I Need a Name *CONTEST*

Call it a writer's block or just plain laziness, but knowing me, it was probably just me dawdling from having to write the second half of my post.  So instead of writing what I should be writing, I was just hoppin' from blog to blog, making new friends and leaving my comments here and there.  It was during then that I came to this realization: that I need another nickname, preferably shorter, than my current 'dosweatthesmallstuff.' 

Originally when I started my blog, I was so swamped with all the Blogging 101s, it never occurred to me that I would actually need some kind of a name when referring to myself.  Other than the naming of my blog, and the fact that I want to remain anonymous, I thought I was pretty much set.  I don't regret naming my blog Do Sweat the Small Stuff.  In fact, if given another chance, I'd have done exactly the same.  Those five words truly sums up who I am--if you could call 5 words a sum up--I don't think I could come up with a better name! 

Okay, so I honestly thought I was a genius for coming up with the name (excuse me, was that a smirk? What does one need to do to get a lil respect around here?!? Geez people! Shame on you!).  Well, it didn't take long for me to realize that I've obviously overestimated my creativity.  I learned that when I introduce myself to other bloggers, or when I wanted to leave a comment on a post, many times I had to enter a name in addition to my blog's name.

The first few times, I just randomly enter my name as: Sweat Alot, Do Sweat, Sweaty... you get the idea.  I soon became aware that it would probably be better if I don't change names every time I left a comment.  It made me look stalker-ish, not to mention unhygienic. So that's when I decided to start using the name 'dosweatthesmallstuff.'

However, after having to type 'dosweatthesmallstuff' (that's 20 letters by the way)  pretty much every single time, the name is starting to lose its appeal (in other words, I'm really starting to hate it).  It's one of those names that's just too darn long to type, but not long enough to worth a copy and paste.

OK, so I need another nickname.  A shorter one.  But just as, uhm, intense and brilliant as 'dosweatthesmallstuff' (See, even as I write this post, I've typed dosweatthesmallstuff way more than I'd like to).  And no, I'm not trying to do subliminal messaging or anything like that by typing dosweatthesmallstuff over and over again.  But on second thought, if it works...

So, any of you care enough to give me a nickname?  Here are the RULES:

1. You must follow my blog (this is me hoping that you actually put some thought into it. I mean, whatever name I'll end up with is probably gonna be showing pretty often on your blog.  So unless you want 'YOUSTINK' appearing all over your blog whenever I comment on your posts, you might want to think twice about suggesting such a name).
2. I've made a button especially for this contest.  Please post it on your blog.
3. The name must be short or at least shorter than 'dosweatthesmallstuff'
4. The name must relate in some ways to my blog's name "Do Sweat the Small Stuff."
5. The name must not make me sound (overly) stupid
6. The name must not make me seem like I need a deodorant
7. It should honor my need to be anonymous* but still in essence, human (meaning, I'm an actual living full-time housewife and mother, not some automated computer system, just in case there are Thomases out there)
8. On your entry, write down the suggested name as well as your blog's name!

*Why I would like to maintain my anonymity: I have a fear that random strangers would find out where I live and start pelting my house with rotten eggs.  So yeah, revealing my name is not an option.

Now that we have the simple naming rules all set up, I shall commend the naming contest to begin.  Please keep in mind that this is the first time I ever use the linky tools.  I don't even know how this is going to appear, but please bear with me, yes?  I went to the linky tools site earlier, and they have this linky for "contests."  Sounds exciting to me, so I decided to go ahead and make this a contest. Yay!!! I'm calling it:  Do Sweat the Small Stuff 'I NEED A NAME' Contest

Oh, I'm already obsessing over your entries--0 comment would mean that nobody give a dang about me (boo hoo), while 250 comments would mean my current name seriously sucked and I need to change it pronto, right?!?!?  See just how twisted my mind works???

And for your effort and time spent thinking of a name for me, the winning prize... is...

Um...

ehem...

tik tok, tik tok,...

???

Um, this is what I can come up with (short of bribing, really).  Choose ONE:

• I will tweet your post at least once every hour for a total of 24 hours (that is equivalent to 24 times excluding my sleeping hours.  What, you think I'd wake up in the middle of the night just to tweet?  Not even breastfeeding would make me do that).
• You can write a post about me on your blog.  Ha ha! Just kidding.  But hey, if you want to, who am I to refuse?...
• I will include your grab button on every post I made for the duration of 1 week (so it would probably help if you pray and hope that I'm at my most creative that week; otherwise, you'd probably just end up being mentioned once.  Sorry, I'm just being honest here.  I really sucked at prizes, I know).
• A Certificate of Appreciation? Gosh, I'm lame...
• A Paypal Donation worth $50 made in your name to support a cause you care about.
  

<center><a href="http://dosweatthesmallstuffblog.blogspot.com/p/i-need-name-contest.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Do Sweat the Small Stuff" src="http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g345/dosweatthesmallstuff/namecontest-1-1.png"/></a></center>

Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop: 4/28 and Terrific Thursday Blog Hop: Week 12

Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop 

This blog hop is hosted by Obviously MARvelous & Smookie Style

Here's what you need to do:

1. Follow your 2 hostesses: Obviously MArvelous and Smookie Style

2. Link up your blog on the Linky Below

3. Copy and paste the Thirsty Thursday button in a blog post or on your sidebar

4. Click other links on the Linky and follow some new friends

Go to their sites to enter your link!


Terrific Thursday Blog Hop

hosted by Rondi from WAHM Resource Site and Crystal from My Life as Mom and Wife

Wordless Wednesday (April 27th, 2011)

I'm On a Diet

Less Than Half Full

Innocence Lost

How to Lose a Husband and Alienate Your In-Laws Part 1

Whenever I'm pissed-off at my husband, my grown-up mind likes to conjure up imaginary--not to mention ingenious, if I do say so myself--ways to get even.  I could be sitting prim and proper in front of him having dinner, while in my head, I would be kicking his bloody arse left and right, kung-fu style.  What's not to like, eh?

In all these hypothetical situations, I'd like to call the heroine (me, that is) 'Unstoppable Jade Fox of Brilliant Mind,' and the villain (that would be my husband, of course) 'Retarded Fox of Questionable Morals.'

Behold followers, I impart to you some of the mighty moves in my Book of "How to Lose a Husband and Alienate Your In-Laws."**  The first part concentrates primarily on the main villain, whereas Part 2 would pretty much take care of his remaining sidekicks.  

**Please do not do this at home.  Unless you're absolutely sure you want to get rid of your husband (and your in-laws).  In that case, you should then follow these instructions verbatim.

1)  I call this move "The Roaring Ambush Fright."  

Damage: nerve damage, temporary blood stoppage to brain, eardrum busted. 

Result: victim may go into a fit or delirium.

You would need at least three alarm clocks for this.  The louder they are, the better.  You can also mix and match.  To give you some ideas on the different types of alarm clocks you can use, I've found this perfect article: 11 Alarm Clocks to Wake the Living Dead, by Kavita Mathur.  

Once you have the alarm clocks of your choice, set the timer of each clock to go off within 5 minutes of each other, starting from the loudest one.  Place them around the room, each one strategically placed just beyond your husband's reach, just after he fell asleep.  

In the morning, make sure you're up before those alarms are set to go off.  Pretend to be busy in the kitchen or if you have the option to be out of the house, even better.  Don't forget to repeat the above steps every other day.

 2)  The "Dreaded Flash Forehead" move.  

Damage: crushed self-image, loss of chutzpah. 

Result: victim will seek immediate hair treatment.

Take pictures of his bald spot, making sure that each one is as vivid and graphic as possible.  Taped them onto his bathroom mirror.  You can also use red marker to circle and draw arrows to further emphasize certain areas with the most hair loss.

>3)  "The Ancient Moon Crush" move.

Damage: spastic movements of Adam's apple, temporary loss of speech, bruised ego.  Result: victim may either go into a jealous fit or straight to a divorce court.

Constantly reminisce about "the one who got away."  Create a scrapbook for your exes and decorate them with words like "true love never dies" or "I wish you weren't in my dreams."  Frame them and put them around the flat screen TV.

4)  The "Double Ox Lift" move.

Damage: loss of breath, extreme embarrassment, crushed ego.

Result: victim may be the subject of office jokes or permanently quit his job.

Buy your husband a support bra for his birthday.  Then throw him a surprise party at the office.  Ask him to unwrap his present in front of his colleagues.  Shout "Surprise!!! They're for your man-boobs!!!"  Don't forget to record the special occasion, and make sure you zoom-in on his face with your video cam. 

5) The "Invisible Shield" move.

Damage: shrinkage of the testicles, blood stoppage to groin area. 

Result: victim may go into a fit or erectile dysfunction.

Insist on wearing a blindfold whenever you're having sex.  Tell him you don't want his face to ruin your "fantasies."  If you want to add insult to injury, you can also listen to you iPod while you're at it.

6) The "Mighty Wiener Chop" move.

Damage: severely broken or bruised ego.

Result: victim may try to enroll in penis enlargement program or seek immediate surgery.  Obsession with rulers may ensue.

Refer to your husband's male organ as "Timi the little Pecker."  Invite your in-laws for dinner, and ask them if "Timi the Little Pecker" is a hereditary thing.        

7) The "Deceptive Mist Hammer" move.  

Damage: bruised or broken nose, teeth knocked out, possible black eye. 

Result: sudden loss of sleep, mental disorientation.

When your husband is sleeping soundly, pretend you were asleep and then "accidentally" whack him in the face.

8)  The "Whooping Hunger Strike" move. 

Damage: hunger pangs, gastric problems, foul mood.

Result: victim may hyperventilate, but could remedy the situation easily by calling take-outs.

Prepare dinner for the kids only.  When your husband asks where is his dinner, tell him you think he needs to go on a diet anyway.

9) The "Drunken Fairy Slap" move.

>Damage: lump in throat and difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, bulging neck veins and arteries.

Result: victim may go into a fit and/or suffer terrible nightmares.

"Accidentally" call your husband by the name of your old flame. Repeat several times a day.  

10) The "Defensive Wind Spirit" move.

Damage: nausea, gagging, general discomfort. 

Result: victim may be unable to breath, or knocked out for several minutes.

Make a habit of farting under the blanket. To help you deliver the most potent kind of gas, here's a list of things you can eat to prepare for your big night: baked beans, brussel sprouts, cheese, cauliflower, cabbage, milk, bread, eggs, beer, and raisins.

Read part 2 here...

Hop a Little Tuesday (Week 7)

Hop A Little Tuesday [Week 7]

There are 3 different linkys. You can link up your Blogs, Facebook [fan pages ONLY], & Twitter accounts!  Click on the hop button above to link up!
Hosted by: Little Boys are Made of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails and Love You Always and Forever.

Mouthy, Lips, and Sweaty's Karaoke-O-Rama

So Mouthy and Lips booked us a private room at our favorite karaoke place.  It was our favorite because it was by far the cleanest and most family-friendly karaoke place in town.  Which meant chance encounters of the bimbettes or dickheads kind was highly unlikely.  It also had the most updated song selections and featured a karaoke system that's easy enough for gadget illiterates like us to handle.

The private rooms also came with a rotating disco ball, a set of tambourines (perfect for ABBA songs, by the way), maracas, and a conga.  The bigger rooms even had their own set of drums. Total coolness!!!

Armed with three microphones--that's one each for Mouthy, Lips, and me--we were ready to sing our way through the Billboard chart.

We were so 2011!  We heart: Usher, Will.I.Am, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Glee Cast Volume 1, 2, 3, and 4, B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams, Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Flo Rida, Eminem, and Rihanna. Who said we couldn't keep up with the tweens, eh?

Worth mentioning was our buddy for the night: an Absolut Vodka called Kurant.  Mixed with sweet ice tea and lots of ice, Kurant tasted quite fantastic.  Before long, Mouthy, Lips, and I were rappin' and struttin', and doing a lot of "Wassup, yo?"  We jumped around and took it another notch with songs by the likes of David Guetta, the Black Eyed Peas, and Akon...

Dootz, dootz, dootz...  I was doing all these moves and dance maneuvers unbeknownst to me under um, more sober circumstances.  I felt dang invincible.  I was on a roll, man!!!

By the third hour, Mouthy suddenly had some kind of tummy ache. All those singing and screaming were making her gassy.  Lips went mellow and started doing doleful ballads like "Crazy" by Aerosmith and "If You're Not the One" by Daniel Beddingfield.  What the fug, Lips?!?  And as for me, I was getting increasingly annoyed at my overactive bladder.  I guess all those Kurant + sweet iced tea I guzzled down earlier were starting to mess around with my bladder.

I guess you could take the girl out of the 80s but you can't take the 80s out of the girl.  By the end of the night we were singing songs by Peter Cetera (when he was still the long perma-haired lead singer of Chicago), Debbie Gibson, Tommy Page (please don't ask), Air Supply, and Guns' N Roses.  We were back to being teens, to the time when first loves and heartbreaks reigned.  Every verse was memorable, pregnant with nostalgic memories and remembrance.  Heck, I even shed some tears.  What a wuzz.

Tired but not really eager to go home, Mouthy, Lips, and I decided to grab late-night/early-morning supper before calling it a day.  We drove to a nearby 24 hours coffee-shop where we splurged on comfort food.  Just for that moment, we'd like to forget about diets and muffin-tops.  We chatted about nothings, giggled over juicy gossips, and laughed at unfunny jokes.

By the time we each got home, it was around 5 a.m.  I could hardly keep my eyes open.  As my head hit the pillow, I realized that deep down I still had this wound that needed to be patched up.  I know that it was still there, but at least it's a little bit more numb now.  I had fun, so I considered it a successful night.  Granted, I was also too exhausted to think about basically anything at that point.  Oh well, I'll deal with it one way or another...

Thanks, Mouthy and Lips.  You girls were the best.

P.S: Here are some songs to take you down the memory lane... Cross my heart hope to die, I promise I'm not gonna tell anyone, ok?

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Custom Easter Eggs Made with Love by Miss Chatterbox

With Friends Like These...

Growing up as an only child, having close friends whom I can trust and share with is extremely important to me.  My mother was never the motherly type.  I don't doubt how much she loves me, but I find that whenever I talk to her, I always steered clear of mentioning anything that might worry her.  I want her to see me as strong and able--a survivor.

Oh, I have no problem sharing with my friends when it comes to these emotions: joy, love, surprise, anger, fear, even embarrassment (uh huh, you've read my other posts, right?).  I'm not a closed-up person when it comes to friendships.  What you see is what you get.   

When it comes to expressing or sharing sadness though, it's a totally different story.

Perhaps because I grew up being an only child?  Or because I was raised by the type of mother who was not big on expressing emotions?  Whatever it is, of all the things I suck at, if I must choose one, it would be my inability to share my own sad feelings with anyone other than myself. 

Instead of seeking others' company or advice, I would go into a hiding mode, where I would ponder over things quietly in my head, cry, and then somehow work myself into feeling normal again.  As you could probably predict, more often than not, whatever the issues were was never really resolved.

What about therapists?  Well, I've tried.  Unfortunately, not even a therapist can make me talk about sad things.  I would just babble on about other things, making jokes and laughing my ass off, all the while avoiding the reason why I came in the first place.  Before you know it, the session would have ended, the therapist would have this big grin from having laughed so much, and I would leave without mentioning anything that would indicate the sad mess that was in my head.

But today... today I am sad.  Predictably, my mind blanked out when I tried to write down how I feel.  Couldn't elaborate.

So what do I do at a time such as this?  I called up my buddies, Mrs. Mouthy and Ms. Lips.  I told them I needed a distraction.  I need to drown my sorrow with some alchy and loud music.  Anything that would beat the shit out of whatever it is that's in my head right now.  I need to force myself to feel "normal" again.  Bitchy, I can do.  Psycho, even better.  Pathetic, helpless chick hag?  SO not me.

As always, Mrs. Mouthy and Ms. Lips didn't disappoint.  No questions ask, they agreed to a night out.  We aimed high, with plans to go clubbing and partied like college girls on their spring break.  A quick glance into the mirror sobered us up though.  So we decided to tone-down it a few notches to... going karaoke!.  So folks, that's where I'm going tonight!  Mrs. Mouthy, Ms. Lips, and me, Sweaty.

So I bid you good day for now.  I WILL BE BACK. 

Thirsty Thursday Hop Week 37

Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop 

This blog hop is hosted by Obviously MARvelous & Smookie Style

Here's what you need to do:
1. Follow your 2 hostesses: Obviously MArvelous and Smookie Style
2. Link up your blog on the Linky Below
3. Copy and paste the Thirsty Thursday button in a blog post or on your sidebar
4. Click other links on the Linky and follow some new friends

Go to their sites to enter your link!

Terrific Thursday Blog Hop! Week 11

Welcome to Terrific Thursday blog hop, hosted by Rondi from WAHM Resource Site and Crystal from My Life as Mom and Wife .
Each week they will pick a random blog to be the guest host. This week's guest host for the #3 Spot is A Helicopter Mom!

The Guidelines for participating in the Terrific Thursday blog hop are as follows:

1. Please grab the blog hop button to spread the word.

2. Please follow the two hosts and guest host – WAHM Resource Site and My Life as Mom and Wife, and the guest host A Helicopter Mom via Google Friend Connect.

3. Please do not link up your giveaways, blog hops, etc. (These will be deleted.)

The linkys will open every Wednesday at 8:00pm CST.

Wassup, Dude???

A couple of nights ago, hubby and I were spending some quality time together (read: sitting side by side with our own pretty little laptops perched in front of us).  I was obsessing over numbers again; he was looking over some car websites.  Out of the blue, he said to me: "My new car is coming next week, by the way."

Hold on just a sec.  Did you say new car??  I didn't know you were buying a new car?  What's wrong with your car now?  You just bought that car, like a year ago.

He gave me one of his "you're-so-daft" look and said, "Oh, you didn't know?"

No shit.  Obviously, I have yet to master the art of telepathic communication.  "So what did you get?" I asked.

Okay, turned out the dude just bought an SUV with a kick-ass engine.  To replace the other SUV with a kick-ass engine that he just bought a little over a year ago.  Which was supposed to kick more ass than the SUV with a kick-ass engine he had before that.

What the *toot*?!?

Well, I suppose I should be thankful that it was an SUV, and not some kick-ass two-seater car like the one he bought three years ago.  I was convinced he bought that car during a temporary lapse of sanity.  Either that or he'd been smoking some kind of illegal substance behind my back.  And while we're on the topic of arses, you'd have thought that something with that many kick-ass qualities would at least provide you with plenty of space for your ass right?  Well, guess what?  The dang car didn't even have enough space for your purse, much less accommodate a small human being, such as our daughter, for example.  So the only option available was to sit with the small human being and your mommy purse on top of you, which was without a doubt, a safety hazard, not to mention butt-uncomfortable.  It kicked ass alright.  My ass, that is.

Still, the dude is changing cars as often as he's changing undies (well, alright, I admit comparing it to the frequency at which he changed undies was a bit of an exaggeration on my part. Notice the word "a bit" though. Ewww, I know).  And while I'd be delighted if he were to change undies more frequently, the same obviously does not apply to him changing cars.  Honestly, there's something weird going on with that dude. 

Um, could it be that he's undergoing some sort of midlife crisis?  Like, a second fourth puberty or something? 

I googled "male midlife crisis," and surpriseeeee!!!  Having "an unexplained desire to buy a sports car" is pretty much one of the telltale signs of midlife crisis. You see, my husband didn't use to like cars.  He was most definitely not into cars when I married him.  Well, not until recently.  As for the other telltale signs, according to my google research?  Let's just say "buying a sports car" can be considered the least of my worries.

Wait, so should I be worried then?  Is it time to book an appointment with Dr. Phil?

Oh, but the whole thing was such a cliche, I couldn't stop laughing!  HAHAHAHAHA.  I admit, I am a little worried about the dude; but right now, I'm just glad it's him and not me!  

I could not remember any time in the last six years since I've given birth that I wasn't worrying about cellulite, stretch marks, or sagging boobies.  Or fitting into the designer jeans I splurged on just before I found out I was pregnant.  And let's not forget those eye-opening experiences... when upon seeing a fine specimen of male species, my mind would momentarily forgot about everything else but to capture his attention, only to find out that the only reason he was staring my way was because I was standing next to the Playboy magazine stand.  Oh, that and the fact that I had a 7 months-old baby who at the time was drooling buckets all over my oh-so-fashionable Baby Bjorn contraption, which I was convinced was designed specifically to cover my womanly assets.  Having been through such happy times, how could I deny my husband the same experiences?

I know I should probably take this midlife crisis thingy seriously, if he is indeed having one.  But my brilliant mind works in mysterious ways, and for some reason, the thought of my self-assured husband secretly plucking his white hair in front of the mirror, or him suddenly worrying about wrinkles and excess fat, or him trying to impress college girls to prove he's still attractive enough, is downright hilarious.  Of course that doesn't mean I wouldn't kick his ass all the way to Mars if he tries anything funny.  But let the dude wear my shoes for once.

I Want It in COLOR!!! - "This is Me" Meme Gone Awry

Date: 15th April 2011

Time: 10:43 am

Last blog post: 3 hours ago

Comments on last blog post: 3

Title of last blog post: "5 Question Friday" (it's a blog hop. Over a hundred entries. Yep, 3 comments).

Duh.  Obviously, I was in a grumpy mood.  So I decided to check out other blogs that some friends had recommended to me earlier, which was NOT a good idea, because they turned out to be great blogs, and they have, like, gazillion followers, which then made me feel even more unworthy and wanted to commit a blog harakiri.

Ok, so here was where stupid does what stupids do.  One of the blogs I visited was Good Day, Regular People, otherwise known as the Empress' blog.  Uh huh, now you're starting to understand the depth of my stupidity.  For those who doesn't know what I'm talking about, go check out her blog.  It's awesome. 

Anyways, I came across one of her posts titled It's Everywhere - Baby E Post, and thought, what a marvelous idea!  It was a cute meme where you ask your child to draw a picture of you. Here's what you do:

• Ask your child to draw a picture of you. It doesn’t matter how old they are…
• Post the picture on your blog
• Call it the ‘This is Me Meme’
• Go here and add your cartoon likeness to the linky.

Easy enough, right?  So with a renewed sense of purpose, I decided that's what I was going to do right now.

I called my 6 year-old daughter, and relayed this simple instruction to her: "Babygirl, could you draw a picture of Mommy?"  Like a good girl that she was (fine, she did look at me curiously in the beginning), she immediately went on her way to accomplish this task.  By now, I was quite excited already; I couldn't wait to see the beautiful masterpiece that was about to unfold before my eyes.

Wait a minute... Why only a pencil and an eraser?  No colored pencils?  Hmm... 

"Sweetheart, where's your colored pencils?" I tried to hint. BIG hint there as you can see.

  

"I'm going to use pencil, Mommy, so in case I made a mistake I can erase it."

I thought to myself, that made sense, she wanted to make it as nice as possible.  Aw, this was gonna be great!  

12 minutes and 32 seconds later...

Whaaaaaaaaat?  Holy shitake, that's not how I looked like!?!  That's Adolf Hitler!  With long eyelashes!  And what's with the black and white?  Why no color??

Classic, neurotic me.

This was SO not my day.  At least she can make it in color!!!  Yeah, that must be it.  Color was what it needs.  I. WANT. COLOR!!!!!

I tried to be reasonable about this, but as you know, reasonable is NOT my middle name.  It's never been my middle name.  So I sulked.

I sulked, and sulked, and sulked.  Until it was time for my daughter to go to sleep.  As she was about to kiss me goodnight, I finally blurted it out, "But I want color!!!"  She looked at me and I knew that she knew,yep, mommy's having one of her "episodes."

"I tried my best, Mommy.  I really did."

"But why is it not in color?  I want color!"  Still sulking.

She looked at me and was quiet for a moment.  I shifted uncomfortably on my seat, on one side realizing my own absurdity, not giving a crap on the other.  Of course my stunted maturity-side won.  So I sulked some more.

My daughter suddenly went to her room, grab her colored pencils and a piece of paper, and started drawing.  Oh hell, only then did I start to feel really bad about the whole thing.  What the fug was I doing?  This was supposed to be fun.  Why was I giving my daughter such a hard time?  I was ashamed, truly and wholly ashamed!  As I saw her on her knees, drawing on the coffee table what I was sure of was for me, I  wanted to cry.  Still, I didn't stop her.  I was too proud to admit I was being childish.  What a mess!  Thank goodness my husband was out late with his friends; otherwise he'd probably refuse to talk to me for a whole week knowing what I had just done.

9 minutes 18 seconds later...

My daughter brought what she had just drawn to me.  It was a "rainbow butterfly."  It was a butterfly drawn on a small pink paper, this time she made sure she put colors.  There was not a space in there that wasn't colored.  Smart girl.

She said to me, "I'm sorry, Mommy.  I didn't think I could draw your face nicely, so I used a pencil.  But if you want colors, here I just draw you what I know I could draw best.  It's a pretty butterfly.  This, I could make in colors."

Boo hoo hooo... harakiri here I come!

I wish I could write a better post about this, but hey, this IS me.  That is exactly what makes the Empress' blog hers, and what makes my blog mine.  Not that I'm comparing (yeah right, get me some life, people!!!).  So I guess this is my "This Is Me Meme," and how it turned out to be more than just an eye-opening experience for me.  

Oh, and here comes the picture (folks, this is another good reason why you should take the Pledge, by the way).

Of course I can't resist posting how Daddy looked like, because the only thing that made me just a tad happier about this whole thing was how Daddy looked even worse than Mommy!  Ha, take THAT sucka!!!

And here is the peace-offering (very colorful and safe subject, can't you tell?)

Five Question Friday

Hosted by My Little Life

Rules for 5QF:  
HAVE FUN!! Oh, and copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then link up!

Questions for Friday, April 15th: 

1. What is your favorite sign of spring?

Daylight Saving Time (DST).  I know it's a pain in the @$$ having to adjust all the clocks, timer, alarms etc., but it always manages to boost my serotonin level several notches higher. For me, it's like a promise of sunny days to come, longer days and shorter nights (which is always a good thing for me, cos Lord knows I need it with all the things going on around here), and a signal that hey, I can start looking half-pretty again, what without having to wear all those practical-but-oh-so-dang-ugly drab winter clothes.

2. What was your best birthday ever?

I stopped associating birthdays with the word "best" since I turned 18.  Since then, all birthdays sucked cos it meant I was getting OLDER. Yikes.  So I guess my best birthday was my 18th birthday, which was spent (if I remember correctly) waiting by the phone for a certain boy to call and ask me out.  It never happened. So I guess as far as birthdays go, mine sucked.

3. What is your favorite dessert?

Dessert is my preferred breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It is also my preferred type of snack.  Heck, it's also my preferred supper, comfort food, and food therapy.  So here ARE (no "is" for me) my favorite desserts: funnel cake with lots of icing, krispy kreme sugar glazed donuts, pavlovas, warm chocolate chip cookies (with macadamia please), crispy apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate raspberry souffle, caramelized banana, nutella crepes... and so on, and so on.   

 4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?

I was too chickenshit to ever attempt getting out of a ticket.  I practically stuttered whenever I have to speak to a police officer.

5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?

None applies ever since I became a mom.  It has forever messed up my wake-up style.

Against Online Bullying - The Mom Pledge

The Mom Pledge

I am a proud Mommy Blogger. I will conduct myself with integrity in all my blogging activities. I can lead by example.

I pledge to treat my fellow moms with respect. I will acknowledge that there is no one, "right" way to be a good Mom. Each woman makes the choices best for her family.

I believe a healthy dialogue on important issues is a good thing. I will welcome differing opinions when offered in a respectful, non-judgmental manner. And will treat those who do so in kind.

I stand up against online bullying. My blog is my space. I will not tolerate comments that are rude, condescending or disrespectful.

I refuse to give those who attack a platform. I will remove their remarks from my blog with no mention or response. I can take control.

I want to see moms work together to build one another up, not tear each other down. Words can be used as weapons. I will not engage in that behavior.

I affirm that we are a community. As a member, I will strive to foster goodwill among moms. Together, we can make a difference.

As a child, I was raised to have good social manners, to have confidence in my abilities, a balanced awareness of my own limitations, and open-mindedness to others’ opinions and beliefs.  Growing up, I've learned to differentiate what is right from what is wrong.  All these experiences--the combination of my upbringing, social interactions, and education--eventually form to become a part of my self-identity.  They help define who I am as person, how I conduct my behavior, and how I respond to life in general.  When these moral values and personal beliefs are manifested positively and consistently in all aspects of an individual's life, that person can be described as having "integrity."  To be a person with integrity is one of the things that I strive for in life.

It is only natural that each person would develop different beliefs and ways of living that are specific to his or her own experiences growing up.  The same applies to parenting styles.  With the exception of cases involving abuse (physical, psychological, or sexual) or threat to a child’s safety, I am aware that each mother might have different opinions regarding what’s best for her child, depending on her personal beliefs and values, and her firsthand knowledge of her child. 

The Mom Pledge makes it possible for mothers of different backgrounds, lifestyles and religious beliefs to share and exchange information about their family lives (parenting style included) in a manner that is supportive, unobtrusive, considerate, and non-judgmental.  By taking the Pledge, I am reaffirming my belief that each mother is entitled to raise her own child to the best of her ability and in ways that she deems fitting.  

I’m very fortunate to have come across so many amazing, incredibly thoughtful and well-written blogs during my short time as a blogger.  These are all blogs that are fun, insightful, humorous, and entertaining.  Oh, mommies being mommies, there are times when they are serious, and there are also times when they let loose, use “four-letter” words, and joke about things that are far from prim and proper.  But even then, it is clear to me that all these blogs have “integrity,” and not surprisingly, they all have taken the Mom Pledge.

I have not experienced bullying firsthand, but I’ve seen some rude and offensive comments directed at other bloggers.  Those are not comments that merely voice a different opinion or constructive criticism.  It was clear that they were intended to attack and insult the author of the post.  It’s easy to spot online bullying because they are so offensive and disrespectful in nature; however, it is not as easy to identify the perpetrator because they almost always hide behind their anonymity.  In all of those cases  I mentioned, the blog owners simply ignore the comment and move on to address the rest.  From what I’ve seen so far, it did silence the bully, because whoever it was did not continue with any more negative comments.  

I must admit that my natural response would be to at least defend myself against the said bully.  However, by taking the Pledge, I have also committed to eradicate online bullying by silencing them, therefore giving the perpetrator absolutely nothing to go on with.  I have seen, as in the cases I mentioned above, how the Pledge worked: all the blog owners chose to ignore the comment, and the bully was in fact silenced.  And then there is strength in numbers.  With more and more bloggers joining the Mom Pledge Community, we are the majority.  With nothing to feed on, the bulllies will wither and hopefully disappear for good.  

I have not had the chance to participate in the Mom Pledge Community so far, having just started my blog and taken the Pledge.  However, many of the blogs I have come across and made friends with are owned by mothers who have taken the Pledge.  As I’m making my first small steps into the Bloggy World, I’ve learnt that as in any culture, there are many unwritten rules that bloggers abide to as they interact with each other.  One thing I am sure of though, that by taking the Pledge and becoming a part of the Mom Pledge Community, it is a step in the right direction.

You too can take the Pledge and join other mom bloggers fight against online bullying.  Click on the Pledge button above and sign up now!

Barbie Is Just a Doll, Mommy.

A few days ago I was lying down on my sofa bed with my daughter.  Together, we were an idyllic picture of modern, socially-impaired family: me with my laptop reading some blog posts, my daughter with my iPad browsing through the Apps store looking for new games.

Let me redeem myself a bit by saying that no, this is not how I usually spend time with my daughter.  I'm not a parent who's too keen on her kid playing electronic games.  My 6 year-old doesn't have any of the following: Playstation, Wii, Xbox, Nintendo DS, nor any of those interactive computer games Leap Frog, Disney, and V-Tech come up with.  She is not allowed to play our iPad or iPod Touch without Mommy and Daddy's permission.  At times she was allowed to, there was a time limit of 45 minutes and mostly on weekends only.

Some moms have called me too strict or too old-fashioned.  So far, I have yet to succumb to peer pressure.  Ever since she was small, I stick to buying mostly arts and crafts supplies or activities kit for my daughter to play with.  Sure, my daughter have asked me a few times why some of her friends were allowed to have electronic games and she wasn't.  Each time, I told her what I always tell her, that she could have just as much fun using whatever she already has around her.  When she tells me she's bored, I always encourage her to draw, color, do simple origami, or write letters and decorate greeting cards for her grandparents and friends.

Umm, so obviously that bit about "my daughter with my iPad browsing through the Apps store looking for new games" wasn't really a good example of my "finer" parenting qualities, but surprise!!! I've had several "good" mommy moments :)

So what happened was, she was browsing for free games that she could download into my iPad (she's only allowed games that are free because some of those games could be dang expensive).  Let's not forget that she is a 6 years old whose writing and reading skills are limited at best.  Amazing how that didn't stop her from actually finding the games that she wanted, huh?  When she found a few that she liked, she asked me which ones she should download.  I allowed her to choose two out of the bunch, and she ended up downloading a "Despicable Me" and one other game with a name I didn't know but basically it was a giraffe who could mimic whatever it is you say to him.

As she was waiting for the games to download, she  asked me, "Mommy, you don't allow me to play any Barbie games, right?" Apparently she had seen some free Barbie games while browsing through the Apps store.

"Yes, you are absolutely correct," I told her.

"Let me get this straight, Mommy.  You don't like Barbie, right?"

"Uh huh," I answered.

"You don't like Barbie because she's too skinny and she has tiny strange-looking neck, right?"

"Yep, you got that right, sweetie.  I don't like Barbie and she IS too skinny and she DOES have tiny strange-looking neck.  THAT is SO not the look you wanna go for," I answered smugly.

My daughter then looked  at me.  Uh oh, I knew that look.  It's a look that usually preceded either a "world's worst mom" moment or "maybe-she-should-be-the mom-instead-of-me" moment.  She then said, "But it's just a doll, Mommy.  It's not a person.  It's. A. DOLL."

You see, another thing I don't allow my daughter to play with is Barbie dolls.  I never ever bought her a single Barbie.  Whenever I found some among her birthday presents (yes, I admit I'm a parent who just HAVE to monitor my daughter's birthday presents among other things.  I'm a control freak, what can I say) I would always remove them.  Starting from her first birthday, long before she could even speak, I have started  my attempts to brainwash my daughter into hating Barbie dolls.  Yes, thanks to those parents who thought that giving my one year-old Barbie dolls for birthday presents--I repeat, one year old--was a great idea.   I would sit across from my daughter, held the said Barbie doll in all its glamorous packaging in front of her, and said: "Lookie here, sweetie (pointing to Barbie).  Mommy don't like this doll (shaking my head several times to make sure she gets the point).  Look how skinny she is! (Making a disgusted face)  And it is not nice to be that skinny!  Right baby, right???"  A message that was going to be repeated for many years to come as it turned out.

My daughter is used to this.  She's been through 6 birthdays with me, so by now she knows the drill.  Bless her heart, I knew there were times when she really wanted at least one Barbie doll, but she has never asked for one.  She knows: Mommy hates Barbie.  

My daughter's response immediately reminded me of a post I recently read on a mommy blog called Mommies being Mommies.  The post was written by Mommy J and was titled, "Losing the Princess Battle."  She wrote about not wanting her 2 year-old daughter to submit to the world of Disney Princesses, because she feared that not only would she be subjecting her daughter to a particular gender role, but also that her daughter would end up with what she thought of as "Princess" behavior: selfish, spoiled, tantrum-throwing little girls who walk around wearing an invisible tiara and princess dress.

At the end of her post, Mommy J concluded that, whether or not her daughter develop a negative attitude later in life, has less to do with her attempts at keeping her daughter away from Disney Princesses, and more to do with her making sure that her daughter doesn't grow up to become a spoiled brat.  I told her I couldn't have agreed more.  I posted a comment on her post, telling her that I was also a parent who is guilty of "battling the Princess" (or in my case, Barbie).

Thanks to the Psych classes I took during my college days, I was afraid that by playing with Barbie dolls, my daughter would come to idolize them and as the result, develop unhealthy body image, suffer from eating disorders, and fall victim into believing that Barbie is the standard of beauty.  Lost somewhere among my many worries, was my role as a mother.  I've failed to recognize, how as her parent, I can actually do something.   

Mommy J's post, and what my daughter said several nights ago, made me realize that, yes, whether or not my daughter ultimately becomes an adult who is capable of loving herself--confident in who she is, how she looks, and what she can do--has in fact more to do with how I raise her now than all of my combined efforts trying to keep Barbie away from her.  Rather than merely assuming a passive role in my active battle against all the Barbies in the world, I actually have the power to actively do something!  I can raise my daughter to have a healthy body image, not suffer from eating disorders, and believe herself as beautiful even if she doesn't conform with whatever it is the magazines deemed to be the standard of beauty at the time. 

While this realization isn't going to make me run to the nearest toy store and finally buy that one Barbie for my daughter, it really made me re-think a lot of things about my role as a parent.  It makes me happy to know that as a mother, I can contribute in "creating" an individual who is not going to be just another statistics in this world.  At the same time, it has also opened a whole new Pandora's box for me.  Have I, as a mother, been the right role model to my child?  Have I, through my examples, inspired her to not become what I'm afraid she would be if she were to play with Barbie? (a topic worth a whole other post, I'm sure). 

My daughter then went on to say: "I don't really like Barbie anymore anyways.  She has blond hair, I have brown hair.  And I think I prefer brunettes, like me."* 
*Note: The above comment is not to be misconstrued in any way.  Let me make it clear that both me and my daughter don't have anything against blond hair.  In fact, in my younger days, I used to change hair color as often as I changed the color of my nail polish.  I've been a blond, a brunette, an auburn, a red (and I mean red in the very literal sense), a copper, a black (yes, the gothic kind), and just about any colors in between kinda girl.  I even had mixed colored hair due to over bleaching once.  

To hear my daughter said that she's happy with what she has (in this case, brown hair) instead of what Barbie or others have, means a lot more to me than any other accomplishments I've achieved so far.  It gave me hope that at least for now, she's on the right track to becoming a person who sees herself in a positive light.  That yes, provided with the right values and upbringing, what my daughter said was never more true.  Ultimately, "[Barbie's] just a doll, Mommy.  It's not a person.  It's. A. DOLL."

I Couldn't Resist!!! Water For Elephants

OK, so by now you'd probably know I have a particular obsession called RPattz (aka. Robert Pattinson, Twilight's Edward Cullen, Robert of Robsten).  So how could I not post a little post about him?  Last night's Meet Me on Monday question had me fired up again on the topic of Rob.  LOVE him.

While I'm growing a serious case of white hair waiting for Breaking Dawn Part 1 to arrive in November, it's only natural that I'll take whatever I can get to get my dose of RPattz in the meantime.  That means getting EXCITED (ok, SUPER EXCITED) to watch his upcoming movie, Water For Elephants (Based on Sara Gruen's bestseller novel).  Here is Rob with Reese Witherspoon, who played his love interest Marlena:


Trailer 3

And of course, like any other reasonable, mature Twi Moms, I watch all Rob's interviews on YouTube.  Here's one that I saw recently.  Awww (sigh)...  Be still my heart...

Meet Me on Monday (April 11th, 2011)

Every Sunday, Never Growing Old will post five get-to-know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!







  

Do Sweat the Small Stuff Answers:

1.  Who would be your dream celebrity date?

Oh boy, you really don't wanna go there... (shrieking) Robert Pattinson, obviously!!!! (OMG OMG OMG)

In fact, for my birthday last year my friends gave me this t-shirt: 

2.  Do you have any food restrictions?

I'm allergic to shrimps and prawns.
 

3.  How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?

While dating: 1 hour

Year 1 of marriage: 40 minutes

Since then: 10-15 minutes

4.  Sausage or bacon?

 Definitely bacon.  I eat my pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

5.  Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?

Google mostly.

Meet Me on Monday Linky: