She was robbed....

Okay - a self-imposed meme. I've become addicted to Dancing with the Stars. It's like watching some splendid sequined train wreck - I just can't turn my head away. (The fact that it's on one of the two channels we get doesn't hurt, either.)

I'm not one to get in an online debate about who should stay, who should go, who has the improved the most, who uses the most double sided tape and who lifted their feet off the floor and on and on, but I liked that little Cheeta girl's pluck and I'm bummed she got voted off over that vapid male soap star.

Plus, to keep it mommy relevant, I'd like to add that Marie Osmond makes me uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in a "middle aged women who unbutton their blouse the extra button and make inappropriate jokes with the bag boys at the supermarket about squeezing their melons" kind of way. I also don't like the fact that she's CONSTANTLY mentioning how she's a single mother. (Alright, she may have only mentioned it once, but my righteousness has no time to check the facts.) I know some amazing single moms who work, manage their houses, love their kids and blog. Don't give me this "ooh I fainted and I'm really busy and I couldn't two step because I'm a single mother of eight children".

Plus, she designs collectible dolls, which are just creepy.

Our Halloween was AWESOME - hope yours was too!

From the geezer files....

I'm feeling very nostalgic today -

Remember when it was a HUGE DEAL when the holiday specials were on tv? Schedules were cleared for the likes of the Peanuts Gang, Frosty, Rudolf, Peter Cottontail and more. If you missed it - TOO BAD. That was your only chance and it wouldn't be on for another YEAR!

There was a specific protocol to be followed; rituals that were as important as the show itself. Dinner (maybe even something junky like mac and cheese FROM A BOX!) , bath, pajamas, teeth, hair, drag your pillow and blanket from the BED to the COUCH, turn off all the lights, snuggle in and enjoy.

I miss these moments; with DVDs, TiVo, Cable and a million viewing choices that can be enjoyed again and again and again it just doesn't feel as special.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown celebrates it's 40th anniversary tonight on television. So tonight to celebrate this momentous occasion, we're going to make dinner (not mac and cheese from a box; maybe some garlic bread from a bag, though) shower (even in a wave of nostalgia, one has to consider our $400 water bill), get the jammies on, drag the bedding down, turn the lights off and enjoy a moment from the dark ages. (For those of you keeing score, it's on ABC - one of the two channels we get.)

I hope you get a chance to enjoy it too.

Stay Tuned....

Coming soon -

The all new Beta Mom's Blog!

Well.....

The mostly New Beta Mom's Blog!

Maybe more like...

The I've got some new stuff but it's probably more of the same Beta Mom's Blog!

Actually....

It's mostly the same stuff with some new graphics that I'm learning about on my new computer and as soon as I have time between work and parenting and volunteering I'll figure it out and publish!

Cheers,
Beta Mom

You Might Be a Beta Mom if....

you made up a bunch of fake names for your children's school catalog fundraiser, and then paid for all of the stuff yourself because you actually didn't do a darn thing.

P.S. To my PTO sisters - this is just a hypothetical situation I made up for the amusement of others. I would never, ever do something like that.

Sincerely,
Ethel Mertz.

The "It" girl....

Apparently I've been tagged by the lovely Anna. Aside from being studied and then released back into my natural habitat, being tagged has given me the opportunity to reflect, share, and most importantly, forced me to finally learn how to post a freakin' link. (I think..if it doesn't work, well, my apologies, but I'm probably not going to fix it.)

Here you go.

Four Jobs I've Had

"Junior Naturalist" at a science center. Once you've scooped Polar Bear poop, life is never the same.

Associate Producer with a video production company. This job led to one of my favorite brushes with fame - shooting a PSA with Fred, the Dunkin Donuts guy ("Time to make the donuts"). This is a very regional reference; my apologies to my friends in the south and west. Just know that a brush with a famed pastry pusher was exhilarating. May Fred rest in peace.

Director of a Victorian holiday-themed progressive play that took place over several acres of a maritime museum. 100 actors, 25 crew members, a dozen scene locations, two wagons, four horses, 180 kerosene lanterns, 10,000 ginger snaps, and 36 tours a night for the month of December. Happy Freakin' Christmas. (This was actually one of my favorite jobs ever!)

Program Developer at a children's museum. For more on all the excitement that can follow, read here.

Four movies I could watch over and over:

Princess Bride

Whale Rider

Any of the Lord of the Rings movies (I'm going to count this as my 3rd, 4th and 5th. Yup, I'm a rule-breaker)

This is a tested theory, as we don't have cable. So we do, in fact, watch these movies over and over again.


Four TV Shows I Like (reality version)

Survivor
Project Runway
Top Chef
My Life on the D List

Four TV Shows I Like (non-reality)

Extras
Arrested Development
Ugly Betty
Grey's Anatomy
Let's also throw Lost in here as my loved, but often neglected older, foster child

Four Places I've Gone on Vacation

Disney World
Disney World
Disney World
Disney World

Four Favorite Foods
Grilled salmon
Almost any pasta dish
Ice cream
Mom's rice pudding

Four Websites I Visit Daily
Craigslist
ProJo
My Blogroll
and.....if you really must know....well....Perez Hilton. There. I've said. Let's move on.

Four Places I Would Rather Be
Sailing on the Mary Day off the coast of Maine
The beach
The movies
Disney World

Four Bloggers I Tag - women who are funny, smart, and cause me to waste entirely too much time in front of the screen -

Nell McCabe
Absolutely Bananas
Alpha Dogma
Canned Laughter

Cheers

A Monday giggle.....

I can't take credit for this one - thanks to my lovely Aunt Liz for sending this little piece of mind candy.

I THINK YOU'RE THE FATHER OF ONE OF MY KIDS...

A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at
him. She says hello. He's rather taken aback because he can't place where
he knows her from. So he says, "Do you know me?" To which she replies, "I
think you're the father of one of my kids." Now his mind travels back to
the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, "My God,
are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I made love to on the pool
table with all my buddies watching while your partner whipped my butt with
wet celery???" She looks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, I'm your son's
Math teacher."