She had chosen the dogs and the dogs’ names before she told the kids they were even getting dogs. Hello. Fun stealer.

I woke up this morning and thought, “Now I really have to get that dog fixed!” about our puppy.

Oh shut up, America. The secret’s out and I know you’re as broke as me. I didn’t know the dog wasn’t fixed when I agreed to rescue her and I didn’t have $50-$100 just sitting around waiting for something to spend it on.  Keep the judgy to yourselves.

I figured I could just keep her in the backyard until I could afford the vet. Frankly, I had some human medical issues – like my hemochromatosis, hormones and family dentist visits – I wanted to take priority.

Then this morning I found the neighbor’s dog in my yard and Lily, my tiny little dog comparitavely was hiding from them in the front yard. Guess I have to move her vet visit up ASAP if she’s going to get unauthorized visits from the new neighbors.

I’m like Kate – what was I thinking saying Yes to a dog?

I hope it’s not too late – the last thing I need is for my one dog to morph into 6.

Post from: Blisstree

Kate Gosselin Got Dogs!

Post from: Blisstree

The Missing Piece Meets Big O

Visit MSNBC.com to see Nadia Suleman, the mother who gave birth to Octuplets this month.

Nadya, mother of 14 children, the last litter being Octuplets, says she wanted a very large family after being an only child. (Note to my friend Rebecca – let this be a lesson to you – have two to prevent your child from longing for 14.)

There were a few odd questions in the Interview. Do you have the right to have 14 children?

Last I heard, we lived in American and we’re allowed to have as many or as few children as we like.

She isn’t on welfare so just shut up about her “right to have children she can’t afford.” (If she were to go on welfare – so is half the country due to the current unemployment crisis so get over it.) This is America – we ALL “have children we can’t afford.” Gimme a break already. We can’t “afford” either one of ours save for the fact that we seem to manage feeding and clothing them and sending them to school and taking them to the Dr. every now and then.

This woman reminds me of Angelina Jolie quite a lot actually. I think it’s the lips, cheeks, hair. And the love of babies born of childhood and adolescent pain and loneliness. It’s a shame her dream doesn’t come with Brad Pitt or Jon Gosselin, or another hot, dedicated father who loves the large family equally.

Her fertility logic – that she wanted to use up the embryos before she quit so they wouldn’t be destroyed or stay frozen – makes sense. I’ve always wondered why people who oppose stem cell research are fine with in-vitro and then throwing away embryos. It has always seemed a contradiction in values to me. There’s a certain logic in resolving the conflict by having them implanted “knowing” that they won’t all make it.

I mean, obviously she was thinking the doctor would implant 6 and 3,4,5 would not survive and she’d increase her family by 1,2, or 3. The odds of the implantation resulting in two split eggs and all the others surviving are less than 1 in a kajillion.

Has to be an Act of God, you just can’t plan this kind of science. One million rich families could try to make this happen and it wouldn’t.

But, who can blame Nadya’s mother for leaving? Her poor mother only wanted one child so that’s what she had. Now she’s been raising 6 children and her crazy single daughter is bringing home 8 tiny babies. Tiny babies are cute an all but they pretty much equal hard labor.

Welcome to the new profession of Celebrity Motherhood Nadya. I wonder if its queens Kate Gosselin and/or Mommy Duggar sent gift baskets or email tips on how to negotiate with PR people and the media? I’m sure she could use the pointers.

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrity Motherhood – Octopulets Mom Joins Ranks

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Grammar Rap

I got an invitation to the most historic event of the 21st Century to date – Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009.

Now all I need is a free bus. Maybe PunditMom will let me crash on her couch?

Post from: Blisstree

Invited to Obama Innauguration

Man, I really wish I could post on Blog Fabulous today. But, I’m swamped giving away a bunch of prizes elsewhere.

I do have this to say. Fruit makes me gassy and bloaty. Had to stop at the health food store for some enzymes to handle my new eating habits.

I love taking Mondays off my workout routine instead of Sundays. I always have time on Sundays and too much work on Mondays.

Also I’m learning to understand the value of outsourcing.

Photo credit: Newly redesigned and relaunched The Girl Revolution

Post from: Blisstree

Too Busy to Post

My husband and I made a commercial to advertise an upcoming Marriage Mingle we’re going to lead at our church.

I love what I can do with a Mac, iLife and YouTube. Technology is fun once you get past the learning curve and the frustration.

What do you think?

Post from: Blisstree

Marriage Commercial

Last year I wrote about my resolution to get organized in a post titled Anal Retentive Compulsions in 2008.

In July I saw that people were still reading that post and took another look. Then I cleaned up and organized my office – which was still a mess – and posted the transformation in Resolutions Revisited.

If, 6 months later you realize that people are going to hold you accountable it’s a good motivation not to fail. To fail is hard on the soul – to fail in public is enough to make me clean my room and get organized like I said I wanted to in the first place.

I’m going to cultivate anal retentive organization to the point of compulsion. That way in 2009, 2010, 2011 . . . (you get the picture), I won’t ever have to think about it again.

I wrote.

Well, do I look anything like Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and sextuplets AND the most organized and sometimes anal and compulsive woman on reality television to you?

But, did I accomplish my goal?

Absolutely.

My house is pretty dang organized. It’s a little messy frequently because we have two kids. Hey I saw how the rest of America lives on Oprah’s Clean Up Your Messy House and I’ve got some relatives who have this hoarding gene going on. Compared to that I’m a dream housekeeper.

Every few months – around birthdays and Christmas and the change of seasons – I go through the toys and clothes and donate the ones we’ve outgrown.

Now that we’ve got a large enough house for the necessary storage our world is a billion times more organized. And I realize you have to keep working at it. You’re not going to be “organized” and then walk off and leave it for 10 years and have it stay that way.

Between Christmas and New Year’s is a great time to look at the messes and clutter piles and clean them up. By New Year’s Eve I’m going to sort through the 2008 photos and put them on a disk for storage and buy a photo book of the ones I enjoy best. Organized. It seems like the perfect time because no one is really going full throttle with other things during that week.

I’ve learned this great lesson this year. If I don’t take the time to organize my life – my things, my time, my email, my day, my work load, my schedule, my priorities – it will cost me unnecessary grief.

It was always the time to do the tedious and meticulous work of organizing that held me back. No one has ever lied on their resume more than I did when I copied “detail oriented” on my resume. Laughing Out Loud. I am not naturally detail oriented. Details, until my 35th year have seemed like such a waste of good time and energy when there was a big picture to think about. But, as they say God is in the details. The meaning lies in taking the time, slowing down the process, not missing it by rushing through, making life easier by putting things in their proper places.

I’m a million times more organized in my house and I’m becoming a million times more organized in my work. I’ve made sure I take time for my exercise and meditation and friendships.

In truth it is not wanting to waste money on organizational tools that has held me back so many times before. In July I realized my office was unorganized because I didn’t want to waste money on a $7 file hanger. Stupid. But, I get it now. The tools save me so much time and energy it’s not a waste. I’m learning to invest in the tools. Enter new iphones that will revolutionize my inability to follow and keep a calendar. It will be a great organizational investment.

If you trace any bad habit back far enough there is always a wrong or incorrect thought behind it.

If you change the thought you can change the habit.

My thought was: It’s a waste of time and money to get organized.

I no longer believe that’s true.

I’ve changed the thought to: It’s a waste of time and money NOT to buy and learn to use the proper tools to be organized.

In 2009 I’m going to keep up the skills and lessons I learned in 2008. I’m going to put more of these lessons into my work and my work day.

I’ll be so productive in 2009 I’ll look like an overnight success.

Tell me, did anyone else make a similar goal last year and did you stick with it?

Post from: Blisstree

2008 Resolution Revisited – The Truth

(MIDDLE)

(BOTTOM)

Photos Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

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2009 Family Portrait Poll

At our Extended Family Christmas Eve Party on Wednesday we had a great time.

We did stockings and presents for the children.

Then sent them out to play with their goodies while the adults did a White Elephant Exchange and a game of Christmas Bingo.

No one liked the gifts we brought. Oh well.

Most sought after gifts included a lava lamp, a really tacky ugly phone in the shape of a golf bag, and a really nice set of frames. We scored a tool box and an emergency kit. We tried to score a box of batteries.

We spent our Christmas Day at home with our own little nuclear family. Being lazy and learning to use our cool gadgets and toys.

Our big gifts were ipods this year. Running and exercising is a lot more fun if you’re listening to a book or podcast or great music.

All the kids CDs are scratched and skip so they got them too.

We had biscuits and sausage gravy for lunch, waffles and whipped cream and fruit for lunch and wings for dinner. All day we ate as much of my mother’s Christmas candy as we wanted.

My husband and I took turns going to for a run. It was so warm we ran in shorts and tank tops.

We watched Miracle on 34th Street and made popcorn with our new popcorn maker. Half the kernels didn’t pop (my 1970s one pops nearly every kernel).

Zack got a mouse costume which is so very A Christmas Story. We have mice and he always says, “There’s a mouse in my room.” And now there is for sure.

Ainsley climbed a tree and ripped her new tights.

The lid handle broke off my new crock pot.

It was a perfect Christmas.

I can’t wait to hear about yours.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me.

Post from: Blisstree

Perfect Christmas