All posts in Just For Fun

Today Officially Sucked?

By Scarlet Mom | January 25, 2011 | Just For Fun | 1 Comment

Today officially sucked. I realized that, in about 30 days, no matter what I do, my current employment will end. I can’t tell you how unbelievably scary that is. Yes, I’m searching high and low for a new job but in this economy that’s easier said than done. The realization hit me like a tone of bricks.

I truly believe in karma so two things are going through my head. First, I might deserve this anguish. The past year at this company has been hell. Somewhere, sometime, I must have done something in my life that I have to pay for. I can accept that. But the other side of karma is knowing that the goodness in my heart will come back to me, over and over again. I truly believe that. And I’m already starting to see it.

I have the most amazing friends and family. People say if you want to know who your true friends are wait until you are in a crisis situation. Now, look around you. Let me tell you…I have some amazing friends. They are rallying around me like I could have never expected. And my family? Wow. My brother, whom I have always been so proud of, has never made me prouder. Even my ex-husband has stepped up (not that he has ever let me or my son down) and is offering to go the extra mile…and then some. As scary as it is to be faced with unemployment it is heartwarming to feel the love of those closest to you.

The most important part of all this is knowing that I will be able, with everyone’s help, to take care of the most important person of all – my little guy. I can’t skip a beat. I can’t let him see me down. He can’t suffer. Life must go on. And it will.

So I guess today didn’t suck quite as much I thought. I have amazing people around me. I’m getting out of a job I hate and, in time, into a job that I will love.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

A List For All Of Us

By Scarlet Mom | November 28, 2010 | Just For Fun | Comments Off

This list has been floating around email and Facebook for years. The Stiletto Mom published it in her blog the other week and since I have been absolutely buried with work and the Thanksgiving holiday and haven’t had time to write a post I, too, thought this would serve as a humorous post. I will be back in the swing of things at the end of the week. Until then, I hope you all had an awesome turkey day and have a fabulous week.

Truths For Mature Humans:

1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3 I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4 There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5 How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6 Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9 I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

24. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

My favorites are 1, 4, 5, & 8. What are yours??

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

Always Check Out Your Own Ass

By Scarlet Mom | October 13, 2010 | Just For Fun, Self Improvement | 2 Comments

When searching for your inner sexiness and trying to dress for inner and outer beauty, I cannot stress enough that you must always turn around and look at your backside. We can spend hours upon hours primping and preening only to have some horrifying misstep from behind: a sleek dress with bulging panty lines; back fat erupting out of our bra; or much, much worse.

The Stiletto Mom agrees with me. In her post, “Have A Nice Day!” she shows us why:

This is why you always check your backside in the mirror. You’re Welcome.

This woman failed miserably.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

What are you going to be for Halloween?

By Scarlet Mom | October 8, 2010 | Just For Fun, Spicing Up Date Night | Comments Off

Halloween. Time to dress up the kiddos and take them door-to-door to collect candy. Throw on those old sweat pants, gorge on candy and hand the rest out at the door to all those little gremlins that show up screaming “trick or treat” on your door step. Another Halloween; another boring night.

But does it really have to be like this? If you ask Scarlet Mom, the answer is “hell no.” My man and I have been planning Halloween weekend for a month now and not for our respective kids. This is date weekend gone wild. The second I asked my brother if he could watch my little guy he responded, “It’s Halloween weekend!” This is not a kid’s holiday. This is adult fun. Apparently the most difficult task is finding a babysitter.

The best part of Halloween this year is that is falls on a Sunday night. That means, if you’re like me, you can take the entire weekend to party adult style, go to costume bashes, drink to your heart’s content, and still be a good parent and drag your hungover ass out trick-or-treating Sunday night. I think that deserves a parenting award.

This is a great opportunity for you and your partner to collaborate together on costumes and what parties to attend. A pimp and a whore? Scarlet and Rhett? Catwoman and Batman? Sexy policewoman and her prisoner? Or something completely off the wall. Plan it together, shop it together. Or you can even dress up while he’s a work. Be in costume when he gets home and act out the whole fantasy. Trust me, it’s hot. What a great way to start your night. Happy Halloween!!

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

The Kingergarten Two-Step

By Scarlet Mom | October 1, 2010 | Being a Mom IS Sexy, Just For Fun | Comments Off

On August 23 my little guy started kindergarten. Tears of joy streamed down my face as he literally ran for the bus. I couldn’t work all day. I just sat and daydreamed about his big day and the sweet little things he was doing throughout the day. It was a beautiful, momentous day. Then came reality.

Starting the second week of school homework (homework, in kindergarten?) started along with his daily binder that showed his behavior, which had to be initialed daily. A smiley face was a good day, and was what I was expecting. Isn’t that what all moms expect? That second Monday I eagerly dug out his binder and flipped to his daily report. WTF? What is all this writing? Where is my sweet angel’s smiley face? Rolling on the floor? Talking back and saying, “I don’t want to” when it’s time to work? Running away from the teachers? And it didn’t stop there. Back talking me, not listening, new bad words that he certainly did not pick up from me. The battle had begun. And when I say battle I mean BATTLE. Never in my life have I seen a child fight and test his limits more nor have I ever battled more to exert my authority and set powerful boundaries. Our battle at school and at home continued to escalate and it has been exhausting. A true power struggle. And as a single mom I don’t get a break. At the end of the day I would collapse in bed, sometimes in tears. I received invaluable advice from Big R and amazing encouragement. I’m not sure I would have gotten this far without him. But would it ever end? I felt sick everyday as I pulled that binder out of his backpack. We would make good progress at home only to take two steps back at school. It seemed like it would never get better. I was losing hope.

But, just when it was darkest, a ray of light. I noticed less resistance from him at home. I was able to reward his behavior. We could pull some toys out that had been taken away. Less struggling; more “yes, ma’am.” Then yesterday he brought home his best report yet. It even had a “wow” written on it. Wow!! We jumped up and down! We played in the sandbox! When I asked who he wanted to tell he said “everyone!” So today, he earned back the privilege of riding the bus to school.

Do I think this entire ordeal is over? Of course not. We have made tremendous progress at home but for my high-energy little guy sitting in a classroom all day is going to take a little more time. I’m proud of him because he’s learning and he’s trying. And kindergarten is not what it used to be. What happened to napping? And more play time? And homework?? Things have changed since I went and I only went for half a day. But always remember, everything we ever need to know, we learned in kindergarten.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. Clean up your own mess.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life–learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how
or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup–they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned–the biggest word of all–LOOK.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

Never Settle for Second Best

By Scarlet Mom | September 29, 2010 | Being a Mom IS Sexy, Just For Fun | 2 Comments

I was married for ten, miserable years. Okay…there were maybe three good years that produced my amazing little guy. But I can assure you, I’ll never do it again. And dating in your 40′s? I had all but given up hope.

It used to be that you had to wait for your friends to tell you about their relationships gone bad (or good) but now it seems that everyone pretty much publishes their entire lives in their status updates on Facebook. It’s amazing what people will tell you about their lives through social networking. I watched a couple that I barely knew literally slug it out on FB while she posted pictures of her busted lip. People talk about affairs, knock-down, drag-out fights, and people that have been dating for two weeks post every hour on the hour about how much they love their snookums and can’t live without them. Sometimes it’s entertaining; most of the time it’s way too much information.

Whatever your past is, I believe that it is important to learn from it. My sister would always beat herself up for bad relationship choices but I believe as long as you learn from them and don’t repeat those mistakes, it’s all good. And one thing we definitely agree on is never, ever settle for second best. And one thing we definitely agree on is never, ever settle for second best.We all have a list of traits that we just can’t live without, traits that are realistic, traits that were present in past relationships that we refuse to put up with anymore. Don’t let go of those. As a strong, empowered woman you have every right to say “no” to anything that resembles unhappiness or especially any type of emotional or physical abuse. Free yourself from your past and know that you are a beautiful, strong, sexy woman who deserves the man of her dreams.

Don’t think he’s out there? I believe he is. From the day I separated from my ex, I knew I would not settle. However, the journey was disenchanting. I dated a few men, some for a few months, others a few weeks, only to find that I was still making very poor choices and seemed to be choosing the same type of men, none of which were a good fit for me. Too much drama and nothing fulfilling. I was just repeating my past. I then gave up on relationships all together. I dated…one or two dates, but always disappeared quickly as soon as they wanted more. I knew it was going nowhere and I had been tainted. I was scared and had been scarred. Screw love and screw finding my soul mate; too many shattered hopes had destroyed that dream. Fuck it. Soul mates didn’t exist.

But I now believe they do. I can now look back on the relationships that I have had and see how amazing these men were…and are. I can see, especially from the most recent ones, the important lessons I have learned about life and about myself. They have taught me what things I can live without in a relationship and what things I cannot. They have taught me to be patient and to keep searching; my soul mate is out there.

Ladies, YOUR soul mate is out there. Do not give up. Don’t take shit from anyone. You deserve better…you deserve the best. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. Don’t waste your time on Mr. Wrong. It is better to be with just your friends and with your family than wasting your time with someone who doesn’t treat you right. Be patient. Mr. Right is out there. He may not be Mr. Right Now, but he will come. And don’t let your past skew your judgment. Learn from it, use it, but have a clean, fresh, open heart ready to welcome your soul mate. I opened my eyes and my heart and what did I find? I found a whole world out there just waiting for me.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom