If it Wasn't for Bad Luck, I Wouldn't Have Any at All.

I'm very stressed out today.  Why, you might ask?  Because I can be stressed out, that's why.  

Actually, I think everyone is stressed out around the Holiday season -- which is funny because isn't it the season to sit back and relax?  Unfortunately, when you're a single mom working full-time with a 6 year old's birthday coming up right before Christmas and two family get together's that you're hosting...things get even more stressful.

My youngest was due on Christmas Day but because my OB/GYN was due on the exact same day that I was, she chose to induce me on December 21. 2007.  Since my daughter was born so close to Christmas I need to throw Olivia a party for her friends (usually a few weeks before her birthday), a birthday party for mine & her father's side of the family and I also host Christmas at my house as well.  That's a hell of a lot of money and way too many parties in such a close span of time, but I wouldn't change it for the world no matter how stressful it is.  

As I sit here, I'm thinking about everything I need to do for this weekend, which is her friend's party at Chuck-E-Cheese.  Since I live paycheck to paycheck until my second job starts up in January, everything is done very last minute.  So yes, I have to run out tonight and get a cake, order balloons, grab some decorations and get goody bag items as well.  All 48 hours before the party, which is absolutely lovely.  Not only am I thinking about what I have to do for this weekend but I am also planning the menu for her family party (On Dec 21st) and trying to figure out what activities I am going to have for the 6 kids that will be there. 

I also have to plan when we are going to get Santa pictures done for the girls, when we are going to get Christmas card pictures done and that damn elf...I have to keep thinking up creative ideas of where to put the damn thing.  That's pretty stressful in itself; especially when I'm going to bed at midnight!  I'm usually dragging myself back out of bed, unwillingly, to go put the elves out.  

Want to hear the best part? The icing on the freaking cake? My daughter, who's Birthday party is on Saturday, got sent home from school today with a 102 fever.  Of course, never fails.  Why would things actually go smoothly?  Ironically, she's taking after me.  As a child I always got sick, without fail, right before my birthday and right before a major holiday that we were hosting.  That was the two times out of the year that I actually would get sick.  I had pretty shitty timing and it seems like my daughter is following right in my footsteps.  Of all the traits she could have gotten from me, THAT'S the one she chooses to get!  I'm just kidding -- mostly -- but when it rains, it pours in my family.  If it wasn't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any at all.

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Trends that completely annoy me!

Disclaimer: This is solely my opinion and how I feel.  I in no way am criticizing anyone who likes any of the following or who does any of the following.  I am just stating my opinion of what trends I (personally) cannot stand.  Do not take this post to be critical of anyone in any way shape or form.  Thank you.

The Mustache Trend

No hate to any men with mustaches (and if men are reading my blog...hey!) but I can't stand seeing mustaches everywhere.  On T-Shirts, Jewelry, Notebooks, Clothing, Purses, Decor -- they are everywhere!  I will admit that I may have purchased a few things with mustaches on them when the trend first started, but now it's just getting annoying.  I honestly hope this trend dies pretty soon...lol 

Food Porn

I like food just as much as the next person does, maybe more!  However, we don't need to see what you are eating every hour of every day.  Sure, I take photos of my food to blog, tweet or facebook at times, but that would be when I am proud of something I made or saw/had something absolutely amazing.  I don't randomly take pictures of my apple I'm chomping on or my chips that I am munching on. 

The Acronym "YOLO"

Even though I'm 28 and not an obnoxious teenager (not all teenagers are obnoxious, just saying!) I know what YOLO means/stands for and I like the phrase "You Only Live Once", however I hate YOLO.  It sounds stupid, it looks stupid and in my opinion; it's stupid.  Is it too much work to actually say, "You Only Live Once"? 

Cryptic Tweets/Facebook Posts (For attention)

I've seen this even on my own feed, it's quite annoying.  If you say something like, "FML" or "I hate everything, I just want to die!" without explaining why, I'm not going to feel bad for you or give you the time of day.  If you cry poverty and two days later post about your brand new iPad Air, I'm going to unfriend/unfollow you and classify you in my "attention whore" category.  If you're going to post an extremely cryptic message, explain why so maybe people can have a chance to care!   

Vlogs By Pre-Teens

Most recently I saw a beauty vlog from a 10 year old girl who had a huge makeup collection and was telling her audience how her dad bought her a camera and allows her to do this.  First of all, my daughter isn't allowed to wear makeup in public until she's 14/15 and second of all, I would never allow her to post on YouTube at age 10.  I'm not trying to criticize any parental methods, but it's just something that personally irks me.  At 10 years of age, how much beauty knowledge do you have?  Don't you want to play with your doll house or video games instead of painting on your face?  At age 10, you're still a kid! 

 Smart Cars

They're cute but they can't be safe and have absolutely no room!  I'm sure they're great on gas, but that's because they're less than half a regular car! (And cost equal or more to a full size vehicle!)  I also see the biggest possible people in the teeny tiny smart cars, maybe they find it a challenge to try to fit themselves into the car, I don't know!

Current Music & Boy Bands

I come from the generation of Hanson, *N Sync, Backstreet Boys, LFO, 98 Degrees, etc...  I absolutely love the boy bands of the 90's and early 2000's.  After all, that's what I grew up listening to and I love it.  However, a lot of the music in this generation is just plain annoying to me.  I don't like Lady Gaga, I don't like Ke$ha, I don't like Justin Bieber (No offense to anyone who does!) and I feel like my mom when I tell my daughter to turn the music down.  I now understand how my mom felt when I would listen to artists that got on her nerves.

What current trends annoy you to death?

 

Writing Prompt Courtesy of Mama Kat's

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Don't bother mommy...

 Photo credit by seo.com

When I found this article today (Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building My Brand) I thought maybe I was the only one very offended by the title.  Thank God, I'm not.  Blair (Of Heir to Blair) feels exactly the same way that I do.  The title is very degrading and very misleading.  I guess it's also stereotypical.  There are many people, obviously, who think that Mommy Bloggers sit glued to their computers night and day shooting e-mails to companies, commenting on other blogs, waiting for comments on theirs, twittering, facebooking, etc...  Those same people probably also think that we dessert our kids while sitting there at the computer going about our bloggy business.  That is very untrue about most of us. (I will not speak for all, because I don't know what others do.)  

Honey, don't bother mommy. I'm too busy building my brand... I guess this author, Jennifer Mendelson, feels that we mommy bloggers sit on our lazy butts all day while our husbands, boyfriends or wait...even better....nannies watch our kids.  (What a laugh!! And like we can afford nannies!)  The way she puts it actually makes it sound like we're self centered little bitches to our children.  As if our blogs and building our readership are SO much more important than our own flesh and blood...

Personally, I have two kids.  I have a 2 and a 4 year old.  They are my life first and foremost.  I put my children before my blog and before my internet life at all times.  I mostly go online before they wake up, if they're napping and when they go to bed.  If they wake up while I'm blogging, of course I'll put that on the backburner and go to my children.  They know that if I am on my computer, they can always come to me and I will always stop what I am doing and help them.  Especially being a single mommy blogger, sometimes we get even more of a bad rap than the married mommy bloggers.  I have been asked (by offline friends!) what my kids do when I'm blogging and on the computer.  They just assume that I am always on there.   

(Not stated in this article, but still something that bothers me) I have read many a time that mommy bloggers get the benefit of sitting in front of their computers all day and writing about their children's boogers, diaper changes and "whoring" themselves to companies for compensation and sponsorship... Yes, I have heard that from people that are unknowledgable about mommy blogging and read it as well.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  Compensation? Ha!  Like I'm making a living and can support my family off my blog.  It would be nice, maybe a dream someday, but not reality.

Even though we face the criticism for what we do, we take lemons and make them into lemonade.  We fly our mommy blogger titles proudly, at least I know I do!  A lot of what that article says is true because mommy bloggers are very devoted to what they do, it is just the title that is misleading and very very offensive.  As some mommies do make  money off their blog and are able to quit their day jobs, (I'm not naming names) most mommy bloggers just have their sites as a hobby.  Of course we take it seriously, even though it is a hobby.  

I would love to attend a Bloggy Bootcamp session one day -- But I digress!! 

(Rock on SITS!! I'm a proud SITS girl. :)

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