All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin' Over Tonight

** Editor's Note ** (Yeah, like I really have an editor. HA HA HA!) This pic has absolutely nothing to do with the post. It's just so funny that I had to share it. This would be Monkey #2 (Joseph) goofing around in our backyard last summer.

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So this blog is just over a week old and it's coming along smashingly! (Why yes, I do like to make up my own words...thanks for asking.) As a matter of fact, my throngs (okay, so it's only, like, 13 people) of adoring fans (read: people who had nothing better to do than throw me a bone and read my writing) are DYING (well, maybe they're just a little curious) to know a few things about me and my endlessly fascinating life (no translation here cuz my life really is endlessly fascinating).

Before I launch into my very first Q & A, let me just say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has taken the time to check out my blog. I had no idea that this project would be so much fun.

The very first question came from Inquiring Mind #1....my best friend from high school, Nellie. After checking out my info, she posted on my Facebook page with this: "First of all, I loved what you wrote. I couldn't help but notice Pretty Woman was not listed as one of your favorite movies nor was Culture Club listed as one of your favorite bands. I will have to keep reading the blog just to make sure you haven't changed so much I don't know you! Lastly, wasn't Mama Cas in the band The Mama's and The Papa's? All kidding aside you are a great writer and your material is always interesting."

Nellie loooooves to torture me with my high school nerdiness. At least once a year she reminds me that I once thought Chynna (pronounced China) was the coolest name EVER for a baby girl. I was 16 at the time and, apparently, a complete moron who adored Wilson Phillips. So lets all bow our heads and take a moment to be thankful I didn't have a daughter when I was 16 cuz she would hate my guts right about now for naming her CHYNNA.

As for Pretty Woman and Culture Club? Well, Pretty Woman is about as cheese-tastic as it gets. I have a hard time watching it now and keeping a straight face. Back in the day, however, I saw it TWICE in the movie theater and about eleventy billion times on video and I could probably quote it line for line. Culture Club stands the test of time (stop laughing!!) and I still know every single word to "Karma Chameleon" (are you really rolling on the floor and laughing? Well NOW you're just being mean). I even saw them in concert out here about 10 years ago and it was fantastic (I think you just blew snot on your keyboard from laughing so hard).

Yes, Mama Cass (with two "s") was one of the four members of The Mamas and The Papas. She died of a heart attack in 1974 after performing two sold out concerts at the Palladium in London. No, I'm not some idiot savant with endless knowledge of Mama Cass...I checked her out on Wikipedia. Anywhoooo. I did not name myself after her (nor do I aspire to perform two sold out shows at the Palladium...you do NOT want to hear me sing). My girls happen to call me Mama and our last name begins with Cas, so I put the two together and TA-DA! A name for my shiny new blog.

Now on to Inquiring Mind #2....My other BFF from high school, Brewster, pointed out "You seem to have an '80s music theme in your blog titles (first Whitesnake, then Scorpions "Winds of Change"). Incidentally, "Like a Drifter" not "Like a Twister", or maybe that was intentional?"

The song title thing wasn't intentional, but it's kinda funny now that I've done it a few times. Plus, trying to think of new song references gives me something to do in the shower besides lather, rinse, and repeat. And, HOLY CRAP, I've been singing the wrong Whitesnake lyrics for 20 years?! Wait, what about that Hendrix song....Is it "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" or did I get THAT wrong, too. And I bet you're going to tell me that Credence wasn't singing "there's a bathroom on the right"?? (I'm kidding, of course. Only a total ass would post a lyric on the web without checking first that it's correct. Duh.)

Inquiring Mind #3 is Mrs. Brewster (that would be the Brewster's wife, in case you are trying to follow along) and she asked if I call my kids by their initials in real life. No, I don't. I'm just not sure how much info I want to reveal about my kids. Rumor has it, the internet is full of pervies and I'd rather not feed them information if I can avoid it. (No matter how adorable my daughter is when she's diaper-free, you will NOT see a picture of it here.) The initials are starting to annoy me, though, so I might need to come up with an alternative name for each of them.

Inquiring Mind #4, KFS, had a statement rather than a question. "I never told you that I think you have the perfect sized family. I've always thought that 2 boys and 2 girls is just perfect, because then everybody knows what it's like to have both a sister and a brother. I'm not sure that I'll make it that far, as I'm already overwhelmed with 2." Thanks, KFS....although, honestly, I'm not sure if I should be taking credit for this particular accomplishment. Yes, we decided to have 4 kids but it was through sheer luck that we got 2 of each. Trust me, not a day goes by that we don't look at our kids and say, "How on Earth did we get so lucky?"

After my "Old MacDonald" story, KFS commented, "Funny stuff! My mother also hates the word fart, and as a result, so do I. I teach my kids to say "toot" instead. We'll see how long that lasts when they get into the Real World."

See, KFS, that shows how you are so much more mature than I am. I still get a huge kick out of doing things just to irritate my mother. Cuz apparently I'm still 16.

And on the same post, Brewster wrote, "Best. Post. Ever. Why do kids love saying "butt" and "fart" so much? Also, where would they get an idea for a song like that?"

Well, to answer the first question: They're kids. It's their way of being outrageous and rebellious, but not so much as to garner a timeout. Nearly everything they talk about is related to butts and farts. (You should have been here when I taught them "penis" and "vagina". The hubs went white as a ghost that day.)(Actually, Camille calls it a "magina" and Julia just calls it a "gina.")

Wait...where was I? Oh yeah....butts and farts. So the second question can be answered by the fact that they have 2 older brothers who LOVE to fill their little heads with these silly things. And then Mama reinforces said silly things by giggling like a 12-year-old. (I never said I was Mother of the Year.)

I hope that answers some of your most burning questions (or things you were just mildly curious about). Again, a huge THANK YOU to everyone taking time from their busy lives to visit here. There's been lots of hopping and squealing and clapping every time I find a new "follower" or comment. Which is awesome, cuz I normally save that behavior for when I see a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew.

Peace out, homies.