Good Enough Mama

I’m a former Canadian born in Toronto. I just wanted to know if it was too late to send you a link to my list of why I’m not the world’s worst mom? Great topic and I had a blast writing it.

For some reason, I can’t get this comment to post on your recent page, so “feck it,” I am putting it here…

I got my first car as a gift — no, an apology — no, a bribe — no, a deal with the devil.
See if you can follow THIS one, and if you can, maybe I should give YOU a prize: My mother dated an alcoholic jackass exactly halfway between her age and mine, and due to his abusiveness, the jackass’ father, a bookie, felt very guilty (for passing on the alcoholic gene genetically and the bad attitude behaviorally), so when my would-be-gramps was going to trade in his old car, he instead just gave it to me. I was sixteen (and mom was 42, if you want a math problem to solve. He couldn’t give it to his jackass son, my mom’s boyfriend, because that guy had too many DUIs to have a license and no job anyway). It was, I shit you not, a black Trans Am with the bird on the hood. Suddenly, boys realized I existed.

Mom said I couldn’t accept the car because we couldn’t afford the insurance. Right around that time the old guy, jackass’ dad, was scheduled for a senior citizen trip to Vegas, but one of the two old ladies got sick and couldn’t go. He gave me her plane ticket and I roomed with a geriatric vixen with gray hair and extra chips in her bra. The seniors then dolled me up in fancy clothes, snuck me in the casino, and helped me play craps with their money, to the tune of $1100 in winnings in ten minutes. I bought a dress for the prom with matching polka dotted pumps (hey, it was the 80s), a large pizza (to share with the cute boy I met), and a year’s worth of car insurance.
A year later I got hit from behind stopping at a stale yellow light and that was the end of the Trans Am, and downscaling to a Chevy Nova.
Feel free to send me my new car. I need it. Sure, my husband and I have two cars already, but the newest one is 13 years old, and social services will be after me if anyone sees the inside of it.
How trashy DO I sound?
And then there is this, to top it all off: My bad mommy factoid. My daughter is scared of squirrels. Once, a squirrel in our yard tried to eat off her brother’s plate, and she hasn’t been the same since. Tonight when she didn’t want to go to bed, I threatened to put her outside in the dark with the squirrels.
I will send you my address. I hope the car does NOT have the LATCH system. This was easier to win than craps. I don’t even know the rules for craps, except to play it with hustlers staking you and whispering in your ear.
Sorry if my comment is too long. Sometimes I miss blogging.

There is a profound pressure placed on young girls in current day society based on their image: the need be thin, beautiful and appealing. Instead of looking to serve others, the focus is constantly on “me!” The struggle of peer pressure emerges and girls strive for whatever it takes to be well liked and popular. They fear walking the road less traveled because, to them, it appears to be the lonely road. Girls fear failure. Due to this fear, we oftentimes see far too many girls let life pass them by as they ‘go with the flow.’ One will find that as you look back upon your life, the moments that stand out are the ones when you have done things for others. Oftentimes, people forget to think beyond themselves. It is our desire for “Megan Hearts” to empower girls to try new activities and as they gain knowledge and skills, learn to recognize the importance of using them for benefits that reach beyond themselves.

My sister and I just finished “Megan Hearts Baking,” the first book of the Megan Hearts series devoted to helping inspire and empower young girls (ages 5-9) to explore new hobbies and create new goals.

In the book, Megan has been invited to a birthday party and she wants to bring her favorite treat– cupcakes! But Megan is nervous about making them, for her last baking adventure sadly ended in a baking fiasco. What will she do? Join Megan and her mom on this sweet endeavor as, together, they learn how to bake the most delicious cupcake with just a few simple steps: finding a recipe, creating a shopping list, understanding measurements and measuring utensils, rules of kitchen safety, the finishing touches, and, at last, sharing the tasty treats with friends and family! Become engaged, as Megan gains confidence from working through mistakes, experiences joy while discovering her special strengths and abilities, and develops a love for learning- the sweetest treat of all!

At the end of the book are biographies of real life people that have used their passion for baking to open cupcake shops around the United States. The following cupcake shops are featured in the book: Cake and Art (West Hollywood), Sprinkles (Texas and Newport Beach), Magnolia Bakery (New York), Cupcake Project (online blog) and Frosted Cupcakery in Long Beach The reason for these bios are to empower young girls to dream big!

If interested, I can email over the book cover and a recent book review of megan Hearts Baking (found in the November edition of the Long Beach Magazine).

I’m writing to find out if you would be interested in reading some of the story story? I would love to get your personal opinion for you are someone who longs to see young girls grow in their confidence and seek out passions. And if possible, is there a way of getting a review or mention of this book on your blog.

Thanks for your time, I look forward to hearing back!!!!

Thanks,
KIMI

Drop me an email if you could — want to update you on some things …

Hi Kia,

I’m Julie, the editor of “Mamapedia Voices”, and we feature guest bloggers on Mamapedia, a site for Moms all across the country. I’ve just found your blog, and would like to invite you write a piece which could be featured on our site.

Though Mamapedia Voices has just started out, it is already receiving a lot of attention, both on our site, on our guest bloggers’ sites, and beyond. We promote our featured guest bloggers through emails, Twitter, Facebook and more. It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow your audience!
If you would like to participate, please take a look at Mamapedia Voices. Next, sign up here http://bit.ly/UTCGU to be on the blogger roster, and then you will be able to see the complete (and easy) instructions for submitting a piece for consideration.

Also, because we like your blog, please download a recognition badge from us- there are many fun designs to choose from here: http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/blogger_badge

Thank you, and I look forward to reading more of your work!

Best wishes,
Julie D’Agostino
Editor, Mamapedia Voices