S Club Mama

** Turn on speakers & play the video below ** I decided to take an early picture of Moose for y'all to see early. I PROMISE to post more pictures of our whole little trio later. Without further ado, the STAR of the Peanuts comics: Charlie Brown! Happy Halloween!

Just wanted to let you all know that at approximately 1:35am I finished Twilight. I don't know what I'll do if the library doesn't have the second book today. And what do I do until 10 when it opens?? ha! And that is a gigantic book to finish in basically 3 days! Anyway, I'll be gone again this weekend. Taking the little guy trick-or-treating. Will post pictures, I promise!

Ok so all of you living in huge cities, close your eyes. Because I was so proud of myself for driving IN Omaha (Nebraska for all of you non-Midwesterners who've never had a layover there during a flight) all by myself. I didn't get lost ONCE! Sweet! And it was even more wonderful because it was over lunchtime and Moose slept through the whole city (and we went from one end to the other)! It could have been horrible with him being impatient and his acts of starvation. Why was I in the Big O (not completely alone, mind you, but with the kid), you may ask? To take Moose to the allergist. Finally, the doctor took notice of his 5+ week cough and green mucus (sorry, I know it's gross but vital for details here) and sent me to this guy. First they took his temperature, weight, and height. The nurse left, the doctor came in. Listened to his lungs, and sent us down the hall to take X-Rays of his face (sinuses). Moose was good except he wanted to play in the water fountain (ever try ...

Yesterday I finally picked up the library's copy of...yep, Twilight ! I'm super excited. I'm already on chapter 4 (shush, I was tired last night & didn't read much) & Edward Cullen is already my crush. Stephanie Meyers is a wonderful word master. If I were her English teacher, she would get a 10 for word choice. She presumes her audience is intelligent, she doesn't act like we need only 4-letter words, and the words she chose make the characters leap to life. It's amazing; she's very talented. I also wanted to share our little family picture from our trip. I didn't take ANY pictures except this and a few on my phone. Oops. My boys after the end of their first flying experience. Go play along with Angie at Seven Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday !

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things... nothing made up! You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Randi 4 LETTER WORD: Ritz BOY NAME: Riley is the only one I like but here are other R boy names GIRL NAME: Raina is my favorite R girl name. Here's another list . OCCUPATION: Roadie COLOR: Rose SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Ring BEVERAGE: Red Bull FOOD: Runza (click for recipe) SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Rubber Ducky in our bathroom (courtesy of Moose) A PLACE: Roman Colosseum in Rome REASON FOR BEING LATE: Really rad rash SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Run, Forrest, Run!

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement about this trip, this job, & everything. First, let me tell you what a TROOPER Moose was on the plane. We flew from Omaha to Chicago, Chicago to Richmond (and back that way, too). The only leg he didn't sleep on was from Chicago TO Richmond - he slept most (if not all) of the other legs!! And he was simply pleasant the C-R leg; maybe some restless sounds but mostly happy noises. I was SO proud of him! I'm not sure how his ears were; he never seemed to be bothered by the popping, but maybe he's just tough. Thursday we flew in and had supper at our friends' house with them and their boys. It was so fun to see them work and actually get to experience what our life may be like (or similar, you know). Friday I left Moose with Mrs. Spiderlegs (LJ in order to simplify things). He cried, of course, but I was expecting for 1/2 an hour: MOST OF THE DAY! She was to give a tour of her home, and the president of VHBG had to gi...

Well, faithful readers, the time has come for me to not blog. Ok. No worries, it's just for the weekend. Tomorrow we fly out through Chicago to Richmond. Our interview with Dream Job is on Friday 9am (eastern) so your prayers at that appointed time would be appreciated. I'm EXCITED about the meetings and interview, I'm nervous about how Moose will do on the plane (despite food & toys to play with), and I'm VERY EXCITED to see my very best friend! Wish us luck, send a prayer, and I'll see you on Sunday (hopefully with good news). **Edit: Just so everyone knows (including the person who commented as Anonymous) we are NOT taking the job JUST because our friends are there. That would be terrible in this line of work. We were unaware of this opportunity before they got hired, but the more we talked & prayed about the job, the more it seemed to fit us and us to fit it. We will be working with teenagers, something I've always had my heart on and something my hu...

We in the 'hood! Here is my attempt at a good mother/son picture in our hoodies. Eye contact helps, Moose...(and you need a better angle, Mama) Open eyes help, buddy...(quit raising your eyebrows, Mama) Not bad, kiddo...(you either, Mommy!) (Somebody help me!) Looks like I'm giving up, bud... Oh well, we will fight this battle another day! Play along with Angie's Wordful Wednesday over at Seven Clown Circus .

I have been the recipient of a few awards lately (what an honor, really). Emma over at The Musings of a Mindless Banterer gave me this: And then I got even more bloggy love from Nicole over at My Kids, My Love, and My Crazyness gave me this: Thank you so much ladies! You are both sweethearts!

"We are the clay, and thou are Potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Isaiah 64:8b Last night I was laying in bed, and I got to thinking about God. I do this a lot of nights, but I had some cool imagery last night. Close your eyes and think about the world. Think of the different people and the different animals. The variety of plants. The technologies of the world, and the primitiveness of places. When you're finished (take your time), open your eyes. Do you realize who made that? Who made the stars, the moons, the planets, the heavens? The earth and all of its wonders? God . Our God . The Great Artist. Think of the imagination of great artists such as Picasso, Da Vinci, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Warhol....sorry, I don't know many artists. Think of the works of art made. Mona Lisa, statue of David, The Last Supper, Sistine Chapel ceilings, Starry Night, American Gothic...on and on. God made the people who made those. He molded those people by hand. God cre...

I was tagged by K is...Not Your Average Girl (whose blog you should really check out; she's a very cute, cheeky part-time nanny...and so many other things). Here goes: 1. Do you have the same friends since childhood? Mostly? No. But some I have had since I've been in diapers. My cousin, Shawna, was my best friend throughout most of elementary & high school. She's only months older than me, so you could say she's been my friend since birth. And Michelle has been my friend as long as I can remember. She also is only months older than me, so we've been friends for a long time. We all graduated high school together. I don't talk to them as much as I used to, but I still consider us good friends. 2. What do you value most about your friends? Well, I don't have a lot of really close friends. So the ones I consider really close I value that they listen to me. Outside of my husband (who is the best friend I could have), I don't get to talk to a lot of peopl...

I know you are asking yourself this: "Does she ever feed Moose anything BUT spaghetti?" My answer is this: NO.. .just kidding, but we do all eat spaghetti a lot (hey, it's easy & yummy). AND it makes the BEST photo op ! He's so cute with his face soaked in spaghetti sauce... slurping up noodles... trying to fend off the paparazzi...or rather, mamarazzi... shoveling it in his pie hole...spaghetti hole?... squinting at the camera...*squint* and...well...more shoveling. I can't resist this kid. He's scrumptious. Play along with Candid Carrie for today's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta !

I know, I know, I got the message wrong. Or did I? Do you really think that every person in this country should vote? Even if they're not informed? I saw a Dateline or 20/20 or something like that this past week that showed how uninformed people were. When shown pictures, even people who lived IN Washington, D.C. didn't know who Joe Biden was. Most didn't even know who Sarah Palin was! They obviously don't even watch SNL! When asked at a rock concert (of some oldies band I can't remember who it was), a few of the audience didn't even know the correct NUMBER OF STATES IN THE US (one man said 52, another said 51...I guess they're close??)! 50, people! Oh wow. The most shocking of this portion was the women who didn't know what Roe vs. Wade is . Probably one of the biggest political issues of our time (even before my time) and one girl thought it had to do with segregation. As much as this issues makes me (again) question what schools are teaching (althoug...

Alright, I could go on and on about why Big A is the best husband in the world (yes, even better than yours...sorry). BUT for today I will focus on ONE thing and ONE thing only: MOPS. Once a month, me and other Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (hence, MOPS) get together to gab, eat, be creative, and learn about the theme of the month. My very good friend Mama A-Team got me involved in this (God bless her!) organization (which you should check out if you are a mama of a pre-schooler). Anyway, while we do all of those lovely womanly things, we get to do this sans children. Some of the moms in my MOPS group have 6 children so I know this is a lovely little treat for them (and for me who has a lonely only for now). Tuesday, I got to MOPS after having left Moose with Big A as he had the day off of work. I figured there would be less tears this way. I got there and the Steering Committee (the ones who steer us through the year) were talking about how short they were in the daycare portion of MOPS...

Over at one of my most favorite blogs (and blog recognition sites), SITS ( The Secret is in the Sauce ), they are hosting a blogathon . There are tons of prizes to giveaway and so many new blogs to read. That's really what I want to tell you about today: people I've met through SITS . Although I have not yet had my day in what I like to call the SITS Sun (your personal day of recognition as the featured blog of the day at SITS), I have met some incredibly sweet women through this blog. At various points of my blogging, I have considered deleting it. It's really very easy to delete a blog, and, although I mostly blog for myself, at times I thought it pointless to blog for no audience while I could just keep my journal (which I do, too). But then, mostly through SITS and SITSas, I have created a (very small) readership. I do have friends who comment (mostly Mrs. Spiderlegs & Rion), but I also have about 3-4 friends who read my blog (and have their own blogs) who never ...

How could I stay mad at this... when he looks like this ?

because I'm not really. I didn't play softball today. Moose has had a fever the last 3 days. Thursday: low grade, nothing too pertinent. Friday: 103, more concerning (alas, still nothing we could do really. Tylenol/Motrin regimen and a cool bath). Today: 102, better but he was VERY clingy (instead of mostly clingy...ha). No he didn't want to play, just lay on your lap. Especially after his nap, he was just out.of.it. So, we did what we always do "what's best for Moose." I really like to put that first in my mind (after WWJD) because it takes the guessing out of things. Late night? What's best for Moose? To sleep in his own bed (except occasionally). Staying at my mom's house (that she smokes in & has for the past 17 years)? Not the best (but unfortunately, we do have to now because we cannot afford a hotel). Being outside all day when he's sick? Not so much. It was really a relaxing day, though. Last night, Big A & I baked (he baked, I deco...

Now for some reason, this picture gives me a clear flashback to my past. It looks like my son is drunk (on milk) after playing some pre-school drinking games. Uh-oh, hope this isn't a flash forward! Play along over at Candid Carrie's for this week's edition of Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta!

is fear itself. Ok I totally don't believe this. I am scared of some things. These things being: 1. My Moose falling & cracking his head open (literally). I know he's gutsy but it's kind of scary for Mommy here. 2. My husband being hurt seriously (or worse) in some accident. 3. My parents not being around to watch Moose grow up. My mom's a smoker, my dad chews tobacco, and neither exercises regularly or eats healthily. 4. Spiders. Oh no. gross. gross. gross. 5. Rats, mice, other vermin. *shiver* 6. That my dearest friend's wish won't come true. 7. That I'll lose my teeth and have to wear dentures forever. 8. That I will end up on The Biggest Loser with my son someday IF I don't start making smart choices today (which I have been....we jogged for 15 minutes & walked for an hour today. I've been watching my snacking super closely and it's going great. Pray for me keeping this up). 9. Being in a terrible car accident where me and/or my famil...

I was just watching GMA & apparently people everywhere (tabloids & such) are commenting about Cheryl Burke's weight. They think she's fat!!! Are you serious? She said herself on the show that she's a size 4, same as last season, but that she has gained weight. A.whole.5.pounds. Woo! 5 pounds. If that makes her fat, I can't be more glad that I'm NOT a celebrity. What would they have thought about my pregnancy and the fact that over a year after my son was born, I still have at least 10 pounds of baby weight still packed on?! Geez, people are unbelievable. I searched it on Google, and there are forums talking about her being pregnant (at least 4 months) and how she's fat (or at the very least, more curvy). If that's what she looks like 4 months pregnant (which she is NOT), I want that kind of pregnancy. What kind of message are we sending our children and ourselves?? That you need to be UNDER size 4 to be skinny? That you can't pack on 5 pounds wi...