hello again

Hi there. 

I haven't posted a blog in over 10 days. I've been meaning to. Plenty of blog worthy things have happened to me. Well funny things I think would entertain you. Or at least make you smile. Laugh maybe.

I just, well, theres no good excuse. I've just been, well, overwhelmed lately. 

I have my hands in too many pots I guess you could say.

Trying to make money from home. Trying to be creative. Trying to make money being creative. Trying to go to school. Trying to simplify my life. Trying to learn photography. Trying to learn photoshop. Trying to make this blog awesome. 

Trying to be a good wife. Trying to be a good mom. Trying to follow Jesus with all my heart. 

Some of these things are way more important than others. I find myself putting more time in to some less important things and less into the more important things. 

This is because I have no decent schedule. My time floats by all willy nilly. I need a daily schedule badly. I need to figure out how much time I should spend on each thing I want to do daily, and stick to it. 

I have more troubling problems that compound this.

I am lazy. 

I am a procrastinator.

I start many things and finish few.

I am easily overwhelmed. 

When I'm overwhelmed I tend to hide. From everything. Taking a break at first seems refreshing. Then as the says go by, I get more worried. I need to start again. But I'm starting to get overwhelmed cause I missed too many days. Then the days just add up and starting again at all seems harder than starting over. 

I'm not trying to whine. I've been blessed beyond recognition. Pretty much everything I've said is my fault. 

 I guess I'm just telling you why.

And I'm sorry. It's hard getting back in the habit. 

And I promise to try better. 

<3MaryAnne

ps- Thx to those that sent me messages of concern. I'm ok. Just a little lost right now. 

Photo contest winners coming up...

Sign Language in Early Education

*I was contacted by the lovely Emily from Primrose Schools. She asked if I would look over this article and to decide on whether or not I thought my readers would benefit. I read it over, and I really loved what they had to say. I have always been interested in sign language, and the integration of sign language into early childhood education seems like an awesome opportunity in my eyes. Read on to learn more... 

Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

                        "...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children

                        can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children

                        can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces

                        frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves

                        before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Zionsville child care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of Indiana child care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

*Disclosure statement: I, TPRM, have not been paid or compensated by the previous groups or individuals. I am posting this article freely because I believe my readers will benefit from this message and information. 

<3tprm

Check out my guest post!

My friend Heather recently asked me to guest post for her blog. She wanted me to do so because she was going to be welcoming home her husband from his first deployment. I was more than happy to help her out.

Her blog is He Wears Combat Boots, I Wear Stilettos and I highly recommend it! She is a personal friend of mine and she is one of the sweetest people I know. She blogs about everything from her 30 day challenge, to her obsession with Army Wives :), and from her passion about current events that affect her life and the lives of many, to her playlist of songs for deployment.

So here is my guest post. It's full of drama and intrigue! Oh who am I kidding, it's just full of drama. Drama I can expand on if you're interested! Go check it out! :D Tell me what you think here! And tell Heather what you think there! She is such a beautiful sweetheart and I'm so glad she and her hubs and their little girl are back together again. Check out their super sweet reunion pic and tell me you can resist visting her blog. You can't! It's impossible! ;)

<3tprm

I'm it!

So the oh-so-lovely and wonderful mommysankey from Surviving Motherhood has tagged me in a game of bloggy-tag!

She qouted the oh-so-eloquent and amazing Kimberly from All Work and No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something when describing tag:

"Remember playing tag in grade school? That game was totally invented by parents. Like you ran like the dickens and didn’t even know that you were secretly burning all the sugar you consumed in your morning Pop tart. Parents are genius. Playing tag made for some good times except when the person who was “it” was a known nose picker and was trying to hunt you down with cootie ridden boogie fingers. So not cool."


The rules are to answer 4 questions that she picked and then create 4 more questions of my own and then tag 3 more blogs.


So here are mommysankey's questions for me!


1. What is something you regret NOT doing thus far in life?
2. What is your most favorite thing to do with the kiddos?
3. Why did you start blogging?
4. What is the one thing you hate doing most?


1. The thing I most regret not doing thus far in life is traveling. I have always been so afraid to fly, so I have just always stayed home. Home as in America. But there is so much in the world that I want to see- Japan, London, Jamaica, Hawaii, Thailand, India, and on and on forever. I also regret not pursuing my dream job as an artist any farther than I have. But hey, the night is still young! Maybe one day?


2. My favorite thing to do with the kids is to take them anywhere where they can be social with other kids- the play ground, Chuck-E-Cheese, the play place at the mall, and so on. They are such social little guys, I love watching them interact with other kids, and how they make friends and play together. How they help each other out and chase each other, screaming that awesome outside-voice-scream-laugh that they have.


3. I originally purchased thepunkrockmom.com domain in 2007, when I was pregnant with my first son. I felt a huge lack in support for punky moms. I had a lot of great vision for the site, but never the time or money to put in to it. Fast forward to now- I still don't have the money, but I have the time available that I want to spend reaching out to and supporting other moms- lifting them up and loving them. So I went the blogger route. (With plans to develop my .com in the future! Somehow!) My site is definitely geared towards punky moms, but I love all you mommies out there and my blog is open and welcoming to you at all times. So my main purpose in blogging now is to share my little self with the world, and to love and support those who share themselves with me. :)


4. This one is tough, since there are SO many things that I hate doing! LOL! The easy answer is dishes. We don't have a dishwasher- so that's all you need to know about that. And the fact that my husband is an amazing guy and usually does all of the dishes for me. Love you babe!
The harder answer is probably being honest with myself. You see, I have a very hard head and I am very willful and uncooperative. Except I do sit down with myself regularly and really dig deep. I'm always finding things I don't like, but ultimately because of this- I am able to at least try to change myself for the better. I am definitely a work in progress. :)


So here are my questions:


1. Whose team are you on and why? (Team Jacob? Team Aniston? Team Tom Cruise? Team Snooki? Etc :))
2. What is your favorite thing to cook for your family? (Recipe please! :D)
3. If you could go forwards or backwards to one day in time, what would it be, and why?
4. What is the best movie, book, tv show, or song that you've loved lately that has really affected your life?


The 3 bloggers I tag to be it are:


1. bouffe e bambini - She says her life is about food and babies, and hey! I dig it! Perfect scenario for me!
2. Chelsea's Psycho Babble - I just heart her. She is so funny and lovely. I love reading her blog!
3. Circus Children - Amazing woman and soon to be mommy. She has an awesome blog! Go visit her!


Thank you mommysankey for tagging me! If you haven't been to Surviving Motherhood to check her out, I strongly suggest you do! She is an amazing woman and mother and all of her posts are wonderful and so sincere. She has me laffing my head off and making me tear up  on a daily basis with all of her amazing posts. Do yourself a favor and get over there right now! :D


<3tprm


Ps- Don't forget to enter my photo challenge for this week! :D

Post for my winners!

Thanks to all who entered my first photo challenge about perspective. The winners were all amazing, as were all of the pix! Thanx so much for your passion and enthusiasm in your shots! :D

So one of the prizes for the winners, runners up, and honorable mentions is to have each of their blogs featured on a post of mine. So here's that post!

(And the winner and runners up get a featured spot on my side bar for a week as well! :D)

The winner and first runner up was Tiffany from They Call Me Mama!
     If you like photography, crafts, and a whole lot of family goodness, go check out her blog! She has an amazing family and her photography is gorgeous! Get over there! Like now!

The 2nd runner up was Anna from Absolut Anna!
     Anna is a small town girl living the big life in Bali! If you like gorgeous photos, advice and recommendations about amazing things, and posts about life as a wife and mom in Bali, go check her out!

The third runner up was Katie from The Journalings of a Julius!
       If you're up for more amazing photography, do not miss this blog! She is super sweet and has the most amazing and wonderful adventures with her husband (not to mention their amazing adventures in dining out!). Don't miss out!

The honorable mentions were:

Vidya from The Dreaming Press!
     Vidya is a wonderful photographer. She always catches the most amazing moments on film.
She is an amazing artist and cook, and she always writes the most beautiful posts. Go see for yourself!

Ashley from Ramblings and Photos!
     Ok, it's Ashley Sisk. Need I say more? Amazing blogger, excellent photographer. If you haven't been there yet, you don't know what you're missing!

Kakunaa from Spermination Station!
     Kakunaa is one of the most wonderful bloggers I know. Not ony does she take amazing pictures, but she has an amazing soul as well. She blogs about her trials and awesome triumph over infertility. Can't wait to meet baby! Get over there and say hi!

Hope you all can go visit these lovely bloggers! I hope they touch you like they have touched me!

(That's what she said! LOL!)

<3tprm

Friday follow! :D

Hello followers! Time for a little friendly following.

If you like what you see, I hope you'll stay!

If you like to take pictures, I hope you'll enter my current photo challenge!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend! :D

<3tprm

They Call Me Mama: Photo Challenge!

Next up, photo challenge wise, is the lovely Tiffany over at They Call Me Mama!

This is her first challenge and the theme is "Show Yourself." So I am happy to oblige! The rules for her challenge are:

"My challenge is about expressing yourself through your photos (add as many as you like and I'll pick my favorite if I make you my #1 or top 3!) if it's yourself, your hobby's, your family or kids, anything that expresses you that day and shows how you feel good of bad and adding a small or long description with your follow to explain it."


So here are my pictures of what I would deem as my 'self' at the moment:

Here is how I described this photo in the previous photo challenge:

"Along my walk, I stumbled upon a clothing store called Wisteria Lane. No relation to desperate housewives of the same name, I'm sure. Underneath the sign for their shop hung this really interesting rocking horse. This guy seems like he was once covered in some really fabulous fabric or paper, but the elements have not been very kind. Which left me with an amazing shot!"

How I would relate this photo to me, self, would be that the rocking horse represents my kids, and the aging effect on it represents how fast they are growing up. And how time is fading and fickle- exposed to all of the elements, just like we all are everyday. 

Here is how I described this photo in the previous challenge:

"This is a scale that I viewed through the window of a vintage shop. I loved the shape, feel and color of the scale, so I emphasized all of those by creating a super saturated Lomo effect. I was very pleased with the result- a timeless artifact, kept vibrant and alive with color."

I choose this picture as a descriptive part of me because of wat it represents: a love of vintage things, and fat. 

 I mean really- what woman doesn't look at a scale and think of the love/ hate relationship that she has with it? So I look at this scale with an awe for the vintage beauty of it. And I hate it for the truth it would tell me if I was to actually step on. 

This gorgeous pic is of an amazing pitcher I obtained through a yard sale. I really admired this piece and every time I looked at it, I thought "Marie Antoinette" for some reason. I guess it is a combo of my fuzzy knowledge of her and the Kirsten Dunst version of her. Pink and gilded edges. So my aim was to make this lovely pitcher as bright and funky as possible. Something that Marie herself would be proud of. :)

I include this pic as an expression of myself because it is a pic of 2 out of 3 of my most favorite people in the world. And there you go. Enough said. Plus, look at those eyes. I mean, how could anyone resist?

This photo is one of my favorites. The original is obviously me- a big, boring background. But I loved the silhouette so much that I had to enhance it a bit. To really make it pop. Cause thats me- simple, but I POP right in yo face. LOL! :D I love the way the details are so defined in this edit.

And lastly, but not leastly- our local tattoo joint. I add this in there because I feel tattoos and tattooing are a big part of my life. And this place is soon to become my home. :D

<3tprm

I have the best readers in the world :D

Hello you gorgeous people!
Hi again! Just wanted to post this up to let you know that no, I have not forgotten about you or the photo challenge!

My photo class got pushed to today and I just got through with it and chatting with Lisa. She is super excited to judge the contest and has promised to have her picks ready tomorrow afternoon. So come back tomorrow! (Sorry about the delay- she is a very busy lady!)

And since this is Labor Day weekend, I know a lot of you will be out having fun with your families, so remember when you get a second to check back. I promise to have all of the winners up tomorrow come heck or high water!

And I will have a new challenge- the second in a series of 5- up on Tuesday, so you definitely need to come by then and take a look. And hopefully participate! The Linky will be up again for a week to give you time to take pix or find one that fits the theme. It's going to be fun so don't miss it! :)

I also want to take this time to send a HUGE thank you to mamasankey over at Surviving Motherhood for giving TPRM the Cherry on Top award! I am so completely honored because I just love her blog. Whether she is posting pix of her gorgeous children and their beautiful art, letting her hair down and letting loose on some real douche canoes, talking about one of my favorite TV shows of all time, or her hilarious instructions on how to rid the world of certain beasts, she keeps me rolling on the floor or admiring her lovely words and camera work. I can't get enough of her blog! So go visit. I triple dog dare you. :D

The Cherry on Top Award’s rules are:

1. Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
2. The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.
3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award. 

To answer the question of what I would do differently in life, I would choose to have only loved my husband. Yes the other boys (emphasis on boy) I dated (and married one- :O  lol) gave me a lot of experience on how to (and how not to) treat another person, how to have a real, honest relationship, how to recognize and stop playing games, and how to love someone more than you love yourself (among other things. I'll spare you the gruesome details. LOL!). But none of these lessons would compare, to me, to having only loved and cared for and given my all to my best friend, soul mate, partner in crime, and true love- my husband. And only him. I didn't meet him till I was 21, but I would wait 100 years for him if I had the chance to do it all over again. I love you babe! <3

And to pick 6 beautiful bloggers- the hardest part. Cause I love all of you and your blogs so much! But I love spreading the bloggy love around (twss :D) so here are my 6. But you all deserve it, and more!

1. The Ramblings of a Sassy Soccer Mom

2. Bijoux in Bloom

3. Circus Children

4. Closer to Lucy

5. From PDX With Love

6. the annoyed army wife

Love you all! You peeps rock!

<3tprm

Last day for my photo challenge/contest! Don't miss out on the fun and prizes! :D

So to day is the last day to enter my photo challenge for this week.

The theme is perspective, and you can find out all about the contest, rules, and how to enter here:

http://thepunkrockmom.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-photo-challenge-time-dont-forget.html

Remember- you only have to enter ONE picture. You do not have to enter all of the themes- unless you want to! :D

And if you don't have time to go out and take new pictures- you can always search for a picture you have already taken that fits one of the themes.

You don't need to have a fancy camera or be a pro to enter- all I'm looking for is passion and fun in your shots!

The Linky closes tonight at midnight PST- so don't miss out on your chance to enter!

Hope to see all of you and your gorgeous pictures there!

<3tprm