I'm baaaaaccckkk!

Ummmm....so.....hi?

Testing, Testing.

Anyone besides my Mom still around?

Who am I kidding?  Mom never read this. Still won't now that I'm back.

Maybe my mother-in-law will?  Hi Renee!

My last post was just under 2 years ago.  It was about pulling Max out of day care.  Since then we determined it wasn't day care making him sick rather a rare Periodic Fever Disorder that was fixed by a tonsillectomy. So....sorry for blaming you day care?  Not really. You still kinda sucked.

Max is now three! Three! Gah!  We've had two nannies in that time. Oh and I quit my job.  Hence the reason I'm here. Come May 2nd, I'll be a full time mom.  Just another thing I said I'd never do. So the blog title still fits.

Anyway, more posts to come.  I've got lots of cleaning up to do. Blogger is totally different so I have to re-learn everything. Tell me if you see a missing link or widget out of whack*.



*Widget out of Whack. That's a good band name. Feel free to steal it. 

My not so triumphant return to blogging!

There are plenty of good reasons for my disappearance from the blogosphere.  Hubby is done with his Master’s program so we have more time to hang out.  Work is insane and I’m too drained to write a complete sentence at the end of the day.  I’m a little lazy.  I’m still training for a half marathon and my distances are getting longer and more time consuming. Max is now mobile and requires much more work simply to keep him injury free. (seriously dude, stop chewing on cords!).  I was burned out from trying to “keep up with the Jones’s of the blogging world”. And yadda and yadda and yadda.

I could go on explaining myself for multiple paragraphs but I realize that no one probably cares why I stopped.  But there have been multiple inquiries from friends and family as to when I plan to start writing again.  So I thought about it and to be honest, I miss writing. I miss connecting with other people trying to survive this crazy ride we call parenthood. I miss getting my thoughts out into the universe where other people can choose to agree, disagree, ignore, pick a fight or cheer me on.

So I’m blogging again but this time I’m not going to get wrapped up in outside factors.  I’m not going to worry about comments and commenting but instead focus on the important thing- creating a place where I go back and revisit memories of Max growing up once he’s not so little anymore. Maybe one day too he can look at this blog and see how much his Mama has loved him since day one.

And I leave you with this video, taken a few weeks ago.

See.  I have my hands full!

Suck it IntenseDebate

Too many people can't comment on my blog because of IntenseDebate so I have uninstalled the program.  However, that means I just lost 6 months worth of comments, which is pretty much the most depressing thing ever.

So, here's a test.  If you can spare a second, please comment on this to let me know that I properly uninstalled Intense Debate and the boring old blogger comments are working properly.

And if they don't work and you have a spare 2 seconds, please email me at saididneverdo@gmail.com

Pardon me as I go sob into my Diet Coke. :-(

Blogging Issues: I'm In Over My Head.

So I took the plunge and became a "real blogger" by buying my domain name.  Unfortunately, in the process of the re-direct it looks like my comment and some of my widgets got messed up.  The re-direct could take up to 3 days (I did it through blogger/google) so I'm not going to go fussing with things yet.

However, one of the things that messed up is again, Intense Debate, my commenting system. I've had some amazing, supportive, inspiring comments over the past few months and I hate to lose them if I decide to give ID the boot. At the same time, several people have contacted me saying they can't comment at all.  Now, with this re-direct, it looks like all of my comments have gone missing. I'm ready to just give up and go back to boring old blogger commenting system even if it means losing old comments and looking like 100 plus posts were read only by me.

If anyone has any thoughts of suggestions please feel free to email me at saididneverdo@gmail.com

The whole thing just makes me sad. Aren't comments the life blood of bloggers?

Screw You Intense Debate

I'm not sure what happened but suddenly on my main page there is no longer a link to my comments for each blog post.  If you actually click on the post the comments will come up but the initial way for anyone to comment is gone.


I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling IntenseDebate and it's just left me in tears.  I tried uninstalling in completely and go back to blogger comments but that won't work either. 


Does anyone have any hints?  Ideas?  Help at all.  Comments are the lifeblood of bloggers and I might go insane if I can't get my comments to work.


If anyone has any ideas please email me at saididneverdo@gmail.com.


I'm desperate.  Thanks.

Edit:  Apparently it fixed itself.  Unless you have IE8.  Arg. Still would love to know if anyone has this issue. 

Ahem. Pardon my dust

If you read my blog through a reader or follow my Twitter feed you might have seen the 849320483092 "test" posts I've run today.

My apologies!

As you can see, unless of course you are looking at this through a reader, my new design is up (which I totally didn't do because I zero design skills.  She did it)  Unfortunately in the process of uploading it, IntenseDebate, my commenting widget disappeared.  Through a series of uninstalls and reinstalls I FINALLY got it to work again but there was lots of swearing and gnashing of teeth in the process. Even my computer genius husband was confused.  It was quite the debacle. However, I think I got it right. I hope.  I pray. 

If you see any issues or something that doesn't look right, please please please let me know.  For those of you who are reading from the actual blog and not a reader, I know the green text is near impossible to read.  That should be fixed shortly.  Edit:  It's fixed!!  Also, if you are having trouble commenting and have a few seconds to email me I would really appreciate it!

Oooh!  And I finally have a button!  If you post it, please let me know so I can do a happy dance properly thank you!

So, do I look like a real blogger now?

Don't answer that. 

Oooh! I even used the WoW without even realizing it!  Go me!

I've been tagged!

Wee Mason's Mom want's to get to know me better!  Really, I'm not that interesting but I've always been obsessed with those "Questions about you" meme's that used to go around in emails and MySpace posts. (Remember MySpace?  I wonder if I still even have an account there).  So, of course, I'm game!

1) What one thing (other than the internet) are you likely to lose hours of your day doing in if time allowed?Reading. I actually don't read as much as I would like because I throw myself into books.  With a great book I tend to have marathon reading sessions where I ignore the world around me.  Now that I'm a mom, I no longer have that luxury.

2) What's the best thing that's happened to you in the last month?
Our entire trip to Asheville was amazing.  I love long weekend getaways.

3) What's the worst thing that's happened to you in the last month?
Max and I got the stomach bug at the same time.  Unfortunately, Max's bug was coupled with some serious congestion issues that won't go away (we're talking to the doctor tomorrow about allergies). My in-law's were in town and we were looking forward to a fun, active weekend.  Instead we had doctor's visits and lots of crying (from both sickies).

4) If I were to hand you $3000, what would you do with it?
The honest and boring answer: I'd use it for Christmas shopping.  We have SO many gifts to buy now that Max is here.

The fun I-have-enough-money-for-bills-and-gifts-so-I-can-blow- $3K:  I'd buy every single type of flavored K-cup for my Keurig.  Seriously, coffee makes me very happy.

5) What's your most favorite and least favorite food?
I could eat pizza every day for the rest of my life.  It's so versatile and delicious.  If I have to pick a style, I'm a Chicago girl through and through.

Despite being a Chicago girl, I cannot even come near hot dogs. I know they are THE FOOD of my beloved hometown, and I know that you don't for any circumstance put ketchup on them.  However,  I hate hot dogs. The taste and smell make me gag.

So, now it's my turn. I get to pick 5 people to ask 5 questions.  Please don't feel obligated to participate! I won't be offended if you don't!

The Questions:

1) What's your favorite musical guilty pleasure
2) Who is your celebrity crush?
3) If you were given $500 to spend on a meal, where would you go and who would you take?
4) What's your season and why?
5) What's the best thing you've won (give away, award, contest, whatever)

Those Tagged:
Jenn at ...that's what she said
Cecelia Winesap is Obsessed with Time Life Infomercials
D at Unpolished Parenting
Amy at The Adventures of JAMC
Mama Nash

Writers Work Shop: Bloggy blog blog

I’ve been reading lots of great entries from bloggers doing the SITS Girls Back to Blogging Challenge.  I’m not participating in the challenge because I feel weird getting “back to blogging” when I’ve only been at it for 5 months. However, when Mama Kat included the prompt “Write about what blogging means to you. Why do you blog? What purpose does it serve you and how have you benefited from sharing a piece of yourself online this way?” for her Writer’s Workshop, I jumped at the chance to answer the question. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about why I blog.  Why do I share a piece of my life on the internet?  Why do I subject myself to possible scrutiny from friends, family and strangers?  Why do I choose to write my blog, participate in various social media to promote it and spend time reading other blogs instead of doing important tasks like laundry or yard work?

I blog because I am an attention whore.

Ok, just kidding

 I blog to maintain Laura.  I blog to keep from falling down the rabbit hole where I become nothing more then “Max’s mom”. Even if I fall under the category of “Mommy Blogger” blogging helps me stay connected to who I am beyond my role of “Mother”. Blogging keeps me rooted and helps me process all these new emotions and situations that come with motherhood. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started to write a blog about an issue or problem and by the time I’ve finished writing I have a whole new perspective on the situation. Blogging forces me to look at my experiences in a different light so I can find a way to turn them into readable words.

I have a journalism degree that has collected dust since the day I walked across that stage 7 (gulp!) years ago. Blogging helps me hone my writing skill.  I love to write but I’ve let those skills I learned in college sit dormant for too long.  Blogging presents a unique challenge in which I write about my experiences but yet make it relatable to complete strangers. It’s not a journal where I can spill my guts without back story. I don’t maintain anonymity on this blog so I have the challenge of writing on subjects that won’t get me fired from work or in trouble with family/friends.  I love that I now have a reason to write almost every day. 

Fellow bloggers also get me to blog. You’re words and stories inspire me on dull days and comfort me on tough days.  I love getting know people I might never get the opportunity to meet in person and I love to read about the different life experiences of mothers, cooks, travelers, organizers, artists, students and so much more.

Finally, I blog for Max.  I blog so one day he can have a record of what his life was like before he could remember it.  I blog so he can also see that his mom is also a person with aspirations, quirks, likes and dislikes.  That I am more than just the person that makes him food, gives him money and yells at him when he becomes a rotten teenager.  But most importantly, I hope this blog can one day show him how much I truly love him.  

Writer's Workshop: My Own Biltmore?

Everyone says that all they need is their family and a small shelter and they’ll be happy.  I feel the same way. Our modest little house is all we need. It’s filled with creature comforts and lots of love.

But.  I’ll be honest.  I like to dream.  I like to dream of a big house filled with nice things. During our tour of the ridiculously large Biltmore estate Brett and I laughed at the opulence of the 250 room mega-mansion.

Every few minutes during the tour the following conversation would occur:

Brett “You know what our next house needs?”
Me: “What?”
Brett: “A Pipe Organ in the dining room”.
We walk to the next room.

Me:  “You know what our next house needs?”
Brett: “What?”
Me: “A game room with Napoleon’s Chess Set”.

We also joked that our next house should have a breakfast room with 16th century wall tapestries, a library that contains 10,000 books and a bowling alley.

 While we don’t want or need any of those things (though a bowling alley would kind of rock) it got me thinking about what kind our house we would build if we had Vanderbilt-style money.  What would we buy if we were ostentatious millionaires?  What would be our dream home?

While I can’t speak for Brett, here are few things I would want.

-A GIGANTIC eat-in kitchen with multiple ovens, a deep freezer and enough counter space to leave out all our appliances.
-A screened in, second floor porch complete with hammock.
-A three car garage so we could actually park both cars in the garage and give Brett space to work on his motorcycle.
-A basement playroom for Max with an air hockey table
-A master bathroom with an oversized claw foot tub that would submerge me to the neck.
-A large backyard deck with a hot tub.
-A mud room where we would enter the house and not have to track dirt all over the place.
-A large living room with comfy couches perfect for a movie night or game night with friends.

Looking at the above list I realized it’s not that ostentatious. They are elements that would make for a fancy pants house, for sure, but I really don’t need gold faucets, a trampoline room, lion statues at the front entrance, or grand dining room with a table seating 33.  I can’t even dream that big.

There is, however, one thing that would turn even our modest home into my absolute dream house.
A full time cleaning and laundry staff.

That my friends, is dreaming big.

PS:  This post was inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop but Blogger is being an ass and won't display the button properly. Is anyone else having Blogger issues when formatting?  I think a move to WordPress might be in my future!

Tweet, Tweet

Another Warning: If you aren't all up in the ins and outs of social networking, you probably just want to skip over this post. 
 
I joined Twitter.

Yes, if everyone else jumped off I bridge I probably would too.

Ok, technically, this isn't my first foray into the Twitterverse.  (Really, did I just use the "word" twitterverse?) I signed up once before.  Before Max was a twinkle in my eye, I joined so I could see what all the fuss was about.  I didn't get it.  Too many @ and # and random acronyms that I just didn't get. It made me feel like a senior citizen.  "Those damn kids and their damn tweets.  Back in  my day we declared all our daily minutia through Facebook".
But now I'm all blogalicous and I see that Twitter is a required element if you want to maintain relevance in this blog-eat-blog world. Actually that's not true.  I have no desire to be hip. Nor do I have any illusions that one day I will be the next Pioneer Woman. I joined Twitter for two reasons. 

1) Disqus (a comment system for blogs) hates me.  Every time I tried to leave a comment as "guest" on Disqus enabled blog I would get an error. Unfortunately, the error was just called "error" and left me no instruction on how correct the problem.  I could, however, log in through Disqus via Twitter and all would be right with Disqus world.

2) I want to win shit.  Everyone and their mother seems to be having a fabulous giveaway.  However, many blogs give you multiple ways to win beyond just leaving a comment saying "Pick me! Pick me!".  One consistent way to get more opportunities is to tweet about the giveaway and/or follow the blogger on Twitter. I'm all about pimping myself out for some Target gift cards or Etsy shop gift certificates.

Also Andy Zaltzman of my favorite podcast ever- The Bugle- joined Twitter. He used to rip Twitter to shreds but even he caved to the pressure of the masses. If Andy could do it, so could I.

Do you Tweet?  Let me know and I'll follow you. Currently, I only follow Andy and Conan O'Brien.  Please Twitter Jedi's, please help me find my tweet destiny by following me.  I promise to tweet more than just "win free stuff"and "hey, read my blog".   Occasionally I will discuss the minutia of my daily life too.

Friday Foodstuffs and a Little Housekeeping

I actually made everything planned with last week's menu!  This whole being accountable on my blog thing helped!  Usually at least one of the meals I planned for the week goes to pot either because I forgot an ingredient or something comes up and I need an quicker meal.

Of all the meals the best was Brett's Grilled Ribeye.  Unfortunately, I'm not willing to loan him out.  Therefore, I suggest you try the White Fish with Parsley Sauce. Next time I make it however, I think I'll add some fresh lemon juice at the end.  I tried taking a picture of it, but the results did not make the dish look appetizing! 

This is what we will be eating this week.

Saturday: Take out
Sunday Steaks: Maple Glazed Steak Salad with Blue Cheese
Monday: Butter Chicken over Rice,  Black beans
Tuesday: Blueberry Pancakes, Basil-Lime Fruit Salad, Bacon
Wednesday:  Sweet and Sour Chicken, Rice
Thursday: Spaghetti and Mama Pip's (that's me) meatballs.
Friday: Leftovers

What will you be eating this week?

_______________________________________________________

This is horribly delayed, but thank you so much to Amy at The Adventures of JAMC for the versatile Blogger/Beautiful Blogger award.   I'm quite honored to receive the award from such an amazing blogger. 

____________________________________________________

Blogger and fellow UST alum Jenny at Mama Nash started Pay it Forward Friday. I've been a horrible crab for weeks now and this is just what I needed to remind me that there is good in the word.  I haven't been able to see past the idiots of the world over the last few weeks. Check out her blog for the rules and to participate.  It  hasn't been my most gold star of weeks so I don't really have anything to share on how I bestowed kindness to others.  There has been lots of kindness towards me, mostly from my awesome husband.  So, my goal this week to to be more aware and working on giving back to those who have been so awesome to me.

Housekeeping

My attention span is limited today so I'm taking it as the perfect opportunity to write a completely disjointed post filled with multiple subject jumps.  Hold on to you hats! Actually, no.  It's not really that exciting.




First, thanks to Adventures of  Wee Mason Man for the Versatile Blogger Award. It's my first bloggy award.  Woohoo!  As the rules dictate, I need to tell you 7 things about myself and then pass it along to 5 other bloggers. But, I'm a rule breaker, so I'm not going to do it (Mason's Mom also gave me permission to not do so).  Yup. I'm a bad ass.  That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the award, though.  In fact, I'm super stoked about  it!  Does anyone actually say stoked anymore?

Second,if you aren't looking at this site through a reader, you might have noticed the layout changed.  This is temporary.  By next week, I will have a new, pretty, redesigned page. I took the plunge and hired a blog desiger. I'm super excited and it makes me feel likea real blogger.  Next step, my own URL.

Third, I'm following Mama Nash's lead and I've loaded IntenseDebate on my blog for better comment mojo. (Jenny, I had some Disqus issues too)  Blogger doesn't let you thread comments and I hate not being able to directly answer those who comment on the blog.  I would like to point out that despite the name, I don't hope to use the comments for intense debate.  I prefer light banter. 

Finally  GRATUITOUS MAX PICTURE!!!