Nobody puts Baby in a Corner

Don't cry because it's over.

Smile because it happened.

Good-bye to the one and only Johnny Castle. AKA Patrick Swayze.

Those hips, that movie... Was there a middle-school girl in 1987 who DIDN'T want to dance with him? I never got to reprise Baby's "Time of My Life" number with him!

He was my favorite metrosexual...before there was even a word for it!

And then, when he came out strutting on SNL and made fun of himself alongside the late, great Chris Farley...that was just endearing!

Who could forget this memorable skit?


Let's talk about Kanye.

If only his cojones were as big as his head!? Honestly! Stealing a little girl's spotlight? He wouldn't have pulled that on Lil' Kim. I'm just saying...she woulda.cut.him for that! (And don't cry about it after the fact, wussy.)

Did you catch the lovely date he brought to the what-ever awards?


(No baby yet. Trying to keep myself amused so I don't count the seconds...)

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

My sister Blanche just sent me the sweetest email with parenting reflections and advice. When she was a mother of young kids, I was still in high school and didn't notice what an amazing job she was doing until...hmm, about four years ago.

Now my sister's kids are in high school and college and all that love and patience has resulted in what anyone would call an enviable relationship between the parents and the children. They are a very close family.

I want that! So I thought I'd open the floor up for more wisdom.

What do you want to share with me about going from a one-child household to splitting my energy between two (actually three) boys? Or any other parenting advice you'd like to give me; I'd love to hear it!

(I should warn you, I've already mastered the "let the housework go" advice.)

On a silly note, my friend Kitty has a 4 year old named Boston. He's cute enough to be a Ralph Lauren model (both of her kids are) and his sweet nature is just as lovely. He's being pursued by a little girl, Hailey, at day care, but he already has a sweetheart named Bailey, so he told Hailey in a little kid way that he's off the market.

This tidbit is taken directly off an email from Kitty and I think its priceless!

So I told you all about Hailey asking Boston to marry him. Well,

On Tuesday, September 1 (our 8 year anniversary), my little baby boy got his first kiss on the lips from a girl !!!!!! (PS, I asked, he liked it). Of course, it was Hailey, she ambushed him behind a bookshelf. (Little hussy)

Well, on Wednesday I picked him up and asked him if he played with Hailey today and he said "No, she told me she had a headache and didn't want to play with me"

Then Hannah [7 year old sister] adds, "That was nice, she didn't want Boston to get her headache"

'Fast little girl!

And God knows what he's doing giving me two little boys.

Favorite Things

I had a rough few days. I was plagued by all these different aches and pains that made me realize my pregnancy has been pleasant overall, until last Friday.

Then it was a miserable few days where I could hardly walk or move around. MMA was wonderful and did his best to knock out his weekend chores, take care of me and keep Only Child from bouncing off the walls.

As of Wednesday, I am happy to report I am feeling much, much better.

My mind's not into blogging right now on account of the the 30 pound baby I'm carrying around. He's due any day now (actually Sept 24th, but if I keep saying "any day now" I feel more proactive in willing this thing to happen sooner.)

I'm predicting I will go into labor on September 14th.

I made a special exception to participate in Girly Stuff's OurFavorite Things link-up.

Is it any surprise that when I think of favorites, all that comes to mind is food? Even still, I'm going to cheat a little...

Here we go.

1. MMA! Sorry, he's the only one and he's not for sale! I just found out today that he's been shopping for my push gift. Now I don't even need the gift. The thought alone makes me happy. I think I'll have his baby.

2. Girly Stuff is one of my favorite people in all the world. She showed up at my house on Saturday at 9 am and didn't leave until I practically pushed her out the door at 10 pm. She was helping me get my former guest room all dolled up for the new baby. This involved shopping, putting up hardware, making drapes...and all the brilliant ideas she had been mentally banking for months. Seriously, I could hardly get her to eat or call home all day. The amazing thing is that she would do this for anyone of us that she calls a friend; very beautiful and generous heart, this one!

3. Kitty, my BFF for 25 years and counting. When we were little girls, we talked about being Olympic synchronized swimmers AND college roommates. We realized one of those dreams. Kitty is quirky and silly and so much fun to be around! She will probably be the first one at the hospital (again) when I have this baby. We've hit every major life milestone together...except sex (she was doin' it way before me.) What? That's the hormones talking, I don't know what I'm saying. She has been good to me in a dozen different ways just this week. (I hope our sons end up being BFFs, too.) We heart Kitty!

Favorite things, favorite things, (think Oprah...)
4. HEB...'love that store! Lately I've been doing what I'll call cold-turkey shopping (with no coupons, and no mapping out the deals.) No question, my grocery bill is always lower at HEB. Plus, Only Child thinks its a great treat to go there. Not sure why. So HEB, we salute you as a favorite thing!

5. There is an HEB brand product that we like so much, it merits its own shout out. HEB's frozen chicken chunks (in the black bag, frozen, in the fresh meat department.) They are so good, they rival Chick fil A's. Need I say more?


6. Blue Bell ice cream. And no, that is not my freezer.

7. Oscar Mayer Bacon Bits. Bacon is a distinct food group in this house and as a family, we eat a bag of these every week. We use them in every variation of eggs you can imagine. We put them on salads, baked potatoes, Butt Burners. Maybe I should add 4 bags of these to my baby registry.

(OK, non perishable favorites; let's see...)

8. Author, Tom Perrotta. I mentioned once before how much I love the movie, Election. I didn't know it was a book or who might have written it until my friend Red, chose Little Children as her book club pick for the year. I adored this book, only to learn that the genius behind both works is one and the same!?! I have to get my hands on some of his other stuff. Any hack can slap you in the face, ala the Farrelly brothers, but smart and subtle satire is, to me, much more delightful. So yah, Perrotta. New favorite.

9. Half Price Books. Another family favorite.

10. The newly renovated Children's Museum of Houston. Wow!

Baby Mama's Parking Drama (Rant)

I've been delighting in a little evilness lately. What else is new?

I'll admit to being one who looks down my nose at able-bodied people who park in the handicap spots. But lately I've been feeling a little more horsey about it. (Maybe just a little bit entitled to judge as I'm weeble-wobbling along from ten yards back in this blistering, unrelenting heat.)

My family and I were sitting at a restaurant by the window a few weeks ago and we watched this thirty-something guy jump out of his BMW, parking in a handicap spot, when there was a non-handicap spot open that was even closer to the door!!! I guess he's so used to taking advantage of his hang tag he didn't even notice.

One lady I encountered at Target had the nerve to park up front even wearing full work out clothes, jogging shoes, and looking like she just left the gym. I couldn't help myself!

I've started staring people down who don't belong in the handicap spot. Like, really giving them the up, down, once over. Looking over my shoulder at them, silently letting them know "You're wrong for parking there!"

Some people don't have any moral reservations about what they are doing. Most people quickly look away. But, you'd be surprised at how many people make uncomfortable comments, seemingly to thin air, about why they are parked where (they know in their heart) they shouldn't be.

I can't believe my gall. Who am I to make them feel uncomfortable with my Jedi-telepathic silent reproach?

It's so wrong. I know its not my business, but it feels so darn good (even if something inside tells me this behavior is a near cousin to road-raging.)

I hope I don't get shot up for being so snide. I'm not going to stop until I'm not pregnant anymore. (One more month, or so, of being the naughty, self-appointed parking lot police.)

Oh, and if I catch a man in the pregnant lady parking spot during the heat of the day, it won't be a silent disapproval.

We might make the 10 o'clock news! (Can you imagine a crazy pregnant lady going berzerk on some guy for that? Hypothetically speaking, could she then insist on a jury of pregnant peers?)

May I go on?

I threw away the most delightful hour watching two episodes of Kourtney and Khloe take Miami.

Technically its considered reality TV.

Such lovely girls, those Kardashians.

Reality comes to them a little later than most, probably because of the sheltering effect of their trust funds. Now these girls are like 28-30 years old and one's having a flirtation with a bi-chic while professing her heterosexuality, while the other sister is drunk-kissing her coworker and learning how it feels to face up to that the next day at work.

I happened to catch the episode where the foul-mouthed sister finds a vial of cocaine and takes it to the radio station where she works, pops it out of her purse and says on live radio, "Look what I found at my store...drugs are everywhere in Miami..."

Obviously she didn't know any better about normal-people job protocol, but she sure learned her lesson. It was like a modern spin on the Brady Bunch episode where cigarettes fall out of Greg's jacket.

But, you know, with Jan casually calling Marsha (or Carol) a "b!tch-a$$-ho" or some other colorful nickname. And picture Cindy dressed like a prostitute to meet a friend for lunch.

It's just so raw and identifiable what these poor girls face as they claw their way up and hang on for deal life to their media starlet status.

Two thumbs ups.

(And for you really big fans who happen to be little in the middle like the Dash girls, did you know you can buy their gently used clothes on ebay? Seems they are green humanitarians, too!)

Book Club Graduation & a Question about Friendship

If our book club was a child, we'd be headed to Kindergarten this year.

Hard to believe, but the Feisty Nuns and I have logged five years and approximately 25 books! Collectively, we've had 4 (going on 6) new babies. We've bought new houses, changed jobs, gone through a divorce. We've had first days of school, more kids parties than we can count and somehow managed to make "girl" time a priority.

Last Saturday kind of brought us full circle. We went out for Mexican food and (briefly) discussed our latest book. Then we saw The Time Traveler's Wife, which was the first book we read together. The movie was great, the girls are good hang, and I highly recommend that everyone out there find a circle of women like this!

In another five years, we'll all be hitting 40 and we're taking book club to Vegas! (I'm starting that rumor now so we can start saving our SW Airlines points and whatnot.)

Book club is becoming less about the books and all about the relationships, (and I'm OK with that) but I feel some unfinished business in discussing this last book, A Line Between Friends. It was, by no means, great literature. Still, I found the subject matter compelling.

A Line Between Friends discusses whether or not a man and a woman can remain friends after they cross the line. In this case, "the line" is sex and the story follows a man and a woman who meet in high school, attend college together and for years flirt with the possibility of a relationship that never materializes. They hook up once, and then try to maintain a friendship after each has moved on and married other people. Can it really be done?

I say no, absolutely not. I couldn't maintain a friendship if there was any romantic history out of respect for my husband, modesty, precaution and a whole host of other reasons I could probably come up with. I say its a bad idea, and if you read me, this is no great revelation. (That includes Facebook chatting; call me the jealous-type.)

To my surprise at least a couple of the ladies in book club said, "Yes it can be done," and see this kind of friendship as no big deal. Who knew?

What do you say to remaining friends after crossing the line?

Last Minute Nesting

Nesting instinct kicking in? Check.

Freaking out a little bit? Check.

Buying Frenzy? Little bit

I have been sleeping worse than ever this week thinking about all that I still have to do and what if the baby should come earlier than September 24th, as planned?

I also found out recently that my that my anemia went from bad to worse. So now I'm on strict orders to get it together or face the possibility of a blood transfusion.

Yuck, who wants that!? I can't believe that someone so (shall we say) rubenesque, could be so anemic! I'm indulging famously, I just didn't realize Blue Bell is not considered a good source of iron...So I'm taking the pills faithfully and putting up with the tree bark effect. TMI?

Exhaustion had the better of me for the last month, but I'm over it. There's too much to do. I still pant at the slightest exertion, but I'm thinking its considered a sultry thing here in the south.

Girly Stuff sounded a little exasperated with me on the phone last week because of my slow progress in getting important pre-baby things done. My procrastination is not new to her, but it does tend to vex the type A people in my life. To her credit, that disapproval was just what I needed to give me a jump start in the nesting-thing.

Last week I bought an assortment of "sexy" nursing lingerie and the obligatory grown up pajamas for the hospital (not a snap button duster, but better than my usual tank top/boxer look.) I threw that along with some granny panties into the hospital bag.

Checked one more thing off my list.

I never liked the wood-framed glider we bough for Only Child. I wanted an upholstered rocker in the new baby's room, so I've been trolling craigs list for months. I found this small club chair at a steal because the mom said it doesn't rock well on carpet. So now I have an ugly glider that works great, and a great-looking rocker that may or may not do the trick. I'd say that's balance. (Its in such good condition, I'm considering a slip cover to protect it from spit up. That's crazy, right?)

I been online until the wee hours picking out this and that and trying to wrap up the other projects that have my mind racing in all directions when I should be sleeping.

Painters are scheduled for Friday.


I still have to pick out a crib bedding (this is one of three sets I'm considering) and some fabric for the windows. I have to buy a few cute pieces of art like this or this and this that I saw on Etsy. I'm picturing a vintagey-mod room, with soft, washed colors because this is going to be my laid-back baby.

(Most people don't know, I didn't, but you can custom order the temperament of baby you desire.)

I have asked MMA very nicely to get all the baby stuff down from the attic so I can launder, sort and put things away. He's also in charge of furniture assembly. This may require some beer drinking and having a guy friend over to talk about the sweet life they left behind for fatherhood.

Girly Stuff is coming over the Saturday after next to direct the DIY projects and to help arrange all the pretties in the nursery. We'll probably eat Chick fil A and talk about our kids and our post-baby bodies and how we keep getting better and better with age.

I AM going to sleep better tonight knowing that things are finally coming together.

I love you, too!

Bonnie at The Campbell Family gave me this award. It's taken me way too long to acknowledge it. Lately, if I have a free moment, I nap instead of blog. I do want to thank her for putting me in such great company!

Bonnie is always doing something fun with her house-full-o-boys...I can see where my life is headed; I see lots of team sports and dirt under our nails and NEVER a dull moment!

There are some things I love about blogging.

First, I can talk (even if its just to myself) without apology about any topic I choose. It's always about me, here. Can you tell I was a middle child? I just wish I was getting paid for all this sharing. I take that back. To date I've racked up a whopping $2.12 in Google ad sense funds...now if I could convert that to an Amazon gift certificate, I'd really be banking!

Second, I get acquainted with people from all over the place. People with real lives who exist many states away that I will never meet; yet I know them...sort of. I follow their blogs like some people follow TV shows. Only, reality is more interesting than fiction. Don't you agree?

And, I learn cool things. Since I haven't been an official student in more than ten years, I like to think I keep my brain active by watching Noggin (its like preschool for kids) and blogging. I am constantly amazed at what those prolific, crafty bloggers are up to!

So I'd like to re-gift this award to these comrades for their contributions to my blogging circle. I love blogging because of bloggers like you!

The Idea Room - Amy's ideas are totally accessible, practical or just too much fun not to know about. She's the creative kid that's always got her hands into something new. She's only been blogging for a few months and already has amassed quite a following. No surprise why.

The American Homemaker - Besides being talented in the kitchen and crafting arenas, Angie is totally down to earth and honest about "life." She finds beauty in unexpected things and turns trash into treasure with a little spit and spray paint. Did I mention that she also juggles a full-time job and kids?

Live.Love.Eat - Stephanie is always cooking something that I would love to eat. I wish we were neighbors! A self-described foodie, she tries out new recipes (plural) each week, posts pictures and gives her personal feedback on the recipe. We have similar taste in food, so I hang on her every ingredient. Need some dinner inspiration? Check her out!