A Long Day

Today was a long day. One of those days when every time I wasn't watching my toddler, she was doing something or getting into something she wasn't supposed to be doing. And at times it felt like she was intentionally pushing me to my limits. Could it be?

What did she do? What was she doing? It would be easier to tell you what she wasn't doing, behaving, its simple as that. And to make it even more challenging she kept saying "Daddy" all day long.

But now she's in bed, my two month old is napping on the couch and I'm catching up with the DVR. Now if I can just get motivated to work out too....

Dreaming of a Dream Vacation

Sponsored By


Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine, Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

Who needs a vacation more than a new Mom? Now granted things are a little easier since this is my second child and I knew I'd be facing endless mountains of laundry, diapers followed by feedings followed by more diapers and dirty bottles on every counter top and table. But there are days when just one day of sleeping in late, being able to shop or run errands alone and taking a shower longer than 10 minutes would qualify as both a dream and a vacation. But when I do sleep and even when I'm awake I still dream of a "real" vacation.

When I dream of a vacation, my dream is of a vacation without our children even though I know we'd miss them terribly, it involves a trip to a beautiful tropical island, staying in a luxury villa located on the ocean with a breathtaking view. I want a private chef, maid service, a private pool and hot tub with a butler that will bring us cold margaritas and fruity alcoholic drinks, sleeping in late and dinners on the patio watching the sunset while eating a five course meal.

And since my husband and I never had a "real honeymoon" I want a combination of romance and adventure in a setting as close to paradise as possible. We'd spend our days sightseeing, snorkeling, playing on jet skis and swimming in our private pool at our luxury villa. And in the evening we'd take a yacht out and cruise around the islands while enjoying dinner, dancing and a hot tub on the boat. We could enjoy couples massages and facials and afterwards spend time shopping where the locals shop.

While I love the Internet and cable television, my smartphone and facebook and blogging and all of the other gadgets we have, I'd truly like to have a vacation from it all. I don't want to be reminded of the high crime rates or the problems of the world, no text messages or online games as distractions, no Ipods, etc. Wouldn't it be great to escape the "real world" for a little while?

My ultimate dream vacation would be to have time to reconnect with my husband without the everyday distractions, in a beautiful location where we could create memories that we could share with our children.
Don't forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Looking Back, While Moving Forward

I remember my parents and other adults saying "the only thing constant is change." As a child I didn't quite understand what that meant but as an adult and now as a parent of two children I'm reminded of this on a daily basis.

Two years ago today I was pregnant with our daughter and in the ICU with my husband and his family, standing by my father-in-law's bedside praying for him to recover. He passed away that afternoon. One week later to the day I gave birth to our daughter. We were so hapy to have a healthy baby girl but so sad that she would never get to meet her Papa and he'd never be able to hold her.

And then a year ago today we rushed to the ER with our little girl. She'd been sick for 3-4 days and wasn't improving but getting worse. After learning she had bacterial meningitis and the most dangerous strain we were in shock. We were standing in the same hospital where we'd lost my father-in-law, just one year later and the thought of losing our first and only child on that day in that place was unbearable.

Shortly after learning MC's diagnosis we were transferred via ambulance to Texas Children's Hospital. I'd never been in an ambulance before and hope I'll never have to ride in one again. I was lying on the bed with MC on my chest, wrapped in several blankets to keep her warm with an IV in her arm. She was lifeless as we weaved in and out of traffic racing to the hospital.

We spent a week in the hospital with our little girl. And I know we were lucky, I know we were blessed and I feel like we received a miracle. As far as we know she has fully recovered without any damage from her illness.

While we were in the hospital MC had her first taste of McDonald's and celebrated her first birthday and now we're just one week away from her second birthday. It seems like a lifetime ago not just a year.

The loss of my mom and father-in-law mean we must tell our children stories of their grandparents, show them pictures and tell them of their love. And from our experience with MC's short hospital visit, when we say our prayers we pray for the children that can't be healed, for the kids that live in the hospital most of the year battling cancer and other diseases, for their parents experiencing the helpless feeling that we felt firsthand. And we remind ourselves not to take time with our kids for granted. Those are just a few of the things that have changed for us the last two years.

I hug my kids and tell them how much I love them several times a day. If you haven't experienced a severe illness with your child, think of those that ahve and remember them n your prayers at night.

Fall Season Premieres

What is everyone watching this fall? During the summer I feel like we live at Blockbuster and spend too much time watching movies we've previously seen on the movie channels, just waiting for fall and the return of our nightly programs.

I can remember when I knew what day of the week it was by seeing what was on TV, Friends, ER, LA Law, etc. This season I know Grey's Anatomy means its Thursday and NCIS means its Tuesday but I'm still learning a lot of the new programs and trying to match them with the nights they're on.

At the same time I hesitate to get involved in a new drama or comedy because lately it seems like every time we find a new program we enjoy its canceled after either the first season or several episodes. And that's frustrating. And in most cases these are good programs that just disappear. What happened to Dirty Sexy Money? How about Lipstick Jungle? Where's The Unit?

Then there are programs that I don't enjoy and figure they won't make it and yet they're still around . I'm kind of surprised that recently the USA network has developed great shows like Royal Pains and Covert Affairs. I just hope they realize they have winners and continue to keep them on the air.

Currently, I look forward to seeing how this season continues to develop. Some of my new favorites include: The Undercovers, The Defenders, Chase and Blue Bloods. What are your favorites this fall?

Follow Me Back Tuesday

It's Tuesday! Follow me back Tuesday!

Join us for Follow Me Back Tuesday
Hosted by Survey Junkie,Little Yaya's,
Review Retreat , Boobies,BabiesAndABlog
& this weeks Guest Host
Xenia from Thanks Mail Carrier


( Do Not Link Your Giveaways.. This is not a giveaway link up.. All links not linked to your FMBT post or your homepage will be deleted )



How it Works
•Follow all 4 Hosts & Guest Host - Spots 1-5 leave us a comment w/ your blog url so that we can follow u back ( only leave a comment that you follow if you actually follow )
•Snag our button to add to your FMBT post then post on your blog
•Add your blog to the list- using the link from your blog post( NOT YOUR BLOG HOP or GIVEAWAYS PLEASE ) These entries will be deleted.
•Follow as many blogs as you would like, Make sure you leave them a comment so they know you stopped by . Then Follow Back everyone that follows you & comments.

Blogging is like Exercise

Does anyone else feel like blogging is like exercise? Let me explain, by no means do I feel like blogging is a chore, but exercise is at times a chore. But you know how when you really get into the swing of fitness and you have a routine you tend to follow through and stay on task, well it seems like the more I blog the easier it is to continue but once I fall off the wagon so to speak, its tough to find the time to get back into it.

And much like my good intentions to make it to the gym, I've had good intentions for the past four weeks to get back to blogging. But I continue to make excuses, I'm too tired, I need to spend time with the kids, I'd rather nap, I'd rather eat, I'd rather work-out (okay, so I've never used that excuse).

I knew when I had the baby that I'd have to take a break from blogging and spend time recovering and adapting to life with two children. We're still getting used to being a family of four. It seems strange to say we have "kids", when it used to be "I have a daughter." Now we have "kids." And on Saturday when the waitress asked "how many", I was ready to reply three, when I realized, now its four.

Life has changed. Definitely for the better but it still takes time to adapt.

Saturday night I was home watching college football on the couch with my five week old son beside me and my daughter running around the family room and in and out of her bedroom. Before I became a parent, I would have been at the game, in a sports bar or partying with friends while watching the games.

At one point during the game I was reminded by a friend of a game we'd attended several years ago, when Auburn played South Carolina at Williams-Brice. It was a cloudy afternoon game and we'd dressed for rain and chilly temperatures only to find a muggy day full of sun by the time we were in our seats. And after tailgating which involved the consumption of alcoholic beverages, we became silly and brave. (I admit I'd completely forgotten/erased this particular memory until she reminded me last week) But at some point we decided to talk the guys seated behind us into giving us their boxer shorts so we could watch the game without suffering from heatstroke. (No I definitely can not EVER run for public office)

So what does this have to do with blogging being like exercise? Has my brain turned into total mush since the baby and I'm just not making any sense? No, not quite, not yet anyways.

The point is with crazy memories like that one, two children, three dogs, a husband that enjoys pushing my buttons just for personal amusement and my ability to multi-task I have lots to say and plenty to write about in my blog just as I have extra pounds to lose and muscles to tone. I'm going to get back to the blog and get back to working out, although I think one will be easier to follow through on than the other.

Toys R Us: Beauty and The Beast + Tinker Bell DVD/Blu Ray Movie Deal

For a great deal on Beauty and the Beast and the new Tinkerbell Movie check out this post by Common Sense with Money.



Toys R Us: Beauty and The Beast + Tinker Bell DVD/Blu Ray Movie Deal