Why I normally shy away from controversy

May 22, 2013 — 4 Comments

I’ve been blogging for momaha.com – a local parenting site that is owned and operated by Omaha’s major newspaper, The Omaha World-Herald – for over three years. Throughout it all, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve purposely tackled something controversial.

I don’t like arguing with people. In fact, nine times out of 10, I’d prefer to sit back and read other people’s rants and arguments while watching the drama unfold from the sidelines.

But the story about rich Manhattan moms renting disabled people to cut in lines at Disney World reeled me in. Originally reported by the NY Post, and subsequently picked up by major news outlets across the country, the allegations are pretty deplorable.

Disney World is conducting their own investigation and, last I knew, the company has not released an official statement.

While the majority of readers enjoyed my take on the situation, I got slammed a little by others who didn’t think I did a thorough enough investigation before I flew off the handle. Well, here’s a newsflash: I am a blogger who gets paid (thankfully because so many others do not) for sharing my stories and opinions. I read the NY Post article, and then follow-up articles published on CNN and Yahoo!

That, to me, was a trifecta of reputable sources. :)

I thought maternalmedia readers would get a kick out of listening to me and fellow blogger, Melissa Cruickshank, talk about this unfolding story. This radio podcast took place last Thursday, May 16, Enjoy!

Oh, and here’s a good post from a blogger who loves Disney World. She believes the allegations are total BS.

Created by Heidi Woodard

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Bat crap crazy

May 19, 2013 — 15 Comments

Hi you.

How’s life?

Me? Mine’s good. Just a little battier than normal.

About a month ago, I was sitting in one of my go-to blogging spots around the house (I have two – on a living room chair when the kids are asleep and in my bed, with the door closed, when the kids and living room TV are attempting to one-up each other in the noise department).

I was in the former when I heard the faint sound of fluttering wings. I thought it might be some birds making a nest on the backside of our house. After all, it is spring and isn’t that the normal time birds build nests?

Only it dawned on me that it was 11 o’clock at night. Aren’t birds supposed to be sleeping by then?

A shudder ran up my spine when I realized the sound was not coming from the outside, but instead was happening in the ceiling pretty much right above my head.

We’re the first owners of our house and I think it’s only 6 or 7 years old. Don’t uninvited pests normally target older houses to creep into?

Well, last week, (one of) my worst nightmares came true via this text exchange between my husband and me.

Ryan likes to see me squirm.

Ryan likes to see me squirm.

The reality: We have bats in our attic. I’m not sure how many, but if I was a gambling woman, I’d bet a half dozen to 10. Another reality: My husband thinks he’s hilarious.

So the plan of attack is that we’ve hired a company called Critter Control to evict the bats next week. We have to pay a ton of money to guarantee they don’t come back. If the choice is paying through the nose to make sure I don’t have bats crashing in my ceiling or going up to investigate the situation myself, it’s a no-brainer.

Make fun of me for being a wuss. I’m not bat crap crazy.

We chose the location of our home when our boys were very young, mainly due to the beautiful open space that is accessible from our back yard. It’s a natural playground with walking trails, a creek, bridges, mature trees, and lots of land.

Unbeknownst to me until this year, it’s also a pretty stellar place for bats to hang out too.

Bats have plenty of space to chill here. They need to get out of my attic and pronto.

Bats have plenty of space to chill here. They need to get out of my attic (pronto)!

Created by Heidi Woodard

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