Fly on the Wall April 2019: Shall We Play A Game?

Welcome to the April Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 5  bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes...

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

Cast Members this month:
Me (the blogger)
Mark (The Man)
J. (age 14)

S. (grandson, age 4)
Have a wonderful Friday, friends!
-Michele

1st and Goal  Done?

J. begged The Man to take him to see our city's 1st (semi)professional football team. The Salt Lake City Stallions were playing on the University of Utah's football field. The league was called the AAF (Alliance of American Football) The man gave in, the Stallions won and both dad and son had a great time. As the game progressed, I received pictures from the guys. My only comment was, "When is the game going to begin?"

Hardly anyone was there. It was clearer to see why J. was trying to hustle the man to a game. The league, without followers, was bleeding money. J. bought a hat, came home, and raved about the team. Three days later, with the opposite vigor, J. announced that the league did, in fact, go under. Players visiting other cities had to pay for their own ways home. Very sad for all involved. I'm glad, however, that the man and J. had a chance to make a special memory together.

What Bracket are you in?
J. was the last child of ours to get braces. (Photo not here because the 14-year-old isn't ready to show his latest look.) Anyway, after getting the braces on, we take him to a restaurant to celebrate. It took all of 30 minutes for him to break a bracket. He wasn't even eating anything thick or sticky. I call and make the appointment for the next day to get him back to the orthodontist. As I'm giving him the spiel on how braces aren't cheap and how we have to be more careful, I pop the wire on the back of my own teeth. In the end, he's all bracketed up perfectly and I'm here feeling the glue stuck to the back of my upper teeth. The ortho is going to think we chew on tin cans, rocks, and aluminum foil.

Here is a cute pic of J. 13 years before the braces.

Sugary Slam Dunk

Since he's in preschool, our grandson, S. doesn't always have the same school schedule as his big brother. So sometimes, he gets to hang out with the coolest kids in town, his grandparents. The man and S. have made it a tradition to stop for donuts before we head  home. I always go with them because, and I'm serious, watching those two walk hand-in-hand makes my heart swell. Know this though. S. loves to go with Grandpa to Dunkin Donuts, but his real love is right in those boxes. Just look at his face. That's grandma's boy.

Finally, a Word game.

I've started writing again (obvi). I find myself  searching for "appropriate" words that describe various situations. Often, the word just doesn't convey what I want to write/say.  I've decided that this crazy English language of ours could use some new words. Let me show you what I mean by using the ridiculous word,  FLARATHOSOUS. (pronounce it however you like, it's not real).

*You go to apply deodorant and as you do, the last of the stick falls out and onto the ground. This is usually the day after you've gone shopping and have picked up everything you've ever needed, except for deodorant. What's the name for the scraping feeling you get while rubbing the empty container on your soft, underarm skin? It's more than scraping or scratching. It's heavier than disappointment but lighter than disgust. I need to know. Share, people. (noun/verb?)

"Dang it, Debbie. Do you have an antiperspirant with you? I FLARATHOSOUS-ed mine this morning!"

*By the way, maybe it's the same word that describes applying chapstick and your lips hit that middle pole-thingy that keeps the balm from, I don't know...smooshing? (noun?)

"Man, is my lip bleeding? I put my chapstick on and hit the FLARATHOSOUS!"

*You absolutely need to talk with someone about something important. They call you and you run around like a maniac trying to locate your phone before the last ring. You miss the call. There HAS to be a word for that. Right? (verb?)

"SueAnn, that's my boss! Help! I've been FLARATHOSOUS-ing him every day this week!"

* You receive a set of ballpoint pens in a box big enough to put a teenager in. Thanks, Amazon. (noun)

"I'll show them a FLARATHOSOUS! Where's that refrigerator box? I have a spool of thread I need to return."

Hey, it was a slow month.
Happy Friday, Friends.
-Michele

Buzz on over to these homes:

                  Baking in a Tornado

             Never Ever Give Up Hope

                    Spatulas on Parade

               The Crazy Mama Llama

             Bookworm in the Kitchen    

Secret Subject Swap-February '14

Happy February, friends!

If you're a regular reader, you know that the Secret Subject Swap is a collaboration between various bloggers. We receive secret topics from a blogger in a secret e-mail and put our own spin on the subjects. The 11 blogs participating this time are listed at the end of this post. Go have a look and leave a comment. It will make my our day! :)

My “Secret Subject” is:

Martha Stewart, inspiration or horrible show off?

It was submitted by:  http://spinstersnacks.com

Martha, Martha, Martha.

I wrote a small note to Martha and Bob Villa a few years back. It sadly explained how we three were NOT alike in our decorating. I respect both for their careful, planned-out projects; but for the love of wood-glue and sawdust, I just can't be a step-by-step girl. I re-did my whole staircase with fall garland still on the banister. I begged my husband (ignoring his pleas) to install a glass door on our bathroom. I'm a little off. Admit it. That's why you're here in the first place.

Martha's likes: delicate china, bidets, and building things "plumb, level and square."
My likes: eating cookie dough from the mixer,  peeing when the kids will let me, and using tons of caulk.

So. Is Martha a show-off? I'm not sure. Anytime I think of the ridiculous, glitterific-dodecagon crafts she comes up with, I try to remember that she has a huge staff behind her. Those people are probably coming up (hourly) with more ways to make humans feel inadequate. I doubt it's purposeful. I also doubt that Martha milks her own cows and rips her own cheese cloth to come up with cream for her morning coffee. She's a brand. There are things I disagree with regarding her process, but she's obviously doing something right to be where she is today. Rather than tear her down as a person, I thought I'd high-light a few differences between ol' Martha and me. There are many solutions to problems. Some are careful, calculated, precise and thorough, and some are mine.

Here are a few quotes from Martha and me:

Martha: "I have cotton or flannel sheets, depending on the weather. They have to be ironed, and I get my bed changed nearly everyday.".-brainyquote.com

Me: "If I make it to bed without having to shake off a pound of dog hair, without having my fitted sheet pop up from where the fabric pulled away from the elastic, or even if I have to kick off a few jellybeans/popcorn/kids from the bed, I've had a good day. The man knows when the sheets have been freshly washed because there is always a "damp spot" that the dryer has missed; and somehow, that always ends up on his side."

***

Martha: "I have a minor gripe…Who are these bloggers? They're not trained editors at Vogue magazine. I mean, there are bloggers writing recipes that aren't tested, that aren't necessarily any good, or are copies of everything that really good editors have created or done. So, bloggers create kind of a popularity, but they are not the experts. We have to understand that."- Bloomberg TV

Me: (gritting my teeth) "Bloggers are wonderful. They've used social media to benefit their businesses, build contacts and network. They connect with others offering advice, support or an often-needed smile. Many bloggers are beyond educated. Not only by holding college degrees, but by raising children without "guides". We pull foods for dinner out of what we have left in our pantries (not from french cookbooks). When our children are crying, we are the only ones who get to solve their problems. Most of us do not have a "staff." I have about 100 followers, which is anything but popular. Still, I write for my sanity as well as to share my ideas. As for using our recipes and having them work? If they can feed a husband, three finicky children and 2 dogs, I say they are more than tested. Dang it, I can rock a grilled cheese sandwich! Can an editor at Vogue make micro-wave popcorn ala shellybean? I think not. You know what? That's okay too. I'm happy to share the recipe. You're always welcome to read about my world; my successes and my epic fails. That's what bloggers do."

Micro-wave popcorn ala' shellybean

***

Martha: "It's a good thing."

Me: "On the eighth day, God made caulk, and it was good."

***

Martha: "I'm never sick. Why get sick? It's a waste of time." -brainyquote.com
* "I love to be sick! There is nothing like throwing up or writhing in pain on my 'down-time."- said no woman EVER.

***

Martha: "I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing"- thinkexist.com

Me: "I find that in order to walk upright and produce clear thoughts, one needs to sleep. Lack of it often makes the creative dull; it makes workers (blue and white collar) incapable of properly doing their jobs. Most of all, it makes for one grouchy household. We all know it: When mama ain't happy….COME ON NOW."

studying sleep :)

***

Martha: "Never ate fast food. I proudly can tell you that I've eaten one Burger King and I think maybe two McDonald's... and today I ate an In-N-Out burger. It was okay. You know, it's not my favorite food. I would much rather have a salad or sushi or something like that.-credit: Foodista

Me: "God Bless you, Martha Stewart."

If you are interested in joining us for the next Subject Swap, you can visit its creator, the wonderful Karen @ Baking in a Tornado. She is an amazing woman. You can also read all about the swaps by clicking on the SSS icon on the side of my blog.

Don't forget to check out this month's 15 talented participants!

Baking in a Tornado                          

The Momisodes                                       

Stacy Sews and Schools               

follow me home                     

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                   

Dates 2 Diapers 2                       

Confessions of a Part-time Working Mom                        

Evil Joy Speaks                   

Spinster Snacks                                         

FBX Adventures (In Parenting)                           

More Than Cheese and Beer        

Searching for Sanity                     

Small Talk Mama                                          

Juicebox Confession                         

Spatulas on Parade 
     
Digital cartoon credits: CJM Happy Friday, friends :)
-Michele               

Love and truth?

I think I have figured out this year's resolution.

"Mom. I am glad you are in my life. You are the...BEAST."

Cheers to that whole "working on being kind" thing ;)

Happy 2013, friends.

Fly on the wall #2

Hey friends. Welcome to the 2nd Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 11 "What-are-they -thinking?" bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, disastrous, or even better, embarrassing going on. Who can turn away from that kind of voyeuristic gold? Not you. Or me...

If you were a fly on the wall at my house this month, this is what you would have heard:

Dinner Table Conversation:

The youngest: "If I could invent anything, it would be a back-pack microwave. I could make Hot Pockets anytime."

The eldest (Dream-killer #1): "Why would you invent that? Where would you even plug it in? It would be so heavy!"

The middle child (Dream-killer #2): "I can see the commercials for it now. 'Do you love warm food? Do you have frozen-food on your person? Do you hate being home?..."

Snacks :

Me: "Where in the world did all of the pretzels go? I bought a six-pound bag of them at Costco!"
The man: "You put them out in that huge basket. It felt like a challenge..."

***

The youngest : "Can I have some fruit snacks?"
The man: "Didn't you JUST eat an apple?"
Me:"Yeah and there's a granola bar wrapper right next to you."
The youngest: "Well, the granola bar was my after-school snack, and the apple was my after-dinner snack."
The man: "What are the fruit snacks then?"
The youngest: "They will be my after-shower-before-bed-unless-we-have-ice cream-snacks."

Christmas Love

The eldest to the youngest: "You know what? If you step on this wrapping paper one more time, I'm going to give YOUR present to your brother!"

The youngest continues to tiptoe onto the paper...

The eldest: "Ugh. That's it. Hey C. (middle child)! I have the best present for you. It's so great, you're going to love it!"

The youngest, who has now jumped away from the paper, runs and whispers to his brother: "Shhhhh! It's all lies! You will not like that present at all."

***

The youngest: "Should we make Jesus a birthday cake?"

Me: I don't know. Do you think he would like one?
The youngest: "He will if it's chocolate..."

In all seriousness...

We are usually always joking or teasing each other about something. It's how our family works. But we are also kind when it matters most. I say it often. The people that live in my house are everything to me. There was so much to listen to on the news this past week. In my bouts of tears, when I wasn't asking, "Why?" or sneaking in to check on my babies (19, 14 and 8) in the middle of the night, this is what I really heard:

The eldest: "I was in my room last night and I was thinking about you and dad and this house and I realized, at this very moment, 'I feel safe.'"

The middle child: "You know you don't have to worry so much about us. We'll go to school and you'll do your thing and we all will know we love each other."

The youngest: "Mom, I know you have friends and dad, but if you ever need to, when you're sad, you can always talk to me."

 Thanks once again to the Fly's creator, Karen @ Baking In a Tornado, AKA Follow Me Home's biggest cheerleader, for hosting this challenge!


Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Come on. You know you want to...

http://www.bakingInaTornado.com                       

http://hypnoticbard.blogspot.com/                             

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/

http://raising-reagan.com/    

http://mybrainonkids.net/                                                                            

http://sadderbutwiser.wordpress.com

http://mooreorganizedmayhem.blogspot.com/

http://www.justalittlenutty.com/

http://www.esthernorinedesigns.blogspot.com

http://imjustsayindamn.blogspot.com/

http://www.chewylicious.com

Happy "It's okay to peek, just this once" Day, friends!!

-Michele

What a difference a year makes..

Hello friends!

Well, today was the first day of school.

 I got up to make breakfast and yell, "Up and at 'em! It's a schoooooool-y day!" at the top of my lungs. (My kids love that..)

I dodged a shoe or two and eventually, everyone was up. One. Two. Three. Four. Well, most of us were up....

and so it goes:

Our youngest is in 2nd grade. Different missing teeth, shorter hair and one less pylon orange cast.

 Our middle child is now a Freshman in high school. His feet, legs and Ego are all growing nicely.

And then there is our eldest. No 1st day of school photo for her. She is entering college as a sophomore and doesn't start for another week. As hard as I tried (from far, far down the hallway), I was afraid to couldn't wake her.

Two out of three "ain't " bad, right?  

Happy beginning of another year, friends.

Day Eight of Forty- 1, 2, 3.

That's right friends.

THIS is what my life has come to. The highlight (so far) of 2012.

I was pretty excited to see those notifications. I mean, how often does that happen? Never, right? Well it happened to me, yes-sir-ee!! In fact, I saved this picture, even though my daughter BEGGED me not to. I tried to tell her, "This is what can happen when we dream big enough." She just shook her head and walked away.

I know, I know. I set the bar pretty high.

Happy Wednesday, friends :)

Day Seven of Forty- Good Boy!

The youngest came home from school today with this little gem of knowledge-

"Mom, the girl who sits next to me said that we were on Math 14 and I said 'No, we were on Math 13'." he said.

"And?" I asked.

"Then the teacher said we WERE on Math 13, I knew I was right!  But then..." he continued.

"Yes?" I asked, now interested in where this was going.

"Well, when I looked at the girl to tell her I WAS right, she made a mean face and I got nervous... I just decided I should leave it alone. I think that was best."

Yes, little man. Yes, it was. It's hard to describe the pride I carry when a boy as little as he learns such a big lesson. Keeping the peace with a woman NEVER starts with an, "I told you so."

I will sleep well tonight :)

Happy Tuesday, friends.

Day Two of Forty..Yeah baby!!

You didn't think I'd actually show up for the blogging challenge, did you? That's okay, I'm just as surprised as you are...

Today was a very good day. I think much of it was due to waking up to a big yellow ball of happiness in the clear blue sky. Imagine how ecstatic I was when I was able to have my coffee this morning with my cheek pressed firmly against the kitchen window, soaking up as much of the daylight as I could.. ahhhhhh. It was a beautiful thing.

I then spent the morning baking cookies and texting (how old am I?) a very good friend. There isn't anything quite like gabbing about nothing in particular while eating raw cookie dough and wearing flannel pajamas.... And again, soaking up that beautiful sun...

This afternoon, I took my eldest to the salon. Another good friend of mine is an amazing hairdresser and was willing to show my daughter some love. I enjoyed being able to sit back and watch the two of them joke and laugh. I sometimes feel like I don't see enough of that in my little girl; the one who's almost finished with school and stressing way too much about the world ahead of her...

Tonight, I spent the evening at an Honor Society ceremony for the middle child. We're very blessed to have children who have good grades and understand the importance of service in their community. I couldn't be more proud of the people they are becoming....

Shamrock Shakes on the way home from the ceremony AND finding a package of jewelry from my forever friend in the mail? Days just don't get better than this.

That's either an overly-positive remark on my part, or a huge reflection of how lame my world has become.

If it is, I've never been more excited to be lame..

Happy Thursday to you, my friends :)

Quote from the eldest...

"You know, I'm turning eighteen at the end of the month. Do you realize what's more exciting than being able to vote? Wait for it.  I will then be able to legally order BLO-Pens off of the T.V. at three a.m."

She has dreams, man.

Cheers to the future :)

It takes a village, people.

I can't breathe. I haven't been able to for a few days now. Every time I try to, I feel as though someone is standing on my chest. It's anxiety. It's depression... and I know exactly what has set it off this time.

I have been, like so much of the country mortified by this Penn State/ Sandusky story. Watching the interviews, seeing college students march in the name of a school, I find myself trying to grasp all of it. Students are upset that an assistant coach doesn't get to be on the field and do his job this weekend. The school board has promised the ousted president a beautiful severance package. Disciples of the beloved head coach are holding vigil outside his door. All of the people who failed so many young men are getting a slap on their wrists with a simultaneous pat on their backs and it makes me sick.

For too many reasons, I mourn for these boys. I can't imagine having someone actually witness a grown man molest a child in a shower and not go straight to the police. Scratch that. I can't imagine someone witnessing such a travesty and not physically intervene...A small cough, a punch to a locker, a physical kicking this man in the balls...Any of it. Any bit of it to say to that little boy, "What is happening to you is WRONG. It is evil and it is against the law." More important, that young boy could have been looked straight in the eyes and told that none of any of this abuse was his fault. Those words and actions could have stopped a crime. Those words could have let Sandusky, the offending adult, know that he is a criminal. Said man could have become embarrassed and perhaps been forced to seek some help. The young boy could have for just a minute understood that not all adults are bad. That some people are trustworthy. At that very moment a young boy's self image could have been restored.  Because this did not happen, because grown adults thought more of the legacy of a football program,  countless boys had to endure similar acts. Young boys had to put on their clothes, thinking to themselves that they were the ones who were bad. The offending adults? No way. They were instead celebrated every freaking Saturday afternoon. They were carried on the shoulders of football players. Their names were being screamed like rock stars, over and over again.

The tragic thing is that this kind of hell is going on every single day somewhere in America. Perhaps in your town, or school or neighborhood. It could be a coach. A parent. An uncle, a church leader or a neighbor. Adult men and women. Innocent children are not just falling through the cracks here. They are being pushed through the cracks by these offenders. They are being stomped on by these bullys who think they are owed some sick sense of satisfaction at the cost of the innocence of a child. Finally, they are being left on the ground by all of us that choose to look the other way.

I want to ask every offender, "What kind of power is felt by stealing a soul from a child? What kind of sexual act is worth breaking a human spirit?"

Can we save everyone? Unfortunately not. But we can talk to our children. We can look out for how adults are interacting with them and other children. For the love of God, if we know something or if we see something, we must say something. If nothing comes of our actions, we must say something again. If we pretend like what we see or hear "didn't happen", we are just as guilty as the pass-the-buck-men of Penn State.

If we choose to look the other way for fear of losing some "respect" or "seniority", we are choosing to BE those weak men at Penn State, and well by that, we might as well hand Sandusky a bar of soap ourselves and join in.

We have to be the change, friends.