Your Public Face

I sometimes worry about the public face I wear.

Expecially when shopping with Aaron.

For instance, today I took him to the health club with me. Then we went to WalMart.

As anyone knows, any trip to WalMart has to begin with a visit to Subway. We were eating subs at 10:45am. And getting the subs wasn't an easy task. First, we had to argue over the drink: soda vs. icee. Icees cost more and I am already getting mad at the amount of money I will be spending on a freakin' sub sandwich. Second, we argue over add-ons. Why must every sub sandwich be accompanied by chips and cookies?! I solved the dilemmas by declaring soda the drink of the day and having Aaron get chips with his sub while I got cookies with mine. Both add-ons go to Aaron because all I want is the sub. (By the way, Subway ended up costing $16!)

Shopping at WalMart commences with the first official merchandise request: Can I have a new shirt and pants? No. Can I have cookies? Yes. Can I have pop tarts? No. Can I have some fish? No. Can I have...can I have...can I have.

By the time we check out, I want to rip my hair out. In great big giant handfuls. But I refrain.

Of course, the trip to WalMart was a bust (even though it cost $50!) because I went for a squirt bottle (how else can I squirt the dogs when they bark?!) and they didn't have any. Aaron jokingly suggested getting a bottle of Windex and emptying that. I should have taken his advice!

We head to the dollar store.

Inside the doors, the Can I Have's begin. Endlessly. Every aisle produces another thing Aaron has to have. Bow and arrow. Yoyo. Cookie. Fruit punch. His own squirt bottle.

Now, we have been together nearly one hour. And 54 minutes of that time has been spent arguing over things Aaron must have.

By the time I reach the last aisle of the store, I am ready to scream. I actually do screech a little when he asks for something. Then I notice the woman giving me The Look.

I know she thinks I am the worse mother in the world. After all, how could someone be so short-tempered with Aaron the adorable boy? What kind of mother would deny him anything?

I want to grab her by the lapels and explain, tears falling freely: "I've been to lunch and two stores with him. I cannot take anymore. Please, help me. Put me out of my misery..."

Instead, I put on my sunny mother persona and manage to buy the four items in my basket. The clerk wasn't very friendly. She took my money without even saying the total. Now her, I wanted to grab by the neck and snarl directly into her face, "I'm the customer! I'm shopping with a child! Please, show me some courtesy! Just a little! I...just...need...a...little..."

Reading Menace

Years ago I gave up buying books because I thought they just added clutter to our small house. Plus, I could get books from the library and they are free. The only books I've purchased in years are the new paperback release from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and anything new by Jennifer Crusie. I cannot read and re-read these authors enough. (If you've never heard of them, check them out! I cannot recommend their books enough!)

Then I got a Sony Reader for Christmas. Yes, my new device. If you're new to Motherhoot, you might not know that I lust for electronic devices. The newer, the better. New phone, I want it. New Ipod, I want it. (I am counting down the days until our cell phone contract is up so I can switch to the Iphone...which combines my two favorite devices: cell phone and Ipod Touch.)

I have bought more books in the two months I have had it than in the past five years. Maybe even longer! Someone recommends a book, I rush to my ereader account to see if they offer it. If they don't, I check out ebooks.com hoping that they have it. When I find books that aren't available for a reading device, I feel sad and bereft!

Yesterday I just happened by the ereader site to see the new releases. Suddenly, I am interested in these things. Before this I was content to wait until the library called to tell me it was my turn to read the newest release on my favorite authors list.

What did I find? Light and fluffy novels for $1.99 each. Had to have them.

One of the best features of the Sony Reader is the ability to "check out" books from an on-line library. I found the link to my site from my library's website. I recommend looking into yours if you have a reader and don't want to keep buying books.

I've discovered Nevada Barr and her Anna Pigeon series. I am almost done with the second book and cannot wait to place the third book on my list so I can read it. The e-library I use has a wish list and a holds list. This was I can track as many books as I want!

I don't think I would have discovered Anna Pigeon without the on-line library. I also cannot wait to start reading some Michael Connelly either. I like starting a series at book one and working my way through to the current offering. Also Hannah Fluke has caught my eye. Her first novels are waiting patiently on the reader to be read and recipes tested.

Next to my Ipod touch, this device is getting the most use. And some nights I even forgo the Bedazzled quest to read!

One World One Heart Winners!

It was so nice to visit so many blogs over the past few weeks. I believe there were over 1,000 blog participants this year. I'm only sorry I didn't get to visit each and every one of those blogs. The ones I did visit were intriguing and each was unique!

It's time to announce the winners of the three pendants I am giving away this month!

Beth will receive this pendant...




















Debra will receive this one...



















Char will receive this one...

Romance

That day is coming. You know the one. Where the push to be romantic comes at us from every direction. This is a hard one for me. Because I am the most unromantic person and have a hard time buying into romance from anyone else. Yes, even my husband.

Long ago I loved reading Harlequin Romance novels. I was about twelve. Then as I grew older and started dating and falling in love, I came to believe that romance doesn't really exist. At least not in the way it does in those sappy books!

I think this is a reflection of the men I chose to date and fall in love with, more than the actual state of the homosapien romantic male. (My early choices were dismal ones!) But it has stuck with me.

Poor Jim! Early, in our dating days, he tried being romantic. Eventually, the deer-in-the-headlight looks I would give him when he did put an end to that. He toned it down to bringing flowers--which the cats ate. (It's hard to enjoy a dozen roses when they are sitting in the bathtub or kitchen sink because the cats are going to knock over the vase!)

Luckily Jim realizes that romance isn't a big, once or twice a year event, but something that can be done every day. He's great at the little gestures that I can believe in. He cleans the snow off my car and shovels the driveway. He'll clean the bathroom or do laundry. He scrubs the floor (a job he knows I abhor; it's the wet hair that grosses me out). He cleans out the tub drain, even though he rarely showers at home. He gets the oil changed in the van. He brings me chocolate. He takes me to eat guacamole whenever I want it.

The list is endless! Jim knows that a new electronic device will earn him more points than a dozen roses will. (I can use a device!) He gets a kick out of buying me power tools for Christmas or my birthday. The year he got me a drill press was a gold star event!

I guess I am truly lucky that Jim (whom I suspect is a romantic at heart) has adapted so well to my callous ways!

Are you a romantic or not? Do you want the grand romantic gestures? Or are you happy with the little gestures? Let me know!

S.M.A.R.T.

We are the Suburban Mom Animal Rescue Team. We sit high in our minivans, scouring the streets with our radar-sharp mother eyes, looking for animals that have wandered away from their owners.

Day after day, as we leave our neighborhoods to run errands, schlep kids, or go to lunch, our momdar is perpetually on high. We can spot a stray animal, a lost pet, or even a wandering kid in a heart beat. Brakes squeal as we throw open our van doors and lure the wayward animal inside to deliver him to safety.

I am a proud member of SMART. I have, in fact, rescued a lost pet. Sure, I found him in his own yard. But he was just wandering there. And I didn't know it was his yard! I swear! His owner even seemed grateful when she walked down the street to get him from me.

I've corralled the dogs from next door when they've gotten out of their yard. I'm sure the neighbors across the street appreciated me trodding through their yards to retrieve the little scamps.

My men have also taken up this vocation. I am proud to report that we all are forever aware of an animal that appears to be lost or confused. The boys spent an entire summer searching for Thomas the missing cat. Jim brought home and introduced our latest canine rescue, Candy.

Won't you, too, join our team? We need all the eyes we can get!

I'm So Excited!

I am getting giddy! I and some of my most treasured friends are getting things ready to launch the new Motherhoot website!

My vision is that this is a place for people to go to laugh, cry, get information, and share.

Kelly will be our craft master. She taught me my first quilting class, which started me on my quest for creativity. Imagine where she can take you.

Jan is my writing friend. We met at a writing conference nearly years ago. She's a great motivator as well as a wonderful writer.

Dawn is the friend who shares her spirituality. She is a holistic nurse and does healing touch work. She knows so much about living a natural and real life! She taught me to meditate and to get in touch with my inner self.

This is only a tease because the website will still take a little time to get going. I hope you are as excited as I am!