Laure Donnat

We are gonna have a ‘Coming to Jesus’ understanding in my house starting today!

I am tired of getting up an hour before anyone else and still being the one who is late leaving for work. I am tired of taking a short lunch or working a long afternoon to make up for being late. I am tired of being the camp babysitter.

I’m talking about big boys who can’t seem to get out of bed, in the shower and dressed without mommy constantly coming into their room and badgering them. Then still giving me grief if they’re late. (Yeah, I’m bitchin’ about both of my men folk!) I have had enough of that shit. (more…)

Spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon tackling an out of control backyard. I was embarrassed to show how bad it had gotten. It actually had taken on the look of a savanna. The grass was easily a foot tall in some places. What usually would have been a 45 minute job dragged out to almost 3 hours. I had to re-mow every pass twice, sometimes three times.

I bagged the clippings and dumped at least 20 full sacks of grass. (For the earth friendly among you ~ yes, I added all of this to my compost pile.)

This is what you can expect when you take on a marathon mowing while only wearing flops. I will be using an old pair of sneakers the next time. I was kicking up dust, pollen and frogs. I was covered in dirt up to my knees and elbows. It was nasty. I was sneezing black gunk for an hour.

It wasn’t all bad though. While mowing I got to pass by my jasmine vines. The blooms have started to open and the aroma is glorious.

When I wrote in a recent post about how a couple of old friends found me through my blog I was surprised by some of the reactions. I know that part of the fun of blogging is the mystery of it all, the intrigue of perhaps creating an alter ego or finally letting your true self emerge, but I was unprepared for how closely some of you want to guard your true identity.

Of the two friends who showed up on my blog doorstep: 1) I initiated contact, leaving my blog URL on his MySpace comments. I had just given up on getting any response when he finally showed up in my comments. 2) The post that led my cousin to my blog was very specific and would have applied to only me. Anyone unrelated to me would not have made the connection. So, these weren’t like some random stalkings. (more…)

When my son was six months old he was severely burnt. He spent two weeks in the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital burn center, then another two weeks there when it was apparent his burns were too deep to heal on their own and required skin grafts.

Three summers ago he was accepted into the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital burn program. Our local Shrine Temple transported us to Galveston, Texas at no expense to us. They paid for our travel, our hotel, our meals, and all of WK’s medical expenses.

When the doctor’s there said they could perform the surgery the same week as our initial appointment, the Shrine Temple paid all our expenses to stay an additional two days, then paid again when we had to return for a follow-up a week later.

Children accepted into the Shriner’s burn or orthopaedic programs, and those with spinal cord injuries or cleft lip, are treated at no expense to the family. The hospitals provide outstanding medical care and rely on private funding for their programs.

Finished with my tournament this weekend with a little bling and was able to spend some quality time with my other ninja pals. One of the things I enjoy most about traveling to these events is the camaraderie with like minded people. We can sit around and talk “shop” and it’s actually fun. It’s great to meet up with other students from all over the country, men and women that I only get to see at these tournaments, but are still good friends.

In addition to competing, I’m also a certified judge. I can sit as a center (chief) judge in rings up to adult 3rd degree black belts. (more…)

I took second place in both forms and weapons competition at an American Taekwondo Association tournament in Valdosta, GA this weekend. This was the first tournament I had been able to attend since last October. I was a little surprised, but very encouraged. With a little more dedication and practice, there is no reason I can’t bring home a first place.

I was also presented with a tournament judging award. Throughout the tournament, competitors and spectators (usually parents) are encouraged to turn in the names of judges they believe did an outstanding job officiating in the rings. This could mean someone who ran a safe ring, or a judge who made the day fun for the competitors.

Sorry, I didn’t get any photos of me in action. Maybe next time…

I’ll post a couple of photos tomorrow, but wanted to put up an update. The tournament went well, and we were finished sooner than expected.

I was at the venue around 7 a.m. to help register competitors (my instructor is the regional tournament director, so we, his students, are expected to fill in where needed.)  Then I judged in four rings before being called for my own competition.

I knew all the women in my ring and each of the judges we were facing. That makes it fun. We can joke around with each other and the judges – that helps ease the tension. (more…)

I finally made it to Valdosta… after being lost in Thomasville for a freakin’ hour! It was like being sucked into the second level of hell. No matter where I turned I could not find my way out of town. I cussed that wretched city so bad – dropping multiple f-bombs and several shits – that children will feel the curse for years to come. I think I might have warped my steering wheel. The windows actually began to vibrate at one point. I exaggerate… only a little.

For future reference, MapQuest and Rand McNally directions… SUCK! Also for future reference, always ask the man in uniform for help. At my most desperate moment, I saw a fire station. I parked in the adjacent lot and walked over to the firefighter standing in the engine bay. (more…)

This weekend I am venturing to Valdosta, GA for a taekwondo tournament. I have mentioned before that I am a martial arts student and instructor. Once again I will face my stage fright and jump into the ring.

I’m heading out Friday afternoon and will compete early Saturday morning. I really do enjoy these tournaments, but have found that more and more I’ve been getting very scared nervous before stepping in front of the judges. I’ve always been extremely a  little anxious right before a competition, but now, my heart pounds so hard I’m afraid other people can actually hear it. (more…)

I spent a good portion of last night trying to figure out how to format text in my new place here. Took me the majority of the evening. Bad momma that I am, I made my son fix his own dinner. The hubster was gone doing his soccer reffing side job.

Several hours, and a few fistfuls of hair later, I had my eureka moment (I actually just perused the WordPress FAQ) and my formatting problem was fixed. By this time, it was really late and the boy was back in his room playing on his Wii. Where he is most nights, and weekends, ad nauseam. (more…)