the challenge

So many of you may read my sister's blog (www.jodified.typepad.com; she is listed on the side as a mom and a camera). Well if you do you know that she posted a challenge on July 24th for her readers to capture the not-so-pretty side of life. To embrace the things that we hate or are lazy about, the ugly stuff. If you don't read her blog go check out the challenge before you read on or this will just seem weird!

Here comes my ugly...

Growing up my mom always made her bed. If it was mid-morning and her bed was not made something in her day had gone terribly wrong. If I needed to suck-up to her or get brownie points I would wait for those mornings and make the bed just because I knew how much it meant to my mom. Well, mom, you would be disappointed...our bed is NEVER made. Unless we have company coming over the bed looks like this almost everyday. There are the pillows propped up from when I fed Sam this morning and the computer still sits not having been put away after I read blogs and checked email this morning. Sad isn't it? What is worse is that then sometimes in the middle of the day I will find the dog curled up right in that spot by the pillows...GROSS!



So why am I showing you a full dishwasher? Because what you can't see is that there are ANTS in there! Yes we have ants in our dishwasher. We have tried the little poison trap things but that hasn't seemed to phase them. We very rarely find them anywhere else in the kitchen, just in the dishwasher. And what do I do when there become to many of them? RUN THE DISHWASHER! Ha! Bye bye ants!


And you may remember a while back when I asked all of you for advice on what to do with this empty area in front of our front door....well here it still sits...empty. I did mulch in the front planter box, hang a potted fern and create a rock garden in the smaller planter box but I have not done a thing with this empty section of garden. Just laziness I guess. But I have to say that I still like the empty mulch better than the stupid thorn bushes!


Next come weeds. I HATE WEEDS! These weeds glare at me from outside our front door and this is what anyone who comes to our home sees. They look like small shrubs! But I just can't ever seem to find the time to go out there and deal with them. Not to mention that this is just one small spot in a rather large garden that is full of weeds. Where should I begin? So instead I just let them sit, or rather grow. I mean really it will be snowing before I know it and the darn things will die then anyway.

Lastly, my sister was actually brave enough to photograph herself, stretch marks and all. I am not that brave. But let me just tell you that if the baby-blues can come in the form of severe body image problems then I have them. I hate every inch of myself right now and no matter how much running I do things don't seem to be getting better. Although I don't think running is going to help stretch marks, a bad haircut, my hair turning white, hemorrhoids (yes I still have them!), the brown line running down my stomach, my gross bumpy skin and an overall body shape that I do not recognize as being my own. When does this get better? At what point does a new mom have the power to just say screw it and love herself in spite of all the flaws and changes? Why does my physical appearance matter to me so much?

Okay, so there is a bit of my not-so-pretty side of life. Jodie I took the challenge. How did I do?


One more thing....
Friends and family where are you? This blog has been so much fun for me because I feel just a little connected to friends that I don't see much anymore and family that I rarely ever see. But lately you all have disappeared! SO COME BACK and let me know that you are out there by pressing that little button down there called "comments". Sam and I miss you!