Register

The Bully claimed Freedom of Speech

So, we’re at the pool and I notice the kids with me have gradually got in the way of a man swimming laps. I asked them all to move and most do. One of the boys with me hasn’t yet moved. He’s on his way but the man is swimming right at him. This man knows the boy is there, he’s touched him with his hands for the last two strokes of his arm.
At this point I think to myself something isn’t right.
I keep my eye on them. The man has backed my friend’s boy into the wall.
The Man stands up over The Boy looks down at him and
YELLS “GET THE F*** OUT OF MY WAY”

Totally unnecessary. Absolutely uncalled for. Did I really just see that? Perhaps, I was daydreaming. I do that sometimes. But my heart immediately begins to race and I’m not even sure that I heard what I thought I heard but I’m pretty sure I read the situation correctly. I ask The Boy “What did he just say to you?” He was scared. He was sure he had done something wrong and afraid to repeat what he just heard.

The Old Man was again swimming his laps. I reach for a ‘noodle’ (the foam long floating things) and I poke him in the head. He looked up surprised. ‘Did you curse at my kid?’ I asked. My blood was boiling. {Picturing my heal kicking him in the face.} He acts as if he can’t hear me and lets me know he’ll be done in 4 laps.

Believe me. This was a good thing. Breathe…. Breathe…. Deep Breath… Breathe… I think I was able to get my blood temp down to just below boiling but it didn’t stay there for long.

This S.O.B. gets out of the F***ing pool. Breathe… Deep Breath… Ok, try again.
The Old Man gets out of the pool in his disgusting Speedo bathing suit and says “Are these all your Hellions? Keep your little hellions under control.” I no longer needed to confirm he cursed at my boy (ok my friends boy) now I feel like an angry Mama Bear. Still trying to remain calm on the outside, I reply “I respect that you were swimming laps but that doesn’t give you any right to curse at ‘my boy’ {You, son of bitch. No I didn’t curse at him. That was just one of my fantasy memories}
“Have you ever heard of Freedom of Speech?” he replies “You’re worried about them hearing curse words? They hear way worse than that from their buddies at school.”
I’m floored. He actually believes that what he did to the Little Boy was OK. He actually believes that Freedom of speech is in place so he can intimidate little kids and woman. He actually believes that what he did was right? Sadly my only response is “Are you kidding me?” He gets his towel and starts to leave. My 2 year old says “Mommy he’s going bye, bye?” “Yes” I say “Say ‘good riddance’ honey. Hasta la vista,” He turns to me as he’s walking out the gate. “You’re so worried about your Hellions hearing curse words but you allow them to break the pool rules by having toys in the pool. I have every intention of getting your pool rights revoked.” Um really? Can he do that? I didn’t know they couldn’t have pool toys. I never actually read the rules. Who would’ve guessed that kids couldn’t play with toys in the pool? So, I yell as he’s walking down the street. “You’re a BULLY. How can you live with yourself? You like living your life as a BULLY?” and that was that.

I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I’ve thought over the situation over and over. A friend mentioned I should have beat him with the noodle not just poked him in the head. I fantasize about running into him at the grocery store and letting everyone in the store know he’s a BULLY. He picks on 9 year old kids. Then I can claim “Freedom of Speech” right? The really sad thing about the story is The Boy doesn’t want to go to the pool anymore. I’m hoping in time his fear will go away.

What's stuck in my head!

Have you ever got a song stuck in your head? I bet most people have. It's OK when it's one you like. Even then it gets annoying. All morning I've had not a song, more of a chant in my head. I can't seem to shake it. It's much like the chant in the Wizard of OZ. Lion and Tigers and Bears Oh MY. My chant goes more like this.
Laundry and Dishes and Sweeping and Mopping, laundry and dishes and sweeping and mopping. laundry and dishes and sweeping and mopping, laundry and dishes and sweeping and mopping. And on and on.
I'm not complaining about what I do. Those aren't even the only things I've been working on today. I just have it stuck in my head and it wont go away.

Happy Mother's Day

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up...

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
And get their answer when a little
Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
Is not measured by height or years or grade...
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother.....

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't know everything!

14 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She wouldn't have a clue.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's so five minutes ago.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she
carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she
shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

She Did It.

Park days usually turn out pretty fun. Today was especially great. My 5 year old climbed a tree for her first time. When we first got to the park she wanted to but said "I can't Mom." I new she could. She's a strong kid. By the time we left she climbed the tree, walked across a small branch and jumped off.
I'm So Proud!

"Can't Never Did Anything"

Fitness Log

week 2
4/26 Day 4 2.33miles 36 minutes
week 1
4/24 Day 3 2.28miles 35.31 minutes
4/22 Day 2 2.18miles 35.01 minutes
4/20 Day 1 2.01miles 35 minutes

My girls made me this sign. I hung it up in front of my treadmill to keep me motivated.
Small Gifts. I Love It!

Great Website

Got a great tip from OCReggie on twitter today. Took an old TV/VCR combo to a Goodwill and got a $10 gift card for Starbucks in return. OCReggie directed me to this site
http://ocdeals.freedomblogging.com/
OCDeals gives Freebies, deals and discounts from and for Orange County shoppers. I'll be visiting this page often and just wanted to share it.

Mom Sets Goal to Run 5 k

Being of a certain age I have decided to run my first 5k.
That's my BIG GOAL
Couch to 5k in 12 weeks. Maybe, a little more then 12 weeks.

GOAL: Finish the 5k in 36 to 45 minutes. To do this I need to keep a pace of 4 to 5 miles an hour. Pretty sure this goal is obtainable.
WHY: Why am I doing this?
~To push myself
~Get out of my comfort zone
~Be an example for my kids(set goals and reach them.)
~Get healthy

Websites I've found helpful so far:
Couch to 5k in 12 weeksThis site gives you tips starting from all different fitness levels. Just follow the links.

It's almost May. May is known as the National Runners Month. Good month to get started. See you at the finish line. :)

Favorite Photo Friday

“Life is too deep for words, so don't try to describe it, just live it.”
C.S. Lewis

The Unhappy Mama Duck

I've had this conversation with Mom's many times. Is it Ok to correct other peoples children? Friends have told me, absolutely not. "I'll take care of my own." But what if a child is doing something mean, hurtful or illegal and NO Mom steps up to the plate to correct that child? Guess what? There's been times I've felt obligated. Just sitting back and watching isn't an option for me. Especially if something or someone is being hurt by the actions. I'm willing to take the heat.

It's a beautiful Spring day at the park. The sun is warm and their is a cool breeze. Lots of families enjoying the day. Turtles sunning, ducks swimming, kids playing on the play set and skipping rocks in the pond.

A group of kids gather by the water. One by one they start picking up rocks and throwing them at the ducks. I look around to see if any parents are heading in the direction of the children but I don't see any. I watch and wait. The mentality is getting worse. More kids pick up rocks and throw them at ducks and baby ducklings. Some kids are just skipping rocks. I can't wait any longer for someone else to stop this. As I head that way a rock hits a baby duckling. The duckling sinks for just a second. The little boy cheers like he just threw a strike. Other children, caught up with the excitement, cheer also. Still no parents come. There's a group of 12 to 15 kids now ages 4 to 11. A little sick to my stomach at this point. They aren't my kids but I can't stand back and watch this.

It doesn't take much to get them to stop.
Simple words.
"The ducks are living creatures, please don't throw rocks at them, would you like rocks thrown at you?"
A boy says "Oh? No I wouldn't want that" as if he hadn't thought of it in that way. The younger children need a little more persuading. I'm not mean. I believe the children only need a little bit of guidance. Kids don't always realize what they are doing is wrong. They need to be guided and taught. Maybe, the Mom's were somewhere close by but didn't see what was happening. I can't imagine ANY Mama thinking it was Ok for their children to through rocks at baby ducklings. They way I look at it. These kids were lucky they got me to correct them.
That MAMA DUCK didn't look to happy! She was ready to Take care of her own.

Precious Life

Recently, a little Brownie Girl came to my door. She was collecting donations for the Precious Life Shelter. I never heard of it. So, I did a little research.
Precious Life has a shelter and thrift shop. The Precious Life Shelter organization helps women that are pregnant, have no where to go, and are seeking to have their children in a safe and healthy environment. This organization then provides programs and services for these Moms to help them develop self worth and to become self reliant.

Do you like to thrift shop? Well Precious Life Thrift Shop is a fun one to visit. Two of my daughters and I went and checked it out. After speaking to some of the volunteers I learned that the shelter was receiving so many wonderful donations that they created a thrift shop with the overflow. The thrift shops proceeds in return go to help the women and the shelter.

Are you looking for a deal and want to help a good cause? The thrift shop has Super Saturday "Blow Out" the 2nd Saturday of each month. Doors Open from 8:00am to 3:00pm.

The shelter does accept volunteers and will be holding an orientation for volunteers on Wednesday May 12th from 10:00am to 6:00pm.

The Thrift Shop is always in need of volunteers and donations are accepted.
Precious Life Thrift and Gift shop is located at
3622 Florista Street
Los Alamitos, CA

Girl Scouts Give

A little girl came to my doorstep today asking for paper goods. She wanted TP, paper towels, plates etc. Her brownie troop was collecting these goods for Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos. I've never heard of this Precious Life place. I think I'll educate myself.

Brownies and Girl Scouts I've heard of. Girl Scouts USA is a program that was developed to help girls build courage, confidence and character. The membership of Girl Scouts in Orange County has grown to nearly 25,000 girls and 13,000 adult. Girls get together to do activities that help them develop qualities like leadership, strong values and self worth.

Usually the Girls Scouts will have a meeting at the beginning of the school year, around September. At this time you can find out how to get involve. Or you can visit the local Girl Scout Council site by following the link:
Girl Scout USA
Girl Scout Council of Orange County

Good Morning

Hubby had coffee made for me this morning. After my rough waking yesterday he must have figured I needed it.

Shamrock Shakes a New Tradition

Today my little girl asked what St Patrick's Day is for. "It's become a day to celebrate the Irish Culture" I explained. "We wear green, have corn beef and cabbage and drink Shamrock shakes from Mcdonalds." Being 5 years old she's never had a green shake. Her eyes lit up at the idea. Would she like it? I didn't want her to be disappointed. I had to try.
"This is the best! It's minty like the mint cookies. I love it." She said.

A new tradition has begun.

Happy St Patrick's Day

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Promise Kept

Back in October we switched our girls rooms around. Having (our eldest girl) share with (our youngest girl). We just believed it would work out better. (My middle girl) has a very STRONG personality and needs alone time. So, she got her own room.

At that time I promised to redecorate the two girls room. Yes, I said "I" because my wonderful hubby doesn't like to paint. I figured a new coat of paint, window coverings and I'm good. HA. That little bit is A LOT of work when it's solo me.

The eldest picked out a pretty lavender color. She also requested some teal or aqua and polka dots.

At this time we chose not to buy new furniture. Our youngest is growing up fast and we want to wait to buy her a big kid bed.

Starved for space. I took the closet doors off to fit in a dresser. Will have to work on organizing the closet later. One project at a time.

If you've ever painted, you know what's involved. Moved kids out, packed up the room, took off light switches, electric covers, taped off windows and door frames etc. Then painted. Then touch ups and more touch ups. Seriously though, I love a freshly painted room.

Now the fun part!!!! Shopping and decorating. We're on a budget as are most people. So, I shop clearance, use coupons and always try to find a good deal. Found some great window coverings at Marshals in the clearance section. A little measuring, cutting and sewing and voila a valance.
Curtain rods were purchased at Joanne's 50% off. Window seat fabric found in mark down section at Joanne's and used 40% off coupon. Polka dots on wall were at Target- No Discount. ( I know it kills me too). Polka Dot rug clearance at Walmart. Puppy poster-Walmart-no discount (but it's so adorable). Peace art- Marshall's- clearance. Ceiling fan-Home depot-clearance. Closet beads-www.beaded-curtain-store.com. Oldest girl had to have these.(They glow in the dark.)
So here's the before and afters.



_______________________________________________




_________________________________________________









My girls were very happy with the results. They felt special having all this done for them. Keeping my promise was cool too. The whole project was great fun. My hubby did help. He hung curtain rods, shelves, anchored dressers and moved furniture. Thank you for all your help.
Luvs, xo