I'm putting myself in Time Out.

I realized last Friday afternoon (which is the time I typically start pulling my hair out and screaming like a banshee) that I haven't been completely and utterly away from my children in over a month. With having my beasties with me for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the last month (including 2 weeks of said month when I was husband-less), needless to say, I've been feeling a bit more stressed than normal. Sounds like I'm due for a time out.

I don't know about y'all, but for me, a month without alone time is a really. long. time. Whether for church meetings, dessert with a girlfriend, or a craft fair with my mom and sisters, I usually leave the little ones with my husband at least once a week. I'm one those girls who really, truly value their Me Time. I'll be honest, some days, I live for it.

As I normally don't neglect this facet of my life, I was pretty shocked to realize how long it'd been since I'd gotten away, but when I got down to it, I realized it was, in large part, due to my recent move. As I'm naturally a social creature, 99% of previous Me Time was spent with someone else. Move me away from all of my "someone else"s, and I suddenly forget to have some oh-so-necessary alone time. Soon after I realized my lack of childless activities I informed Spencer that sometime in the upcoming week, I was having a kid-free evening. So...now that I have a time-out on the schedule, what's a girl to do? It's been so long since my alone time was actually spent, well, alone, that I seem to have forgotten how. What do you do when you have an evening (or afternoon or morning) all to yourself? Eat chocolates while sitting in the car with a romance novel? Go shopping? Hit on younger men? (I'm joking, really. REALLY!)

Spill it, ladies.

Laughter IS the best medicine

I was in a desperate need for a laugh today. For some reason, I found this freakin' hilarious:



I also find Kate Perry's Hot N Cold video fantabulous. Watch the wedding party in the background.

And of course, Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" can always bring a smile to my face. Especially watch for Donny Osmond, you'll die laughing.

P.S. Click on the song's title to watch the video.

More Stripes Than A Zebra

Last week we talked about what clothes to wear, today we're going to discuss what's under said clothes.

Pardon?

That's right, girls...it's time to bare all. My guess is that 99% of our readers are mothers (and a BIG hello to Spencer and Carlin, our 1%), whether newer moms, veteran moms, first-time preggos, or grandmas. Hence, I'm sure you all have what's fondly referred to by some as badges of motherhood (also known as the mummy tummy, flat pancake boobs, more stripes than a zebra, etc., etc.). Heaven knows, I have more then my fair share...I have road map thighs, a chest that resembles deflated sandwich baggies (and that's while nursing, just wait until I'm not), and the saggiest, wrinkliest tummy this side of the Mississippi. I've tried a number of different exercises, but between a stomach-ripping c-section and skin with the elasticity of a banana peel (not to mention more pregnancies planned for the future which are sure to undo any semi-successful endeavors), let's just say that my so-called badges are here to stay. So, what's a young, semi-hip mommy supposed to do when the mere thought of her body sends her into spasms of revulsion and disgust?

Well...that is the question of the day, isn't it?

What would you do? Or, more accurately, what are you planning on doing? Are you going to try every exercise under the sun? Are you one of the blessed few whose body has remained relatively unaffected by pregnancy and mommyhood (you know we all secretly hate you, don't you)? Are you going to cling to your body shaper and wonderbra 'til death do you part? Or are you planning on being one of the 10.6 million women (in 2007 alone) who go under the knife?

I'll be honest, folks, as time goes by and my pre-baby best assets continue to become my post-baby worst, I'd be lying to say I've never considered it. Nothing major, but a little tummy tuck would go a loooong way to boosting my body-image. My major issue is that I have a hard time spending more than $10 on myself, so you can imagine how difficult it would be to spend thousands of dollars on something so superficial...and it is superficial, right? Then again, I often don't know how skin-deep it is anymore. If a body can affect one's psyche so much, is helping one's body look better truly just a cosmetic fix? Then again, if I give into my craving to look like I did five years and three kids ago, what's that saying to my daughters down the road about their own self-image?

What do you think?