Wednesday, March 24, 2010

GO! Pick Up The Phone. Call Home.

Sometime between the age of 5-6, I was going to run away.

I don't remember all of the details, no idea what I was even SO angry about, that I felt the need to leave my family, nice warm house, food, bed, and TOYS!

But I DO remember it was after dinner, getting dark, and I was standing on the landing talking to my Dad about it.

He had just come through the back door, to find me on my way out.


I couldn't tell you a word of the conversation, but something my father said, made me open my overflowing, little blue suitcase to reveal all the treasures I had planned to start my new life with.

Teddys, trinkets, and books. A bunch of those 'Little Golden' books.

**SIDE NOTE - OK, so we've just determined the 'book hoarding tendencies' began at an early age**


I was ready to take on the world.

Hittin' the road, Jack!


I'm not sure if my mom remembers, but I'm positive she was standing in the kitchen at the time, while all this was taking place.

And I can only assume, the discussion that followed, was enough to convince me to stay, as the only other clear memory is of me, dragging that suitcase down the hall and back to my room.

That was the one and only time I ever 'seriously' thought about running away from home.

Oh yes, in my almost 6yr old mind, I WAS serious!


Growing up, I didn't NEED to leave, because I had two parents who loved me, and gave me a 'normal', loving childhood.

Don't get me wrong. My dad and I had our moments (moreso than mom and I).

Argued. Butt heads. Yelled. Cried.

Despite all that, I knew I had it good. Never any real reason to leave.

To choose a life on my own, on the streets, over the love and protection of my family.


I couldn't imagine running away today's world. Trying to live on the streets.

In a shelter.

Staying alive.

But, whatever the reason driving them to the streets, as long as there have been kids, there have been runaways.


I do understand some kids leave out of fear for their safety/life.

And rightfully so.

I also believe others choose to run, out of anger, hurt feelings and misunderstanding.

In the heat of the moment.

And what feels SO right at the time, turns out to be very, very wrong.

But how do you go back? After months ... years, of absolutely no contact?


Sometimes, you can't.

Period.

But other times ... if someone would just make the first move ...


This video is for all of you who fall into the latter category.

Those who decided what seemed SO right at the time, is now so very, VERY wrong.

Listen.

To the words, and your heart.



Oh ... sorry ... you didn't realize this was going to be another Educational Country Music Moment did you?

Hey! Whatever gets the message across, People!

And since this is a message I can get behind, if I have to use Country Music to spread it, then grab your spurs and give me a YEEHAW!


Now ... you, and YOU over there, hiding behind the plant ... GO! Pick up the phone.

Call home.

K.

Monday, March 15, 2010

You Asked, I Answered

Last Tuesday night, I was actually going to go to bed EARLY!

And by early, I mean 10:30pm. This NEVER happens! I'm never usually in bed before 1am.

Bed at 1, up at 6:45, such is Mama's life :-)


This particular night, my youngest boy was with his dad for the night (a RARE occurrence on a weeknight!) and the older one, had fallen asleep before 9pm. Another RARE occurrence.

By 10:30, having already enjoyed some quiet 'me' time, I was ready to call it a day.

Then ... I decided to check my email one last time before heading upstairs to bed.

BIG MISTAKE!!!!


I checked my personal mail, then opened the inbox for the blog.

And there it was.

An email from Heather at SITS, advising me I was going to be the 'Featured Blogger' over at SITS on Thursday.

Holy Crap!

'I can't go to bed now! I've got a post to write!'


You see, when you're the featured blogger, it's proper blogging etiquette to have a 'Welcome' post ready for your visitors.

I've been slacking on the blogging lately ... I had NOTHING!

I'd had an idea floating around in my head since I got the first email last summer, advising me I'd be a future 'Featured Blogger', so now it was time to get that idea on paper.

The result, at 1am, was Today Is MY Day Bro'!

And you know what? WHAT a day it was!!!

HOLY CRAP!


My Korner gets it's regular visitors, which I'm ALWAYS thankful for. It also gets a ridiculous number of hits from people wanting to read that James Bulger post.

But never, NEVER has the Korner seen the traffic that it did on Thursday. MY Day!

Did I mention Holy Crap yet?!?!??!

And not only were they reading, but many were liking it too!

Wow! {Insert Sally Field's gushing 'You Like Me' acceptance speech here}


One of the first comments I received that day, was 'Enjoy your day. This sh*t's about to get heavy! :).'

Oh yeah ... she was RIGHT! :-)

I have to take this opportunity to thank everyone who left a comment on the last post.

I've always tried to answer each individual comment I've received. However, in the case of THAT post, uh ... yeah ... it's gonna take me awhile lol

I appreciated each and every one. The encouragement and support I felt through your words was unreal!


Although I hope to get to everyone's blog in return, there were a few questions/comments that caught my attention, that I wanted to address right away.

Holy Cow - that was ONE post.When did you have the time to write that?? - See that whole intro above ;-)

When do you get the time to blog? That would be sometime after 10pm (if it happens) and the weekends the boys are with their dad. That's it. I'm not a daily blogger. Never have been. I post when I feel I have something 'shareworthy' and that's it. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but hopefully it's always worth it ;-)

Where is your Follow button? - Sorry everyone, I don't have one. It would drive me crazy watching that box, checking to see if new people were 'following' me and wondering why someone would decide to 'unfollow' me. Was it me? Was it them? Were they seeing another Korner?

Too much pressure.

I also personally think some look at those follow boxes as a competition of sorts, and that's not what this whole blogging thing is for me.

Having said that, I'm on Blogger, so those of you with accounts there can still follow me through your Dashboard, and those on Google, please feel free to add me to your readers.

Ok, so I'm dying to know - who was the hockey legend and how did you get a phone call?!? - That would be The One Where My Dad Hangs Up On Guy Lafleur.

Unfortunately it's wasn't Sidney Crosby doing the calling to MY phone (after his golden goal)! :-(

Ha! I loved that movie when I was 6 - OK, now THAT just made me feel old!

Goodness craziness DOES just fall into your lap, doesn't it? - Yes. Yes it does. Something about me just seems to attract it!

I grew up in Florida and saw plenty of hurricanes. But that might not be as cool as living with tornadoes. - That was the one and only freak tornado I've experienced. And it really wasn't that bad, nowhere near a disaster. So, I felt sort of bad thinking people might have expected more from it based on the title of the FB post.

I did however live through one hurricane also. Nova Scotia experience Hurricane Juan on Sept 29, 2003, which was devastating to parts of the province. If interested, you can see many, MANY pics of the damage HERE.

We could use your super secret sleuthing powers over at the Cellulite Investigation - Was that a job offer?!?!? Cause ya know, I DID always want to be Nancy Drew when I was little, and I STILL have all my hardcover collection of the series that I can refer back to if needed!

Oh. Damn. I just spotlighted that book hoarding tendency again didn't I? Damn.

dude. every once in a while, that song pops into my head too - dude, I am SO glad I'm not the only one who experiences The Danny Phenomena!

I have to say you are raising 2 fine young men there and have MUCH to be proud of - Thank you, thank you, thank you! As someone who feels she makes it most days flying by the seat of her pants, when it comes to this parenting thing, it's a nice thing to hear :-)


Another thing I wanted to mention, was the fact that there were comments on how I deal with many of our adventures with humour. You're right. I try to. Most times.

Then, there are the times I don't feel so humourous, and instead direct my frustrations into An Open Letter to Assholes Everywhere. Vol II is coming ... oh yes ... it's coming alright.


And finally, for those of you who liked the Magic Bullet post, be sure to head back over there to see the update on whether or not he got one Christmas morning!


There! You asked, I answered. Some of them anyway.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to stop by the other day, and especially to those who spent time getting lost in the various posts, and left comments.

It really WAS a pleasure having you all here, and reading your thoughts, and I hope you'll be back.

Cause as much fun as it's been catching up on all this old stuff, it's time to get on with the new.

And as most of you know, or are quickly learning, there's ALWAYS something NEW going on in the Korner! ;-)


K.

P.S. I apologize to all those who still have Danny DeVito singing in their heads!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Today Is MY Day Bro'!

One of my favourite (comedy) movies is TWINS.

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.







Pic taken from HERE


There is one scene in the movie, where the guys are getting ready for their dates.

Arnold has never been on a date before, and Danny is making him nervous, by singing to him 'Tonight is YOUR night Bro. Tonight is YOUR night Bro ... Tonight is YOUR night Bro.'










That particular snippet of song has rolled around in my brain for over 20 years!

At the strangest moments, it will pop into my head.

Other times, as I'm preparing to head out for a night of fun, there he is - Danny Devito singing in my head.

And, today?

He's singing again, because ...


Today is MY day Bro'!


Why?

Because today, I'm the Featured Blogger over at The Secret Is In The Sauce, or SITS!

WooHoo! Yay me!


So, WELCOME!

Welcome all you SITStas, and everyone else who has dropped by the Korner today.

For you non-bloggers, SITS is a blog which offers support to bloggers through networking and by encouraging comments.

Lots and lots of comments!

Sure, we all like hearing friends, family and co-workers say they read and enjoy our 'stuff'. But it's also nice to get those comments from people we don't know, too.

SITS dedicates a day to a specific blogger, and all other bloggers within the social media group head on over to their site, check them out, and say Hi.

It's a nice concept.

Makes the blogger feel like Queen for a Day lol.

Not to mention providing wonderful exposure for the blogger, and opening the doors to potential friendships.


It is customary for the Featured Blogger, to introduce themselves.

So, for those of you who don't already know me - Hi, I'm Kim. This is my Korner.

I've been a single parent for the past (almost) six years, of two boys who will be 14 and 10 in a few weeks.

I'm a full time mom.

I'm also a full time employee. I work for a company (in various roles) on a project that is building our new military helicopters.

You won't find me discussing work around here.

I'm sure most wouldn't find it very interesting, and considering it's classified military stuff, I'd have to kill you all afterwards. (that was a joke people!)

And being a working single parent of two active kids ... I just don't have the time to hunt down each and every one of you. (I repeat ... that was a joke people!)

Kids. Pets. Work. And everything in between.

The busy just N-E-V-E-R stops!

If you'd like to know more about us, take a look at Who's Hiding In The Korner?



The BEST way to 'get to know me' is to catch up on some of our adventures. All the curve balls life throws at us, and how we handle them.

I thought I'd put together, what I think, are some of the 'best of' posts from the Korner.

Some deal with parenting issues, some with celebrity pics, and some are just for FUN!


Any parent knows that having kids means dealing with 'stuff' almost daily.

The good stuff, the bad stuff, and the stuff that just leaves you going W-T-F???


It really wouldn't matter to me WHAT my kid's sexual preference was. However, in the case of both my boys ... they like girls and It's All About The Babes & Boobs!


Who knew when I sent my kid off to school for the day, that I'd be getting a call before noon to pick him up for having a ... Shot Of Vodka Before Homeroom, Anyone?


So I Open The Door, And There's The Police ... Yeah, pretty self explanatory!


Mick & Mimi have brainwashed my kid! You Want A WHAT For Christmas?


This blogging thing has occasionally offered a perk or two, in the form of Product Reviews. The people over at Healthy Edudynamics thought I might be interested in reviewing a Parenting Handbook for the 'tough' questions kids ask. Ahhhh Puberty. It's Going To Be An Interesting Ride. Blink. Blink Blink. Is It Over Yet?


Have you had the DRUGS conversation with your kid yet? I did ... Call It My Pre-Intervention.


So what do you do/say, when your kid thinks he's the next WWE Superstar? Now What The Heck Can I Say To THAT?


I Lost My Kid. Then I Found Him Again. Yeah. 'Nuff said.


They're not just learning the three R's at school anymore ya know! Reading, Riting (yes, I know, misspelled, but keeping with the R theme), Rithmatic, and ... Masturbation! YIKES! MOM! Wanna Know What I Learned Today?



I'm a mom 24/7. Every day. Except for those couple of weekends a month the boys are with their dad.

On those weekends, after dealing with all the parenting, work, life issues, it's time for Mama to relax and/or have some FUN!!!


My BF and I try to go out every few months for a Girls Karaoke Night Out! Oh, but not just ANY karaoke ... COUNTRY karaoke!!! No, we're not the next Faith and Shania, but you know what ... We Have Fans? WHO KNEW?!?!?!


This one's for Eddie Murphy fans. VINTAGE Eddie Murphy fans. This is not of the Daddy Daycare variety. I enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning one day, remembering why I was always Delirious for Eddie!


Do we have any Country music fans in the house? I Spent Thanksgiving With Carrie Underwood! and went Back To School With Brad Paisley!


OK, sure, everyone knows Brad and Carrie, but what about Johnny Reid?!?! So ... WHO is Johnny Reid?


Then there was the night my BF and I unintentionally showed up at a POF gathering. Yeah. Plenty of Fish? More Like Lots Of Seaweed!


A couple of years ago, the boys started watching Wrestling. Yes, Wrestling. If big, sweaty muscles in tights or speedos are your thing, then check out how WWE Rocked Halifax! Or anything under the category Wrestling ... Yes ... Wrestling LOL


Anyone believe in ghosts? Or up for A Little Paranormal Activity Perhaps?


The story about the hockey legend? That would be The One Where My Dad Hangs Up On Guy Lafleur



And then, there are the serious issues ...


Have you had your boobs squeezed lately? Happy Birthday! Please Place Boob Here ......


Since the whole tornado episode was highlighted in the title, I'd better throw in that post too! From the Beach to Tornado in a day ... Summer Vacation Adventures Part II


The Fascination With James Bulger, And His Killers - A follow up to the James Bulger post I wrote just over a year ago. The original has generated the most hits and comments in the Korner.

Both of these pages have seen spikes in the past week, since one of the murderers has been returned to prison for a release violation.


When the ex and I first separated, he moved to a four unit building. A killer lived among them. This Ain't Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood Baby!


And finally, fans of the show Hoarders may enjoy the story behind My Dirty Little Secret


That's it!

Well, not really, but if you want more, you'll have to start digging through the archives or categories.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

And if you're a new visitor, I hope you found something today that will bring you back to the Korner, and join us for another adventure.


BIG THANKS to SITS for highlighting me today as the Featured Blogger!

Cause ya know what that means ... Sing it, Danny!


Today is MY day Bro'!


See ya SITStas!

K.