Lady Gaga Photos Irk The Messy Mom

I read this article a couple months ago when it showed up on Yahoo news, but it was in my sidebar again today and I had to chime in on the matter.

The title is Lady Gaga Photos Irks Beatles Fans. The story goes, Sean Lennon (Jon Lennon's son) had a photo of Lady Gaga on his late father's famous piano and posted it on Twitter with a caption that read "With gaga at mom's house, she's belting on the white piano..."Apparently this upset a lot of people who felt like it was a disgrace to the legacy of John Lennon. In turn the fans comments upset Sean Lennon and he told them all to take a chill pill. Well, no actually what he said was "pianos meant are to be played. Why is everyone so uptight? What should we do, lock it away in a dusty room? So judgmental..." Other words were exchanged, nothing rude or offensive, in fact I felt like Sean's comments were more than fair. He's probably used to this kind of input involving anything to do with his dad, that just comes with the territory when you are the son of one of the world's most influential musical icons of all time.

On another note when I read that title about the photo "irking" fans and how some people were disturbed all I could think was "aren't all of Lady Gaga's photos disturbing?" I mean really, that women just gives me the heebie jeebies. Her looks reminds me of a female (kind of) Marilyn Manson. I know she is supposed to be the most creative person to ever fall flat on her face in giant platform heels and even the article I just read says that "The pop star was classically trained in the instrument from the age of 4, to prodigal results", but still I just don't get it.

Any of you readers Lady Gaga fans (it's okay, you can be honest), Beatles fans, Beatles rock band game fans? Whose side are you on?

ANGRY Bird Invasion

I don't watch TV these days, and other than the weekly coupon inserts I don't read the paper, so my news feed is limited to what I see on my Yahoo home page. I have some other friends that are the same way. Sometimes we go around sharing what we read on Yahoo news that day and the topics can range anywhere from babies swapped at birth to why bacon in desserts is all the rage. This week I am going to blog about what I read on Yahoo news each day.

There were lots of fascinating blurbs today, but the one I am going to highlight is about the Angry Birds sensation.

In case you haven't heard or unlike me don't have a husband addicted to this app, Angry Birds is a game that you can play on your iphone. The article I read describes it as

"a simple game that challenges players to catapult birds with various abilities at structures containing egg-stealing pigs"

Does that sound like a winner or what? The truth is my husband loves it, my 3 year old loves it, and I wouldn't say I love it, but I have catapulted birds a few times myself and I even beat J's score once! The game is actually pretty fun and definitely an original. The App is currently approaching 18 million downloads and apparently it's a pretty big deal that is starting to expand beyond just iphones.

What (if any) electronic games do you or your family members play? Words With Friends? Family Feud? Tertris anyone? I guess we all need the occasional stress reliever.

Letter to SJ (6 months)

In June I wrote a letter to my baby girl and intend to write one every 3 months. This is the 2nd in the series.

Dear SJ,

I can't believe you have been in my life for half a year now. You are such a sweet tempered beautiful baby. Your eyes sparkle in a way I have never seen in all my life. Right now your eyes are grey and brown with flecks of green, they still haven't completely changed color yet. Your hair has gradually changed from a deep dark brown, to a slightly lighter shade.

There was another baby girl born recently that goes to our church and lives pretty close to our house. There are lots of kids at the church that are close to your age. It will be fun to see you when you get old enough to play and run around together. Before you know it you will be 6 years instead of 6 months and will start to learn what friendship is all about. Mommy has a little thing that helps her remember what is important in life and that is the 3 Fs. Faith. Family. Friends.

Every girl needs a good group of friends. Other girls that you can be yourself around. Mommy feels incredibly blessed to have awesome friends and this week I got to hang out with some my girlfriends twice in a row! First some of my very best friends came to help me make invitations for mommy and daddy's 10 year anniversary.
You were right there with us, but you fell asleep in the highchair.

Then today some girls that I have known and been close friends with for a very long time all came over to our house to finally meet you.
They all held you and talked about how cute you are. All that girl time must tire you out though because by the time they left you were sound asleep again.

I pray that your life will be full of many meaningful friendships. Friends that will be there for you through thick and thin, full of good times, and reflecting the love of Jesus.

Loving My Postpartum Body

You have no idea how hard it was for me to write that title. A few months ago I put down getting back into my prepregnancy clothes as one of my summer goals. Then last week I wrote about accomplishing that goal.

Here is what I had written

"I did it! I reached my prepregnancy weight. I could use some help in the tone and definition department, but overall I feel healthy and happy"

I am ashamed to say that just that short statement had to be mulled over and rewritten several times. First off because I don't want to make anyone feel insecure if they haven't met their personal weight loss goals, and I also don't want that to be the focus of what I am all about. I didn't want to sound prideful either. But more than all that in my mind I was thinking about how imperfect my body still is and always has been. Can I really say with confidence that I am healthy and happy?

Here's the deal ladies and this is a biggie, I reached a number on a scale that I had in my head and it still didn't fulfill me. I had a moment of satisfaction followed by feelings of insecurity. "This can't be it, I still have a muffin top in most of my clothes. I have cellulite, and stretch marks. I am still not satisfied." It was in this moment (and by moment what I really mean is a vague underlying feeling) that I had to make a decision to be happy and healthy. Paul talks a lot about contentment (1 Timothy 6:6, Philipians 4:11, 2 Corinthians 9:8) and being satisfied with what you have and where you are at.

You don't have to be anorexic or a plastic surgory glutton to have a body image problem. Do you tear yourself down for how you look? Do you compare yourself to others? Do you feel discontent with your body more often than you feel content? Then you have a problem. If this little blog is in any way platform that somehow can make difference then I will say unapologetically that I LOVE my body! I may need to be reminded of this when my weight fluctuates, or when I am around the modelesque girls in North Dallas, or when I am in my sixties, but I am committed for the long haul. It's not about pride, it's not about or conjuring up some feel good statement. It's about giving up that area of self pity and freeing up every part of me to be whole and to be used to focus outwardly in the truth of who I was called to be, a beautiful creation inside and out.

Baby's First Meal- AVOCADO

With my son I did his first meal by the book and I did have some reasons for that, but with his sister she seemed to be doing perfectly fine with just breastfeeding so I held out a little over 6 months before sitting her down to spoon feed her. Not only did I wait longer this time around, but I gave her avocado as her first food.

I was hesitant at first because I thought that you HAVE to start with rice cereal, but what I learned is that this is based solely on traditional practice and has no scientific evidence to support it. It dates back to over 50 years ago when people were feeding their infants at one month old. Since rice cereal is hypoallergenic it was the one thing that was well tolerated at this age. We now know that it was not the food, but the age that was conflicting. Turns out babies can do just fine for the first 6 months of life on breast milk alone (in fact they function best this way). For more information on this research you can check out this pediatric news article which is support by the AAP.

That being said here is a peak at SJ's first meal.

If you use an Avent pump I highly recommend these Avent storage containers. They are BPA free, they freeze (and can be thawed in hot water just like a bottle), you can write on them, and they work with the Avent pumps and nipples which really comes in handy.

Avocado is a great first food because they contain carbohydrates, protein, and unsaturated fatty acid, all of which babies need and unlike bananas that have porous skins, avocados have thick inedible skin that protect them from pesticides or funguses that could be harmful.

On top of all that they are SO easy to prepare. No cooking or even blending is necessary. Just mash up the avocado until smooth and creamy, add breast milk if desired and you've got yourself some homemade baby food!

This whole avocado adventure was a first for my baby girl. It has taken some time to get used to, but she never once cried or refused to eat. It has also been a first for me in that I have never made my own baby food before. I now have a husband that loves fajitas, a son that loves tortillas, and a baby that loves avocado. Can we say "Tex Mex"?

This post is linked up with Alicia's Homemaking and is a part of Try New Adventures Thursday. Check it out.

BOWS

In the past 6 months (since I had my baby girl) I have had to learn to attach accessories to a nearly bald head. It's an art form that I am just learning as I go.

This barrette is from Claire's

One very old school option that I have tried is using corn syrup. Be careful with this one it doesn't take much. It does work though. She had this little flower barrette stuck to her hair for an all day wedding and then I was worried that it wasn't going to come out, but just a little bit of baby soap and water was all it took.

Of course there is the classic giant bow or flower on a wide headband.

I bought this bow from my friend who makes them.

Then there are the tiny bows on the small elastic headband.

This headband is from Target.

It didn't take long before I decided I wanted to do more with colors and barrettes so I removed the attached bow and now I can just interchange whatever clip I want.

Like this 4th of July bow that coordinated with her outfit.

I even used the same headband for the cow ears from her Chic-Fil-A costume.

Lastly I have modified simple clips in the same way, by removing the embellishment and adding my own little bow. If your baby really doesn't have any hair you can just skip the clip altogether and use the corn syrup or attach the bow to a head band.

The flower clips were also from Target.

These are just some of things I have done with bows for my baby and so far it works for me.

SJ at 6 Months

It is incredible just how much a baby changes in 6 months. SJ is now 18 pounds of absolutely adorable, huggable, squeezable chunkiness.

She has had so many milestones recently including her first tooth, sitting up, and her first meal.

Six month seems to be a big transition stage. We've moved the bassinet, swing and little baby blankets up to the attic and in they're place are now the exersauser, jolly jumper, and highchair. Our house has gone from being the newborn snuggle zone to the baby play center and she loves it.

She is starting to reach and grab anything and everything. I can't walk past a tabletop without her pulling a piece of paper or something off of it and I can't eat with her on my lap because she feels at liberty to help herself to whatever is on my plate. This is still one of my favorite ages though. She is pretty much stationary and easily entertained, but she's also becoming more playful and inquisitive.

I can't believe her first year is more than half way over!

In The Fall

Last week I reviewed my list of 10 things that I was looking forward to this summer and so this week I am posting 10 things I have to look forward to this fall.


1. The Captured conference for young women
I just got back from this and it was amazing. I will have to write about it sometime in the near future.

2. Scarborough Fair
is a big annual renaissance festival held in our town. I have never been, but I did pick up a brochure for it the other day and this just might be our year to check it out.

3. Halloween costumes
for the kids. We've been planning this one since cow appreciation day.

4. Being in a magazine.
I am being featured in Waxahachie Now, which is the magazine that I work for only this time I will be on the other end of things and although the article won't come out until February I will be interviewed in a couple weeks. I have to admit I am a little bit nervous.

5. Writing my first song.
It's in the making, but shhh. It's a surprise so I can't elaborate on the details yet.

6. SJ's baby dedication
She has a very special 6-9 month outfit that some of her cousins were dedicated in. I don't know when we will do this, but it will be before she grows out of that dress!

7. Speaking at a women's meeting
Next month I am going to be teaching at a women's meeting at our church for the first time. Then the in November I will be co leading a session at girl's conference for the youth group. I am excited and nervous.

8. New Old Clothes
I've got some stylin' new thrift store finds for this season! I am so excited I have almost pulled out the jackets and boots in this 90 degree weather, but I am using restraint. SJ has some adorable boots too.

9. Our anniversary of course!

10. Thanksgiving
We rotate Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. This year will be at my in laws which means TONS of food, lots of people, and my favorite part of our family tradition- GAMES!

The Wedding Planner

I know everyone is probably sick of hearing me talk about our anniversary coming up, but I just can't help it. Over the past month I have been almost as giddy as I was when I was planning for our actual wedding day 10 years ago.

In my lifetime I have photographed around 60 weddings and been to even more. I love being a part of the joining of two lives into a new covenant. It such a beautiful moment and one that should be celebrated, but what matters even more is what comes after the wedding is over and the new couple lives out their vows with love, honor, and faithfulness. That is why I want to mark this milestone in our lives. It was either that or a cruise and we can't afford to get away right now (ha ha).

Last week we went ring shopping. Even though we are going to purchase some very modestly priced rings online we still wanted to see some in person and try them on and get accurate sizing.

Photo from our ring shopping date.

We have all of our "wedding" attire picked out. J got a new shirt, I am borrowing a dress from a friend and the kids are wearing clothes that they already own. The colors are navy, grayish blue, and white. It sounds crazy, but it is all coming together quite nicely. Yesterday I finally found a dress for my original flower girl who is a young lady now.

With my flower girl..

I thought we would have to alter it, but it fit perfectly and she was just beaming when she tried it on and showed it off to everyone.

There is still a lot to do, but I am loving every minute of it. Only 7 weeks to go.

My Dream Notebooks

"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true."

- Woodrow Wilson

A few days ago I wrote about crying while watching the animated film UP. I just love the part where the Carl is looking through Ellie's book of "Stuff I'm Going To Do".

I have my own books about "stuff I'm going to do" which I began back when I was a teenager.
I have had a notebook for my wedding plans, birth plans, home renovation plans, vacations and more. These are not just 3 ring binders, or organizers. They are dream books. Each one is chock-full of magazine clippings, drawings, notes, print outs etc. You name it, it's crammed in there.
They are my unbridled thoughts and plans for the things that I dream about. My parents read a book called Dream High by Conway Stone. The author recommends having a vision book in which he describes a notebook that my parents identified as the same kind of notebook that I have been creating for all these years.
Lately, I have had to pull out the wedding notebook again. I have always dreamt of renewing our vows and we are going to do it this year for our tenth anniversary so I have been adding to this dream book as I plan this simple, but much anticipated occasion.

Not only do these notebooks serve as a way for me to get my thoughts on paper and help keep my planning in order, but they are also great mementos and allow me to look back and say "Wow! I did it. This dream really became a reality" I think the reason I love the movie Up is because it is all about dreaming and following your dreams to the end of the earth if necessary. Even if they don't go exactly as planned you enjoy the journey. Never stop dreaming.

Dream books seem to have worked for me, for more WFMW posts got to We Are That Family.

10 Things I Did This Summer

3 months ago I participated in Oh Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday for the first time and I wrote 10 things that I look forward to this summer. I somehow did manage to do everything on that list and so here is the same list with the follow up.

1. Play games with friends.

I am such a game lover. Some this summers faves were Pit, Rummikub, and Tetris on the wii.

2. The end of potty training

I couldn't be happier about this accomplishment!

3. Pale Yellow Bow

SJ did sport her pale yellow bow and many other girlie accessories this summer.

4. Toy Story 3

This was Z's first movie theater experience and it did not disappoint.

5. 4th of July

A BLAST as always.

6. Fitting into my clothes again

I did it! I reached my pre pregnancy weight. I could use some help in the tone and definition department, but overall I feel healthy and happy.

7.WipeOut

Watching wipeout online and guessing who the winner will be is a favorite pastime for J and I.

8. VBS

I went to the carnival on the last day of VBS and not only did Z get to play around with his friends, but I made a few bucks after the magazine I work was able to use some of my photos.

9. Community Events

We participated in all kinds of free activities around the area included dress like a cow day, a photo expo, battle of the bands and the outdoor movies. I will miss this kind of thing now that the school year has begun.

10. Blogging about it

As you can see from all the links above there was no shortage of summer blogging. I did reach a little bump in the road when I lost my domain name after my two year blogiversary, but I made it through and I am ready for more.

Looking Both Ways

I am not a very organized individual. No surprise there I guess, BUT I am really into lists, goals, and planning. I like to look both ways before I cross seasons. Since summer is about to be over (or already is depending on technicalities) I figure this week is a good time to look back at some of the goals I have set for myself and look forward to what this next season will bring.

At the beginning of the year I made a list of 2010 goals. There is less than 4 months left before 2011. I like to think of it as 109 days because that makes it sound like I have more time to accomplish everything. Let's take a look at where I am at (EEK! I am scared.)

5. Couponing- Fail. I have bought the paper many times with high hopes of getting back in the saddle, but never managed to keep momentum. The other day my husband ran out of deodorant and he asked about the stockpile. Even J is missing the coupon savings and he's not the frugal kind. It's not too late to change, but for now this one is a bust.

4. Home Renovations-

Oh the joys of remodeling.

There is still plenty more to do, but the main things I had listed were the master bath and bedroom and we have done a lot in there. I would call that a win.

3. Business Remodel- I have done a major overhaul to my business, but not in the way that I had planned. I am taking on less than half of the work load I had this time last year. My priorities have changed since I wrote these goals (back before my work as a mother doubled). However, I do still need to update my website, so that's still on the list.

2. Renew Our Vows- This one is in the works right now! The big day is less than 2 months away. More details on that later.

1. Have a baby- My most important goal this year was to focus on motherhood and having a baby. Check.

She just kind of showed up in this basket one day;)

Well, that gives me a pretty good idea on where I stand. Did anyone else write any resolutions for the year? How are you doing on those?

Kidventure

It was like being in a maze of darkness and I wasn't sure whether to be on the offense or defense. My heart was pounding. What am I doing? How did I even get here? Holding the gun tightly against my chest I traversed between barricades. Suddenly I saw a beam of red light and that's when it happened. In the midst of my scrambled thoughts I had been shot.
Note to self: Do not to wear white pants if and when you ever play lazer tag in black light again. It makes for too easy of a target.

My parents, husband, and kids discovered Amazing Jakes earlier this week. Amazing Jakes is basically 9,000 square feet of pure shameless entertainment. On Tuesday's if you want to go all out you can get everything for $17 a person (and 3 and under are free!). This means all inclusive access to the food, drinks, and attractions.

We spent the whole day there until we were practically kicked out at 9:00 pm. We partook in the all you can eat buffet 3 separate times throughout the day.

One of our meals we ate in the cinema where we watched the end of Up. I cried again. We rode the train, go-carts, carousel and virtual roller coaster countless times. We played video games where we raced each other and had dance offs.

I even tweeted when I got home-

"I am okay with loosing, but it's hard when the opponent is your dad, and the game is Dance Dance Revolution."

There was even a rock wall and putt putt which we never got around to. I felt like a kid again. Even though this was part of Z's ongoing birthday celebration I think our whole family got something out of it. Amongst all of the laughs and thrills I also learned that you are never too old to enjoy a little kidventure.

This post is linked up with Try New Adventures Thursday over at Alicia's Homemaking (9-16-10)

Bed Time Battles

No bed of roses here. Dora the Explorer cinamon puffs maybe, but definitely no roses.

My parents are in town right now and when my dad stayed at home to watch the kids while I went shopping I told him that Z could wake up from his nap whenever. My mom was kind of surprised because usually I am really anal about his nap time, like "DON'T let him sleep longer than an hour or else!!!" We have always had the hardest time getting Z to go to bed at a decent hour. However on this occasion I decide to not worry about it. Unfortunately he did take a long nap and that night I would face the consequences.

11:00 pm- Z is just as wired as ever as I try and wrestle him into his pajamas.

12:00 am- I am laying in bed with him threatening him with everything I can think of hoping he will settle down. I begin to fall asleep myself, but he is still awake.

1:00 am- I am having to ask forgiveness for the emotions that are boiling in me at this time and soon after that he FINALLY drifts off to sleep.

3:00am- Z is in the threshold of our door laying on the floor screaming like a cat that had been hit by a car. I have no clue why he was acting this way. Eventually he settles down and joins us in our bed.


5:00 am- The baby wakes up. This wakes Z up and he starts crying and desperately screaming "I am SOOOO hungry!" By this time I am completely out of it. I needed groceries and couldn't think of any quick fixes to silence this monsterous being that my 3 year old had suddenly turned into.

5:15 am- In my state of delirium I grab a box of cereal dump some in a cup and practically throw it at my child as we both stumble back into the bedroom desperate for rest.

8:00 am- I hear my parents rustling about in the other room, but the kids are both finally asleep and there is no way I am getting out of bed.

10:00 am- I manage to half way open my eyes and hesitantly start the day only to enter the kitchen and be greeted by hords of laughter coming from my parents as bits of cinamon puffs fall off of me to the floor one by one.

I looked like a giant rice krispy treat. The cereal that I gave Z ended up all over the bed which I rolled around in and had stuck all over me from head to toe.

10:15 am- I vow to never let my little angel sleep in EVER again!

This post is linked to Friday Fails over at My Blessed Life.

Through A Child's Eyes

This week for Things I Love Thursday I am going to highlight the Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital camera. This was a birthday gift Z got from his babysitter (our "niece") last week. She is barely a teenager, but she saved up her own money to get this camera for him which was so thoughtful and it has been such a hit.

Before we had the kid tough camera my mom had purchased disposable cameras for Z to be able to document the first week of having a sibling and our trip to Kentucky. Here is a photo he took of a train.

This was fun, but it was tricky because we had to turn the flash on for him and of course the cost of the camera and the film processing eventually adds up.

The Kid Tough camera is great because even though the photos are about the quality of a camera phone they are still printable and the child gets to learn about the whole digital photography process without you having to worry about them breaking something valuable. The retail price is $50.00, but our babysitter got hers online for $20 (that's my girl).

Here are some of the shots that he got last week.


His sister

A photo of his feet in the car (there were about 20 of these).

The Bumbo and Buzz. We never even saw him take this which makes it even more fun!

Mommy!


Can't wait to see what he comes up with next.