I Want THIS One, too!!!

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away three WD Passport Portable Hard Drive. These things are GREAT! And I want one!!! Cross your fingers for me! And if you want one of the other two, go check it out.

What flower are you?

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

So what flower are YOU??? Click on the link above to take the quiz and find out!!

Mommy Makeover??

Sing For Him over at Real Life has asked if money were no object, would you have a Mommy Makeover, i.e. plastic surgery? This got me thinking. I have never been a “perfect 10”….or even a semi-perfect 5, but I’m not totally ashamed of how I look. I was always small-chested but “perky”. I also have always had what Mom calls “the Smith Tummy”—that little lower-ab paunch borne by all the women on her side of the family. And I’ve always been hippy—Mom called them “birthin’ hips”!!! But since having two babies, my body has morphed into a saggy body with huge hips and a paunch that makes people think I’m about 4 months pregnant!!!! And I’m definitely NOT!!

So what would I do? Well, I’ve never wanted a chest augmentation. I always thought they looked like they had a ball cut in half and put in there—too round, not remotely natural looking. But, I wouldn’t mind a lift to put them back where they are supposed to be and make them perky again. As for the paunch, a tummy tuck would be nice. I’ve never had a flat stomach and with a short torso, it’s probably a pipe dream but it would be nice. The only thing to do with these hippy hips is to suck the fat right out of them!!! SLURP!!!!

But the real question here is would I actually do it. And I’d have to say the answer is a resounding ……. No. You see, my Hubby, my family and my friends all love me for who I am—my personality, my naivety, my silliness, my smile--not what I look like. Would I like to lose some weight and tone up my muscles? Yes, because it will make me feel better physical and yes, emotionally. But I don’t feel that I need to be that “perfect 10” to be loved. So for me, the answer is a little less late night snacking, some more walking and a few sit-ups!!!!!

Perspectives

Saturday morning I was gently awoken by the lovely sound of birds singing outside. I’ve recently noted a small finch or wren on the back porch banister most mornings and I assume that was the one. I love to listen to the birds singing. It’s such a wonderfully gentle way to wake for the day. I lay there and listened for about 10 minutes……Until I heard Sara calling me from her bedroom. I went to her to see what was up. She told me in her most dramatic voice that she wanted to sleep late and couldn’t because those silly bird’s singing kept waking her up. Different strokes, I guess?

My Very First Award!!!!!

I'm floored!!! The Rising Blogger has awarded me their Post of the Day Award for my "Just Like Me?" post. I'm so honored!!! Thanks so much, Judd!!! Please visit their site to see lots of other wonderful bloggers' posts.

Happy Birthday, Sara!!

Seven years ago, it was midnight and I was anxiously sitting in a hospital bed to see if they were going to let me stay. I was 1 week overdue and Group B strep positive. I’d been having contractions about 2 minutes apart and was ready to stop being pregnant!!!! They started an IV for the antibiotics, Yay, I get to stay!!!! I labored through the night……walking, sitting, standing, rocking, on a ball, on the edge of the bed…….no relief. The nurse said, you’re doing great, about 7 cm!!! Cool!!!! The doctor came in at 7am and said, nope, maybe 4 cm. NOT COOL!!! I want an epidural!!!!

So I got my epidural and it was heaven. I relaxed, I watched TV, I slept. Hubby went home to grab a shower and feed the dog (we had Misha then). While he was gone, the epi started to wear off. I was having to breathe through the contractions. The nurse had me change positions and that helped a little but not much. So we went with epi #2. DEFINITELY NOT COOL!!! It did nothing for the pain and only made me dizzy and nauseous. So bring on #3, which only helped a little again. We were contemplating epi #4 (which, btw, the Nurse said was NOT the record!) but the Nurse said I was complete and could try pushing.

So now we start to push. It’s now about 4pm. I pushed for about 2 hours but wasn’t getting anywhere. Baby was big and her shoulder was caught on my pelvis. Dr decided a vacuum assist was the way to go. So with a few more pushes and lots of pulling by the Dr, Sara came into the world weighing 9lbs 2oz. She was beautiful!!!! Her skin was a rosy pink, her fingers long and thin and her head was covering in copper/red hair. They handed her to me and she hardly made a sound as she nuzzled close to me and went to sleep.

Happy Birthday, Sara, sweetie!!! We love you so much!!!!

Confession time: I’m a day late, since Sara’s birthday was actually Wednesday. Sorry, sweetie!!!

Can I still call him my baby boy?

Today, my little boy took a very big step. He was excited and anxious this morning as we got dressed. He happily grabbed his backpack and hopped into Daddy's truck. I left the house alone today for the first time in years. Daddy walked him to his room and got him settled. No tears, no clinginess--just a little anxious. When I picked him up this evening, he was all excited. He had eaten all his lunch and had chocolate milk for snack. He didn't get any warnings and he got a bag of hershey' kisses. He made new friends but he couldn't remember their names. And yes, he is ready to go back on Monday. And that was how Scott's first day of Kindergarten went. I'd say it was a smashing success. But he'll always be my baby boy!!

Time to Check the Girls

It's the first of the month and time for our Breast Self Exams again!!! If you need a video demo, check here. I have my annual exam this week so I'm going to let the professionals do it for me this month. I'll post when it is done. You do the same, 'K?

I Want One!!!

Five Minutes for Mom is giving away an HP photoprinter and I want to win it!!!! I never win anything so it's a long shot but I gotta give it a try! Go check it out for yourself but if you win, don't forget to thank me too!

Follow Me!

Follow me to TopBlogMag where I'm trying my first feature for "Words and Pictures". There are lots of great articles there this week. Go check them out!

Changes

As I impatiently wait for the coming change of seasons, I thought I could at least live vicariously through my blog. Hence the autumnal color scheme. I still have some work to do but I thought I'd go ahead and put it up. What do you think?

Color my world.........Autumn

This weekend, I saw it. It was very sparse and hard to find but, yes, it was there. One single tree in the woods was turning. Its green leaves were skirted with the wonderful light yellow color that heralds the coming of autumn, my most favorite season. I would be in 7th heaven if it were autumn year round. I love the weather as the heat of the day cools off and the evenings start to have that chill bite. I love to wear jeans and sweaters and take long walks in the brisk, clean air, or simply sit on the porch swing and watch the wind blow colors around the yard—golds and oranges from the maples, reds from the sweet gums. I love pumpkin patches filled with orange and yellow corn shocks in the yards. How I long to pile up the leaves and watch the children run crashing through them sending a flurry of colors into the air like golden snowflakes to fall again into our hair. Yes, hurry along autumn—don’t be shy. I’ve missed you.

Submitted to Top Blog Mag for this week's theme of colors.

Just Like Me?

I was talking with my Mom the other day after our recent visit “home”. While there, the children had written their names on Mom’s memo board. She loves it and has promised anyone who erases it a painful death!! But she said she had to look twice at my daughter’s name to decide who had actually written it. Sara, my 7 year old daughter’s handwriting looked just like mine. I hadn’t really realized it but Mom was right. It was almost exactly the way I write—the same curve to the letters, the same spacing and size. This little thing got me thinking about what else my daughter and I have in common and how else have I influenced her.

At times I look at Sara and feel I’m looking into a mirror. It’s a good feeling. She loves music and singing, just like me. Sara is good at math, just like me. She has fair skin and freckles across her nose, just like me. She has stick straight hair, just like me. At other times I see the darker side of me. Sara is impatient and volatile, just like me. She is quick to anger, just like me.

But in many ways Sara is not like me at all. She is shy but still more outgoing than I was as a child. She is reserved at first but makes friends easily. Sara hesitates to try new things but with encouragement, she will participate and in the end excel. I was always a loner but she is a joiner and needs others around her. She loves roller coasters while I’m terrified of them. I see behaviors in her that “I” would like to have. In many ways, she is like me…..but better.

As mothers, it’s our responsibility to model behavior for our daughters, and sons for that matter. I’m pleased to see my positive influence on my daughter. However, it is very difficult to see my negative influences in her. Our goals, then, must be to recognize our opportunities to improve ourselves and to model only positive attributes for our children. In the end, I hope and pray Sara is just like me.

This post was submitted to the Mothers and Daughters Blog Carnival being hosted by Real Life.

Why I Was Late for Work Today

1. I didn’t want to go to work.
2. I hit the snooze button a gazillion times.
3. I didn’t want to go to work.
4. I had to wake Scott up 4 times.
5. HyperDog didn’t want to eat.
6. HyperDog didn’t want to go potty.
7. I didn’t want to go to work.
8. HyperDog decided to eat.
9. Sara spilled milk in the living room.
10. HyperDog NOW needs to go potty.
11. None of the clothes that fit (well, kinda fit) were clean.
12. I didn’t want to go to work.
13. Sara isn’t very good at cleaning up spilled milk.
14. Scott left his sneakers in the garage.
15. HyperDog loves to chew sneakers.
16. HyperDog left Scott’s sneakers in the yard—right next to the sprinkler.
17. Scott wanted to wear his sneakers.
18. Scott’s sneakers were soaked.
19. Scott didn’t want to wear anything else.
20. I REALLY didn’t want to go to work.

As the Stomach Churns

I was awoken from that dream below at 2:30am by a small voice outside my bedroom. “Mommy, I don’t feel well. My tummy hurts”. I got to Scott just in time for him to let loose all over the kitchen floor. Poor thing. He had gotten sick before he got to me but that too thankfully hit the kitchen floor.

I give the little guy credit for climbing down out of the top bunk and making it to the linoleum before puking! I put him back to bed (on the bottom bunk this time—didn’t want to take any chances!!) cleaned up the kitchen and lay on the couch in case he needed me. Poor guy got up again and made it to the bathroom—floor that is but at least it’s not carpet like poor Mel’s mess. Got him back in bed and cleaned up the bathroom when Sara starts called. Please God, not BOTH of them!!! She just needed to use the bathroom, whew!!!!

Scott did well the rest of the night but woke up sweaty and clammy (I suspect he had a fever that broke) with dry heaves. So I’m home with little sick boy today. Seems a tummy bug is going through his daycare class. Sara was NOT happy to have to go to summer camp while brother got to stay home. And of course, he seems fine now. Had fruity Cheerios with no reappearance so far. Oh well, we both needed a rest day. AND I get to catch up on my blogs!!

Dream a Little Dream

I had a dream last night. It was weird. Not as weird as The Farmer’s Wife’s dream but still out there. For some reason, Hubby and I were living in my Grandparents’ house in TN. We had two kids but one was a older boy about 9 or 10 and one was a baby maybe a year old (and they looked nothing like my real children). We were having storms so we had been looking for a safe place. I had found an area under the house that seemed safe but it was small and dark.

We walked out of the house and saw 4 (yes 4!!) tornados coming straight for us!!! I grabbed the kids and told Hubby about the safe place but I didn’t think it would hold all of us. He said to take them to it and he was going to watch the tornados. The kids and I went to the safe place and it was larger than it was before and there was more light.

The next thing I know, it opened up into a full basement, partially finished with a pool table and table tennis. I was surprised having no idea the house had that. I was just beginning to figure out that was where Hubby was “hiding out” when I couldn’t find him when I awoke. I have no idea what that was supposed to mean!!!!!

Two Little Fishes

Both kids started swim lessons mid July. We are a bit behind as they’ve never had lessons before. The first lesson was interesting. Sara started out really apprehensive and Scott was all for it. Half way through the lesson, the tide turned and Sara was doing pretty good but Scott was having nothing to do with it. He had realized he couldn’t touch the bottom and was terrified. Scott never went back but Sara has been doing really well. She’s even been jumping into the pool as long as her head doesn’t go under.

Her last lesson was this past Saturday and her teacher said she is a very strong swimmer and would just take off……if she would only put her face in the water. They even went down the big slide. She was nervous but she did it!! WooHoo!! So Sunday, we all went to the pool. Hubby and I both were amazed!!! Sara was going under when she jumped in and she even would put her head totally under the water to go under the rope!!! Now she WANTS to take more lessons and we are happy to oblige!

Now to get Scott going! After he played with a friend Sunday who could swim and watched Sara having fun on the slide, I think he’s decided that learning to swim is a GOOD thing!! By next summer, we’ll have two little fishes on our hands!

Almost Old

Me: Oh my gosh, I look so old!!
Scott: No you don’t Mommy.
Me: Well, Thank you!!
Scott: You look almost old.
Me: I do?
Scott: Yeah, you have some wrinkles around your eyes and your face is starting to hang down around your mouth……like Mamaw’s.
Me: Like Mamaw’s?!?! Gee thanks!
Scott: But you’re only almost old. Not old yet.
Me: I love you!
Scott: I love you too!

It's a Heat Wave!!

It’s hot. Too hot. Too hot to work. Too hot to play. Too hot to eat. Too hot to sleep. Too hot to breathe.

It’s 102F with a heat index of 114F!! I’m melting!!

Rain only makes it steamier.

Thank God for air conditioning!!

Time to Check the Girls!!

Today is August 1 and it’s time to do your Breast Self Exams (BSEs). Here is a great video demo for BSEs. My doctor uses this method too. He goes back and forth instead of circular making sure to go way down onto the ribcage and all the way up to the collar bone. Don’t forget the underarms!! And look for any odd physical changes: redness, swelling, itching, orange peel skin, heat, a sore that won’t go away. Make sure to call your doctor right away if you see any of these changes!! I admit to not keeping up with it myself even with my previous scares. But lets commit to it now!

Update: Mine is DONE!! Post a comment when your is done, too!!!