Aug 30, 2010
one more voice for LB
This is my blog, my corner of the world to share my stories - but today isn't about me. Today is about LB and the #dofunstuff project. Today is about something bigger than myself.
And so I won't waste my words - I'll simply say do something for someone else today, and do something now. Go to Pacing the Panic Room for more information. And *congratulations* to Ryan for making this dream a beautiful reality, I know LB is and forever will be very proud of you.
Aug 29, 2010
lil' queen
SidMo was in a beauty pageant yesterday - the little local one we do every year.
She did *much* better this year than last year - there was very little crying and no 3 o'clock meltdown. I know some people think pageants for little girls are just another way society is trying to dumb down woman and exploit their love of all things beauty-related. And I agree, to a certain extent. I'd never be a "toddlers and tiaras" kind of mom. We do this once a year, and SidMo really enjoys it - she'd enjoy it a lot better if no one clapped or cheered for her, as weird as that sounds. But she enjoys dressing up and being girly, she just doesn't appreciate all the attention she gets on-stage.
She definitely marches to the beat of her own little drum. She's the perfect mix of girly and giddy and rough and tumble. Silly and sweet, cute and crazy. I was very proud of her for conquering her fears (a little better than usual) and I'm hoping its things like these little pageants that help her get over her irrational fears - like the fear of the "happy birthday" song. But that's a post for another day.
Here she is in all her pageant cuteness and kookiness.
She did *much* better this year than last year - there was very little crying and no 3 o'clock meltdown. I know some people think pageants for little girls are just another way society is trying to dumb down woman and exploit their love of all things beauty-related. And I agree, to a certain extent. I'd never be a "toddlers and tiaras" kind of mom. We do this once a year, and SidMo really enjoys it - she'd enjoy it a lot better if no one clapped or cheered for her, as weird as that sounds. But she enjoys dressing up and being girly, she just doesn't appreciate all the attention she gets on-stage.
She definitely marches to the beat of her own little drum. She's the perfect mix of girly and giddy and rough and tumble. Silly and sweet, cute and crazy. I was very proud of her for conquering her fears (a little better than usual) and I'm hoping its things like these little pageants that help her get over her irrational fears - like the fear of the "happy birthday" song. But that's a post for another day.
Here she is in all her pageant cuteness and kookiness.
*she got 3rd runner up, by the way, and was incredibly proud of herself.*
Aug 26, 2010
college grad (almost)
Tomorrow (Friday) I go back to college. And I'm equal parts excited, equal parts bummed.
I have classes almost every Friday from 4pm-9pm and Saturday 9am-4pm starting from tomorrow until December 2011. In a way that's really awesome, because it's fast track and I'll have my degree done in just a little over a year. On the other hand, it totally sucks because that ruins my weekend almost completely, and I won't get to spend much quality time with my little family. The good and the bad. The up and the down.
But I'm doing this for my family and for my daughter and for myself and for all the right reasons. My head and my heart are in the right place, so the only thing I can do is make the best of the time I'm given and put my nose to the grindstone. Come January 2012, I never want to look at the inside of another college until Sidney goes away for school.
So, yeah, back to college I go. Hi-ho. Hi-ho.
I have classes almost every Friday from 4pm-9pm and Saturday 9am-4pm starting from tomorrow until December 2011. In a way that's really awesome, because it's fast track and I'll have my degree done in just a little over a year. On the other hand, it totally sucks because that ruins my weekend almost completely, and I won't get to spend much quality time with my little family. The good and the bad. The up and the down.
But I'm doing this for my family and for my daughter and for myself and for all the right reasons. My head and my heart are in the right place, so the only thing I can do is make the best of the time I'm given and put my nose to the grindstone. Come January 2012, I never want to look at the inside of another college until Sidney goes away for school.
So, yeah, back to college I go. Hi-ho. Hi-ho.
Aug 25, 2010
like mother, like daughter
(December '09)
Stuffing our faces, distracted by the TV. That pretty much sums it up right there.
Aug 23, 2010
dreaming of September
It felt like fall a little today. And my heart skipped a beat.
It's ridiculous how much I love this season, and after this brutal summer we've all endured, I'll never be happier to feel crisp nights and cooler temperatures than I will this year.
All I have to do is close my eyes and I smell cinnamon, hear leaves crunching beneath my shoes, taste hot chocolate, hear the roar of a Friday night football crowd, feel the wind in my hair, and know that it's here. My favorite time of the year is almost here, so close I can almost touch it.
Say do you remember,
Dancing in September.
Golden dreams were shiny days.
Seriously, I love September. It's the greatest month of all (Sidney's birthday on the 5th, our anniversary on the 19th, and my birthday on the 28th)!!!
It's ridiculous how much I love this season, and after this brutal summer we've all endured, I'll never be happier to feel crisp nights and cooler temperatures than I will this year.
All I have to do is close my eyes and I smell cinnamon, hear leaves crunching beneath my shoes, taste hot chocolate, hear the roar of a Friday night football crowd, feel the wind in my hair, and know that it's here. My favorite time of the year is almost here, so close I can almost touch it.
Say do you remember,
Dancing in September.
Golden dreams were shiny days.
Seriously, I love September. It's the greatest month of all (Sidney's birthday on the 5th, our anniversary on the 19th, and my birthday on the 28th)!!!
Aug 21, 2010
#dofunstuff
Hopefully by now you've heard of Ryan Marshall's blog Pacing the Panic Room - and if you haven't, then you need to go there now and read. It's amazing. He's amazing (you may remember the letter I wrote to him awhile back) and he's doing amazing things now. For his family and for the world.
I've been using my voice on Twitter the best I can to help him promote this amazing project, trying to help catch the attention of The Ellen Show, so that he can use her show as a platform to help raise awareness for SMS and to showcase the ridiculously awesome charity album he's put together. I've even tried reaching out to bigger bloggers, better bloggers with greater audiences - every day I hope to get through to the people who follow me on Twitter (I'm up to almost 400 followers now, and for once, I feel like I have a little sway in helping the earth move in the direction I choose).
And I'm not the only one. There are dozens, hundreds, (I hope) thousands of us out there supporting Ryan and his family and this album and research for SMS. It's something I've never dealt with firsthand, something I've never seen or even heard about in my personal, day-to-day life. But that's part of the beauty of this online community, this network of bloggers and Twitter friends. We can lift each other up, support one another and put our voices together as one, in perfect unison, to speak the same words together - to fuel the fire of the one we're supporting.
Ryan is an amazing blogger. I think he's an amazing guy. I hope to meet him, face to face, someday (maybe at Sparklecorn?) and I want to know that when I do meet him, I can proudly say I took part in his crusade. I was a part of this opportunity, this wonderful tweet-bomb to help raise awareness for this cause he cares so dearly about (and is making me care about, too).
What can you do to help? What will you do to help?
Follow Ryan on Twitter (@ThePanicRoom) and follow me on Twitter (@mommaruthsays) and use the hastag #dofunstuff to any tweets you may send out
I've been using my voice on Twitter the best I can to help him promote this amazing project, trying to help catch the attention of The Ellen Show, so that he can use her show as a platform to help raise awareness for SMS and to showcase the ridiculously awesome charity album he's put together. I've even tried reaching out to bigger bloggers, better bloggers with greater audiences - every day I hope to get through to the people who follow me on Twitter (I'm up to almost 400 followers now, and for once, I feel like I have a little sway in helping the earth move in the direction I choose).
And I'm not the only one. There are dozens, hundreds, (I hope) thousands of us out there supporting Ryan and his family and this album and research for SMS. It's something I've never dealt with firsthand, something I've never seen or even heard about in my personal, day-to-day life. But that's part of the beauty of this online community, this network of bloggers and Twitter friends. We can lift each other up, support one another and put our voices together as one, in perfect unison, to speak the same words together - to fuel the fire of the one we're supporting.
Ryan is an amazing blogger. I think he's an amazing guy. I hope to meet him, face to face, someday (maybe at Sparklecorn?) and I want to know that when I do meet him, I can proudly say I took part in his crusade. I was a part of this opportunity, this wonderful tweet-bomb to help raise awareness for this cause he cares so dearly about (and is making me care about, too).
What can you do to help? What will you do to help?
Follow Ryan on Twitter (@ThePanicRoom) and follow me on Twitter (@mommaruthsays) and use the hastag #dofunstuff to any tweets you may send out
Aug 20, 2010
guilty pleasures
....Mamma Mia and just about any musical-movie (Rent, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Chicago, Nine, etc.) it's kind of embarassing, but I get really excited when I meet someone who shares my love of musicals!
...Reese's Pieces - they are so addictive. Sidney and I can eat an entire bag in one night if we don't watch ourselves!
...spending my Friday nights alone watching said musicals and eating Reese's Pieces (when I should be cleaning the house and eating something a little more friendly on my stomach)
Have a good weekend, my guilty little friends (I know you all have secret guilty pleasures, too!)
...Reese's Pieces - they are so addictive. Sidney and I can eat an entire bag in one night if we don't watch ourselves!
...spending my Friday nights alone watching said musicals and eating Reese's Pieces (when I should be cleaning the house and eating something a little more friendly on my stomach)
Have a good weekend, my guilty little friends (I know you all have secret guilty pleasures, too!)
Aug 19, 2010
attack of the giant ass spider
Okay, so in reality it was only like 3 inches long which isn't too big - but STILL that's pretty big for a garden spider, right?
I cower in fear.
Aug 17, 2010
musings of a wannabe SAHM
Somedays SidMo does really good at letting me go. I drop her off to the baby-sitter and she's smiling and happy and just a perfect little angel. Somedays she crys and whines and pouts when I go.
And then some mornings, like this morning, she clings to me, crying and begging me not to go. It's hard on mornings like today, when all I want to do is stay home with her and play. I want to be a SAHM so bad sometimes it aches. And I know Justin wishes he could provide that for all of us, but at this point in our lives, it's just not possible. Too many bills, too much going on - we're young and dumb and we're working towards our future.
It's another consequence of having our babe a little too early on in life; she doesn't get the same luxuries other kids do sometimes having older, more stable parents.
But that doesn't mean we love her any less. In fact, I like to think it means we love her more. We're both out there working hard, doing our best to give her everything she deserves. And what we can't provide in material things, we make up for with hugs and kisses and late night play sessions. The three of us piled in bed together, laughing and loving each other - this little family we've made and created and continue to be.
Just the three of us. We can make it if we try.
And then some mornings, like this morning, she clings to me, crying and begging me not to go. It's hard on mornings like today, when all I want to do is stay home with her and play. I want to be a SAHM so bad sometimes it aches. And I know Justin wishes he could provide that for all of us, but at this point in our lives, it's just not possible. Too many bills, too much going on - we're young and dumb and we're working towards our future.
It's another consequence of having our babe a little too early on in life; she doesn't get the same luxuries other kids do sometimes having older, more stable parents.
But that doesn't mean we love her any less. In fact, I like to think it means we love her more. We're both out there working hard, doing our best to give her everything she deserves. And what we can't provide in material things, we make up for with hugs and kisses and late night play sessions. The three of us piled in bed together, laughing and loving each other - this little family we've made and created and continue to be.
Just the three of us. We can make it if we try.
Aug 16, 2010
lucky, lucky me
My husband treated me to an early anniversary/birthday present - a new lens! It's absolutely amazing, and these are just some of the pictures I took yesterday in the two hours left of daylight I had to play with it!
Beautiful girl (with a little tweaking)
The illusive hummingbird - these suckers eat a lot of that red juice! But they sure are fun to watch...
Old sign...shot going 50 mph down the road with the window rolled up!
Just a random haybale in the field across the road in front of our house - got all that?
a little Archie face!
And something completely random, but still interesting enough to share: Lasagna cupcakes and Mac & Cheese cupcakes! I want! I want! I want!
Beautiful girl (with a little tweaking)
The illusive hummingbird - these suckers eat a lot of that red juice! But they sure are fun to watch...
Old sign...shot going 50 mph down the road with the window rolled up!
Just a random haybale in the field across the road in front of our house - got all that?
a little Archie face!
And something completely random, but still interesting enough to share: Lasagna cupcakes and Mac & Cheese cupcakes! I want! I want! I want!
Aug 14, 2010
comments!
Finally got my comment section working once again, so sorry for any of you who wanted to comment the past couple days.
Not that I'm totally sure you wanted to comment. But if you did, now you can.
Oh look, a cute picture of my sleeping kid.
Not that I'm totally sure you wanted to comment. But if you did, now you can.
Oh look, a cute picture of my sleeping kid.
Aug 13, 2010
honorable mention: sophie st vicious
By now I'm sure you've noticed the new blog header. Right? Well if you haven't, LOOK UP. It's so amazing, right?
The very talented, very sweet and very hard-working Sophie created this one-of-a-kind blog banner for me, and I have to say, I'm in love. She captured my little family perfectly and I couldn't be more satisfied. This is my glorious recommendation for Sophie; visit her blog HERE and her Etsy shop HERE and you can even follow her on Twitter HERE.
You also might've noticed I cleaned up a little here and there on the blog yesterday; added some new tabs up top and edited some information. Just trying to smooth everything out and get this site in tiptop shape. Change is good, but I'd like to settle into a groove and focus on the words and stories I'm sharing as opposed to being annoyed with my layout all the time.
The very talented, very sweet and very hard-working Sophie created this one-of-a-kind blog banner for me, and I have to say, I'm in love. She captured my little family perfectly and I couldn't be more satisfied. This is my glorious recommendation for Sophie; visit her blog HERE and her Etsy shop HERE and you can even follow her on Twitter HERE.
You also might've noticed I cleaned up a little here and there on the blog yesterday; added some new tabs up top and edited some information. Just trying to smooth everything out and get this site in tiptop shape. Change is good, but I'd like to settle into a groove and focus on the words and stories I'm sharing as opposed to being annoyed with my layout all the time.
Aug 11, 2010
you need to laugh today AND look at my new blog header
And if that doesn't make you laugh, nothing will.
*Note the fabulous new blog header I have now - I'll be giving you all the amazing details tomorrow!!! So come back for some really valuable information!*
Aug 10, 2010
Aug 9, 2010
the shit hath hit the fan
Also known as "the exploding diaper".
I'm getting a little weary of changing diapers - for almost three years (that's 36 months or 1,095 days) I've been changing diapers. I've seen them all: the ooey, the gooey, the slimey, the stinky, the rabbit turd, the pellet, the green monsther, the blob, the ooze, the oregon trail, the mighty duckfart, the shart, the runs, the rips, the POOP has just been unimaginable. And yet, so creative. Kudos to my toddler for having such different poops in your short little life.
We've been pushing Sidney towards potty-training for quite some time now; gently nudging her in the direction she needs to be heading. We've got the panties and the potty chair and the little toilet lid. We've gotten advice from everyone under the sun, and the main thing I've come to learn about potty-training advice is that everyone's advice is different. I've yet to meet a single person talking about this discussion who had an identical story to one I've heard before. IS IT REALLY THAT DIFFERENT FOR EVERY KID?
With Sidney, I don't want to push her - she's got her bladder issues and I don't want to put any more stress on her system than is needed. But I feel like it's getting to be that time. I don't want to push her into anything she's not ready to do, I want her to grow up on her own schedule and I feel like a tool for whining/blogging about this.
But it's time, really, she's ready. She's got the mechanics down - she can hold everything 'til she's ready. She can wear undies for hours without a mess - she knows how to sit and wipe and flush and wash hands. She *knows* all about it. She just doesn't want to do it herself....yet.
When will she get there? How do I push her without pushing her? Will the poopy diapers ever cease to be?
I feel like I'm on repeat here, and it's never going to end. And I feel like a total jackass for even having the nerve to blog about my kid NOT using the toilet. Excuse me while I go find a barf-bag and relieve myself of this current case of the "mommyblog".
I'm getting a little weary of changing diapers - for almost three years (that's 36 months or 1,095 days) I've been changing diapers. I've seen them all: the ooey, the gooey, the slimey, the stinky, the rabbit turd, the pellet, the green monsther, the blob, the ooze, the oregon trail, the mighty duckfart, the shart, the runs, the rips, the POOP has just been unimaginable. And yet, so creative. Kudos to my toddler for having such different poops in your short little life.
We've been pushing Sidney towards potty-training for quite some time now; gently nudging her in the direction she needs to be heading. We've got the panties and the potty chair and the little toilet lid. We've gotten advice from everyone under the sun, and the main thing I've come to learn about potty-training advice is that everyone's advice is different. I've yet to meet a single person talking about this discussion who had an identical story to one I've heard before. IS IT REALLY THAT DIFFERENT FOR EVERY KID?
With Sidney, I don't want to push her - she's got her bladder issues and I don't want to put any more stress on her system than is needed. But I feel like it's getting to be that time. I don't want to push her into anything she's not ready to do, I want her to grow up on her own schedule and I feel like a tool for whining/blogging about this.
But it's time, really, she's ready. She's got the mechanics down - she can hold everything 'til she's ready. She can wear undies for hours without a mess - she knows how to sit and wipe and flush and wash hands. She *knows* all about it. She just doesn't want to do it herself....yet.
When will she get there? How do I push her without pushing her? Will the poopy diapers ever cease to be?
I feel like I'm on repeat here, and it's never going to end. And I feel like a total jackass for even having the nerve to blog about my kid NOT using the toilet. Excuse me while I go find a barf-bag and relieve myself of this current case of the "mommyblog".
Baby Hood
It was such an amazing pleasure to have spent this past summer taking pictures of Kelly and Jake during their first pregnancy.
Baby Ty was born last Monday (the 2nd) and to honor his big debut, I made a little video to showcase the pictures I took at the hospital. And now, I'd like to show it to you all - hopefully, very soon I'll be starting another maternity series with a good friend of mine. And I can only hope and pray it all turns out as beautiful as this did.
Congratulations to Kelly and Jake - thank you a million times over for letting me document in pictures this amazing time in your lives.
And to see all of the Baby Hood series CLICK HERE.
Baby Ty was born last Monday (the 2nd) and to honor his big debut, I made a little video to showcase the pictures I took at the hospital. And now, I'd like to show it to you all - hopefully, very soon I'll be starting another maternity series with a good friend of mine. And I can only hope and pray it all turns out as beautiful as this did.
Congratulations to Kelly and Jake - thank you a million times over for letting me document in pictures this amazing time in your lives.
And to see all of the Baby Hood series CLICK HERE.
Aug 7, 2010
no no no no no no no!!!
How many times a day can I say "no"? How many different ways can I say "no"? How many times a day can I say "no" in all the many different ways you can say "no"???
?????????
It's a lot, I'm coming to find out.
No, you cannot play with cotton balls. No, you cannot jump on the couch. No, you aren't allowed to drink four Kool-Aid juice packs back-to-back. No, you need to stop letting the dog lick you in mouth. No, you can't climb up there. No, we're not watching Nick Jr. anymore. No, you can't eat that. No, don't play with that. No, don't stick that in there. No, stop crying. No, I said "no". NO! NO! NO!
I mean, seriously - I'm not a negative person. I'm a happy, upbeat, optimistic kind of gal. But when I spend half my day saying "no" over and over again, I feel beat down. I feel like I'm nagging. Like, maybe I should just let her find out the hard way some things for herself.
Okay, you can play with those scissors but when you cut your hair or finger off, don't come crying to me. (Note: I'd never do that, but you catch my drift)
I'm trying to find alternatives to the word "no" but it's hard. There's nothing really as direct and commanding as those two little letters.
(Note: Just as I was typing this, Sidney was jumping on the couch and hurt her leg. I've only told her to stop doing that about 20,340 times this morning)
I want the words "no" to mean something, to have some real power behind them. But I feel like they're losing their importance to her. I need to find a new word, a new phrase to stop her in her tracks and let her know I mean business. How do you stop your kids from doing things they shouldn't be doing?
Do you ever feel like you're a "no" person when you want to be a "yes" person?
?????????
It's a lot, I'm coming to find out.
No, you cannot play with cotton balls. No, you cannot jump on the couch. No, you aren't allowed to drink four Kool-Aid juice packs back-to-back. No, you need to stop letting the dog lick you in mouth. No, you can't climb up there. No, we're not watching Nick Jr. anymore. No, you can't eat that. No, don't play with that. No, don't stick that in there. No, stop crying. No, I said "no". NO! NO! NO!
I mean, seriously - I'm not a negative person. I'm a happy, upbeat, optimistic kind of gal. But when I spend half my day saying "no" over and over again, I feel beat down. I feel like I'm nagging. Like, maybe I should just let her find out the hard way some things for herself.
Okay, you can play with those scissors but when you cut your hair or finger off, don't come crying to me. (Note: I'd never do that, but you catch my drift)
I'm trying to find alternatives to the word "no" but it's hard. There's nothing really as direct and commanding as those two little letters.
(Note: Just as I was typing this, Sidney was jumping on the couch and hurt her leg. I've only told her to stop doing that about 20,340 times this morning)
I want the words "no" to mean something, to have some real power behind them. But I feel like they're losing their importance to her. I need to find a new word, a new phrase to stop her in her tracks and let her know I mean business. How do you stop your kids from doing things they shouldn't be doing?
Do you ever feel like you're a "no" person when you want to be a "yes" person?
Aug 5, 2010
birthday wish list
No, not for Sidney! For yours truly...
I know my birthday is after hers, but I still felt like putting together a little birthday wish-list of pretty things I wouldn't mind getting this September 28th!
I know my birthday is after hers, but I still felt like putting together a little birthday wish-list of pretty things I wouldn't mind getting this September 28th!
my man's best friend
Wednesday evening he was gone. Dozer - my husband's dog. The dog he had for nearly seventeen years. His best friend.
When Justin talks about him, it's equal parts love and equal parts aggravation. Apparently, Dozer was a pain in the ass in their younger years. I only knew him in his olden days. He had almost completely quit chasing cars by the time I came around seven years ago. He was an old man, body weakened but spirit intact.
It's hard - I don't know what to say to Justin other than "I'm sorry". Sometimes he wants to talk about him, and other times he doesn't want to think about him. I know how he feels, even though I don't want to. It's surreal how attached we humans can become to our pets, our dogs - there's a reason they're called "man's best friend".
Dozer was an incredible dog, and he'll be missed. Everyone in this family loved him. Everyone of us will miss him. He can't be replaced. Not that we'd ever try to. Not that we'd ever want to.
Aug 4, 2010
play, have fun, rinse and repeat
Sometimes she's a good kid and lets me photograph her while playing outside. And sometimes the photos I get are good enough to make me cry and smile all at the same time.
She's getting so big, that kid of mine. That silly, beautiful, vivacious, active, almost 3-year-old of mine.
Aug 3, 2010
face of my facebook (now with fixed link!)
I've had my same Facebook account for four years (technically, this December will be four years). And today I got a little sentimental going back and looking at the 120+ profile images I've had over these past four years.
And since I'm feeling sentimental (and I don't have extra time/effort to post anything of real meat or merit), I'm going to share these past four years on Facebook profile pictures with YOU!
2006
So yeah, I'm one of these people that could never delete my Facebook. There are too many memories, too many pictures (that I don't have saved to backup yet) and to even think of getting rid of them makes me very sad.
And since I'm feeling sentimental (and I don't have extra time/effort to post anything of real meat or merit), I'm going to share these past four years on Facebook profile pictures with YOU!
2006
Justin looks hairy; I look scary
2007
What you can't see is the big belly underneath!
There's the baby belly!!!
Sidney's first Christmas (on facebook)
2008
The dream job I always wanted in school (movie-rental store? wtf!) and then only kept for about three months, ha!
Kissin' cousins?! more like inappropriately touching cousins (I joke, I joke) Dobby & I are just very comfortable with each other..wait, that still sounds perverted! dammit! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, RIGHT?
In this town, you gotta be willing to kiss a little ass (jackass, that is)
Our first Halloween spent together - and that lemon lollipop is all SidMo ate all day and/or night!
2009
This makes me miss my long hair...sort of.
The most beautiful sleeping babe...ever
Y'all know what that is!
2010
Turkey leg = GREATEST FOOD EVER
Back in the snow that never went away - all winter long!
Summer '10 - it's been blissful thus far...
And because I love you (and trust most of you) here's the link to my Facebook page. If I know you as a faithful blog friend, I'll add you. If not, sorry Charlie.
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