Monthly Archives: June 2012

Jun29

Today’s Best Moment: Friday, 6/29

Posted on June 29, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

Today, actually a few minutes ago, I asked my son to climb one of his favorite trees so I could take a picture for an upcoming blog post. He quickly scaled his tree like no monkey ever could. I was suddenly reminded of a moment when he was around 6 years old. My Mom, Grandma, was visiting. Grandma went outside to see what he was doing and found him as high up in his tree as was possible to get.

Grandma called up to him:

“You are so high, could you come down, I am afraid for you”

To which my son, without missing a beat, replied:

“Grandma, you will just have to conquer your fears.”

My Mom and I still laugh about it.

I hope his tree lives forever.

Jun26

Top 10 Clues You Are Not Cut Out for Country Life

Posted on June 26, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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So, you think you can cut it in the country? Yeah, well that is what I thought, too. However, last week after dissolving in tears upon committing vehicular skunk-slaughter, it became glaringly clear you can “Take the girl out of the city, but…”. (I mean really, the poor creature was just trying to, shall we say, get to the other side).

Therefore, just in case you may have the bright idea to a switch to rural life anytime in the future, allow me to bestow upon you the benefit of first-hand experience!

Top 10 Clues you are not cut out for Country Life.

10. You cry over road kill. Including the skunk that assured your car would never smell the same again.

9. You shudder when instructed to park your car on the grass – even though it is already filled with cars, trucks and ATVs.

8. You think wearing 4 inch wedges to a hayride is a feasible alternative to high heeled pumps. But, at least you learn the purpose for the warning “beware the steaming rocks”.

7. You look at your kid like he is Jack the Ripper when requested to gut and cook the fish he caught.

6. You feel compelled to declare the yard an animal sanctuary…from your kids.

5. Your car and a deer leaping out of the woods collide – you are dismayed over the deer’s injuries but completely unconcerned by the fact your car is now totaled.

4. You don’t like red meat. But, you try to keep this one under wraps on the off chance there really is some truth to the “ride out of town on a rail” rumor. (oh, and on a side note: You never mention that “vegetarian” word)

3. You have a maniacal fear of mini-blood-sucking-demons-from-hell, also known as Tics.

2. You are not a fan of dirt/dust/mud/gravel/snow/ice – they interfere with your shoe choices.

and last but not least…

1. You are at a loss as to how to respond to the question “Do you want ½ a cow?” because you are busy picturing which half and how a cow stands up with only two legs.

If you still decide to give the country a go, I wish you luck and may you never feel the sting (or smell the smell) of skunk road kill.

Jun21

4 Reasons Parents Should Get A Life

Posted on June 21, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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Yes, folks, it is that time again! The time of the week when I drop a few words over at my home away from home – aka: ParentSociety.com. Today I am talking about why all parents – yes, myself included – should Get a Life!

It starts out something like this:

Becoming a first-time mom late in life means two things: First, my grandkids will have a super cool walker to climb on and second, I had an activity-filled life before my kids ever came along. For me, this included many aspects of theater and performing. However, I always knew when I became parent, I wanted to give my kids full and undivided attention. So when the kiddos came along, I put those extracurricular activities on hold.

But, then things changed and no, I did not “run off to join a geriatric production of “CATS”…or worse. As usual, you will just have to go HERE to get the rest of the story and of course the 4 “pearls of wisdom” as to why as parents, we should all Get a Life!

4 Reasons All Parents Should Get a Life!

Jun20

Today’s Best Moment: Wednesday, 6/20

Posted on June 20, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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I am having trouble keeping up with work and writing this summer. Could it be that I am doing too much of this…? One can only ponder.

Jun14

Believe in Your Smellf – A Hostile Takeover

Posted on June 14, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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As a kid, I shared a bathroom with 3 male persons – my older brothers. I think it is safe to say I had no bathroom rights whatsoever!

As an adult, in a sick sort of twisted symmetry, I found myself again sharing a bathroom with 3 male persons – my husband and two sons. Only this time it was worse, because now I had to clean shared bathroom, too!

One day, I had a revelation! I could take action against this injustice and make a play for bathroom solidarity. One fact in particular made this feat possible: we (my family) are just not that popular! Aside from my parents and an occasional niece/nephew, no one really comes to stay at our house (kid sleepovers don’t count). Meaning, our “Guest Bathroom” remained polished, pristine and virtually unused.

Thus, one day I gathered all of my makeup, lotions and female accoutrement and laid full, autonomous claim to “Guest Bathroom” real-estate – heretofore to be referred to as “My Bathroom”.

It was nice. In My Bathroom, My Towel luxuriously lounged on the rack by itself. My Sink was toothpaste glob free. My Color Safe Shampoo had its own special place. No one ever used My Soap. And for the first time in family life, I had Bathroom Privacy!

Then one day, I noticed something strange. In the corner of My Shower/Tub there suddenly stood a bottle of 3D Dial for Men Liquid Soap. Alarms began to ring in my head – “Danger Will Robinson, Danger!” Very soon after, I noticed non color safe shampoo had joined the vagrant 3D Dial soap. And then without warning, My Towel lost its solitary status on the towel rack.

You see my teenage son in his usual “skys the limit” mentality had decided My Bathroom paradise looked pretty darn appealing. All attempts to evict him from My Bathroom and send him back to Boy’s Bathroom were futile and unsuccessful. But even still, I maintained hope of somehow warding off a complete hostile foreign takeover. That is, until today.

Today, the unthinkable happened. Today, he made his migration permanent. As I was blow drying my hair in the corner of My Bathroom, in he marched. Confidently, he went straight to My Medicine Cabinet and proceeded to locate a place for his Old Spice Champion Scented “Believe in Your Smellf” Deodorant (I kid you not). Of course, the cabinet shelves were already fully occupied by my makeup, lotions and female accoutrements. However, never one to be deterred by pesky minor details, my son finally settled on front and center, prime product placement. (See photo illustrative proof above!).

I started to protest! How could he intrude on my squatter rights bathroom tyranny? I could feel all my new bathroom perks slipping away. I had to strategize quickly. The words began to form in my head. I prepared to make my final stand!!

But then a thought occurred to me. In five years he will be 18. In five years, I won’t be hassling him about toothpaste globs in the sink. In five years we won’t be jockeying for cabinet space, shower times and towel rack rights.

And when that day comes… I’ll wish so very much we were.

So, “My Bathroom”, formally known as “Guest Bathroom”, is now officially referred to as “Our Bathroom”.

Jun12

Today’s Best Moment: Tuesday, 6/12

Posted on June 12, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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Today’s Best Moment is a different one – for me here at Sweet Spot anyway. Today’s moment is about being thankful. Thankful I only had to read about the information in my recent article on ParentSociety.com and not live it first hand. Thankful my kids are healthy, happy and strong. Thankful I can talk to my kids about the difficult choices and dangers they will face out in the world.

I know I usually write what I like to think are informative, yet humor-infused articles. However, I wanted to deviate from my normal light-hearted approach to write something regarding a new designer drug called bath salts. Why? Because up until a few days ago, I had never even heard of this horrific new synthetic drug and as a parent, that scared the puffin’ stuff out of me…

I reasoned that maybe I was not the only parent ignorant until recently of this scary new creation. If you want to know more go here to read.

“Am I The Only Parent Who Never Heard of Bath Salts?“

Jun7

Teen Talk: Episode #3

Posted on June 7, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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Comic by K

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you a Public Service Message from Teen Talk. I assure you, everything you are about to hear is real and unedited. If you decide to try this at home, please proceed with extreme caution and stay out of your neighbors yard.

One day at the gas station mini-mart.

Teen: “Mom, I’m thirsty. Can I get a soda?”

Mom: “You don’t need soda, drink some water.”

Teen: “I don’t like water, it tastes weird.”

Mom: “You have to drink water. Water is life!”

Teen: “I do drink water. I drank a ton of water yesterday.”

Mom: “Oh, good.”

Teen: “Then, I peed it all out onto a pine tree.”

Mom: “What?”

Teen: “I’m Green, I recycle.”

The End

Teen Talk: Episode #1

Teen Talk: Episode #2

Teen Talk: Episode #4

Teen Talk: Episode #5

For more views by Teen Go Here: Teen Talk

Jun5

Take Us to Warp Speed, Scotty

Posted on June 5, 2012 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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I love baseball. However, baseball can be a difficult sport to watch your kids play. Why? Because, duh, it is so stinking slow! As you sit in the stands, it can be like slowly ripping-off-your-fingernails type torture anticipating how your kid will hit, field, pitch, catch, throw etc. When games are fast paced, such as soccer or basketball, my ability to follow and efficiently understand what is going on takes an extended vacation. Thus, the torture-fest factor is severely reduced. In fact, I am thoroughly convinced if the speed of a kid’s baseball game could be increased oh, say tenfold, all my problems would be solved (Take us to warp speed, Scotty!).

Every season when I can no longer take the gut wrenching apprehension, I call the one person I can count on to tell me I am being ridiculous, my Dad. I mean really, who better to tell you how stupid you are being and give advice than Dad – it’s in the job description, right there along with “remind kids to get their car oil changed”.

After many a baseball season, my Dad is ready when my yearly call arrives. His effective responses usually go something like this: “It’s just a game”, “calm down”, “you worry too much”, “Baseball is full of ups and downs”, “Baseball is slow” (got that one figured out) “Keep saying to yourself ‘Relax and Enjoy’”.

“Got it, Ok Dad, I’ll try”, I answer.

Relax and Enjoy.

I repeated this phrase as I drove to my son’s baseball game that very night.

Relax and Enjoy.

At the game, in the stands, I chanted it repetitively (to myself, of course, so no one near me would think I had finally gone all bag lady or something).

Relax and Enjoy.

The game was a close.

Relax and Enjoy.

My son’s team began to slip behind.

Relax and Enjoy.

My son struggled at bat.

Relax and Enjoy.

Then, my new found meditative repose was challenged when a particularly, shall we say “prolific”, opposing team Dad began to bellow, in as loud a voice as you can possibly imagine (think Quidditch announcer in Harry Potter),

“PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE”

Over and over and yep, over again.

“PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE!!”

In fairness, parents of both teams were cringing and pretending he was some stranger who just happened to stop by on his way to catch the Crazy Train.

“PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE!!”

My stress level began to rise. I could just feel the belly fat taking hold (for clarification on that, Go here). My mind began to race…

Could anyone possibly have a straight jacket in their car, handy for just such a situation?

“PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE!!”

Muzzle?

PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE!!”

Tranquilizer gun? (Honestly, where I live I might have had luck with this one!)

PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE!!”

Moms unite – I think we can take him!

“PARTY AT HOME PLATE BOYS, PARTY AT HOME PLATE!!”

And then in a shining moment, my son, like a little lightning-fast, blond headed Yadier Molina, tagged out a runner trying to “join the party”, making the final out of the inning.

I turned to fellow team parents next to me.

“Party Cancelled”, I mumbled.

They laughed, and I laughed. In fact, it still makes me laugh thinking about it.

My son’s team didn’t win the game. But it was ok.

And even though I am not giving up hope on the whole Warp Speed idea (where is Scotty when you need him?), I think I will survive if I can just remember to – Relax and Enjoy, and of course, Laugh.