Hot Mama Tuesday Topic

This week, Amy chose our topic for our Hot Mama post.
She has asked us to list our Top Ten Pet Peeves...ooooh, this should be juicy, huh?! :)
Let's just jump in feet first, mmmkay?

Pet Peeve #1. (and these are in no particular order...just as I thought of them)

Ok, so you may already know this about me, but it is worth repeating. I can not STAND when parents do not discipline their own kids. There was a mother on the news recently who was blaming Youtube because her 14 year old delinquent, err, i mean son, LIT HIMSELF ON FIRE after watching another kid try it on Youtube. This "mother" was critisizing Youtube for "allowing clips like that to be shown on the internet for kids to see and try to copy." Ummmm...I was literally YELLLING at the television, "Maybe if you set some rules in your house and monitored your kid's computer time, he wouldnt have tried to become a human torch, lady!" I went on and on and on about how it was HER fault,...not the internet or the Youtube gods. Eric finally had to tell me to simmer down....imagine that.
I dont like seeing good parents get walked on by their kids, simply because its "easier" to let the kid get away with the poor behavior. Maybe I havent encountered my own darling daughter's Terrible Twos or Torturous Threes, but I DID handle a classroom of 22 kids who belonged to OTHER PEOPLE...and kids thrive on consistency. If you threaten something...FOLLOW THROUGH. And for Pete's sake, WATCH YOUR KIDS! Taking your eyes off them for even a second can end in Suzy chopping off her bangs, chopping off her finger, or worse! It only takes a second for an unattended child to do major, life-altering damage. OK, parenting lesson done (for today).


Pet Peeve #2.
Since I've brought up my previous teaching experience, I am reminded of how much it bothers me when teachers use poor grammar or spelling in notes they send home to parents, on homework assignments, and yes, even on their blogs. I have a loooong list of blogs I frequent. Some are fertility-related, some adoption stuff, some food stuff, and some teacher sites. I tend to hold teachers to a higher standard since, ya know, they are in charge of EDUCATING CHILDREN and all. It drives me INSANE when I see teachers (especially elementary) using words incorrectly or throwing commas in just for the sake of having a comma. There, their, and they're are DIFFERENT words and they all mean DIFFERENT things! They are NOT interchangable! And dont even get me started on the teachers who talk trash about their students. Or call them names!? ugh. I would NEVER want my kid in their classes, and I often have to stop myself before I type something really critical on their happy little blog. Telling a child "I know allll about the stuff you pulled last year, and I wont stand for it!" on the FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!? Are you kidding me!? Way to make that kid feel 2 inches tall! Might as well lower your expectations from THAT student right now, because now she thinks the adults (and RESPECTED TEACHERS) have spent their summer talking trash about her! Why would she want to perform or do well when she thinks the adults cant stand her already!?
Now, dont get me wrong. I have some funny stories to tell from my teaching days, and the kids dont always come out looking like angels. And I suppose if I had a blog while I was still in the classroom, I might have used it for venting or getting things off my chest. But I would like to think I would primarily use that blog to brag about my students or talk about the great stuff happening in our classroom. Why use it to make myself and the the kids look bad?
(And yes, I know that my blog doesnt use apostrophes often enough, and probably should use the "spellcheck" option more frequently....but I just read one of the blogs I refer to and this is fresh on my mind...so there.) And in the end, it really just makes ya look like a bad teacher....it doesnt really make me think the student is the jerk.

Pet Peeve #3.
Dirty countertops. Not nearly as deep as the last two pet peeves, but definitely enough to bug me. Whether its papers everywhere, spilled water/pasta sauce/unknown substance, or just piled up plates...I think my entire house feels soooo much cleaner when our countertops are free of clutter and wiped down. That is one of the housekeeping tasks I am always on top of. :)

Pet Peeve #4.
LOUD commercials. I dont mind commercials in general...i understand that TV programs have to be paid for somehow. But WHY would I actually listen to them!? Especially when there are people in the room trying to carry on a conversation OVER the loud TV commercial!? Annoying. I tend to be the keeper of the remote control at our house, simply because I can MUTE commercials before you even know the commercial has started. Im quick like that. Cat-like relexes, i tell ya.



Pet Peeve #5.
Since Im on the topic of television, I'll fill you in on a pet peeve that doesnt really BOTHER me as much as it makes me laugh. Ya see, i grew up with an older brother who now produces the news for a major network in a major US city. Therefore, I grew up critiquing all-things news-related. Peter Jennings = Good (God rest his soul.) Anchors who cant READ what is written in front of them = Bad. VERY bad. I particularly enjoy when things are spelled incorrectly in newscasts. Ya know, beneath the anchor desk they type something like this:



And Im not just talking about TV mistakes. I crack up when I read stupid headlines, too.


Pet Peeve #6. (this is harder than I thought...)
Bailey's tumbleweed/furballs used to be one of my pet peeves, but the new do he is sportin' has cut down on those pesky balls of discarded hair that corraled themselves under the legs of our kitchen table or in the less-traveled corners of our house. :) So its not such a pet peeve anymore... :)

Pet Peeve #7.
Complainers. Ok, so my high school friends, parents, and brother will be laughing out loud right now, as I was voted "Class Complainer" by my senior class (what I later heard was a LANDSLIDE!) And it might be highly hypocritical to COMPLAIN about COMPLAINERS, especially on a blog post about things that make me COMPLAIN! But bear with me... (oh, and its MY blog so I can type what I want)
I guess this pet peeve has two parts. First, I dont like it when people whine about the same thing over and over and over. Second, I dont like when my facebook status feed is blocked up with these complaints, rants, and calls for attention. So I suppose this is mostly a facebook pet peeve.
Your life isnt THAT bad, folks!
Dont get me wrong...there are legit things that are complaint-worthy in my book. Asking for prayers via facebook is not only acceptable, but appreciated since it keeps me talking to God and gives me a small way of feeling like I am helping out when someone needs a friend.
However...using your blog or your facebook to repeatedly whine and complain about the same things? Not acceptable. TOTAL pet peeve. You may call me cruel or heartless, but I prefer to call it "avoiding the negativity" and "declining invitations to pity parties". I try to have a rule in my own head...if I am going to complain or whine about something, I have to give praise and be thankful for something else. It doesnt ALWAYS balance out (ie, "I cant STAND the new healthcare proposition,...but on a good note, I'm having a great hair day!"...not exactly equal or relevant to one another...but i said i "try") So when I was reading the SAME complaints about the SAME person/issue/drama over and over and over, I was done. Not attending that pity party, but thanks for the invitation Debbie Downer!
(Im almost done complaining about complaining...hold on...tangent approaching)

Pet Peeve #8.

Lack of Patience.
OK, so before you shout "HYPOCRITE!!" in my comments, just hear me out.
Waiting and waiting to become a mommy really helped me become more aware of my complaints in life. I cant stand when people do the heavy sigh, roll their eyes, tap their fingers, stare at their watch business when their food isnt delivered to their table within a specific "acceptable" amount of time. Whats the rush!? Enjoy the conversation. Enjoy the people you are dining with! Your food WILL arrive at some point. Dont waste time being upset or bothered by a server being "late" with your food or drinks. What if they got a phone call that their child fell at school, but they cant just leave work because they need the money?? Why would you want to verbally assault them just because your breadsticks arent at the table yet? Grab some patience! And getting mad at me when I dont call you back RIGHT AWAY is just not gonna fly here. I didnt return the phone call when YOU wanted me to, so now youre mad!? really!? Grab some patience! What if I was in the middle of changing a pooptastic diaper!? Or what if I was in the shower? Or, what if I just dont FEEL like talking on the phone!? DOnt get MAD (and PLEASE dont ask me if I am mad at you...ugh.) And really...listen here...I GET the whole impatience gene. I was blessed with it, too. And while it still may be annoying when things dont go as planned, I have learned to get over it and enjoy a new plan! I will likely take some heat for this since, after the struggle we faced becoming parents, *I* should know better than most just how difficult it is to wait and be patient for something you want soooo badly. But one of my best friends' husbands said something when we were trying to get pregnant, and it put so much into perspective. He said "it is not as though there is a finite number of babies being sent to this world. Just wait your turn." And what he meant was that God has plenty of babies to send to earth. Your baby is up there. Your turn will come. In the mean time, try your best to enjoy the journey. Is it hard to wait? Absolutely. But God saying "wait" doesnt equal God saying "its never gonna happen, sister, so start throwing your pity party right now." Delay does NOT equal denial. I firmly believe that God knew exactly what I needed. (look out! another tangent!) I had prayed for YEARS for patience. Im talkin', back when I was in high school and waiting to hear if I'd been accepted to my dream schools. Back in college when I wanted my boyfriend to propose. (shoulda waited on that one, huh?!) Back in middle school when they were "late" posting the new roster for the basketball team. Nothing EVER seemed to happen FAST enough for me. Id been praying for God to send me more patience. I didnt WANT to be antsy waiting in line. I didnt want to be the one who complained to a manager when our meals werent "on time", and I didnt want to be the one who complained when "the plan" was "ruined". I wanted more patience. Well guess what? God granted me the ultimate situation to LEARN patience. He made me wait for the one thing I wanted in my WHOLE life. And I am a better mother and better person because I had to wait. So while it would be nice and happy for me to add a status update saying "i wish ALL the girls who wanted babies could get pregnant the first month they try!" or post a blog with "i wish everyone who WANTS a baby could have one right away, without ever having to wait", that would be like me saying "I wish I didnt go through all those years of waiting for Whitney." And that would be a lie. I wouldnt trade ONE SECOND of one of those years because if I had become pregnant that first month we tried, I would have been a good mom to a sweet baby who may have looked a little like me and a little like Eric. I would have a 3 year old son or daughter right now. But ya know what? That baby wouldnt have been our Whitney. And instead of being a good mom to some other baby, I am now a GREAT mom to the best baby we could ever ask for. And she makes ALL the heartache and WAITING worth it. (OK, i am done complaining about complainers... :))


Pet Peeve #9. TIE
Dust
Ack. I feel like I dust alllll the time, and it just keeps coming back! Isnt the definition of "stupid" something like "doing the same thing but expecting different results"? Yeah. I feel like dusting is stupid. I do the same thing, day after day. And yet I expect the dust to NOT return the following day. Stupid.
and
Knuckle-Cracking
I get the chills whenever someone cracks their knuckles. I dont think its rude or obnoxious...i just get the chills....so its my pet peeve #8. (Im struggling here...)
Pet Peeve #10. FINALLY!
Blogger photo uploader!!
Why did they only allow FIVE pics to upload at a time? Why do the pics upload backwards (ie, i pick 5 pictures A, B, C, D, and E....but the upload as E, D, C, B, and A....!? WHY!?) And WHY doesnt the P.icasa shortcut EVER work properly!?