Mom to the Screaming Masses

Morning Comes Way Too Early

I do lots of different things with coffee. I make pots of it and refrigerate it. I make ice cubes. I make Vietnamese coffee. I drink hot coffee and cold coffee. I drink Starbuck instant Via - not my favorite, but it's a decent way to get the caffeine in.

Recently I started making Iced Coffee in a different manner. I mix one metal jar - the 10 ounce can of the strongest coffee that I can find - in a 2 gallon pitcher full of water. I let it sit overnight and then drain it into a pitcher and store it in the refrigerator. I have seen the recipe in tons of places, but actually had a friend show me how to do it first. I couldn't figure out why he always had such delicious coffee, and badgered him until he shared the secret with me. It's really easy. In the moring, I toss in a couple of ice cubes (usually coffee ones), add a splash of simple syrup and a bit more milk, and go.

Last night, I mixed the coffee and let it sit. Today, I set the colander inside the sink, lined it with cheesecloth (the BEST kitchen purchase I ever made, I use it at least three times a week) and started to pour the coffee "mud" into the strainer.

Go back and read that paragraph and see if you can figure out what important step I missed.

The answer is in the comment section.

<Sigh.>

Crazy, Stupid Love - The Movie - AND the Interview

Being on the computer is my job. I sit here, in fact where I'm sitting right.this.second - and I read emails and type. I write stories. I tell tales. I interview people and I fact check.I send emails, receive emails and I write. Sometimes I receive emails that are not kind. Maybe I've been misinterpreted or maybe, someone just doesn't like what I have to say.

Sometimes my email is good. Lots of times I get great comments or wonderful offers - and the vast majority of the time, I love my job.

Every time I check my email, I have between 1-10 new PR pitches. It's just part of my job - some of it is very bad, like the pitches addressed to "Priscilla" or "Ms" or "Hey, Mrs. Mom Blogger!" How about the pitch for vaginal reconstruction - or the one for special lotion for my special time with my spouse.

Some of it is very good. Clothing, food, some very great books. Trips, especially. When it's good, it's sort of stunning to me, because lots of the time, when I'm sitting here at this computer,  wearing my "I'm FUN!" t shirt and paint splattered sleep shorts (decorated when I painted the bathroom, and was CERTAIN I'd never get paint on me - nope, not one bit), with my glasses and bed head - well, I really feel less than glamorous and kinda like a poser.

Warning! Warning! It's the WIFE!

My husband has this special ring tone for me on his phone. He didn't pick it - my oldest son, in a fit of sarcasm and desire to be a real smart aleck, set it up. It begins like a tornado siren, quickly moves to a blaring horn, and a deep voice shouts,

Warning! Warning! It's the WIFE! It's the WIFE!

It's so not funny to me, but he keeps it because THEY both think it's funny - and if I happen to call when a customer is in his office -

well, it's a real icebreaker, I'll give you that.

For Your Weekly Reading Pleasure

I'm talking Summer Beverages over at The Parenting Connection - what's your favorite?

How do you help your children make memories to last a lifetime? Come and comment at the Positive Parenting blog at Cafe Mom.

What do you do if your child has a difficult sports coach? Come and weigh in at the Raising Athletes blog at Cafe Mom.

At Diets in Review, we want to know: What do you know about TVP? Do you think that parents should lose custody of obese children?

I'd love it if you'd comment over there and help to spark a conversation - you guys are GREAT at that.

 

So, About the First Weekend in August...

I can hardly believe it, but...

I'M GOING TO BLOGHER.

Seriously. Like, as in, for realz, yo.

Nope. I didn't win the Knorr cook off - much to my everlasting frustration. I had two recipes to pick from and I am *thinking* I should have picked the other one. I really wanted to win - I don't think I could adequately explain exactly HOW much I wanted to win that dumb contest. When the winners were announced, I died a little bit inside.

I wanted *so badly* to be able to get there all by my own self this year. No sponsor. No help from my generous readers. No taking the money from the household bill money. Just pay for the trip from money that I earned with my own two fingers. I did buy my own conference ticket. So there's that, I guess. The rest, though - as much as I tried, sending letter after letter to places and people that I write for and entering any giveaway that I could find - it just didn't pan out.I saved as much money as I could, but inevitably, something would come up and whoosh! there went THAT money. I'm trying to earn money, to be a contributor to the household, and to be someone that pays their own way and as hard as I try, sometimes - it's just not panning out. I am EXTREMELY frustrated with myself.

Thoughts About Nothing on a Friday Afternoon

I have become a Pinterest fanatic. I'm on Pinterest all the time. Basically, it's a bulletin board - and you share your "pins", or bookmarked photos or cool sights - basically, it's the greatness of the internet all the time. I have made amazing cookie and dinner recipes I've found on Pinterest, purchased a necklace and two signs, and discovered some really great decorating and entertaining ideas.

This sign, called Truth for Mature Humans, cracked me up more than just about anything I've seen today. Tell me which ones you agree with - I think just about every one is *me*.

Exhaustion Has Set In

I'm wiped out. I've heard that vacay can be fatiguing, but I've never been away for 2 weeks and the sheer crushing weight of the exhaustion has been a shock. The suitcases are unpacked - because I'm just a little bit anal about that - the van has been cleaned out and returned, and all of the wash has been done.

However, there's no food in the house. Must remedy this soon.

In lieu of any real posting here, I'm going to tell you:

a) I'm watching The Breakfast Club

b) ask you if there's anything that you wanted to know about my trip because I have no idea what I've said or what interests any of you or even if you really care - but I had a fabulous time - and even the crappy parts have some merit,yes?

c) you should go read The Parenting Connection for one of my favorite cake recipes

d) or maybe go read this really cool article I wrote for Yahoo Shine!

e) I bought a necklace for myself that fits me perfectly - do you agree?

f) and two signs.

g) and I wrote this for Cafe Mom.

h) and here is the giveaway that I promised - this clothing is amazing. Seriously - you WANT to go and enter this one.

Home

31 hours to Texas.

26 hours to return. (we didn't go home the way we went.)

Sunday was the worst day of the entire trip.

Don't ask. No, really, you most emphatically do NOT want to know. It was really brutal - and it was the day with the least amount of driving. I cried twice - and I NEVER CRY.

The whole trip was worth it, though, for sights like these:

Diaper babies (shhhh - don't tell the Coast Guard, but if you wear a life jacket on your bum, you will float like you are in a seat. The things your Grandpa teaches you...)

Psst - my SON wishes me to tell you that I did NOT take these pictures. No. I didn't, because I DON'T HAVE A CAMERA ANYMORE. My step mom took the top two and my SON took the rest. Except that *I* took the one of him with my dad - but with HIS camera.

Happy now????

As Time Marches On...

It took just over 31 hours of driving time to get to my dad's house.

11 on the first leg - we got off onto the wrong highway and it added almost an hour. 10 hours on the second leg, that landed me at my beloved Kalisa's house. 10 hours on the third. Then we stayed for 6 days.

We had a total blast.

Today we began our way home. We drove from 8:15 - 7. Tomorrow is short - it's about 4. And then 10 home. I've broken it up this way so that I can visit with friends and not have to stay at a hotel - I love me some hotels, but by myself with five kids, not so much.

I'm exhausted. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you - she's not one for car trips. 7 hours is about it for her. So I've been doing really well. My kids have had a complete and total ball, and matters that caused us issue in the beginning have, somewhat, shaken themselves out.

Not completely. Never completely.

But I'm tired and I wanna go home.

Tell me, what's the longest road trip you've ever been on?

Giveaway of Bagel Bites here -

Discussion of female issues here -

Thursday I will have an AMAZING giveaway - seriously, I'm ridiculously excited for you

 

Vacation Is...

...meeting people you have never seen before

...swimming in a bathtub with your sister, three serving spoons and four cups - for two hours

...fishing in 106 degree heat

...swimming in a lake of incredibly warm water

...trying to catch minnows with your swim goggles

...stopping the car to get an ice cream cone, just because (Grandpa is MUCH nicer than Mommy)

...sitting at the biggest table at the restaurant - looking around and seeing happy faces

...juggling madly to try to keep everyone happy and failing, but being ok with it

...bugs all over the windshield

...seeing deer by the headlights

...stopping the van to take pictures with your phone of gigantic ELK

...watching hundreds of movies

...eating too much

...sleeping too little

...10:30 bedtime for little people

...sand in the sheets and mud on your flip flops

...being deeply grateful for all of the people in this huge enormous extended family who love my children so. I don't deserve all of the nice things that they all do for me or my kids. My mom, my dad and step mom, my father in law and all of the sisters, sisters and brothers in law that I have, well done, you.

...knowing that you may never have this chance again. Grabbing it and holding on for all you've got

Vacation is not time for

...drama

...arguments - I'm proud of myself. I walked away from three arguments in which others were trying to engage me. I'm not ruining this trip with your crap.

...irritability

...calorie counting - see also, ice cream and cake and Red Lobster and Whataburger and coke

...grudges

...worrying about your blog stats, twitter following, facebook standings, Google + invitations or Page Rank

...letting other people's feelings and expressed ideas weigh you down

 

Vacation is a chance to get away from my day to day life. I'm loving every single minute of it. Well, except for the exorcism part. And maybe the antlers.