After dropping my children off at school, I went over to Sweet Magnolia Salon for my hair appointment. My hairdresser was running behind so I waited in my car for her to arrive. A woman walking two of the most enormous dogs I’ve ever seen walked passed the back of my vehicle and then came to my window and knocked. “Do you know that your tag expired back in January?”

“What? No, I just renewed it a few months ago.”

“Oh, okay, well I just thought I’d tell you. The sticker is bad.”

After thanking her, the woman walked away, and I got out to see for myself. Sure enough, the sticker was bad. I called the local tag department, sure that I only needed to go in and get a new one. “Well, I’m looking through the glove box and the registration is gone; I think someone must have stolen my stuff.”

“No, honey, you didn’t renew it. I’m looking at it right now.”

“That’s impossible! I clearly remember standing in the tag office just a few months ago. My two year old was with me, and he kept knocking on the glass door.”

“He’s two, maybe he was one when you came in last.”

“Thanks I feel crazy.”

“Happens to the best of us.”

Still in disbelief, I called my bank and had them check my account for any transactions made to the local courthouse. “I’m at least 100% positive that they are right, but can you check anyway?”

“Sorry, nothing to the courthouse at all.”

I left my appointment without getting my hair cut and on the verge of tears. Making the mistake of calling my husband– whose inerrant logic has the tendency to piss me off more than it makes me feel better– as I drove to the courthouse. “It’s an honest mistake. I’m sure it could happen to anyone. Well, except me because I’m the most awesome person who’s ever lived….” Okay, I made up that last part, but he didn’t have to say it, his tone implied it!

With my tail between my legs, I slunk into the courthouse where me and the girls in the tag department had a nice laugh at my expense. Not only was it an OLD moment, it was a mom moment: A complete and total brain FAIL.

I can’t do it all. There, I said it.

Thank you to everyone who wrote to me to find out where in the world Greek4cheerful had gone, especially UP from rednecklatte.com, and I apologize for not getting back to you guys. Greek hadn’t gone far; we’ll call it a much needed, wayyy overdue vacation!

So what’s been going on with me???

A lot.

I have four kids playing baseball this year. My oldest plays JV ball for school, my daughter plays 10u Softball, my 8yo plays 8u Rookie ball, and my sweet Joshie started tee ball this year. Having this many playing, going in separate directions every Saturday for games, practicing every day but Wednesday is MADNESS! Somehow, though, we manage, and I love it despite the occasional complaint of fatigue.

As for my book, it has turned into three! We can call it the “accidental trilogy” as I had no intention of expanding the story, it just sort-of happened. Book two, the original book, had an amazing backstory that involved different characters set in the colonial era, and the more I wrote about it the more I wanted to write. After outlining for a week, I’ve only just begun the first book, and I’m super excited–if not a little nervous–about it. Tackling colonial American speech, dress, and scenery is a little nerve wrecking, but I think I’m up for the task. Maybe.

There is lots more I need to catch you guys up on, and I promise to do it soon!!! It’s good to be back… I’ve missed you!!!

Yep, he’s right… It’s going to be epic!

1. 11/22/63 by Stephen “The King”
2. Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabriel Charbonnet
3. Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan
4. Vicious Little Darlings (What an AWESOME title!) by Katherine Easer
5. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

I also plan to make my way slowly but surely through all of the Grimm stories, most of which can be downloaded for FREE from the Kindle store.

Happy Reading in 2012 (or Twenty-Dozen as my son has so cleverly coined the new year).

That is the comment I received on a post about the evolution of marriage. A post that many have said is the BEST I’ve ever written.

It wasn’t a post about being unhappy, it was about not having time for your spouse. It was about working, bills, children…, all of the things that keep couples from really enjoying each others company. It was a post about the future, about the things I look forward to experiencing with my husband. I don’t regret marrying my husband– if anything, I thank GOD for Shawn: he keeps me grounded, even when I hate him! And I don’t regret my children! I would give my life for any of the FIVE of them. Yes, I said FIVE. And if that makes me a so-called “breeder” than so be it! My oldest is 14.5 years old. Yes, I had him 3 months before my seventeenth birthday… almost to the day. I don’t regret one moment of my life with him, not one thing that I had to give up: my youth, my flat tummy, my junior prom. Nothing! He is the best thing that ever happened to me. I was lost before him, with nothing to ground me. LOWGAN, that kid I was “knocked UP with” saved me in many ways… ways that YOU, my dear anonymous, cowardice observer, could never understand.

I won’t continue on about the obvious– that you were wrong, and your nasty, malicious comment was NOT warranted and does NOT hold weight– I’ll just say this:

You shouldn’t have used the word “Breeder”, a term coined by the gay and lesbian community for people like me (Ya know, heterosexuals with a LOT of kids). What you obviously didn’t know is that I have MANY lesbian friends– including two cousins whom I adore and support fully. I have supported gay and lesbian rights for the entirety of my adult life. I love all people– it’s time that you do the same.

I knew that you knew me personally because NOWHERE on my blog does it say that I had Lowgan in high school. That of course could have been explained away by my post, “Bell High School Percussion Sequence” which clearly states that my son is 14 years old– any idiot could do the math off of my “About Me” page. Where you messed up was saying, “ANOTHER young boy” in your above comment– Somehow, you knew that Lowgan wasn’t my husbands biological child, and that, my dear COWARDLY anonymous commenter was information that absolutely could NOT have come from ANY post I’ve ever written on my blog.

To you– and you know I know who you are– I say only this,

I spend every waking moment with my children. On the rare occasion that I get a “break” I spend it with my husband. I raised my eldest child, and he is a remarkable kid who does well in school, plays sports, and is active in his school. My second child, my only daughter, is constantly praised at school for her intelligence, kindness, and many, MANY, talents. My third child has always needed a little more help with his studies, and I help him for roughly an hour and a half every night of the week with his homework. I also wait in my car, outside the school, for two hours while he attends tutoring every Tuesday. Braeden is the funniest, most loving child and his quirky personality is infectious! My fourth child– who some have called my “favorite”– I breastfed until he was 22 months old. I can’t explain the bond I have with him. Joshua was like a gift sent down from Heaven. He came at a time in my life when I felt lost– as many of us do in our mid-twenties. I love all of my children equally, but the bond I have with Josh is otherworldly. Perhaps it’s because I so selflessly gave to him for 22 months. I don’t know. My fifth child, Jackson, was a BIG-time surprise. I was still breastfeeding Josh (Do the math, you’re ever so good at that!) and you’re not SUPPOSE to get pregnant while breastfeeding. I’ll admit, I was upset. I felt content after having Josh and I thought I was finished with having babies. But Jackson came into this world on October 26, 2009 demanding attention, conjuring smiles and laughter, and little by little making his mark and etching out his place in our BIG family. No, he wasn’t planned by us, but how were we suppose to know he was what was missing?

My family of seven is complete. It’s a real family: we fight, we laugh and we love. Each of my children will grow up to adore their siblings as my husband and I do our own. They will never be alone. Parent’s die; siblings are the ones you are suppose to have forever. I wouldn’t trade my older sister’s good sense and responsibility or my little brother’s good humor and bravery for anything in this world. I’m equally as grateful for my sister-in-laws strength and my two brother-in-laws (Yeah, my husband– the one saddled with a bunch of kids– comes from a BIG family.) youthful joyousness that brings me such laughter!

I will never understand why you chose to post such a nasty, hateful comment, but I will smile at you and say, “Hi,” just the same…, and you will always wonder if I know it was you. And indeed, I do.

It’s January 2, 2012 and I hope, for your sake and the sake of those around you, that you find something to ease that terrible bitterness that led you to write such a hateful comment.

1. I want to free myself of outside influences (TV, Facebook, etc.) and focus more on the things that really matter to me: my family, my home, and my writing. That’s not to say I won’t watch TV (HELLO, The Vampire Dairies 01/05!) or get on Facebook, I just don’t want to be a slave to either! Let’s break the addiction, people!!!
2. I plan to do more here on my blog. Over the last few months of 2011 I’d become a really lazy blogger, and that’s NOT cool!
3. Watch yo mouth, Sucka! I want to clean up my sometimes MOST of the time sailoresque language!
4. I want to, by some miracle sent down from Heaven, ORGANIZE my house and find a system that keeps it that way!
5. Last is the one with the hair on its chest! No, I don’t have a hairy chest. But I don’t really have another resolution either, and I couldn’t end the list on number four. It’s kind of an OCD thing I guess.

Well, there you have it folks. My resolutions for 2012! Most are long term things that I can work on over the year, that way if I stumble, which surely I will, I can just dust myself off and try again.

Wishing you all a wonderful, hopeful New Year,

xo~

Greek

Instead I’ve comprised for you a list of my favorite chick songs. I know, I know… You’re thrilled! The truth is, I’ve recently been on a “chick music” kick and thought I’d share some of the awesome songs I’ve been listening to. I wish I was capable of doing a countdown but I’m too indecisive to pick between songs, especially when I love all of the following.

Dido is AMAZING… (So was Roswell!)

Love this song from the movie Crash by Bird York

Bon Iver’s Skinny Love covered by Birdy (Not Bird York, that’s just a weird coincidence!)

Lyrically, Breath 2 am by Anna Nalick is one of my favorite songs. It reminds me of my BF because I can call her anytime day or night and tell her anything. xoxo

Homegirl is weird as hell but I totally dig Regina Spektor!

A newer voice that I’ve fallen in love with! Florence + the Machine

What’s a list without Adele???

Wise up by Aimee Mann from the Magnolia soundtrack

Often forgotten, often made fun of, but Sinead O’connor had one of the best female voices of her time, and take a good look: She was BEAUTIFUL.