Secular Confessions

[daylilies]

One of my daycare parents is a few years younger than me. She looks me up and down every single time she walks in my house. I know I don't dress like a typical thirty something but it's very unnerving. I shop at thrift stores and like to look unique. And I still wear the bell bottom blue jeans with sewn on patches that I wore in my twenties. You know that feeling when I woman just looks at you from head to toe but doesn't say anything. I haaaate it.

Oh, that sucks. I think I've seen maybe 2 pictures of you ever, but I have to say I appreciate it when people have a unique style of dress. I feel so boring in my capris and t shirts but I don't know what styles flatter me.
And good for you for still fitting into jeans you wore in your 20's
You quoted yourself back there...but I think you were telling me to rant away Basically I got behind two old ladies in the grocery store who were seriously heckling the price of every single thing they bought. Making the checkout lady go through the coupon papers and prove to them that the prices were right. It drove me up the wall. Seriously, if you want to save money on Oscar Mayer weiners...don't buy them!

[AmeriBrit]

One of my tickers is lilypie.com and the other is babygaga.com
Like Gwenn said, it walks you through making the ticker and then you just copy and paste the code at the end.

[daylilies]

Oh and I use lilypie for my ticker.

[missychrissy]

Screw her Bridget. You're beautiful and unique and anyone that can't appreciate that is a dud.

And pooh on the old ladies. I have to say, it was the senior citizens that made me quit being a cashier when I was 20! lol I had one lady ream me out over 3 cents once, and it wasn't like I typed in the price. The register was computerized!!

[Bridget]

Oh, that sucks. I think I've seen maybe 2 pictures of you ever, but I have to say I appreciate it when people have a unique style of dress. I feel so boring in my capris and t shirts but I don't know what styles flatter me.
And good for you for still fitting into jeans you wore in your 20's
You quoted yourself back there...but I think you were telling me to rant away Basically I got behind two old ladies in the grocery store who were seriously heckling the price of every single thing they bought. Making the checkout lady go through the coupon papers and prove to them that the prices were right. It drove me up the wall. Seriously, if you want to save money on Oscar Mayer weiners...don't buy them!

I did mean to quote you! Oops. I seriously always pick the wrong line at the grocery store. I always get behind the old lady who is trying to use a coupon from 1992, or the cashier that's out of ones and has to wait for the supervisor to bring them more. Without fail.

[Gwenn]

Screw her Bridget. You're beautiful and unique and anyone that can't appreciate that is a dud.

Absolutely.

Bridget, maybe this is a strange thing to say, but you really remind me of the way my sister used to be before she had kids. Her personality changed really dramatically and my mom and I both feel really sad about that. I always read your posts and wish my sister were more like you now. So don't feel bad about the way you are!

[3andMe]

I went to the zoo today too. I went yesterday with all three and it was totally okay, so we went back today to see the animals we didn't see yesterday. There were huge schoolgroups everywhere, and as we were getting ready to leave a small cadre of schoolboys spied Claire, yelled "A girl!" and started chasing her. She screamed and ran away from them and from me, and I ran toward her and scooped her up as she was hysterically crying. Then Soren started screaming too, and Ronin ran away. All 3 children needed conflicting attention simultaneously, and as I knelt down and kissed Claire, I started crying myself. I felt so badly for her, and for me, and for all of us except Ronin who was running off on his own to have fun elsewhere.

I took Claire by the hand as soon as I corralled Ronin and got her crying under control, and we went over to the main boy who was trying to grab her. We stood and looked at him for a moment, then I told Claire that I'm sure the boy was sorry that he scared her and he didn't mean to. His teacher prodded him, and he mumbled "I'm sorry."

[3andMe]

Bridget, it is good to have your own taste and sense of style. If we were all the same, life would be pretty boring.

Kate, I'm sorry your playdate didn't work out.

[Gwenn]

How awful. And obviously I didn't see the whole situation as it was happening, so it's hard to judge, but it bothers me if the teacher didn't intervene until after you did.

[Cosmosmom]

I did mean to quote you! Oops. I seriously always pick the wrong line at the grocery store. I always get behind the old lady who is trying to use a coupon from 1992, or the cashier that's out of ones and has to wait for the supervisor to bring them more. Without fail.

That would be me. When DH is with, he asks me which lane....and than we go to the other lane. LOL

[daylilies]

LOL
When DH and I go shopping together sometimes we will each get in a line and then join the one whose line is moving faster.

[missychrissy]

Oh Lydia! How frightful for her

[3andMe]

Oh Lydia! How frightful for her

Yeah, it was. Claire gets easily disturbed by the sudden appearance of strangers, to the extent that she won't play on a play structure if other kids are climbing around. I started crying because well, it was so overwhelming having everything happen at once and because she's starting preschool in a couple of weeks and I worry about things like that happening when I can't support her, and probably because I'm still overloaded with postpartum hormones.

On the bright side, at least she was recognized as a girl, which doesn't happen all that often.

[daylilies]

I'm surprised people still think Claire is a boy. I remember you saying that when they were babies, too, that they always assumed Claire was a boy. She always looks like a girl to me, but maybe that's just because I know she is.
I'm sorry about the incident at the zoo. How scary for you guys! And I completely understand worrying about not being able to protect her. Josh is starting preschool in the fall too and I worry about him. So it's not just pregnancy hormones ;) I actually started tearing up, thinking about dropping him off at preschool.

[Bridget]

Lydia, that would really have upset me too. I have a really hard time when other kids upset my kids or scare them. I know it's part of life but it sucks. I am sure I would have cried too.

[missychrissy]

I have no doubt I would have cried as well. And I worry about things happening to Conner at preschool and not being there to protect him. Even though I've been through it before and I know they all were fine and he'll be fine...I still worry. That's what good moms do, I guess.

Speaking of preschools, if you remember I was having a really hard time finding a part time program for him. I found an open play group that's sponsored by a parenting resource center in the town where my mom lives. She can take him whenever it's convenient. They have story time and a few activities, but it's mostly an open play where the kids can do whatever interests them. They also have free field trips occasionally.

My mom is going to try it out. We're both excited for Conner because he's wanted to go 'to school' for a few months now. And we've both worried about getting his socialized before Kindergarten.

[daylilies]

That's great Chrissy!

[Gwenn]

Chrissy, that sounds perfect.

[Cosmosmom]

I was watching the new season of Real World last night and one of the guys is from my hometown. It was weird when the others found out he was from Wisconsin, there were all the preconceived notions about what a guy from Wisconsin was like. Kinda of made me do this and than this

[missychrissy]

lol...what were their preconceived notions?

[Gwenn]

lol...what were their preconceived notions?

I was wondering that too!

[Cosmosmom]

lol...what were their preconceived notions?

I think that the term meathead was used..."just like I would expect someone from WI to be". LOL

Well this dude is kind of a boozy jock and I have known guys like that....but seriously doesn't every state? Just like we have nerdy guys, bikers, emo dudes....

My family doesn't know him or his family or anything...makes me feel old too when he graduated (not my high school but our rival!) in 2005....I'm class of 1997.

God, even my FIL is from Chicago and everyone down there (and they should know better!) thinks that everyone in WI is just hick farmers who say hay der (and outside of the chicago area, IL is a LOT of farms too). Of course all those same people come up to my state for the camping and outdoors.

I would just say that I have lived here my whole life...I do like cheese (no brats and beer for me...yuck!) but the only farms I have been on have been field trips in school.

[Bridget]

When I was in Hawaii I got a lot of teasing about being from Wisconsin. You wouldn't believe how many people said things like, "I thought all people from Wisconsin were fat."
I think they all assume we're a bunch of beer drinking, cheese eating, green bay packer watching farmers/hicks.
I'm the first two for sure.

[Gwenn]

Well, I'm pretty sure have preconceived notions of Arizona that aren't true, too. Like we're all just hick cowboys or something. I've met a couple of real cowboys but they're not all that common.

My cousin just moved here and she said her mother got so upset about her leaving that she said that if she moved here, my cousin's 16 year old daughter would end up pregnant underage by an illegal and then wind up marrying the illegal for a greencard. Ummm... from what I know of this kid, I don't think so.

[stephmama]

When I was in Hawaii I got a lot of teasing about being from Wisconsin. You wouldn't believe how many people said things like, "I thought all people from Wisconsin were fat."
I think they all assume we're a bunch of beer drinking, cheese eating, green bay packer watching farmers/hicks.
I'm the first two for sure.

Some people would assume I had a pet alligator and rode a friggin' boat to school. C'mon!


And then people here would think everyone in HI wore grass skirts and greeted you at the airport with a lei. Riiiight.

[intactivstmom]

I think I live in one of the worst states for being subject to preconceived notions, Utah. Everyone always assumes I'm mormon. And I have been seriously asked how many moms I have. I didn't think anybody seriously thought polygamy was still practiced.

[Cosmosmom]

When I was in Hawaii I got a lot of teasing about being from Wisconsin. You wouldn't believe how many people said things like, "I thought all people from Wisconsin were fat."
I think they all assume we're a bunch of beer drinking, cheese eating, green bay packer watching farmers/hicks.
I'm the first two for sure.

Well DH and I do have the fat part covered (but again so do most states!)....and we like cheese and he likes the Packers.

But I can't even hardly get my lawn to grow! And we both think beer is NASTY (though the tour of Leinies was interesting). We like wine and brandy (ok so that IS very WI...I love it, not DH)....and rum.

[Cosmosmom]

Some people would assume I had a pet alligator and rode a friggin' boat to school. C'mon!


And then people here would think everyone in HI wore grass skirts and greeted you at the airport with a lei. Riiiight.

Aw man, you don't get a lei at the airport???? That is what they show on TV.

[missychrissy]

I've heard people were shocked to see NY isn't all paved in concrete. We have rednecks here just like anywhere else....and a whole lot of farmland.

[Gwenn]

I've heard people were shocked to see NY isn't all paved in concrete. We have rednecks here just like anywhere else....and a whole lot of farmland.

Yes, I grew up in Westchester and my cousin from CA came to visit us one year and made a comment about thinking about how she never knew there were trees in NY. And my dad's family was definitely good old NY farmers, including a redneck or two!