The Real Women Show #004 (MP3 - 21.7MB - 61min)
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Welcome back and thanks for listening! After a week long break we are refreshed and ready to go! Y’all better fasten your seat belts as we do our week in review. SuZan starts the show by asking Sheri an impromptu question for which Sheri, who is never at a loss for words, answers in her own gallant way. Find out how Sheri almost had a real “bang” on the fourth! We talk about a recent news piece that aired on Good Morning America where they discussed blogging and the benefits thereof. Find out how to become a sex kitten, (yes, even you married ladies) as well as the unveiling of the top 10 cities that have the most adventurous sex (yeah, Texas made it)! Check out our “Blog Pick of the Month” and listen as we rant about “Back To School” advertising taking away our last four weeks of summer and make a bet as to when the first actual Christmas displays will appear (you’re going to owe me a Margarita SuZan). After a brief intermission we discuss how hectic our lives become when company is in town, then we finish the show with a review of the book “STEP-Systematic Training for Effective Parenting”. We review the goals of a teenager’s behavior and how parents can counteract the behavior by changing their own reaction. Make sure you stay tuned to the end and find out this week’s “Tip and Trick”.

As always, thanks to James Kendrick from jkOnTheRun for his technical assistance and One Egg Ticket for the groovin’ music! Enjoy the show!

The Real Women Show #003 (MP3 - 20.9MB - 59min)
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Welcome back and thanks for listening! We start our show with a brief review of the world of pod casting and blogging. Find out what fun projects we’ve been working on this week. Sheri reviews Batman (and tells what she REALLY thinks about Christian Bale-get the fire extinguisher)! Sheri also tries to justify why the guest room at her house is in the shambles that it is and how she won a battle against a mouse (I’m not kidding). We have a fun quiz and want to find out “what you would do”. SuZan shares her progress on “the room” at her house and gives us lots of “tips and tricks” that she uses when embarking on a home improvement project. Sheri finally figures out what “whoops” paint is (doh)! Find out which blog won our “Celebrating Women Blog Pick of The Month”. Congratulations Katy! After a brief “pause for the cause” and a refill on our drinks, we have a brief discussion on a news story aired regarding plastic surgery and how it is no longer for reconstruction purposes only. We finish the show with a review of the “STEP” program (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) and share some examples of how we’ve put what we’ve learned to use (and we’re only on chapter 2)! Sit back, relax and enjoy!

P.S. As always, we’d like to give special thanks to James Kendrick from jkOnTheRun for his technical assistance and One Egg Ticket for the awesome music!

A Good Night’s Sleep….

Or not! SuZan asked me how I slept being my husband is out of town. In answer to her question-ha. Dogs wouldn’t go out last night before bed (11:30 p.m.). At 3:30 a.m., Oreo (little dog) starts whining, licking my face, then eventually gives a low growling bark. I told him to go back to bed because it was not yet 5:00. He just kept looking at me with those serious eyes while wagging his tail. OK, up I go to let him out. Meanwhile, Bradley (big dog) was already standing at the door. We go outside, Bradley runs off to take care of business while Oreo sits on the patio looking rather smug. I tell him “you better go do something”. So, he lifts his leg and pees on the pillar while standing on the patio. Bradley comes running back, we go inside, Bradley runs to his bed-out like a light. Oreo and I go to my bed; Oreo stretches out in James’ spot-out like a light. Sheri on the other hand tosses and turns for about an hour realizing how much she misses James’ snoring and also she hears every crack and creek in the house. Sheri fell back asleep at 4:30. She was not happy when the alarm went off at 5:00! Then, as she is taking the dogs for their morning walk (she is half asleep), the sprinklers kick on. It’s dark, so she can hear them, she just can’t see them. That is until they spray her from all sides! What an interesting morning. You just have to laugh!

P.S. Don’t you just love the switch from 1st person to 3rd? Blame it on sleep deprivation!

You know what happens; you try to squeak another week out before you get your hair done. Then you make the call and YOUR HAIRDRESSER HAS GONE ON VACATION!.. Nooooooooooooo…Uggggggggggggg…CRAP! OK; just gonna have to deal with it!

This was my reaction last week when I made that call. After a couple of days of trying different parts in my hair (you know…to cover up the roots as best you can); tease the bangs up since they now go down to my chin (can’t go without the bangs you see there is just too much grey to part and go); not to mention that there is no way to tame the “lion’s mane” affect going on here. So I finally just pulled it back and wore it up for a week (and everyone just thought I was getting in the swing of summer; yeah right).

I wondered why I just didn’t feel right and I have concluded that finding the right hairdresser is just as hard as finding the right doctor. I know personally I would change doctors before I would give up my hairdresser. But I lived through it (silly me), disaster averted, and the hair is back in place!

As I previously posted, I’ve been holding myself accountable and walking every morning from 5:30 - 6:00 a.m. since I no longer have the “school house shuffle” (summertime!). I’m going to tell ya, it ain’t easy! I keep thinking “21 days to star a habit”. I try to stay on well lighted open areas and usually go the same route everyday. Today I decided on going the same route, but in the reverse direction. Even though I’ve traveled the same route now for a week, I started noticing different landscaping etc. since I was coming from the other direction. This revelation got me thinking. A lot of times we get stuck in a “rut” in our lives, whether as a mother, a wife, an employee, as a citizen. We then start to get depressed or do things out of habit without really realizing the purpose. Maybe it’s not what we’re doing, but how we’re doing it. Maybe we need to come in from a different direction or tackle our daily chores from a different angle. I felt not only physically refreshed, but I guess emotionally refreshed with the determination and idea to look at the not so pleasant parts of my day from a different direction.

Always one to practice what I preach, I get to work. My “in-box” was overflowing. There’s only one way in and one way out of my office and the in-box sits on the corner of my desk for easy access by my boss. I tried moving my in-box. Didn’t work. It was still overflowing. I tried staring at a focal point on my wall as I walk into my office. Nope, still overflowing. In an effort to not lose my positive outlook I knew I needed to come up with a plan. I got a big cardboard box and put everything from my in-box into the cardboard box which I shoved under my desk. I placed the now empty in-box back to its spot. Yep, worked like a charm. I am no longer overwhelmed by my in-box! Guess I can take off early today since my in-box is empty! Just kidding!

Happy Friday,
Sheri

The Real Women Show #002 (MP3 - 26.8MB - 76min)
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Welcome back and thanks for listening. We had a great response to our first show! We love all of your comments plus the great ideas and suggestions for future shows.

Our second show deals with the difference between an OT (Occupational Therapist) and a PT (Physical Therapist), and how health conditions not only effect the patient, but the family. We share a fun quiz from the July, 2005 edition of Good Housekeeping-we want to find out how our listeners would react if they were in this situation. SuZan discovers Sheri’s filing system (yeah, if that’s what you want to call it)! Sheri describes her recent “well woman” exam (and yes, it tends to get a bit graphic) which brought up an interesting discussion on UTI’s and the ease of getting your doctor to write prescriptions-for ANYTHING. Sheri talks about her hobby-gardening and how it helps here “detach”. In our new Tips and Tricks feature, SuZan shares a cute way to serve ice cream at your summer time barbecue! During the intermission (read-potty break), there will be a word from The Podcast Network.

After the break, Sheri and SuZan sit down and do an in depth review the of the 1st chapter from the book “STEP-Systematic Training For Effective Parenting” by Don Dinkmeyer, Sr.; Gary D. McKay; Joyce L. McKay; and Don Dinkmeyer, Jr. Listen to the end to hear our real life examples and how they were put to the test based on what we’ve learned – and we only read the 1st chapter!

Sit back, relax, and listen. This is a long one folks-we’re still learning the art of Podcasting. There is a small section with technical difficulties. Don’t adjust your settings. Keep listening and eventually it will clear up. As always we’d like to give special thanks to James from jkOnTheRun for his technical assistance and to One Egg ticket for the fabo music.

Enjoy!

The Real Women Show #001 :: MP3 - 7.7MB - 22min 09sec

We are so excited to have completed our first podcast. This first show is an introduction to us as we describe our goal with this podcast. We talk about “Shooting the Bastard” who created the Super Mom/ Super Woman image as well as identifying who the “Bastard” really is. We also introduce plans and ideas for future podcasts. Sit back, get a cup of coffee or your beverage, maybe a candy bar on the side and take some time out for yourself. Enjoy!

P.S. We’d like to give special thanks to James Kendrick from jkOnTheRun. Without his hard work, this would never have happened.

P.P.S. We’d also like to thank One Egg Ticket for the AWSOME Music.

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said, “Why are you spending so much time on this one?”
And the Lord answered, “Have you seen my spec sheet on her?

She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart

-and she will do everything with only two hands.”

The angel was astounded at the requirements. “Only two hands!? No way!
And that’s just on the standard model?
That’s too much work for one day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish. But I won’t,” the Lord protested.
“I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.
She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days.”

The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
“But you have made her so soft, Lord.”
“She is soft,” the Lord agreed, “but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.”

“Will she be able to think?”, asked the angel.
The Lord replied, “Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate.”

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman’s cheek.
“Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.” “That’s not a leak, “the Lord corrected, “that’s a tear!”
“What’s the tear for?” the angel asked.
The Lord said, “The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.”

The angel was impressed.
“You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything!
Woman is truly amazing.”
And she is!

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don’t take “no” for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They’ll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Who are we? We are REAL Women, Celebrating Women…for the Real World.

We are Sheri and SuZan. We live in Cypress, Texas, USA and have been friends for approximately ten years. Sheri is a mother of three children from a previous marriage, ages 16, 15, and 12. She has been married to James (jkOnTheRun) for six years and has 3 step daughters. She is currently employed as an office manager/bookkeeper for a law firm; member of the High School’s Booster Club and has been past PTO President of the area Elementary School. SuZan has been married for 18 years and has one 16 year old son (she swears he counts for 3). She is a therapist in the local school district; also a member of the High School’s Booster Club and is Advancement Chairman in a local Boy Scout Troop. We are both passionate about our lives and aim to bring different perspectives on various subjects and how life impacts everything we do.

The purpose of this blog and our podcast is to celebrate women, real women, chaotic, turbulent, frazzled, extraordinary women. Extraordinary women are women who work, play, live, raise children, married or single, who do it all, sometimes by choice, sometimes out of necessity, to make life rich and full.

One of the best things about doing this project is that we are very different individuals that approach things in very different ways. We do however share one passion, our families. Our goal with this blog and our podcasts is to have a forum to share our thoughts, feelings, goals, desires and passions with other people, at the same time allowing them to share with us. We feel that women play such a strong role in the world, but tend to forget one very important thing, themselves!

What you will not find here is the image of women that advertisers and suburban life want us to project. You will find truth, honesty, and a sincere view of what is on our minds from incidents in everyday life, questions that arise, and even product reviews. We believe that it is O.K. to cry a little but laugh a lot to help keep our sanity. As we progress through this adventure, we hope that something said or shared via this forum will touch someone in a positive way.

We are not Martha Stewarts; we are not Queens of Clean, we are real women in an unrealistic world…..trying to keep it Real!