Does this look like a cool band?

A friend of mine posted this on their facebook page and now I can't stop listening and trying to find more.  Here's a peek:

Oldie but goodie

While I was putting Ann Park to bed tonight, I heard some familiar music coming from the playroom.   I couldn't quite place it because the sound was muffled, but when I walked in Ted and Ward were playing "kitchen" this was playing through Ted's computer:



Classic.

Karate

Ward started taking karate about three weeks ago.  I was a little bit worried because it is two days a week for an houra and fifteen minutes at a time, right after school.  He can be a bit of a pill when he gets home from school - mainly because he is tired and hungry - but he really wanted to do it so I signed him up.  I was also worried because I had heard that the teacher (they call him "She-Han") was serious and made the kids sit on their knees, do "six inches" (where the kids lay on their backs and lift their feet up six inches) and the like.  He is big on discipline and they have to be able to be still.  I warned Ward about all of it but he still wanted to do it.

And I am so glad he did because HE LOVE IT.  And I am not talking about a little enthusiasm.  It is huge.  He looks forward to it each Tuesday and Thursday like he hasn't looked forward to any other after school activity.  And the things is, he is good at it to.  He can sit still longer than I have ever seen him.  She-han says that he will be able to test the first go-around (which is in a couple of months) and that he rarely lets kindergarten kids test the first time.  I am so proud of him.  Plus he looks really cute in his uniform, especially since the extra small is too big on him! 

I usually go and watch the last 15 minutes or so and I tried to get some pictures on my phone last week.  I didn't capture any great ones (when they are yelling) but I will post what I have.  She-han had called a couple of them up to the front row, Ward included, so they are somewhat unobstructed.  You can at least see how serious he is.  But when he punches, it is hysterical.  His arms literally shake because he punches the air so hard.  Maybe I should try for video today.

This is the starting position.  The next pictures are various punches (all down).  I hate that I didn't get more, but you get the idea. 

Makin momma so proud.  Bullies beware.  Ward will kick your butt!

Just Say No.

My life is going by too fast.  I really want things to just slow down.  I want to enjoy the small stuff, smell the roses, that sort of thing.  Instead, I feel like the days are just passing me by and I am just going through the motions.  You see, I have this problem of not being able to say no.  I am a working (albeit part-time but I still have to get my butt up and into work) mother of three.  And I am President of a very large volunteer organization this year, which in and of itself has taken up more time this summer than my paying job.  Next thing I know I am also in charge of the decorations for the Beaker Bash, the single-largest fundraiser the McWane Science Center hosts in February.  Plus I am in a book club, garden club, bible study, and a myriad of other small things.  Not to mention that I am Ward and Ann Park's personal driver.  And the family's personal shopper (food, clothes, anything from CVS, Walmart, Costco, and the like).  At least I have a cleaning service, but I do feel like I am alway picking up after someone.  Ummm, I am sure that there are other things that I am forgetting.  Oh yeah, maybe a wife?  That needs to go in there too.

So I already know what my new year's resolution is going to be - JUST SAY NO!  Problem is that I have to complete all the things that I said I would.  And when I say complete, I don't do anything half-ass.  If I say I am going to do something I do it and give it my all.  And I will.  But I also am making a promise to myself right now to slow down and be present with my family.  I will enjoy those nightly walks with Sam while watching Ann Park and Ward ride their scooters, instead of triple tasking during them.  I will play dolls with Ann Park instead of answering those e-mails which I can do after she is in bed.  And I'll even play whatever type of army/ninja/Indiana Jones game Ward has dreamt up.  You know why?  Becuase life is too short and these moments will be gone sooner than I know it.  And they are the memories I will cherish.  Not what organization I was President of or how much work I got done.  So maybe the title of the post should be "Just say yes" - to family.

Yesterday

So yesterday was our anniversary.  8 years.  Goes by faster than lightening.  Still can't believe all that we have done together in those eight years.  The funny thing is that the best memories are the small ones (except the birth of our 3 amazing kids of course!).  What I mean by that is my favorite thoughts about Ted and me are not on some amazing trip or during some important night, etc., it is the quiet moments, the late night laughter, the walks to the park where he grabs my hand and I still feel a spark.  Those make me feel special.  Those make me feel loved.  Those make me know I am the luckiest woman on the planet.  I love you babe.

Time to browse?

A friend of mine told me about this website for modern, hip and retro clothes that are not expensive.  http://www.modcloth.com/  Plus they measure the clothes not on the body so you can get the perfect fit.  Here is how they describe it:

How do I know if an item will fit me?


Every garment sold on ModCloth is specifically measured for bust, waist, and hip fit. These dimensions are provided in the "Measurements" section of each product page. Dimensions given are in inches and taken flat across the garment. The listed measurements do not include any stretch the item might have, nor do they correspond directly with the item's circumference. While it may seem unconventional to provide each item's specific measurements, it's actually the most accurate way for you to determine fit while shopping online. To best assess your fit, choose a garment that you already own and that fits you well. Lay this item flat and measure across the front. Then, compare your measurement with your desired garment's "Measurements" chart. Please note that measuring your body directly may provide misleading measurements.

If you have time to browse and are looking for some fun party clothes go to this site.  I have found at least 3 dresses that I really want and not one of them is over $100.  Much better than the $250 you spend at boutiques around here for essentially teh same thing!  Oh and flat rate $7 shipping.

A little catch up

I know that I promised a post last week about our great Lake Martin trip with one of our favorite families over Labor Day weekend.  But the week got away from me and then we had a BIG weekend.  Ted has a friend that he met after law school when he went on a camping trip through NOLS.  The guy is a lawyer in DC and started this amazing non-profit called WILL where he takes inner city kids and teaches them to be leaders through outdoor activities (and also other stuff like nutirtion, being accountable, etc.).  He is an amazing and inspiring guy.  Anyhoo, he and his girlfriend came to stay with us for the weekend.  The purpose of the visit was a trip to Tuscaloosa to the Alabama v. Penn State game as he cheers for the best team in the nation and she cheers for Penn State.  We had a great time, but we were busy.  Here is a peek into the schedule:

FRIDAY:
(they got in around lunch and Ted took them to a famous meat and three and then to the Civil Rights Institute, which is a must-see for anyone who comes through town)
5:00 Drinks and appetizers at the house, unpacking, introductions and they brought presents for the kids so everyone was VERY happy!
6:00 6 year old birthday party at the neighbors with jumpy castle, dinner, etc.
7:15 Home to bathe Sam and put him to bed - Ann Park was quick to follow
7:30  Light the fire for the steaks, make the squash and sald
8:15  Eat (starving)
10:30 Bed

SATURDAY:
(I'll omit the middle of the night adventure for our visitors - short story is that she had a migraine and did not have a very good night)
7:00 Wake up call from AP and Ward - Ted got up and let me sleep!
8:00 Time for mommy to get her butt out of bed
9:00 Head to Broken Egg - the best brunch in town!
10:00 Off to the zoo for the kids, daddy and daddy's friend - errands for mommy to get ready for the game
1:00 Leave for Tuscaloosa
2:15-10:30 Tailgaiting, drinking, laughing, visiting with friends and watching the Tide dominate
11:15 asleep, finally

SUNDAY:
8:30 Mass for Ted, Ward and Ann Park while mommy cleans up house, laundry, etc.
10:00 Mass for mommy while kids play
11:00 Everyone to the park
11:45 Lunch at Jackson's
1:00 Grocery store
2:00 Ted takes friends to airport
3:00 I have 30 girls over for a meeting - I am President of a volunteers group called the Ballet Guild and we had a Chairmen's meeting for all the chairs of the different committees
6:30 artshow and dinner for my friend Hampton
9:30  Home and bed

So can you tell why I didn't have time to blog?  But if you are still reading this post, I will reward you with some pictures from Labor Day weekend.  The weather was perfect and company fantastic.  We even made a bonfire on Saturday night!

James and Ann Park playing on the boat

Ward's self portrait (we get one every time he finds a camera!)

And here are a bunch of fire pictures.  We didn't have marshmellows so notice the hotdog Ward grilled!

Sam in Mose's batman mask

Mose and Ann Park watching Veggie Tales

James was helping Sam make some music on the pots!

Mom post

My good friend Shay just posted this on facebook and I had to share for all the moms out there.  It is a short video with answers to the following question from real moms: "If you could go back to before your first baby, what would you tell yourself?"  My answer?  It's okay to ask for help and you don't have to be super-mom all the time.  What would you tell yourself?

Football Season is HERE!

Football season is finally here!  If you know my family (and you all do if you are reading this) you know that football seasons puts a perma-grin on my mom and makes me pretty happy too.  We didn't get to watch too much this opening weekend because of all the activities on the lake (a post on that later), but I at least got a small taste of it.

And speaking of taste, football season also means food.  Appetizers, specifically.  I am a HUGE fan on appetizers.  Give me a good bloody mary (or glass of wine or sometimes even a nice cold beer), along with some great appetizers and I am set.  I don't even need "real food"* as Ward says. So I have been searching through some recipes and found a couple of good ones that I thought I would post.  They are not your usual "chips and salsa" (although a couple are oldies but goodies) so are fun to make if you are having people over.  Eat up and ROLL TIDE!

White Pizza Dip (Lipton)

1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 oz.) chopped pepperoni
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.

            - As an aside, I also think that this would be good with fritos!

RO*TEL Sausage Balls


1 lb sausage
3 cups Bisquick
8 oz Cheese Whiz
1 can RO*TEL diced tomatoes with green chilies

Pulse RO*TEL in food processor until the tomatoes are broken up into smaller chunks; 10-15 pules.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine sausage, Bisquick, Cheese Whiz and RO*TEL. Mix until thoroughly combined. Shape into 1-inch balls. (May be frozen at this point).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Beer Cheese Dip (YUM!!)

2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
2 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, sofened
1 pkt. ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup beer
Dash of seasoning salt or garlic salt (optional)

Mix all together until well blended.  I think that it works best if you mis the frist three ingredients together and then add the beer.  Chill for several hours before serving or make the day before.  Serves lots!

Layered Mediterranean Dip

2 containers of Hummus
1 jar Marinated Artichokes, drained and chopped
1 large jar Kalamata Olives, drained and chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
Pepperchini peppers, drained and sliced
1.5 jars of Sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
Feta Cheese
Pine Nuts, toasted

You can make this as large or small as you need.  The hummus should be on the bottom and the feta & pine nuts on the top.  Layer the rest in the order listed above.  Serve with Stacy's pita chips.

              - This recipe is really great and gives you a little creative license.  You can always leave out any       ingredient you don't like (i.e. when I made it I did it without the olives since Ted doesn't like olives and it was still fantastic!)


* "Real food" according to Ward is a meal.  Anything else is just snacking and apparently doesn't count.  This always cracks me up since he eats like a bird.

Homework

I think that I have already posted on here that Ward has homework every night, M-TH.  It is not much, but we still have to sit down and do it.  I kinda like it and think that he is getting into a good routine - especially since I hear that in first grade they really "lower the hammer" when it comes to homework.  And I was very surprised to hear that the incredible public school just around the corner from us (where I went to school and routinely gets awards as one of the highest ranked elementary school in the US - "Blue Ribbon School") does not do homework for Kindergarten.  At least they haven't yet. 

But, that was not the point of this post.  Instead, we got a note home over the weekend about how the kids are going to start "Social Studies" this week.  They already do grammar, writing, reading, math and science each day so they are just rounding out hte subjects I suppose.  (Of course if you ask Ward his favorite class is PE where he learned to punt a football the other day and couldn't wait to get home to show me - ALL BOY!)  The problem with starting social studies is that is came with homework.  A project really.  And the project was for me.  It is not a big deal, but it will take some thought and time to do something that Ward will understand.  You see, they are going to start studying about thier ancestry.  She asked that they bring pictures of ancestors, a map from where our family is from, a family tree, etc.  That is all fine and dandy, but that means I have to do the work. 

And then Ted and I got into the whole "well whoee family do we do?"  Mine won out of course since Ted is going to be out of town this whole week and I will be the one doing the project.  Plus, Ted doesn't have any idea about his ancestry and he claims that his family doesn't know either.  I seriously doubt that, but you get the point.  The one nice thing is that one Christmas when I was in high school my grandmother, Ann Samford Upchurch, gave each of her grandchildren a small book that she had printed for us.  It is the diary of her grandfather, William Hodges Samford.  There are some pictures inside and a couple of great stories. She also detailed how the Samfords got here from England and at one point I did a family tree (with lots of blank brachnes) from it. Not sure what I am going to make yet, but if you know me, you know that it will be good.  And colorful.  Poor Ward will probably be embarrassed by his over-achieveing mother.  Oh well.  He has a lot to learn about his mommy!