1,000 Views!

Today I reached 1,000 all time views on my blog! I'm so excited! Thank you to everyone for reading even when I went months without posting, posted really depressing things, English essays, and pictures of my little boy. I never promised interesting, only variation! I think I've kept up my end of the bargain.

As much as I'd *love* to do a giveaway, I'm too small (and too varied!) to get sponsored and I'm WAY too poor to buy something decent to give away. However, I'd be happy to spotlight someone else (guest post?) or write a post for someone else. I'll also accept donations for the giveaway. ;o)

At the very least you all have my sincere and enthusiastic thanks and internet hugs! Those are always good, right?

Thank you so much for sticking around and reading. I hope to see another thousand views soon!

"Keep moving forward." -Walt Disney

11 Things

The Rules:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random facts about you.

3. Answer the questions given to you in the tagger’s post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag new people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and let them know they have been tagged.

Okay, so my cousin Lena (at Lovin' My Crazy Life) tagged me in this crazy post full of 11 things: random facts, questions she asked and I answered, and 11 questions for me to ask people to answer. This was way back at the beginning of May and I'm that much of a slacker and procrastinator that it took me a month to do it! But here I am so let's begin, shall we?

11 Random Facts:
(Note: Each fact had like a paragraph of explanation, but I cut them out. It hurt! lol)

1. I haven't seen my natural hair color since I was 16.

2. While I love to write I find that I'm incapable unless I'm writing about something that makes me passionate. The subject has to invoke some kind of strong emotion in me.

3. While it's no surprise that I love bacon, it has to be crispy.

4. I always have at least 7 tabs open at all times in my browser.

5. I have HORRIBLE dental hygiene.

6. I'm long winded. *gasp* I bet you'd never guess that one, huh? :o)

7. I love cartoon monkeys. My son's current nickname is Monkey.

8. I've given up work for school.

9. I'm on the Atkins diet.

10. I'm addicted to coffee and Diet Mountain Dew. One reason I don't sleep at night!

11. I love country music. I love the sounds, the lyrics and the people who play and sing them. There's something to be said for being raised with a country set of morals.

Now, to answer Lena's questions....

1. What is your favorite song and why? My favorite song changes often but right now it’s “Ain’t No Reason” by Brett Dennon. If you haven’t heard it, please go here and DON’T WATCH the video, just listen. Then, play it again but this time watch the video. The truths in the words are brought to life in the images and every time I watch it I'm brought to tears.
2. What Biblical person do you feel you relate to and why? This is a hard question for me because I’m not as familiar with the Bible as I probably should be. I’m going to go with the unnamed woman who washed Jesus’ feet. She was the lowest of the low but He showed her love, compassion and forgiveness in front of everyone. It’s what I hope He shows me when my time on earth is done.
3. How many places have you lived and where was your favorite? I have lived in many states, many cities. My favorite was any town in North Carolina. The weather is beautiful and there are four distinct seasons despite what many people up here in Central New York think. I’ve seen the beauty of fall, the snow of winter, the heat of summer and the renewal of spring. The fact that my family was (and some still are) there is the sweetest part of it all.
4. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? As I barely hit my double digits I wanted to be a mother and a teacher. I’ve the ‘mother’ part done (heh) and I am in school working towards the ‘teacher’ part.
5. Favorite childhood memory? The happiest times that I remember from before I was 8 was waking up in the “middle of the night” and seeing my mother, sister and brother awake doing things that were so cool only because I thought it was so late at night. I’ve woken up to games of Clue and a snack of pickles, biscuit making sessions and more. I loved that I wasn’t chastised and sent to bed every time, but occasionally allowed to join in before going back to sleep.
6. Where/what is your ‘happy place’? My ‘happy place’ is a toss-up. Right off the bat I’d say snuggling with my 2yo (almost 3!), but these days with his awful tantrums and inability to speak in anything other than a whine leads me to say my happy place is in my bed reading while he’s asleep at night. I rarely get enough sleep myself because I relish the quiet after he’s in bed and try to get as much as I can before surrendering to the new day.
7. What is the most annoying toy you have ever purchased for your child/ren? Most of the things I buy for my son are clothes, movies or small toys. Not much room there for annoying things. Those come from his grandparents! But this child will watch Dumbo a hundred times a day every single day unless I urge him to watch something else. Granted there are only 4 movies on VHS and one of them he broke (Beauty and the Beast! And he won’t stop asking to watch it, the heathen! ;o)), but I’m constantly asking if we can watch Hercules or the Grinch instead.
8. What is your favorite genre of books to read? I have a wide range of interests when it comes to books lately thanks to my Nook and Barnes and Noble’s free eBooks, but the kind easiest for me to get into is science fiction. It’s what I grew up reading from my dad’s personal library and it’s always been easy for me to look ahead to the stars and the far future to a strange yet familiar world(s).
9. Dogs or cats? Oh definitely cats. I love dachshunds but cats will always be my favorite. I love the way they can curl up to half their size or stretch out to twice their length. My son also has an absurd love of cats and fear of dogs. My sister’s dachshund George he loves and mildly terrorizes, but other dogs make him run in unsure fear while cats he will immediately try to pet, hold or love on.
10. What do you hope to achieve by writing a blog? Mostly I write for myself or to share my thoughts on things with whoever reads. Mostly I’d like to show others in my situation (of a single parent) that not only are they not alone, what they’re doing isn’t “wrong” regardless of past choices. My bad decisions have been made by not just me but by countless others. We all fail, we all have triumphs, but we’re all also together. This isn’t a competition, it’s a team sport. Most importantly, I hope to make a change in the life of at least one person. If I make their day just a little brighter, if somehow my words encourage them to do something they hadn’t decided to do to make their lives better, or if it’s nothing more than, “Wow. So it’s not just me?” I’ll be okay with that.
11. Introverted, extroverted, or somewhere in between? Um… LOL Both? Majorly both at the same time? I talk so much it’s insane, but what goes on inside my head is nothing compared the amount of words that pass my lips. There are definitely people who think they know me since I’m so free with what I share, but it’s certainly the tip of the iceberg. Online where I can hide behind my screen I’m quite the extrovert. In social situations, I fade into the background still as unsure of myself as I was at 13.


Okay, listed below are the 11 questions I'd like to see answered. Some of them are quite personal. I ask them because they are things I'd love to know about you but if you're not comfortable answering any of them, just say so and leave it at that. :o)


1. If you have kids, what do you find yourself saying to them that your parents said to you that you swore you'd never say? If you don't have kids, same question but instead of "to your kids," "to other people?"
2. What is your favorite (relatively recent) picture of you? Why?
3. Name one parenting topic that really gets you going? Do you side with the majority, the minority, or no one?
4. What is your guilty pleasure? Be honest!
5. How often do you mop in your house? LOL
6. Are you happy in your relationship (or lack thereof)? If not, what do you wish you had the guts to do to change it?
7. When was the last time you watched a sunset or wished on a star with all your heart?
8. What's one of your biggest fears in regards to your child(ren) or future child(ren)? If no kids (and don't want them), how about a fear for your future?
9. I'm gonna borrow some words from Jewel here and ask if you could tell the world one thing, what would it be?
10. When was the last time you saw a movie in a theater sans kids? Is there one out or coming soon you really want to see?
11. When you feel sad or down, what do you do to cheer yourself up?


I'm picking some people I regularly interact with on Twitter and Facebook since I hear from them most often. Some I don't really interact with, but I'd love to see their responses to my questions!

Monique at Razing Mayhem @MayhemMatriarch
Liz at Six Year Itch @sixyearitch
Jen at A Day In the Life...
Keri at Quick-Witted and Witty @skeri
The Biz at And All That Biz @That_Biz (edit: SHE'S BACK on Twitter! YAY!)
Brooke at Some Days Is Like That @SchoolmarmDE
Michael at A Daddy Blog @adaddyblog


Anyone else who happens upon this blog is welcome to respond via their own post or merely answer the questions in the comments. I think these questions can reveal a lot while still allowing you to keep your mystery... ;o)

Freedom of Speech (Or Lack Thereof)

I work in a drugstore. A major chain with stores in Puerto Rico and all 50 states. I love my company, I really like my job and I'm heading to school to complete a Doctorate in Pharmacy so that I can become a pharmacist in a company that is, frankly, awe-inspiring in it's size, breadth and mission.

We have heard and read many stories about people losing their jobs for things they have said online or pictures they have posted (however legal and of age they may be). Between blogs, Facebook and Twitter, many of us live our lives quite publicly. I post things on Facebook while off the clock about my day at work (during lunch or after I'm done for the day) because I'm annoyed and want affirmation that I'm right to feel annoyed or because I'm happy and something fun or funny happened. Sometimes, I just want to complain about how tired I am and how much I just want to go home and spend time with my little man, Ick.

I can't tell you how many times someone has told me, "You better be careful about what you write! You're gonna get caught and you're gonna get fired! I'm just looking out for you, but you better be careful." I don't know about you, but that sounds like a very thinly veiled threat!

Like most people, I have my employer listed as well as my position and current city, so it wouldn't be too hard to find out where I work, therefore who to call and complain to about yours truly. However, UN-like lots of people, I know how to use those wonderful things called "Privacy Settings!" Non-friends and 'friends of friends' cannot see anything other than my name and profile picture. In fact, my profile doesn't even come up in a search result. My Facebook page is just that: mine. It is my outlet, my place to play games, somewhere to vent and somewhere to keep up with people from many different times of my life.

I also recently started using Twitter again, mostly talking about my baby boy, but occasionally talking about work.

My issue and the point of this post is that regardless of my privacy settings, what I say on those sites and this one is  my business. I do not slander anyone, much less my employer. I do not name names, I do not reveal company secrets or blab out HIPAA protected information. I do not post pictures of drunken antics (I don't have any) or drug-induced idiocy (I don't do any of that, either). I have a freedom granted to me by this great nation to say how I feel, to express my distaste with anyone and anything as long as I'm not spreading vicious lies. And out of respect, I'm never viciously mean or hurtful no matter how I'm treated (please see this post).

If my job is ever jeopardized because of something I say online that I have tried hard to keep private, or because of something I have said in a not-so-private setting and is therefore censored and toned-down, you can bet your ass I'll be calling the National Labor Relations Board. I am an upstanding, law-abiding and responsible adult and contributor to society.

Because of this, I do have a right to vent my frustrations about my company, coworkers and management. Because of my respect for people's feelings and reputations and for following the rules, my First Amendment right to free speech is guaranteed and there is no gray area here. For those people using swear words and naming the people who make them mad and say hurtful things are opening themselves up for consequences "up to and including termination." Use some common-sense judgement when you decide to post about your job, that's all there is to it.

This post is seeming to ramble with no particular point, but my point is this: The First Amendment is first for a reason: We are a democracy. Each individual has a voice. How are we supposed to "Keep Moving Forward" (thank you, Walt Disney) and bettering ourselves, our nation and our businesses if no one can say what is wrong with it? The easy answer is: We can't.