Julie Pippert: Using My Words

So la la la I'm surfing the 'Net via my feed reader la la la reading along, and I get to Ali's blog (Just Talk, Just Words, Just Thoughts) where she is describing her innovative use of her ironing board. This lady has got a good idea going there, and too funny from my point of view because in my life, really, what else are you going to do with an ironing board except this ? I said, Ali, hon, you've got to submit this for the Hump Day Hmm and voila---ask and ye shall receive. She did! So here is the latest entry to the Hump Day Hmm for Got A Good Thing Going: Now I know why I have an ironing board Plus she provides a link to a web site with more great ideas like the one in her post! I just love this style of creative thinking. Copyright 2007 Julie Pippert Also blogging at: Using My Words Julie Pippert REVIEWS : Get a real opinion about BOOKS, MUSIC and MORE Julie Pippert RECOMMENDS : A real opinion about HELPFUL and TIME-SAVING products About-HOUSTON-TX.com : HOT scoop

So apparently my last interview meme so traumatized all but a few of the stalwart of you that despite my bared soul ...you ran away screaming. Or maybe not "despite," maybe "because of." ;) LOL So I am challenging myself to use four or less sentences to answer Emily's interview questions. If you would like me to interview you (and if nobody asks, so help me I will...ummm, I don't know, err...write mile long posts of self-deprecation and crying) send me an email at j pippert at g maildotcom. And then be patient. For a long time. Because I will get to you. When I'm not gallivanting . ;) 1) You write about the business you are trying to build, but you don't talk much about specifics. Please tell us about the business you are trying to start and how it is going. I recently published a children's book about autism . I announced it a while back on my blog and linked to the author's blog . It has been a real learning curve running this solo vers

Hello! These are my girls, they are saying, "Please, God do not let my Mommy make a doofus of herself on the world wide web, like that would be so so embarrassing, hey, cool my picture is finally on Aunt Julie's blog." Priorities, you see. Being the overtly naughty one- I am sneak blogging- forgot to tell Julie, so hopefully she'll be forgiving. Let's first of all set the record straight. My real name is not Flavia. My real name is Lesley, which, I guess is not as interesting. Let's just point out that my 'name' did not have ho in it, like some others (which is strange because Julie definitely ranked much higher on the puritanical scale). Maybe it could be attributed to the fact that we made up each other's names-here is my raunchy humor showing. The other thing to set straight is that she made me seem cooler and more interesting than in reality. That's what happens when somebody else introduces you-they forget to be self-deprecating. Please, d

When the fabulous Slouching Mom did the interview meme and offered to write questions for any applicants, you can bet I jumped on that bandwagon and asked right away. The only thing was...I had seen Emily (Wheels on the Bus Emily) in my feed reader doing the same meme and knew I'd love questions from both. Luckily for me, both agreed to do it. Slouching Mom sent her questions first, so she's up first. Emily will follow in a second post. 1. An essential question in the psychology of personality is whether one's personality is determined more by genetic or environmental influences. Using Patience's and Persistence's dispositions as a frame of reference, state your opinion as to the relative contributions of nature versus nurture in the development of personality. I'm not sure I could quantify or prove it, but since having children I am more convinced that our personalities are predetermined to the majority degree. I'm not sure whether this surprises or val

So my sister---who some of you have met on your own blogs---has agreed to blogsit for me when I am unable to blog. This is my nefarious underhanded plan to get her to start her own blog, or at least a joint blog with me. I'm liking "Divine Secrets of the Ha-Ha Sisters" with subtitle/caption "The All True Adventures of Lola and Flavia Honobutt." These are our real names, or are at least the ones we tormented each other with our entire lives. I even created a blog for her: Less to Say...Your Blog Brain Candy (you can follow that link but you'll just find a blank blog...for now...) This is her idea, this title. It's funny. It's punny. It's very her . It's also her Antithesis of Me, which pretty well sums up her main motto in life growing up (I mean, after she realized she was not, in fact, an extension of me...a sad, hard day for me, indeed, her too, probably). (And I say that lovingly because I'm fine, FINE I SAY, with it. After all, I did

I began dating my husband in college while he was still getting his first degree in architecture. The classes were geared towards preparing students not for the profession of architecture but for the lifestyle of architecture. They had things called "studios" that ran from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and so forth, you know, to help these students understand they were selecting a career that demanded your life. I met architecture students---including my husband who was dating my friend Lynn at the time---for the first time my freshman year. One of my good friends from high school was an architecture major, and my roommate (the second one, after the first one, recently released from the loony bin, tried to stab me) had a cousin also enrolled in the program. So between these people we were somehow sucked into the world of architecture. I should have known it would be my destiny, but I kept diligently dating engineers who had bright, well-paid futures. I always lived very near to campus (w

This is a two part post: the good news and the bad news. I know I ought to do the bad news first so we can end on a good note, but eh, I'm more interested in the good news. This way, you can read the good and skip down to the awesome Hump Day Hmm links if you prefer to opt out of a rant. So here it is: I've got a pretty good thing going right now. Good thing 1: We're going on a trip to MASSACHUSETTS and NEW HAMPSHIRE Museums! Fall! Color! Leaves! Long sleeves! Story Land ! October is a big month for us every year. In fact, we are just one endless party here the entire last quarter of every year. But October is special. It's one of my favorite months (or used to be, before I moved to Hades). It's Jon's birthday. He's turning older (aren't we all?). It's also the month we got married in. Good thing 2: That marriage? Happened 14 years ago. No joke. Married 14 years. In relationship 16 years. Known one another 19 years. Is that some kind of crazy or wh

A while back, someone asked me why two specific phrases tend to make most people dealing with infertility go postal. As tough as infertility is to go through, it is also difficult to witness. When someone you care about is dealing with it, you want to do the right thing, you want to help. But it's so easy to feel a bit tongue-tied and awkward. When we feel awkward, there is a natural bit of defensiveness, a sort of backlash against the people we feel are making us tiptoe on eggshells. Or, a backlash against them telling us we crossed the line, hurt them or were offensive. It's easy to feel even more defensive when we Just Intended to Help. But there are two things you can advise infertile couples to do, and neither, in my experience, is ever helpful. Both are, in my personal and anecdotal experience, the antithesis of help and are near guaranteed to cause pain when you intended support, and may net you an angry friend. What are these two phrases? 1. just live childfree 2. just

"If I get the new Gwen Stefani album," said my husband, drooling only a little, to his credit, "I get unlimited CDs for $1.99." He waved his music club catalog. "Bueno," I said, not looking up from my muffin. "But I have to choose..." he said, a little perplexed. "I want the newest Diana Krall," I announced, "And maybe something else, I don't know," I said, making a grab for the catalog. "Uh uh uh," he evaded me, "I'm not giving up custody of this yet...have you heard any of this Amy Winehouse?" "I've heard of her, R&B, more my thing than yours," I told him. "You can't say that; I don't dislike any genre, just sometimes a lot of the artists in it," he protested. "Name me one R&B artist you like," I challenged. "Give me a second...okay Sade. I bet I can get a list of more if you give me a minute." I took advantage of his distraction to snatc

The kids are having a Bad Day today ergo I am having a Very Bad Day today. Yep, today has sucked rocks in more than a few ways. No, seriously. I had to call and vent to my husband by noon. Yeahhh, now you hear me: that kind of day. Let's just whip through the day I had because I want to quickly move on to the good stuff (plus, dudes, I have been working us all too hard at this blog all week): 1. Whiny uncooperative kids all morning. As usual, racing to car, racing to school like usual. Persistence being ohhhhhh myyyyyy gosh the Queen of Lollygagland. She has now perfected the art of the extremely suspicious stare...due to receiving it so frequently. I was already sort of fed up with Persistence since she sneaked downstairs and dumped a tub of yogurt on the coffee table and mixed in half a big box of baby oatmeal in it. Then dripped it on the rug and sofa. Took a freaking hour to scrape that out and clean it up. I couldn't find the missing yogurt tub until this morning...when I

Nursing Mother with Red Blanket by Zelda Fitzgerald I want to get a few things clear...because there seems to be some confusion about discrete versus discreet, euphemisms, and breasts. It all stems from this breastfeeding debate sparked by Mill Baher (yes, that's intentional). 1. Discreet versus discrete Discrete = separate, or, in math, no calculus. Discreet = judicious in conduct, prudent, modest and unobtrusive As you see above, discreet can mean modest and unobtrustive, but the dictionary---although it defines those words---can't define the varying subjective interpretations of what qualifies as "modest" and "unobtrusive." That's why the euphemisms are a problem. And interfering in the discussion about breasts. 2. Euphemisms Opponents to breastfeeding in public enjoy employing words such as "obscene" and "offensive" and "private" as well as phrases such as "whip it out" and "boob hanging out" and