It Just is

So why the new blog?, (again), you may be asking.  This would be the third blog I've started in three years.  I also have a compulsive need to move my furniture around every couple of months.  I blame these types of phenomena on moving so much when I was a kid.  I crave change.  

It might sound crazy - but I mostly felt the need for a new blog because I hate the word "organic".  It makes me want to punch someone.  Or, when I opened my old blog, it made me want to punch the computer screen.  Also, I am mildly tired of the word "enchilada". 

I realize that I could just change the title of the blog...but somehow that felt like turning my underwear inside-out to get another day's use out of it.  And I'm just not that kind of girl.

Also, I never really liked the idea of "Followers".  It sounds like a clique or something bad.  So that feature is not on this blog.  I don't want "followers", I want readers.  So if you should feel so inclined, you may sign up for e-mail updates, or I think there's still the subscribe option at the bottom.  But we will not have sheep here.

And finally - I re-did all my labels.  There are now 150% fewer labels.  (estimated figure)  That just makes it less annoying to find something.  Everything I ever wrote on either of my previous two blogs is also here.  You just have to click on a label or look in the archives to find it.  

I'll continue making changes here - sprucing things up, making it feel more homey...  But in the mean time, try out a new label.  I found some gems in there that I had forgotten all about. 

Stirring the Pot

I'm over at Our Mommyhood today talking about sleepovers and all the baggage that comes with them.  Head on over and leave your thoughts...

Maintenance Issue

FYI - if you are privy to my personal blog, I wanted to tell you that I have added an e-mail subscription form to it.  Now my spotty at best posting can land in your in-box!  It's like Christmas come early, I know.  Try not to get too excited.  And I will be posting more there to make it worth your while.  

Loves to All!

*Clarification - Organic Enchilada has had e-mail subscription for a while now.  This announcement is for my other blog - the personal one for mainly family and IRL friends to read boring things about my kids.  So e-mail subscriptions now in both places.*

About Me = The Whole Enchilada

One of Mama Kat's writing prompts this week is to write or spruce up your "About Me" page.  I figured that was a worthy task, so I took a look at mine and decided I really like it just the way it is.  You can read it by clicking on the header button that says, "The Whole Enchilada", or you can be lazy and just click the link below.

Muchas Gracias.  (Yes, right here.)

I feel like I cheated and picked the easiest assignment.  So come back tomorrow and I'll do prompt #5 - A time you feared for the safety of a loved one.  It might make my head explode to write it...but I'll try.

What Would You Do?

It's time to put your two cents into the Organic Enchilada bank.  I need your thoughts and advice.

I hate my blog name.  I'm not sure why I went with it, because I am the least "green" person on the Earth, and "organic" screams green.  People search google for "organic enchiladas" and land on my site time and again, and I think it might piss them off.  There they are, looking for a good, healthy recipe for their family...and they find me.  Not organic, not green, not healthy.

I don't drink, so I know I wasn't drunk when I came up with this name.  I think it might have been late at night, and maybe I thought it was ironically funny at the time.  Now I'm just tired of sounding like something I'm not.

So.

Where to go from here?  Do I change my blog name and confuse the heck out of people, or do I leave it as is and suck up the consequences of my rash and ridiculous nature?  Have any of you ever changed your blog name?  Would it be stupid to have a url that is different from the blog title?  Thoughts, anyone?

My gosh, I'd have to make a new button.  That's just torture.

Another Monday Treat

Good Morning!  Are you all loving your Monday?  Boy, I am.  Colds and coughing; drippy noses and sore throats.  It's fantastic fun!

So rather than spend an entire post griping about it, I'm going to send you over to Our Mommyhood, where I've written a real article for today.  It's about boys and manners.  (Similar to oil and water.)  Our Mommyhood is a website dedicated to all things motherhood with a little blog business mixed in. The editors over there are doing a fantastic job converting the site into an online magazine. 

So head on over there and leave me some comment love!  Cause that's what makes my world go 'round.

A Love Letter To You From Me By You

How's that for confusing?

Um, this is going to be my last shameful post.  I can't stand the thought of my mother finding the last four.  I just keep hoping she's been really busy.  But until then, I have one more.  But this is it.  Then it's back to me not saying things that will cause her disappointment in me, and all kinds of maternal guilt.

I've been wanting to write a comment love letter ever since Liz at BBCD started the meme.  She puts together a love letter to her readers compiled only of the comments she received on her posts throughout the week.  I always felt kinda sad that I had such tame and sparse comments and was unable to participate.  But Liz told me to use two weeks worth of comments.  That, coupled with my really classy subject matter these past two weeks, have finally given me the necessary ammo to put together something worth reading. (Unless you happen to be my mother.)

I present to you, the comment love letter.  All of this is written by my lovely readers, cut and pasted into inappropriate paragraphs by me.  

Dear You Guys,

That damn Katy Perry has done it again.

"I did flatten my vagina against a car window by mistake."

I. Just. There's no words to describe what that sentence makes me feel. It's like the motorized version of the old "Kick Me" sign. But funnier, because I actually HAVE a student driver in my house. Wait, maybe that's not so funny after all. Was there a white-knuckled father in the passenger seat? Mutilated tacos scare me. And that is why you will always carry disinfecting wipes in your car! Andy's disgusted look is definitely hilarious! Where did the enchilada go???  I really want to do that to my husband's car. Love it. I guess I can see why sitting through that would be scary though....  Whew! That's a whole world I am not familiar with -- I had no idea there were people like that out there! Shame on them!

Feel better now? I sure do!  Anyway back to my sons. And yes, they both come out all sorts of wrong. Our 2 seasons of soccer taught us this. I'm a "new" soccer mom, but I really just go to watch other people be jerks.  Is it grumpy or just calling it like it is?  You said everything I wanted to say for soooooooo many years but never had the guts.  I think you should just smack 'em. Kid and/or parents. Your kid is there to learn to be part of a team, not live out one's own lost youth. I am NOT a sports parents, crappy or otherwise, but I am sorts of steamed up about this now! And I totally knew you weren't the get-involved type. (that's a compliment, btw)

As as mom of 4 boys, you better prepare yourself for shit like this as they get older. I'm trying to get her to realize it's not okay to let the snot run down your nose and into your mouth. Also, it is not okay to wipe your nose on your arm and/or on mommy. Arm-farting is so important. What about burping the alphabet? I think it's the Giant baby bearing fart! I really must re-focus my efforts on my toddler's education. 

Preach it.  The former praise leader at my church once said, "Bring your breast to God."

Amen, sister. 

Love,

Bethany

In Your Face!

Today I have to gloat a little.

Because I got one of these:

Little ol' me, the proud owner of a Chicago Dog Award.  I happen to think I'm pretty cool stuff because I earned this puppy with very minimal butt-kissing. I don't even own my own domain, so I might be a bit of a joke in the blog world, but there you go - Today, I feel like a supah-stah anyhow.  

Supah-Stah!

And that's all I have to say today.  I'm still recovering from puking my guts out all day yesterday, so I'll catch y'all tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of imdb.com

Slurred Title of Some Sort

I'm typing with my eyes closed because it's so much easier and more relaxing this way. Eyelids...so...heavy...

Seriously though, this homeschool thing is sucking the life out of me. Maybe I just need to adjust to it, but at this rate I'm going to be asleep by 8:00 PM every night and be completely unconscious all weekend long.

There are plus sides though.

Brace yourself.

I have been awake, showered, and dressed well before 9:00 AM all week long.

Shocking, no? That hasn't happened two days in a row since I was 20.

Also, the kids don't hate me. I was kind of expecting a little bit of a rebellion, but so far so good.

Possibly the worst change though, since this week began, has been my blog comments. So far I've been keeping my own blog alive by scrounging around my drafts pile, but all of y'alls blogs have gotten to see a little more color from me.

You see, by the time I get around to reading everyone's blogs, it's late and I'm wasted from going non-stop all day. That means I have no energy to hit my self-censor button.

I vaguely remember leaving a comment containing at least one cuss word on someone's blog - no idea who's it was, and I know I made comments about "dirty" fruit on Bossy Betty's blog.

In all honesty, those comments were likely more of my true self than anything I usually say, but I try to keep it reigned in when I'm completely coherent.

So if you've gotten an odd, offensive, or off-color comment from me - you have my apologies. I'll try to take a nap before I respond from now on.

It's Sunday and I Can't Think Of A Title.

Before I begin my little story today, I want to thank a couple of dear bloggy friends who have recently bestowed upon me some awards. (I know that in the past I have expressed sarcastic comments about blog awards, but it really is nice to know that there are people out there who bother to read this babble and actually enjoy it, (or take pity and pretend to enjoy it. I'm good with either.)

Lindsay at Barefoot Adventures gave me the Versatile Blogger Award, which I can't figure out how to post a picture of. No need - you get the gist. (I'm a stud.) Lindsay is one of those people who like to dip her french fries in a Frosty, but she's cool in every other way, so we can forgive her that one flaw, right? You should read her Anti-Bucket List. It's awesome!

And Sherri at Old Tweener gave me the One Lovely Blog award.

This one, I figured out.

I can't seem to find where Sherri explained the name of her blog, but it must be on there somewhere because I've read it. Wherever it is, it's good. But so is this post she wrote about If Onlys. Onlies? Whatever. Man, I could "If Only" all day long. Go read it.

I'm supposed to pass these on to more bloggers, but I always hesitate to do so because I'm afraid I'll annoy someone or forget someone who is really deserving. So I'm just going to tell you to please, please, please, go to my Rice and Beans page on my header and click on just one link or button that will take you to a blog you've never read before. See what you think. All of them will be worth it. (Also, if I never got your button back up there from that one time when I tried to re-do the page, please let me know so I can put it there.)

I'm also supposed to list seven things about myself that you might not know. Here I go...

1. People ask me if I'm Russian all. the. time. (I'm not.)

2. I'm afraid that diet soda will give me cancer, so I don't drink it. I go with the fully-loaded version.

3. In 2004 I made a pilgrimage to Alcatraz, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

4. I once managed apartments in a rather seedy part of Vancouver, Washington. Oh, the stories I could tell.

5. I'm afraid of the dark. The reasons behind this are too numerous to list.

6. I love to visit cemeteries. My favorite so far is the Mount Olivet cemetery in Salt Lake City, because a reanimated being was trying to unearth himself the last time I was there. But I'm headed to Park City soon to see another, and it might beat out the Olivet.

7. I don't like animals.

Alright, I think I'll save the story for later, as this is already long enough. Hope you all enjoy the last few hours of your weekend! My hubs has Mondays off, so we'll think of you while we're partying tomorrow! (Partying = weeding the front yard and figuring out exactly how much of my hair it takes to clog the bathroom sink.)

Construction Zone

I've been a little MIA this week. It's because I didn't feel like being here. Weird, huh?

And my lack of desire to blog has turned into a sort or re-vamping. I've imported my other blog, or parts of it, into this one, so there's a whole crop of new posts hidden in here just waiting to be found and plucked from their stems for your enjoyment. Good luck finding them though - they are inserted by date, so some of them will go back much further than when I started this particular blog in January.

To help you find a few of the good posts, I have updated my "Best Of" page. Except I call it the "Doggy Bag", and you can find it in the navigation bar directly underneath that splendid looking enchilada up top.

Also, I am formulating a new feature on my blog here, which I don't want to go into detail about yet, because it was only born a day or so ago, and I want to hold it and bond with it and get to know it before I share it with the world. But I will say that it holds to potential to be better than anything I am all on my own.

So while I continue to find myself here, please poke around and excuse the dust while I shift and construct and get settled.

This Is How I Do It

Or how I'm going to start doing it, anyway.

I love to blog. I love to read other blogs. I love to comment on blogs that strike my fancy or hit a cord or piss me off or whatever. And I love comments in return.

But this thing is taking over my life!

There are a million and two bloggers out there who are bigger and better than me, and they must have some serious time management skills or a maid or something, but me? I can't figure out how to do this blog thing without letting everything else go to hell in a hand basket.

But I decided that I can make this work if I do things my way... So here we go...

1. I will respond to comments on my blog within the comments section so that I don't have to spend my life e-mailing people who don't remember why I'm e-mailing them. So if you want a follow-up, hit that little box in the comments section that says "e-mail follow up comments to me". And don't worry about getting a flood of e-mails containing other people's comments. I don't get enough to worry about. If you leave a question or comment that requires a more intimate response, I will e-mail you, but you will not get used to that or expect it to be the norm. Mmm-K?

2. I will continue to follow new blogs if they interest me, but I cannot guarantee that I will read every post. Want to know how I filter? It goes like this:

(Internal monologue...)

Let's see, 2,439 new blog posts to be read in my reader...Skimming, skimming...

OOO! Catchy title! I think I will read that one.

Reading, reading....thinking about my grocery list...Oh. I lost interest. Done. Next blog.

Reading, reading...I like how these paragraphs are not too long...Nice post! I get it! And I shall comment!

That's pretty much how it goes. I'm not at all saying that I'm cool and everyone else is not, or that no one is worth my time - I'm just saying that I don't want to/can't spend three hours a day on the computer reading EVERYTHING and commenting on EVERYTHING.

So I'm not going to.

If I read your blog, I will continue to do so, and I will comment when I have something worth saying.

And I wouldn't expect more than that in return. If you are reading my blog and I am boring you, please end your own misery and move on to the next one in your reader. I don't have delusions of grandeur, I know I can't please everyone.

Also, once a month, I will go through my reader and unsubscribe from blogs that I have lost interest in. That is not to be intentionally offensive or mean in any way, I just don't like clutter.

See, that was easy.

Have a nice weekend, everyone! (If there's anyone still here.)

On Globes And Pencil Sharpeners

I am homeschooling my kids this year.

I am going to be the hottest girl in their class.

That's a first for me.

Homeschool is a hugely intimidating task. I not only have to educate my children, but I have to do it better than a public school would, or I get a big FAILURE stamp on my forehead. I have to make it fun, and try not to turn them into social misfits. You know - the kind of kid who can't interact with his peers because he's been spending all his time making macaroni art and breastfeeding.

Thank goodness I'm all dried up, huh?

So, in a rather unrelated event, CSN stores sent me a gift certificate to use in any of their 200+ stores, and so I picked out a few tools to use in our homeschool endeavors.

They shipped me an electric pencil sharpener and a globe, per my request.

I picked the pencil sharpener because there is nothing I hate more than a stupid hand crank sharpener that will only shave half the pencil and makes me use bad words in front of my impressionable kids.



Unfortunately, the electric one I picked out will not shave either half of my pencil. A week after this one came in the mail, I went out and bought a dollar pencil sharpener from Wal-Mart. It's not perfect either, but it comes a lot closer.

I'm not going to give up though. You get what you pay for, really. (This was a freebie for me, so no harm done.) I think next time I'll go with the X-ACTO brand.

The globe that I ordered was better. It spins, it correctly labeled all the oceans, etc. It's an inexpensive globe that gets the job done. I've used it in a couple of quick, impromptu lessons, and I was satisfied. Mostly the kids and I sit around the breakfast table, chomping on our cereal and taking turns spinning the globe, closing our eyes, saying, "I'm going to live in..." and then slamming our finger down on the spinning orb to make it stop on the location of our future homes. I need to learn to swim, by the way. We kinda love this globe - best toy ever.




I don't think the globe would fare well in a fall to the floor, or if it were taken hostage by my one-year-old, but I don't have plans to let that happen to our educational breakfast entertainment. As long as we're careful with it, this globe should last us as long as we need it. I would definitely buy it again, if I were made to do so with my own money.

That pencil sharpener can go to hell, though.

(In case you couldn't tell, this post is a review for products that I received for free from CSN Stores in return for posting my honest feedback and links to their website. I was not compensated in any other way, and I think it's obvious that my opinions are genuine.)

You skip a day, and all hell breaks loose.

Two hours into plowing through my overflowing feed reader this morning, (TWO HOURS), I gave up. I couldn't get through them all. New ones were popping in faster than I could read the old ones.

Quitting never felt so good. I have kids begging for my attention, and they aren't the ones I want to disappoint.

So I'll be back on my game tomorrow, and in the mean time, I wanted to share with you this picture:



It doesn't look like much, but it's documentation of the moment my husband confessed to me that he has a secret "Emergency Bug Fund".

He's been stashing money away for a Volkswagen emergency. A lot of money.

I laughed. And I was relieved.

Cause that bug ain't soundin' too good.

A Little Housekeeping

Hopefully the new additions to the sidebar will help clear up any confusion in my posting. I've been meaning to get that done for a while.

Also, my Rice and Beans page has gotten a little screwed up somehow. This comes with being blog-inept. I'll get it fixed soon. Hopefully tomorrow. So if you don't see your button there where it used to be, it'll be back. Promise. (And if not, do let me know so I can get it back up there.)

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Me Receiving An Award For Blogging Is Like Meryl Streep Complimenting Kristen Stewart On Her Acting Skills

I got a blog award!



I find it extremely flattering, but I have to wonder if these awards are the blogosphere's take on chain letters. There's that pressure to pass it on and all... I'd rather just accept the award, (not gracefully, because it's too late for that), and then tell you about the blog of the person who gave it to me. Cause it's a good one!

So let's do that.

Sarah blogs at Confessions of an Untenured Teacher. She loves the library, she's writing a novel, and she teaches kids with hearing loss. (I do, too. Love the library. And teach kids with hearing loss. Except my kids have voluntary and selective hearing loss. It's somewhat different, I suppose.) Anyway - next year she'll be teaching first graders. So cute and sweet. I like kids who haven't learned how to be cliquey yet.

Sarah can make a trip to the grocery store an entertaining story.

She has an Etsy shop full of cute, little cards and notes. I love Etsy.

She has great anecdotes about explaining things to her students.

And reading about how she explained the differences in race and nationality to her students made me laugh out loud and I think something flew out of my nose.

In short, I love her blog. Go read it. Follow it. Love it.

I'm A Genie In A Bottle

I am not a savvy blogger. I don't know how to edit html, make money off my ramblings, or even edit photos so they look decent. I refuse to use Twitter because I do not need one more thing sucking up my time. Really, I don't get a lot of this bloggy stuff.

And I'm ok with that. I write on this blog to give my mind something to do besides calculate the number of diapers left in the box in relation to number of days left until payday.

But today I did add a little feature at the bottom of each post that allows you, beloved readers, to share my mindless prattle on Facebook and Twitter, and some other places that I didn't pay much attention to.

Why? Because Evelyn at Hanging By A Silver Lining, (who's blog I love), said she wished I had that feature. Well, wish granted.

I'm sure I made her day!

So share away, people, share away!

Sunny Me

Jill over at Hagler Happenings gave me my very first blog award the other day.

A Sunshine Award! I don't think anyone has ever referred to me as a sunny kind of person, so this one pleased me in a "I'm not a completely dark person" kind of way. Thanks, Jill!

I love Jill's blog because she's going through some things with her kids that I will soon be going through with my own, and I need all the help and advice I can get. Especially about things like this. I bookmarked that one so I could reference it later. Plus, she's just plain fun!

I hope you all have a Sunny Day!

Moving Up In The World

I have tried to make a blog button at least four thousand times in my short blogging life, and tonight, I finally made it work. *Squeal!*

I have to thank Tim from Mr. Moms Unite for his at first intimidating, but very successful tutorial on how to do it. You're my hero, Tim. (And you, too, Liz, for jumping in to rescue me.)

So grab a button from my sidebar and proudly paste that baby on your blog, because it was a long time comin'!

The Blog Frog

For those of you who have been reading here for a while now, I wanted to explain the Blog Frog thingy on the sidebar. I recently joined The Blog Frog and have met some really inspiring, funny, witty women who have great blogs. I love to snoop around other people's lives and see how people from all walks of life live and think. So that's what the widget on the sidebar is, and if you get a minute, you should really check it out and see if you'd like to link up and meet some awesome people! There are some really interesting conversations going on about all kinds of things in people's communities. I've listed a few interesting reads below, and I hope you'll check them out!

Have a happy Wednesday!


Nurse Mommy Laughs
Single Infertile Female
Bethany Anna - New Heart/New Life
It May Be A Crazy Life, But It Is Our Life