Begging Off

In case you didn't catch this from Friday's post, I'm off of work tomorrow and Tuesday, so I'm begging off of the blog. I love you all, but sacrifices must be made to complete my holiday. Two workdays NOT in front of the computer - that's what MUST be accomplished here. :)

To tide you over, here's some pictures of my little goober showing off her heels ("so pwetty"). She put these on with a onesie to show off to Drew's recent graduates who were at our house. Not only can she wear them, but she can BOOGIE in them. The bottom picture is the best one I could get as she was RUNNING and DANCING jointly in circles around the house in her heels. Hahaha!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Fabulous Friday!!!

OH, Friday, I love you every week. I truly do. Much like my daughter, you ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart - no matter how near or far you are. But also like my daughter, sometimes when I'm with you, it's just MAGICAL!!! Today is one of those days. I am in dire need of a visit with you and your friends, Saturday and Sunday (who you always, so graciously, bring for a visit). The magical part of today is, that you also arranged for your friends Monday and Tuesday to take off of work and come see me as well. :) It's such a sweet gift you are bringing me today and I appreciate it greatly!

Other than resting (which I truly plan on doing), I will spend my weekend hammering out the details for next Saturday, when we will spend the day celebrating the 2 years it took for THIS:

To become THIS:

The invitations have been made and sent:

The meal has been planned (and as a VERY smart Mommy, I've enlisted ALL the grandparents to bring part of the meal so it's not all on me).

The favors have been made and assembled:

Now I just have to STEAL -- ahem -- creatively copy my friend Carrie's birthday banner and about 10,000 other tiny details. :)

On another note, Go visit Kelli @

To see what she's giving away for Free 4 All Fridays!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Some Tips From a Word Freak

I'm a self-proclaiming word-freak. I, dorky though it may be, LOVE grammar. I love reading. I love writing. I love figuring out what part of speech some particular word is when looking at a complicated sentence. What can I say?!? I was raised by an English teacher, and then taught middle school English myself. :)

Now, that's not to say that I am constantly judging the words of other people. I'm not the kind of English person for whom (yep, that's correct) you have to watch your every word for fear of the wrath of my judgement. Promise.

But there are some things proliferating our society that are just DRIVING ME NUTS!!! So I thought I'd give us all a little lesson.

These things are skipping over the usual "its/it's", "their/there/they're", "to/too" lessons (but PLEASE, if you haven't figured those out, ask me. They're simple and if you're over the age of 8, you should know how to use them correctly.)

I'm also avoiding text-speak (although please don't EVER write UR or B4 to me - UGH!!!).

The first lessons there have been taught so many times and I don't want to be repetitive. The text-speak -- well, I fear that is a hopeless cause.

These are some newer problems I'm starting to see (or seeing more often) that are just making me BATTY!!!

1.) Take/Bring -- I never really noticed the misuse of these words until teaching a lesson on commonly confused words while student teaching. I read these on the list and thought, "No one misuses THESE words. They're simple." Then I watched ER that night and noticed that, in fact, these words were missued regularly - just in that one show. Now I hear it ALL THE TIME!!! So to clarify:

*Bring implies an object moving CLOSER to you.
*Take implies an object moving AWAY from you.

Thus, if you are downstairs, you can not ask your child to "Bring this upstairs to Daddy." The correct sentence would be "Take this upstairs to Daddy." (Or, if you're like me and trying to lose weight, you could save the chance of a misused word and get off your own lazy but and take it upstairs yourself. :) haha!)

2.) Yeah/Yea/Yay -- This has become one of the most irritating words in my entire universe. I see it on Facebook regularly. I work in a world where all communication is IM, thus I get attacked by it there as well. It's really simple (and I learned it from bulletin boards while in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, so surely we can all learn it spelled out simply as adults, no?).

*Yeah - This spelling is the word that means "affirmative". It's sort of a slang version of "yes". As in, 'Yeah, I DO know how to use this word correctly."

*Yea - This word is a positive exclamation. It should be used in any place where you mean something similar to "Yipee!" or "Woohoo!". As in, "Yea! I finally figured out the correct spelling of this word!"

*Yay - This is NOT A FRIGGIN WORD!!!!! It's the made-up text-speak spelling of a word that someone chose because no one ever taught them that it's spelled "yea". Just sayin'.

3.) Quotation marks ARE NOT the same thing as BOLD TYPE!!! I think this started with the extensive use of air quotes to denote sarcasm or a joking nature. However, it's taken over and suddenly I'm seeing quotes everywhere!!! Here's some appropriate uses of quotation marks:

*Use quotation marks when directly quoting someone.

*Use quotation marks when writing a title of a TV show or magazine article.

*Use quotation marks when you mean "so called". Ex. The "comedian" at the comedy club was the least funny person I have EVER encountered. (This is the typed equivalent of air quotes.)

Do NOT use quotation marks, however, to simply give a word emphasis. This is incorrect and makes my heart die a little each time I see it.

Here are two of my favorite misused quotation marks (on signs in local restaurants).

*Change for candy "here"
*"No" parking at Wendy's. They will tow.

WHAT?!? Oh my!!!!!

4.) This last one is more a racial/cultural word issue, but it is EVERYWHERE and driving me nuts just the same.

MEXICAN and HISPANIC are NOT the same thing. Calling every hispanic person you meet "Mexican" is the equivalent of saying all Americans are Alabamians. Yes, all Alabamians are Americans (as all Mexicans are hispanic), but the converse is not true. In Geometry, we called this a falacy or FALSE LOGIC!!!

The most fabulous part about this is, at least where I live, the majority of hispanics are NOT Mexican. It's not like you're only getting it wrong for 1 out of 20 people. It's more likely that you are getting it correct for 1 out of 20 people. In my particular neighborhood, almost all the hispanics are Columbian. Mexican doesn't apply to them in ANY way at all.

It's WRONG, OFFENSIVE, and a simple fix, people. Please take note!!!

Ok, I think I'm done now. :) Don't you all feel more educated and better prepared to face the world today?!?

I thought so.

tee-hee

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

A Follow-Up

Two posts in one day -- WHAT?!? (I figured after NOT posting Monday and Tuesday, I owed you more than one today.)

This is a video from the previously pictured bed-jumping. This is T and my brother's daughter, Carly (they share a middle name and are 4 months to the day apart in age).

Please note:

*All counting is FABULOUS!!! (Tucker had 3 and 4 until she figured out 5, 6, 7, 8. 3 and 4 have since disappeared.)

*When T says, "Get down!" at the end of counting, she's giving "instructions" (ok, bossing around) to Carly who has climbed on something behind the camera. haha!








Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

Wordless Wednesdays - Jumping on the Bed

I forgot just how much fun jumping on the bed can be - especially when you have a partner in crime!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Drumroll, please!!!

And the winner of Free 4 All Fridays is...

...


...


...

CAMILY!!! Woohoo!!!
I know one little girl that's gonna be SO cute in a tutu! :)

Email me your address and I'll get this in the mail before the week's up!

*I used random.org to generate the winner. Comment number 9 was the winner.*

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

Bam! Pow! Kablooey! (And a Free 4 All)

Fear not, mere mortals!

Help is on the way!!

Ready to save you from your challenging, exhausting week!

She's brought prizes and delight!! She'll rescue from the mid-week dolldroms! She's brought

This week's happy is a beautiful, chock-full-of-fun tutu for your precious!

Do you SEE how cute these are?!? Do you SEE how much fun she's having?!?

These are not "wear them only to dance class" tutus. They are wear them on a Tuesday, to a ballgame, for a costume, because you WANT to kind of tutus!

And HERE'S the one you can win!!!

In my part of the world, this is Georgia Tech all the way. (Not for me, personally, but...) However, it might be the colors of YOUR favorite school (high school or college). My FAVORITE use for this particular tutu though? Umm... BUMBLEBEE!!!!! Leggings? Black shirt? Antennae? EAT THAT UP!!!

You know you have some little precious in your life who would LOVE to be a princess, ballerina, or bumblebee! (This is my big-girl size, so it'll fit MUCH larger than the 2 year old model.)

So how can YOU win?

*Leave me a comment, any ol' comment.

*Follow me and leave me a message saying you do.

*Blog about my giveaway (or my blog) and leave me a message saying you did.

*Visit Mimi (He & Me + 3) and then leave me a comment saying you did.

*Tell me your FAVORITE superhero and WHY

(Please note that each of these must be in a separate comment to count as an entry.)

That's FIVE chances to win!

Happy Friday!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Ode to a Goofball

In a matter of days, my alma mater (high school, that is) will be saying goodbye to an institution. He entered the halls as a freshman in the fall of 1964 and other than a 4 year stint at a college I shan't name (for it is the rival of my OTHER alma mater), he hasn't left. He has spent every year since the fall of 1973 being strict, interesting, ridiculous, entertaining, educational, and inspiring in room 5.

The students at this school who did NOT pass through his class as a student during one of their four years are few and far between. And even THEY would probably all be able to tell you at least one high school memory that centers around this nut.

He's a bit off-kilter. (I mean, come on! I've seen proof of his teaching in cheerleading uniforms - the female variety, tutus, a Nerd candy box - supersized, of course, AND he has the largest collection of troll dolls I've ever seen all collecting dust in the corner of his room.)

He tells jokes -- really BAD jokes -- every single day in his classes. In fact, he cares so much about his jokes, that on a 2 week stint of substituting for him, part of the lesson plan was to read at least one joke from his joke folder. It's a sickness that can't be cured in this man.

He is a vault of mundane trivia on topics ranging from Alabama football (recruits, scores, plays, stats) to just about any oldie you ever heard (including who sang it, the year it came out, and what was on the B side). He'll share it with you. Just ask him. :)

He participates in just about everything that happens at the school. He announces the football games (and has for as long as just about anyone can remember). He MCs the Blast from the Past (oh yeah, and he's a co-creator/co-director of the show as well). He helps with the county Special Olympics. He helps run the Christmas party for underpriviledged children. He cooks for just about any function that needs something grilled (from fundraisers to faculty meals).

He stands in the halls conjugating (inside joke) with his students, speaking to everyone who passes - knowing pretty much everyone by name. He can tell you who their parents are (and which ones he taught), who excells at this or that, and which is the kid that needs to be shooed along to their next class to avoid trouble. But he can also tell you which kid's family is going through a hardship right now, who just lost a family member, and which of the students could really use a hug at least once a day to help keep their head afloat.

He teaches English - vocabulary, Mythology, literature, grammar. He is actually the one who taught me to LOVE reading. (I still read every single night before going to sleep - getting in about a book a week. And I hope to eventually become a school librarian because of this love.) He also inspired me (against a lifetime of telling anyone who would listen that I was NOT going to become a teacher) to become a teacher. He made me LOVE literature, authors, and yes, most importantly, grammar. He showed me how it all worked and why it was important and he made me want to show it to others. I think most anyone who had him will tell you he's a GREAT teacher of English.

More importantly, though, I think any student who passed through the high school would tell you what he meant, not to their grammatical or literature-based knowledge, but to their souls, spirits, beings. The man is a nutjob. (I can attest from first-hand experience.) But he's a nutjob that LOVES his students. They are his life. He spends almost as much energy as he has thinking about, entertaining, and caring for all the students at the high school. He loves them all 4 years they walk the halls, but he continues to love each one post-graduation - proof-reading papers, attending weddings, or just visiting as they pass on the street.

He is as much a part of that high school as the tiled floors and cinder block walls. I don't remember a time that I walked into that school without being greeted by him and hearing a story or joke. I don't think anyone does. I fear the school will become a much quieter, tamer, less-humerous place when he's no longer there each day. (Although, let's face it, when you love something that much, you can never quit cold-turkey. He'll be around.)

Yes, this institution - this great teacher and man will be missed at that high school every single day by many, many people. His laughter, silliness, knowledge, and love will leave a hole that will take some big shoes to fill.

The good news is that I still get to see him or talk to him anytime I like, because he's my Daddy and the goofiest Poppa you ever met. :)


We all love you very much, Diddy! Thank you for all 36 years of service, love, and goofiness!

Love & Shipoopies,

Les

Wordless Wednesdays

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Some time ago, I posted a picture of T sleeping in her crib, showing just a hint of her bedroom. My dear friend, Mimi (at He & Me + 3) asked to show the rest of her room. [I did it more than 2 years ago when we first changed it from the pea-green "art gallery" (aka - place where all our pictures were still sitting on the floor from our move), but since I am drawing a blank on what else to write today (and too busy at work to really brainstorm something fabulous), I decided this was a great time to fulfill her request. :) ]

*PS - I LOVE painting walls in designs AND decorating kids rooms and have a small, in-my-freetime business doing so if anyone's interested. :) haha!

(I had a hard time finding a rocker in which my feet comfortably reached the floor for rocking and nursing. We finally found this wicker rocker that worked well.)

This one was taken right after a baby shower - before the stuff was hung on the walls and with tons of gifts in view. :)

I hand-painted the letters in her name with patterns from her bedspread.

*Look closely and you can see my big, pregnant belly in the mirror. :) *

This is the wall as it looks now.

These rabbits belonged to Laura Katherine (Tooter Booter, who I mentioned here). The books were hers and then our sweet Anna Elise's (Tucker Elise's namesake) before that.

I made these (in the pre-cricut days, even) to match the fishies on her bedspread.

To answer what is probably your question at this point (unless you knew us then), YES, we did know she was going to be a girl. We didn't want a PINK room. (We weren't against pink being in it - just not ALL PINK.) It made for a difficult time finding something that wasn't characters, pink, overtly male, or just plain ugly - that we BOTH liked. And it also caused some of our parents to flip-out a bit and ask us things like, "Why do you HATE pink?!?" "You HAVE to let her have SOME pink things SOMETIME!!!" -- fun stuff like that. It was REAL drama. :) hahaha! We just aren't into gender-specific stuff. We both think girls can wear blue and boys can wear pink and that's just ok. :)

To be clear - we don't hate pink. She has lots of it - just not on her walls. :) hahaha!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

I Heart Faces!!

I haven't entered I Heart Faces in quite some time, but when I saw the theme this week was "Flowers" I knew I MUST enter this picture.

Over Spring Break, we went to Callaway Gardens for the day. We had just exited the Butterfly House and T was running around everywhere enjoying being outside. I was taking pictures of the tulips (my favorites) and Granna asked her if she could smell one. SO CUTE! (Her version of smelling usually involves blowing on it - to ensure she makes that noise everyone makes when they sniff.) haha!

If you want to see more great pictures, hop on over to

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Meme Monday

My house is a WRECK!!! I don't mean the average "I have a 23 month old" kind of wreck. I mean the "We haven't had more than an hour free at a time since Christmas break" kind of wreck. Little things here and there have gotten done, but the overall picture has become overwhelming. We're usually better about getting it back under control regularly. We really are. But this semester, well... you know how people say, "I'm treading water"? I've not even been keeping it together THAT well this semester. The hubs has been busier than ever (and away from the house more than ever) this semester. I've been crazy busy at work with a million things outside of work going on as well. And then considering so many nights I've been single-momming it until past T's bedtime, by the time she's in bed and I have some free time, I'm EXHAUSTED, so I plop on the couch and sit. Yep, this semester, exhaustion has overcome my need for order.

The desire to CLEAN my house (the kind where you don't just get the normal stuff back to its rightful place, but where you also find those random stacks that usually get left 'cause at least they're neat and find a more logical home for them - the kind where you re-organize the garage and make multiple trips to Goodwill/consignment stores) has been overwhelming my brain the past week or so. One reason is because the mess is starting to overflow from my house into my brain! (Do you find that when your house is a mess, your thoughts become messier as well or is that just me? tee-hee) The other reason is that we're having a 2 year old birthday party at our house in 3 weekends (and the two weekends between, we'll be out of town). Yikes!!!

So I thought today, our Meme could include questions about cleaning and organizing. Ready?

1.) Are you a complete OCD neat-freak, a straightener, or a mess?

2.) What's your cleaning strategy? (ie - 30 min everyday, once a week, hire a maid)

3.) What's your BEST tip(s) to share for keeping/getting your house clean?

I'm TRULY interested in how all you supermoms (and dads) out there keep your house together when your lives are chaotic!

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

Fun, Fun, Family Friday!

Today's going to be filled with a bit of randomness. (Shock, I know!!!) The first two pictures are from my delightful Mother's Day lunch with the fam. How good-looking are the two loves of my life?!?

I was flipping through some old pictures today and ran across THIS:

Look Familiar??? (Same eyes, same shy expression, same dress as the Mother's Day pics, actually)

It's not Tucker or ME. It's my "first child", my Tooter Booter, my sweet little Laura Katherine! She is my baby cousin and was not much older than T when I moved to her town and spent most of my life with her by my side.

Now she is this beautiful, sweet, hysterical TWELVE YEAR OLD (ohmygoshhowdidthathappen) that loves MY child as much as I loved (well, LOVE) her.

Tooter, I love you more than you can probably imagine. You stole my heart when you were born. You will ALWAYS be a part of me and have a special place with me. You can ALWAYS come to me the way I can always go to your mom and I hope Tucker will always come to you. LOVE!!!!!!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie

Thankful Thursdays

*the silly (but true) version*

I've been thinking of some of the silliest things in life for which I am eternally grateful (truly) and thought I'd put them out there as a shield against negativity, irritation, and pity (all from me, of course).

*I am thankful for all the silly conversations my Diddy and I have quoting TV show moments to each other. It's such a silly bond, but it helped us re-bond through irritations, arguements, and teenagerdom. Now we have more than just the TV quotes, but they're still there and they're still fun!

*I am thankful that my amazingly wonderful, you'd think she's perfect mom (discussed here) isn't really perfect. Sometimes she switches her words, messes up the math when doing it in her head AND being silly with me at the same time (HellOOOOO sugar cookies!), and is a klutz. These are all qualities I got from her and all things we laugh about endlessly together.

*I am thankful that my perfectly serious, professional husband talks and walks in his sleep. The sheer absurdity of those moments are the perfect reminder of how someone as serious as he could marry a goober like I. :)

*I am thankful that my family (parents, sibling, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even Munner occassionally) are as loud, crazy, silly, and happy as I am! It's nice to hang with them and not have to be self-concious about how loud and silly I get when I'm having a truly good time.

*I am thankful for my daughter's independent nature (well.... most of the time anyway). I know that strong will is going to be hard to deal with, BUT a.) it's really funny now ("NO, Mommy. Tutter hold it." "NO, Mommy. I no need help.") and b.) I know she will one day be able to hold her own whenever she needs to.

*I am thankful for my ability to break into song at any given moment. I am thankful to have been raised loving music so much that I rarely have a conversation that doesn't bring SOME song to mind. Music is how my soul speaks. It's how I show love, feel love, express emotion, and even worship God.

It's Thursday in your world, too. What are the silliest parts of your life for which you are TRULY thankful?

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

Fessing Up

Confession time.

(I wonder how many times I've used that phrase on my blog. Hmm...)

I am a GLEEK!!! I LOVE this show! I don't get to watch it live because, well... because my husband won't even give it a try! But I do watch it and love it (and like all things I love in life), sometimes take notes on my favorite parts just in case I want to mention them to someone later. (I do this to any concerts I go to so I can remember the things I liked/didn't like/thought during the songs and discuss them with my husband, the musician, later in more detail than "Umm, yeah, it was really good. I really liked that one thing in that one song.")

Now, I try not to do too much TV talk on the blog because, well, if you've ever gone to a blog that does that about a show you don't watch, well, it's just a BIG let-down! Here I am at your blog waiting with baited breath for the wisdom/heartfelt story/laughter you will provide me, and instead I get an update on what was probably a very funny show that I don't get 'cause I didn't watch it.

However, I mentioned above. The hubs won't watch it. And I work at home. By myself. My only contact is through IM with people who DEFINITELY don't watch Glee. So... I have to share these thoughts with someone. Today, that someone is YOU. (How lucky are YOU?!?)

*I LOVE Puck's voice. Each time I hear him sing, I like it more. (And I found out he went to high school with my dear friend, Kitty, which is pretty stinking cool!)

*How many of us knew it was just a matter of time before we remade "Jessie's Girl" - what with the love triangle involving a guy named Jessie. :) But wasn't it fabulous? (Although I don't know that he's QUITE as dreamy as Rick Springfield.)

*I LOVE Brittany - the queen of airheads. "There's just so many lyrics." "Who is THAT guy?" "When I pulled my hamstring, I went to a misogynist."

*"Yeah, you know what? I checked out of this conversation about a minute back. So good luck with your troubles. And I'm gonna make it a habit not to stop and talk to students because this has been a colossal waste of my time."

*"You have great arms and we have SERIOUS musical chemistry. Those are both important to me."

Seriously, this show is a riot!

Oh, and while I'm talking TV, just a few other recommendations for you all (in case you needed some fabulousness added to your life).

1.) Big Bang Theory - This show is HYSTERICAL!!! Seriously. I end up laughing WITH TEARS running down my face pretty much every week.

2.) Criminal Minds - I'm a crime drama junky. We watch all the Law & Orders, the original CSI, and a million other shows in our past along these lines. But this one is my FAVORITE. It has such great characters and CRAZY stories!

3.) Fringe - This is a FREAK SHOW of fabulous!!! Drew and I like to describe it as "The X-Files meets CSI". I say EVERY SINGLE WEEK (ask the hubs), "This is weird EVEN FOR FRINGE!" It's crazy and WONDERFUL!

Ok, I promise no more TV posts for a while.

What are YOUR favorite shows?

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

Fear

I was talking with someone Saturday casually and then again to the hubs last night about fear - my fear specifically. (Not a phobia - although I DO have one of those.)

Paranoia, vigilence, awareness, being careful... all of these are things we're all taught to do at least a little to keep us safe (ish) in this crazy world full of nut-jobs. Some people probably don't pay close enough attention, and then there are those people, like me, who probably are a little too vigilent, paranoid, careful, worried.

The conversation started while standing in line for Batman at Six Flags. There was a group of teenage boys behind us in line that were apparently under the impression that if they got close enough to our group, they could magically appear on the other side of us (or maybe even at the front of the line). I began discussing boundaries in public - how so many people seem unaware of personal space. People in the grocery line sometimes are so close I can hear them breathe in my ear. REALLY?!? You being that close to me isn't going to make the groceries check any faster.

I don't think anyone enjoys having thier personal space invaded by a stranger. I, however, almost always begin panicking at least a little when this happens. When someone steps too close (even something as innocent as a teenage boy in line at Six Flags), my heart begins racing. I get fidgety and start looking for people who could help me if the situation turns bad. I do everything short of running over someone else and/or slapping the person who's gotten too close to distance myself from the person.

Normal? Probably not. Worrisome? I'm not sure. THIS is what brought the conversation up again last night. I know that I'm probably more hyper-paranoid about strangers and dangerous situations than the average person. I can even tell you WHY I am that way. I can name the day that it began for me and some of my scariest run-ins with my fear since then with great detail. My question to my husband was, "I know my fear's greater than that of the average person, but if it's not keeping me from living my life, is it something I should worry about?"

I think some of my extra awareness is GOOD. When I'm walking through a parking lot or into the house, I take inventory of every single person around. Is there anyone near my car or door? Is there anyone behind me going in the same direction? If so, how close are they and is there a store worker or other trust-worthy person nearby if I need them?

I never stop to get gas without someone knowing exactly where I am (usually my poor mother gets this call - "I'm on _____ Street at the QT getting gas. I'll call you when I get back in with locked doors"). I figure at least that way if something happens, someone knows TO look and WHERE to look.

I think those things probably keep me (and Tucker) safe.

But some of my fear may not be so good. I never walk in or out of my house without thinking that there's the possibility that someone could be watching us, taking note of our routine, or watching for the perfect moment to grab us or shove his way in our house. I get panicky when people get too close in the grocery store or in line at Six Flags. Those things aren't normal. I know that.

My question is, how much fear is TOO much?

What do YOU fear? How much? Do you think your fear is normal? a good thing? worrisome?

(A little deep for a cold Tuesday in May, I know.)

Love, Shipoopies, and a fearless day,
Leslie

Meme Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can click on the link above to read more about what people did NOT do this weekend.


This weekend, I did NOT push my poor child around Six Flags from 1pm until 9pm in her stroller and she did NOT love it. (The kid LOVES her stinking stroller AND being outdoors.) I did NOT make my husband, two other adults, and my child wait in line for over an hour to ride "Batman: The Ride" just because it's my favorite!!! (Well, because it's my favorite AND because the people working the ride were being ridiculously slow - not just that ride - the whole park!) It did NOT take me almost 30 minutes to get a drink refilled when I was only the 6th person in line. I also did NOT wait for another almost 20 minutes to buy my child a Batman onesie (cape included) because the girl at the register was relatively clueless and out of ones. I did not tell the poor teenager that it wasn't her fault that she ran out of ones as she thanked me for not being mad at waiting so long. I did NOT then have her ask me if she could go answer the phone while she was in the middle of checking me out after I had waited almost 20 minutes.

Oh, and I did NOT have a super-fantastic BLAST at Six Flags because I am NOT a twelve year old. :)

On Mother's Day, I did not go to Cafe Intermezzo for lunch and I did NOT order a tiny salad for my meal just so I could get a piece of tiramisu for dessert. I also did NOT have some white chocolate coffee with my tiramisu and make myself miserable and sick from having the first too-big, high-fat meal in over a month.

And most importantly, I did NOT carry my child screaming and crying frantically (to the point you would think she was having a panic-attack) to the car FOUR TIMES while trying to get materials for making her birthday party invites AND a back-up Bear for when this one finally hits the dust. I was NOT ashamed as neighbors and people in the parking lot looked at me as if I were harming my child or being a bad mother. And I did NOT call my husband and ask him to set up the card table in the back yard so we could eat dinner out there because all the poor thing REALLY wanted was to be outside.

So there you have it! What did YOU not do this weekend?

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie

One Lovely Lady

I hope you'll indulge me for a bit today.

I want to tell you about one of my favorite people in the WHOLE world.

My Mama!

Now, I'm sure most people love their moms. I bet at least half of those people even LIKE their moms. I think it just comes with the territory.

BUT...

I ADORE and ADMIRE my Mama.

She is my BEST girlfriend in the world. I talk to her every. single. day. (sometimes 2 or 3 times). When I am irritated, I call Mama. When I'm excited, I call Mama. When I'm bored, I call Mama. When I'm driving... well, you get the point. She's the person (other than my husband, of course) with whom I share all of myself. She knows me inside and out - the good and the bad, the normal and the ridiculous. She's really a wonderful friend!

She's also one of the most thoughtful, giving people I've ever met. She's a teacher, and her life is spent at the school. She tutors (for free), teaches review classes for ACT/SAT prep, does projects around the school constantly, helps with just about anything needed, is a rep for AEA, sponsors blood drives, helps organize the local Special Olympics, helps organize a Christmas party (with gifts, food, Santa, and presents for the kids to wrap and take to their families) for children in need in the community... the list goes on and on. And on a smaller scale, she always has our favorite things at her house when we come for a visit, helps clean my house when she comes here, cooks for me whether we're visiting here OR there, gets up early with T so I can sleep in when we're visiting... well, the list goes on there as well.

But here's the thing I love the MOST about my Mama (other than the whole giving birth/raising me thing). She is the most well-intentioned person I have EVER met. I, of course, don't mean that in the "well, it may not have been done well, but her intentions were good" sort of way. I mean that no matter WHAT my mother does, I know that it's coming from a good place in her heart. As far as I know, she has NEVER done anything out of spite or a mean-spirit. Even if I don't understand or agree with a choice she makes, I KNOW that she made it with thoughtfulness, prayer, and good-intentions. She ALWAYS means the best and wants the best for those she encounters. I am AMAZED at how kind and well-intentioned her heart always is.

I hope that as I grow, I can learn to have a spirit as kind, generous, and thoughtful as hers. If I can grow up to be half the lady she is, I'll have done a pretty good job here on this Earth.

I love you, Mama (with more Shipoopies than you can count),
Leslie

A Tribute

A dear, dear lady from my childhood (well, and my adulthood as well I suppose) passed away earlier this week. She was such a large part of my childhood and I wanted to share a tribute to this amazing woman.

Helen Parrish, or Saint Helen as she is known by most, is a part of my heart. She is a part of who I am. She has always been a part of my life and my family.

And I am not unique in this.

Miss Helen had a hand in raising so many of us in this community – at Clanton First United Methodist Church, yes, but also throughout the whole county. If you were a member of our church, chances are, she taught you on Sunday nights, in God’s World, through her special class in the summer (as an attendee or a helper), or just in passing her in the sanctuary. As a child, I spent at least 3 days a week during the summer spending time with Miss Helen. We did chalk drawings, rendering copies of famous pieces of art. We learned about rocks, trees, flowers, and creatures. We learned how to be an acolyte in service – to help our congregation worship and the importance of doing so. All of this, we learned from Miss Helen.

But the lessons she taught us all weren’t limited to the physical things we learned to do at her hands. The largest lessons I, personally, learned from Miss Helen, were taught through her smallest deeds.

Years before it was popular, Miss Helen taught me to be “green”. Once a week every summer of my childhood, I spent an entire morning exploring God’s world with her. She showed me the cool and beautiful things, but she also showed me the icky, gross, and boring stuff. She taught me in word and actions that just because I don’t enjoy or understand a part of God’s world doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a purpose. She taught me to respect every single aspect of this Earth (even creepy, crawly things) because God put it here for a reason and it needed to fulfill its purpose.

I think the most important thing Miss Helen showed me is that just because someone is different doesn’t mean they are less valuable or marvelous. She gave me the privileged of working (and playing) with all of her special-needs friends – adults and kids. She helped me see the most amazing things in each and every one of them. She showed me how easy it was to find what was lovable in every single person I encountered no matter where they came from or what they looked like. She taught me through her words and showed me through her life what unconditional love truly is.

If you knew Miss Helen, you know what I mean and probably have a million other lessons to add to this list. If you didn’t know Miss Helen, you can rest assured that if you HAD met her, she would have loved you, encouraged you, taught you, and walked you into her office to show you her giant rock.

You will be missed, Miss Helen.

Love and Shipoopies,
Leslie

Motivation

Here's Mine:

"Motivation for what?" you might ask.

Well, you see, I've been actively, seriously, intently tracking my WeightWatchers points for 3 weeks now. I've done it in the past half-heartedly and it always worked for me, and I decided this time is the ONE! This is the time I am going to reach my goal weight. I am going to meetings (something I've never done in the past). I'm tracking every single bite I eat. ("If you bite it, you write it.") AND it's been working. I'm already at 6.4 lbs. down. Slow and steady wins the race, ya know - at least when it comes to weight loss.

"But WHY is a bracelet with a CLOCK charm motivation for losing weight?" you're probably asking yourself.

Well, this past Saturday, I went to a meeting in Carrollton, as I was there visiting some of my favorite peeps in the universe (Nan, Mark, and my Tooter Booter, aka - Laura Kate). The idea of rewards came up and everyone kept mentioning all the rewards they used for a good week, for losing weight, adding exercise, etc. But every reward mentioned was FOOD!!! Now, this is logical to me in my tummy because I've ALWAYS been a food rewarder. Got a good grade on a paper? Ice cream it is! Survived a horrid day at work without physically harming anyone or throwing the computer out the window? Let's get some Tiramisu! It's always worked - for my head anyway. For my waistline? Not so much!

So I mentioned that I was working on a list of rewards for small goals that did NOT involve food - shoes, iTunes gift cards, etc. To which the class leader replied that when she was losing her 66 pounds, she bought a bracelet early on and for every 5 pounds she lost, she bought a charm. Each charm served as a fun, creative reward for the 5 pounds AND a physical reminder of her journey. She said it's also great now that she's maintaining her goal weight because on hard days, she can put on that bracelet and it reminds her of how hard it was to make the journey, how long it took, and just how worth it it is to maintain her good habits.

BRILLIANT!!!!!

I mentioned it to Drew (and I'll be honest with you, Drew's usually not a "buy yourself something that's not absolutely necessary" kind of guy) and even HE thought it was a GREAT idea. A physical reminder while I'm on the journey. Contemplating a milkshake? Check out all those 5 pound charms. Do I really want to risk them?

So we went yesterday and got me a Pandora bracelet and I picked out my first 5 pound charm (as I've already passed the 5 pound mark).

I picked this little clock charm. It has 3 meanings.

1.) It's about ding-dang TIME that I get serious! :)

2.) If I begin practicing good eating habits all the time NOW, it'll be just in time for them to come naturally to T so she won't struggle her whole life (hopefully) with weight.

3.) This is the TIME that I will reach my goal weight!

So, what are YOU trying to do and what is YOUR motivation?

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie