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7.30.2012

Go Gators ...


Love me some Olympics!!!  How can you not admire the dedication of so many athletes who sacrifice years of their lives for the chance to compete!!!  It is so inspiring to read watch the back stories of the athletes!!!  I always thought you had to start working on your sport as a young child to even come close to making it to the Olympics.  I am always blown away by the dedication and hard work some of these athletes put in after starting to train only a few years before.  What amazing dedication and commitment!!! 


There are 39 Gators competing in this years Olympics, 37 athletes and 2 coaches.  I am routing for all of them!!!

Of course my favorite might be Ryan Lochte ... what a cutie!!!  And to think he only starting swimming seriously his junior year in high school.  He is nothing short of fabulous!!!


Go Gators!!!

Go Team USA!!!!  

My flags are displayed on the front stoop in your honor!!!!

xo,
MPM

eta ... just saw a post on FB I had to share as well ...


Yeah baby!!!!  Go Gators!!!



7.29.2012

Prepping for the beach ...

I am busy preparing for a week at the beach.  T-minus 2 days.  We can not pull out of the driveway fast enough for me!!!  I LOVE the beach ... It is the most calming place on the earth for me.  Before my mother got remarried in 1976 we would spend each and every Saturday at Indian Rocks beach.  She and I along with her BFF and mine would head out early in the am in our baby blue Pinto and return long after dinner. I can still see her crochet bikini and large hat.  I can still feel the white zinc oxide on my nose.  In fact I can remember every single moment of being there and I count the days between each beach trip!!!

The clothes are gathered and ready to be placed in the large tub, all I need is Lawyer to finish picking out his clothes to add to the pile.  I have shopped for sunscreen and Ultra Swim and am sufficiently stocked up!  Car is washed and serviced, pool and beach bags are stocked and ready to go.  Baby girl and I just had mani/pedis and I just need to gather drinks, food and snacks.  After that I can pack the cooler and the car.  I can almost feel myself enjoying my coffee on the porch.  I will have to force myself to unpack the car before I hit the sand.    

I can not wait to wake up to the smell of salt air and the sound of waves and to end my days like this ...  


I was clearing off the photo cards for the camera when I was inspired to look at old beach photos.  I found some super cute ones to share with you.  I could only go back to the mid 2000s when we finally bit the bullet and went digital!! 


June 2006


June 2006



July 2007


July 2007


July 2007


April 2008


June 2008


April 2009


April 2009


July 2009


July 2009


July 2009


September 2010


August 2011


August 2011


August 2011

On the grocery list will be the ingredients for this yumminess which I only make about twice a year.  It's sooo good I have a hard time not eating it three times a day!!!


I am looking forward to a relaxing week.  We are going unplugged so there will be lots of card playing, drawing, reading and quality family time!  Lawyer will be with us all week and I plan to soak up each and every second!  With as little of this as possible ... 


Let's hope we don't have a repeat of this event ... and if my hair gets all big like Monica Geller's from the humidity and salt air ... Let's hope WPM keeps his comments to himself!

I have some posts planned for you next week but other than that I will see you in August!!!  We have some memories to make!!!

xo,
MPM

7.27.2012

Ellllll Camino ...

Lawyer loves an El Camino.  I swear its his dirty little secret.  When he was growing up his uncle owned a dairy farm and the boys were allowed to drive the El Camino on the farm everywhere.  The only rule ... don't scare the cows.  He learned to drive on that El Camino and has a huge affinity for them to this day.  If we see one anywhere he immediately goes into his story of the dairy farm and that beloved car.  

Recently on the way home from the Marietta Square he spotted one for sale.  Bright orange and completely hideous in my eyes.  Pure heaven to him.  He has talked about it for days.  And I secretly cringe thinking I will drive up one day and that bright orange scariness will be sitting in my driveway.   He talks about pimping it out, teaching the boys to drive and every time he talks he gets this little look in his eyes.  I would call it delusional, he would tell you it was joy.

Then I saw this commercial ... 


And the decision is final!!!

There will be no El Camino in this family ... I am 100% positive if he buys one I will be bailing him out of jail after he and the boys attempt the above!!

Sorry babe ... no go!

xo,
MPM

7.26.2012

Summer school ends ... finally!!!


Today is the last day of summer school.  The last day I have to wake up at crack thirty to put my sweet boy on a bus for this summer.  I feel like vacation can finally start!!!

I am thrilled with the results.  Our goal was to keep his reading on level instead of slipping as it does normally over the summer.  He started the summer with a reading level of 3.5 and finished at a 4.  Not only was the teacher able to keep him on level ... she bumped him up!!!  Wahoo!!!!!!

When I picked him up he was so excited he immediately got in the car and did his happy dance.  I video taped it fully intending to share it with you.  When I pushed stop he looked at me and said ... that will not be on your blog, or facebook, that is just for family!  I pinky swore so ... no sharing.

Since he wasn't attending the full four days of summer school I always called it tutoring.  I was hoping to spare the questions of why do I go to summer school and so and so doesn't have to ... and the like.  When we were discussing his day he looked at me and said ...

"Did you know some of those kids in there are there for summer school.  Can you imagine how bad that would be?"

Ha ... clearly my plan worked!!!

xo,
MPM

A sunny update ...

When I left you before the kitchen was in the process of becoming yellow.  The most perfect pale specimen of pineapple yellow.  I loved it ... and still do!  I wanted a all white kitchen with pops of color but after noticing my cabinets were definitely NOT white I knew this dream needed to end.  I had painted the walls above the chair rail yellow and left the below a boring toffee color.  I will still deciding what to do with the below.

Just to get you acquainted with the before color of the kitchen, here it is in all of its toffeeness ... 


The "white" cabinets with black accents.  These before photos are from the listing of last summer. 


Black island, black tile counter tops, stainless refrigerator and stainless hardware.


The only spot of color in the kitchen ... this set of open cabinets is what I stare into when I am at the island.  



Between the door and the bay window, to the left of the open shelving.  From the island I have the open shelves, then a door way to the den then this wall.


Between the cabinets, the pantry and the back stairs 


To the right of the back stairs, a desk and then the Laundry room.

Then the yellow began ...


This is the photo I left you with ... yellow above the chair rail which you can barely see at the bottom of the photo.  I had originally decided I wanted board and batten.  I realized that pipe dream was over when I was strongly against removing the baseboard for a more suitable board and batten bottom.  Then I decided on picture molding.  I haven't given that dream up just yet, although I will say it may be just as silly of an idea since I truly only have one wall to speak of and most of it is covered up by the darling white buffet.  So for now area below the chair rail is all "white", the same "white" as the cabinets in the same satin finish so that I am able to wipe it down if necessary!

I love the white and the simple yellow wall.  It is the closest I will get to a white kitchen, at least it is a much lighter one!  The bird prints I stole from the dining room ... but do not despair ... I found some amazing french toile plates to replace the birds.  I will post about that tomorrow, along with the great buffet the Bestie and I created!

So far the kitchen looks like this ... 


Garage door and back stairs with the desk to the right ...



The door to the right is the pantry for dry goods and kids snacks (it is very small)


Open shelving completely restyled and painted the same pale blue at the inside of the hutch.  I love that I use what is on these shelves every day now.  All the pretties are put away and now the only thing here are the items I need daily.


A picture of the bottom of the chair rail ... ignore the ugly black cord!


Chandelier over the table ... it will soon look a lot like this ... 


italian tole candle stick.  I just need to unhook it, spray paint it and then add some colorful details.  Not sure exactly how that DIY will go but we shall see!




So now I just have to install the subway white back splash, some under cabinet lighting and white counter tops and some lights above the island.  I would also love a new stainless hood and a stainless double oven so the other side of the kitchen no longer looks like this ...


I am also trying to decide how to paint the island ... white, green ... hmmm!!!

Looks like I will need a day (or two) and a 32 oz Diet Mountain Dew ... 

OK, after the beach!!!

xo,
MPM

7.25.2012

I pad love!!


This is my brand new I Pad Lawyer surprised me when I returned home from Florida!!! He is not one for surprises and when he manages to plan something he is almost giddy.  Gifts and surprises are not really his "thing".  There are a few things he knows I like and it makes me incredibly happy when he does them!  He will occasionally wake up on the weekends and announce he is running to grab a bagel for me which he knows I love!!!  He used to buy them all the time when we were dating.  And he always remembers just the way I like it ... everything toasted with light cream cheese, sliced tomato and onion.  YUM!!!  When he is out running errands sometimes he will bring home a Chick Fil A iced tea.  I will never forget the Saturday he brought home two.  "One for today with extra ice just the way you like it and one for tomorrow with no ice since they are closed on Sunday."  I am pretty sure I was pregnant at the time and I cried with joy!!!  And I am 100% sure he looked at me like I had three heads!

So I will confess I probably spent a solid block of time playing on the I pad and then looked up and realized it was hours later.  I felt like a kid with a new electronic.  I guess I am ... it really isn't any different than my I phone but yet seems a whole lot better.  I am quickly getting used to all the amazing things it does!!!  I had to put it away yesterday and today to be able to get some chores done.  If I only liked reading books electronically I would probably never put it down.  It has been great this week Facetiming since he is in Vancouver.  


 I loaded this photo as the lock screen image. That way I will remember this sweet side the next he does something terrible silly...

I love you babe!!

xo,
MPM

7.24.2012

Parenting 101 ...

I can remember when my oldest was very young.  He was a good child.  In some ways he was amazing.  He was independent, not afraid to be separated and used his ma'ams and sirs appropriately.  I was convinced he was a good child because I was a great parent.

Bwahahahahaha!!!

Hahahahaha ... I just snorted.  And possibly peed a little.

Seriously ... was I the dumbest parent ever?  

He was a rule follower because he was wired that way.  He was cautious because that is his makeup.  I wasn't some amazing parent that needed to be written about in journals and taped for Dateline.  I was a "normal" parent with a good child.

Fast forward 15 years.  He is still a good kid who makes age appropriate mistakes.  All three of mine are.  They have their good days and then they have their bad ones ... and sometimes the bad ones last a really looooong time.  

I can remember before my children were born deciding what they would and would not do.  They would never talk back, they would never cut their own hair, they would never "act like that" or "talk like that to" others.  

Bwahahahahaha!!!

Hahahahaha ... seriously??  I swear I was a complete moron!!!

I should have been praying for guidance on how to raise each one of them with their God given qualities instead of deciding what they would be like.  The oldest talks back a lot and I pray A LOT to be able to mold it into him standing up for what he knows is right when he needs to.  The middle one gets picked on more than I ever want to admit and I pray constantly that his feisty little sister will always be there to stand up for him until he learns to do it for himself.  The youngest one not only cut her hair but had to wear a "boy hair cut" for almost a year.  I pray she will always beat to her own God designed drum instead of feeling the need to fit in.

Parenting advice??  I don't have any!  They only thing I can say is this ...

All children make age appropriate mistakes.  They are learning and growing daily.  Don't judge their actions or responses.  Step back ... reflect and PRAY!!!  And be willing to change tactics whenever you need to!

That's the only thing working for me!!!

xo,
MPM

7.23.2012

The teenager goes to college!

Our boy left home ... and went to Georgia Tech.  


For nine days at Engineering Leadership Camp. 

He traded in his cargo shorts, flip flops and solid Ts for khakis, dress shorts, button down, polos, ties, navy blazers and dress shoes.


When I dropped him off on July 5th he was quite nervous.  He didn't know anyone attending and was quite unsure of how the whole camp would progress.  Besides building a robot and a wind turbine and attending leadership sessions he had no idea what they would be doing for nine long days.

We got him settled in his dorm.  I made his bed, unpacked his clothes and we found the showers, cafeteria and a few other basic things he would need. 


I left him late in the afternoon to fend for himself.  I was confident he would love it.  I was overwhelmed with pride.  He was only 2 students out of 50 from Georgia and the only one from his high school.  It would be an amazing experience and his college application would be filled with experiences and recommendations from people he would meet.  


Here is a rare photo of our teenager.  He made me promise before we took it that I wouldn't post it on  Facebook.  And I didn't post it on FB ... just my blog.  Hee hee!!!

On my way to get him 9 days later I texted and asked if he was ready to come home. 

He texted back ... No!
"I had an awesome time and I am not ready to come home."

Exactly what I wanted to hear.  

Money well spent!!

xo,
MPM

7.20.2012

Our little swimmer goes to County!!


(on the way to the State Qualifying meet)

I was not an athlete.  I was always a book worm.  I am still not an athlete and have traded in intense love of books for magazines and the internet.  

Neither of the boys seem to be athletes.  The oldest one loves books and his laptop.  The middle one loves movies, books and to write.  He writes amazing stories.  

Our youngest child is clearly the athlete in the family.  She loves to play soccer, swim and is taking tennis lessons.  She also wants to play softball in the fall.  Seems like quite a lot to me but she seems to handle it just fine.

Her dedication during Swim Team made her eligible for the County meet.  The top three best times in each age group in each event move on to the State meet.   Baby Girl competed in the free style events.  She would swim both the 25 and 50 yard events.  To qualify for the County meet she had to swim the 25 yard freestyle in less than 32 seconds.  She qualified with a score of 20.6 seconds.  Before the meet she was seeded 27th out of 69 girls in her age group.  



Her first event was the 50 yard freestyle.  She was in heat 1 of 2 heats of 20 total kids.  She was originally seeded at 21 out of 22 kids with a qualifying time of 55.30.  She finished first in her heat with a time of  43.61.  She finished 11th of out of 20.  She was thrilled to shave off so much of her time even though she didn't do a flip turn.  She was so worried she would mess up and be disqualified. 


Her next event was the 25 yard freestyle.  The last thing her Daddy told her was to knock it out of the park. Swim as fast as she could and be proud of herself.  And that she did!!!


(MHM is in lane 2 in the pink cap)

She was nothing short of amazing swimming the 25 in 19.06!!!


She swam in heat 5 and there were two heats after that.  
At the end of heat 5 she was in first place.  My heart was racing.  I was freaking out and the proudest parent in the world all at the same time.  At the end of heat 6 she was in second place.  Only one person beat her score.  I was filled with nausea and excitement all at the same time.   

When all was said and done she ended up in 6th place.  The first three spots only beat her by 1 second.  

She isn't going to state but we are still incredibly proud!!!! 

It was an amazing day.  She walked out of that meet a true winner.  Only six weeks earlier she hadn't swam laps in over a year.  She hadn't swam year round in two years.  She made a decision to swim like a champ and that she did!  I can not describe the feeling of watching her jump up and down in excitement nor the chills I get every single time I watch the video of her swimming the 25 and come in first place in her heat.  She hauled ass!!!  Lawyer is screaming for her in the video.  A daddy cheering on his baby girl.  

I think I fall in love with him every single time I watch it.  

She had a great season and is very happy!!!


And so is this mama!!!
 

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