So as you know, we got a new puppy. I’ve been keeping the stories on the DL because, well, there’s something embarrassing. No, not her puppy butt breath (although that is completely repulsive), it’s, um … her name.

For some reason, when you adopt or rescue a dog they always have the worst names. I don’t know if it’s because they see so many come through the doors that they have to be super creative with names just out of sheer volume, or if they think that the more ridiculous the name the more eye-catching it will be. When we adopted our dog Indy, the name on his adoption papers was Spanky. (I know, right?) Well, the original name on the papers of our new puppy was Wiggly Wanda.

I said, the name the shelter gave her was:

Wiggly Wanda.

[pause for reaction]

Uh. Yeah.

We adopted a dog named Wiggly Wanda. Nevermind that I have an aunt named Wanda and having a dog with the same name as your aunt is both disrespectful and weird, but having a dog named Wiggly Wanda is just … awful.

I tried for an entire day before we brought the puppy home to reason with E.

Me: Don’t you think we should rename the puppy? I mean, Wiggly Wanda. That’ kind of a weird name.

4 year old: No, that’s her name.

Me: Well, not really. That’s just the name that is on her adoption papers.

Her: (sobbing) BUT THAT’S THE NAME HER PARENTS GAVE HER. WE CAN’T CHANGE IT!

Well, there you have it.

I tried, really I tried, for one entire day when we first brought the dog home–Wanda, Wand, Wiggly, Wiggles, Wigs. I tried them all while my mom laughed at me from the background.

And then it came to us–Leia. Her name should be Leia. And it had nothing to do with the fact that The Husband folds her ears up and they stay in place like Princess Leia’s hair. Really, it didn’t.

So we finally convinced E that her name should be Leia and (thank goodness) she agreed.

The next day, as I dropped E off at school she said, “Miss Amber! I have a new puppy! Her name is Wiggly Wanda.” I just smiled at Miss Amber’s one raised eyebrow and reminded E that the new puppy’s name is Leia. (LEIA DAMNIT! Say it. SAY.IT.)

That evening, The Husband and E took Leia into the pet store where a woman stopped them and said, “Ohhhh! She’s so cute. There was a puppy at the Humane  Society who looked just like her!”

When The Husband told the woman that we just adopted the puppy, the woman replied:

OH! IS THAT WIGGLY WANDA?!?

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

Now that I’m older, I find that I hate Valentine’s Day.

Let me rephrase that: I really hate Valentine’s Day it annoys me because it’s just one more on the very long list of things I need to do and spend money on when I really should be using the money for something else. I’m really beginning to despise the commercialization of holidays. I love my husband, isn’t that enough without spending $4.95 on a card that will be looked at once before being discarded and buying him some silk boxers with the Tazmanian Devil surrounding by swirling hearts?

(Exactly.)

So, yesterday I found myself in the picked-over Valentine’s aisle of a local store because I just can’t get it together enough to plan ahead for my four year old. Instead of taking her to the store to pick out her own Valentines for her classmates, there I was feeling like crap because I had to figure out which Valentines my daughter wants for her friends. More guilt. (Just what I need).

Justin Bieber Valentine’s cards were out because she doesn’t know who he is. Phineas and Ferb, Spongebob and some other group of kids were also all out because she isn’t allowed to watch them (and I had no idea who the hell those kids were). So, let’s see, that left the weird and boring stuff. Kittens? Sticker smiley faces? Dr. Seuss? Spiderman? Skull and Crossbone Tattoos? Car pencils?

What? WHAT SHOULD I PICK FOR A PRESCHOOL CLASS?!?

And then, clearly the stack that was for bitter moms: “I (heart) Sliders” (hamburgers) and the bug gel Valentines with captions like, “You don’t bug me.” (Totally awesome, right?)

My itchy fingers traced over the bugs and sliders for a few moments before I relinquished them for one box of lenticular dinosaurs and one box of lenticular Hello Kitty.

But don’t think I liked it for one minute.

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

I’m just going to lay it on the line: family meal time sucks at our house. At the beginning of any give week I have all these grand plans about getting organized and planning out meals days (or weeks!) ahead of time so that I’m not scrounging around last minute or ordering take out all the time.

And then it happens. Life. Busy schedules and the general insanity of a family leaves me panicked 30 minutes before we’re supposed to eat and I’m frantically looking for that recipe that I emailed to myself or saved somewhere on my computer. (I see some heads nodding out there in agreement.)

Well, I found something really cool to make meal planning and organizing a breeze. clipix is a new site that allows you to organize everything you find online and want to keep in easy-to-reach, distinct locations called Syncboards. One of the coolest things it that you can clip with your friends or family. So if they find a cool recipe or meal planning tool, they add it to the Syncboard and all of you see it in real time. (How awesome would it be to get a few of your friends and family members together to share meal planning and take the sole burden off of you?!?)

You can also use “Multiboards” to group multiple clipboards into one category. Create a “Meals and Planning” Multiboard and then organize the recipe Syncboard, planning tools Syncboard, crockpot meals Syncboard, etc. all into one area.

One of my favorite things about Clipix is that you can drag a little “clip” button right into your toolbar. Whenever you see anything (not just recipes, but anything!) you want to save for later, just click the easy-access button right from your screen and add it to your Syncboard.

I don’t know about you, but ending the hunt through all my “favorites” and emails for that one recipe sounds pretty good. Go on over and try it. Not only is it easy, it’s also free. (Organizing without the cost. I’m totally in.)

Promoted Post

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Ella:

It’s your fourth birthday and I can’t believe it. I know it’s so cliche to say that, but it’s true. Something happens when you have a child that turns it up to “11″ on the time warp machine. Your life becomes flashes, glimpses of memories that you recall with a smile or from a smell or a by seeing a photo with a fleeting “remember when…” thought.

It really was just yesterday when I was in the hospital giving birth to you, I’m quite sure of it. I remember it all–every single moment–of not having you and then having you here. It’s sometimes hard to reconcile that preemie 5-pound baby in my mind with the head-strong, sarcastically funny daughter I see today. Some days I can detect so much of myself in  you that makes me cringe and I think, “No, don’t grow up being that way. It’s not such a great way to be.” And then you catch me completely off-guard with your mature humor and analytical way of thinking. Sometimes you seem so grown up that it makes my heart ache and I can see exactly how you are going to be when you get older.

You have such a big heart that it makes me want to swaddle you and not let you out into the world until you are 30 or so and have built a hard enough shell that you won’t crack, or you can at least drown some of the pain out with a night on the town with the girls. You like everyone, which is both frightening and wonderful, but that also means you get your feelings easily hurt when you perceive others don’t share an equal love for you. You never want anyone to feel left out and you go to great extremes to be sure to name everyone in pictures, prayers and conversation, even those who you haven’t seen for a while.

You’re pretty much up for everything and will try anything, even food like sushi. You want to be right in the middle of the action no matter what it is. If there is no action, you will create some yourself.  You love music and singing. A few days ago you wrote and entire sheet of paper with different music notes, a “song” for our cat Hannah that just died. You also love drawing and have a general love of learning. Not long ago you woke me up at 3 a.m. to ask me if I could get up and teach you how to write “1, 2, 3…”

I think you’re also going to be one of those smart kids who will be lazy if we allow it. You already try the manipulation with phrases like “I’m too tired” or “I don’t know how” when really the answer is “I just don’t want to right now.” When you are playing educational computer games, I have noticed that you often pick all the wrong answers before you pick the right one, even when you know the answer. The noises and effects are much more interesting than when you get it right. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this yet.

There’s so much to say about having a four year old that it’s almost too overwhelming and makes a parent just go blank. I mean, FOUR! It seems so old. When you were three and below, you were still a baby. It was easy to dismiss so much and still know that you were just a baby. Now, four, so much older … one tiny year shy of real school age. Where has it gone?

Sometimes I long for you to be a baby, just one more day–one more day of “baby stuff” and baby snuggling and tiny little toes to eat up and heads that smell like sweet lavender lotion. But it’s then that I remember that I wouldn’t have you, this you, the little person that makes me laugh regularly throughout the day. The one that initiates stimulating conversation that you wouldn’t expect from such a little body. The one that fills my heart so full that I’m sure it’s going to burst out of my chest.

Thank you for coming into my life, making me a better person, humbling me and teaching me what it really is to love unconditionally.

I love you,

Mommy

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

I know what you’ve been up to and you’re busted. Don’t try to deny it. You’ve been coveting your neighbor’s mobile phone and now it’s time to stop. You no longer need to keep up with the “Joneses” because now you can be a Jones. You don’t have to choose between the “cool factor” and functionality because Sprint has an awesome offering. (Do you think you can handle it? Ok, here we go…)

Right now (yes, RIGHT NOW), Sprint is having an amazing sale where you can get the Nexus S™ 4G for free. All you need to do is open a new line of service or add to your current account. Want to crank it up a little more? Ok, we can do that. Sprint is also offering the HTC EVO™ 3D for only $49.99 when you open a new line of service or add to your account.

And check it out, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home. (I see you out there in your footed sock monkey pajamas.) Both of these offers are available online only. The Nexus S has a $50 MIR that converts to an instant  $99.99 web-only savings, and the EVO has a $50 MIR that converts to an instant $50 web-only savings.

What else do you get for all that “trouble” of staying home and ordering in your jammies? Waived activation fee for new lines of service and free shipping on sprint.com, that’s what.

That’s right, two awesome Sprint choices. You just won’t be a Jones. Dude, you’ll be better than the Joneses. But you better hurry, because the offer ends soon and your dream of being better than a Jones will be over. (And how sad will that be?!?)

This post brought to you by Sprint. All opinions are 100% mine.

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

There are some things that I really hate spending money on. You know the things I’m talking about, all those necessary but boring things—makeup, house cleaning stuff, prescriptions. There’s just something about going to the store and shelling out money (that is already tight) for those things that makes me all twitchy. That’s why I’m grateful for stores like Walgreens who offer great savings, discounts and coupons on those items.

And, if you’re looking for even bigger savings, especially on prescriptions, check out Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. For just a $35 annual membership, or only $20 for an individual membership, you can get additional savings on over 8,000 name-brand medications and all generic medications. You even get bigger savings on other medical items like flu shots, nebulizers, diabetic supplies and—get this—even pet medications! Also, if you’re a member of the prescription plan, Walgreens gives you special bonuses when purchase Walgreens brand products or photo services. All of this for $35 for a family membership (you, your spouse, any dependents under 22 and pets), or just $20 for a single membership!

Be sure to check out Walgreens on Facebook or follow Walgreens on Twitter so that you don’t miss any other great savings!

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

Sure the Super Bowl was last night and, of course, we tried to watch. However, we were busy with the excitement and drama of our own personal Puppy Bowl happening right in our own house.

If you’re not familiar with the Puppy Bowl 1) shame on you, and 2) shame on you some more.

The Puppy Bowl is an Animal Planet show that takes place during the Super Bowl. They put puppies on a make-shift football field and let them “play.” It’s hysterically funny (especially the water bowl cam) and full of more cute than should be allowed in one sitting. (I will not even tell you about the kitty halftime show.)

My husband hates it.

Maybe it’s because most years I flip back-and-forth between Super Bowl screaming and the oohs and ahhs of Puppy Bowl. However, last night we didn’t watch it. AT ALL. We barely got to watch the Super Bowl. Mainly because we “acquired” a new puppy. (I use the word “acquired” loosely because the “acquiring” was actually an entire process of  my husband secretly taking my soon-to-be four year old to the Humane Society “just to see what was there” and then paperwork and phone interviews and a “meet up” with our older dog and then the promise of two ribs a grant and month of sock monkey donations).

And then we had a puppy.

Nevermind that it isn’t white like E’s been asking for or that it wasn’t a dog like I wanted, but at least my husband got it for my daughter.

Ahem. 

Anyway, so while we wanted  to enjoy the Super Bowl with my parents over, we were instead chasing our new 4 month old Destructo Dog. When you have a 13 year old dog who came to you when she was already a year old, you purge forget what it’s like to have a little puppy around. And you forget exactly how much it’s like having a baby who just learned to crawl: the pooping, the feeding, the crying, the napping, the non-stop pulling things from her mouth.

And you forget exactly how sharp those little puppy teeth are and that puppies don’t understand the full extent of how to use/not to use them.

Well, until in a moment of frantic Destructo Dog puppy play she jumps up and rips your three-year-old’s ear with the aforementioned razor-sharp puppy teeth and you have a hand full of blood and matted bloody hair and a screaming three year old and a “maybe we should take her to get stitches” decision all while trying to convince your parents (and yourself) that this really was a good idea.

Was there some football game or something on last night?!?

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

There are tons of charitable organizations and people who are trying to make a difference all over the world. Since there are so many choices, supporting or finding one that fits me is often difficult and overwhelming. One of my favorite blogs to follow is PrimeParentsClub.com, a site for parents who are of the slightly-older demographic. I myself am 42, and have two kids, the youngest of which is only 2, so that’s one site that “fits” me.

The site was founded by a woman named Jacqueline Wilson, who…

Read the rest of the post by Jamie Moesser at MomItForward.com

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

A few pictures I took while visiting the Super Bowl festivities on February 2, 2102.(Be sure to click the video onto “full screen” so the pics are larger.)

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all? -Queen, Snow White

Sometimes I read other people’s blogs or Facebook status updates and feel like crap about myself. Does that ever happen to you? It sucks you in, takes hold and suddenly you feel very small … meaningless … like the things you are doing are so insignificant that it’s just a waste of your time. You might as well quit, right?

That happened to me today. I saw a…

Read the full post on The Monkey Do Project blog at RocktheSock.com

©2012 WritRams.com. All Rights Reserved.