Poem for 2008 Summer Beauty Pageant

For the pageants, there is an "About Me" section that the contestant is to fill out, however, since Tarrah is so young, they ask that the parent writes something. I of course, choose to write a cute poem:

I am almost two

Let me tell you what I can do…

I may be small

But I am growing with everyday.

I love to bat my eyes and smile

And do not have too much to say.

Mommy and Daddy make me laugh

In many different ways.

I love to sing, dance and clap,

That is how I praise.

I like to clean with my talking vacuum

Or dust the TV like I’ve seen mommy do.

I help with the laundry, water the flowers

Just so I can get a kiss and a thank you.

I can show you my nose, eyes, ears,

Hair, head and toes…

I try to dress myself

In anyone’s clothes.

I love all my family,

I know they love me too

From the longest blondest hair

To the tip on my biggest toe in my shoe.

Hidden Baggage

July 28, 2008

I know when I can’t get away with something in front of my significant other. Usually it is about spending money. When I come home from spending time with someone, and I am usually sporting a plastic bag from a store in one hand, I always feel like I cannot bring it into the house.

I have hidden my bags quite well, stuffing them in my car before entering the house, leaving it with the person I was shopping with until a later date when we could bring it home when he wasn’t around, I’d stuff it in a different bag so he wouldn’t be suspicious, and I have also crammed it in my purse. I guess there are no lines drawn in the sand for me when it comes to hiding something I feel guilty for having.

I have made plans to act like it wasn’t mine if he caught me with it; make it out that I grab it by accident out of my friends’ car. I have spent numerous hours coming up with excuses in case I was caught or could hide it anywhere and had to bring it in.

I have to admit, half the time, it isn’t my money being spent. Usually my mom or friends by things for me and I just have to bring it in. You would think he wouldn’t get so uptight about things when I am not spending our money.

“Women tend to buy clothes, make-up and personal indulgences like pedicures, while men tend to hide big-ticket items," says Tina B. Tessina, a Long Beach, California, psychotherapist and author of "Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting About the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage.". "They spend more on gambling and the stock market and fantasy football and porn. They don't hide their spending in the closet; they hide it on the computer."

And after reading this little quote, my whole world changed. I had wondered why he spent so much time on the computer!

Saving Claws or Saving Skin: No More Scratches

July 14, 2008

Boston Cinder Red Sox Allen (quite the name), the newest member of our household is quite the feline. He is a Tasmanian devil that had to be put under control. I am all for declawing, especially if you are 100% sure that the cat will be an indoors cat and have no access to the outside world. That is his life here, no access to an outside opening, unless he is perched in a windowsill.

Boston, being a kitten at the time we got him, was like any other kitten, playful and unaware. He would play, day and night with whatever moved. And as he played, he was unaware that his claws were little weapons attacking our skin. With a toddler in the house, we had to find an alternative to leaving him with little knives on his paws. If you read Saving Claws or Saving Skin, you remember my hassle with Soft Claws.

I really would have loved to find a better alternative that would take my worries away for good, but the only way I could be sure that my daughter would be safe from scratches would be declawing. Granted, Franny Syufy had said this would be an “irreversible decision,” I felt it to be the very best decision for my little feline.

Now, more than a month later, my kitten Boston is free to play without supervision. I have no more worries that he will be hurting anyone including our other cat Mickey Mouse Vincent. They both have been declawed and the only one with an advantage is Mickey, who still has her back claws, but doesn’t use them.

Declawing may not be right for every one’s feline, but if you think that it is right for you, then speak with your vet.

2008 Afton Fair Beautiful Baby Girl Pageant

July 10, 2008

They were head to head the whole day. One waved to the crowd, the other turned in circles. One danced, one sang; the talent competition was tough and they weren’t even required to perform a talent. Not even old enough to put a sentence together with words, the girls fought it out for the crown in their evening gowns. One in green the other in a flowered pattern, the two tried their best to impress the judges.

But in the end, there was only one trophy accompanied by the winning crown and sash that would name the winner of the 2008 Afton Fair Beautiful Baby Girl Pageant. Who would win over the judges? Would it be the little blonde girl who stole the judge’s hearts with a kiss, or would it be the shy brunette girl? With a moment to spare while the judges tallied the votes, the two girls stood holding hands like they were best friends. And the winner is… Tarrah Rayne Allen.