Jenny On the Spot: Caffeinated mom, lover of dancing, glitter and glitter.

JD, may I use that phrase? I know you own the whole, “I *insert action here* so you don’t have to” concept. And it’s true! She does it ALL so we don’t have to. She’s a giver like that. She even ate sardines! I would NEVER do that for you… but mostly because my tummy is so full of Oreos and coffee all the time.

Aaaanywho. I digress.

I want to re-post my story about a cleanse I did a little over a year ago, in case you missed it. We are embarking on a season of resolutions. A time when we feel motivated to eat our veggies or purge our inboxes… or colons. Depends on the individual.

Here’s a picture. Totally unrelated. I’m getting too wordy. *eyes cross* Lucy got “polka bot” jammies for Christamas this year… I got my own last year. She made us wear them together the night she got hers. We took pics. I love how she puts on her best face for pictures:

Continue reading ‘In Which I Save Your 2010: I Did A Cleanse So You Don’t Have To’

Did that grab your attention?

I hope so.

I recently took on a little side job (the economy and all)… One could say I am a “warehouse liquidator”, or a “garden goddess”, but my personal favorite is “local pot dealer”.

Where am I going with this? Here:

Basically, I have keys to a warehouse of awesomeness and power. If you want awesome, I got a warehouse full. Be you local, be you not local. The only shortcoming is, none of my pots have glitter on them. But I could make that happen if you ask. To look at what I’m talkin’ ’bout, go to Gardenzilla.com!

By the way – the warehouse is open wide tomorrow! Swing by. Bring me coffee, buy a pot or a lot of pot(s)! Do it for the children — 25% of the profit will be going to the Kitsap Children’s Musical Theater! We love drama!!! Go kids!

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My friend Lisa of The Blozulfog and I made a little video about managing online and offline relationships. Stop laughing.

I sent off a 44 second edited version (cut from 8.5 minutes of footage!) to BlogHer. It was supposed to be 30 seconds. I just can’t seem to be not-long-winded! In word or video-clip. I plan to post or link to the 44 second video some day, but for now I will keep that little nugget of friendship goodness in my multi-media pocket for a bit longer… HOWEVER.

However.

I can’t keep this in my pocket! This is the “OUTTAKE” version of that 44 second video. 5 minutes. Some *ahem* “raw footage” if you will… I must apologize for the length. Nearly 5 minutes!

Who am I kidding? You will see that the 5 minutes will breeze by and at the end you will weep and gnash your teeth for all the “more” you will be clamoring for. It’s because of Lisa. She’s yummy like that. That red hair… Her “whoop, whoop” and whatnot. I just look like a frackin’ camera whore hog. It’s my angle though. She’s the good cop, I’m the attention whore bad cop. Which is funny, cuz she’s usually the… uh… um… er… I digress.

Need more video? If you visit The Juice, by Tropicana Trop 50 on BlogHer, you will find a video filled with tips and great info from a wide variety of great women — BlogHers Make Life Work… and if you stick through to the end you might see a familiar face *ahem*. Imagine my surprise when this video came up on the big screen at the conference and I saw a certain familiar face… I think my brain hiccuped and it took me a moment to realize who it was… *light bulb moment* I knew that girl! I’m sthlow like that. But I choose to think it lends to my charm.

Right?

Don’t answer that…

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Keep up on the ridiculous, the insightful, the always digressive…

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Once a week I post an article in the  ”Mom Topics: Just for Moms” section at Type-A Mom. I should post there more often, but I haven’t been able to pull that together just yet… I try to write more meaningful stuff stuff there (stop laughing), but something happened this week that pointed my inner-writer in a different direction it’s usual direction. 

My 3 year-old, Lucy… cut her own hair. Apparently there was play-dough stuck in her hair and she decided to be her own little problem solver. Yay! I am raising a problem solver! *falls on the couch*

Continue reading ‘10 Things I Think Moms Should Know’

Did you see my recent post… about how I recently baked a cake for the sole purpose of eating it by the row(s)?

My post today is about 180 degrees in the opposite direction. It’s about running. Eeek – exercise! I have had a few friends recently ask me about what music I listen to when I run. I know I often google “running music” to see if there’s a new song or two out there that might help me push harder, or just go a little longer. So, being the giver that I am, I figured… I’ll just put the list of My favorite songs out there on this here interwebz.

Let me preface this with a statement: Music is VERY personal. What moves me may not move you. As I peruse the song lists of other runners, I think I only click with 10% of what is recommended… and I feel I have a fairly diverse taste in music. However… when it comes to running, I consider music to help me with warm-up, hill-tackling, speed, cadence, cool-down… and groove. Of course… groove!

I bet other runners consider these aspects as well, but how does music fit with your specific motivational tastes? That’s key – what sounds and style motivates you to push… sometimes it’s just the lyrics… I like “Stronger” by Kanye West — “… that don’t kill me can only make me stronger…” I am not a HUGE fan of the song, but I find at the end of a run, when I really CAN push, but just don’t WANT to push – I go to this song. I tell myself, “I am not killed… not killed… not killed… gettin’ stronger..” Or stupider… I digress. Here is my list… not my complete list, but my faves… the ones that take me when I can’t take myself:
Continue reading ‘In Which I Share a Few Thoughts on Running and Music’

It’s taken me 3 kids and 9 years to figure this one out:

When you need your preschooler to put on his/her shoes, dont ask: “Do you want to put on your shoes?” I am here to testify… JOHNNY WILL NOT WANT TO PUT ON HIS SHOES. Remember, these little people are aspiring nudists. It is up to us to teach them the positive benefits of clothing. It takes effort, mommies and daddies… Derailing the inner nudist is hard work.

However, this piece of wisdom does not only apply to shoes and clothing, but to EVERYTHING: bedtime, food choices, clean-up time…

Even the cutest preschooler with a pretty pink bow on top will politely say, “NO”, and suddenly your need for her to wear shoes becomes negotiable. I implore:

Never open the door to the idea of “negotiable!

If you do, it is possible you will die… if not you, then your principles. Because these little people do not negotiate. They terroroize. The sweet little, “No, fank you.” Becomes, “NOOOOOOOOOO I don’t want to wear shoes!!!!!!!!!! No shoes, noshoesnoshoesnoshoesnosoes!!!!!!!!!!!!” Heads spin… you consider calling a priest, and you’re an atheist! See what happens to your principles… your very belief system?!

I have walked through the fire.  I have lived through it to tell you this: Ante up, lay it on the table…

Kiddo. You’re gonna wear shoes when you walk on the hot coals at our family initiation reunion today. Do you want Mommy/Daddy to do put on your shoes, or do you want to do it?”

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A word on socks. Socks are not necessary. You may not believe that if you are still in the “idealist” phase of parenting. Say it with me,

Socks are not necessary. Socks are are not necessary. Socks are not necessary…

Cut yourself some slack, let something go… The McDonald’s play place rules says socks are required, but they’re lying. If you get through parenting without your child going sockless in a McDonald’s playplace… then you are not real. You are a hologram. Or maybe the Antichrist.

Before becoming a mom I never thought:

• I’d allow MY children to wear a saggy diaper.
• I’d yell at the sweet and innocent fruit of my loin.
• I’d wear socks with flip flops, but only in emergencies…
• I’d wonder if I had birthed the spawn of the devil. 

***The “threes” are the worst. Watch. Your. Back. Mark my words.***

• I’d yell say things like, “No Cocoa Puffs until you finish your donut!”
• I’d need to turn the music DOWN.
• I’d consider dried (but wiped-up) spit-up on my shoulder a sign of “arrival”… importance.
• I’d kiss their heads SO! MUCH! *swoon*

Nor did I ever think…
Continue reading ‘Letting Go: Musings of a Mother’

My kids crack me up. My kids also make me cry. I am in a constant state of overwhelm when it comes to my offspring… the greatest of joys and the deepest of frustrations.

Our outing to a local corn maze on Saturday was an extended time of joy for me as a mom. I watched my kids work together to make it through the corn maze. We laughed. We wandered, and the only sense of urgency was toward the end when the girls needed to pee. But we made it. Praise! Be! *raises hand to Heaven*. A pee accident would have totally ruined everything.

See? Joy to desperation in one flex of an not-completely-trained 3-year-old bladder… I am thrilled there was no accident. I can’t even express how truly, deeply happy that makes me. If you had asked me 20 years ago, “Jenny, what do you think would be one of the highlights of your 30’s?” I NEVER would have guessed that having an accident-free outing with my family would be at the top of the list. Never. Neh. Vah. People – it COMPLETELY eclipses things like world travel and world domination. Just pee-pee on the potty for the youngest. That’s me life goal.

Here we are, having a wonderful time as a family…

It’s a sickness. I love rules.

Look! The maze is the the shape of an Orca whale!

Family meeting: What’s the game plan, folks?

We made it! Joel was so impressed by our corn maze skillz!

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Local folks – looking for a fun outing for your family? Head on over to Sunrise Hill Farm in Kingston. Of course, there is a FANTASTIC corn maze, but, BUT… there is also a tricycle area for the little ones, a mini hay-bale maze, a pumpkin patch, and on Saturday nights they show a movie when it’s dark enough! They have a couple of bon-fires going and the snack stand has something for everyone… It feels like a great-big cozy outdoor living room. It was the most wonderful place to wander… They are open Wednesday through Sunday until Halloween. Seattle-area people… it is worth the ferry trip. Totally.

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I enjoy photography… do you enjoy photography? I like playing with perspective-n-such. However, I do not consider myself a “photographer”… I would probably place myself into the category of “Woman who enjoys taking pictures and does a pretty good job considering she still doesn’t grasp that whole ‘aperture‘ thing”. That’s a long descriptive, isn’t it? I’ll shorten it: WWETPADAPGJCSSDGTWAT. Hmmm… even when I look at that side ways it lacks a certain “punch”. Ah well… My friends Lisa (The Blozulfog) and Kathleen (Forging Ahead) have husbands who rock that whole aperture concept – they can keep wrapping their brilliant minds around such things. I will just keep playing and taking pictures like this:

Or did you take that picture, Lisa? Whatever. I’m in it. Hair in mah mouth and all… But I know  I took this one:

What’s that? You want to see more of evidence of skillz… Ah-ight…

No YOU! My Public… YOU Da Bomb! 

I digress. I was supposed to be writing about me 5×5 project. Have you been there yet? Why? Well, not just because MY photography is featured there today… 5 brilliant pictures of my own little discovery of something new… not just because of Me… 

You should add 5×5 Project to your feeds because Krysta (also the brilliant and lovely author of Evil Chef Mom) has a wonderful calendar of photo-themes going – all taken by folks like us! It’s a great place to go to get a visual “fix” and discover new bloggers. Another bonus – you can get in on the action too, My Public! Click on the “project” tab and see which projects still need photographers! Grow with me people, grow with me… Visit 5×5 Project… dare to leave a comment… dare to take on a project!

Peace, yo.

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It’s taken me 4.5 years, but I am creeping curiously close to Post #1000! Whoa Nelly! 285 of which (plus a few) have all been created in 2008… I have Blog 365 to thank for that, as well as the rather unhealthy “bent” in my personality, that professionals refer to as… “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”. Is there “Selective OCD”? Because there are areas of my life I do not obsess over: doing bills, returning phone calls and emails, dusting, vacuuming, or things that may require planning or commitment.

If my math is correct, I could hit post #1000 on January 1st. But I hate math. You do it. 1 post a day through the end of the year – 80 days left… Ouch. Just typing numbers make my head feel like it’s gonna crack wide open. *gagging*

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Hey – how is the market affecting you? Have gas prices gagged your purse strings? I’m curious. Are you making different choices for your family? Cutting back? Will you keep your house colder this winter? Do you make your own lattes? Stocking up on socks, are you? Growing an extra layer of body hair, perhaps??? I hear large sea mammals (such as the walrus) have lots of blubber that keeps them warm…

I find I am tolerating a colder home, working harder to make food at home, drive less, I am thinking harder about purchases, PB&J & refried beans are more and more often a viable option for multiple meals in a row… but the most unfortunate result of this economic crisis is: my roots are horrible! Oh the travesty!!!

I am going to be sporting the grunge look a few weeks longer than is socially acceptable. Keeping up one’s roots, while important, is VERY expensive. Wall Street doesn’t even talk about this kind of stuff. Real sacrifices for real people. We bloggers, we keep it real… we keep it on the level. WE are the social media, and I feel it’s time I said something!!! The economy is affecting my hair, people!

Don’t bother asking a woman how the market is affecting her/her family… just look at her roots…. just look at her roots.

Go ahead. Laugh… but mark my words… Mark. My. Words. The roots… you will find your answer at the roots.

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