Some More of Something Borrowed

Okay, so I know I've already said this, but I am SO STINKING EXCITED for Something Borrowed the movie to come out (in theaters May 6 by the way). It is by far one of my favorite books (written by the lovely Emily Giffin).

Here's just another little sneak peak of the movie with cast interviews (and your daily John Krasinski fix - in case you didn't get enough of him on The Office last night. Lord knows I didn't!).

I apologize for the spillover of the screen into my sidebar, but I am not a technological genius like my husband (who is not around at the moment TO HELP ME).

Happy Weekend!

Favorite Things

It's Fun Friday, kids! So today I wanted to share one of my favorite things with you (like Oprah, except I'm too poor to actually give anything away, but if I could...YOU'D GET A CAR and YOU'D GET A CAR and YOU'D GET A CAR! Hee hee.). I mean, besides pancakes. And fountain drinks. And pretzel M&M's. Oh, and my children's laughter. Yes. That too. (Mom of the Year!)

This book, right here:

Something Borrowed, by the lovely Emily Giffin spurred me on to finishing my novel when I really didn't want to go any further. I had started it, and then fell into a rut. Then I read this book (and then ALL of her books), and it inspired me so much that I got back to writing again. And now... it's been made into a movie! Squee! I know I'm going to LOVE this movie (hello, John Krasinski from The Office! LOVE!). The only thing that stinks is that I have to wait until May to see it :( Here's the trailer:

 Happy Weekend! What's one of your favorite things?

Mommy's Getting a Makeover

Is it fall yet? Because I always get this stirring in my bones when fall is around the corner - time to change things up a bit. A few weeks ago, I gave myself bangs. If you knew me in the early 90's you know that this is MAJOR because I had an unfortunate bang situation for most of my adolescence (thanks, Mom!). I might try to color my hair (what I have left of it anyway) tonight...who knows.

AND as you may have noticed (or may have not, so I'll blatantly point it out to you) This Mommy's Life has a new look. Yep, it's still the same blog, just under new management. Mommy's getting her act together. I hope you like it - it is TOTALLY me, except it's missing something. Hmmm. OH! How could I forget, the BIRD ELEMENT. We all know I'm a crazy bird lady.

When I went looking for pretty birds, LOOK what I found on Etsy! LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIFUL PRINTS!

Those last two are my favorites! I can't wait to sell my first book (fingers crossed/toes crossed/eyes crossed/KrisKross'll make you JUMP JUMP! I told you...early 90's), because I will buy up this ENTIRE Etsy shop by YumiYumi.

Enjoy your Monday, everyone. I'm off to Starbucks to get a pumpkin spice latte, because it's fall...right?

Love It/Hate It Kindergarten Style

My son made it successfully through his first week of Kindergarten!!!

This further proves the fact that I really am quite the exemplary mother he really is the coolest kid on the planet. He did have one minor hiccup, the details of which I will not go into here on the Internet. Why? Because I don't want to get a call when he's, I don't know, middle aged and in therapy, telling me how he remembers the time when I embarrassed him on the Internet. And I'll have to be all, "Uh, which time was that again?" No. I don't need that on my conscience.

In lieu of this celebration, here are the things I love/hate about my child being in Kindergarten.

Love It:
- He wears uniforms! He might complain about not having the freedom to choose his own clothes down the road, but I never will. Uniforms are God's gifts to mothers like me, who have a hard enough time dressing themselves at 6 A.M., let alone their kids.

- That he has already made a ton of friends, and that he asks me on a daily basis if they can come over and play. A lot of them are girls, which has me practicing my stinkeye I think is adorable.

- That I get that one on one time with my youngest. There is a lot less screaming and fighting and a lot more laughter. He has such an awesome little personality, and I get to hang out with him all day and just marvel at the funny things he says and does. He's a lot like his Daddy.

Hate It:
- Holy Lord, the crafts have already started. I am not a crafty person. I don't scrapbook; I don't paint; I don't make my own jewelry or clothes. I am completely inept when it comes to gluing anything to anything else. Also, I HATE LEGOS, and I am convinced they are the bane of most mothers' existence. Sorry, it seemed relevant.

- The paperwork. In addition to not being crafty, I am not all that organized either. I know, it's a wonder my husband even married me. I have no idea how to stay on top of the sheer magnitude of paper that now comes home in my son's tote bag. I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!

- Missing him. I miss him so, so, SO MUCH.

Do you have something you LOVE/HATE about your child being in school (Kindergarten or otherwise)? 

This is Why I Love the Internet

*Photos courtesy of Google Images. Canterbury Cathedral in England. This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in in person. The photo doesn't even do it justice!

Wondering why I chose those pics? Watch the video and you'll see :)

After yesterday's post, I was so grateful to read all of your encouraging and empathetic comments about how I was feeling. The more I thought on it, I realized that it's not just the writing life that causes me to feel insignificant at times. I feel it every once in a while about my parenting, my faith, my inability to do anything significant about things that seem so out of control (think natural disasters or child slavery). I think Wendy and Heather's comments really hit it on the head for me, so thanks girls!

 

And then, as I was attempting to pass on some of my newfound awareness and encouragement to a new blogger (check her out, Brooke at Bring About Art), I remembered something PROFOUND that I had the opportunity to see at a Women of Faith conference a few years back. Nicole Johnson does a skit called The Invisible Woman. 

I AM IN LOVE with this skit. I don't know why my brain couldn't recall this when I was feeling all melodramatic yesterday! If you have a few minutes, please go and watch it. If you've seen it before, WATCH IT AGAIN. I guarantee it will bless you again and again.

You are not invisible. You are not insignificant. You are TREASURED and you are LOVED by the God of the universe.

*I apologize to my male audience (all two of you ;P) for going all hormonal on you (but for the record, you are treasured and loved by God, too.). So to make up for it, watch this and tell me you didn't laugh. 

Love It/Hate It - Limited Release Florida Edition

So we made it to Florida after a 12 hour drive and minimal outbursts from the kids! Woo Hoo! It has been lovely so far. Here's a few things I'm loving at the moment:

Love It:

1. Sunshine and blue skies during the day, making the beach a heavenly place to be. Also, my boys look like Coppertone kids, and it's so stinking cute.

2. Rain showers in the afternoon making for delightful naptimes.

3. A pool mere steps from my parents' condo.

4. Family!!! (a.k.a. FREE BABYSITTING!!!) Also, I have the best.family.ever. and I love them to pieces.

5. Tomorrow I celebrate 8 years of marriage with my amazing husband and best friend. I love you babe!

Hate It:

1. Seaweed. Why is this stuff necessary again?

2. When those rain showers turn into thunderstorms...not so delightful.

3. My hair in Florida weather = frizzy all the time.

4. My own tan lines...grrr. However, better to have tan lines then no tan at all, am I right?

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far! Don't forget, there's still time to let me know what your favorite blog is! Tune in Friday to see the suggestions. You never know, you might find a new blog you can't live without! :)

*Photos courtesy of Google Images

Time to Put Some South in My Mouth!

My husband's baseball team (he coaches Varsity baseball at the school where he teaches) just won their first round of playoffs last night. I just found out that the next round of games are going to be played in SAVANNAH, GEORGIA! 

Why am I so excited?

Well, for starters, that their team is winning. They won the Georgia A State Championship last year, and they have a really good shot at doing it again this year.

But the REAL reason (sorry honey!) that I'm doing cartwheels is...THE LADY & SONS. Paula Deen's restaurant in downtown Savannah. By far THE BEST food I've ever tasted in my life.

*Photo courtesy of Google Images

Her Fried Chicken is THISCLOSE to heaven. And she makes these Gooey Butter Cakes that are TO.DIE.FOR. I'm all about some southern cooking y'all. I might've been born and raised in Florida, but I'm a Georgia girl at heart. My mom and I and my friend Heather actually got to meet Paula's sons, Jamie and Bobby, and they were just as sweet and gracious as they seem on TV. 

I mean, come on, who doesn't love a man that loves his mama?!

An added bonus? The setting for my novel is Savannah, so I actually get to do some research while I'm there! I visited Savannah on a family vacation a little over two years ago and fell in love with it. It's #1 on my "Favorite Places I've Visited in the United States" list.

So next Tuesday, my girlfriend Jodi (her husband is the head coach of the team) and I will be loading all four of our kids into her truck and heading south! So, if you're traveling through Georgia and you see two mamas on the side of the road with a port-a-potty seat, it'll probably be us! 

What's the best place you've ever visited?

Love It/Hate It

Love It:

- This Prius commercial...it makes me smile.

- My new haircolor - it's finally a normal color like this, which is nice, since I'm used to walking around looking like this.

- This song by One Republic. I CANNOT stop listening to it.

Hate It:

- That the second toe on my right foot decided it didn't need a toenail today. Ouch.

- That my dishwasher makes that low "mooing" sound JUST like my breast pump used to...only LOUDER.

- It's Fantasy Football season...no further explanation needed (can I get an amen ladies?).

What are you loving or hating?

I Can Feel It, Coming in the Air Tonight...

...oh Lo-ord. 

Okay, so my Dad LOVED Phil Collins, sue me (or sue-sue-suedio me!).

SO...I was outside tonight, and there was an actual briskness to the air, and, brace yourself, I had to get a SWEATER! 

AND!!! My husband just commented to me that his feet are cold (we're in bed). This means we might need to break out THE DUVET!!! WOO HOO!!!

I just love, love, LOVE fall. 

It's all my favorite colors: reds, oranges, yellows, browns. It's all my favorite scents: pumpkin pie, cinnamon, apples, and cloves.

I'm also extraordinarily giddy, because I got A LOT of writing done today, and I think I've finally hit my stride with this novel! I've come up with and stuck to a schedule that is really working for me, and I love it! 

Things I'm looking forward to in September: Cody and Tyler starting back to preschool, my 10 year high school reunion, and my Mom's birthday!

What are you looking forward to? Does your mood affect your writing? Do you "feel it" some days, and not others? Or are you more mechanical and business-like about it?

In Love...

With these little bad boys, right here:

Have you tried these ice cream candy bars yet? No? Well you should, because they're a little slice of heaven. 

Now this is the part where I tell you that I was NEVER a sweets eater until I met my husband (see here for more details on that). Give me an olive, a pickle, a bag of salty chips any day.

NOT ANYMORE. 

Although my sodium levels are much lower, my sugar levels are probably off the chart. Have I mentioned that diabetes runs in my family? Yeah, so I have to be REALLY careful about the sweets (mostly because I'm already filled up on the sugar from all the COKE I drink...I know, I know). Anyway, these little beauties are just perfect for my prone-to-diabetes health. 

Unless, of course, I eat the whole box...which I didn't. But I'm not saying it couldn't happen.

In Love

With this song:

The Frames - Falling Slowly

If you haven't heard The Frames yet, you should. Plus, they're from Ireland, and we all know great things come from that place.

Enjoy :)

I think I'm in Love

CLEANS E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I might just marry it, since my husband is dead and all (see previous post).