Bedtime has arrived again and I haven’t recorded any grand thoughts, figured out which came first–the chicken or the egg–or even found some mildly funny words to make at least myself giggle.

In exchange for the prophetic, I leave you with some little nuggets of late.

As I sat in the doctor’s waiting room today–the foot and ankle surgeon–I looked up and took in the image of the man in a wheelchair sitting across from me. He had no legs from the knees down. WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING SEEING A FOOT AND ANKLE SPECIALIST?? HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY.

First grader came home from school before the holidays with a 3-D paper creation. The hubs complimented him on his dreidel. Son gave him the hairy eyeball and proclaimed, “Duh, it’s not a dreidel dad, it’s a lantern. The Jews use it to celebrate Ramadan.”

My first activity of the new year was so incredible that I don’t know how the rest of the year is going to be able to compare. I woke at 7:00 a.m. to the sounds of a whining puppy. I tried the time-tested approach of putting the pillow over my head to make her stop, but that approach was a failure. I rolled out of bed, threw on the closest items to protect any still-partying neighbors from the sight of my pale flesh and shuffled down stairs. And what was I greeted with?? A nearly six month-old puppy covered in her own poop looking up at me from her crate. So weird how the rest of my family was so tired they didn’t hear any of the whining.

There I was trying to get her out into the backyard and the crate…well somewhere without getting covered myself. Crate unceremoniously deposited in the carport awaiting some other sleeping ass’s attention, the puppy was brought upstairs for a bath–AT 7 FREAKING 30 on New Year’s Day. Oh yeah, it’s gonna take a lot to improve on the start of this year.

My muse has run away. I hope to be able to write again without him, but I don’t know.

He was actually my personal cabana boy and I relied upon him to bring me fruity adult beverages with little tiny umbrellas. Those drinky-poos and his handsome visage caused the words to flow like coconut-scented tanning oil.

Right now I am just grieving the loss.

I just know the asshole is some place warm not even giving me a second thought.

Serves me right for hiring on looks.

Cruising the web I happened upon this amazing HP giveaway hosted by Down to Earth Mama. I entered because I loved how she was encouraging entrants to donate part of the prize package to someone who needed it more. Beautiful.

She then had an option to earn a bonus entry.

“Write on a message board or your blog a post about how you have or plan to make the world a bit better.”

And all of the sudden, I got to thinking.

What AM I doing to make the world a bit better?

I’m not sure I’m satisfied with my answer.

I spent the first seven years of my career working for a non-profit–it’s why I moved to DC. I wanted to “save” the world. It was easy then to get involved with projects, to volunteer. Heck my job was one I felt was making the world a bit better.

But then I had kids and realized a savings might be a good idea.

I went to work for a company and what was I doing then? Sure I helped organize the annual Adopt-a-Family for Christmas project at work, but really?? I never felt like I had time. I had small kids. I worked full time. I was exhausted (okay I still am).

But my kids are a bit older now. I’m with a new company. I know I am more fortunate that most.

So what am I doing?

I volunteer a good bit of time as a board member for both the PTA and the little league. I am focusing on raising three boys to be good, caring, kind people. I make micro-contributions where I can. I participate in social networks because I hope that in some way I am helping to bring people together.

But is this enough?

What are you doing to make the world a bit better? I could use some good ideas.

Pulling in more than half of all the total votes, URBAN MAMA is the winner of a brand new Wii and Wii Fit w/Balance Board.

Sandie, I think I can speak for all of us when I say thank you for honoring us by sharing your story.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post, because my reasons for wanting to lose weight aren’t funny.

Two months ago, my mother died after fighting colon cancer for eight years. She’s the second person in our family to die of colon cancer, which can be hereditary.

As I was searching through her files afterward, I found an odd collage of pictures of my siblings and me mixed with magazine clippings, play money and hand-written notes from my mother. It was one of those spiritual self-help, “wish list” exercises. She wished for us to have loving spouses, beautiful homes, successful careers, etc. But the pictures of me were pasted on the bodies of thin fitness models. Underneath she wrote: “This is Sandie happy because she’s a healthy weight.”

Finding that photo was such a heartbreaking shock. I knew my mother always wanted me to lose weight, but seeing that posterboard was horrifying. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized she was right. I need to do something this coming year to get to my true age’s fitness level. I’m sick of looking 52 instead of 32.

So why do I need a Wii Fit? Because I need a way to work out at home (with three kids under 7 and a husband who’s rarely home before 8:30, gym membership isn’t feasible right now), so I can be healthy, not just for myself, but so I can ward off colon cancer and at the same time fulfill my mother’s wish.

I hope you find hours of fun and health for you and your family in this Wii and Wii Fit.

Okay, here are the finalists for the Wii/Wii Fit package.

You, my dear readers, are in charge of voting for the winner.

Please read the six comments below (I know I said there would be 5 finalists, but there are six. It’s my blog. I get to change the rules.).

In the comments, please cast your vote for ONE–and only one–commenter. No anonymous comments will be accepted on this post. You may only vote once. (I’d have used a poll widget but the comments are too long–man you guys are long-winded.)

In the case of a tie, I will put both names in a hat and select one.

I want to thank everyone who entered the contest. I wish I had enough to give away to each and every one of you. It was hard just to pick these. Thank goodness I had help. Love you Kris!! Seriously, I have a stomach ache just thinking about disappointing some people by pushing publish.

So without further ado…Get voting! Voting will be closed at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and a winner will be posted.

Good LUCK!!

Lumpyheadsmom said…

My husband is worried he exceeds the recommended weight limit for the Wii Fit. A bit of a chicken/egg problem, no?

Let me throw in an entry for my dad. He was in a bowling league for years – every Wednesday night when I was growing up. He has battled rheumatoid arthritis since I was in high school; today Dad is not able to hold a bowling ball – his fingers have been deformed by the disease – and is not strong enough to throw a ball down the lane.

Lumpyhead got a Wii for his birthday. (Long story. But we think he’s too young for it, so he doesn’t know it exists.)

On Thursday night, thanks to his grandson’s Wii, my dad was able to bowl for the first time in 20 years. He was almost giddy, and his reaction to bowling again was thrilling to watch. Now the minute Lumpyhead goes to bed, Dad starts pestering us to BOWL!

He needs his own damn Wii.

Christina said…

[To the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies Theme]

Come and listen to a story of a girl named… me
This last year, well, we grew our family (adoption, but STILL)
Then one day when I stepped upon the scale
I realized that I’d become a friggin’ whale.

Orca whale
Chubby fool
buffet bar (wth, I know. IT RHYMED.)

Well the first thing you know I slipped into a funk
My clothes got kind of tight and I retreated like a monk
I took walks around the park to get some exercise
But I haven’t lost much weight and that rubbing sound’s my thighs.

So now it’s time to say to you that I would like a Wii
If I won the Wii and Fit I think that I might pee
You’re all so kind to host this contest regardless of who wins
But if you choose me I promise to lose at least a couple chins.

Y’all can pick me, y’hear?

==

Okay, in all seriousness – I’d integrate this into my life by using the Fit during the kids’ naptimes and/or after they go to bed. I’ve put on weight since we’ve had both the babies (14 mos & 17 mos) because I’m not getting out to the gym anymore. I’m a stay-at-home mom – my husband is gone 13-14 hrs a day – and if I’m going to be here by myself when they’re sleeping, I think it would be FUN to exercise. Plus, I need to get more fit because carrying their heavy little bods is starting to take a toll.

Urban Mama said…

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post, because my reasons for wanting to lose weight aren’t funny.

Two months ago, my mother died after fighting colon cancer for eight years. She’s the second person in our family to die of colon cancer, which can be hereditary.

As I was searching through her files afterward, I found an odd collage of pictures of my siblings and me mixed with magazine clippings, play money and hand-written notes from my mother. It was one of those spiritual self-help, “wish list” exercises. She wished for us to have loving spouses, beautiful homes, successful careers, etc. But the pictures of me were pasted on the bodies of thin fitness models. Underneath she wrote: “This is Sandie happy because she’s a healthy weight.”

Finding that photo was such a heartbreaking shock. I knew my mother always wanted me to lose weight, but seeing that posterboard was horrifying. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized she was right. I need to do something this coming year to get to my true age’s fitness level. I’m sick of looking 52 instead of 32.

So why do I need a Wii Fit? Because I need a way to work out at home (with three kids under 7 and a husband who’s rarely home before 8:30, gym membership isn’t feasible right now), so I can be healthy, not just for myself, but so I can ward off colon cancer and at the same time fulfill my mother’s wish.

ZenMom said…

Oh, I would LOVE this. I was just telling The Husband the other day how great it would if we could afford a Wii and the whole Wii fit package so that we could all “play” together as a family.

As a working mom to two little boys, I’m learning how hard it can be to make time for healthy activity for all of us.

In the Summer, we try to go out to the playground or for a walk whenever we can for a bit of play and exercise.

But, in the winter, I’m afraid we are couch potatoes. I hate going out in the cold weather – especially having to bundle up the boys. 🙂

With the Wii fit, we could have some healthy play INDOORS! AND maybe Mommy could get in a bit of me-time exercise after the boys are in bed.

I think this would be a great motivator to stay fit and healthy – and it would set a good example for my kids, too.

I know I don’t have much chance of winning. But I think it’s great that you are doing this. Thanks.

Neil said…

My tale is a sad one, so you better sit down for this one. It also might disqualify me from this contest, because the truth is I already bought a wii and a wii fit, back in the old days when it was so limited that you had to wait for an email alert to tell you that it was available. For a few months, my life was complete and I was happy for the first time. I played tennis, bowling, and even got my aggression out of my system with some wii boxing. But then my wife, Sophia, fell in love with the Wii Fit. She became obsessed with it. This was a woman who had a membership to a gym for 10 years, but never walked inside, and now she had found the ultimate fitness friend — the wii. Every day, I now found her exercising, her wii “age” decreasing daily. Our lives were never the same. One evening, I came home and found that the entire coffee table had been permanently moved into the garage. The Wii platform stood in the middle of the room, facing the TV, as if it was a religious shrine. The couch was covered with exercise clothes, towels, bottle water, and wii “numchucks.” Sophia was jumping up and down, furiously.

“Hey, how about we have sex tonight?” I asked my beautiful wife.

“Not now!” she yelled, her eyes focused on the screen, “I’m in the middle of Dance Dance Revolution!”

I had lost her to a Wii.

A few weeks later, we separated. I moved to New York. She got the house, the TV, the car, and the Wii. I got… well, I got nothing.

I became depressed. I was living with my mother in Queens. At night, I would just eat cake and ice cream and bagels and pizza. And that was just for dinner. I would continue to snack all night as I watched these annoying girlflicks on Lifetime with my mother. Ironically, I would be the one crying at the end when the woman learned that the plumber she fell in love with was really a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Yesterday, in a dream, I saw my future — and it was not a happy one. I was out of shape, still blogging for no pay, still watching Lifetime movies, and still living with my mother. It was a wake-up call. I looked at my pasty naked body in the full length mirror (first making sure my mother wasn’t home, because that would be embarrassing), and decided it was time for me to get into shape. It was time for me to reclaim ME! (to be said in a very Oprah-esqe way)

But how? I thought of jogging, but it is December… and freezing outside. I could ask Sophia for joint custody of the Wii, but I didn’t have the money for the legal fees. And I KNOW she would fight for it.

But I need to get back into shape. For my self-confidence. For my health. For the stamina to make love to a woman for hours like I used to do in my twenties (I’m just throwing that in, hoping to appeal to MommaLoves, who I know has a dirty mind, so I figure it will give me some brownie points). I wish I had the money to buy another wii and wii fit. But, you know, with the economy and all. Thank God Obama was elected who will solve everything! I am sooo glad that I voted for him and was one of his earliest supporters. Of course, that does not mean that several of the other commenters, who voted for McCain, should be dismissed from this contest. That would be un-American. But I am just saying.

Fiesty Charlie said… First let me bow down before the great give away Goddess (that would be YOU)and pay my respects… Ut oh, now I am stuck in a bowing position.

Oh well, nice shoes, where did you get them?

I could never wear shoes like that, because one they are way to pretty for me, and two both my knees are shot. I would break my neck.

Wait… sorry spasm in my lower back, because I am so out of shape.

I did not used to be like this, a long time ago I was rather buff so to speak. I was working as an EMT, out saving lives…. then one day, my knees stopped working as well as they once did and boom, my career was kaput.

A few surgeries later and I am at least able to walk, but not much more especially in cold, damp weather.

I am not going to look you in the eye and lie, mainly because at the moment all I can see are your shoes, because my back gave out…

I know there are many people more deserving than me, who should win this Wii.

I just want it, and unlike the people in Walmart, I am not willing to trample over others to get it. After all it is just a game. A game that might allow me to regain my buff status, and help me lose the weight that plagues my very existence.

A game that might allow me to regain my buff status, lose the weight that plagues my existence and might help me make a few friends, even if they just want to be my friend to play my Wii.

I will say that if I don’t win the game, I can always get a job as a butler I guess, an overweight butler who is always bent over looking at cute shoes, and walks with a double limp.

Thanks for the chance to live above my destiny…. I need to go practice saying, “Yes Madame, how may I serve you?”

{wink}

Hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving. We certainly did here.

I am so excited to tell you about this very cool giveaway that I’m hosting this week.

Due to certain rules, I can’t tell you about it here so you’ll have to click on over to my review blog and read this post:

Wii Love the Holidays

to get all the details.

Can’t wait to see your comments!

I watch the Twitter stream flow throughout the day. One cannot comment on every one, but here are some that caught my eye today.

@ADDmoms Have you tried searching with http://www.summize.com It may help if you can remember what the Tweet said… [identity withheld to protect the guilty]

Really?? Did you really send this to ADDMoms??

My husband just confessed he wishes he was a superhero. He was being serious. LauralOutLoud

I think all of our husbands are serious about this.

@MomDot My mom died of cancer in 2004 and I felt MomFaves was the best a way I could preserve her memory. She loved sharing her faves . JoshUnfried

As a mom of three boys, this just made my heart swell. Follow Josh.

@mammaloves I believe the bell pealed and you peeled an orange, so it’s eye’s peeled, lol watkins_lady

I’m still confused.

If you laminated your laundry all you’d have to do is wipe it off. ilinap

Brilliant!

@cckarl you just scared the shit out of me w/ that thing paullyoung

These types of conversations should really stay in the bedroom.

My SIL bakes 10 pies for Txgiving. One for each person. Here’s her recipe for pecan pie. (it’s easy) http://tinyurl.com/5vn7y8 sourwine

My SIL must not love us that much.

Pitch of the Day: Are your sperm strong swimmers? Um…wait…I know this answer…uh…probably…if I had any. thompsonclan6

And I thought the Viagra ads were bad.

Epson printer giveaway contest on SV Moms http://tinyurl.com/6xhay9 svmom

I have this printer. You should definitely enter.

Australian Man Arrested for Pleasure Via Pasta Sauce Jar http://tinyurl.com/5swuue truerumors

I can’t even bring myself to click on that link.

Congratulations! You’ve found the sixth blog in the SHARE the LOVE Scavenger Hunt!

Can’t tell you how happy I was to be asked to be a stop on the road to one of the coolest sites around. You just need to find one more blog for your final clue.

If you’re just hearing about this scavenger hunt for the first time here, click on over to Mommy Needs Coffee to get started. There are cool prizes like goodies from Orville Redenbacher, Rice Krispies (wonderful treat kits) and Wendy’s and also handcrafted jewelry, bags; and more!

You have until Friday to finish The Hunt.

So let’s get you moving on to the next awesome blogging mom.

To find her, you must travel to New Jersey, get past the chocolate lab and possibly wade through 2 piles of laundry. If that doesn’t work, you could just ask John Stamos or the Olsen twins for directions.

Good luck!!!

Edited to add: HOLD UP a moment! Some of the other moms on the hunt are reporting that you’re telling them they’re beautiful. Why am I only getting “found you”? Is it my hair? Do you hate my hair? Wait, no! It’s the eyebrows. I knew it. Guess I do need a wax.

“White Trash Mom” You may bristle at the term.

I’m still a bit sensitive to it from time-to-time, but I’ve met Michelle Lamar in real life (oh alright, I love her). There isn’t a mean bone in that woman’s body (unless you’re a member of the Muffia) so I know it’s not a term meant to demean but rather to unify those of us who don’t feel we fit into modern June Cleaver model.

Wait, you do? Why the hell are you still here?

I’m kidding. Relax. That’s what being a “White Trash Mom” is all about.

I established yesterday that I never feel like I fit in. Do you think becoming a mother rectified that?

Hardly.

When my son first came to live with us at the age of three we were so green at parenthood that we took him to happy hour with us. That stopped with #2 because I was too tired to even consider happy hour.

What was our first son’s first favorite song? Faithfully by Journey. You don’t think he learned to love it by me playing The Wiggles in the car do you?

My youngest son has worn nothing but baseball pants every day for the past two years. Every. Day. I’m not phased because my middle son wore flip-flops every day for two years straight often on the wrong feet or mixing pairs for months.

Will my boys be permanently scarred by my approach to motherhood?

It’s entirely possible, but pretty unlikely.

And it’s not like they aren’t going to dysfunctional adults one way or another. I mean look at our parents (of course, not you Mom). They grew up in the June Cleaver generation.

If the way I mother my boys qualifies me as a “White Trash Mom” according to Michelle, then RIGHT ON!

My oldest just made the Honor Roll, my second is reading ahead of grade level and my youngest has been helping me fold laundry.

Doesn’t get much better than that.

This post was written as part of the SV Moms Book Club. Check out DC Metro Moms to see links to other posts about the book.

Today I described how I see myself in my mind’s eye as a naked, flesh-colored jelly bean.

I’m not sure that this is a description that will mean anything to anyone else. I’m not sure it’s exactly the vision I have, but it comes closest. Maybe you’d get a better idea if I added that it’s probably one of those gross booger-flavored jelly beans from Harry Potter–I’ve steered clear of Jelly Belly’s in fear of getting one of those ever since I read the first book.

Why a naked jelly bean?

It’s mostly the amorphous blob shape, I imagine.

When I told my friend this he laughed and shook his head at me.

Last night I had the chance to talk to a childhood friend who told me that she always thought I was the “together” one. We were in 5th grade the last time we saw each other. How could I have been “together” in 5th grade? I’ll tell you what, I wasn’t.

But this is a trend. People often think I look like I know what I’m doing. A lot of times I do. But many times I don’t. Many times I feel like I’m the only person in the room who doesn’t have it all together.

I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I probably shouldn’t, but I can’t get the image of the naked, flesh-colored jelly bean out of my head.

Oh yeah, and I’m way jealous of people with good handwriting.