mommas don't let your babies grow up to be internet trolls

A few weeks ago, I was faced with a class A internet troll.  You know the ones, they are just about everywhere comments are enabled on the internet.  They leave their nasty non-critiques on beautiful blogposts and inspirational articles.  They litter every single youtube video with more than 100 views.  They are almost always anonymous or with some ridiculous handle with a fake email address because they know the internet is a hiding place where no one really cares enough to try to actually find them regardless of how much beef they believe they can toss out.

ugh, I don't roll my eyes at anything more than I do when faced with an internet troll.

With my 25 Rules post, I have had my fair share of run-ins with the internet trolls.  I will definitely not be calling anyone out specifically because I'm not throwing gasoline at those fires.  Internet trolls believe they're doing a service by 'stirring the pot,' when really they are by no means contributing any new or interesting viewpoint to the table.  They literally take a dump on the comments and wait for people to be offended.  It's not a critique trolls, you're just a douchebag who wants attention.

I mean, honestly, if you're going to take the effort to comment (and type in that wacky 'prove your not a robot' phrase to do it) - you'd think you'd have something more worthwhile to say than, "this is "stupid" (although trolls almost always use their own heinous synonym for stupid).

Anyway, back to a few weeks ago....an internet troll took the effort to comment on my 25 Rules post (don't bother trying to find the comment, I deleted it), and attempted to  leave the most repulsive comment on a post that was originally inspired by my son.
-Oh no, he didn't. -
In my attempt to uncover this troll's identity, I fell into the underbelly of the lowest of low of the internet's potential.  After some lost time (but seriously.) I came back up for air and took a good look at myself.  I was disgusted, sort of horrified, and overall concerned that I had been trapped in a sea of information - albeit total garbage of information - but trapped.

Occasionally I'll run across an article or a video that is truly inspiring or thought provoking.  But for the most part, I am completely impassively scrolling through pages and pages of filler.  Just because I have access to all of this information (a great deal of which is garbage), does not actually mean that I need to be accessible to it at all times.

So then I had a sort of mini-meltdown with the realization that maybe what I need is an overall internet diet.  Because although I was brought to this point by way of an internet troll guide through bigotry and web-hate - it helped me see that even though I'm not entranced looking at that sort of thing everyday - its really the daily garbage that I soak in on the internet that has me sort of in a funk and overwhelmed.  It wasn't just this one moment, but actually for a few weeks now I have become increasingly more concerned about the mindless scrolling that I do throughout the course of the day.  The iPad and my phone are in easy reach for the entire day, and if a moment spares, I snatch them up and mindlessly scroll.

And obviously, if I'm scrolling - there are other things I'm not doing - like mainly enjoying my actual real-life day.

Thus, leads me to my internet dieting for the past few weeks.  It's nothing very set in stone and somedays I still find myself stuck in a youtube black hole of Jim & Pam (of the office) fan videos of their top 65 million cute moments (i'm warning - don't go down that road, it's adorable but also a very slippery slope) - but I've been attempting to limit my access to it so that I don't limit my access to other parts (and people) during my day.  I've removed the facebook app from my phone (shocking! and liberating!!) and I hide the iPad from myself on top of the computer during the day - lame, but out of sight; out of mind.

So sorry for not updating here as frequently right now, but I'm living, man :)  and by living, I mean taking a full blown bubble-mania bath with the kids the other day (thanks to a serendipitous combination of Greyson's secret pouring of half the bubble bath bottle and turning on the Jacuzzi jets.  oops).

and cozy'ing up to Brandon with beer and Darryl Dixon after we put the kids to bed.

Source: Uploaded by user via Leanne on Pinterest

Because its not that I wouldn't have done these things before my internet diet, but that I'm fearful (and ashamed, certainly) that I'm not sure I wouldn't have been partially distracted pre-internet diet.  First step to being better is admitting you can be better - right?

So thanks, internet troll?

no, actually, never thanks to the internet trolls.

Mommas, we need to teach our babies that the internet does not give you muscles to say something you won't put your name next to.  If you aren't going to claim it - then don't say it.

A Mom's Valentine's Day

She wakes up to a kiss on the forehead and a whispered, "happy Valentine's Day, I'll be home as soon as I can" in her ear from her husband on his way out the door for work that morning.

She lets guilt peel her out of bed at 6:15a as she didn't prepare anything special for the kids for Valentine's day.

She makes her way downstairs while the dogs weave in and out of her legs to get outside.  She brews coffee and turns on her work laptop.

She pulls out some frozen sugar cookie dough and attempts to roll it out and use heart shaped cookie cutters.  As it doesn't quite work, she opts for sprinkling red, pink, and orange-colored sugar on top of each cookie drop.

She sits down to answer a few work emails while the cookies are in the oven - only to realize too late that she lost track of time and now the first tray is of cookies are dark brown.  She tosses the second tray in and sets the oven timer.

She kisses both kids good morning and helps them downstairs.  "Its Valentine's Day, my darlings.  That means we have to hug and kiss all day!" she says enthusiastically.  "Can I have a cookie?" they ask eagerly.  She succumbs to cookies for breakfast, it's a holiday after all.

During breakfast, she helps her son write the first letter to his name on valentine notes for his day care class.  He asks, "Can I make one for my baby sister?"  Later, she gets choked up when taping the note in her daughter's baby book under the words, 'your first valentine 2013'

She catches a glimpse of the beautiful valentine of her friend's babies hanging on the fridge and has a pang of guilt for not having it together enough to make one of her own babies to send to family and friends.  She grabs her phone, and is yet again, thankful for the Red Stamp app as she whips up a Valentine to text and post to facebook in an attempt to pretend like she is one of those moms that has it together.

She bundles the kids in coats and hats and lumbers out the door balancing kids, valentines, and her purse.  She gets the baby strapped in her car-seat only to watch as her son slips in the snow.  She calms her son and heads back into the house to change his pants now soaked in snow and slush.  

She stops at the local deli to pick up a bag of party mix for the daycare valentine's day party.  She talks excitedly about the party in the truck in hopes to keep her son from fussing at drop off time.

She makes her way home to toss a rump roast in the slow cooker and spends the rest of the day working, changing diapers, and wiping down sticky baby fingers.  She forgets it Valentines day.

After lunch, she realizes the baby has ripped off the head to the monster in the musical valentines card from her sister.  She remembers it is Valentines day.

She feels guilty for not having anything planned for the evening of the holiday so she searches pinterest from some pinspiration   She realizes almost immediately that this was a bad idea as now she only feels worse about not being prepared.

Instead of an elaborate activity, she scribbles a three-step treasure hunt on paper hearts that lead to the bathtub. She resolves to set up a 'valentine bath' which is both fun for the kids and practical for her as its 'bath day.'

She loads the baby in the truck and heads to pick up her son at day care.  She swallows her pride as he shows her the valentines he received from other kids including not only notes but also baggies filled with candies and pencils from moms who have it together a little more than her.

She gets through the late afternoon until a tantrum caused by the missing head to the musical valentines card.  On hands and knees, she finds the missing monster head and reattaches it to the card.  She glances at the clock and wonders when her husband will be home.

She smiles as her husband hands a dozen roses to their son and whispers, 'go give these to Mumma.'  She laughs as her husband hands another dozen to their baby daughter and she tries to take a bite of them.  She only stabs herself with a thorn once as she puts two dozen roses in a vase for their kitchen table.

She enjoys the first four minutes of dinner with her husband and two children.  Then she spends the rest of dinner attempting to reason with a picky toddler and scolding the dogs for taking the baby's food from her outstretched, offering hand.

She watches as her son runs around the house completing the treasure hunt which leads them to the decorated bath.  She sits in peace with her husband as they watch their kids giggling and playing together in the pink-colored bath water.

She and her husband wrestle two kids through lotion, pajamas, and teeth brushing.  She puts the baby to sleep and cleans up the kitchen.  She tells her son through clenched teeth for the fourteenth time that its time for bed.

She cleans up the kitchen, feeds the dogs, thanks her husband for feeding the cats, and throws together a surprise for the mail person.

Sleepily, she heads up to bed wondering if there is such a thing as Valentines day.  And when she lays down, she thinks back on the good of the day.  The baby open-mouth kisses, her son saying, 'you know what I wanna give you?  A kissa and hugga," the taste of a slow-cooked meal, her husband's light kiss on her neck.  She thinks again, maybe there is no such thing as Valentines Day -  maybe its really that everyday is Valentines day.

toddler & baby Kindness - Guest Post

I apologize for the lack of posting going on this week.  I'm going to give you an update very soon (tomorrow?) but I've been doing a little internet dieting - so thanks for hanging around.

I am excited today to direct you over to Nicole's Craftastic Life blog where I did a guest post for her about how we incorporate kindness in our day to day lives.  Even with very young kids, we try to remember kindness everyday.  Check out Nicole's blog for my post and to read her own posts on a normal basis.

Thanks for letting me guest post, Nicole!