Top 3 Thursday - Television

Every Thursday Confessions from a Working Mom and The (Un)Experienced Mom have a blog carnival called Top 3 Thursday. They pick the topic and we answer the question and link back. This week's question is:

What are your Top 3 favorite TV shows?

3 - House.

Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House.

House is an attractive man - I know - he's not a McDreamy or McSteamy but he's got something.

He's the kind of man who knows what he wants for dinner.

Just sayin- at my house, the dinner conversation goes something like this:

Me: "What do you want for dinner?"

Coach: "I don't know baby, what do you want?" (I know - the baby thing softens the indecisive blow, but still no decision)

I'm envisioning that House never says "I don't know."

Though, years into my infatuation with the show - I've learned its rarely auto immune, and never sarcosis - but they always guess both.



2 - Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy watching is significantly cheaper than therapy for me. I get a whole tissue box every week.

I cry for Meredith because she usually doesn't when she should.

I cry for little Grey - because she's crying........even on TV no one cries alone when I'm around.

I cry for McSteamy now..........just when he found his conscience, he gets to use it.

A girl needs a good cry once a week.

3 - The Big Bang Theory

First, let me share that I am impressed that the show is still on air. I was sure since I LOVE it that it would quickly disappear as my favorites tend to.

There are so many fabulous things about the show -

there are Sheldon's t-shirts

there is the math humor ("What part of an inverse tangent approaching an asymptote don't you understand?" --Sheldon)

we can now all play Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

What are your top three?

Not me Monday

I came across this fun, little game hosted by MckMama.....a post about what you absolutely, positively, without a doubt....would NEVER do!

Confession time.


I did not totally forget about Valentine's Day after having a lengthy conversation with a teenager about the importance of thoughtfulness........I did not lecture him about how the holiday was not about what he could buy his girlfriend, but rather about recognizing the simple things that she would enjoy like a handwritten letter, or a sentimental reminder of a first date. After all of that, I did not forget to even jot my husband a note. Not even a post it.

I did not spend most of the week tripping over Christmas decorations in lovely, labeled rubbermaid containers in my basement when I have new fabulous shelves that they should be on.

I did not triple the dose of children's night time triamenic upon realizing last night that I have a cold and no adult medications in the house. Grape flavor. Yummy.

I did not sit on a my couch during a playdate today and completely ignore 99% of the children's lodged complaints. I did not not go running when children cried.

I did not allow my children to fend for themselves for dinner last week. The pumpkin eat sugary cereal by the bowl full for dinner. The bubbe did not eat pickles, olives and pop tarts. I most certainly did not eat dessert chex mix for dinner.

I did not wear the same jeans every time I left the house last week without washing..........so they would still fit after not eating said dessert chex mix for dinner.

Hmm......I might could get into this confession thing.

Better stop now, before I do not get voted best mother of the week.

New You?

As I was driving around town today I noticed that there are an amazing number of signs proclaiming:

New Year New You!

And perhaps because I had just dropped one child off and was on my way to pick up another - and thus was ALONE in the car..........I began to think.

Is a new me what I am searching for?

My initial thought was it is not a new me I search for, but rather the old me.

The me that was spontaneous - who did not make decisions based on bedtime and the day of the week.

The me that was confident - who did not question every moment of her day - who did not wonder if she was doing life "right"

The me that was sexier - or at least felt that way - the me that did not spend her day in yoga pants with an elastic waistband, or the one who could really enjoy a good pair of jeans (it helps that "the me that was sexier" was also significantly smaller)

Perhaps if there were more hours in the day, I could find that me?

This Washington Post article investigates the theory that mommy people have more "free time" than we ever have before. The researcher shares that women have more free time now than they did in the 1960's - even considering that more women are working moms outside the home now.

You think?

I wasn't sold.

Then, because God knows I am a terrible listener (he probably laughs every time I tell my own kids to turn their listening ears on - "pot calling the kettle black there missey?") today I read this.

I will forewarn - her message is not for the closed minded.

The main point she makes is that in trying to claim all this free time for ourselves, we are asking for frustration.

Picture how this plays out in my house:

I arrive home today after a long day of tutoring, errand running, teaching the pumpkin, dropping the pumpkin off, quick run in to the Walmart (why are they still out of zhu zhu pets? come on people - quit buying them up to sell on ebay!), picking up the Bubbe, two grocery stores (frugal shopping will have to be a post all alone), pick up the pumpkin, and home.

All I want to do is sit in my comfy chair and check my email.

In peace.

I sit.

Pumpkin: "MOM - he is the second most annoying thing in my life" (I did not ask what the first was in fear it is me.........some things, I don't need to know)

Bubbe: "MOM - she isn't being kind to me - TALK TO HER"

Me: "Please let mommy do computer for a minute - then we will have dinner"

rinse, lather, repeat

I end up frustrated - and late starting dinner because checking my email didn't move as smoothly as originally planned.

The Me Time Myth author insists that if I just embraced my day - lovingly began dinner promptly with the knowledge that is rare that we will all be home to enjoy it, embraced the children's need for my attention by involving them in cooking or setting them up with their own activity, and even played a little praise music while we trucked along that my evening would have been better.

My favorite passage from the blog post is this:

But, it will never be enough. The more you indulge the thought that you are somehow owed Me Time, the more you will seek after it. The more you seek after it, the more every little opportunity afforded you to "take a break" will seemingly end too quickly. The everyday life of being a mother will become drudgery.

I must admit - chick is on to something.

Last week, I participated in a fast from all things frivolous relating to my computer - facebook, blog reading (yes, even my beloved blog reading), and other internet wanderings. I will confess that Thursday was calm, enjoyable, ...........and yes, almost drama free.

So much so that I have determined that Thursdays will be Tangible Thursday! A day of embracing the role of wife, mother, teacher, friend - and living it, rather than stalking other people's lives via their blog post or their status update. A day to enjoy those things tangible to me, the things I can touch, ...........like my clutter????

I don't have a nifty conclusion to these thoughts. I think all people, even mommy people, need to spend time focusing on their own needs. I always think of the analogy where if you are on an airplane and it is in trouble - put your own oxygen mask on first, then start helping those you love.




However, after today's reading I'm wondering if I can reach that place where loving my roles as wife, mother, teacher, friend become my oxygen mask.

What do you think?

Blogging...........about blogging?

Confession.

I am an avid blog reader.

Of people's blogs that I don't even know.

If I like your blog, then I peruse all the blogs on your list of blogs you read. Adding, yes, more blogs to my subscription. Reading my google reader could be a full time job. ....hmmmm?????

I feel like I really know people (mostly of the female persuasion) that I have never met. No one I know has met them. And, often I do not comment or acknowledge that I am stalking their writing life.

There.

I consider blog reading to be in the same category as magazine reading. Except, lucky for me, it is a paper free hobby - goodness knows the last thing my house needs is more clutter!

I have never thought of my own blogging as for anyone else's enjoyment - or part of their procrastination attempts.

This weekend is something called Blissdom. Where the addicted bloggers go to learn more about blogging. I have to say that it sounds like my idea of a great weekend!

I blog because I like to chronicle my family adventures here. I consider it my most successful attempt at scrap booking. I have this lovely scrapbooking bag that my husband bought me as a treat a few years back. It even rolls. I have stacks of papers, oodles of stickers, and some of those fancy markers where you can write on paper and it won't become a faded mess when my kids are old enough to care that I created scrapbooks for them.

What I don't have - is any talent at the whole arts/crafts gig. Or, interest. Shutterfly and its printable digital books are my new best friend.

Sssshhhhh - once a month I go out for an evening to "scrapbooking." About six months ago, I quit taking any scrapbook supplies. Now, I take a yummy snack and go purely for the adult conversation. I found that when I carried supplies and didn't use them - I felt guilty. Like I didn't accomplish my objective. Now, that I take nothing but food and my big mouth - I definitely can meet my goal!


I blog because I like to have a place to share our homeschool adventure here. I consider it the place to record my weekly highlights. It is a much more reliable resource than my lesson plan binder! It has what we actually got done - what we loved, what went right, what went wrong, .............basically all the lessons we are learning on this journey.

I blog because I have thoughts, ideas, complaints that I don't want my kids to read here. When I print the kids blogs into books (on the to do list for 2010), I want them to be truthful accounts of their lives -with the omission of their mother's ramblings.

Here, I hope to find my voice.

Somewhere in maintaining three blogs - they don't all get the same attention, devotion, or enthusiasm. Perhaps if I downsized to one, I would have time to create cool logos, figure out how to add widgets, or really investigate the whole use of ads.

But that's not the big picture for me. For me, I love it. I love choosing the pictures. I love rambling. I love hopping around reading everyone else's rambling.

Perhaps my spot in my comfy chair, complete with ottoman, holding my warm pink laptop is my own personal blissdom.

If your blissdom is at home too, you can join the party here! Hop over and link up!