In case anyone was wondering exactly what I was doing in Dearborn, Michigan last week...Yes, I did drag race, get whipped around in the Taurus SHO (Super High Output) and drove the Ford Explorer over all different types of terrain. It was, wait for it... awesome! I would do it all again and again. Catch up with me next week when I talk in more detail about what exactly Ford is doing that puts them above and beyond other car companies today.*totally unsponsored post. … [Read more...]
Totally Untamed Tuesday
I can be a bit of a control freak. I like things to be done certain ways and when they aren't well, I tend to get a bit, uh, testy. You are sitting there completely shocked right now, I know.When The Comedian started eating cereal straight from the bag yesterday morning I looked at her and TD and declared it, "Totally Untamed Tuesday!" I was going to just let things go. For a day. My friend, Kristen would say I was letting go of my "New England hang-ups sensibilities". So I let the kids eat cereal out of the bag. I let them put cereal in sippy cups with milk and try to eat it that way. We made an impromptu trip to "Crazy Town" as TD calls it and when the book store we were visiting wasn't open yet (an hour late!) I just 'Meh'd' it and we took … [Read more...]
Where’s Mummy?
Not home, that is for sure. I am sure if you swing into the Yorktown area of Virginia later today you will find me in a pool with my kids enjoying this first week of summer. Earlier this week I was up in Dearborn, Michigan again with Ford. I know! I was beyond excited too! Drag racing F-150's, learning about new and current technology in Ford cars and meeting some amazing people. It was educational, inspiring and a total blast! Ed Begley Jr spoke about the small things we can all do to help the environment. It was great to hear such passion from someone besides myself on this matter. On a whole other note, head over to MPR. Scroll through and enter some great contests on beauty items, Cars 2 prize packs and a year's subscription to Discovery Girl magazine! If you are a ginormous … [Read more...]
Day One- I Feel Like a Statistic
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post from June 19, 2008.The front door opened. Startled I looked up to find my husband coming home from work early yesterday. I was about to take a work related phone call so I just briefly asked him what was up. He perched himself on the edge of the kitchen counter and said, "It's done. Over. I got laid off."Immediately, I had to grip the counter myself and keep from feeling as if my brain was doing a fade to black sort of thing. If there wasn't already a baby growing inside me it would have felt as if my stomach was being kicked in. Pummeled. I hear the words being calmly stated, "Two weeks severance...one month of insurance...", and my mind just reels. How are we going to survive? I feel like one of those brief profiles you … [Read more...]
In Which I Experiment with my Body
I've been doing a bit of experimentation with my body the last few weeks. When I put it that way it sounds like I've gone all Tony Stark and put in some sort of contraption into my chest but no, it's with food. Before I met H, I was ahem, younger, and could eat anything I wanted with no consequences. Those days are gone. Have I waxed poetic about the fabulous Olay Regenerist Lifting Serum for eyes I just bought? No? I will soon. It's magic on my tired, old peepers.I digress.I could eat anything I wanted back then, but what I ate was typically almost entirely vegetarian. It wasn't an ethical issue. I just didn't like buying and cooking meat for one. I ate a lot of veggies, fruit, dairy and nuts. Carbs were not a mainstay either. Fast forward ten years and three kids later and I feel like … [Read more...]
A Bug’s Life
Yesterday morning I opened the door to the den and found a rather large and disturbing bug hanging on for dear life. Or so I thought. Apparently it just wanted to come over to our house for a bit of a vacay.When we returned home later that day (like hours and hours later) H said to me, "Hon? Have you seen this thing on the door?" I looked over and sure enough that ginormous bug was still in the EXACT. SAME. SPOT on the door. It was weird and I had to go to the Internets to figure out what it was and it turns out is some sort of seed bug that is into hibernating.I learned a valuable lesson though. Don't google random bug descriptions with the words 'large' involved. You will get freaked out beyond belief and won't be able to stop itching and scratching for hours on end. I'm still convinced … [Read more...]
Is Your Life Eating You Alive?
I was talking to another woman the other day about women's busy lives. She mentioned that today's woman has so many choices but also has a life. It is no longer just a home life or just a work life. It is both with fitness pursuits, dream goals, full-time friendships and more. Yet, there is still only 24 hours in a day. These lives are full. Very, very full. It made me think-Are our lives eating us alive?The media blitz and pitches for Disconnecting to Reconnect on Father's Day was just another thread that seems to be pointing to yes. I love that I have a busy life. I thoroughly enjoy working out, running and all my friendships. I can't maintain them like I used to and I don't view myself as a stay-at-home mom anymore. The fence I was bordering of work-at-home and stay-at-home now seems to … [Read more...]
Old Girl
When H and I first married he was gone a lot. There I was, in a new town, no job and a new military spouse who didn't live on base. To say I was lonely is a massive understatement. One weekend in San Diego and my heart was stolen by this adorable girl. Today, Lex turns 10. She's survived toe cancer, a bite from a Copperhead snake, emergency midnight surgery to remove a suspicious mass (aka a web of carpet and melted plastic she choked down) and quite a few moves, flights and trips across the country. Did I mention the three kids? Daily she survives those little beasties by laying low and stealing their food right out from under them. They love her anyway.So do we. Happy Birthday Old Girl. We love you. … [Read more...]
Determined to Rest
I subscribe to the Tennyson rule of thinking, "To seek, to find and not to yield." Or something like that. Meaning, I'm a Type A freak who likes to stay busy and makes lots of lists. I drink coffee, would smoke a dozen killsticks if it wouldn't kill me first and I compete with myself a lot.Do I sleep with my shoulders hunched up to my ears? Oh, indeed.Last week I found myself swiftly walking through Reagan National airport at the eleventh hour once again, dragging my life behind me on a set of wheels. I had a thought, "What? Doesn't everyone do this with their life?" Living off trail mix and bottled water, memorizing the low-fat meals at Applebee's and Chili's across the country? No, they don't.While I don't mind racking up frequent flier miles, upgrades and free hotel stays, I do mind how … [Read more...]
Glamour Magazine, Joe Biden and Domestic Violence
I haven't been a reader of Glamour magazine since my college days, but I just might pick up the June issue. In it readers will find an interview with Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden as they talk about a cause they hold very dear to them, domestic violence. For over twenty years the Biden's have worked on this issue. I applaud that. Biden's likening of domestic violence being "worse than prison" is quite accurate. It works perfectly with Glamour's 'Tell Someone' campaign.Personally, I feel that this issue isn't played up enough. We have just past the one year mark for Yeardley Love. I live in a state that has the worst policies in the country for domestic abuse victims. Sixteen years after my own "prison break" I still suffer nightmares, flashbacks and the odd ticks … [Read more...]