Five Things

Oh, I do so love me a good meme. And it's Sunday afternoon....and I was in the middle of a tedious and never-ending home organization project with My Baby's Daddy when he had to leave to go show a house. So, why shouldn't I take this opportunity to slack off while he's gone? Amy tagged me for this somewhere in between the stomach virus and catching up on the laundry, so I'm making time for it now.



Five things on my to-do list today...
1. Finish organizing my bedroom and closet. I must sleep in a non-chaotic environment. Tonight. This has been going on way too long.
2. Cook dinner. I have a pork tenderloin marinating a la a recipe from my BFF. Sounds yummy.
3. Keep the boys from killing each other. Or at least wear earplugs so I don't have to hear it.
4. Take Fat Baby to the potty every 30 minutes. Day Two in Big Boy Underpants. He has only had one major accident & a couple of "dribbles." Thank. You. Jesus.
5. Make tomorrow's to-do list. I am such a list-maker. Tomorrow's list will be much more fun than today's, what with everybody in school and all. It includes a trip to Victoria's Secret for bras, a trip to the fabric store, and other things that nobody else in my house cares about. Well...My Baby's Daddy does enjoy the VS thing...


Five snacks I enjoy...
1. Buffalo Chicken dip...if you're sweet, I'll post the recipe
2. Fiber One bars
3. Movie popcorn (Target's snack bar popcorn, a very close second)
4. Chocolate dipped strawberries
5. Pistachios

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire ...
1. Build my dream home
2. Help others
3. Travel
4. Hire help
5. Have my own talk show


Five bad habits...
1. Passive aggressive
2. Control freak
3. Can have a potty mouth
4. Become withdrawn when overwhelmed/stressed out/pissed off/ anxious
5. Compulsive eating



Five places I have lived ...
1. Fort Payne, AL
2. Millbrook, AL
3. Jacksonville, AL
4. Charleston, SC
5. Troy, AL




Five jobs I've had...
1. Burger King (drive thru operator)--me & polyester...not so much
2. Wal-Mart Jewelry Department--me & the dregs of humanity....not so much
3. Preschool Teacher/ Director--me & other people's kids...not so much
4. Volunteer Coordinator--left to be a SAHM, loved it
5. Grant Writer--perfect job for me! flexible, able to be with kids, work from home


I tag: Pink in a Sea of Blue, So Tired, Worker Mommy, and you...and you...

Help a sister out

It's been a while, but I haven't forgotten the random and rule-free tag from Jennifer at Playgroups Are No Place For Children. Before I ask y'all for a favor, it's time for me to finally respond. Here are ten things that make me happy:

1. Summertime! I love having a tan, hanging out by the pool with the boys, living in swimsuits, shorts & baseball caps, sleeping in, long, sunny days, grilling and chilling, vacations, and birthday parties.

2. Spending time with my family. I haven't posted since Memorial Day, but we had a blast camping (in an RV, thankyouverymuch--do I seem like a roughing it/tent camping kind of girl...ummmm, no) kayaking and tubing, grilling out, enjoying s'mores over the campfire, and making memories with Pop, my sister, and her two kiddos.

3. My DVR!!!!! It makes managing my television obsessions easy and efficient. I just started watching "Jon and Kate Plus 8" on Discovery Health. This couple has two six year olds, and SIX TWO YEAR-OLDS!!!! Fascinating. I could post all day about it. The mom is a bey-otch (wouldn't I be too, with five more Fat Babies running around here)...and totally treats her sweet husband like the ninth child. She yells at him in public & corrects him on camera. I can't wait to see more!

4. My faith. Shouldn't this have been #1 on the list? All I can say is God knows how my mind works, so He understands that it's bedtime & I'm just blowing off some steam. He knows that he is first in my heart, if not first on this list. My faith has carried me through a very tough year, and I've had to grow and learn to handle things that I never imagined. I know I will come through stronger on the other side.

5. My boys. They crack me up, they snuggle me, they give the best hugs and kisses, and they are gosh-darn adorable. Being a mom totally rocks! I even taught my parrot, Fat Baby, to say, "Mommy Wocks!" With these two, happy doesn't even begin to cover it.

6. Blogging. This blogging thing just opened up a whole new world to me. I've made some very cool friends from all over, and I've been able to open up and just be me. It's a great outlet, a source of support, and so much fun.

7. My Baby's Daddy. He's my best friend, my biggest fan, and he really understands me. We have the same sense of humor, and that's the tone of our family. We laugh a lot, we don't sweat the small stuff, and we really are happy most of the time.

8. Zoloft. Literally.

9. Getting a pedicure. If My Baby's Daddy is reading this, I'm hoping he'll volunteer to watch the boys Friday evening so I can get one before we leave for the beach. I read somewhere that women really want to have lots of vacation sex if their toenails are freshly done...

10. Reading a good book. I love love love to read--I'm always working on something. Now, this is where you come in. Please comment with your favorite beach book. We're leaving on Saturday, and I want to have lots of good reading material on hand. A trip to the book store is definitely on the agenda for Friday.

In case you're wondering...yes, I do have multiple lists for our trip. Yes, I do have a "staging area" where I'm organizing & packing away, and yes, in keeping with the theme of this meme, it makes me happy happy happy!

About Being a Mom

Just in time for Mother's Day, Mamma tagged me for this meme. It's really not a Mother's Day meme...it's called Chinese Freeze Tag. I have no idea why. The idea is you list ten random things about yourself, and then tag ten others. I don't know ten people who haven't done this yet, so to I randomly tag the ten who haven't. I decided to do a Mother's Day theme, because

#1. It is Mother's Day & I was planning to write about it anyway.

#2. I was tagged by Mamma from Mamma Loves.

#3. I love a theme, and I've written so much beach & booze stuff lately, I thought y'all might like to see another side of me.

Southern Fried Mom's Ten Thoughts on Motherhood:

1. I could never imagine myself as the mother of boys. I grew up with only a sister, and I was never into getting dirty, playing sports, and gross stuff. Now that I have two boys, I would have another in a heartbeat. Boys rock!

2. Two children can share the same DNA, be raised in the same environment with the same parents, and be complete opposites...and yet you love them exactly the same.

3. Plenty of things that I said or thought, "I would never...." do as a parent--I've done. More than once.

4. Even if you don't agree with another mom's parenting style, you can always learn something from her.

5. I've been a working-outside-the-home mom and a stay-home mom, and a working-part-time-from home mom...none of it is easy. It's also totally worth it.

6. The Daddy will never do it "just like Mom." That's job security! (But sometimes it sucks).

7. The hours between 4 p.m. and bedtime are pure and total hell.

8. There is nothing better than: holding a chubby dimpled hand, kissing a fuzzy little head, the quiet moment of snuggling before bed, a spontaneous "I love you", the warmth of their cheeks when they're still pink from sleep, the first time you hear "mama", sharing a soggy cheerio, watching them learn, watching your children play and laugh together, hugs and kisses.

9. There is nothing harder than: worrying about a healthy delivery, the first day of kindergarten, sleepless nights, catching throw-up in your hand, watching them try something and fail, grocery shopping with a two-year old who needs a nap, letting them be independent, knowing that one day some sassy little girl is going to have your son wrapped around her finger.

10. My own mother is smarter than I thought!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!

Triple Threat

Mamma at Mamma Loves invited me to play along with this Three Things meme. That just makes me all kinds of happy because you know I can't resist the opportunity to publish more fascinating, worthless crap about myself.

Three Things That Scare Me: swimsuit shopping, the supernatural, rats

Three People Who Make Me Laugh: My Baby's Daddy, Will Ferrell, Ron White

Three Things I Love: Snuggling with my boys, Diet Coke with Lime from Sonic with Malibu coconut rum (seriously--shouldn't I have an endorsement deal from the Malibu people by now?!?) and reading a good book

Three Things I Hate: When My Baby's Daddy snores & won't put on his C-Pap, Mornings, being at the mercy of someone else while shopping or running errands...I can't stand to wait around for plundering

Three Things I Don't Understand: Angelina Jolie, why gas prices are so ridiculously high, why I can't be skinny and have a good sense of humor

Three Things on my Desk: Easter candy wrapper---damn you, Reese's peanut butter eggs!; my glasses (please remind me of that when I'm cursing & frantically looking for them later), and
Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now: Drawing super-heroes for The President, wishing I had my pajamas on, waiting for Desperate Housewives to end so I can watch it on DVR & fast-forward through the commercials

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die: get a tattoo, win the lottery, finish this meme

Three Things I Can Do: cook, plan parties, write grants

Three Things I Can't Do: Drive well at night, be pleasant and calm when I have PMS, fly a plane

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To: your conscience, children laughing, the Grease soundtrack (I dare you not to sing along!)

Three Things I Think You Should Never Listen To: blatant negativism, the sound a fork or knife makes scraping across a plate (makes my teeth hurt just to write it!), the voices in your head

Three Things I'd Like To Learn: to grow my own vegetables, sign language, yoga

Three Favorite Foods: I love good food...can't narrow it down to three individual foods, so I give you my three favorite food genres--Italian, seafood, and chocolate

Three TV Shows I Watched as a Kid: Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers (in that order--now how the hell did I remember that?!?), and the Electric Company



Tag, you're it!!!!: Janet a.k.a. Wondermom, Queen of the Mayhem, Ann

Fun and Games

My good friend Janet, who is always hanging out with the coolest kids on the block, is participating in this kind-of-like-a meme, but it's designed just for you. The deal is this...Janet answered five questions, and then she agrees to e-mail five questions to anyone who wants to play along. Which of course, I did. So now, anyone who wants me to send them five questions can keep the ball rolling. C'mon...you know you want to share with the group! Here are five things that Janet wants to know about me:

1. What are you working on a grant for? I do contract grant work for a local non-profit. The majority of funding is to support a 24-hour pediatric nursing facility. I also do freelance grant work, PR, and event planning. E-mail me if you need a grant writer!!! (grantwriting@bellsouth.net)

And you thought I just wiped butts and noses...

2. What do you want your kids to know most about you as a person and not just a mom? I want them to know that I have a great sense of humor, that I love to laugh, I love life, and I love to have fun...life is too short not to! I want them to know that I have always tried to do the right thing, and that I've been able to put my head on the pillow every night knowing that I have not intentionally hurt another person. I want my love of reading and writing to be evidenced in their lives. I want them to see me as a fair and open-minded person. I want them to know that while I wasn't always morally perfect, I was never a hypocrite. I want them to know that while being their mom doesn't define me as an individual, it is the most important part of my life. The day before The President was born, (we knew I was being induced) My Baby's Daddy & I made a videotape of ourselves in the nursery, talking to our unborn child. I try to live by the words he said that day, "You can always ask us anything, and you can always tell us anything."

3. If I dropped you off in the middle of Times Square NYC what would you do? Party like it's 1999....No, seriously--first, I would hope that you would stay with me, because we could have so much fun! I would go someplace fab-u-lous to eat, and then see a show, have some drinks, and see what happens next.


4. If you had to choose one thing to show off about your state/area what would it be?
Besides my kids?!?! Probably the beautiful beaches (about 3 hours from my home).




5. If you had to invite one celebrity over for grits with cheese who would it be and why?
My first instinct is to answer without hesitation--Matthew Freakin' McConaughey!!! He is so deliciously smokin' hot as fire, and ooooooh, that voice-with the warm, slow drawl....yes, please!!!! He has been on my reserve list forevah! Okay, but then I start to think about it....He is so hot and sexy, that I'd be all stressed out and worried about how I look, and what to say. I'm sure he would have that Southern charm of his working, and c'mon now, is there really any danger of Mr. Sexiest Man Alive gettin' busy with Mrs. Married Mom? We'd probably be great friends, have some laughs and drinks on the veranda...but oh, the pressure!!! I would probably be better off with someone like Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rimes...someone who is not the object of a long-time school-girl crush, we'd have lots to talk about, and she might even offer me a job as a writer....get me her number, I think I'll just go ahead & call her up right now!