Till He Learns I'm Not a Hero

So far this morning, I've fed a hungry, screaming Banshee, cleaned up after a tornado, fixed two dragsters and replaced the wheels on a hot rod.
For now I'm the hero.
I will relish in that till he learns that I'm really just a mere mortal.

Your Own Child's Voice

I love how cute a little child singing the A B C's is, especially when they have their own ways of pronouncing some of the letters.
The sweetest sound is the voice of your own child.....unless they are screaming in the middle of a store!

Mom, Mom, Mom....

Jake: "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mommy, Mommy, MOM! MOM MMMOOOMMM!!!"
Me: "WHAT?!!!!"
Jake: "Hi."
It doesn't just happen in cartoons....

My Son Will Be a Man Someday

When I look at my son who is only 2 ½, all I see is a little boy. I get so wrapped up in the day to day living that I forget that the future is rushing towards me at an unimaginable high rate of speed.

Though he is a little boy and I want him to experience life as such and enjoy this time being little, I have to remember he will be a man someday. This future man will remember more of his childhood than I will. He will remember certain times that may appear to be insignificant, but have actually shaped him into the man he became.

He will have memories that were happy and memories that taught him valuable lessons that are serving him well in his adult life. He will also ultimately have memories of times I wished he had forgotten. Memories where I may have failed him, memories that may have caused him harm, memories that I fear may be causing him problems in his adult life.

I have joked in the past when I screw something up that he has to have something to talk about in therapy later in life, but when I really think about what I do today could affect him in his adult life and how he raises his own children, I find it’s no joke. I find it terrifying that I, as just a mom, have so much influence over how a person’s life unfolds and ultimately shapes who they are.

Yes, there are many stories of people overcoming their bad childhoods, their neglectful or abusive parents, their lousy home life and more. Though I know there may be things my son has to learn to overcome, I don’t want to be one of them!

I am ashamed to admit I do not meet all the challenges my son produces with the grace of a perfect mom. Though I am not abusive in the sense that abusive parents are, I feel that there are times that I certainly could be doing a better job. In essence, I am not a perfect parent. But who is? I don’t strive to be perfect. I strive to be the kind of parent that my son sees is a real person with strengths, weaknesses and ultimately faults. He will know that he too, does not have to be perfect.

Still, it is scary that what I do today may affect him for the rest of his life. But I can’t let that fear paralyze me. I still must care for him, teach him, set limits, let him learn about life, let him explore his boundaries, discipline him and more. Most of all I must show him just how much I truly love him. Though I must be conscious of how my actions will shape and mold him, I can’t let it bog me down by over thinking every decision I make. If I always stop to think about how my actions at the moment will make him feel later in life, I will never have the chance to parent him!

Wow! There truly is no more important job than being a parent. It is such a tremendous responsibility and carries such a load of guilt trips. There are times that no matter how hard I try and be a good parent, I still screw it up. Oh well. When my son is a man and feels like he screwing up raising his own children, I know I can give him that knowing smile, that, “I’ve been there” look and an encouraging word.

~Julie

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Now Your Car Computer Can Be Hacked

As if we didn't have enough to worry about.

If you thought that your computer or your bank's computer were the only things you had to worry about being hacked, now we have to worry about your new car's computer being vulnerable to computer hackers.

You can read about it in the article here: http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/08/cars-hacked-through-wireless-tyre-sensors.ars

So the next time you are sitting at a light and your wipers go haywire or the gauges in your dash start blinking, start looking around for some young kid laughing hysterically. Just make sure to ask for ID to see if he's 18. You don't want to be beating up on a minor!

Makes you wish for simpler times when cars were simple and the word hacker was unknown.




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You Know You're a Mom When......

You just have to check this post out:
You Know you're a mom when you open your purse and find___________.
This is hilarious!

I have to enter my own finds. My purse is like the clown car from the circus!
In my purse there is:

Extra napkins from the last place we ate out(don't remember where), various hot wheels cars, personal products, wipes, an old diaper and my son has been potty trained for months so why am I still carrying one around?
Wet Ones hand wipes, hand sanitizer, two sunscreen bottles, ear plugs for when we go to the track, small sewing kit, bandaids, rolaids, various pain relievers as people bum advil, tylenol and others from me all the time.
Extra pairs of contacts, solution, case, deodorant, lotion, tissues, eyeliner and eyeshadow, lip gloss, tweezers, mirror, glucose tablets as well as candy, crackers and other various snacks.
I also have a travel toothbrush holder that I carry bendy straws in for my 2 year old in case we stop and eat somewhere and they don't offer bendy straws - a must for little ones!
In addition to the standard, wallet, keys, cell phone and cell phone accessories.

Good thing I carry a backpack!

I remember reading a comment written a long time ago that said, "A woman can handle any disaster as long as her purse is within easy reach!

What's in your purse?!

Giveaway: $25 Gift Certificate to Roher's Tavern

I have a $25 gift certificate to Roher's Tavern in North Bend, Ohio to give away. The gift certificate is good only till 10/21/10.

Your bill has to be more than $35, so you can basically eat for $10.

The gift certificate is free, all you have to do is leave a comment on my blog ( I prefer nice ones!) on any story you like and I will draw a winner on Tuesday 9/7.



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I Miss Living In the Country

I miss living in the country. I miss the horses, the fields, the pond, the smell of fresh cut hay, bushhogging, the quiet and your closest neighbor is a half a mile away.
Maybe again someday.

Why Not Enough Boys Clothes?

Why is it when you go shopping for your son that there are ten times the amount of girl items as there are boy items?

And please don’t say it’s because girls like to shop more. I’m talking about babies through toddler sizes. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you are shopping for clothes or shoes, there is just so much more to choose from in girls sections then boys.

Can someone explain this to me?

I want to have the same amount of options for my son as those with daughters do. I also want something more than just sports themed attire. Also, nothing seems to run true to size either which is very annoying. When did the size of an item of clothing become open to interpretation? I have actually seen differences in sizing within the same manufacturer! I think there should be some uniformity with the sizes.

Well, that takes care of rant for the day.

After A MRI, Don’t Forget Your Bra

I had to get a MRI today and it was quite an experience. The funny part was, I almost left without an important part of my clothing – my bra.

That was the only item I had to take off. Of course that was after the technician used one of those airport metal detector wands all over me, in full view of everyone in the waiting room. Though I remembered to leave my wedding band and watch at home, I wasn’t thinking about wearing a bra with an underwire in it when I left the house. The wand made that fact obviously clear.

So the technician informed me I had to go and remove my bra, but I could leave my shirt on if I wanted. Gee, that was nice of him to offer that. In the room where he pointed for me to go had lockers in them with keys in the locks. You are to remove what items are offensive to the MRI magnets, lock the locker and bring the key with you. Luckily for me, I remembered to lock my car key in it, too. If it wasn’t for that, I’m sure I would have left without my bra.

After I emerged from the dressing room, or should I say the undressing room, I peeked around the corner and didn’t see the tech. So I folded my arms across my chest by starting at the bottom of my stomach moving my arms upward to gather “them” up if you know what I mean. I sat down in the chairs outside the room where the machine was. I tried to read a magazine without unfolding my arms, but felt a little awkward trying to the turn the pages with my nose.

Finally the tech came and asked more questions. All the while I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and squeezed my arms tighter around my chest hoping to keep both boobs covered without one falling down below my folded arms. Hey, let’s face it, they don’t point straight ahead anymore.

I hate MRI’s. You have to lay perfectly still for like 20 minutes and when I have to do that, I always have itches pop up all over my body. Very uncomfortable! That, and if you weren’t claustrophobic before you went in, you sure will be afterwards. The music is nice as you get to choose the music venue, but it doesn’t take your mind off the fact that your nose itches the whole time and you can’t move!

After I was done, I jumped off the table before it was even lowered all the way. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. In my effort to escape, I had to walk past all these people, with my arms folded across me so they wouldn’t see anything when I realized all I had was the locker key! I had almost made it to the exit when I realized I was leaving without my car keys and my bra! Doh!

I’m sure I was an interesting sight almost running back down the hallway with my arms folded across my chest. Have you ever tried to run with your arms folded? I looked like a dork. To make matters worse, when I got to the undressing room, it was occupied by the next victim! So I had to wait outside of the room while people walked by. This person took forever. By then my fingers were turning blue because of me hugging myself so tight. Finally when this person emerged I noticed it was a man and he still had all his clothes on! What took him so long? All he had to do is empty is pockets! I would have slapped upside the head, but that would have meant I would have had to use my arms to do so.

I almost shoved him aside with my shoulders as I darted inside the room. I quickly got dressed, picked up my car key and hightailed it out of there like the place was on fire. Only to be stopped by the woman at the front desk who informed me I had to wait for the films to be developed to take with me. I could feel the blood flushing my cheeks as I sat down in the chair. I was too embarrassed to even look at anyone. I stared at a carpet that had no pattern to it till I almost had a seizure from staring at nothing for so long. The whole time I was wondering which funny video TV show they would sell the film of me running down the hall with my arms folded to. The weird part was while I was sitting there, I was still hugging myself.

I prefer to blend into the background when I go to the doctors or to have testing done. I don’t think I accomplished that this time. My advice is, if you need a MRI, remember to wear a soft cup bra with no underwire. You’ll thank me for it later.



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