What? No corn syrup dipping sauce?

I promise I not to become a snotty ex-pat, constantly ranting about the Euro and how far superior life in Europe is in comparison to the United States...

But there are just some things that are so quintessentially "American" that I am quite all right with leaving behind.

Such as...

We so are the fattest country in the world, aren't we....

Tunes for Two

Sick of the hundredth kids' CD featuring school children signing an ear-splitting "Old MacDonald", I put together a compilation of "kid-friendly" tunes from my personal music collection for my son and gave it out as party favors for his first birthday party. This year, I decided to make it a birthday tradition.

Since I exhausted my collection last year, I've been compiling music for the last two months. There is a whole lot of music out there, just not a whole lot that really "works" for a two-year-old's birthday party...

So, it's no big surprise that I ended up with Laurie Berkner, Justin Roberts, and of course, They Might Be Giants and The Beatles.

I downloaded all of the music from iTunes, and I had hoped I could share it with you using playlist.com. Unfortunately, they didn't have most of the songs; not even just my very favorites.

If you know of another site or service I could use to post my playlist, please let me know. In the mean time, here is my son's second birthday playlist:

1. Stroller Town - Jonathan Coulton

2. I'm Gonna Catch You - Laurie Berkner

3. Snack Time - The RTTs

4. Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles

5. Where Do They Make Balloons? - They Might Be Giants

6. Dance Around - Ralph's World

7. Top Of The World - The Juliana Theory

8. Island In The Sun - Weezer

9. Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang

10. Hooked On A Feeling - Rusted Root

11. Boogie Shoes - KC & The Sunshine Band

12. Me and Julio Down By The School Yard - Paul Simon

13. My Brother Did It - Justin Roberts

14. No! - They Might Be Giants

15. It's Your Birthday - Justin Roberts

My Wii-kend

What, what, what? Me home on Friday and Saturday nights? Blogging? Drunk?

Yeah, so what. Apparently, I'm not alone...

As parents, we may no longer have much of a night life, but we're doing something about it. Heck yeah! Busy Dad from The Busy Dad Blog created a brilliant new group for us, "The Weekend Blog Hoppers".

...instead of hopping from bar to bar with our friends, getting buzzed, getting feely and talking cheeky, we're hopping each others' blogs...

It's blog hopping in lieu of bar hopping. You could call it a "virtual night out". I just call it F-U-N in my fuzzy pink slippers.

You can get all of the details right here .

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Okay, so with that being said... I actually went out yesterday evening.

I know. I know, but it was pretty much a huge geek-fest, so I don't know if it really ranks up there with my crazy, hazy single gal days. (May they rest in peace.)

Some friends hosted a Wii Party at their home. Just a low key night of scotch drinkin', smack talkin', and BUTT KICKIN'!

Well, until my mom and dad, who were at my house babysitting my son, called to asked if I was coming home soon...

"Yes, Mom. I'll come home now... No, no. I'm okay to drive... Yeah, you don't have to pick me up from the video game party... Thanks for baby-sitting my son."

I love the Wii, but refuse to get one since it would pretty much consume my entire life, not unlike blogging. Hmm...

As soon as I got home and put son back to bed, I was online again checking e-mail, reading my comments, hunting for content, and catching up on my Google Reader.

See, I told you. Huge geek-fest.

The Oracle of Starbucks

Today, I spotted my very first red Starbucks cup of the year.

How can this be?! We're still in shorts and tank tops here in Dallas. It can't be that close to the holidays yet... can it?

Since Hubby and I have been trying to cut back in every way possible in order to afford Christmas, my trips to Starbucks have been curtailed for a bit. So, no little red cups for me. In a more prosperous era, my drink of choice this time of year would be their yummy Gingerbread Latte.

Have you ever wondered what you Starbucks order says about you? Well, wonder no more.

Behold, The Oracle of Starbucks knows all!

You type in your order (including size) and the "Oracle of Starbucks" gives you a personality assessment like none other. Here's mine:

Behold the Oracle's wisdom:

Personality type: Lame

You're a simple person with modest tastes and a reasonable lifestyle. In other words, you're boring. Going to Starbucks makes you feel sophisticated; you'd like to be snooty and order an espresso but aren't sure if you're ready for that level of excitement. People laugh at you because you use fake curse words like "friggin'" and "oh, crumb!" Everyone who thinks America's Funniest Home Videos is a great show drinks grande gingerbread latte.

Also drinks: V8
Can also be found: On the couch at home

It's true. My tastes have become simpler, especially since I've started brewing my own coffee at home instead of paying $5 for it on my way to playgroup. I guess that makes me a bore and lame.

I'm not sure if it's the espresso, some much as having someone serve me and clean up afterwards that's the exciting part.

It's true. I do use fake curse words, so let them laugh at me. I like to reserve the real ones for special occasions. I have not, however, found America's Funniest Home Videos funny since I was in 6th grade...

V8 is good for you and, yes, my sofa is quite inviting.

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As if I don't have enough delicious blogs keeping me from sleeping at night to read, I'm constantly discovering more, more, MORE!

I mostly find new blogs from seeing who other bloggers currently digging, but occasionally, a fascinating headline will pop up through BlogRush (you know, that little widget off the the side of my blog... If you haven't already signed up, you totally should!). Once I'm compelled to click, I'm as good as hooked.

This is precisely what lead me to MommyCosm and her post about The Oracle of Starbucks. I just had to pass it along.

Today, I'd like to express my gratitude for all of the people in my "bloggy-hood".

Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making me cry. Thank you for entertaining and inspiring me. Thank you for your creativity, sarcasm, and wit.

Thank you for making me feel a part of a community through your comments and awards. I love and admire you all!!!

Oh, who are the people in your bloggy-hood?
In your bloggy-hood?
In your bloggy-hood?
Say, who are the people in your bloggy-hood?
The people that you meet each day

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Okay, so there are some awards that I've been sitting on for a few weeks. I've had every intention of posting them and passing along the bloggy lovin', but darn it, if other stuff didn't just keep happening around here...

Well, no more procrastinating! Without further ado, I would like to take a moment and pat myself on the back! (pat! pat! pat!)

First, there's the Egel Nest Blog Award for Blog Eggcellence awarded to me by none other than the Nap Warden and yes, I do know exactly why...

I appreciate the love and recognition (especially coming from the Nap Warden) and, in turn, would like to pass it along to some of my favorite bloggers...

1. SAHMmy from SAHMmy says. Her tagline reads, "Your Bossy Sister is a Stay At Home Mom" and she means it. Chock full of brilliant advice and home to the "Get Off Your Butt Challenge". What's there not to love?
   
   
2. Lara from Life: The Ongoing Education and Life: The Illustrated Education. Life learned one post, one photograph at a time. All of it beautiful.
   
   
3. Too much and not enough all at once, Absolutely Bananas is correct! She cracks me up!
   
   

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JJ from Gaining Balance gave me TWO awards. The first one really made me laugh! It was none other than the...

Apparently, I kick some donkey butt. I LOVE it. Thank you so much, JJ. I want to pass it along to...

1. Izzy of IzzyMom- Honest, passionate, thought-provoking and always so fascinating to read.
   
   
2. Sara of Self-Made Mom. She's officially on "break" at the moment, but I just have to let her know, "Your blog kicks some serious donkey butt!" and "I miss you terribly". She comes back from time to time with interesting articles and news bits, so hopefully you'll catch a glimpse of her brilliance... that is, if you haven't already.
   
   
3. Lawyer Mama. For challenging all of us to THINK and confront issues beyond our own. I admire that about you, Lawyer Mama.

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Then as if giving me the "Donkey Butt" award wasn't generous enough, the very next day, JJ gave me ANOTHER one just for making her smile.

She is totally spoiling me with all this bloggy bling.

JJ, thanks for making my day. Now, here are a few folks that put a smile on my face...

1. Miguelina. Her blog is just as sweet and charming as that adorable song bird that once graced its header.
   
   
2. A Whole Lot of Nothing. Check out her blog (go ahead, I'll wait). Then shop her store, Good for the Kids. Two great finds that are sure to make you smile.
   
   
3. Cheaper than Therapy. Who needs therapy when you've got Ali to make your laugh... Oh, and she just swore off candy until a week AFTER Halloween. Brave or crazy?
   
   
   

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Also, Mad Goat Lady, who claims she's "getting madder by the day", tagged me for her Desktop Meme over the weekend. So, here it is... MY DESKTOP

Okay, so my desktop is a bit CLUTTERED and with what?

Let's see here... Umm, looks like a lot of files from the job I quit in JANUARY to become a SAHM. I intended to go through all of it and use whatever I could to update my resume... you know, just in case...

The background photo is my son in his Halloween costume and was taken around this time last year. He's six months old and dressed up as a lion. I know. Isn't he ad-ROAR-able?!

Okay, now it's your turn,

NapWarden of The Chronicles of a SAHM

Heidi of Hydes Like Us

Kelley of magneto bold too!

WorksforMom from What Works For Us

Momo Fali (or "Mom of Ali") from Momo Fali

Here are the very important rules…..

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by:

[1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).

[2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).

[3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

Nice Matters!

Mayberry Mom thinks I'm nice (Hugs!) and then awarded me this:

It's for those bloggers who are nice people and good blog friends--those who bring good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.

Such an HONOR-- especially coming from Mayberry Mom, who I happen to think is quite nice herself. Thank you so much. This was a terrific way to start the week.

What better way to honor this honor than to pass it on to some of the nicest people in my blogger-hood...

A'Dell from Are thing complicated yet?. Not only is she a really great blogging buddy, she's also a good friend offline (*in the real world*), too. We met as co-workers well before revealing our secrets to the Internet occurred to either one of us. I assure you, she's just as nice (and fun and hilarious) in person as she is on her blog.

The Nap Warden from The Chronicles of a SAHM, who I had the pleasure of meeting at BlogHer. She deserves this award not only because saved me from having to actually watch "Age of Love", but particularly for this post about playground bullies... (It's very hard to to be nice when you just want to go all "momma bear" on the little sh*t antagonizing your baby.)

Erin from Good Enough for a kick ass blog name and tag line that always makes me smile. I also met her at BlogHer and have been following her blog ever since.

Erin and Kristin from the Manic Mommies, "Moms trying to do it all...and do it well", of course. These two working moms host a weekly parenting podcast (in addition to writing a blog) about juggling kids, careers, husbands, and households. They also feature regular guests such as a life coach, a parenting expert, and a pediatrician... covering topics on everything a new mommy like me could ever want to know. Listening to their show is like chatting with two dear friends who just happen be as entertaining as they are informative...

Gretchen from The Happiness Project, because there's nothing more positive than helping people be more HAPPY! I've been reading her blog for some time now and it never fails to "wow" me. It seems that we would all be a little happier if we could just be a little nicer... hmm...

Which Muppet are you?

I spotted this on What Works For Us today and it made me smile, so I thought I'd share the love... since it's a slow Sunday and all. It's the Sesame Street Persona test !!!

Which Muppet are you?

It turns out that I'm Big Bird. Shocking! I was certain I'd been Ernie. Even funnier is that Hubby is Snuffleupagus. I thought he'd be Bert, for sure...

Either way, we're destined to be best friends forever.

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Your Score: Big Bird

You scored 79% Organization, 41% abstract, and 76% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables:

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are very organized, both concrete and abstract, and more extroverted.


Here is why are you Big Bird:

You are both very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Big Bird is never sloppy and always under control... pretty good for a 6 year old bird living without a family.

You both are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract thinkers. Big Bird can be quite dreamy at times and has no problem using his imagination. At the same time he is also practical and can be methodical in his search for answers to questions. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course.

You are both extroverts. Big Bird gets along with everyone. He makes friends easily and always has a positive attitude. You definitely enjoy the company of others, and you don't have problems meeting new people... in fact you probably look forward to it. You are willing to take charge when necessary or work as part of a team.

Link: The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test