Just Because – Page 2 – Are You Finished Yet?

My Kids Now Make Music Videos Without Me

Published on July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 by Kelly Suellentrop6 Comments

It started with “My Van Is Stacked.” Then the egos inflated a bit more with “(I’m Not Your) Live-In Maid.” And now it seems my children feel their stars burn too brightly for their mama’s musical productions. Either that, or they just got too impatient waiting for me to come up with a new music video idea. Right now, I got nothin’, folks.

The innocent faces of those plotting to turn a trio into a duo... — The innocent faces of those plotting to turn a trio into a duo…

Grace and Michael joined forces with my friend Natalie to create their own video for a song called “Tiger Swami” by Circe Link. I was introduced to the music of Circe by way of The Monkees (because they are my Kevin Bacon). Circe’s partner in music and life is none other than Christian Nesmith, son of the Grand Poobah of sideburns, Mike Nesmith. (See? Just two short little degrees.) Direct linkage to Monkee royalty aside, I would have come to love Circe’s music and her whimsically melodious voice anyway. And when I brought home the California Kid album from MonkeeCon last year, my kids were hooked immediately. Very quickly, “Tiger Swami” became a favorite of theirs, and it is still THE most requested song in our minivan.

Circe Link, Christian Nesmith — Meeting Circe and Christian at MonkeeCon 2013

Knowing this, my friend Natalie thought it would be fun to have the kids make their own video for the song when she came to visit a few weeks ago. And they didn’t need to be asked twice. Without one concern for their exclusive performing contract with their own mother, Grace and Michael were hamming it up for Natalie’s camera before she even yelled action.

But the question remains: will their solo effort follow the trajectory of Justin Timberlake post-N*Sync…or any given member of the Spice Girls post-90’s Girl Power?

I give you “Tiger Swami,” a la Grace and Michael…and Scout:

Bravo, Natalie…you didn’t quite know what you were getting yourself into with these two. Your wise editing touches sure did wrangle in the crazy.

If you want to see Grace’s and Michael’s previous work in music videos, check out “My Van Is Stacked” and “(I’m Not Your) Live-In Maid.”

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Breaking News! Target Myths Debunked!

Published on June 24, 2014June 24, 2014 by Kelly Suellentrop41 Comments

My red and white bulls-eyed world has been rocked not once, not twice, but three times in the past month.

I should think it could go without saying I am a willing drinker of the kool-aid that is Target. I mean, duh…I breathe, and Target exists. It does not take a genius to deduce anything here. Besides, the Target kool-aid is hard to resist, seeing as how it is always attractively arranged on end caps alongside clearance candles, brightly chevroned decor by designers I couldn’t otherwise afford had they not decided to slum it with “exclusive” “bargain” collections, and cleaning products that seduce me into thinking that if I use them my house will finally be rid of that stagnant faint smell of dog, kid sweat, and week-old bowl of leftover cereal and milk that I know is somewhere, under something, but I can’t find where the stench is coming from for the life of me. I dare anyone to resist that kool-aid.
Continue reading “Breaking News! Target Myths Debunked!” →

My Farewell Blog Post

Published on April 1, 2014March 31, 2014 by Kelly Suellentrop30 Comments

Frank Herbert once said, “There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”

I began this story in 2011 with much uncertainty in the method and sometimes in the direction, but with very purposeful intention. The way the story would play out was as much a mystery to me as it was to anyone else. This blog isn’t a novel after all…though I resist the urge weekly to make each post as long as one. I can’t change the story line on a whim or choose my words carefully in order to ensure the right orchestration takes course. Because I blog about my life, my moods, my children…none of which I can omnipotently control. No matter how hard I want to. Continue reading “My Farewell Blog Post” →

The French Toast Phenomenon: Why I Won’t Make Fun of You For Buying Milk, Bread, and Eggs Before a Snowstorm

Published on January 5, 2014January 6, 2014 by Kelly Suellentrop25 Comments

Confession: I was one of those people at the grocery store yesterday buying milk, bread, and eggs in preparation for bad winter weather. But I’m not the idiot many Facebook statuses or this guy would have you believe:

I’m pretty sure most of the other people who were at the store with me aren’t Continue reading “The French Toast Phenomenon: Why I Won’t Make Fun of You For Buying Milk, Bread, and Eggs Before a Snowstorm” →

Remember the Time…Wildcard Edition

Published on October 14, 2013November 23, 2013 by Kelly Suellentrop6 Comments

So every week, Emily and I have been throwing out nostalgic topics for you Continue reading “Remember the Time…Wildcard Edition” →

I Am Now In Charge of All Things Retro

Published on September 2, 2013November 23, 2013 by Kelly Suellentrop7 Comments

Anyone who knows me well is aware I am drawn to most things retro. “Saved By the Bell“ enthusiast. Check. Fan of a boy band from a bygone generation. Check. An aversion to all gaming systems that aren’t the original Nintendo. Check. Clothes in my closet from not only college, but high school…that I still wear. Check. Being someone who lived during the “olden times,” Continue reading “I Am Now In Charge of All Things Retro” →

What Your Birthday Gifts Say About You

Published on August 20, 2013November 23, 2013 by Kelly Suellentrop22 Comments

My birthday was last week, and I had a few highlights in the gift department I wanted to share with you all.

First, my daughter gave me this:

I know. Or rather, I don’t know. I’m not sure what I’ve been putting out there that would lead my daughter to see a seductively lounging garden frog and decide it is the perfect gift for her mother. At first, I immediately thought, Well, I guess this is my version of the “If Momma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy” plaque. See, back in the day, my sister and I were at a Continue reading “What Your Birthday Gifts Say About You” →

Never Defend a Kardashian

Published on July 29, 2013November 23, 2013 by Kelly Suellentrop9 Comments

I should have known it was going to come back to bite me in the extremely round and prominent rear end. I mean, it IS Kim Kardashian. Two weeks ago I proclaimed Kim K. to be “The Patron Saint of Puffy Preggos Everywhere.” While I feel my reasoning is still sound, I distinctly remember ending the post with this statement:

“Now, when Kim flaunts her post-baby body in a skimpy bikini on the cover of some magazine in a few months, I request to be traded to a different team. Because I’m Continue reading “Never Defend a Kardashian” →

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Punked Nine-Year-Old at a Slumber Party

Published on July 11, 2013November 23, 2013 by Kelly Suellentrop24 Comments

laverne and shirley and squiggy and lenny — Sure you can join our cool little blog hop. But be cool, okay? Squiggy, stop ogling Laverne’s Freshly Pressed badge. Geez.

A really fun idea was recently hatched by two of my favorite bloggers, Emily of The Waiting and Ashley of Zebra Garden. They are kind of like the Laverne and Shirley of my blog world, making me kind of like the Squiggy who always comes late to the blogging party. Or maybe I’m Lenny. Anyway…Emily and Ashley have started their own version of “Throwback Thursday” called “Remember the Time: A Blog Hop.” Each week they designate a topic about which bloggers can Continue reading “Hell Hath No Fury Like a Punked Nine-Year-Old at a Slumber Party” →

Coming Out of the Closet, Nose First

Published on June 3, 2013September 3, 2013 by Kelly Suellentrop29 Comments

I am not a big fan of my nose, which is probably why I am a closeted nosy person.

By nature, I am nosy. I like knowing what is going on with people. I love getting some good scoop. I am happy to quickly agree to keep information “just between you and me” in exchange for some highly classified gossip. The problem is, I just really suck at being nosy to get this information in the first place.

You could call it a struggle between the angel and devil on my shoulders. You could applaud me for resisting the temptation to pry in favor of taking the high road. But the honest truth is that I am hardly ever “in the know” because I am usually either plain old forgetful or just plain chicken. In most situations, I will decline snooping into someone’s business because I am deathly afraid of offending people, or I worry that I don’t have the correct social graces to properly react to whatever salacious answer I might get. In other cases, I simply forget to ask how someone’s mom is doing or how the job hunt is going…not because I don’t care, but because those questions are not written down in my planner, which is the only way I remember anything.

But my lack of snooping skills doesn’t keep me from wondering. So now that I am thinking of it, I would like to take this opportunity to be nosy.

Who are YOU??

I am often curious about my readers, especially as I have been slowly gaining new followers. Some of you I know personally (hi, mom!); some of you I have gotten to know through interactions in the comments section or by reading your blogs. But most of you are simply known to me as “the number of views” on my stats page or the “number of Facebook shares” at the bottom of each post. I would like to know a little about you.

Where are you from? Do you have kids? What do you do for a living? Do you also blog? What is an interesting fact about you? Do you share my affinity for random references to the 80’s or early 90’s? Do you have any parenting tips that work really well for you? Do you know of any cool books I might like to read? Are you interested in forming a support group for women who were unsuspecting victims of a Chuck E. Cheese pick up line?

So let’s dish. I promise to keep it between you and me…and anyone else who happens to read this blog. I’m really hoping I come to have at least 298 comments on this post, as that is the exact number of followers I have to date. And now that we know each other a little, I would love you even more than I already do for even reading my blog if you would take a minute or so to share my blog. 298 followers is really just begging to be 300. I will even sweeten the deal: if I can get at least 22 new followers (bringing the total to a nice round 320) in the next week between email subscriptions, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and WordPress, I will begin working on a new original music video as a follow-up to “My Van Is Stacked” for your viewing pleasure. I have no idea what will result from it, but I can promise my kids will again bring their smooth moves to the project.

I have been hogging the conversation for way too long. Please, tell me more about you. And remember…the bigger this party becomes, the more of this you have to look forward to: