Do I Need to Grow Up or What?

Some of you may not like or appreciate this post. But once again. My blog. My words.

OK. I am at least not in denial.

I'm aware of the radical situation here. Really.

I’m thirty-eight years old. I told myself, “Self, do not do this. Restrain yourself. You are an adult; a middle-aged adult, almost ready to celebrate her 20th reunion from high school. You are on the brink of becoming a novelist (how long must I endure this BRINK, self asks?). You are a mature, seemingly so anyway, woman. With a family. Responsibilities. An image to upkeep.

I told myself, repeatedly. I tried to make myself understand. I mentally said, “Do not blog about this. No one will care. Keep it inside. Enjoy the moments on your own. Pull them from your memory when needed. Whistle the tunes quietly, if you must. Sneak through the magazines when you think no one is looking in the grocery store. But, don’t let them know of your addiction…

But I cannot hold it in any longer.

The secret must be shared. And tonight, I shall share it…

I have been waiting for this night all summer long now, and alas, I have already broken my promise to not blog about it…

BUT I CAN’T NOT BLOG ABOUT IT!

Some of you loyal readers, you know. You know what I’m about to tell you. Yes, you, CMommy, and you, March of the Seas…, for I believe you are two who share in the addiction.

And that addiction, my friends is High School Musical...

Two.

In fact, I am such a High School Musical Dork – slash – addict that I posted blog notes during the commercials…

Let me take you there, if you dare …

I’m in the middle of watching HSM2, and just now, Mr. Manic looks over to me and says, “You are giggling like a 16-year-old.”

I am! I love it! It totally reminds me of the two summers I worked at a bath and tennis club, complete with the summer romance! The best summer of my life. I was working at a resort-like place, there were rich people all around, and us kids were shlepping them tuna salad on pineapple boats, getting exactly 15 percent tips from the lunching tennis ladies, who actually would pull out their calculators to determine 15 percent of 7.95. But there was also the ‘staff’ side of the job, where everyone was working to make money for college, everyone was looking for the next party, or, in my case, the next boy to kiss. It was a summer full of memories, not unlike the summer depicted in HSM2, and one that I’ll always remember, and I’ll always cherish the first moments I had at that summer job, falling in love with a lifeguard, while I was on the other side of the tracks, because lifeguards and waitstaff were world’s apart and shouldn’t mingle. Actually, now that I think about it, I was much like Juliet to my lifeguard’s Romeo – drawn together, yet pulled apart, the Montague’s and the … who was the other family?

Anyway, digressing, but there was no accidental death in this particular summer romance; just a confession from Mr. Romeo Lifeguard who admitted he had another Juliet back at college, yet he really could be in love with two Juliets at the same time. Yeah. Right. I wanted to be THE Juliet, not the I'm-The-Summer-Juliet-While-I've-Got-A-College-Juliet-As-Soon-As-School-Starts-Back-Up Juliet.

OK, now I’m bummed out.

Enough of my wistful reminiscing. Back to the show…

Ryan and Sharpay are HILARIOUS. They are spying on Gabriella and Troy, and Ryan has a walkie-talkie and when he calls Sharpay, he says: “Goldenthroat. It’s Jazz Square.”

Get it? I guess you’ll only get it if you know the characters. It’s freaking hilarious! Like Sharpay is named Goldenthroat for her singing ability. I am cracking up over this show. And Ryan calls himself Jazz Square… well, if you didn’t see High School Musical One, then, well, you just won’t get it. But, we all know how many times I have blogged about HSM. I am like the biggest dorkiest fan in the thirty-plus range!

Are there any fans of the show in the thirty-plus range? I’m scaring myself.

OK, I’m blogging during commercials, and they just did the I Don’t Dance song on the baseball field. And then Sharpay gets mad and when she’s walking out of the dance room, she says to the drummer, “Give me a beat.” Like as in Janet Jackson, Ms. Jackson if You’re Nasty Give-Me-A-Beat… And then struts out of the room. And then she rips on the Wildcats saying, “What is this? A production of Grease?”

Really though, High School Musical is so much better than Grease ever was. And I’ve blogged about this too. Sure, maybe it’s unbelievable, but I would love for my kids to have friends like the Wildcats in high school. There are no drugs, no unplanned pregnancies to deal with. No keggers. No one-hitters, no bongs, no tin-foil prepped pipes…

OK, so it’s Disney, folks. But it’s so nice. And safe. And I want my children to be safe. And it sends off an extraordinary message… a message about being in the moment, and not forgetting who you are to get where you think the future has to take you. It’s about staying true to yourself, and your friends, and having fun along the way. It’s a great message. One I really admire.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I have a major crush on Troy Bolton, and Corbin Bleu, and the whole cast is amazing, and they all appear to be very hard workers, and I think these kids deserve the success they’ve achieved.

And, I guess I’m missing a big part of my youth too. It’s sad really, to start feeling old, and to know your kids are getting just old enough that they’re not going to want to Bop, Bop, Bop, Bop to the Top with you for much longer. And that pretty soon they’ll realize exactly how much of an embarrassment their mom is really going to be to them when they get smart enough to know that most moms don’t try a jazz square or try to sing the latest Disney songs at the top of their lungs while driving in the minivan. Sad, really. I’m very sad.

Know what’ll make me happy? I think I’ll go watch an encore presentation of High School Musical 2… because You’ve got the music in me….

PS… To view all previous posts about High School Musical check here (there are really too many to post individually:

High School Musical Previous Posts on Manic Mom.

Feel-Good Movie

I think CMommy is a big fan of this movie too, but tonight is the first time I've actually sat and watched the complete movie, and I am totally loving Disney's High School Musical! Why the hell wasn't it made for the big screen though? That one woulda made a ton of money.

Watching it gives me the same feelings as the first time I saw Grease, Footloose and Dirty Dancing. It really just makes my heart feel happy! If you are of the era of these above-mentioned movies, and remember watching them and wanting to get up and dance in the aisle of your local movie theater (which I think I did when I saw Footloose), then you should really go out and rent High School Musical.

It's just fun in a warm-hearted way, and it makes you wish you could go to high school again, and it also makes you wish all high schools were really like that, and it makes you wish you never sucked at chemistry and that you had a hot basketball star who could melt you with his voice and would fall in love with you!

It also shares a really, really, really great and important lesson about how people should be accepting of others no matter what.

I hope my kids learned something from it other than Mommy really stinks at the sing-along parts and she should stop getting all giddy right at the part when Troy almost kisses Gabriella!

Grease Vs. High School Musical

Okay, okay, please forgive me for getting on this topic again, but my kids just yelled to me that GREASE is on ABC Family so I went to watch a few scenes.

Is it cuz I am getting older or do the 'kids' in GREASE look like 30-somethings while the 'kids' in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL definitely look like the right age for high school?

Rizzo looks about 40 in Grease. And Kinicki not so far behind.

Didn't get around to dishing about my dream last night, but did make it to Ajers football camp only about five minutes late today, so I was a hero.

Took SEVEN, yes, count 'em... seven kids to see CARS today. I wasn't looking forward to it, but was entranced... especially when I discovered Luke Wilson had the lead voice. I just closed my eyes and pretended he was on the screen.

Will be taking a short leave of absence coming up as I will be in The Garden of Midnight And Evil soon. Anyone else been there?

xo Manic.

BiRTHDaYS, HiGH SCHooL MuSiCaL III, uRGeNT CaRe, SPoRTS, GRaNDPaReNTS aND BLue MaN GRouP

Whew. What a weekend. I’m coming off of being pretty sick, first with that migraine earlier in the week, then I got Gosh knows what that led me to urgent care on Saturday and three prescriptions, a retracted ear drum, which actually bled through the middle of the night. I’m going back to the doctor tomorrow because I feel like I’m living in a half-tunnel right now.

But, I can’t let a little pain and suffering stop me from the weekend because today marks the anniversary of one of the best days of my life, and that is the day I was given the best gift in my life, and that is the gift of Motherhood.

Today is my firstborn’s birthday.

Ajers is 11. Wow. Eleven years, one hour and 37 minutes ago as I type these words, he was pulled from my cesarean cut and it was announced that I had a boy. And that’s when I felt like my work here on earth was done. Either that, or my anesthesia medication was wearing off because I felt like I was going to stop breathing and die at that moment. Then, they konked me out.

So anyway. You can tell I’m not right with the words and that is probably because there’s that incessant ringing in my left ear from the who knows what is going on in there. We had all sorts of grandparents here this weekend and Friday night we saw High School Musical III.

It is so wrong to have such inappropriate lustful thoughts about Zac Effron, isn’t it? And why do I think he is so hot? I don’t know, but he is. And the movie was as formulaic as the other two, as thought-out and crafted exactly as the other two were, with exactly the same amount of slow tunes vs. dance tunes, vs. a Ryan and Sharpay tune but I loved every minute of it. And I got the goosebumps, and I cheered and I even cried a little bit and Diva looked up at me and said, “You’re not crying are you? Don’t cry!” She hates when I cry at the kiddie movies.

We’re going to see it again next weekend!

Then Saturday, whatever I had was escalating, but gee, we had three children’s sporting events and we had to ‘represent!’ I took Tukey, and the grandparents and Mr. Manic took Diva and Ajers to their games. Tukey’s soccer was a playoff game. Their team is really, really, REALLY good. In kindergarten, the first year these little tykes every played, they made it all the way to the playoff game where these little five-year-olds who knew nothing of the sport played on a college field for the championship! They had no clue what they were doing but they made it to the playoffs at age 5!

Now they know what they’re doing, and for this game on Saturday, to move up to the next playoff game, all they had to do was tie the team they were playing. That means they had to make sure the other team did not score.

The coach put Tukey in as goalie. No drama here. Tukey let one through. It crushed me to watch him react as he realized it happened, that the other team scored on him. I watched his body language from the hill where I sat. I could tell he was crying. He kicked his foot in fury. He wiped at his eyes. He was devastated. So was I.



The end score was them ONE, us ZERO. We were knocked out of the playoffs.

After the game, Tukey told me, “It was all my fault.” Ugh. I explained to him that it was not his fault. But still. That kind of thing just sucks.

On a good note, Diva’s team, who has never won a game EVER in two seasons finally WON their last game! Of which I was not in attendance because I was at Tukey’s game. She was so happy though, to finally get to experience a win. She still does not want to play soccer ever again. We’ll see what happens when her coach comes calling in the spring!

Then after the games, I took myself to Immediate Care which is a big joke cuz Immediate Care is more like “2-3 Hour Care!” And yes, I waited in one room while I heard the doctor in another room giving a high school kid his sports physical at IMMEDIATE CARE! “Now cough please!” THAT’S IMMEDIATE? THAT’S URGENT? YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE DOCTOR ON SATURDAY FOR THAT?

I finally got myself some antibiotics, then took myself home, got into bed and cried in pain because of my ear and all this other crap that’s going on in my head. I needed to be well for today, for Ajer’s birthday because we had big plans. We had Blue Man Group plans!

We took the kids and my parents to Blue Man Group and had a blast. Mr. and I had seen the show in Vegas when I was preggo with Tukey like 8 years ago so we knew what to expect, but it was still loads of fun, and even more fun was experiencing it with our kids. So much fun! We were in the fifth row, which is the “Poncho” section! Ajers had an old Halloween mask from last year he brought with and here are some pics. We also got some pics with the Blue Men at the end.
















Nana and Ajers getting BLUE:


Then we went out to dinner where Ajers got to order whatever he wanted and the dude opted for filet mignon, baked potato and a root beer float. Like immediately after, he got this strange look on his face like he wasn’t feeling too hot and now he’s thinking he’s not doing too good. When we got home he took a hot shower, then kind of moaned, “OH NO!” When I asked him what was the matter, he said, “I have rock climbing at school tomorrow—I don’t want to miss that if I don’t feel good!”

So, busy weekend, filled with a little bit o’ this and a little bit o’ that. Hope you all had a good one! And Happy Happy Birthday to my darling Ajers, who is 11 years old, and if I may just brag a bit, he did receive a citizenship award at school for being an all-around great kid! I’m so proud he’s mine!
Oh, and PS--I'm such a classy mom I didn't even have candles around for Ajers so we had to improvise--if you look closely you'll see there's a 2 and a 5 and then one extra candle on his cake. That means 2 x 5 = 10 + 1 = 11!!! See, I can do me some math!

Lots Of Stuff and then Some More Stuff

Preface to this post: This was written Sunday night, and on my Neo Alphasmart, so there are a ton of typos, which I could correct, but then the kids would miss swim class. So, deal with the typos please. I know they are all there, and if you're an agent reading this, please know I don't have any typos in the manuscript you are about to request, in full, and then offer me representation because you think I'm so clever, smart and funny, you've just got to have my book to sell! That is all to this preface...

So, I've decided to do some blogging from the bed. Spending too much time in one place gets old. Hubby is lying here and in between typing, I'm watching Forrest Gump. As soon as I came to bed and saw it on, I was like, "Oh no." Because if there's osmething I want to do in bed (get rid of those dirty thoughts!) like read or write, ther'll be a good show on that'll distract me.

Oh good, Forrest just stop running, after all, it had been over three years, two months. Phew, TV off.

Anywho (I just stole that cute word from Karyn), I think I'll update you on the weekend.

I saw THREE movies this weekend.

Friday: Nacho Libre. Wasn't expecting much, but figured it's Jack Black and he's good for a laugh or two. Funny, funny, funny! And with a thought-provoking message too.

Saturday: Devil Wears Prada, ALONE! I used to feel sorry for people who went to the movies alone, because i thought they didn't have any friends or were maybe a widow, or a weirdo and no one wanted to go to the movies with them. I don't think that anymore. I am confident, I am self-sufficient, I LOVE going to the movies by myself! Good movie; never did finish the book. Would love to know how much of Lauren Weisberger's life was really like the character in the book.

Sunday: RV. Cute, went with the kids, hub and g'ma and g'pa. All agreed it was a good movie.

If you see from my last post, it was so hot here this weekend, you could fry an egg on the sidewalk! I mean it was bone-sweltering, skin-curdling can't-stand-in-the-shade and not feel the sweat trickle down from underneath your bra. Yuck heat. It was the kind of hot where you go outside and IMMEDIATELY you feel like normal breathing patterns subside, and it takes extra effort to even breathe right. And I went walking in this heat Saturday and Sunday.

OK, this post is totally boring me, so I'm not sure this posting in bed thing is gonna work. And speaking of bed.

Well, this a.m. when I got up, Ajers and hubby were downstairs, and hubby looks at me all lovey-dovey and comes over and kisses me all really nice. Then he says, "I am so lucky."

I was like "What? Why?" I'm thinking he won something or something.

He goes, "Because look at you. You're so beautiful."

OKay, I am totally rolled-outta-bed scummy. Like yuck scummy, glases on, teeth-not-brushed, hair-a-mess, not cute, wouldn't-answer-the-front-door looking like this not-cute.

But he thinks I'm beautiful because he got some nookie!

And if he would act like this lovey-dovey all the time, maybe I should give it up more than just once a month!

And well, I gotta admit, it was one of those times where my mind and body were in the right place at the right time, yanno. (Oops stole THAT word from Miss Snark. I am a Thief of Words today!)

And, uh, we almost got caught by Tukey, who came knocking on the door. That was the first really close call we've had. I can't imagine walking in on your parents. (Not YOUR parents, just generally speaking, although I can't imagine walking in on your parents either, I guess now that I think about it. Have you? Did you? Have you ever been walked in on? Tell me about it! I love a good story. I tell you guys stories all the time!

So, I've been meaning to write an essay titled:
Why I Will Never Use Nair Bikini Cream Remover Ever Again.

This is why:
So, a few weeks ago, you may recall I was getting ready for our beach trip to Georgia. And five weeks prior to that, I was getting ready for our beach trip to Florida, and had gone for a bikini wax. (And before all you men get all excited, I get like the wimp bikini waxes so calm yourselves down! LOL).

So, this beach trip time around, I didn't really NEED a trip to la waxera (like my attempt at Spanish?), so I thought maybe a little bit of Nair would do the minimal trick that I needed to get me through this beach trip.

So, I read the directions, seems easy enough. I've done Nair on my legs long time before. Not a problem.

Slather it on pretty accurately, I gotta say, and then I wait the 3-5 minutes. Directions strongly recommend not leaving it on longer than 10.

Fine. 3-5 minutes are up, and I wipe the stuff off. Things look really fairly good. Like I said, since I had previously waxed, there wasn't much there in the first place.

Everything looked good, things went fine.

Until the next day.

When I began to itch like a camper stuck in a field of poison ivy. And it was burning. And you know how the sides of your undies are elastic and are right at that crease between your thigh and where the wonder starts? Well, it hurt to have my underwear rubbing up against something that was already itchy and burning.

It felt like angry red firey ants were marching up along the crease of my underwear and then marching back down dragging little twigs or dead insects like they do when they are foraging. It itched like hell, like a case of poison ivy on a crab victim. Owwwww.

So, I dealt with it. Somehow. And here it is a couple weeks later, and I'm home and I am checking out the area, which is thankfully no longer itching, and I notice all these red prickly little bumps, and ingrown hairs where the skin has grown above them, and so what do I do?

I tweeze. Like a maniac. Because I don't want ingrown hairs, and I want to fix this mess that I've created in the Netherlands. And what does this accomplish?

Now it looks as if I had a case of the chicken pox but only along the outter edges of my underwaear because I've tweezed so much,and pulled any lone hair that I can until I've bled and the bumps are now teeny scabs that need to heal in order to have my skin look normal. But, when the scabs heal themselves up, they just cover the hairs that are trying to grow back, and the vicious cycle continues.

i don't know what to do, because now I'm practically guaranteeing ingrown hairs and scabby bumps for a very looonnnng time. Right? Any suggestions, other than laser procedures to remove the hair forever, because I have thought of that, but it's too much money.

Thank God I'm not a bathing suit model or I'd be out of work for sure.

Anyway, tell your friends, your family, your sisters, your... well, not your brothers... but tell everyone you care about who you would not want this to happen to them to Ban Nair Bikini Wax.

This has been a public service announcement from Manic Mom because she really does care about your bikini area.

Couple more things and then I'll leave you alone to enjoy your glorious Monday morning:

High School Musical will be on Disney Channel tonight, MONDAY, so if you've heard the hype, and been wanting to see it, watch it with or without your kids tonight. It's an encore presentation where there's going to be a lot of behind the scenes stuff. I plan to be snuggled up with Tukey, Diva, and Ajers in my room getting my head in the game for shiggity folks!

Soaring! Flying! There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach.

Shut the hell up Manic (I took the words right out of your mouth didn't I?)

Books--Got a couple new reads this weekend:

Come Closer, which was recommended by the famed and spectacular former blogstess (Did I just create a new word) of Conversations About Famous People, who has been blogging about famous writers over at Conversations With Famous Writers. Check out her archives, leave her a comment and tell her Manic sent you.

Anyway, this book, Come Closer sounds petrifying, along the lines of Exorcist, The Entity, Amityville Horror. I am afraid to read it at night. Really. And when I was at the bookstore, the guy said they had two copies, but none of us could locate the book, so I'm at the store, thinking, "OK, this is a sign. This book is a devil book and I'm not supposed to buy it because it's Satanic." But then the guy found it and he searched so hard for it, I couldn't just say, "Changed my mind." OK, freaking myself out now for real. I just keep expecting the book to levitate from where I put it or something equally creepy.

Then I got thsi book, Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern, which is about, well, pop on over to Amazon to read what it's about. But hey, I am picking up some pretty creepy books these days.

And you can bet your sweet applesauce that I am hitting B&N tomorrow, Tuesday, for
Diana's debut, Secret Society Girl. I have been trying to figure out special ways to get a bookseller to sell it to me early, like giving the secret society girl handshake, reciting the secret society girl mantra, even offering them the secret society girl's secret recipe for pomagrante martinis, but no one will go to the back of the store and rip open the damned box marked: Best Seller Secret Society Girl By The Spetacular Diana Peterfreund so I guess I'm going to have to hop on over to B&N tomorrow to fight the crowds for it. Let me assure you, this book had HOT written all over it before even the author knew how it was going to end. You have to get it, you have to read it!

And, on that note, I'm signing off to finish
Save Karyn, one of the greatest, most fun memoirs I have ever read. I'm telling you, what a marketing amazement this girl is. She took an idea and ran with it! All the way to the bank, and away from her credit debt! You go Karyn!

Don't forget to tune in to Gabriella and Troy, and watch Sharpey and Ryan act like goofballs in High School Musical tonight!

Cheers from Manic, who's theme song for today is:
Just Another Xanax Monday!

Peace Out!

KISSING FROG WINNER / DIVA B'DAY TRIP RECAP

Congrats to B, at B's Blog, Running with Scissors, because she has won He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope, and Happily Ever After by Trish Ryan. Trish chose her entry from more than 45 entries on first/worst/best kisses!

This is what B. wrote about her first kiss:

I'll go with first kiss. It was with a boy I was "dating" in 8th grade. We walked to the local elementary school's playground and sat under the slide. After a long while of awkward silence he said, "I want to kiss you." I said, "Ok, is this going to be one of those kisses that I need to take my retainer out for?" He replied, "No, you can leave it in." How much of a dork was I?!?!? He then gave me a very sweet kiss on the lips.

Trish said this about the contest and why she chose B. as the winner:

Omigosh, this was a fabulous contest idea ... what hysterical stories!

In the end, my heart is still with B., who asked if she should take her retainer out. As a girl who spent seven years of my early life squirming in an orthodontist's chair, this story hit way too close to home for me not to declare her the winner!

So congrats B, and please email me at manicmommy@comcast.net! There were sooo many great kiss stories though! I have to say I'm really glad I didn't have to choose the winner to this contest!

Now, about our little weekend getaway--

Diva and I had such a fun trip! We went to CONNECTICUT! They sang Happy Birthday on the flight to her and everyone around us wished her happy birthday and were sooo sweet to her she felt famous! On our way there, we sat next to a really nice man (who I later discovered told the flight attendant about her birthday so that's why they sang to her). I was telling him about how we were visiting my sister because Diva said for her birthday she wanted to go visit her cousins.

I was explaining how my family is all about pulling all sorts of silly surprises, and how my sister's father-in-law was supposed to pick us up from the airport, but her husband had let it slip that my sister was actually going to be able to leave work early to pick us up. I then explained how our family is nuts about these types of surprises, like the one time when we were living in Philly, but went to Chicago to visit MY in-laws when I was pregnant with Tukey. I had gone to take a nap and when I woke up, standing over the bed were MY PARENTS, who came to Chicago from Florida to SURPRISE US! I told this whole story to the guy sitting next to us on the plane. I'm sure I bored him to tears.

I told him this, fifteen minutes before we landed: "Knowing my family, my parent's probably arranged to be here this weekend too."

Sure enough, we get off the plane, go outside to find my sister (who I'm not supposed to know is picking me up), and a car door opens and it's MY DAD!

MY PARENTS TOTALLY FLEW TO CONNECTICUT TO SURPRISE DIVA AND ME FOR DIVA'S BIRTHDAY!

And it was so cool! And it made me so happy!

We had a very quick but very fun weekend, which included watching, believe it or not, soft porn on HBO (The Bunny Ranch--have you ever seen it? I haven't--we don't have HBO!) with MY PARENTS and CRACKING UP!

My brother-in-law and I had a Pancake Throw-Down Saturday morning, which I almost lost only because he uses the batter where you actually have to put eggs and milk in it, and I don't so I almost screwed up the consistency. But my secret? Chocolate chips, vanilla and cinnamon, and yes, I am still the champ, thankyouverymuch! We saw Nims Island, drank some wine, ate some filet mignon, cracked up watching 40-Year-Old Virgin.

I bought matching High School Musical jammies for my niece and Diva, and of course, Spiderman jams for the little man. And we totally got to bond. I am IN LOVE with them. I don't get to see them nearly enough! I snuggled up in bed one night with G-man, and he's all like, "Tell me a story about Captain Hook." I'm like, Cripes, I haven't made up stories in like forever.






But then one totally came to me! About how Captain Hook was at the grocery store and he wanted some Peanut Butter Captain Crunch cereal but he couldn't get it down from the shelf because of his hook arm but then Tinkerbell came flying by and even though they didn't really like each other Tinkerbell totally helped Captain Hook get the Captain Crunch cereal and then they fell in love and got married, and then they went to the peanut butter aisle and got some PETER PAN PEANUT BUTTER!

Isn't that a GREAT MADE-UP STORY!?!?

Then he asked me to tell him to tell him a story about a freaking CURTAIN!

So I did. Cuz he's like three and way too adorable for words.

Then we flew home today and Diva had awesome balloons from her Nana that said Happy Birthday so again she got all this attention of people asking her if it was her birthday and we got front-row seats on the plane and sat next to a very cool prego chick from San Diego (Hi Tara, if you're reading this!), who the flight attendant thought we were friends cuz we talked the whole flight!




At home, Mr. Manic, AJers and Tukey greeted us, and one of the best compliments I could have had was when Mr. Manic said to me, "You know, I can see how some days you get frazzled with them. They get wild."

SEE! They DO MISBEHAVE! They can get crazy! It's NOT ME WHO'S CRAZY ALL OF THE TIME! It's those crazy wild cub bear boy children of mine!

So Mr. Manic said he "lit it up" a few times to get them in line. They had a huge balloon for Diva, and we went out to dinner for her birthday and then took a family walk, and now it's Sunday night and everyone's in bed, and I'm on my way.


Happy Birthday Beautiful Diva Girl! Thanks for wanting to spend the weekend with me! And yes, in case you couldn't guess, she had her fair share of chocolate this weekend!

Peace UP!

Perry L. Crandall Has Arrived

Today's the day Lottery and Perry L. Crandall makes their debut into the world. If you'd like to win a copy, there's still time to enter over at my friend Kim's Blog.

Tell her Manic sent ya.

And if you don't win, still, go out and get this book. It's truly amazing!

On a couple other notes: High School Musical on tour was AMAZING, and I cannot wait for HSM2 airing August 17.

And, I need to clean up my sidebar on this blog. If you're a regular reader, and a regular blogger, with nothing dirty or nasty on your blog, (well, nothing more dirty or nasty than what I write!) leave me a comment and I will add you to my sidebar.

Thanks, and Peace UP!

THiS iS iT

If you've ever even liked a song or two from Michael Jackson, you will want to see this movie. Oh.My.God. The dude is AMAZING. AMAZING! What a freaking performer. We were only halfway through the movie and I was like, "I already want to see this movie again to see the dancing and performing and singing all over again."

I feel so badly for the guy. He didn't look sick. He didn't look malnourished. He didn't look like a freak. Heck, look at all those other performers out there. Look at Lady Guy Guy for crying out loud! Look at Marilyn Manson! Look at all those freak performers out there. Michael didn't even look weird in this movie. He looked like a gentle humble kinda guy just wanting to perform his best for an audience of people who love his music.

And he didn't get a chance to.

And Kenny Ortega, director. He did the High School Musical movies, and we all know how much I LOVED those. He's an amazing dude too, and you can tell in THIS IS IT that he and Michael had a great friendship. I'm sure he was devastated at the death of Michael.

In the beginning of the movie, they show the audition for dancers. These people traveled all over the world for a chance to dance behind Michael. What a dream. I think how they were given a life changing chance, and they didn't even get to see it through. What would it had been like to go on tour with Michael Jackson as a backup dancer, or a singer for Michael Jackson. To be hand-picked by the King of Pop?

And as I watched, I just kept wondering how Michael Jackson had changed these people's lives? There was a woman back-up singer who sang a ballad with Michael, and now I can't remember which one it was (I could google but am lazy), but I watched her and I'm thinking, "How could she not be DYING to be singing with Michael; how was she not so worried that she might miss a note and screw up?" Also an awesome blonde female guitarist rocked it when Michael sang Black or White. Did she ever think when she first picked up the guitar for the first time that she would one day be on stage playing an instrument so that Michael Jackson could sing to it? Just amazing!

And now the guy is dead.

And yeah, he was weird for a while. Why he was weird, we don't really know? Maybe he was weird cuz he was in the spotlight for his whole life. Maybe it was cuz his dad pimped him out to the paparazzi. Maybe he was abused and beaten down as a kid. Maybe he had strange relationships with young children. Who knows. We don't know for sure what happened. We will never know. All we do know is that he was an extremely talented gracious humble man who lent his talents to this world.

And that he inspired millions with his music.

Go see the movie. In memory of Michael. It's really worth it.

LiVe TWiTTeR uPDaTeS FoR GLee!

Get ready folks! I'm live blogging during Glee tonight! Stay tuned ... update: you have to read the tweets from the bottom up:

1. OK, I loved it, but really am not happy it's not more family-ish.4 minutes ago from web

2. #glee Though you don't have my bone structure!11 minutes ago from web

3. OH MY GOD!!!! #glee17 minutes ago from web

4. #glee what does she have to lay down for to kiss him!18 minutes ago from web

5. #glee "you're cool rachel."19 minutes ago from web

6. #glee Am bummed that it's not appropriate for kids. But hilarious!26 minutes ago from web

7. #glee NOT PUSH IT!29 minutes ago from web

8. #glee What song? What song? ...29 minutes ago from web

9. #GLEE Uh oh a sexy scene! Hot chalk!!!31 minutes ago from web

10. #glee GO RACHEL!33 minutes ago from web

11. #glee Skirts are Crunchy Toast. And "It's all about the teasing and not the pleasing!35 minutes ago from web

12. #glee High School Musical meets Desperate Housewives -- my husband's description of #glee. PERFECT!40 minutes ago from web

13. #glee Celibacy club meeting!42 minutes ago from web

14. @LitHousewife You're blocked-how can I DM you for #glee magnet?about 1 hour ago from web in reply to LitHousewife

15. I'm busy quoting awesome lines from #glee while some are quoting Obama. Wonder which show gets more viewers?about 1 hour ago from web

16. The girl who threw up before me left that! And Gag Reflex! Hellooo! I'm loving it. #gleeabout 1 hour ago from web

17. OK, a little too mature for my kids? Touching breasts over or under the sweater? #gleeabout 1 hour ago from web

18. My very own Sophie's CHOICE! Bwahahah #gleeabout 1 hour ago from web

19. feak out! #gleeabout 1 hour ago from web

20. Cock of the walk! #gleeabout 1 hour ago from web

21. What's with the purple sweater? #gleeabout 1 hour ago from web

22. GLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!about 1 hour ago from web

23. Squeeeeeeeee for Glee!about 1 hour ago from web

24. I've never watched SYTYCD; now I know why.about 1 hour ago from web

25. OK, here we go, GLEE in 6 minutes! Who's your favorite character? I'm hot for Finn!about 1 hour ago from web

26. Am going to live blog #GLEE in a few at www.manicmommy.blogspot.com. Come for the GLEE party!

Mr. Manic Mating Call

First of all, enter this contest please!

Second, for the winners of the Mamma Mia! CDs -- great news! I have burned the CDs for YOU! I will get to the post office to mail them THIS WEEK! Sorry it has taken so long. Also, I saw the movie AGAIN! FOR THE THIRD TIME!

Third, this is what happened this morning:

So, I'm dusting,

(I'll wait a minute while you pick yourselves off the floor.)

because the house is a mess, and the two boys are outside playing

(Tukey riding his new bike because TOMORROW he turns SEVEN!)

and Diva is in the family room singing along to High School Musical on the Wii.

(Is that how you spell Wii?)

And I'm reaching up with the long-handled duster to snag a particularly annoying strand of webby thing that has been netting its way through the foyer for some time now, and Mr. Manic calls over to me:

"Do you got time to knock one off?"

Yes, this is Manic Foreplay.

post script cuz I just gotta tell you this: Before we "knocked one off," I finished dusting and I made Mr. Manic go into the office and type out the phrase "do you got time to knock one off" so I could remember it so I could blog about it later. AND ALSO, there was more I WANTED to write about what happened DURING the knocking of oneself off, like the little sound-bytes of what was said during the "knocking one off" but he'd probably kill me. Sometimes I wish to God this blog was anonymous just for the laughs.

T-Minus Four Days + Kid Stuff

OK, you've read how I adored High School Musical and really liked Jump In from the Disney Channel. Well, we at House of Manic have a new favorite kid show, and if you haven't seen it, or heard it yet, you obviously don't have children in your home under the age of 10.

Click on the The Naked Brothers Band to watch snippets of this "Mockumentary" documentary about a kid band. The acting will blow you away. Well, it blows me away. Tukey watched it three times today, thanks to On Demand. And they have all been singing the tunes, like Crazy Car, Got No Mojo, and the love ballad, Rosalina. Spend some time over at their website and tell me you don't fall in love with these little guys.

Admittedly, when I first heard it was called The Naked Brothers Band, I was like, "What?" But it's explained in the movie that when the main characters, who are brothers, ages 6 and 9, began their band, they were like really little, and used to run around the house naked.

OK, now I am realizing I am a 37-year-old woman blogging about a Nickelodeon show. WTF? Anyway, it's cute, my kids love it, I love it, and so there you have it!

On another topic-is-sex-in-House-of-Manic conversation this morning, Ajers, Diva, and I were having a conversation (DON'T ASK ME HOW WE GOT STARTED ON THIS SUBJECT) about how a friend of the family had C-sections after her first child was born vaginally because she tore so badly she could not deliver the ala natural way for future pregnancies.

Follow-up conversation:

Diva: "Does she still have the rip?"

Me: "No sweetie, they sewed it up."

Diva: "Was it extra money?"

(No, but I'm sure if her husband asked nice enough, the doctor might have added a stitch or two... bah-dum-dump!)...

That's all folks...

Diet is fine. Haven't cheated. Feeling good and continuing to exercise. Agent is sending out the manuscript. Cabo in four days. Good, good, and good. Hope your week is going well!

Peace UP!

Tonight's The Night!

Ya know how I've gushed about
High School Musical and how it's such a great movie?

Well, tonight's a big night! Because The Disney Channel is premiering their new original movie, Jump In, which I am predicting to be a big hit too!



So, what does a Manic Mom with a Diva do when a new fun Disney Channel movie premieres? She throws a party! Tonight, Diva is having about 18 girls from her Brownie troop and the 'hood over for a JUMP IN "late-over" party, complete with popcorn, pretzels, pop, and pizza! And Diva and I went to the dollar store and bought jump ropes for everyone! (The movie is about a jump-rope team, in case you don't know.)

You should see the invitations I made - they are soooo cute! I want to be seven again! The girls will wear their PJs and bringing a pillow, blanket and their favorite stuffed animal or doll.

And the best thing? They go home at 9.

I am already singing the song they play on The Disney Channel for the movie:
Push it! Push it! To the limit!...

OK, so I am seven. Not thirty-seven.

Anyway, I can't wait!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And thanks for all the great thoughts about me landing my "already-awesome-had-for-two-days agent." More to come, but I don't like to speculate on things until they happen, and I am a firm believer in not doing anything to jinx myself. My website has been updated though, if you want to know more.

Jazzed Up!

I'm totally jazzed up from a Nonfatpumpkinspicelattenowhip! The weather is unfreakinbelievable, air so crisp, sun so sunny, sky so bluey! I almost want to go outside and do some little ditty dance like maybe one from High School Musical or something peppy and happy. I hope I stay in this mood through winter.

Right now, today, feels pretty darn good! Almost perfect.

Hope yours is sunny too!

Oh, and check out this photo of the most beautiful little baby EVER!
Cockadoodle-doodle-doo!

Long Time for 100

I just added a link to the right on the sidebar so you can click on the 100 Things since I'm adding stuff daily.

Also, c mommy asked that I add her to the sidebar; I'm doing a little blog-cleaning so if you want to be added, let me know, or if you want to be removed, I can do that too.

Nothing else to report. No crush news. No puke news. My friend was doing interesting things with a banana late night Saturday (after I had gone to bed at 8:00 p.m. -- that's the problem with starting my famous margaritas at 3:00 p.m. -- but I got up at midnight and the friend was doing some banana tricks), and he kept asking, "You gonna put this in the blog? Huh? This'll be really good in the blog.

The other interesting thing was --which I just realized c mommy will appreciate--we watched High School Musical hung over yesterday and kept embarrassing all the kids by singing at the top of our lungs.

On our way home from our friends' I looked at Hubby and said, "Admit it. You like that movie a lot, don't you?"

He just grinned stupidly and started belting out:

SOARING! FLYING! There's not a star in Heaven that we can't reach!

Sorry so boring. Maybe we should change this blog to Mundane Mom.

I THINK I LOVE YOU by Allison Pearson

Winner Announced:

Congratulations!

Donna W

... who happens to have a crush on Jeff Probst from Survivor (and no, you're not the only one - one or two other ladies mentioned him!). But the ones who cracked me up the most were from the one girl who would crawl through crushed glass for George Clooney, and another girl who crushes on Conan -- REALLY? hahaah! Loved everyone's answers for this one!
Donna, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can send you your book! Congrats again!

Book: I Think I Love You

Author: Allison Pearson

Show me a girl out there who never had a crush on a musician when she were younger and I’ll show you a big fat liar!

Did I get your attention?

Whether you had a thing for Kurt Cobain, INXS’s Michael Hutchence (why am I picking dead guys?), Justin Timberlake, Simon Lebon, Billy Idol, George Michael, Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or Donny Osmond, I bet there’s a musician that brings back childhood memories of you screaming in your bedroom while listening to either your:

A) Eight-track
B) Record album
C) Cassette tape on your boom box or in your Sony Yellow Walkman
D) CD
E) MP3 Player
F) iTunes on your laptop

(if you’re young enough to answer E) or F), tell your mom to enter this contest, not you, and go immediately to Wikipedia to find out who THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY and DAVID CASSIDY are. Also, look up Danny Bonaduce, while you’re there. And yes, one Spring Break, my college roommates and I harassed Danny on the beach, but that was WAAAAY before youtube or digital cameras so we have no proof, just the story.)

There was a time when you probably sat on your canopied pink and white bed tearing out pages from your Teen Beat magazine (back to Wiki if you don’t know what Teen Beat is) while listening to your music, and pasting the 8 x 11 posters all over your bedroom while your parental units yelled at you not to get Scotch tape marks all over the walls.

If any of this rings true in your life, you’re going to LOOOOVE today’s book, I THINK I LOVE YOU, by best-selling author, Allison Pearson.

It follows the story of two 13-year-old girls, Petra and Sharon, who are madly obsessed with David Cassidy - singer, teen heartthrob, and star of The Partridge Family. The girls enter a contest with plans to win and meet their crush in person.

Years later, nearing 40, Petra, now with her own teenage daughter, discovers a letter in her mother’s closet – a letter that awarded she and Sharon the winners of that contest long ago.

And guess what? They are not going to let that prize get away, not even 25 years later!

This is a terrific book for anyone who’s ever had a celeb crush, or a best gal-pal you’ve dreamt with about your future. I THINK I LOVE YOU covers all the topics to make a fabulous book – friendship, love, celebrity, that glimmer of youth we all wish we still had. You won’t want to miss out on it!

Here’s an adorable video showcasing Allison Pearson and the editors sharing who their teen crushes were.

To win I THINK I LOVE YOU, leave a comment here on your CURRENT celebrity crush! I’m telling you a few of mine I wouldn’t kick outta bed:

Vince Vaughn, Josh Duhamel, Dane Cook, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, and okay … Zac Efron! (I know, I know! But he's sooo cute in all the High School Musical movies!)

*****
Please leave a comment, and all those who do will qualify to win I THINK I LOVE YOU! I’ll draw the winner in a couple of days and I will post the winner’s name at the TOP of this post, in the highlighted area.


Come back and read about each book every day in March. Choose the books you'd like to win. Enter for any or ALL the books. Each entry will count as an entry toward the grand prize of winning ALL 31+ books at the end of the month. You can win the book of the day and still qualify to win ALL the books at the end of the month!


PLEASE be specific with your name in the comment section, and IF YOUR NAME is listed as the winner, you must email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com in order to claim your prize. Email me with your full name and address so I can have your book(s) sent to you.


Thanks, and GOOD LUCK! And come back tomorrow to see what book I’ll be giving away then too!


It’s MaNiC MoMMy’s March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway! Read ALL the Rules and Details Here!


Sorry, only U.S. and Canadian residents only!

Families Gone Wild Meets Jerry Springer Meets Family-Style Spring Break AKA Our Family Vacation

So, this post has just been written, and I haven't even edited/read through it for errors, etc. So you're getting the raw, pure stuff here folks (pretty tame if you're looking for really, raw stuff! Go crack an egg or something).

Will embellish and add photos later.
Manic XO

So, how ironic is it that I am sitting in the lobby of the hotel where my wedding reception was held over 13 years ago, and I'm watching a catering manager speak with a couple planning their wedding. Why am I here? Because I just dropped the kids off at Summer Bible Camp at church and was in search of a quiet place to recap the vacation extravaganza. Rather than going to Starbucks (sidenote: have not had a nonfatsugarfreeanythinglatte since before vacation, and i think I don't really need or desire one--we'll see what this week brings though), or a Panera, where I would inevitably eat a sourdough bowl filled with onion soup, adding to the pounds I have acquired over the vacation extravaganza, I have chosen to sit in this lobby.

Lobbies seem like a really cool place to write. How come writers have never suggested the hotellobby as a place to write? It's quiet, it's interesting, there are a variety of people to look at, to eavesdrop upon, and hey, if you're that type of person, well, then, you could give that lone traveler a look, a nod, and follow him right up into the elevator for some afternoon delight.

I'm not that type of person, but hey, I would like to write about 'that' type of person.

Anyway, I have finally started on the mound of laundry and plan to be completely back to normal by next monday. Vacationing is a very hard thing to do. Really. But I have to say, this trip was by far the most fun family vacationwe've ever had.

It started out with a 15 hour drive to Georgia, and we were accompanied by our great friends, who I guess I should nickname here... How about The Coach, CW (Coach's wife) and Kids 1, 2 and 3.

So, CW and I decide after the first leg of the 4 a.m. trip, that we would switch minivans and the boys could all go in one car, and the girls would follow in the other. I'd say about 45 minutes into this part of the trip, we watch as my hubby in the front seat of Coach's car, reaches into the back to get something for a kid, and Coach swerves, and next thing you know, they're moving to the side of the road with the hazards on. Now, CW and I are going, "That didn't take long." Because as all women know, there's no way a man can drive and a man can co-pilot a car-full of kids. There are just too many demands.

So, we pull over at the next exit, and hubby gets out of the car and his forehead is bleeding, and he tells me that Tukey is puking and CW and I are just trying so hard not to laugh because it is just typical for something chaotic to occur when a woman is not present.

Apparently, while hubby was reaching in the back of the car for peanuts for Coach, Coach swerved, thus hitting hubby on his forehead with his sunglasses, causing some blood and a small wound, which therefore caused Tukey to puke at the sight of blood. I think I've mentioned here before about how much Tukey hates blood. Thank God he's a boy and will never get his period.

So, that was just like 4 hours into our journey. I won't bore you with the other details, but we got to our first night's destination, and grabbed some beers and hung out poolside at the hotel. I had five beers. Let me tell you, the last time I drank five beers I was probably ...well, never mind what I was probably doing, but let's just say, I don't drink beer anymore, but wow, I did not have a hangover. That might be my problem. I need to stick to the simple stuff, like beer, which is probably what my brother should do, as you'll see when I detail the 'Bachelor' party later in this post.

Next day, we get to our destination, beautiful Tybee Island, Georgia, and upon arrival to our resort, CW and I were looking at each other and thinking, "This does not look good." The place just looked a little run down on the outside, but when we got into our room, WHOA! Georgeous, three bed-room, three bath, we-just-walked-into-a-Real-World-episode house. Accommodations, A+.

$350 later, and three hours at the island Publix where we stock up on food for the week, we come back to find hubby and Coach loaded already, kids happily swimming in the pool. The set up was perfect--there was a Cabana Grill, and right off the pool was a quaint little place (OK, a beach-side dive) called Sea Dawgs. We spent our fair share of $$$ in Sea Dawgs.

That night, after eating Steak Salads that CW made, and that I later threw up (there you go Blair, couldn't let you down--for those of you who don't know Blair, she's a reader who wrote to me once that she and her friends love my puke stories)... digressing here, and I'm not writing this on my computer, but my Alphasmart NEO and it's hard to see what I've previously written, so bare/bear (I never know which one and am too lazy to figure it out) with please!

First night of vaca: three youngest children asleep on one bed, the two girls are watching, you guessed it, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, and our husbands have gone MIA. CW, Ajers and I decide to go find them, and we tell the girls that we'll be downstairs (Cuz we knew finding the men would result in simply going downstairs to Sea Dawgs). The great thing about our set-up was that we could see our balcony of our room from Sea Dawgs, which made being at the bar very attainable, especially when CW would just go upstairs to check the kids every 15 minutes (Oh, and to refresh her drink).

I am boring myself right now trying to remember this story to retell it all so I might just have to offer snippets of the rest of the trip, which included the first night at Sea Dawgs, the crashing of a Mexican wedding where we partied with the bride and groom all night (well, until I threw up), and Coach traded his baseball cap for an authentic Mexican sombrero, and they all did tequilla shots and the Macarena, cuz really, what Mexican wedding is complete without tequilla and the Macarena?

My parents and their good friends, and their kids (who are our age) and their kids, (who are my kids' ages) all arrived on Sunday, and that's when we were re-introduced to the Rocket Fuel.

Poolside, we had a waitress named Tess, who would deliver us drinks from Sea Dawgs when we were too lazy to get off our butts and walk two flights to make our own drinks. Well, they had some really nice pina coladas over at Sea Dawgs, and pina coladas are nice, easy drinks to ease you into the day. Well, one afternoon, Coach, hubby, my father, and his friend, who I will now call Neil Armstrong, were all poolside, while we women, being ever-so-subservient, were probably upstairs cleaning the condo and making meals. (OK, we were really lying in bed with hangovers watching Dr. Hollywood 90210, when Dr. Ray performed the vaginaplasty on his ever-so-cute receptionist. And to quote dear Dr. Ray, that surgery is his favorite type to do because the vagina is so pretty. Ewwww. We must have watched six episodes in a row, and I never, never watch TV, you all know that!)

Back to Rocket Fuel. So, the guys are getting loaded, and we discover that Neil Armstrong has suggested to the guys that they get a 151 Rum floater on top of their pina colodas because if you stir it, "it just blends right in."

Yep, they were about ready to take off! One of these drinks and you were well on your way. So, I had one, and decide it's a little bit too powerful so maybe we could lighten the strong taste of the rum by adding just a little bit of Kahlua. Yeppers! My drink of choice, a Rocket-Fuel-Injected Pina Colada with added Kahlua for taste. Oh, and a cherry on top please.

So, this got us through the week, and into the evenings where we would convene at Sea Dawgs where a Jack-Black lookalike was DJing and allowing whomever wanted a shot to take the microphone and do what he pleased. The Coach rocked the house down every single night at Sea Dawgs with his dancing and karaoke moves.
Oh yeah, and I guess there were fireworks on the beach July 3. The kids enjoyed them...
On the fourth, we Rocket-Fueled during the day and then that night we hit a dock-side bar called Dewie's where this band, The Trainwrecks, were playing. They thought they were the trainwrecks until all nineteen of us showed up--10 adults, nine kids. Anyway, check out their site, they're really cool guys and played everything we requested, and play downtown Savannah too.

Did I mention that I am in Tybee Island because my youngest brother is about to wed? Yeah, that's what I'm getting to...

So, it's Thursday night, and my brothers' fiance is going out with her girlfriends in Savannah, so we all go out for my brother's 'bachelor'party. Since this is a destination wedding, his bachelor party consisted of me, hubby, coach, CW, my father, my mother, my sister, her hubby, my other brother, and a few other family friends. After wearing out Sea Dawgs, we decide to venture to the 'happening' side of the island, and end up at a few interesting places, one appropriately called Scandals. We're all dancing and having a good old time, meeting some of the locals and drinking and dancing, and oh, did I mention drinking? Well, somehow hubby is dancing with this little chick, and I don't mean like a cute little chick who I feel threatened by, but a woman who is really short but dancing up a storm. I had noticed a nice looking guy earlier in the night, and since everybody is talking to everybody, since everyone is buzzed, and nice and just happy to be out, Cute Guy and I discover that little chick dancing with my husband is Cute Guy's wife. And she's climbing all over Hubby like he's a rock wall or something, and I'm cracking up because it's hilarious, and Cute Guy is all southern and going, "OH Hell no!" because I think that's a southern phrase, and somehow throughout all this, Cute Guy and I decide that we need to make Little Chick and Hubby jealous, although, I already know nothing will make hubby jealous, but I go along with Cute Guys' plan to make them jealous, because hey, he's all southern and cute and if he wants to pay me some attention to make his Little Chick jealous, then Hell yeah! heh heh hehe
Little did I know at that time that Cute Guy's plan to make Little Chick jealous involved a quick-but-sturdy suck on my neck to produce, just in time for my brother's wedding, a purple hickey!

Of course, I went right up to hubby and said, "OMG, he gave me a hickey!" and then immediately after confessing this, I said, "TAKE A PICTURE SO I CAN POST IT ON THE BLOG!" hahahahahhabwaaa!

Here it is:

So, just when I think that would be the worst of the evening, we all stop at this cute place called Stir The Soul, where Coach, CW, my dad, my husband and I devour about 15 tacos and two cheeseburgers.

The bad part was, we left my two brothers at the bar alone.

And yep, one of them got arrested, and yep, I would love to go into tons of details for you, but you all know my mom is a blog-reader, and I don't think it would be fair of me to share all the family drama with you. Let's just say at 4 a.m. I awake to find my father leaving our condo, and I ask, "Is everything okay?"

His reply: "No. Your asshole brother is in jail."

And then I go into my dad's room and into the bathroom where I see my OTHER brother, the one who is getting married, has left his shirt soaking in cold water in the sink, and his shorts on rolled up on the floor all bloody.

By this time, my lips are numb and I wonder how the hell am I going to have enough Xanax for my mother and me for THIS fiasco, when Hubby wakes up and comes into the hall.

His question:
"Dead or incarcerated?"

I'm like, "Well, incarcerated now, but when mom finds out, he'll be dead for sure."

Long story much too long, there was a bar-room brawl, and as much as my brother would like to think he won, he was beat to hell, and oh yeah, he's the Best Man and needs to give a speech and do Best Man things the very next day.

We.Are.So.White.Trash.

Fortunately, in leiu of all that shit and drama and trauma, the only unfortunate event during the wedding was a three-hour power outtage at the Hyatt where the wedding party and guests were staying.

The wedding was beautiful, and everyone had feared that the Savannah heat and humidity would be terrible since the ceremony was to be outside at Forsyth Park, but God cooperated and it was a mild 85 with no humidity.

And now I have a new sister-in-law, a brother on probation, Rocket-Fueled memories at Sea Dawgs, a hickey, a tan, about 10 extra pounds, but all in all, it made for a great story.

Now, the question for you is: How much of this do you believe?

SuNDaY BLooDY SuNDaY, FeB. 8

Wow, busy week at Manic's Blood Central, and let's just say some of it has not been so grandious, starting with a little bit of "this truly isn't hate mail" --

You guys decide, OK?


I do admire your blood drive. I do understand the need. But, isn't this slightly unfair to those of us who had transfusions that "may be" contaminated? Then we went to Europe for school? We can't donate, unless it is to a family member.

This truly isn't hate mail. I just find this contest extremely discriminating. Good luck though

My response:

I'm really sorry you feel that way. Not meant to be discriminating. Just meant to be a motivation for people who might not think to donate blood to consider donating. Consider this -- am I also discriminating against people who do not read blogs? It's a tough call. I can be discriminating against so many people if we sit and think about it. I'm not trying to be selective here. Just trying to get people to donate. You say you've had transfusions -- aren't you thankful for those people who have donated? What if there was someone who wasn't willing to donate but I've convinced them they should try, and that person had your blood type and he or she was the right type that saved your life? That's all I'm trying to do, not discriminate. I'm so sorry you are not looking at this blood drive in the positive light, in the glass half-full way.

God bless, and thank you for pointing out that you're not sending hate mail, and for wishing me good luck. I just want to save some lives that might not have a chance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I forgot last week to mention my two really great friends donated blood, but didn't have their pictures taken. Thanks to Gina and Cathy, who both suffered GOOSE EGGS (bruises and popped-up bumps on their forearms) from donating, and Gina also had a little incident where blood started spurting everywhere. THAT would have made for a nice photo op! Cathy's O-negative, and her blood went directly to a young boy at her church who was having surgery.

Thank you to my beautiful friends!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And then we also have Monique, who didn't know about Manic Mommy's Virtual Blog for Blood until after the fact, so she didn't have a photo, but she still would have donated because she was doing it for a very special reason. For her father! Here's what she wrote:

I got the message too late to take a picture but I donated ... I gave via direct donation for my dad who is having surgery in 5 hours (Feb. 2, 2009). He gave me life now; it's my turn to give that gift back to him. It was the first time I have donated and he was there by my side, it was incredible to know that what I was doing was not only saving a life but it's my dad life I get to save. I gave at the Blood Donar Room at UMASS hospital in Worcester, Ma. on Jan. 26. I can't wait to go back on March 23 and do it again, I love the way it made me feel, I can make a difference.

Thanks for making people aware of the need, my eyes are so much more open now...
Hubby donates next week.

UPDATE ON MONIQUE'S DAD:

My dad is doing fantastic, he is out of ICU and thriving. He was awake for the entire surgery and spoke with the doctor during surgery; they spoke about the game (super bowl) and of good food, however when the doctor explained to my dad they were starting the transfusion his remark was "Oh, great, I used to be mild mannered now thanks to her and her blood I am going to be BITCHY!" I love my dad and I'm thankful he was still joking even while under the knife. He didn't mind being awake, however he said he did not recommend it if you hate hearing the drill at the dentist because this was much worse.

I don't care about being in the drawing as I already got the best gift...my dad.


So glad Monique that your dad is doing well, and thanks so much for sharing your story! It's great to see the success of what donating can do for others out there! Way to go Dad! Glad you're doing well! You've got an amazing daughter there! : )

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My story:
Lynn, Chesapeake, Virginia

A virtual blood drive, that's really a cool idea, honestly.


I had, actually, decided to donate blood before I was directed to your web site (and honestly, I'm not sure how I got there. I read a ton of diet and fitness blogs, so it was probably from one of them...)

Last year, my husband and I started weight watchers, and have totally changed our lives. I have lost over 65 pounds (with ~25 pounds left to lose) and my husband has lost +80 pounds. We both now work out regularly, are doing the 100 push up challenge, and I am in training for a 5K, with the eventual intention to walk in the 3-Days for the cure Susan G. Komen breast cancer awareness drive in October.

However, despite all these staggering changes, I really haven't been able to change my "worthless fat girl" view of myself. In an effort to boost my self esteem, I've chosen 2009 as my jump-off point for my self-esteem and happiness project. While doing research on line about happiness and self-esteem, I came across Gretchen Ruben's Happiness Project blog site. (If you have time, I highly recommend flipping through some of her stuff, it's very interesting...) www.happiness-project.com

Anyway, one of the things she is continually saying is "Do good, feel good." All the "you're the greatest" kind of wordy self-esteem stuff really doesn't help. We all hear the mental eyerolls, or the sarcasm, or think people are just being kind (even when they are being completely sincere; if I don't feel good about myself, someone else's praise isn't going to make me feel much better.) So, thinking about do good, feel good, I immediately decided to give blood.

I've never done it before. For a long time, complications with my weight and other illness gave me a great excuse (why would anyone want my blood, it's all icky...) but really, the truth was, I just didn't feel good enough about myself or about life in general to make the effort.

So, yesterday, Superbowl Sunday, I did.

Talking about it with a dear friend of mine and she decided to join me, so I feel good about my own donation, and that I talked my best friend into going with me! Two pints for the price of one battered ego! Good deal, no?

After I made my appointment, I came across your web site and your virtual blood drive. So, thank you! Also, Felicity, the Red Cross girl who did my draw, thanks you as well. She said that was the best idea she'd heard in a long time, and hopes you get a ton of donors!

Sincerely,

Lynn

Check out Lynn's blog here The Hungry Little Caterpillar. She's really an inspiration! And thanks to Lynn's friend for donating too!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

Manic Mommy,
I don't have a picture of me in the chair. I had a friend take it for me on my cell phone and then I FORGOT TO SAVE THE PICTURE. Please call it New-Mommy brain.




I am not a new donor, but I've only managed to give blood twice ever because of low iron, sickness, or travel outside the U.S. The Red Cross comes to my work every few months and I was so glad to finally be able to give today! And then I found out about your contest (through Because I Said So) about ten minutes before I was due for my appointment!

After having a baby three months ago, and months of OB appointments and being pricked, I didn't figure this pricking was that big of a deal. :) Perhaps I should have done my homework on nursing and giving blood before the donation instead of after--but it IS permissible for the Red Cross as long as you are more than 6 weeks postpartum. And, hey, it gives me a good excuse to eat a huge dinner--nursing plus blood loss! Bring on the beef!

Jessie
Nashville, TN
www.vanderbiltwife.blogspot.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kirsten at Notes from a Human Napkin donated but didn't take her picture and doesn't need another warm vacation because she just got back from St. Thomas! Yes, I am jealous, but I'm also thankful that she donated just for the goodness of her heart, her suntanned warmed heart, no doubt! Thank you Kirsten!!!

Here's what Kirsten wrote:

Congrats with the donors, you are inspiring. I did go and donate last Friday but I forgot my camera. It's OK though, I just went to St. Thomas ~ I don't deserve another sunny trip! I am vowing to give every 3 months at least from now on. Thanks for the push! :-)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks for the pint from my very good blogger pal Kim Stagliano, managing editor at www.ageofautism.com and a Huffpo Blogger, who is also an alum donor - two years in a row baby!! I knew she'd have a fun photo to send, and disappoint SHE DID NOT!



Love and thanks KiM!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Here's Andi!



After FOUR TRIES, SHE FINALLY GETS TO GET PRICKED!!! Here's what she had to go through to give up her pint!

After the fourth try at four different locations, it finally happened! I was able to donate! I was nearly in tears with joy when the guy, Bill, told me I was set to go with a number of 39! I was so happy to be able to give you these pictures and give the best gift that I ever could. If I win a prize, I am going to email Bill and Rachel who helped make these pictures possible!

Thanks, Stephanie for doing this. It proved that patience and perseverance pays off, plus downing iron pills, red meat, and a few cans of spinach. :)

Glad to help! Glad to finally help!

I am so glad that you and I are friends now. I look forward to meeting you in person one day!

Andi B.
St. Louis, MO

Me too, Andi, me too! Thanks so much for your efforts and for also helping to spread the word! And for befriending me on the 'net! So much appreciate you getting out there and staying persistent to offer your donation!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And here's a great post that Care Aware put up about the Blood Drive -- thanks so much! And isn't that a great poster too? Love it!

Care Aware



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And yeah! WeaselMomma accepted the challenge and donated the pint!

WeaselMomma:
I'm now officially one pint low.



Read her story here.

And now, this week, I am going to call out TWO of you, and these are the two I am challenging to donate blood this week.

March to the Sea -- you're it baby! I know you're out there, reading this blog, thinking about the Cheetah Girls and day dreaming about the day High School Musical 3 hits the stores via DVD, but stop for a minute and think about what if like Zac Efron needed a transfusion in order to get his head back in the game? Huh? You'd take a needle for him, wouldn't ya? So yep, buddy, I'm triple-dog daring you to gimme a pint. And I want a photo to prove it.

And my other victim ... Travis, I know you've had a terrible month. Really horrible month. Your house burned down. You're getting your life back on track. You're choosing new green shag carpeting. You probably could use a break, a little distraction in your day. So, I'm giving you permission to take an hour for yourself, go find the nearest blood bank (is there one near you? Maybe you might get a "get out of jail card on this one) and donate a pint. Let me know if you think you can handle this.

If not, one more to the challenge ... Ink and Beans ... and only because you my friend ... you got me hooked on crackFacebook so you owe me dude. You owe me a pint of the red stuff babe. You stole my soul and gave it to Facebook. I want your blood.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And finally for the week -- whew! Has it been an INCREDIBLE blood-giving, life-saving week here at Manic Mommy's Virtual BLood Drive or WHAT!?!? We have Mommy Melee!
St. Petersburg, Florida



Before I had kids, I was too scared to give blood. After 9/11 I even waited in line for nearly an hour only to chicken out when I smelled the "hospital" smell of the blood mobile. When I was 10, my grandmother died of ovarian cancer and I spent a great deal of time in hospitals visiting her. That, combined with my insane fear of dentistry (and the smell of surgical gloves) made for one serious wuss.

Then I got pregnant and discovered that you have to give blood approximately 600 times. I got used to it. And I started giving blood in 2007.

A few weeks ago I walked past a bloodmobile and asked how soon after pregnancy I could give blood. They told me six weeks. Since it had only been three, I headed home. But today your blog post reminded me to get with the program. I searched for the nearest location, waited for both my kids to sleep so it'd be easier for their dad to watch them, and then I headed out and gave blood.

Thank you, Manic Mommy. Your virtual blood drive is awesome, and inspiring.

And thank YOU Mommy Melee -- Stop by Mommy Melee's blog because she is currently giving away a very special toy for the ladies, if you know what I mean!

Everyone have a great week, and I hope to see March to the Sea, Travis Erwin, and Ink and Beans here next week a pint short! So everyone who's reading this, please stop by their blogs and tell them Manic Mommy has officially called them out for Blood!

Thanks!

And thanks to all you fabulous donors! This has been the BEST WEEK EVER!