Archive for May, 2010

By Kori @ See Kori Rant

When I was in first grade, I wanted to be an alligator; at the time, that seemed like a reasonable occupation, though why I picked that particular reptile, I don’t know. Something, perhaps, in the teeth, or the fact that an alligator basically lays around in the warm mud for days at a time, only venturing forth to gorge itself on some unsuspecting animal. Whatever the reason, I thought that was a pretty smooth life, and I wanted it for myself.

When I was in fourth grade, my ideas about life had changed, and my alcoholic tendencies must have been already in place; instead of an alligator, I wanted to be a wino. Keep in mind that we lived in a very small town and my exposure to real winos was nil-I was under the impression that a wino was simply someone who liked the taste of wine, which I did. I had a vision of myself sitting in some fancy bar drinking wine every night, with the requisite Little Black Dress and matching purse and that would be not a job, but who I was.

Needless to say, neither of those things ever came to pass. I did perhaps drink a bit too much for many years, but my drinking was never of the sophisticated variety, and I have certainly never owned (or wanted to, really) a little black dress. God knows there have been times when I desperately wanted to chew up a few people like an alligator might, but the idea now of laying around in the mud the rest of the time isn’t quite as appealing. Instead, through a variety of circumstances that are too great and varied to go into here, I got sober and then got divorced and decided I needed to find a “real job, one that would provide for me and my children and not leave me dependant on someone ever again.

To that end, I constructed my first ever resume and began hitting the streets, where after countless interviews and rejections and more interviews, I finally landed a job at an insurance agency. I was actually only hired because the woman who was hired first did not show up for her first day of work, and I happened to make a follow up call just shortly after they discovered that she was not, in fact, simply running late. I was hired as a receptionist working Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:00, my first ever office job with normal, regular hours. As time went on, I learned the industry and my employer gave me more and more responsibilities, until one day he offered me the education to become a licensed agent in the state of Idaho. It worked out perfectly, as the woman whose job I would be taking was making noises about retiring. He ordered my materials and told me what I needed to do, and I did it; I took the state exams a month after my youngest child was born.

After six years here, I know that this job was the best thing to have happened to me in a long time. My employer took a chance on hiring me, a then-single mother of three with virtually no experience and very little post-high school education, and I was able to discover that not only do I enjoy my job, I am also very good at it. It has taken me a long time to get to the point where I can look back with pride and say, “I did this,” but now I realize how hard I worked to get where I am, and I am proud. I also know that I am one of the lucky ones in that I actually like going to work most of the time, and I work for a person who is cognizant of the fact that even now that I am no longer a single mother, my kids come first. He may gritch and moan on occasion, but there are only a few instances where it has caused problems.

I may not have my dream job, which is to be a writer, but I do have a career that not only pays the bills but is also fulfilling on a personal level. I know that if I decide to move away from this small area once my children are grown, the possibilities are endless, and that gives me a sense of security in my own future. So I didn’t end up being an alligator or a wino, but I don’t think I did too badly after all.

By Mama M

What are your kitchen “must haves”?

Mama M. is a thirtysomething mother of 5, wife to Mr. Wonderful, and part-time labor and delivery nurse. While her family is her passion, she’s quite certain her “moonlighting” gig as an L&D nurse has got to be the best career there is! You can find her over at her blog, My Little Life.

By Julia

I was so nervous. I don’t know why. I mean, I really like this person. So why was my stomach in knots?
 
To avoid being shot down in person, I approached them by email. Perhaps the thought of saying “no” over the internet is slightly less humiliating.
 
To my delight, I got a resounding YES! We set up a date and time. Unfortunately, I didn’t really have anything planned. I was just going to see what happened and go from there.

I paced the house as the time approached. Drinks- check. Food- not really. Oh no, should I have prepared food? Would they feel like eating? I don’t even know what they like!
 
It’s time… They’re running late. Oh my gosh, I bet they aren’t going to show. Maybe they don’t like me that much. Maybe I came on too strong. Maybe I should’ve invited other people. Oh, I don’t know. I’m so new to this.
 
Finally, they show up, pull in the driveaway and I peer through the curtains in hopes of not being seen.  I don’t want to look like a fool. (Too late)  Knock, knock.
 
Gulp.  Here goes nothing….
 
We greet each other, have small talk, I offered drinks but none were taken.  Just a small glass of water. I brought out a few toys, but I wasn’t really sure what interest they would have.  About an hour and a half passed and I could tell they were getting antsy to go. It’s probably time to leave. They look tired.
 

We said our good-byes and parted our ways.  I wonder if they’ll ever want to do that again. Maybe next time I should have something planned and organized.  I bet most non-virgins know all the “rules” and have tons of ideas.  Can’t help it.  It was my first time.
 
That’s right… my first time hosting a playdate.
 
Lessons learned.
 

What are some of your favorite things to do with other kids and moms when you host a playdate?

I’d love to get some ideas so my second time isn’t so… boring!

With 2 toddlers attached to her hip and hair thrown in a ponytail on an almost daily basis, Julia blogs at Work, Wife, Mom… Life. She’s a full-time working mom who tries to balance it all with her faith holding her together.

By Toni

What is it about women who stretch their fertility to extremes that we find so interesting? Is it the “she had that many babies at one time and lived” factor? Is it watching them attempt to juggle the self-inflicted chaos that is their lives that keeps us coming back for more?

Photo Courtesy: In.com

I don’t know about y’all, but personally, I am very much over the media hype of making famous women who gestate litters of children at a time. The Kate Gosselin’s and the Octomom’s of America need to be stopped from becoming famous. We are telling our daughters that it is okay to not show respect to their bodies, that it is okay to push their fertility to its limits.

The fact that both of the pregnancies were extremely high risk not only for the babies, but also for the mothers gets glossed over by the celebrity gossip magazines. As long as the sensationalism that they bring to the table keeps selling, the media will keep eating them up.

Photo Courtesy: TheSunBlog.com & Splash

It’s not okay. Both of these women took unnecessary risks; risks that they are darn lucky didn’t kill them and their unborn children, as well as leave their older children motherless. And, to me, that’s the kicker! They didn’t even consider their older children’s lives when the went ahead with these risky pregnancies.

The American media made these women famous. For what? For treating their uterus like a clown car? For the sheer level of craziness that their lives became while trying to raise these children? I’m not sure. Whatever the reason, it is not acceptable to be encouraging this selfish behavior. There is an entire generation of little girls growing up right now who are being told that if they don’t treat their bodies or families with respect, they can become a celebrity.

Is this really the message we want to give our daughters?

If so, the future is going to be a very scary place, indeed.

Toni is a full time stay-at- home mom, a wanna-be (but not too shabby) vegetarian cook, a sometimes not-so-bad photographer, and all around sweet heart. You can find her musings over at Hemp and High Heels.

By Shandal

If Only All Gray Hair Looked This Good!

I think I’m too young to start having to think about getting my hair colored and anti-wrinkle creams. Oh did I forget to mention the crows feet that are making their appearance on my “old” face?