tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17819307981862371502023-11-16T07:27:50.188-05:00When Did My Hair Turn GrayQueen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-74896284215691352272011-07-31T04:17:00.003-04:002011-07-31T04:56:10.141-04:00My New Rules for FacebookWhat the hell? The queen is posting? Something serious must have happened! After all, she hasn't posted in what amounts to centuries in the blogosphere. <br /><br />Sorry folks. Life is taking its toll. I've had a lot to say, but I am always too tired to say it. So hey its 4:19 am and I am sitting here stewing over some recent developments...so I figure why not. Let's just get this out there. <br /><br />There should be a completely new set of rules on Facebook. And they should work to make my own life simpler. And those who need to read them, should read them and go...ohhhhhh so that's how it's supposed to be. Some of it is DUH common sense kinda stuff. The rest, well let's just say recent events have led to this. <br /><br />Here are my new and improved Facebook rules.<br /><br />1. Let's just say this bluntly....If it's posted on Facebook it's fair game. Period. If you don't want opinions then don't post the shit. It's that simple. Because when you blast your comment as a status for all 3,456 of your closest friends to read you are in effect asking someone to comment. That is why Facebook has the comment feature. If you reply to my status, you are GUARANTEED a comment. Therefore, if you do not want to have to discuss the shit you have to say, keep it off of Facebook. Plain and simple. <br /><br />2. If what you want is everyone to agree with you, join a cult, not Facebook. Chances are every friend on your list is not going to agree with what you have to say. This doesn't mean they do not like you. It means that they disagree with you. Most adults can do this maturely. If you cannot, turn off the computer and learn some basic social skills. If you do not want differing opinions and you are not among maybe 5 people on my friends list....go ahead and delete me. <br /><br />3. If you are ignorant and spout of hatred, do not get pissy when people disagree or call you out on it. Drop the drama, stop acting like a victim and deal with it. You want to look like a jackass, then bend over and take it like a man. <br /><br />4. If you do not want random people to judge what you say and do, and what you say and do could be considered controversial, don't post the shit on Facebook. Stop whining when someone you've never met spreads rumors about your life if you are going to write a damn novel and tell the world every messed up decision you have ever made. Keep some things to yourself. Otherwise, see jackass comment in number 3. <br /><br />5. If everyone you meet stops liking you, you are likely not the victim. Get over yourself and learn how to be a grown up. There is no way that every single person on the planet could be bad and you are the sole caring individual on my friends list. <br /><br />6. If you have something to say....go ahead and say it. Don't post vague messages meant to entice people to ask you what is wrong or what is good. The last time I checked only a handful people on my friends list were of the 12 and 13 age group. As an adult, you can easily say what the hell you have on your mind. If you expect me to beg for information, you are going to be disappointed. <br /><br />7. Holy crow please read those silly "post this if you truly care" forwards before you post them. First off, I am RARELY going to post them. If that makes you think I don't care, then you truly do not know me. Most of them are stupid. They mean nothing. They are annoying. They clutter up my news feed and I read them 235 times in a day. Why repost? My friends have already read them a hundred times. But most importantly, please make sure that posting them doesn't make you look like a hypocrite. If you are judgmental asshole, don't post something about caring about others. If you are unemployed, don't post something about what your taxes are supporting. You look stupid. Pass it up. Ignore it. And if you post it, refer to number one. <br /><br />8. For the love of all that is holy please quit posting about the troops and Casey Anthony. Both are being shoved down my throat to the point of my complete and total irritation. I am all about supporting the troops. If your spouse is in the military and you want to post....you are entitled and I don't begrudge you. If, however, you would rather eat a sweaty sock for dinner than get off your ass and get a job much less walk in a war burdened with hundreds of pounds of equipment, then please do not bitch at me for complaining when its 105 degrees because I'm not suffering the life of a soldier. And Casey is a bitch. Probably deserves to be in jail. But it's over. No matter how many porch lights you turn on or cute little trains you post, Caylee will not come back. Let it go man. <br /><br />9. If you want to post information about religion, politics, human rights etc....even if it is blatantly obvious that you are choosing a side....at least make it factual...do not post propaganda that you heard from some nutcase in an attempt to make you look smart. Because there are ways to check facts. And I will. And then number one comes into play. And possibly number 2. <br /><br />10. Limit the prayer requests. I am all about giving prayers and good thoughts when they are warranted. This doesn't include stubbing your toe or the smart ass you work with. If every other post is a prayer request, I tend to pass them by. I might miss an important one. <br /><br />11. Don't make yourself look like a hoochie online. Especially if you have kids. For the love of God please put some clothes on. And do not pucker your lips. You look like a fool. I'd die of embarrassment if you were my mother. <br /><br />12. Seventy-five percent of what I say is bullshit. I joke with everyone. Not just you. I am sarcastic. I am blunt. I am opinionated when needed. I look at Facebook as tool for connecting and having fun with friends and family. If you don't like what I say...tough cookies. I'm going to do me and I am going to do me well. Get over yourself and have a little fun. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-22519773102762621562011-04-03T16:30:00.003-04:002011-04-03T17:00:09.206-04:00Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones...but words will never hurt me...<br /><br />Whoever coined that phrase was full of shit. Pardon my french. The reality is that words, when spoken by specific people, have the power to truly cause emotion. They can lift a person up and make them smile. They can pull them down and cause them pain. It's very obvious that the phrase was created before the mass effect of Facebook and the ability to read what people truly feel and believe.<br /><br />Yes I have a reason for feeling this way today. And yes I am going to share it. Because I think that anyone who reads this....both of you....might gather something from understanding the true power of the words you use. <br /><br />I've shared before that Brat has Asperger's Syndrome. If you don't know much about that, well that is not uncommon. It is a form of Autism, but unlike some forms it is considered high functioning. In other words, it doesn't cause the marked delays that one might see in a child with more severe Autism. <br /><br />The fact is many people do not understand Autism and those that know a little about it do not understand the many forms of Autism that are on the spectrum. April is Autism Awareness Month and for me this is a time when you help bring that awareness. It's a time to open the eyes of the world to what makes my child different. What makes her who she is. A time to understand that she is not some freak that deserves to be ostracized because she is unique. <br /><br />I love my daughter the way she is. I will shout that from the rooftops. There are many things about her personality that are brought on from having Autism. And yes I love those things. I should NOT have to be ashamed of that. <br /><br />That does NOT mean that we have not struggled. Just because she is high functioning does not mean I have not faced the battles other moms have faced. Some of them are the same. Some are different. Even now as a preteen we face battles EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And at least twice a week she cries and wishes she did not have Autism. I should not have to sit and give proof that yes we struggle. But for the sake of this post I will. Here are just a few things we have struggled with over the years thanks to Autism.<br /><br />1. She didn't speak to ANYONE except me until she was 8 years old<br />2. She couldn't stand loud noises as a child even toilets flushing, so going to a public bathroom required two people. One to take her outside after she was finished so the other could flush. <br />3. Overstimulation would cause her to melt down. THis often resulted in throwing herself into the floor and screaming wherever we were at and she would have to physically be carried out. <br />4. She would often run when frustrated and this included into streets. She ALWAYS had to have her hand held and you had to be cautious not to upset her. <br />5. She would bang her head repeatedly on the ground, even concrete, when upset. <br />6. She pulled her hair out by clumps <br />7. She couldn't tolerate some clothes and she screamed when her hair was brushed<br />8. As she got older she lagged behind socially <br />9. She lacks empathy and the ability to understand how to say the right thing...instead she blurts out whatever is on her mind and this often leads to upsetting people. <br />10. She has a very hard time maintaining any social relationships. <br />11. Personal hygiene is a DAILY struggle. <br />12. She is ostracized and picked on a lot and she doesn't understand that it is happening. <br /><br />These are only a few of the struggles we have or are facing with Brat. All of these are the result of Autism. So YES. I have faced many of the same issues that others have faced. And every day is still a struggle. Even as a 'high functioning' person she faces a world that is foreign to many. <br /><br />Just because I treasure my daughter and love her quirkiness, does not mean I am celebrating Autism. Just because I do not spend my life taking on battles that I do not have the time or energy to take on does not mean I am somehow making light of those who have done so. Yes I have raised Brat to believe that this is something she has and that it does not define her. She can be anyone she wants to be. I will not apologize for believing that. I will not apologize for raising her to believe that. Would it be better if I raised her to believe that she were doomed for life because of this? That her dreams could never come true? That she would somehow always be less than? <br /><br />I am tired of being made to feel like I am less than because I don't subscribe to the doom and gloom theory. That does not mean I celebrate being Autistic. It does not mean that I would choose this for Brat. It does not mean that I wouldn't take her struggles away if I could. I HATE what she goes through. <br /><br />But the fact is, there is no way to take it away from her. So I'd rather she accept it, own it and love herself in spite of it. I'd rather she believe in the ability to chase her dreams than feel like she were doomed to a life of misery. And I'm tired of people acting like I am somehow not a good mom for feeling that way. Or like I only feel that way because my daughter is high functioning and so I just don't understand. <br /><br />Autism Awareness Month is a time to make people aware of this disorder. A time to show them what it is. A time, in my mind, to show them how to treat those who have it. <br /><br />Apparently even those who are aware could stand to learn a little bit of that. Because as the saying goes, one thing you cannot take back is the word after it has been said. <br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-87412208810413300182011-03-14T18:41:00.004-04:002011-03-14T19:01:18.444-04:00The Queen is Going PostalWelcome one and all. You are about to witness something that happens far to often in reality but only occasionally here on this lovely blog that I tend to ignore. The Queen Bee is about to go postal. You see there are a few topics that I feel the distinct need to rant and rave about. And since Grumpy is tired of hearing it, you shall have the pleasure. <br /><br />These topics are just current things that are under my skin. If you don't care....you might want to stop reading. <br /><br />1) I do not need to cure my daughter. I do not want to make her better. Yes I'd like it if she didn't have to struggle so much. But do you know why she struggles so much? Because people are ignorant. Kids are ignorant. Yes they are. But they are ignorant because their parents allow it. Because their parents are ignorant. Because they do not teach them about accepting all of the people in society, even those that are different. Yes I'm aware that my daughter is high functioning. That means she does not have some of the same issues those who are not have. And for that I understand that some parents DO want to cure their kids. They do want to make them better. I'm not saying they are wrong. Just that I am not one of them. So I would be happy if people would stop assuming that I want to change who my daughter is. The only thing I want to cure is the ignorance that surrounds mental health and autism. The ignorance that makes people think it is something she should be ashamed of. Stop posting all these statuses about how kids only want to be accepted and start actually accepting them. What you post on Facebook as a copy and paste doesn't mean shit if you continually treat my daughter like she has the plague. <br /><br />2) There is absolutely NOTHING funny about mental health problems or a mental health breakdown. If one more person say WINNING I think I'm going to thrown my computer out the window and that would be bad because I need it to work. You see everyone wants to crack jokes about Charlie Sheen. However, he tested negative for drugs. But in order to believe you are somehow right and in order to realistically spout off things about being a warlock and stuff in the shape he's in one of two things is occurring. He's either high, or he's lost his marbles. Literally lost them. He exhibits all the signs of a mental health disorder. He exhibits all the signs of a mental health breakdown. That, my friends, is not funny. Unless you have lived with someone (or yourself) with mental health problems you have no clue how much they can affect your life. And you have no clue how devastating they can be. And it does not matter how many millions he has. He can't seek treatment if he doesn't realize there is a problem. HE BELIEVES HE IS RIGHT! Classic mental health disorder. NOT FUNNY. It's laughing at shit like this that creates a stigma around mental health issues and makes it hard for people who have them to function in society as a normal person. So stop the damn jokes already. Stop wishing him dead. He's a human being. He deserves to live. He deserves for someone to care enough to help him. Most of all he deserves the respect to not be made fun of for something he has no control of. And no, I'm not a Charlie Sheen fan. I am, however, a proponent of treating those with mental health problems like regular human beings. <br /><br />3) The world is going to hell and I blame the republicans. Yes I do. Look at what they did in Wisconsin. I mean who really cares what those pesky people that voted you into office want. Really? They are nobody. And now here there is crap going on. And in more states. I mean suddenly voting doesn't mean shit. Except maybe when we get the chance to vote and get these jackasses out of office. Until then, it does not matter what we want. It does not matter how many people fight it. It doesn't matter what is right or wrong. Republicans are sending us to hell and it started in Wisconsin. Thanks a lot Grumpy and your land of cheese. <br /><br />And there you have it. The three things on my nerves this week. And they result from the same thing. Ignorance. I wish I could close my eyes and have all ignorance erased from the world. Just for one day. So for one day I wouldn't have to bite my tongue and sit on my hands to keep from pissing people off. <br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-79023609265528272882011-02-13T15:05:00.003-05:002011-02-13T15:20:18.382-05:00Random thoughts....It's that time again folks...random thoughts from inside the head of the Queen Bee. Brought to you by the fact that I have absolutely no flipping idea what I should post but I do know that I should post something. <br /><br />As always sit back and enjoy the craziness that is a part of my brain. <br /><br />* It is completely wrong that when you look at flower delivery sites the price of the flowers goes double when you want it delivered on Valentine's Day...<br /><br />* Fear what could be lurking in the corner behind the microwave oven<br /><br />* snow is overrated. Especially when there is 3 to 4 feet of it in your yard<br /><br />* Autism isn't a death sentence. It means life will be different. It doesn't mean you have to be terrified or ashamed of it. <br /><br />* If a vegetable tastes like black licorice, you should tell someone that before they take a big bite of it. Some people despise black licorice. <br /><br />* Be careful what you say. The person who hears you may be the person you least meant to hurt. <br /><br />* Nothing is cooler than a teen heartthrob who gets made fun of in the media participating in a commercial where he makes fun of himself. Hilarious!<br /><br />* It really sucked this year living in the house with a football fan from Wisconsin<br /><br />* You might be surprised what you can learn if you take the time to ask<br /><br />* Choosing to work with someone in a professional manner that has the same problems your daughter has could make work quite interesting...<br /><br />* It truly is possible to write 30 articles a day<br /><br />* Most preteens act like jackasses and their parents dont seem to care<br /><br />* I still have not succumbed to the Farmville, Cityville, Frontierville obsession.<br /><br />There you have it folks. <br /><br />Have a great week!<br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-51854549765415489972011-01-23T19:53:00.002-05:002011-01-23T20:14:18.665-05:00The queen of the diagnosis...<span style="font-style:italic;">Advance warning: this post will probably not be filled with the same humor and lightheartedness of my usual ramblings. It's been a serious kind of week and I'm really just frazzled by it. You have been warned. </span><br /><br />Brat is a strong kid. And I don't mean in the she can pick you up and toss you across the room sense of strength. Although I'd put my money on her if there was a true battle going on. She's a tough cookie. <br /><br />No her strength is an internal strength that most kids do not have to deal with and many days I wish she didn't. But she rocks it like nobody's business. <br /><br />It all began when she was little but it didn't come to light until she started school. That was when we got the first diagnosis. My child that talked to me nonstop apparently did not talk to anyone else. Having been mostly at home, we never really noticed anything beyond the fact she was shy. Oh there were other issues, but that's not what I'm getting at here. So with some therapy and stuff we heard the words severe and anxiety disorder and selective mutism. <br /><br />Following that came the first round of medications. We saw some slight improvements but then some of her other problems became more pronounced. The therapist suspected ADHD, but I was adamant that she didn't suffer from this. Nonetheless I allowed a test run on Adderall and my life went to hell really fast for a week or so. <br /><br />It was after this botched medication experiment that the words bipolar disorder became a regular part of our vocabulary. I would later be officially diagnosed the same, but this story isn't about me. <br /><br />Now we added new meds and we really started seeing some changes. In second grade, Brat stood in front of the class and spoke for the very first time. I happened to walk in the school as her voice boomed from the loudspeaker while she made the morning announcements. Parent volunteers hugged me and cried. No one could believe they had heard her voice. <br /><br />I should back up and say that in the beginning the therapist pointed out that Brat showed some autistic signs. however she was very social and quite intelligent at her age and those went against the traditional autistic signs. Generally autistic kids that do not speak are not prone to be in the center of a group of friends. <br /><br />Back to the story. As life went on, Brat's meds went through changes and so did she. As she got older her differences from the other kids became more pronounced. She was far behind. Could this be from not speaking? We were unsure. We continued with the meds that were working and strived to help her. <br /><br />She had to move schools due to becoming the kid that everyone picked on. She thrived at the new school for a couple of years and all was well. Then her differences kicked her hiney again. She wasn't picked on, but she was ignored. She was alone. She was struggling. <br /><br />I ended up pulling her out to homeschool her due to lack of cooperation with the school and in the process she also underwent testing. <br /><br />It was then, not too long ago, Brat received another diagnosis. She suffered from Asperger's Syndrome-- a high functioning form of autism. So now our work was in a different form. <br /><br />Through all of this Brat has managed to take it well. The kids mostly just ignore her if they don't 'get it'. She has a few that tend to make her life hell. But she is pretty good at defending herself and ignoring them. Unfortunately the adults are not as easy. <br /><br />Several have told her things like "kids don't get bipolar disorder". Some have eliminated contact with us due to behaviors she has had. It's just been hard on her. But she rocked being unique. She embraces her differences and wants to make a difference in the lives of others. <br /><br />Sadly this past week Brat received yet another diagnosis. During a routine appointment to discuss a completely different matter, she was diagnosed with a pretty severe case of scoliosis of the spine. She has xrays this week and begins physical therapy on tuesday. <br /><br />No kid can just keep taking it and never have a problem. She's had a hard time accepting that yet another thing is "wrong" with her. She went through a couple of really depressed days.<br /><br />Yes she's the queen of the diagnosis, but when do we get a break? When does she get to go to a dr and they simply say all is well we will see you in a few months? <br /><br />She's 12. And in her 12 years she has had to endure more stress, trouble, heartache and judgment than most adults I know. <br /><br />I'm writing this because I want to take a minute to just say Damn,....this sucks. because it does. But also to give props to the girl who has faced so much and still finds the time to do amazing things. She wrote a new song this week. It's really good and I'm so proud of her. <br /><br />She doesn't understand why she had to be the one to get bipolar and anxiety and autism and now scoliosis. But she knows she's strong enough to handle it. And she knows that she will be strong enough for whatever she has to face next.<br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-78502432106934436522011-01-18T01:27:00.002-05:002011-01-18T01:30:51.681-05:00It's Alive....Or better yet...it's LIVE!<br /><br />I've officially got a website. My very own. It is for my freelance writing business. I'd share it here, but would defeat the anonymity of this blog. If I go off on a marathon of words that could make a sailor blush here I don't want it to affect my business. But I'm psyched. <br /><br />Now to bring in clients. <br /><br />Oh how I want to make money at this. <br /><br />I mean I am making money. But I can make more with my own site. At least that's the plan. So here's a big shout out to grumpy who is truly grumpy from having to work on my site today. <br /><br />And here's to my new site. Which came complete with a blog. No worries. it won't replace what I never get around to posting here.<br /><br />Life is good today!!<br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-92168736863641929082011-01-16T18:26:00.002-05:002011-01-16T18:35:38.838-05:00I laugh...I smile....I take drugs...Believe me when I say the drugs make me able to laugh and smile. Or you could believe grumpy when he says I never laugh and smile. He's wrong though. I do. Just not at his lame jokes. <br /><br />It's been a long week. Work has kept me busy. Life has kept me busier. Trying to determine how to juggle a full time job and homeschool is proving to be a cause for the necessity of stronger drugs. Preferably ones that add about 8 hours into my day. <br /><br />Since this blog was created to outline the journey of becoming a person among the life of being a mom, I should add I've rediscovered something. I was fortunate last year when I stumbled upon the ability to become a freelance writer for an actual income. No more telling teenagers that sex causes babies for two cents a pop. <br /><br />However, I had still yet to recall how much I truly love fiction writing and article writing for me. I'm exploring that now. So now I work all day and then in my free time I'm working on writing stuff for me. So in essence, I'm always working. <br /><br />When my first bestselling novel hits the shelves it will all be worth it. Ha Ha. <br /><br />In the meantime I'm working on a short story for a contest. If I win it will be published in a well known magazine. That would rock my socks. <br /><br />Now if I can just get the doctor to prescribe more hours in the day. <br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-12225096019184480512011-01-10T15:26:00.000-05:002011-01-10T15:36:25.435-05:00Brought to you by the letter..............What is wrong that so many of our letters are being blatantly discriminated against? It's an injustice. They just sit there, in the alphabet, waiting to be used in a nice little (Or big) word. Some people use them elegantly, others...not so much. But they are there. To use. <br /><br />Words were created with letters. For example the word word has four letters. It has W- O- R and for good measure it ends with D. <br /><br />What...that word also has FOUR letters. W- H- A- T. <br /><br />Not WUT. Not WAT.<br /><br />You see where I'm going with this right?<br /><br />Why has H been discriminated against? The same could be said for the T in JUST. Again a four letter word. <br /><br />Someone, somewhere is to blame. They have butchered our language. It was already the most messed up language in the world. Now people are making us sound like a bunch of uneducated hillbillies. <br /><br />It's hard enough to see Brat's friends do this. I want to correct them all. Point out that speaking like that only makes you look stupid. But all the kids are doing it and I'm the old lady so I'd be the stupid one. <br /><br />Besides...they might think my ellipses look funny and they don't comment on that. <br /><br />But when people my own age begin talking like this I want to bitch slap them. I realize its the thing to do. Back when I was first on the internet I probably did all the 'things to do' as well. But geeez...its annoying. <br /><br />Besides, soon there will be an uprising. H and T will want their place back in our words. They will stage an uprising. They will employ a group to fight for their equal rights and knowing our luck the Rev. Jesse Jackson will jump in on it. <br /><br />Save me the headache. Quit talking like a moron.<br /><br />Please and thank you. <br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-73339259613596911852011-01-08T03:05:00.001-05:002011-01-08T03:05:31.075-05:00Just another Manic Monday.....and Tuesday through Friday as well.<br /><br />Wow this has been a busy week. I really intended to keep up with the blog, but I have been super busy with that crazy little thing called work.<br /><br />I'm so tired I'm envious of the birds falling out of the sky because they can rest. Whew.<br /><br />I don't have anything witty or enticing to say today so I guess I will do a quick and disjointed update of my scattered thoughts:<br /><br /> * Brat has scheduled us for like 14 hour school days. If she adds any more subjects she won't finish the year until 2014.<br /> * When everyone in the house is too busy to clean, it begin to looks as though the Goodwill exploded and left the rejected items.<br /> * By the time Grumpy gets my website up, I will be too old to write anymore<br /> * By the time we get Brat's website up she will be past the age limit to use it<br /> * I can write really powerful songs in my mind when I've slept less than 5 hours in 2 days, but chances are by morning I've forgotten them<br /> * Brat can make herself gargle while she sings...its kind of odd yet unique<br /> * Brat can write some pretty awesome songs for a 12 year old girl....though she might need to learn to write music unless she expects everyone who tries to sing them to have telepathy<br /> * Summer makes up for winter in Michigan. Summer makes up for winter in Michigan. Summer makes up for winter in Michigan. Maybe if I keep repeating I'll believe it.<br /> * I'm almost over losing my poems....almost<br /> * If I leave the Christmas stuff up for one more week does that make me extra spirited or extra hillbilly?<br /><br />Well thats my random thoughts for today. Tune in next time where we hope to be back with your regularly scheduled comedy.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-25993466622392911742011-01-02T23:17:00.002-05:002011-01-02T23:25:54.416-05:00I'm naked....and everyone can see itIf you still read this blog after my long hiatus, bless you, and you may have noticed that it's looking a little funny. My background has disappeared along with all my little buttons. <br /><br />See I host my images on a personal webspace I've had for years. I use it simply for hosting my images and holding onto things I didn't want to lose track of....such as poetry I had written and didn't want to lose if my computer crashed. <br /><br />This isn't just free space. I PAY for this space. Needless to say I don't check it regularly. And since I've been away from the blogosphere for a bit, I didn't realize my attire was gone and I was showing the world my pure naked glory. <br /><br />So I thought maybe I was due for a payment. It happens. I tend to never realize payments are due until after the fact. So I went to the website to check. <br /><br />It's nowhere to be found. <br /><br />I thought maybe it was just an outage. They have them often, but its cheap hosting and I don't have to have a domain name, so I put up with it. So I did a little investigation.<br /><br />Turns out they've been MIA for several weeks. The company and owner isn't returning emails, phone calls or any other communication. Some people have 10,000 page websites on the server. I merely had a lot of images, some irreplaceable photos and a few poems I had written and do not have anywhere else. <br /><br />It appears I've lost it all. <br /><br />It was not a good start to my day. I know it seems small, but I don't handle losing things well. This is why I placed those things on this service I paid for. So I wouldn't lose them.<br /><br />Good news is I have backups of all my blog images. Better news is I am working on developing a website which will give me hosting for my images. <br /><br />Bad news is, until its all set up I will continue to be naked. And it won't replace those items I lost. <br /><br />2011.....not going well so far<br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-33443637664184560212011-01-02T02:28:00.003-05:002011-01-02T02:36:17.359-05:00The longest New Year's Resolution in history....So I decided to keep my New Year's resolution simple. I didn't want some long drawn out list. So I shortened it to one word. <br /><br />Consistency. <br /><br />Yes you read that right. Consistency. I decided that for 2011, I was going to be consistent in more than just bitching about what isn't done correctly and playing Super Mario Bros on the Wii. <br /><br />Everything I needed to do in my life-- increase my earnings, become financially stable, lose weight, eat healthier, be a better teacher....all of it boils down to being more consistent in the things I begin and attempt. If I put half the effort into what I try that I put into capturing that damned Princess I would get somewhere. <br /><br />So I kept it simple. 2011 would be the year of consistency. <br /><br />So we are sitting outside on New Year's Eve because it was unseasonably warm here in the Frozen Tundra. And Brat begins to tell her resolutions. And Grumpy looks at me. <br /><br />So I say consistency. Then I start explaining how I can be a better teacher by being more consistent in getting prepared to teach and how I can lose weight by becoming more consistent in how I exercise and eat right. And then I went into a long explanation of how if I get my website set up and start attracting clients I can improve my writing and my income which would also lead to financial stability. And how I can blog more often and try to have more time for myself. <br /><br />So I went on for a few minutes. <br /><br />Grumpy looked at me and said "You said a simple word and I thought you had a simple resolution. You then turned it into the most confusing and complicated resolution I have ever heard anyone give"<br /><br />So see, I've already started. Rambling. It's consistent. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-30003519555230160972010-12-03T22:11:00.001-05:002010-12-03T22:11:21.604-05:00The Christmas Card we selected from Shutterfly!<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/0AaMm7Zy5aN2dA/0AaMm7Zy5aN2dOLA/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1291432192000/0/"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Joy And Happiness Christmas 5x7 folded card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Make a statement with custom <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">Christmas cards</a> at Shutterfly.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-24585523789102615202010-12-02T04:03:00.007-05:002010-12-02T04:29:50.787-05:00Shutterfly's Christmas Cards Rock My Socks...Seriously...I admit it, I have been slack about Christmas cards for like...ever. So I decided this year I was going to do Christmas cards. I had the image in my head. I would have Brat in front of the tree in a Santa hat. I went so far as to buy her a scarf/top set I saw for the photo. I was SERIOUS that this Christmas card would happen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj576hLuL4QkzQ8xZNxLDjrThVUMiysLaWtCL_3h1mUGxXJh8XMicoWWJE98YqKoEdzO2ky4_UePzmBkKVBYgZRRs8Mkny25NI8BVTzYUpgOVcD-4hU-L4aq2CNga8V3r2wAipPKIbtuhYk/s1600/DSC00661.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj576hLuL4QkzQ8xZNxLDjrThVUMiysLaWtCL_3h1mUGxXJh8XMicoWWJE98YqKoEdzO2ky4_UePzmBkKVBYgZRRs8Mkny25NI8BVTzYUpgOVcD-4hU-L4aq2CNga8V3r2wAipPKIbtuhYk/s320/DSC00661.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546009627865556946" /></a><br /><br />Along with a photo of Brat, I planned to take individual photos of each of the 3 animals in a Santa hat. I actually purchased a santa hat for the animals. This card was in the works. <br /><br />Have you ever tried to keep a Santa hat on a chihuahua, yorkie and a cat?? It was a quick photo session. Sophie was resigned to suffer. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLKp2kR3Wsg_rpk3yx3L9sjxdYkL4a_DWSsiZSwXPUPqxB4PdNF8o5HvayQqLlOtw-M1BJb4rHkhpHZIZpV-CYrTAzgLW0pKwBkEZoyoJH84Sl8xvEHrq8sEUQRVdRQw9ewZj5BjaCCnt/s1600/DSC00674a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLKp2kR3Wsg_rpk3yx3L9sjxdYkL4a_DWSsiZSwXPUPqxB4PdNF8o5HvayQqLlOtw-M1BJb4rHkhpHZIZpV-CYrTAzgLW0pKwBkEZoyoJH84Sl8xvEHrq8sEUQRVdRQw9ewZj5BjaCCnt/s320/DSC00674a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546010065949378034" /></a><br /><br />Peanut was eager to be done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-FCNSPol6owfZSTb9AWQxhVYKNbUu-bBFnCBhyeS6TekXlD8Q9O29Ya0fzjmtg74-7M8syuSfNBZZRz7ITKpu7hElrn4yefGVHrqHW4bVvaOIpiBEIoNYDwYed2TWpLZ0WmKrZ61sC2N/s1600/DSC00675a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-FCNSPol6owfZSTb9AWQxhVYKNbUu-bBFnCBhyeS6TekXlD8Q9O29Ya0fzjmtg74-7M8syuSfNBZZRz7ITKpu7hElrn4yefGVHrqHW4bVvaOIpiBEIoNYDwYed2TWpLZ0WmKrZ61sC2N/s320/DSC00675a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546010244575570162" /></a><br /><br />Sebastian wondered why he had anything on his head at all. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4W2IR1jdqmLi7Q7qwksT0Xhml62ykghyphenhyphenm_a1_LiK5dt1p6KPCrGXfffAiZ_MaTV5HhH8irFxqhRy7lDd8nsFPQcZy54b2mq9ZoHNI5sEGlIImaYZoq-SjwZNyYUCjDiigL0AIDGTkcvLz/s1600/DSC00679a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4W2IR1jdqmLi7Q7qwksT0Xhml62ykghyphenhyphenm_a1_LiK5dt1p6KPCrGXfffAiZ_MaTV5HhH8irFxqhRy7lDd8nsFPQcZy54b2mq9ZoHNI5sEGlIImaYZoq-SjwZNyYUCjDiigL0AIDGTkcvLz/s320/DSC00679a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546010398246426578" /></a><br /><br />Cute huh?<br /><br />The vision in my head was all four of them individually and then the words Ho Ho Ho. Surely I could find that. Sadly, in my search I have discovered that it is truly hard to find cards that accommodate four photos. They have 3, 5, 6, even 8. But 4 seems to be an odd number. <br /><br />This isn't true with Shutterfly's <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards">Christmas Photo Cards</a>. Searching through their site I found numerous cards that were made for four photos. I spent hours playing with each one trying to decide which one I liked best. <br /><br />I will say that they did have a Ho Ho Ho card. It was, however, for 3 photos. So I either had to get rid of an animal or move on. That's okay because I found several that I liked. I think I have decided on the Joy and Happiness 5X7 Folded Card. I like the simple message. It doesn't include from the *** family which always sounds so not like me. It wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and brings about what I wish for them. Joy and Happiness. Best of all, it is a folded card so I can write inside it. Perfect when your loved ones live 900 miles away!<br /><br />My favorite part is that Shutterfly is actually less expensive than most everywhere I checked. I mean I could get a set from the drug store but the designs were not the same high quality and I didn't just love them. For a nice card that I'm proud to send out, the prices are very good. <br /><br />Being me, I had to browse the rest of their site. Because of course I had heard about them but had never really surfed the site. I realized I've been missing a lot. <br /><br />I am actually consider having one of their personal photo <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars ">calendars</a> made as gifts for Christmas. I know several who would love them and I have a lot of pictures. <br /><br />I might pick out a <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/notepads">notepad</a> or two for myself. I love notepads and use them often. <br /><br />So I highly recommend you browsing the <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a> site. It is filled with many gift ideas and loads of holiday cards to choose from! <br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-88516277416326270762010-09-26T18:54:00.002-04:002010-09-26T18:59:37.750-04:00Where's Waldo....Sometimes my life feels like those crazy Where's Waldo pictures. It's all chaos and I am looking for this one particular thing amid a frenzy of activity. <br /><br />No I didn't die. No I didn't give up on my blog, although it may seem that way. No I didn't forget how to log in and post. <br /><br />What I did do was follow a goal of mine forever. I took my love of writing and turned it into a job as a freelance writer. The good news is that I am doing something everyday that I am really good at and I make a bit more money than I made before doing something I was only semi good at. The good news is that I can officially say I am a writer.<br /><br />The bad news is that I am nowhere near writing what I want to write. I write content for web pages, articles about products, articles for online publications, and who knows what else its for. I just write it, I don't ask questions. Often I'm given a set of words and told how long it needs to be and viola I come up with an entire page of information. <br /><br />It isn't glamorous or exciting, but it is a step in the right direction. However it leaves me wiped out. So I've neglected anything considered fun. Well that's about to change. I've decided to incorporate real life into my life as well.<br /><br />So watch out world, the Queen is back. And I will be as sarcastic and crazy as ever. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-36448069144977619822010-07-16T17:40:00.002-04:002010-07-16T17:51:32.585-04:00I changed your diapers without bitching and you will do the same for me...I have a theory. I gave birth to Brat. I changed her diapers. I was spit up on. I was peed on. I was pooed on. I was thrown up on. I held her when she was scared. I made sure she didn't run into traffic. I made sure she was fed. I braved the unknown and baked cookies at Christmas with her. I took her to multitudes of appointments. I sat on the bleachers when she cheered. I was in the audience when she sang in the talent show. I was there. Taking care of her. I will continue to do so until she no longer needs it. Even past the point of her wanting me around.<br /><br />Turnabout is fair play. When I'm old and I need diapers. When I need spongebaths and my ass wiped and someone to feed me...she damn well better be there. Period. <br /><br />And she KNOWS this.<br /><br />We have established that if she's a world famous singer she can hire someone to be home with me while she travels...but I digress..<br /><br />So today we had duel doctor appointments. Meaning I scheduled Brat and myself back to back. Well there was this lady with her elderly father in the waiting room. He asked to go to the bathroom. She chewed him a new ass. Yelled at the top of her lungs how he didn't need to go. Told him he had just gone on their way there. Screamed that he was like a 'fucking two year old' and to find something to keep himself busy. <br /><br />Seriously?<br /><br />This is how you treat the parent who raised you? <br /><br />I cringed every time her mouth opened. I seriously wanted to knock her down.<br /><br />So I did what any good mother and homeschool parent would do. I used it as a learning opportunity. I looked at Brat and said:<br /><br />"When I'm old and need you to help me, if you EVER treat me like that, I will either beat your ass or pay someone else to do it for me"<br /><br />I think she got the message. <br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-91127857247058839612010-05-21T02:39:00.003-04:002010-05-21T02:53:09.392-04:00Because I want to guarantee my daughter a life of therapy...Grumpy is convinced he's on candid camera. Or some secret show where people watch him all day and laugh. Kind of like the cruel and mean version of The Truman Show. He's pretty sure that I ask him to do things just so this fictitious audience can have their laughs for the day. Really it's not a bad idea. Aside from watching hours of him flying pretend planes complete with sound effects, an audience would quite enjoy a day in the life of Grumpy. <br /><br />But I can't put him on camera. I am pretty sure that if our daily lives were recorded we'd be charged with "causing the insanity of a minor" or something like that. Someone would come to our house. They would see that we really do sort of torture our child in that "We are your parents and we don't care how awful we are" kind of way. She is bound to need years of therapy just to get past her pubescent years. <br /><br />I was joking the other day about what I would say if I made a list of common phrases heard in our house. It made me realize that maybe we aren't normal. Not that being normal is all its cracked up to be. But still...maybe we could be a little less ...crazy? <br /><br />Poor Brat. She has to spend at least a small portion of her day trying to convince her dad that she is not a lesbian. It never seems to work for her. In reality it's just funny to see her repeat it over and over. Don't look at me like that. What good are the preteen and teen years if we can't have a little fun. <br /><br />But it did dawn on me that there are a lot of people in my life I might not want to show up at the house unexpectedly. They might not quite understand our humor. Some may think we were horrible for joking about homosexuality with our 11 year old daughter. To them I would have to say...suck it. Even she giggles about it. <br /><br />Don't think it's one sided. Brat calls Grumpy a girl all the time. It's just not as funny because he doesn't defend himself. Besides we all know he's a bit feminine. <br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-53360901956754165122010-05-16T14:00:00.003-04:002010-05-16T14:00:03.301-04:00Can I bum a cigarette.....So I left off with Nikki on my adventures of the world wide webtv. Man I loved that thing. But what sucked was that I had one. For the whole house. One little webtv and keyboard. Granted Brat was a baby so she didn't need it. But me and Grumpy sharing? Let's put it this way....we don't have a table right now, but there are 3 computers in our house. We DO.NOT.SHARE.<br /><br />So I ventured out of that newbie chat room for webtv and I discovered a whole new world. I tried going in the local room but man were there a bunch of jackasses there. So I kept exploring. Then late one night I found a nifty little room called Happily Married. What an oxymoron. Seriously. <br /><br />This group was a crazy bunch of folks. But they were welcoming and friendly. I didn't know when I started there that there were 3 distinct groups. The late night group which is who I first met. The morning group. And the daytime group. Very few people crossed over. You were among one group.<br /><br />Well my first interaction was the late night group. So that's where I stayed for the most part. I introduced Grumpy to it and he became as attached to this room as I did. <br /><br />I did crossover though. I became one of "those people". I ventured into various hours of the day.<br /><br />Looking back I wonder what attracted me to most of those people. They weren't exactly normal. Or sane. Which may be the answer to my question. For a time in my life, I felt I couldn't do without them. Funny to think about now as I talk to very few of them on any kind of basis.<br /><br />But we had cyber weddings, truth or dare, cybering...though that was part of truth or dare most times....a newsletter that grumpy started and I took over and redid and then it fizzled. I mean it was a whole life that existed in this little black box. <br /><br />But nothing will ever make me forget that one day. I was out of cigarettes and money wasn't there for more. I was needing one bad. And I was chatting about it. And how bad I needed a cigarette. When this newbie that I didn't even know offered me a cyber cigarette. Well hell if it worked for weddings and divorces why the hell wouldn't it work for smoking. So we started talking.<br /><br />That was 10 years ago. My daughters whole life time almost. And she is STILL my best friend. We talk daily. We know everything about each other. We've been through separations, divorces, babies, jobs, lack of jobs, good stuff, bad stuff. We've never met. Though I swear we will someday. But if I thought Nikki was a friend....Well that was NOTHING compared to this. <br /><br />No matter how many times we've moved, no matter who was or wasn't in our lives...it never changed anything. When I lived at my grandmas, we sat up all night on the phone thanks to five dollar calling cards and watched CMT. When I travelled back and forth....we talked the whole way. She's the sole reason I got a headset for my cell phone. When Brat was diagnosed Bipolar it was her that I went to. No matter what it is...I know I can talk to her. Just ask her. Just the other night we discussed the inside of a vagina. Please don't ask.<br /><br />I'm going to copy and paste what she said when we were discussing this very thing. It says it way better than I ever could. <br /><br /> "imagine, we always have someone somewhere, who weve never even met, but we always worry about one another and keep in touch no matter how crazy life is, through a billion moves and life changes weve been there for eachother, even without ever having met face to face....without the internet, neither of us would be who we are, and a lot of it was because of our friendship, as we walked eachother through the bad spots and rooted the other on through the good spots <br />in my entire life, Ive never had a friend thats lasted as long as you, and we can talk about anything, without shame or judgement" <br /><br />That my friends is the truest friendship I've ever known. <br /><br />And no matter what else happens in life. How we might lose touch for a while. We always find each other. And we always have 89. Aliens. And sooo much more. <br /><br />Love ya Lynn!<br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-87155767312111540222010-05-16T01:38:00.003-04:002010-05-16T01:47:38.778-04:00I want your sex....Remember the songs we grew up to? The stuff that was on the radio all the time. The videos we watched on MTV back when they actually showed videos. We had Madonna's Like a Virgin, George Michael's I want your sex, Samantha Fox with Touch Me and then for the really wild ones There was oooh me so horny.<br /><br />So explain to me how a generation who embraced sexuality in our every day lives via music, grew up to raise kids who know so very little about their own bodies?? And how did we become so uptight about things that we view a little girl in a halter top or bikini as being "sexual".<br /><br />I have mentioned before I answer questions by teens. I am serious people, our kids do not know ANYTHING about the good OR bad of sex. They don't know how to avoid being pregnant. They don't know that a kiss or a grope doesn't mean he loves them. They don't know ANYTHING. And its our fault.<br /><br />And now we are punishing the little kids. Little girls. Innocent. Wouldn't know what provacative means. They can't dance or wear clothes that reveal skin. I'm surprised we don't reinstate the full body swimsuits of the olden days. <br /><br />Ya see recently a few things have come to my attention. People are quick to make generalizations. I've seen kids who were doing an innocent yet time consuming activity referred to as provocative and sexual. I've seen people say that their parents should lose them. What were they doing you ask? They were dancing. They were also 7. They had no clue how adults perceived their dance moves. And *gasp* their belly buttons were showing.<br /><br />Seriously?<br /><br />This is why I have to inform teenagers every day that yes if you stand upside down in the bathtub but didn't use a condom you can still get pregnant.<br /><br />But that's not what I fear most. I realize these kids are in danger of STD's and early pregnancies. That's a given. But that's not my biggest fear. Because at least I know they will eventually learn that stuff.<br /><br />What I'm scared of is that we are raising a bunch of kids who are going to be afraid of their own sexuality. Ashamed of their bodies. Remember our parents? Grandparents? How they wouldn't even kiss or hug in front of us? Do we want that life for our kids? Yes there are limits. And it's on us to set them. But make them fair. Don't ruin the lives of these pure innocent kids. <br /><br />Because self esteem and love of oneself and ones body....those things can not be replaced. And it takes years of therapy to repair them. Trust me, I know.<br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-50983409665498232462010-05-11T19:12:00.002-04:002010-05-11T19:20:43.607-04:00To DO: Quit making so many listsI am addicted to lists. Everything I do/plan has to be written out in list form. And I never run out of lists. I'm amazed that I don't organize my sex life into a to do list. It is just a small part of what makes me anal. When we were spring cleaning I had a very detailed list. Each night I'd cross off what we completed and completely rewrite the list for the next day. <br /><br />It drives grumpy insane. <br /><br />With homeschooling I've found it comes in handy to be a little obsessive compulsive. It makes my days go smoother when I have a list of assignments for the week already written. <br /><br />I even make lists when I send Grumpy to the store. Which is like...all the time. That way he can't say he didn't remember something. Although he still does. But now I can come back with "BUt I made a list"<br /><br />But how do you know when your list making is crossing a line? When it's mother's day and you set your daughter free in the dollar store with cash. And you open your gift and find 2 notepads, 4 pens and a preprinted to-do list. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my gift. Grumpy does not. He sees it as more torture as I plan the daily events of our life. <br /><br />Poor Grumpy. Brat has started it as well. She's planning a sleepover. She has a notebook with guest list, food lists, game lists, movie lists, lists of what songs to play and on and on. She tells us daily how she's too busy for something because she only has 2 weeks to plan her party.<br /><br />Grumpy is set for a life of misery. Pretty soon he will have a bathroom schedule.<br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-73249212420019059402010-05-07T13:24:00.000-04:002010-05-06T18:37:53.216-04:00The tried and true fitness planIt's hard to believe as I write this that its been almost 10 years since I discovered the internet...10 years...almost my daughter's entire lifetime. And here I sit...hooked as always. <br /><br />It was a summer day in Wisconsin when I first ventured online. I was of the poor variety, so my first taste test was on a webtv. For those who do not know what that is....feel lucky. It hooks up to your tv and phone line. You pay a monthly fee and you get internet access. Not full fledged computer access. Pages had to webtv friendly. And you could not download anything. There was no hard drive. But oh how I loved that webtv. <br /><br />I ventured into a webtv for beginners chat room and that started what would ultimately change my life.<br /><br />In that chat room I met Nikki. I'm using her real name because if for some reason she ever found this blog, I'd love to hear from her. <br /><br />Nikki was purely awesome. We clicked almost right away and we chatted constantly. Nikki loved to dance and was going through a divorce. Her theme song was Believe by Cher. We created our own infomercial. Yes I'm a dork and I'm about to prove it.In our chatting we truly discovered the use of the acronym LMAO. But it struck us one day....can you REALLY laugh your ass off?<br /><br />That's the beginning of our informercial. It was called Laugh Your Ass Off with Nikki. We had our speech down pat. What better way to lose weight than to do so laughing?? <br /><br />If it were indeed possible, I would have had the flattest ass in America. Because Nikki truly kept me laughing. <br /><br />One day I was lucky enough to be traveling through Knoxville, and Nikki happened to live in Knoxville. So we met at a Waffle House. It was my one brief meeting with her. And she was just as awesome in person. <br /><br />Somehow over the years Nikki and I lost touch. I ventured on to other chat rooms. One that would become a staple in my life for several years. I met other people both online and off. But I will always remember Nikki. <br /><br />When I look back and picture those early days of internet, I imagine Nikki dancing around her house to Believe while talking to me on the phone. <br /><br />And hopefully today she is sitting somewhere laughing her ass off.<br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-43373997116415481992010-05-06T14:31:00.003-04:002010-05-06T14:56:32.754-04:00I need a 12 step program...I'm a sucker for contests. I am always entering them, though I rarely win a damn thing. But when the prize is a book....and not just any book but a book that has been labeled as funny....i'm so in! I love to read. My extremely large "to read" pile proves that. It also proves I don't often have the time to read. But that's okay. I will find time here and there. <br /><br />Well Aunt Becky over at <a href="http://www.mommywantsvodka.com/everything-is-wrong-with-me">Mommy Wants Vodka</a> is doing a giveaway....for a great book she highly recommends. And since she is full of awesomeness and I value her opinion....and well since I'm a follower by nature and have to do what everyone else is doing...I am jumping on the bandwagon to enter her contest. And a quick blurb...if you've never read her blog...you MUST.START.NOW. <br /><br />So for an extra entry I could show my life in pictures and then for an additional one, I can blog about who I would nominate for the nobel prize of awesomeness. Well you won't be getting pictures. I hate pictures of me. I refuse to have a whole post about pictures of me. Yuck. <br /><br />So on to the next chance. Who would I nominate for the nobel prize of awesomeness? Well that's simple.<br /><br />Al Gore.<br /><br />What? Isn't he the one who invented the internet?? <br /><br />Well Okay....then whoever invented the internet. I seriously am addicted to the internet. I need a 12 step program. I tried one, but I lost it on the first step: Turn off the computer. <br /><br />Really what could be more full of awesome than the internet?? I mean really? But since I guess I need to share my reasons....here goes nothing...in honor of the 12 step program I need, I will list 12 reasons why the inventor of the internet is my hero.<br /><br />1.) I met one of my best friends in a chat room many moons ago. We have never met, but she is one person I can share anything with and vice versa. She's always there for me. <br /><br />2.) I belong to a wonderful group of ladies. The Sisterhood of the Fancy Britches. These ladies go beyond awesome. Recently one of our sisters lost everything in the Nashville floods. As of right now, our group has raised almost $700 for her.<br /><br />3.) Blogs. Need I say more? I mean I couldn't possibly get this much information from others around the globe without the internet!<br /><br />4.) Facebook....the best way to communicate with family without having to actually interact.<br /><br />5.) Email...I can do almost all of my contacting people via email. No need for phone calls. Great for a person who has phone issues!<br /><br />6.) Who needs to have a phone book laying around? I mean my mom had an obsession with saving phone books. I'm the opposite. I hate them. Now I don't need them. I have google!<br /><br />7.) Yahoo Messenger....because my mom didn't call me enough...now she can IM me too!<br /><br />8.) Miss American Idol?? Want to know how everyone did? Just hop on the computer and watch the episode. Put it on, turn the monitor around and lay on the bed watching your favorite shows. Not that I do that....im just sayin<br /><br />9.) Shopping! I get much better deals on books on Amazon than I can get in the store! And then there is ebay. And what if I know I need to run to walmart and get something but I need to compare prices between other stores? I can do it all online!<br /><br />10.) You can work from home...if you are like me, you can answer sex questions from teenagers who obviously know NOTHING for pennies a piece. Oh the joy. <br /><br />11.) Craigslist....its like a giant online yard sale!! I've gotten many things from them and sold even more. I love it. I can list what I have and I don't have to set it up, price it and sit outside all day hoping people come!<br /><br />12.) and finally.....photosharing...I get pics from all my friends and family....no ordering...no costly prices....and I can share the latest pic of Brat with whomever I choose. And if I just want prints to hang up...I upload them to the store and pick them up an hour later. Awesome!<br /><br />So my award for the Nobel Prize of Awesomeness goes to either Al Gore or the guy who really invented the internet!<br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-77355151915583549272010-05-06T00:35:00.002-04:002010-05-06T00:44:34.769-04:00Because I can't be awesome all the timeWhen I was a girl I knew how my life would go. I knew exactly who I'd be and where I'd end up. I was going to be a writer/teacher because yes I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder that much. I was going to marry my dream man. I would have the white picket fence and the house full of kids. Did I mention I was going to be a writer. Writing was in my blood. I spent all my free time writing stories. I wrote the beginnings of my first novel when I was like the ripe old age of 11. And damn was it good.<br /><br />Then life happened. I got married. I had a child. I never became rich...or even middle class. Hell I don't even think I qualify for poor. My white picket fence turned into a nice little mobile home that needs an assload of work. And if you count Brat's personalities and friends that are always here, I did get my house full of kids. I skipped the baking cookies after school because honestly it's best for the environment if I don't venture too close to the oven. <br /><br />But none of that saddens me. I don't miss what I don't have. I don't long for more most days. Of course on an occasional day I might think of how nice the perfect little house would be. But I'm content with my home.<br /><br />But the writer part. That makes me want to cry. I devoted so much of my childhood and teen years to writing. To expressing all my thoughts in stories and poems. In preparing for the future I knew I would have. <br /><br />Yet I never did it. I rarely find myself writing anymore. Not for lack of desire. It's for lack of time.<br /><br />Then it hit me. If I can find time to sit on facebook and find out cousin Johnny is mowing his lawn....why can't I find time to write? <br /><br />Truth be known...others took that away from me. They criticized every time I wrote something because I was real. And honest. And it touched too close to home. It made people angry. <br /><br />Well screw them. I may not always be the most awesome person on the planet. I have bad days. But writing is what is real to me. So screw the haters. It's easy to say that since I don't think I've given them the link to my blog. But even if they find it, screw them.<br /><br />Starting this week, I am finding me again. I am going to start writing again.<br /><br />And when I have the money of John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks...lets see how they like me now.<br /><br />I don't have a clue what I will write. But I will make time for it every day.<br /><br />It might be nice if I started here huh?<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-59191714314255863452010-05-02T00:22:00.002-04:002010-05-02T00:27:27.043-04:00I need you to take out someone for me...if you're not..you know...busyI admit it. I'm a self proclaimed mafia war junkie. For those who have no clue what Mafia Wars is, it's a facebook application. Instead of growing stupid plants and tending a garden, you rob people, beat their ass and sometimes kill them.<br /><br />It's all in the fun. And I enjoy the challenges. <br /><br />But even good things can go too far. And now they have.<br /><br />You can get SMS alerts when your Mafia needs you.<br /><br />Really?? It has come to this. I'm sitting down to dinner with my family....my cell phone alerts me to a text...I read it and jump up to go help someone in a battle on a pretend game on facebook?<br /><br />I mean I'm all about the fun and games. But there is a line that shouldn't be crossed. And this is it. <br /><br />What if you are at work? Church? Your child's school play? <br /><br />I mean facebook is cool. And yes I have it on my cell phone. And I enjoy it. But SMS alerts for Mafia Wars.<br /><br />Let's all get sucked in further.<br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-5707236841636689812010-04-28T00:21:00.002-04:002010-04-28T00:33:02.432-04:00Talking to the wall is sometimes more productive...When I'm doing something, if someone asks me what I'm doing I answer. "Oh, i'm making a sandwich." or "Not much, just chatting on facebook". It's not a big mystery. I don't have some secret agenda that no one else can know about. Granted, my answers are usually boring. But boring isn't annoying to others. Boring doesn't make them want to scream and throw things at me. <br /><br />Grumpy, however, he's a different story. If he's in the middle of something I hear "Nothing" or "i'll explain later" or "i'm busy" or my favorite "WHAT????"<br /><br />I mean seriously. <br /><br />So tonight because he jinxed us today by saying something would break tonight, the hose to our toilet busted. Oh the joys around here. Last night it was the kitchen faucet. I'm a little scared to face tomorrow. <br /><br />So he's trying to <del> rig </del> repair it. In the bathroom. Under the toilet. In the bathroom. <br /><br />So explain to me why in the middle of this process he proceeded to take my dryer out of its lovely little nook and plant it directly in the hallway. <br /><br />I asked. <br /><br />He said ....and I quote verbatim....."Let me do my shit and I'll explain later"<br /><br />So apparently in order to repair the toilet hose in the bathroom, he needed to place the dryer in the hallway. <br /><br />Only a man could come up with that. And yet he can't take two seconds to tell me why. So instead he continues on, I am perplexed and annoyed to the point of blogging about it. Because that's what I do. I get pissed and I share.<br /><br />In the meantime, I'll just talk to the walls. At least they don't start moving around my appliances. <br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1781930798186237150.post-18071368756200884112010-04-22T21:34:00.003-04:002010-04-22T21:56:32.358-04:00What part of a chicken is the nugget??I've always been a follower. Oh you want me to drink beer? Sure give me a case <del> or two </del>. Hmmm, smoking will make my buzz better. Well count me in folks. Always the one to do what everyone else was doing. And yes I still am. No I don't drink cases of beer anymore. But if my friends tell me that the Reester Bunny which was created by the devil himself is a perfect treat...well then I must run to Wal-Mart. Or Target. Because all the cool people go to Target. <br /><br />It's gotten bad. I now want an Ipod Touch. Do I want it because I fell in love with it?? No. Because it has a feature I just HAVE to have?? Nope. <br /><br />I want it because all my friends have one.<br /><br />So when everyone else was watching Food, Inc and Supersize Me...and my friend in Nashville <del> forced me </del> allowed me to watch it...I joined the ranks of many touting how I was going to buy only organic meat. And McDonald's wasn't going to be on my menu anymore. <br /><br />But I came home. And I found that organic meat doesn't agree with a poor person's budget. So I had to bypass that idea. But I stuck to the McDonald's thing, and it wasn't just because I couldn't afford the dollar menu. <br /><br />Then along came Jamie Oliver. Oh how I love that man. But oh how I hate how he's changed my life. The Food Revolution is one of my favorite shows. I have learned more than I ever cared to know. <br /><br />Google it folks. Mechanically separated chicken. See how nuggets are made. And Spam/Treet. And hot dogs. <br /><br />It may change the way you eat. It sure has me. And its not because everyone else is doing it this time. It's because I truly care about what I'm putting into my body. For a change. <br /><br />Then the same friend who wanted to turn me into a Vegan before I left Nashville decided to post a video on Facebook. It's called the four year old cheeseburger. A woman has a four year old McDonald's cheeseburger and fries in a lunchbox. They didn't break down. They have no mold. No gunk growing on them. They look like she just bought them.<br /><br />We put this stuff in our bodies. <br /><br />Now Brat won't even eat McDonald's. And neither will I. <br /><br />So I'm on another bandwagon. hopefully one that doesn't cause me to wake up next to strangers. <br /><br />And I'm praying no one shows me what is in a Taco Bell Taco. <br /><br /><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/hairturnedgray/signature1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">Queen Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369536662341410808noreply@blogger.com0