Today we celebrate Father’s Day… and by we, I mean all single mothers. The reason? Most of us have taken on additional roles, some of them ones that we aren’t necessarily cut out to do. We “take one for the team” when it comes to our kids and while you may hear us say, “That’s a man thing!” the reality of it is, it’s our thing — whether we like it or not.

No, we don’t get to use the great lines of “Go ask your father” or threaten “Wait until your father gets home” because it’s just us. No one else is coming home for them to wait on. (I tried it once on my kids and they laughed out loud!)

Even though I am actively seeking someone else to explain the birds and the bees to my son, I am grateful for the things that I have learned by taking on the fathering role.

For example, when my son began playing football, I was clueless from where the pads went to how the game was played. But I learned quick! We stumbled around the first time I had to get him dressed for practice with all those pads, but now? I’m an old pro. And on Sunday afternoons during football season… we’re on the couch… cheering on the Redskins, together.

Along the lines of football, I was unsure of how to act on the football field. How uncool is it to have your mom kissing you as you put your helmet on? I noticed the other fathers getting in their sons’ faces and telling them to put their game face on. So now, I make my muscles and grunt in Matthew’s direction. He always laughs, but grunts back. At least he humors me.

And then there’s taking Matthew to purchase his first, er, um, athletic supporter. I was shocked when they told me he needed one as he’s got nothing to support (I’m sure when he’s 25, he’ll love knowing that I’ve told the world that he’s got nothing to support….) but come on now! He’s 10. After speaking to several males, they agreed that the family jewels must be protected. (What is it with you guys?)

Off to Dick’s I take him (yes, I’m chuckling too…). I have his younger sister in tow and I mention that we’re going to buy him a cup. Apparently my father has already explained this to him (Thanks Dad! Love ya and I owe ya!) and all I have to do is figure out what size he wears… sounds easy, right?

I send his sister off to look at something else while we decide what to purchase and he’s mortified (ask my brother…he’ll tell you how uncool it is to purchase your first cup with your mother!) Is he a small? Medium? Certainly not a large. Of course when you say that he just lowers his head as if he’s embarrassed to be seen with me. He escaped unscathed and as a side note, because it’s so hilarious… we get in the car and his younger sister jumps up from the back seat and asks, “Did we get the glass for Matt’s penis?” Get it? Glass? Cup?

But I digress…

My time is spent between making dinner and playing catch. We put together legos and we dig up stumps. We do all the things that fathers and sons and fathers and daughters do. Just because we’re dealt this hand doesn’t mean that our kids have to suffer.

And I have to be honest…I suck at being a father, but I try. Because I know that my children have certain needs, especially my son. I feel bad some days because I know that I’m just not cutting it. But I know that he knows I mean well. (And then he talks about me to my dad and how I “do it wrong.”)

So today, I would like to wish all the single mothers out there a very happy father’s day! You’re doing a phenomenal job!

Originally posted June 16th, 2007

Until next time…

October 2, 2008

Verizon Center

Washington, DC

8pm

Wanna know who with?

Anyone else gonna be there? Wanna double?

We can hang tough, and show who’s got the right stuff, and OMGosh I’M GOING TO SEE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!

AND MUCHAS GRACIAS to the BFF even if the only reason we’re going is because you want to see me act like a dork and make a DORK-U-MENTARY…

Now… what am I going to wear?

Until next time…

I have so much to share with you today, that I have two choices… combine them all into one post or have five different posts.  I’ve opted for one post.  It’s easier and then I don’t blow up your feed reader.  You can thank me later.

There’s a Contest Going On…

Since I’ve celebrated my 600th post (and can you believe I’m nearing my 6,000th comment?) I’ve got just a little giveaway going on here… unfortunately, you’ll have to make it through the pictures of my applying my makeup… it’s worth it though.  So go and enter… :D  The contest is open until Thursday…

Blog Pick of the Week…

Yeah, yeah, I didn’t do a blog pick of the week last week.  Shame on me.  I was preoccupied with other things…

However, this week… I want you to visit last week’s pick’s mother… did you get all that?  Last week was Heidi over at Frantically Simple and this week it’s her mother.  Hop over to see Charlene at Grandma’s Zoo and then be jealous that Heidi’s mom is funnier than your mom.  :D  (Although, I’m not quite sure she’s funnier than my mom, because my mom is pretty funny. )

Leave her a comment… she’s a new blogger too and I know that she’ll enjoy them.  And laugh.  But you won’t have to force yourself to do that because, well, it will just happen.

Straight From the Heart…

I’m kidless this afternoon and I’ve been taking care of some things, reading a few blogs, etc and I came across something at Lisa B.’s simply His blogger… it’s called Straight From the Heart.  I’m ashamed that I’ve not told you about this yet… because Lisa B., as you know, is a very important part of my life and somehow I have missed her feed on this blog and I’ve missed out on some AWESOME interviews, including one with Shannon @ Rocks in My Dryer.  So sorry, Lisa… but you could’ve mentioned it…

Go.. read… now.  Thank you.

Revolutionary Open House…

And one of the reasons that I’ve been so busy is that I’ve been preparing for the first ever open house for the Virtual Assistant Revolution.  It’s a site for Virtual Assistants, by Virtual Assistants who want to take their VA businesses to new heights.  If you’re a VA or know a VA or just want to come see what it’s all about, we invite you to RSVP here… because there will be prizes… oh yes there will!  (Of course, if you’re not a business owner, you might not care for any of the prizes….)

Trip Down South…

The kids and I are going to be trekking from here to Jackson, Mississippi June 27th-July 10th and if you’re on our route, we’d love to meet you… can I tell you that this was my son’s idea to post about it?  We’ll be going from here to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to Jackson… and from Jackson to Memphis to Knoxville to home on the way back… if we can make it work, let’s do it… :D  More details to follow, but we’re in the planning stages now… so let’s make something work.

Where He Met Me Winner…

And then there’s the last outstanding issue of who gets the prize in the Where He Met Me Carnival that I had last week.  I need you to know that I was blown away by the testimonies that were shared.  They were encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting and I know that many have been blessed this week by them.  I thank you all for participating… :D  I decided to pick two from the list, using Random.org and so, please say congrats to Alana and Cathy.  And go read their stories… please…

That’s all I got.

I become a Middle School Mom tomorrow.  Pray for me… and I’ll have more on that.  And… I’ve taken some time off to get this house in order BEFORE the children mess it up.

Have a blessed week!

Until next time…

We love some Christian music up in this place… and I LOVE to drive around, windows down, and crank it… and always wonder if the teenagers in the car next to me shake their heads when they hear the bass and see me rocking out with the words… “WE. ARE. THE. REDEEMED. We are the ones who are free! ‘Cause we belong to Jesus” (That would be Fee by the way.)

And I’m forever getting tease because I roll up to church with the music blaring.. but hey! We’re supposed to make a joyful noise unto the Lord ( Psalms 98:4-6, KJV) so the way I see it… I’m just doing what the Bible tells me to.

So, that’s why I’m hoping to win this boxed set from WOW Online that Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is giving away… and since she’s giving away TWENTY I thought I would let you in on it too…

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to crank it back up and get back to work!

Until next time…

I don’t even know where to begin when telling you about my pick this week….

Let’s just say she’s FREAKING hysterical.

I met Heidi because she wanted a pretty wordpress blog.  She wanted to get off the wordpress.com blog that she had and have her OWN place.  So I helped her to get her big girl panties.  Jo-Lynne made it pretty.  I just did the technical stuff.

I actually got to talk to her on the phone.  I was afraid that I would mess up her email.  So I called her and said, “There’s a chance that I might break your email, but if I do, I’ll fix it.”  Because I’m honest like that.

Lisa B. had to help me with something because I had all the pieces, I just did one of them in the wrong order.  But not the email part.  I did that all by myself.  And I didn’t break it.

Which means she still likes me.  Hopefully.

So, because I helped make her blog pretty, I added her to my feed reader.  (I also had to see if I made that work right, too, because I’m good like that) and so I’ve been reading.

She’s made me laugh EVERY.SINGLE. TIME.  but this post sealed the deal.

She became my blog pick of the week and the latest blogger that I would like to stalk.

So, please take a minute to go and see Heidi.  Tell her I sent you and tell her how AWESOME her blog looks!

Until next time…

You know what I forgot to do last week?  I forgot a blog pick of the week.  Well, I didn’t exactly forget, but when I remembered, there was that whole bloggy break thing going on and it was later in the week and well… it just didn’t happen.

And my blog roll page is broken.  And now I have to fix it.  And I don’t want to.  Because I don’t have time.

But that has NOTHING to do with my pick this week.

This week it’s all about Sister Honey Bunch and Sister Sassy at Sisters of a Different Order.  I have to admit that when I first happened across their blog I was weirded out… NUNS?  Because I didn’t really dive deep.  I just saw the picture.  And I read a little bit and couldn’t figure out how nuns were allowed to do this stuff and get away with it AND post it on the internet.

But then, I came back to their blog some other way and dove in.  And now I keep going back.  Because they are funny… and I can sing songs about Sister Honey Bunch and she keeps coming back here to comment.

It’s all about reciprocation, ya know?

So head on over to see the Sisters… laugh, leave a comment… and if you pester them enough, they might just reveal which of them was in the pokey.  But don’t hold your breath on that one….

*********

The winner in the MommyFest giveaway from last week was Nicole!  Nicole, you’ll have an email from me regarding your prize.  Stay tuned, because I’ve got more giveaways coming up.  Just not today… today I have to work and not play on the internet.  Which sucks.  Because I really just want to play on the internet.

Until next time…

Y’all… I gotta tell ya.  Things are CRAZY right now.  C-R-A-Z-Y.  Most of the time, this little blog-o-mine keeps me sane.  As does Twitter.  And MySpace.  But in reflecting upon some things tonight as we got our hineys kicked from here to kingdom come, I realized that the Mommy Community, as much as I love it, and love you all, is distracting me WAY too much.

Of course, the pipes and the TV didn’t help either.

But I have several client projects (I thought I sold my business?), the OIVAC is this weekend (come see me at the Virtual Assistant Revolution booth Friday-Sunday or just come to learn about being a VA!), our church yard sale is this weekend (pray for us to raise $1500 to send the kids and the teens… and me! to camp), and we have a ball game Saturday (in which I hope we all show up mentally as well as physically unlike tonight)….

So, I just decided.  I’m leaving for awhile.  Don’t be sad.  Don’t delete me.  I’ll be back in a few days.  Normally, I’d have some autoposts up there, but I don’t.  Because I need to walk away right now.

And I’m not really telling you this for any other reason than if you see me on Twitter or perusing blogs, tell me to get back to what I’m supposed to be doing.  Please?

My children’s clean underwear and socks depend on it.

And while I’m asking for your help in holding me accountable…. might I also ask for your prayers?  It’s nothing major really but I ask that you just pray that I can get it all back together, get done what needs to get done, and that I can do it all with a smile on my face.  I know that you all are some powerful prayers and I know that I’ll be able to feel you uplift me so that I can just pull it all back together.

And then I’ll be back.  With lots of stupid, crazy things to share… including a Meme.

Promise.

Until next time…

Welcome welcome to the Mommy Fest Blog Party!

Or at least my little corner of it.

I’m Heather… an insane work at home mom of two children. You can read all about them on my blog, and don’t worry, I’ve asked them if they mind me sharing about them on my blog… and they said they didn’t. Today, anyway.

I invite you to peruse, leave a comment, and we’ll be drawing for a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate at the end of the week (entries will stay open until Friday night at Midnight EST and the winner will be emailed by Monday.)

So to be entered in my little comment, tell me… what’s the best part about blog parties?

Hope to see you back soon!

Until next time…

You would be jumping for joy, wouldn’t you?

Yes, you would… even if you didn’t like him… or Oprah where he talked about what you made.

And you know what? That’s just what happened to Katja, a mom and owner of Skimbaco when Tom Cruise declared on national television that Suri Cruise loved her ladybug shoes the most.

Aren’t they the cutest? It so makes me wish Samara was little again…

Can you imagine?

As a business owner, I would love that sort of publicity for my business, because I know what it takes to get a business going, and growing with the influx of online retailers on the net!

So take a minute and pop over and congratulate Katja on her “appearance” on the Oprah show and read the rest of the story.

WTG Katja!

Answers to your questions start tomorrow…

Until next time…

I got nuttin’ today.

Well, I do, but just not in that oh-so-creative-let’s-make-people-laugh-today mood, but I do have some things that I need to share with you…

You’re going to do a lot of clicking, so get ready.

First… Today?

Not only is is May 7th, it’s Lisa B.’s birthday. My dear, dear, introduced me to Jesus friend and so, if you would, please hop on over and wish her a happy birthday. Please? You can do so here or here or even here.

And speaking of birthdays, another one of my bloggy BFFs is celebrating, although it may or may not be today. But it’s this week. So I’m in the ball park and all, and really?

I got thrust into this whole BFF category quite unexpectedly so I didn’t have time to get the details. But I guess when you’re as awesome as I am, it’s bound to happen, so perhaps I should get used to it.

Let me stand out of the way as the lightening strikes while you go wish Soliloquy a happy birthday.

Moving on to other news… some of you know, some of you don’t, but I run a group coaching site for Virtual Assistants with my real life BFF and business partner. Today, one of our members reached a milestone that she never thought that she would and she released her first eBook ever.

I am so FREAKING proud of her and I don’t know whether to do the happy dance, shout her praises all over the internet, or cry huge tears of joy so I’m doing all three.

Her book is called “Putting Old on Hold: A Baby Boomers Unconventional Guide to the Making of a Dot Com Business” and it?

Is awesome… even if you’re not a baby boomer, it’s got GREAT information on starting a business.

Karen is a wonderful gal and she’s our group’s biggest cheerleader and it brings me such great joy to cheer for her in every way that I can. She’s the oldest (although I won’t tell you how old) of our group with most of our members in their late twenties, early thirties… so for her to start a business, grow a business, and now do this? Most people couldn’t keep up.

So if you know anyone who wants to start an online business instead of hanging out at the Senior Center (which is why she got started) send them over to see Karen at http://www.retirementalternative.com and then stop by here, and tell Karen congrats… even if you don’t know her.

So there you have… all the linky love that I can muster up today… because I’m lazy and hate to link…

and for those of you who finally delurked over the past few days, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m glad you’re here and I hope that I see you soon. You don’t know how much you made my day with your comments and introductions. It truly was better than any payment I could’ve received.

Until next time…