Rock the Vote

This is just a reminder that it's election day today, and everyone needs to get out and vote!

Too many people have fought and died for your right to vote. 

Vote for you, vote for me, vote for Mickey Mouse, Obama, or Romney. I really don't care who you vote for, but exercise your right to do so today! 

Even if you live in a tiny little state like Delaware, where you think your vote doesn't count. Even if you live in a county where your candidate can have a strong win in your county, and still lose the state because of stupid rules; please vote today.

Please enjoy the video below, that reminds us all about the fight for women's suffrage.  

Again, sorry for the "no posts in forever"- instead of chronicling my life, I've been busy out living it!

Stop Bullying

I know I haven't posted in a very long time, and I apologize for all two of you who read this.  It isn't for lack of things to say, just lack of time.

But today, I am going to make time.

The world has lost another amazing girl this week, due to bullying.  Another young high school student was driven to a depression so deep that she felt the only way out was to kill herself.  She was made to feel this way by her peers.

I didn't know this girl, but I relate to her.

I suffer from depression and anxiety.  Because my problems didn't manifest fully until well after High School, I consider myself lucky.  There were bullies when I grew up.  There are bullies in my child's elementary school, even if the administration doesn't want to admit it.

I was bullied.

I wasn't bullied harshly or much more than other kids; the bottom line is I wasn't popular in High School to be a major target for bullying.  I was cyber bullied before people even had a name for it.  

I was one of the lucky ones who witnessed "the birth of the internet", and played on local bulletin boards was new and exciting.  There was a kid on one of these sites who made it their job to follow me around, game to game, chat room to chat room, and tried to make my life a living hell.  I didn't let it get to me though- I told others about it and eventually had the kid banned.  I had forgotten about this whole experience until recently, when the teenage suicide rate because of bullying began to blow through the roof.

I share my experience not because it traumatized me, but to remind people who are being bullied that they are not alone.  If you are being bullied, TELL SOMEONE!  Share with a parent, teacher, or trusted adult what you are going through.  It won't make other kids hate you.  It won't make you even less popular than you already feel that you are.  

It will make the bullying stop.

Don't spend your life trying to impress others.  Be yourself.  Be awesome.  Don't worry about what those popular skanks think- High School will be the high point in their lives and they will spend the rest of theirs trying to relive the short four years where they felt special.  You have the rest of your lives to be special, and you will be amazing.

I promise.

So today, my children and I have written LOVE on our arms, to remember a young girl who thought she had no way out.  

To remind others that they are NOT alone.

To remind everyone that they ARE loved, and that they have choices.

My hope for my daughters is that by the time they reach high school, cyberbullying will be put to an end. 

My two beautiful daughters, with Love on their arms.

My hope is that when someone notices that my daughter has the word "love" on her arm, that people will ask her why.  

And that she will tell them exactly why.

There are lots of websites out there who support the anti-bullying movement, I just wanted to write a post to mourn the loss of one young girl who might have changed the world, had others left her alone.  

She has changed me.

Check out To Write Love on Her Arms, which supports those suffering from depression for any reason.

  To Write Love On Her Arms

Join a local movement to stop bullying now.

Remember those who have been driven to desperate acts by their peers.

Write LOVE on your arm, to remind yourself and others.

Join this humble blogger in raising awareness.

Comments, thoughts? Leave them here.

Thanks for reading.

Texting Hypocrite

I LOVE to text.  Srsly. 


I would rather text someone for two hours straight than hold a five minute conversation.  
Most people find this rather ironic because I also LOVE to talk, and spend easily an hour on the phone with my 2 non-text friendly friends.
I love to text so much that I will actually put off having a "real" conversation with someone who is not in my "inner circle" for days...even if said conversation will literally last for 2 minutes. 
I hate text speak, so don't worry, any message I send is actually easy to interpret.  If my phone didn't have a keyboard, maybe I would revert to the primitive language known as text-speak, but I'm gonna say, yeah, no, not even then.
But, the problem is, I am a total hypocrite.  I love to text, and receive texts, but I absolutely hate it when you are with someone and they are texting the entire time.  During a lunch, at a Girl Scout meeting, wen you see someone random that you know at the grocery store...and it's all "hey, how are you?" and click click click on the phone...drives me nuts!

And you, dear reader?  What is YOUR hypocritical pet peeve?

School's IN for the Season

Back to school.  

It always reminds me of the Staples commercial from a couple years back, where the parents and children and shopping for supplies, and the parents are thrilled, and the kids are not.  I know you remember it:

Just. So. Funny.

It took becoming a parent to fully grasp the hilarity of this commercial.

Well, today my oldest had her first day of fourth grade.  She is really looking forward to this year- the teacher we wanted and three of her closest friends in the same class with her- this is tween perfection at its best!

Best of all, her teacher believes in COMMUNICATION- something that we have found to be lacking in my daughter's school.  We are truly hoping for the "perfect" school year- good grades, a great teacher who will work with us and not against us, and as little teeny-bopper drama as possible.

Pipe dreams, you say?  Probably.  But still, any dream is better than none at all.

It's amazing how quiet a home gets when at least one of the children are at school.  Not that I am exhilarated to be minus one child during the day, but quietness is something that has been lacking in my home as of late.

So here's to you, my beautiful daughter, wishing you the best year ever.  My best year ever was third grade (Miss Heffron, you ROCK), and that didn't really happen for you last year, so here's to hoping that your time has come, and that some of your best school memories in the future come back around to the great teacher you have for fourth grade.

But please don't hate me if I celebrate the quietness that accompanies back to school for a little while.  It doesn't mean I don't love you; just that I also like some sibling rivalry-free hours, at least sometimes.

But if you do hate me anyway, go to your room and journal about it, or write an angsty poem or something.  Better yet, read a book about a girl with parents who don't care.  Just so it is something to help develop your literacy skills, I'm not picky, really.

Good luck to all the young ones with their fresh new start in another school year.  I will wave my magic Average wand, and give you all perfect years.  At least I will in my head.  That still counts, right?  And to all you Only Average Moms out there, who are relishing the quiet, perfect years for you too.  May you have no tearful homework nights and no last minute school projects worth half your child's grades that they forgot about until 10:30 the night before its due.

Do all parents react to back to school like in the above video?  Probably not.  But us Only Average ones do...at least for a week or two.  Especially if they don't admit it.

Woeful Weekend

I'm a Girl Scout leader.  I love each and every one of the girls I lead, and my co-leader is one of my closest friends.  Girl Scouts is a great program and I truly believe in it's mission and do all I can to ensure the girls have a great experience and gain the leadership skills necessary to make a difference in this world.

Being a leader is great, but there are a few drawbacks.  Sometimes, it's the girls themselves.

Saturday, my phone rang several times, and I chose not to answer it.  I knew who it was, and I didn't feel like company this weekend, and not answering seemed a bit more appealing to me than telling a ten year old girl that no, she couldn't come and stay the weekend with me (while my oldest, her friend, was out of town).  This particular girl wears on my nerves rather quickly, and pretends she wants to play with Rebecka, when in truth, she doesn't, and then everyone is upset, myself included.  

Saturday afternoon, she is DROPPED OFF at my house by her grandfather.  Grandfather did NOT wait to see that she made it in the house, but left immediately.  She came with a bag of clothes.  At dinner time.

What do you do??!!  She is only ten, and comes from an unstable home, to put it lightly.  Her father is chronically unemployed, and her mother has been in and out of jail the last few years, for shoplifting.  They have recently moved in with her father's parents, and from my point of view, it's not an ideal situation there, either.  But I freely admit that I don't have all the facts.

This child is constantly pretending to be terminally stupid ("I've never seen green beans before"), and talking about how her family has no food in the house (although I have taken her mother grocery shopping before; these people eat better that I ever have), and no money but lots of things: the child wears Justice underpants for goodness sake ("These pants cost $50").  Apparently, no one has told her that you can't pretend to be terminally poor while wearing designer jeans, bought at full retail (which is a crime in and of itself).

I asked her why she came over and she said, "I tried to call you." (True.  But she didn't actually speak with us.)  "I didn't feel like listening to my mommy and daddy fight, so I just decided to come here." ("Here" is about 20 miles away, and actually in another state)  Mike and I spoke about it, and decided that there wasn't a whole lot we could do at this point, made her a plate, and didn't make a big deal about it.

Mike had a talk with her before she left, explaining that she needs to ask before assuming she can come over and spend the night.

The weekend wasn't overall too hateful, however, Rebecka is much happier now that the extra child is gone, and my house is quiet once more.

And the $100 gift card my mother bought for me to buy school clothes for Katie is missing.

Coincidence?

Probably not.

Will she be invited back?

...Same answer.

I have given this child many chances and done things for her family that others wouldn't do, but I think my kindness has come to its end in this case.  There comes a time when helping too much becomes hurting and enabling.  But then again, I am an Only Average Mom.

EDIT: The gift card has been canceled, and a new one issued.  So no loss on our behalf, except for bewilderment as to what kind of parenting tells kids it's ok to just show up at someone's house...