Kindred - WW & You Capture

kin-dred
–noun
1.
a person's relatives collectively; kinfolk; kin.
2.
a group of persons related to another; family, tribe, or race.
3.
relationship by birth or descent, or sometimes by marriage; kinship.
4.
natural relationship; affinity.


I kinda wanted to name this post "Kid"-dred (that's hard to say!) since it's a post with pics of my kids playing in the leaves while at my MIL's house for the Thanksgiving holiday.

She purposely raked these leaves so that her grandchildren could play in them.

She is awesome like that. And she is my kids "kindred". And mine too.

Hey, the definition says "by marriage"...

Thanks "Mother Bear" - the kids had a blast! xo


p.s. If you want to see more "kindred-ness" and haven't taken a peak yet, please head over to my friend Christina's blog, Momology, to see our recent family photo shoot with her. She did a wonderful job capturing the essence of our family...

The Little People Are Everywhere and WHY Won't They Stop Asking Embarassing Questions? {Guest Post}

You are ready to laugh, right?

Good, because today I have a guest post from Erin at The Motherload that's gonna make you hee-haw! I love Erin because she's both funny and often times posts straight from the heart. She cares about our earth, her family and others (not necessarily in that order....) so, SO much. And she's a wonderful friend. Both in the bloggy and twitter world and in real life (I'm MOST excited to hopefully get to meet her and give her huge hugs next month!) So please, read this, laugh and show her some love. I know you will!

Originally posted on her blog 11/30/09 - 1 year ago today! (total coincidence!)...


The constantly curious phase descended on our home some time ago. It hangs over us like a wet towel-- heavy, cumbersome, and suffocating. It haunts me like a demon in the night. I've run out of answers for most things or am simply too tired to keep answering. Give me vodka!

"Why, Mom?"
"What is that?"
"Why is he doing that, Mom?"
"Mom, why do we have to go there?"
"Why did you do that, Mommy?"

Most of the time these questions are just irritating in their rapid-fire manner; other times, like yesterday, they are really embarrassing.

We had the fabulous idea to take the girls to the T-Rex Cafe. We imagined the awe and wonder and utter joy that the girls would inevitably experience from the moment we entered the place--we'd never been and just thought it would be something fun & different to do on a holiday weekend. Here's a quick peek inside the prehistoric era restaurant where we gasped in horror once we saw the prices on the menu. $12.99 for a Brontosaurus Burger? Give me a break! But you can't really put a price on dining with the dinos--especially ones that move, roar, and come to visit you at your table & scare the pants off your kids! Yes, my kids were terrified. But their hunger outweighed their fear, so food won out and we stayed.

Abby's bladder is the size of a pea, so of course she said she had to potty as soon as we sat down. I needed to attend to some business of my own, so I agreed to take her.

We went into the ladies' room and chose a stall. I helped her go first and then it was my turn. I figured she'd be so busy pulling up her pants that she wouldn't notice the tampon I pulled out of my purse.

Abby doesn't let a thing get by her. I was stupid. But at home it's easier to have a little more privacy.

Why didn't you let her out of the stall, you might be asking? Simple. Because I'm a complete germophobe and my kids are the opposite. She may as well take her tongue and lick every freakin' surface in there. If I let her out, she will touch and inspect the diaper-changing station, the puddles on the floor and at the sink, and she'll dutifully pick up any trash on the floor and put her hands all over the garbage can to pry it open to throw the stuff away. So she stays in with me where I can keep an eye on her.

"Mommy, what is that?" she asks, as I begin to unwrap said tampon.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about it," I reply, easing my pants down. "Will you get me some toilet paper?" I ask sweetly, hoping to distract her. But Abby is good at multitasking even at age three (and three-quarters). She keeps her eyes trained on me as she yanks a completely useless sheet of scratchy paper off the roll.

"But Moooooooom, I said, WHAT IS THAT?" Now I can hear giggles coming from another stall. Thank goodness no one can see me because I'm blushing furiously.

"It's a tampon," I whisper, quickly stuffing the trash in the bin on the wall.

"What is it for, Mommy?"

"It's for my tushie," I say, as I quickly finish and yank my pants back up. You see, "tushie" is a generic term at our house which refers to the whole kit n' caboodle and doesn't often require any distinction. It's far better than my saying, "It's a wad of cotton I have to shove up my vag when I'm bleeding like a stuck pig."

"Can I have one, Mommy?"

"I don't have any more, Abs. Now let's go wash hands and get back to the table," I say, and fortunately this is the end of our introduction to tampons. That is, until one day she suddenly announces something to the effect of, "My mommy uses tampons for her tushie!" when we're surrounded by total strangers in Target.

Kids are funny. And just when you think they've forgotten all about something, they'll bring it up in the most unlikely/inappropriate way. So I'm just holding my breath, waiting for the tampon to rear its ugly head.

Thanksgiving is evil...

I only say this because I gained a "few" pounds over the holiday.

Yes, those quintessential "holiday heavies".

Maybe it had something to do with how much pie I ate (and enjoyed). Or the deep dish pizza Friday night. (yeah, I think I sent my carb-deprived body into shock with that one...or two... or three-ish slices...)

So, yeah, LOTS of pie. Even the cheesy kind.

It's okay though, I got back on the "horse" (treadmill) this a.m. and I'm sure those extra L.B.s will be gone in a jiffy! Ahem.

We had a great Thanksgiving, made it safely to and from Texas, got to see, and even meet new friends (my friends' baby girls!). We spent some good time with family, including some of Tim's cousins we hadn't seen in a while and were able to meet my friend Ellen and her family at the park on a breezy fall day.




The boys had a blast staying with their friends and we had to dig them out of the playroom a couple of times. he he.


And! We even had a chance for a quick photo shoot with my friend Christina! You can see some of her fabulous shots and tell me which one(s) I should put on my Christmas card by going to her blog, Momology. Thanks again Christina, you are THE best! xo

And here are some more photos from Thanksgiving Day...

Hope everyone had as good of a Thanksgiving as we did!

A List of Thanks {Guest Post}

While hangin' out in Texas for the holiday I asked my friend Maria from Bored Mommy to do a little guest post for me.

Maria is my kind of people and I hope that some day we can hug each other in person. We immediately bonded over cupcakes, upon finding each other in the blog/twitter world last year. So... that's how I know she's my kind. ;) I suggest you find her on Twitter too, if you haven't already. Her hashtags are not to be missed...



Happy Thanksgiving to all the lovely Americans out there – wishing you a wonderful holiday. May you eat a whole lot of turkey, and not get injured when you get your shop on. (Hold your bags up high, so your purchases survive if you happen to fall victim to a Black Friday stampede).

I will not be celebrating this weekend, because I’m Canadian, and that bird was cooked a while ago. However, I’m here to give thanks, nevertheless to some things I think are worthy of such recognition.

I give thanks to:

• CARBS
• Babies
• Great Books
• Colin Firth
• Cardigans
• Twitter
• Lattes
• Perfect Fall days
• People with a sense of humour
• The elimination of the socks and sandals look worldwide (a girl can dream)
• Great girlfriends
• Stains that come out with soap and water
• Toothpicks
• Family members who cook for you
• Husbands who can locate the hamper on a daily basis (again, a girl can dream)
• Bedtime stories filled with giggling
• People who understand personal space in the line at the bank
• Money (because love don’t buy Mommy lattes)
• Windex (also known in my house as the centipede killer)
• Children cooperating when trying to take a picture for the Christmas card without pushing mommy to drink (Mommies, keep your beverages close)
• A new pack of crayons (give thanks to these quickly – they won’t last)
• Modern Family (yes, it’s the best show on tv, thank you for asking)
• Cookbooks
• Men who just happen to walk by and smell amazing (please linger while I inhale)
• Tooth fairies and Easter bunnies and Santa for keeping the little ones’ dreams alive
• Gum and or mints, because you never get a second chance at a first impression (especially if your breath could kill a small animal)
• Laundry that folds itself
• Baby wipes, that clean everything from butts to Barbies
• Stacks of Magazines
• Hiding in your closet to read stacks of magazines


I could go on but I would love to hear what you’re thankful for! Please leave a comment below for my gracious and lovely host, Elaine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hair, Running and Pie - Random Much? - WW

I'm still getting used to my dark hair.

I like it and I think it looks pretty good but it's just so. Different.



At least for me.

I changed my profile pic on FB and my avatar on twitter so most of you have already seen it.

But still. I wanted my Mom to see...

He he.


In other news, we are in Texas for the holiday.

We are staying with our good friends who also have two boys so it's a kid-fest.

Yesterday I went for a run in the morning and the falling leaves were literally "fall"ing as I ran.


And you know I ran so that I can eat COPIOUS amounts of pie tomorrow, right? (and some "a la mode")

Thanksgiving is slowly becoming my favorite holiday...


And just in case you may be wondering what I'm thankful for, it's this.

photo by my friend and awesome photographer, Christina

Hope everyone has a happy holiday. I'm unplugging for a few days.

"See" you on the flip side and Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Get Stuffed {Guest Post}

A guest post from a new blogging and tweeting friend of mine...


I am delighted to be over here at The Miss Elaine-ous Life today. I had the pleasure of meeting Elaine at Bloggy Boot Camp put on by The SITS Girls. The biggest thing I remember about Elaine from that day was her huge & contagious smile. The girl has some perty teeth!


Let’s get down to brass tax and talk about what everyone is thinking...THANKSGIVING!! I am so ready to get my eat on, what about you? My sister is hosting this years extravaganza and I am beyond thrilled that it is not at my house. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my family being in my home, but it’s a lot of work y’all!

Yes, I did say y’all.

I am from central Texas and proudly speak Texan! Okay, let’s move on.

I called my sister the other day to ask what my family could bring to contribute.
She said nothing.
I said really?
She said yup.
I said are you sure?

She said yup.
Okay, cool! I am officially off the hook. So what that means to me is I am free to eat & drink to my hearts content. And perhaps pitch in with setting the table (probably have my kids do that) or cleaning the kitchen (probably have my Sweet Man do that). So, I am really looking forward to this Thanksgiving!

I come from the type of family that exchanges emails and phone calls in quantum quantities to discuss what we will be eating.

I love my family!!!

Oh yes, let’s not forget Facebook, I have seen some updates there too. So, here is the run down, ready?

*Turkey
*Garlic Mashed Potatoes
*Garlic Green Beans (I know what you are thinking, & NO we aren’t scared of Vampires)
*Stuffing
*Corn Casserole
*Cranberry Sauce (No fancy stuff for us, straight from the can baby!)
*Lime Jello with Grapes & Celery
*Relish Tray
*Rolls
*Lots of Wine & Beer
*Pumpkin, Apple & Pecan Pie
*Coffee with flavored creamer

Okay, now I am officially dying here. Doesn’t that all sound good? Oh man, I can’t wait for Thanksgiving to get here so I can get stuffed!!

Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!

~Christina


Christina Linnell is the creator and author behind A Closet Writer. A look into everyday life through dirty, child-smeared, finger-print laden windows.

She is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, Christian & humorist living it up in Central Texas. Regardless of what is actually going on, she is a GLASS HALF FULL kind of gal. When you read her blog she prays you will laugh, smile, feel hope & come back again and again. Wash, rinse & repeat that’s all she’s saying! You can also find Christina chatting it up on her regular column with Examiner.com as the Austin Parenting Tween Examiner. She would love to connect with you either on Twitter or Facebook.

Early

There are two times when I know my children will be quiet.

When they are sleeping.

And when they are eating dessert.

They get a lot of dessert.



And a fair amount of sleep...


This morning Little G got up to take a tinkle at 5:34 according to the clock in our bedroom.

Afterward he climbed in bed with me.



{Tim was asleep on the sofa after going to see the late show of the new Harry Potter movie.}

Once I pulled the covers over us we fell back asleep.

Until the sunlight through the window woke me.

I looked over and saw his sweet "still-baby-to-me" face

And a somewhat worn off temporary tatoo on his arm that he'd gotten at a birthday party last weekend.

My little tattooed boy.

I listened to his breath and counted my lucky stars to be lying next to such a sweet soul {although he has his moments...}

Not too long after I heard his big brother go to the bathroom

And then soon after that I could hear sweet little girl noises coming from their sister's room.

Within the hour she'd had her morning milk,



The B Man was consuming his breakfast

And Little G was walking sleepy-eyed into the kitchen asking for me to hold him.

The kitchen was all aflutter with morning happenings.

And I thought...

Time for DESSERT!

;)



I love these kids...

Flashback Friday - Senior Prom

So...

That's me and my high school boyfriend (who was a year behind me in school, by the way) headed out for MY Senior Prom.

Get a load of this.

Standing on my parents' green shag carpet.

Wearing my gold "dyed-to-match" shoes and my hair had just come out of HOT rollers for like an HOUR.

My hair looked DAMN good though, Y'all!

Well, despite the bangs...

Anyway, I wanted to post this picture for a few reasons.

1) To give you all a good laugh. I mean COME. ON. Just feast your eyes on that awesome dress!!!! (found at a re-sale shop in Austin for less than HALF of what other girls were paying for their dresses. Ahem.)

2) So you could see my awesome hair.

3) To tell you all that I thought I was fat in this picture. Can you believe that crap?

Baby K was playing on a bookshelf yesterday and out fell my old photo album, and this picture.

And I looked at it thought, "OMG, look at me - I look great and I thought I was fat back then!!"
Um, who else can see my collar bone? (show of internet hands please...)

That's what I thought.

Anyway, I obviously was not fat. Just goes to show how askew our own image of ourselves can be.

And in relation to my post yesterday about weight/body/etc., let's be good to ourselves too. And let's teach our girls that they are beautiful no matter what (my parent's always did but sometimes I didn't see it...)



Anyway, Happy Friday all! We're gearing up for a trip to TX next week for the holiday and I am SO EXCITED!

Now scroll on back up and have yourself another laugh. It's on me. :)

Let's Be Healthy, NOT Hateful.

Do you remember when you first started REALLY looking in the mirror?

At your body? Not just your face.

I don't.

But I always remember NOT being very happy when I did.

Until recently.

I'm pretty happy with my size 10-ish, 151.4 lb. (as of this very morning) body.

I've had three babies. I've worked REALLY hard and have exercised EXTREME will power in the last 6 months.

I will NEVER, I repeat NEVER, be a size 2 or have a small bootie. It's just not in my DNA. My thighs will probably always touch.

But my legs, they are STRONG from running and doing Zumba with my friends to some great music, and my arms are STRONG from carrying kids and lifting weights.

And my tummy, though still kind of puffy, is mine and mine alone.

So, since the blogosphere is all "atwitter" about body image and womanly weight these days, I had to "weigh in" (yep, pun intended)...

We need to get over ourselves. YES. We do NEED to be healthy. We need to limit how much crap we eat (and there is a lot of it out there) and we need to teach our children to eat healthily and that food is fuel and not something to be abused.

But we don't need to criticize each other and judge each other and be hateful like that recent Marie Claire article. You know the one. (and if you don't, google it - "Marie Claire article on Mike and Molly").

Nothing good comes of that.

Except for maybe THIS. A new site, created by some pretty awesome women, called Curvy Girl. Check it out.

And this also counts as my weigh-in for the latest weight-loss challenge, Holiday Hoedown, at The Sisterhood of The Shrinking Jeans. Which is another fabulous site, run and written by some of my best bloggy AND IRL friends.


So, did you catch that up there? I said 151.4 pounds!! That means I've lost 26!!

And I plan hope to LOSE some more weight over the holidays.

(although I do plan to chow-down on Thanksgiving. We all have our moments...)

I'm still working on that tummy (damn genetics!) but I'm proud of my body and my obvious curves. They are still there. I'm just trying to be healthy and be around a long time to "bug" my kids.... ;)

And no matter what, I plan to rock this body. Confidence is key.

So let's be good to each other no matter what we weigh or how we look, okay?

Okay.


XO,

Can We Even Classify These as Pig Tails? - WW

I'm not really sure how she got so big. Or how her hair got sort of long enough.

Where did my little bundle go?

Where did the baby go that spoke nary a word but now says "bye bye" and "nigh nigh" and "ba ba" as she toddles around?

The "baby" that now smiles with glee and exclaims "Dada!" from her high chair when he walks in the door from work.

Thank goodness that baby lives in my memories forever because this one?

She's movin' on and leavin' that one in the dust...

Her first "pig tails"...

I'm Never Going to Be Enough {Guest Post}

I have a guest post for you all today that is STRAIGHT from the heart. Heather of Domestic Extraordinaire shares some of her deepest feelings with us. Won't you please show her some love?

And also, please visit Domestic Extraordinaire and check out her Flashback Friday posts. And tweet with Heather too. She's a great tweeter! :D



For as long as I can remember my parents hated each other.

They were divorced three days after my third birthday and separated long before that.

They couldn't stand to be in the same room with each other and most of their parenting decisions were made in a courtroom with lawyers deciding the facts.

Things have always been strained with my father and I, it got worse when I moved into his house after my grandmother passed away, and lived there for less than a year.

He thinks I moved out because of a boy. Truthfully, I always felt like a second class citizen at his house. He worked long hours and his wife didn't like me much. She said I would be a great person if only I wasn't so much like my mother.

After many years I thought maybe, just maybe it wasn't them it was a child's overactive imagination. Hopefully for a different life whose parents loved each other so very much. I thought maybe, just maybe I saw things through tainted eyes.

I thought that maybe my father was the kind of guy that wasn't too emotional. That maybe he just wasn't wired in 'that' way. I thought that now that I am an adult things would be different. He would be different.

I was hopeful that we could have some sort of relationship. I had forgiven him for things that have happened in the past, things he had said and things that had happened.

Then my little sister got engaged and they started planning a wedding.

Pouring over photo albums to get the perfect pictures for the DVD I was going to make for the rehearsal dinner I realized something. In all of the photo albums with the hundreds of photos I am in exactly 3 of them.

While there are loving captions written about the other photos of my half sister and step brothers, there is nothing on the photos with me or my full brother in them.

There are events in which I remember clearly being at and there are photos of people that they can't recall now, but there are none of me.

I am never called to go out to lunch. I am never called to come and get a cup of coffee.

I know what you are thinking, but have you called him?

I have. I get answers like 'I don't eat lunch' or 'I think we may have other plans.' Every.single.time.

But the clincher was when he couldn't finish his speech at my half sister's wedding because the best thing that ever happened in his life was going to be marrying the best son in law that anyone could ask for. When I asked him to dance he sputtered out something and made his way to the other side of the room. When talking about photography, like I would talk to anyone about it.

I saw him with family & friends. I saw him with my half sister and her husband. I saw him with many people that he didn't know and they all seemed to know him more than I did.

It's hard to not ask him why I am not good enough. To ask him what I did to make him feel this way. I'd ask but in a way I am afraid of the answer.

I'm sure I would be a great person, if only I wasn't just like my mother.

And So I Ran

In middle school I really hated gym class. It wasn't SO much the actual exercising as it was the too-tight uniform shorts I had to wear.

I was NOT fond of track and field though, and remember feeling relieved that I was out sick on the day that we had to do hurdles. I was a heavy-set kid and I just didn't even think I would make it over and didn't want the embarrassment if I did a face plant right there in front of all of my friends (and some girls who were decidedly NOT my friends... ifyouknowwhatImean).

I ran a lot in at that age, as a full back on my soccer team. If you know that position in soccer you know that it is a lot of back and forth on the field because you're kind of in the middle/side of the field, trying to the keep the ball out of your own goalie's area, while also trying to get it to the forwards' on your own team so they can get a goal.

And so I Ran.

And for the most part, I hated it.

My favorite thing in gym class in middle school? Archery. So cool.

My favorite thing about soccer? Not much.

I played because it did have it's fun moments, I enjoyed socializing with my teammates, my Dad coached and the pizza parties were good.

But those damn shorts never did fit me. NEVER. (too many pizza parties??)

I say all this because I want to share with all of you that read here that I never, EVER would have thought that I would run RUN (redundancy intended). Certainly not for pleasure and/or exercise.

I'm not sure what came over me back in the Fall of 2008 but my friend Kami is a runner and she inspired me to do the Couch to 10K program and so I did. Mostly.

I ran my first 5K (and only one actually...) at the beginning of January 2009. And then, on the 31st of that month, I found out I was pregnant. And since I did not really consider myself a "runner" I pretty much stopped running and well, exercising in general for the pregnancy a while.

Thinking back, I'm pretty sure I originally made the decision to try running just to see if I could do it. I mean, it doesn't hurt to try, right?


And so back in the Spring when I started to go on this journey of weight loss, I started running off and on again. But it was REALLY hard at first. And then the weight started coming off mostly because of my new diet. And it's amazing how much easier it is to run when you are 20+ lbs. lighter. :) It's easier for me now but not EASY for me. Does that make sense?

And I knew the more weight would come off with running.

And so I Ran.

Then, five weeks ago a friend brought up a 10K race here in town and I thought "Maybe I could do it". And when she sent me a message on FB and asked if I was really up for it, I figured I was and responded, "Let's do it!"

And so I Ran.

my friend Dawn who encouraged me and helped me train

I completed my first 10K on Saturday morning and I have to say it was NOT "a walk in the park" for me. It was HARD. I won't lie. Especially that last mile, since I had run only 5 miles twice, prior to the race. And, at the beginning of mile four I got a side stitch and so I had to walk for longer than I had hoped.

But, I finished in 1:13:54 and that was only about 4 minutes longer than I'd hoped, so it's all good.

I still don't consider myself a "runner".

I used to say I'd never run more than a 5K. But I did.

So, what's next?

I don't know for sure.

My Achilles on my right foot still bugs me off and on and was pretty sore yesterday after the race.

But at this point, I'm just really proud of myself for doing what I did yesterday.

And we'll just have to see where I can go from here...

After the race. Yes, I'm sorta smiling.

p.s. thanks to all of you who left comments on my FB post. You made my weekend. :)

Do You Remember the First Time?

No, I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about lots of things in life that we do for the first time. Like riding a bike with no training wheels or losing a tooth or flying in an airplane. Things that are both exciting but can make you anxious all at the same time...


I was walking out of our gym the other night after a run on the treadmill and I saw an older model Explorer pull up near the entrance. I stopped on the steps, not sure if the car was going to stop and let me cross in front of it or not. As I turned to look I saw a woman getting out of the driver's seat and a young man going to sit in it. After I crossed, I glanced back and he was driving away with the biggest eyes and a huge grin on his face.

Aw, yes, do you remember the first time you ever drove a car?

Now I'm guessing this was not his first time to actually drive but I started thinking back about how so VERY exciting it was to sit in that driver's seat when I was 16 and have control of where the vehicle went. What power and exhilaration I felt.

And then I started to think about how driving is now more of a chore a lot times than anything else. How it's commonplace for me to get in and out of the car 10 times a day and how driving now is just another thing I do (and usually only happens after I buckle up AT LEAST one child).

I thought, Wouldn't it be so cool to be 16 again and have that "high"?

It's kind of shame that things that were once so exciting now seem mundane.

I mean I used to think it was SO awesome to be in my own apartment (living on my own was a huge first for me!) and that I could do my OWN dishes (not my parents' dishes...) and laundry in MY home.

Yeah, I'll admit, I never got the same "high" off of those things as driving, but you know what I mean. And of courses dishes and laundry are totally "for the birds" now! ;)

But coming into adulthood and knowing that I had my OWN things.....Wow.

What I'm trying to say is that there's just nothing like the first time with a lot of things in life. (Even with having a baby, no? WHOLE 'nother post...) And I just thought it was really fun to see that boy's face after his mother relinquished control of the car to him. He was literally beaming.

Maybe I'll just pretend next time I get in the car that I am 16 again and driving is still new and exciting... (but do my best not to hit another car like I did the first month when I was really 16. And so what if it was a classmate's father's car and I was only going like 15 MPH and I was just young and inexperienced...)


p.s. I will have to give up the driver's seat to this one when I'm 50. O.M.G. I hope I'm still running and in good shape at that point because, Hello! Heart attack!!