Not Everyone's Mama

I am in tears as I right this.  I’m at my brother’s so we are safe at least.  The apartments had a meeting and no one will be able to go back and live in their apartment.  The only apartment that would fit out family was rented out before we were able to sign a lease.

There are 4-5 inches of water in the apartments on the bottom floor, which is where mine is.  We’re hoping we can get in tonight when they take the water out and get anything out that we need immediately.

Now we need to find a place to live.

And probably a new computer.

Mine sat on the floor under my desk and is probably floating in my apartment right now.

I can’t type any more.

I don’t know what we are going to do.  And no, we didn’t have renters insurance.  Stupid.  I know.  We were tight trying to pay everything that had to be paid and we let that one lapse.  No need to look up car insurance reviews, I need renter’s insurance reviews, well, I actually am probably going to mobile home insurance reviews.

Piece of advice.  Get renters insurance.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Read these too:

• No Related Posts

today @ 3:30 pm or so a fire broke out in my apartment building.   We wern’t home but my brother saw smoke from the interstate and called me.  We were able toget Junie, twinkle, and woodstock out but they wouldn’t let me go back in for the budgies.  They fought the fire for hours. Afterwards a firefighter  went in and brought out the budgies whomiraculously made it through allthat smoke and water.  The south side of the building was totaled.  The roof collapsed.  They said all of us on the north side will have water and smoke damage. We can’t get in to take stock of what was lost.  We can’t go in until they say it is structurallysafe.  We are at my brother’s now.  I’m blogging from my phone to let you  know i’ll be mia.  I don’t even know ifi have a computer that’s not floating through my living room.  I did grab my ehd when I grabbed junie.  I couldn’t lose the kidspictures.   I posted pics on my twitter – heatherm74.  You can also go to whotv.com or kcci.com to read more on the news. Of course there was no cctv cameras and the security cameras never worked so they won’t know the cause until the investigation is done.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Read these too:

• No Related Posts

I stopped doing Follow Friday on Twitter for awhile.  When you start following hundreds (in my case) or thousands (in some cases) of Twitter peeps, it can get to be a daunting task.  I always feel like I’m leaving someone out.  When I started using TweetDeck awhile ago, I would just go through my @ replies and suggest the people that I had interacted with for the week.  But then there are a lot of people that I may not have had @ replies from that I think are excellent people to follow on Twitter, and what if I left someone out?  Yes, I stress about things like that.

I started googling Follow Friday tools and came upon 2.  One I used last week and one I used today. 

Last week I tried out Twitter Tag Project.  That gave me a lot of people that I enjoy but haven’t received replies from.  It gives you the 200 most active Twitter people you follow.  That’s ok.  It’s not all about me, people, as much as I would like it to be.  I think that one gave me good results and people appreciate it.  I had a lot of thank you’s back.  (Which I don’t expect, I swear.  I just usually don’t get a lot of replies back to my Follow Fridays.)  I really really liked this one.  But, if you just want to shout out people you interact with, check out the next.

This week I tested out Follow Friday Helper.  It didn’t give me as many people to shout out, just people I have interacted with, but it gave me more than going through my tweet deck gives me.  I liked that too.  Plus,

Most of the people I know do not recommend me because it’s just too much work to do on the last day of the week. FollowFriday Helper is the solution to that.

But that’s not all. You can use FFH on other days – other than Fridays – to send #ThankYou, #Gratitude, #Top and aboutany other social tweet you might think of.

I wonder if I could use the 2 in conjunction with each other?  I think I would have to use Follow Friday Helper first then Twitter Tag Project and I would have to remember which people I shouted out the first time.  There’s that whole remembering thing again.

What do you use for Follow Friday?  One of the above?  Something completely different?  Your memory?  I’ve got mom to 4 kids memory.  I swear I lost more brain cells that are responsible for remembering things with each kid I gave birth to.  Unless we are talking about my husband, I can requote every conversation I have had with him since the day we met.  Typical woman I suppose.  He hates that. 

Popularity: 5% [?]

Read these too:

• Busy Morning
• If I got on hands and knees?

That is the question.

I’m not a technical blogger, but I follow a lot of technical bloggers on Twitter and through their blogs.  Most of them I have met through the Blog Engage community.  (Let me know if you need an invite, they are all fabulous and you can learn so much!)  I have learned so much from them.  I may not blog about a lot of technical stuff myself, but even parent bloggers need the know how to set up their blog correctly, learn how to use SEO, find great sources etc.  And I’m just a techie geek (I say that as a high compliment to all who are) at heart.

I was reading Kim’s post Can You Help Me Find The DoFollows? and thought I’d join in.  My blog already met most of the requirements.  It’s been Do Follow for a long time.  I now have the following plug ins installed – KeywordLuv, CommentLuv, Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin, Twitter Link Comments, and DoFollow.  The 2 I had to install were KeywordLuv and Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin.

I have no problem spreading the link juice love to my blog readers.  I have a problem with giving it to Mr Spam (wo)man.

Because of that and following Justin at Dragon Blogger’s suggestion, I posted a comment policy.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll notice that those 2 people are the people I retweet regularly when it comes to blog posts.  I find their posts to be incredibly informative AND interesting to read. 

You can follow Justin @ Dragon Blogger and Kim @ AskKim.

Back to Do Follow.  It’s a great way to say thank you to your readers who follow you and a great way to help them grow their blog.  I’ve never hunted down blogs just to leave keyword links. That’s horribly spammy.  If I am a regular blog reader who leaves comments though and your blog is Do Follow, I appreciate it a lot.

I know a lot of the bigger bloggers are strictly No Follow.  I suppose they do that so no one will take advantage of their PR, but I also say why not help out the blogger who looks up to you, follow your blog, and comments daily.  I’m not a PR4 or 5, I’m a PR3, but I’m happy to help out my readers.

So, there you have it.  On my blog, the answer to the question is Do Follow.

What do you do on your blog?

If you’re torn, read Kim’s post.  It might help sway you either way.  Plus, read my comment policy.  That might give you an idea of whether you want to be do follow or not with being able to restrict certain things.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Read these too:

• RSS Blogroll – One Of My Fave Wordpress Plugins
• Free Wordpress PlugIns I Actually Use
• Find Your Tribe

I always forget to do these things.  Luckily I was visiting Simply Stacie on Thursday and it reminded me.

Welcome to Twitter Hop Thursday, hosted by Simply Stacie, The King’s Court IV, Little Yaya’s, Kelly’s Lucky You and Dear Crissy.

Would you like more Twitter followers and be introduced to more neat blogs and businesses out there? Come and join us!!

1. Add your Twitter to the MckLinky (you only have to add it to one and it will appear on all).

2. Click on the Twitter for the five hostesses and follow each of them on Twitter. We will follow you back.

3. Follow as many people on Twitter as you like, but make sure to leave comments with links so they’ll know where to follow you!

Spread the word and add this MckLinky to your blog! Write your own post or copy and paste this one. Below the MckLinky box, you’ll see “Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code”. Have fun Twitter-Hopping along!

We have selected a Twitterer of the Week from last week’s entries and the lucky winner is Baby Gator’s Den! They will be in the #6 spot! We will choose next week’s winner from everyone who participated today.

Please only add your Twitter url. All other entries will be deleted. Thank you!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Read these too:

• No Related Posts

I’m trying to decide what I did to myself and whether to go to the doctor or not.  I think it’s feeling a tad better after loosening up a bit this morning.

Last night I needed more room in the car and I was putting Nano’s car seat in the back.  When I went to push the other seat back his car seat was kind of in the way.  I pushed hard – stupidly – instead of rearranging it again.  (He wasn’t in the car seat, it wasn’t buckled in.  It was upside down on Alyce’s car seat.  I was lazy and didn’t want to take the car seats out and take them to the garage.

When I pushed hard I felt something go pop on the upper left side of my chest and then had horrible pain radiate through my chest.

I am assuming it’s just a muscle.

If I popped a rib out of place, wouldn’t I be able to feel it on the outside of my chest?

I don’t know.

All I know is it hurt so bad last night.

I got up this morning, stiff and with pain when I even took a shallow breath.

Now after being up for 2 1/2 hours if I just breathe shallowly, it just gives me a tinge.  If I move it hurts.  Bad.

I probably won’t go to the doctor.  Unless a rib pokes out and proves that I am in need of medical attention.

I swear, I hurt myself doing the stupidest things.

I think I could go rock climbing and not be injured.

Walking through the kitchen, I’ll trip over my own 2 feet.

Ok, it’s not that bad.

But it’s close.

Like the time I was walking through my bedroom and stubbed my toe on my bed and cracked it.

Then 2 weeks later I dropped my make up box on it breaking it the rest of the way.

When I was younger (that’s me, in one of my less klutz-y moments, laying down in the “pool”.  My brothers are the blondes, so blonde they look bald there don’t they?), I was walking through the church parking lot (about the age I am in that picture) with my parents and tried to walk under the side mirror of a truck.  I didn’t make it.  Bonked my head hard enough I still remember it 20 years or so later.

I remember a time when mom and dad took us sledding at a golf course.  I want to say I had to have been 6 and my younger brother 3 or so.  We had this orange plastic sled.  Mom and dad told us not to go down without one of them.  For some reason, Steve and I decided to go down by ourselves when our parents had their backs turned.  Steve and I flew off the sled.  He hit a tree.  I don’t remember if he had a concussion or not.  I remember it hurt and I was scared to go sledding after that.

When I was 13 I delivered the Des Moines Register.  One time it was raining.  I was late (as usual) and decided to ride my bike down this steep driveway instead of walking it like I usually did.  Fell off when my tire slid in the water.  Cut my elbow so bad it took a month or so to heal.  It finally healed when we were visiting friends in St Louis and the mom made me take the bandage off to get some air to it. 

When I was 14 I fell down the cement flight of stairs and school (on the way to cheerleading practice) and tore the cartilage in my knee.  I called that my cheerleading injury.  Much less embarrassing than saying I fell down a flight of stairs.  I was on the way to practice.  It counts.

It doesn’t just stop at injuring myself.

I’m naturally drawn to poison ivy and poison oak.  When I went to camp when I was younger, I’d come back every year with poison oak.  (I’ll tell you my secret cure for that.  Going swimming in a chlorinated pool dries it out.  At least it did for me.  That’s what we did every time I came back covered in a rash.)

When I was pregnant with Katiana, we went fishing with my brothers and their family.  I’m the only one who came out with a case of poison ivy that was so bad I ended up in the ER a week later with it ALL over my body.  I didn’t have a pool near me.

The list goes on and on.  It’s like my body is inclined, on it’s own, to do things that hurt me.

Anyone else prone to stupid accidents like I am?

I think I get if from my mom.  Mom, how many times have you broken a toe walking in the house or dropping something on one?  That’s supposed to make you laugh since at the moment your toe is not broken. Love you!

I should probably stop doing cartwheels and splits to prove to my kids that I can still do them.  I’ll probably end up tearing a muscle or breaking my arm next.  knock on wood

Have a great day!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Read these too:

• No Related Posts

I don’t have it regularly.  Just a night here and there.  Last night was horrible.  Horrible.  I could not shut my brain off.  It just kept spinning.

Things I did, had to do, want to do.  Things the kids need done.  Things they want done.  Birthdays coming up (Christiano and Jordan will be 2 and 12 on February 23.) and Kat will be 7 on April 6. The fact I haven’t made the kids Valentine Day cards for school yet.  Did that woman really eat 162 lunches?  How do I get Junie to stop barking in the middle of the night when she hears the kids get up to go to the bathroom.  Mom’s birthday is in May, what should we get her?  Alyce is coughing really bad tonight, should I take her to the doctor tomorrow?  Oh, Katiana is coughing too, in my bed.  When did she come in here?  Should I take her to the doctor too?  I’ll wait and see how they are doing in the morning.  I can’t believe that Pato went and played soccer instead of bringing me cough medicine right after work.  I hope this new food I got Junie today will help her ear infections.  And what about that glucosamine?  Should I have bought the liquid today or was it ok to wait until she’s out of her other glucosamine.  I need to get her some more acidophilus.  How many kids should I let Jordan invite to the family party?  I think 3 is a good number.  Yeah, 3 should be good on top of our what 19 or is 18 without Steve’s ex-girlfriend. Mom, dad, my 6, Abby, Justin, Mikayla, Josh, Shelley, Taylor, Carter, Cambria, Steve, Jadah, Sydney. That’s 19.  It must have been 20 before.  Well, it would have had to have been.  Silly me.  I bet he invites Riley and Quinn, I wonder who the 3rd will be?  Maybe Tyler from soccer?  Oh, I forgot to ask Jordan how it went today when he read the announcements at school. I have to remember to ask him that in the morning.  Abby is going to have an ultrasound soon.  I wonder if I’m going to have another niece or a nephew?  I wonder if this one will be stubborn and not open his legs?  Wasn’t Mikayla stubborn the first time?  I swear she had to have two ultrasounds and they didn’t find out that she was a girl until the last one.  Speaking of Mikayla, I wonder if Abby ever retrieved her watch from the heating vent?  Silly girl dropping mama’s watch down there.  I wish Carlos would find out quickly if he can co-sign for us for a year so we can start buying a house.  I miss my birds.  I cannot believe that she told me she’d be here to check last Wednesday to see if they were gone and she still isn’t here.  I want to bring them home.  I am so tired of this crap with her.  I mean really, if the old managers had no problems with birds why is she so anal retentive?  And how does she expect me to get rid of members of our family like that.  I bet Woodstock misses Katiana so much.  They were so cute together the other night when I took the kids to visit the birds.  There is Kat coughing again.  Why have they been getting in my bed in the middle of the night for the last couple of weeks?  Good thing we have a big bed. Crud, now Nano’s coughing.  Perfect for a bedroom in a new house.  How long does it take to build sufficient credit to get a house anyway?  Is it because we don’t have credit cards and the only thing we have is a loan on is my car?  How long have we been paying on it?  Let’s see.  It’s a 2008.  We got it in 2009 new.  In May it’ll be 2 years.  Isn’t that long enough?  So tired of waiting on that too…….

Why can’t I go to sleep?  I am so tired!

And it went on and on and on and on.  One big run on sentence until I finally fell asleep at 4:40 AM. At least that’s the last time I looked at the clock.  7 AM came way too fast after that.  I think I actually woke up a few times after I fell asleep.  I kept hearing the girls coughing.  Then Nano rolled over on Alyce.  Alyce was telling me that Nano was on top of her.  I woke Pato up and told him to get Nano. 

I thought about taking a melatonin, but at that point I only had a few hours to sleep and I didn’t want to risk falling into a deep sleep and not getting the kids up for school.

The alarm went off and I was all, just a few more minutes mom.  I’m not sleeping.  I’m just resting my eyes. I promise.  I’m sick.  I don’t want to go to school today.  Please?  I’ve got a headache and I’m so tired.  I didn’t sleep hardly at all last night.

Oh wait, I am mom.  Crap.

I rolled out of bed and got the kids up.  They must have had the same kind of night I had because neither of them wanted to get out of bed either.

The announcements went great Jordan said.  I can’t believe after all those other thoughts I remembered to ask.  He said he gets to do them in April.  I said that’s awesome!  Request April 6 so that you can say Katiana’s name on the loud speaker.  Then maybe people will pronounce it right.

It is kah-TI-ah-nuh.

People pronounce all sorts of weird ways but the one way I hate the most sounds so flat, boring and they run her whole name together.  cut-ee-ana. Say that really fast with no emphases on any syllable and that’s how her teacher last year said her name all year.  Even after I had said it to her so many times.  I finally told her just call her Kat.  Personally, I thought I spelled it the way it sounded.  I guess not.

That’s what you get when you make up names.

Katiana Lynn = a mixture of Kathy Ann (my mom) and Heather Lynn (me)

Speaking of whom, that’s her in the picture with Twinkle and Woodstock at Shelley’s house the other day.

I better stop blogging now.  I’m just bouncing all over the random thought sphere today.

Have a great day.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Read these too:

• Finally! I Can Wash Clothes
• Project 365 Day 4
• Sweetest Little Picture
• My Bird Safe Store Order
• Kids’ Lunches

You normally don’t see those words together do you?  My sister is going to nursing school right now and seeing as I adore my nurses I pay attention to them.  I have one nurse whose Medical Uniforms consist of mostly Iowa Hawkeye scrubs.  When I went the other day I purposely wore my Iowa State shirt just for her.  She told me even though I liked the wrong team…..   I adore her.  I actually bought that shirt just to annoy Jordan because he hates Iowa State, he’s a Hawkeye fan all the way.  I put it in his pile of clothes and he just about had a conniption fit when he saw it.  Why would you buy this for me?  Please burn it.  No, it’s mine.  Thank you.

Back to scrubs.

I just saw this -

The Veronica Top

I think I would wear that and I’m not even a nurse.  That’s cute.  I could see me piling on some chunky beads and gold chains and making it all hippy like.  That’s just me though, I don’t think they could do that at my doctor’s office, choking hazards around babies and all that.

The Liz Top

I’m telling you with the right accessories, I could totally take these funky scrubs from daytime at work to night time out and about.

Peachskin Pants

Wear those pants to work with the first top, bring along some fun accessories, put them on after work and your totally ready to stop and have a drink on the way home!

I’d wear those pants above at home.  They look cute and comfy and at $14.30, I’d grab a couple of pairs.  I’m actually thinking about it.  Not that I don’t have enough pairs of pants to lounge around in.  I have way too many.  I can’t help it.  I love comfy cute pants!

This is a sponsored post but all opinions, thoughts, words, and clothing choices are my own.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Read these too:

• No Related Posts