The Long Farewell

Hello? Are you still there?

(Crickets chipping)

No, I didn't DIE from our Thanksgiving turkey, although there ought to be a similar punishment doled out to bloggers who abandon their blogs (and their loyal readers) for two very long and cold months...

Here's the story...

I've decided to close down both "So, What Do You Do All Day?" and "American Mom in London" and make the leap to my own URL (and a whole new blog), Formerly Gracie.

Closing down "American Mom in London" was an easy decision. First of all, I don't live in London any more...

(As much as I enjoyed writing from my zany expat point of view, I really can't claim to be the "American Mom in London" when I'm no longer in London, now can I?)

Closing down this blog was a more complicated one...

When I started blogging, it was purely self indulgent. I never fancied myself to be much of a writer and my blog was merely way to vent... privately, but yet to the whole entire world.

I wrote "anonymously", which is to say only a few of my "real life" friends knew about it and even fewer actually read it. This suited me just fine as it gave me the freedom to write whatever I wanted (and about whomever I wanted)...

Over time, blogging has become a bigger part of my life than I ever could have imagined.

Not only was it better than therapy, it eased the transition from working girl to motherhood through wonderful friendships (online and in real life) and a supportive community that has made me laugh, cry, and nod in agreement/empathy/recognition every single day.

I also learned that I actually enjoy writing... A LOT. So much so that I'm willing to self-censor and clean up my act in order to be able to share it with the people in my life.

Between motherhood, tying up loose ends in London, and moving overseas (again), I've been developing the content and design of this new site. There's still plenty to tweak. I’m still working on the “Blogroll”, and the “About Me” page needs CPR. However, there are a few posts up and more to come.

In a few weeks, there will be a re-direct on this site and you won’t be able to read this at all.

To all of my readers, the tens of you, thank you so much for your love and support. I truly appreciate your loyalty and I hope to see you at Formerly Gracie.

Blue Screen of Doom

Oh.

My.

GAWD!

I did NOT mean to take another blogging hiatus, but this time it had nothing to do with the writer's block, exhaustion, or utter lack of inspiration of which I also have been suffering lately...

This time it was a bad (evil, nasty, hiss, baa) "mandatory" Windows Vista Update that killed my blogging mojo... and my computer.

Yup, it zapped my brand new laptop and rendered it totally useless for over a WEEK ago... and, of course, where were the restore disks?

Ummm, tucked neatly in a box at my parents house on the other side of the world...

Stupid of me! I know, but trust me, it would be the last thing you'd be thinking about too if you were A) moving OVERSEAS and B) with a toddler who has never flown before...

... and so what if I opted to pack those five extra diapers instead?

In spite of all this, I still do NOT regret it... and neither do my fellow passengers on American Airlines Flight #384.

Besides, my parents managed to find the disk and mailed them to me molto pronto. They were particularly motivated after I told them there won't be anymore web cam calls with their beloved one and only grandchild until they do...

In the meantime, my hubby, sexy, open-source lovin', techy programmer geek that he is, loaded a version of Linux on my computer, so that I could at least get online.

FAIL!

Everything took so excruciatingly long to load that I couldn't stand to do anything more than check a few e-mails each day before I was over it. I won't even go into the "mystery key strokes" and random prompts that would pop up as I typed...

(To all of you who received a typo-ridden emailed from me last week, now you know why...)

I'm not pro-Microsoft or anti-Linux or even think I'm cool enough for a Mac...

(What? Do you not have those debates with your husband, too?)

I just want my COMPUTER TO WORK, damnit!

The American Beef Industry: Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Times are definitely gloomy. We all need to cut back, tighten our belts, stop eating all that fancy, expensive food... like grass.

Update: Dispatches from Toddlerhood

Thank you for letting me dump my problems on all of you last week. As another mom pointed out to me, we have toddlers. Why should we expect life to be easy?

Well, I don't, but at least I have a place where I can whine and complain and throw my own fit for a change.

Your tips and support on the "toddler bed transition" were super helpful, but we decided to just throw money at the problem and hope it goes away.

'Cuz that always works, right? Right?!!

We're still waiting for our shipment from home to arrive, which happens include my son's books, toys, puzzles, etc. In the meantime, we've been making do with the "basics" and empty plain white walls left to us by our landlords.

It's been like camping in a sanitarium...

I've held off on making any purchases until our things arrive and we figure out what exactly was packed. In the blur of what went, what stayed, and what was sold, we've actually forgotten what we shipped. (Well, that and it's taken for freakin' forever to arrive...)

Last weekend, it finally occurred to us that of course our son doesn't want to stay in his room. It's BO-RING, while waking up Mommy and Daddy is FUN.

Everything we brought with us on the plane has been played out by now. Sure, a few shiny new objects would brighten the place up, but we already have stuff coming any day now and...

Well, as my husband has been saying lately, "We can't put a price tag on sleep. BUY IT."

I like that mindset. I like it a lot, so I've spent the better part of this past week trolling the Internet and local shops for things to make my son's room (and life) more exciting...

Thanks to freecycle.org, I've replaced the train table he had to leave behind and got him a new-to-us tricycle for absolutely NOTHING!

At TK Maxx (TJ Maxx's evil British twin brother), I found books, blocks, a train set, little cars and trucks, and best find of all...

A pop-up tent just his size! (Creepy gnome children not included)

..and guess what? He loves to sleep in it. I put a pillow and a blanket in there and he crawls right in and lays down. It's like magic.

We'll just have to see how long it lasts...

Like Zephra suggested in her comment, we've also started telling our son, "You don't have to go to bed, but you do have to stay in your room". Except now it sound more like a reward instead of a threat.

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And for something that has absolutely nothing to do with toddlers...

Can we all please repeat for Grey?

Alaska. 63. Sunny. Alaska. 63. Sunny. Alaska. 63. Sunny. Alaska. 63. Sunny.

American Mom In London

As I've mentioned here before, I blog in secret... as in only very few of my "real life" friends know about it and definitely NOT my in-laws.

It's been awesome to have an outlet to vent frustrations (complain), talk smack (petty complaining), and generally have the freedom to express whatever I want (even more complaining). I guess it's no surprise that blogging about something is usually the only way I'm able to process it or, better still, get over it completely.

Guilty pleasure aside, secrets do have their burdens...

For instance, I realize this is the INTERNET and I'm only one Google search away from any number of awkward apologies and strained holiday reunions with my in-laws. In spite of that, there are times when I wish everyone I knew read my blog because I'm really bad about keeping in touch.

Really, REALLY bad.

With our move to London, I wanted to have a place where I could update the folks back home without having to clean up my act or change the focus on this blog (whatever THAT may be...)

Soooooo, I bring you my newest project...

... and yes, I fully plan to have my delicious cake and eat it too by trying to keep both blogs equal, but more importantly separate.

Although I feel a bit like a fraud blogging as the "American Mom IN London" when I haven't actually lived in London yet, but it's not like I haven't tried... In the meantime, I've posted about my recent trip to London.

As you probably noticed, I created a widget for my sidebar linking to this new blog. (For those of you accessing this post on readers, you can click to it here)

P.S. Yes, it's a Wordpress hosted blog. I thought I'd give that a whirl, but I'm quickly finding that I'm not nearly as HTML savvy as I had imagined... nor am I entirely sure that I want to be.

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

"The Invisible Mom "

Okay, so I'm totally ripping a lovely bit of inspiration found on Mom Logic (awesome site, by the way. Woot! Woot!) and reposting it here...

I don't normally forward stuff like this, but it really moved me. I was literally tearing up and everything. Now, it could have TOTALLY been because I was kinda in a mood yesterday.

Come to think of it, so was my son... think there's any correlation???

Anyway, I e-mailed it to my playgroup and another mommy group to which I belong and the response was overwhelming. There were tears and thank yous....and more tears...

So, I wanted to share it with you too (just in case, someone hasn't already):

The Invisible Mom

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated suma cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read—no, devour—the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know.

This is an excerpt from Nicole Johnnson's book The Invisible Woman.

Do a Good Deed!

Here's the short story
No family should endure
this biohazard!

Bad news all around.
Can you help a momma out?
These ladies know how!

And, this one does, too!
Do your good deed for the day!
Good Karma for you.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What's a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky here or here with your name and the link to your haiku post.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top.

(Breast)Feeding Carnival

Leave it to Lotus (a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom) to host a blog carnival all about boobies!

Okay, not exactly....

It's really an opportunity for mommies to talk about how they fed their babies- breast or bottle. Or, as my story goes... my love/hate relationship with my pump.

Like other moms posting their baby feeding story today, I never gave breastfeeding a second thought. In fact, like any pregnant-for-the-first-time mom, I didn't give much of anything dealing with the actual WORK of having a child a second thought...

Of course, I would nurse my son. What a no brainer, right?

Oooooo-bviously, I would give birth after pushing only twice. Yes, twice. The doctor would hand my son to me, who would latch on perfectly the first time, then gauzey, soft music would start playing... just like in all of the videos they showed us in birthing class. HA!

I was so heavily drugged and exhausted after, as I call it, "giving birth twice", that I couldn't even hold my son afterwards. He was feed formula in the nursery while I wallowed alone in in my first dose of mommy guilt in the recovery room.

The next few days in the hospital were difficult, as lactation consultant after lactation consultant was called in to... well, I guess consult with us. We eventually figured out the "mechanics" of it on our own, and I started looking forward to nursing my son. I enjoyed the time and privacy it afford us to "just be", but I was never able to produce enough milk to feed my son... in spite of trying several techniques and even one very delightful herbal tea.

Supplementing was an easy choice for us, but one that made me feel incredibly inadequate as a mom. I don't know if it was all the pressure (and controversy) put on breastfeeding or that fact that it came so naturally to the other mothers I knew, but I just seemed like a giant test of motherhood that I was failing...

Determined to stick with it for as long as possible, I purchased a top of the line pump before going back to work. Fortunately, I worked for a very "progressive" company that offered "health rooms" complete with a comfortable chair, refrigerator, a door with a lock, and dimmer switches. Again, I thought it would be easy... once I got the hang of it.

I actually loved it in there. It was peaceful and quiet and I could focus on being a mommy as my pump whirled away. In fact, I once lost track of time in there and missed the beginning of an important meeting...

It was so humiliating to have to send an apology to my boss, explaining where I was and WHY... Fortunately, she was understanding, providing it never happened again. That's when I started blocking time on my calendar for pumping. Time, I should mention, that my co-workers usually overlooked and scheduled on top of anyway.

Then, there was the time when security was called in to "break down the door" because some lady wanted to get her SCRAPBOOKING SUPPLIES that she had left in the room. When I answered the door, shirt askew and my pump in plain view, the (male) guard apologized and never bothered me again... ever!

In the end, I only lasted two or three months pumping. The stress of taking conference calls while my "magic milk machine" roared in the background made my milk dwindle to nearly nothing.

I eventually had to gave up breastfeeding entirely, but I will always think back to those tender moments when it was just me and my son with the sweetest of memories.

Book Meme

Sasha of Cherished Moments tagged me for this neat little book meme last week. The rules are:

Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages). Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence. Post the next three sentences. Tag five people.

The book by my computer is It's a Boy: Women Writers on Raising Sons, a compilation of essays about the experience of raising boys edited by Andrea Buchanan.

I bought it shortly after finding out that I was having a boy and read every word like it was "how-it" manual. As the oldest of three girls, I didn't have much experience with boys having the run of the house and I was about to be out numbered...

I pulled it out recently for inspiration. We were asked to write about post about raising boys for mothergoosemouse's baby shower last month and I needed some focus. As I reread several of the essays, I could relate so well... better than I did the first time I read it. I was about six months pregnant at the time. While I felt a bond with my child then, but I didn't realize that he would be the love of my life.

So a chapter ends on page 123 and it isn't very long past the fifth sentence, so I'll just post the last paragraph on the page:

I push off my shoes and stuff in my socks. The water is so cold on my ankles it hurts. As green-headed ducks drift by and the sun glints blades into the water and three boys with their pants rolled to their knees balance on mossy stones, I step in deeper and cringe. A boy can do that to you.

I tag Nap Warden, Mama Geek, Steph of The Daily Grind, Stephanie of A Little Bit of Sugar & A Whole Lotta Spice!!, and Mommy Bits.

An E for ME!

Look! A present from Sasha of Cherished Moments... and my thanks is quite overdue!

I started this blog shortly after quiting my job as an alternative to gabbing with co-workers. At the time, I had approximately three readers- me, my husband, and the occasional Google search clearly in search for something else...

Frankly, I have no idea why anyone finds my rantings and randomness the least bit interesting... much less excellence in blogging. Now, that's downright exciting!

I'm honored. Thank you so much, Sasha! You are a darling and I love reading all of your comments and emails.

Now, without any further ado... Here are a few blogs that I think are most excellent, too!

Playgroups are No Place for Children, brought to us by the brilliant and hilarious Jennifer, Le Binky Bitch

Suburban Turmoil, written by the also brilliant and hilarious, but often controversial Lindsay Ferrier.

AnGlOpHiLe FoOtBaLl FaNaTiC, because she knows how to make a grown man cry...

MomLogic... "for thinking moms who don't have time to think". Love it!

Bliss in Bloom. A repeat awardee, but the rules clear state that this is allowed... and in this case, well deserved. I just love her honesty.

MommyBits and Seeking Sanity for the being the insight into my future living in a home full of crazy... er, BOYS.

Fussypants of Mrs. Fussypants Guide to Life, The Gentle Art of Ruling Your Husband, and Blissfully Domestic... this is certainly one busy lady, so I'm counting her as three.

Gee, I hope that's not considered cheating, although I could probably name twenty thirty fifty more blogs that put the sparkle in my day.

Now for the rules for spreading the love…

By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people who’s blog’s you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…

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.

Parenting for the Internet Age

My husband and I consider ourselves to be extremely tech-savvy and if you're reading this blog of mine, chances are you do too?

Before SAHM-ville, I worked for a large online company as the online marketing manager (or so read my business card...) Being clued into the the latest and greatest wasn't only fun, it was my J-O-B.

My husband, being a GUY and therefore genetically geared towards all things techy and gadgety, is also a huge GEEK. He works in the 3D graphics industry and keeps up with all manner of tech news and reviews... and he's pretty darn sexy while he's doing it too. (Love you, Hubby)

Typical dinner conversation at our house consists of things we heard on the various podcasts we listen to, scary advancements in science, and whether or not we can access the Internet via picture-in-picture on our DLP TV, so I can look stuff up WHILE I'm vegging on the sofa... (It can and WILL be done, people...)

Nevertheless, after watching Frontline's Growing Up Online, a PBS documentary about the way the Internet is shaping childhood today, I was totally blown away. I mean, as a parent it's just overwhelming...

It discusses the way in which the Internet not only effects the world of kids today... it IS the world of kids today. If you think it stops with "To Catch A Predator", you have a LOT to learn. Our kids are not only smarter and savvier than us at birth, they're a whole lot more vulnerable too.

I first heard about this documentary on the Manic Mommies podcast when one of the hosts interviewed its producer. I was interested, so I tuned in...

I highly recommend you do the same.

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In other online news, January 30th is "International Delete Your MySpace Account" Day. to which I say, "it's about time"...

Found: Best First Wedding Dance EVER

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope all of you are enjoying this day with your loved ones! Happy Thanksgiving.

Another clever greeting brought to you by Someecards.com

Meme of Seven

I've been tagged for the Meme of Seven by TX Poppet over at Canned Laughter. I had a feeling this one would make its way to me eventually, so I've been storing up the crazy.

Here's the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Weird and/or Random Facts About Me, G

1) I hate having my belly button touched. I don't even like thinking about my belly button being touched. In fact, typing about my belly button being touched is giving me the shakes.

2) I went to Belgium once because I wanted waffles. Granted, I was taking a semester in Italy at the time and it was a "free" ride on my EuroRail pass, but still... that was pretty weird.

3) My nicknames as a kid included: Grouse, Ike, Swami, and Mommy (this was before I was a mommy)

4) Either motherhood eats your brain cells or I've drank away most of my best stories. Hubby remembers things I did in college or high school that I must have told him when we were dating, but have since completely forgotten.

For instance, in compiling this list he suggested that I mention that time some friends and I "accidentally" knocked over a piece of a 13th century wall somewhere in Europe... I took me a while to eventually remember, but only vaguely. All I recall is that it was dark and I was drunk, but not who I was with or where!

5) I went to Spain for my honeymoon and the only Spanish I bothered to learn was "pingüino" (penguin) and "peligro" (danger). I already knew "hola".

6) I judge whether or not I've had too much to drink by tapping my teeth together to see if I can still feel them.

7) I still have vivid dreams about work. The kind that make you want to jump out of bed to check your e-mail to make sure that the whatchamicallit got sent to that muckity-muck in time for that big thing at 8 am... and I haven't been there in 11 months.

OK, now it's your turn, but this is where I'm going to break the rules a bit... I'm leaving this one open to EVERYONE! Play if you like and post the link in the comments!

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

Grow up? Not Me.

Today's daily post is brought to you by someecards.com. Check them out. HILARIOUS!

I'm grateful that I get to postpone growing up a little while longer by getting to re-live childhood through my happy toddler! Well, except this time I get to drive, "play house" for real, and use a credit card, but have to forgo the irrational tantrums and lack of impulse control. Only one of us needs to be doing that....

Who? Me? You're Too Kind...

Today, I have TWO things to be thankful for and they came in the form of more BLOGGY BLING from two of my very favorite bloggers.

My favorite. How did you know???

The first award comes from the Nap Warden

Guess what? I ROCK her crib. Whew-hew!

Is there anyway I could award this back to the Nap Warden, because she certainly does the same for me. I love, love, LOVE reading her blog. It's just like catching up with an old pal... and I only know her through the all-knowing Internet.

Oh my, I REALLY hope that didn't sound too stalker-ish. I swear I'm not a stalker.

Personally, I think if we lived in the area code, we'd be fast friends, so I think I can get away with saying that... right?

Without further ado, I'd like to pass this award along to Ali from Cheaper Than Therapy, Corey~living and loving from Living and Loving Every Minute of It, and Sam from temporarily me.

The second award comes from Heidi over at Hydes Like Us.

It's for "esteemed blog mentors and the otherwise inspirational".... Me? Really? But, I haven't even been blogging for a year. What an honor!

Heidi and I just "met", but have quickly become bloggy buddies... and, by the way, I love you, back!

Here's who has mentored and inspired me: SAHMmy from SAHMmy Says, Mayberry from Mayberry Mom, Sara from Suburban Oblivion, Mama Archer, and JJ from Gaining Balance.

Crazy 8's and Daily Thanks.

I was tagged by SAHMmy from SAHMmy Says for Crazy 8's, so here goes:

8 things I'm passionate about...

1. Making my marriage a priority.
   
2. Raising our son to be a good person.
3. My faith.
4. Taking great photos and taking lots of them.
   
5. Taking time for myself and those I love.
   
6. Hosting a great party.
   
7. Celebrity gossip, er... I mean, current events... Okay, fine. Yes, celebrity gossip.
   
8. Blogging!
   

8 things I say often

1. "No"
   
2. Followed by, "Stop that"
3. "When are you coming home?"
4. "It's okay"/ "You're okay." (in a sing-song voice)
   
5. "If you're still hungry, we can order more. We are in a restaurant, after all"
   
6. "No worries!"
7. "Let's wash our hands!"
8. "I love you"
   

8 books I've read recently

1. The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser
2. The Secret Life of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd (eh.)
3. Naked by David Sedaris (This is one that I read over and over)
4. Reading Lolita in Tehan: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
5. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (bah!)
6. The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery
   
7. Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome by Jake Morrissey
   
8. I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing Modern Motherhood by Trisha Ashworth & Amy (This is another one that I go back to a lot)
   

8 things I want to do before I die...

1. Take my hubby to Paris, Rome, and Vienna, my very favorite cities.
   
2. Tell a great story about how I ran with the bulls in Spain and lived!
   
3. Dance a gig and make an embarrassing speech at my great-grandchildren's weddings
   
4. Learn something about wine other than how four friends can put away four bottles of it in one evening...
5. Go SCUBA diving
6. Go to culinary school just for fun
7. Have more children
8. Be able to honestly say that I lived a good life with no regrets.
   

8 songs I can listen to over and over again, and probably have...

1. "The Eensy Weensy Spider", because it calms my son down long enough to change a smelly diaper.
2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-- the whole album, by the Beatles, of course.
3. Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album
4. "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter
5. "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones and Mousse T. (What!? It was... like, our class song during my college semester in Rome. It brings back some awesome memories)
6. "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House as covered by Sixpence None The Richer
7. "Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC
8. "Glamorous" by Fergie
   

8 things that attract me to my friends

1. Rich sense of humor
   
2. Strong sense of morals...
3. ... but knows how to have a good time in spite of them (hehe)
4. Reliable
5. Trustworthy
6. Treats others with respect... most of the time ;-)
7. Teaches me something of value, whether it's how to live or a nifty shortcut to making tasty chicken enchiladas
   
8. Has something to say beyond talking smack about other people or complaining about everything
   

8 things I learned in the last year

1. Leaving my job wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
   
2. Parenthood, however, is.
3. I really can survive with less. In fact, I prefer it.
4. Act the way you want to feel. (Smile and be pleasant even when you don't want to)
5. Losing you temper really doesn't solve anything. In fact, it usually makes things worse.
   
6. It's okay to let go of certain friendships. Some people are only supposed to be for the meantime, not a lifetime.
7. Not everything is about me... Shocking, I know.
8. If you don't get to it, it probably wasn't that important anyway.
   

Now, for the 8 people that I've decided to inflict this on...

1. Heidi from Hydes Like Us
2. Pamela from PMKU
3. Corey~living and loving from Living and Loving Every Minute of It
4. Piper of Love from Bliss in Bloom
5. Sam from temporarily me
6. Bradley from The Egel's Nest
7. Secret Agent Mama
8. Mama Archer

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DAY FOUR: I'm grateful for a beautiful Saturday when I could sit on a patio and have a leisurely lunch and sip mojitos in the sunshine with my friends.

My wonderful husband was more than happy to spend the afternoon with our son while I took an opportunity to catch up with my best friend, who I hardly see since she travels so much for work, and an old friend, who I also hardly see because she's killing herself in PA school...

We talked about ailing parents, prodigal siblings, marriage, children, work, school, religion... When did life get so complicated?

We've all known one another since we were teenagers and have already gone through many of life's phases together, which includes moving further apart. The distance and busy schedules that rarely coincide have prevented us from makes lunches like this a regular thing, but somehow our friendship always just picks up right where we left off.

I supposed I'm grateful for two things today: great friends and a sunshiny day.

For more gratitude courtesy of NaBloPoMo, click here.