My Future?!

My husband, who's so proud of himself for voting early, sent me this today....

http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=_j9lncxbQg_.UpLD8x1i4DgxNjY5NTc-&referred_by=13218439-tI7_VUx

Go on, it's worth the time....

Friday Foto Fiesta Finish 31.Oct.08

Happy Halloween everyone!! The kidlets are all a tither for the big night; they can hardly wait to dress up and get the goods. Mama's gonna try her best to keep her hands out of the Halloween buckets...wish me luck!!



In honor of this All Hallows Eve, we are taking a trip in my time machine. This foto is circa 2002 and Emmy's 1st Halloween. It's one of my all time favorites...and I love me some Halloween!








Enjoy the ghouls, witches, princesses and pirates!!!

Go visit Candid Carrie to see who else is playing this week!>

Mischief's Night...

Happy Mischief's Night...I said this at work today and my co-worker from Alabama didn't know what the heck I was talking about...Is this just a Northeastern thing?!
As kids we would go out and soap window, play ring/run, and let air out of people's tires (I know, little bastards!!). And...the next night we would go to the same peoples' houses and take their candy!! Well, I hope all is "safe" in your neck of the woods...however, there's a little mischief going on in the blogosphere tonight....

I got Boo'd by Lisa at Adventures in JujuBoo

Cute right?! So here's the deal:

Go to as many of your blog buddies as you want and tell them they have been boo-ed . Have them pick up this picture and add it to their blog and say with the link who boo-ed them . Put the picture in your sidebar if you want so then others know that you have already been boo-ed , if you post lots and it's not on the main page where everyone will see your boo-ed post!

Brrrrr!

I know I shouldn't complain 'cause there are definitely colder places on earth, but Holy Cow, I am freezing my @$$ off! Current temp is 54 F; this morning it was 44 F which to a transplanted, Floridian with thin blood is freakin' cold.

One good thing about this "cold snap"? I get to break out my ultra comfy blanket robe which looks kinda like this:

It's not the sexiest look; in fact, my husband thinks I resemble this when I'm wearing it:

You know what?! I don't care; I'm warm!!!

Weigh-in Wednesday

I'm really behind this week. I was on my way to weigh in on Monday and I was (may be) a mile away from the meeting and I got a call from one of the MDs I work for...something was wrong with the phone system. It wasn't going over to answering service so I turned my car around and proceeded to try to get the @#@$$#%$#% phone system to work. An hour later, I had missed both WW meetings and my husband was pulling out his hair waiting for me to get home. My mission today is to find a Wednesday meeting and weigh in. A hint of what's to come...I think I went up by at least 1 lb. I can't tell you what I did wrong/different this week...it was just one of those weeks...I'm just keeping at it...
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My husband, who cooks most of our dinners, looked up WW recipes and has started making them for us. How cool is that?!
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I was perusing through old photos and I found this picture of myself from 5 years ago...I thought I was heavy in this picture. Why is that always the case? Why do we do that to ourselves? So I am using this as a motivation picture...

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Lastly, go over to OSB for their Wednesday Weigh-in....

If you give a kid a camera...

It's time once again for If you give a kid a camera... Last week I featured some of Emmy's pictures. It's equal opportunity time...Cameron loves, loves, loves to take pictures and this week's submission is mostly made up of her goofy pictures.

Oh, and go visit the lady who started it all, Cyndy at Putting the Fun in DysFUNctional...

There's so much going on in this picture...I love it!

Cameron was the "official photographer" when Jackson first tried "real food"

Cameron's "I love you"

Close up of Cameron's favorite subject...

She still hasn't gotten the concept that taking pictures in a car doesn't always work, but she still manages to produce an interesting image!

And here's the girl of the hour in one of her hundred of thousand self-portraits :)

Something for the kids....

I got this forwarded to me via e-mail and I've been having a ton of fun with it. It's really geared toward the kiddos....I'll show it to them one day........may be.

Go play....

Click here for Pumpkin Carving Simulator

Repeater Weekend

Nothing "new" is going on this weekend...In fact, the it's stuff that we've done previous weekends.

We returned to Rebounderz for a birthday party. This time we left Jack at home and I got to go have fun jumping with the girls. It took me all of 1 minute to realize that I am not 12 years old. Remember when we had trampoline in gym class and the gym teacher would have us sit and spring right back up? Well it's a lot harder to do now...in fact, I could no longer perform this trick. I actually created a new trick...Jump up high, sit down, and then get flipped over trying to get back up on your feet! My equilibrium is also way off...I could only look straight ahead; if I looked down, forget about it...VERTIGO! Even with my "old lady" limitations, I hung in there for about 30 minutes...you need A LOT of endurance to be able to jump that long!!

My Mom is back in town and staying at her timeshare so we're off to visit her today. Hopefully the pools are heated 'cause it's a chilly 64°F soon to be 80°F, so says the weatherman, but we all know that's a crap shoot!


For me, catching up on my addictions...Google Reader and Facebook. Hope everyone is doing well!!

Mixed Feelings

I am proceeding with trepidation into the world of Facebook. I know there are those of you out there (Tressa) that are pros at this website already and LOVE it! I, however, have some reservations...

It seems a little reminiscent of High School to me. First, there is that friend counter thing looming in your face. I start to feel good that I have 17 friends until I visit someone else's site and they have 1200+ friends. Why are those popularity stats creeping into my life again at 37?! And then there are those "friend requests"...talk about opening yourself up for rejection!! I have been very conservative with who I'll send a request out to...who wants to be turned down?! So I only send out to people that I am pretty sure will accept my request (i.e. my mother, brother, sister, grandmother, etc) 'cause I've already got enough self esteem issues as it is!!! Third, I start stressing about my picture...what will these people that I haven't thought about in 15+ years think of me...too fat? not aging well? no friends? no life? Yup, it's high school all over again and I'm am inviting it in with arms wide open!

On the flip side, it is very neat catching up with friends from past that I have lost touch with over the years. As far as the litmus test of where I am in my life, I feel I'm on equal ground... married, having kids, in careers, etc...with my previous peers. It's refreshing to see those B.M.O.C. (big men on campus) posting pictures of themselves with their kids and wives...see, people can grow up!! I've also been having a lot of fun seeing pictures from way, way back being posted and reminiscing about what was going on at that time in my life...

So you see, I'm torn...and the positive thoughts are (at the present time) winning over the negative...so throughout the day, I pop on over to the website to see if I have any new friends or if any of my "friends" have posted pictures or comments. And I try to squelch those returning self doubts...do I have enough friends? will he/she/it even remember who I am? will I be accepted?....Yeah, I'm in high school...

Weigh-in Wednesday

I'm so happy it's Wednesday...this week seems SO long already!! It is time to put my weekly weight loss status out there in the blogosphere and hold myself accountable...

Things on WW continue to go well for me...I've lost another 2 lbs so that brings my grand total to 10.2 lbs. I am continuing to be motivated with sticking to my diet and exercising regularly. Best of all, I am definitely much more comfortable in my clothes! To me, that's one of the worst feelings...wearing tight, uncomfortable clothes (and it's horrible when I wear scrubs each day and the elastic waist band on those are tight....SIGH..). I'm looking forward to the day in the near future (I hope) that I can go shopping in my closet and start wearing normal clothes again!!

BTW, it's not only Weigh in Wednesday here, but check out what's happening over at OSB!!

If You Give A Kid A Camera...

I'm playing along with Cyndy at Putting the fun in Dysfunctional...she started doing this on Tuesdays...The idea is you give your kids a camera and see what they come up with. I love this idea because I can get so much entertainment from looking at Cameron's and Emmy's cameras. It's like getting a tiny glimpse into their minds...and my kids have quirky ones!!!

I'll probably be submitting A LOT of Emmy's pictures 'cause she takes pictures of the strangest things...strangers, weird angles of her room, ceilings, floors, and of course pictures of herself. She has learned how to use the timer feature on her camera and utilizes it ALL.THE.TIME! See for yourself:

I will also be featuring Cameron's photos, but quite honestly Cameron is pretty talented when it comes to photography; she has that natural knack for taking incredible pictures...

Until next week....

100th Post!!!

This is my 100th post!!! I really can't believe I've reached this milestone! When I started this blog, I didn't think I'd have 100 words let alone 100 posts!! But here I am...I'm not going to do the 100 things about me meme; because quite honestly it would take me F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to find 100 things about me to fill in (the 6 meme I did was challenging enough). So for my 100th post, I am going to keep it simple and just say, THANK YOU for reading, commenting, and being a great source of support!!!

http://wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/257691/Thank_you

Friday Foto Fiesta Finish

It's Friday and I am happy this work week is coming to an end...it's been a bit hectic. Now it's time to relax and share...Once again, I am playing Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta Finish...I can't break tradition!

This is a picture I took of Jackson when I was still home on maternity leave...that makes him about 1 1/2 months old in this picture. I sent this picture to his "hero" whom he was emulating this day, his Daddy. Jack, however, wasn't too happy to be out of the warm, snuggly position he favored at this age. Aaah, the sacrifices of the young....




When you are done here, go there to see who else is playing this week!

Another one...

I'm not feeling very creative tonight as I sit to write tomorrow post. I accomplished A LOT at work today and was motivated to continue the trend at home...but I must have an energy sucking house 'cause I got nothin'!

It was Chick-fil-a spirit night for the girl's elementary school tonight...oooh, what a joy, tons of people, tons of overly excited kids, and chicken. One of the employees dressed up like the Chick-fil-a cow and I believe has now scarred Jackson for life. I actually had to move to one of the outside tables to get him to stop freaking out...I can't wait to share story with him when he's older...perhaps in front of a girl friend....hmmmm... Needless to say, it was a little difficult to get the little darlings to focus and finish up their homework and then get to bed. Jackson just fell asleep at 11 pm...perhaps I shouldn't have given him the sweet tea and ice cream....

Anyway since I'm not feeling all that creative and I'm too lazy to scan a picture and blog about it, I found this really cool site via google...it's The Daily Meme Blog...it gives you all kinds of ideas for memes. So I picked the A,B,C,D...Meme...please feel free to play along if you're so inclined.

A, B, C, D, E, F . . .
Sing play along now.

A - Age: 37
B - Band listening to right now: Literally nothing right now, but last night during my walk I was listening to Ace of Base
C - Career future: Medical
D - Dad's name: Charles Elijah
E - Easiest person to talk to: Laura (right now...because I spend the most time with her)
F - Favorite song: Song for Whoever (of course ;)
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: The original...gummy bear
H - Hometown: Wilmington, DE
I - Instruments: Piano, flute, tenor sax
J - Job: Director of Clinical Research
K - Kids: 3, Cameron, Emerson, and Jackson
L - Longest car ride ever: Washington State to Florida
M - Mom's name: Carol Ann
N - Number of people you slept with: Damn, that's a racy one...didn't realize that was in there...
P - Phobia[s]: Heights, dying
Q - Quote: "Karma is a bitch!"
R - Reason to smile: family and friends
S - Song you sang last: "Jump, jump went the little green frog..."
T - Time you wake up: 07:00 AM
U - Unknown fact about me: I FEEL like I have very little patience
V - Vegetable you hate: Brussel sprouts and lima beans...I could go on, but I'll limit myself
W - Worst habit: staying up too late
X - X-rays you've had: MRI Brain
Y - Yummy food: MEXICAN!!
Z - Zodiac sign: Virgo

Weigh-in Wednesday

It's another Wednesday and time to report in on my ongoing weight loss journey. Things have been going well since I signed up for "mainstream" WW. I lost another 1.2 lbs this past week which brings my grand total to 8.2 lbs lost!! Finally, the scale is going in the right direction! I've been working really hard changing my eating habits and trying to exercise regularly. I just had to get re-motivated and find my mojo!

One thing I've realized in the last couple weeks are that some of my "regular" meals that I would eat were worth SO MANY more points than I originally thought...for example, I absolutely love Mexican food...I am addicted (or formerly addicted) to Chipotle...My regular was the Chicken burrito bol with lettuce, rice, chicken, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole. Of course I had to have chips and a sweet tea with that...grand total: 56 points!!! - as a point of reference, I'm allowed 26 points per DAY (no wonder I have packed on the pounds!!) After starting the study WW, I completely changed my ordering habits...I started ordering from Qdoba's: naked chicken burrito: lettuce, rice, chicken, 2 types of salsa, light cheese, and guacamole. I allowed myself 14 chips and cut out the sweet tea...made good choices right?! Wrong! it still was 18 points! So I've really had to control my cravings and take a step back and think about what I am putting in my mouth...turns out I wasn't just a bad eater, at times I was horrendous!!!

So I am really pleased with how things are going and trying not to get impatient that the pounds aren't falling off, but I have to keep reminding myself that the weight didn't come on overnight!

Thanks for accommodating me and reading....Make sure you head over to OSB and see what's going on...

Post Script: Happy Birthday shout outs to Shannon at Welcome to the Nut House and Jen at Buried with Children....Happy, Happy Birthday, you guys!! Please head over and wish these wonderful ladies a special day....Shannon's trying to get 100 Birthday wishes today as today is also her 100th post - Woo Hoo!!

SITS Blogathon!!!

I am participating in the awesome, great, fabulous blogathon being sponsored by SITS today. What is SITS? Is there anyone out there that doesn't know what SITS is? SITS officially stands for the Secret Is In The Sauce; it is the brainchild of the fabulous Ms. Tiffany and Ms. Heather who are self-proclaimed comment junkies. They wanted to create a blog that encompasses support amongst bloggers via comment love and support. When I first started blogging, I didn't get SITS...it wasn't until I spoke with Tressa (American in Norway) and she explained it all to me...ahhh...makes sense now.

SITS to me has been a great way to become a part of the blogging community and better yet, find some fabulous blogs (before SITS, I stole all my blog reading from Tressa....). I've even been featured as a Saucy Blog...how 'bout that? I was so siked about that...I told my non-blogging friends, but they just didn't get it.

Part of the blogathon is posting about the phenomenon which is SITS, but also write about 5 other blogs you've found via SITS...

1. Blog Around the World...I love this blog; this is Debbie's brain child. Debbie is such a stud-ette that she not only manages this blog where you get to travel all over the world visiting new people, but she has her own personal blog, This is the Life...go check out either one, you'll not be disappointed!

2. Melissa at Stretch Marks. Melissa is H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.!!! She is such a talented writer and her faith during such trying times is inspirational...she even posted a comment on my blog once...I felt like I had been visited by a super star!!

3. Cassie at Southern Domestic Goddess...I believe we "met" after we were both featured Saucy Blogs. I relive the newborn days reading Cassie's blog...she has a beautiful baby boy, Jackson...she also married her high school sweetheart...how awesome is that?!

4. Cyndy at Putting the Fun in Dysfunctional...I think what drew me in initially was her blog design...so cute. Then I started reading...she fosters puppies, has an incredible weight loss story, and most importantly, she's a GATOR!!!

5. Mama Kat at Mama's Losing It...Another hysterical blogger...I was hooked after she hosted the informal blogher conference...I learned so many things. But then of course had to come back and read all the rest of her stuff...I haven't been disappointed yet; plus as a bonus, she usually posts a couple times a day!!

If you haven't read any of these lovely ladies, please go see them. And don't forget to stop by SITS today and enter into their HOURLY contests!! Most of all THANK YOU to all of my SITStahs for the amazing community and comment love you all constantly give me!!

My Blog Song...

I know EVERYONE has always wondered how I came up with my blog name right?!...right?! Anyone?....*crickets chirping*

Okay, Okay...I'll tell you all about it....Whew! I know you were waiting with baited breath right?! Well I took my blog title from a song from a 80's/90's band called The Beautiful South. Here have a listen:



Now here's the back story: I've never been one to find new and exciting music groups; which for a teenager in the 80's, was a TRAGEDY of hormonal proportions...I was always drawn to people who had the knack for picking out the unheard of, but soon to be cool groups. That way I could be one of the people who could say, "Oh, I've been listening to them for years!" Remember this was logical to a 16 year old.... So I'm a Junior in high school and I meet this new girl fresh in from Texas...You all know her as Tressa (American in Norway). She might as well been a foreign exchange student to little ole' me in DelaNowhere...She was the coolest thing to walk into my life in all of my 16 years; she had her own car with a P.A. system in it, she had NO curfew, her family ate weird food like queso & pie with milk, she had so many life experiences, she had really cool, cute guy friends, etc...etc...etc...AND she introduced me to all these new musical groups that were so cool, but still a little obscure: Erasure, Depeche Mode, OMD, New Order to name just a few.

Fast forward a few years to the summer after High school graduation, I go on a 3 week holiday to Ireland with my friend, Tricia. At her cousin's house we watch this really popular show called, Top of the Pops and they feature a group called The Beautiful South. I am assured by Tricia's 14 year cousin that, "They're absolutely Brilliant" so sight unseen, I record the song (remember how we recorded things in the 80's? Yup that's right, Cassette recorder right up to the TV speaker! Let me tell you that was some cool recording!) When I got back to Delaware, I couldn't wait to have Tressa hear my new find and be so impressed with me...so I played the recording (which you could barely hear) and Tressa was NOT impressed. I believe her words were, "I love you from the bottom of my pencil case?!!! What the hell is that about?!" I stuck to my guns and insisted these guys were HUGE in Europe!!

I finally got my long awaited pat on the back after Tressa spent some time in Germany and discovered how cool The Beautiful South really were...she actually got the tapes and could hear the lyrics. I didn't know it from my one time listening on TV and then my scratchy tape recording that this band's style was satirical; they had amazing melodies put to truly bizarre lyrics...So once again Tressa trumped me in the music department, but I still get the credit for the initial discovery.

Okay, now back to the present, why is a 37 year old married mom of 3 naming her blog after an obscure song from a European group that never made it in the states?! Well, as an explanation...Tressa was the one that really encouraged me to stop my blog stalking and participate...I racked and racked my brains for a catchy title and this one just fit for me...I didn't know where this journey would take me (if anywhere at all) or if anyone but Tressa and my husband would be reading... so Song for Whoever was born and there's your 5000+ word essay as to the title. Thanks for baring with me....

Sunday Fun....

I'm trying to get my kids out of this Lazy Sunday morning mode and motivated to go outside to play....Since when do you have to convince, threaten, bribe kids to go OUTSIDE?!!!!!!


I'll share what we did last Sunday (sans Cameron...don't feel too sorry for her, she spent a couple days out at Disney with her step-cousins....). My friend Jan invited a bunch of us over for a BBQ and since we're all trying to make it a point to spend more time together, most of us attended. Some didn't, but that's a story for another post....


Jan is the hostess with the mostest...this lady was born to entertain and she does it well. You walk into her house and immediately feel at home. I could go on and on about Jan, but that actually gives me an idea for another post...so on to last weekend...

Favorite Things Swap

I recently participated in my first swap coordinated and sponsored by my bloggy friend, Kat.

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I received my package on Thursday and found out my swap partner was Kori....Look at this stuff!!!

Isn't that gorgeous wrapping? I hated to open it...awww, who am I kidding?! I enlisted my trusty assistant, Cameron (who knows how to accessorize with anything!):

Here's what I got....

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*Jack Johnson CD - Quite honestly, I don't know who this is or what type of music he plays...Am I hearing a huge *GASP!* go up in the blogosphere?! You want to know another secret? I have no idea who this Michael Buble guy is either!!! Anyway, I love to be introduced to new (to me) music so I can't wait to listen!

*Dark Chocolate - How can anyone go wrong with chocolate?! ...and it's the healthy kind! See that hand? That belongs to Jackson who tried to snag my treats...you know a lot of people do really well with just one hand....

*Sugar-free Gum - Yeah! I am a gum addict...sugar-free gum is how I survive my sweet cravings...I immediately opened this and popped one in...

*Pen and Paper - Another addiction of mine...in fact, my swap partner might have found some of this in her package....

*Hungry Girl Cookbook! (Aren't you jealous, Sheila?!) I love Hungry Girls e-mail blasts and website...I looked through the whole book last night and can't wait to try some of these recipes (or have Sheila make them and I try them!)

Thank you so much, Kori!!! All this stuff is fantastic!!

and a special thanks to Kat for the great swap!

and to Jill, my swap partner...sorry my package wasn't as pretty as the one I received or the one you sent to Kat...My first one...I'll know better next time! ;)

Friday Foto Fiesta Finish - Shhh!

*whispering*

Welcome! It's time once again to play Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta Finish! Why are we whispering? because this little girl here:

lost a tooth tonight and the tooth fairy is on a stealth mission to capture the prize:

Happy Friday everyone!

When you're done here, go there and see who else is playing this week!

Attempting to climb out...

I've been MIA for a little bit...with lots going on and very little getting accomplished.

I'll start off with the sick roll call:

Hubby: Flu
Jack: Cold
Emmy: the trifecta - pink eye, ear infection, and strep throat
Cameron: Stomach Flu

Everyone is starting to feel better, but trying to juggle work schedules with sick kids has been challenging to say the least.

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I've been trying to work out a conundrum...when I first started my blog, I received some great advice to write the blog for me. I haven't been doing that...I think we're all into the acceptance thing and I don't know about you, but I love receiving the comments...so I think a lot of times I write to entertain (if I actually accomplish that, I really don't know). I've started feeling a little down on myself because I know one of my talents in life isn't writing. I'm not like other bloggers out there that always wanted to write; I've always struggled with writing and still end up producing mediocre things. So my negative thinking has been getting me down about the fact that I am not funny, not entertaining, etc., etc. I've been visiting other blogs that have embraced the concept of blogging for themselves...which then produces more negative thinking. I AM very talented at this!!

So I've taken a little break and I have found that I really have missed this outlet. As time has passed, I started thinking that my connections to people have been one-sided, but just yesterday, I received 3 different e-mails from people making sure I was okay...so I received validation these connections are not all in my head...I call you guys my "imaginary friends" to my friends that do not blog because it's difficult to explain the friendships that I've made online. But that's not an accurate description of the support system that I've found...

So after all my unorganized ramblings, I'm back...and just so you know what you see is what you get....And thanks to my bloggy friends for visiting me and being that very important support system!

BTW: Dear Aunt Flo began today which is probably the reason for the influx of negative thinking...you know how those out-of-town guests can stress you out!!

Looky Here! Looky Here!!

See this great basket?! Well it's gonna be mine, all mine!! or so I hope... Scary Mommy is giving this away...it's easy to enter...just go here and follow the directions.

Friday Foto Fiesta Finish - Retro-style

Goodness, where has another week gone?! It's Friday and I have 2 days to rest, relax, and recuperate!! It's also time to play along with Candid Carrie for Friday Foto Fiesta Finish. After you're done here, go there!!



I've posted picture after picture of kids, family, and friends in the here and the now...the fact is, I've got a great collection of pictures from my Nana. My Nana has been a camera buff for decades...She has a whole wall in her house dedicated to family photo albums. I picked this one because it had so much character...that's my Nana & Pop pop on their 5th wedding anniversary (as you can tell from the writing). Speaking of the writing, isn't it gorgeous?! One of my Nana's many talents...You know I'm starting to get some blogging inspiration and will probably doing some more posts on this great (albeit crazy) lady!!

Watch this and Do the right thing!!!

I saw this on Scary Mommy's blog and had to post it also....steal it, post it, and get the word out!!!




DO IT NOW!!!

Weigh-in Wednesday

I am so excited it's finally Wednesday!! So much so that I am actually writing this on Monday night (love the "post option" feature on blogger!)

I've been doing so well this week in regards to my diet: exercising on a regular basis, logging all my food, keeping within my daily points (well, using those extra points), and making good choices.

So I weighed in....5.6 pounds lost!!!! WoooHooo!!! I think I'm finally back on track!! I've had a permagrin on my face ever since weigh in!!

Thank you all for all your good thoughts and encouragement these past weeks when I was hitting my head against a brick wall!!