Dear Less-Than-Nice-Doctor Urgent Care Doctor

It's not that I don't agree with what you were trying to insinuate. I realize that I am not the world's best mother. Never have been, never will be. I don't even care. I just need to be Logan, Maddie, Haley, Izzy and Kaija's best mom.

However. I do defend myself on this: Q-tips are not the worst thing that a person could have in their home. They can be used for a number of things, including dusting corners and crevices. Which I do ALL THE TIME. The fact that I had a child trying to be extra helpful and cleaning another child's ear- when I was not home- isn't the end of the world. Yes. I realize how dangerous it could be (which is why we came in in the first place) and hopefully we get good news from a real doctor the ENT tomorrow. sinceyouweren'tsmartenoughtogivemeananswer


I made an educated guess -not from your sparkling personality- but from the fact that you were not wearing a ring, that it's a good possibility that you don't have children. And. You had time to go online and become a rent-a-Dr a Dr. That, and the fact that you don't realize that accidents do happen when you have kids. So I should probably give you a little leeway, because I used to think I had all the answers before I had kids, too. Then they came along and proved me wrong. But then again, it is me. The questionable mom.

Anyway, thank you for your valuable opinion. It's greatly appreciated, as I tend to surround myself with idiots/people who have questionable items in their houses. So you know how hard it is to engage in intellectual conversations these days. What with all the Q-tips laying around. Good luck in the future. I'm glad you didn't choose to go into customer service. Oh, and I won't be able to make it for a re-check with you. It kills me.

Sincerely,

The Mess of a Mom

P.S. I'm glad I didn't tell you your shoes were cute, because when I got a better glimpse- they actually were a little outdated. Not that that matters. It just seems that someone so incredibly brilliant, like yourself, would know these things. I'm just saying.

P.S. You should really read my previous post. It helped me to bite my tongue.

Why you should be kind.

Ohmygoodnessibawledlikeababywhenireadthis.
This story hit me in a place that most things don't. It makes you think.
I think it really hits home because there have been times in my life that
I really would have worn a sign. "My emotions are running high from just having a new baby".
"We have yet another hip problem to deal with". "I just lost my father in law".
Honestly. It would make life easier, in a way.
What's your sign? (You can sign in anonymously)

And many more.

Every once in a great while, I go through and delete posts. I have my reasons.

The downside to it all is that I have no idea how many posts I've done through the years.

But I do have friends that know exactly how many posts they have done. Like Jenny.

And it's her 500th post, which is cause for major celebration. Obviously.

And she has a contest going. And I've wracked my brain.

Written and crumpled. Written and crumpled.

And I couldn't come up with anything over the top awesome.

So instead, I will count my blessings. The blessings having a blog brings.

I meet people I wouldn't have otherwise met

Formed a network here before I even moved

Reconnected with past friends and family

Laugh and cry through lifes ups and downs

See the beauty others have to offer through their posts

Hear what others have to say

And weigh opinions

Discuss and debate

Get it off my chest

Catch a glimpse into others lives

Realize I'm not the only parent to not have all the answers

And. I'm not the only one with a HH

And who else carries the cards for the club

Share a cup of coffee from afar

Draw inspiration

Form friendships

Received a smiles in the mail

Hopefully sent some, too

Bonded over medical conditions

Found support in unexpected ways

Had my voice heard

Questions answered

Great recommendations, from recipes to books

Shared my dreams

And enjoyed every minute of it

Here's to 500 more!!

MUAH!!!!!!!

Give me a break, give me a break...

I'd take a piece of a Kit Kat bar.

I knew before my toes touched my carpet today that I really wasn't feeling up to snuff. And I decided to give myself a break.
And I feel guilty. How lame is that?!
I gave myself a SAHM's version of a sick day and I still feel guilty over the luxury.
Still in pj's.
Caught up with the Kardashians.
Laughed with Ellen.
Made sure the price is still right. It is.
And I feel guilty instead of enjoying the perfectly good excuse. I almost never allow myself those little pleasures. And definitely not all on the same day.
Guilty that the only good that sounds appetizing is Pirate's Booty and I'm eating it like it's going out of style.
In my pj's.
In the recliner.
In my house that needs a thorough cleaning.
Oh, and to make up for it all... I'm not even going to attempt to exercise today. Nope. Not going to happen.

Guilty or not, I'm making a stand for all of us Moms that rarely give ourselves a break. Yay, me! Just promise me that you'll do the same next time you wake up feeling less than awesome. Then maybe I'll feel less guilt. If not for yourself, then for me. Just like I'm doing this for you, too. All in the name of friendship, right? Thanks. You are nice.

Awesomeness.

You, my friend, are awesome. I hope you know it. (There is a link there. Check it out. It's AWESOME.)

Beached whale.

Well, all-righty then. We are going with the beach theme. I must admit, I was a little bummed. Magenta sounded fun. HOWEVER. The beach theme will match my washer/dryer better, be easier to do and cost less. I have three beach scenes that I bought over the summer and now I will have a spot for them. A few less accessories to buy. Heaven knows I like blue. I currently have three rooms with some form of blue paint on the walls.

Thanks for your input! And I'm always surprised by the number of votes I get. I'd love to hear from you quiet people who vote but never comment. I'm just sayin'. Makes me wonder how many people do not vote or comment.

Book It!

Regardless of the noise levels over the summer, I was able to sneak in some great reading and thought I'd share. (Although, the majority of them are from Leanne's blog, if you'd just dig around there under "literature".)

Between Two Worlds- by Zainab Salbi. This is a true story about the daughter of Saddam Hussein's pilot. One line in this book pretty much sums up the strongest message (IMHO) of this book. "Any society that stops questioning its leaders is vulnerable to dictatorship..." It's amazing what can actually happen in our world. We need to take a stand against the things that we don't agree with. This book will open your eyes to the way women suffer in this world and how it's accepted as the norm in some cultures. It should be at the top of your list.

Kate Morton- great author. Read her books. You will not be disappointed.

Slave My True Story- by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis. According to the date of publication and the "about the author" section of the book, this girl is approximately my age. It's horrifying to me that in this day and age, there are actually slaves. My age, no less. This is a must read book. Meaning, you MUST READ IT. I am so fortunate to have been born when, where and to whom I was born.

Dancing Under The Red Star- by Karl Tobien. Another true story that makes me thankful for the when, where and whom of my birth. This story is about a young girl whose family was transferred, by Henry Ford, from Detroit to Gorky, Russia right before the reign of Stalin. Another example of a tyrant running a country. It's amazing how easy and blessed my life is. And how we, thus far, have had relatively decent leaders who have not completely overturned our lives, as a whole. Another must read.

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay- by Suzanne Collins, I think. It's crazy the imagination some people have. Seriously. I kept thinking that through this series. While it's so unlike my usual books, I could not put the books down. They are so good.

Look Me In The EyeMy Life With Asperberger's- by John Elder Robison. So interesting. Maybe not the actual storyline itself, but it gave me a greater understanding of Aspberger's. I recommend this book. It would be interesting to get this perspective from someone on the other end of the autism spectrum. I realize that is unlikely. But I would love to read that book.I do not, however, recommend his brother's book, Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I'm sorry. It was creepy and made me uncomfortable.

The Book Thief- by Markus Zusak. Why aren't you at the library getting it?

Sing Me Home- by Jodi Picoult. Hmmm. It wasn't as good as some of her others, but it wasn't the worst, either.

Bringing Adam HomeThe Abduction That Changed America-by Les Standiford. This was interesting because it's a true story about John Walsh's son that was abducted. It was hard because it's a true story. And you hear things you don't want to hear. But I wanted to know the story. And I got the story.

Dirty Sexy Politics- by Meghan McCain. So-so. Nothing earth-shattering. I'm actually not 100% sure why she felt compelled to write a book. Basically, she went on the campaign trail and didn't conform to rules that go with campaigning. And she didn't like everyone. Other than that... Oh! One thing that did confuse me- I'm pretty sure that she said in this book that she was a straight woman. Didn't she come out of the closet? I read the sentence more than once to make sure my eyes didn't deceive me. Even still, I feel like I must be mistaken. Anyone else catch that? It was at the end of the book, so maybe you didn't get that far... ;)

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid-by Jeff Kinney. SO FUNNY. You don't even have to be 9. Although, it helps if your 9 year old checks out the book at the library. I'm just sayin.

Mrs. Mike- by Benedict Freedman. One of my mom's favorite books of all time. It's a good book.

I'm always looking for a good book to read, so please recommend a few to me. My list is dwindling, causing me to have a small anxiety attack.