Fears

If you know me, you know I don't like spiders. Or any creepy crawly things at all, really. Even those little spiders are sort of giving me the hebe-gebes. The lobster tanks at stores / restaurants? Freak. Me. Out. Harry Potter movie with all the spiders in it? Yeah, I shrieked like a little girl and put my feet on my seat and my hands over my eyes. Sad part? I'm not kidding. I just don't like them...


But generally, they don't cause me to have a full blown panic attack. They just make my skin crawl and give me shudders. Wanna know what DOES cause me to go into a full blown panic attack?

THESEYou might be surprized since my dad was a truck driver, but...

I HATE (with a passion) following these kind of trucks. I could be driving the same road I drive every day and see one of these and I instantly get prickly hairs all over my body. My heart starts racing...

And if I am behind one,

traveling anywhere, I will do everything I can to get around and as far away from it as possible. Can't get around them? I will even pull off of the road and wait for a few minutes... I have always been freaked out by them. I know it's an irrational fear. I just can't help it. I don't know what it is about them... Maybe it's that I am always CERTAIN that something is going to happen and I am going to get crushed by all of the cars they are carrying. Something. But they are scary. Scarier than spiders. And other creepy crawlies. Like shrimp. They are like spiders you can't kill by drowning. Also very scary...

You know you're an 80's kid if...

I've gotten this email a few times and have decided to post it to the blog so that I can look it over whenever I need a smile... :) Plus, I added MANDY COMMENTS... :)

YOU KNOW YOU'RE
FROM THE 80'S IF...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word 'SIKE'. I totally used to do that...

2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton. Still one of my favorite dances. Carlton introduced me to the most wonderful TOM JONES!

3. You know that 'WOAH' comes from Joey on Blossom. I wanted to be 'Six' (Blossom's best friend). And marry Joey.

4. You've ever watched 'Fraggle Rock' LOVED them!

5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons. Or American Gladiators... :)

6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head. I still rock that side pony!

7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school. Super-excited is an understatement...

8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side. I had lots of them. Loved those. Was actually thinking I wished they would come back in style...

9. You played the game 'MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House) Only every day on the bus!

10. You wore a stonewashed Jordache jean jacket and was proud of it. Don't know if I ever had one... Sad...

11. You know the profound meaning of ' WAX ON , WAX OFF' WHO DOESN'T!!!

12. You wanted to be a Goonie. Sort of, but not really. It sort of freaked me out.

13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe) Duh.

14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off, his cheeks shifted and his nationality became questionable. Well, his music was better then, anyway. :)

15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf. That is one of the 'Wonders of the world'...

16. You took lunch boxes to school ... and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard. I had an ALF lunch box (still have it, actually) and I hated the Garbage Pail Kids. They were gross.

17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets. I still have a few. I know, you're jealous...

18. You still get the urge to say 'NOT' after every sentence. Occasionally, yes... ;)

19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets. Some of them never did... :)

20. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. I owned several pair. I basically lived in them... Now my daughter does. :)

21. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying 'I know you are, but what am I?' I still say that with my kids. That is one of the BEST movies ever. :)

22. You remember 'I've fallen and I can't get up' Didn't you love him when he was the 'cool' guy. Not Steven Erkel, but Stephan Urkel... (and I know they are both spelled wrong... leave me alone...)

23. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates. Didn't go to the rink all that much, but I did have roller skates. :)

24. You have ever played with a Skip-It. It was a hula-hoop for your foot. It was awesome! :)

25. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that. K, I never did that, but I did take one to school and dance in front of the school doors to 'Ice, Ice Baby' :)

26. You remember watching both Gremlins movies. I do... :) Cute little freaky things, anyway. :)

27. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot. Smart guys have always been hot to me... I can't explain it... And now I watch shows to just see him.

28. You remember ALF, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac. See above. Had the lunch box. I loved him, but I didn't like that he ate cats. I think that's the only reason my dad DID like him...

29. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as 'NKOTB' I cried for DAYS when my aunt got to go see them and I didn't. But I made up for it. I saw them as a 28-year-old adult with my Jenn. :)

30. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on 'Saved By The Bell,' The ORIGINAL class. Of Course! :) But I think that maybe Jeremiah knows it a little better than I. He even downloaded the class song that Screech wrote... It's on his IPOD. :)

31. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART. Yep, great song. And he got better looking with age. :) :) :)

32. You just sang those words to yourself. Duh! :)

33. You still sing 'We are the World' Yep. But only when I'm goofing off with the hubby. :)

34. You tight rolled or french cuffed your jeans. And still debate on which is the right term! Yep. Thanks to Aunt Stacey. :)

35. You owned a banana clip. Yeah, but I could never get them to work...

36. You remember 'Where's the Beef?' Not from the actual time it happened, but I've seen it plenty of times since! :)

37. You used to (and probably still do) say 'What you talkin' 'bout Willis?' Not generally. Too early in the 80s for me. :)

38. You're still singing Shot Through the Heart in your head, aren't you! Nope. New Kids songs. :)


SO, I know that you guys probably think I'm a dork, but I thought I would be honest and let you know that. :) Hope you enjoyed our trip back to the 80s! :)

An Annoyed Post...

So I have never tried to be / or claimed to be the
WORLD'S BEST MOM
(or parent for that matter),
but I have a rant about something that I have noticed more and more of that drives me nuts.

• If you are a parent, you should NOT be posting pictures of yourself in your bra / nude on your MySpace page or any other Internet forum. Actually, you should not be doing that anyway, but especially if you are a parent. I don't care if you are young and single. You made the choice to bring a child into the world which makes you a grown up. Act like one. And not a skanky one. Don't post pictures of yourself mostly nude / nude anywhere! I feel really bad for your kids when you do. What are you teaching them by doing this?!?

Now, maybe you feel like "hey, I'm young and doing the best that I can" and "why shouldn't I? I can have a little fun!" You're right. You can have a little fun. Post pictures of you at a movie premier. Or dressed in your cute new dress. Or something like that. Do you have to be naked / in only a bra to have fun??? Have you taken time to sit down with your kid and read to them? Or how about fly a kite? Or build a sand castle? Or play a game? Post pictures of you doing that with your kid. Maybe the "quality" of a person you meet would be someone that likes you AND your kid without saying things like "nice rack" or "nice bra". That shouldn't be why a person likes you. That shouldn't be how you are "advertising yourself".... Grrr...

And if you are reading this and thinking - "well, Ms. Mandy, not everyone is as Molly Mormon as you" or "my fun and your fun are different", please remember. I have a past. I try not to judge. I think you can be a good person / parent and still go out with your friends. You can still drink. You can be a lesbian. You can have several people you are seeing. You can do MANY things AND STILL BE be a good example and a good parent. Just have respect for yourself and your kids. They are smart. They have enough coming at them in this world to deal with. They don't need to see their parent strutting their stuff all over the Internet. Or around the house. Or whatever.

OKAY, SO: Sorry about this post. I tried to note it in the title that I was annoyed. I had to vent the frustration that was running around in my head and since my hubby is at work and just says "I know" when I vent this to him, I needed another outlet. I know I'm not the best mom. I know that. I know my kids don't read as good as they should and they watch too much TV. I know that. Just (PLEASE) take this into consideration before posting that picture of you in your new leopard print bra...

Your kid may be watching you and choosing what to become in his / her future today. Be an example of what you want them to be.

LAST WEEK...

My baby boy (Archer) turned 4!
MAN! Not fair! I'm not ready for him to be "big" yet!

We went to Mesquite!
(thanks, Sandra!)
I want it to be warmer in Provo now.

Basement sewer backed up again.
Ugh... At least we didn't have to call Roto-Rooter.

I got Food Poisoning.
Yuck. Now chicken sounds scary.

The Easter Bunny DIDN'T get to come
because the kids were MONSTERS last night...

Now I'm behind on email checking, blog checking, blog posting, Facebooking and all those other fun things I like to do! MAN!!!

I'll catch up. Sorry...

Many Thanks! :)

Monday was my birthday. I had about a million "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" wishes on Facebook or in my email or texts or phone calls. It's good to know you are loved. :) Friends promising dinner and a movie and offering to take the kids when I need it. :) Awesome.

I had not 1, but 2 wonderful neighbor friends who made me a birthday cake so that I didn't have to make my own. :) How awesome is that? :) I know that my kids appreciate it too. :) (Thanks Heather and Shiree!)



I received a dozen roses, some helium balloons, candy and a card from my friend Jerusha. :) Seriously! Do you know how long it has been since I got roses? Wow. :) SO cool. :) Then I got some beautiful Gerber Daisys from Sheri (my Primary President). :) SO AWESOME! :)




And, let's not forget the cupcakes made by Chandra, the pictures drawn by a few of the different neighborhood kids, the cards with money (yay money!) and the BEAUTIFUL cabinets that Sandra (Miah's mom) got for our basement!!!

I had an amazing birthday. I was prepared to skip it and not really recognize it (because, honestly, it's my last birthday before the big 3-0 and I don't feel like being reminded of that). But ALL OF YOU made it a wonderful day.

I can't thank you enough. :)

Just for FUN!!!