Oh Wilson.

It's been accused that Wilson (5) is my favorite. Rest assured, he's not. I love them all equally, just in different ways. There's no way you can give birth to 4 different children, each with their own distinctively different personalities and love them all the same - you can love them all equally, but not each for the same reason.

Wilson. Our Spaz. Our Entertainer. Our Wilson. His name fits him. Different, unique, off the beaten path. His personality meshes well with mine. Perhaps we just share the same, endearing, inner-spaz.

Sometimes he can be really funny; other times quite annoying. Something funny the first time just isn't as entertaining the twelfth time. I think this may have been said about me a time or two as well.

This morning he said something that struck me as amazing. His little brain that is usually moving so fast its dizzying, actually stopped, learned something, retained it and then put analytical thought into it. Wilson?! Whoa. To know our little spaz is to understand this is no small feat. His teachers assure me that what we see at home is not what they see at school. Thank goodness. The fact that he knows when & how to reel himself in makes me one relieved mama.

As I sat sipping my morning coffee, praying my boobs don't shrink, Daisy Mae (our cat) started meowing loudly at my feet. I got up to feed her and as I was pouring her vittles into the bowl, Wilson said, "There's your dinner, Daisy! Enjoy! Mmm! Mmm!"

I turned and said, "You mean her breakfast? She's eating her breakfast, like you."

"No, dinner. She's nocturnal so she was up all night. This is her dinner and then she'll go to sleep in a while. That's what you do after dinner."

Wilson?! Dude. I love you, ya smart little spaz.

one week.

In one week something monumental is going to happen. We are either going to elect our first African American president or our first woman vice president. While I don't find them equally exciting because of my distasteful feelings for Sarah Palin - I do find it incredibly exciting that our nation is ready for such forward shifts.

In one week you have an opportunity to cast your vote.

In one week you have an opportunity to be heard.

In one week you have a responsibility to get your ass to the polls.

Don't be a dork and not vote. Seriously, that's just dumb. Dare I say its STUPID not to vote.

It leaves me with this feeling in my mouth:


And sadly, those are the loudest mouths usually. I'm positive of it.

Next Tuesday, please go vote. I feel so strongly about Americans, especially women, voting in elections. I dare say that even if you don't Barack The Vote, get your butt to the polls and cast your ballot anyway.


MY FELLOW MICHIGANDERS: VOTE YES ON PROPOSAL 2!

oh hell no.

As I sit here sipping my morning coffee, perusing the internet, chatting with my Garth as he reads the Sunday paper, I comment that I wake up each morning thinking about coffee. I want/need some as soon as my feet hit the floor.

I used to drink coffee only on the weekends, when Garth was home to make it. I loved it then as much as I do now but was far too lazy to make it for myself. Lately I've felt such lust for coffee in the mornings that I've actually broken down & figured out the coffee pot, now darn near mastering how to make it work and I make myself a pot each morning.

So, I'm sitting here enjoying my morning coffee (that Garth made), reading the news on the internet and the very first headline I come across says, "Ladies, beware if you drink regularly".

I click on it because that's what you're supposed to do. Besides, I wanted to know what I should beware of.

Oh hell no.

Don't you do that to me.

I read the first few sentences aloud to Garth, in disbelief.

"Good thing implants can't shrink".

a few of my favorite things.

Since for some reason I've been humming 'these are a few of my favorite things' all day today, I figured I'd just post about some of my favorite household items I covet. Some are old favorites, some are new, but they all definitely rank up there with, "You haven't tried this? Oh you must!" Oh how I wish I could find myself one day at Oprah's My Favorite Things show. I'd love to try a few of her favorite things!


Volume Exact mascara by Cover Girl.

My sister & I are total mascara whores. I will try any mascara once. This is one of the only mascaras that I've been willing to buy multiple tubes of. I'm willing to pay upwards of $20 for a tube for great mascara. Luckily lately I've only been spending about $6.





A mascara NOT to try?
XXL extensions by Maybelline.
The 1st step is the white side which has the texture of Elmer's glue, which I'm not convinced that its not actually Elmer's glue. The 2nd step is a dull black crumbly mess. Hardly lash extensions. More like trash extensions. Gross.


Clif Kid Organic Z-Bars
Low fat snack bars, made with whole oats, no trans fats, no preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup. Best yet, my kids love them! Their favorite flavor so far has been chocolate brownie. I'll be damned, it really does taste like a great brownie!


Klean Kanteen
Reusable stainless steel water bottles that keep your drinks cold, crisp and with no plastic water bottles to throw away, Klean Kanteens are great for the environment! No plastic leeching here!! We have 7 of these in our house, 1 in the smallest 12 oz. size, 2 in the 16 oz. sizes, 3 in the 27 oz. size and a mongo big green 40 oz'er. We love the sport & sippy caps best. They come in stainless steel or a new variety of colors.

(ask me if you're interested in purchasing as my friend Rachel at Honey Chunks sells them and I'll see if I can get you a hook up!)



Skechers Bikers Straightaway tennis shoes.

I love these AMERICAN MADE (inside joke) shoes! I've had my gold pair for quite a few years now and sadly, they are beginning to show that they've seen better days. I love the simplicity of the slip on, the extreme comfort they provide and the fact that they look a little sporty. I hate the bulky look of regular tennis shoes and these have none of it. Cute & comfy? Oh yeah, these are shoes for me!



Lee Natural Fit Flap Pocket jeans & Lee Custom Fit Bootcut jeans

Lee jeans?! Lee jeans are such Mom jeans. So be it, perhaps, but these 2 new styles take the Mom right out of 'mom jeans'. Both have a "comfort fit waistband" that rocks my socks. No more 3 inch gap at the back of my pants - I'm so tired of having that!!!

I got mine at Kohl's on sale and loved the bootcut pair so much, I went back and bought 2 more. These have become my staple everyday jean this season. Lee jeans...ai ai ai, who knew they could be cool again?!






Bumble & Bumble Tonic lotion
Think detangler and smoother, but better. Great for color treated or dry hair. If you don't have either of those things, try Bumble & Bumble's Prep. That stuff rocks too. Spray on your damp hair, comb through and then blow dry. If your hair needs a little taming after blow drying or the day is humid and making your hair look gross, a few spritzes of this stuff will have your fingers gliding effortlessly through your hair again. A little pricey but one 8 oz. bottle lasts me about 6 months using it every day. Well worth the price!


Happy Sacks
I love these things! Use anywhere you'd use a ziploc, minus liquid based goodies as it closes with velcro instead of a plastic zip. Lined inside, these handy little Happy Sacks keep your snacks fresh. Jackson has to take a snack to school each day and Happy Sacks help us save 5 little sandwich baggies from clogging up a landfill somewhere. Easy to use, stay closed, easy to clean and they come in tons of cute fabric prints to boot!

(again, ask me if you're interested in purchasing as my friend Rachel at Honey Chunks sells them - even though I don't see them yet on her site, I know she does!)


Bed Head After-Party Smoothing Cream
AWESOME for use with a flat iron. SPECTACULAR for hair that needs a little extra shine. FANTASTIC for hair that needs a little smoothing after all that back combing.

Even though the bottle resembles something of sexual nature, and cracks me up every time I see one with the lid on (I always throw my lid away), this product ROCKS!!! A must have for anyone who gives a shit about what their hair looks like.... and if you're my friend, chances are good you probably give a shit about your hair - get this product!! Your hairstylist probably sells it too. If he/she doesn't, tell them they don't know what they are missing. Like the Bumble & Bumble Tonic, don't let the price scare you away - a little bit goes a really long way and each bottle lasts me at least 6 months or longer.


Downy Simple Pleasures Vanilla & Lavender fabric softener.

If you do laundry in the volume in which I do, you get to know your laundry aisle at Target. Downy Simple Pleasures is, hands down, THE best smelling fabric softener on the market today. There are others that are almost as good but this one is the best in my opinion. It also works great for helping dewrinkle clothes. Jeans look so much better after they've been washed in this stuff - even if they are then hung dry. No more line dried crispy crisp jeans. This stuff softens them right up! Did I say how great it smells?!

I couldn't find a picture of it online but a close runner up to Downy's Simple Pleasures is oddly, a store brand fabric softener. And, at that, not a popular store to some people. Walmart's store brand, Great Value, puts out an excellent fabric softener; Everyday Elegance Naturals in Mandarin Essence scent. It's a little more watered down than a big name but still smells great (unlike a lot of no-name softeners that smell downright horrible) and works well too.


Lastly, a big shout out to one of my all-time favorite products. Heinz ketchup. Those who know me know how I love my ketchup and apparently I've genetically passed this love onto my children. Our family goes through ketchup faster than we go through toilet paper, milk & bread combined.

Heinz, you really know your shit - thanks for making a great product. Keep up the good work and somebody bring me a plate of fried potatoes, wudya?!

bzzz bzzz bzzz

Gotta figure out something with that drooping antennae ...

Thanks Mom, once again you've surpassed expectations and created something even cuter than I thought possible. I love it and better yet, so does Everly!!

things that make you go hmmm.

Ponderings of the past 24 hours:

* Everly has really taken off in the speech department since school has started. I guess spending the mornings alone with me & not having to fight to talk over 3 big brothers has helped her. She talks a frickin' blue streak these days and shocker, you can actually understand her.

* I never stop doing laundry. Every time I get caught up, 3 more loads are dumped in its place. IT.NEVER.ENDS.

* I finally found bras that fit me. Thank goodness for Fig Leaves - they have small band/large cup sizes that are nearly impossible to find in person. They have some jammin' sales prices on bras that didn't have my size available & I was bummin' so ladies of all boobage sizes, go check it out!

* Zumba class will make your ass burn & your neck ache. I'll be back next Tuesday. I'll be looking like a chiseled Latin lover before I know it.

* Saw a bumper sticker yesterday that made me chuckle, then ponder: MEAN PEOPLE BREED LITTLE MEAN PEOPLE. How true is that?! I hope to be breeding some open-minded, liberal little people.

* I hope I don't end up regretting the 4 inch red patent leather heels I'm wearing on Halloween; falling down, breaking an ankle or just ending up with a nasty blister.

* I hate doing the dishes.

* I really wish someone would nominate me for TLC's What Not To Wear. I'd gladly give away all of my mostly too big, frumpy as hell clothes in exchange for a new wardrobe, plus a makeover. I feel like I'm a really hot sassy diva stuck with a really blah, bland MOM wardrobe. Right now I'm wearing a matchy match running suit. I feel like such a mom. :sigh:

* Garth said someone was an asshat the other day.
* I thought of Krista.
* Man, I wish her TTC journey was easier. If I could knock her up myself, I would.

* I changed out the toilet paper roll in 2 of the 4 bathrooms today. I think perhaps I might be the only person in this household who actually knows how to do it.

* Note to self: teach Brenden, Jackson & Wilson how to change toilet paper roll. Have Everly watch. Later, have Everly give Brenden, Jackson & Wilson a review lesson.

* I'm missing Dr. Phil right now. Lately its been sucky shows.

* Note to Dr. Phil: get better show material. Lately you've sucked. We want more Springer-esque crazy topic talk show tv, damn it!

* Nickelodeon & Noggin channels don't play election commercials. An awesome reprieve but on the flip side, I'm stuck watching Dora & iCarly.

* Nickelodeon's Kid's Vote results are in: Obama won. Smart kids.

* I'm hungry, tired and PMS'ing. A real trifecta of fun.

apples, orchards, pumpkins, friends & cider.

As we did last year, we attended a local orchard/pumpkin patch with my friend Anisa, her husband Larry & 2 of their children. Brenden missed out this year as he had a football game that Grandpa attended with him. There's only so many hours in the day, each weekend gets overrun with soccer & football games and Brenden didn't really give a rip anyway. They won their football game and he was treated to a doughnut, cider & a caramel apple when we all met back up at home. I did miss having him with us though.

At the orchard, we bought cider & donuts, watched the cider being processed, rode the train, played with the apple catapults, slid down the titanic slide (isn't that a really morbid concept of a ride?!), Everly rode the mini-train & apple worm ride and everyone jumped in the bounce house. We had great weather, even if the wind was a bit crisp, the kids behaved and then we went to a great burger place afterwards. I even managed a really long Sunday afternoon nap when we got home. Can't complain about a day that great!



Garth got this picture of Everly & I LOVE IT!!!


An ode to Sen. McCain ~ not positive if its Joe's crack because he's a plumber or if Joe is giving McCain a message. I prefer to think it's the latter: