mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

Get over Go Daddy and the Super Bowl ad.

It won't stop.  The comments, that is, about the recent Go Daddy commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.  Here are my thoughts.

First off, I didn't see the commercial air live, as we were out to dinner with my inlaws and {thankfully} missed it along with the first hour of the game.  I watched it later on DVR and even though I was repulsed, did not find myself surprised.

Then came the slew of comments on my Facebook wall and Twitter feed about how people were now going to change where they registered their domains -- from Go Daddy to some other service -- all because of this poor taste in ad choice.  Personally, I think that's absurd.  I mean, sure the ad is not exactly enticing or in great taste, but did we really expect it to be?  I mean if the past few Super Bowl ads have been any indication, this is exactly the kind of commercial we should all come to expect from Go Daddy.  If you have kids and are worried about them seeing this kind of repulsiveness, then prepare for it.  You know it's coming.

The same can be said about the {in my opinion: lousy} performance by Beyonce during the half-time show.  I'll preface by saying first off that I am NOT a fan of Beyonce's as it is.  Her music doesn't gel with me and in my opinion, she just doesn't appeal to me as an artist.  But, it's BEYONCE for crying out loud.  We all know there's going to be gyrating and booty-shaking and lots of skin showing.  Why are so many people "disgusted" and in shock about how "sleazy" of a show it was?  Actually, I personally didn't think it was all that bad.  I was actually quite bored.  It's nothing we've not seen from Beyonce before, but certainly not beyond what one could expect.  

Am I saying that I enjoyed being subjected to the awkwardness of the Go Daddy commercials or the sight of Beyonce's thighs?  No, not necessarily.  But, I'm not getting my panties in a wad for it all because hey, it's not like I would have expected anything different.  As much as we'd all like to think it's "family friendly tv", it's not.  We all know that.  To be honest, I am more concerned with my kids being exposed to the ads that glorify alcohol consumption, more than the ones that have sexual connotations.  But, knowing this about myself, it's MY responsibility to shield them from watching the ads, not my job to complain that they are part of the show.  

People forget one thing in all this.  The Super Bowl is selling ads.  And the advertisers are going for the jugular in many cases when it comes to their ads.  We have known this for decades and yet every year it seems someone complains about the commercials or raunchy-ness of the half-time show.  This is what makes the Super Bowl the Super Bowl.  You can't get this stuff anywhere else!

So since you know it's coming, either watch it or don't.  But complaining about it is counter-productive.  It will always remain the Super Bowl.  

No, really I AM truly happy with all my boys and don't NEED a daughter to be fulfilled.

Sheesh.  Ok, so this pregnancy has been a doozie thus far and I'm barely even 8 weeks into it!  I've been tweeting about how annoyed I am about my debilitating morning all-day sickness and how so many people have responded to my pregnancy with

"Oooohh, you might finally get your girl?!!"

Can I just say how God-awful annoying that is to a mom of boys?  I mean, look at this picture....do I look like I don't already have everything I want?

Even some of my closest friends, who I know LOVE me as much as I do them, have said things about how I just HAVE to be having a girl and how wonderful it's going to be.  And then, I die.  Not because I wouldn't be absolutely in love with a girl if I had one, but no more so than if I could brag about having FOUR sons in my life!!!!  I know how much fun it could be to have girls...with my sister recently giving birth the most angelic baby girl on earth, I couldn't be more happy or proud as an Aunt.  I love that little tootsie more than life itself and I am unbelievably happy for my sister and brother-in-law.  But none of that takes away from me loving my boys and having room for one more!

I was at a friend's baby shower this past weekend and she's got 3 boys (like me) and is having a girl this time around with number 4.  We both had such a great convo about how when you have 3 boys and are pregnant with #4, people just give you that empathetic {almost} reaction when it comes to talking about the sex of the baby.  As if "finally getting your girl" implies that you've been missing out on something during your whole journey as a mother.  And that somehow if it's a girl {and not simply a healthy baby} that you'll finally get to die a happy person.  That your life will somehow now be complete.  It was refreshing to talk to her about how she dealt with it and how I am now starting to deal with those comments.  Because, truth be told, I have never been one to fall in line with the white picket fence notion.  I would be BEYOND elated if I found out we were going to be adding another little ferocious boy to our family! 

Ok, not that I like cleaning up 5 toilets after them all but there are tradeoffs with either gender.  And by the same token, if I had ALL girls, I would hate to be made to feel as if my experience as a mother were less than ideal because I had no sons to speak of.  It is all just too much sometimes. 

Given that I am classified "advanced maternal age" this time around, my biggest prayer is not that I look up at the ultrasound screen and see the highly coveted "hamburger buns", but rather my baby be healthy and all good, regardless of the sex.  Plus, if you ask my two older sons {and hubs}, they aren't at ALL keen on having a little girl around this house.  Apparently all they can envision is the sight of Barbies lying around all over the floor. Seriously. That's what my two older boys came up with.

So while I try and muster up my energy each day of this pregnancy to stay an active mom of boys who are in fall baseball, flag football, soccer, tackle football, piano, let's not forget school - I hope that the insinuations that hubs and I are finally going for "our girl" will soon die down.  Because I am so incredibly in love with my boys.  So much so that it makes my mind smile when I think about the possibility of adding one more of them to this life.  Boy or girl - it makes no difference to me.  I've already got the best of it all.

Helicopter government is at it again.

New York city mayor Bloomberg is a super-sized jackass & should be banned.  I'm just sayin'.   I have been so insanely looking forward to posting about this ever since I heard about it last week.  I'm just about fuming.  As you may well know, New York Mayor Bloomberg has recently proposed to ban the sale of large size "sugary" drinks at all restaurants, movie theaters, and street carts in New York city.

Uh-huh.  Go ahead. You can say it. Ludicrous. And, no, I don't mean the rapper.

Seriously, W. T. F. ????!!!  This has gone so far beyond the point of making sense that I don't even know where or how to begin.  I mean, at what point is enough enough??  I don't know about any of you but I am all for regulating things that actually have a need to be regulated.  Whether or not you order a large Coke with your value meal is not the business of the New York mayor anyone else for that matter! 

Are large sodas the actual and only cause of obesity, anyway?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  Why can't stupid politicians just deal with the issues their constituents want them to without complicating things?  Since when is going to a movie and ordering a large Cherry Coke a crime? It's not. I am not obese and I LOVE to order large sodas.  Are you telling me that it makes any sense at all to restrict the rights of others just because you feel that such a restriction would help a few? Nope.

While we're at it let's just ban double slice orders of Sbarro too!  And, how much sense does it really make to ban the sale of large sodas but yet allow the person unlimited refills and additional drink orders?  If that's the case, instead of the 1 large Coke, can can I order 15 smalls then?

Why don't we just ban Sponge Bob too since he aparently makes you stupid?  Or, let's ban friggin' people who drive in the left hand lane even when they aren't passing? Or, how about let's ban the sale king size candy bars?!  I mean seriously, when does it EVER END??

We've already got a ridiculous epidemic of helicopter parenting out there, we don't need to add "helicopter government" to that list.  Banning the sale of certain drinks just simply bans the sale of them. It does not and will not suddenly make a city or state less obese. Nope, I hate to break it to you Bloomberg, but the only thing that can change that are the people themselves.

One of my favorite brands, Coca-Cola, recently released a statement about this proposed ban:

“The people of New York City are much smarter than the New York City Health Department believes. We are transparent with our consumers. They can see exactly how many calories are in every beverage we serve.

We have prominently placed calorie counts on the front of our bottles and cans and in New York City, restaurants already post the calorie content of all their offerings and portion sizes -- including soft drinks.

New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase. We hope New Yorkers loudly voice their disapproval about this arbitrary mandate.”

As you also may know, I recently attended Conversations with Coca-Cola, a social media moms event.  I was so enlightened by how well their brand promotes and supports living positively.  Much information about their "Live Positively" initiatives can be found on their website here.  

In a nutshell, I am not saying that ordering a large soft drink with every meal is necessarily healthy or that it couldn't contribute to obesity.  Rather what I am saying is that if you're going ban the sale of them simply because they have the potential to contribute to obesity, then you have to start banning just about everything else in eating establishments because of the same link!  And when the words "goverment" (whether it's federal, state, or local) and "ban" are used in the same sentence, that always gets me fuming.  I mean, if they can't yet figure out how to stabilize and prioritize the Social Security system, how on earth could they possibly be equipped enough to tackle the obesity problem?!

What are your thoughts on the proposed ban?

I just have to say this about politics.

This is my blog.  It's a no-brainer that I can say what I want on here regardless of what anyone else reads into it or thinks.  With that said, I don't expect anyone to necessarily agree or disagree with my point of view.  Take it or leave it.  It makes no difference to me. I am just posting this as more of a vent than anything else.  Ok, here goes.

I am so sick of the "E" word.  Experience.  Now, let me preface this with the fact that I am not a big fan of either McCain or Obama.  But no matter who the candidates are, I think using experience as a way to discredit your opponent is flat out dumb.  Experience means nothing. 

Look at the joke of a president we have now, good 'ol G Dubya.  He was plenty experienced.  Fat lotta good that did us.  He had been the governor of the absolutely best state in the nation and had loads of experience.  Where did that really get us in the long run?  Experience means nothing. 

Potential.  Now there's the word we should be focusing more on.  Many people have experience.  Does it really mean anything?  Does it mean that anyone who has experience would make a better public servant?  Nah.  It just means you've been at it longer; not that you'd do it better.

It's the same with anything else.  If I set out to start a business or a career that I have absolutely NO experience with, does it mean I won't be successful?  Absolutely not.  I just have to be good at it.  And passionate about it.  Plenty of people who do things for the first time do it quite well even though they lack experience.

Bottom line?  If the notion of experience is all you have to stand on, that's just not going to cut it this time around.  Experience won the last time around and the past 8 years have been hell to pay.

Either way, this year's election will be history making.  I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

What one word is the most important to you when you consider the upcoming election?

Declining industry.

I had an appearance this morning on KCTV 5 news, a station I actually had not been to before today, and I totally learned about something I never thought would actually happen.

You know how when you watch the news and you see the anchors there, looking into the camera lens rattling off reports? Well, don't you often think that there's a camera crew of some sort behind that camera, making sure everything goes off without a hitch?  Nuh-uh!

I was scheduled to arrive for my live interview today at 9:15 a.m. even though I wouldn't be on until 9:50 a.m., so they had me all prepped, mic attached, and just hanging out in the studio.  I was literally just a few feet from the anchors' desk where they filmed.  The whole time I kept thinking how that would annoy me - having to do the news while someone sat there, facing me, while I stared into the camera. 

Well anyway, back to the camera thing....what surprised me the most about the whole station experience was that there were literally no camera men [or women] to be found.  Anywhere.  The cameras were all robotic-like moving around on their own at various times during commerical breaks or while one anchor was talking, another one would move to a different desk and the R2D2-like camera would glide on over and get into position. 

Other than myself, the weather guy and the two anchors, there was literally no one else in the studio. I found that so ODD!  I remember back in the day when our school took us on a field trip to visit the local news station.  I remember seeing camera men maneuvering the cameras and setting up to get the shots just right.  I guess this is a field that probably isn't all that great to get into now, seeing as how they are being replaced by robotic cameras!  The whole experience was a trip for me.  But, it was cool being on TV again!

Gift card madness.

Okay, is it just me or is it driving everyone else crazy seeing that every freaking place now has a gift card you can buy? I was listening to the radio the other day (which is an odd occurence since usually it's Kindermusik or more recently, Christmas cds that we're listening to) when I heard a commercial for a Goodwill gift card. Yes, that's right people. Goodwill now has a gift card you can buy to give people. Now, I am not trying to sound uppity or rude in any way because I love a deal just like the rest of you but c'mon now... a Goodwill gift card? Who would really gift that? I mean why not just buy the person an item from Goodwill and give that to them? Or, why not a Half Priced Books gift card? Even that sounds better than a gift card from Goodwill! Anyway, I am sick of seeing these damn gift card ads everywhere I turn.

This may sound like I am a Scrooge, but…..

I really hate it when the radio stations have a "jolly old voice" on their show to pretend like he's Santa. It's so overdone! Tonight, i was listening to the radio in my car and "Santa" was on there talking about how "Mrs. Claus" had taken all of his credit cards and was out shopping, blah, blah, blah. I was like, "oh, come on, people!!" Then, he kept talking about how he hopes that all of us shoppers out there are behaving in parking lots, etc. and how if we run into Mrs. Claus, we should tell her to stop spending so much! Give me a BREAK!!!! Then, they had a little girl call in and talk about how she was at home baking cookies with her mom (sugar cookies) and how all she wanted for Christmas was a baby brother. Awwwww! Barf! Santa then went on to say (of course) that he hoped she'd leave some of those cookies she was baking out for him while he's out making his rounds, etc., etc. Santa, cookies, Mrs. Claus' shopping addiction - it's just not what Christmas is really about. I think they overdid it just a bit. Don't you?

State Snob

Okay, this has always been a pet peeve of mine but recently ( i don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or what) i've noticed it EVERYWHERE i go and it's bothering me MORE AND MORE each time i see it!! I am driving through the Target parking lot today trying to find a "good" space since it is BUTT freakin' cold outside and i am not wearing a jacket that fits me at the moment...most of them don't right now so i end up leaving it unzipped/unbuttoned which allows the draft to come through. So anyway, here i am driving around in the middle of the day in the Target parking lot and i realize there are a butt load of cars out! As i am passing each car, row by row, i notice that most of these cars are all MISSOURI license plates.......ARRGHH!!! I hate that! I hate driving to patronize my KANSAS retailers only to find we are inundated with MISSOURIANS. I know it sounds rude and snobbish, but it really does get on my nerves. I mean, come on people, does Missouri not have Target? It's not only our retailers, but i really and truly feel that MISSOURIANS are to blame for a lot of the traffic congestion that we have here in good ol' JoCo. I see MO cars everywhere! It's like they are taking over our space, using our roads, and taking the good stuff from Target, and yet they don't even pay taxes here! Okay, i'm done.