Food, Fun, and Fotos

Hey everyone! It's time to announce our new Date!

This week, I would like to introduce you to Adena from, "Food, Fun, and Fotos", which can be found under the "Food Blogs" tab!

Here's what Adena has to say about her blog:

I am a SAHM to 5 kids, homeschooling the whole way thru. I also help do bookkeeping for hubby's job, part time college student, serious hobbyist photographer, cake decorator, blogger, and crafter when I can find time. Whew. Just thinking about it all makes me tired :) I blog about life, and whatever hits my fancy at the time.

And...the "interview":

1. When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

OH NO!!! Seriously? This is going to be confession time for me because although I never really did bad stuff as a teen, when I did, I just never got caught. So is it considered "trouble" if you're not caught doing it? The worse thing that I did (that I would flip if my kids ever did!!), was skip school. (Hmmmm, maybe that's why I homeschool?!) I didn't just skip class either. I'll tell you all about it. I was in ninth grade and it was the last day of school. As everyone knows, nothing is accomplished on the last day. Now, our school was not exactly in the best area of town and it was right on the bus line. And it just so happened that the bus went to the mall. Seriously? Who would even put a public bus in front of a high school that went to the mall?? They were just begging for it to happen. So..... a few friends and I decided we could get much more accomplished at the mall than we could at school. We jumped on a bus, went to the mall for a few hours, got back on and made it back in time for catching the school bus back home. Shhh....don't tell on me, my mom still doesn't know. And it's been years ago!!!

2. Are you a glass half empty, or a glass half full kind of person?

Definitely a glass half full kind of person. Don't sweat the small stuff. Pick your battles. I just think life is too short to be miserable. Besides, there are usually other people around that wouldn't mind trying to make you miserable, so why would you do that to yourself too?? Worrying about things does not change the situation. I believe you have to be proactive. Look at problems as a challenge and remember, you can't have a testimony, without a test. In the end, things will workout exactly how they should, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.

3. Tell us about your family.

I got married when I was only 19 and had our first child when I was 20. (Don't really recommend that to anyone, but it worked out. Should've gone to college first, instead of going now.) We were best friends and had been dating for 3 years. I love that he can make me laugh to get my mind off things. Like when I am in labor. But then he can also read my expressions well enough to know when to stop cracking jokes and just hold my hand. Like when I am in labor.
Together, we have five kids. Yup. Five. I had always planned on three, three years apart but God had other plans for me. And turns out, I like His plan better.
Our oldest daughter is Megan, who is 21. She is an aspiring pastry chef. She has gone through some culinary training already and is currently in charge of all baking at a local college but she still wants to further her training. Meanwhile, she has been having alot of fun lately traveling. Last fall she went to Ireland and then just this month, she went on a Disney cruise to the Bahamas. She is very determined and opinionated. I always tease that I never want her to get into politics because if she liked it, there would be no stopping her in taking over the whole world.
Next daughter is Tara, 18. We have always called her our flower child. She is a little hippie at heart. Very artistic and dreamy without a care in the world. A friend of mine nicknamed her Oblivia. She has super long natural curly hair that went every which way when she was a toddler. She loves anything Japanese and draws constantly. If there is a blank white space, watch out. Just ask the toaster. Yep, she drew a mural on the side of it. When she was younger, she would draw with both hands at the same time, ambidextrous. Now she prints better with her left hand but cursive better with her right. I love that she could care less what people think of her and dresses to whatever is her whim at the time....even if it sometimes embarrasses me.
(Then there was a miscarriage that is a whole other story in itself but life changing. Also, the reason why I don't trust doctors. Ugh. And that's how my 3 kids 3 yrs apart plan changed.)
There were complications and I wasn't even supposed to be able to have anymore kids. Then a miracle happened. Literally. And I got pregnant with our first son who I refer to as my man-child. Connor is 14 going on 20. He just recently turned 14 and for his birthday I told him I would finally admit that he is now taller than me. And his voice is deeper than his dad's and he shoe size is already bigger too. His siblings call him the golden boy. Seems no matter what he tries to do, he can do, and do well. He loves to play football and hang out with his friends. He is wanting to take up electric guitar and don't tell him, but I am thinking of buying him one this month if he promises to keep up with his schoolwork/chores. He is a great big brother to Jeremiah...not so much to Jared. They are at that age right now where there is a huge difference between being 11 and being 14. Please pray for me. LOL.
Now if we thought Connor was a miracle, Jared really is. First, Jared did not talk until he was almost 4 yrs old. No one ever figured out why. (Had some breathing problems when he was a baby too, no diagnoses there either). But when he started talking, well, let's just say he has more than made up for any lost time. And then several months after finally start talking, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. I cannot tell you how scary that was. I remember it too clearly but it would take a book to go over it all. Long story short, God healed him miraculously and I thank God for it continually. Jared is the sweetest boy and very sensitive. He has a great imagination and wants to be a chef and a construction worker when he grows up because he wants to build me a big new house and fix me fancy meals. What a great kid! He is now 11.
Then there's the big surprise - Jeremiah. While we were all comfortable with our family size, and had been for 8 years, we hit a bump in the road. Yup. Surprise pregnancy. (FYI- as you get older, when you ovulate can change. Drastically. Like instead of the middle of the cycle, try immediately at the beginning!) I will tell you raising another baby after most of your other ones are older is totally different. You stop and enjoy everything. I suggest everyone do this. I am thoroughly savoring every aspect of his life. He is so funny too. He is all boy, loves trucks and dinosaurs. He plays video games with his older brothers (something btw, that I do not like!) and has beaten people online that are MUCH older and cannot believe that they just got beaten by a toddler. He also loves to dance. Always has. I keep trying to video him but when he says me with the camera, he stops. He will watch a video and mimic whatever they are doing. We recently watched Step Up 3 and so now he is doing the robot. Cool little kid. And he gives the best kisses in the world. And I know because he is still in that wonderful stage where the only girl he loves is mommy and he wants to marry me when he grows up. LOL.

As always, I asked Adena to send me her three favorite posts...here they are!

Tutorial: Making Vanilla Extract...I don't know about anyone else, but when I see a vanilla bean, I want to lick out all those little beans. Do you think they taste good?

Frugal Recipe: How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent...amazing! I am now tempted to try to make my own detergent...just to see if it works as well as my good ol' standby: Tide! Incredibly impressed, Adena.

2010 Reflections and 2011 Resolutions...a great post that looks at progress of the previous years resolutions and the new ones for this year!

Alright everyone...will you head on over to "Food, Fun, and Fotos" to pay Adena a visit? Oh, and tell her Mama sent you! ;)

Not So Crafty Crafts

Hey everyone! Thanks for the feedback...the more I think about this site, I see more and more that we could do with it!

Stay tuned for more info...feel free to toss out ideas about what you'd like to see/not see for content!

Okay, so...without further ado, I'd like to annouce this week's Date as Tonia from "Not So Crafty", which is located in our (get ready for this) Craft category!

Here what Tonia has to say about her blog:

Hi, I'm Tonia, and I am a not so crafty crafter. I take ideas from other craft blogs and tweak them to make them my own. Every once in a while I come up with my own ideas. Those usually come to me while I'm laying in bed or in the shower. Come take a look around, if you like what you see feel free to stay a while.

Next up, the interview portion of our Date!

If you were handed an open ended airline ticket...anywhere, any number of people, for any amount of time...where would you go, who would you bring, how long would you stay?

I would go to Hawaii and take my husband and the kids and a person to watch the kids when Mike and I need a little alone time :). We would stay a week maybe 2. I'm not a big fan of being away from home for too long. I kind of like my stuff.

What was the best job you’ve ever had?

The one I currently hold. Wife to my amazing husband and mommy to my 3 crazy kids. Although I did like the job I had before my youngest was born. I was an ad rep for our local newspaper and I was pretty darn good at it if I do say so myself. I didn't like missing out on my kids growing up though so when Kaia was born I quit and took them on full time. I'm probably not as good at this mom thing as I was the ad rep thing, but I'm doing the best I can with what I got :)

What has been the greatest moment of your life so far?

That's a tough one. The day I married my awesome hubby, the births of my children or the day we were sealed together for eternity. You see we're LDS and just recently went through the temple to be an Eternal Family. I'm gonna go with the last one.

And, last, but not least, here are Tonia's three favorite "Not So Crafty" posts:

Headband and Bow...you should see the headband and bow that she made for her "greatest moment"! Really impressive!

Skulls and Pumpkins...super cute idea for candy bowls for Halloween!! (And she says they're easy, too!)

My Project Monday-Cabinet Refurb...crafty people make me so envious! Here is a post about a cabinet she refurb'ed for her living room! So cute!

And that, my friends, is Tonia from "Not So Crafty"! Head on over there...and tell her Mama sent you!

Phew!

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to let you all know, that I finally (I'm so sorry!!) got around to updating the Personals and adding a slew of new listings!

So, if you've been waiting for me to get off my duff already and list your blog...check it out! It should be there!

Also...just want to touch base to see if you have anything you'd like to see...more posts in between our Dates? Blog related posts...i.e tips, suggestions, etc? Or, is it fine just the way it is?

If you don't see your blog...shoot me an email and let me know, so I can look into why it's not there!

Have a fabulous weekend...and stay tuned for this week's Date!

Jessie Lynn Smith

Happy New Year, everyone! I wish you all the very best in 2011...may your health be grand, your heart full, and may all your wildest dreams come true!

I would like to introduce our very first Date of the Week for 2011...Jessie Lynn Smith! Jessie's blog is found in the "Life" category and here is what she has to say about her blog...

My name is Jessie and I am a 24 year old girl just trying to live life to the fullest one day at a time. I got married to the love of my life on May 5, 2007. We haven't had children yet, but we have two awesome fur-babies: Sam, our pup, and Lexi, our ornery little cat. God and family are the two biggest things in my life and I hold onto them dearly. One thing is for sure: I love who I love. Everything else in between is pretty much here - LOL - so Welcome to my world :)

Here is my "interview" with Jamie:

1. What would you say your 'passion' is?

Wow it's actually hard to put a finger on one particular passion that I have. I would say that my passion is life in general. I love a lot of things: photography, love, my husband, my family, dogs, the way the air smells before the snow falls, fall, wrapping presents during Christmas. I mean hey, I'm a 25 year old girl and there is a really big world out there with tons of things to see - all of them just waiting for me to either capture their beauty in a photograph or enjoy them as they are.

2. How did you meet your spouse?

I met my husband while I was a sophomore in high school in our hometown, after his family returned from Saudi Arabia after living there for four years on an Air Force Base. It was love at first sight for me, but not so much for my husband. We remained friends and talked often after that. Then, when we were Seniors in high school he suddenly moved to Virginia, and I was broken hearted. We emailed a few times, but I moved on with my life realizing the possibility of us ever being more than friends was probably slim to none. After his family returned to our hometown for a visit with more of their family, my husband and I met up along with his brother and my brother, and went to go see some movies. My husband admitted that after that visit he started seeing me more than just a friend. However, after he returned back to Virginia we still emailed occasionally. Fast forward, after not talking to him for a couple of years, I find his phone number in my brother's cell phone, so I decide to give it a try. Sure enough it still worked. After text messaging wasn't enough, we soon began to chat on the phone daily on my breaks at work and on my way home. But there was a problem, I had a boyfriend at the time and he had a girlfriend. So I quickly broke off communication with my husband because I didn't feel right talking to him with a boyfriend. Come to find out I broke his heart, and he was actually going to send me a note that said "I love you" on Valentine's Day.

My boyfriend at the time started acting like a total douche, and suddenly disappeared. We hadn't officially broken up, but you might as well say we had considering I had no clue where he went. So I contacted my husband again. He actually had a similar situation with the girl he was seeing as well. The daily conversations resumed and since there was really nothing in our way this time, we decided to talk on an entirely new level and it felt awesome. And on one random night he drove up on a surprise trip to see me, and that was the beginning of it all. Things just felt right, and for the first time in my entire life I understood what people meant by "you just know". Three short months later he had an engagement ring for me, and in May of 2007 we were married.

He is the love of my life.

3. When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

Oh yikes, this is toughy. We all remember what it was like being a teenager - always trying to find our place in the world and trying to find people of like mind to hang out. As a preacher's daughter, it's actually pretty tough. You see, you want to fit in with people period, and there is this automatic idea with young people that as a preacher's daughter I would be a Hellian. Well to fit in, of course I attempted to fit that mold. To the adults, I was an angel, which pretty much worked to my benefit because I could get away with more stuff.

The worst trouble I got into was when I ran away from home and stayed gone for quite a while. I had intertwined myself with a 'lovely' (sarcasm) little group of friends and soon found myself in a heap of mess with all the wrong people, and seemingly no way out. When it got too rough to live my double life, I tucked tail and ran far far from home. I'm not proud of this fact. In fact it's something I'm ashamed of. The details will always stay wrapped up in my mind, and I've figured that this is best. However there is a good that comes from all things bad, even if the one good thing you receive is learning. And trust me, the learning I received from that time in my life, is something I will always carry with me, and has helped me become the person i am today.

And, Jessie's favorite "Jessie Lynn Smith" posts...

Once Upon a Time...a fable about joy, heartache, and back to joy!

What it's Like for Someone with PCOS...a very raw, emotional, transparent post on the reality of infertility.

Meet Samson...the (ohmigosh!!!) adorable addition to their family! Such a cute puppy!!

Okay friends...head on over to Jessie Lynn Smith...check out her 2nd Annual Blog Hop Extravaganza (with 2 weeks of prizes!!) that starts...MONDAY!! Oh, and tell her Mama sent you!

A Dollop of my Life

I hope everyone is recuperating from their Christmas celebrations!

After some slackage on my part with the Personals site...we're back in the saddle! This week, Lindsey, from "A Dollop of my Life" is our Date! Here's what Lindsey has to say about her blog:

My name is Lindsey (aka Linds), and I love to blog about everyday life with my husband and 10 month old son, including photography, parenting & my thoughts on being a wife and mom. I try to add my dry sense of humor to the mix, and always try to be as honest as possible (you know, letting people know thatbeing married isn't all about running through a field of daisies smiling at each other, and sometimes mommy moments will push you to think about lining up 13 shot glasses of tequila and downing them all simultaneously. Have I mentioned I hate tequila? Alrighty then).

Lindsey has two of the most adorable boys on the planet...including a brand new one with adorable spiky black hair! Scrumptious!!

Here is the interview part of our date:

1. Tell us about your family.

My name is Lindsey, known as Linds to my dearest friends (and the blogging world), and I've been married to Drew for 7 years. We have two sons. Brayden, our first born, is 20 months old. He is our social butterfly who has never met a stranger, our strong-willed child who doesn't know the meaning of "no" (despite our most valiant parenting efforts) and who loves all things sports. Our second born, Connor, is 1 month old. He woos the ladies with his charming double chin and spikey hair. In his spare time he likes to sleep and fill way too many Pampers. And last, but certainly not least, we have a 6 year old Cairn Terrier named Toby. He's a vivacious little dog, who has the heart of a lion. Toby is our compliant "child", and immediately obeys at our ever beckon order.

2. What was the best job you've ever had?

I actually haven't had many jobs, but I would have to say that what I do now is my most rewarding job. What I do now you ask? Well, I am a stay at home mom, but I like to call my occupation Domestic Engineering. It is my definitely the hardest job I've ever had, but I honestly wouldn't trade what I do for anything in the world, and am so thankful that I am blessed to be able to stay home with my kiddos.

3. When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

Well, you see, I was what some consider a "goody-goody." However, I definitely did things some things that I could have gotten into A LOT of trouble for if I had been caught. Like the time I was with my senior class and we broke into our school and ransacked the entire place to show then that their world would be turned over without us. The cops showed up. Thankfully we ran away in time to not get caught. Some were not so lucky. Or the time when we went muddin' on private property. The cops showed up and we were chased down for a while. Never got caught though (and for the record, I cried as we were being chased, thinking my life was probably over if I had to call my dad from the police station).

Lindsey's favorite, "A Dollop of my Life" posts:

Boobs: Part II...a hilarious, and I mean laugh out loud funny, post about what happens to "the girls" after children!

It's Release Day!...whoa! One of Lindsey's photos was purchased for a greeting card! It's a super cute one, too!!

Connor Man...oh my word. Some incredibly sweet photos of her newest little man!! Cue: Baby Fever...

Okay friends, you know the drill! Head on over to "A Dollop of my Life" to pay Lindsey a visit...and tell her Mama sent you!

The Flying Fork

It's time for a new Date!!

This week, I'd like to introduce you to Megan, author of "The Flying Fork". Here's what Megan says about "The Flying Fork":

My blog has changed a lot from its inception when I was a freewheeling single girl and high school English teacher with a burning desire to save the world. Now I’m married with a baby and a quiet little job in healthcare engineering. Come visit me to read about my (very honest, very humbling) experiences with my baby, Johnny, my non-romance with the love of my life, Mr. Meat and Potatoes, recipes, shopping tips, and dirty little secrets.

And, so we can get to know Megan a little more, here is my "interview" with her:

When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

Oh, man. I was kind of a bad girl as a teenager. Like, the bad girl that didn't sleep with boys like all my friends, but who drank too much Boone's farm at parties. So, on Halloween my senior year, my friends and I organized the senior scavenger hunt, as was the tradition in my town. The highlight of the evening was the huge sloshy cooler in the van we were driving, full of fruity alcoholic beverages we'd painstakingly procured.

One of the items on the list was a "dip" sign - there was only one in town. One of the guys on our team actually hopped out to get the thing, and BOOM. We all went downtown to the police station, where our parents had to come pick us up. Not my most shining moment.

What has been the greatest moment of your life so far?

No question - the moment my son was born. Is there a mother in the world who would answer that question differently?

What was the best job you’ve ever had?

That is hard - I've had a lot of jobs in my life. That were all great in some ways, and total crap in some ways. I suppose the seven years I spent teaching at a private high school would be the best. Not because of the teaching so much, or the hoity toity high school, but because the people I worked with there are some of the best people I've ever known, and I am still impressed with them to this day. And they like to drink beer on Fridays after work, which didn't hurt.

Here are Megan's three favorite posts:

Yellow Roses...a wonderful post on the changes a year can make and the beauty of friendship!

#1...a sweet letter to her first born.

Team Jackass...a hilarious (seriously, laugh out loud) story about what happens when you take your two best friends to birthing class with you! *giggle*

So, my lovlies...head on over to Megan, and see what she gives a "Flying Fork" about! ;) Tell her Mama sent you!

Mommy's Camera

Happy Monday everyone!

I'm a little late getting our Date up, but better late than never, right?

This week, is someone I've actually met IRL!! Everyone say 'hi' to Jamie, from "Mommy's Camera"!! I met Jamie about this time last year, at a certain party hosted by a certain blogger named "MckMama". It was good fun! Great food...lot's of talk...but, wait! Back to the date!!

Here's what Jamie has to say about her blog, "Mommy's Camera", which can be found under our "None of the Above" blog categories:

Mommy's Camera: Married mother of two girls and a 4-legged boy blogging about learning photography. Writes photography tutorials geared toward your average person with a point-and-shoot camera and photo editing tutorials using free photo editing software. On occasion writes a post about being a nurse. This blog is also the home of Blogger the frog. Follow him around the world!

She can do some amazing stuff with her point-and-shoot and her free editing software! (She's also a nurse...we're kindred spirits...or something!) ;)

Here are Jamie's answers to the interview questions:

If you were handed an open ended airline ticket...anywhere, any number of people, for any amount of time...where would you go, who would you bring, how long would you stay?

I would take all my best girlfriends (5 of them) and their families to Europe for a month. I'd also bring along a few nannies for the kids. We'd travel around Europe by train for the month.

What has been the greatest moment of your life so far?

I have two greatest moments: the birth of each of my girls.

How did you meet your spouse?

How I met hubby: I wanted to date his roommate! I had a bunch of classes in college with Roommate and so I hung out with him all the time. I wanted to date him but he hooked back up with his ex-girlfriend and broke my heart. Roommate felt bad so he started inviting Hubby where ever we went. Hubby and I ended up hooking up with a little push from Roommate. I ended up with the better of the two in the long run! Roommate, his wife, hubby, and I remain very good friends! We joke all the time about our "relationship".

And, here are Jamie's three favorite posts from, "Mommy's Camera":

Add/Remove Objects (Cloning) in Photos Using Gimp Free Editing Software...whoa. That's all I've gotta say. Whoa. Well, okay...if you are a photo lovin' mama who needs some help with cloning...you've gotta see what Jamie did with this photo! And, she makes it sound so easy!!

Color Curves in Photo Editing-A Basic Tutorial...an interesting tutorial on adjusting the color in your photos!

Make Your Own Photo Textures...I'm now convinced that Jamie is a photo-editing genius. Texture: Made easy!

Okay, friends!! Will you head on over to "Mommy's Camera" to pay Jamie a visit? Oh, and tell her Mama sent you! ;)

Our Imperfect Life

Hey everyone! Before this weeks gets crazy busy, I want to introduce our newest Date of the Week to you!

Debra is the author of "Our Imperfect Life", under our "Military Blogs" category! She is a mom, a military wife and seems like a great woman! This is what Debra has to say about her blog:

We are the typical husband, wife, 2 kids & 2 dogs family. But we are not so typical in that we are a military family living overseas. Please feel free to check come read about "Our Imperfect Life." God Bless!

Here is her "interview":

How did you meet your spouse?

We met February 7, 1997 at a mutual friend's bachelor party. No I was not entertainment! ha! But from that night on, we were inseparable. And the only thing that separates us now is the Navy.

What has been the greatest moment of your life so far?

Absolutely getting married and having our kids. But everyone says that. I will say that right now, being able to live in Japan. There are many things I do not like about living here but overall, it is an incredible experience!

What was the best job you’ve ever had?

I've only had 3 jobs (not including being a mom/housewife) life....Home Health Aide, Customer Service Rep for American Airlines and then a substitute teacher. Being a substitute teacher was by far my favorite!

Debra lists these links, as her favorite "Our Imperfect Life" posts:

Testimonial Tuesdays...a post in which Debra begins sharing her testimony.

That Dark Storm Cloud...a very transparent post about her struggles with depression.

Lately I Have Been Met With...a fun post filled with amazing photographs!

Well, friends...head on over to "Our Imperfect Life"...and tell Debra, Mama sent you! ;)

Adventures of a Single Mom

Well...turns out, that my brain farts. And, last week, I had a major one! I forgot to choose a date of the week...actually, I think that's not too bad, considering, in nearly 40 weeks (a pregnancy!!) this is the first time I forgot!

Will you forgive me?

This week, I'd like to introduce you to Jessica Si, author of Adventures of a Single Mom listed in our "Life Blogs" category! Here's what Jessica says about her blog:

My name is Laura, I'm 24 and a single mom to one crazy energetic four year old little boy. I'm dating the most amazing guy B and we are making the long distance relationship thing work for us! I work in Marketing for a small financial company and in short, I HATE my job! I love margaritas, dancing, moonlight walks on the beach and even if its painful, being woken up by a 4 year old jumping on you way before the sun rises.

And, here's what I asked Miss Jessica:

What would you say your “passion” is?

I would have to say my number one passion is my son, but thats pretty typical of most moms! Going outside of my family and friends - my passion would probably be event and party planning. I know it seems silly and more like a hobby, but I'm one of those girls that likes to PLAN. I've had my wedding planned since I was seven years old and not much has varried, well maybe the groom a few times ;)

I love to look at small details and have the big picture come to life when it is finally time for the event. I could make a living out of party planning if there was a calling for that sort of thing in my small hometown :)

When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

I didn't get into a lot of trouble when I was a teenager. I was pretty quiet and had a good group of friends to keep me straight. I think the biggest thing I ever got in trouble for was- oh this is soo embarassing- in 8th grade art class. I had this assignment to turn in and I should say that I'm horrible at art. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler and I can't draw a stick figure to save my life, my teacher scared me to death. I had attempted the project but I knew it was horrible. Apparently I forgot to put my name on the painting and it ended up in the "noname" bin. My teacher held two of them up and asked me which was mine; in reality neither of them were mine; but I didn't want to admit that so I picked the nice one and claimed it as mine. That was all fine and dandy until the REAL person claimed the same picture as theirs--oops. I think I had to appologize to the girl whose picture I "stole" and I missed our 8th grade awards assembly. Looking back on all of it; its kind of funny but at the time I was mortified.

What was the best job you’ve ever had?

I had the best job ever!! I started working at a small store in our mall called Wild Card. We sold lots of little things like Precious Moments and Boyds Bears and plates with cute sayings on them. It was my first job and I'm positive I learned more at the job then any of my other jobs, including my real life 9-5 job now. Other then cleaning and doing small tasks for the store I learned the importance of working with others in a close environment. I learned that not everyone is going to get along but as long as we work together we have to make it work. I also learned that the customer is always right- even when they are the BIGGEST idiots. I learned how to deal with being yelled at and talked rudely too and I"m greatful for learning all of those things at a young age. Granted I worked with a great group of girls who were all in high school and middle school and had a great time everday I went into work- but I did learn a lot and the endless supply of junk food our manager supplied wasn't that bad either ;)

Jessica lists these as her favorite "Adventures of a Single Mom" posts, and states, "My three favorite posts are probably the three sadest posts that I've written; but they are raw emotion from the heart."

Father's Day...A heartfelt letter to her son's absent father.

Maybe Someday...An emotionally vivid story about a brother she hasn't seen in 8 or 9 years.

My List...A story about her hometown (who knew Pittsburg was so beautiful!!), in which she claims Pittsburg has 2 seasons...winter and road construction--hey! That's what they say about MinneSOOOOta, too!!

Well friends, will you go pay Jessica a visit...and tell her Mama sent you?!