Throwback Thursday - A little story

I am participating today in Mama Kat's World Famous Writer's Workshop - but with an oldie.

I am terribly sorry if you don't like leftovers, but that is what you get today.

It is prompt 4) Something funny your child said.  - And I think we can agree Boo Boo La La is pretty entertaining so....

This story is from March 6, 2010.

***********************************

I have a pretty good one today.  If you like fart stories that is....you don't?  Well, you have not been here for the poop stories then, huh?

I remember it like it was Thursday morning, because it was Thursday morning.  Boo Boo and I were ready to leave and I went around the house ensuring lights were off and no dangerous articles were left burning somewhere.  I got back to where Boo Boo was in the dining room and she was leaning against the table and making funny faces...upon seeing me she said,

My butt itches, so I am trying to fart.

Hmm-mmm, farting makes it stop itching?

YES MAMA, you know THAT!  (more faces and butt sticking out)  I can't fart and my butt itches!

Maybe you will fart in the car like Daddy, come on let's go.

Okay, that might work....

Ahhh, yes.  Imagine the joy of a pre-teen Boo Boo when she hears she tried to learn to fart on command to relieve butt itchiness.

I would say my work is done here for today.  Have a farty-party weekend!

***********************************************

I will be back this weekend with a new story or two.  Have a great Thursday! #TBT

Always

I always get up pretty early, but it seems to not be enough time to:

Do some laundry
Go to the gym
Do some laundry
Have rousing discussions with Tbone about the "idiots" at the gym or on television
Wake my daughter
Play a little Bejeweled Blitz
Get breakfast
Make Coffee
Find outfits for myself and Boo Boo
Cuddle
Snuggle
Take a bath - play some more Bejewled Blitz in the tub
Make the bed
Brush the teeth and hair
Put on the makeup, don't want to scare anyone
PROD the frozen child Boo Boo La La AGAIN to "Eat already!" and "Are you dressed yet?" and now the popular "Have you got your backpack & lunch?"
Check on the laundry again
TRY to put things in the dishwaser - fail, it's clean
Get out the door with the cell phone and MY lunch....crap go back into the house for one or the other or BOTH...

Yup, late again.

Inspired by Mama Kat's Writers Workshop Prompt -
2. Write a blog post inspired by the word: late

a Taste of Summer

I don't think there is anything here in Minnesota quite as nice as the first rhubarb of summer.

My mom has rhubarb, but her patch is dying out as the trees are shading it too much. 

My neighbor has some.

My carpool buddy has some. 

Thankfully, people also like to SHARE the first rhubarb of summer.

I brought it home on Friday and hemmed and hawed over just what I would do with this delicious bounty. 

You see, the people in my house are "MEH" rhubarb - I can take it or leave it.

As a kid I could not WAIT for the rhubarb.

I mean....it is really just a vehicle for sugar.

So on Father's Day - I made Rhubarb Dream Bars.

It called for powdered sugar AND regular sugar.

Recipe here.

And the people said, "YUM!"

Link up to Mama Kat here. 

Hang up the phone!

Click on Over

She commands - I oblige...

Choose a prompt, post it on your blog...The Prompts:

1.) A smell that makes you think of your mother.
2.) Share a recipe that everyone in your family loves.
3.) 8 things you said to your kids this week that maybe other parents did not say to their kids.
4.) Who was the last person to call you…what did they want this time?
5.) Write a post inspired by the word: punched.

I decided on 4.) Who was the last person to call you…what did they want this time?

All day I talk on the phone. 

Most of the time its a pretty simple call, sometimes I want to hang up on them, other times I am glad they called so I can get something done.

Yesterday afternoon I got super busy - like have not had time to respond to requests yet from Tuesday busy. I had been talking all day to one field guy in particular and he called AGAIN. 

What in the heck? We just hung up!

- OMG Lisa - you have to get that file to them TOMORROW or we can't go in Monday.
WHAT? Why? It has nothing to do with Monday.
- I know but she is now holding us hostage!!!
Uhhhhh!  Okay then I have to hang up right now and work on it - and tell your guys their requests will have to wait.  Seriously, tell Mills to quit emailing me about the +redacted product name+ for +redacted hospital name+ I don't have time to read four emails about it in two hours and do this for you.
- Gotcha - emailing them to back off.

And so goes another day if the life. And I can't say to my guys that what they need is not important, because it really is important. Its FRUSTRATING but in the end when I hear stories like the one about former Mayor of Minneapolis R.T. Rybak  I know I need to pick up the phone.

How about you? Who calls you every day?

Top Ten YouTube Channels?

This Week's Writing Prompts For Thursday 05.09.2013

http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/

1.) Your top 10 favorite YouTube channels. <--oooh love YouTube!
2.) A long drive...
3.) Describe a talent of flaw that seems to be in your genes.
4.) When you first discovered the internet, what sites did you frequent most?
5.) Tell us what (or who) you're crushing on.

Guess what I chose???

10. DJ Hoopster - A beautiful friend.

9. MDK - My Drunk Kitchen, you must know Harto?

8. IAMMNNice - Mesmerizing Shovel, look into it.

7. NEWLY uncovered - Josh Hoaby.  My daycare provider's AWESOME SIL.  Wow.  Just Wow.

6.The Animated Woman!   And not just because I won her Twitter Contest.

5. Ted Talks - sometimes I need to feel smart.

4. Jenna Marbles - again, sometimes I need to feel smart.

3. Layer Cake Wine - Cook (and exercise) with Jayson.  Really.

2. Community Channel - I have followed here for-EVER.  I am the "MUM" who rates her.

1.  My own.  Why?  Because during the day I like to sometimes watch my Boo Boo.  It makes me not feel so sad to be away from her, or I cry.  Either way #winning!

The perfect snow day.

Sunday with no where to go.

A fully stocked fridge, a chilling bottle of sauvignon blanc, the floors swept yesterday, only endless loads of warm laundry to fold...

and a roast for the oven to warm my kitchen to just the perfect level of toasty as I watch the flakes fall.

A trip outside to make a few angels and have a family snowball fight.

A camera at the ready.  A child who loves to pose.   

Your Turn

Her name is Uni-que!

For Mama Kat's Pretty Much Famous - Writer's Workshop this week I selected.

5) Share how you came up with your kids names!

Which is weird because I don't think I usually pick prompt five.  Hmmmm.

Anyrandomthoughtlater.

We had a boy name for our dear Boo Boo - cuz ya know I was sure I would have a boy.  My SIL thought so too.  We had discussed it!  It would be a boy because I am not girly enough for a girl.  And I will tell you that name it was Adin, after a relative of my husband's who served in The First Infantry of Minnesota and has been researched heavily by my FIL.

See about that Adin here.   Oh yes, you get history here with the goofiness.

When we asked Sair and J-Dogg if they would like a boy or a girl, they both said, "I hope you have a girl." Sair thought that any boy would gang up on her with J-Dogg (Ummm, you will be 13 when this kid gets here!) and J-Dogg, I didn't ask, but I think he likes being the only boy.

And for the life of us, T-bone and I could NOT settle on a girl's name.

Nope.

It went something like this:

T: Karen?
M: Veto. Greenleigh?
T: Veto!  Debbie?
M: Gag. Veto.

I wanted unique - he wanted pronounce-able, spell-able, and not tease-worthy.

Then, we found out.

Dum.Dum.Dum.

She's a girl al-righty.  Shit.  What are we going to name her?

T: How about Grace, didn't you say you always wanted to name a girl Grace?
M: You didn't listen to the next part when I said  - but, that was BEFORE every other moron named their kid Grace.  Ugh!  (Pregnant hormones!)

We rented a movie that Friday - I was hoping to god I would not fall asleep before it was over.

And suddenly - Diane Keaton speaks and says, '________?' (you didn't think I would type it would you?) and the daughter says, 'Hmm?' and then she asks her what she would like for desert, in French?

T-Bone and I both sat up from our prone couch positions and said,

"That is it!"

It had the correct combo of uni-que and normal.

Then, of course, there was the battle over the middle name.  T-bone insisted that it be a one syllable name and brought up Grace again.  But I wanted my DAD's middle name.

Claire.

Yup - my Grandmother named him and it is a boy's name if you spell it correctly. C-L-A-R-E.

But she didn't.  :)

The battle over that name ended on the day Boo Boo La La was born and I had her with NO DRUGS.

Cuz apparently, if you do that, you win.


P.S. Diane Keaton won a Golden Globe for that performance.

P.P.S. To learn how we named Roofis - click here.

Move to the country...

MamaKat this week gave a prompt I can TOTALLY get on board with:

1.) What do your kids have that you always wanted when you were a kid?

You see I got A LOT of things when I was a kid - time with my parents, toys, food, trips, fun, educational opportunities, LOTS of swimming, LOTS of love and attention from my entire family. But my mother just would NOT let me have a Barbie.  

Nope.  No Barbie's.  

Barbie goes against every ideal that we have for our daughters.  We are the women of the 70's hear us ROAR.  

I had to sneak playing Barbie's at friends houses whose mothers didn't pay attention to Gloria Steinem and Annie Hall.  

I got these guys. 

The Sunshine Family were the 70's Hippy-Friendly, Hobby Store-owning alternative to Barbie.  They did things for themselves!  

But they were still made by Mattel so Mattel didn't care my Mother didn't buy Barbie's.  

Sew, garden, build, craft!

Reminded me of this SO much when I read that they were the "Do It Yourself" "Hippie" dolls.

Flash forward to this century - and what does my child have?

EVERY BARBIE UNDER THE SUN!!!!!  And Grandma bought her the Barbie Beatle, several SETS of Barbie clothes and at least one of the Barbies.  

Guess Grandma decided Barbie is a feminist after all.  

Now be GONE to MamaKat's for more inspiration of your own.  

Hey - even the Monster High kids dig Barbie.

p.s.. After I finished the blog last night I went downstairs and told my husband and Boo Boo La La that I had to write a blog about how Grandma wouldn't buy me Barbies, but she bought them for Boo Boo - she got all serious and said, "Mama, you can have one of MY Barbies.  Really, you can."
I love her.

A B C, 1 2 3, baby you and me, yeah!

I have not joined in on the fun for a while, but I couldn't resist this time.  MamaKat's prompt this week was:

5.)  Last week we talking about mom's WORST homemade meals. This week describe a meal your Mom cooked that you LOVED eating growing up

My FAVORITE thing was not made by my mother, but my father.

I spared my mother the shame that was the grossest meal I ever ate last week.  It was tough to resist, but I did.  But this week, I had to talk about my favorite thing my father made for me.  

My dad did not cook very often.  He can, but he just didn't.  

One time he made sloppy joe's - and I will never know why, but he used Alphabet Soup in his sloppy joe's.  I loved it!  It was delicious even if it was weird to see:

in your bun.

I liked these sloppy joe's SO much that I asked my dad to make them for my birthday party when I was like 17 or something.  I am sure my friends thought they were weird.  But I didn't care at all.  

I loved them.  And I love my dad.  So, nyah.

Now go - pick your prompt and get on the MamaKat-wagon.  

Go See

A Brand New Silly Sonnet

MamaKat had a prompt this week to write a poem about how you feel about a day of the week.  Can you guess which day I picked?  Tell me.

Getting up early while everyone sleeps.

Piles of laundry in my basement creep.

Why is it already here....

I could use another 24 hours I fear.

Sorry I am not linking, but at the time of this post www.mamakatslosinit.com was unavailable.

Enjoy your day!

What I love?

Really I don't know what is not to love about Boo Boo La La's room.  The restaurant/Barbie/Monster High/dress up closet mess that it is...even AFTER we "clean it"

 

The room is small - VERY SMALL and she has a toy bench, play kitchen, bed, book/toy shelf, and small table with two chairs in this room.  It gets a good amount of sunshine and is a lovely BURSTING place to be.  

I lovingly chose a purple wall and we painted the ceiling pink.  

I love it.  

But most of all I love the little hoarder that lives there.

Yes, my child is a hoarder of every little thing you can possibly imagine.  Rocks, pine cones, stuffed animals, old watches or cell phones, and pieces and parts of friends toys.  Yes, the other little boys and girls she knows give her random lego men and pieces of other toys.  She loves them.  And when she says, "No mama I can't get rid of that!  Alexa gave me that on the bus." or "That's Luis' he gave it to me."  How can a mama throw it out.

Maybe we'll get our own series?

Now go on - get!  Read more blogs....

Santa's of Christmas Past

And lo, Mama Kat Angel came from the east and said...

Write about Santa's past.

Santa, Mrs, & Boo

Which means of course I can show cute pictures of Boo Boo.

But also that I can re-hash my Santa tale from Holiday 2010.  In case you had not noticed I am not blogging a lot lately.  The first reason was I felt uninspired because I had no job, and now it's because my job is keeping me SUPER BUSY (and Kid-fu, Girl Scouts, Sunday School teaching, volunteering and kindergarten...whew!)   So here you have it - What happened LAST year:

  

Yesterday I played along with Wordless Wednesday and put up this picture of my Dear Sweet Child, Boo Boo La La. 
I got lots of nice comments about how cute she is - Thank you - and I wanted to tell you how it came to be that I found myself paying for a picture with Santa Claus for the first time EVER in her life. 

You see my husband is in a union and every year they have a Christmas Party for all the kids to come and see Santa and Mrs. Claus - she sat on the SAME Santa's lap (or at least near it) every year since she was 11 months old.

The Evidence:

At 11 months

Just about Two

At almost three she didn't think she liked the big guy...

Almost four and starting to get the picture...

This year however my husband had to WORK on the day of the party...and while I would KNOW people there, including my BIL and his family, it was essentially my husband's WORK Christmas Party and who goes to their spouse's Christmas Party without their spouse? 

I thought to myself...you DO have a backup Santa.

THIS is what I call a good backup Santa!

Boo Boo's Pre-K ALWAYS has a visit from Santa!

wah wah wah

Remember what happend at Boo Boo's Pre-K Christmas Pagent?  Snow-maggedon 2010?  The blizzard of SEVENTEEN INCHES OF SNOW that took down a football stadium? 

yeah, no Santa that day either.

So what does a mama do that PROMISED her Boo Boo she could visit Santa?

She takes her to the mall on the COLDEST night in December that is possible and does it on the night they ALSO allow people to bring their pets. 

I am a genius.

But Boo Boo was soooo excited.

As we stood there in line for nearly two hours she was as patient as any four year old could possibly be...having to wait for THREE dogs to sit with Santa ahead of her...hair dirty and in a scraggly pony...not dressed up in her Christmas Best like years past...but you know what?

She chatted with Santa for the longest time.  And this Dear Santa really listened and talked with her on a whole other level than our Santa's of the past. 

And T-Bone still got to watch The Vikings at Applebee's.

Beyond pumpkin pie

Losin' It Today?

So I am going to bring pumpkin pie to my SIL's tomorrow...let's look.

But I decided to add this to the mix...

This is Martha Stewart's Cranberry & Pear Crisp:

• 4 to 6 firm pears, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (6 cups)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups cranberries
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup rolled oats
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss pears with lemon juice. Add cranberries and 1/3 cup sugar; toss well.
2. Transfer to six 8-ounce ramekins (or a 3-quart baking dish). Sprinkle with topping (see below); bake until fruit is tender and topping is golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
3. To make the Oatmeal Crisp Topping: Pulse flour with butter in a food processor until pea-size clumps form. Add remaining granulated sugar and the light-brown sugar, cinnamon, oats, and salt; pulse until large, moist clumps form, about 10 times.

Enjoy Turkey's!  I will update how it went later...maybe.

What have I been looking for?

This week's prompts: 

2.) Write about the last item you looked for. Why did you need it?

Mama Kat posed the question this week - 

In case you didn't know...I am looking for a job.

Why?  Because I lost the last one and unlike some people - we both need to work.  Plus, I like to work and am not sure I could totally be a stay at home mom.  I really admire those who can do that - the mom's who do crafts all the time with their kids - take them tirelessly to the park - bake, cook, and play with their kids.  

I have one and she sometimes exhausts me.

I have loved the last three months for the time to go to the zoo, the apple orchard, school field trips, cooking dinner, doing crafts, just LAYING there and reading books with @IamBooBooLaLa - but it has been very stressful to try and balance being here with her and looking for work.  

Sometimes I feel like the online searching, the endless applications and the interviewing are not worth the fact I have to plop her in front of the television or the Wii, or haul my dad out of the house to get her on the bus.  

So I have a few tips for those of you who have friends in my situation.  

Do: Offer to help watch my daughter if I am in a bind - I may never ask, but its nice to hear.

Do: Send links to jobs or make suggestions.  Even if they don't "quite" fit I know you are thinking of me.

Don't: Worry if I get teary or quiet.  Its A LOT to think about every day. 

And if I don't blog please know it's not because I don't have anything to say - it is because I am SICK of being online after all those applications that require you to; copy and paste your resume, fill in all the details of your resume over the next four pages, then upload your resume and edit all the details that didn't quite parse out correctly over the next three pages.  

sigh

Haiku for Fall

Fall Fall Fall

How I love the fall...

....leaves and all.

Join the workshop

Last dance...

http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/blog/

Mama Kat is looking for a first dance memory, but really I only have this memory of one of the last dance's I ever attended during high school.

You see I grew up in a small town (at the time, it is a pretty big suburb now) where we went to dances at these local ballrooms.  They sold beer and "set-ups" which were basically soda's in a cup that we then took back to our booths, drank off an inch or so and added whatever liquor we could obtain from an older brother, parent's liquor cabinet or with fake i.d. That night I think it was amaretto...yeah I am a girl.

There were bands at these ballrooms and everyone went when the band was "good" - Dare Force was pretty popular to attend...let's assume it was Dare Force that night.

I had a cocktail, not much, but I was 17 and even a drink probably made me 'squiffy'.  The band had not started yet, it was early.

He came into the ballroom and this song came on.

He asked me to dance even though we were not dating.

He sang to me all the while we spun around the floor, just us - no one else, in a crazy display like Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn in the movie Reckless.

It was enough.  It was over.

Fall Fashion Essentials

I have some fall must-have's but there are not ten....sorry Mama Kat

Number One:  A hot pair of Frye boots

Paired with Number Two - KNEE HI's and Number Three - A denim skirt

Then you have to have Number Four: A cardigan, preferably open and flowing

A little sparkle doesn't hurt.

And FINALLY something you always need - Number Five is V-Neck Sweaters!

I need this one...

There you have it - get shopping, or at least pull out the fall wardrobe from the back of the closet.

What is better than bacon?

 I am channeling bacon just for Mama Kat - now before I have said - I HATE BACON!!!!

But, we all knew I was lying.

So here are the Top Ten Ways BACON is AWESOME:

10) Why else would you buy syrup?  Bacon is for dipping in syrup.  Duh!
9) Carbonara - I love carbonara.  I mean bacon and parm?  What is not to love?
8) This is Why you are FAT tried to deter me, but ummmm, bacon caramel popcorn?

delicious

7) Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches...nuff said.
6) Bakon Vodka Bloody Mary's - who knew you could get bacon vodka?  This gal.

5) Bacon Manhatten - I loved these at the now defunct Town Talk Diner - boozy goodness.
4) I need something to love besides Sriracha - bacon is that love.
3) So yes, the house smells after you make bacon, but it is not so bad if you do it in the oven.  My hubby was kind enough to buy me racks last fall to put on cookie sheets and cook bacon.  THAT is love.  Of bacon...
2) Costco - if you go, you know.
1) This video:



Go ahead - make a little bacon tonight - I dare you.

My favorite song - well, the one I claim...

i can't feel this way much longer expecting to survive with all these hidden innuendoes just waiting to arrive it's such a wavy midnight when you slip into insane electric angel rock and roller i hear what you're playing it's an orangy sky always it's some other guy it's just a broken lullaby bye bye love bye bye love bye bye love bye bye love substitution mass confusion clouds inside my head were fogging all my energies until you visited eyes of porcelain and blue could shock me into sense you think you're so illustrious you call yourself intense Seriously with Bye Bye Love & My Best Friend's Girl I was POSITIVE Ric Ocasek and The Cars were writing just for me.  And when more than one boyfriend sang them in my ear...well...I felt vindicated. Whenever I need to feel better I listen to that song and imagine that I am that vixen who shocks and confuses my prey before I pounce. Now, this was more confession than short story.  I hope Mama Kat forgives my license with her prompt and I get the boost I need for the four interviews ahead of me.

Come To My Window

This Week's Prompts

1.) Write about a time you had to crawl through a window.

*Ahem* okay.

It must be noted that I didn't "have" to crawl through this window - I just did it, okay?

It was Fall 1983 and I had just started dating "that boy" the one that had been my friend since junior high school.  The "geeky" guy that was handsome and quirky and smart and fun to be around...

He threw a big party - every last one of the cool kids showed up - and he and I ended up on a hammock, kissing.  As simple as that he was now my boyfriend...he asked and I said that I would love to be his girl. 

He was excited to have a girlfriend and I was excited partially because I "stole" him from someone who knew she liked him "more than a friend" before I did.  And partially?  Boy howdy, I knew I liked him "more than a friend" when he kissed me!  That fellow could kiss!  Remember those kisses?  The exciting ones that curl your toes.

Yeah, me too.

He had a best friend and as a pair they used to tease me.  They both came over one Sunday night.  Super late, probably 11pm (ha!) after a Yes concert (Or was it Rush?) and knocked on my window.

Very daring as my parents room was DIRECTLY above mine.

We talked through the window - at one point I climbed out so we could lay on the grass and talk some more - then after a sweet parting kiss, I climbed back in and dreamt the sweet dreams of young love.

Click on over and read what others had to say today & link up your story with Mama Kat.