2 kids cheese burgers $2.16 (we had our own "drank's" as my Friend Briana calls them
Jake and the never land pirates sword $2.99
gorilla dj t-shirt $1.99 (HUGE sale at crazy 8's y'all!)
3 rides on the carousel. $5
Mommyohhhh ice-coffee $2.50
Grand total: $14.46

The answer is no- but I was VERY close. I would have been under budget but I wasn't thinking when I picked out our seats at the food court- it was in BIG's direct line of vision to the carousel. So that $5 wasn't in my original budget- so I had to quickly re-evaluate. My girlfriend that met us for lunch was a good sport and rode 3xs with us (grown-ups were free! And since LITTLE didn't technically sit on the ride ((he was scared)) they didn't charge us for him) So while I didn't meet my self imposed budget- I think we did pretty darn good.  MommyOhhhh got some caffine.  BIG and LITTLE got to run, scream, play, climb and interact with other kids.  So I'd say it was well worth it.  

My mom loves a good collage.  She will text me random pictures when I was little & a similar age to either BIG or LITTLE- in the attached format.  I always think it's funny because I know she is trying to match facial expressions or style.   

Here you have me in a classic "I was born to boogie" t-shirt and LITTLE in his "My mom thinks I'm rad" shirt.  Both of which are totally 100% true statements.  

I can just picture her in her office riffling through the family pictures looking for a specific picture she has in mind.  No easy task since I'm in my VERY late 20's.  {wink wink} She has years worth of pictures to go through. But I can also see the big smile and look of utter and total satisfaction when she pulls off some of these zingers.  I think she nailed it.  Especially on this last one.  Who doesn't love a toddler in a KISS T-shirt?  LITTLE and I both like to Rock n' Roll all night... well... not so much anymore- but we both did.  Him when he was teething- and me when I really was in my 20's.  

These also come in handy when someone says "They don't look like you at all."  Ohhhhh really??? :) My mama says they do! 

Have a great day pretty people! It's almost friday and that's something to celebrate. 

Pardon me while I ask you to stroll down memory lane with me for a minute pretty person.  Ever since BIG was big enough to walk- he's been in love with vehicles.  I am vague with the term vehicles because he loves them all: cars, trucks, airplanes, "Helokockers" (SIC!), boats, riding lawn mowers, strollers, and LSU litter getters.  

My sister-in-law used to have a Jeep Wrangler.  BIG was bonkers about it.  I'm not sure what it is about this little boy and vehicles.  He just loves them!

As I look at these pictures it feels like it will be 100 years until he's driving.  But that's far from the reality of it.  He just turned 4 (whoa!) so he will be driving in just 12 short  years.  He's 25% of the way there.  And as fast as these last 4 years have gone by- I'm sad to think about how quickly the next four will go.  And the next four.  Until then I will let him pretend drive my car. 

If any of you pretty people have a time slowing down clock/calendar- let me know.  I'm just not ready for this BIG boy to be driving yet.  Good thing I have awhile.

Happy Hump Day pretty people.  xoxo

I never realized until I took the above shot that I LOVE a booty picture.  Maybe it's because I'm a mediocre (at best) photographer - but I feel like I capture all kinds of emotion from the backside.  I don't have to worry if my subjects are blinking- have open mouth- redeye- or the myriad of other problems you run into when you think you have THE PERFECT shot and it turns out... well, not so perfect.   

None of these pictures are technically perfect- but they are precious to me.  

What do you find yourself taking pictures of my pretty people?  I would love it if you shared a picture or two from your collection on my MommyOhhhh facebook page.  Can't wait to see what y'all have in store for me. Extra points if it's a booty shot.  {pg only please- GARY}

My favorite thing about Facebook is the pictures.  I just love looking at pictures! Not the 'click here to give me a jillion likes so my uncle Alan will eat a bug' fake pictures- but the real pictures.  From my real friends.



 If you are a daily reader (as you should be!) you already know this.  I want to see pictures of: your Aunt Lucy's 85th birthday party, your mom's tomato plants, your puppy's destruction of your new perfect kitten heels (not that I have experience with that) I want to see all of it.  I love it.  It's how I feel connected to far away friends.  And new friends.  It gives me a peek into lives that I unfortunately don't get to see regularly in real life.  

My dear sweet friend & former college roommate (GEAUX TIGERS!) Rebecca is a farmer.  She raises pigs. She took this shot shortly after the mama pig had her babies.  

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of the dog and his new friend the horse. It's particularly special to me because BIG- who is the strong silent type- saw it, got super dooper excited and said "LOOK! A dog and a horse!" It thrilled him- hence thrilling me.  It is also the picture that gave me the idea for this post.  

So if I like all 97 pictures of your maple syrup tapping trip to Vermont- I'm not a stalker, I'm just curious and daydreaming.

I hope you are lucky enough to see pretty pictures like these in your social networks.  
 Have a great day pretty people!  If this post made you smile- please share it with your friends.  I know that if someone sent me a link with these sweet little tiny dancers in sweet pink tu-tu's I'd smile.  

I like nice bags.  There are very few females (and some males) who do not, I would think. The way I justify buying them, is with the fact that I will carry that one nice bag for years. Three minimum.  I spend months picking one out.   It is an investment to me. 

My most recent purchase was a pretty, tan, leather shoulder bag with a large, round, gold MK connecting the strap to the body. Micheal Kors is one of my favorite designers, so I was extremely happy with myself upon purchasing this bag. 

The other day in the grocery store this sweet lady told me how much she liked my bag.  Here I am preening like a peacock because someone complimented me on my rather expensive, designer bag. So proud of myself for picking out a bag that catches the eye without being tacky.  {{patting self on back}}

Then she asked me if it were my initials on the bag.   I stood there with my mouth gaping open for a moment in disbelief, and while I don't remember my exact words, it was somewhere along the lines of "Pardon"  or "Excuse me?" or maybe "What the hell are you talking about??"  

When I gathered my wits enough to respond in a respectable manner, I told her that no, they are not my initials, but the designers initials. His logo.  His mark upon the world!  Her response: "Oh, how cute it would be if it were your initials!"

Well.

I smiled, mumbled my agreement, and paid for my groceries.  My tiara rang as it hit the bottom of the trashcan I passed on the way to the car. 

One of my goals for the year was to become more organized. No easy task when you have two little mess makers trying to undo what you do. I decided to take baby steps. I have three points of frustration in my daily life.

2. Missing shoes. I used to spend an inordinate amount of time looking for shoes. Not my shoes- I have those organized in shoe boxes. For the life of me I couldn't keep up with the boys shoes. Until one day I just bought these over the door shoe racks from Target. For about $15/kid I now have my sanity back. Well... As it relates to shoe finding anyway.

Katie's only complaint- and really this is minimal- was that the raccoon toy bin was so cute that her little angel baby emptied out the toys so he could crawl in. It's even cuter now if you ask me! 


What do you wish you could organize better in your life my pretty people? Do you have any tips to give us? If you liked this article please share it- it might just help a friend in need. 

After I wrote yesterday's post about the party- I decided to tell y'all about some questions I've been asked in the last few months.  Some were asked at the annoying party- some have been asked by friends.  

Q: What do you do all day?!?! 
A: Wow- what an all encompassing questions.  (Would you ask an accountant that?  Or a funeral director? I doubt it) I do alllllll kinds of things all day.  No two days are the same so this is a bit hard to answer.  I: play, teach, cook, clean, do laundry, referee, administer naps, run errands, pay bills, bathe 2 wiggle worms, dance, sing, , let the dog out 87 times , hug, kiss and tickle my boys.

Q: Don't you get bored?
A: Ummmm... no.  I don't have time to get bored and I love what I do.  

Q: Do you just watch soaps all day?
A: Are soaps even still on?  If our TV is on it's on a kids show.  Typically teaching them numbers, how to count, read, and not to bite friends.  {I should have bitten the person who asked me this}

Q: Is your house super clean now that you are home all day?
A: No. It's clean but only because I pick up 873 times a day.  LITTLE reminds me of the tasmanian devil. He's a ball of energy with the fastest hands in the south and likes to throw things.  BIG likes to pull things out and would prefer I don't put them away.  If it was up to them we'd have toys EVERYWHERE.  

Q: Do you miss "real" work?
A: Again- kind of a loaded question, no?  Implies what I do isn't work- right?  I mean sure I don't punch a time clock but I work reallllllllllly hard.  I'm raising the future generation of the country.  That's a lot of pressure and no small task.  A better question would probably be more along the line of "what do you miss about your old job?"  To which I have several responses.  I miss the people the most.  I worked with really great people.  Some of whom I am still in contact with- that is one of the best things about working for a company for nearly 13 years- building great friendships.  I miss the challenge of being in sales.  I miss my old boss- he was tough but always fair- and if I'm ever in a management position I will take some things from his play book. I miss the company- the perks, the travel.  There are a ton of things I miss.  But I've always wanted to stay home with my boys -especially while they are still little- so that far outweighs the things I miss.  I'm not going to lie- a new company car every 2 years was really nice.  But in my old job we didn't get to finger paint. Or wear shark bike helmets. I mean I guess I could have- but someone probably would have called HR claiming that I was a bit koo-koo. 

Q: Do you feel like you contribute?
A: Wow- the nerve.  Yes I feel like I contribute.  Granted it's not money that I contribute but it's my time.  See above.  I'm teaching these boys how to be little gentlemen. 

What I just now realized after typing all of this out is that these questions come from a place of that person's insecurity.  My job never defined me.  So the person who asked me if I feel like I contribute- SHE would feel like she didn't contribute if she left or lost her job.  The person that asks what I do all day & if I get bored - she doesn't know what she would do to entertain her little people all day. It doesn't bother me that people ask questions about my new life.  I guess it's the loaded questions that bother me.  The implication that what I do now isn't as important as what I did in my previous life.  What those folks don't know is that I think I have the hardest and most rewarding job out there.  Glad I took the leap.  I'm happier.  Hot Husband is happier and my boys are happier.  Win. Win. Win. Win.  

Have you been asked any strange questions about your work? How do you respond?  Share &  like MommyOhhhh on facebook if you liked it. 

Hot husband (HH) and I were at a party not that long ago. It's a party that we attend annually so we know most of the folks there.  (Admittedly not very well but we run in the same circles as some of the peeps there.) ANYWHOOOOOOO...Every year it's the same people talking about the same stuff to the same people.  Kinda boring if you ask me but it's for a good cause so we go. Besides I don't really get out that much anymore so I was excited about it this time. This is the first year that my story has changed.  It changed drastically too. I left a great job at a fortune 200 company to stay home with our boys.  The people that had heard came over to (what felt like) console me.  "Oh wow- be that was rough."  {{Ummm... not really since it was my decision.}}  Those who didn't know asked for the obligatory "how's work going?"  Jaws dropped when I told them that I left to stay home with my boys. I heard several things "In this economy, you left a good job like that? are you crazy?" and "You couldn't have just gone part time?" Yep,No and Nope.  I left, I'm not crazy and I couldn't/didn't want to go part time. (I think mothering type magazines give an unrealistic view about it being easy to just ask/tell/expect your employer to let you work a full-time job with a part time schedule-but that's another topic all together)

I saw one woman's eyes nearly glaze over before I could even finish saying "I'm a stay at home mom now." She looked like a trapped rat looking for an escape route. This is the same person who in years past couldn't get enough of me.  What I realized that night is that she couldn't get enough of the idea of me.  This year I was different.  A different person in her eyes. She wanted to run screaming- but since polite society looks down upon that (why? we should totally be allowed to do that when we don't want to talk to someone!) - she nodded, smiled and totally zoned out all the while trying to give appropriate interjections like: "mmmm"  "ahhh"  "bet that's different." Her date looked equally as uninterested and lucky for all of us they were saved by another couple. Lucky for them because clearly they didn't want to hear my story and lucky for me because I really didn't care to tell them.  Not for any other reason than that they didn't want to hear it.  All that to say that some people don't know how to talk to you once you are no longer the "you" that they know.  Or that they thought they knew.  Because folks that really know me know that I've always wanted to stay home with my boys.

Who wouldn't want to spend as much time with these two munchkins as humanly possible? Annoying party lady obviously! 

We are raising little artists. Since they were big enough to sit up I've had them finger and foot painting. Granted this is by no means high art but I love it! I use the art to decorate their rooms.

They get the art gene honest. Hot husband is an incredible artist. He's so modest that he's probably embarrassed that I'm telling y'all this- he is ahhhhmazing! If it were up to me out house would be covered in his works- but I digress...

HH has implemented art time with the boys. Its usually after dinner an the three of them draw; superheroes, zoo animals, robots, helicopters, dinosaurs and anything else that the boys request. HH is doing most of the drawing- they are looking on in awe and yelling out whatever it is that HH is working on. Last night BIG was sitting in HH's lap and they drew together. You should have seen the smile on BIG's face as he saw images appear on the paper as his dad guided his hands to create masterpieces. It was awesome!

All this to tell you that my boys appreciate art.

Thanks for reading pretty people.  Hope you had a great Thursday! 

I wore my kids out yesterday. We didn't do that much. All we did was take a trip to the park and the grocery store.

My timing was all off because around 4:30 they both wanted naps. Unfortunately that is the witching hour and there are no naps allowed past about 3. So I threw their little butts in the tub.

A good friend's mom told me once that water was the answer to everything. If they are fussy put them in water. Tired- water. Foul mood- water. It worked like a charm. Good thing because we all know what happens when you get a gremlin wet.

Happy hump day pretty people!

Like MommyOhhhh on "the facebooker" as my dad would say.

The Resolution Solution, Or Not
So I’m not sure how it got here so fast, but it’s a new year again. Instead of coming up with a NEW New Year’s Resolution, I’m gonna just pick up where I left off on last year’s (somewhere aroundJanuary 18th,) which was to exercise and become toned and buff healthy.

Instead of setting myself up for failure on day one, I decided to wait to start until January 2, because of celebrating the new year and mimosas and black eyed peas, all that stuff. So Jan. 2 – here we go. But you know what? My kids go back to school Jan. 6 so really that is more logical. Back into a routine, they aren’t here so I can walk for hours on that treadmill uninterrupted, makes more sense, right?

Come to find out, it was way harder to get back into the swing of things, so last week was just to ease into it. Didn’t want to shock my body by going from pecan pie and hundreds of stocking stuffer chocolates to a kale and blueberry smoothie PLUS all those strenuous workouts, so moderation was the key word for last week.

But this week – this is it. Gonna do it. Started off by wearing yoga pants to carpool. Right at 8:25when I get home – I’ll hit the work out. But it would be so much less crowded to run by the grocery store for milk first thing, so I’ll just swing in for a minute. I thought about taping a sign to my back saying “I’m actually wearing these workout clothes because I’m about to do just that. I’m not just lounging in yoga pants for no reason, like I did for the past 10 months.”

And when I got home – it was straight to the back – gonna do a little stretching before I walk 100 miles. But as I sat down on the floor, I realized, geez, I haven’t vacuumed in like, forever. I better take care of that real quick before I work out. So now it’s 10:30 and it’s time to sweat! I reach for a little towel to have handy and notice that they are all dirty, so I better do a little laundry before I start. So after I finish washing all those dirty clothes, low and behold it’s time to pick up the kids from school!

Maybe my resolution should have been keeping a super clean house. That way I might have pants that weren’t so snug, albeit a dirty tub. Oh well, maybe tomorrow

I don't have many mommy regrets. I think I'm a pretty good mom. My babies are; clean (usually), well fed (when they eat!) and happy. They are also some of the most photographed kids in the world probably. I'm obsessed. I admit it. But I love pictures and I love them so it's a perfect fit. So how on earth did I miss the monthly baby picture trend?

You can even be super fancy like my cousin and his wife and do a collage.  Then you can see how baby has changed in 150 days! There are tons of free aps where you just drag and position your pictures.  I use collage star for my iphone. 

So if I could go back in time- I would do this! I hope this made you smile as much as it makes me smile when I see these pictures on facebook.



Thanks for reading pretty people. 

If you like this, please share. Also like Mommyohhhh on Facebook. All the cool kids are doing it.  Well... some of them are.  xoxo

Dear BIG HUGE CHAIN TOY STORE executives:

Hi. Hope this finds you well. Today I had the pleasure of visiting one of your stores. Boy is it popular! I pulled up at the same time as three other moms. Between the four of us we were all stalking out the parking spots not closest to the door but closest to the cart return. You know that's where we can load up our kids, grab our diaper bags and (gasp!) items to return. Surprise surprise when three of the four of us had returns and there were no carts in the cart return. I'm ok with that because it's early, you want to keep your parking lot clean and it rained early this morning.

You are kind enough to keep about 30 carts outside by the door. (All wet because of the early morning rain- not your fault) And about 100 dry carts inside. As you know, the carts are packed in so tightly that it makes (a sardine tin look roomy!) just walking by a challenge. Never mind the amount of strength it takes to hold the equivalent of two sacks of potatoes, a return bag, the hand of a wiggly toddler and my big purse/diaper bag. (This should peak your interest because there is money in there that I could presumably spend in your store!) all the while trying to pull a cart out. Again- to presumably use it not only to stroll my kids around but to buy your products and fill up said cart. So it would probably surprise you that while the other mamas and I struggled to get carts out of the cart jail there were five employees standing there. Watching us. Not helping. I can only imagine that they were on the clock as they were all in uniform and talking TO THE STORE MANAGER. Yep the store manager let customers come in, struggle with carts,not get greeted by anyone in the store (the 5 of them plus 2 working cashiers) and look annoyed when we walked by and they had to inch their little frat party over so my cart would pass. I wish I could say 'kids today' in a grumpy old man voice. But those were not teenagers working. These were grown ups. Who should know better. Even if this was a meeting, I would imagine that your employee handbook says that this behavior is unacceptable. (If I had your job it would be) Maybe even have a bullet point that the customer comes first? Maybe??

Now let's talk about my exchange experience. I was nearly able to return my item without even hearing the clerk's voice. Quite a feat! Until she said 'credit your card' I wasn't sure if that was a question or statement- especially since I explained it was a gift and that I needed store credit. I had little confidence that this was done correctly so I decided to stay, shop and use my store credit. I was surprised when it was issued properly. Point for you! Not surprised when the MANAGER rang me up and didn't say a word to me. Or acknowledge my year & a half old son that was waving and saying Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! NOT. A. WORD. I had to remind him that I had a loyalty card (he did give me a really big sigh at that point- kinda like I just told him his cat was hit by a bus)... Makes me wonder why I have that card.

Sincerely someone who really dislikes shopping in your stores.

I hate wasting food. I know that there is always some waste- the celery tops and bottoms, the hard part at the bottom of a cabbage- that doesn't bother me. I gladly give that stuff back to the earth. (Just doing my part y'all!) What bothers me is the can of soup I hadddddd to have at some point (pre-2009 evidentially because it's been out since 11/09!) but let it go bad. You see gentle reader I was organizing and cleaning out my cupboards this morning (glam life alert!) which I do every few months. Somehow this lentil soup has snuck by undetected for YEARS. I don't even really like lentil soup pretty people... But that's not the point. I basically threw away about $20 worth of expired dry goods today. I know that's not a ton of money but it's $20 worth that I could have donated at some point to a hungry family.

Since I left my job in October I've been cooking more (much more!) I have also adopted a few big shopping strategies;

1. Buy only what you need

2. Buy in bulk only if

A.) it's a super great deal

B.) it's a staple item

3. Shop more frequently

4. Meal plan so I can make a list from the plan

So it makes sense that I have 6 cans of green beans on hand right now- we eat them ALL the time. I realize that I have stale (extra crunchy if you are a glass is half full kinda person!) crackers because I buy a new pack and we don't finish the old pack. That is my fault. BUT starting today- gone are the days that I throw out food because it expired. I will let the grocery stores hold the carrying costs/deal with spoilage and only buy what we need.

What about you- what is your grocery shopping strategy? Any great habits or tips to share?

Hope you are having a great day! Like me on Facebook at MommyOhhhh.

Hide-and-Seek With Kids
 
As a mom my eyes have been opened to a new world of Hide-and-Seek. Gone are the days when I assumed that only one version of this game existed. Hide-and-Seek, I've learned can be played with people, pets, and things.  Here are a few of my favorite versions with two of my favorite people.
                                            
 

First, we have the traditional hide-and-seek. Everyone knows this game. Either I hide and you try to find me or you hide and I try to find you. If I'm being totally honest, I have always loved this game, and wish that it was socially acceptable for adults to play this without a little kid having to be present. But since I do have little kids, I can play away without fear of judgment.  However, I'm not sure if it's due to their ages, my girls are 2 and 5, but my kids suck at this game. They can unintentionally disappear to the most obscure places, but if I tell them to hide they think that they have suddenly become chameleons and can blend in with their surroundings in the wide open.  I've seen feet sticking out from behind curtains the most . Sometimes I feel like asking, "Seriously, how could I NOT find you there?" But I don't, I do the obligatory "where are they" and "nope, not here" for at least a few minutes before I "find" them. I'm sure as they get older the hiding will get more creative and then I'll have to worry about them hiding somewhere and getting stuck. I just read an article this week about a girl getting stuck in a washing machine for an hour before the fire department had to come help her out. On that note, please enjoy the following ancient episode of rescue 911 where a game of hide-and-seek goes awry. The delicious southern accents and Elvis mention are a bonus.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEfQ1o6To40
 
The next version of hide-and-seek I discovered shortly after my firstborn began to walk. I like to call it the Can't-Touch-This-Hide-and-Seek. This is where I hide items from my kids that are dangerous, or messy, or that I just don't need lost. (Get it? You can't touch this so I'm hiding it). Here's where the game gets tricky, very often I find that I hide things from the kids so well that when I need them I can no longer find them. No one in this house thinks this game fun. Least of all my husband who is often recruited to help me find my lost things.
I find I am losing more things this way as the kids get older. Right now I really have only two places in the house that the kids cannot reach; a tall shelf in my bedroom and on top of the refrigerator. This is why the top of the refrigerator looks like something out of hoarders. 

Evidently the more creativity I have to use on hiding something, the more memory I lose. This is why whenever I do a major cleaning sweep of the house I'll find that I have bought the same item several times because I couldn't find the previously hidden one and just replaced it. This seems to happen often with deodorant. The 2 year-old loves to destroy deodorant, so I have to hide it. The kids still manage to find ways to access my hiding spots. Here we have the little one climbing her way to the shelf where the markers are stored and using the piano bench to get to the Christmas candy jar. But I'm afraid I will have to keep playing this version until my kids are old enough to not destroy everything they touch.
                            

   
 
Another version I discovered shortly after having my first is what I call Mom-Brain-Hide-and-Seek. This is where you have so much going on that you put something somewhere where it has NO place being. This one is a particular pain because when you go to find something lost you look in all the usual places first, but when you play Mom-Brain-Hide-and-Seek they are never in the usual places. I have found the TV remote in the freezer and my wedding rings in the change jar because of this.  My husband gets particularly annoyed when I play this. But if he only knew that at any given moment I have about a million thoughts vying for attention then he would cut me a little slack for being so scatter brained.
 

The last one I like to call Hide-and-Sleep. This is my younger daughter's favorite game and has aged me considerably. She likes to hide under furniture or bury herself under things and go to sleep. I am one of those moms that knows that if my kids aren't in front of me and they go quiet, something wrong is going down. Normally when I go to check I will find the 5 year old playing alone. I always ask her where the little one has went to and always get an, "I don't know". This is mainly because once the little one gets tired she sneaks away to sleep. And despite my best efforts it freaks me out every time when I can't immediately find her. She has buried herself in clothes in the laundry basket, hidden behind the clothes hanging in my closet, and crawled into an open clothes drawer to fall asleep, just to name a few. Once she goes to sleep she is out and will not answer me no matter how much I call for her. This has caused quite a few panic attacks. If only she could put that much effort into our legit Hide-and-Seek games. Here are a couple of her favorite places, under my bed and in a plastic bin that holds toys in her closet. Do you see her in the toy bin? She's wearing purple pants and a multi-colored cheetah print shirt. Oh, and she's covered by a blanket and toys so that you have no chance of finding her at first glance.
               
 
Almost every time we play the Hide-and-Sleep game I have a brief moment of, "Oh God, what if someone broke into the house and kidnapped her?" Because apparently I am just that neurotic.

Here's to hoping you have a blast playing Hide-and-Seek with your little ones.  No matter which version you like to play.

I totally stole this idea from a picture I saw on Pinterest. It was of two little girls wearing matching holiday dresses. Both the big & little sister saying "oh great matching dresses"- one clearly annoyed and one over the moon happy. Much like this Easter picture circa 1975 that my mama took of me and my big sister. (Never mind that I'm 3 months old here and almost as big as her at 5!) You see gentle reader- I've always been president of my big(nameless- she hates the limelight y'all!) sister's fan club. So heck yeah I was down with the matching dresses.

And swimsuits.

And GUESS™ overalls! (These were stripy on the backside and solid on the front!)

It's funny because at some point most folks don't want to dress like anyone else. I always wanted to wear her stuff but I'd put my spin on it. I'm a bit flashier and she's a bit more preppy but I still love her style. Errr... Our style. Wouldn't be crazy if we both showed up in the same outfit somewhere with different shoes/jewelry.

I find myself buying matching things for my boys. I think it's adorable. I know that they will develop their own sense of style but for now I get to dress them how I please.

What do you think about dressing kiddos alike my pretty people? Share your thoughts. And how cute is my sister?

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I need to apologize to my mom. No, not for writing "going to A partY" with sharpie on her BRAND SPANKIN' new bedroom set when I was a kid. (But I'm sorry for that too!!! Ooops! But perhaps the nameless sister should have kept a better eye on me, no?) I need to apologize for the wonder woman coloring book saga. If you are an every day reader (as you should be- you could miss something really enlightening!) you will know that my sister and I peeked at Christmas gifts back in the late 70's. Yeah that's wrong- but I hate surprises and I was a little mischievous. Any-who, I saw a gigantic wonderwoman coloring book but didn't get it until my birthday! Nearly a month later! (Y'all didn't know I came from the streets with many hardships did you?) A whole month. In kid time that's 3 centuries minimum. So my confession here is that I did the same thing to BIG. I ended up buying too much Christmas stuff so I put some away for his birthday. His birthday is 1 day before mine pretty people so he also has to wait three centuries for his (rightful- that's my 4 year old self talking/typing there) birthday (Christmas!) gifts. So- mom, I'm sorry. I will never bring up the eons of time it took you to finally give me my wonderwoman coloring book again. (((Never is a LOOOONG time- so I will try really hard not to mention it))) I will also apologize for ruining your furniture!

What naughty things have your kids done that you laugh about now? What kind of naughty things did you do as a kid that everyone STILL brings up? (Like the time my sister-in-law drew John Travolta doing a classic stayin alive disco pose on hot husbands bedroom door. Or the time my sister spilled a bottle of nail polish remover on the coffee table and tried to just cover it up with a newspaper... Share your stories my pretties I'm dying to hear!

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LITTLE boy has been verrrrrryyyyy clingy these last few days. So much so when I stop walking he bumps into me. He gives me a grin and a little smoochy sound just at the time I start to need a little space. Then I realize he won't cling forever. Then I tear up and he smoochy sounds me again. Cling all you want dude!

One of my favorite things this time of year is Santa pictures. We were lucky enough to get a great one this year. In one try! The Santa photographer worked some Christmas magic. The picture from last year was not as great- but still makes me giggle every time I look at it.

My friend Messica took her trio to see Santa. Her girls were super into it. Her son clearly was not.

In the end she got a great picture. Just not with all her kids.

There is always next year Hudson!

Do you have any funny Santa pictures you'd like to share? Was the experience all you hoped it would be? Spill it pretty people!

1. Eat like a kid.  No that doesn't mean gorge myself on chicken nuggets and mac & cheese.  It means I will eat when I'm hungry.  Stop when I'm full. Only eat what I like. Not feel guilty for passing on aunt Bettye's biscuits if I don't want them.  That one will be easy because A. I don't have an aunt Bettye and B. I don't really like biscuits.

2. Feed myself the way I want my kids to eat (and see me eat for that matter) Healthy, colorful, and delicious food.  I am giving the self permission and guilt free passes to enjoy not only special events and holidays but EVERY day. You didn't see the word diet anywhere in there did you?  Nope- because I'm not going on a diet.  I'm learning how to eat better.  I give myself full permission to eat whatever I want whenever I want.  As long as I want it and the reason isn't because I'm too lazy to cook something healthy.  I will not deprive myself of anything.  Except # 10.  I'm not going to miss finger sandwiches at a baby shower.  A glass of champagne (or four- let's be honest here!) at a wedding.  I will not however go overboard on a random Wed night at the crappy Mexican place down the street.  That is just not worth it to me. 

3. Exercise- I have two built in exercise buddies.  Sure they can't spot me if I want to lift heavy weights but they can sure chase me around the house.  And walk around the neighborhood with me.  And run away from me when I'm trying to brush their hair... you get what I'm saying.  No reason why I can't get some exercise 4 days a week.  If we are close friends feel free to call/text/email or come over to see how I'm doing.  Bonus points if you are wearing your workout clothes & running shoes.

4. Cut dead weight. This is kind of my catch all misc category. This is everything from cleaning out my junk drawer in the kitchen to downsizing my closet to cutting loose the people that don't make me feel good about myself (or about them) I will try and do this with grace- but if you aren't adding positive thoughts to my life... I don't really need you.  (I'm probably not adding to your life either- so  we should just part ways) I don't need to read your Facebook updates or look at your instagram pictures if I get no joy from it.  It's not you.  It's not me.  Maybe it's us.  Either way- I will wish you the best of luck.

5. Save more Money.  We aren't getting any younger y'all.  I want to be able to retire one day.  That being said I will be squirreling away more money for our future.  And date night. 

6 Date my husband.  He doesn't know about this yet. (let's see how long it takes him to read the blog and find out!) We are going to have planned monthly dates.  All those restaurants that we always talk about checking out- we are doing it this year. No babies.  Just us.  Perhaps even a double date or two- but no kids allowed.  I married the man I loved dating.  So we are going to start doing it again.  I will even shower and put on lipstick! This is what I need. 

7. Appreciate all I (we) have. I try and do this everyday anyway so this is more of a keep doing vs a start doing.  

8. Focus my attention to those that matter.  HH, BIG, LITTLE, my folks, my sister/bff (who doesn't want to be named pretty people- respect her private life please!) and all my friends that I love and cherish. I know you don't get enough of me. And I don't really get enough of you either.  So I am making a commitment to be a better caller. Letter writer.  Emailer . Texter.  Tired of just giving your vacation picture a thumbs up on facebook.  I need more and you do too.  We both deserve it, no? 

9. Learn to let go.  This is another catch all.  Let go of the planning and scheduling and the need to have all my ducks in a row.  If someone disappoints me I need to either address it directly with them or move on. That thank you note that I'm annoyed you didn't send- maybe it got lost in the mail... The hour you made me wait on you- maybe you just broke up with your boyfriend... either way I'm going to let it all go.  

10. Give up coke.  To quote our president "Period."  If you see me drinking a coke- shame me.  I hate that I'm an addict... the bubbles just intoxicate me.  So I'm breaking up with you coke a cola.  And take your polar bears with you.  Whew.  That was hard.  

11.  Write more. More love letters.  More birthday cards.  More journaling.  More grocery lists.  More entries in my mom diary... They are changing so fast I need to try and remember everything. 

12. Have more fun.  I have fun- but 2014 is going to be about MORE fun! This links a little to the letting go part.  We are going to have fun every day.  Because everyday is a blessing that some folks don't get. 

13.  Be nicer to my mama.  I love you wiggy!   Sometimes I'm a grump and I'm sorry.  

14. Only buy necessities.  I've actually been doing this since I left my job in October.  It's really nice.  To ONLY buy what you need.  It makes you realize what you need in life.  This links back to focusing on what matters, saving $ and cutting dead weight.  You might be thinking but MommyOhhhh is it a necessity to spend money and go out on a date with Hot Husband every month?! Yes it is.  To me.  I don't get out much anymore and since he's my best friend and boyfriend all rolled into one- our couple time together is necessary.  

What are you doing new this year?  Besides being 1/3000 other pretty people reading my blog?  (What?!?  WOW!  Thank YOU!)  I would be honored if you shared my page.  Who knows maybe you have a friend that might enjoy my ramblings.  Happy New Year PP's!