life of a slacker blogger

yeah that's me..........I am a total slacker blogger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not that I have a huge following....not that anyone would notice if I even did a new blog, but sometimes life just happens and gets in the way.........and for me personally the last 6 months have been a haze of sorts.....sure I have some highlights of it in my minds eye, but for the most part, focusing on the whole picture, its not there......Life changed for me as I knew it almost 6 months ago, a sudden death in the family rocked my world to its core!!! I just could not fathom how much of a loss I would feel......it is a very strange feeling to deal with......and unfortunately I have not done a very good job of it.....not a very good job at all, I am slowly starting to get out of my funk, but still feel there is a long ass hill to climb to get to the beginning of feeling normal again........so I apologize for not blogging, which ironically is quite therapeutic......so maybe soon it will be a more frequent thing

I am in love....and its not with my husband...

I am in love with my new Kindle2!!! absolutely love it with a passion!!!!!!!!!!! It has given me the ability to read again!!!!!! I read all the time before having my kids.....and going out to buy books was such a PITA.....so I just quit doing it......well DH bought me a Kindle2 and books in 14 seconds and your reading!!! that is just WOW!!! so yes, I am in love.....I have read 4 books already....and am reading the 5th now....and I am not ashamed to say, I am in love with it!!!

1500 books in the palm of my hand.....well not that many yet, but...I will get there one day!!!

got any book recommendations?!?

Wordless Wednesday

smile and wave boys, smile and wave

WHO KNEW the penguins would have the perfect analogy for things!!! LOL!!! I come from a family of Dems.....who turned their kids into republicans!!! LOL, yeah.....my mom despises the fact that 4 of her 5 kids are gulp OMG republicans!!! the 5th, well we don't know about him because he just votes to vote, and really does not take sides.....he is a close your eyes and vote type of guy......but that is my brother, votes in local elections because he liked their name or whatever.....anyway........yes it was assumed by my other brother, that *I* in fact was "gotten too" and voted democratic.....my end of the phone conversation went DEAD silent.....and he was like are you still there?!?! and I said, tell me YOU did not just accuse me of voting Democratic!!? he said oh out of all of us, I thought you were the most likely to get "shown the light" LMAO!!! I was like did you not grow up with me!?! do you not know who I am!!!??? OMG I cannot believe you would think that!!! he was like whew......good to know!! ha ha

yes, my parents, my aunts and uncles (except one) are all dems....every last one of them.....so life at our family gatherings is well lets say.......a sight to behold!!! I made the mistake of mentioning something about politics at my son's 3rd birthday...and BOY OH BOY it was not good, I was accused of being a complete moron by my father!!! I was being ganged up on, and I called my husband in for back up!!! LOL so it was me, dh and my uncle against the rest of them!!! lets just say it was a memorable party!!! so how could I possibly become a republican it was asked.....

and I simply said.......my views are just that.....MY VIEWS!!! I made my own choice.....I made the decision of who I should vote for....not anyone else!!! and if MY views do not go along with yours, well then sorry but I don't agree!!!! and we should agree to disagree!!! LOL like that would ever happen in my outspoken family!!!!

so I firmly believe the Penguins have it right.....the new motto of my life is "smile and wave, boys, smile and wave"!!! I don't always follow it, but......hey....it works

Blogging

I have often wondered when blogging became such a "competition"? I mean really.....its all about stats, hits,sponsors and all that crap, that sometimes it just amazes me.....I guess I just don't understand it....

I started this blog, because I was asked to contribute to a 'group' blog, and well life got in the way, but the person took exception to it, and said my services were no longer needed....which was fine in many ways, but the way it was said was just plain mean......so I started this one on the advice of a friend, who actually stood up for me...LOL not that I am not good at voicing my opinion.....so, I gave it a whirl.....it is just a place for me to come and vent or what the heck ever...its not about how many comments I get, how many hits, or how many whatever....its just my little place in the www to say what I want when I want to well whomever happens to be reading my blog at the time!! LOL which I do say is not a lot by the 'standards' out there these days.....

If people read it fine, if they don't then that is fine too, I just have those few times in life when I want to share what I am thinking....I am I guess what you would call a slacker blogger....I am not a real blogger, I am not a sponsored blogger, I am just a plain old regular blogger.....I guess I just don't get it and never will......

but to those of you that do stop by and read...thank you!!! it does mean a lot to me.....I may not be the best blogger out there, but....sometimes I say what people are thinking and just too afraid to say.....

Life without Internet.....

SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let me tell you!!!! LOL It was down since Thursday, and man oh man did it stink....I thank god for my iphone!!! because it got me thru.....although cell service was iffy at times because they were working on the tower, but damn....life without being in contact is a terrible thing!!!

I think it really makes you realize just how much we do depend on this technology now....and just 10 years ago it was not that BIG.....kwim....no forums, message boards, networking sites...blogs....we have come a long way....and let me tell you going back to NOT having them is NOT where *I* want to be!!!

I missed going to my blogs and reading up on everyone.....dang...now I need to go and catch up with all of you!!!!!!!!!! so off I go!!!

Respect....

why is it that it is so easy to be so disrespectful these days? I mean if someone is being outright disrespectful in the media or where ever, they shrug it off as freedom of speech? Hell I get the freedom of speech thing...I mean that is why I can write this blog, because it is freedom of speech....but when did it become OK for people to be rude or obnoxious and if they are called on it they say "freedom of speech" Sure you are free to say what you want, but didn't your parents teach you how to have a little snippet of respect for other people? or did they just go about teaching their kids to just be rude and obnoxious because it is "freedom of speech" in this country?

It continually amazes me that some adults today still act like teenagers! Have no respect for history or heritage or anything of that nature, they are of the thought *I* deserve this and *I* deserve that....but yet are unwilling to work for it! but man when things do not go their way....they are the FIRST to bitch about it!! The sense of entitlement is amazing....where did the ethic go of work for what you want...

I know this is a "doesn't make much sense" blog, but I just had to get it out of my head! LOL then maybe now I will have more space to fill it with other things that make me go hmmm...

Thankful Thursdays....I think....

LOL my good friend over at A daily dose of Toni put this up and challenged us to try to come up with positives to go along with our annoyances....so here it goes my feeble attempt at that....

I am annoyed that my children choose to NOT listen to me....I am thankful that I have children that sometimes listen to me.....otherwise life would not be complete!!

I am annoyed that my dh just doesn't get me sometimes....I am thankful that I have a husband that works his butt off and provides for us.

I am annoyed with people that just don't get the term....grow a pair! yeah, I can't think of a positive to that...sorry....I guess I could say....no...can't think of anything....

I am annoyed with people that are fake and totally clueless on how to be a true friend....I am thankful for the friendships that I do have!!! and that I can vent away to them and they still love me anyway!!!

I am annoyed with how much my kids are getting sick this year!!!!! I am thankful that it is just colds and mild flu and they are not seriously ill....

ok now go and do a post of you own.....and find what annoys you and find the counter to it!!!
believe me if *I* can do it anybody can!!!

People

whiny people.....oh how I despise whiny people!!! people who do nothing but bitch and moan about EVERYTHING but refuse to do anything about it!!! they let people walk all over them, and then say....I wish people would listen to me....well DUH stand up for yourself and tell them like it is, tell them NO once in awhile and they will not walk all over you!!!

this post was inspired by my friend Moo please check out her post!!! LOL she started it!!! ha ha ha but really she got me thinking about.....what irks me about some people...and I have to say it is whiny ass people that do not have the balls to stand up for themselves, but oh yes are the very first to complain about all the wrongs that have befallen them.....yes that is one of the biggies....

I learned at a very young age, that if you do not have the balls to stand up for yourself or your beliefs than 9 times out of 10 you will be walked all over, or not heard, or just taken advantage of. yeah it may make me cynical, hard or whatever you want to call it, but at least people know I won't take their BS without calling them on it!!! LOL yeah, I do have that rep....it can be a curse but then I find it to be quite liberating....for the pure fact that if people want an honest to God true answer, the usually ask me.....or like my sister says.....she often times thinks "what would Wendi do in this situation"....she is a little more pragmatic than me....ha ha...but hey....we are who we are I guess, and I should be accepting of those that cannot stand up for themselves, and I am ......usually.....it is just the ones that choose not to say anything when they are more than capable of doing so....

Celebrity Crushes

Do you have one? I do....OBVIOUSLY!!! LOL I mean look at him!!! and he is such a great actor and a great human being!!! he does what he wants when he wants, and does not conform to "hollywood" in fact he despises it!! I have seen everyone of his movies, some a little more disturbing than others, but I love his wide range of acting ability from the weirdness of Willy Wonka to Sands in Once upon a time in Mexico....or who could forget Gilbert Grape...

He just is a fantastic actor that happens to just make me drool!! I have no delusions of "marrying" this man....duh he is way out of my league, and I am already married, but man one could wish now couldn't they!!!

I also have another one, this is a sports one!!! LOL his little picture is at the bottom of the screen!! yes Brett Favre....mmmmmmm I love him to death!! from the time he came into the league all the way thru the bs with green bay and his playing with the jets....I just love his LOVE of football!!! he goes out with the sheer exuberance of a "kid" when playing...and to me that is the way football should be played!! not for the millions of dollars in a contract, but for the love of the game!!! these days I can think of a few players that are there just for the money and really do not give a flying flip about the fans or truly the game...they just do their best to win, so they can say "show me the money"....but not Brett, yes he plays to play.....and I just have to say...I love him for that alone!!!

OMG!!!!!!!

I was going to do an "enlightened" type blog...BUT....all hell broke out in my house just now about doughnuts!!!! yes...5 kids can fight about doughnuts!!! even the self proclaimed "adult" of the bunch still fights about doughnuts!!

I mean really.....does it effing matter who eats what doughnut? is it that bad if OMG your little sister eats the same damn one that you are eating?! Seriously!!?? So I guess my question to you out there is.......do you fight over petty stupid ass things? do you look back and think omg we fought over that!?!?!

I have, I will admit...although I do admit it was not as stupid as eating the same kind of doughnut! but....close....My sister and I shared a room....and we would fight about everything...it got so bad that at one point she put tape down the middle of the room, and said "this side is mine and this side is yours!!! you cannot put your clothes in the closet because it is on my side of the room!! and you cant this or that,.....yada yada yada..." she was awful!! LOL BUT my revenge on her was this.....SHE put the tape down the middle of the room.....and the door to get out of the room was on my side of the room!!!!! So being the little shit that I was....I told her she had to climb out the window to get out of the room!!! so of course, she called out for MOM...but Mom seeing what was going on said only this....."Well you started it by putting the tape down the middle of the room and stating that your sister was not allowed at all to step one foot on YOUR side of the room!! so, in turn....YOU have to give her the same courtesy!!!" LMAO boy did that tape come up off the floor rather quickly!!!

So I guess this didn't turn out to be too much of a meaningless blog post....but my question to you is....in your lifetime have you ever argued over the most stupid asinine things? and later when you were older and wiser looked back and wanted to smack your "younger self" upside the head and say "what were you thinking!?!?"

Large Families

my friend Mimi over at Minxy Mimi unplugged recently did a post about the Duggars, and their 18th child.....http://mimxymimiunplugged.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-do-you-feel-about-duggar-family.html

and it got me going on the defensive......LOL who me? on the defensive!?!?! unheard of right!! Well, because I have 5 kids, I have often been told that I am over populating the earth, and contributing to its downfall....and that my kids could not possibly feel loved by me and my dh because there are so many of them....

I have to literally Laugh My Ass Off because, nothing could be further from the truth!! sure we have a large family of 7, and at time it can get hard...but you know what we make it thru all the rough times and we are stronger for it!! In this economy right now, I am sure there are a lot of you out there that are struggling financially with just one or two kids to worry about....so what is the difference? there really is not a difference imo.....you worry about all of them just the same! you worry about ALL of your children all of the time, just like those of you with 2 worry about your two, well I just have 3 more to worry about....its not a burden, or a headache

I happened to get pregnant 5 times...and YES I have heard of birth control.....thank you...have you ever heard of 99% effective?!? well that percentage that is there that it is not ALWAYS effective....well *I* am that percentage that can and DOES get pg on the pill!!! 2 of the 5 were not planned, and we were not planning on being pg, but it happened, and there was NOTHING we could do to change it ( I don't do abortions) so....we have 5 wonderful, well rounded children, that if you did ask them, life in our family is not so bad!!! we do the family game nights, movie nights, we play video games as a family....hell I know many families out there that have just 2 kids and the don't do half of the stuff we do as a family!! in fact my kids tell me that their friends are jealous when we talk about game nights and movie nights at school!! LOL

So if there is the perception out there that with having a large family there is no way to have some one on one time with the kids...well...yes there is and my family is living proof of that!

Slacker Blogger

yes that is what I am......A Slacker Blogger....LOL Honestly...Life just has a way of getting in the way of things sometimes....and I just have not been all that "together" as of late, and my blogging has taken a serious back seat to everything!!!

I guess maybe after the Holiday's I will get back into it again....I just don't seem to have the time to do it right now....I still have decorating, wrapping, and all that Jazzy stuff to get done....ugh...

someone give me a call when the "holiday's" are over!!!

25.00 GC to Amazon.com @ Debateur Debates

A good friend is having a contest on her blog, go and visit and enter to win!!!
http://debateurdebates.blogspot.com/2008/12/random-acts-christmas-contest.html
you could quite possibly win an amazon.com gift certificate!!! and also read some great debate topics too!!! GO SIGN UP!!!!

Mama Kats Assignment....

Choose a prompt:

1.) The last time I laughed really hard...
2.) Forgive and forget...I think.
3.) I remember when...
4.) Write about something that bothered you this week.
5.) Write a poem about a favorite color.

my choice is number 1, I could have done number 2, but...number 1 is more prevalent in my life right now....

I really don't remember the last time I laughed really really hard......these past few weeks in my life have been not so what you would call "laughing moment worthy" as I sit here and type this out....I am really racking my brain trying to remember....and sadly I cannot...if you read previous posts on my blog you will know what has been going on in my life these past 3.5 weeks and why I really don't have a lot to laugh really hard about...

I know life goes on, and you need to laugh really hard sometimes, but I have yet to find that moment to laugh really hard....maybe with my daughter coming home this week I will, but that is doubtful, because she was not here for her Uncle's funeral, and she has had a very hard time with it, and wants to say her goodbye when she comes home....and I have to be strong for her!! I have had to be strong for all of my kids, and man...sometimes that is HARD...our little girl this week has been with the vet because she got very sick....(see post below) and we have been doing all we can because I cannot bear to have her die so close to my children's uncle, that would just be way too much!!!

well to get back on topic....and stop my inane rambling..I just don't remember the last time I laughed really hard.......

How much are you willing to spend on a pet?

I ask this because our "little girl" Tee wee is in the doggy hospital right now....she had a seizure and honestly I thought she was going to die.....it was awful!!! we took her to the vet and she was really dehydrated and had an infection....so in went the IV fluids and antibiotics....he said that it should help her white cell count to come down, and her red cell count to come up....well that didn't happen......so, it has been determined that she will need a hysterectomy done....and the other choice.....she will die....

yeah tough choice there.....for some maybe....but for us....it was a no brainer!! she is our little itty bitty girl and if this is going to save her life then we HAVE to do it. she is Madisyn's dog, and with losing her Uncle just a few weeks ago, I could not let her dog die too.....that is just way too much for a 10 year old to handle imo.

so, the grand total for the dog.....$2021.00 dollars!!!!!!!!! yes you read that right.....two grand to save her life.....some think we are nuts for doing it for "just a dog" but she is not just a dog, she is a member of the family, and well as I stated to people, "you would do anything for your child wouldn't you?! well to US she is our child, and we will do all we can to save her!!" of course some have said, it is so not the same....but to each their own....I could not in my heart of hearts let the dog die!!! no way, could I live with myself knowing I did not do everything I could to save her. As my dad said, its only money....and if it makes your daughter smile with happiness because you cared enough to save her dog, then DO IT!! LOL

If there were any doubts at all my DH said that when he went in the last time to see her before he left, her looking at him the way she did was all he needed to know he was doing the right thing!!! He is such a good man!!! and I knew there was a reason I married him!!!

When was....................

the last time you had a YOU day? I do not remember it.....really I don't, I know some find this hard to believe, but I tend to put my kids needs first....always have and probably always will....I come in a distant........whatever.........I don't' even know my placement in life!! sad but true!!

I don't do the girls weekend....because quite frankly *my* idea of a relaxing Saturday or Sunday is watching Football!!! and most woman don't!! LOL My husband says I am a unique girl because I like all the sports, and enjoy watching them, could sit and be happy watching sports center....and I don't worry about makeup, getting my nails done....in fact...I have never had a manicure, pedicure, message, hair colored.....or any of the girly things....so I guess I cannot miss what I never had....I am such a non female person....heck I know men that are more feminine than me!!!!!!!!

well, I guess my when was.....got a little off topic, and out there....but hey...isn't that what these blogs are for...........

Blog Peace....

Now come on all you blogging queens let's join together and let everyone know we won't stand for drama, we won't stand for blocking people from our sites, we won't stand for being immature, we won't stand for bashing other blogs...because we stand for BLOG PEACE!

We come here to have fun, to win stuff, to learn about others and thank God that someone else's child is not ours when we see him/her doing something naughty! It's a place to be yourself and share who you are with tons of people and brighten other peoples day.

Who's with me, who out there in bloggy land is tired of the blog bullies? Who out there is tired of the mean girls in the blog world?~And I will be the first to admit I was a mean girl to one blogger in the past and I am so very sorry for what I did~

Who wants to stand up and say "We want blogging to be fun again", "We want blogging to be about friendships?", "We want to not have to look over our shoulder and wonder if we are going to be blogged about". Let's stand together today and say to everyone out there in blog land "We Promote Blog Peace" and we want everyone to just get along.

I have been in Mourning....

that is why I have not blogged in quite awhile....My dear Cousin died suddenly at the age of 34. He was the director of my son's preschool, and my fellow iphone buddy....these past 2 weeks have been pure HELL I will not lie about that....it has been awful, I mean really it has just been bad....knowing in your head he is gone forever and never coming back, but....in your heart you cannot help but HOPE it was all just a bad dream and he is still here on earth....

I think in a lot of ways it would have been easier to deal with if we knew it was coming....and if we had time to prepare our son....but how do you prepare a 3 year old to understand death? that I do not know....he still does not completely understand....he woke up one morning last week and asked "mommy, can I draw a picture?" I said sure, who do you want to draw a picture for? he said "for Uncle Ralph so it will make him feel better and he can come back to us!!" I lost it...could not stop the flood of tears from flowing.....my poor poor boy just does not get it at all....and how can I possibly expect him too? That in itself has to be one of the hardest things to ever have to try to explain to a child....Death....gone, never coming back again, in Heaven with God....an Angel watching over us....

I try to think of the good times we had growing up...all of the trouble we got into as kids....and that is a good thing....remembering those times....but also sad because we lost such a great and lovable person....someone that devoted his life to kids, and truly caring about "his kids" he was a big guy, he looked like he could easily be intimidating, threatening just by his presence alone, but he was the most gentle teddy bears ever!!! and I will forever miss him!!!

suddenly single w/4 kids.....

yeah you read that right....single with 4 kids.....LOL dh is gone yet again this week....and I have to honestly say....it truly sucks being a single parent....even if it is just for a week and not permanent. Can you say.....NO EARS!!! I swear as soon as their father leaves...their ears go with him out the door!!! I do not know how many times in the past 2 days I have said things over and over and over again to them......it gets OLD real fast!!!

I am not the push over one either....LOL you would think they would know that by now!! so fine, you don't want to listen...well, no computer time, no girl scouts this week, and bed time is earlier!!! "what, why, your so mean!! if dad was here he would.........." he would what? let you get away with everything?!? well guess what your dad is not here *I* am!! LOL the looks on their faces is quite priceless.....yeah mean mom is here!!!

I often wonder if the way I parent is bad.....kwim.....am I doing the right thing by grounding them restricting their activities if they do not pull the grades *we* expect vs the schools lame C average thing....I question myself like any other normal parent does...but....then I look at my College girl and think....yeah we did good!!! we did something right, because no matter how much we grounded her restricted her activities for purely stupid ass reasons (in her eyes) she is doing quite well on her own, taking her studying seriously, and doing a find job!!!

so in the end....if I get the "I hate you mom. or the your so mean mom" I can smile and know....that someday...they will understand...and appreciate that even though there were consequences to their actions, that *I* did do what was best for them.....because I can now reap the benefits of that from the 18 year old....