thirsty { - FICTION - }

Who could that be at this hour?

Kyle’s head jerked and his eyes opened widely. His tingly legs were bent yet sprawled out on the floor. Cotton was jammed into his mouth. 

He heard it again and looked toward the knocking coming from the monstrous wooden door.  

Who could that be—

Kyle tugged at the corners of his mouth. 

Wait—

There wasn’t cotton in his mouth, he was just incredibly thirsty.

Where the fuck am I?

Kyle’s eyes darted around the dark room till they found a dim white streak of light crossing over the mouth of a bottle. With his hands pawing the moist wood floor, Kyle dragged himself toward the empty bottle which once held whiskey. He lifted the black labeled bottle and not a drop came from its mouth to satiate his own.

When the knocking occurred again, he dropped the bottle in his lap and looked at his surroundings more closely: cheap metal chairs in a semi-circle, a large desk heading the chairs with push pins crucifying paper onto a bulletin board hanging behind it, a deep wastebasket by the closed door which had someone standing on the other side trying to get in.

Kyle immediately knew where he was, but not why he was there—in the room in which he taught Ethical Theories. Yes, some might say he had a relationship with the bottle, but he wasn’t one to jeopardize his job like that. 

He slammed his eyes shut for a moment. 

When he opened them, a student stood before him. Jessica. Her sheer blouse draped open, the button and zipper on her jeans undone, her long dark hair clearly disrupted from its pristine norm. She wore the most devilish smirk he’d ever seen.

He slammed his eyes shut again. When he opened them, she was gone, but the knocking persevered. 

 “Open up Mr. Kemp,” Jessica whispered through the door.

****************************************************************

 

Today's piece is a result of a couple different prompts: two from the folks at the Yeah Write Speakeasy who've asked us to use the first sentence- "Who could that be at this hour?" -along with referencing an image of a bulletin board with push pins... and two from the folks at Trifecta who've asked us to use the third definition of the word Mouth and keep the piece between 33 and 333 words.

 

Guest Post: Technology, Family, the Workplace – 5 Tips for a Working Mom

Written by Kristin Steward

Many working mothers will say being separated from your children and family during the work day is often very difficult and is a sacrifice many mothers make today. Luckily, through technology, working moms can connect with their families during the time they are at work.

1.       Screensavers and wallpaper – Your child or children can be part of your workday when you create a screen saver or wallpaper for your work station or mobile phone. You can have a family night taking funny pictures to make a “workday release” slideshow for your screensaver and wallpaper.

2.       Digital picture frames – Having a slide show of all of your favorite photos, on the corner of your desk, can bring a smile to your face in even the most stressful of situations. From your family vacation to Walt Disney World, to movie nights, to baking cakes and attending baseball games, these photos can fill your digital picture frame with your favorite family memories. Depending on how many of your favorite family memories you want to have with you at the office, you can get different sizes and features on your frame.

3.       Custom iPhone cases – Any photo of your newborn, family pet and family can be incorporated into the design of your iPhone case. Shutterfly has great options where you can add multiple pictures to your iPhone case. This will remind you that inside are the first videos and photos you and your spouse took while you were creating all your family memories. Look at them on your break and share them with your friends at work. It will give you that boost to get you through the rest of the day.

4.       Videos – If your baby is in daycare, many have cameras where you may check in from time to time. If your kids are at home with a nanny, Mr. Mom, the grandparents, or a friend you can use Skype to say a quick hello over your lunch break. You can also use Dropcam or Apple’s FaceTime to check in on your family pet, kids, and even your sick hubby anytime throughout your hectic workday!

5.       Social Networks – Facebook and Twitter can allow instant interaction with friends and family. You can share photos, status updates and check in with your family while at work. As we all know, social networking can be very time consuming, so make sure your activity online it is not distracting you from your work at hand!

Only you know the emotions that tear at you when you have to leave your family for the work day. When you leave for work and think about the hours that stand between you and your cherished family time, a pang of longing may take over. Fortunately, you can now begin to utilize some of the tips listed above to enjoy your family throughout the whole day! I can tell you that they do help! 

Kristin Steward is a mom trying to fulfill a New Years resolution to write more. She can be found on Twitter @InstaMommy.

If you're interested in a Guest Post, drop me a line: finallymom@gmail.com.

easy easy EASY chicken and dumplings

Not going to sugar coat this one, folks: I'm damn proud of myself for making this. And it's damn good. When a sick three year old comes running into the kitchen excitedly asking, "Mama, what's that smell?" you know you've done something right. Enter yesterday's adventure to Chicken and Dumplings land.

Taye went home sick yesterday and Lovie still wasn't well despite being fever-free so I picked her up late morning from school. We stopped at the grocery store to get some things, including several ingredients for this really easy dish. REALLY REALLY EASY. And tasty.

Ingredients:

Roasted chicken (the kind from the store makes this super duper easy yo), no skin or bones
Onion, finely chopped (1 medium-large onion)
Celery, finely chopped (3-4 stalk)
Carrots (bag of shredded from the store adds to the super duper easy aspect)
Potatoes (2 yellow/Yukon gold, diced)
salt, pepper, poultry seasoning
Chicken stock (I use this amazeballs stuff)
Hot water
Butter
Biscuits in a can (I use Pilsbury Grands 8 to a can)

Instructions:

• In a big stock pot melt couple tablespoons butter & add chopped onion, celery, carrots and cook for about 10 minutes or so.
• Add some salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and stir.
• Add some chicken broth (again, I used THIS amazeballs stuff!) and bring to simmer.
• Taste.
• Add hot water and/or seasoning to taste.
• Let simmer.
• Dice raw potatoes and microwave for several minutes. They should be soft but not super soft as they will cook more in the soup. Add to soup and stir.
• Taste.
• Add hot water and/or seasoning to taste.
• Let simmer.
• While that yummy goodness simmers, take chicken off bone and remove skin. I'm not a fan of huge chunks of chicken and neither is my kiddo, so I really chopped up most of the meat and shredded some of the white meat. Add to soup and stir.
• Taste.
• Add hot water and/or seasoning to taste.
• Let simmer.
• Open can of biscuits per can instruction and cut each biscuit into 1/2 inch pieces. Add each piece individually to soup mixture and cover with lid for 10-15 minutes. (Biscuit dumplings will expand and become less wet-like and very much dumpling-like.)
• Stir and taste.
• Add hot water and/or seasoning to taste.
• Serve hot and ENJOY.

I DON'T WANNA!

It's not every day I say this but... I'm kinda glad today is Monday.

This weekend was kind of rough on a whole.

Lovie was really sick Friday and Saturday- feverish both days all day long. Wouldn't drink unless we held a cup with a straw up to her mouth, ate very little. Just laid around all day both days, and very needy (understandably).

Saturday I had plans with some bitches I know for lunch (and drinks) but Taye was kind enough to keep me updated by sending me pathetic texts and photos of Lovie "wanting mommy" and when I got home, all she did was whimper on top of me for about an hour or two: "Mommy" or "I want mommy" despite the fact that I was the one she was laying on.

Sunday Lovie was finally fever free and while we really should've stayed home again, we wanted to take advantage of free Disney on Ice tickets we had so off we went to see Mickey and Merida on Ice. Lovie was super tired the whole time, but did well till the end. That's when she lost her shit and screamed and cried for about two hours. My poor dad met us for the show and we were going to get some lunch afterward but instead, he went home and we went on our way.

After several hours of screaming, Lovie finally calmed down for a couple hours before it was time for bedtime and round two of Screamgate 2013 January Edition.

This morning, I stupidly picked out her Yo Gabba Gabba shirt and jeggings to wear and she lost her shit again. That's when I just walked out her room, leaving her to freak out on her own, and she howled MOMMY like she was in horrific pain. I turned around after taking in a deep breathe and calmly asked her to tell me what she wanted so we could move on with the day. She did and we did.

And now I'm at work and she's at school.

And despite it being only 9AM, I sure could go for a drink like the one in the photo above.

TILTW: 1.19-1.25.13

* Three is a really awesome age so far, but also very, very trying at times (bed times, morning times, getting dressed times, when I blink wrong times...). Oy vey.

* I still hate potty training and have admitted to being jealous of those of you with potty trained kids. You can read more about that here.

* Hospice is now coming to my grandmother's house.

* My kid is THE cutest Tiny Dancer.

* Yo Gabba Gabba is so much fun live. I mean, so much fun. Wow. I know a lot of parents aren't keen on "kid music" and stuff, but YGG should be an exception. Really.

* I desperately need to break up with M&M's.

* Lovie's hair keeps some length after a couple of days of it being in twists. Fun! :)

sure of it { - FICTION - }

The magic was all in the finishing touches. Ashley was sure of it, just as she was sure her 4-year-old daughter, Londyn, would go home with the Ultimate Grand Supreme Beauty Queen title. After all, they’d been working on enchanting judges at dinky county fair pageants for the past two years.

Not anymore though. Now they were on to far more bigger competitions which would lead to big time fortunes. Ashley was sure of it.

 “Uh, that’s not at all what I want,” Ashley spat at the pageants’ hair designer.

 “Ashley don’t you wowry, I can rock this,” Londyn said with a flip of her tiny manicured hand before sipping Mountain Dew through a straw.

“Oh Londyn, I have no doubt you can rock this, you can rock anything. But it’s not at all what I wanted!” Ashley snatched a piece of the blond hair extension the stylist weaved into Londyn’s hair. “This is too floppy. It’s gotta be fixed.”

“Yes ma’am, I’m doing what I can.”

“Well you need to do better than that. We gotta be perfect!” Ashley took the Mountain Dew from Londyn’s hand and finished what was left.

“MOM!”

“Oh hush, you’ve had enough.” Ashley fished around a large pink tote bag laying atop the bed in the hotel room they were in. “Now less get your flipper in.” 

With a small set of fake teeth in her right hand, Ashley pushed down on Londyn’s chin with her left.

“No Momma!”

“This is always such a bitch to get in,” Ashley mumbled, jamming the flipper into Londyn’s mouth. “Now lemme see that million dollar smile.”

Londyn grimaced, “It hurts.”

“Tough,” Ashley answered and turned her attention back to the top of her head and hair. “You need to get this higher and it better not move when she’s up there. We gotta be perfect!”

The magic was all in the finishing touches. Ashley was sure of it.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

This piece brought to you by too much Toddlers and Tiaras and the fine folks at the Yeah Write Speakeasy who've requested we use use of the following photo prompt and the first line, "The magic was all in the finishing touches." 

Also brought to you by the groovy peeps at Trifecta who've requested we use the third definition of a favorite word of mine:

BITCH (noun)

1: the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals
2 a : a lewd or immoral woman
b : a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman —sometimes used as a generalized term of abuse
3: something that is extremely difficult, objectionable, or unpleasant

 

well... Poop! or, maybe not.

I haven't talked much about this here.

Not sure why, really.

Maybe I didn't want to admit to being a failure...

...at potty training.

But it is what it is and right now Lovie, who just turned 3 end of December, is still not potty trained.

Oh we've tried. And tried.

We've got books and a potty chair. We've got charts, stickers, and M&M's. We've got a drawer full of undies.

But, as of today, she's still not trained and nowhere near being trained.

I'd really really really love for you to read more about this over at the Bump Blog. So go forth and laugh at my sorry ass over there.

tiny dancer

Lovie took her very first ballet class on Saturday.

She loved it.

We weren't allowed in the room and there was only one tiny two-way mirror for people to leer into but the place was jam packed with people so it was really hard to get a view. Taye had a good view so he took some video.

Any time I was able to peek in, I felt was so proud. She watched with such interest and tried following all instructions.

My big girl.

Afterward, we grabbed some lunch, changed clothes, and went to see YO GABBA GABBA live. More on that awesomeness later.

opposite

With her pristine face grimacing because the Lululemon bag is out of stock, she raises her glass of Chardonnay to her nose and inhales deeply.

 

“First world problems indeed,” she smiles, pearls shining.

 

 

TILTW: 1.12-1.18.13

*
Lovie's a good patient for the doctor at age 3. Much better than at 2 when she was stuck to me like Velcro. She weighs 31 pounds and is 37 inches tall (39 if you add her hair, heh).

**
Lovie starts ballet tomorrow. Ballet. My little lovebug. In a leotard, tights, and of course, ballet slippers. She's so excited. Especially about the slippers. And the ballet.

Speaking of ballet slippers, don't get the ones sold at Target or Walmart with the tights and leotards they have set up to make it seem like it's all legit stuff needed for dance class. Those slippers are SLIPPERS. Like for the house. Get the kid real ballet slippers so people don't laugh at you both. Fortunately I made this realization before it was too late and ordered a pair of real ballet slippers from AllAboutDance (free shipping on all US orders, yo!).

***
Ann Sather is the most amazing place on earth to have breakfast. If you're ever in Chicago, you absolutely must have the world's most amazing cinnamon buns.

Or better than that, have their French Toast Fantasy, made from their cinnamon buns...

My life will never be the same.