Is Latino Time Real?

I write for TikiTiki, a blog that is a joy and a pleasure to read, as well as to contribute to.

In my post there today, I pose the question/rumor/urban myth?: Is Latino Lateness a real thing?

We'd love to hear if you've had any experience with this, or if it just gets your gussie up to even hear about it.

Happy Saturday!

Lessons Learned

It's been a long time since I've done a guest post. Renee, of Lessons From Teachers and Twits, and I have had this one today in the works since December.

I met Renee through Julie C Gardner [byanyothername], so I knew she'd walk the king of content walk. This English teacher runs a series of guest posts on Fridays worth following. It's called #Lessons Learned; and they're not always lessons from the classroom.

I hope you click over and meet Renee, and read about how sometimes things seem ethereally familiar to us for a reason.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Renee of Teachers and Twits

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The Grunting You Hear Is A Dead Giveaway

I don't even notice that I do it. I can't hear a thing. But I'm told it goes on.

As I plopped my fat butt down onto the footstool after work today, my body making contact with the cushioned leather seat, I let out a big oooophtah.

Taking a deep breath in, I bent over to remove my rain boots, I'm told I accompanied that movement with a sound reminiscent of a Russian weight lifter. Struggling to pull my snug boots off, I let out a strained aaaayyngyaaah sound, as the boots finally gave way and my strangled feet were set free. The relief was so sweet from the eight spent in vise-grip crampedness that I couldn't help but let out an appreciative sigh reserved for a more private room.

Stretched out against the brown leather chair, I finally relaxed after being gone from home all day. I let the air out of my body like a slowly deflating balloon. Audibly. And my children had to let me know about it:

Mom. You can tell you're getting old because you make a noise every time you do something, just like old people do. You sound like a dead person trying to get up.

What? I do not.

Yes, Mom. You do.

And with the snap of a finger, my three angels descended upon me like jackals surrounding a fresh kill. They continued:

It's like you have to announce every move you make, Mom. Pulling off your shoes, hanging up your coat, unloading the dishwasher, making the beds, carrying the laundry upstairs. It's ALL THE TIME, Mom.

Really? I announce everything every time I do something? And this bothers you? All of you? 

It drives us nuts. You're old.

How much does it get on your nerves? I mean, does it get on your nerves so much you'd give anything to not hear it?

Mom. Seriously. Have you ever heard yourself parallel park?

Hm. Well, then, seems to me this is all easily fixed. If I make annoying sounds with every buttload of work I do around here, how about YOU all empty the dishwasher, make the beds, carry the laundry, take off my shoes ... Voila. No more grunts and groans from your gramma mama.

::crickets::

What I thought. Now, if you all will excuse me. I've got to get up off this chair and start some dinner ... nnnnnnyyghaaa ... one of you boys help me up, will you?

Photo cc

Glory Days

Where do all the old dictators go? Who listens to them as they feebly fight off the forced spoon fed stewed prunes with cries of "No negotiating!"

I think I found the place of their golden sunsets.

And, yes, grandpa, you did have quite a brutal, oppressive regime. Now eat your prunes.

Glory Days, my post today at Aiming Low. Where we set the bar just high enough for you to step over.

Eight Giveaway Winners

We have the winners from the Great Two Year Blogoversary Giveaway.  I have to confess, I love giveaways just because doing the random number generator at Random.org is so much fun.

I'm going to use it to figure out who gets the last sour cream brownie in this house from now on.

Between tweets and comments, we had 156 entries. Don't blame you all, some sweet prizes. Thank you all for entering.

And now, the winners:


Anna Lefler's The Chicktionary goes to Lucky Winner Anna See of An Inch of Gray.

Let's Panic About Babies, the ORIGINAL pregnancy and parenting parody book by Alice Bradley and Eden Kennedy, signed author copy goes to Lucky Kristin Z of Taming Insanity.

Scary Mommy's New Book, Jill Smokler's  Confessions of a Scary Mommy, signed by the author, won by Kim of All Work And No Play Make Mommy Go Something.

The T shirt I covet, from the fantastic web series The Louise Log, won by Lucky Ali of My Suitcase Full of Tricks.

The incredibly exciting social media package generously offered through EliRoseSocial worth $150 dollars goes to Brian Miller the brave, from WaystationOne. The male among us in a sea of women bloggers. He is one cool dude, you all need to get to know this guy.


Smooth frizz-free hair for 30 days, thanks to Organix at-home keratin hair treatment, won by Lucky Jen of KvetchMom.

Guest Spot on Mondays for your child, offered up by Baby E, won by the Lucky children of Kir from The Kir Corner.

The reason I love my life, a can of Bustelo fine ground Espresso Roast coffee, won by Lucky Rach of Life Ever Since.

Congratulations to all. Winners, please email me your addresses and I will send out your prizes. **For the Scary Mommy book and The Louise Log T shirt, I'll be forwarding your address info on to them, they'll be sending out your prizes (hope this is alright..)

Thank you all so much for entering, thank you for giving me your time, and thanks for stopping here -- with all the thousands of blogs out there -- thank you for stopping here.

Now, go on, before you get me all verklempt.

Love you guys.