S Club Mama

Halloween is right around the corner and I have nailed down a theme for me and my boys: Our Cast: Mama - Dorothy Big A - Scarecrow Moose - Tin Man Squirt - Cowardly Lion My mom is helping with the details (and costumes). She found a lion, a gray sweatsuit for our Tin Man, and raffetta for our Scarecrow. She is planning on making me a skirt & apron for my costume OR I'm hoping a friend comes through with an outfit (her friend has one I maybe could borrow). I'm very excited!! I've wanted to do this since Moose's first Halloween when I saw another mom do this with her kids. :) And my mom has a small dog we may take along as Toto (or at least get a photo with) and my older sister may go out with us as either Glenda the Good Witch, the Wicked Witch of the West, or a Munchkin (I say one of the first ones but she said - I think jokingly - the latter). What are you (or your family) going to be this year?

HATE GETTING UP AT 4:30....

My new bloggy friend, Emma , is passing on an award to me (I knew I liked her!). Here it is ladies and...children reading over mommy's shoulders: Rules: 1) Add the logo to your blog 2) Link to the person from whom you received this award 3) Nominate 5 blogs 4) Leave a message on their blog – letting them know that they are ‘One Lovely Blog’ The 5 lovely blogs I am passing this award on to are: A Pretty Cool Life Not So Usual It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy Jenerbug - Queen of Crafty Ambitions Honey Mommy Also go check out Emma's blog, Me, the Man, and the Baby - it's really cute and her son, Oli, is such a sweetie pie!

It has recently come to my attention that this is an older book. I personally never read it as a kid or remember it from school, but it has become a classic in our house. Moose adores this book and almost has it completely memorized! It's such fun to read to him or to listen to him "read" it to himself. I was reading in my newest Redbook installment about Jumpstart (jstart.org) a "nonprofit education organization" that is basically trying to close the academic gap between lower-income families and more affluent neighborhoods. On October 8, they are sponsoring their 4th annual Read for the Record event. They want 1 million people worldwide to read the same book - The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Apparently Meredith Viera, LL Cool J, Matt Lauer, and Mary Louise Parker have already signed up - and so have I. You can buy the book online or in store through Walmart . You can donate a copy to a school. And/or you can pledge to read with kids (your own, neighbor kids, niec...

I can't believe that anyone would suggest that we let a species die out. Especially a species as beautiful and wonderful as giant pandas. But that's just what BBC wildlife expert and bat fanatic Chris Packham is suggesting. He says that they are too stupid and haven't adapted and don't procreate in captivity (could you procreate in captivity?). Well, boo to him! They are so gorgeous and smart. They live in the mountains where not many others live, perfect for the bamboo they love so much. They do procreate in captivity; just because it's harder for them doesn't mean it doesn't work. You can read the article here or on the Good Morning America site here . I've loved pandas since I was little as you can obviously see . We also went to Washington, DC in April and enjoyed the pandas while visiting the zoo (actually they were the reason for going to the zoo. I couldn't be so close again and not make it to see them). Want to help save the pandas? There ar...

Big A was out of town on Tuesday night, so I thought I would break up the monotony for me and the boys by taking them to the Children's Museum. I was worried about how we'd do with the stress level and such, but it was good. After I paid (well, gave them the two free passes we had - oh yeah! thank you summer reading program), I was putting out stuff in a locker and trying to get the key out. Couldn't get it. I called a girl employee over and Moose started playing in a "car" nearby. Well, she couldn't get the key out either...and then I lost sight of Moose. Two other employees started looking for him and me, too. They gave me the key to the locker. The girl said that he must be on another level. My mind goes directly to the big stairs at the front of the museum, and I tell her that he can't go down stairs well. My heart is POUNDING as tears well in my eyes. Then the girl spots him at the front of the museum (away from the stairs), looking down over the whol...

It's great to have a man around to do the housework ... or a 2-year-old...whatever! Enjoy more Wordless Wednesday fun at: AND check out Wordful Wednesday at:

Ok, I know my name sounds super dumb like that but I am very excited to announce the birth of my niece - and nephew! That's right, twins. My brother-in-law & his fiance (whom I adore!) had their babies today (I didn't get a good picture of Mama F so I'll wait to post one of her & the kids). But here's Papa J with the kids - he really is so proud you can just tell! Mr. W came first weighing 7lbs 5oz and 20.5 in Miss S was 6lbs 9oz and 19.25 in. Aren't those good-sized twins? She came out all wrong - backwards and upside down but apparently she only needed a little oxygen and was doing great. No time in the NICU, thank God. He is the spitting image of his daddy, and she is the spitting image of their older sister, Miss T and their mommy. It's adorable. I am happy as a clam. We went to see them tonight. I held both of them as did Big A. Even Moose got in on it and held Miss S. Squirt got in on some pictures himself. Grandma P stopped by on her way home from...

To my readers (the few but much appreciated ones): I'll give you fair warning that this is not a happy post. It's a plea to the Lord to help me out with my own characteristics. Skip it if you want, that's fine. :) I understand but please if you do read it and think I'm awful, please don't comment. I'm having a hard enough time with this. I just needed to let it out somewhere. :) I know that you'll understand. thank you Abba, why do I find it so hard to be content? Even on days when things are perfect (well, you know, besides this whole being sick & SORE from yesterday thing...lol): slept in, food is made for 2 days by my wonderful husband because he's doing an overnight for work out of town, perfect weather, my beautiful kids. Why does my mind wander to what I don't have. No I don't really have friends I talk to or hang out with, I don't have my dream house - or any house - to speak of, my younger kid is fussy so much it's hard (I was...

This morning I woke up feeling.like.crap. BUT I was determined to go ahead with the walk/run we signed up for. The kids woke up in perfect time and we headed out the door. We stopped by Wal-mart before the "race" and picked me up some DayQuil stuff and cough drops. Before the "race" we ran into our doctor who was riding a bike for sort of a "pace car" and a friend who was running a water station. It was nice to know I'd have some people cheering me on! I fed Squirt & stuck him in the Snuggli while Moose was hanging out with Big A in the stroller. And we were off. My lungs were ON.FIRE! I felt awful. But I kept going, thinking that if I needed to stop, it was no big deal. Better than collapsing on the baby, right? I tried keeping up with some dads with strollers (walking), but their legs must have been a lot longer than mine because I was booking it and I couldn't keep up. Oh well. I was alone. Well, I had Squirt, but he was fast asleep with a f...

Honey Mommy is having a great toy giveaway sponsored by AllChildrensFurniture.com , who sells everything from kid's chairs to toys. Visit now to enter for your chance to win! “ Project Mommyhood is hosting a great giveaway! Check out All ChildrensFurniture.com for your favorite brands like Wonderworld, KidKraft , little Tikes and more! Giveaway ends 9/25!” These are some awesome bloggers, so you should go check them out!!

Michelle over at Flying Giggles and Lollipops is really a sweet blogger. I love when I comment and she writes back; it's like a little bloggy conversation (which, for me, is wonderful adult conversation!). Her blog is cute, she is adorable, and her daughter is edible. That little gal is also celebrating her first birthday today! Happy Birthday, Chloe! In honor of this special occasion, Michelle is having a birthday bash. Go check it out - some very cool stuff up for grabs over there. Flying Giggles & Lollipops: Come Party With Us! "Birthday Bash" Kicks of September 16th!

It is again time for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. A lot of good posts and good prompts this week; why not head on over to check it out for yourself. Prompt #1: If You Give a Mom a Moment... If you give a mom a moment... she's likely to ask for a bath. While soaking in the bath, she's going to ask for some bubbles. The bubbles will remind her that the dishes need done. So she'll get out of the tub and dry off. While getting dressed, she'll hear the washer running. So she'll go to switch over laundry. On her way there, she'll probably step on a toy. She'll start to pick up toys. She might get carried away and pick up every room. She may even end up vacuuming, too. When she's done, she'll need a nap. She'll have to make the bed. She'll climb under the sheets and roll around a few times to get comfy. Just as her eyes close, the baby will wake up. She might get excited to have a little cuddle... until she smells the poo. She'll go to ...

I stole this from Tiaras & Tantrums - I'm a sucker for an easy post. The phone rings. Who will it to be? My mom or my husband. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Usually I park by the cart-return thing so I can put Squirt in the car and then take Moose with me to put the cart away. Then put him in the cart. When we lived in Virginia it didn't seem like ANYONE put their carts away so it's kind of a pet peeve of mine (and Big A's) when people don't. But I have not put mine up before; if I'm far away from a cart thing with both kids, I don't know the rules of leaving them in the car alone for the 2.5 seconds it'd take to put it away and I'm afraid someone will somehow take them, even with a locked car. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? I used to be a listener but now I hardly see adults so I kind of dominate the conversation now. I don't mean to but it's just like vomit, I just can't ...

As I'm sure you've heard, Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. My husband said it's pretty amazing that he'd even left the hospital (Big A's grandma never did). What a fighter. I hope he is where he doesn't have to fight anymore. I leave you with my favorite scene from "Dirty Dancing."

I've been trying to find a way to write what I'm feeling right now, but each version has been TMI for a blog, at least in my book. If you could, just be praying for us. And just so you're not too concerned, it's nothing health-related but more financially-related.

We were on our way home from my parents' house tonight and Moose says "poopie, poopie, poopie" and does the sign for poop (or what I know to be the sign for poop from "Meet the Fockers"...anyway...it's a sign). And, sure enough! He pooped! He told me before he started pooping. I am so proud of him. Here we come potty training! Let's see what tomorrow brings.

OK most of what I wrote is missing...so I'll rewrite it. Today on the news they hardly showed any 9/11 footage. In fact, they only showed pictures of the memorials. And that's great but those memorials mean nothing if we don't remember the day and the terrorist acts behind them. Maybe you didn't vote for President Bush. Maybe you don't like him, but I assure you that he probably did what he thought best for his country. And I wouldn't have wanted to be him that day. And I firmly believe that even if you don't agree with this war, you should support our troops because it's their lives on the line to protect your freedom. So I encourage you to go to YouTube and watch real footage of 9/11. Remember the citizens who we call brave today, who then were only just going to work in the World Trade Center. Remember the firemen, police officers, and citizens who were really brave that day, who fought for the lives of others. Remember the soldiers who have been call...

Happy 2 month birthday, Squirt! I'm an idiot and kept thinking 3 months...oops. He's still sleeping most of the day away, but I can tell he's awake even more lately. I'm excited to see how he schedules himself out in the coming months. A whole other baby to see milestones: holding his head, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing, walking. So much in so few months. Moose gets flirtier every day. Today it was a little girl (probably about 4) at the library. In the above picture, it was this 18-month-old little sweetie at our friends' wedding Friday. Yes, he's kissing her arm. My aunts came to visit on Monday. Moose thought my one aunt's cane was a microphone. It was hilarious! And here are my beautiful boys taking a snooze together. Notice how both boys are awake and the big guy is sleeping. It was precious. It's been a long time since I've participated in Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta , but it's a wonderful bloggy time and you shoul...

Yesterday was my grandfather-in-law's funeral. Big A was a pallbearer so I had the kids to myself. I was going to ask my mom to come down to watch the kids during the funeral, and she actually offered but when I talked to my MIL she said nah, I could handle it and they'd be fine. We sat by my in-laws at the service and really they were a big help with Moose. I think it was good for MIL to have something to distract her, too, at least a bit. Squirt slept through most of the service. Moose did really well, sitting on laps and listening. He played with cars and looked through picture albums and books. Only at the end did he throw a fit and it was mostly my fault because I thought it was done and started putting up cars and he said "car" really loudly a few times. I have a question for any Catholics as this was a Catholic service. What was the smelly stuff that they wave around in the canister (I'm sorry, I don't mean any disrespect by this description, I just don...

That scale just won't budge. I'll admit I haven't followed my diet/exercise plan to a T, but darn I've been trying. Sometimes it's just so hard to want to get up and go for a walk with the kids. I'm just tired. But the good news is that I tried on my old jeans and they fit. Tightly, but I got them buttoned! Which is weird because I tried them on just a week or so ago and they weren't close to buttoning. Think my fat is dispersing itself elsewhere? lol I don't know if I'm going to make this 20 pound mark by the holidays. It may take me longer. I'm going to keep trying, though.

Please be praying for Big A's family. His mom's dad passed away today; his mom found him, too, so it sounds like she's taken it pretty hard. She's also the oldest of her siblings so she usually shoulders things pretty hard anyway. We're going down there tomorrow bearing food and grandkids, so hopefully that will ease some stress off of her. Pray for her that the Lord shows her that life is short and to make amends where they need to be made. Thanks

Ever heard of Mommy calling cards? Personally, I think they are sweet and very useful. Who ever has a paper and pen at the same time and can wrangle them out to write down info while keeping an eye on the kids? Not me. And seeing as I need some mommy play dates, maybe these would help me. It just so happens that Natalie's Sentiments is sponsoring a giveaway of just those things (mommy calling cards...well or other things like birth annoucements. It's a $40 giveaway to The Blue Buggy ). Check out Natalie's blog for more information and for other giveaways from her birthday extravaganza!

Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and go to Mama Kat's and sign Mr. Linky. For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!! The Prompts: 1.) Write about a time when you were wrongly wronged. (inspired by myself.) 2.) Geriatric peeping Tom neighbors? Do tell. 3.) Mommy play dates? What's your experience with mom dating? 4.) The first day of... 5.) Share your friendly advice for someone you think needs it (ie your mother-in-law, other drivers, cell phone users, etc.) 3. I've met my fair share of moms since giving birth to my little Moose two years ago. Moms were coming out of the woodwork. (It's like if you buy a Ford Taurus (which we just sold), all of a sudden you see Ford Tauruses everywhere on the road.) However, I have not made bonds with many. I have my best mommy friend, the A-team mommy. And it's not like I have no other friends with kids! Many of my friends have had children, most of them after me (we started early in our marri...

Big A made cookies last week (thanks, honey, for sabotaging my diet lol). To cool them, he put the batch on the kitchen table. Moose LOVES cookies - Cookie Monster, things that are shaped like cookies, saying cookie in the dentist office. He climbs up on the chair while Big A kept prompting "don't touch." And he didn't. Moose would just climb on up there and point with this excited little baby giggle. He did get to enjoy a cookie the following day (and probably day after that). Even funnier than that was on Sunday when Big A made Rice Krispie treats (he loves sweets & baking). I didn't see this but apparently Moose got up on the chair and just kept pointing at the treats going "cookie, cookie, cookie." Not touching them once. Check out more Wordful Wednesdays over at the beautiful Angie's Seven Clown Circus.

I have been a lucky girl through this blog. I have won a necklace, $100 gift card, a cool puzzle, and now the Ultimate Potty Training Pack! This makes me worried about my chances of winning the Whrrl SITScation giveaway. Can my luck go on? Not that I've won all of this recently. This is since I started my blog. And in comparison to contests and giveaways I've entered, this is not a lot. Yeah, I spend a lot of time entering those - I should probably find a more productive time waster. haha I like winning stuff (who doesn't?). I never won anything in high school (or college). I especially like winning stuff for my kids; stuff I would never otherwise be able to get for them. Anyway, this is kind of a random post. :) We're gearing up for Labor Day weekend. We really wanted to go on a mini-vacation to Colorado but funds are down and we have so little time to do anything in even with the extended weekend. One of our good friends gets married Friday evening (and Squirt gets va...