it's ok thursday!

because it's been a while since i've done this {and i really should be doing it on the regular}, i am linking up with two lovelies, neely from a complete waste of makeup & amber from brunch with amber, for...

it's ok...
that my followers via google friend connect seem to drop like flies every now & again. big deal.
that the stupid google friend connect box {found under the beachcombers label} isn't always present on my blog. where does it go? i have no stinkin' idea.
to be more motivated to clean the house than to do homework. 
that i'm too crazy, stupid nervous to substitute teach. i'm a weenie. {sub jobs are few & far between at the moment.}
to fight with your husband over stupid stuff every now & again. that yo-yo needs to check himself before he wrecks himself. 
to be super duper proud of your yo-yo husband {even though you are angry with him about stupid stuff} because he was accepted into {community} college.  this is the same guy who got his g.e.d. not even two weeks ago.
to dream about vacations we'll probably never take. well, not right now, at least. 
to have a {borderline crazy} thing for nail polish. are you a julep maven??
that no one read my list of seven things from a blog post yesterday. it's funny. i talked about poop.
to have the sadz because life doesn't always get the memo.
to enjoy driving a minivan...again.
that the grass in our front yard is tall enough for people to think we're trashy. if it would ever stop raining, then maybe adam would cut it. at least there's no car on cinder blocks in the yard, too. {ok, ok, the grass isn't that tall.}
to dream about a local coffee shop's midnight pumpkin latte because it is so much better than a well-known coffee chain's cult classic, the p.s.l.  of course, having said that, i think i need to ask that well-known coffee chain to make me a chocolate pumpkin it's on their secret menu, yo.
that i should be sitting in algebra class right now instead of typing this blog post. uh, oh!

ten on tuesday.

okay, so technically it's wednesday. once again, i'm a day late {and a dollar short!}.

i'm taking the lead from my favorite beach bum & my favorite queen bee wasp by linking up with roots & rings for ten on tuesday {next week i'll get the date straight...promise}.

1. What is your favorite brand of shoes?
i pretty much live in my flip flops. the majority of my flops are reefs. some are from j. crew. but, my favorite pair of all time are made by sanuk. you owe it to yourself to buy a pair of their yoga mat flops. i'm serious.

as for other kinds of shoes, um, during the winter months i pretty much live in my birkenstock boston clogs. my birkenstock collection is ridiculous. really, it is. but, i love my bostons. they keep my feet nice & warm.

if i'm dressing up, i'll reach for my gap city ballet flats. so comfy. i need more. 

2. How old were you when you learned to tie your shoes?
ummmm...ummmm...i'm going to say sometime in kindergarten? that was a long time ago. 

3. How do you feel about freckles?
they are cute. i have some. but, if you're starting to freckle up, you might want to up the application of anything spf related. just in case.

4. I can count to ten in ___ languages.
four & a half: english, french, spanish & chinese {technically cantonese}. i can count to five in japanese.

5. What is your favorite store-bought ice cream flavor?
edy's rocky road. don't give me some other brands knock off and definitely don't try to pass off heavenly hash as rocky road. i have other favorite flavors & brands, but if i'm craving rocky road, it is got to be by edy's.

6. Were you in ballet or gymnastics as a little girl?
neither. i swam. first i did lessons. then i swam competitively. it was the only sport i participated in. that's also how i met my husband.

i took hula lessons when we lived in honolulu, but that doesn't count.

7. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?
oscar the grouch. need i say more?

8. What’s your bedtime?
whenever. sometimes it's late...really late. sometimes it's early. i need to get back onto some sort of a schedule. grad school starts tomorrow & my kids head back to school on tuesday.

9. Do you have any jewelry that you wear every single day?
just my engagement ring & my wedding band. sometimes, i'll put on earrings, but not often. my favorite pieces are gone & when they disappeared i kind of lost my zest for jewelry. one day, i'll replace them. maybe. {i still haven't found it in my heart to forgive, ain't that sad?}

10. Who is the bug killer in your household?
i am. no lie. my husband is scared of spiders. so are my kids. i'll use a shoe, book, toy...even my bare hands. don't mess with mama bear.

TRUE LIFE: i'm a {mommy} blogger.

hey there...again.

if you didn't "meet" me during the first link-up, i'm michelle.
you can call me shell.
i'm also called honey, babe, bitch {duh!} & hey woman.

but...
most importantly
i'm known as mom.


ten years ago, my life changed in a very big way.
for that, i'm forever grateful.

i have two spawn children.
the story of how i became a mother for the first time is pretty simple: don't let your birth control run out.
becoming a mother for the second time was hard work.

while stuttering shell isn't necessarily a mommy blog, i do exploit showcase my children from time to time.
after all, any mother of an eight year old & a ten year old {or, any mother in general} -regardless of gender {i have a boy & girl, respectively} - will tell you that there is always something going on...there's always something to blog about.

rather than write a sappy lovely post about my crotch fruit kids, i'll just link you to some of my favorite kid-related posts. i hope your computer doesn't jam up from having a gazillion windows open {apparently, my general blogger intro froze up mrs. wasp's 'puter...whoops!}.

but, before i list some links, how about some pics of the reason why i'm a mommy blogger?
meet my kids:

{san francisco, may 2011}

aidan is eight & entering the third grade.
malia is ten & entering the fifth grade {one year away from middle school...hold me!}.

{i was lazy & didn't put my 'stamp' on this pic...take it & i'll cut you.}

i wish they were still that little.
sometimes.
{gotta love the hand-me-down couch...it's since been replaced...twice.}

all of the cliches about motherhood are true.
your life is forever changed.
your children really are your heart beating outside of your body {or however that saying goes}.
kids really do grow up too fast.

you get the idea.

and, while i might complain about the perils of {impending} puberty, feel like tearing my hair out in frustration {because girls really do mature faster than boys} or want to rock star the television,
i love my children more than anything or anyone in this world {sorry, adam}.

now about those posts...
here are some of my favorite mom/kid-based blog posts that i've cranked out over the years:

an interview with my children
keep out!
i can't believe he turned this in
it figures
get thee to the potty
designer dog
the birds & the bees & the dog?
the witching hour
any more what?!
private property
my little man
the date
my wish
there's no turning back...
bosley
mommy, are you listening?

i'd keep listing blog posts, but then you might get bored.
but i do like to blog about my children's shenanigans.
well, when i remember to. ha!

and, since i'm a mom & it's my job to embarrass my children, i'll leave you with these lovely photos:

{these pics are mine. don't steal.}

are you a mommy blogger?
if so, go link up with mrs. monologues & fabulous but evil.

it's simply okay that i like oldies.

today's post is a mish-mash {if you will} of three link-ups: one that i participate in as often as i remember to can & two that i've never participated in before.

are you ready? here we go.

---

here are the simple things i appreciated this week:

♦ sunday funday with a group of really great friends.
♦ rain. although it ruined some of our fun, we needed it.
♦ $1 containers of strawberries at target {my store recently added produce & meats}.
♦ watching phineas & ferb with my kids.
♦ cooking dinner with the hubby.
♦ puppy breath.
♦ having two {maybe three} bags of clothes & other stuff to donate.
♦ the cooler temps.
♦ knowing that pumpkin spice lattes are just a few weeks away from being back in starbucks stores.
♦ hearing my children laugh.

what simple things are you appreciative for this week?
link up with jesslyn amber.

---

it's OKAY...

♦ that i really enjoy 90210 reruns {even the corny high school episodes}.
♦ that - even though i'm NOT into football - i'm going to my husband's fantasy league draft this weekend {i'm in it for the food & beer, people!}.♦ that my house is not spic & span clean.♦ that i stalk fedex's tracking site daily because i'm way too excited about receiving my erin condren life planner {i just checked & it's on the truck for delivery...today!!}.♦ to have a bazillion things/ideas that need to be blogged about {i'll get around to blogging about it all at some point}.♦ to feel nervous about boarding my dogs this weekend {it's their first time being boarded. it's only for one night, but still. mama's nervous.}.♦ to get excited when i find bags of smarties in the $1 section of target {seriously, y'all, i may need a smarties intervention soon}.♦ that the hubs & i have to budget every last cent we have {such is life on a single-income when your wife -that's me - decides to go to grad school full-time}.♦ to be excited about going to great wolf lodge {really, i think i'm more excited than my kids are. or, maybe it's because i know the outlets aren't far from g.w.l.}.♦ that the laundry isn't put away...at least it's all washed & folded!
it's okay...go link up with neely & amber!

---

last, but certainly not least, i'm linking up with meghan at the perfect compilation tape for top 5 thursdays.
today's topic? top 5 favorite oldies.
here we go {in no particular order}:

 "crazy love" by van morrisonthis isn't the original version, but this ray charles/van morrison combo is straight up awesome.


"suspicious minds" by elvis
live in hawaii, too? hell yeah. {did you know i was born in hawaii? well, i was.}

"ring of fire" by johnny cash

need i say more?

"two tickets to paradise" by eddie money

i'd like two tickets, please.

"take the money and run" by steve miller band

a recent version of a fun song

my taste in music is all. over. the. place.
really, it is.
old, new, pop, rock...if i like it, i really like it.

what are your top 5 oldies?
go link up with meghan.

---

whew!!

TRUE LIFE: i'm a {general} blogger.

general is a classy klassy way of saying random, right?

hey, y'all. i'm michelle. you can call me shell. 

see? i'm klassy.

oh, wait. no, i'm general. or, just generally random.

anyways, welcome to stuttering shell. why stuttering? i don't know. it just sounded good with shell. you know, the alliteration. 

post one {which is a really shitty post, i might add} went live on june 11, 2007. wow, i've been at this for just over four years! i started blogging for me. it was mostly a release for my soul. then, i started blogging about my kids, family life, pets, food, work, etc.
i was all over the place. 

this blog has made connections.

this blog has pissed people off.

this blog has been used against me.

this blog has brought me joy.

this blog allows me to be creative.

this blog allows me to be me.

to quote kenny chesney {since i wasn't at his concert last night...sista girl be broke these days}:

i'm what i am and i'm what i'm not

i'm sure happy with what i've got

i live to love and laugh a lot

and that's all i need...

...and i never wanted nothing more.

what you see is what you get, folks!

no fluff. no drama. no bragging. no looking at life through rose colored glasses.

this blog is me. and, if you ever get the chance to actually meet me, i think you'll agree that i am my blog...and my blog is me.

feel free to browse around. don't feel like it? no problem.
here are some of my favorite blog posts {in no particular order}:

oh, god.

desperately seeking shoes! {because i'm still looking for another replacement pair of these mofos!}

random, useless knowledge about moi

things you don't say to a parent...ever.

Nn is for...

don't wash me...love me instead.

you crazy hobo!

overworked & underpaid {the comments on this post are pretty funny, too}

the sound of the sea soothes me.

wordless/wordful wednesday - tuna fever

gastronome.

feliz navidad.

la-la-la-la-la-la last friday night!

private property

this is for real.

dear creepy man in the green plaid shirt,

us.

funemployment.

bizarre food? yes. good eats? hell no.

moon jellies.

knee deep.

feeling candy corny.

if you made it this far, you can see that i'm generally all over the place. be prepared to see me again later on during this link-up. i'll be pimping out my blog as a mommy blog, food blog, photo blog. yeah, i'll be that crazy girl whoring out her blog. no shame.

so, what are you waiting for? go link-up your blog with fabulous but evil and mrs. monologues and let us all know what kind of true life blogger you are.