By Cate, on October 8th, 2011
For Scratchy’s 12th birthday last month he had two things on his list. Plus one.
Phone: We had discussed with Scratchy that we thought it was a skosh too early for a cell phone – his sister got her’s in 7th grade – but she was a year older (and as a girl – let’s be honest – more mature). Since last year Scratchy had been begging for us to let him download the “FREE UNLIMITED TEXTING” app for his iPod touch.
BB gun: I found out I have a rule against guns in my house (which I didn’t realize I had until Scratchy told me he wanted one – I’d never thought about it before!).
Bike: This is the “plus one” because the Hubs talked Scratchy into this one. Understandably, as his current bike is much too small for him.
So it came down to a bike or a phone. And the reality is – that while we joke about Scratchy’s ability to bend the rules in new and unusual ways – he is a really good kid.
And that is how we came to get Scratchy a new smart phone for his birthday this year. And how, within 48 hours of getting said phone, he had a text that read,
“Stop texting my wife or I am going to call the police.”
So, we had gone over multiple phone scenarios with Scratchy and rules about where and when he could use his phone. And rules about safety so the phone wouldn’t get damaged or stolen. And rules about giving his number out to strangers, etc. But the one thing we forgot? Rules about texting with his friends…
Rules like:
- If you are texting your friends you should not use any profanity or implied profanity. You’re 12. Fart is okay. A$$hole is not.
- If you are texting someone you think is your friend on your new phone and the response you get is “you have the wrong number” you should stop texting and find a way to verify the number.
- If you are texting someone you think is your friend who has said “you have the wrong number” you should not try to convince them you do not have the wrong number by giving them your full name and the name of the school you attend. In fact, you should never give out that information over a text. If you are texting with someone it is okay to text with – they already have this information.
- If you are texting someone you think is your friend who has said “you have the wrong number” 3 times, you should not tell them that when you see them next you are going “to kill them.” Threatening anyone – friends, family, random strangers with a number one digit off from your friend’s number – is not okay. EVER.
- That when you get a text that says, “Stop texting my wife or I am going to call the police” you should probably bring mom and dad in on the sitch.
The Hubs and I blame ourselves for the situation that unfolded with Scratchy’s phone. As well we should. The very reason we weren’t sure getting him a phone this early was a good idea was exactly why we should have sat down with him and discussed texting scenarios and advised him on how to handle them. We’re all about not texting while you drive – but? Our kids don’t drive yet. And there are other dangers to this pastime that has become as natural to kids as talking. Actually, more natural, in many cases.
Hubs texted back to the person who Scratchy was mistakenly texting and told him it was a misunderstanding from a kid with a new phone and that we apologized. Then we sat down with Scratchy and walked through the texts – the profanity, the self identifying information, the physical threat – and discussed why these things weren’t okay.
We held the phone for a week – as he and his dad and I discussed whether or not we should have gotten the bike. The three of us decided that Scratchy could handle it going forward. And we were right. Hubs and I just needed to realize that even free unlimited texting requires limits.
By Cate, on August 21st, 2011
On a gorgeous day in July – the Real Life with Kids’ big brother, Chris, got married to our newest sister, Megan. JB, Andy, and I and our families and lots and lots of friends and family traveled to the charming Iowa town of Pocahontas to celebrate with them.
The dressy clothes have long since been put away and the goldfish crackers swept from the car seats. The pedicures JB gave me and I gave Andy are chipped and need to be redone. Itchy, Cleo, and Sass’s grownup hairdos are but a memory.
 For three days in July – the whole RLWK family was together – and celebrating with our shiny new sister’s hilarious and gracious family. The last time JB, Andy, Chris and I were together with all the kids was too long ago to recall. Certainly not since baby LL was born…
All 12 RLWK kids were there – and we got almost all of them to wear the shirts I made for them – depicting which of the sisties they belonged to. We all got to be “in person aunties” for those three wonderful days. We watched our brother walk our mom down the aisle, we saw him stand up at the front of the church with his best friends – some who have been part of our family since elementary school – we saw him promise himself to Megan.
Can you blame us then for wanting to hold tightly to those three days of celebration? To preserve them in some way for Chris and Megan?
Luckily for us, we were presented with the perfect vehicle for recording that amazing window of time. A Bellflower Book. The two talented women (who have been buddies long enough to be sisties as well!) behind Bellflower Books are Kerry and Heather. And I think you’ll agree that what they’ve created is something we could all use to hang on to beautiful times we’ve shared with others.
This is such a unique concept – I want to break it down for you so you can see why we are so excited about it!
- A Bellflower Book is a shared photo and memory book project.
- There are so many styles and colors of books to choose from!
- You email friends, family, coworkers, etc that you would like to have contribute to the book.
- They login and add a photo and written memory – it could be a quote, a toast, or a heartfelt note or letter.
- You coordinate the project from your login dashboard.
- When you are finished, you will have a record of not only pictures – but thoughts and wishes and feelings from that time.
JB, Andy, and I are busy coordinating this project with all of the wedding party and family and friends. Once it is complete – we will share pictures and a review AND do a giveaway!! While you wait – go check out what my friend, Liz, at “a belle, a bean, & a chicago dog” had to say about the Bellflower Book she created! *Bellflower Books has given us a free book (which we are giving to Chris & Megan – cuz we’re givers like that) to complete a review and giveaway. All opinions expressed here are our own.
By Cate, on June 15th, 2011
In every life there are times that can be categorized as beginnings. Some beginnings are born against their will – scratching and weeping – from a catastrophic ending. Most are born of our choices – defined by who we are at that moment and all that has come before.
Beginnings that stand out for me include moving to a new town when I was in the fifth grade, starting college, changing careers and moving to Texas, getting married, becoming a mother. Last year I took a leap of faith and gave up my hard won position as the manager of recruiting at our company to get back into a role I had always loved but hadn’t worked for 8 years. I began again – being the new kid, learning the ropes, screwing up, asking for help – all in a new setting. After a year in this new gig – I couldn’t be happier. Well – I could be happier if my sales were where I wanted them to be – but for the most part I have reveled in the change and I think I have grown as a person and team member.
Throughout my life, I am proud to say that there has rarely been an opportunity for a new beginning – regardless of how intimidating – that I have shied away from. The Hubs would like it, I’m sure, if sometimes I was not so apt to embrace new adventures. (Doesn’t “new adventures” sound better than “changing careers” or “getting a new dog” or “painting eggs on our new dining room table”?) But the beauty of Hubs is that truly? he is my partner in adventure. In beginnings. The wind beneath my wings and the gurgle in my stream etc, etc.
And so it is with a full heart and a feeling of anticipation that I have only felt 3 times before that I share with you, my friends, that the Hubs and I have decided to add to our family through adoption. Squeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Sorry – if you were here in person you’d get a great big jumping hug to go with that screechy squee! This is our newest beginning – and every bit as exciting as the beginnings we had with Itchy, Scratchy, and Trouble.
The Hubs and I have discussed adoption multiple times over the last few years – but it was this year that we decided that we wanted to begin this newest adventure. We are exploring two options in adoption right now. Adopting from Ethiopia through an International Adoption Agency or domestically through the one of the great local agencies we have in our hometown. We are truly blessed to have an amazing family – you’ve met JB & Andy – but there are others as well  - and friends to support us and share in our anticipation. As we begin this journey – it would be so fantastic if you could keep us in your prayers.
I would love to hear about your adventures. What times in your life stand out as significant beginnings?
By AJBlick, on May 27th, 2011
Okay, so I shamelessly stole the name of this post from a book I read in college. It’s a book about friendship. Since Cate invited JB and I to write with her on her blog I have told you stories of my children, my husband, my never ending frustration with trying to be a “great” mom, childhood secrets, and sibling speak. The one thing I haven’t written about or really even mentioned is my circle of girl friends. Now, this first and foremost does include Cate and JB.  I would be forever locked outside in the snow at Christmas in my bare feet if I didn’t include them as my friends. (yes, that really did happen EVERY winter). But, it also most definitely includes my mom and a group of girlies that I want to tell you about today.
Siblings, yes, have their secrets and their moments and their language. But, girlfriends do, too. I am a fortunate woman. I have both.
Everybody who writes about girlfriends seems to write the same thing – they are always there for me, they have my back, they make me laugh, they give me a shoulder when I need to cry, they hold my hand when I am scared and so on. These all seem so cliche. But, they are so true! Everybody who writes about girlfriends does so because they are lucky enough to have a circle of power around them like none other. Your kids are wonderful and you would be lost without them but, we, as mom’s, are mostly the givers in these relationships – which is exactly how it should be. Your husband is wonderful but, when you have to just sit and cry he might hold you and tell you everything is going to be all right the first time that you go through this, but, if you start up an hour later he is not going to know to bring you the quart of ice cream out of the freezer with two spoons and watch your favorite soap opera with you. Girlfriends (including sisties and mommies) do that.
They are there to support you and let you tell them your secrets when you fall in love, and they are there for you in the middle of the night when you have said goodbye to your love. They are there to say what an a**hole he is when you are mad at your “guy” and can turn around the next day and act pleased as punch to see the jerk – they do it for you.
When you are having a REALLY crappy day at the office or at home with the kids and you just want to bang your head against the wall and you don’t know who to turn to, suddenly, the phone rings. It’s almost as if she knew you needed her. “Mom?” you say. And then you start to cry. Maybe because you have PMS. Maybe because it’s been a year since you’ve hugged her. Maybe it’s because she always knows exactly what to say at the exact right moment to say it. Kids and husbands just can’t do that. I am so thankful I have a “giver” of a mom.
 When you have to have a scary surgery and your friend surprises you and arrives to take care of your THREE babies while you are in the hospital for three days, and introduces them to chocolate and Pepsi, that is someone you can count on to help you through anything, even all the embarrassing girl stuff!
When you are sad that you moved away from home, who else will steal a concrete deer out of your old front yard with you? A damn good girlfriend, that’s who. When you are at a Christmas party who is going to sing Love Shack on the  karaoke thingy with you? An awesome circle of girlfriends, that’s who. And who will go steal a giant blow up Frosty out of another girlfriends yard because she decided not to come to the party? That’s right. Your circle of power. Your girls.
My girl friends have made me laugh so hard my face hurts the next day. They have made me cry so hard because it is so hard to live everyday without them near. They are there to stand up for me when I married my best friend of all – even though he is a boy – and they are there to hold me up even when I don’t know I need it. I have a good plenty of girlfriends. They just happen to be 600 miles away. (Except JB. I have no idea how many miles it is to Virginia but it’s a hell of a lot farther than 600 miles!)
This Memorial Day weekend I just wanted to take a minute to let you ladies know that you are thought of. Everyday you are all at the front of my mind. You are there when I need a little laugh. You are there when I need a reminder to slow down. You are there when I need a reminder not to take things so damn seriously. Even if I can’t physically hold your hand. You are there. Always.
So, here’s to you my wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, hilarious, inspiring, solid, outstanding girlfriends! I love you so very, very much and can’t wait to see you when I come home!
By AJBlick, on May 20th, 2011
Everybody has growing pains at some point and time in their life. My oldest used to get them so bad in his legs he would cry. I had pains in my feet in my early 30′s – I thought from wearing heels every day to work but, sadly, my feet grew a half size. Crazy! But, painful and inconvenient physical pains aren’t what I am talking about.
It’s the mental growing pains that can be the toughest. Just when I think I’m all grown up and I know what to do in almost every situation something happens to slam me back to reality and make me realize that I still have a lot of growing to do.
I have been a very protective mother to my older two boys, B and Hopper. My mother ingrained in me not to EVER jump on a trampoline. So, I only have a handful of times in my life. B is terrified of jumping on them because of my attitude toward them. I am very squeamish about letting them ride ATV type vehicles. I am completely terrified to let loose and allow them to do this. I pay attention to any possible dangers that could strike at any moment. Now that I think about it, this could be why I am on blood pressure medicine. Hmmmm.
But, my Honey is helping me to slowly loosen up. Hopper has now been on trampolines more times than I can count. (At friends’ houses, of course, not mine) And both boys have driven 4 wheelers a few times at their grandparent’s house. But, that was under supervision. On a grassy open field. Where I could keep my eagle mom eye on them.
So, last night while I was pushing all three little one’s in the swings, Hopper came out and asked if he could learn to drive his buddy’s 4 wheeler. I had been hearing his friend ride that thing all over the neighborhood and I was just saying to myself that I hoped the driver was watching out for little kids and cars. Now my kid wanted to be the driver. My gut reaction was to say no. Which I did. “Absolutely NOT.” I believe is what I said.
Then, my Honey looked at me and smiled and I have to admit I am quite the sucker for his dimples. I knew at that moment that I was being too rigid, too protective, too worried. So, I quickly changed my answer to “Does he have a helmet? How old is he? Where are you going to be driving it at? Is he teaching you or is one of his parents?”
Being totally used to my combat line of questioning Hopper replied without missing a beat, “No helmet, he’s my age, around our neighborhood and no, it’s just him teaching me.”
Well, I wasn’t comfortable with this at all. I was racking my brain to come up with some statistics on ATV accidents with teenagers that I was sure I saw on Good Morning America at some point in time. All I could think of was him rolling over on himself or getting hit by a car or worse. Then my Honey broke in. I hate it when he interrupts the conversation I have going on with myself in my head.
“You can wear my street helmet.”
My inner dialogue immediately picked up again. What the hell is a street helmet? Isn’t a helmet a helmet?
Hopper closed the door. My Honey walked over to me. “You need to lighten up, Momma. He’s 14! He NEEDS to experience these things. If he falls, he falls. His head will be protected. He’ll be okay, I promise.” He left and got the helmet. I waited impatiently. Trying not to take my frustration out on the babies and push them too high in the swings. Although, they probably wouldn’t have minded. I’m sure I need to loosen up in the swing pushing department as well.
When my Honey returned he said, “It’s no big deal. It’s a little 75 or 125 cc and can only go 40, 50 mph at most!” I don’t even know if I am quoting him right. CC? Isn’t that a measurement doctors use? Anyway, I gasped and said, “Fifty miles an hour? In a neighborhood? What if he gets hit by a car? What if he loses control? What if HE hits a kid?”
My Honey put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, “He’ll be fine.” Then he hugged me and kissed me.
I was like a fish out of water. I was in the backyard, which is fenced. I couldn’t see him. I certainly hadn’t seen the 4 wheeler. Then I remembered my dear girlfriends Diane and Stephanie. They grew up on a lake and were on 4 wheelers ALL the time. I had been on the back of Diane’s several times. She was an excellent 4 wheeler driver. And at a much younger age than Hopper is now. So, with my Honey’s certainty of Hopper’s safety and my memories of my girlfriends always being just fine when they rode, I took a deep breath. And waited.
That was the longest 15 minutes of my life. I heard him in the neighborhood. I am sure he was going way too fast and I made a mental note to lecture him on that later. I just kept pushing the babies and tried to focus on their laughter and smiling faces. They were having a ball. All three of them mocking each other and yelling at the top of their lungs. Sometimes drowning out the roar of the 4 wheeler all together. Then it really hit me. I am going to really have to lighten up with these three. I don’t know if I can do that. I have way too much WONAR (Woman Sonar) for that! There’s way too many dangers out there for me to deal with 3 all at once. I don’t think there is enough medication for me to get through the next 18 years!
And just when I was about to have a panic attack thinking about all the dangers lurking around for the 3 babies, Hopper walked out of the house and into the backyard.
“Mom, that was a blast! Thanks!”
He was in one piece! Not a scratch! And me? I looked cool as hell. I did it. I was the awesome mom who let her son drive around the neighborhood in a 4 wheeler. Looks like the only pain anyone was in during this whole excursion was me. Growing up sucks. Even as a parent.
And for him? Lecture avoided. Well played, Hopper, well played.
By Cate, on May 17th, 2011
 Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday at Real Life with Kids!! We are absolutely honored to have as today’s guest, Lori from “In Pursuit of It All” and “Your Child Talking“. Just like last week’s Tea Party guest, Kelley, Lori is the subject of one of my bloggy crushes. She is funny, extremely smart, and puts that all together in ways that make you think without really realizing you are doing it. If you want to see what I mean – check out her syndicated Blogher Posts here.
When asked what kind of tea we should serve at her Tea Party, Lori said, “Oh, I hate to admit this, but…the kind that’s made from coffee with chocolate in it. I’m a coffee drinker, not a tea drinker! And I tried, truly! Living in England is not easy for those of us who are tea averse.” So today? We are having coffee. With chocolate. Yum.
To go with that lovely mocha latte, we wanted to know what Lori would like to eat. ”Scones with clotted cream and lemon curd (see, I wasn’t kidding about living in England) and little pumpernickel sandwiches with salmon and cream cheese. Just put those puppies out and then stay out of my way.” Mmmmmm boy. That does sound good. I just KNEW that Lori was a user of lemon curd. You can see it in the eyes…
Finally, Lori gave us a heads up on the kind of hat she’s wearing today! ”Darling, truly…a sculptural masterpiece with feathers, tulle netting, bows and a stuffed platypus.” See what I mean about her making you laugh AND think? I have been laboring under the misconception that you couldn’t wear tulle and platypus(es) together until AFTER Memorial Day.
Now that you know what we’re serving and what Lori’s wearing – let’s get on with the post!
What You Think You Know
I am so honored to be here at the tea party. And you know, you can’t really invite me anywhere. I’m perpetually needing to crash parties and force myself into the best restaurants. Fortunately few people choose to mess with a hardened mother of teenagers. Seriously. You’ve got no idea what I carry in my purse. So this is an unexpected treat. Are you gonna eat that?
But today I want to talk to you about something really important. Something that I wish someone had told me would happen when my son was younger, and when my step-kids came into my life still just shy of ages with the word “teen” in them.
I was so young. So naïve. So, so very stupid.
I thought I was that smart one in this arrangement.
My husband too, somewhat, although obviously I was the brains of the operation.
But now, with three teenagers, it’s been made clear to me that I don’t know anything. Not a damned thing.
I am ignorant to the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup. It’s a darned good thing I’ve got an eighteen year old to send me links about it.
I apparently don’t understand politics, but fortunately I have a fifteen-year-old to wax poetic on the failings of the opposing party and illustrate where I am clearly undereducated. Why I think I might understand the geo-political process better than someone who’s only been alive for three presidents is beyond me.
I know nothing about washing dishes, as my children tell me when I show them how I think bowls should be arranged in the dishwasher such that cereal particles do not become molecularly bonded to the porcelain. They have a system, they tell me. And if I’m bothered that the system is designed for maximum dish-shovage rather than dish-cleanage, then clearly I “just don’t get it.”
So moms I’m here to tell you – stop reading, stop researching, stop watching the news or soliciting opinions. In a few short years your children will enter the Age of Wisdom (also known as ages 14-19) and everything you think you know will be a) obsolete, b) wrong, c) useless and d) a pain in your kids arse’s.
And they will be happy to tell you so.
So rather than living by the old axiom “knowledge is power,” I’ve decided to switch sides and adopt, “ignorance is bliss.”
Until they have kids of their own. I’m told I get much smarter again right around that time. I know my mom did.
Thanks so much to Lori for being our fantabulous guest of honor today! We’ll all be hanging out around the tea table today if you’d like to leave a comment we’d love to hear from you!
If you want to keep up with the fabulousness that IS Lori – follow her on Twitter!
By AJBlick, on May 12th, 2011
In the back bedroom of our house, at the darkest part of night, whether the moon was full or not, they would come. In their black hats and black dresses and big, high heeled, black lace up boots, they would come. With their brooms in one hand and their bony fingers of the other clawing for me, they would come. Through the closet, up from under the bed, from inside our toy chest, they would come. Witches. Big ones, little ones, tall ones, short ones, they would come. They were coming for me, to take me away to their witch cave that was under our house. They came every night. All night. Sometimes, I wonder how I got out alive.
The only thing that would repel the witches was a chant that I did, and that I made JB do, too. You had to rub the tip of your thumb on the tips of your fingers and whisper over and over again ticka, ticka, ticka. Some nights, when the moon was low and it was really dark and the witches were extra in number, I would have to say, “JB? Are you doing it?”
“Yes,” she would reply sleepily. “Well, do it louder, they aren’t going away.” I commanded.
At some point we both drifted off to sleep and we were safe until the sun came up. Have you ever noticed that? That if you just keep your eyes closed and pretend whatever is scaring you can’t see you…then it just goes away – or at least doesn’t get any closer to your bed.
My little Boss Sass is now having sleeping problems of her own. She says she sees eyes in her room. It’s really the metal part on the ceiling fan blades that I, personally, think looks more like the bat signal than eyes, but, what do I know. My Honey told her they were butterflies – there to protect her. That worked for one night.
She cries and screams and kicks and gets back up the second we put her in bed. She hates her room in the afternoon at nap time and she hates it at night. The only saving grace I have had lately is the nice weather – she can run outside all day and she gets so tired that she won’t wake up until dawn. But, there will be rainy days again. And the refusal to sleep in her own room will start again.
She absolutely can’t sleep with us. We don’t allow it. Anytime she does my Honey and I look like we just went one round with Clubber Lang. We try to remind her of the butterflies and it doesn’t really work. Now Tonka has followed her lead, as a good younger brother should. He is scared too. He screams that he is afraid of his room – although, I don’t think he has any idea why he says this or what it means. He just knows his sister is crying and yelling and something is telling him to follow suit.
Maybe I should try telling Sass that she has her very own bat signal. She does love a good scifi/fantasy movie. But, then my Honey would need to get a batman costume…hey, that’s not such a bad idea!
Maybe JB and I need to teach her the ticka chant.
Maybe the sun just needs to stay out a few more days in a row so she can get a new sleep habit down.
Maybe….????
Do you have a little one who is afraid of the dark? of their room? We’d love to hear about it and how you and your little one are coping!
By jbkohl, on May 12th, 2011
 It's not your mother's tornado. So we’ve had some bad weather here in Virginia . . . as have many people around the country this spring. To some, it probably seems as if the prophecy about the world ending in 2012 is coming true. The world has seen earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear fallout, tornadoes, and flooding that would make Noah blush.
Somnos looks at me every time we turn on CNN and are introduced to the latest world disaster. “World’s gonna end,” I say.
“Yup,” is the reply.
It’s talk like this that causes young Cleo some concern. She’s on the verge of turning 12. Although the days and weeks for a girl her age last three times as long as they do for the rest of us, she is much more impressionable when it comes to the tabloid talk of 2012 and the end of the world.
A couple of weeks ago, as we sat at dinner, we were discussing the devastation in our community caused by the latest bout of tornadoes. While living in Nebraska, I didn’t fear tornadoes in the way I fear them here. We always had a basement–a place to go to ride out the storm.
Here, basements are few and far between. We sit, vulnerable and frightened when the weather turns dark. There are no tornado sirens. There’s little warning. It’s a little like “every man for himself.”
My children have never seen devastation caused by a tornado before. They’ve never seen houses pushed from their foundations and toppled like decks of cards. This year changed that and the kids, Cleo in particular, started to be a little frightened. We’ve solved the problem as best we can . . . we bought a NOAA weather radio. We’ve acquired 5 motorcycle helmets to wear during tornado warnings.
“I,” declared Somnus, “am not wearing that thing. We look stupid in those.”
“We can all look at each other and laugh,” I said. “We’ll look silly, but we’ll live.”
“Where do tornadoes come from anyway?” asked Cleo, her eyes wide with apprehension.
Thor smiled. “Aw, that’s easy,” he said, shifting in his chair to see her better. “You got your warm air moving in from the Gulf of Mexico, and you got your cold air comin’ down from Canada.” He spread his arms wide, letting them drift toward one another, the left one low, the right one high. Then he winked at Cleo. “And when they meet, chicka chicka bawr nawr. They make baby tornadoes.”
We all laughed.
“So a tornado is from clouds having sex?” Cleo asked.
“Totally,” was Thor’s educated reply.
I suppose if thunder comes from angels bowling or God moving furniture, then tornadoes can be the result of a sexual liaison between Canadian and Mexican air masses. It is, after all, the 21st Century. And if clouds from different countries can’t get it on in America, the melting pot of the world, then where, exactly, can they get it on? And if you’re thinking of writing to your congressman to complain about illegal air masses crossing our borders, think again. Clearly the clouds won’t listen. They are bigger than you, badder than you, and their baby tornadoes will wreck your house.
No, my friends, it’s better to just bend over and let yourself be struck by the flat surface of Mother Nature’s paddle. Why? Because she’s my favorite five letter word, that’s why. And every once in awhile, she gets to feeling a little “in the mood” and whips up some air masses to satisfy her throbbing biological urges.
My advice is to get yourself a helmet and retreat to a safe distance.
 Barry White knows where tornadoes come from. Baby. 
By Cate, on May 11th, 2011
 I remember when my almost 8 year old was a little boy. Sniff.
By Cate, on May 10th, 2011
Welcome to our very first “Tea Party Tuesday“! Each Tuesday we will party with a fabulous blogger and learn a bit more about them at our Tea Party. We have a great line up already scheduled for the next several weeks and would love to hear from you if you would like to be featured! Just shoot us a note through our contact tab above.
Without further ado – let me introduce today’s superfantabulous Tea Party guest, Kelley of Kelley’s Break Room. Kelley cracks me up. On Twitter? If I see her smiley face coming up through my feed – it’s like finding a red jellybean in a big bowl of yellows – because she has the funniest tweets ever. Kelley has a sweet feature at the Break Room called “Captcha Balderdash“. It’s a game where you list out a “captcha” word or phrase and then share your own definition for it. The readers vote on the best one. The entries from folks are pee your pants funny.
Let’s get this Tea Party started. Here’s our guest of honor, Kelley!
This “Tea Party Tuesday” idea is so stinkin’ cute, don’t you think? Cate, JB & Andy’s little blogging house is so warm and inviting. It is the perfect place for a tea party! When we are done here, would you join me over in those comfortable, fluffy chairs on the right? If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit in that white chair with the blue flowers. I really “digg” it. (There is where you are supposed to groan. Oh, you knew that. I just heard you). When Cate asked if I would like to come over to her house and join them for a tea party, I was so excited! I remember “meeting” Cate when I began blogging over a year ago. She has always stood out to me as someone who wrote well, loved life, enjoyed humor and had much wisdom and practical advice to share about raising kids. In addition to that, I love tea parties!
Tea parties remind me of many things. You may think it reminds me of Boston and angry colonists or Sarah Palin and Tina Fey. Though my mind eventually arrives at images of red suits and quotes about the proximity of Alaska to Russia, the first thing I think about is the tea party of the underwater variety. Circa 1984, my younger sister, my cousin and I would always have “underwater tea parties” in the middle of our pool. We would sit in a circle at the bottom, open our eyes and do our best to “drink tea” and “eat cake” before we floated up to the top. It makes me laugh out loud remembering how quickly we had to gulp down our fancy snacks due to our extreme time constraints. But, Cate isn’t asking me about underwater tea parties. No, actually, Cate asked me these questions:
 Horehound tea is for real, people. First, what type of tea should we serve and why? Okay, I would have TWO types of tea to serve. I would have my “practical joke” tea and the real tea. Both types would not be served hot. Am I breaking a major rule here? I actually buy herbal tea all the time, steep 4 small bags, mix it with a larger bag of regular tea and then pour it over ice. I live in Texas, after all. After doing a search on different types of herbal tea, I discovered “horehound tea” and “Che Dang tea”. I had never heard of either one of them before. Have you? It would amuse me to no end to quietly approach my guests, especially any elderly or uppity ones, and very seriously ask, “May I interest you in a cup of Che Dang tea?” or “Would you like your HOREhound tea with sugar?” The older ones probably love a good cup of horehound tea and would ruin my joke. For all of those party poopers taking a pass on Che Dang or Horehound, I’d offer peach or mint iced tea.
Next, since this is a tea party just for you – what should we serve? Tell us a few of your favorite foods. I am loving this party! It’s just for me?
 Las flautas, mis amigos, from www.raisins.org Hot dog! No, not hot dogs. Please do not serve hot dogs. What I would like served at my tea party to go with my horehound and peach iced tea is flautas. No, I know I was not supposed to say flautas, but instead tea cakes, quiche or whatever it is that Eloise or Fancy Nancy would eat at their tea parties. I love flautas, though, because you can eat them with your fingers and dip them with anything- salsa, chile con queso, guacamole, etc. Remember how I said I was from Texas? That state that used to be Mexico? Mmm, mmm, mmm…we love our Mexican food down here. I’d throw in some chips, fajitas y frijoles tambien.
Finally, what kind of fabulous hat would you wear to our tea party? Hats are a must for a tea party, isn’t that right? *Sighs deeply* Well, I wouldn’t want to offend anyone and forget the hat at this fabulous tea party. The type of hat I would choose would definitely be one that would go with a variety of outfits in my closet, so that I could wear it well after the tea party was over. I might even wear said hat at playgroups or children’s birthday parties. Maybe I would try to start a hat trend for daily wear. Yes, yes…I think I am on to something here. When I was shopping just the other day, I came across the type of hat that fits these needs perfectly. See it below? Don’t you think it is adorable?
 What? You don't think it's perfect?
I love the hat, Kelley!! Okay, folks, the party is just getting started!! We’re going to sip some horehound tea **giggle** and munch on some flautas and chat with Kelley. We’d love to have you join in the convo! Just leave us a comment below.
Page 1 of 2012345...1020...»Last »
|
|
