Scavenger Hunt!

Yesterday I watched a movie where the characters went on a scavenger hunt - a PHOTO scavenger hunt - and it looked like so much fun, that I wanted to play too.  Problem is, most of the people I want to play with don't live anywhere close to me (because, let's face it, most of the super fun people I know were smart enough to move away from Phoenix, or never live here in the first place *it's obviously getting hot around here...I'm starting to get grouchy about my normally beloved Arizona..*)

Anywho - I decided that even though we can't go out and run around the town like crazy people asking complete strangers to don ridiculously sized clothing, we CAN  slightly modify the game and play on our facebook page!  (http://www.facebook.com/masterofmom) SO....

Here are the rules:

1)  Take a picture that you feel best represents the theme posted.  For example, if the them is "Messes" take a picture of your kitchen sink overflowing with dishes, or your kids covered in toothpaste.  Get creative!  This is supposed to be fun :)  It is not recommended to personally cover your children in toothpaste just for the photo, however - unless you want to. It's your house, your party, I cannot be held responsible for sticky toothpaste messes on the carpet okay?  I will post one theme, DAILY.

2)  Post that picture to our wall.  Caption it if you'd like, or leave it up to the imagination of the rest of the followers.

3) Review the other pictures posted in the scavenger hunt.  Like your favorites!

4) The picture with the most likes at the end of the day will be moved to the hall of fame :)  This will include an album on the master of mom facebook page as well as a special blog post at www.tamarahancock.com with links back to you, your business,your personal blog - whatever you like (or you can remain anonymous..whatever.)

5) The prize is glory and the chance to be forever immortalized on the Master of Mom Facebook page, and on the blog.

This is just a fun way for us all to get silly and creative, something new and different to try.  You can use your instagram app, camera phones, big extra heavy duty DSLR cameras, point and shoots - whatever you have available.  You can even post directly from your phone Facebook app by coming to our page and selecting "share photo."

Let's have fun!

Ready - set- GO!

Today's theme: Pets.  Find and photograph your pets doing what they do best.  They can be mischievous, cute, sleeping, swimming, cuddling, eating your spouses shoes...whatever!   Just find them, photograph them, and share the photo on our wall.

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Dear. Ms. Rosen.

I very rarely get angry enough to comment on this blog when it comes to political things.  However, when I feel as though my family and myself are being attacked, well - that's one reason for me to say a few words.

I am a stay at home mother of five, one with special needs (she’s profoundly hearing impaired). We made the decision for me to stay home with our children 11 years ago when our daughter was two. Up until then, my husband stayed home during the day and attended classes as his schedule permitted as he worked toward his bachelor’s degree in engineering.

My job as a stay at home mom has never been easy. In fact, I feel as though my job is more difficult than any office job I’ve ever held. The pressure to do everything right is stronger and more prevalent in this job because if I make a mistake, there is no compensation that can be made to rectify it. If I make a mistake in the rearing of my children, their life is forever changed.

It hasn’t always been easy. In fact, there were times we weren’t sure how we were going to make the house payment/car payment/ buy groceries. We made sacrifices. We lived on Ramen noodles or peanut butter on homemade bread to stretch the grocery budget. My husband drove a car that had no air conditioning - in the summer in the state of Arizona where it reaches nearly 125 degrees daily -  back and forth to work so that we could save money for other essentials. I have stayed home, day in and day out caring for our children – with little to no adult conversation or support during the day while my husband worked. I took on the role of managing our household finances, watching the budget, the shopping, the cleaning – all of the things that you believe that women in my position have no idea about. The truth is, at any given moment, I may know volumes more about how much it costs to raise a family and how tough the financial strain can be than my husband does. I know what it is like to live in this real world, even though I may not work outside of the home.

The rewards for our sacrifices far outweigh the trials, however. Our hearing-impaired child who we were told would always been in special needs classes and would always have to have an aid with her in school and who would never speak clear English was able to undergo intense therapy with me at her side daily and is now the top of her class in a mainstream school where most of the students don’t even know she is deaf. I was able to be there when my second daughter took an interest in writing and reading – at the age of three. I am able to help raise my children as responsible citizens of this country and the world simply because we made the choice for me to be there.

I’m not saying that women who work out of the home aren’t able to accomplish many of the same things. This was the decision that was right for our family. I am however disgusted and appalled and hurt and embarrassed by your comments. You have chosen to alienate an entire community of women and at the same time make those of us who have been extremely proud of our accomplishments in our own families to feel as though we are less of a woman, or less of a human being because of our choices. I’d love to somehow ban the phrase “just a mom” – it’s demeaning to the women who have made this choice, and especially demeaning to the women who think that is all they do. Ms. Roesen, you should understand that you've not only offended Mrs. Romney, but according to the 2010 census – you've alienated and offended 5 million women nationwide who have made the decision to be home with their children as their primary occupation.

I would love to talk to you and ask you this question – I don’t have the wealth that the Romney’s have. I don’t have any in-home help. I have not worked outside of the home for 10+ years. I stay home with my children. Do I not understand the rising costs and what it is like to live in this world and in this economy simply because I do not draw a paycheck with my own name on it? Do you honestly believe that I am out of touch with the financial climate? Do you think that I’ve never once made the decision to go without healthcare or dental care or even physical comforts because I am a stay at home mom? Have I never sacrificed anything simply because I chose to take the career path of mom?

I know what it is like in this world, Ms. Rosen. I’ve suffered and sacrificed because of this administration and the changes they’ve made. I’ve put off health care due to rising costs only to have to pay 10 times the amount for a surgery than I would have paid before federal health care changes started to affect the insurance plan we are fortunate to have through my husband’s employer. Do not for one minute tell me or any other stay at home mom that we do not know what it is like to work and definitely do not tell us we do not understand the political financial issues. We do, Ms. Rosen. We live them each and every day. I invite you to come live my life, just for a week – or even one day. You, yourself have said that there are women out there who are not a woman of “some means” such as yourself struggling in this economy and that Obama and the DNC can help them. Come live MY life Ms. Rosen and see what Obama and the DNC have done for me. I have a strong suspicion you aren’t woman enough to do it.

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My 365 Day 100. Shock.

Okay, so I'm really not that shocked, but the writing prompt says Shock - so I'm going with Shock.

The real emotion for the day is exhaustion.  You see, I'm starting my day with furious flight-of-the-bumblebee type cleaning in anticipation for a news interview.  Interviews aren't a big thing.  If you know me very well at all, you know that I'm a regular on our midday news-zine in Arizona called Arizona Midday.  Normally, I get all dressed up, find a sitter for the youngest little monkies and head off the the studio where I impart my many pearls of wisdom over the local airwaves. (okay, stop laughing, really - it isn't nice.)

Today, not so much.

Why?

Well, today a different news station is on their way here to interview me regarding the work I do from home.  It's the super secret work that allows me to shop and dine and travel for free - anyway - they are coming to interview me.  It's even going to be a super secret cover-my-face-and-disguise-my-voice type interview so that the local public has no idea it's me.

(I have to be honest, I'm a little stoked about that...I always wanted to be a person being interviewed in the shadows with a darth-vader voice.  Something about it just screams super- uber-coolness.)

Ahem.

So in about ten minutes they are going to arrive, cameras rolling, and the interview will start.

In. My. House.

Have I mentioned I have five children with absolutely no sense of what it means to put things away?

Also did I mention it's laundry day? (Let's face it, it's always laundry day around here - we'll just call it laundry week.)  All the clothes are sorted and ready to be washed...in my FRONT ROOM.

So flight-of-the-bumblebee it is shoving piles of not yet washed clothing under chairs (thank goodness for slipcovers!) under cabinets, and yes,I'm guilty of throwing a batch of unwashed towels into the oven for safe keeping until after the interview.

I've vacuumed, wiped down counters shoved as many dirty dishes into the dishwasher (and microwave) as possible and started the candlebreeze for extra added freshness.

So yes,today the emotion is shock.  Not my shock mind you - but anyone who attempts to open the oven only to find about 20 towels shoved in there hidden from view, or the microwave to find 7 dirty plates, cups and utensils are in the way.

It also will express my children's shock when they come home and find out that they will now be fixing everything I've cleaned up - especially since I'm always on them to "put things away properly and clean it right the first time."

Hey, Sometimes  a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.

Instead of the rushed cleaning job, maybe I should have just asked them if they could edit out the mess.  Hmmm....

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My 365 Day 96.Skirts.

More specifically, THIS skirt.

I want it.  I want it bad.

I also want new carpet, landscaping in the backyard, new couches, and the husband is needing a new car.

Unfortunately, none of this is in the budget right now.

Do you know what I like best about being an adult?

Being able to eat whatever I want, stay up late and have my own money.

Do you know what I hate about being an adult?

I can eat what I want,as long as I'm prepared to stay up all night with the consequences, and having my own money means nothing considering it isn't mine - it actually belongs to the mortgage company, phone company, electric company...

Oh well, just keep swimming, swimmming, swimming....

That reminds me.  One more thing I like about being an adult.

Being able to make completely obscure Disney references and watch everyone in the room smile, because not only do they know what I'm talking about, but they too have seen the movie and are singing along in their heads - whether they have kids or not.

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My 365 Day 95. Hats.

I wear a lot of hats. 

Not physical hats, mind you - these are the metaphorical ones - the different jobs and things that I do that require me to play different roles throughout my day.  There's the regular hats that every woman wears - chef, laundress, housekeeper (I refuse to say maid...), awesome person of absolute amazingness...you know those hats.  There are also the hats that I wear as a mother...taxi driver, teacher, nurse, lie detector, unlimited sarcasm machine... I wear work hats, friend hats, sister hats, daughter hats, wife hats, Sunday School teacher hats, student hats, and social networker extraordinaire hats. 

I. Wear. A LOT. Of Hats.

And most of these hats are pretty fairly well known, if you know me anyway.

But there are hats I wear that I'm not sure anyone knows about.  So, since today's writing prompt is all about hats, I think the time has finally come to share those hats with you.

Blogaholic.
This hat doesn't come as much of a surprise to many of you, considering that you already know about all the different blogs that I start and then forget about and ignore write.  I believe I might actually have a multiple blog personality disorder and if any of my readers out there who specialize in these types of disorders would like to offer your assistance, I'd happily accept it - just as soon as all my posts are finished.

Geek.
I am a complete and total grammar geek/English nerd. In fact, after many years of trying to avoid the problem, I've decided to go back to school and finish my English degree.  What can I do with an English degree? Why, I can fold it up into a paper airplane and watch it soar high above my head, that's what!  Doesn't that sound cool?

Procrastination Queen.
I'll write more about this one  later.

Silly goose crazy head.
I'm also five.  And fourteen.  It depends on the day, and the situation, and what exactly it is that I find silly/funny/crazy or amazingly stupid at the time.  Oh, and who I'm with, just because certain people bring out the different levels of maturity in me.  And there's one person that brings them all out.  You know who you are.  Late night trips to Wal-Mart will never be the same again.

Fashionista
This is a late blooming hat, but it's becoming fun to wear.  I think I just recently realized that just because I'm a stay at home mom, doesn't mean I need to look like the stereotypical one!  You KNOW you know what I'm talking about.  No mumu's for this girl.  I refuse to get rid of my sweats and scrubs though.  Those things are freaking awesome.

I have other hats too, but I don't know that I'm prepared to divulge all of my secrets right now.  Also, I'm not sure you, dear reader, can handle all my secrets.  For now, this will have to suffice.  It's for your own good,  you know.

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My 365 Day 94. Shoes.

I've recently discovered that God did not intend me at all to be short.

Instead, God intended for me to purchase super cute 4" navy blue canvas espadrilles with a peek toe.

Yes, that is surely what God intended for me.

I believe he also had in mind a pair of 4" black shiny leather heels with a velvet bow on the side, or white and orange pinstripe heels with a sling back and peek toe.

It also appears that God intended me to get monthly pedicures.

I don't think I should ignore the things that God intends for me, do you?

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My 365 Day 93. Pants.

More specifically, White pants.

White, cropped off capris with cute little button detail on the cuff.

And, I'm finally in a place in my life where I can wear white pants and not fear.

My kids are older, so there is a minimal chance of small little fingers covered in gooey chocolate or other stain-producing substance, grabbing them and smearing them into ruined oblivion.

Certain Plumbing fixtures have been, um - disabled, so there's no worries there either.

Plus, there's no longer that worry of white pants making me look old or fat or...well anything other than the young hot momma that I am. (I might also be a little bit delusional, I hear that comes with old age, and the rite of passage of the wearing of the white pants.)

Now, to just get myself over the - I'm way too old to wear skinnies and I can't possibly pull them off with my post five child belly - stigma.

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My 365 Day 92. Dresses.

I bought this fabric with the best of intentions a little over a year ago not that long ago... The fabric was to be snipped and folded and sewn into the cutest little Easter dresses/spring time dresses for my 3 and 5 year olds that you have ever seen...

oops.

Now I suppose they are going to be the cutest little Easter dresses for my 4 and 6 year olds.

Either way.

I love creating, I love sewing, I love taking a seemingly unassuming piece of fabric and making something out of it that is functional and fun and cute and sassy.

So today, I took a big step forward in the process. I cut out the fabric.

Now I have to make the dresses or they'll grow out of them before I get them sewn together.

Good thing I cut a size larger than needed, isn't it?

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My 365 Day 91 Pajamas

I've decided for the month of April, I actually AM going to follow a writing prompt. Not because I lack creativity, mind you, but because I do believe that sometimes switching up the way you do things allows for more creative juices to flow. (So yes, basically the creativity is lacking a bit... so sue me.)

The writing prompt I've decided to follow comes from our friend over at Whippy Cake - another stay at home mom entrepreneur who I seem to really identify with. Her writing prompts are separated into themes, and this week's theme is clothing. Day One for April - Pajamas.

When I thought about pajamas and which ones to photograph, I couldn't really come up with anything meaningful to say or express about any of my own PJ's. That's when my little bouncing Alison came in, ready for bed, in her brown fleece footies with the pink and orange flowers all over them.

I've often said that if they made footie pajamas in MY size I'd buy them and wear them, they just remind me of childhood and comfort and safety.

(then I found out they do make them in my size, and decided that was a terrible, terrible idea - then mocked them openly on my other blog...)

But footie pajamas on my kiddos, still quite possibly the cutest thing in modern day existence. I love seeing them in their footies. I love it when they wear their footies and curl up in my lap and ask over and over and over again for another story, or read it one more time, or Mommy - I love you.

There's something magical about footies for a kid that just makes everything perfect. Footies are happiness. Safety. Security. Footies are everything a mother's love can give you wrapped up in a warm bundle of fresh out of the dryer goodness. In footies, you can take on the monsters in the closet or the trolls under the bed, and come out completely safe and victorious.

There's something even more magical about footies for moms that helps you to look at your child and not see them growing up, but to see that in THAT moment, they are still your baby - in their footies asking to be tucked in and read a story and one more drink of water please mommy...all in one simple moment. Footies are comfort. Footies are peace of heart. Footies are Mommy is here baby, everything is going to be okay and I love you Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.

Footies are love in my book, and I love footies. On my babies. That is all.

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My 365 Day 90. Examples of Faith.

I am not a big teeny bopper music fan. Bieber throws me into involuntary convulsions and any of the Disney babies - don't get me started. But, to every rule, there is always an exception, and gradually David Archuleta has become that exception for me.

My teenage daughter has always liked his music, in fact for her 12th birthday she asked for his album 'The Other Side of Down'. I listened to it with her, and even (secretly) ripped a copy of it to my own mp3 player to listen to - in the car - when nobody was listening with me. But the more I learned about this amazing young man, the more I liked him.

He has always stuck to his values.

He believes strongly in his faith.

He holds very high standards.

And most recently - he's been willing to give up his entire music career for two years to serve a mission for his church in a foreign country, likely void of the luxury comforts that he's come accustomed to with his success.

He's cut his hair. He's traded in the schedule of the road for a 6 AM to 10 PM proselytizing schedule (which might actually be easier...). He's traded in fame and adoring fans for door to door possible humiliation and being openly mocked by those who do not believe nor understand his faith (side note, I've had missionaries over to our home for dinner who have shared experiences such as having beverages hurled at them from passing cars while riding their bikes down the street.) And, he's using his own money to do so.

This is Elder David Archuleta, who entered the Missionary Training Center this week just in time to sing in the choir during conference. Elder David Archuleta, the world famous teeny bopper rock star who is just one among many missionaries sharing the same gospel message, and is happily doing so.

If there was going to be someone that my daughter is going to crank up his music, dance around and be crazy, and swoon every time he comes on the radio or television etc...well, then I'm okay with it being this young man. (for the record, there is no swooning, not yet - none that I know of...or that she'd admit to, come to think of it - her friends read this blog, I'm not sure I should be posting that about her...oh well, to late now. I don't have any white-out, after all.)

Anyway, my point is, he's a great young man and I admire his faith and ability to follow and live it. I only hope that I too am able to live my faith as boldly as he has, and not be ashamed to do so. He's made this very personal decision in a very public way, as his career dictates. I will never have to make such a personal choice so publicly, but I do hope that I can follow his example of living my faith in such a way that nobody doubts my beliefs.

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My 365 day 89. Moo.

Alison and I decided to take a little side trip over to the Chick-Fil-A today for some lemonade and a few nuggets. We parked next to the chikin mobile. Alison told me she liked the cow car, and I needed to take a picture of it for my computer thing.

Done Kiddo. Done.

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My 365 Day 88. Pascal.

A very, very dear friend of mine recently went through a very tough, very difficult, very personal experience. While I could never, ever - EVER even pretend to know what she went through in this time, I do know two things.

1) A true friend is there, no matter what the experience.

2) A sister will be there to help pick up the pieces and make you smile when you need it most.

She is both a friend and sister to me, and I do hope that she knows that I love her and am here to support her no matter what the need should be.

So, when a group of her students (who adore her, because she is awesome like that) wanted to get something for her to help cheer her up and let her know that they were thinking of her, they came to me for the perfect idea.

I helped them plot and plan and carry out.

I give you - Chocolate chip cookies, and Pascal.

If you knew my friend, you'd understand.

I love you sister friend of mine.

Stripey Goodness and Old Navy Forever :)

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