And you think you know somebody...

I don't write enough about my BFF. It's really a great story, but one for another day. Here's the Cliff's Notes. We only lived in the same town for one year (when we were in the 9th grade). She's one of those people who God set down in my life because she was meant to be "my person." Forever. We've had a long-distance friendship for more than twenty years, and we talk several times a week. She is one of the few people I do talk to regularly over the phone. She is not a computer person. In fact, only in the last year did she get her "own" e-mail address. So, my love of all things online weren't part of our relationship. She doesn't even know about the blog, because she's not on the computer enough to read it (she stays pretty busy with four kids)& I tell her everything I post & more.

Slowly, she has become more of an e-mailer and internet-er. I was pleasantly surprised when I checked e-mail this morning, to see that she'd "found" me on Facebook (I can't resist a social networking site!) and requested that I add her as a friend.

I went to her profile and found I was her first "friend" on Facebook. And observed the following:

Name: Southern Fried Mom's BFF
Status: Married
Political Views: Republican
Religious Views: Christian
Interested In: Women

Snort! God Bless her sweet, naive heart! I know that she was thinking that she wanted the world to know she wasn't intersted hooking up or finding a man...BUT. Anyway, I quickly called & her husband answered. I said, "I'm calling to save your wife from herself!"

Thoughts Before Naptime

I am only half-functional today, so read at your own risk. The boys & I spent the day at an amusement/ water park yesterday. It was so much fun, but I am exhausted beyond belief. Here are some random thoughts for your entertainment:

1. Should I become independently wealthy, one of the first things I am going to do is to hire a full-time nanny/personal assistant. I took our regular babysitter with us to "funland" yesterday & got a taste of how the other half lives. How much more could I enjoy my kids with some full-time help? And, it wasn't just having someone around to do the grunt work, it's little things like passing out snacks (that I usually do while I drive) that made life so much easier. I could easily see the job transitioning into someone to be my helper when the kids no longer needed hands-on care. (I'm talking about this like it's actually going to happen...)

2. If you saw me at the Wal-Marts a while ago, let me apologize if I frightened you. I know I look rough today, but it's Wal-Mart, okay?

3. While we were out, we needed to grab some lunch. The President wanted to have Chinese. When he has eaten Chinese, it has almost always been a buffet where he could try little bits & pieces of different things. I didn't know what he might order from the nearby menu-order only place, so I was describing things he might like. I said, "You would probably like sweet & sour chicken. It's fried chicken that you dip into a red sauce, kind of like chicken nuggets." He said, "Mom, I can't order American at a Chinese place...that would be disrespecting their flag." Well, duh, why didn't I think of that? We went to McDonald's because a) Fat Baby didn't want Chinese b)it's in the Wal-Mart, and c)I was ready to come home & be slovenly.

4. Potty-gate is still going strong. Fat Baby is very soon going to be four. years. old. He's not so much into the big boys go potty thing. At all. I am now potty trained--I go every 30 minutes and force him to tinkle. (Which he will do, but it has to be my idea). He has never(!) initiated a trip to the potty. Seriously. This is getting old. He is wearing underwear every day, and it is a constant battle to keep him dry. Lately, the pull-up he wears to sleep has been leaking. Big time. Not fun when said 4-year-old happens to be in your bed at the time. It was just what his diapers would do each time I had to move up to the next size. Luckily, there are Good Nights that go up to 65 pounds, because that's what he's going to be wearing tonight. And during the day, I'll just wash underpants until the cows come home and until he figures out how this all works. (Disclaimer: I did have a child who was completely potty trained with no accidents two weeks after his 3rd birthday, so this is not all my fault!) Fun times!

Blessings

I'm sitting here in the office all alone (a rare treat, definitely)...I'm doing some work, reading some blogs, and counting my blessings. God has grown me so much spiritually in the past two years, and I am excited to be on the verge of many great things in spite of great challenges my family has faced. I'm so thankful for my wonderful family. I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to spend time with my boys this summer. I'm living in the moment. Thanking Him for all He has given to me.


Then, from the boys' room I hear sweet voice of my 8 year old telling his brother, "Sorry doesn't pay the rent!"

Evidence once again that God has a sense of humor.

What Not To Wear

The Big Week Of Fun is over. Spring Break festivities came to a screeching halt as both boys returned to school today. Woohoo. Too bad I spent the whole everloving day in a doctor's office with Pop. Seriously. The appointment should have taken an hour, hour and a half tops---FOUR AND A FREAKING HALF HOURS! I dropped Fat Baby at school, went straight there and returned home to drop off Pop twenty minutes before I was due back at the preschool. It's going to be all about me on Friday.

The wedding we attended was lovely. It was an outdoor event (very bold move this time of year, especially seeing how tornadoes ripped through the ATL just one week prior) and the weather was perfect. I was totally comfortable in a sleeveless dress with no hose. (I've been tanning for a month and a half).

I did mention that I found the perfect Southern Fried Family outfits for the day. What I don't remember telling you is that I purchased a "back-up" outfit, so I would have two to choose from. The main problem I had was that the dress I loved (and ultimately wore) was sleeveless. I wasn't sure I'd be able to find a little coordinating cardigan to wear if necessary. The back-up dress came with a matching cardigan, so I bought it to cover my bases, but later found one to go with Dress #1. I kept the back-up, because:
1)it's cute
2)it fits nicely
3)it was on sale
4)and I like to buy stuff

I didn't even take the back-up with me, because I loved Dress #1 so much. I was working Dress #1 which looked even better without the cardigan. (Hooray beautiful weather!) Just before the ceremony, as my perfectly coordinated prep-a-licious family looked on...in walked a cute and very SKINNY, younger girl in....THE BACK-UP!!!!!! I looked at My Baby's Daddy who was cracking up. I know he was thinking, "OH, Thank. You. Jesus!!!!" Because, as I told him, we would have looked like a freaking Nutri-System ad....and I would be the BEFORE picture!!!!!! Not good.

We were both very thankful for Dress #1, the un-needed cardigan, and my cute accessories at that moment. It would've been a long ride home for My Baby's Daddy if I'd been wearing the same dress as Kate Moss over there.

In other news....Fat Baby has peed in the potty almost every time I've taken him since last week!!!! HOORAY!!!!! Even with traveling, he is the bomb! It's like a light switch flipped, and now he goes potty. Next week---underwear city, baby!

And one more thing...did Atlanta officially vote itself out of the South? My Baby's Daddy grew up there & even he was amazed at the plethora of bad manners, rudeness, and don't even get me started on the road rage!!!

Breakin' the Law

My oldest child is a sponge. He has an amazing ability to retain things he hears & use them in the appropriate context, even if he doesn't completely understand the meaning. And, yeah, he watches a lot of TV. I never know what's coming next.

Like this morning...

Every day when we pull into the drive of his school, he unfastens his seat belt and leans over my seat to give me kisses. I told him even though I'd be back in a few hours for his Thanksgiving celebration, I still wanted my kisses. We hadn't quite pulled all the way into the parking lot when the smooch-fest began. Then, The President noticed the policeman who directs the school traffic every morning. And he said...

"It's the MAN, man!"


Edited to add: When I checked him out after his Thanksgiving lunch, we were in line behind a soldier in his camouflage uniform. Leaving his mom teary-eyed, speechless, and oh-so very proud, my son walked up to him and said, "Thank you for serving our country."

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things....Product Endorcements by Southern Fried Mom

Being that I'm such a trendsetter & all, I thought I'd share what's hot for fall in my Southern Fried World. The following have earned the Southern Fried Mom stamp of fabulousity...(Could somebody who's computer-literate please make me some kind of badge for my endorcements of all things fabulous? Thank you.)

*We finally got a little nip of chill & the air, and since we were taking the Southern Fried Kids to the state fair, I had to go on the annual dreaded blue-jean quest. I'm pretty sure I have some jeans from last year that I can squeeze my ass into, but I was in no condition to plunder through the wasteland of my closet to locate them. (That true confessions is yours at no extra cost). Since I lost a bunch of weight after I had Fat Baby & have kept some of it off---I can tell you this. There is a huge difference in having no choice in where you shop and having many choices. At my skinniest, I swore I would never darken the door of Lane Bryant again. However....I keep hearing people talking about this new line of jeans there. And even though I will NEVAH post a full-body photo, take my word for it that I am very hip-heavy and oddly proportioned. Even in high school when I was (once) a size 8, I still hated shopping for jeans. Just to get it over with, I ran into Lane Bryant on my quick jean-finding mission. Ten minutes later, I was back in the car with THE PERFECT JEANS!!!! I kid you not! No more gaping waist, flattering fit, and (since I wore them all day yesterday, I can tell you this) they are the most comfortable jeans I have ever owned! They have researched & created categories based on body types. (Each type is color-coded, I am a blue). The sales associate measured my waist, and had me in the perfect pants immediately. Oh, and one of my favorite features---they size with single digit small numbers. (When would I ever be a size 4?) Check them out at
Lane Bryant Right Fit Jeans






And they're cute and trendy, too!

*If you've been reading long, you know about my love affair with diet coke. Particularly the 44 oz. Diet Coke with lime from Sonic. I really do average about two of them a day. I know, it's an addiction. Yesterday, I stopped by with only a few minutes to spare to grab a cold one on my way to pick up Fat Baby from preschool. Afterwards, I would enjoy my beverage as we waited in carpool line for the President (for about an hour). I opted for the speedier service of the drive-thru, since I was just ordering a drink. Apparently the family in line ahead of me didn't get the memo, because they were just taking their sweet time ordering, and talking on their cell phone, and fighting with their kids, and making their damn grocery list while sitting at the speaker. Finally, at 2:00 (when I was supposed to be at the preschool collecting my child) I whipped into a drive-in spot and jabbed the call button. The manager quickly took my order, and delivered it promptly. How my mood changed when I saw the look of recognition in his eyes, and he said, "Oh, it's you!" I told him I would be back at 3:15 with the President for his Friday afternoon Blue Coconut Cream-Slush...and I'd be ready for a refill. I explained that I was his best customer & whenever he sees the silver bullet (my Honda Odyssey)pull in, go ahead & start squeezing the limes! He said it was great to get to know his best customer! Score! I finally have a personal connection with my Sonic fix. This could come in handy. Now, if they just had Malibu rum in stock...


*I've also renewed my love affair with Spanx. The cute, retro packaging and the fact that Oprah has done shows about them makes them trendy and mainstream--somehow it keeps me from feeling like I'm just another fatass squeezing my stuff into a girtle.

*Finally, while you'd never guess by my youthful spirit, my non-quite-twenty-something-anymore body has begun to fall apart. Consequently, I have to recommend my home remedy for plantar fasciitis. First, promise Your Baby's Daddy sexual favors that you may or may not (okay...mostly not) deliver. Then take three ibuprofen and stretch out on the sofa and have him massage your heel with Aspercreme. Sadly, this is the highlight of my evenings lately.

*Of course, I can't list my favorite things without Southern Living at Home! On my first order, I spent my entire commission plus a hundred bucks...I totally love this stuff!