For the love of piggy piggy

If you're like me, you have waaaaayyyyy too many stuffed animals in your house.
Can I hear an "amen"?

You try to be discreet by stuffing them into the black trash bag and dashing quickly to the garbage cans to get rid of the goods while no one's looking.
(Maybe that's just me....but doubt it.)

You probably have your kids go through them to select which ones to say the big "good-bye".  A good lesson in "giving", right?

You've probably sold them at garage sales.

Well, let me tell you a little ditty about this chickie.

She loves pigs.

Stuffed pigs...

pictures of pigs....

living pigs....

webkinz pigs...
stories about pigs...
making up songs about pigs...

you get the picture.

Here's the history lesson behind her love of pigs...

Grandma gave her big sis a stuffed animal collection (beanie babies - I'm sure you remember those cute little things) and it included lots and lots of goodies.

Big sis ended up giving little sis a few select pieces, including this little pig.
It was love at first oink / sight.

The pig was named Piggy Piggy.
It used to be a much cleaner.
A brighter pink than today.

She's been through many life experiences...

countless nightmares...

runny noses and nasty coughs...

bad flu bugs...

nightime heaves...

trips to Maui, AZ, Las Vegas, San Diego, Palm Springs...
camping in the wilderness...
and sleepovers...

Each night, Sugar Nugget gets Piggy Piggy ready for bed.
Mask on eyes.  Check.
Piggy Piggy in her sleeping bag.  Check.
Piggy Piggy carefully placed to the right of her pillow.  Check.
Then, she places her own mask onto her eyes.
Sugar Nugget got these masks with some pajamas about 3 years ago and has been sleeping with hers ever since.
Isn't that strange?
Ready for bed!

Piggy Piggy, and a slew of other stuffed animals have gone through...

baths...

a trip in the clothes dryer...

tossing contests...

ear piercings...

tea parties...

You get the picture.

Based on this love affair, she has a conviction to avoid bacon and anything made from a pig.  No pork.  No bacon - ever!

Check out the sign in her room.

It's all good.
Her love affair with Piggy Piggy is a special one!
I'll be sad when it's over.

Help!

I need your opinion.

Which of these pictures do you prefer and why??

Reason:  My daughters are going to be in their first ever pageant.  Sounds odd, huh?

They've watched those reality pageant shows on TV.

You know the ones where the 4 year olds are getting spray tans

and placing those fake teeth in their mouths.

The Moms are yelling at the kids.

The kids are crying.

Yet the Moms say the kid wants to be there.

My thought is "ut uh - no way - won't happen - not gonna do it!"

Well, Sweet Cheeks has been mentioning her desire to do pageants to her Dad during their evening "special time".  That's the time they spend together at bedtime.  Just rappin' about the day.

T-Bone came out of special time and told me that she'd been mentioning pageants quite a bit lately.

He said "just google it and see what happens".

Well, here's what happened.

I found a pageant that's coming up on 5/16 and it's right in our neighborhood.

What?

And, it's not a beauty pageant.

And, they support about 5 fantastic charities throughout the year.

And, the chairperson lives in my neighborhood.

And, it seems almst too perfect.

Couldn't believe it.

Maybe it was meant to be.

So, my girls are gonna do it!

It's going to cost a small fortune - but, hey - it's only money.

I have to submit an 8x10 photo for the photogenic competition, which is optional but both girls want to do it.

Please give me your ranking on these pictures and a brief explanation about whay you love your first pick.

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

No. 5

No. 6

No. 7

Both girls are also doing talent, which is optional.

Sweet Cheeks is singing "A Dream is a Wish"

Sugar Nugget is doing a jazz number (can I see some jazz hands?) to Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA.

I'm proud of my girls for trying something new.

I was in pageants and I felt that it really made me more confident when I was young.

Thanks for your help.

A sticky situation

The smart phone = dumber person post has made me rethink my organizational skills.

Look out Martha - I'm going to get organized.

Things will be in their places.

My iphone will be working for me.

That's right, I'm the boss.

My dayplanner will be upated the minute the email arrives.
The iphone calendar will be updated at the same time.

Bills will be placed where they belong instead of scattered on the kitchen counter for days.

I'm a Mom.

A wife.

A small business owner that works from home.

An elementary school volunteer.

I help out with the girl's brownie and girl scout troops.

Chaeffuer the kids around to all activities.

Schedule play dates.

Manage the household.

etc., etc.

My life is fast...

simple, yet complicated.

busy, yet plenty of time for rest.

Take a look at my computer monitor.

These notes are placed strategically...

yes - that's right near the coffee pot!

Sticky notes galore!

I've got these babies throughout the house to help me remember important things;

like crazy hat day.

These are the greatest invention.

Stick it - then do it!

I know some of my good friends are list makers.

I make lists.

Too many lists.

Here's my problem:  I start one pad of paper and make lots of notes.

Then I lose that pad and start another list.

The kids take the pad of paper.

The cycle is a vicious one.

That's why these sticky babies work great for me.

Right on the front door so I don't forget anything important that day.

Please share your organization skills.

I'm in need of some serious rehab.

Smart phone = dumber person

Since I got my smart phone it seems that I've been forgetting things more than ever.

I've been blaming it on age.

Saying that I'm just a multi-tasker.

Pointing out that its because I'm managing the schedule for our family 'o 4.

Even asking my husband if he things I'm getting early on-set Alzheimers.
Wondering if my coffee should be caffeinated instead of decaf?

It's beginning to worry me.

But I had an ah-ha moment, just like Oprah says.

Even though it wasn't the type of ah-ha moment she talks about.

Here we go...

My ah-ha moment made me realize that since I got my
smart phone - it's made me dumber.

The research shows...

I'll check out my email from my smart phone while waiting for my girls to get out of dance.

Then, when I get home and see my emails again - I mentally say "that's taken care of"....

but I'm forgetting important stuff,

not writing down dates in my calendar,

forgetting to complete necessary paperwork,

etc.

The diagnosis...

YIKES - slow down - PaY aTtEnTiOn - stay focused - stop being so dumb

You got the picture.

The treatment...

I'm turning over a new leaf with my smart phone.

It will become my best friend, my scheduler, my note taker, my weather checker, my googler, my navigator.

It's obviously called a smart phone for a reason.

The person just has to be smart enough to use it!

Crazy Hat Day

The girls' school had crazy hat day today and here's what they chose to wear.

Introducing Sweet Cheeks with her traditional easter brimmed hat carefully embellished with as many flower hair clips as we could find...

And, here is the lovely Sugar Nugget sporting an American Girl hat tied cleverly with a long piece of ribbon that was in our craft cupboard...

Free fun.

Gotta love it!

Proud

This girl really never ceases to amaze me.

Once she sets her mind to something, she does it.

She wanted an iphone - we said "no way".

First, let me remind you that she's 10.

She doesn't need a cell phone.

We live 2 minutes from the school.

I am a leisurely stay-at-home mom with a job where I work from home.

I can be at the school in a moments time if there's an emergency.

No phone.

She wanted an ipod touch.

We said "if you want it, you'll have to save up for it."

Guess what?

She did.

That's almost $300 in case you were wondering.

Now, let me tell you a bit about how she earned the money.

She gets $2/week for just being a part of the family.

No chores, per se, to earn that money.

I read somewhere (long ago) that giving your kids a little money each week will help them manage it.

We decided on a measely $2.

She received b-day money.

She received gift cards from different stores that we bought from her with cash.

She did it!

She saved almost $300!

For the record, she's also saved money and bought her own:
ipod
digital camera
and DSI

We're proud of her.

 Perseverance pays off.

Quick, easy lunch or breakfast

I don't claim to be a good cook - or even an O.K. cook....

however this is a yummy sandwich.

I forgot to include the english muffins in the picture below.

I mean, really.  A good cook can't forget the main ingredient.

No wonder I'm not a good cook.

Anyhoo...

here's what you need.

Toast up your english muffin (use the high fiber ones for a healthier choice).

Mush up your egg and add some mustard and mayo, plus a little "no salt" seasoning.

Add pesto to the english muffin and ..... presto - everything's better with pesto.

Serve it up on paper plates for easy clean up.

Try it.  You'll like it!

A thank you

Went here...

Saw two of these men...

Bought them a treat of these...

And said thank you for serving our Country.

Gotta say that without this person in my life I probably wouldn't take the time to recognize our military with a simple purchase of a coke or cookies.

They make such a HUGE commitment for all of America.

You and me.

To help keep our families safe.

Take the time to recognize these folks while you're out and about.

It only cost me 20 seconds and $2.

That isn't even comparable to the commitment they've made.

Share a smile!

Easter Break

It was simple.

It was fun.

Off to Hollywood to see the Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theatre (all too exciting because American Idol happens there!)....and, of course, Universal Studios.

The adventure began by stopping at the world famous hot dog stand....

Pinks.

Yummo!

Then walking the Walk of Fame

(sorry about the redudance....sometimes it just happens)

Ripleys tallest man...

Sugar Nuggets favorite characters...

The magic of Mickey Mouse...

in front of the Disney Soda Fountain.

A quick fight with a pirate...

T-Bone took us to dinner at a delicious italian restaurant where the servers are aspiring singers and perform for the patrons.

Very fun.

Scrumptious food, too.

The next day was spent at Universal Studios...

the tour and the theme park.

During the tour, Sweet Cheeks was very excited to show Sugar Nugget where she was while filming on Desperate Housewives.

You could see the pride rolling off of her.

Nooooooooo......

Sugar Nugget loves pigs like no other...

A little interview with what's his name???

Off to the moon...

Where's my mummy? 

Hee Hee

Coffee, the outdoors and family.

Ah, yes!

It was a great time!