If the Shoe Fits...

Here are some good choices for summer. The first pair is from http://www.zappos.com/welcome.zhtml

These shoes (on sale for $34) you can find at http://www1.talbots.com/talbotsonline/index.aspx

You'll find these cute slides on sale for $24 at http://newport-news.com/

The flip flops below are soooo cute and theycome in so many different patterns. You can check all of them out at http://www.toegoz.com/house.asp?type=black%20formal. They also have matching belts. I would live in these shoes if I had all the different styles:

And in today's "Cheap Chic," checkout these cute flats for only $14.80 at http://www.forever21.com/default.asp:

Hostess with the Mostest

I normally don't post about hosting parties, but I just have to let y'all know about July's really awesome deal. If you host a party in July (it can be a catalog show for those of you who aren't in the Charlotte, NC area) and it reaches $500 (which is pretty typical), you'll earn a $50 gift certificate to use with the current catalog or with the new catalog that's coming out in Sept. That's in addition to getting $65 in free products, getting free shipping and getting 1/2 priced products. Plus...you get an extra $10 gift certificate just for hosting a party in the summer months whether your party reaches $500 or not.

I'm excited because I truly love getting you girls free stuff!

And the Winner is.......

Drumroll please......................

Blondemom!!!!!

Congratulations Jamie and thank you to everyone for playing!! I'm going to do these little contests periodically so hopefully everyone will get a chance to win.

A Little Contest....

We're almost there....

When I receive 10 comments on this posting, I'll have one of my 2 fabulous assistants draw a name out of a hat. The person selected will win a super cute (and functional) thermal tote in the color of his/her choice - blue, lime green, pink or olive.

Start tapping those fingers on the keyboards!

A Veggie Tale...

In my quest for the dreaded ever-elusive skinnyness, I've been trying to work out several times a week. Usually I have my two workout partners with me, cheering me along. My 5 and 3 year old used to try to do the workout DVD's with me, but now they just sit on the bed, watch me exercise and occasionally give helpful hints about how I can improve my form. Today my 5 year old suggested that perhaps I should try working out twice a day so my tummy can get skinnier faster (he then proceeded to pull my shorts up over the exposed muffin top - I am in the privacy of my own home for goodness sake!)

So I decided which workout DVD I was going to do. My son asked the title of it and then looked at me in an odd way and asked why I would want to do a workout that would get me a zucchini body. HA! Little does he know I already have one of those - smaller on the top and wider on the bottom. That's why I need the DVD titled "Bikini Body Camp."

Ok, Love These...

Check these out from Room Service Home. They're rubber gloves and they're soooo cute! http://www.roomservicehome.com/prodinfo.asp?number=GH143206

Just plain want these....

earrings to the left ponytail holder below. Why, oh why do I have to looooove monogramming soooo much?!

Blame it on God

I took my boys out on a lunch date the other day. The first thing we did was stick our tootsies in a fountain at a local outdoor mall. Well, we didn't really just dip our toes...let's just say their shorts were pretty soaking wet by the time they were finished, um, wading. Yeah, yeah, I know they're technically not supposed to wade in a public fountain but in my defense it was a hot day and well, no one was looking (wink). I'm such a good mom, aren't I? That's right, lead by example. Follow the rules, unless no one is looking and then do as you d**n well please, that's my motto. I kept humming "Breakin the Law" by Judas Priest as they splashed. They had a ball!

Our next stop was a little bakery for lunch. After we sat down, my 3 year old kept being sooooooo loud. He was happy, but obnoxiously boisterous. I kept doing the mommy shush. Soon enough, even my 5 year old was doing the mommy shush. We tried the "use an indoor voice" route, use "a quiet voice" route, we even tried for a quiet contest. No luck. Finally I said, "Honey, we really need to be quieter so we don't disturb other people." He looked at me like I was an idiot and replied, (and if he knew the word "DUH," he would have said it), "Mama, God made me loud and dat's the way it is!"

How do you argue with that? I laughed so loud that everyone looked around to look at me. I guess it was really me who was the disturbance after all.

Trendy Tuesday

What's hot, hip and shows your patriotism? Red, white and blue of course! Check out this month's issues of In Style and Elle magazine. Both magazines prominently feature one of the hottest trends of the summer - the colors of the flag.

Check out some of our fun products that will be sure to get you noticed this summer!

Going Through a Mid Life Crisis, Maybe?

I've turned into my own brand of superhero lately. Look....driving too fast down the road, it's a Mom, it's a responsible adult.....No, it's Wannabe Party Girl! Just between you and me, on several occasions after I've dropped my kids off at either a play date or at my in-laws, I crank up the loudest, most obnoxious music I can find and I've had the BIGGEST craving for cigarettes and margaritas. Crazy, you say?! Absolutely! But I almost veered my car into the nearest gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes the other day.

So picture this. The other day, my friend volunteered to watch the kids so I could run to the grocery store quickly (you know, the quick in and out trip which is like paradise to those of us who are Moms. No one asked for doughnuts, juice boxes, sugar cereal, pop tarts....it was sheer heaven). So anyway, I was driving my preppy, skirt-wearing self (pearls, hair band and all, mind you!), in my oh so hip Volvo station wagon (the sexy beast - complete with empty car seats, sippy cups and gold fish crackers spilled throughout the backseat) and blasting Guns and Roses, of all things. Windows down. Singing loudly along to the music. There was dancing. And clapping. Ummmm, and hair swinging. And maybe even some overbiting. I know all the 21 year olds are standing in line to be my friend. I'm humbly waiting for my cease and desist letter from Guns and Roses.

Happy Father's Day

To my Dad...I love you dearly. Thank you for everything you've done to support me and continue to do. Thank you's may not come every day, but you mean the world to me.

To my Husband...you're such a wonderful father. You're so involved and hands on. There's not a better daddy out there!

Peanut Free is the Way to Be

I've been reflecting on something lately and I just have it on my heart to write about it. I was soooo excited the first time I published something on my blog. It was all about a fluffer nutter sandwich. With great enthusiasm, I sent the link to everyone I know. What I didn't do, however was stop and think about how a simple happy little story in my life can be hurtful to others.

I have a friend, "C" who has a son, "J" who has a peanut allergy. Included in my initial email, I sent the link to her. I remember specifically thinking about her as I was writing my posting, because I made sure to mention that these sandwiches can be made out of sun butter as well as peanut butter. Now "C" has never mentioned a thing about this, but all of a sudden something struck me. This has been so cumbersome in her life and so troublesome, and I think I just took that very lightly.

So please, for the tens of you who read this :) , when you think about making any kinds of snacks with peanuts, peanut butter or just packing pre-made snacks (please check the label to see if the product is peanut free), please remember that there may be a child sitting next to yours with an allergy that could be deadly if he/she even inhales the peanut products. Peanut butter is great at home, but let's watch out for each other's kids and make other choices when we go out in public.

And "C", I know you sometimes wonder how people can be insensitive. Well, even someone who knows you and loves you can be insensitive without even realizing it. Sorry!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

You Know You're a Child of the Eighties If...

1. you remember "Friday Night Videos" before the days of MTV
2. a predominant color in your childhood photos is "plaid"
3. you see teenagers today wearing clothes that show up in those childhood photos, and they still look bad
4. while in high school, you and all your friends discussed elaborate plans to get together again at the end of the century and play "1999" by Prince over and over again
5. you, yes you, sat down and memorized the entire lyric sheet to "It's the end of the world as we know it"
6. you took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van. You rode in the back of the station wagon and you faced the cars behind you.
7. you've recently horrified yourself by using any one of the following phases:
"When I was younger"
"When I was your age"
"You know, back when..."
"Because I SAID so, that's why"
"Just can't (fill in the blank) like I used to"
8. you can't remember a time when "going out for coffee" DIDN'T involve 49,000 selections to choose from
9. Schoolhouse Rock played a HUGE part in how you actually learned the English language
10. Kids that work in restaurants and supermarkets are starting to piss you off by calling you "sir" or "ma'am"
11. you're starting to view getting carded to buy alcohol as a GOOD thing, and you're ready to marry the next person who cards you when you want to buy cigarettes.
12. flashback: it was your first chance to vote in a presidential election, and you were SO disappointed because, just for laughs, you really wanted to vote for Gary Hart
13. you ever dressed to emulate a person you saw in either a Duran Duran, Madonna, or Cyndi Lauper video
14. at one point during your teenage years, you walked with a noticeable tilt to one side due to the number of plastic rings on that arm
15. "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang was one of the hot new songs when you first heard it at a school dance
16. the first time you ever kissed someone at a dance fell during "Crazy for You" by Madonna
17. there were at least three people in your school that voluntarily went by the names of "Skip" "Buffy" "Muffy" or "Dexter"
18. you ever owned one of those embarrassing crimping irons
19. you used to hold in your head the thought that all those gold chains on Mr. T actually looked kinda cool and the thought that Mr. T made millions seemed rational to you at the time
20. you remember with pain the sad day when the Green Machine hit the streets and made your old big wheel quite obsolete
21. the phrase "Where's the beef?" still doubles you over with laughter
22. you were convinced for years that Batman was a mildly overweight man with a moderate beer belly who wore his underwear outside of his clothes and talked strangely
23. you thought Sean Cassidy was "dreamy", and lusted after "Ted, your ship's photographer" on the Love Boat, and Ponch and John from CHiPs
24. you're still occasionally suffering flashbacks from your 21st birthday party
25. you're starting to dread your 40th birthday, and have even begun going into denial about it's possibility
26. you're starting to believe that maybe 40 isn't so old after all, and it's those people over 60 you have to look out for
27. you freaked out when you found that you now fall into the "35 - 50" age category on most questionnaires
28. you have begun to lust after men that it would be socially inappropriate for you to date due to their age
29. your hair, at some point in time in the 80's, became something which can only be described by the phrase "I was experimenting"
30. you've ever shopped at a Benetton, but not in the last five years, okay?
31. you're starting to believe that maybe having the kids go to school year-round wouldn't be such a bad idea after all
32. you're doing absolutely nothing with anything pertaining to your major degree
33. you won't walk into the place where you once knew every bartender on a first name basis because "there are too many kids there"
34. going to keg parties no longer involves hiding out in the woods when the cops show up
35. you want to go out dancing, you really, REALLY do, but your back hurts, sorry
36. you've recently horrified yourself by groaning as you get out of bed, not because of a hangover, but because it genuinely just hurt to do so
37. you're finding that you just don't understand more than half the lingo used on MTV any more
38. you ever wanted to be gagged with a spoon
39. U2 is too "popular" and "mainstream" for you now
40. you ever used the phrase "kiss mah grits" in conversation
41. When someone mentions two consecutive days of the week, the Happy Days theme is stuck in your head for hours on end
42. you remember trying to guess the episode of the Brady Bunch from the first scene.
43. you spent endless nights dreaming about being the Bionic Woman or Wonder Woman or the Six Million Dollar Man
44. you had ringside seats for Luke and Laura's wedding (on General Hospital)
45. you remember "Hey, let's be careful out there"
46. you know who shot J.R.
47. this rings a bell: "and my name, is Charlie. They work for me."

Makeover Monstrosity - Part II

Look at me...fabulous blond highlights shimmering in the sun, dazzling all who see. Everyone who looks is almost blinded by the sheer glow of my magnificence. Brrrrriiiiiiiing. Oh, hit the snooze button. That was a phenomenal dream. Drat!

So, thinking I would look like Charlize Theron I picked up a L'Oreal highlighting kit. It comes with a small highlighting wand for subtle highlights or a brush for more "dramatic" highlights. Well, who wouldn't want those?! And whenever I've gotten highlights at the salon they use a brush, so that's what I opted for. As soon as the brush hit the solution, I became possessed. I was highlighting places that where the sun don't shine (no, not there...but you get the point). It was my mission to use up every last bit of that highlighting cream. Why? Because I can't waste anything. So more is better when it comes to highlights, right?!

Stay with me here. Fast forward 30 minutes. I get out of the shower. Eagerly anticipating my new found gorgeousness and all I saw was a big blob of really blond on top and some sort of brownish-blondish underbrush. My "highlights" basically turned out to be hair color for the entire top section of my head, but the under parts of my hair are still the darker color. Egad.

Late thirties and I do something like this at least once a year. I think I'm channeling my inner beautician. No worries, though. That's why they've invented the baseball hat (pink of course) and the ultra cool head scarf!

Makeover Monstrosity

It's Alive...Alive! This is what I was supposed to look like. Oh yeah, look at me, strollin' down the beach, blond hair glistening in the sun, bronzed skin aglow with the perfect tan. But alas, even for me, perfection has it's limits. I got in a fight with the self tanning spray and guess who won? I'll give you a hint...my orange wrists and palms are begging for mercy. The most embarrassing part was meeting with a client today. She's hosting a party for me and I had to review the catalog, products and order forms with her, so guess where she had to look most of the time. Yup, you guessed it. My dazzling, gleaming neon orange hands. "Um, please excuse the fact that my hands look like I got into a fight with an explosive tangerine. It's just that, well, I was walking by the tanning aisle in the drug store and one of the bottles spontaneously combusted! Can you believe it?! Now the rest of this fabulous glow you see, it's all me. Really. I kid you not. Oh you noticed that my toes are a little orange too? Well, um, er...hey, look over there! Is that Big Foot chasing the dog in your backyard?" Whew, I covered that one well!

By the way...more on Makeover Monstrosity tomorrow. Let's just say I pulled out a brush, some peroxide and a little timer and said hey, putting highlights in your own hair can't be that hard. Stay tuned....

Real Men Wear Kilts

or so it says on my hubby's new t-shirt. We went to The Highland Games at Furman University on Saturday and it was fabulous! My handsome husband got to wear his kilt for the first time...hubba hubba! Now I like to fancy myself a pseudo Scot - a quasi lassie, as it were. For a time I actually did truly believe I had some Scottish roots on my maternal Grandfather's side. I considered myself part of the most esteemed of scottish clans - Clan MacDrunkard. Yoo Hoo! Unfortunately, my aspiration to be closer to my scottish kin folk led me to do some research on geneology online. Well drat! I found out I'm most likely Welsh. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that (don't want to offend a segment of the UK out there!), but when was the last time you saw a Welsh festival anywhere? And to make matters worse, I found out my family's surname means literally, "a round, lumpish or stupid person." Nice.

So now I have to rely on my other two countries of origin, Czechoslovakia and Germany. We are a very hardy crew. Clearly I come from a background of stout peoples. No wonder I'm fighting with my muffin top.

Ok, from now on I'll just have to enjoy the highland games in celebration of my husband's nationality...but Octoberfest, here I come baby!

What's for Dinner?

Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
28 large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray

Salsa:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare shrimp, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Rinse shrimp in cold water; drain on paper towels until dry.
Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.
Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes.
To prepare salsa, combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 7 shrimp and about 1/4 cup salsa)

Nutritional Information:
CALORIES 397(26% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 8.4g,mono 0.7g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 29.9g; CHOLESTEROL 194mg; CALCIUM 80mg; SODIUM 753mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g

Porch Dreams

Some people sing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas," however I'm actually dreaming of a white summer. We moved into our house a year ago and we've done absolutely nothing with the screened-in porch. It's a shame, too, because we have an absolutely fabulous back yard. So this summer, we are determined to get this porch up and running! It'll take a little elbow grease. It needs to be repainted and the doors and some of the screens need to be replaced. This is how I picture a small dining area to look like. My friend Julie, fabulous as she is, is giving us the furniture from her porch since she's getting some new pieces. I'm psyched! I have this fantasy going in my head that I'll recover the cushions in a cream fabric, hang sheer white panels along the outside edges of the screens and have a neutral rug. And we can't forget a crystal chandelier. Then realty sinks in...oh yeah, we have 2 kids and a 110 pound dog that loves to play in the mud. Drat! There goes my visions of white. Perhaps a reddish/brown would be better, to match the color of the NC dirt....

Trendy Tuesday

Yellow is such a big color this season. It's everywhere. But maybe you don't want to be draped in head to toe lemon. Just a touch of a "sun-kissed zinger" can make you look stylish, fun and cheerful. To the left is our yellow thermal tote. It actually comes in 7 other colors as well and can be monogrammed in 23 different colors and 8 different fonts. You can use it as a handbag, but it's actually thermal inside so it's great for the pool, beach, picnics or just for taking snacks in the car.

Me No Like Pee on the Tree

My husband had just gotten home from work. I was making dinner and the boys were playing outside. Suddenly, with shock and dismay I hear my husband say, "WHAT IS HE DOING?!" I looked out the window, and there IT is. Mr. Winky is out in all it's glory for all the neighbors to see. Our normally charming and well-mannered 5 year old is in our backyard peeing on a tree. Why? Apparently coming into the house was just far too cumbersome a task. Is there a sedative in the house?

Ooglie Booglie

Every morning my kids and I lay in bed together before we start the day. It's actually my favorite part of day. This morning we were playing monsters. I was the tickle monster and then the oh-so-dreaded kissy face monster. My 5 year old was the boogie monster (he pretended to blow boogie's on us while saying in a rumbly, grumbly voice, "boogie, boogie, boogie" - nice, huh?), so my 3 year old suddenly had an epiphany. He would be the "sharp teeth" monster and proceeded to bite me as hard as he could on the boob. Game over.

Watch Out Clinton Kelly - Your Job is in Jeopardy

Apparently my three year old is aspiring to be the next host of "What Not to Wear." I was cleaning the house today, so naturally I wasn't wearing stiletto heels and a little black dress. I think I looked somewhat presentable in black track pants, black t-shirt and hot pink flip flops. I was heading out to bible study when Campbell grabbed a skirt out of my closet and said, "Mama, you should wear dis...it looks bootiful on you." I said "Not tonight honey. Mommy doesn't feel like getting changed." He looked at me with what can only be described as revulsion and said "You gonna wear dat?!" He shook his head and walked away. I can't believe I'm on the 3 year old Glamour "Don't" list.