Thanksgiven

It is over. My feelings are bittersweet about it having come and gone. We didn't travel anywhere and we didn't have anyone come over. It was just us four, the BAMS. A newly crowned 3 year old and a 10 month old. It was Saylor's first thanksgiving because last thanksgiving she was cooking...in here......

Best crock pot known to man.....takes a little long, but it cooks perfectly :)

We started out trying to keep it very simple and non-traditional and on the 27th, but it ended up being celebrated on friday and had your typical thanksgiving fare. Except we didn't have pumpkin or pecan pie, I had made a blazing cheesecake for us. A pumpkin cheesecake that was to die for. Yep, homemade graham cracker crust.

Saylor ate like she has eaten like this all of her little life. She has always seemed to hate purees, compotes and baby food and only wanted the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans and bread. Someone please CC her on the memo letting her know she is a teensy weensy baby and can choke on all of this if she jams it all in her mouth at one time.

Anyhow, it was wonderful to have our little family o' four at the table. It didn't go at all how we had planned and there was no decorations like planned, or saying a prayer as planned or even the seating arrangement as planned, but it was a great dinner nonetheless. When I see Michael on one side of the table tending to Saylor (and letting his food get cold), and I am at the other negotiating with my 3 year old to finish her food, it just feels right, and I well up thinking about all of the wonderful memories yet to come.

Thanks given indeed.

My 100th post

So much anxiety has built up on my hundredth post that I think this might just be it. Writing about my feelings about my 100th post. Sorry if you were hoping for a meme, or a giveaway (we already have one of those), or something to that extent.

All over the blogosphere 100th posts are celebrated, revered, marked as special. All I can say about it is that I can't believe that I have written 100 entries about......? BUT I do plan on writing about......? a lot more.

Thanks for reading, I love sharing. I love your comments and the way that all of you share too. I do hope however that someone (not me or anyone I know) will invent a way to print out blogs or be able to make them into hard copies or something so that when I am old(er) and gray(er) I can keep it. My old arse gets anxious thinking that one day (since everyone is blogging) that the computers will come crashing and my online journal so to speak will go down with it. I guess anxiety is the word of the day...the day of my 100th post ;)

Whew. Glad that's over.

MaMi Skincare GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!

First off I would like to say that this is my blog and I use it for what I want and how I want to :)

One of my very good friends, Lee, is launching her new website and business TODAY!!!! When I first heard that she and her husband were going to attempt to go into the skincare business I was excited . I knew how smart, savvy, and selective they were. I listened with open ears. After 1.5 years of research, product testing, website development, focus groups, etc. etc. etc........

MaMi Skincare is open for business! I have used the products and LOVE them and that is all I will use now. I absolutely love the way they make my skin look and feel, who the company represents, and how they operate. I am ecstatic about this and hope you visit their website and take a look for yourself.

In her own words......

With me being a new mom, we developed our business around mom’s unique skin care needs. Thanks to all my mom friends who contributed their thoughts and opinions via the surveys and focus groups - your feedback helped shape our core values.

~We wanted to use natural ingredients that are effective for achieving healthy, youthful looking skin without any harmful additives.
~We wanted concentrated, active ingredients without fillers
~We wanted a simple line with easy application to respect mom’s lack of time and sometimes even lack of hands
~We wanted an environmentally-conscious company that used containers that are recyclable

Our companies’ philosophy is firmly grounded in a belief that purity is essential to our skin’s health. Just as clean air, water and natural nutrition optimize the health of your whole body, your skin thrives on pure natural elements to nourish it inside and out. With this in mind, we created a completely safe and natural line of products that are paraben-free and toxin-free. We did extensive ingredient research and eliminated any ingredients that had potential negative side effects. To make sure our products were both safe AND effective, we partnered with the skin care company my Dad helps to operate, that produces skin care for dermatolists, spas, and beauty experts.

To Mark The Occasion.....

If you go to MaMi Skincare, you can get a 20% discount off our regular pricing when you purchase before December 31 2008. Just enter “Mamilaunch” as the special offer/discount coupon code.

*****Most importantly*****What is a Blog Post without a giveaway????????? That is right, I am giving away a Cleanser and Moisturizer Set to the lucky winner. The only rules to the giveaway is to

1. comment on here for 1 entry,

2.go to the website, browse around and choose your favorite product...come back here and tell us about it, 2 entries.

3. a link back to here on your blog gets you 3 entries, and

4. if you visit MaMi Skincare and buy something I will give you 5 entries.

I will do the random drawing on Dec 15th (just in time for the holidays). I can have these AWESOME products delivered to you or you can have them sent to someone as a gift!!!!!!

Good Luck!

Thousand Word Thursday

Game- Leave Captions/Thoughts on what you think people in picture are saying/thinking.

I love thursdays!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoopla Over Motrin Ad?

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As a baby wearer and a complete and utter advocate, I find it to be.......tell you later.

I want to hear your thoughts.....

Shhhh, It's Date Night

When I drive with both girls we usually take turns with choosing songs on the radio. One for Athena and one for Momma. Well, "wheels on the bus goes round and round" was coming to end and I knew it would be my turn next (so sad no?)

I was mindfully listening to NPR on my way around town and caught an invitation to all to an event at our city's urban park in downtown. I was way intrigued, especially when the smooth talking radio host said it was a FrREEEeeeEEeEEeEeeEEE event. You know these are my favorite events of all ;) I called our trusty little babysitter and set it up. Friday night date was well on it's way. What was I all jazzed about you ask??????? Well...let me show you....

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Yes, the 1925 silent movie, Phantom of the Opera was playing on a beautifully landscaped lawn, while the Houston Symphony played the original musical score. It was a chilly (cover your eyes Canadian and Midwestern friends) 72 degrees and we laid out on perfect grass on a cozy blanket. It was really really cool! You'd be surprised how into the movie we really got. I think the live music and the fact that you really had to pay attention to the expressions and gestures of the actors made it more compelling.

Michael and I had a really nice night and topped it off with Moons over my Hammy at Denny's. I only really remember (vaguely) what Denny's pancakes taste like at 4am. Ahhhh, married bliss ;)

Let me set it up....

Now that Athena is 3 I was remebering all of the stuff she used to do when she was little...you know, 2.5.

This is a repost from June. I got a laugh then and I got a laugh now. A re-laugh if you will.


So, we are grocery shopping. Saylor is in the sling, the Blaze is in the bucket in the cart...strapped in of course. We are singing songs, talking about stuff on the shelf, reciting the name of kids in her class, remembering the animals in the zoo, etc. You know, the things that you do at the grocery store (rolling eyes). We enter the bean aisle, looking for frijoles negros (in a can of course, no one is going to sit there and soak the little effers). I have a lady on my left that goes to get a can of beans, but, the can manages to slip out of her hands and fall on the floor, when she proceeds to say "Ohh, Shit!". (even though Michael and I curse A LOT, we hardly, if at all, curse in front of them). I pay no attention to her. Well I pay no attention to her, but, Ears Malone says "Oh Shit! People Lady, Frijoles on the floor". I didn't know what to do. I was laughing hysterically in my head, but I didn't want to reinforce any unwanted behavior, so I "poker faced" it and continued on as if nothing. Well, needless to say Sweet Athena "Oh Shit" everytime we did something by accident. Bumped the cart, picked up the wrong box of cereal, Saylor drooling, dropped a wipee. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I had to tell her that when we make a mistake what we say is "ooopsie" and I made this super goofball face to accompany it. Athena tried it and it seemed to be sticking. We even made a couple of mock mistakes and "ooopsie" was said. Great! crisis diverted I thought. Whew.

Fast Forward - We get to the cashier and I gave the cashier the wrong credit card and I said..oh wait, sorry. and Athena says "Oh shit momma, Oopsie".

The Family That Exercises Together Stays Together :)

And this is why we don't pick up our phones....

Thousand Word Thursday

Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat.

For those of you who asked if they could pirate this idea...I say Go Right Ahead....royalties (everytime someone comments) can be paid through my pay pal account :)

A blink, a flash, a nanosecond

How does this......

............turn into this?

See this face? This is the face of my new THREE year old. Even though she doesn't officially turn three until 8:10pm...we'll go ahead and celebrate early :)

Happy Birthday Boober, Scoopy, Bo! Happiest 3rd birthday.

We are so proud to be your parents!

Excitement, optimism, hope, elation, warmth, emotion, motivation, urge, and pride is what I woke up to this morning. Watched Obama's victory speech with my new 3 year old on my lap on her birthday.

Love,

Bar-b

Get This...

I wake up this morning and go to my inbox and I see One. Hundred. and TwentySeven emails. I was like "wuh"? I had to look again and then I thought....ugh, I hate "reply to all" replies. Here I'll have to go sifting through "yeah" and "sure I'll be there", or "Johnny has the flu, won't be able to make the zoo". I soon realized that it was not that at all...but comments on the ol' blog.

Could this be true, could I be the featured blogger for Nov 4th...Election Day no less? Yes....I WAS!!! How freakin' fun. I have to let you in on a little secret though. My children (y' know, the two that I heart) yeah (in office space boss voice), neglected. Completely. I have gotten carpal tunnel just reading all of the great blog comment love. Refresh, refresh, refresh. Oh how fun!

I am so sorry I didn't get a chance to clean up, get coffee brewing or go to the grocery store and get snacks for y'all. Feel free to mosey about and peruse the only creative outlet I have, besides raising two exceptional rays of sunshine.

Hope you enjoyed a sliver of our little life. I love SITS and enjoy reading other's blogs very very much.

*See* y'all around :)

5 minutes of my Day

Let me set you up...

Saylor is in her Pack and Play.....packing and playing. At times she sounds like she smoked a pack of cigarettes, rest assured it was not a whole pack. You are so much more lenient with the second one.

At some other points you'll need to take dose of dramamine because of the camera woman...sorry. Oh and I apologize ahead of time for sounding ridiculous but well, I am having a conversation with a 9 month old....how else would you have envisioned it?


All caveats aside, enjoy ;)