Sweet Home...Alabama?

I am in a hotel room by myself in Atlanta Georgia watching the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama." Who loves Reese Witherspoon as much as I do?

On another note... in my quest to pack light - as in one bag for one night and no checking bags - I forgot my night gown. So ladies... I have to sleep in nothing but a thong.

Too much information? Sorry.

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Ack!! I have to pack!

It's nearly 7 PM and in exactly 12 hours I have to get in the car to take the kids to the camp bus on my way to the airport for a business trip to Atlanta.

I am on a panel called, Technology in the Hospitality Industry: What vehicles is industry using to stay connected with Generation Y? Sounds exciting doesn't it?

This is the first professional panel I have ever participated on and well if you read my blog you know that I HATE public speaking so I can't say I am looking forward to the trip. I may or may not be prepared - that's still yet to be determined and in fact it might be mid panel that I conclude one way or another of "prepared-ness."

To top it all off I have yet to even think about packing. And I suck at packing - I always WAY over pack.

The exciting part of all of this is when I get home Friday afternoon I am jumping in my car and driving to North Carolina for a girl's weekend! I won't see baby girl and bug until Monday morning because they will be at camp Friday afternoon and I won't be home until very late Sunday night.

That makes me sad.

But seeing my friends makes me happy.

It's the yin yang of it all. I hate being away from my family but I love getting away and having a break. Not to mention there is also a kick ass J.Crew outlet just minutes away from my friend's place that I will be visiting and most certainly BUYING. Do you remember when I went last year?

So it's all good. The kids always have a grand old time with dadda so they barely miss me. That makes me sad too. But knowing they are having fun with dadda makes me happy.

See... yin and yang.

An intervention is needed.

I read in STAR magazine last night that Lindsay Lohan has a $2000 a day constant companion who is with her 24 hours a day - sleeps in her guest room - who is there for her to make sure she's not doing drugs and drinking.

I need one of these.

I need someone to just hang out with me to tell me to step away from the Swedish Fish or the potato chips when I am tempted. "Just step away, Kerry" is all they have to say and if I am desperate they can drag my ass away.

Seriously.

I am trying to stop eating sugar. It's not hard... it's fucking hard! I NEED sugar - not every day but maybe every other day. Not a lot just a little. OK maybe more than a little - a moderate amount would do just fine. But I DO need it.

And can someone please tell me WHY I love potato chips so much? All flavors and kinds. I enjoy the cheap ones and the gourmet kind just the same. And I can't just have a few... I have to eat the whole damn bag or it will haunt me.

See? I need an intervention.

Maybe hypnosis will work... do you think?

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I almost cheated on my J.Crew

Before dinner tonight (we went out for it) I went out for the mail and found the new Boden catalog. I skimmed through it quickly and as I did I started to feel really guilty. I thought to myself - love this stuff ... can't wait to SHOP!

I saw several cute as can be skirts, sweaters, dresses... Oh, the dresses! I knew I would be cheating on my love first thing in the morning. Not that my first love .. J. Crew of course wasn't still doing it for me ... of course I'm still hot for my J.Crew! With my Lisa dress there really could be no other but.... Boden... was looking pretty good to me.

As I walked into the restaurant with a warm tingle - you know that feeling, right? Warm tingle ... the tingle of love... but this time for another. Oh, the shame... I couldn't wait to get home for a second peak at the catalog. The Boden catalog. And as soon as I got home I poured myself a glass of wine and headed up stairs for a second - private peak at my potential new love.

I settled onto the bed ready... page 1... then page 2... 3...4...5... and then I realized there is no other love for me. What I thought was there in that brief time when I flipped quickly through the Boden catalog was nothing that would ever compare to my first love, my true love, my J.Crew!

Imagine... I almost cheated! Sure I found a dress I like that I will probably order but it will never ever replace MY J.Crew.

And to think I almost cheated...

No longer momma...

Ever since my children have been able to talk I've been "Momma" to them.

Mr. even calls me "Momma."

I always thought I'd be a "mommy" but I was a "Momma" to them.

My daughter called me "Momma" first and then my son.

They call Mr. "Dadda" - not daddy - "Dadda."

A sad thing happened over the weekend.

A very sad, sad thing.

Somehow I became... MOM.

How'd that happen?

Overnight - I stopped being Momma and started being "MOM."

I noticed my daughter was calling Mr. "Dad" instead of Dadda first and then she turned to me and said, "Mom, gjhfgoseierytshgjlsfglsdhgooartaehsd."

I didn't hear what she said to me after she called me, "Mom."

I think I might have yelled at her when she called me that. I think I might have said, "I am NOT "MOM" I am Momma! Got it?!"

My baby girl is growing up and it's a very sad thing.

Bug is still my bug-a-boo though... he still calls me Momma - but for how long?

Will he start with the MOM soon too?

How could I have let this happen?

Where did the last 8 1/2 years go?

Where'd my sweet baby girl go?

And who is this big girl calling me MOM?

What's next? Boooyyyysss?????

Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

I'll bet you thought...

...for sure I wore one of the 3 Lisa dresses that I love so much on Saturday night, right?!

Not this time!

I did however wear last year's version of basically the same dress in black. Remember this one is hard to wear a bra with because the straps show but I was not in the mood to go bra-less so I wore a black bra and just pretended like I didn't care that the straps kept popping out even though it was very annoying. I don't have the strap problem with the Lisa dress (one of the reasons why I love it so). I wish J.Crew had the Lisa dress in black!

Check out what I was doing on this day in 2007!

Who's the party for?

That's what my friend said when we walked into her house and everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!"

She was so confused... she turned to me and asked me that question about 3 times. So the party was a success! Mr. and I drank way too many glasses of wine so Saturday ended up being a lazy day of just hanging out at home with the kids. They watched The Deadliest Catch with Mr. and I think we all took naps at some point.

Saturday night we headed to Alexandria, VA for dinner with friends. We were feeling less than perky but once we got there we had a really nice time.

Does anyone want to guess what I wore?

Wish me luck - 'cuz I need it!

I don't do well with secrets - fun secrets that is. If you tell me something in confidence I will take it to the grave. Fun secrets on the other hand - not good. I tend to get so excited about things that I can't stop the foot from inserting right into my mouth. It's awful.

Tonight at around 5:30 I am going to be a nervous wreck. I am going to happy hour with a good friend of mine to get her out of the house while her husband scrambles to get their house together for a surprise birthday party for her - it's her 40th! I just found out today that I am part of the plan. I am so excited. And because I will be "on duty" at 5:30 I also get out of taking the kids to my parents where they will be staying the night. My parents only live about a half hour away but who wants to be driving in rush hour traffic? Not me! So Mr. has to take them. Poor guy... I feel bad... but I can't. I'm needed : )

And speaking of the kids going to my parents - you know what that means don't you? Yes... I might have to perform like a rock start tonight but tomorrow morning I get to sleep in!

I decided to wear this (again) tonight...

What I wore...

I forgot my camera the night Mr. and I went out to dinner for our Anniversary. We went to Severn Inn, which is a local restaurant and on our side of the Severn River bridge and less than 5 minutes from our house. This place has (in my opinion) the best water view for dinner. Surprisingly there are not many places to eat outside on the water here in Annapolis. Even though Severn Inn is close to home we don't go there often - the food is just OK and expensive and they don't have a child's menu if you can imagine! It's a shame it's not more family friendly given the location. I've asked the management why that is and they say it's by design. And THAT is why we don't go there very often!

And this is what I wore.

You guys must get so tired of seeing me wear basically the same outfit all the time! Seriously, how many times have I worn these white capri jeans this summer and now that I have 4 different colors of this same shirt it's one color or the other and then of course the Lisa dress that I have in all available colors! Boring and so predictable - don't you think?I have the red Lisa dress one on today. See... I wear it out to dinner and just to hang out or work from home. It's the best!

Who else loves the Lisa dress as much as I do??

Once upon a time...

I met and married this funny funny man and...





yesterday was our anniversary!


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Yes, that is me in the background frantic that something happened. Baby girl was fine - she tripped over a box that was sitting in the middle of the hallway.

The look for less...

I found a new (new to me that is) blog the other day and have been pretty darn impressed.

It's called The Look 4 Less and every day (well almost) they share inspired fashion - they show you the expensive item and where it can be found and how much it costs and then they show you the less expensive imitation, knock-off, inspired piece... whatever you want to call it. Who knew there were so many "inspired" pieces out there!

For example today this is what they have...

These wedges by Michael Kors retailed originally for $199 at Zappos, but are now on sale for $169. They also come in brown.

These Gali wedges by Jessica Simpson look so much like the Michael Kors shoes, and they're only $46! They also come in brown and silver.

So which pair would you buy?

Personally for a shoe like this I'd have to go with the Jessica Simpson pair considering I might wear them once or twice - maybe in the fall with a pair of jeans or with just the right dress or skirt. I'll bet Jessica Simpson wears these with a pair of daisy dukes though. Not that I don't like Jessica... I'm just saying.

Awards? I'll take them!

I've been awarded a couple of cool awards in the last few days - the "You Make my Day Award" from WSU Laura and the "Brillante Weblog" award is the from Deb.

Thank you!!

I also want to thank ALL of you... the last couple of days have been hard (breaking up is hard to d0). It's really nice to know I have a community of friends where I can trust and rely on -- especially when something like this happens. I can't thank you all enough for all of your supportive comments.

I hope my (former) friend is still reading and realizes that even though she doesn't want me anymore others are happy to have me (so there!).

You all make my day and you are all brilliant!

Back to camp!

Back to camp this morning for the kids. Mr. and I drove them this morning and not 10 minutes after we got home we got a call from the camp - baby girl is not feeling well. So Mr. got back in the car to get her. Camp is about 30 minutes from our house so poor bug has to take the bus home by himself. I am lucky that Mr. owns his own business and is on the phone 90% of the time so it was easier for him to go get her. She's in bed resting right now. I secretly think she's fine and just didn't want to go to camp but that's OK. It's going to be near 100 degrees today - who wants to be in the heat all day like that? Other than my bug - he didn't want to come home he wanted to stay!

This is what I have on today...

These shirts are great and they are on sale right now for $9.99 at J.Crew (.com)

Last season favorites :)

J.Crew flip flops are also on sale for $9.99 - for that price every color is needed!

And they last - these are the brown flip flops from last season that I have on today :)

How was your weekend?!

MeMe

I was tagged by Kim - and I have NEVER done this MeMe!



A. Attached or Single? Attached

B. Best Friend? I have a few NC, VA, MD & NY

C. Cake or pie? chocolate cake although now that I have started to make pies I might be turning into a pie gal.

D. Day of choice? Friday

E. Essential item? mascara or j.crew flip flops

F. Favorite color? Pink

G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears

H. Home town? grew up in Linthicum, MD but Annapolis is home

I. Favorite indulgence? sugar cereal or chips

J. January or July? July

K. Kids? 2 of my own a boy and a girl - and 1 step daughter who lives in CA with her mom who comes to visit as often as possible - she's 16

L. Life isn’t complete without? I like Kim's answer Family, Friends and shopping.

M. Marriage date? July 22 (tomorrow)

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 sister - exactly (almost to the day) 2 years older than me

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples - Gala or Pink Ladies

P. Phobias? spiders - yuck-o

Q. Quotes? "Trying to be fascinating is an asinine position to be in." -Katharine Hepburn

R. Reasons to smile? my children make me smile when they are not driving me crazy.

S. Season of choice? Summer I guess


T. Tag 5 people: I tag anyone who has not done this yet!

U. Unknown fact about me? I had/have scoliosis and had to wear a back brace when I was 12

V. Vegetable? ALL vegetables even brussel sprouts and cooked carrotts

W. Worst habit? is being moody a habit?

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? I've had both but I am going with ultra sound.

Y. Your favorite food? hard one... guacamole... soups... salads... anything fresh.

Z. Zodiac sign? Aries

The Breakup...

It's odd... I've never been broken up with by a friend but I guess that's what happened yesterday. And YES I am blogging about it. I blog when something is on mind. I was just broken up with... by a freakin' friend! I think I am justified. I could apologize and lick their feet and it wouldn't make a difference now. Not that I would ever!

So this morning I was looking through photos from last summer (comparing swim team photos from this year) and I ran across a few photos of me and my friend (not him - his wife - because that is who I was friend with although we became friends with him too after they met and married) and my first thought was, I should delete these so I don't have to be reminded of the situation next time I come across them? I didn't of course. I am an adult and that would be childish - right?

I am wondering what do you do when you break up with a friend? Has this ever happened to anyone else? It has, right? I'm left with, "what the hell" running through my head... we are adults aren't we?

I promise... I won't keep boring you all with breakup posts. I just had to ask the question if this has happened to anyone else... because it feels surreal to me.

TGIF

Yeah, I've never meant this more than I do today! I think we are going to go out for dinner and I think I will wear my red (strawberry) Lisa dress. I am still not sure about the color but hey, maybe a bright color will cheer me up! If not the dress then maybe the wine!
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P.S. I disabled the comments on my last blog post.

Bullies...

Don't you hate when people can dish it out but can't take it?

It's my blog and...

I know some of you who blog will be able to relate to this post and maybe those who can't will learn from it. I have. I started this blog for me - it's a place where I can go and share my joy and my frustrations. It's my therapy. It just so happens that my therapy is shared with a bunch a great fellow bloggers - people I call friends. I have never ever felt judged by you - so thank you for that.

For the most part I try to keep my posts up beat and silly. If I didn't have this blog I might actually go insane at times. Today is the first day in nearly 2 years of blogging that I am actually considering not blogging anymore or permanently going private. Why? Because a few months ago I wrote a post out of frustration about someone who was unnecessarily critical of my writing on my work blog. I was frustrated , hurt and angry by his comments and I wrote about it on this blog.

Maybe I should have gone back to the post and updated it to say he apologized for being so hard on me. Maybe I should have deleted the post all together. Yes, that probably would have been the smartest thing to do. Maybe I shouldn't have written it at all. He found my blog (why was he looking for it?) and read the post. That blog post has apparently ended a friendship.

Just like that.

Here is where I am confused. The only difference between his emails to me and my blog post was that he was telling me personally and to my face that he thought I was an idiot and I was saying he was an idiot behind his back by posting about it. Should I apologize for being a coward and not telling him how hurt I was to his face?

So is having this blog public worth losing friends over? Is it worth monitoring what I write about - losing the essence of having the blog in the first place?

Yes, I know he will probably read this (hi to him) but I am hurt and frustrated. Should I apologize for feeling the way I did that day? Why do I even feel the need to apologize for my feelings? I might delete this post - I might not. If I thought I could do something to make it better I would. I will miss his friendship and the friendship of his wife even more.

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P.S. I disabled the comments.

Homecoming!

Mr. just called. He and the kids are about 45 minutes away from home and they had a great time at the beach. So I decided it was time for me to shower and get dressed! Eeeww.. I know it's after 6 PM and I haven't been outside or out of my pajamas all day. In fact, I was barely downstairs at all today - with my office next to our bedroom and no one to take care of all day - there was no need other than to let Holly out this morning!

So anyway this is what I put on for their homecoming... and they better be coming home with caramel popcorn and grape licorice for their momma! Those are 2 favorites from good old Ocean City, MD! Lilly is going to LOVE seeing me in this shirt. When she saw it at T.J. Maxx she MADE me get it! The outfit - nothing fancy or preppy about it but it sure is comfortable! The shirt is Juicy Couture - so maybe it's a little fancy :)

Here is a picture of my "cuter dog" too...

the house to myself...

Yesterday Mr took the kids (all three of them - my step daughter is here from CA for a few weeks) to Ocean City Maryland. I stayed home because I "had" to work.

You know what this means don't you?

I had the house to myself all day yesterday and all night last night and again all day today! How cool is that? It has been years since this has happened and while I love my family and all I really loved being in the house by myself too! They come home today - probably late afternoon and I'll be happy to see them but I was not sad to see them go. (did I just say that?!)

Last month when the kids were at camp Mr was suppose to go away for business - I thought I would have a night to myself then but he didn't go so it didn't happen. I was all excited for it and then it didn't happen so when this night came about I was super excited and so ready.

I didn't have to be any where - although I did go shopping (more on that later). I didn't have to talk to anyone - although I did talk to myself a lot more than I thought I would. I didn't have to cook - although I did make a salad to go with my avocado egg rolls that I picked up at California Pizza Kitchen. I didn't have to go to swim practice - although I still woke up early.

It was great. I needed the break! And now... I can't wait to see Michael and Lilly!!

And the winners are....

Since I didn't practice before video taping the winners of the Orville Redenbacher popcorn giveaway I get a little tongue tied in the taping but hey - that's what happens when the deal is unscripted, right?

Winners please email me your address and I will send it on to the Orville Redenbacher people who will be shipping out the gift baskets! You'll have to view the video to learn who won!

A big special thank you to Orville Redenbacher and their marketing group for not only sending me the sample gift baskt but for also arranging this giveaway for us! Orville Redenbacher is a trusted name and as a mom I feel good serving it to my family as a healthy alternative to junk.

The Tooth Fairy...

Did you know the tooth fairy was in Hawaii Sunday night? Yup - she was. She also got stuck in Hawaii Sunday night and therefore was not able to make it to Annapolis, MD in time to leave money for bug's 5th lost tooth. She didn't mention why she got stuck in Hawaii - I am going to assume she was having too much fun on the beach. She left a lovely note last night apologizing for missing her visit Sunday night and $3.00 - $1 extra dollar for his disappointment. She also wished him luck in his swim meet this weekend and asked him to be extra good for him mom and extra special nice to his big sister. Such a nice lady.

A great big thank you!

Mrs. K just saved me from going private again - girlfriend... I owe you a great big fat (or skinny in her case) THANK YOU!

I wrote a post earlier about a post I wrote (are you following) on my work blog yesterday that did not go over well with my boss's boss and I linked to it (the blog post) here on this blog.

As Julia Roberts says in the movie Pretty Woman after shopping on Rodeo Drive... "Big mistake. BIG!"

Who knew I had the my settings over at my work blog set to track when people link to our posts. Who knew I was creating a link right back here to this blog where I basically poo-poo'ed the inappropriate assessment of my work blog post.

Have I lost you yet?

Anyway... big thanks to Mrs. K! Seriously I owe you one!

Who's it gonna be?

I am picking the popcorn giveaway winners today... stay tuned for the winners! :)

Jeesh!

The problem with writing a blog for work is you never know what might rub someone the wrong way. I read an article about office manners on nytimes.com that I thought was funny and appropriate enough so I reposted it on our blog. I thought about taking out the last little bit about tinkle on the seat in the ladies room but left it in to maintain the integrity of the author's original article. Monday and Friday are reserved for frilly silly posts that are meant to be entertaining and easy to read. My boss's boss (who is very conservative) thought it was most definitely inappropriate.

jeesh...

I was trying to add a little pizazz to what seems like a very boring blog at times. Blogs are not supposed to be so stuffy and CORPORATE! And I thought who hasn't encountered this - it's annoying right? And certainly it's an issue if you have ever worked in an office before, right?

It's hard to please everyone all of the time isn't it?

Totally Screwed by Delta and Travelocity.

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WARNING...

profanity below and not for the easily offended!!

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Yeah, that's right I was totally screwed by Delta and Travelocity. I am headed to Atlanta the end of the month to be on a panel for an event the company I work for is participating in. I was planning on flying home the afternoon of August 1. It turns out I need to be home earlier than the original time planned. Who knew Delta would charge me $180 to change my f*cking flight home?! Doesn't that seem completely unreasonable? And of course the customer service department is not located in the USA so I could barely understand what the rep was saying to me. NOTHING at all against this particular country but seriously... there is NOTHING more annoying when you are being royally screwed than dealing with someone you can not understand. At least they could tell me I am f*cked in English with a NY, Baltimore or southern accent! The poor man was very helpful and very patient with me as I went off on him with my "this is unacceptable" speech and he even waived the Travelocity fee but I still got screwed. F*cking Delta Airlines SUCKS!

It's here!

My new strawberry Lisa dress came this afternoon... still no swim suit but I am happy the dress came!

I wore the green dress Saturday night to our friend's house for dinner. I received many compliments. It was a nice change of color choice for me. I tend to wear black, navy, brown or other neutral colors like white and gray that kelly green was way out of my norm... a good thing!

On another note... I don't know what has gotten into my family lately. We are all grumpy and the kids are fighting a ton. It's driving me nuts. Every time I tell them to do something they argue or if I say, "no" to something they argue and ask again (and again) as if I am going to change my mind if they ask me 6 times. Even though I love summer and spending time with the kids today I am feeling like I can't wait for school to start!

Is that really awful of me to say?

Maybe I just need a break.

My collection is complete.

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I discovered the Lisa dress was on sale at J. Crew and I bought the navy and the green one? Well this week I discovered the dress is even lower at only $29.99 and with the free shipping (FREESHIP) code still working (due to all of the issues) I added the strawberry color to my collection :)


Seriously people - this is one of the most comfortable dresses I have ever owned and even though some of you may think I am crazy to buy the dress in every available color - I don't care. It's really THAT comfortable. I will wear it around the house and out for a casual day as well as for a night out. It really is THAT great too!

My Lisa dress collection is now complete!

Wonder how long it's going to take to get the dress with all of the shipping and web site issues they are having...

Hello... J.Crew? Where's my stuff!?

So if you are a J.Crew shopper you are fully aware of their web site trouble. It was a little annoying at first but hey, they are trying to make changes and improvements and I am not afraid of changes and you gotta love improvements, right? I can live with the slow site and am somewhat thankful as it may have saved me a few dollars in the last few weeks.

So what's my problem? My last TWO ORDERS have not arrived yet! OK, so one of the orders was placed just yesterday... but the other was placed about a week ago and I need my stuff!! Where's my stuff J.Crew??!

I ordered my bathing suit last week... because I want to wear it under a dress I bought last year to the swim meet this weekend. The dress is cut so that I can't wear a bra but if I don't wear a bra I have been known to pull a Tara Reid and that's just not OK. Remember ladies I was not blessed by the boobie fairy so before you gasp in horror about me not wearing a bra - it's OK because there is not much there to keep in place.

It's hot at these swim meets and I am usually timing - and timers are in the the direct hot heat for 2 plus hours - it's important to dress appropriately. I like to wear sun dresses to not only help with the air flow but to also help with the tan lines. I was the belle of the meet 2 weeks ago with my strapless Lilly Pulitzer madras dress.

So this is the dress I want to wear tomorrow and this is the bathing suit that I want to wear with it so I do not pull a Tara Reid in front of 300 people!

But I can't because the bathing suit is not here yet!

It's been a week... where's my stuff J.Crew??!

UPDATE:

It didn't come today so it looks like I will NOT be wearing this dress to the swim meet tomorrow. I am so bummed. I just called J.Crew and they can't even provide a tracking number. I will bet who ever was in charge of this new system implementation is feeling the heat - huh?

Popcorn give away...

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Don't forget to get in on the great popcorn giveaway...

deadling is today, Friday, July 11 at 2 PM!

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I hate Karl Lagerfeld.

Well... not really... but sort of.

You see my father-in-law is visiting for a week and he wears Karl Lagerfeld cologne and it stinks! And to make matters worse he puts way too much on. So every morning this is what wakes me up. This morning was no exception - I was lounging in bed in that half awake and half asleep stage when BAM! pee-you! It was just a hint of the scent at first and then the wave started coming faster and faster until it was all I could smell. I noticed he wears more on the days he doesn't shower which is gross to even think about. What is it with old men who don't shower every day anyway? eeewww! Now my house has a hint of Karl Lagerfeld floating around - especially the guest bath and bedroom. uck...

All I can say is thank goodness Mr. did not follow in his father's footsteps! He doesn't wear cologne and never has. One of the boyfriends I had in college wore Sung for Men and I loved the smell of him. To this day if I smell Sung for Men I think of him. But in general I am NOT a cologne loving kind of gal.

What about your Mr.? Does he wear cologne? Do you like it?

MeMe... ME!

Stolen blatantly from Lady Bug's Picnic...

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Two booster seats.

2. When was the last time you threw up? My 21st birhday. Yes I am serious. I just don't puke.

3. What's your favorite curse word? Sorry in advance... seriously I hope this doesn't offend anyone... F*cking asshole.

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? I don't think I have smiled yet this morning... our washer is acting funny, I don't feel well, our phones are acting funny (can't dial out), and I am grumpy.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Sleeping - I slept in this morning until about 8:30

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? WORKING

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Either taking a nap, showering or grocery shopping.
8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? "Have fun and be careful" The baby sitter is taking the kids to Chuck E Cheese.

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip from Baskin Robbins

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Black coffee

13. What was the last thing you ate? Special K cereal

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? The J.Crew Lisa dress because it is on sale for $29 and I needed that color to complete my collection

15. When was the last time you ran? yesterday AM at 6:30 AM

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? Tour de France - Monday night

18. Who is the last person you emailed? my boss

19. Ever go camping? In a tent - no? In a camper with a bathroom, yes.

20. Do you have a tan? Yes, a slight one.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? if it's a fountain drink - yes.

25. What did your last IM say? What's an IM?

26. Are you someone's best friend? Yes.

27. What are you doing tomorrow? working

28. Where is your mom right now? working - she's a social worker at a dependent care facility in Baltimore, MD - she works exclusively with Alzheimer patients - she's a saint.

29. Look to your left, what do you see? My back yard through a double window in my office

30. What color is your watch? stainless

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ? a hot man

32. Would you consider plastic surgery? yes

33. What is your birthstone? diamond

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? sometimes drive thru sometimes eat in depending on what's going on... ie. travel

35.How many kids do you want? I have 2 and do not want another

36. Do you have a dog? yes

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? I can't remember - I think it was last night and with my husband

38. Have you met anyone famous? Yes.

39. Any plans today? working and grocery shopping

40. How many states have you lived in? 3

41. Ever go to college? yes

42. Where are you right now? my office

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? laundry

44. Last song listened to? Rehab by Amy Winehouse

46. Are you allergic to anything? no

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? J.Crew flip flops in the summer Uggs in the winter

48. Are you jealous of anyone? sometimes... not right now.

50. Is anyone jealous of you? can't imagine.

51. What time is it? 3:07 PM

52. Do any of your friends have children? yes.

53. Do you eat healthy? try to

54. What do you usually do during the day? work on the computer writing emailing researching marketing

55. Do you hate anyone right now? hate no. dislike yes.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? I am more of a hi girl

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 39

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes

60. How did you get one of your scars? I had a baby.

Popcorn give - away!!

Speaking about POPCORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Orville Redenbacher has offered to arrange a popcorn package give-away!!!!!!!

So here is the deal...leave me a comment and I will pick TWO names out of the bowl to receive a popcorn package compliments of Orville Redenbacher!!

If you leave me a comment BEFORE Friday July 11 at 2PM (how's that for random date and time) with your favorite popcorn recipe or variation (like just plain butter or marshmallow or whatever) and I'll put your name in TWICE for double the chance to win!!!

Did you read my last blog entry???

BTW anyone who left a message on my first blog entry about popcorn will be included on this give away!!

I love me some Orville Redenbacher!

Growing up my mom never ever let us eat junk - OK so maybe on occasion but not very often.

One of the treats she did allow us to have on a regular basis is popcorn. And when I say popcorn I don't mean the cool little microwave popcorn bags that we conveniently have these days - I mean on the stove popcorn with oil and kernels that came in a jar or later the cool, hot air popcorn which was much healthier. We didn't have the convenience of a microwave when I was growing up!

So my fond memories of childhood include Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn and imagine my surprise when a few weeks ago I got a great popcorn sample in the mail from Orville Redenbacher. The sample came with the perfect popcorn bowl.

See?

As a parent I struggle every day with healthy snacks. I don't buy cookies, chips or candy for my children and they are lucky if they get propel water for sports and camp. Soda is a huge treat for them and they don't get it from me. My parents let them have it when they are at their house - yes, the same mom that didn't let ME have any junk growing up now lets my kids have whatever they want!

I do allow my children to have popcorn. I pop 2 or 3 bags of microwave popcorn and store in a plastic container and pack it for them as their treat in their lunches and they love it. It's not that they don't love chips and cookies and other high fat snacks it's just that while I still maintain a little control I feel it's my duty to feed them well.

I'm no health nut. I love me some chips and cookies as much as the other gal and give me a ring ding and I'd be in heaven but I just can't eat like that. And I think more important I am trying to set a good example for my kids.

The beauty of popcorn is you can eat it in it's healthiest state (no butter or salt) and it's good or as we actually prefer it with light butter. The best thing about popcorn is you can add flavors to jazz it up for a little variety.

A few of my favorite varieties:

- light butter with salt AND pepper - my personal favorite

- light butter with cheese salt

- lots of butter and a little salt

- marshmallow and butter - baby girl's favorite

- marshmallow with chocolate chips - baby girl's all-time favorite and a HUGE treat

- or with light caramel sauce - bug's favorite

So of course now I am wondering...

Do you LOVE popcorn as much as we do?

Do you have any fun ideas/recipes for popcorn?

I am feeling so blue...

Not really!

Last night we had a pep rally for the kid's swim team. We have our second home meet tonight. I was on nail polish duty and as soon as I finished painting about 3,000 sets of little nails with blue or white polish - some with polka dots - others with stripes... I painted my own!

What do you think?

Wedding photos?

I never did share photos of the NYC wedding we went to in May, did I? I don't have many to share with you now because I didn't get many pictures with my camera that night. I did manage to gather these couple of picuture from friends though.

You can kind of see the dress in action, right?

This is great!

This video made me laugh and cry at the same time. I'd love to meet Amy!

Just plain fun to read!

I am so freakin' excited...

P from Life Is Better With A ... Cute Outfit gave me an award today - and what an awesome way to start the week!




And of course I get to now pass the award on to my daily reads. I guess I can't just direct you all to the long list of blogs on my blogroll to the right - can I? Because it's really hard to pick just a few - I truly enjoy reading so many blogs. But here goes... I award Mrs. K, Shelby, Kerry, & Ned, & Amy, & Lisagh & Chloe & Libby &... I am so addicted to good blog reading :)

I realized something last night.

So yesterday afternoon I started with a headache. It's been a while since I've had a headache this bad. Oh wait - I had one last week... well before my headache last week it had been a while.

It started around noon and by 4PM I was in serious pain but I had to finish a few projects. Mr. was out so he picked up the kids from the camp bus and since I was out of Tylenol PM (from my headache last week) he stopped and picked some up for me. For me the only thing that helps when I have a headache like this is to sleep but who can sleep when your head is about to pop off your neck? Or you feel like your eye balls are going to explode?

When Mr. got home with the kids I was still working but I heard him in the kitchen and thought with a glimmer of hope that he was going to make dinner tonight. After finishing my last project for the day I moved right to my bed and flipped on HGTV. Mr. came up and asked if I was going to eat - no, I wasn't.

He said with a proud tone, I'm making dinner! I pulled chicken out of the freezer and I am making dinner.

I wanted to say, "big whoop dude. I make dinner every night. Do you want a ribbon?"

But I said, "Oh, good."

And he made dinner and it smelled good and I could hear casual dinner conversation and I was lonely. So I went downstairs.

Holy messy kitchen! I ate a few bites of chicken - it was good. Why doesn't he cook anymore?

He was on the couch - I was in the kitchen. Mr. said the kids could have ice cream. So who gets to scoop the ice cream? Me. Why did I come downstairs? I should have stayed upstairs and if I knew I was going to be put to work I would have. But I scooped anyway.

Back upstairs I went.

And when the kids came upstairs for bed - I made sure they brushed & flossed their teeth, washed their faces, checked their feet and hands to make sure they were clean, tucked them in and gave them kisses and called Mr. up, "They're ready!" This is the routine. He's downstairs watching TV and I am upstairs reading to them, getting them ready for bed and then I call him up. Same thing every night, "They're ready!" And even though my head was going to explode at any moment last night was no different.

And then it hit me. It's not 1950.

The only time I get to plop my butt in front of the TV before 8PM is when I am not feeling well. And even then it's not a full plop it's only a half plop. Why does he get to watch the evening news every night - I (seriously) love watching the news and I so rarely get to.

Why?

Is it too late to change the routine in the house? Shouldn't we take turns cooking dinner? And get the kids ready for bed together? And read to them together? Or am I just hungover from my Tylenol PM induced sleep?

Do I need a reality check here?

Please... people if I am being unreasonable - tell me.

The best dress eva!

My new Lisa dress from J.Crew came yesterday - the UPS man cooperated nicely and waited until Mr. left to get his hair cut before dropping the box off.

The dress is divine. It is so comfortable and I'd say it qualifies as one of the J.Crew miracle boob dresses which makes it even better! I'll spare you all yet another photo of my boobs. I also found the perfect pair of flip flops to wear with the dress in that missing bin of summer shoes.

Oddly enough look at this post from June of last year. These 2 dresses are just about identitcal from J.Crew... the only difference is last year's version I couldn't wear a bra and this year's version I can. I like this year's version MUCH better for that reason!











On another note - out of no where I got a headache today. The kind that all you want to do is close your eyes and try to sleep. And it sucks because I have two more meetings today and I can't even think about closing my eyes for the next 3 hours.

Check out what I was doing on July 2, 2007 !

Granny?

She's like no grandmother I've ever met!