Mompetition (and Examples)

Don't you love mompetition [competition between moms]? I've never really been competitive; maybe it's the Only Child thing. I just don't really care what other people are doing and don't have the desire to one-up them.

You know when you're dealing with one of these. They ask you a lot of questions about your life. Not normal questions in a normal manner, but lots of POKING questions, trying to find your weak spots, where can they be BETTER than you?

Here are some examples of mompetition:

"My kid is only 12 and is almost an Eagle Scout." [for those of you non-Scouters, an Eagle Scout rank is HARD to get, takes a while, involves a major service project and is usually earned by an 18th birthday.]

"Yeah, we homeschool using XYZ curriculum, which costs $2,000 per year per kid, and we homeschool for about 8 hours a day. We're on track for Harvard." [WTH? Just put the kids in private school for the same price and go run a small country or something, lady!]

"In the last school fundraiser, we my kid sold $10,000 of wrapping paper and $5,000 of cookies to the diabetic lady down the road ALONE. All together we sold half a mil and SAVED this damn school."

"Yeah, I think we're just going to learn 3 foreign languages this year."

"Wow, you really need a gray hair touch-up! When I get wrinkles like yours I am SO going for Botox. And are your boobs SUPPOSED to hang like that? I'm getting a reconstruction when I can save up." [yes, mompetition is also mom-to-mom combat, not just pitting kids against kids]

"Shoot, I have to go. It's time for 2-year-old Mitzy to go to her gymnastics competition, 5-year-old MooMoo to go to National Cheer Competition and 7-year-old Mark to go to his National LEGO Robotics competition." [it's not all the activities here that bother me; it's the ages of the kids! start 'em early!]

Folks, I'm just happy being me. Maybe that's because I'm almost 42 and I've lived long enough to know what's important and realize it has nothing to do with how much stuff my kid sells, whether or not my kid gets into Yale, how much I weigh, how few wrinkles I have or what I do for work or fun.

Library Collection Agencies and My Multiple Library Credit Cards

I have a problem. I need to attend BLA meetings. That would be the non-existent Book-Lovers Anonymous meetings. I have library cards for myself and my children. When one gets a fine, I just switch to another card. Library cards are like book and DVD credit cards in my world. My husband says when a child is born to me, I get it a Social Security Card and a library card.

The morning of Callie's First Communion I went to pick up Joel at a campout. While I was gone, a COLLECTION AGENCY called and explained to my husband how I have some crazy fines on one of my library credit cards. [When did this turn into a confessional blog? Oh, yeah, when it first started.]

Notice the variety of books in my picture. Some are for article research. Some are for OCD research for one of my sons. I have homeschooling books and writing books. And a book that I think I would love but am afraid I won't get to while I have kids in the house because I have the attention span of a gnat currently: The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing. I think it will rock. I also think it's a hard one to read with kids yelling all around you, and my precious Quiet Time is reserved for writing for dinero.

Other fines are from me being a Pushover Mommy and letting my kids check out too many DVDs which we will never watch. Then they get lost. Then the dog eats them. Then Library Guido comes to my door. Currently we have a REALLY high fine, another one with fines and then there is the third card I cling to with my life.

I'm eyeing my daughters, who are 5 and 8. I think they each need a library card.

I obviously have a problem.

Helping Daddy, by Eva

Wecently I had the opportunity to help my Daddy. He was putting in a handrail at the front of our house for people who might need a little extra support getting up our steps. He's willy sweet like that; thinking about other people and stuff. I asked if I could help with the C-ment.

Daddy said YES! He always lets us help, even if it means we will make a mess or get dirty.

So I stirred and scooped C-ment and helped him complete his project before deadline. Ha!

My #WeightWatchers 25-pound Charm

Okay, so when you join Weight Watchers, your first weight loss goal is to lose 5% of your current weight because there are great health benefits to doing so. Then when you lose 10% of your starting weight you benefit in many more ways (lowered risk of diabetes, greater mobility, etc.). So when I lost 10% of my weight I got a keychain that looks like a 10.

Then as you go along you get more charms. I'm working toward an Activity Charm by being way more active than I ever used to be. I love being able to run and not be out of breath. I'm in better shape at almost-42 than I was in my 20s.

Today I weighed in just in case I couldn't make the meeting tonight and (I'm not gonna lie) because obviously I weigh less before lunch than after dinner!

It's National Ford Mustang Day ... What's Your Favorite?

Today, friends, we celebrate National Ford Mustang Day! Which is fortunate, because I have always been in love with the Mustang (my husband rented one for me for my 40th birthday weekend!). It's my favorite car, followed closely by the Camaro. And you know me, I love the vintage AND the new. But here is my favorite (what's yours?):

Fun fact: Both Aron's mom and mine owned a Mustang in the 1960s!