What Would Maria Do?

Travelling with four kids, no husband and unreliable air conditioning is a little intimidating.  Yes, I had a few mini panic attacks before we left.  But ultimately, I believe getting away should be fun and exciting--an adventure.


In preparation for our adventure, here's what we did:


Made and decorated fans because let's face it, even though the air conditioning is working a little, it's going to get hot in our van.  So now they each have a hand-held fan and I'm sure they won't complain at all.  Right?

Packed the essentials-from UNO to my first ever trust first aid kit.  Click here to read how I am finally taking my own advice on being prepared.

The awesome travel bingo cards were a free printable from @Random Thoughts of a Supermom. Click here for more info. 


Possibly the most important thing we will bring, the music.


Recently my kids fell in love with The Sound of Music and therefore I fell in love all over again.  We are now in possession, courtesy of our fabulous library, of the soundtrack and we are LOVING it.  The whole family Do-Re-Mi's throughout town.  And now we are Do-Re-Mi-ing our way through the southeastern United States.


I am using Maria von Trapp as a guide post throughout this whole grand adventure.  I mean look what she did with just a little confidence, she entertained those kids and everyone seemed so happy.  If Maria can do it, so can I by golly.



I think Maria would be a B-52s fan.  She might take it hip to hip and rock it through the wilderness. Maybe not, that sounds too dirty for Maria.  But I do think she would approve of singing and roaming.

Follow along on our journey as I tweet and post updates on Facebook.
If not, then click here to follow on Twitter and here to join the Facebook page.

Youngbloods Go On Tour

We are about to embark on a grand adventure--the summer road trip of 2012.


Every year, we load up the kids and drive down to see my family in Alabama.  My mother and father took my sister,brother and me when we were kids.  Now I take my kids. Traa-diii-tionnnn! (You should be singing that word in Fiddler on the Roof style.)


I love road trips.  I love to get away. I've always dreamed of being on a tour bus, going from gig to gig.  


Here's my tour bus.

Just like a celebrity. Except the air conditioning only works in 20 minute stretches, there is no nanny along for the ride and I am on an extremely strict budget.  Not only strict, but sad.  It's a sad budget.


No worries though.  I'm ready for a getaway.  I'm ready to travel like a god damn low level grunge band.


My tour manager husband has to stay home to manage the local bands here at home (code for the mostly sweet, but mostly delinquent kids at the summer school where he is the head honcho).  In a true sign of his belief in my traveling abilities, he has rigged up a "cooling system" that will help.  I'm a bit skeptical.

Get ready America, or at least a few states in the southeastern portion of America, the Youngbloods are coming!


Tour stops:
Louisville, Kentucky
Atlanta, Georgia
Huntsville, Alabama
Nashville, Tennessee
Louisville, Kentucky***
***repeat stop, thanks Dana!


I will be live Tweeting and updating my Facebook page.  I'm sure the tour will be full of wild antics from the band and the roadies.  Follow along!


Click here to follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood.


Click here to follow on Facebook.


Okay, I might have pretended I was going on tour with the Go-Gos when I was a kid.  And that is why this video is so awesome. Also because it's the Go-Go's on one of my favorite shows as a kid Solid Gold.  Enjoy!

Sanitize-How to Shield Your Kids and Not Go Crazy

Sponsored Post

Eleven years ago right about now, I became a little bit of a worrier.  That is when it all changed.  Eleven years ago right about now, I was pregnant with my first child.  I worried about the foods I ate, the amount of weight I gained.  I worried about second hand smoke from the person smoking across the street.  I worried about standing too close to the microwave.


That's what a good parent does right? Worry.


Over the last 11 years, I've been very lucky.  I've had four healthy children.  Sure, there were ear infections, rashes, a minor hernia surgery, Swine Flu scares and even a diagnosis of Celiac disease.  But over the years, I relaxed and rolled with the punches, er, germs.


That's what a good grown-up parent does right? Worry less.


I was maturing.  I was parenting.


But then JT went and broke his arm.  I felt like a newbie parent all over again.  The anxiety, the worry came back.  I joke that I wish I could wrap him in bubble wrap, but the thing is, I 'm not joking.

"Oh it's just the beginning," the ER nurse told me as she smiled knowingly and put the splint on JT's broken little arm.  "I had three boys. Broken bones, stitches, you name it."


I nodded, speechless.


"It's not just boys!," another nurse lauged along with her friend.  "I had two daughters who were just as reckless and accident prone.  It's kids."


They laughed together and looked at me with a "just wait, honey, you are in for it" look.


All these looks.  All these worries.  I wanted to grab my baby boy and the bubble wrap and head for the hills.  But even the hills are dangerous.  Ugh.


After a couple weeks with JT in a cast, I've had a little time to analyze my situation.  Those nurses are right, I'm in for it.  But that doesn't mean I am doomed to a life of paralyzing fear and anxiety. 


Here's a few tips I figured out on how to shield the kids and not go crazy:


Be prepared, emotionally.  
-I was so NOT prepared for something bad to happen.  I am not suggesting you walk around waiting for the sky to fall Henny Penny style.  But know that bad things can happen to good, cute little people and leave the bitterness at the door.  Accept that you are strong enough to deal with life "stuff" and don't be afraid to ask friends and family for help.


Be prepared, with a kit.
-Have a first aid kit in your house, in your car. Sounds simple, but lots of people (um, me) don't have a first aid kit at the ready.  


Have a plan.
-We fill out emergency cards all over the place for our children, but what about at home?  Who is your emergency contact?  For example, who is your someone that will watch your other kids while you go to the hospital in an emergency? 


Teach them well.
-Being the mother of an almost 11-year-old, I realize how important it is to teach kids to be responsible for themselves, but also to help out.  When JT broke his arm, the older kids and I were a team.  Peyton grabbed the baby and helped ease my mind.  Lucy talked to JT throughout the ride to the hospital helping him from going into shock. 


Sanitize.
-Always, I mean always, carry hand sanitizer in your purse.  Not only will it zap any scary germs lurking, um everywhere, it will give you a sense of control and ease anxiety and worry.  For example, I could not fix JT's arm, but I could sanitize the hell out of our hands in the ER waiting room.  You better believe that helped.


Bottom line, we simply cannot shield our kids from every bad thing that will happen to them, physically or emotionally.  But worry doesn't help.  Being prepared and taking control of what we can, even it is only sanitizer, does in deed make a difference.

As a member of Clever Girls Collective, I was selected to participate in the Healthy Habits program sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. #healthyhabits #cgc
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The Worry Gene and What I Know For Sure (this week)

Yesterday the kids and I went to a playground for the first time since JT fell and broke his arm.  I was a little more nervous than usual, especially because JT was climbing to the top of everything, swinging across the bars with his one good arm and making a million risky moves.


That's good right?  He's not traumatized, not crippled with fear or worry.  Maybe he lucked out and didn't get what I thought was the dominant worry gene that keeps getting passed down generation after generation in my family.


Maybe the streak has been broken. Halle-f&#*ing-euljah!

Because really worry is stooopid. Life is short and it goes fast, this I know for sure.


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


The Tooth Fairy that comes to our house is named Adam. JT lost his first baby tooth and Peyton lost his last baby tooth this past week. 

I cried over both milestones.  Lucy helped JT put his tiny tooth under his pillow the night he lost it.  Unbeknownst to us, she wrote a little note and included it with the wee little baby tooth.

"Dear tooth fairy, What is your name?"  she wrote.  In the corner you can see where the fairy wrote "Adam."

My uber creative husband found the note and decided the tooth fairy's name is Adam.  What the hell?  I was so confused.  "A guy? You think the tooth fairy is a guy?  And why Adam?"  No offense to all the Adams out there, it just isn't very fairy like.  I would have at least gone with a more exotic name like Eduardo or Augustine.  Right? Augustine the Tooth Fairy.  But nope, our fairy is and will always be Adam.  And by the way, Lucy and JT loved that Adam revealed his name.


I want to buy cold cuts because of this commercial.  It's overplayed, but I don't care, I laugh out loud EVERY TIME I watch it.  Love it.

I'm more in love with Amy Poehler than ever.   She and a few of her friends started a YouTube Channel called Smartgirls.  It is full of videos to help empower and inspire girls.  If you know a young girl (tween age), direct her to this channel.  I sooooo wish I had something like this when I was younger.  See? The Internet isn't all scary, horrible stuff for our kids.  
Check out this clip from an Ask Amy segment where she answers viewers questions about makeup.  You will love her too, I know it.

The Dark Knight Rises looks f-ing unbelievable.  Yup, I'm a fan.  This trailer for the new movie is amazing and it features my beloved Pittsburgh.  Can't wait to see it, we might even get a sitter and go to an IMAX theater.  That would be all kinds of wild and crazy for my husband and me.

And just because I can't quit with YouTube, did you check out my latest Vlog?  If you missed it here it is.  After watching it again, I think I seem a little drunk.  Oops.  Click here if you want to subscribe to my new YouTube channel.

Instagram never gets boring.  Cool pictures with cool filters; and I just started following people, which adds a totally new fun-ness.  

Check out a few of my Instagram pics from the week:

What do you know for sure (this week)?  C'mon leave a comment!  Share what you know.

Big News- I'm Vlogging (again)

Big news! I am now officially VLOGGING (again).  Yes people, it's happening. Click the video below to watch the latest VLOG.  And bigger news.  I've been picked up by MomPulse.

My official intro video will debut next week, but until then, here's a little info about the MomPulse community.  

Click here to subscribe to my MomPulse channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/jumpingwithmyfingers?feature=mhee

Tired

I'm so tired my teeth hurt.
I'm so tired, I don't feel like watching TV (shocking, but true).
I'm so tired I wish I could check into the hospital for exhaustion like a celebrity.
I'm so tired...well, you get it.  


Summer is kicking my ass.  I thought tired was having newborns or fussy infants, but I was wrong.  Tired is four kids home all day, all summer.  It's fun, but god damn it's tiring.


There have been several nights lately where I walk around crying and muttering to myself like a scary homeless lady.  Or I'm like a toddler with a last crazy burst of wonky energy and then bam, I'm fast asleep curled up in the fetal position in bed.

The days are long, but go so fast.


The kids are adorable, but not wearing out as fast as they used to when they were smaller.


Swimming, baseball, play dates, kickball, wrestling, fishing, practice, make-believe, dress-up, potty-training, making meals, disciplining and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. (You should read this to the tune of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" to make it sound less whiny.) 


I usually end up crying like that crazy lady because after all that cleaning, the house is still a disaster. Waaaaa.


Just in case you forgot the tune of that old Billy Joel tune, here you go...



Pretty soon, I'm going to have to make believe I have some crazy magic ninja energy powers.  Because did I mention I'm tired?  

The ninja costume never gets old here at our house.  Here's JT fighting off his enemies the other morning.

The raunchy, but oh so funny comedian Louis C.K. can do a very good impression of me muttering after a long day with my kids.  Seriously, it is exactly what I look like.  And his take on the difference between girls and boys is funny and probably pretty accurate.  If you don't like swearing, don't bother watching the clip.  If you like to laugh, watch the clip.

Twain is Timeless

Thank god my kids love books and reading.

I remember the way my dad's voice sounded.  I can hear it in my memory, like a long-forgotten sweet lullaby.  Soothing. Calm. Smart. Safe.  That was my dad as he read book after book to my sister, brother and me when we were kids.


The entire Little House on the Prairie series. Oh how we loved those books.  My sister and I would recreate the scenes my father read to us.  Of course, being the older, wiser, calmer one, my sister would get to be Mary Ingalls.  And of course, being the irrational, emotional, impulsive one, I would be Laura Ingalls.  We totally fit the parts.


My father read so many books to us.  Sometimes I would hang on every word, so deep into the story I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Begging for "just one more chapter, pleeeeaaassee!"  Other times, I played with my toys while he read.  Sorry to say, but I wasn't a fan of The Hobbit series.  (Never was and still am not.)  


He read Watership Down to us (when I was 6 years old), The Call of the Wild, The Chronicles of Narnia and more.


Those nights were the launching pad for my imagination.  Those nights were also the foundation for some of my sweetest childhood memories.  


There's something special about reading aloud to your kids.  Experiencing and rediscovering the joy of a story together. Now I have the great privilege of experiencing that joy with my own children.  And believe me I feel honored. 

I just got done reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to my oldest two children, Peyton (age 10) and Lucy (age 8).


It was an edited "child-appropriate version" that someone had given Peyton as a gift.  We laughed at some of the crazy things that went on in Huck's life.  We were appalled together about slavery and the treatment of Jim.  We had silly discussions one minute and extremely moving, deep discussions the next.  


My children amazed me with their empathy and compassion.  I feel as if I know their hearts better after sharing this experience with them.  


"Can you read the Harry Potter series to us?," Peyton asked after I was done.  He has read all the books, but said he "wants to hear it all together."  


"Are you kidding me?," I asked excitedly.  "Of course I will, I can't wait."

What are you reading to your kids?

This is a good site/resource to help get some ideas for books for your kids to read on their own and for everyone to read together-ReadKiddoRead.com

And just for fun, the oh so quotable Mark Twain:


"Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied."
Mark Twain just summed up Facebook. 


"Always do right. That will gratify some of the people, and astonish the rest."


"The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet."

I mean come on, this is so true today.  Twain is timeless.

Time To Put Away The Sparklers

Celebrating our independence this year is the party that just won't quit.  And well, um, I'm over it people.  Not to be a Fourth of July Scrooge, I just wish people would quit with the damn fireworks already.  

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time this past weekend.  I mean come on, what other family do you know that has a parade with a red, white and blue decorated tractor and kids singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy"? Followed up with the Pledge of Allegiance under the flag?  Seriously? Do you know any other family?


There was swimming, fishing, cookouts and more good old-fashioned Fourth of July fun.  It was good.  


But now I'm ready to put away the sparklers and get going with the rest of the summer.


Some updates:
Notice anything special about this picture? 

Besides the adorable baby Wade who I dressed in one of Peyton's old outfits?  The flowers!  Flowers that I planted and managed to keep alive in this mad drought.  It's a small miracle and gives me hope for my green thumb potential. (Click here for a brief history on my lack of a green thumb.)


JT is doing just fine with his broken arm.  Sure there are moments of bummed-out-ness.  We had to rig up some bubble wrap, plastic bagging for him to participate in the lake fun this past weekend (the cast is waterproof, but the Dr. advised against lake water).  He was not extremely pleased with what it.  (I of course wish I could put bubble wrap all over him and the other kids to protect them from everything.)

By parade time, nothing seemed to really be bothering him.  His behavior was a bit disturbing to me for other reasons though.  He was acting like he was the crazy fraternity boy in a drunken parade rather than a sweet cousin/family parade.  Oh boy.

Just a reminder, you can click here to sign up and get the blog updates via email.

The Show Will Go On

"Back up,don't get so close to the fireworks," I snap.


"Don't run too close to each other with your sparklers," I warn.


"Holy shit, you're going to set the yard on fire, run!" I scream.

My oldest (and best listener) staying completely still per my request while he "enjoyed" his sparkler.

That was me being a totally un-fun mom at our impromptu Fourth of July fireworks on our driveway.  It wasn't pretty.

It was all fun, new and frightening to baby Wade.

I think this past couple weeks I've really proven something.  Yeah, that something is the fact that I suck in crisis.  I am referencing my cursing tirade at the scene of my sweet boy's arm-breaking fall of course (story here). 


I always relied on the fact that I might not handle the day-to-day stresses so great, but when the shit hit the fan, I was gold.  You just lost your job?  I was the type of girl (or so I thought) that would tell you "no worries, we are together and in love, we'll make it through anything."  My crazy mother is in the hospital (again)?  After a few tears, I would pull it together and make sure everyone was taken care of and the "right thing" was done.


But now my faith in my abilities has been rocked.


After JT broke his arm, I became one of those people.  Those worry wart people I used to judge and feel sorry for.  I used to watch those people and pray for their sake they could lighten up and not worry about everything.  Because worry sucks.  Especially worry about things we can't control, about people we love.  




The Fourth of July is not a holiday for people dealing with any kind of parenting anxiety.  Especially during a record setting heat wave with a near dead (but hopefully coming back to life) yard.


My husband, Tim, thought it would be fun to do fireworks in our driveway this year.  I worried about the dry yard conditions, the children getting burned, the house getting set on fire, etc.  Everyone had fun, despite my extreme worry and fun sucking gripes.

Obviously they think almost setting the neighbor's yard on fire is hilarious. 

My scary what-if visions and anxiety seemed to hit an all-time high on the fourth.  Now my worry lessons each day.  I still pray for those people that over worry constantly. But I will not stay in this place for too long.  It will fade, at least until the next crisis.  Which I  will handle with all kinds of bad words, screams and fun sucking.  That's just how I roll people.  The show will go on, this I know for sure.


What else I know for sure (this week):


I am psyched for the Olympics.  This is the official video and if this doesn't make you want to train or compete in something or at least get you pumped to watch the Olympics, I don't want to be your friend.  I'm kidding (sort of).  Just watch, it is awesome.

It's hot.  Like crazy hot, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you.  We've been trying to beat the heat indoors with Just Dance Wii parties, card games and painting projects.

I'm not going to lie, my husband and I love watching crime dramas on TV.  And we are happy, but sad too, that the final six episodes of The Closer starts on Monday.  It will be sad to say good-bye to Brenda, but thank god we still have the new season of The Good Wife this fall.

It's been a crazy couple weeks in pop culture.  First Ann Curry's awkward exit from The Today Show. Yikes.  Now TomKat?  I mean I'm not surprised by either.  But I am indeed surprised by Katie's hutzpah.  I'm Team Katie all the way.


Waterproof casts are the bomb.  Summer is officially back in session since JT got his fancy cast on this week.  He is able to swim in the pool and I worry a tiny bit less about all the wrestling.  

Social media is where it's at, remember that.  Click here to follow me on Twitter.  And click here to join the party on Facebook.  

What do you know for sure (this week)?

A Change of Scenery

For the past few days we've been taking it easy, well at least for our family.  Laying low, chilling out, trying to not break JT's arm even more while we wait for the cast.  But the thing is, we aren't really a low-laying, chill out kind of family.  So, yesterday we headed out into the stifling heat wave and walked to the library.

We have a great library.  A beautiful library.  It was actually one of the reasons I moved here, that and my future husband lived here.  


My kids (and me) not only needed a change of scenery, they needed a little space from each other.

I love that they were so excited to pick out their books and had trouble narrowing it to a five book limit.  I love that the older kids read a couple of their books before we left and had to go back to pick out new ones to bring home.  

What I find confusing is why the little ones became fascinated with toys that we have at home?  They had a little trouble sharing the train table with other kids. 

"Um, guys, let that kid play, we  can go play with our train table at home," I told them.  They looked at me like I was nuts.  Mmm-kay.

But, whatever.  They were happy, mostly, and no one broke anything.  It was a good day.

Speaking of scenery changes, here's blog update...I just added a page on this here blog called "Blogging/Vlogging Here Too."  It has some links to other sites and channels where I've been featured or done some work.  It also includes this key phrase:

"If you are interested in having me write a review, a guest post or produce a video for you, please contact me at youngbloodsix@yahoo.com."

Know anyone that might need my writing/video production services?  Please feel free to pass along my information.

Here's just a fun little video from up and coming group Karmin.  Sure it's a year old, but it's fun.  I think I love them and what they call "swag pop."  Enjoy.

Strawberry Jam (and Pie)

This past weekend I found my center.  I got quiet and listened to that inner voice, that small, tiny voice that very often gets drowned out by the loud chaos that is my mind.  The voice that says, it's going to be alright.  


How did I get to this place you ask? Yoga? Nope. A nature walk? Hell no.  Quite possibly something as shocking as me getting next to nature and deep breathing...I made jam.  And a pie.

That's right I hulled almost eleven pounds of strawberries.  I sliced and mashed my way to a freer mind and a lighter heart.


Last week, the peaceful fields of strawberries I took my children to for an adventure in berry picking turned into a nightmare.  After picking all those berries, my baby JT (I can call my 6-year-old my baby, right?) broke his arm.


Left with a broken boy and a refrigerator full of f&*#ing strawberries, I was at a loss for what's next this summer.


After a bit of a meltdown, my husband realized I needed a break. He took the kids to a family party and told me to stay home and get some rest.  Tempted to plop myself on the couch and watch a Kardashian marathon and wallow, I stopped myself.  I opened the fridge and confronted those damn berries.

I squinted my eyes and pursed my lips as if I was in a showdown. It was go time.  Me and the berries.  After a disastrous picking experience, I wasn't going to let those berries get the best of me.   I ran to the store and bought canning jars and the ever-important (and gluten free)Pectin. 


When I returned, that's when, with no proper canning equipment (except the jars and pectin respectfully), I began to hull the hell out of those berries.  

It was like a musical montage scene out of a movie where the main character is getting over heartbreak or finding a passion.  Or like Daniel-Son in The Karate Kid. I was going to kick some ass, except I don't look 12 and there's no one telling anyone to take out my knee.  



I was in a groove.  The Standards Pandora channel playing as my soundtrack--Rosemary Clooney, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra. (Yup, I was really kicking some ass.) 


The hulling was methodical, soothing, calming.  I wasn't picturing my baby falling, wasn't worried about problems that I couldn't control.  I was all about the strawberries.

I printed out a canning how-to courtesy of Google, grabbed some tongs and started processing. In a pinch, I made a funnel out of a Diet Coke bottle.  It wasn't pretty.  But it felt good.


I had a purpose.  I was creating.  I had control (sort of).  And if it didn't work out, so what?  It was just jam.  And it would be alright.


After I processed my jars of jam and let them sit, I still had leftover berries.  So I made a pie.  Isn't that a saying?  When life hands you strawberries, make pie.  No?  Well I just made it my saying.  

I processed my berries and my anxiety.  I regained control and it felt good.  And damn it, it tasted good.


What the rest of the summer holds for us is a mystery still, but I'm going to take a cue from JT moving forward.  We are still waiting for the special ordered, extra small waterproof cast to come in and be put on his arm.  But that isn't stopping him from living life and healing and being alright.  And of course playing baseball.

A healing boy, jam and pie?  Maybe this isn't the worst summer ever and things will indeed be alright.


Click here for the link to the Gluten Free Strawberry Pie recipe, it was delish. 


Click here for the link to canning strawberry jam that I found (I didn't follow it exactly, but it was great).