Talk to Me, Friend

I don't mind if you're chatty, as long as you speak to me from your heart. I want you to reach from within the depths of your soul, it doesn't always have to be dire or serious, even if it's about baby puke and poopie diapers, we're parents - I want to hear it, all of it, because it's happening to you, in your life, and you're experiencing it and I can relate. It's why we're here, in this great big blogosphere, right?

I want the real you, whether it's a brief update or a long-winded diatribe. I'd personally love it if you told me a beginning, a middle and an end. I love a juicy, well rounded, big or small chunk of your life told to me from your voice, your passion, your insides seeping out and onto the page. Professional or not, talk to me as an author, a writer, a buddy, a compatriot, confide in me like I'm your teenage best friend and you're leaning over, breathing your life's story into my ear, hissing away small hairs to allow the feelings to spill forth without hesitation or obstacle.

Talk to me. Tell me everything, I'm here to listen. Your flaws, loves, favorites, experiments and worries. Dish to me, friend.

I love it, all of it, and you - just the way you are.

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To Do Tuesday Week 21

If this is your first time reading and you're wondering what To-Do Tuesday is all about, click to check out the first post to find out more.

This week should be a busy one because of the holiday. What are your plans for this weekend? Anything special you're doing to celebrate? We're going to Dallas to visit my husband's folks. Anyone in that area want to get together for an impromptu bloggy meet up maybe?

Did you see my new comment system, Disqus? Leave a comment for the heck of it, g'head, it's totally addicting to be able to reply and email back and forth in the comments. I'm like a kid at Christmas with a shiny new toy {giggle}

Water our new grass daily √√√√
Grocery shopping/coupons/list √
Get ready to go away for the holiday √
Post about my Robin Miller interview and post her cookbook giveaway!
Sewing and crafts
Post about Summer Boredom Busters
Pool or sprinkler √√√
Tie dye maybe?
Take walks in morning while still cool? Or evening?
Homemade organic rice crispie treats, Pumpkin Muffins, or something?
No-bake cookies?

Work out at least 30-60 minutes everyday!* √√√√√√
Staying on my diet all week long!* √√√√√√√

*10-ish more pounds to go to my original "goal"! (Not been a good week!)

Today's motivation - get up and get moving! Remember I talked about doing exercises while you do chores to incorporate more activity in your days? Especially now that the heat is here and you lean towards staying home in the air-conditioning more often, it's a smart way to get some fitness infused with your everyday hustle, all while staying cool and getting things done. Put on some music and dance with your kids, sweat a little (in a good way).

--

Would you like to join us this week for To-Do Tuesday? Start with just a few things. Don't over-do it your first couple of times. You'll grow to become a list-a-holic later, start small now, though, k?
Just so you know, you can join us at anytime, it doesn't have to be on Tuesdays - the list will go up every Tuesday for you to link to, but you can make your list and link to us at any point in the week!

Remember, with "To-Do Tuesday", we're attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we've got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable. Everyone should come back here to link up in the Mister Linky as the central "To-Do Tuesday Hub" so we can visit who's participating and offer encouragement to each other throughout the week. Don't forget to add the "To-Do Tuesday" button to your post, linking back to this post!

Let's continue to cross items off our list as we go and help support each other in completing our lists! Don't forget my useful HTML tutorial on how to effectively "cross-out" or √ "check off" your items on your to-do list!

Joining us? We're trying a new linky alternative called MckLinky!

Participants for Week 21

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New! Disqus Comment System and Linky Alternative

BIG NEWS!

I had begun a poll in my sidebar with a proposition of using a new comment system here at Crazy Adventures in Parenting. However, I removed the poll and went ahead with the new system anyway, particularly because I wanted so desperately to interact with all of you the best and easiest way.

Before this new system (aka Blogger's default comment system), if you left a comment, I would have to email you to respond to you (if you leave your email address, that is, and if I wasn't behind on emailing my commenters *cough*) since Blogger didn't thread responses (putting my reply under your comment). Replying to my commenters was also made difficult particularly if you don't leave your email address by having it in your Blogger profile.

Let's not forget to mention that others commenting were not being able to see our exchange via email, either, which then excludes them from replying and being involved in our conversation.

So I chose Disqus. (You may recognize this comment system is on My Charming Kids, Mashable, ShrinkingJeans.net, among others) This is my first post using the comment system, I hope it works! (Wanna leave me a comment to see?)

With Disqus I can respond to you, which shoots you off an email to let you know I've responded. You can respond back, others can respond to you, you can respond to them or their comments, and we're all chatting! :) Plus, you can rate comments AND access your old comments logging into their website! You can create a profile that people can see when they hover over your name. We also have a community page, too!

How cool is that?

Also, for tomorrow's To Do Tuesday, I'll be using a MisterLinky alternative called MckLinky. Please feel free to participate and join us in linking up!

Now, would you mind commenting on this post to try out Disqus for me?

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Asking for Photography Help

Whether you really wanted to or not, when you become a parent you become a photographer (among many other things). I recall being so busy in high school, drawing and painting, and seeing others interested in photography take photography courses. Back then, that just wasn't me. I was happy with my charcoal, linoleum cutting, my watercolors and my tempera. Dirty hands and busy mind, and happy as my toddler in a mud puddle.

Not anymore.

I'm not sure exactly when it started - perhaps it began by my giving birth and suddenly having a subject to photograph all of a sudden, which then gave way to my attention being needed elsewhere and not on a pad of paper with pencil in hand. Suddenly, there simply wasn't any time to sit and sketch or paint any longer. Meanwhile I'm clicking away, preserving memories with whatever cheap camera we had, not thinking I needed anything fancy at all to capture the kids' pictures (boy was I ever wrong), simultaneously watching my art time dwindle little by little, until it disappeared. That didn't mean I suddenly lost interest in having a creative outlet, though.

I think that probably helped spawn my sudden interest in photography - because I miss drawing and creating art. Not to mention, the need/want to capture my family's life and memories into something spectacular. It doesn't hurt to have a good enough camera to never pay for portraits again (well, maybe).

My interest in the above is ultimately why I finally made the jump to an DSLR camera (especially since my other camera was failing at life). I wanted to be sure that the memories I am capturing aren't blurry or grainy. Now, however, I'm cursing myself for not having made the choice sooner. It is almost painful to go back and see the blurry pictures of my older children when they were little, and not seeing every freckle, ever wisp of hair, ever glint in their eye, wishing I would've had a better camera all along.

However, with this new camera and my sudden urge to take a better quality photo, I'm quickly realizing how I'm more than a little lost, to be honest. The pictures you see me posting on a regular basis use automatic settings. Tired of having the camera do the work for me, one night, while the sunset was beautiful, I went out to see if i could capture it artfully, attempting to dust off the camera's manual, take this bull by the horns and wrangle some fanciful picture out of this expensive puppy. Manually.

(Believe it or not, this was taken one after the next, simply switching up settings. Same time of day)

Can you tell I really don't know what I'm doing? And if you asked me how I did that above, I would tell you I looked at the manual and changed one setting all the way up, and then all the way down, and got the above. TA DA! Technical, huh? I don't know what fstop is, what aperture is supposed to do, or half of what my camera is supposed to do, or why it does what it does. I'm not technical with this thing, and I'm so lost, I feel like I need someone to Elmo-ize this thing to explain it to me, preschool-like.

Can anyone head me in the right direction, Elmo ABC-style?

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Toddler Manicure

Oh no, she di'int!

Yes, yes I did. I let my toddler give me a nail 'do. (FYI, this polish was water-based nail polish which I received for Christmas that I was perfectly okay with her handling. It's the only polish we'll use in our house)

It wasn't pretty, I won't lie. She mistook my entire fingertip for the nails. Oy!

She held that brush so intently, though, despite missing my nail about eleventy-billion times all while triple- and quadruple-coating them.

I held the bottle of course. My very pale leg got quite a-colorin', too.

Pay no attention to the whitest of white legs. Hard to believe they belong to me, considering how tan I am up top.

Ta da! All done! What do you think of mommy's pretty nails (and leg) daddy?


(I was lucky to get shots that weren't blurry, considering how hard my husband was snickering while snapping the pictures)

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Spellbinding Moments with Children

How is it possible that children can make you want to rip your hair out and yet, be so incredibly amazing they can bring you to tears, just by needing you?

They are such amazing creatures. I am spellbound by them daily.

Tonight, my toddler was giving poor hubby a hell of a time. He tried as much as he could, but even in her sleep she wouldn't let him change her diaper. I eased in alongside him, stealth-like, to assess the situation and lend an extra pair of hands, and in seeing me, she immediately lunged for me, wrapping her arms around me. Right there I melted into a puddle of mom, just like that. Anything she wanted, didn't matter, it would've been hers.

I scooped her up into my arms and we slow-danced in the dark, rocking back and forth, her clinging to me and her sippy cup as she looked into my eyes, her eyes growing increasingly tired, rolling back into her sockets, lazily gazing at me and losing focus quickly. Pure magic between us, as we swayed. It moved me to tears. I stood there forever, I didn't ever want to let go.

To be a child again, wrapped up into your mothers arms as she rocks you to sleep, knowing there wasn't anything better than that moment. It's like such a dream to be able to give that to her, and to be on the receiving end of such love.


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Learning from Farrah, Michael and Joshua

You know, I had planned on writing something else entirely and yet I couldn't. I just couldn't bring myself to discuss anything else other than yesterday's events and the chaos swirling inside my totally in need of a new hair cut head right now.

Yesterday was more than a surprise for millions of people. With the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and then Michael Jackson, watching it unfold in real time online with many of you, it was surreal. Even after I'd left the computer. Eaten dinner. Watered plants. Done the laundry. I came back, the news popped up again, and it came flooding back into reality for me. Two of my childhood icons were dead.

As if the news needed to get worse, it did. Amidst tears and anguish spread about the internet (along with some ugly thoughts from some who felt mourning for these two people was fruitless), among my military sisters and brothers on Twitter came word we lost a brother overseas, too.

...SGT. Joshua Soto...
...survived by a wife and child...
...third tour in Iraq...
...a 25-year-old...

My heart flipped up and out of my chest, flopped onto the counter, angry and raw, barely containing the sadness and shock coursing through it. It almost became too much to bear.

Farrah, Michael and Joshua were parents. I feel so deeply for their children, families and loved ones they've left behind. I fear death only because I fear leaving my babies and my husband, and very much vice versa - the idea of something happening to any of them scares me to absolute pieces. They are my lifeline, my soul, and I simply cannot imagine life without them. I can't even breathe entertaining the thought.

And Joshua, to leave his family not once, not twice, but THREE times to serve his country. Dammit, why him?

In my attempts to process any of this, even the smallest of things seemed so monumental. I mean, think about it, will you? Michael woke up yesterday morning and breathed in as he always did. He ate breakfast probably like he does everyday. Met with the same smiles from his kids, looked out at the same sunshine he saw the day before. Whether there were or there weren't any indications of his impending heart attack, it really makes me remember, you really never know.

Joshua had been to Iraq twice before. He was probably well-versed in performing his job. He set out on a mission without knowing it would be his last, assuming it would be like any other he'd ever been on. And it wasn't.

This is a military spouse's worst fear imaginable. I feel so deep in the depths of my core for his widow and child. The tears shed and anguish bled don't end or help them in any way.

These thoughts followed me around like a shadow. It darked my thoughts as I fetched a sippy cup, or turned a corner picking up a wayward toy. What if that was the last time that particular event ever happened? How does anyone really know if it is or it isn't?

My scare a month ago woke me up even then that, despite how healthy I try to be, that it is beyond my control. I couldn't control what was happening, and when my time comes, I won't be able to control it then, either. What's going to happen is going to happen. And I will never know when that will be.

For today (and hopefully always), put your judgements aside of these people, the war, any indiscriminations they may have had in the past. Just feel the weight of your body hitting the ground, heel-to-toe. Feel each and every breath you inhale into your functioning lungs, expel that air, open your eyes to the beauty all around you. Paint it into your mind permanently, the images of your children running towards you for a hug. It could be your last hug. How will you know?

Hold them tighter, squeeze their baby bodies and drink in the scent of their hair. Step outside into the sun today to feel it blanket you like a hug. Play an extra game with the kids. Linger a little longer over dinner. Hold your embrace with your spouse an extra second. You won't get it back, and you won't ever know it's your last until it's too late.

You know, Ryan O'Neil wanted to marry Farrah before she died, and unfortunately, he'll never get the chance to say those vows, despite their plan. Don't waste these moments you are being given. Don't put anything off. Ever.

BE AWARE. BE ALIVE.

Now is the only now you will ever have, and you don't know how long it'll be there for. Hold onto it - don't let it go.


Pardon me while I go busy myself with never letting that face go.

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Help Me Choose A New Hairstyle?

This Instyle hair makeover doohickey was ridiculously fun. And by ridiculously fun, I mean, once I got over the boring and mundane task of sketching out the placement for my eyes and mouth. Oh. My. Gaw. that was annoying! Once that was done, with a click, I could try on any famous woman's hair.

And that, my friends, was awesomer than awesome. So SO MUCH better than my last attempt at morphing my head into hair styles. That David Lee Roth 'do still gives me nightmares. {shudder}

You see, I'm getting really tired of putting my hair up into a bun or a pony-tail. It's my mom-like, go-to hair do. Nuh uh. BlogHer is a month away (OMGAMONTHAWAY) and my hair is screaming at me to do something with it.

So, hopefully, with your help and expert mom opinions, we can get to the bottom of...

THE GREAT HAIR EXPERIMENT!

{cue dramatic theme mysterious song music}

Okay, maybe it isn't quite that mysterious, or great. Or anything. *cough*

Here's me, normal 'n stuff.

Here are my "makeovers" a la celebrity heads. Don't mind the extra hair laying on my shirt, or anything. Apparently, I couldn't crop that out, so it's there. Deal with it.

What do you think of these?

1. Jennifer Lopez - color, not so much. Hair style? I could do it.. couldn't I?
   
2. Jennifer Hudson - I really REALLY like this, but.. could I really go through with this?
   
3. Jennifer Aniston - I have modelled my hair cuts like her for YEARS, ever since her Friends days. While I love the way my hair looks with cuts similar to hers, I'm thinkin' maybe I need something different, finally?? I don't know. LOVE her cuts, though.
   
   
4. Jennifer Aniston part deux. Damn I love her hair! And even this color blonde isn't bad on me, either!
   
5. Heidi Klum
   
6. Rihanna
   
7. Nicole Kidman (just for hubby, because this is as blonde as I could go AND still look semi-decent)
   
8. Sandra Bullock - the bangs .. OH the bangs! I haven't had since sophomore year in High School!
   
9. Ashanti - even the highlight would look good on me, huh?
   
10. Anne Hathaway - Oh goodness, I am loving this one, guys. What do you think??
    
11. Jessica Biel - not diggin' on the fakey color, though.
    
12. Halle Berry
    
13. Michelle Obama - I could totally rock the First Lady's hair!
    
14. Katie Holmes- rawr kids. Raw-to-the-R
    
15. Ashlee Simpson - I have never wanted to go red ever. But OMG the cute. Total rock star!
    
    

So what do you think?? Which one do you like, or do you like more than one? Can you help me pick, pretty please??

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Name This Photo

After the fun I had with Father's Day, I wanted the caption fun to continue.

Some mothers are the kinds of mothers who freak out when a mess is made. Me? I grab the camera. Our latest mess was with my toddler's "pretties" she got a hold of, and subsequently dumped on the floor. Barrettes, hair ties, clips, you name it, it was on the floor with them.

Now, I've set the stage for you - you caption this photo!

For more Wednesday fun, visit Wordless Wednesday, 5MFM, MomDot, Ordinary and Awesome, Seven Clown Circus.

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To Do Tuesday Week 20

If this is your first time reading and you're wondering what To-Do Tuesday is all about, click to check out the first post to find out more.

Ladies and gentlemen, it finally happened. We have grass! They came out of no where and patchworked the sod onto the area of our lawn that once held the tree, and went one further and laid grass on the inside of our fenced area, too! (This area never grew grass because of the shade of the tree). It is BEAUTIMOUS! Woohoo!

We are so proud to have grass, now. We're diligently watering it twice daily, and I've already fertilized it, too. I can't wait until it's taken to the soil below it and is soft and plush! I can't believe how gushy I feel about grass! :)

How's your week shaping up? How'd you do last week? Got anything pressing to do this week, other than to enjoy the summer's beautiful weather and working on a tan, maybe? Don't forget the sunscreen!

Water our new grass twice a day! Woohoo!! √√√√√√√
More plants to decorate our beautiful 'new' back yard!
Grocery shopping/coupons/list √
Day trip to Lake Charles - I need Target!!!
Sewing and crafts
Post about Summer Boredom Busters
Pool (backyard and public) √
Bowling or something on the too-hot-to-play-outside days
Roller skating, maybe?
Park, if it isn't scathing hot √
Take walks in morning while still cool? Or evening? √
Homemade organic rice crispie treats, Pumpkin Muffins (made at night?!)
No-bake cookies?

Work out at least 30-60 minutes everyday!* √√
Staying on my diet all week long!* √√√√√√

*6-ish more pounds to go to my original "goal"! Woohoo!

Whatever is on your to do list this week, please take the time to do something for yourself. Being a parent is so rewarding, but often times we are overlooking our own selves and bodies. After the kids go to bed, take a nice bath, treat yourself to some luxurious lotion, or some tea and a treat while curling up with a book you haven't been able to look at let alone read in forever. Taking time for yourself is important - commit yourself to doing it once a day and you will see how amazing you'll feel! Try putting it on your to do list!

--

Would you like to join us this week for To-Do Tuesday? Start with just a few things. Don't over-do it your first couple of times. You'll grow to become a list-a-holic later, start small now, though, k?
Just so you know, you can join us at anytime, it doesn't have to be on Tuesdays - the list will go up every Tuesday for you to link to, but you can make your list and link to us at any point in the week!

Remember, with "To-Do Tuesday", we're attacking our to-do lists each week, blogging about our lists and what we've got going on, and sharing it with each other to help keep each other accountable. Everyone should come back here to link up in the Mister Linky as the central "To-Do Tuesday Hub" so we can visit who's participating and offer encouragement to each other throughout the week. Don't forget to add the "To-Do Tuesday" button to your post, linking back to this post!

Let's continue to cross items off our list as we go and help support each other in completing our lists! Don't forget my useful HTML tutorial on how to effectively "cross-out" or √ "check off" your items on your to-do list!

Joining us? Leave a comment and your link will be edited below!

Participants for Week 20:

1. Jess from Life @ 30
2. Stacie from The Divine Miss Mommy
3. Suzanne from Crunchy Green Mom
4. Pillaging with Buffie
   
5. Melissa from Life as Mommy to Princess Cadence
6. You're next!

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A Photo Story - Father's Day

(This is about how it went...)







It wasn't all bad, though. We whipped out a surprise or two. Like this cloth diaper made from a soldier's uniform. This was a gift my toddler had given him her first Father's Day with him. We were ecstatic to see it still fit, so she surprised him with it (and again later, when she pooped in it) The gift that keeps on giving...


And yes, I know, shoot me now, that's my husband doing the dishes on Father's Day. But he confided in me that it's one of his favorite times, because he has baby dude right by his side taking everything out helping him. Look at my boys, how sweet are they..

I could just eat my baby dude up. Look at his scrumptious baby body! I love my chunk-a-munk! (And the handsome hubby, too)

Yesterday was made of magic and lots of laughs. I hope my husband thought so, too.

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Father's Day Crazy Christmas-Style

Amidst my preparations for Operation Daddy (aka Daddy-Works-Late-Let's-Make-Him-Some-Stuff-for-Father's-Day), I have my toddler busily working at the dining room table in a brilliant, elaborate plan to allow her to color her own, personal Father's Day card to her heart's content. While she sat, busily and dutifully coloring her Dora card for him, I sat, giggling maniacally at the fact that I suddenly had time to blog, return some emails, tinker with my blog a bit. Brilliant plan, I said to myself as I patted my own self on the back.

Until it got very, very quiet.

Apparently, I have wicked, magical, ninja-like skills when it comes to inflicting insta-sleep on my kids, because my children. fall. asleep. anywhere. And my toddler? Fell asleep getting down from the chair when she was finished coloring.


I have skills, my friends. Beware of my powers!

{ahem}

So I place my adorable sleeping toddler to bed, clothes-on-and-all, and proceed to allow the older children to concoct some homemade cards and the like for my husband-type-person. Only, their version of this game goes something along the lines of, wasting a lot of construction paper making paper airplanes and drawing pictures of daddy and his soldier buddies killing aliens and dinosaurs attacking the Earth, and little hearts and origami shapes from my daughter with big, puffy hearts that proclaim her love of all things Jonas Brothers.

"Uh, bath time kids! Great job! Daddy will love all that blood oozing from the Dinosaur, and how much you adore Joe Jonas!"

(Am thinking I should've gotten alcohol for him instead, or something.)

It's about this time, when all is seemingly quiet (read: kids are watching a movie) when it's now my turn for craft-like fun. I get to wrap his presents and break out my card to sign and write gushy stuff in (except my big, puffy hearts are for him. And maybe Brendan Fraser). I already have scissors and tape out, because of the kids and their strange beautiful projects for hubby. I realize in order to wrap, I'm going to need wrapping paper.

And then it hits me. I don't know if I have any paper other than Christmas paper. {smacks forehead}

So.... hubby will just have to live with this, along with a little ingenuity from his wife when the small present didn't fit the small paper she wrapped it in:


Yes, friends, not only is it Santa Claus wrapping paper, but I MacGyver'ed some construction paper on in there to fill the gaps, too, so I didn't have to cut another honkin' piece of paper for the teeny gift.

In recap:

• My children fall asleep anywhere.
• My older children are strange card creators.
• Mom is a dumbass and had to not only wrap Father's Day gifts in Santa-paper, but with construction paper filling, too.

Any questions?

(Oh! And Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there. And to my adorable husband, too. Aren't you lucky to have us, honey?)

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Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

{giggle}

As coined by my dork of a husband. (I know, I know, lame Dirty Dancing reference, but still funny!)

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