The Housewife Effect

When I was little, I used to play soap opera.  My mother would be folding laundry watching One Life to Live (OLTL).  I would be stuffing unfolded laundry under my shirt pretending I was Karen from OLTL and I was pregnant, but didn't know who the father was.  Yup.

Soap operas and television raised me, right along side a crazy mother.  No wonder I am so f#&*ed up.  

Friday nights as a kid were awesome: Dukes of Hazard, followed by Dallas and then if I could stay awake Falcon's Crest.  

I can remember benchmarks in my life and the world with what was happening on TV or in pop culture.  

The day President Reagan got shot I remember sitting on the bus after school.  "The president has been shot!," a frantic teacher shouted to our driver.  I felt small.  My parents were in Paris.  My grandmother was taking care of us.  I stuck my hands in the pockets of my new green rain coat and clinched my fists.  I wanted to be home.  I wanted my parents.  I was six.  I was scared.

My grandmother, Granny is what we called her, made my sister, brother and me dinner, but I don't remember it.  I remember later that week snuggling in the recliner with her.  I remember the feel of her dry hands holding mine.  I remember her rings.  I remember watching Dallas with her.  I remember feeling loved as she laughed at how "rotten" J.R. was.

Happy years were early days of The Cosby Show, reruns and new episodes of Dallas and my parents still being married. Rough years were waiting for my mom to come home from the bar while watching Miami Vice or Hunter after my parents split up.  

The constant for me has always been TV.  Sure sometimes that whole suspension of disbelief has screwed with my sense of realty.  But overall it has provided me comfort, escapism and entertainment.

It just makes perfect sense that a TV/soap opera junkie like me would end up being a Real Housewives fan. And I am. I love Bravo channel's Housewives of New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, etc. 
I watch.  I relate.  I escape.

I'm a legit Bravo fan, the hat is from the Orange County season.  It was a Christmas gift from my real life pal Stephanie last year.  Evil eye!

Here's my amateur/expert opinion of what I call The Housewife Effect.  

• It is completely appropriate to get drunk once or twice a week.

• I want to throw a party for every small or big event in my life.

• Anyone, and I mean anyone, can have a single and sell it on iTunes. 

• I know what a Step and Repeat is and know how to pose bitch.

• There always has to be someone you are against. A villain in your storyline.

• If you want to get more of a storyline, stir it up. It's all about controversy.

• A girls' trip is a girls' trip, for Christ's sake don't bring your f#&*ing boyfriend or husband.

I've always dreamed of doing a TV show intro.  And well, um, I made a very roughly edited, short (51 seconds) one last night.  I came up with three versions actually of my very own Real Housewife introduction.  Watch here and tell me which one you like best: #1 Crazy, #2 Bitch or #3 Broke. 

No seriously, leave a comment and tell me which Real Housewife Intro you like for me.  Maybe I'll submit it to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live.

What would your intro be?  Leave a comment with your intro or hell, make a video and leave the link. And don't forget to vote. C'mon, have some fun.

Here's a sneak peek of the new season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. OMG.

Full-force Nutso and What I Know For Sure (this week)

May is so much like December--extremely busy, full of excitement and expectations.  There are end-of-the-year parties for the kids at school and church.  It seems that most of the children my kids know were born in May and are having birthday parties.  

Wade is getting his summer on early at his big brother's baseball game.  We are not afraid to get down and dirty in the Youngblood family.

Summer sports are kicking into full gear.  It's just nuts, and expensive.

JT is getting his summer on early with the classic grass whistle trick.  Never gets old, I love it.

It is busy, busy, busy and then school gets out and our life feels a bit like a ghost town.  Or like one of those movies, after the nuclear attack or apocalyptic storm where the townspeople start walking around in tattered clothes, confused and hazy. That will be us that first week of summer vacation.  


But we are still a few weeks away from that.  We are in full-force nutso schedule.  We are just getting a glimpse of an easy, breezy summer. 


I got mail yesterday, good mail.  (That hardly every happens anymore.)  But I got the nicest post-card from a mom-of-four mentor and dear friend of mine.  

I love this post card, it's perfect for my life right now.  Thank you to my dear friend Brenda who sent it.

A note of encouragement and love and understanding during this hectic time before school gets out.  It was short and sweet and so special.  


Good mail and good friends are amazing (especially during dizzyingly busy, hectic, overwhelming times), I know that for sure.


Here's what else I know for sure (this week):


Self deprecation doesn't play well in a resume.  Yup, I was updating my resume this past week.  And jokes about possibly being crazy aren't appealing to potential future employees. Waaaa.



I love smart women. And these are two of my ALL TIME FAVORITES--Kelly Corrigan interviewing Anna Quindlen. Oh my god, I love this.

Kelly Corrigan is awesome.  Her books are awesome.  I love her. Watch this and tell me you don't love her.

Bravo rules.  I am a little obsessed, but I watch Bravo more than any other channel.  It is to me what Lifetime was to me in my 20s, which is awesome escapism.  So excited to spend my summer with Bravo.

Twitter won't quit me.  Sure I have unfollowers that I take personally, but overall I'm going strong.   I am so close, so very close to my coveted 500 followers--496 people.  Help me reach 500, follow me at @AngelaYBlood.


I love this video. I love these kids. I think they would fit in with my family nicely.  I especially love how grumpy the little girl looks at various points in the video.  She is giving a real "I hate you bitch" look to the camera, a look that I am very familiar with from my own little Lucy.




Comments matter.  Click here and check out my Patch.com piece and please leave a comment.  It makes a difference to my editor and that makes a difference to me.  Even if you hate my review, tell me about it.


Holiday weekends were meant to enjoy.  Have a good one.