Home Again Home Again

When I arrived home late this afternoon I was greeted with:

a dead car (the interior lights had been left on)
I lost my airport parking ticket
two dirty dogs
bird poop on the driveway
mosquitoes
back yard grass 1 foot tall
stack of mail (about the same height as the grass)

...and a dead bird in the back yard

Super Heros

After watching Spider-Man the other night I got to thinking.

My thought was "there are no Black superheros" at least none that I could think of...Superman... Spider-Man... Batman & Robin... Wonder Woman... Supergirl... The Green Lantern.... even in the comics that have made it to the big screen Dare Devil, Ghost Rider, Spawn... the list goes on. All WHITE!

Now it is true that I am not a superhero comic book aficionado... so it is quite possible I am missing someone... but I think you get my point. All the biggies are white.

How odd it must be for a black person (or Asian or bi-racial person etc) to sit in the theater watching all white characters. There must be a sense of disconnect... no real ownership of the reflection.

And any "colored" or "cultural" movie is set apart as different: I've seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (aka that Chinese movie) or Freida (that Hispanic movie) even Boyz in the Hood (that Black movie).... you get my drift. They are all special movies, sprinkled in with the "regular" ones.

WHITE = REGULAR

How terrible!

A few days later I was talking to a family member about my thoughts. They said " well, they are used to it, and they have other heroes... Denzel Washington for example he is a real life hero."

I replied "Never mind"

Date Night

On Saturday Mason and I went on a date! We had a wonderful time. First he took me to La Crepe Nanou . A little local joint that serves provincial French food. They don't take reservations so we got there right when it opened. Good thing too, it had a line waiting outside when we arrived (on foot). It was laid back and funky- a great spot. I had a crepe, he did not... I should have followed his lead. I was trying to be adventurous and local, trying something new (Liz would be so pleased). But alas, it just fell a bit short. It wasn't the restaurant's fault. I just don't like French food as much as Mason does. But the ambiance and company and wine were all top notch!

After that we hitched a cab to the French Quarter and Cafe Du Monde. I had a hankering for some beignets. The Cafe is a New Orleans tradition and landmark. Which means now, it is over run with tourists. Nevertheless I had not been in forever, and this was Mason's first time so we went. They place was PACKED! People everywhere. Tables littered with cups and napkins. Waiters in their paper hats and bow ties running to and from the kitchen in a sweat. Big trays of orders with coffee and water. We opted for the take-out window and while waiting in line for over 20 minutes Mason (surveying all the hub bub) grumbles "these have GOT to be some kick ass beignets" For the record, I think that they are awesome... Mason not so much....they are essentially fried dough with powdered sugar DUMPED on them. They come 3 to an order in a little white bag. As you eat you try to hard to keep your shirt and hands clean, but you can't... and it doesn't matter.

After that we went people watching for a bit. The French Quarter is the perfect place for that. We even braved Bourbon Street for a while... but we quickly grew tired then went home. We are old ... we will save the champagne for Vegas!

Street Names Part 2

Just as a matter of record: a few more street names here in New Orleans.....

Calhoun
Hurst
Jena
Julia
Maine

All I have seen within blocks of where I am staying... never in any other city have I noticed names like these in such close proximity.

Spider-Man

*spoiler alert*


I saw Spider-Man last night with Mason. It was the first movie I was able to see in the theaters in forever. I was so excited! The first 45 minutes was awesome. Things were going great. Until the black suit... the jazz bar dance scene and the touchy feeley villain/hero hug it out scene.

Top 3 Problems:

1.the running time was way TOO long
2. Peter Parker looked too much like Chris Gaines
3. Harry's ending was a bit too much like Darth's


Now I am getting a bit nervous about Ocean's 13.......

Street Names

I love New Orleans!

it's a secret

I went shopping yesterday for a few hours by myself. I was looking for an outfit for Las Vegas. Which I found. Now I just have to find shoes. Brown sandals. I hate brown sandal shopping. It takes me forever to find a pair that I like and that fit. I can't stand wearing sandals when my toes fall over the edge. I see people doing it all the time. Wearing these cute strappy sandals that their foot doesn't really fit in. I just can't do it, no matter how cute the shoe is.

But I digress.

In the mall I passed by Victoria's Secret. I use to love VS. I can remember in high school shopping there with my friends. Picking out matching bras and undies. There was something about those drawers and the bras all organized and lined up by size. Back then the stores played classical music and had flowered wall paper. The ceiling by the cash registers had silk fabric all gathered up to the middle where if formed a flower. Beautiful and Awesome.

Now, not so much.

I first started having problems with VS when I became pregnant and discovered that VS did not have a line of maternity OR nursing bras! WHAT? The largest retailer of undergarments in North America and they didn't have anything for pregnant or nursing ladies..... doesn't make sense. And most recently I discovered that VS uses trees from endangered forest to make paper for their catalogs.

That did it for me. VS is now officially out of my life, like McDonald's and Cracker Barrel.

*sigh* Parting is such sweet sorrow

Up in the air Jr Birdman, up in the air, upside down...

Travel day! My first thought is, thank goodness I am not pregnant! I traveled so much with Braden in the past few years and most ALL of it was done pregnant. The ease at which I can lift luggage is amazing, it was such freedom. Traveling with two, however does bring up a whole slew of other issues and having Tristan strapped to me, well that is another story. I had originally planned to write a big long essay about my travel day... but I am still WAY tired, so I am just going to bullet point it!

• Security: I was carrying some breast milk and did not want it to go through the x-ray machine. Breast milk is extremely sensitive and should not be put into a microwave (since it breaks down the composition) I believe it shouldn't go through an x-ray machine either. When I asked to have it hand checked, they agreed but then the woman had to add "Oh Hon, the machine is safe - they do a really good job updating us on anything potentially harmful, and we haven't heard anything... so it won't hurt the milk any". I thought OH okay, since you haven't heard anything I'll just send my child's only form of nutrition through a machine that can look right through solid objects!!! Thanks anyway - I don't take advice given out by the TSA.... I stopped listening when they band fingernail clippers!


• That being said, I love flying out of the Abilene airport. It is VERY small. 4 gates Which means that whoever is in line with you at security are also the people on your flight. They are usually very laid back about children and babies, and although I fly a lot and have my security procedures down to a science, I do appreciate the slower pace in Abilene. They even had stickers for Braden for walking through the metal detector. NICE! the only airport I have ever seen do this. And they make kids walk through if they can walk. I can remember trying to coax Braden (almost 2) in the St Louis airport to walk through the the gateway while all the other commotion of the airport is going on around us. Plus some old guy yelling at Braden "Come on buddy!" as if that will make him go faster.


• Just as we were about to take off and after the stewardess was done all of her announcements she walks over to me and whispers " in the case we have an emergency landing and we need to evacuate the airplane, we will either use the door you came in up front the door across the by the galley." I couldn't understand why she was telling me that. I believe it was mentioned in the safety brief two minutes prior, but here she was telling me all this info again. I didn't/don't know why.... I didn't see her tell any of the other passengers with babies this info. Did she think I wasn't listening. Did she think because I had children I was more apt to panic if something should go wrong? Quite Odd.

• Do you know that it is a federal requirement to obey any order given by a flight attendant? Too much power if you ask me!

• I have a problem of not recognizing people if I see them out of context. Once I sat next to my neighbor for 12 weeks in bible study not realizing she was my neighbor. So it really shouldn't have shocked me that a guy that I saw at the ticket counter, at the gate, and then eventually I sat next too turns out to be a guy from church. It wasn't until the plane had taken off that he leans over to me and says "Julia... its me Jeff, we are in the same class at church." Right right.... duh! I can't believe I am so thick!

• I wore Tristan in a backpack carrier. I had never used it with him before, and I was not sure how he would react. While he rode around on my back all over DFW was pretty much the only time that he wasn't screaming!

• We rode the SKYLINK for about 40 minutes.... around and around. We had a bit of a layover and some time to fill.

• How come some flight attendants treat you as if you are an inconveince? As if somehow as their passendger we are getting in their way.

• When we landed in New Orleans Braden had to go potty.... BIG TIME potty. The line at the ladies room was about 10 gals long. So with our two carry on bags, T on my back and Braden doing his dance we went across the way to the mens room. I thought I could just run into a stall and have no one really notice us. But it was a busy day and all 2 stalls were full. So we waited, just standing there trying to look at anything BUT all these strange men standing up peeing!

But we are here! We made it. We are having a great time. I will write more later!

Hypnotize Me

I have never be truly hypnotized. I pretended once at camp that I was while my friends asked me a bunch of questions about who I liked and who I hated. During my pregnancies I gave hypno-birth some consideration... but never saw it through.

I guess the closest I have ever been to being hypnotized was during my long drives home from school in college. It's called highway hypnosis.

Recently I have stumbled upon a new hypnosis. But I have not come up with a fancy name for this new mental condition. Right now the long working title is: thinking about all the other things I have to do while reading the SAME book to my 3 year old, the same book every night before bed for the last month. Kinda wordy, I know. But whatever its name ends up to be - I'VE GOT IT BAD!!!

I have been reading Bunny Mail to Braden on and off for a year... and most recently EVERY night for about a month. While I am reading, I find myself check listing in my head all the things I need to do ... and when I snap out of it I will have read a few pages and not even remembered doing it.

It is such an odd feeling. Kinda worrisome too... I mean, what else am I hypno-ing through?

Me & The Boys

We made it to church today, and we finally got into our matching outfits that Grandma bought us! This picture pretty much sums up my life right now Me & The Boys! (great band name, don't you think?)

Deanna

For My Friend

Country mouse, city mouse
No truer words were spoken
Yet the bond between them shared
Never would be broken

Laughter and tears
True joy with true sorrow
Qualities of each other
They certainly did borrow

Each of them learning
What the other did know to teach
Trust and compassion
Over barriers they did reach

Much time together they did not have
In those mornings way out West
Since time goes by quickly
When spent with friends who are the best

Comfort

My life is very comfortable. My bed, my couch, my car. Everything is climate controlled. I have enough clothes to be warm. My shoes fit perfectly. My food is always safe and available 24 hours a day. I can choose to cook or have food ordered directly to my door. My clothes are washed AND dried by machines. My kids have their own beds, blankets pillows. They have their own ROOMS. They have enough food that if some falls on the floor it is thrown away. My dogs have their own food bowls and separate beds. They have their own doctor if they get ill.

My children know no suffering. No disease, death or pain. Their tummy's are full every night. Their bathrooms are stocked with every medicine available. They have more shoes than they know what to do with. Their greatest tragedy is that their bath water is too cold or too hot.

Oh, did I mention we have indoor plumbing? INDOOR! I can have fresh clean drinkable water rain down on my body for as long as I want and at the PERFECT temperature. My toilet has a nice seat on it, and will flush away any yuck with a push of a lever... did I mention that the waste is carried away with perfectly safe drinking water? Which I do not drink. I buy special water from the store to drink.

There are no rats or mice in my home. Not even an ant. No fleas or frogs.

I have communication with my love ones. Regardless of what their religion or opinions are. We can all travel to see each other whenever we want. We can pick up the phone and hear their voice. Even while my husband is at war I can see and speak to him over the computer. I know where all my family lives. No one is missing, everyone accounted for.

I have so much time on my hands that at night I lay in my bed watching OTHER people entertain me, and if I am displeased with a particular event, I can rid it from my sight with a push of the button.

Total comfort.

7 Months

I couldn't decide which picture was cutest... so you get both.

I wish I was a good enough writer to accurately describe the depth of my love for this little guy, how amazing he is, and how blessed I feel to be his mom...

Shut Up and Sing

I just watched the documentary call Shut Up and Sing. It is the chronicles of the Dixie Chicks from 2003 to 2006.

I was never a fan of the Dixie Chicks before. I don't like country music. Not even a little bit. I will tolerate it, since I do live in Texas. I kinda like OLD country, like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn... Classic Country if you will. But nothing past 1970ish.

So what did I care about the Dixie Chicks. I had heard some of their songs and seen their videos but never really thought much about them.

It was a good movie though. Not just because of the anti-Bush stuff but because of the backstage Mom stuff. They all three have children. I saw it as a documentary about working moms. The raw emotion behind pregnancy and children. There was a whole bit about the two sisters and how they couldn't get pregnant for YEARS.... their story about in-vitro and all the work and toll on your body that it takes.

It felt like a given

Something a woman's born to do

A natural ambition

To see a reflection of me and you

And I'd feel so guilty

If that was a gift I couldn't give

And could you be happy

If life wasn't how we pictured it

And sometimes I just want to wait it out

To prove everybody wrong

And I need your help to move on

Cause you know it's so hard

It's so hard

It's so hard when it doesn't come easy

It's so hard when it doesn't come fast

It's so hard when it doesn't come easy

So hard

During the tense part of the story. When the bomb sniffing dogs are walking around and the FBI is called in due to death threats against the girls... there they are, holding and rocking and kissing their babies before going on stage.

It was also a movie about friendship. I guess I can kinda relate to Natalie Maines, dragging my friends into an issue because of my big mouth. So I was sympathetic.

That all aside, the music was GREAT. Kinda country sounding, but not. I have been looking for a new car CD... :-)

mmmmm.... Pandas!

LOVE IT!

slow blog day

Stole this from The Girl

Two Names You Go By:
1. Chicken
2. The Jewel

Two things You are Wearing Right Now:
1. shorts
2. nursing bra(sexy!)

Two Things You Want in a Relationship:
1. my man home
2. lots of massages

Two of Your Favorite Things to Do:
1. watch movies
2. eat

Two Things You Want Very Badly at the Moment:
1. sleep
2. a personal cook

Two Pets You Had:
1. Perry the parakeet
2. Eileen (my cat in college)

Two Things You Did Last Night:
1. ate homemade brownies with a friend
2. slept with Tristan on my chest

Two Things You Ate Today:
1. organic honey nut cheerios
2. carrots sticks dipped in ranch dressing

Two Longest Car Rides:
1. St. Louis to LA with Dad in 1993
2. Charleston to Alamogordo in 2000

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Valentine's Day (duh)

Two Favorite Beverages:
1. chocolate milk
2. margaritas :-)

Mothers Day for Peace

Celebrate the true meaning of Mother's Day

In the United States, Mother's Day was originally suggested by poet and social activist Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, after witnessing the carnage of the American Civil War and the start of the Franco-Prussian War, she wrote the original Mother's Day Proclamation calling upon the women of the world to unite for peace. This "Mother's Day Proclamation" would plant the seed for what would eventually become a national holiday.

After writing the proclamation, Howe had it translated into many languages and spent the next two years of her life distributing it and speaking to women leaders all over the world. In her book Reminiscences, Howe wrote, "Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?" She devoted much of the next two years to this cause, and began holding annual "Mother's Day" gatherings in Boston, Massachusetts and elsewhere.

In 1907, thirty-seven years after the proclamation was written, women's rights activist Anna Jarvis began campaigning for the establishment of a nationally observed Mother¹s Day holiday. And in 1914, four years after Howe's death, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day as a national holiday.

Happy Mother's Day - What did you get me?

For the past two months I have been working on a Mother's Day fundraiser for MOPS at my church. In the weeks leading up to Mother's Day I would sit out in the lobby before and after service at my little table offering an alternative to the traditional Mother's Day gift.
I came up with this idea last year when I joined the steering team and realized how lacking of funds we were. Our church is pretty big. I don't know the membership numbers but the auditorium seats 1500-ish. In the nursery alone there are five separate rooms to take care of kids under the age of 2. There is also a large college population. Which I have been trying to tap into. I assumed (and I may be wrong) that most of the college kids would at least send their mom a Mother's Day card. I also assumed (wrongly I am sure) that these Christan kids would be really excited to have an alternative gift to give their mom.

It goes something like this: Donate money to the ministry and we give you back a card that you fill out with your moms name as the honored woman and your name as the giver. It says that a donation has been made in ___________ name to the MOPS ministry in honor of Mother's Day. It then goes on to tell what MOPS is and why it is important... blah blah blah

I was so excited about my idea. Last year I printed up a whole mess of cards and fliers and such. The fundraiser is all done and I still have some cards left over.

I couldn't understand what went wrong. This year I started getting the word out early. Our announcement was in the church bulletin, the electronic newsletter, I even made a video about MOPS to further the cause. At 2 services over the past month we were mentioned from the pulpit... and yet - just a trickle of people would stop by. All of them over 40.

I was talking to my babysitter about this whole thing. She is 21(ish) a junior in college. She was lamenting over the fact that she had not gotten a Mother's Day gift for her mom yet. I said "hey, why not donate some money to MOPS in her name." She told me that although it sounded nice, she wasn't sure her parents would appreciate it- and frankly I could tell that she didn't really dig the idea.

That did not boost my confidence in my work. How could a Christian mother not appreciate a ministry for young mothers? and how would her mom feel to know that the day before mothers day her daughter was complaining about getting her mom something.

Are we so programed to receiving gifts, that even when we say we don't want or need anything more we still secretly love opening that box and getting another, picture frame, perfume, candle? And are we so afraid of looking odd that we still go out and purchase a bunch of junk for someone because its the "right" thing to do?

Or could it just be that I am bitter that I may have had a lousy idea ! :-)

Happy Mother's Day!

Golden !!!

No more gloom and doom... the sun is out and I am feeling good.....

I dedicate this one to my Melanie!

My own personal Jill Scott: FAB U LOUS

a moo point

in case you were wondering if I really lived in Texas or not...

These cows are DIRECTLY behind my fence in the back yard. So now one of our daily activities is to "cow watch"... we go over to the neighbors and climb up onto their swing set (the platform for the slide is just high enough).

Very Exciting!

Music

Can you tell that I just learned how to add music to my blog? Thank you to Lisa who always has the latest on hers!

Anyway... I wanted to share my second favorite song with you all... if you don't like it at first (her voice is a bit odd)... give it a few more trys... its great on rainy days!

Where is my mind?

This is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I have a friend right now who is losing her mind. I can totally relate. I have lost mine a few times. I think you don't really find the orginal one again. You lose the one you had and then you find a new one. Most of the time, I think you are a better person for it, at least I hope I am.

This is my own personal shout-out to a long lost friend to which my heart goes out. Turn it UP girl!

Worms Roxanne, I was afraid of Worms!

It has been raining here on and off (mostly on) for at least 5 days. Now, I know those of you in the Northwest will think I am being a baby, but for West Texas that is A LOT of RAIN! and rain as you know brings out the wildlife.

In our case it brought out the worms.

Braden had his last day of school on Tuesday. So, as we were getting into the car (yes I know it is a mini van, I call ALL forms of transportation cars) he noticed a few worms that had beached themselves on our driveway. I was just grateful that they were still alive and kicking. There is nothing worse than those dead dehydrated looking jerky worms (although my chocolate lab would disagree). Braden was thrilled (to say the least). We watched the worms for a bit and talked about them. He pointed out the mommy worm, baby worm and daddy worm(which was bigger). He started to get concerned that we would run them over while backing out. They must be moved! Save the worms! To my knowledge Braden has never picked up a worm. He has handled other insects and bitty creatures...just not worms. So being the dutiful mom that I am I set about showing him how to pick up a worm with out squishing it.

I would not consider normal worms to be fast. Most worms when you pick them up, wriggle just a bit then kinda go limp until they are set back in the dirt. So when the "daddy" worm started to SPAZ out when I tried picking him out I FREAKED out.

Side Note: being a military wife and having Mason gone, I have to endure dealing with MANY bitty creatures; spiders, crickets, wasps, fire ants (the list goes on) - and during my interaction with them I always contain my composure so as to not frighten Braden.

But this worm was different... he spazed out and freaked me out and I jumped and screamed, which in turn totally freaked Braden out. I laughed (he did not) and I told him that I was okay and that he just startled me. But that did it for Braden, if those worms were going to be moved it was going to be Momma, not him.

So I moved all of the worms from the driveway to the grass. It was horrible. They wriggled. They were wet and slimy. UGH... worms....

But Braden was very happy that the worms had been saved... and off the record, I was a bit proud of myself... as my Aunt Karen always says "it is amazing what we can do when we have to"

Wiser words were never spoken!

Up Late

My last post came via You Tube... but it took a few hours to actually get to my blog. So the 2AM time stamp is misleading, it was probably more like 8pm :-)

That being said.... I still don't sleep, and if I sleep I don't sleep well. Every little noise wakes me up. Tristan wakes me up, Braden wakes me up, the dogs wake me up. And I dream. I dream ALL night. Intense long dreams. Some are great - others scare the SH!T out of me. Sometimes I will have to ask Mason if something really happened in real life, or was it a dream I had ... which brings me to my next point.

I never sleep well with Mason gone. I am not scared per se... I know the dogs will alert me. But there is something about being the only adult in the house that makes me feel like if I am sleeping than I am not "on watch".

Regardless... never you fear, even if I was up at 2AM I would not be blogging.... Watching movies yes... blogging no!

Anti Consumerism part 2

Maybe this is what has been fueling my anti-everything these days...

You Give Love A Bad Name

I LOVE Blake.... I knew I was going to love him when he performed 311 - The best part of the whole Blake phenomenon was when Deanna and I discovered that we BOTH liked him... hold on to your hats folks... it could be the sign of the apocalypse that we both like/agree on a pop culture issue!

Auntie and Uncle Phil

I have been off the radar for the past week. My Aunt and Uncle were here visiting the boys (and me). They are originally from New Hampshire, but now reside in Florida. Whichever way you cut it, it was a LONG trip. They stayed a week. It was a wonderful visit. They were such a big help with the boys and it was so nice to see them again. It hardly seemed like 2 years had passed. Auntie and I had a blast shopping and eating out. Braden and Uncle Phil played with trains and watch some NASCAR.

I miss seeing that side of the family. I don't get to see them as much as I like. I also miss New England. Everyone here in Texas thinks that St Louis is "the north"... although it IS north... it is not "THE NORTH". I miss the trees, the mountains, and the ocean.... northern beaches are much different than their southern counterparts. I miss Friendly's. I miss home :-(

LOVE

with love comes compassion

with compassion comes sympathy

with sympathy comes understanding

understanding reduces fear

without fear there is no hatred

without hatred there is no violence

without violence there is PEACE

LDS

http://www.pbs.org/mormons/

I watched the whole 4 hour Frontline documentary... it was AMAZING....

I had the Mormon boys over to the house last month... they want to come back. I am not sure how I feel about that. Their ideas and beliefs are confusing and fascinating all at once.

Ask yourself this question: If God is human but immortal, what does he look like?

Those are the questions I get hung up on .....

I am so old

Today my friend Jen just shared some awesome news. I posted a congratulations and signed it 143. I don't think she will know what it means, but she'll figure it out.

Do you know what it means?

If you were 18-25 when pagers were are the rage you do.... ah, pagers! I never had one, but I had friends who did. How cool it felt to get a page... "I am important! Someone needs me NOW!"

Oh, I always wanted one. Anyway...with pagers you would enter your phone number and then a number code... like 911 (means important hurry) and 143 which stands for I Love You....

I am so old and such a dork

Get the urge for going

How much longer do you guys have here?

I have been getting asked that a lot lately. I guess people have started to notice that we have been here awhile, or with Mason being in training they are thinking that there is a new adventure on the horizon for us.

I have no idea...most likely we will move in about a year... but Mason could get orders after he gets back.


That is my answer every time. I really have no idea what lies in store for us. I don't have an opinion on location or anything like that. I have NO control over the process, so I just sit back and let the current take me where ever it leads.

That being said. The bug has been planted. Wanderlust has set in.

* sigh *

Without you here, there is less to say......


Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You

He's sitting on Up!

What a big boy!

Brad and Meg

Megan is leaving at the end of May for the summer... What in the world are they going to do ?

Moms are people too!

This picture was taken a few weeks ago by Megan... you know, Braden's Megan. It is me and Meg's mommy Beth. Beth and I are MOM friends. We never get a chance to do anything together that doesn't involve the kids (except for the occasional movie at my house night). But you know what... it awesome anyway. We are neighbors by chance and by luck we like each other too :-).

As I was saying; Meg took this shot when Braden was having a playdate with her and Beth had just come over to gather up her young one. "Five more minutes Mom" Megan always says... So Beth obliged and sat down to chat. Megan took a picture of us and then said " Now do a silly one"

This is what we came up with !

My Newest Obsession

or should I say lack thereof.... I have become very anti-consumerism recently. This is a very different road to travel on. I was a veritable mall rat when I was in high school... and became a slave to target as a 30s something mom.

But now that has all changed. I am not sure why or how. But now the idea of going to target for fun to spend some money on some junk that I don't really need just seems sad and pathetic. What a waste of my life. I should be DOING something. Not just consuming. Which is not doing something... it is consuming.

It is as a mom that I have seen the most obvious forms of the consuming guilt circle. For just the pregnancy alone there is: announcements to friends, announcement gifty thing for the grandparents, the new clothes and shoes, bed sleeping pillows, new food, new drinks...
Then........................ new furniture, new bedding for that furniture, new curtains, new floor coverings don't forget the new wall coverings Then..............................................registering: all the gear and junk that you don't understand, but that you feel you NEED anyway. I won't even bother listing all the stuff... does anyone really use the bath water floating thermometer?REALLY? If you don't know what I am talking about, just go visit your local Babies R Us....
Then.....................the junk for the baby's body and your body..... creams lotions towels brushes soap bottles pacifiers breast pumps (all then all the junk that comes with those)............Then........ professional pictures 8 poses please, an outfit for the professional picture, frames for all the pictures.....

I feel full..... and we haven't even made it past the 6 months!

Prom, weddings, christmas, stockings, other holidays, birthday, mothers day... shop shop shop, spend spend spend... Bigger house, redecorate the house... pay the electric bills for the bigger house, buy a car, buy another car....blah blah blah....

Have you ever heard of a ha ha gift? It is a gift that is not meant to be taken seriously as a representation of the actual gift for a certain occasion... but a fun thing "JUST TO OPEN"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

That is it! I am done! I am moving to France - see ya!

Wow Wow Wubbzy (shown here with his kickedy kick ball)

Braden's Latest Obsession! At first glance it looks like junk (SBSP) but its not... its actually very cute! we watch on NOGGIN... i got issues with Nick JR