In The Mind of A Thirtysomething Mom

4381 Days

That's how long it takes to go from this:



to this:



Happy 12th Birthday B! 

May God continue to grant you many more
birthdays for many years to come.

I love you!

Mom :)

You Asked, I Answer-That's How it Works

Earlier this month, I posted this post.  It was a vain attempt at getting comments I admit, but you asked and I will now answer!  Enjoy!

Madman wants to know:  "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"  

Well, I can't answer that question unless you tell me African or European.  Dork.

(If you didn't know, it's a line from this movie.  (It's worth seeing, if only to say you've seen it.  It's really funny when watched at midnight on a chartered bus going from Mississippi to Chicago, surrounded by your other sleep deprived band geek friends.  Not that I'd know anything about that.  :P)

Sarah wants to know:  "What is the best book you have ever read?"

Gah.  Do I answer this question with the answer expected from a Christian, The Bible?  Do I answer this question with a personal opinion, any Nicholas Sparks book?  Do I answer this question in regards to a book that changed my spousal understanding, The Five Love Languages?  Do I answer this question revealing what book series I'm reading right now?  Do I just admit I have too many favorites and I can't just choose one?  Yeah, I think I'll do that.  :)

Shannon wants to know: 

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Meat.  Specifically; pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, canadian bacon, etc.  I really love Papa John's BBQ Chicken & Bacon pizza, minus the onions.  :)

What is your most embarrassing item of clothing you own, something you wouldn't wear out in public?

Before I replaced them, I'd probably have to have said my ratty undies.  Now, I don't think I have anything that fits that description.  Especially since I lost that African mumu I was gifted a few years back.  No, I'm not kidding.

What is your favorite time of day?

Nighttime.  It's the only time of day I truly get to myself.  If you really want specifics, when I shower.  I can drain a hot water heater if I get the chance.  Peace and quiet with a relaxing shower=heaven!

Sasha wants to know:  "What is your all-time favorite nail polish color? I assume it's OPI! :-)

How right you are girl!  OPI's Bubble Bath is the one.  It's the color I chose when I got my first French mani & pedi.  It's also what started my OPI obsession.  :)

Ronnica did a post where someone asked her 5 questions that she answered on her blog.  She offered to ask those who left her comments 5 questions in return.  Here are her questions for me:

1.  Did your girls get their love of dance from you?

Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!  That is the funniest thing I've read in a long time!  The only time they resemble either myself or Mr. Smoochiefrog is when they're dancing like people with no rhythm.  Luckily for M, that doesn't happen often.  When it does though, I know where she gets it.  K doesn't have a true love for dance like M does; yet.  Maybe she will, maybe it's just a fun thing for her.  She's still learning her left from her right, so we don't know where that will go.  We'll see.

2.  While I know where you got your name, I do want to know have you ever smooched a frog? Would you if I paid you $20 (I'm not actually offering, though)?

Um, literally or figuratively?  Literally, dear God no!  Are you crazy?  I run screaming like a little girl when I see a live frog!  They scare the crap out of me!  Figuratively?  Oh boy have I ever!  And for $20?  It would depend on which figurative frog you conjured up, and probably still no.  Literally, just no.  Sorry.

3.  What's so great about OPI nail polish?  It's more expensive than a lot of the other stuff out there...I just want to find out if it's worth it before I invest.

Everything!  You're right, it is more expensive.  You know what they say though; if you use better quality, you get better results.  OPI products are DBP (dibutyl phthalate), toluene, and formaldehyde free.  They are also chip resistant and are not animal tested.  Each color I've ever tried goes on streak free, dries in a reasonable amount of time, and look great!  If you'd like, I'd be happy to send you a free bottle to try for yourself.  It really is that great.  Oh and if the price really bothers you, Sasha pointed me to two websites with more reasonable prices.  Go here and here to get the polishes for under $5.00 each (2nd link is cheaper), as opposed to the $8.50 ULTA sells them for.

4.  What's been the hardest part of being a mom?

This is tricky.  With the first child, it's all hard.  You're not prepared, no matter how many books you read.  You try too hard and screw up so much you wonder if it's worth ever doing again.  Then you have another child and everything becomes clearer and better.  At least for me.  I guess overall the hardest part is making it all work.  Whether that's working outside the home and parenting or staying home and juggling household responsibilities and parenting.  Finding time for everything, as well as taking care of yourself is wicked hard.  I've let myself go for too long trying to take care of everything and everyone else.  I finally had to let some things go just to keep myself sane.  The dust bunnies are quite evident of that.  But at least I'm happier now.  :)

5.  What one thing would you tell the 15-year-old version of yourself if you could?

Honestly?  Not to go to the mall in August of 1991. 

If you want me to wax poetic on this one, I'd say enjoy everything that comes your way right now.  Don't you dare think you're fat; 95lbs soaking wet will look mighty skinny in years to come.  Take time to spend with your mom, she won't always be there.  Listen to your dad, he knows more than you give him credit for.  Don't complain about the 16 year old dating rule; it won't matter when your first date doesn't happen until you're 18.  Stay away from any guys whose name starts with a J, K, or a S.  Give Mr. Smoochiefrog a break; he's not that bad of a guy when you get to know him.   Etc., etc., etc.

Hope this has allowed you to get to know me a little more.  Y'all have a great weekend!

AWESOME DEAL!!!!

We humans like to eat.  Um duh, it's necessary for life.

Now if you're a normal person, you like to eat out once in awhile.  Let someone else do the cooking and clean up right?  Of course right!

A lot of people are having to cut back on dining out right now, but what would you say to a deal where you can feed a family at a real sit down restaurant for about $13.00?  Sound good?  Check out this awesome deal then!

Restaurant.com is offering a really good deal right now.  Their gift certificates are 70% off!  Yes, 70% off! 

Dude!

Here's what you do.

1. Go to Restaurant.com and input your zip code 
2. Choose the restaurant you want and denomination of the certificate
3. Use the code SUPER in the discount code box
4. Pay for your certificate
5. Print the certificate to use at your leisure within 1 year
6. Enjoy your meal

Yes, it's just that simple!

For example, I just bought two $25 gift certificates for two different restaurants for only $6!  $6 people!  You can't beat that with a stick!

Now each restaurant has it's own restrictions, so make sure you read the fine print.  Both of my choices require a minimum total of $35 and one is only valid Sun.-Thurs., but still!  I'll be OOP (out of pocket) about $10 per meal for a family of 5, $13 if you include the cost of the certificate!  I can't won't complain about that!

These aren't your run of the mill chain restaurants either.  Most are your mom & pop joints with some fine dining thrown in for good measure.  It's a deal too good to pass up!

Just to let you know:

A $10 GC is normally $3.  With the code, you'll pay .90!

A $20 GC is normally $10.  With the code, you'll pay $3.00!

A $50 GC is normally $20.  With the code, you'll pay $6.00!

A $75 GC is normally $30.  With the code, you'll pay $9.00!

A $100 GC is normally $40.  With the code, you'll pay $12.00!

This deal is only valid until Saturday the 31st.  Happy shopping!

Thanks Katy and Mrs. Furious for the head's up!

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P.S.  If you'd like to win some FREE OPI nail polish, go here to enter!  Good luck!

Well They Do Kind of Sound The Same

We're sitting at the dinner table last night enjoying an absolutely delish dinner when the following conversation took place:

Me:  "K eat your empanada."

K:  "There's a green thing in it."

Mr. Frog:  "No, that's just spice on the chicken."

M:  "There's chicken in there?"

Mr. Frog:  "Yes there's chicken in there.  There's also cream cheese, red & green bell peppers, colby jack cheese, jalapeno, cumin..."

M:  "There's HUMAN in there?"

Yup, we're cannibals here in the Smoochiefrog household.  Good to know, yeah?
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Check out the scale giveaway on Roni’s Weight Loss Blog! I can win an Affordable Food Scale from Eat Smart and so can you! Click here for contest details!

Weekly Winners 1/25/09

1/18/09-01/24/09

Cuteness personified



Well, she was cute until she did this to the T.V.  What, you can't see it?  She decided to color the T.V.  This was right after I praised her for coloring in a coloring book!  That's what I get right?



B with his Science Fair award.  He got 4th place!



Another self portrait from M.



And finally, Friday night's sky

Weekly Winners is the brainchild of Sarcastic Mom. Thanks for visiting and have a great week!