ll see just how much my personal sun rises and sets with the two people who mostly drive me nuts, but sometimes surprise even me with their wit, charm and intelligence.

I wish I could guest post something spectacular that would be shared and tweeted and liked a million times. I wish I’d sign on tomorrow and find a screaming plethora of fans on my blog. But the truth is, this post is me desperately trying to overcome writer’s block by doing what everyone keeps telling me to do. Writing.

I’m making a come back. No seriously, I am. I am going to blog more often even if I feel like there is nothing to say because blogging makes me feel good. I love to write. And despite the fact that I am severely handicapped with writer’s block right now, and seriously hating summer vacation because it’s just too long and we’re all bored out of our skulls at this point, I love to write and my blog matters to me.

I haven’t posted in a while, but The Drama Mama has a few of my favorites. I hope you’ll enjoy my past writes and visit me again for more. I make a public promise here to blog more often even if I’m still struggling with this block! You all can help me out by commenting, because I do love comments!

Thanks for featuring me DM! I’m sorry I couldn’t come up with something brilliant. I’m sure I will in the future, but I’m not at liberty to discuss that right now.

You know, she did get the "liberty" in there at the end. Haha. I hope you enjoyed, and leave her lots of comment love so she is inspired.

I'm at the beach, hope you are having a great week.

BSOW: No Time Machine Necessary

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:39:00 +0000

The Best Scoop of the Week is so delicious, I had to save her for today. This lady knows ALL about the poop, seriously. She has swallowed her dignity only to have it come out the other end, literally. Ever experienced the grossness that is called the Men's Room? Yep, she knows all about that too. She struggles with the same "I am not my mother" issues that we all do, especially when its a battle between her mom superpowers and normal mom abilities.

She is very real, very down to earth, with a humorous and often sarcastic look at life. This week's BSOW is none other than Bella of If This Is Motherhood...

I asked her where she would go if she could jump in a time machine....

I would skip the time machine experience. I think that every single moment in my life has made me who I am and contributed to where I am. And every single event that might happen in the future is a part of me as well. So if I were able too, I might go back in time and enjoy certain moments again (such as perhaps the days when my children were too young to walk and talk and wreak havoc) or appreciate them more, but I wouldn't change a thing about what has happened in the past or might happen in the future.

Bella will be back tomorrow talking about that dreaded disease we all get from time to time called "Writer's Block." You don't want to miss it.

The Drama Mama Speaks Up

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:47:00 +0000

There is a wonderful awareness carnival going on RIGHT NOW called Blog Against Child Abuse. Follow the link to check out all the blogs participating by offering their stories, support, and raising awareness about child abuse. Won't you take a few minutes to stop by?

My 15 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:03:00 +0000

my Scoop of the Week didn't come through for me, so I thought I'd give you a recap, etc.

My story did not make the finals, but thats okay. There are new stories to read at My Write Side if you miss me too much. I've got all kinds of challenges going on.

The nicest aspect of the week?
My 15 minutes of fame. I've been interviewed, and you can check it out here!!

Straight from the Poop Files: The Never Ending Story

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:41:00 +0000

I did this once a long time ago when my blog first started. It was fun, but the story was never finished, so, today I bring it back, with the comments from the original post added in. Who will save the puppy???

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She had a little brother, and they got a brand new puppy. She adored the puppy as much as the puppy adored her. Her brother wasn't always so nice to the puppy though, mainly becuase he was young and didn't know how to treat animals.

One day, the little girl and her family went on a vacation and left the puppy at home alone and that puppy did what no one knew that puppy could do. He picked up the phone.

That's right.

He picked up the phone and called up the beagle across the street, the poodle from down the road, even the great dane from the next neighborhood over. That's when the fun REALLY began...

Every dog in the neighborhood said they'd be over shortly except one: Pugsie McPuggerson, the cutest smoosh-faced dog on the block. Known to prance around with bows on both ears, Pugsie considered herself in a class high above the other dogs on her street. When she heard the puppy was having a party, she wondered why she never got an invitation to the party. She was known to never invite the other dogs on the block to her parties, but she figured that everyone had to invite her to their parties.

She sauntered up to the house and rang the doorbell once. She waited a moment, ears cocked and listening. Nothing. She rang the doorbell a second time. Still nothing. Since she was a firm believer in the third time being the charm, she rang the doorbell one more time in hopes that it would be answered this time.

The poodle answered the door since their host was busy getting water and some kibble for his guests. They hadn't heard the door at first since it was a party afterall and quite loud. She was shocked to see Pugsie McPuggerson.

"Yes, what can I do for you?", she barked.

Pugsie McPuggerson ran in the door frantic & blabbering! Nobody knew what was wrong! They tried to calm her down by...

Now, it's your turn! How do you think this story will go? Leave a comment with the next installment in the story and let's see what happens to the puppy!

*Disclaimer: This is not my original idea. I saw it on another blog, but forgot, so if this was your idea, please leave me a comment so I can give you credit for the awesomely fun idea!

Summer Coming On Fast

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:06:00 +0000

And it's end is coming up even faster, so I am going to devote these next few weeks easing my daughter into transitioning into the unknown, big bad scary world of middle school. I'm going to be revamping some of my older posts on Wednesdays, and keep the Scoop of the Week going on Fridays, with the guest post on Monday, so you won't miss us too much.

I am honestly ready for school to start, and so grateful for the teachers that give me a break 9 months of the year. :P

Have a great summer!

Guest Blog: White Wedding

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:55:00 +0000

Making It Work Mom is the guest for today. Enjoy!!

When I got The Drama Mama's emailing telling me that I was the Scoop of the Week I was thrilled. And then I saw the prompt she wanted me to write about.

White.

I was stumped.

So I asked my husband.

"White? Like the color? How do you write about a color? I don't get it."

Yah, he wasn't so much help. Moving on...

I kept mulling over the prompt for the next few days and honestly the thing I kept on coming back to was my wedding day and my big WHITE dress.

It is probably the only time in my life that I wore a white dress. Not because I am not pure and wholesome (of course I am), but because I am sloppy and always end up spilling things on myself.

My wedding day was one of the best days of my life. Not because I had planned the most marvelous wedding ever and everything went off without a hitch (HA!), but because it was the day that I started my new life. My new life as part of a couple and then eventually as the matriarch (yes I am feeling all 1980's Dallas) of my own family.

It was a good day.

Recently my girls (11 and 5) became interested in the TLC shows Say Yes to the Dress and 4 Weddings.

We would sit together all cuddled up on the couch and comment about the different dresses and weddings.

We would decide what dresses we liked best and discuss how crazy some brides were. We eventually broke out my wedding album and spent an hour or so looking through the pictures. I think it was hard for them to imagine Momma and Daddy without kids.

I started mulling over the idea of getting my own wedding dress out to show them. They had only ever been to one wedding and at that wedding the bride did not wear a traditional white dress. They had never seen a wedding dress for real, for real.

Now there was no chance that I was going to fit into my wedding dress. Those days are long gone.

*sigh*

3 kids and 13 years will do that to you.

But I could take it out of it's box where it had been "preserved" (I don't think that really means any more than putting it in a sealed box with some tissue paper around it) and let the girls see and touch it. It would be a fun girl's thing.

I picked a winter Sunday afternoon where we had nothing going on and the weather was bitterly cold and announced to the girls that "today we would look at my wedding dress".

Ahem...

Let's try again.

"Today we would look at my wedding dress!"

Their enthusiasm was a little overwhelming.

But I pushed on. I knew they were going to love my dress. I had no doubts.

So I gathered my two girls around me with the box lying sealed on the bed and started opening the box. It was time for the big unveil.

I took the dress out of the box, a big goofy grin spreading across my face as I remembered how beautiful I felt that day.

I laid the dress across my bed admiring its sheer loveliness. I turned to look at my girls expecting to see the same look of awe in their faces.

Instead I turned to see faces with turned up lips and squinty eyes.

"You wore that." From my 11 year old who will always tell it like it is.

"Yes. I love it. You don't like it. Look at the all the bling and the beautiful train. You don't think it's beautiful?" A little desperation and disbelief may have been sneaking into my voice.

And my 11 year old probably sensing I was one wrong comment away from a complete meltdown tried to backtrack a little.

"I like it. It's just the sleeves, and the train, and I don't know. I don't think it is my style." She sighed.

I sighed.

"That's okay. Everyone has different styles." That is me trying to be the bigger person even when I am bitterly disappointed.

My five year old pipes in. "I love it!" and gives me a big hug.

I sigh again. I know she doesn't mean it. My wedding dress is definitely not her style.

So I told my girls they could go. They practically ran out of the room. And I started packing up my beautiful white wedding dress alone.

I tried to tell myself it didn't matter if my girls didn't' like my wedding dress. After all it was just a dress. The dress was just a symbol of a day that changed my life for better.

But that didn't really improve my mood.

So instead I consoled myself by insisting that they were too young to appreciate the absolute fabulousness of my dress. I taped the box back up and decided that I would try again in 5 years. Surely they would get the beauty of my dress then.

Right?

BSOW: A Glimmer of Hope

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:19:00 +0000

Today I'm sharing the ice cream with another mother who has been there. She's tackling the horrors of puberty. Think soccer moms have it bad? She'll teach you a thing or two about hockey moms. She's holding down the trenches in the face of tweenhood. She's in the know on sibling rivalry. She's been given the low down on her mommy coolness factor. She simply doesn't do hugs.

She keeps "life in the fast lane. A working mom to three busy children whom are navigating their way through tweenhood, boyhood, and preschool." She claims that if she didn't laugh, she would probably cry.

So, exactly who is this super fabulous Scoop of the Week? It's none other than Heather, the Making It Work Mom!!

I asked Heather if she could have lunch with anyone, who would it be and why? Her beautiful answer is below:

If I could have lunch with anyone I would fast forward 15 years and have lunch with my oldest daughter. She would be 26. I wouldn't need to know all the nitty gritty details of her life. I certainly want some things to be a surprise. Like I don't want to know if she has children or is married or really even where she lives. I would like for some things to be surprises.

Maybe we don't even need a full lunch, a quick coffee might do the trick. We could just talk shoes and about the latest person to be voted off Big Brother.

I need to know that we can have a conversation.

I need to know that the parenting I am doing now, while she is 11, is actually going to work.

I need to know that I am not messing her up too much.

I need to know that even though she may roll her eyes at me, fuss about how mean I am, and stomp out after our conversations more times than I can count we will be okay.

I need to know that at 26 she feels like she can lean on me and that I, at 53, will feel connected enough to her to be confident and supportive of all her endeavors.

It is hard parenting a tween and more often than not I really feel like I am blowing it.

If I could just have a glimpse into the future and know that my tween is not going to remain bitter, spiteful, and moody.

*sigh*

If I could just be reassured that there is the slightest chance that in the future my every word might not annoy her.

*sigh*

Just a little itty bitty glimmer of hope would be fantastic.

Have a great weekend, y'all. Don't forget to stop by My Write Side and catch up on your reading. There are new excerpts to all three of my serials over there, plus a creepy camera and a talking shoe.

Heather holds down the poop on Monday, so please make sure to stop back by and show her some love.

PYHO: So Blessed

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

I’m a worrier, just like my mother before me. I worry about Jellybean’s future. I worry about bullies—mostly my child becoming one.

I worry about so much that I really have no control over. I do my best to teach them life skills, how to respect others, how to give and show love on a regular basis.

How to treat others the way they want to be treated.

I worry about Scooby too. He’s three, still, and becoming this awesome, sweet, and VERY independent little person. I worry about his speech issues. I worry that his huge heart will get broken because he’s just a typical three old boy with this really big zest for life, and it often gets him in trouble. I worry that he will follow in his sister’s footsteps and have ADHD too.

So, I watch. I love. I teach. I discipline. I snuggle. I play.

I pay extra close attention to tongue placement when we talk. I give him moments of independence that are appropriate for him. He gets to make some decisions on where we go, what he wears.

He gets hyper in the evening. He is incredibly active, almost constantly in motion from the moment his eyes open, til the moment he is tucked into bed at night. He has his quiet moments where he will sit and play with his cars for 30 minutes here and there.

His imaginative play has picked up and I’m finding it to be quite entertaining. His ability to play pretend, something his sister never did, has my heart doing little leaps and cheers.

Watching him grow, something I wasn’t able to do in the same way with his sister, has helped me understand just how early Jellybean’s symptoms began emerging.

It lets me rejoice in his accomplishments because they are so very unique to me, and so very normal for him.

Empathy is a huge struggle for Jellybean. She is so very literal that she has a difficult time seeing things from another’s perspective, even when it is explained to her. She lacks empathy, sadly. She has never shed a tear for anyone but herself in all her eleven years. Not when her beloved Grandma Nora died. Not when her Poppy passed away on Christmas. Not when her puppy died. Not to a sappy commercial.

She has never cried to a movie, a commercial, a book, or because of something happy.

Yesterday, for the very first time, at a moment I least expected it, I caught Scooby sniffing and wiping his eyes as he sat at the edge of my bed watching Where the Wild Things Are on HBO. It was the end of the movie and the wild things were wailing because Max was leaving.

AND MY SON WAS CRYING.

For the first time.

For someone else.

PINT: My Future Ex-Husbands 35+

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 06:47:00 +0000

Guest Blog: Blue & Writer's Block

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 05:10:00 +0000

Ever wonder what happens if my guests ever find themselves with a case of writer's block? Guess what. Theresa of One Woman Show is here to tell you ALL about her brush with it....

Blue and Writer’s Block

“For your guest post, your prompt is a single word: Blue. Whatever you think of is absolutely fine,” I read in an email from The Drama Mama.

“That should be easy enough,” I thought as I assumed something brilliant would come to me.

But as the days passed, I continued to draw a complete blank of inspiration from this single word writing assignment.

I started digging for obvious themes that reminded me of the word “Blue”.

Well, there’s….

Blue, the primary color – Although, I didn’t care for this color growing up. I liked orange. Now THERE’S a color….if only the assignment had been called “Orange”, but that’s cheating.

Blue Cheese – hmmm, yeah I hate blue cheese dressing…..

Blue Birds – I was a campfire girl and in the first grade we were called Blue Birds. I was forced to quit though after the first grade because my mother quit being the Blue Bird leader.

Blueberries – I don’t like the texture of blueberries and pick them out of my Starbucks yogurt parfait.

Blue – is the name of an album by Jodi Mitchell. I do not own this album. Moving on.

Blue as in Sad – I don’t read depressing blogs and I don’t write them either.

The Ocean is Blue – and if I hadn’t snoozed my way through my oceanography class last semester, I could tell you why…

Blue Book - this is what pops up first when you Google the word “Blue”. Yes, I was that desperate for inspiration.

Blue Waffle – this also pops up in a Google search, and it does not mean what you think it means! Disgusting!!!

Bruises are Black and Blue – and wouldn’t this be the perfect topic about a girl who got in a lot of fights growing up? That would not be me. Can’t we all just get along?

Blue Moon –is a song that reminds me of a scene in the movie GREASE where three high school boys show their bums on camera.

Selsun Blue - but can I write a whole blog on dandruff?

Blue State – as in my native California, but I don’t care much for politics.

Blue Shield/Cross – yes, let me write about health insurance! Zzzzzzzz…

And finally….

“You take the Blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe…” – Morpheus.

Don’t mind if I do. Gulp.

Did you miss her feature? No worries. It's right here.

Crazy Days of Summer {Weekly Photo Challenge}: Critters

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:40:00 +0000

BSOW: The Cat Whisperer

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:26:00 +0000

It's time to share the ice cream. Today's feature is a single woman, without kids, with a great blog. She's got an interesting story to tell, and I am SOO honored to be sharing my scoops with her. She's learned how reputation isn't always a bad thing. She's kissed Pete Sampras. She's taken back her youth if only for a night. She has an unexpected night of Golden Girl hell. She turns a simple beach trip into an adventure not for the feint of heart.

Who is this week's super star? It's none other than Theresa, the One Woman Show!!

I asked Theresa: If you died and were reincarnated as an animal, what would you be and why?

Her response:

That's easy. A cat.

Just the other day I decided to go for a walk in my neighborhood and I was hoping to run into some friendly outdoor kitties and get my feline fix since I can't have animals in my apartment building.

Within a one block radius, I made eye contact with three house cats and they all came running off their front porches and greeted me. I sat on the sidewalk and gave them some love. They knew they could trust me.

Call me a cat-whisperer!

For I am one of them.

Theresa

Come back on Monday for her fabulous guest post. Have a great weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Photo Challenge

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Patriotism...

This is my VERY late entry to the Summer Photo Challenge meme from Project Alicia and Kristi at Live and Love...Out Loud.

For more Wednesday Word fun:

Guest Blog: Little Red Annie Hood

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Annie of Maximum Chaos is back today to tell you all about the red in her life. Enjoy!

When you think of the word "red", what comes to mind?  I think most folks immediately think of the color red and their thoughts flow from there.  Depending on what you do for a living, perhaps you relate "red" with blood, a shiny apple, a perfect tulip, or perhaps Clifford the Big Red Dog.  Red is thought to provoke bold or aggressive emotions. It's a color that can cause a faster heartbeat and breathing. It's supposed to be the most popular restaurant design colors since it's an appetite stimulant.  And of course, red is said to be the color of love and passion.

For me, as a RED HEAD, I've always associated the word/color "red" with my hair.  Approximately only 1-2% of the world population has red hair.  There are also common urban myths about red heads becoming "extinct", which is ridiculous if you think about how genetics word, AND I swear, MN has a really big population of red heads. They are everywhere!!!

I am unable to think of red without connecting the thoughts to my wee ones and my own childhood.

It was apparent from an early age that I was frequently noticed and singled out due to my very red -- almost garishly florescent orange -- hair.

Insert Family Folklore: As newborn babe in the hospital nursery, a daddy escorted his little boy to pick up their newborn.  The daddy asked, "Which one do you think is ours?"  My dad was watching from the wings.  The little boy promptly pointed to me and my glowing hair, which stood out noticeably bright against the blondes, brunettes, and bald little cone heads.  When the daddy gently ushered the little boy to his actual sibling (completely bald, I'm told), the little boy threw such a stinking fit that the dad had to carry the flailing boy from the nursery.  Growing up hearing that story, I was proud of my red hair color.

Fast forward to elementary school. All of the boys teased me about the flamboyant color. It was the bane of my existence. I was shy when I was younger and didn't like the extra attention my bright, flaming hair brought on.

Fast forward to junior high school and high school.  I began to LOVE my red hair.  It was now an asset that set me apart from all of the other girls. I remember being so surprised to find that there are actually some guys who really like (and dare I say, prefer) red heads.  It was a totally different story to be "the red head" the guy across the room was eyeing!  What an advantage -- or at least that is what my 16 year old mind thought.

Fast forward one last time.  I'm in my 30's, married, graying quickly (UGH!!!), and three of our four children are red heads.

What does red mean to me now?

Well, truth be told, I think the first thing that comes to mind now days are those famed RED HEADED TEMPERS and their stubbornness!  Now, I know that's a stereotype and usually I don't like to blather on about stereotypes... However, after being a red head and now having 3 of them, it's easy to wonder if there is something to be said for their hair color affecting their feisty attitudes and unrelenting pig-headedness.

From my experience as a redhead, I think redheads are noticed more, teased more, singled out, and perhaps even labeled.  If that is true, maybe they learn to act differently because of that attention (positive and negative). Do we, as redheads, tend to accept the redhead label as an excuse to act a certain way? Good question.  What do you think?

Are redheads unique, passionate, smart and creative? You bet!!!

"Out of the ash I rise

with my red hair.

And eat men like air."

~ Sylvia Plath

P.S. No photo editing on these pictures. My wee ones hair really is this bright!!!

BSOW: Maximum Drew

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Yes, its a little late going up today, but better late than never, eh? This week's feature has her own set of Good Wife rules, knows the nostalgia of last babies, and has the fine art of getting one over on her husband down pat. She's not afraid to yell "Towanda!" to get her way. She's stifled the woes of a behind-the-times pig farmer. She has THOSE kinds of days too. And sometimes? her days go from bad to worst day ever yet she still leaves the humor intact, that is if she remembers to.

This week's Best Scoop of the Week is named Annie, and she is fresh from the throes of Maximum Chaos!

Annie was asked if a movie were made of her life, who would play her, and why....

My younger years were turbulent and chaotic - lots of DRAMA. Between the ages of 16-22 I am certain my family could have starred in a few episodes of Jerry Springer. My family could probably still pull off a great "made for TV" movie.

If a movie were made of my life, I'd like to think Julia Roberts could play me. As a natural red head (now more white than red at the ripe young age of 33) with 3 of 4 children also being redheads, I *LOVE* with Ms. Julia's gorgeous, flowing red tresses in Pretty Woman.

However, as a vertically challenged woman at only 5'1", I can't pull off her long limbs. Actually, let's cut to the chase! Since I'm not part of Hollywood, I can't pull off the stick skinny look either. I purpose we go hog-wild with the delusions and not consider any real-life look-alikes...

Drew Barrymore. I've always thought she seems like she would be so much fun to hang out with. So, I choose Drew -- for no good reason, other than, she seems like she would be a hoot to hang out with. Plus who doesn't love her spunk as the princess in Ever After - A Cinderella Story? I totally have to get me one of these costumes...

Have a great weekend, friends. Annie's back on Monday with a fabulous guest post you don't want to miss!!

This Is Gonna Date Me But...

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Before I had a computer, there was television. In fact, before I was born, I think I was watching tv from inside my mother's womb. I knew what I liked, and I missed them when they went off. Sometimes I'd love to see them make a come back, and other times I know they wouldn't be the same with different people playing the same characters. Even the remakes of old movies, I am usually disappointed with. I'm begrudging of my memories, and of the camp that believes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

That being said, here is a list of 10 shows I would love to see again, in no particular order:

Little House on the Prairie. There isn't anything like Pa and Half Pint with her buck teeth, and little Carrie taking a tumbling down the hill.
The Land of the Lost. Now who wouldn't want a Sleestack on their tail to get their morning started?
Charlie's Angels. We should all aspire to be Angels when we grow up, now shouldn't we?
Charmed. The world hasn't been safe since they went off the air.
Creepshow. I don't know about you, but that little dead guy, the Cryptkeeper, generally made me laugh, as did the stories on the show.
Get Smart. Man I loved that show. I always dreamed of being Agent 99 one day. I'm still dreaming of being Agent 99 one day...
Roseanne. She was a great reminder that there really are mothers worse than you out there.
The Golden Girls. 4 old Bittys and the glorious Betty White.
Happy Days. Fonzi Need I say more?
Family Ties. Alex P. Keaton, Sit Ubu Sit, and Mallory's hot biker boyfriend.

Will we ever see these shows again? Could they make a comeback in today's society?

I chose the 1st prompt: A list of 10 old TV shows you'd like to make a comeback.

What's your list?

Tale of the Sucky Vampire

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

I will admit that I am a nocturnal creature. There's just something about the night that enthralls me. As I get older though, nocturnal habits are beginning to create problems of their own.

I used to have this thing for vampires. Creatures of the night like me, the whole forbidden desires aspect, and that they kicked butt just held mucho appeal for me. Well, that, and aside from the red eyes, they are hella sexy too. Especially the vampires of late.

Today though, I would make a horrible vampire. Seriously. I'm not afraid to tell you why.

Here's why The Drama Mama would make a sucky vampire:

I would starve to death and my death would bring disgrace to vampires everywhere. And it's not a squeamish to blood thing, either. Blood I can handle. My disabling aspect is that I am blind as Stevie Wonder at night. I can have a floor free of debris and a chartered course after I turn out the lights and STILL stumble over my no-longer-sleeping husband in the bed, 8 feet off the ground. This does not bode well for my nocturnal adventures to find fresh meat.
I would bring all the vampire hunters straight to the lair because of my not-so-subtle stomping. Seriously have you ever known a quiet deaf person?
My immortal years would end in early demise because if I didn't starve to death, my old joints would never move fast enough to avoid getting caught. That's if I could haul my fat butt fast enough to catch something in the first place.
I would disgust myself. I'm an Italian food lover, and anyone who knows anything about Italian food knows its heavy laden in the garlic. I wouldn't be able to come or to go. I wouldn't be able to stand my own flesh. Yet I would still eat that spaghetti.

The only thing that would make me stand out as a vampire is my aversion to sunlight. Really. I burn, not tan. It's not pretty. So, I tend to avoid sunlight as much as possible, even though I have been told I sparkle.

So, tell me, what would make you a great or horrific vampire?

Guest Blog: All By Myself

noreply@blogger.com ({Stephanie}The Drama Mama) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Please welcome back The Suniverse today. I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend and enjoying your holiday safely.

~*~*~*~*~

My near-maniacal need to take care of things BY MYSELF is an attribute I always found quite endearing, and one which others find endearing as well. If by endearing you mean something that makes people want to stab you with really, really sharp toothpicks. I will generate this response in people who watch me flail around, trying to do something that I really, really can’t do, but refusing to ask for help even as I hurtle past the point of rational action and into that dark territory where hacking at a jelly jar with a really big knife seems like a perfectly acceptable method of removing the lid. I will do this because I do not like to ask for help.

Because I am very much a person who feels that asking for help makes me a loser.

It doesn’t make you a loser if you ask for help.

Just me.

Yeah, I don’t completely get it, either.

Part of it is being independent, of being free. Of listening to Kelly Clarkson singing, “Whatever happened to Miss Independence?” and thinking, “Hell, yeah, Kelly, sing the shit out of that song – whatever DID happen to Miss Independence? Stand up, you lazy girl!”

Part of it is that thrill of self-reliance, of completing something on your own, of needing no one else.

And part of it is making sure that I know, deep down, that I can handle anything.

The thing is, I LIKE being independent. I really do. I like being able to think for myself and do for myself [I mean, not stuff like cleaning or killing bugs or figuring out how to change out the propane tank – what am I married for if I’m doing all of that?] and make decisions and say that we’ll be eating chicken for dinner AGAIN tonight because I said so.

Except when I can’t.

The times I can’t, the times I am completely at a loss to be that independent woman really, really terrify me.

I’m a complete mess.

I was not raised to be that woman who clings, who asks permission, who needs someone to guide her. I mean, I was raised to be that woman, but I threw off those shackles pretty quickly and thoroughly.

What steals my independence now, what makes it so hard sometimes to be who I truly am, is anxiety and its bastard cousin panic.

Those two have screwed me up and down and all around.

And I hate them for it.

I hate them for stealing my abilities and for crippling me and making me so uncertain and insecure that I have found myself standing in a department store for 40 minutes, looking at sale rack of clothing, totally and completely unable to decide if I should get the black $7 pair of leggings or the gray $7 pair of leggings.

I’ve come back from that. I’ve moved forward and I’ve been freed. But it was a long, hard journey and one that is not completely over.

And so I tend to hang on to that banner of independence and do-it-for-yourself-ness even when I know, rationally, I shouldn’t. Why not ask the husband if he can pick up a loaf of bread on the way home? BECAUSE I CAN GO TO THE STORE MYSELF, NOW, THANK YOU. That’s why. Because I can.

But just because I can, doesn’t mean I always have to. That’s the part of independence I need to work on – the part that says it’s o.k. to be independent as part of a team that works together. It’s o.k. to ask for help. It’s o.k. to sometimes NOT be the responsible one.

And maybe just sit around and jam out to Kelly Clarkson and eat jelly on my bread.