{ Bella at One Sister’s Rant is one of my favorite stops on the blogging trail! She is smart, funny, and insightful! One day I am going to purchase that VW toaster van and we are going to drive off into the sunset blogging along the way to a town near you. Her One Question for me is “What defines intimacy in a relationship and how can couples acquire it?” I just realized I didn’t answer the question at all and will have to go back to it in the future.}
What gets you in the mood?
Most women at an early age are fed the Kool-Aid and lead to believe that at one time they will discover a frog in waiting is their prince charming. They wait with anticipation for the flick of the fairy godmother wand which will lead them to their handsome prince with a heart of gold!
As time begins to pass many women begin to lower their standards and set their sights on the elusive man boy. They attempt to nurture and cajole this young man out of his play phase with the hopes of him becoming their very own prince charming.
True Love at last….
It was just the other day I overheard a conversation at the coffee shop between a young twenty something male and his real estate agent.
“I’m looking for a one bedroom condo.”
“Are there any specific features that you would like?”
“My girlfriend thinks I should get a two bedroom condo but I don’t want her to get any ideas.”
“Oh! So your girlfriend won’t be moving in with you?”
“Well! Not now! We will see! We looked the other day and she likes more design features, storage, and color. I just want something sleek and modern.”
“Okay? Should your girlfriend be with us to help you figure out want you want?”
“Nah! I think I should just get the opposite and then she won’t be so keen to move in with me.”
Sometimes fairy tales don’t always come true and when you kiss a frog it stays a frog. I just wish a kind fairy god mother would flick her wand and wake this girl up!
Do you believe in Fairy Tales? Did you kiss a frog to discover your Prince Charming?
We went for a hike along The Hayburger Trail and on our journey we came across an open meadow full of warmth that invited us in for a rest. We stopped in the middle and admired its beauty.
My husband told my children , “Be very quiet! Lets stand still for five minutes and see what animals will appear.”
We all stood back to back looking out across the field a butterfly first greeted us, and then a lovely song from a bird filled the field with serenity. We all stood waiting, watching, and enjoying the peaceful moment.
It was that special moment my family and I stood connected in silence looking out into the wilderness. We watched and waited but no animals appeared in our midst.
As we broke our silence we turned to face each other, looked each other in the eye, and looked down. We all burst out in laughter as we realized we had circled a large pile of bison dung in our silence. If any one of us had moved back on step we would be bringing a small treasure home with us on the bottom of our shoe.
It was the perfect Sunday to revel in nature’s serene beauty and laugh a little along the way.
How do you enjoy the silence? Do you find peace in nature?
[ Feeling Beachie a breath of fresh air on a gloomy day. She weathers the storms when the tide roles in and always brings the sun with her positive glow. Hilary asks "How did you & Mr. MBA meet?"]
I walked into the bar, hungry eyes was playing in the background, and he grabbed me on the dance bar.
He looked at me ” This is my dance space! And this is your dance space!”
We began to dance and I looked into his eyes and exclaimed, “Your wild!”
If by now the dialogue of this conversation seems familiar…It is! A mash of several of my favorite scenes from Dirty Dancing. If life was only full of such romance!
Our story is a little different! I met him the first year of university at a bar over a pool table. We had a few beers, argued over music, and became friends. It was over the years that we grew as friends, and at one point moved forward from friendship to relationship.
A relationship over slow and steady that won a race to the hot and heavy! The rest was history…
What is your favorite movie scene? And what does it mean to you?
The sun was shining and it was the perfect afternoon to take my dog for a run at the off leash park. The trails were quiet with a few other souls walking their pups. As we reached the bank of the river my dog jumped in for a swim. 
I stood behind the bank and could hear two women talk, “I saw Esther at the club.”
“Did you see the work she had done?”
“I know! Did you hear about her husband?”
As I stood there listening to these two women talk I was able to connect the dots one plus one equals…Yes! I did know who they were talking about and was slightly appalled by the cattiness of the conversation. I would have liked to have feigned disinterest and pretend to ignore the gossip. But It’s hard not to connect the dots or ignore a juicy discussion that is right in front of you.
As my dog ran out of the water and we turned away. I was slightly surprised that they were so open and loud about the conversation.
I thought of the old saying “The walls have ears!”
I am human I have shared or savored a tidbit of gossip.I would like to think we are all enlightened individuals but sometimes it’s fun to discuss the time Norma had too much to drink and danced with a dirty old sailor. However, if word got back to Norma how would she feel that we talked and chuckled about her amorous evening.
I have realized somethings should be left unsaid because you never know when that gossip can comeback to bite you in the butt. The walls always have those pesky ears and you never know who will hear it!
Have you ever shared a tidbit of gossip? Did it ever return to bite you in the butt?
As my son and I walked through the mall attempting to decide where to eat. His eyes looked up at the bright orange sign and said, “Why don’t we give Hooters a try?”
I sighed, “Umm. Let’s go somewhere else that you might like to try!”
“Mom! Everybody says Hooters is the place where you have a hoot!”
“A hoot?”
“Yes! A hoot!
“Who says that?”
“I don’t know! I just heard it.”
His nine-year old eyes innocently looking up at me, “Can we go?”
“It’s not really a place to have a hoot. It’s just a restaurant. And I have heard the food is terrible.”
“But I want to try it!”
“How about you pick something else? And we can have ice cream afterwards?”
I know the great parental bribe! I have never pretended to be above it. At the same time, it was my last attempt to change the subject. How did I explain to my son that I did not want to eat at Hooters because the woman were objectified in short shorts and low-cut tank tops. Was it really time for this conversation?
“Mom! Come on! Please! Please!”
If anyone was stubborn it was him and he wasn’t giving up!
“It looks fine. Can we go?”
And with that I diverted the subject, “Let’s have lunch later, and go check-out the skateboard shop.”
Crisis averted! But who knows for how long?
When is the right time to discuss the objectification of woman and sex? Can it be avoided? If so, for how long?
Hurray! My mom is visiting us this week! But it also means my True Blood obsession would be interrupted or would it? I had to know what happened to Eric? Was he going to feed on Sookie? And where did my Alcide go? These questions rumbled through my brain. 
It was 8:45 pm my palms were sweaty, my addiction needed to be fuelled…I looked over my Mother was quietly reading her Debbie Macomber novel. This was my moment to escape downstairs to my one favorite summer show and see what would happened next!
Mr. MBA saw the look in my eye, he knew the intensity was more than the need for one drop of V! He watched as I arose from the chair, and nonchalantly said, “Well! I’m going to go watch True Blood! You can come watch it mom. I mean, well… If you want? But that book you are reading looks good! So I can understand if you just want to read.”
Mr. MBA piped up “Oh! You know she needs to go to her cave on Sunday for an hour. She might eat you alive if you disturb her!”
I rolled my eyes and bolted down the stairs, “Well! I have to go now!”
I successfully escaped, the awkward conversation, plopped on the couch, and then heard my mothers footsteps come down the stairs.
“I think I will watch it too”
“Oh! Okay! Just to give you the heads up its gory, raunchy, and is about vampires.”
“One of those strange shows…”
“Well! It’s fun! And I’m not the only one that watches it you know! Your other daughters do too!”
It was with that I settled in for questions and commentary. Yet, it didn’t happen…
She giggled, she laughed, and at the end her only response, “How could you watch such a strange show?”
“It’s your fault! You raised me to be strange!”
She sighed, “I believe you get that from your father’s side.”
Who knew watching True Blood with my mom could be so much fun! I even suspect she may have watched a few episodes on her own from time to time…
What was your most odd TV or Movie moment with your parents?
As the end of the school year comes around the bend, I have watched with pride how far my little men have strided and grown learning from their own failures and successes. I watch in awe how spirited they have become - I wonder is it time to unravel some of the bubble wrap that surrounds them? It was just this weekend my nine-year old taught me an important lesson knowing when it’s time to let go of the reins.
“Mom! Do we have any strawberries?”
“Yes! They are in the fridge. I’ll get them for you in a minute.”
“It’s okay Mom! I got it!”
I hear him open the utensil drawer, shifting through it, and peaked my head around the corner.
“What are you looking for?”
“The cutting knife.”
“I’ll cut them for you.”
“No mom! I can do it!”
Instinctively, I walked over getting the knife out of the drawer ready to begin slicing the strawberries for him. He put out his hand for the knife looking exasperated.
“Mom! I’ve done it before.”
“When?”
“When you were gone one afternoon and dad was downstairs working in the basement. I just did it. And I didn’t cut my fingers. Just let me do it.”
I handed over the knife and hovered over him watching intensely as he chopped up the strawberries.
“Be careful. Watch your fingers.”
“I know Mom.”
It was with that he carefully cut each strawberry,paying attention to every detail, ensuring his little fingers were safely away from the blade.
Once he was finished, “See I did it! You know I’m going to be in grade 4 next year. I can do this stuff.”
It was with that small moment of hovering over my son, watching him grow to become more independent and responsible. I knew it was time to loosen the reins and give him a little bit more freedom. If I want him grow to become the confident young man he is meant to be, I can’t always hover, and must slowly unravel just a little bit more of the bubble wrap that I have constricting him.
Do you think we give children less responsibility these days? How do you know when it’s time to unravel the bubble wrap?
I have a confession my son is a picky eater and I have failed at expanding his food horizon. In the past, I scanned every parenting magazine, forum, and sought advice from friends. But nothing seemed to entice him to eat if he didn’t want to eat what was on his plate.
I am also guilty of catering to his whims, and have been known to cook two separate meals. One for him and one for us. However, our last supper turned into a disaster. I had made lasagna, fresh bread, and salad. What’s not to like?
My son looks at it, picks at it, twists it on his fork, his pleading eyes look at me, “Do I have to eat this?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I don’t like lasagna!”
“Since when? You ate it without complaint the other week.”
“May I just be excused and go to my room?”
It was with that one question something inside me said, “No! You will sit there and finish it. It’s lasagna and there is nothing gross about it. So eat it.”
“Do I have too? I just don’t like the taste.’
“It tastes like spaghetti.”
“Fine. I’m not eating.”
“Fine. You sit there until it’s eaten.”
My husband looked surprised, my youngest son Robert gobbled his with delight, and Alex sat there with tears welling up in his eyes.
“I just don’t like it!”
“Alex do you even know what gross food is?”
“Yes!”
“I don’t think so. How about this? You either eat this lasagna or I go to the store and purchase liver. I will come home and you can help me cook it then you will eat it. It will be then you will discover what gross food is!”
“I’m not eating it!”
“You won’t eat the lasagna then you sit at this table until I get back from the store.”
I went to the entryway, grabbed my keys, my purse, and put on my shoes. My husband looked up pale wondering if he too had to eat liver. He also knew that I meant business and sat quietly watching the events unfold before his eyes.
” This is your last chance! Eat the lasagna! Or I will leave, go to the store, and buy liver! You will then eat it and learn the meaning of gross. The choice is up to you.”
I then began the final countdown, hand on the door knob, ready to leave “10, 9, 8, 7, 6,5…”"
“Fine. I’ll eat the lasagna. I hate it but I will eat it.”
It with that one threat of liver which forced my picky eater to finish his plate of lasagna. I still shudder the thought of cooking liver and onions. Even I can’t stomach the stuff…
Do you have a creative solution to getting picky eaters to eat? Is there one food that you can’t stand the taste of?
Mr.MBA usually doesn’t read my blog but sometimes on the occasional chance he gets curious and visits my little online world. This morning as we were eating breakfast we were having a discussion about his broken nose. He looked at me curiously, “You are not going to blog about this are you?”
“No! I’ll leave your poor nose alone.”
“Good!”
He then looked at me, “You know I’m thinking I might have to begin thinking before I speak. Maybe I should trademark everything I say?”
“Why?”
“Well! If you are going to keep mentioning me in your blog.”
I burst out into laughter “Yes! All insightful great one! Please do!”
It was with that we went about our morning business and making plans for the day. As I looked over the morning newspaper I began to think there are many things I share with readers but also there is a line that I won’t cross in my personal life. I believe some conversations and some events in life are best kept private regardless of how good of a story it is to tell.
So, I want to know are there things you refuse to blog about it? Do you have a line that you don’t cross when it comes to life, family, and career? If so where do you draw the line?
