Mommy, Unleashed (next time)

I took a break from SuperNoots for a while to picnic with the kids at Knoxville's World's Fair Park. I saw the greatest thing while I was there...

I watched a mom and her little girl excitedly cross the lawn, making their way toward the fountains. Smiles on their faces, they BOTH threw their bathing suit covers off and skipped into the water. I've been there a lot, and I've never seen an adult having as much fun as this lady was having with her daughter.

I felt my spirits lift, soar actually, at this sweet sight, but then I looked over at my little girl. I had kept her in her clothes because she was too anxious to step into the fountains. I was then aware of my own demeanor, my own clothes, and suddenly I would have given a million dollars for a bathing suit.

I spent the rest of the time encouraging her to touch the smallest fountain with her fingers, but in my heart, I was wishing I could pick her up and whisk her into the fountains like the mom I now so admired.

So now, I'm sitting here a little remiss, wishing I had just gone in with my clothes on. What a great opportunity I had to show my little girl the beauty of life, the beauty of spontaneity, the beauty of being silly.

Blondie, get ready, 'cause next time... Mama's goin' in!!!

Here's one of my favorite pictures of Blondie. Hard to imagine a child this wild would be anxious about anything!

Birthday 'Cluster'

If you've been following along here at this crazy little blog, then you've gathered that our family is in the middle of its birthday cluster, a.k.a. the short span of time where nearly half the family members celebrate his or her special day. (not to mention the anniversaries, too!)

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few pics on our recent celebrations, starting with my little neice, who we've just been celebrating every day for the past few weeks!

Isn't she sweet? Yes, I know.

Next is a non-picture of my sister-in-law, who soon after giving birth to this little darlin', celebrated her birthday. For her birthday, she took a 10 minute break from feeding to blow out her candles.

And soon after my sister-in-law, little Biscuit turned five, and somehow his birthDAY turned into his birthWEEK.

Trip to the zoo. Yes, Biscuit's wearing a Peyton Manning jersey. No, we don't live in Indiana. But we love Peyton Manning for being a Tennessee alum and also setting a great example for our kids.
Trip to Creative Kids Museum in Chattanooga. Biscuit posing with a T-Rex.



The big birthday party! We had a great time. In this picture, I'm not sure if Biscuit is blowing his candles out or if I've just told him about his 5-year immunization shot!



TDH's Dad celebrated a big mile-marker birthday just yesterday. Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy but just a bite of his birthday dessert. Wonder why?


And we're not done! My nephew celebrates his big 5 in a few weeks. Then it's almost two months before the next 'cluster.'

Business note... thank you, Stacy Julian, again for an amazing post about SuperNoots. Your support has been tremendous, and I truly truly truly appreciate you :)

Celebrating Almost Over

Oh, sweet readers, how I have abandoned you. My excuse is a good one... Biscuit's 5th birthday.

We're having an outdoor water games party, and I want it to be fabulous. (We already took a family trip to Chattanooga in honor of his birthday). You see, this year, I'm experiencing the same guilt I had two years ago. Let me explain...

Before Biscuit's third birthday, I had been on bed rest and breastfeeding twins for the last six months of his life. For his party that year, I totally overextended myself to compensate for neglecting the poor thing. It got a little out of control!

So, this year, same guilt, different reason. SuperNoots has been full-steam ahead since March, and once again, my little Biscuit has paid the price. Quite frankly, I just don't know how you working moms manage your guilt.

That being said, I want this little party to be special. Biscuit will be sharing the spotlight with his grandfather, who is turning 70. I hope he doesn't mind a dinosaur cake!

CHECK OUT bookieboo.com THIS WEEK! One of my previous blog posts is being featured! Check out the great picture of Biscuit :)

Happy Almost Birthday, Biscuit!

Stay tuned, sweet readers. My little Biscuit turns five tomorrow, and we have been celebrating all weekend long. Tomorrow, TDH is taking off work for a fun-filled family day!

I'll be posting lots of pictures :) I can't believe my little boy is five-years old!!!

Since I'm abandoning you without much content, I'll defer to one of my favorite bloggers, Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer. This post is great, you'll be seriously entertained!

A Shower, a Shout, and a Sure Fire Recipe

I'll never forget the time I called one of my BFFs, Trisha, a new mom at the time, and she told me she was in such a great mood, even relaxed. Why is that?, I asked her. Her answer still makes me laugh...

Because I just took a shower long enough to wash even my non-essential body parts.

Haven't we all been there? The baby's waking up, but you know if you don't wash the layer of grime from your body, you'll need to put the baby in a hasmat suit. I remember the times I jumped into the shower, hit the essential hot points with my spongy, all in about 10 seconds. (Forget the hair... that's what baby powder is for).

Anyhoo... just thought I'd share :)

On a much more serious note, an Associated Press article popped up in my local paper titled, Cholesterol drugs recommended for some 8-year-olds.

According to the article, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending low-fat milk for 1-year-olds, who are at risk for being overweight. Previously, the Academy advised against this, since kids this young need the saturated fat for brain development.

Even though this is a sub-plot in the story (read the article for what they say about cholesterol screening), I am SO disappointed our kids' nutritional health has come to this.

The Academy states that these days, kids are receiving saturated fat in other places besides milk. It's as if a diet high in saturated fats is the norm, and even the Academy of Pediatrics is having to adjust their advice to fit into our country's bad habits! What's next, going directly from breast milk or formula to skim milk?!? Are we sacrificing brain development for the green light to eat fish sticks and french fries?!?!

Whew, what a rant. I'm hopeful as our country becomes more aware of how important nutrition and exercise are for our kids, that things will improve. I know it seems like our country has bigger fish to fry at the moment, but we all know that saying, If you don't have your health...

Let's end this on a positive note with a yummy...

Here's a wonderful summertime recipe that is so refreshing, one bite will make you close your eyes and sink lower into your lawn chair. It's low-fat, so dig in!!

Cousin Brenda's Trifle Cake

1 store-bought Angel Food cake
1 bag frozen strawberries, thawed and cut bite-sized
1 small package strawberry Jello mix
1-2 bananas
1 large and 1 small package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
Skim milk (enough to prepare pudding)
1 large container reduced-fat Cool Whip

Break Angel Food cake into bite-sized pieces in bottom of large serving bowl. In seperate bowl, mix strawberries with Jello mix. Pour over cake. Next, add bananas, sliced. Prepare pudding as directed, then pour over bananas. Lastly, add Cool Whip. Enjoy!

I fix this all the time, and Clarke, if you're reading this, thank you for all your help on the dock, and I'll be sending a Trifle Cake your way very soon. I haven't forgotten!

Little Red

And you think you're having a bad day...