The Happiness Project :: Week 5

Luxurious sleep.

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If you want to jump on the bandwagon

simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button from that code up there
and include it in your post.

Be sure to add your link to Mr. Linky.

Bye bye baby!

A good friend of mine is having a baby boy next month. I decided to give her all of the boys' clothes. It was bitter sweet to go through the boxes of tiny jammies and onesies. I got a bit sentimental as I said goodbye to each tiny piece that I have been saving for so many years. Both of my boys wore these clothes and they hold so many sweet memories of those first days together. I left the boys with my husband for a bit and closed the door to sort through the clothes in privacy. I touched them all and took a moment to remember my baby boys in them. Then, I lovingly folded them up and placed them in a box to hand over to my dear friend who is just starting her journey into Motherhood.

We are hitting some milestones soon. Koen is almost a year old and he is quickly transforming into a toddler before my eyes. My last baby won't be a baby much longer. I can't hold onto his baby-ness forever and I can't let go of his first year with sadness.

I hope to always look forward with excitement as he reaches each milestone. Really, giving these clothes away is a milestone for me. I am moving forward with my son. He needs me too.

So, bye bye baby clothes...I'll miss your sweetness.
Please tell me that I'm not the only
woman that could make out with baby clothes!

Scroll on down to find out the winner of Freakshow Friday.

Winner: Full of Hot Air Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

VandyJ .
"I'll cutchoo if you don't like my new hat!"

Much More Than Mommy
"HIIII-YAH!"

Teresha@Marlie and Me
"Jennifer always wondered why her
landscaping business never got off the ground."

The winner is...

Much More Than Mommy

"HIIII-YAH!"

Much More Than Mommy is on a roll
and the funniest Blogger in all the land.

Please head on over to her Blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday: Full of Hot Air Edition.

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Speaking of freakazoid...Erin just so happens to be the subject of this week's photo. I think that this is the funniest picture that I have ever seen. I posted it here a while back but just couldn't resist seeing what kind of caption y'all can come up with.

Erin's tenth unsuccessful attempt
to escape from the nutty farm.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award

and have bragging rights forever.

If you win then I'll linkup to your

Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Who wants to win a free shopping spree? You, that's who!

Listen ladies...(and the two gents that stop by from time to time) I am a curvy lady. Shopping is something that I love but I can't count how many times I have ended up on a dressing room floor crying because clothes just don't fit me right.

Well, the other day, the clouds parted and the sun came shining down upon my curves when I discovered eShakti. It's a clothing boutique that carries all sizes. From size 0 (I hate you) to size 26 (you shake what your mama gave you!), they have clothes for every body type. You know what? It gets even better than that, they have custom fitting! You simply send in your measurements and you will get a garment customized just for you. Praise be to the shopping Goddess for finally showing up!

Anyway, I lucked out because they contacted me and I got to pick out an outifit and then tell you all about my experience. They have the most beautiful clothes with all kinds of embellishments so it was so much fun to get to pick one out. I'm currently checking out my window daily, scouting out a package that will bring me this little number...

Okay, I'm not just here to brag about my pretty new dress, there is something in it for you too! They are giving away a $250 shopping spree. All that you have to do to enter to win is head on over here and check out their lovely clothes, then tell them who you think that the eShakti woman is! You get a $10 gift certificate just for entering the contest. See...everyone is a winner here at Leigh vs Laundry. Be sure to tell them that I sent you!

The contest ends on March 31 so I wanted to go ahead and let you in on it so that you have plenty of time to enter. As soon as my pretty new dress arrives, I'll tell you all about how fabulous I look and how wonderful eShakti is.

Now...back to our regularly scheduled program.
Scroll on down for the latest edition of
The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles.

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles: Grand Conversations

I'm realizing that my days around here seem to run together.
Ordinary moments unfold around me daily
and I need to stop and relish in them.
One day, my boys will be out living life
and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document
the simple moments that pass between us.
I'm calling this little collection of memories
The Stay At Home Mom Chronicles.

10:00 am : Snack time and grand conversations.

Every morning, while Griffin is at school,
and after Koen's morning nap,
Koen has a snack in his high chair.
While he is snacking we have some
precious one on one time.
We have a little morning routine that I always look forward to.
It's a simple routine that I also
did with his older brother Griffin when he was a toddler.

While he feasts on a Granola Bar and Apple Juice,
I am in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher.
As I grab various plates and utensils to put them away,
I do a running commentary for Koen about what I am doing.

I'll say "This is a whisk and it's a handy tool in the kitchen."
He'll respond "Boo a gah isk?"
Then I'll say "Good...that's right, it's a whisk and you use to beat eggs."
Then he'll start singing something like
"Doo dwa ooh boo ah lah!" at the top of his lungs.
Then we both laugh.

I think that only a one year old
would find these types of conversations fascinating.
I have his undivided attention as I talk to him
about measuring cups, sauce pans, bowls, etc.
He works hard to echo my sounds and
I am quick to draw the language from him.

It's not an extraordinary moment at all
but one that I hold close to my heart.
A day will come when he will be too busy
running past me to play with Griffin
as I say "This is a fork!"
and he'll roll his eyes
and say "I know that Mom!"

Until then, I will enjoy
the simple pleasure of standing
in the kitchen and talking about utensils
as he looks on in utter amazement.

Poppy's Garden

My father has the most fantastic Bonsai Tree Garden in his front yard. At any given moment, my parents will get a knock on the door and it will be a group of people who want a tour of his garden. It is so cute to watch my dad out the front window, giving the neighbors a guided tour of his trees that he spends so much time tending to. He loves telling people about when he was a child and his dad was stationed in Japan with the United States Marines. While living there, my dad met a Bonsai Master that taught him the art of clipping the miniature trees. These tourists stand in the driveway and listen intently to every word he says, it's amazing.

He loves trees of all kinds but in particular, he loves Japanese Maples. He loves them so much in fact, that he gives them away to strangers in our small town. He picks a route that he drives often and will take Japanese Maples to various houses along the way. He even helps these strangers plant them in their yard. All so that when he drives to go workout or to the grocery store, he can see beautiful trees along the way. Sometimes, I try to scout out trees that my dad has given as gifts as I drive around neighborhoods in my town. I'll say "Dad, did you plant a tree in Five points?" Nine times out of ten, he has.

I love this about him.

His birthday is coming up and he told me that all he wants me to give him as a gift is a photograph of something that I love. So, I went through his garden gate and took some photos of his beloved trees. The Maples don't have leaves yet but some of his Bonsai Trees have blossoms on them.

I just had to share them with you.
I think that the love that he puts
into these trees translates in these photos.

I just adore my father's garden.

The Happiness Project :: Week 4

Spring clothes hanging in my closet.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogscenter;">pot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/2876650690_005fb39e00-4-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></div><br />

simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button from that code up there
and include it in your post.

Be sure to add your link to Mr. Linky.

I'm swappin' Blogs with Salsa Pie!

I recently discovered an amazing Blog
called Salsa Pie that is now a daily stop for me.

This Blog is one part crafts, one part recipe goodness, and a whole lot of heart and soul. I simply had to invite the lovely Caroline to do a Blogswap with me. I just knew that y'all would adore her as much as I do! She'll be holding down the fort here at Leigh vs Laundry today. You can find me over at her blog...trying my hardest to be domestic.

Enjoy!

I can't quite remember when the insanity of making random things (and calling them "crafts") took over at my house... I think it was somewhere around the time I realized that A. diaper changing was never going to be a real blast and B. a practically perfect, magical nanny was never going to just show-up at my doorstep and make motherhood fun. It was then, I guess, that it dawned on me it was up to me to make it fun. In realizing that, my whole parenting perspective shifted. The dishes are not such a big deal after all, I realized, and neither is making sure that every lego is in the right storage container. But, making sure I enjoyed being a parent was a big deal because that meant my kids would enjoy being kids. So, in case you wondered who this madwoman was taking over your favorite blog, that's what motivates me to goof around with my children, make wacky things and pretend I'm a kid again!

When Leigh (my favorite blogosphere buddy) and I talked about a blog swap, I reflected on how I found Leigh's blog: it was that awesome necklace in her profile picture that begged me to click and find a fellow mom with a beautiful and sometimes hilarious take on life in general. So in honor of the stylish and ever-clever Ms. Leigh, I made a paper version of her famous necklace for my little girls. We dubbed it the "Leigh Necklace" and then took some fashion shots just for kicks. I'll post a tutorial on my blog tomorrow to show you how I made it (if you wan to make one too) but hopefully this little tid-bit will give you some ideas.

Paper crafts are always so much fun with kids and they are easy too. The paper "Leigh Necklace" could be a fun idea for a birthday party, or just a special treat for any little girl to wear around on a rainy day. We made it using paper, glue, scissors and ribbon tie the back. I cut out flower shapes and simply glued them to the red"bib" shape. But what about the boys, say you? Oh, never fear! Although I don't yet have a boy (I have three little girls) there just might be a chance this tiny-tot growing in my belly will want to wear blue! And since your very own Leigh has two boys of her own, I couldn't leave you with just a frilly necklace craft project!

So for all the boys, we made a paper Superhero mask in their honor. Then we made capes out of an old scarf and a tablecloth and ran around the house like a bunch of wild things (just in honor of the boys, of course). I'm a big fan of using stuff you have around the house for fun. We made the simple paper masks using scissors, paper (I used art paper), and ribbon to tie the back. I'll post a little How To for you on my blog tomorrow as well. Well folks, I had a blast! Thanks for letting me take over Leigh vs. Laundry for the day. Hopefully I've provided you with some ideas to help you avoid doing that laundry at all costs!

Please scroll down to see the winner of Freakshow Friday!

Winner: Hard Bodies Edition.

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. My 5 year old son was the judge this week. Our judge did not have the attention span to list his top three choices. He could barely sit still long enough for me to read him all of your fantastic captions. We decided that the one that made him laugh the hardest would be the winner. So,

the winner is...

Neena

" I see London I see France, I see that one guys underpants!"

She actually has to share this award with her six year old son

who helped her come up with the caption.
Griffin thought that is was AWESOME!

Neena is the funniest Blogger in all the land.

Please head on over to her Blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday: Hard Bodies Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a photo taken from Awkward Family Photos. We are doing things a little different around here this week. My 5 year old has been begging me to be the judge of this contest for months. So, I'm turning the whole thing over to him this week. He picked the picture, made up a funny caption, and will serve as our judge. He even took the time from his busy schedule to pose for a portrait so you can see just how seriously he is taking this new position.

(Do ya think that power has gone to his head?)

So, without further ado, here is the photo that Griffin chose. I'm such a proud Mama, I think that he chose a good one and made up a pretty funny caption, for a 5 year old and all.

"That little guy looks like he's gonna hurt hisself!"

You got a better one for him?
If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.


If you win then I'll linkup to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

Now remember, a kid is judging this week so please keep it "G" rated.
I don't want to have to explain to him what a Dirty Sanchez is, m'kay?

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Don't hate me because I'm crazy and lazy. A long winded post but a good one.

I can think back to not too long ago, when my little Blog had 8 followers. I remember that I would visit other Blogs and see all of these awards that had been bestowed upon them. My heart would yearn to be honored with a cute little button that would show the world that someone noticed me. So, I took matters into my own hands and created this amazing one of a kind award...

Here is the an excerpt from the post
that went with this lovely button.
Posted on 8/23/2009
*******

I have been noticing these sweet awards popping up on other Blogs. Awards like..."The Best Mommy Blogger on the Block Award" or "You're super duper shmooper cool cause I am giving you this" award.

Well, I've grown tired of waiting around for someone to validate my blogging abilities. It's just not like me to sit and wait for people to notice me.

As a little girl, if I knew that a bunch of kids were playing without me, I would strategically walk by and act all surprised to see them. Then, I would simply invite myself over to play. Sure, they may have been annoyed at first, but after they realized how much more fun they were having because I was there, everyone was happy.

So in that same "can do" spirit, I have created a Blog Award like non other. It's the "I love my own damn blog" award. Here are the rules.

Post the button on your Blog and then write three things that you love about yourself. Then, select three Bloggers that you respect and invite them to come and admire your award.
It's that simple.

So, without further ado...

Three things that I love about me.

1. I have a very sexy brain.
2. I can tell you anything you want to know about a celebrity that was featured in People Magazine this week.
3. I can sing a very rousing rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart at any Karaoke jam. Be it out in public or just a friend's living room, I rock the house!

Feel free to award yourself with this prestigious honor.

*******

So, here I am, 338 Followers later and I have to make a confession to you. I haven't had an award's ceremony since October 2009. I don't know what's gotten into me. If you have given me an award since then, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Every single person who takes the time to single me out is awesome and I lurve you. That being said...there will be no more award ceremonies on my Blog. I'm so far behind that my head starts spinning at the thought of trying to catch up. Let's face it folks, I can barely keep track of my car keys or what my 11 month old is eating off of the floor. I just pray that it's a leftover waffle bite and not cat food.

As a gift those who have taken the time to bestow an award upon me, I am giving you the "I love my own damn Blog" award up there. Take it, post it with pride, badger other Bloggers with 1000 followers to come see it and tell them that Leigh told you to do it. Be sure to post the three things that you love most about yourself. You all deserve it! Plus, I don't want you to think that I'm all snooty cause I'm no longer doing award ceremonies. A Mom's gotta do what a Mom's gotta do. On that note...I'm off to change a dirty diaper.

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles: Vacuum Madness

I'm realizing that my days around here seem to run together.
Ordinary moments unfold around me daily
and I need to stop and relish in them.
One day, my boys will be out living life
and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document
the simple moments that pass between us.
I'm calling this little collection of memories
The Stay At Home Mom Chronicles.



2:30 pm: Vacuuming the house with a crazy entourage

Wherever my vacuum roams, madness follows.

Both of my children have an interesting
relationship with the the vacuum cleaner.
Griffin has always loved it. The only way that he could fall asleep when he was a baby was to the sound of the vacuum cleaner running.
My husband actually recorded the sound for him
and the tape would lull him to sleep nightly.

Now, he loves to taunt it with various Baseball Bats. That means that if I'm vacuuming,
Griffin is chasing us around the house laughing and screaming and wacking it with a bat.
It makes him so terribly happy that I let him get away with it.

Then there is sweet little Koen who is terrified of the vacuum cleaner. Which means that if I am going to vacuum that he is going to be on my hip.

So, the three of us float around the house as the vacuum roars. Griffin circles us with glee, lunging, attacking, and howling with laughter. Koen holds on for dear life perched on my hip with a perplexed look on his sweet face as Griffin attacks this large loud machine.

It's an insane ritual that I will always cherish.

The Happiness Project :: Week 3

Discovering a good fortune in my cookie.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/2876650690_005fb39e00-4-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></div><br />

If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button from that code up there
and include it in your post.

Be sure to add your link to Mr. Linky.

Winner: Medevial Times Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Double Wide Mom

"seriously! Its the only thing I can wear

that won't aggravate the rash."

Mama Zen
"So, this is what you get for $19.95 an hour . . ."

Ziva
"Donna's mom never taught her
how to dress befittingly.
Everyone knows you should
never wear sandals with your chainmail."

and the winner is...

Double Wide Mom

"seriously! Its the only thing I can wear
that won't aggravate the rash."

Double Wide Mom is the funniest Blogger in all the land.

Please head on over to her Blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday: Medevial Times Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a photo taken from Awkward Family Photos. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is the week's photo. Ye olde couple doth shout of class, if you asketh me!

Nothing says Prom quite like chainmail.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award

and have bragging rights forever.

If you win then I'll linkup to your

Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Don't forget to scroll on down and enter my awesome giveaway!

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles: Epic Battles

I'm realizing that my days around here seem to run together.
Ordinary moments unfold around me daily
and I need to stop and relish in them.
One day, my boys will be out living life
and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document
the simple moments that pass between us.
I'm calling this little collection of memories
The Stay At Home Mom Chronicles.

3:30 PM:

Epic Bionicile battle

Griffin is always suckering me into having some sort of battle on a daily basis.
It's so funny because I am such a girl about it.
I spend a good amount of time trying to organize how we play.
I'll say things like "Let's line up all the guys who are waiting to fight here.
Then when they get hurt they can go over to the pretend hospital on the couch
and the red Bionicile can be the doctor that fixes them."

Griffin will pretend to listen as
I try to come up with the rules for the battle
and then with no warning,
he'll just haul off and start smacking the guy
I'm holding and screaming like Braveheart.

Bionicile parts go flying across the room
and as the bloody battle unfolds
my hand usually gets smacked at some point.

Then I squeal and throw my defeated guy across
the room in a fit of self preservation.
The battle is over as Griffin declares his win.
I rub my hand while announcing that I will no longer
be participating in these battles.

Yet, somehow my poor hand
gets suckered into it again
and again
and again.

Guess what?
I have something very exciting planned for y'all tomorrow.
Be sure to stop back by!