Ink

This weekend I got a new tattoo.

*pausing for judgment*

I didn't really tell anyone that I was getting it ~ only a few people knew I was even thinking about it. I kept it to myself because people tend to be rather separated when it comes to body art. Either they love it and can easily name someone they know in the business or they think it is stupid, possibly even secretly cool, but they'd never do it.

Trust me when I say I can hear the judgement coming from a small house in Ohio right now.

But, here's the thing. Tattoos for me are just another form of expression ~ they're personal, raw, and hold within them unique stories and emotions that exist beyond the ink lines. This is my 4th tattoo and certainly not my last ~ thanks to Hubby's old friend.

This tattoo was a gift to myself. I've wanted it for a while, but the time didn't feel right until now. I'm going back to school to pursue a Ph.D. and I'm doing my best to make my mark as a writer ~ two things that have been dreams of mine for some time. My imagination has taken me to both places for way to long and now is my time to bring them to life.

I have captured this moment in my life with ink. It's real and permanent ~ it my motto, my song.

And, I am in love with it ~ judgement and all.

A bedtime prayer

Last night I was putting Jacob to bed and he reminded me that he needed to say his prayers. Normally we help them say their nighttime prayers, but last night I encouraged Jacob to say his prayers all by himself. This is what he said..

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my family. And, thank you for our lovely home.

And, Lord, please keep us healthy. And safe, too. And, please help me

to not touch the air conditioner and not to pee in the bed. Amen.

Man, do I love this little guy.

Where would I be?

Check out my new post on Deep South Moms: Where would I be?

5 freebies

Hubby and I were driving home from somewhere the other night and suddenly started talking about our 5 freebies. If you don't know about the freebies, well, let me tell you all about it. Freebies are the 5 celebrities you would be allowed to sleep with if the chance ever came up.

Think back to Ross from Friends and his laminated list. Remember?

Good, moving on.

It's just a cute, harmless game you can play. There's no real threat because, hello, Megan Fox is not about to sleep with my husband. She wouldn't have the stamina.

Oh, hello. Did I say that out loud!?

Just for something light and eye candy worthy I thought I'd share my list of freebies.

Enjoy, my female readers. Enjoy.

Here they are in no particular order...

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

( I bet he'd let me call him 'Denny')

Johnny Depp

(why the hell not!?)

Patrick Dempsey

(RAWR!)

John Cusack

(mmmm...yummy)

Ryan Reynolds

(um, hello! Look at the boy!)

When I was sharing my list with Hubby I noticed a trend. With the exception of one, my picks are all dark and scruffy - very similar to Hubby himself.

Let me just say his list resembled little about me. I don't know how I feel about that.

The 'A' part

You guys asked and I'm here to answer! I received quite a few questions - none of which will be too difficult to answer. Honestly, I was terrified I'd get tons of questions about virginity, drugs, politics, and religion. But, nobody was quite that daring! *as I secretly breathe a sigh of relief*

So, here goes!

mopheadmom asked: What are you looking forward to the most at the convention that you are going to in Chicago? If you change anything about yourself, what would it be?

I am looking forward to finally meeting some of the wonderful women (and man!) that I've been reading for so long. Oh, and the cocktail parties! WooHoo!

If I could change anything about myself it would be my level of confidence. I don't always thing that I'm very good at being a parent or a wife or a writer. It would be nice to believe in my abilities a bit more.

Anonymous asked: Would you rather see the world with no feet or walk everywhere but only within a twenty mile radius?

Hubby - don't leave goofy questions on here! I've been with kids all day and I can't be all philosophical and stuff with my answers.

Loukia asked: Who are the top 3 bloggers you are most excited about meeting at BlogHer? How to stay sane looking after all your children? How do you relax?

Oh, Loukia. It's a shame you're not going because I just adore you and would love to meet you in person! We could share a drink and giggle about our kids and cry that we each have a baby starting kindergarten.

If you can call my looks 'sane' I'd say it's all attributed to the dew rag I wear way too often. It's very Rosie the Riveter.

Honestly, I love to relax by watching trash TV or reading a trashy novel. I'm a reality TV whore and you can always find a good Harlequin novel on my nightstand ~ my newest one is called 'The 39 Year Old Virgin." It's about a former nun. I left it in the living room when my father in law was here. He read the back cover and hasn't been back since. I'm determined to believe the two are not related.

beansntatersmama asked: How in the world do you keep your house so clean with three kids? I feel as if I chase my tail all day long cleaning up one new mess after another and no real cleaning gets done.

Okay, my house is not clean! It's just picked up. It may look neat and tidy, but I wouldn't eat off the floor or anything. Plus, we've worked with the kids since they were old enough to walk and made it a mission to teach them how to pick up after themselves. It works sometimes, but not others. That might be why I drink.

Jessica asked: What's the one picture of you that you love the most? If you could have infinite amounts of money what would be the top 5 things you'd do with it??

Oohh - good questions! The one picture of myself that I love the most is hanging in our bedroom. I had some artistic nude photos taken for Hubby for our 1st wedding anniversary. The photographer was amazing and they make me look smokin hot! Plus I had that 'Pre-3 babies in 4 years' body. Hot, I say!

Okay ~ 5 things I'd do with infinite amounts of money

- divide it so that my family, my children, and my friends never have to worry about finances

-donate a good amount to charity

-build my dream house

-travel around the world

-hire a personal trainer. If that didn't work I'd just pay to get buffed and plucked and sucked and tucked into a skinnier version of me.

Andrea asked: What activities were you involved in as a child? What social activities do you do now as an adult?

I played volleyball for a while as a kid and I ran track. I quit running track after the crowd made fun of my big ol' boobies while I was trying to long jump. It was middle school. Enough said. As an adult, Hubby and I enjoy getting together with friends. We love going to the bookstore. I love to get out and walk whenever I can - I find it therapeutic.

andrea's sweet life asked: What do you like and dislike most about yourself? What did you plan to be when you grew up? What's your favorite food?

Sweet or salty? Beef or chicken? Red or white wine?

I like my eyes. They're blue and pretty. I really dislike my weight, but I'm trying to change that.

I planned to be a teacher when I grew up and I did that for a while. But, now I hope to make my living as a writer. That's the new dream.

Favorite food - chips and salsa or anything with peanut butter.

Salty all the way, baby!

I'm a red meat kind of gal.

And I loves me some white wine!

Jennifer asked: is the current life you are living as a stay-at-home mom what you always imagined for yourself?

Honestly, I didn't think this life was in the cards for me. I had hoped that I would get married, but I figured I would be a teacher forever and have a bunch of cats over kids. But, here I am a wife, mother of three, and a hopeful writer. So far it's pretty darn good!

If you stuck around until the end ~ yea! If not ~ Goodbye forever.

What I Learned This Week (vol. 12)

So we all survived the big holiday weekend! The blog world seemed to be slow yesterday ~ I'm assuming because everyone was recovering from the combination of parties and explosives.

But, we're all back in the swing of things ~ or at least faking it really well. And, what better way to have a Tuesday then with a little carnival! For today's carnival I've compiled a list of realizations I've had lately and not so much of things I've learned. Does that make sense?

• I realized that sometimes it is totally worth it to go to a party without kids! Oh, the fun us grownups can have!
• I learned that it is entirely possible for me to drink more than Hubby and still have him wake up with the hangover! Here's to my chick beer!
• I learned that there is also a small chance that my vision will not return to normal after 1 eye injury, 4 eye doctor visits, 3 prescription drops, and one evening with my google medical degree.
• I realized that my oldest starts kindergarten in less than a month. Less than a month! Excuse me while I grab the tissues...
• I also learned not to get offended when my children cheer for Hamburger Helper and snub my glorious, homemade creations. I'm a great cooker ~ they'd know this if they would just taste stuff!
• Oh, and just to save you the horror later ~ I learned not to google 'firework injuries' right before you cook Hamburger Helper. It ain't pretty!

Later!

Here's to busting out of my shell: Q and A with Mamaneena

Loukia over at LouLou's Views inspired me to finally do a Question and Answer blog post. Even though I've been blogging for two years I've never done one! That must be part of my introvert personality...

Anyway.

Now is your chance to ask Me anything your little heart desires and I'll answer it honestly in an upcoming blog post. Be creative ~ nothing is off limits! You get to be nosy and I get to attempt to break out of my shell before Blogher.

So, ask away!