My New Facebook Theory

I have a theory.  Beware.  I hate facebook with a passion sometimes.  It makes people just feel bad about themselves.  One of my friends wrote a blog article that was sooooo good, about how as a new mom Facebook has been a great thing and a terrible thing all at once.  On the one hand she feels connected to the outside world when she's home all day...but on the other hand she sees all her friends "checking in" when they are out with each other.  And this leads to the "why wasn't I invited?"  She got so many comments on this post with people feeling the same way! 

I am sure that everyone feels this way at some point.  Well...almost everyone.  Here's my theory.  I believe I can tell what type of person someone is by the number of friends they have on Facebook.  My husband does not agree with my theory.  He is wrong.  He doesn't agree because he doesn't like where HE falls on my theory. 

I obviously can't post this post on Facebook as I may get people mad at me.  Not that I care.  I could afford to lose a few friends on there.  ha ha ha!  That really made me laugh.  (deviously) 

So here is how people rank:

1-45 Friends:  You are not really on Facebook that much.  You probably got interested in it but have a life and decided it's not really worth your time. 

46-110 Friends:  You have been racking your brain trying to figure out why people are not friending you.  You are finding yourself desperately out of place by the lack of attention your posts get.  You may be getting paranoid about Facebook and soon be giving it up. 

111-280 Friends:  You are a good solid friend on Facebook.  You have a good combo of work friends, family, childhood friends and a few aquintances you let pass through the system.  You find you can manage your friends nicely and even figure out when someone unfriends you and post about it to make yourself feel better.  Overall you are a very liked person and have a good balance between facebook and real life. 

281-499 Friends:  You are desperate.  You have added everyone you've thought of.  You post lots and sometimes count the number of friends who leave you birthday greetings and compare it to the number of friends you have.  You notice when your friend number drops and can't figure out who deleted you.  You start re-reading your posts and wonder why no one likes them.  You have also probably posted over 800 photos on facebook.  Your whole life revolves about your facebook time and when to download things to Facebook.  You are trying to meet more people to up your friend count. 

500+ Friends:  You are a Facebook Slut. You let anyone and everyone on your Facebook page and don't really ever check in to Facebook, you just add people.  When you do post your "fans" think you are amazing.  You don't even know half of your friends.  You are probably a very popular person, but beware of the "friending" issue you have.  You may need to talk with a real life friend to help you figure out how the heck you got to the point that you now "know" 500+ friends.   If all 500 of your friends have an average of 200 friends and you don't have your security settings right your personal information and photos of your beach vacay in your bathing suit may have just gone out to 100,000 people!  The problem with these types of people is the fact that 100,000 people just saw them in a swim suit will probably make them very happy because they like to be liked and seen.  So my message to the 500+ people...figure out what a real friend is and stop the "friending" around!

There I said my peace. 

Neglect of a Blog

If my blog were my child I would have been turned into CPS by now.  I have been so very neglectful.  Lots of reasons...none you will care about.  But tonight for some reason it feels good to sit and blog for a few minutes. 

If you are actually still reading this...do you ever sit and just take in a moment you are having.  Right now I am having a simple and very fulfilling moment.  It is 12:57am.  It was so hot all day that now as I sit and type and have a fan blowing on me and I look around a dark room I see something that makes me so happy.  I am visiting my parents right now and I am sleeping across from my boys who are in bunk beds.  It's such a perfect summer moment right now, the sound of the fan and the cool breeze after a hot day...and my boys.  Ahhhh...my sweet boys lying peacefully in bed after a fun-filled day.  Tonight when it got dark they went out to do Sparklers with their cousin and my mom gave them each a glow necklace.  They brought them to bed tonight and I can see two little glow necklaces in the dark right now.  It makes me happy. 

Summer is not my favorite season, yet it brings back so many memories for me.  Especially being at my parents.  I spent summers at my grandparents farm out here.  Even the smell in the air and the taste of the water reminds me of their farm.  Love my summer memories and I'm so happy I'm able to make so many with the boys.  I love being outside with them and watching them swim and play and go on tractor rides with grandpa.

We had a lovely 4th of July.  I didn't think Rich was going to come because he had to work all week except the 4th, but at the last minute he decided to come see us today.  It's a long drive to make but we were all happy to have him here with us.  And as I lay in bed right now, he's the only thing missing from my perfect summer night.  Even though he would most likely be lying next to me playing some sort of game on his phone :-)  I take what I can get of him. 

Are you wondering about my Bachelorette posts?  Are you?  Well if you are tell me and I may do a belated post on them.  I have had so much going on I decided the last few weeks to veg out and watch them without the commentary. 

Anyone else following along the crazy divorce proceeding of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise?  Yikes!  It kind of makes me so nervous for HER.  I think Tom Cruise is a hot mess.  He is sooooo good looking.  But my personal opinion is that he is a fruit-loop and I'm so happy that she is trying to get out of it.  But that little girl.  Sigh.  I don't think she should be kept out of her dad's life.  But I think a stable home is most important with a primary parent. It's going to be interesting to see what happens.  Makes me super grateful for my husband.  Our goal was to stay married past Brittney Spears and Kevin Federline as they got married one month before Rich and I did.  Well it's safe to say we accomplished our goal!  Wasn't even that much of a challenge! 

Well the clock now read 1:08am.  Must close this post and drift off to a lovely summertime sleep. 

The Bachelorette in Croatia

Croatia!  A Different World according to Emily.  Um yep.  She is a deep chick.  Ricki is not with her right now, she went home with her babysitter.  Probably for the best, huh? 

Croatia is really cool.  I enjoyed the scenery...

Emily arrived to welcome the guys at their hotel.  And she expressed her excitement about being in a "different world" with the guys... and then dropped off the date first date card.

One on One with Travis:  Formerly Known as the Egg Man

I like Travis.  He is fun and sweet and kind of a cutie.  They walked about the streets, got ice cream.  I don't know if I trust a person who gets pistachio ice cream though...which is what Emily ordered.  They did a little street dancing.   Travis is a fun dude.  Travis thinks this date is a 10 on a scale of 8.  huh?  Emily is having a lot of fun.  Which is supposedly very important to her.  Travis really is her ideal man according to how crazy and fun she is.  But...Emily wants romance.  So at dinner in what only can be described as some sort of a cave, they talked about his former engagement.  Travis was very honest and open, and oh my...melt my heart sweet.    And Travis tells Emily he dates girls like her to a tee.  hmmm....  So the rose was up for grabs and Emily felt they had a great friendship foundation, but not the romance.  And well...if you can't develop the romance in a 4-5 hour date...well it's just not going to work.  Ugh!  Emily...you loser!  Travis, call me!  sorry Rich  He was someone to have kept around a bit longer to actually get to know. 




Group Date:  John aka Wolf, Doug, Sean, Jef, Chris, and Arie

So the guys meet her in town.   And she tells them she just wants to go see a movie.  So they go to see the movie Brave.  I would like to see that...but those dudes?  Well they hung in there with it and well they haven't seen TV in weeks so it was probably delightful.   After the movie they got to compete at the Highland Games and kilts.  It was fun how ABC let us watch them get dressed...if only for a minute. 

So they go and do their games.  Archery was interesting.  Poor Chris.  The only one who missed the target.  But he got up and went first at throwing the huge logs up in the air, so good for him.  But he got disqualified in that...so sad.  Arie on the other hand...um...he did good.  Jef...got knocked out.  Sean broke the log, which impressed Emily and she found him very hot.   Then they had to compete at pulling a stick.  Poor Chris sucked at that too.  But he kept going.  And Emily recognized it and gave him the ultimate reward for the Bravest, because he kept such a good attitude.  That was sweet of her.  It wasn't a total pity reward was it?  He got to go spend time with her and make out a little.  

Next up was hang out time and drinking.  Emily's one on one time with Sean, she confirmed with him where he stood and assured him he was "safe" without saying that.  Arie and Emily had a nice chat.  He apologized for London and what happened with Kalon and she admitted to holding him to a higher standard and then they made out on the street.  Arie is good too, no worries.  Jef and Emily have some time and reconfirm their relationship, but she asked him what took him so long to kiss her.  Jef said he was scared of her.  I think they are scared of each other.  Jef tells her, "I'm freakin' crazy about you."  I turned to Rich and said, "why don't you ever say that to me?"  Rich said, "It's implied."  We're so romantic.  Chris told Emily he was in this forever.  And I believe him.  He is real and sweet and genuine.  And Emily recognizes this.  He's also boring as all get out, but Emily doesn't care and she gave him the rose on the date. 

Kimberly's Take On Emily:  
Not going to lie.  These guys are all good sports.  Even Ryan.  Because let's face it.  Emily is sweet.  But even if you don't know anything about the behind the scenes stuff...Emily is high maintenance!  These guys are not going to just be pleasing her romantically they are going to have to put up with her high standards of living.  She is NOT going to be happy with living in a trailer, not that this is an issue with these guys...but in life when you choose someone you don't do it based on wallet size.  What if he loses his job...can Emily handle that.  Not sure what she is looking for but I think she sees $$$ in her eyes. 


Ryan's One on One Date

Let's keep in mind, Ryan has had a 1:1 date before...when John "Wolf" has never had one.  Kind of crazy. 

Ryan was not surprised by getting this date.  He feels like he's an easy choice for her.  He's good looking and the bad boy she needs.  Ryan is convinced that Emily likes that bad boy type.  And let's admit that all girls do to a certain extent...but not for a future...especially when you have a daughter. 

So Ryan and Emily go on a road trip.   Ryan is full of it with the cheesy lines.  She likes that he's playful though.  And they went oyster "hunting" and ate some raw on a boat.  It was gross.  They wandered the streets talked to old screaming Croatian men.  Ryan is bizarre.  He is so smooth and then he is so dumb.  He called her a trophy wife, AGAIN. 

At dinner, he tried to fix things.  He gave her a list of everything he was looking for and it pretty much didn't set well with her.  Basically it was because on his list there was no mention of a family on his list and because she changed hourly about how she felt about him.  So she decided not to give him the rose.  He pleaded a bit but not pleasantly.  Ryan sat and kind of told her he was perfect for her, he was shocked in her not giving him a chance, that they have the same goals...but it was all very fatal attraction creepy like.  Emily said she wasn't sure it was the best decision.  She said she may be making a mistake.  He even sat and starred at her and asked what the tears were for.  IT WAS SOOOOOO CREEPY!   She finally said, "I don't know if I'd be the one to make you happy."  Even stating "maybe it's my insecurity"...but she stood firm that she couldn't give him the rose. 

I think Emily really believed that.  Ryan came across very perfect and I could see him intimidating even someone as beautiful and perfect as Emily.  Ryan is not a good dude.   He needs to be taken down.   This won't stop him though.  Remember, he wants to The Bachelor...so to be continued.  Because his final words were, "be sure your guys do a good job cutting this up and don't portray me as something I'm not, like an arrogant a**." 

Best line of the night:  Arie:  "If Ryan is the Next Bachelor then that next bachelorette needs to be a mirror." 

Arie snuck out and found Emily (probably with the help of several producers) after her date with Ryan.  She was happy to see him and they hung out in her bed and she was in her gold evening gown and they talked.  Arie wanted to be sure he supported her and told her that she had a good judge of character in sending Ryan home.  It was sweet. 

***I got very sidetracked during this part because I kept getting emails about a Scentsy event I'm helping to coordinate this weekend...so I had Rich help me catch up and well...that was painful***

Cocktail Party:

Going into this Wolfman John and Doug are on the fence in Emily's mind.    Wolf goes first and pulls out his grandparents funeral cards that he carries around he got emotional over his grandparents love and then they made out.  He opened up with her and Emily liked that.

Doug then who has yet to make a move on Emily gets some time with Emily.  Doug is known as Humble Doug.  Doug has no confidence and he was sweaty.   Emily tried with him.  And he made no move.  He's a good looking guy but he's kind of annoying.

Rose Ceremony:  Chris already has a rose....Roses go to Sean, Arie, Jef...and....  Emily decides she needs to take a break and walks out...she goes to find Chris Harrison and basically makes it seem like she is not giving out the final rose...but then gives out TWO roses and no eliminations.   FINALLY...the Bachelor fooled me!!!  Good surprise ABC...good surprise. 

Because honestly that group of guys without Ryan are really funny!

Next Week Prague!  
And finally it will come up that one of the producers dated Arie!  And Emily isn't happy.  Now I heard about this awhile back and apparently he dated her back in 2003.  So he was in his early 20s...who cares.  I don't think it effects any outcomes but we'll see! 

The Bachelorette: Emily's Revenge

 

Welcome to London! 

                                       

Emily takes Ricki around London.  In boots that were well…shaggy baby.  Emily kept saying, “London is so old…so much history. “  Yes Emily. 

I would love to visit London.  It looks really cool.  But I would just want to sit and listen to people talk and go back to my hotel and practice my British accent. 

Let’s get to the dates…and get the first one over quickly since it was boring and we all want to read about the Group Date Incident of 2012.  Oh and I want to say that Emily is sick on most of the dates almost losing her entire voice.

1:1 Date with Sean:  Love Takes No Prisoners

They explore London, Sean makes a speech in the middle of a park about Love,  Emily twirls her hair while they have dinner,  Emily gives Sean a history lesson on King Henry the 8^th, Sean is marriage material (yes he is) and he gets the rose.  And the London Bridges were falling down as they made out in front of it.    Sean it hot.  But I will say I see Sean with a more crunchy type of girl. Do you agree?

Back at the Hotel:

All the guys who didn’t get 1:1 dates are frustrated.  Jef especially.  He is the “king of group dates.”  But according to Kalon everyday with Emily will be a group date because of Ricki.  Okay…I admit…when he said that it made me laugh.  First off, yes he is a dork and a complete loser…but it’s also funny that Kalon seriously is staying around if he really feels that way.

Group Date:  Ryan, Arie, Wolf, Ryan, Chris, Doug, Alejandro, Travis, Kalon  ---  “A Rose by any other name smells just as sweet…”

The guys had no idea what that meant…then little Alejandro the Mushroom Farmer says, “I think it’s Shakespeare…”  hmmm….Alejandro, you are kind of a sexy little treat. 

Kalon is NOT happy about being on another group date. 

The guys meet Emily at an outdoor park to act out scenes by Romeo and Juliet.  It was actually very cute.  These guys were hilarious.  Kalon took it a little too seriously.  He reminded me of the dude from Dead Poets Society that committed suicide because his dad wouldn’t let him be in the play.  Kalon actually shooed Emily away from his rehearsal.  He is not fun and Emily thinks he is way to serious.  Ryan was excited because he got to kiss Emily in his scene.  Arie and Doug were the nurses which was so funny.  All in all I enjoyed watching the Shakespeare. 

Then it was Miller Time!  (sorry old 80s reference) they go to a Pub to drink and chill. 

Emily is still ridiculously into Arie and rightly so…they are purrrfect for each other.  She needs him. He just suits her very well. 

Ryan is still into himself…but he wanted to give her a surprise and gave her a necklace.  He was a little more sweet with her on this date. And she seems to be more smitten with him.

Then it was time to turn up the heat. Not in a romantic way...in a hot seat, pants on fire, West Virginia-style verbal lashing!

Kalon, was not happy on the date.  He said he was waiting for  “an exhausted sick mother who has a child waiting on her. “ The guys then start talking about what Kalon has been saying about Emily and her having a daughter.  Saying that basically Ricki is “baggage.”  So the guys confront him.  Kalon admits to saying it and won’t recall it because he says it was not suppose to be a negative thing, it’s a huge responsibility taking on a child.  So Doug was really upset and decided he needed to talk to Emily about it.  So he tells Emily everything.  She talked it through with Doug.  Emily was super upset but decided she needed to go talk to everyone.   Doug mediated the confrontation.  Kalon defended what he said and said he was not meaning it as a negative connotation.  Emily said to Kalon, “I love to hear you talk but not until I’m done.”  Ohhhh…snap.  Flashback.  She told Kalon that not seeing her daughter as a blessing,  “makes me sad for you. “  Especially since Kalon himself was raised by a single mom.  She felt talking to him was inappropriate and insulting.  She tells him to get out.  And he does.  Emily ends it by saying, “Kalon is a terrible human being. “  I think we all agree.  Emily was bummed out that no one came to tell her about it sooner.  And ultimately upset that no one stood up for her when she was yelling at Kalon.  So there was no rose tonight.   Emily admits her dream guy would fight for her and her daughter.  She was disappointed in all the guys. 

Reflections by Kimberly: 

I admit I was a little confused by Emily.  I know she was hurt by Kalon and rightly so.  But I am not sure why she suddenly became upset with all the guys about not standing up for her.  Did she want them to yell at Kalon when she was?  Did she want them to yell at him when they first heard him say inappropriate things?  Did she want them to tell her ASAP?  I think it was all of the above...because she was so hurt and felt so sorry for herself and her daughter in the moment.  But in the guy’s defense (NOT Kalon’s because he’s a loser):   Emily was mad no one was going to tell her about Kalon and felt betrayed.  Let’s review season after season of Bachelors and Bachelorettes.  The “rules” on this show are, if you go to the “Star” and tell them, “so and so is different behind your back than to your face” ... in the past "those men and women" who step out and tell on the others have been told they need to “tread lightly, “  “ don’t go there, “  “focus on our relationship not the other person.”  So the guys were probably very concerned about where they would stand if they become the person to alert her to issues with the other guys.  Happens every season.   Goodness, remember Courtney?  Remember like 10 different women warning Ben?  Sometimes it doesn't matter if you warn someone. 

1:1 Date with Jef:  We'll just call this Date: The One Where whoever got this date is gonna get a rose because you're not Kalon and were not on the infamous Group Date where no one stood up for Emily!

Let's face it.  Jef would have to royally no London pun intended screw up not to get a rose on this date.  

Jef walked up to Emily and looked like he was right out of a Oxford University.  Looked like a school boy.  They went to have tea with an Etiquette Teacher. So Jef was not happy to have a 2:1 with Emily and Jean the teacher.   I liked Jef more because I agreed that was one annoying tea date.  Thankfully, they were both annoyed with it and left.  

Jef wanted Emily to know that he was the one who sat their when Kalon said all the stuff about the baggage.  He went on and one about what was said.  Jef wanted Emily to know that he had her back.  Surprisingly she bought it.   Emily admits she is into Jef.   They went to the London Eye and had dessert which was kind of cool.   Jef said everything right to Emily.  And he goes for it and kisses her.  I just think them kissing is gross.  He looks so much younger than her.  They look weird together.  But I like him as a person….so Jef if you’re reading this, it’s not you it’s me.    And Jef gets the Rose.

Cocktail Party

Emily is not done with shaming the guys for the whole Kalon incident.  They should have had her back.  She said this week there was a , “huge lack of respect and loss of  confidence.”  Oh come on Emily, get over it!

Travis’s time with Emily was awkward.  This guy is cute and funny.  But she decided to use the time t to interrogated him about whether he has her back. 

Wolf cracks me up.  He is just the type of guy who you can tell puts his foot in his mouth a lot.  He admits he might have cheated her by not bringing up Kalon situation.

Arie’s time with Emily was bad.  Emily was upset that Arie didn’t come to her defense and that she was by herself in that moment with Kalon.  Arie said he tries not to get caught up with the others and focus on them.  See I agree with this!  That is playing by the regular season rules.  So I was upset with Emily for being so mean to Arie.  Arie left the conversation feeling bad. I am going to go get some Team Arie t-shirts made for Rich and I. 

Ryan decided to surprise her with something to make her laugh.  So he spoke to her from a balcony doing a Shakespeare lines.  It wasn’t funny…but she liked it and then they made out because she is starting to fall for his lines.   I think she just was happy he didn't add to the Kalon chaos and tell her he would leave her if she got fat again. 

Sean made her feel good too.  And Emily really felt if Sean had been on the group date he would have stood up for her.  Um no.  No one would have.  Because they didn’t know what to do and wouldn’t have wanted to make it worse. No one would have handled this whole crazy Kalon situation any differently than what happened!  Men have no clue what to do in any situation...especially one involving a woman they like.  Goodness I need to become a relationship therapist, providing reality therapy.

Rose Ceremony:  All get roses but…Alejandro…the only guy who knew anything about Shakespeare and the only man who didn’t really get any air time. And he was starting to grow on me.  Oh well. 

Next week:  Croatia!  They did a hodge-podge of clips so no clue what's going on next week.  I bet someone goes home though!  ha ha!

The Bachelorette Emily: BERMUDA!

 

Sing along!  “Bermuda, Bahamas come on pretty mama”

We are in Bermuda this week. Well “we” are not there…but…let’s pretend we are! 

Emily and Ricki are there on the beach having fun.  I am glad she brought her daughter for her travels.  It just makes sense to bring her and showcase the love between mother and daughter.   

The guys make it to Bermuda and there is tension in the air!  It’s all fun though.  Kind of.  The guys are turning into a bunch of women, sitting around without TV/Sports/Books etc.  The first date card comes and it’s for a 1:1 for Doug.   Before the date, Doug is acting nervous.  But the guys were interrogating him and he wasn’t handling it well. Doug would be hard to live with.  He’s super intense and obsessed with his kid.   But Doug didn’t like anyone making fun of him.  He was on the verge of beating the crap out of,  well no one but he said Arie,  when Emily walks in to this weird room full of testosterone on the verge of an estrogen burst…

1:1 with Doug

 

Emily feels that Doug is good looking and super fun to hang out with. But she says this about almost all the guys.  Even the ugly ones.  Does Doug remind anyone else of Ryan Reynolds the actor?  Anyways…Doug really enjoyed shopping with Emily.  Maybe he’s a little bit of a metrosexual?  He’s super sensitive.  Emily really wanted to get to know Doug…but Doug still can’t stop talk about being a dad.  Emily is digging for things on Doug that are wrong and all Doug can say is, “well I started a charity for….”   Can’t remember what the charity was for but Emily was kind of like…a charity?   Um…yeah…me too…me too…it’s called the Stinker Pinker Wanna Go on Vacay to some place other than a campground….PLEASE DONATE!

They wrote Doug’s son Austin a postcard, which made Doug’s day!!!  Because he is a dad that LOVES his kid every second of the day!  With all his heart and he wears his heart on his sleeve and probably on a T-shirt under his clothes, "I heart my Son!"  They walked under a romantic arch.  At dinner Doug was sweet but Emily feels like Doug is hiding something from her.  She felt he was kind of like Brad.  Too perfect.    Emily wanted to know his flaws.  So Doug lists them, 1)  He spends too much time with his son and 2) he didn’t wash his former girlfriends car enough.   All his answers were too perfect for Emily.  So Doug says to Emily…"well what are your flaws?"  Emily says, “I don’t workout.”  I hate you Emily.  And she spends days in her Pjs and then goes out in public in her Pjs.  And we all agree…we suddenly hate Emily.  Oh but then she realizes…it’s hard to come up with flaws when she IS so perfect.   So she gave up when she realized they were just two perfect people with no flaws and gave him the rose!    Was it just me or did Doug look a little greasy on the date?  He always looks kind of sweaty.  Anyways…at the end of the date Doug sits and stares at Emily.  He says in a later interview that he wanted to kiss her but he doesn’t make the first move.  Doug?  Wake up!  She is the bachelorette…YOU HAVE TO SHOW YOUR INTEREST!  She’s not moving in for you…you aren’t THAT perfect. 

Group Date!  Let’s Set Sail on the Sea of Love:  Charlie, Ryan, Chris, Jef, Sean, Arie, Travis, Kalon

Sailing!  Yay!  It’s so pretty in Bermuda.  The guys learned how to sail.  And then had a race…and the losers go back to the hotel.  The winners spend time with Emily.  

So the teams were Red Team:  Travis, Sean, Charlie, Chris vs.  Yellow Team:  Jef, Arie, Ryan, Kalon.  Red Team was overly confident, despite the fact they had Charlie who never knows where he is or what he’s doing.  Yellow, team just tried to do their best.  They worked better together and ultimately…won.  I think it helped them to have Arie on the team who is a professional racer.  He seemed to know better what to do in competition.  The Red team was sad.  I liked the yellow team but Kalon was on the team.  But, I think we all wanted to see more of Kalon putting his foot in his mouth. 

The Red Team was defeated.  Charlie was crying…because he was embarrassed.  

Emily got to spend time with the 4 guys who won.  Ryan unfortunately was there…but it was ultimately good for her to see more of Ryan.  Ryan made a toast to Emily and called her a possible “trophy wife.”   She seemed disturbed by the comment. I think we are are becoming a little distrubed by Ryan.

Her time with Arie they sat on the beach, trying to keep a blanket over their shoulder that kept distracting me because it kept blowing off them.  They basically just wanted to make out.  Arie is sweet.  And really into Emily and I think for the right reasons.  I think Emily should be the better looking one in the relationship and Arie is good looking but not better looking than her and a good match for Emily.  

Jef and Emily tried to keep the blanket around them on the beach too.  Ultimately Emily took the blanket.  Jef’s hair is just plain odd.  He seems so much younger than Emily.  And for what ever reason, Emily likes Jef.  It’s strange.  They sat at their one on one time and at an awkward ending as Emily gave him an opportunity to kiss him and he didn’t.  Jef looks like he’s out of 1980 Brat Pack movie. 

Kalon’s 1:1 time.  Well sadly there wasn’t much to it.  I guess he didn’t say anything stupid enough to make it on TV. 

Ryan has no idea what the heck he is doing on this show.  He can’t figure out why Emily isn’t throwing herself at him.  Ryan states he is not there to impress Emily but to make an impression.   Emily brought up the whole fat thing from last week.  How she doesn’t like some of the things he says.  He basically called it flirting with her.  And he couldn’t stop talking about how good looking their kids would be.  Ryan is super condescending and feels Emily has been given an opportunity as the Bachleorette to impact tons of people and especially young women.  Which led into trying to make her feel bad for kissing Arie last week at the cocktail party and not being a good role model for girls.  Emily feels he is judging her.  Yes he is.  Ryan states he’s  “a good catch”.  He is, but only …for himself.  I think if he could marry himself he would.  Yes he would.

Jef got the rose.  I think that Emily gave him the rose because for some odd reason she doesn’t know if Jef likes her as much as she likes him. 

The Last Date: 2:1 Date – Nate and Wolf  - Let’s Explore this Bermuda Love Triangle

We haven’t really seen much of Nate and Wolf aka John.  Wolf I recall is pretty funny and I think she found Nate really attractive. 

They went on a boat and went cliff jumping.  They tried to make the best of their awkward time drinking champagne on a boat together…two dudes and Emily.  They head then to some caves for dinner.  It was pretty cool.  What a romantic place for a three person date.  It was a small little table.  Nate was excited about the quinoa on the plate and that it was a good source of fiber.  No one wanted to eat.

So Emily took Nate away from some 1:1 time.  Nate admits that he has done nothing to try and win Emily over.  But she basically gave him about 10 min. to tell her everything she needed to know about him.  He broke down crying over his family.  Yikes.  She’s a mom but she’s not your mom.  Bad time to start crying. 

Wolf’s 1:1 time was smooth.  He was eloquent and knew who he was.  He’s cute and funny. 

Emily ultimately sent Nate home.  Wow.  Boo-hoo….poor Nate.  Now he’s really going to cry.  Emily felt like Nate was sweet and ultimately not mature enough for her life. Agree. 

Before the Cocktail Party Drama: 

We see Emily sitting down with Ricki and helping her with  her homework before the Cocktail party in her dress up fancy clothes.  I wish my mom would have dressed up more for homework time!  Maybe I would have done better in school.  Kidding Mom!

There was a debate in the house about how the age of a man effects their maturity and what would be good for Emily.  Doug who is 33 and Ryan 31 were acting like know it alls because they are older.  Chris who is 25 disagreed with them.  I do have to say Chris is more mature than Ryan and Doug.   But this whole thing really bothered Chris.

Cocktail Time!  Bottoms up!

Alejandro feels that he hasn’t had time with Emily.  And Emily agrees.   But I really don’t remember much from there 1:1 time. Because let's face it if Alejandro makes even to the hometown dates....we'll all be shocked.  Because I can't really see Emily ending up with a Mushroom Farmer. 

Ryan has some more fantastic time with Emily.  Ryan is intimidating.  He’s cocky…still into himself.   Ryan wants to know why Emily is “worthy”….he’s trying to be sure Emily is the one for him because he’s a good catch.  But he feels that maybe he’s called to something bigger.  He actually says behind Emily’s back, that if this doesn’t work out for him he has media contacts and will root for a Bachelor Series of his own,  “Bachelor Ryan: Augusta, Georgia”.  Ugh.  What an idiot. 

Arie interrupted Ryan’s time which was hilarious…the guys encouraged him to because they thought Ryan was getting an ego...uh "getting?"   Arie and Emily have a good connection.  Although he can’t get too arrogant.  In my opinion he may be coming on too strong…but Emily may like that.

Sean had some time with Emily.    They dig each other and like to kiss each other. Sean is cute but not very memorable...but he has a good chance with her. 

Doug and Ryan have an odd conversation.  They reassure each other that you don't have to kiss Emily to have a connection.  He and Ryan feel like physical stuff isn’t as important as you get older.  What?  I think what they are really saying is, "I haven't kissed her yet...but I am so hot...so she doesn't need to kiss me...she can just look at me and know there is a connection."   They both want Emily to hit on them.  Whatever.  She doesn't have to do that.  

Chris and Emily go outside and chat.  Chris is feeling down about Doug’s comments about age.  So he tells Emily this is bothering him, which he strongly disagrees with and feels he is ready to be a husband and father.  Chris is mature.  But he needs to let it go.  But he doesn’t.  He confronts Doug on this.  Doug laughs at him.  It was a weird conversation between two really awkward guys.  I think Chris tried to talk to him and he lost his train of thought…and Doug laughing at him didn’t help.  What Doug should have done is said, “I’m sorry you’re upset.  I like you,  can we put this behind us.”  That would have been mature.  Instead he was condescending. 

Chris Harrison and Emily Time

Emily seems to know what’s going on.  Is Doug perfect or is there something else going on with him?  Every disagreement or problem in the house seems to stem from Doug or Ryan.  She likes Jef, but he won’t kiss her and she doesn’t know why.  She realizes she talks to guys and find them sweet and then can’t see herself sending them home.   But she also realizes there are some guy who may be tricking her a bit, specifically Ryan.  She is seeing him trying to manipulate her.  Smart girl. 

Boring Rose Ceremony:

Roses go to all except:  Charlie L  and Micheal.  I don’t ever recall seeing ANY interviews with Michael.  And after the sting of being eliminated, Charlie probably won’t recall that he was eliminated.

I do want to say something about Michael and Charlie leaving and how they were both crying.  I read awhile back that the producers of the show, when they film the women leaving in the limos, have been known to drive around for hours and hours with the women bringing up every subject possibly including pets dying, friends of theirs that are sick, boyfriends dumping them etc. etc. to get them to cry.  My thought is that these two guys probably had the same thing happen to them.  The grill them until they break down!  Just an interesting piece of Bachelor/Bachelorette Trivia. 

Next week:  LONDON ENGLAND!  And believe me…it’s gonna be goooooooood!  You do not want to miss what happens.  So cool.  Best exit ever! 

C'est la vie!

Well all it's time for a random blog post about nothing don't you think?  I have absolutely nothing to write about.  It has been an incredibly boring week for us.  Although I always have a ton of projects and things I'm working on.  But they have all been at home so we haven't gotten out that much.  Plus the back tire on our van is low and leaking and we need to get that fixed, so that is also affecting my ability to leave the house (or wanting to for fear of getting a flat tire.) 

Rich has been working a lot.  He has had no days off since last Sunday and will not have one until Tuesday.  So we're pretty much just hanging in there.  C'est la vie.  My motto for my life.  It's funny because I feel like I've seen him a lot...but we haven't been really "talking" because we're both tired.  So last night, we just kind of smiled a lot at each other with not much to say while we watched, "World's Scariest Plane Crashes" on Discovery Channel.  Don't be jealous ladies...I can't help it if I lead such a passionate life.

Friday I actually had a fun day.  I cooked all day in my kitchen making a meal to take to a family that just had their 5th little baby.  I kind of enjoyed cooking, it was like a cloudy fall day outside, very chilly, so it made me kind of happy.  I made Chow Mein Hotdish.  I am concerned they probably didn't like it...I made another pan for my family...and I think the pan I made for us turned out better.  I cooked the one I brought to the family in an aluminum pan that they could just throw out (hopefully they didn't throw out the whole thing!).  I wonder if things just cook differently in those.  Anyways...we enjoyed the Chow Mein Hotdish.  It is comfort food, Minnesota Style.  Here is the recipe I used: 

Chow Mein Hotdish

1 1/2 pounds of Ground Beef
2 cups of Celery
1 small Onion
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups of water
3/4 cups of rice
2 TBSP Worchestershire Sauce
4 TBSP Soy Sauce
Chow Mein Noodles

Cook the ground beef and add celery and onion and cook until tender.  I then transfer this to a large mixing bowl.  Add all the other ingredients except the chow mein noodles.  Poor in a 13 by 9 inch pan and bake at 350 for 1 hr and 15 min.  We add the chow mein noodles before we eat it.   Some people bake them on top for 10 min.  I don't like doing it that way because I like them crunchy.  And Voila!  Chinese Food a la Minnesota! 

I also made them a Peach and Blueberry Cobbler.  I love this recipe.  I just found it and it's so easy to do.  You take any kind of fruit you like (you can also you pie filling, I used Cherry Pie Filling once and it was so good) spread fruit on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch pan.  Pour a Yellow Cake Mix on top of the fruit evenly.  Take 1 Stick of Butter and cut it up and spread chunks all over the dry cake mix.  Bake at 350 for 45 min and Voila!  Instant Fruit Cobbler!  Of course a stick of butter makes everything taste fabulous.

Maybe I should write a cook book and call it  "Voila! Recipes for Lazy Moms"  ha ha ha ha!  Making myself laugh. 

Looking forward to this week.  Rich has two days off.  The boys are attending Kids Day at Ian's preschool on Tuesday, so Rich and I can have a date morning.  We'll probably do something really romantic...like...take the van in to get the tire fixed.  C'est la vie! 

And I added two new polls on for all my Bachelorette readers to answer!  Thought it would be fun to see how you all answer these questions!!! 

That's all from here!!!!  Have a fantastic week!!!

Setting a Parenting Example: It's All About Love

 

I am going to write this post out of frustration of something I have witnessed over the last few months.  Maybe I’m out of line but I don’t care.  My blog does not get read, to my knowledge,  by anyone who would know this situation, but I’m going to keep it fairly vague just in case. 

Today was my son’s last day of preschool.  We have loved this preschool for Ian.  It has been so good for him.  Over the course of the year we have become familiar with a child in the class who sticks out quite a bit.  This child is more aggressive and loud than the other children.  But honestly, the behavior is nothing super different than some children I have witnessed, in fact, personally I don't think it's a big deal at all.  The child just is more vocal and seems to get in trouble all the time. Rich and I have realized that this child’s home life may be a little battered.  There is what appears to be a very young mom, a very young dad and they are not married or even together.  Sometimes this child gets dropped off with heavy metal music blarring from the mother’s car.  But in the midst of all of this there is a very loyal grandparent, who picks up and sometimes drops off this child.  Very sweet, very involved but very much in the middle of what appears to be parenting issues, lack of follow through on the parents and the grandparent is stepping in to be sure this child has some structure.  This is all my observation because I don’t know any of the actual situation.

Over the last month from field trips to other interactions I have observed I have noticed this child can’t do anything right in the classroom.  This child is segregated at times because of behavior.  And the other parents have noticed, and I think contribute to the teachers needing to discipline him based on some comments.  The other parents don’t like this child.  It is obvious.  I have told Ian to be nice and kind to this child and that this child is his friend.  And overall Ian has been good to this child.  The teachers at times want to say stuff about the child, but they try to bite their tongues (as they should.)  But somehow, some of the parents seems to have “pegged” this child as trouble.  And let me remind you the child is only 5 years old. 

A couple weeks ago, I posted about the bike race Ian participated in at school.  The kids raced two at a time at the beginning.  Most of the parents were there all cheering for all the children…except this child.  This child’s grandparent was on the sideline quietly cheering on the child.  When it was this child’s turn to race, all the other parents cheered for the other kid.  Except the grandparent quietly on the sideline…and me.  I put my hands together and yelled, “go ********!!!”  No one else did.    No matter how aggressive or mean or loud or silly a kid is…THEY ARE A CHILD.   Does the "loving the unlovely as Jesus did" mean anything to people?  I think we tend to forget this concept when we are annoyed with the “unlovable.” 

I really didn’t think I could ever be shocked by people, but today I was and it has disturbed to me to core.  I am as sarcastic as anyone.  Everyone who knows me knows I have no problem with putting people in their place (typically gently but firmly) if I need too and I can make fun of the best.  But when I saw this happen today, I truly was disgusted and wondered where people’s compassion truly lies. 

The young mom of the child I have been referring to was in the room with the child.  As I walked into the classroom, she was giving her child a big hug and kiss goodbye.  It was actually sweet, as I’ve never really seen her show the child any love.  The teachers were talking with another parent and everyone was excited about the last day.  As the mom started to walk out of the classroom and turned to say goodbye to the teachers, she said, “see you soon for the summer classes!”  The teachers smiled and said nothing.  The other parent after this mom left gave a sarcastic thumbs up to the teachers as if to say, “oh goodie, those people and that child will still be around this summer.”   The child was still in the room when this occurred. The child is not stupid and could have seen this gesture.  The teachers laughed but tried to bite their tongues and I personally wanted to get up and smack this other parent.  Partially, because this parent is not a rock star of a parent (I could make a list of reasons why they are not but I won’t)…and partially because I know they are a “Christian” and go to church and it made me sick that a “Christian” would act that way.  Yes they are young and the family might be more difficult to work with …but this is an innocent child.  And there are such obvious dysfunctions this child lives with…can we not just be kind? 

I am glad that this preschool year is over.  Dalton will start next year with a different class.  I love the teachers and know the teachers have to deal with lots of different types of family situations, parent personalities and kids.  But the parents in this class are very cliquey and I did not join in their group.  So I’m happy that part is over.   I have been thinking all day about my own behavior and how I act, and do my actions reflect what I believe?

One thing I’ve learned from living different places and joining different communities of people is that everywhere you go you meet seemingly intelligent people who feel that because they are in the “in” crowd, high up in the community, church, work etc. they can get away with judging others.  But when it comes to children, that’s where it crosses the line for me. We hear non-stop about bullying in schools.  Where do these perfect parents think that bullies come from?  If you don’t want bullies in the schools, don’t start by segregating and ignoring children at the age of 5 years old or using negative reinforcement to these children, who obviously need praise and love.  Your praise as a parent to a child who is NOT your child, may be something that child remembers forever.  And honestly, if this child grows up to become a bully that beats up the other parent’s kids at school…well serves them right.  In my opinion, bullying behavior is learned not just from at home, but from within the community and how they were treated by others.   My recommendation is not to “peg” children as good or bad.  Love them all.  Teach your child to be friends with everyone...but especially the "unlovable".  Invite them to the birthday party too.  Your little gestures may go a long way. 

For me, I have a heart for this child and will keep praying for this family.  I hope and pray that they will be shown love as they head off to kindergarten and beyond, if not from within the family, from within a community of other parents who can recognize an opportunity to praise and show kindness to a child. 

I will now step off my soap box.