Any suggestions?

So I'm thinking I should change the picture that appears with my profile and/or comments. In many ways, Lucy is a great fit for my personality, but I'm not sure it's entirely "legal" for me to use her image. I thought I should forewarn those of you whose blogs I frequent, so that if you see a new image next to my name, you won't think it's some other crazy Rachael stalking you. It's just the same old weird Rachael.

And since I have all these fun scanned photos, and I was actually a cute little munchkin, I'm debating between the following:

Baby Rachael rocking out to some groovy tunes.

Kindergarten Rachael being told she has to take a rest period. Boy, have my feelings about that changed!


Toddler Rachael with her Koala.


Rachael and Henry dog enjoying an Iowa summer.


Toddler Rachael in her cool hat.

So far, I'm leaning towards the Henry dog photo, because you can see a little of my beloved Iowa in the background. But I do get a laugh out of Kindergarten Rachael every time I see that photo. I'm also using an edited version of that on GoodReads, so would consistency be a good thing? Let me know what you think... you know, with a COMMENT!!!!!

Holy .... an explanation regarding the POLL

Confession:

My husband and I have had a debate going for the past 6 years. It started when I used the word "crap" in his presence. Or, since I'm a fan of Frank Barone/Peter Boyle, it's highly likely that I even might have said "Holy Crap!" Anyway, my beloved told me that I shouldn't curse. Highly incensed, I retorted that I was not cursing because "crap" isn't even a bad word. Sadly, I've known how to curse since I was little, and I've consciously worked very hard to give it up. Considering that I still have a hard time not using profanity when I'm very angry, when I get injured, or make a thoughtless mistake, I thought he should be grateful that this was the worst word he was hearing from me. He countered that it's the same thing as using the true profane word with a similar meaning. I disagree, because then it would also be bad to say "poop" or "BM" or "ka-ka," and those aren't "bad words," even if they too represent something kinda yucky in the English language.

I do know that he's not the only person who feels this way. A few years before our argument, I had used the word while playing "Phase 10" with a boyfriend and his parents. His mother made some cryptic comment about a boy she took a class with at BYU commenting that he "hated when he heard girls say that word." My thought was, of course, why does it matter if a girl says it? Is he saying that it's okay for boys to say it, but not girls? What a sexist! It now occurs to me that she was probably just telling me my language was unattractive... not that I probably would have stopped saying it based on that, anyway. I'm just a little too cheeky. :(

The funny thing about this debate is that 2 things have happened in the intervening years: #1, my husband now slips up and says this word from time to time (and I just laugh) and #2, my sweet little kiddo has also recently picked up this word. Uh-oh. I find that I am totally embarrassed when my child says this relatively harmless word, but sometimes I think that's only because other people might think I'm teaching him "bad words." I've tried to stop, but it's SOOOO hard. When the little guy had somehow opened up Power Point tonight and was seemingly trying to make his own slide show, I found myself whispering it under my breath, and he still heard it and repeated it! And you know that telling him not to say that word is pointless-- he'll just keep repeating it to drive me crazy, as he does when Daddy-O calls another driver a "creep."

So I've sorta got a dilemma on my hands: am I corrupting my son? I told my husband the other day that I have tried going to the basement or somewhere else more isolated when I feel like using truly bad language and letting it out where no one can hear me. He laughed harder at that than at any joke or funny story I've ever told. He says it's not any better to curse in private than it is in public, but I disagree. I think it's still a bad habit & I want to stop, but at least I'm not offending or corrupting others if I rant and rave in the basement.

In a related example, I checked out a CD from the library last week because I like a song by this band that I'd heard on the radio. When I got home and read the lyrics to their other songs in the liner notes, I was shocked to see the f-bomb, and other "choice" words beginning with s, a, and the like-- yet there were NO Parental Advisories. What does it take for a CD to be stamped with "Parental Advisory," if not language like that? If I had known that was the kind of music this band usually produces, I never would have brought it into my home. Let them curse in the privacy of their own home-- I don't care. But when you are trying to eliminate your own bad language AND have a toddler who has memorized words to more songs than you can count, well, you should be armed with the knowledge that this CD is a bunch of cr**-- sorry-- so you can leave it on the shelf.

Anyway, sorry this post is so long. Hopefully I haven't offended you all by my "Potty Mouth" and you'll still be my friends and read my lousy blog. You can weigh in on this debate by voting in my poll, posting a comment, or-- my personal favorite-- both!! :)