Mud Mama

Read all about it!

2011-12-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, I recently came on board as co-host/producer at my friend's kindie-rock family radio show "Kids Rock Nashville" and have been having a great time with it. Last Thursday we had the treat of having Grammy nominated hit singer/songwriter (and close family friend) Deborah Allen and my dad, Bobby Braddock (whose praises I have sang before) on the show. Deborah discussed her new children's book, The Loneliest Christmas Tree" (with illustrations by Brooks and Dunn's Kix Brook's daughter Molly) and sang her rollicking "Rockin' Little Christmas". My dad performed his first number one song, Tammy Wynnette classic D-I-V-O-R-C-E (which I got the honors of singing) and he did a funny version of All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth". We had a blast! And Music Row ran an item about it yesterday, there is also a link to where you can hear the archived version...check it out! :)

http://www.musicrow.com/2011/12/tuesday-photos-12611/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Musicrow+%28MusicRow%29

Reunited and it feels so Good!

2011-12-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a family holiday brunch for Sony Tree Publishing. My dad got a longevity award today for writing with them for 45 years, congratz Grandbobby! It is always a super nice event complete with balloon animals, a photo booth and Santa Claus. Now the Santa Claus element was a minus for us for a while as Little Man was terrified! When he was a little baby, before he knew better (his first and second Christmas) we have pictures of him with Santa. His third Christmas he was starting to get apprehensive and wouldn't sit on his lap but held onto the sleigh instead. BUT the past three years we haven't been able to get him anywhere near the big guy in red! Even a trip to the mall would be met with major anxiety about a chance encounter with Old St. Nick. We would have to beg and promise we wouldn't go anywhere near where he'd be!
So, today at the brunch I was totally taken by surprise when he suddenly decided to go hop on Santa's lap, happy as can be! When Santa asked today what he wanted for Christmas he said "I don't want to tell you because I am a little afraid of you". But then, he did break down and tell him "legos!" Then he asked "are you the real Santa?!" To which, shockingly, Santa was able to provide him with some identification! (He later asked me if it was a fake ID-hahaha!)
I commended him on his bravery today. What a lovely Christmas reunion!

Thanksgiving gift

2011-11-23T08:42:00.001-08:00

Thank you to my little boys teachers for doing this special surprise. Got it in my mailbox sent from his school a couple of days ago--probably the best gift anyone can get is to hear what others appreciate about you. In fact, I just read about something along those lines that we are going to do for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. Make placemats for each person and have everyone write on them what we are thankful about that person. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Santa's Magic Dust and the Reindeer Farm

2011-11-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

Jacie, the founder of the radio show I am now co-hosting, and I interviewed Jill Swenson from Santa's Reindeer Tour on the Kids Rock Nashville show last week. She told us all about the reindeer they have at Strickland Farms in White House, TN 30 minutes from downtown Nashville. When I told Little Man about it he asked if reindeer really fly and then said "wait a minute, bats are the only mammals who can fly!" Then chalked it up to Santa's magic powers being able to make the non-flying mammals fly!
This weekend Jacie and I took our kids to meet the reindeer in person. The kids were in awe and got to have their pictures taken with the reindeer. It was a sweet outing for the kids and a great Christmas card photo op!

BMI ICON award

2011-11-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to my dad, songwriter/producer Bobby Braddock for gettig the 2011 ICON award from BMI. We went to the awards on Tuesday night and it was amazing. Miranda Lambert and The Piston Annies performed his song D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Blake Shelton, "Same Old Song", John Anderson, "Would You Catch A Falling Star" and Vince Gill and Leann Rhimes "He Stopped Loving Her Today". So proud of my daddy and happy to see him get that wonderful recognition! :)

Halloween '11

2011-11-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hope all y'all that celebrate fall had a great Halloween or harvest celebration! Little Man had a great time at a friend's block party and his Harry Potter costume was super-cute! Got an excellent report card that day too, so proud of my little guy!!!

Halloween Eve

2011-10-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Had a blast with Jacie on our Halloween Kids Rock Nashville show Thursday with our special guest singer/songwriter Aaron Raitiere (in photo). We also premiered "Jeep on the Street", "Jeep" is my nickname from childhood/now radio-name, trying to stay Forever Young-baby! Jeep on the Street is a series of interviews with kids and this week's question was "why do we celebrate Halloween" and their answers were cute! To hear a recording of the show go to kidsrocknashville.com and follow prompts to the Halloween show!

Got kiddos costume finally yesterday, he is officially going to be Harry Potter (he is all about "magic" now and we are in the middle of reading the second HP book). The Daddy will be understated in Elvis sideburns only and I believe I will be rockin' a classic witches hat ;) I was also considering getting a t-shirt and writing "Muggle" or "Mudblood" on it to go along with the Harry Potter theme, but---maybe not. Today we are making jack-o-lantern rice crispy treats for his school party tomorrow. Will post pics later (if they come out good!)

Happy Halloween!

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag...

2011-10-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Or gig, or somethin' like that! I am now officially the new co-host of Kids Rock Nashville, along with my friend Jacie who had the fabulous idea and started this very groovy kindie-rock weekly radio show. It is located on 107.1 locally or streaming on radiofreenashville Thursday's from 3:00-5:00. (For radio I will be using my childhood nickname of "Jeep"!) If you miss our live broadcast, you can catch it on the website generally the next day at www.kidsrocknashville.com.
If you get a chance to go check out last weeks show it was very informative and inspiring! It was an anti-bullying show and we had some great guests...the Kids on the Block program came with their puppets, "three dad's on a mission" kindie-rock band Ka*Pop and Rascal Flat's keyboardist, Tim Akers, co-wrote and produced a song that was chosen to be part of a national anti-bullying campaign on Oct 26th! To hear more about it go check out www.kidsrocknashville and follow prompts to the anti-bullying show.
I am excited about this new venture. If anyone has any ideas for possible guests or music of cool kindie-rockers please lay it on me! Peace!

Oooooo, Doggie!

2011-10-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, after being canine-less for about 4 years, we adopted a rescue dog.We figured that every boy (and girl) needs a dog and this girl needed a family. I THINK she is around a year old and appears to be an English Pointer mix. (hopefully the doggie DNA test I bought will shed some light on that :) ) We are still trying to get her and the cats acclimated and properly potty train her and name her. The name the rescue folks gave her was Gracie, but that is Little Man's cousin's name and we may want to give her a name ourselves. Contenders are Daisy, Lucy or Lulabelle. Open to any input/suggestions! My life just got a little busier, but she is a sweetheart.

Kids Rock Nashville!

2011-09-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

Looking forward to being the guest co-host tomorrow with the fabulous Jacie Puthoff Doerschuk on Kids Rock Nashville on WRFN 107.1 FM! Music City's favorite family radio show where you can find hip music for the entire clan! Tune in between 3:00-5:00 CST on Thursdays. You can hear us locally on 107.1 fm or stream our show at radiofreenashville.org. Think I may even sing the "Mud Mama" song that this blog was named after live-should be fun! :)

Run for the Hills

2011-09-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

In a completely uncharacteristic move, I woke up at 6 am and "ran" a 5K this weekend! 5k equals 3.1 miles and I walked most of it, but still...I was quite proud of myself! :) My girlfriend Margaret ran it, too and we snapped a photo together before she ran the whole thing. I usually don't run unless someone is chasing me--so I thought 39 minutes for mostly fast walking wasn't too bad! Little man came along for the kids fun run afterwards and "won" a metal. Big fun and a healthy great way to start off our day!

Catch up and mustard

2011-09-09T09:17:00.001-07:00

Forgive me, for it has been a month since my last post. Bad mommy! Just busy--lots o' life goin' on---mostly good!

The only way I can possibly tie in my silly pun title for this post is to tell you that we recently went to an event here in Nashville that was serving hot dogs from a place I love the name of..."I Dream of Weannie" LOVE it! I got a veggie dog of course (being a sudo-vegetarian)

Little Man has had a GREAT first month of school- thank you thank you thank you and knock on wood. Kindergarten was a big adjustment for learning how to sit still etc. I think he has really gotten the hang of this following the rules thing--and he LOVES to learn! He wakes up and says things like "I love school!" That thrills me. He brought home his first spelling test and got 100% on it! His handwriting is really coming along too which is a big deal since we have been working hard on fine motor skills. One happy Mama. On a homework assignment this week he was supposed to illustrate good, better and best. For good he drew school, better/home and best Disney World! Love that kid!!!!

We are waiting to hear about another potential adoption situation. It is complicated and who knows what will happen--just hoping for the very best for all involved...especially the child. The agency we were with doesn't really seem to be happening for us right now and China which I wanted to do so badly seems to have road blocks now too--just trying to trust if it is meant to be it will be and we will know what drection to go in!

I had a blast last weekend performing the Songwriter Series at the Country Music Hall of Fame with Don Henry. We performed in the same Ford Theater where my dad (songwriter Bobby Braddock) was inducted this Spring and it was so much fun. We did a bunch of our own songs and a couple of daddy's. I am going to try to share a video from that day which kind of ties in with my blog title...Lost Dawg!

http://youtu.be/6wI8ZwBYltw

After the performance we went with my dad and some friends to see my dad's exhibit and commemorative plaque for the first time since the induction. My sweet boy without prompting kissed his Grandbobby's plaque---so dear! (That is the picture that is at the top of this blog)

Guess that is all for now, later friends!
xx

First Day of School

2011-08-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I have a BIG FIRST GRADER! He has his own desk now and everything! The half day yesterday went well in spite of (my) nerves. He is disappointed not to have a couple of friends from kindy in class but thrilled to have some old friends there and the new teacher seems super nice. He did ask me why they are doing the same stuff as in kindergarten. I guess he decided to jump from coloring to calculous?! He says he "loves first grade" and I am SOOO glad!

summer adventures

2011-08-08T11:53:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over. My kiddo starts back to school on Thursday for a half-day! I must say that he has had quite the summer, swim camp, bug camp, lots of pool time and we just got back from an almost two week vacation to New York/New Jersey. On the flight to Laguardia he lost his first front tooth. Somehow the tooth fairy found him twice on the East coast! We started the trip off at my sister-in-laws apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan where Little Man enjoyed seeing his cousins. On a record-breaking hot day we met up with old friends of mine at Central Park and let our kids run through the sprinker/ fountains. The next day he got to go to his first Broadway show and he LOVED it!!! We saw Mary Poppins and it was a magical experience...particularly when Mary Poppins flies out over the audience and just happened to take a route right over our seats! We also got to visit with some friends of mine AND go to the children's museum AND the Central Park Zoo. (Highlight was seeing the sea lions getting fed, just like on Curious George) It was an acton-packed few days!
Then it was off to the Jersey Shore for lots of fun with friends, Grandparents and cousins. Boardwalk rides, beach and great summer-fun. Lots of pizza, ice cream, etc etc etc. Though it literally made me sick, I rode about 10 rides in a row with him (why didn't those spinny rides make me feel sick as a kid?) and he wanted to ride the log flume so I had a nervous break down as I had to clutch him (behind me!) with one hand and clutch the hand rail with the other as we went up up up the steep ramp and doooooowwwwwwwwwn --only to make it all worth it with the splash and his giggles at the end.
The times have definitely changed. We were in a cab in NY and the cabbie yelled the F-word at a pedestrian (something that wouldn't have fazed me in the least when I lived there) but this time I dressed him down for using inappropriate language in front of a child- ha!
When looking through the eyes of a child you want to keep everything so pure and innocent. There were two incidents that happened our trip that I wish I could have sheltered him from. On a lovely sunset cruise with my in-laws another boat intentionally came up next to our tour boat, going the same speed and there was a completely nude couple, totally having at it, on the deck of the boat in broad daylight. I kind of tackled my little boy and tried to distract him, but geeez! Then, driving back to New York on the last day of the trip we witnessed a bicyclist get hit by a car right in front of us. My little boy saw the whole thing--the cyclist laying still on the ground, my call to 911 (by the time I got them on the phone an NYFD vehicle had stopped) . It was very traumatizing. I took the moment to tell him how important it is to wear helmets and to always be careful around traffic. I haven't been able to find any news about the cyclist so hopefully no news is good news and he survived it/is okay.
But mainly I would say it was a trip of magic and wonder. Litte Man is literally into magic now and asks everyone if they know magic tricks. My friend Sandy told him about a magic store in Manhattan called Abracadabra so I took him there. An in-house magician took a good 30 minutes showing us magic tricks and little guy was enthralled.
I hope he will look back and view his sixth summer as magicall!

Little Man's first acting gig!

2011-07-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Little Man had his first acting gig yesterday! It was a music video for Clay Dustin and it went really well! You just don't know how well a six-year-old little boy is going to take direction but he did great! I was so proud. It was a perfect first gig as we were in and out in just over an hour. He got to run around a table in shot one...perfect...and he got it in two takes! And in the second scene (which may or may not be used) he got to give a "bad guy" the stink-eye he had been practicing, which was pretty comical. He got paid cash too--woo hoo-- and promptly wanted to go spend it on a Wii Mario game...ha!
When we first walked onto the set he walked up to the first woman he saw and said "you must be my pretend mommy" He asked about the make-up lady and when they offered to let him get a little make-up if he wanted he matter-of-factly said "no, I am already beautiful" Hahaha! Better work on modesty, kiddo! He told me right before he did it "this is a dream come true" and hugged and thanked me when I told him he was going to get to be in a video. We'll see if the acting bug bites him like it bit his mama!

Face the Music

2011-06-30T11:47:00.001-07:00

It was my great pleasure a couple of weeks ago to take part in a benefit here in Nashville at the Red Rooster for the tornado victims of Hacklesburg, Alabama. The event was aptly named "Face The Music" because Bob Schieffer, the host of CBS's Face The Nation who also moonlights as a country songwriter, was one of the hosts, and guest of honor, of the event. I was thrilled to get to sit in along with some other girlfriends on background vocals while he sang his song "TV Anchorman". It was great to spend a little time with him and his lovely wife as well. I was also honored to get to sing with my dad, Bobby Braddock, on his song D-I-V-O-R-C-E and to do the "oohs and ahhhs" with him while he performed "He Stopped Loving Her Today". (both cowrites with Curly Putman) Very proud of my daddy (who recently got inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame!) and thank him for letting me tag along :) Here are a few pics from the event. There were a lot of talented people there that night that I enjoyed hearing and getting to know. I love my hometown! Thank you Kat Speers for the great pics and Rebecca McCabe/Tamy McDonald for your talents/work in putting it together!

Jumping off the diving board...

2011-06-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Little Man has had a busy, fun summer so far. I am loving taking time to just chill with him as well. Last week he had swim camp and "bug camp" put on by a real-life biology professor at Belmont college. I think what impressed him the most was the live tarantula that was shown off there.
But the big deal last week was swim camp. It is no secret that my kiddo is a wee bit impulsive and pretty fearless, but the water has always scared him. That is why i signed him up for swim camp, to give him a full week to work on it and it has worked.. he is swimming now! He was pretty horrified about the finale of the week...jumping off the diving board to the swim coach. The first day he did nothing but stress out about it. The final day though, in spite of his fears he went for it! Sure the coach was holding his hands from the water and caught him...but then he swam to the wall in the 9 feet all by himself. Then he did it again two more times! He was so proud of himself and I am so proud of him!
So--that brings us to today. A songwriter that I met at the Face The Music event I did a couple of weeks ago asked me if I would participate in a songwriter night tonight. I don't usually accompany myself alone on guitar (like never...I usually like to sing while someone else plays) but I decided to be brave like my little guy and do it even though it is slightly out of my comfort zone. Here is to jumping off the diving board!

Palin sarah-nades the President

2011-06-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Paul McCartney is having a "Maybe I'm Amazed" covers contest so we decided to have a little fun with it and do a "what if" scenario.. Pleeease check out the link and "like" it and I will be ever so grateful! The one with the most likes on you tube wins some cool Paul McCartney merch and I am a lifelong fan. Thanks!!!!! :)

Find it here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGAFfW6Tzks
(Lauren Braddock, Maybe I'm Amazed Covers Contest, Palin srah-nades the president).

The graduate

2011-06-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that my little boy has graduated from kindergarten! When I went to pick him up on the last day of school the music teacher was cranking Alice Coopers "School's Out For Summer" from the PA and everyone, including the principal, was jamming out! It was a year of transition, but a year of huge growth. He made "good choices" all second semester long and he is reading like a second grader! I am so proud of my "rising first grader"!!!!!!!!

Grandbobby and the Country Music Hall of Fame

2011-05-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday night was a magical and surreal evening. My dad, songwriter Bobby Braddock, got inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with icons Jean Sheppard and Reba McIntire and I couldn't be more proud! He is a very low-key person so all of the hoopla, limo ride-red carpet, was a bit strange for him (I however LOVED it-ha!) He quipped during his speech that he couldn't tell what the fans outside were saying because he isn't good at reading lips, then he realized it was "who's that guy?"-ha! Songwriters are definitely used to "flying under the radar". Thanks to the CMHOF for recognizing writers! The program/induction ceremony they put together was out of this world. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Tracy Lawrence, Billy Currington and George Jones all sang my dad's songs and Bill Anderson did a wonderful job inducting him. Other artists to perform were Vince Gill, Bill Anderson/Elizabeth Cook, Tricia Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Martina McBride and Kelly Clarkson ... and Dolly Parton inducted Reba...it was amazing!
Kudos to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Kyle Young was a great MC and the little man was thrilled to hear that he was included in his speech. Kyle made the point that my dad's 6-year-old grandson doesn't call him Grandad or Grandpa, but "Grandbobby" which is appropriate because Bobby is grand! As totally unbiased family members we couldn't agree more and are endlessly proud of him!!! (pictured above with me and hubby, PR dude Jim Havey)

Here is some video footage of the event
http://countrymusichalloffame.org/2011-medallion-ceremony

If anyone is in Nashville and gets a chance to check out the display for the "class of 2011" it will up all year. Don Henry and I will actually be playing the Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter series in the Ford Theater there on September 3rd, so that might be a good time to visit...y'all come! :)

Happy Mother's Day! (Cinco de Mayo and field day too!)

2011-05-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

I hope this has been a wonderful day for everyone! I woke up to Little Man coming in with a bag of goodies he made for me at school. There was a mom survey...what does she do was one of the questions..."clean"...wha'?! That makes me laugh on a couple of different levels! He was very sweet though and proud of all the little gifties.
It was a busy week at his school. One day I went there with another kindergartener's mom who is a friend of mine and fellow performer, and we combined their two classes and did theater games with them. Wow! It was definitely fun...had them do stretches and warm up their bodies, do mirror exercises and explore different emotions. Forty kindergarteners acting excited, mad, etc. at the same time was, um... loud! They were super-cute though and I was really happy to be able to share this experience with my kiddo! (So he can see me doing something other than cleaning-ha!) I hung out for field day another day (his favorite part was the music teacher in the DJ booth!) and then, on Cinco de Mayo I got to relive my days of waitressing at the Iguana restaurant when I helped hand out chips and salsa to the kids in the cafe while they listened to a Latin trio. What a cool school he goes to! I can't BELIEVE he only has three weeks of kindergarten left! Unbelievable!
Let us all savor these glory days and sneak in a pampering (or two!) for yourselves this week as well!

Happy Easter Bunny...bok bok!

2011-04-24T11:01:00.001-07:00

Busy Spring---need to post more soon. But wanted to take a minute and post the pic of our homemade bunny cake from today. This is a classic that my husband grew up on, but I had never made it before. Make two 9 inch rounds of a cake of your choice (we used CARROT). One round is the bunny head, the other round os cut int three pieces..the sides are cut into bunny ear pices and the middle is his bow tie. Ice with the frosting of your choice. Add coconut shavings for fur, draw a nose/mouth and outline of ears and bowtie with gel or decorator frosting, jellybeans for eyes, licorice for whiskers and voila! A bunny!

Oh baby, baby, it's a wild world....

2011-03-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a trip to Disney's Wild Kingdom which, as my buddy Lila remarked, is like the mecca for my little guy. He says he wants to be a "zookeeper" when he grows up. I talk to him about how important the
kindness to animals is. I do want to nuture his interest in animals and talk to him about things he could do when he grows up to help animals.
We stayed at Animal Kingdom's Kidani Lodge which was amazing. We got an upgrade to a room with a view from our balcony of the exotic animals who roamed the "Savanna". He had a field guide and would wake up and check off who he saw wandering, giraffes, ostrich, opaki....
I think it is something he will never forget!

Give me your tired, your poor, your kindergarten readers

2011-03-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Just had to record the results of Little Man's Read-A-Thon from last month for posterity. In the three weeks it went on he read (or had read to him) 326 books. The whole school was on a mission and got tons of pledges from eager-readers to help break ground on a (long over-due)new library this year. There was an assembly to give prizes to the top readers and my little guy was so sure that, after reading 100 books in one week, his name would be called. When it was not he rushed the stage with protests! (Yikes...gotta love that impulse control! :) We'll keep working on
sportsmanship!) He did recieve a metal for being a "heavyweight reader" and his class got a pizza and ice cream party for their efforts. The funniest thing that happened was that he told me that the Statue of Liberty was at their reading assembly. I later read the PTO's newsletter about the event and saw the pictures and realized that what he thought was Miss Liberty was
actually Miss Tennessee in a tiara!

Country Music Hall of Fame

2011-03-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Thrilled and happy this week at the press announcement that my dad is getting inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Yay, Daddy!!! Congratz to Reba McEntire and Jean Shepard, too!

Little Prince Read-a-lot

2011-02-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

"The essential things in life are seen not with the eyes, but with the heart."
-The Little Prince

Friday kicked off the Little Man's school's Read-A-Thon. The kids all dressed as favorite book character's to kick it off. Since we were reading The Little Prince at home he wanted to dress like the Little Prince and was just adorable. The kids were all precious in their costumes yesterday and were so excited. I am excited to see how many books I can read with my little prince over the next three weeks! Off to the library today for inspiration!

Disney dreamin'

2011-01-22T22:26:00.001-08:00

With more snow in the forecast, I am snow-dayed out and dreaming of Disney! Much like we had a "smiley face countdown to Christmas" which helped the little guy "make good choices" at school and keep smiley faces on his smiley face chart in December, we are now on a "smiley face countdown to Disney". Now, this is a little bit risky because it is about seven weeks away and if one of the dealbreakers is broken we are all screwed! He is super-motivated though, and I have a loophole in mind anyway, so I think it is all good. We can will it to be-right? And as Jimminy-Cricket crooned ..."When you wish upon a star your dreams come true!"

Snow Way....another day off!

2011-01-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Haven't written in a while. Busy 'round here. Getting back into the swing of a new school year for one whole week then we got blasted with snow. Tomorrow will be our forth snow day in a row! (Roads are clear except for some rural parts of the county) We have been having a great time, but...enough is enough! Ready to get back on it. We have enjoyed sleeping in and staying in our jammies, sledding and snow men, fires and hot cocoa. Oh, and today ... snow ice cream! Ok, eating the elements is a little funky (all white, thank you very much) but it was novel and fun. I just added skim milk, vanilla extract and blue agave nectar (in lieu of sugar) Yum.
It's been lovely. Now come on spring! :)

Happy White Christmas from Nashville!

2010-12-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

It ain’t easy being green! At least the environment was our excuse for not sending hard-copy Christmas cards this year.

We brought in 2010 with the purchase of a new old house Nashville. It brought us back “into town” after living in the quiet, country community of Pegram for eight years. We are absolutely loving being close to everything again. The house was built in 1935 and we think that there may be a ghost of Christmas Past here…a lovely woman who passed away in the home several years ago when she was close to ninety. We understand she liked brandy, so last night for Christmas Eve we left some out for her along with cookies for Santa!

Jim continues to rock along as a PR man here in Music City and 2011 promises to be a great year with some exciting new business.

Lauren, when not being a “stalker mommy,” promoted her book/CD, wrote music and blogged, continued to do a bit of acting, and followed a whim and decided to get certified to teach “Zumba” (the Latin-based dance/fitness craze) just for fun.

It is hard for us to believe that our little guy was born this time of year six years ago! I’ll Be Home For Christmas always has special meaning for us since our baby got to come home from the NICU in 2004 just in time for Christmas. He graduated from preschool in the spring from a Montessori school we loved and started kindergarten this fall at an acclaimed elementary school. While it has been a transition, we trust it is the start of exciting times for him. He is a great little reader and loves going to school. He is currently all about zoo animals and magic!

2010 was a hard time for some with the economy, and notably for Nashville, with the 1,000 year flood in May. Our basement was flooded (about four feet of water) but so many others were hit really hard. People in the community rallied and helped one another clean up the awful mess. Our hometown made us so proud showing itself to the world as a brave, kind, and resilient place. The Volunteer State indeed!

We are enjoying a quiet first Christmas in our new home and Grand-Bobby stayed over with us. Nashville is having it's first white Christmas since 1993! What a magic way for little man to wake up!

We are so very thankful for such amazing friends and family. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas (Hannukah, Kwanza or Festivus!) and hope that 2011 is everything wonderful you want it to be and more!

Peace and love from our family to yours!
xo

December 11

2010-12-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

Six years ago today my little boy and I almost died during his birth due to amniotic fluid embolism. Today, I joyously and gratefully celebrate every minute of his six years! He is an amazing little guy and we are so very thankful.
Today we also remember those who were effected by AFE. To find out more about AFE visit afesupport.org. To learn more about our experiences and the book about it please visit www.ajourneytotheson.com.

The attitude is gratitude!

2010-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

I just want to stop and thank you, baby! Sorry that I haven't posted much lately, life has been busy but that is a good thing. I realize more and more how a lot of how we experience life depends on the way we view it. With Thanksgiving this past week I want to try to carry that attitude of gratitude forward with me for the rest of the year and most certainly into 2011!
Last week Little Man had his first school program. He and all of the other kindergartners at his school (approximately 100 kiddos) came onto the stage as the pianist played the Peanuts theme, it was too precious for words. My guy was dressed as a Native American. In light of the recent ADHD diagnosis there is always the concern that my little native could have broken off and done a solo rain dance down the aisle! But, he did GREAT! It was such a special little show and I can't wait to see it on video.
We had a cozy family dinner on Thanksgiving day at our house. Jim and I enjoy pulling out our special linen tablecloth we got in Venice and our wedding china we rarely use. (The centerpiece is what we bought at a dollar store years ago thinking it was a turkey, but is was actually a chicken! I ate Tofurky, by the way :)) We also love doing the cooking. I have several dishes I make, Jim has his dishes and Aunt Karen brings hers. I have been doing this with her and her hubby for many many years now and we have it down! I love the history/tradition!
I am grateful for Jim being such a good host. I made my dishes the day before, but he is Mr timing man in the kitchen on the day of, which allowed me to actually socialize a little. I love the traditions of the foods we really only eat once a year. The little guy and I made placecards for everyone that started with the words "I am thankful for" and then he wrote the names. The food was amazing BUT we had two meals of leftovers--so glad there are no more leftovers leftover!
Luckily, I had agreed to sub a Zumba class on Saturday which helped to burn it off a little. Something else that I am thankful for is that Jim and the little guy went and helped me set up so I wouldn't be stressed out. And the regular teacher had students help out too with the door, putting tables away, so I could just relax and remember the moves! Jim caught our little guy peeking in on the class. Whatever must he think about seeing mama and the other ladies shakin' it to Shakira-ha!

So much for so many of us to be thankful for. Hopefully we can all appreciate what we have and pay it forward a bit this holiday season. That is my goal! Muah! xoxo

Wild Times

2010-11-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

Jr Zookeeper, Cougar Mommy (ha!) and GrandBobby Gorilla from Halloween night.

Cannot believe Little Man's 6th birthday is just a month away. And party central here is yet to have plan in place! He wants a zoo party (of course) but he is also interested in magicians that he has seen at recent parties. In kindergarten we are to invite either all the boys in the class or all of the boys and girls (19) plus we have other friends we'd like to invite. How many 6 year olds can you have at a house party without going ape?

First field trip without hellicopter mom hovering ...

2010-11-05T09:33:00.001-07:00

The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.
-Ellen Goodman

Yesterday was Little Man's first field trip sans Mama. We both survived. I knew there was an extra set of eyes going along and the teachers are well versed in my little boys bolt-ability, so I felt confident that they would keep a good watch on him.
He saw Suessical the Musical and loved it. There were puppets in it he said, but he wasn't scared because he saw the people controlling the puppets. (He has a thing about costumed characters and puppets)
My friends joked on Facebook about how stalker-mommy was probably incogneto following the bus, going on stage disquised as a Suessical character just so I could keep an eye on him, etc. etc. It was starting to sound like a Lucille Ball sitcom episode! But, I did no such thing. I actually stayed away. This is progress! Letting go as a Mama is not easy, for me at least, but necessary. SIGH!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T20:35:00.001-07:00

The scariest thing I did today was "audition" for a Zumba class by leading a test song in front of a group of about 20 strangers. It was actually kind of fun. Well,
I got through it anyway. :)
But, it was a great afternoon and evening. My little guy was a zookeeper for Halloween. He wants to be a zookeeper when he grows up and his bday party in December will probably be zoo themed as well. Since he was a zookeeper, I was a leopard (in my mind I was more of a cougar, but that is another story-ha) and my dad dressed in a gorilla suit, which was hilarious for us, but the mask totally freaked little dude out. The Daddy-guy decided to be a Muscateer. I made "Mummy dogs" for a snack before trick-or-treet. Super easy, just wrap crescent roll dough around a dog (soy in our case) bake for 12-15 minutes and voila. Though Jim laughed at the result. But it was quick and easy and then I had veggie chili in the crock pot for an easy dinner after the festivities since it is a school night. Thankfully we got one group of trick-or-treaters to our house because that was the highlight of Little Man's evening. As they left he called to them "good choices" about their candy selection. Sweet boy!

Zumba Mami

2010-10-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of years I have had a new hobby...the Latin dance fitness craze called ZUMBA. In fact, a couple of years ago I even had a Zumba birthday party. I have always loved to dance, but this high-cardio high-FUN activity is "exercise in disquise". Such a blast! Kind of like a night out dancing with the girls ... without the tequilla!
This summer I decided to get certified just for kicks (or salsa moves) So, I took a day long seminar and now, voila!, I can be a Zumba teacher! It is not quite that easy. The hardest thing, for me, is to learn/remember all of the choreography--but once you do it is great. I subbed a class once about a month ago, but now I have an audition to teach a class so I am cramming to learn some new tunes...probably driving my husband nuts with the Reggaetone bass thumping from our living room. I think I would enjoy having a class though. Gotta exercise anyway...may as well get paid for it!
If anyone reading this hasn't tried Zumba yet, go shake it at a class! The perfect way for a Mami to cut loose, do something good for herself and have a blast!

Waiting in the Wings

2010-10-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my five year old amazes me with the things he says. I know they all have little nuggets of wisdom they bestow upon us. These are the kind of moments we mommies have to immortalize in journals or blogs before they are forgotten and pushed aside in time like a misplaced baby tooth.

Last night was a great family night. The kind when stress actually disolves and we can just enjoy each other. I made a veggie meatloaf with Gimme Lean (yummy vegetarian option) accompanied by roast veggies and peas. Comfort food for a fall eve. Grandbobby had just returned from a trip to DC so Little Man started asking him questions about presidents. He asked if all of the presidents lived at the White House and learned that the White House had not been there for all presidents. "Who was the first president to live in the white house?" "Why are all the presidents boys?" I was happy to see him displaying curiosity about history.
He also told us who was president when he was born "George W Bush" (thanks to the President poster I put in is room from the Parent Teacher Store he knows the names of the past few presidents) He also talked about when Obama was elected when he was little--remembering small details.

Then he switched to more etherial subjects.
"Before I was in your tummy I was backstage."
"Backstage, where?"
"In the sky."
"What ... like heaven?"
"Not born heaven"

Time to adopt a new attitude?

2010-10-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

After my hard time getting and staying pregnant and subsequent near-death birth five (almost six) years ago, I decided a sibling for my son would come from my heart and not my womb. My husband and I officially decided to adopt 2 years ago on our 10 year anniversary trip to Vegas (what happens in Vegas regarding adoption does not stay in Vegas). I was a woman on a mission and had taken the Chinese adoption forms on the airplane intent to get sweet hubby to decide it was the best choice for our family. He did and it was exciting and romantic to think about expanding our family.
We immediately started the process with a Chinese adoption agency and then we hit a wall. Out of nowhere Chinese adoptions started taking 4 years! We decided to try for the "waiting child" program, to get a child with a minor correctible need, but alas, we found that our insurance company would not cover a child with preexisting conditions. So, we pulled out and decided to go with a domestic adoption agency where we have been on a wait list for about 1 1/2 years. We have had a couple of near-miss adoptions with them, but nothing has quite panned out. I got excited about a baby girl due this month until I found out that her birth mom is a methadone user. Bless that baby, but we will not be able to take on an infant in withdrawall as we already have a biological son to tend to as well and feel it would not be fair to him or the baby.
So, now I have been flirting with the possibility of getting back into the China program since my heart was there to start with. I recently found a beautiful little girl on a waiting child list. A little older than we had considered, almost three, but we got excited about the possibility of Little Man having a playmate in his age bracket. We got our pediatrician's take on her medical charts, which the agency sent us, which included some red flags, got a second opinion from an intl. adoption clinic and it turns out that this sweet little girl (who we daydreamed about for a good couple of weeks) has mild "mental retardation". Bless that angel. I know that she will end up in the best home for her, where the family can devote all of their attention to her. Unfortunately we know our limitations now and that is not us.
Soo, the search continues. I am sitting on a fence and the post is not in a very comfortable position. Who will our daughter be? An infant here in the US or a toddler overseas? OR, will we bag the whole idea and just let our boy rule the roost
since we are hitting roadblocks and certainly not getting any younger? I now officially let it go and trust that the best situation for our family and to the highest good of all will happen, or not happen, easlily and effortlessly as it is meant to be. Amen!

It A.D.D.s up

2010-10-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

We got a diagnosis last week that comes as no surprise. ADD-C, the combined kind of ADD that includes innatentiveness, impusivity and hyperactivity. So, now what? The pediatrician said we are on the right track with behavior modification which seems to be helping to keep him on task. He was in no hurry to try medication, thank goodness, as I am not ready for that, but we will reasses in a couple of months.
I have known for some time that my little boy is off the charts impulsive--hence him being a bolter when he first started school. And when other parents have described their ADD/ADHD children to me (prior to medication) it sounds a lot like my boy. Many of theses kids are very bright. A friend said a doctor likened these kids to her with the Terminator, like they come in a room, scan it for details then they are done and want to move on. Another friend whose older son, who is also gifted, was diagnosed and before being medicated he would not look at his dad, even when his dad held his face, because he was so busy looking around the room. My kid is just like that. As our close family friend observed he doesn't stop moving in his mind or in his body. The sticker chart at school seems to be really working for him, thank goodness, as we just had three weeks in a row of smiley faces. Woo-hoo!
It is kind of a relief to get that diagnosis in a way. Sometimes people, who are not experienced with this condition, may think it has something to do with ones parenting, or with the child being defiant, when that is not the case. So, now we know he can't totally help this behavior, it is in his makeup and we will do whatever we can to alleviate symptoms that may not be successful for him, while embracing the parts that go along with it that are positive. I am reading a book, Answers To Distraction by Edward Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Ratey, M.D. and they say that people with ADD often have the advantages of high energy, creativity, a good sense of humour and tenacity. In fact when asked asked why there are more diagnosis of ADD in the US than Europe the doctors said one could consider it a case of overdiagnosis in the US, but they really think there are actually more cases here. AND furthermore believe it is in our specific genetic makeup as the founders of this country, and the kind of people who would immigrate here, were not the kind to wait around, they were the kind to take big risks and be impulsive. He proposes that many of our founding fathers may have had ADD! So perhaps it is downright patriotic to have this condition, by cracky! I'm just sayin'.... Why, it is even in our name, Br-ADD-ock! So there ya have it. Onward and upwards.

Pop rocks!

2010-10-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Just sending a shout out to my daddy, songwriter Bobby Braddock. We went to a champagne toast/ "million-airs" event for him at BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) the other night that honored him for being the only living songwriter having #1 country songs in five consecutive decades. They presented him with awards on nine different songs of his that have had at least a million airs on the radio and said if you put it all together it adds up to over a hundred years of airplay! Wowza ... go Daddy, go! Endlessly proud of you! And thanks to BMI for the wonderful event.

Kids Rock Nashville!

2010-09-29T22:14:00.001-07:00

Psyched to be co-hosting and guesting on the groovy radio show Kids Rock Nashville 107.1 live from Music City 3:00-5:00 tomorrow, Thursday, September 30th. Please give a listen if ya can. I will try to post it here later, too! Thanks to DJ Jacie for having me on-I think it will be a hoot. She is going to tell a little about my parenting memoir and play a few songs from the accompanying album and we will talk mom stuff including dental health tips for kiddos. (And ya know the missing tooth story of last week will be blurted out for sure)Looking forward to it.
And in the words of my little boy who loves all things having to do with radios/microphones or walkie-talkies ... "Over"!

A week of smileys--minus one tooth!

2010-09-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Celebrating my 12 year wedding anni this weekend and the fact that our little guy kept his smiley faces in kindergarten ALL WEEK LONG. A VERY big deal and the best anniversary gift I could have asked for for the weekend! AND he lost his first tooth this week!
The school secretary has worked there for 25 years and has pulled 9000 teeth! It is rumored that she may be the real tooth fairy! She "tested" his tooth Wednesday to see how loose it was and voila! It was out in a flash. She sent him home with the tooth in a little plastic treasure chest. The stuff magic childhood memories are made of.

No kidding

2010-09-10T11:41:00.001-07:00

Gotta share this weird story. So, on our way back from our summer vacation we were at a large North Eastern airport. I decided to go get a panini from a sandwich shop to have on the plane later. Little Man was in tow. The large guy with glasses at the counter said "would your little one like something?" "No, thanks, he has eaten". Then the guys says "I am required by state law to let you know that I am a registered sex offender in twenty-three states". Dumbfounded I asked "Are you serious?!" "Dead serious" he replied. I stood there kind of shocked and then he said "that will be $12.00, or free if you give me your little one." Oh. my. God. I was so freaked. I had given him my debit card before I thought about it which made me even more paranoid that he had my name. My husband and I went back and forth on whether or not that could possibly be true, but if it wasn't ...why joke about such a thing?! Was it a warning or cry for help??
Jim immediately reported it to the head of the corporation who responded promptly. They called the young man in (turns out he was only a teenager!) with a policeman present. They confronted him and he said he was just joking around and had no idea the seriousness of it. They dismissed him from his job and he is never allowed to work at the airport anymore. Sorry he lost his gig, but I guess that was a life lesson for him that some things are just NOT okay to kid about.
Oh yeah, the sandwich shop corporation sent us a nice goodie basket of sweets with a nice apology which was appreciated.
Strange-huh?!

My dad's birthday "flocking"

2010-09-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

My dad had a birthday last month and to help him celebrate we ordered a "flocking" as a gag and to help support the Nashville Zoo and their new flamingo exhibit. Little Man considers himself a zoo man and was very into this idea. My dad woke up to about 15 plastic flamingos on his lawn this morning with a sign that reads "you've been flocked" and tells about the new exhibit. The flamingos will roost there for 24 hours and they will leave one behind for him being a good sport. Fun!

Stalker Mommy

2010-08-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's true. I have surpassed the helicopter hovering mom and gone right to the slaker-mom status! This is my little boy's first week in kindergarten (all day, five days a week) in a big school. He is doing pretty good with the transition. Me? Not so well!
True, he is a very impulsive kid and a "runner" so safety has been a big concern. The school has been great to work with me on safety precautions and I am starting to feel a little bit better about it. But still, I can't imagine dropping him off in the drop off line, so I walk him up. I have been there at lunch the past two days to "help" (and make sure that he doesn't escape the cafeteria!) and I come early to make sure that he is close to the first one out so I can nab him. Yesterday, I admit, I drove around the school a couple of times when they were on the playground to make sure that he wasn't running off. Oh yeah, I have an ID tag on him too, like a puppy! He will hopefully stop being as impulsive ... he is way better than he used to be about running off and has actually been following the rules pretty good this week. (Though I do have an all points bullitin alert on him!) And hopefully I will learn to trust more. And we both will grow!

My baby is in kindergarten!

2010-08-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

What can I say except that we survived! Mama was a hot (nervous) mess, but Little Man did really good!

Summertime Fun!

2010-08-08T09:36:00.001-07:00

We just got back from an action-packed trip to the East Coast. We went to the boardwalk at Seaside Heights, NJ (now infamous from MTV's Jeresey Shore show) Little Man rode tons of rides.

I had a blast riding with him until I met my match with the Octapus or Spider or whatever hateful contraption it was conspired to try to make me heave. I kept my eyes closed the whole time to try to keep from losing my lunch, an overindulgence of greasy delicious authentic pizza
, Little Man, however, love it!
We went to New York City for 24 hours to get to spend some extra quality time witCousin Gracie. They played in her condos way-cool playground, had take-out Chinese and Little Man hailed his first NY taxi cab!

Then back to NJ for another amusement park, Blackbeards Cove for more fun with his sweet cousin and they also went to Popcorn Park. A great, humane society owned, safe haven for mistreated or abandoned exotic/farm animals (that also houses a regular humane society as well. As you can guess from the name, you can purchase popcorn there to feed to the animals.
We spent the last three days of our vacation on Long Beach Island, NJ, a quaint, lovely, relaxing family vacation spot. My BFF from college was vacationing there with her whole family (5 older brothers and their big, great families) and invited us to stay with her. She has a 6 and 9 year old and so the kids had a blast together! The big kids did too! We spent our time on the bay beach, big beach, visiting the lighthouse there, going to get ice cream and going to the best Water Park ever! Little Man was afraid to go on the BIG water slide at first with me and his dad, but was finally convinced and loved it so much he ended up riding it by himself! Dad walked him up and I was planted at the bottom, a nervous wreck until I saw him pop out the bottom of the slide with the biggest look of eletion on his face!
Great summertime memories that will last forever!
We got back just in time for me to put together a dinner for my dad's 70th bday! Just a little family affair, but nice!
After two weeks of absolute decadence, this Mam is ready for a cleansing diet of sorts!
And now we have to gear up for KINDERGARTEN starting next week! Shew! I'm not ready!!!!

Mayhem and Magic

2010-07-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

A day in the life with a 5 year old boy ...
Yesterday Little Man almost gave me a heart attack by undoing his seatbelt while I was driving him on the interstate. He thought it was quite amusing. After me goin' all "crazy mommy" on him (borrowing this term from my friend Susan who used it about herself when her son did the exact same thing) I HOPE he will never do it again. I think I threatened no TV for a week (as it was happening) and going back to his babyseat like forever, haha. All Positive Parenting techniques that I generallly practice went right out the window! After it was all over I apologized to him for raising my voice, but explained that I was scared because it was so dangerous. He wasn't upset at all, but vowed not to do it anymore. Then I think about how we all flopped around the car as kids and kind of have to laugh at myself.
Then today, he made an angelic remark. He was talking to himself in his little imaginary world like he likes to do when playing, and I asked him what he was pretending to be. He said he was a magician, then told me how his tricks were an illusion and not real life. Then he came over to me and said "Real life magic is love!"
So sweet ... so true! I want to write a song with him now based around that line! :)

Please hold this family in your thoughts and prayers

2010-07-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a week because of a terrible tragedy that happened locally last Monday that I wasn't sure I should write about, but I can't ignore it either as it is all that is on my heart and mind. An old coworker/friend's toddler son and the baby's beloved grandmother died from an accidental drowning. Though I didn't know the victims of the accident, I know the family and as a mom (and a daughter) my heart absolutely aches for them. I have never experienced anything like what they are going through, but I have had traumatic events in my life (the unexpected death of an old boyfriend while I was with him, and the near-death of myself and my baby during childbirth) and the one thing that got me through both of these experiences was the outpouring of love, kindness and support that I recieved. I wish I could take their pain away, or turn back the hands of time, but since I can't I will just keep envisioning them surrounded by a coccoon of love to get them through this most difficult time. I hope that all of you who see this will hold this family's strength, peace and healing in your thoughts and prayers. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}

http://www.theprovince.com/Surrey+woman+young+grandson+pool+mishap/3253329/story.html

A MOMnivores Dilemma

2010-07-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading An Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It is A Natural History of four meals. He attempts to answer the question "What should you have for dinner" and after digesting this book, I can only answer "very little"! From what I understand his book is very much along the same lines as "Fast Food Nation" and "Food, INC" (Both on my list to see whenever I would like to shed a couple of more pounds)
As a mom I am now even more aware of the threats of potential hormones and chemicals getting into my precious child's body. The book tells of the multitude of uneccesary and downright scary ingredients in a certain crack-for-kids fast-food (which my child has had). You would think this item would have two, maybe three, ingredients, when in fact (according to the book)it has thirty eight. One of which, alarmingly, is tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, "an antioxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the (food item in question) or the inside of the box it comes in to "help preserve freshness." According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e. lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food: It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a (certain food item). Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause "nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse." Ingesting five grams of TBHQ can kill."
Oh, my, my!!! I already wanted to avoid these items anyway for the animal cruelty that I believe is associated with them, but if this is true from a health standpoint I am horrified!
Yet, in the "muddiness" I grapple with, I am sitting here drinking a coffee my husband brought me this morning from the very same establishment and I will sometimes take my son there (right around the corner) on a rainy day to play in their play area and get him something else I consider healthier. Hypocritical of me? Probably!
I, as many of us did, grew up on the place. Even to get my kid a milkshake from there (which I have) I now have to think about growth hormones in the milk and again, not to mention cruelty to the cows separated from their calves and hooked up to milking machines all day. Yikes! Why can't it just be easier! It certainly is easier not to think about this stuff, but when you do ...
Eating organic makes me feel better, but it is expensive. I just amusingly heard someone refer to Whole Foods as "whole paycheck". I have heard some people compromise by buying organic produce that tends to retain chemicals more and non-organic for the produce that doesn't. I just discovered this list of "the dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" that I found interesting.
Coming away from the book, I have a strong desire to support local organic farmers and the humane aspect to animals is huge to me and another issue altogether. ("Free Range" isn't always actually free range) Yesterday I found a farmers market that I can buy from once a week. That will help, but obviously it is not easy to eat that way all of the time--going to restaurants, etc. Is anyone else struggling with these very issues?

Mama's Chance to Dance

2010-06-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today I filmed a promo for CMT (Country Music Television)'s "Your Chance To Dance" It is an upcoming TV show where people will compete doing choreography from their favorite music videos. I auditioned to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" which was a b-l-a-s-t, but when I got cast I thought I was going to be filmed in the Beyonce leotard and put myself on a total emergency carb-free diet! Then I found out that I would be dancing to another video in a little more clothing and got to start eating again! I danced to a short routine with four other women to Leann Rimes "Nothing Better to Do". The women were all great; a couple of totally with it young pros, a Titan cheerleader and a Miss Senior USA! Always neat to get to meet new people on these things. We were supposed to be 1920's style jailbirds (in thigh high stockings), got to love playing dress up and getting paid for it. And a man who I did a stage production of "To Kill A Mockingbird" with a few years ago at TPAC was there in a Billy Ray Cyrus costume (read mullet) doing the Achy Breaky Heart dance (along with some other hysterical Billy Rays) Little Man got to have a rare week day out with his Daddy. It was a fun day!

By the way, this show would probably be a hoot to compete on if anyone feels so inclined to have their own "chance to dance"! Will post info as I find it out for anyone who may be interested.

Here's one for my inner flower child ...

2010-06-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

When I was about my little boy's age one of my favorite songs was "Brand New Key" by Melanie Safka. It was just such a happy, hooky, fun, innocent feel-good song that totally embodied being a little kid in the seventies.

"I got a brand new pair of roller skates / You got a brand new key / I think that we should get together and try them out you see / I been looking around awhile / You got something for me / Oh! I got a brand new pair of roller skates / You got a brand new key. / I ride my bike, I roller skate, don't drive no car / Don't go too fast, but I go pretty far / For somebody who don't drive / I been all around the world / Some people say I've done alright for a girl..."

Later, as a singer/songwriter I delved into Melanie's music more and so appreciated her clever songs and messages of love and humanity and was very flattered when I was compared to her as an artist.

I had an opportunity to hear her the other night when she did a benefit concert for a musician friend of hers whose daughter is a school friend of my sons. Brother Don Henry was my "date" and we loved getting to meet her. What an amazing night!!

You've got a friend in me

2010-06-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

We went to the opening night of Toy Story 3 and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it! The whole family did. I was a little concerned about going on opening night, but we got there early and got good seats. There was actually a fun energy surrounding it. The audience applauded when the movie first came on and when it ended ... I love that! The 3-D was pretty amazing, the plot was entertaining and, in parts, heartwarming and sentimental. (The little boy, Andy, growing up tugged at my heartstrings.) These films are really good about tossing little humor-nuggets in for the adults while still keeping it sweet for the kids. All in all it was very fun. I love having an excuse to see Pixar films!

Wild things

2010-06-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

My five-year-old boy is obsessed with zoos. Out of nowhere. And now he IS a "Zoo Man". He insists that we go to nashvillezoo.com (funny to hear him refer to it that way) all the time so that we can make lists of all the animals there that are also at HIS (imaginary)zoo. He has a location for his zoo picked out too. It is at Centennial Park ... speaking of 'wild things', he has no idea that his mommy, as a rebellious teen, once innocently hung out and swilled tequilla with the reknowned folk-punk band the Violent Femmes into the wee hours at that very location, but I digress. He is obsessed! When I put him to bed I say "I love you, Little Man" to which he responds "Say I love you 'zookeeper'". "Okay, I love you zookeeper ... goodnight Little Man", "Say goodnight 'zookeeper'!" He has given jobs to everyone he knows at his zoo (I think my job is to either answer questions or swim with the dolphins and his dad is the ticket man) I love his wild imagination, and I hope that all of his wishes come true. However, I am not sure about the potential of owning a zoo. I speak to him about the importance of kindness to animals and have discussed the virtues of having an animal sanctuary instead. And we are going to visit one such place on our trip to the Jersey Shore this summer .. Popcorn Park Zoo, a refuge for abused or abandoned exotic animals and wildlife who get released back to their environment whenever possible. How cool would that be as a family venture?!

Sex and the City II, spoilers!

2010-06-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I wanted to come back to actually write about the movie. I have heard it getting panned some, but, gotta tell you--I thought it was a really good time. Yes, it helped that my buddy Leslie and I were all festive and into it in a sold-out theater with women all festive and into it, who applauded at the end of the film, but I must say that I did enjoy it every bit as much as the first one. They even dealt with the subject of aging (rather than ignoring it). Kim Catrell's character is quite a bit older than the others, and she wanted a little number for her ex-lovers film opening. The salesgirl said "don't you think it's a little young?" to which Samantha snapped "I am 52 and I am going to ROCK this dress!" I loved that. Of course she ended up having the same dress on at her event as Miley Cyrus!
Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy a good pun and this movie was chock full of them. The best was when the girls were lounging in a Dubai desert after a camel ride (don't we all have girls outings like this?) and, in a mirage of sorts, a sexy Dutch man in a four wheeler comes riding up and leaves shortly thereafter. Samantha, who has been going through menopause and was not feeling much south of the boarder without her confiscated hormones, is obviously feeling something from this gentleman. She asks who he is and is told that his name is Lawrence to which she retorts "Lawrence of my labia!" Also funny was the "gay wedding" with the glee club singing in which Liza Minelli manifests as the officient("whenever there is this much gay energy in a place she spontaneously appears." I am paraphrasing that, of course) Afterwards Carrie and Big are trying to sleep at the Inn and are caught somewhere between wild sex in one neighboring room(Samantha's) and a crying baby (Charlotte's) in another. Big said he didn't know which was worse to which Carrie responds "Samantha ... the baby will tire eventually". And yes, I loved seeing Aiden again, sigh. (Sorry, dear). Though Big was pretty cute in his silk jammies (Sorry, dear). But, Carrie's walk in closet was about as sexy as any man in the film.
As a mom the scene that was most poingant and really got to me was the scene in which Miranda gets Charlotte to actually admit how HARD motherhood actually is. They had me a little teary and that takes a lot. And they toasted the moms who do it on their own without nannies (unlike them). Soooo, here's to all those hard-working and hard-loving moms and to those SATC chicks, still fabulous, fashionable (except maybe for that one red number with the spikes on it) and totally fun to hang with!

Sexin' it up (for the cure, of course!)

2010-05-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

I was excited to be included as a media for the Sexy for the Cure event here in Nashville last night . It is a benefit for Women Who Rock The Cure, a breast cancer awareness organization. This was a pink carpet event for the opening of Sex and the City 2 with a before and after party. And moi covering the pink carpet (with my fabulous gal-pal Leslie Barr on hand helping with photography and various other things) We had a blast. This was a Carrie Bradshaw fantasy for sure! Thanks to Kia Jarmon with the MEPR Agency for the invite! The evening started very conveniently a quarter of a mile from my new digs. Ah, how I am loving being a "city" girl. The before party was at Yolo Restaurant, right next door to where the screening was at the Green Hills Regal Cinema. Cosmos flowed and you have never seen such a sea of pink, like an explosion of Pepto Pismol. A girlfriends Barbie dream-come-true! Skyy Vodka sponsored and was on hand with theme drinks and lots of fun swag! Pictured is the "hello lover" bling ring and me and Leslie on the pink carpet. After Yolo we walked to the movie theater for the big pink carpet event. The stars/VIP's of the evening were the breast cancer survivors who won the essay contest "why are you sexy" and they were glowing! I got to interview one along with some of the fabulous SATC fans there glamming it up. I will post the video interviews later.
Leslie and I really enjoyed watching the movie in one of two sold out theaters and I will write a review on another post, but I will just say everyone applauded at the end and it made for a very fun girl's night out! The after party at The Crows Nest was JUMPING! There were Cosmos and Carrie-tinis (made with Blueberry Vodka) and a cupcake bar. Skyy Vodka was on hand again with more swag, fedoras and adorable SATC2 tank tops. What a great event and festive way to raise awareness for Women who Rock for the Cure!

Holy smokes!

2010-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

A smoking toddler? This two-year-old sucks down two packs a day. Child abuse for sure. All I can say is, people are crazy!

http://www.parentdish.com/2010/05/26/boy-2-smokes-two-packs-a-day/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.com%2F2010%2F05%2F26%2Fboy-2-smokes-two-packs-a-day%2F

Biscuits and Jam (session)

2010-05-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Just want to document our excitement of breaking in our new house this week. My girlfriend singer/actress Ava Dupree was in town from LA with her hunnie Wally Holmes who wrote the 70's mega-hooky disco smash "Rock the Boat". We wanted him to meet my dad who is a country hit-songwriter and hang with my music partner Grammy-winning songwriter Don Henry and his awesome wife Molly. So, Jim and I hosted. We wanted to do Southern-fare to give them a little local flavor. Jim bbq-ed organic free-range chicken (yes, we have some California in us!) and salmon. I made low-fat versions of my grandmother's squash casserole recipe, "fried" green tomatoes, mashed potatoes and I wanted to make beer bisquits b/c I grew up on them. I had never made them before but they were so easy and yummy! (Especially with honey butter!)Thanks Paula Dean for "Bubba's Beer Biscuits", just like my mother used to make.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/bubbas-beer-biscuits-recipe/index.html
After dinner we retired to the den for a jam session. Little Man was the self appointed sound man and was quite excited! Wally played trumpet, my dad played keyboards and Don played guitar for an awesome blues jam. Ava sang Route 66. I sang my dad's song "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" by Tammy Wynette. Don, Ava and I did "Rock the Boat" It was a hoot! Hope to have some youtube footage to post soon :)

The graduate

2010-05-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

My little boy graduated from pre-school today, sniff sniff. It was extremely sweet. I was thrilled that he sat in his seat for the entire program (almost)and actually sang on some of the songs (haha). He got a diploma and gave a flower to mommy, these are the moments that make a mama weepy. I thank his teacher(s) so much for creating a loving environment and bringing him so far in two years. He knows his continents (at five), how to read many many words and knows good conflict resolution.
My dad came to the graduation in the midst of more thunder storms. More flooding was a concern that we tried to set aside for the ceremony. Ironically, after the festivities my dad wanted to take Little Man to buy a "graduation" present. The one thing my boy was attracted to was a huge "full body puppet" tht looked biblical. I thought it was Moses. It wasn't necessarily speaking to me and I thought it might take up too much space so I tried to encourage him to get something smaller and more, you know, perky ... like a chef or a zoo animal. But, he persisted so I agreed for him to get it. When they rung it up we found out that the huge character he was drawn to was NOAH! Though he did not get the significance, I found it quite fitting after a week of flooding!

Anyway, I am so proud of my sweet boy and feeling quite sentimental about this milestone of his pre-school graduation!

Flood Mama

2010-05-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Betsy Thorpe, for this clever post title! We are digging out of the aftermath of our flood here in Nashville. FEMA has come to record our damage. Though it could have been worse it is going to set us back thousands. Our hot water heater is still blown. Because of flooding at one of Nashville's two water supply plants we have all been asked to cut our water usage in half until this situation is resolved.
For Mother's Day I went to one of my favorite restaurants in town with my dad, Jim and the Little Man. I was surprised to see that they were serving their fine food on (recyclable) paper plates, and the fine wine we ordered in (recyclable) plastic cups. It was weird to see, but admirable that they were doing the right thing by majorly cutting back on dish washing. They also are giving 10% of their profits to flood relief this month. You see things like that going on all over town. I am going to rename my hometown "Niceville"!

Mud Mama's Mud Room

2010-05-06T12:51:00.001-07:00

Be careful what you call yourself ... I am now surrounded in mud! I am (along with my husband and the help of Steramatic) digging through the rubble of our basement from the Nashville flood of last weekend. Though it is sunny and 83 degrees today, Nashville is left to clean up from a flood the likes of which the city has never seen. I consider ourselves lucky, we have our house and our lives, but we have thousands of dollars worth of damage and damaged property. Our sump pump could not keep up with the demand of the 2 feet of rain in two days and at one point there was three and a half feet of water in our luckily unfinished basement. It knocked out our hot water and air conditioning because all of the wiring was down there. We are left with inches of mud and lots of soggy things that we are sifting through.So it is a big mess and a big expense. BUT, like I said we are still lucky. There are people we know that totally lost their homes and had to be evacuated by boat. People lost their lives. The Grand Ol' Opry and the Opryland Hotel are currenty under water. I know musicians who lost all of their equiptment (we lost our sound system)But Music City will heal! I am proud of my home town. No reports of looting, just people helping each other here in the "Volunteer State". It was frustrating that there was not much national media about this all week, but, last night Anderson Cooper put it as the lead story on 360 and apologized for not giving it more coverage sooner. He will be live in Nashville tonight.
I am feeling fortunate and sending love and healing to those who did not weather the storm as well. I heart you Nashville!

Rain rain go away!

2010-05-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Nashville is having MAJOR historic flooding. Please do an anti-rain dance for us! The basement of our new house is completely flooded, I mean a couple of feet of water and boxes are floating. The retaining wall is caving, this is crazy! And there are supposed to be storms all day.
I sure hope this rain stops soon and things get back to normal "God willin' and the creeks don't rise" (more)! Peeps in Nashville be safe and stay off those roads.

Jackson Polyp returns

2010-04-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

This has been a very stressful week, all because I found out that I'd have to have another gynecological procedure. Because of my paranoia/hypochondria since my crazy birth complication, I requested an ultrasound at my recent annual at the ob/gyn to make sure that my ovaries were okay. Well, my ovaries are just fine, but I had a freakin' polyp in my uterus. I wrote in my book about having one before that had to be removed before I could go through IVF a few years ago. I can't believe that I had another one, I guess some people are more prone to them. The doctor told me that they are "almost always benign" but it was the "almost" part that had me in a tizzy all week. I think I can speak for us mama's to say we feel the overwhelming need to stay on this planet/be well for our babies! Anyway, I found out that there was only like a .5% chance that it could be something bad, great odds, but still ....
So yesterday I had to go to the ambulatory out patient center for the procedure. Little Man was thankfully occupied by my dad and our famiy friend Kathy at the zoo. But when I walked into the clinic with Jim I was so nervous. All the IVF treatments and pregnancy complications came flooding back. And it freaks me out to go under anyway. But, it is a wonderful feeling to wake up knowing the whole thing is OVER with, you survived and the milk-of-amnesia has done it's job! (The nurse anesthesist was introduced to me as my "bartender'-ha! She was my friend!)
I didn't even want to post about any of this until the whole thing was over with and the abstract expressionist art that had chosen my womb as it's host gallery was the hell out. Well it is now AND my doc called tonight with the good news that it is just fine and totally benign! Hot dog and hallelujah, now I can stop being nervous and enjoy my weekend!!!

Honest Scrap Award

2010-04-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Elle at stilletosandvodka for this Honest Scrap award. Here are the rules, write ten factoids about yourself and send this award on to ten bloggy friends.
Well ... I am going to do it the lazy way. If you are reading this and you think it looks like fun to do yourself, I grant you the honest scrap award! Here are ten off the top of my head...

1) I grew up in the country music industry (my dad writes country music)and I loved hanging out with my dad on music row when I was a kid. I was into punk-rock in highschool. Two punk-rock bands I went to see (X and the Circle Jerks) did a cover of one of my my dad's songs (D-I-V-O-R-C-E) in concert. So much for my rebellion!
2) I was obsessed with the color purple in highschool, some people still expect to see me in it all the time, though I have discovered other colors now!
3) I used to be addicted to diet cokes, now the chemicals freak me out and I only have them occassionally
4) My granddaddy was a citrus farmer and I loved smelling the orange blossoms when we would go down to visit in Florida when I was a kid. I also loved eating my grandmother's key lime pie made from their own fruit.
5) I am currently infatuated with Zumba (Latin dance exercise)and am considering getting certified.
6) a) I am happiest in warm weather and enjoyed living in LA for that reason.
b) I lived in LA for the Rodney King riots and NY for 9/11. yikes
7) I am a semi-vegetarian and a bleeding heart animal person
8) I saw Grease a gazillion times (seriously about 30 at the movie theater) when I was a kid and could probably still recite most of the dialogue/sing all the lyrics
to you (pllleeease don't get me started! ;)) I am the same way with Rocky Horror and Little Shop of Horrors. Those musicals make me happy ... and hyper!
9) I can be quite indecisive.
10) I got my screen actors guild card in a bit part playing Lindsay Wagnor's kid sister in a TV Movie of the Week. I was 21 playing 15! Not sure how old she was playing a college student, but she was walking around the set singing "what a drag it is to be old"!
11) Have to add that my family (real and adopted!)is of the utmost importance to me!!!

Peace out!

stairway to heaven

2010-04-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Moving into a new old house recently there were lots of quirks. One was no hand rail on the stairay going completely up the stairs. Little Man's room is upstairs and ours is down so we were afraid to let him stay in his own bed for the first month we were here which meant he was in our bed. Since he is a squirmy boy there wasn't room for all three of us and none of us slept well and I like never saw the daddy. We FINALLY got the railing put up and a runner too. Yay! Now we can feel good about Little Man trucking up and down to his super cool new room! And a good night's sleep ... heaven!!

A new dawn

2010-04-22T21:37:00.001-07:00

A mommy-friend of mine, Dawn Gusty, has had MS for 12 years. Though she, since I have known her in playgroups for the past several years, has kept a super positive attitude and has taken great care of her body to stave off the effects, she fears without major intervention that she will be in a wheelchair within a year. (The past few years she has been relying on a walker and motorized scooter to help her keep up with her preschooler.) The great news is that there is hope for reversal of symptoms through stem cell treatments and she is already halfway to meeting her financial goal! She will be going to Tiajuana to recieve the treatments in June. Currently they are doing a drive for 500 people to donate 20 bucks to help out with the exorbitant expense. So, dear bloggy friends, I thought I would pass along the story of a brave and determined mom who I trust will get the help that she needs to rock a new dawn! To read her story and or to help, please visit www.dawngusty.com. Thanks! :)

Happy Earth Day to you ....

2010-04-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Happy earth day! So good to remember your mother and keep her beautiful!
Today we didn't really do anything special to observe (except for getting out in the fresh air and taking a nice family walk) but last weekend was the earth day festival in Nashville at Centennial Park and we spent the day there. Little Man enjoyed seeing dancers from different cultures, talking to local "farmers", getting a tree to plant and making a bird feeder. It was great to get to take a moment and get to talk about the importance of this blue dot we call home.
Maybe after dinner we will go out in the yard and pick up trash for our planet and feed the birds ... every little bit helps!
Happy earth day to you!

Winner!

2010-04-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Congratz to Sweatpea Blogs for winning the book give-a-way!!!

I'm comin' up, so you better get this party started!

2010-04-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

Oh, how I LUV me a party ... even if it is a virtual one! Thought I would hop on board for the Ultimate Blog Party via Five Minutes For Mom. What a fun idea.

Here, have a seat, would you like some cheese?

Allow me introduce myself. Like, I am an Aries and I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain. No, seriously ... I am an Aries, but this time of year (77 in Nashvegas today, peeps) I prefer margaritas and sunshine.

I describe myself here as a "watered-down earth mother" hence the MudMama moniker. I have been a mommy-blogger for a year now and I love it. I am a mom, writer/performer and live in my hometown of Nashville (back from LA and NY) with my cute husband (pictured after our 10 year vow renewal with "Elvis"),
my wild and wonderful five-year-old boy (who I adore!)

And our feline friends

As part of the celebration I will be having a door prize! I released a book this past year, A Journey to the Son, about my highly dramatic road to motherhood a few years ago (including infertility and IVF, a crazy complicated preg/near-death delivery, PPD, etc!) and wrote a CD to go along with the book with my "brothah" and music partner, the amazing (Grammy-winner) Don Henry.

Please message me to be eligible to win and I will have a random drawing at the end of the week! :) Oh, and if you follow me here you get an extra entry, follow me on twitter too you will get two extra entries.

And if I happen to win any of the FAB Five Minutes for Mom party prizes, I would love the Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025**of course! (The better to virtually party on, my dear)
I would like to win a $150 shopping spree at Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles.
OR Buds to Bloom Photo Tile Necklace ($95) – Features custom photo tile, hand stamped mom charm & bead cluster.

OR any of these things, US10, US11, US14, US23, US39, 47, 49 (starbucks), 58, USC42, USC45-or anything good for a five year old boy!

Thanks a bunch for stopping by this spring fling! Please introduce yourself! Cheers!

A GOOD adoption story

2010-04-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I posted about a BAD adoption story (the poor little seven-year-old boy from Russia who got sent back by himself from the US on a plane with a note). Tonight I am feeling uplifted after (finally) seeing the Blind Side and thought I would balance out yesterday's contribution with something positive. Now here is a true and amazing story of Michael Oher who was adopted by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy at sevenTEEN years old, transracially, and (as Hollywood tells it) rocked his way into the major leagues through the power of love (and talent of his own). I would like to believe that that is just the way that it happened!
Here is to all of those special people who make it work!

Russia puts the freeze on US adoptions

2010-04-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

As someone who is interested in adoption I am stunned and saddened, as many are, by recent news. An American woman (in Tennessee, thank you very much) boarded her seven-year-old Russian adopted son on a one-way-flight to Russia BY HIMSELF with a note saying that she did not want to parent him anymore (due to his psychological problems). The family paid a man $200 to pick the boy up at the Moscow airport and take him to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/04/10/national/a015526D78.DTL#ixzz0ki0ZZFXr
Though this is now international news, here is the full story from our local paper.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20100409/NEWS01/100409019/7-year-old+adopted+boy+sent+back+to+Russia+unaccompanied+on+a+United+Airlines+flight
When you adopt an older child (he was six) you have to know there is a risk of that child having some emotional issues to work out. Fetal alcohol syndrome is also a possibility with a child who was taken out of a home with an alcoholic biological parent. Though the family claims to have been misled about him and has stated that the boy was violent (he has said the same thing about the adoptive mother) why were these issues not addressed and worked on with a social worker or therapist? You can't just send a kid back, on an international flight by himself, with a note! (Local officials say it is not clear if an actual law has been broken)
A Russian official called this the last straw after a series of adoptions gone wrong and has declared a moratorium on all adoptions from Russia to the US for the time being. Who can blame him? I feel for all the good people in the midst of adopting from Russia who are now left to wonder where this leaves them.

Easter vacation, Florida roadtrip

2010-04-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my lack of posting/checking in. We just got back from West Palm Beach seeing Jim's mom, "Grandee" (and cousins!) for Easter.
On the way there, we gave Little Man an ego-BOOSTER, in the shape of a literal booster seat for big boys that he has been wanting for a long time. I had been holding off since he is not yet 40 lbs., but I found one that is okay for kids 30 lbs. and up, he gave it two thumbs up!
a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AjVgQckiEC8/S7wHq_af3PI/AAAAAAAAAYY/ZzEHtFzFT-I/s1600/IMG00249.jpg">
On the way down we got a taste of a throw back from my childhood ... boiled peanuts from Georgia. Now if that ain't an authentic Southern delicacy, I don't know what is!

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Right around the Florida line our hybrid had car trouble. LUCKILY we were 3 miles from an exit that happened to have a motel for the night and a Ford dealership! We left our car there to be fixed the next day and got a rental. (Good thing because it took three days to get fixed!)
On our first day at the beach my manic chasing of my boy at the shorline ended with a dramatic horn blowing from the lifeguard ... SHARKS!

Several had moved in to the shore! I have never experienced that before (in all the years I vacationed at the beach). After about a half an hour the lifeguard said "it's okay to go back in they have moved back out" So people started to go back in and were immediately told to get out of the water. When the people got back in, the sharks started coming back towards them! Creepy! So, we played "dodge the shark"! we enjoyed the pool for the rest of the trip!

We also took Little Man to "Peanut Island". A boat took us to a little manmade island.
We got a tour of a cool replica of an 1812 privateer ship (the sailers dress like pirates and really sail that thing all over the country)

and we also got to tour JFK's bunker (in case of nuclear attack while he was visiting West Palm Beach)
It was pretty fascinating to see. He could have survived in here for 30 days. Little Man sat at the presidential desk for a photo op on the red phone!
My sis-in-law told me that she heard a tour guide speculated that that bunker was actually used for other things (and then sang "heroin and Marilyn"! I take it this was his own assumption!)

Easter Sunday was big fun. Little Man got to decorate eggs and play with cousins to his hearts content.
It was a fast and fun Florida family vacation.

You say it's your birthday ...

2010-03-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my fortiesh birthday. Little man woke me up first thing in the morning very excited. He and his dad brought me purple flowers and he was very proud to hand them to me.

I scrambled to unpack last minute boxes before we had a few family/friends over and I was exhausted and cranky by noon! But, it was great to have a reason to motivate to finally get the place in order. We had a really great time showing loved ones our new home and having pizza and cupcakes as if it were my 4th :)

Have you ever felt all boxed in??

2010-03-24T15:52:00.001-07:00

We have been in the new house, oh, about 10 days now and there are still quite a few unpacked boxes. I never realized how much c-r-a-p I have! I am not complaining though--thankful to have new digs close to everything. It's just that I unpack and unpack and there is still more to unpack! We are getting there though.
We did paint below our chair rail aubergine last week(to cover up the old dijon mustard color) so that was fun. Little Man has been in our bed since we have been here though. His room is upstairs (we are down) and the stairs are hardwood and we are afraid of him slipping in the middle of the night until we get a runner installed. (And Home Depot gave us the runner-runnaround, said they could install then found out that was misinformation, ugh!) Also in this charming but quirky older house the handrail only goes half way up the stairs. Sooo, until all of that is taken care of for safety, we have a kicking boy inbetween us! I am concerned that this habit will be hard to break, so we will probably make other arrangements SOON.
Besides for all that it is a beautiful spring day here and we had the day off so I took Little Man to the zoo where we had a big fun (read tiring!)day.
I know today's post isn't very exciting, but it's all I got! ;) Quantity, not quality, folks! (Something like that!)
Off now for Trader Joe's sushi! (The five-year-old's request and another perk of moving, being a half a mile from Trader Joe's. Woo-hoo!!)

Luck o' the irish to yooooooOUCH!

2010-03-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Little Man had his five year check-up today. He pinched the doc for not wearing green. The doc responded by ordering four shots! ;)

He now has his papers for kindergarten registration. Sob, sob. The Dr also gave him the go- ahead to get a booster seat (even though he is only 36 lbs.) which he was excited about.
My little boy is growing up!

Bye-bye Pegram house

2010-03-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

Welp, it is final, we are out of the house we have been in for the past 8 1/2 years in the Mayberry-esque bedroom community to Nashville of Pegram. The house that was our solace post-9/11 after living through the event in Manhattan. The quiet and starry nights were just what the doctor ordered at the time, as was the jacuzzi tub that came with it (living just outside of town, we were able to get a new house for less with modern ammenities including a mother-in-law suite and gournet kitchen) It is the house that we brought our little guy home to and his home for the first five years of his life. I loved that house and it was a great place to live.
However, there we issues we did not anticipate when we got it. The two acres of hills and woods were gorgeous and felt like a Gatlinberg retreat, but now we desire a more kid friendly flat fenced lot. Plus we were jonesin' to be back in town and to cut out the 30 minute commute, so we took advantage of the market being down and found a home in a great section of town that was priced as low as it could go. It is larger than the Pegram house, but, being an older home (built in 1935) it has great charm but little closets and bathrooms. We are excited though to be near great shopping and restaurants, not that there was anything wrong with Dollar General and the catfish kitchen! ;)
Thanks for the memories little Pine Drive house, we'll miss ya!

(PS) My five year old boy read the truck when it pulled up "family moving and delivery", one of those proud mommy moments that ya feel the need to document somewhere!)

I love LA!

2010-03-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

I am just now back from a whirlwind trip to LA, three days of nonstop activity. Friday I left my little angel home with Daddy for a "boy's weekend" (Thanks Jim for letting me go! Thanks to Grandbobby and Kathy for babysitting on Sunday so Little Man's daddy could get some stuff done!)
I flew out with one of my best buddies and music partner, the amazing Mr. Don Henry. My fabulous friend singer/actress Ava Dupree picked us up from the airport with her hunnie the adorable forver young Wally Holmes, who wrote the song "Rock The Boat" that was a hit in the 70's. Don and I could not stop singing it all the way out there

So I'd like to know where, you got the notion
said I'd like to know where, you got the notion

to rock the boat, don't rock the boat baby
rock the boat, don't tip the boat over
rock the boat, don't rock the boat baby
rock the boat-t-t-t-t

Ava and Wally were like a comedy team together and had us cracking up! They took us to a wonderful Italian restaurant aptly named "Guidos" where one might expect to find Tony Soprano!

On the way home Wally had the idea for all of us to sing (acapella) a song we had written which noone knows. So we all took turns singing at the top of our lungs and that is when I discovered I was losing my voice. NOT good when you have a house concert planned thirty some-odd hours later!!

Ava took us to where we were staying, my B.F.F. Maura Hanlon Smith and her family's awesome house. Maura and I met on our first day at a school of performing arts in New York City and did our monologues for each other that we had to perform that day. Twenty (or so) years later we are still doing monologues for each other, but these days those monologues are about our own lives, on a long distance phonecall, sometimes with a glass of wine in hand. :) I could weep talking about how endlessly proud I am of her. She and her cute hubby Adam have built an amazing business called Celebration Entertainment. It has been featured in People Magazine as they are party planners to the stars. They do kids parties and noone has a way with kids or events like they do. She is also an amazing singer--a great performer with a strong business sense too. And her family is so beautiful. Her kids are so precious. It was soooo wonderful to see them!

Saturday Maura had a big event she had to run off too so while Don chilled in the cutie-patootie guest house I borrowed their little Saturn hybrid and skidaddled over to meet my friend, screenwriter/music journalist/supervisor Scott Taylor. We had a great dinner at one of my favorite restaurant's there named Gladstones and got to brainstorm some ideas for my project, like possibly doing a stage version on a larger scale. Gladstones is amazing, right on the ocean! It was super neat even though it was pouring down rain! (And they say it doesn't rain in Southern California!)

Then, Sunday was showtime! I rested my voice as much as I could enjoying a morning with Maura's little boy jumping on their trampoline in the sun that had just come out while Maura was off setting up yet another party after getting up early to set up our party (I tell you she is amazing!)

For the house concert I would say we probably had about 40 people. We all cozied up in the livingroom and Don and I for the first time performed ALL of the songs that go along with my book, A Journey to the Son, all about my drama-filled road to motherhood. We have quite a few moments of added (and needed!) levity and we had a blast!
A lot of great folks came out along with some old friends I knew when I lived there. Also, two very special guests, fellow amniotic fluid embolism survivors Deb and Miranda. BUT I will write more about that when I get pictures to share. It was a special reunion!
The house concert morphed into an Oscar party.

Horray for Hollywood!

We woke up earrrly the next morning (Monday) and got to LA an hour and a half early for the only stressful part of our trip (security lines about a half a mile long) But, we got ourselves and our guitars on the plane in a nick of time.

I am exhausted but happy. Happy to see the guys, Little Man's smiling face and excited giggle when he saw me were priceless. But the moving trucks show up day after tomorrow so it is back to reality and bye bye la-la land!

Thanks to everyone though who made it a GREAT trip!

Will strip for a hot tub

2010-02-27T23:43:00.000-08:00

Not me, people, my son!

Today we went in search of a hottub. We are moving into a new (old) house and the bathrooms are small, so I am thinking, rather than doing a crazy-expensive addition to get the bathroom of my dreams we will "just" get a hottub. Don't you just loooove my rationale?? So, here we are at "Watson's" (funny to you if you live in middle Tennessee and have seen their commercials) with the Little Man. Poor guy had been drug all day from the old house, to the new house, listening to adults discuss exciting things like paint colors and the possibilities of screening in porches. So, by the time we get to Watson's, there is the new stimulation of display hottubs, some already filled and bubbling. We are deep in conversation with the salesman as Little Man is exploring the display room and the next thing we know he is stripping off ALL of his clothes, threatening to jump in to the nearest tub. How in the world could he behave this way? His mother is SUCH a saint!!! Really!

BUT, he redeemed himself a few minutes later when we were driving to the next warehouse and he laughed, pointed and said "a truck wash?!" and I looked up and was surprised to see that the sign did indeed say "truck wash". Proud of my good little reader!!

A Moving Story

2010-02-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

Literally! Gotta write about what you know, right? And we are knee deep in packing boxes and trying to organize for our big move in 2 1/2 weeks. Friends told me of hiring movers that will pack for you (who pack into boxes garbage cans, dirty diapers and all!) but we are packing it up ourselves. The problem with this is when perfectionism sneaks in. For example- I don't want to take any clutter to the new house (hahaha) so I am TRYING to organize everything first. Which if you know me, that is kind of funny. I am a right-brained person and organization is not exactly my forte. I like to be organized though and am doing ok! Getting rid of loads of toys and clothes. The good news is that we have an overlap since we have already bought the new house and don't have to be out of this one for a couple of weeks so every time we go over to the new house we take a box of various items. We are busy making exuecutive decisions --- a full bath and closet add-on has been postponed in favor of having some california closets installed (since it is an older home with LITTLE closet space) and using the money we save to do some other stuff like painting (creamy mocha to cover the vanderbilt gold currently there) and building a deck with screened porch, etc. Just thought I would check in. Off to go through my closet now. UGH!

When I grow up to be a man

2010-02-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

The other night I was laying in bed with Little Man for his "five at five". We have decided, thanks to his buddy Ben's mom's rule that I have adopted, now that he is five years old he gets me for five minutes at bedtime after the routine (as opposed to indefinitely). So I tucked him in, turned off the lights and laid there with him and chatted a bit. Still a bit hyper, he chirps:
"I five, then six, then seven, then eight then nine then ten, then I a GROWN-UP!!" Then adds "I like you very much, that's why I no marry a wife, I live with you!!" (Think he will change his mind about that one?!) Still pondering, he says
"Then, I ask you to go play with my friends Savanna and baby Drew and you'll say, "But you are grown-ups!" and he belly laughed at his thought for about a minute.
Wonder if we'll be doing thirty minutes when he is thirty years old, hahahaha!

Got A Whole Lot of Love ...

2010-02-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

Valentine's weekend ...
Dinner with my dad, Jim and the little dude last night. We had a Robert Plant sighting at the bar of the mellow Nashville restaurant we were dining at. My husband called it to my attention as we were leaving and I was herding my five year old out. I was all wanting to go back to talk to him. (What I'd say I have no clue!!) My dad reminded me that i wasn't even that into Led Zepplin as a teen. I don't care, it's still Robert-freakin'-Plant. My boy said "I tired, but I want to MEET that man!" Little Man fell asleep in the car shortly thereafter and we headed home sans conversations with rock legends. That was for the best I am sure!
Today was Valentine's. Wanting a little spiritual somethin'-somethin', I took Little Man back to a spiritual center (that I hadn't been to since he broke free of the caregivers last visit) This time I decided to stay with him in the 4-8 year old room. On the way there I told him, "you have a lot of questions, maybe you can ask them some there". So, circle time had just started (with a group of people he didn't know at all) and he said " I have question ... is heaven in your heart or in outerspace?" What a character my kid is. Then they passed around a heart and asked the kids to share what they are thankful for and he said for his new friends there. Oh, how I LOVE that sweet little soul!

And go ...

2010-02-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, I must be officially insane. The sale of our current house is going through (yay!) and we are set to close March 12. Like be in our other house by then. MILES to go between here and there! In the meantime I have set up a house concert/book and CD release party in LA the weekend beforehand. So almost every day will be a mad mix of packing and silmultaneously cramming for my little show, on top of everything else in a normal day. I guess some people must thrive on chaos. SIGH! It's all good though (I think!)
If anyone lives in the LA area and wants to come check out a show all about becoming a mom, please shoot me an email!
If I don't post quite as much as usual in the next month, you'll know why!
xoxo

Bliss

2010-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

I'm here y'all ... kinda! I am known to be a little indecisive (hence the "muddiness" of my blog name.) So, by the time I decided that I indeed could go to the Blissdom blogging conference here in Nashville (here in Nashville, people) it was sold out. Next year I will know better!
BUT, I was still able to get a cocktail party ticket (to the tune o' 50 bucks).
Last night, pre-party the options were this ... hubby and Little Man drive me to said party (40 minutes from my house) and kill time at the nearby Mall while I socialized, or me get a room at the hotel. I didn't want to spend that $ on a cocktail party and not get a cocktail, know what I am sayin'? And I am too paranoid to drive even after one. Little Man wanted to stay home and watch "Polar Express" and was NOT into the drive mommy adventure. I said "if I go by myself, I may spend the night at the hotel and I will miss you" he said "I will send you a picture so you can see me." Ha! Always thinkin'!
So...I mosied over, on my own, to the Opryland Hotel. The cocktail party was at a fairly new Vegas-style nightclub called Fuse. I ran into some Nashville bloggers who it was great to see. Then, Harry Connick Jr performed a few songs!! He sandwiched an appearance in between performances at the Grammies and the Superbowl. He was VERY cute, I mean ... talented! He looked out into the sea of 500 women bloggers and said "Damn, there are a lot of women here! Where were you all when I was in highschool?!" He also joked about how he thought there would be a lot of masculine women with facial hair there, claiming he had thought it was going to be a LOGGERS convention. (What a kidder!) He also said what an important group it was to play for and how much he respects strong women. Talked about his mom and his three daughters. Then, he said he has been married for twenty years. After everyone cheered for that he said "I didn't say that I don't cheat." Then he quickly added that he was just kidding as to not put any evil ideas into the heads of those shameless mommy-blogger hussies (hahahaha)
Then he talked about what a difference people, like bloggers, can make. His pet project is rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina and he shared how he has been involved in a housing project for musicians there. Then, with him on piano accompanied by two horn players and a drummer played several songs including "When The Saints Come Marching In" for his home team. They sounded great! Afterwards it was announced that we could "very quickly" go through the line for pictures, which I did. When they said very quickly they weren't joking! They made group pics with like 12 women at a time. I did quickly introduce myself to him though and he was very nice.
That was really great of him to come in for it, and really SMART to play somewhere where 500 women are going to tweet and blog about you!!
I checked in and then and crashed some kind of potato cookoff. It was very fun to be around and get to meet a few other bloggers, and chat with some that I already knew.
Then I came back to my room, all cozy and ready for sleep in this beautiful hotel when I heard a man outside my door yell "call the f-ing cops, call the f-ing cops" and knock into my door! I called the front desk who sent security, but apparantly it was just some drunks in a fight or something. It was over quickly, but my overactive imagination had me invisioning snipers in the hallways or something. Ugh!
Once that passed I got a good night's sleep. And though I wish I had gotten a ticket and was out mingling with the other women right now, and I miss my boys (in spite of the promised pic I was sent), I am thoroughly enjoying a cup of coffee here in the room by myself and the chance to write a full blog post uninterrupted ... ah, bliss!

Bots for Tots

2010-02-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

We were quite excited to get a package the other day from my old playgroup friend/songstress and now children's clothing guru, Mackenzie Fairhead. She has created a line of clothing called Cal&Bram (named for her little cuties) "Where Petal Meets Metal". The tee-shirt she sent for Little Man to test out came in cute packaging, wrapped in plastic like a gift basket with a darling gift tag on it.

I loved the "operating instructions" for how to care for it.

It was an adorable 100% cotton, long sleeved shirt with the cutest hand-made felt applique robot lovingly attached. My l'il guy LOVED it. Bots are cool, y'all.
In case my fuzzy blackberry photos don't compute, go check out the site and get your kiddo their very own fabulous robotic wear! Visit http://www.calandbram.com

Through the eyes of a child

2010-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday night the snow was just starting to fall along the Jersey Shore and we had been enjoying a dinner party for Nanny's birthday at "the farm." The kids were engrossed in a movie in another room while the adults were by the fire watching my late father-in-law's retirement video from several years ago. Little Man came bounding into the room, and, on the TV he saw his "Poppie" Though he was not yet three years old when his grandfather passed, the little guy has clear memories of him. He pointed to the set and asked,"Is that Heaven?"
How dear is that?

You can take the boy out of the country ...

2010-01-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

We are visiting my in-laws in New Jersey this weekend. Little Man was very smitten with his big cousin tonight. (She is almost 6 1/2 to his just turned five) Here is the conversation I overheard ...

Her: "What do you want to play?"
Him: "You be the wife and I be the husband ... 'cause we are COUSINS!!!!"

Hmmmmmmmmm, I guess we DO sound like we are from Tennessee!!

Nothing but the tooth

2010-01-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

We saw "Tooth Fairy" with Little Man on Sunday. Well, it was cute ... for five-year-olds. It was somewhat amusing to see Dwayne ("The Rock" Johnson) flit around in a fairy tutu. Now Little man says he knows everything about the tooth fairy, so, I suppose it was educational. Ha! There were some good (or bad, depending on your point of view) puns scattered throughout for adult's enjoyment (my personal favorite was the "fairy krishna's" at the airport) and there was a nice saccharine sweet ending. Like one review says, "just floss with a couple of good Pixar films afterwards and you should be just fine". All in all it was a fun family outing.

Away We Go

2010-01-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Last night Jim and I were looking for a good Saturday night movie to watch after Little Man was in bed. We stumbled across Away We Go, a 2009 comedy/drama directed by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes and written by the husband-and-wife team of Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. It starred that cutie, I mean, "good actor", John Krasinski from the Office, so I figured it was worth a watch. What a pleasant surprise. It was so well done. And, as a theater person, great acting gets me excited and there were some really good (and funny) performances in this film. Krasinsky was a slightly geeky, but sweet natured boyfriend to Maya Rudolph's character who gets pregnant, and they both find themselves wondering if they are f- ups because they are in their early thirties, pregnant and not truly settled yet.
Maya Rudolph (daughter of singer Minnie "Loving You" Ripperton and former Saturday Night Live cast member) gave a surprisingly straight and touching performance, particularly in the last scene. Kasinsky and Rudolph had a nice chemistry between them. I think most anyone would like this, unless you are prudish, then you will find the opening scene in, um, bad taste (couldn't resist).
But, I LOVED the cameo performances in this film. Catherine O'hara (Of Waiting For Guffman and various other Christopher Guest films) was hilarious as usual as Krasinsky's selfish mom who decided to move to Belgium with her husband (played by a dry-humoured Jeff Daniels) one month before their grandchild is born. This drives Krasinsky and Randolph to set out to find a home near loved ones. They visit an old co-worker of hers, played by Allison Janne, who is completely insane and extremely funny as well. As someone who has studied the virtues of attachment parenting, I howled during the scene where they visit Krasinsky's "cousin" played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Rudolph misunderstands her name to be "Ellen", but it was "LN" for lactation nurse. They walk in to see her for the first time tandum nursing a big boy and an infant. She and her husband played by Josh Hamilton are absolutely hilarious, and the faux pas of the young couple bringing them a stroller as a gift had me literally laughing out loud.
Also, as one who has dealt with infertility and pondering adoption, I was touched by the storyline of their friends they visit in Montreal who have a housefull of adopted kids. Rudolph decides that she wants what that family has. But the heartbreak of infertility bubbles up and is beautifully portrayed in the words of Chris Messina's character and in the sadness on Melanie Lynskey's face. The storyline of a motherless little girl was intense as well.
I definitely recommend this film to anyone who is specifically interested in parenting or in fine films in general.

Freaky Friday

2010-01-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

Taking an idea from buddy Michele at the Finding Trinity blog.
Yup, this is a day (or so) late, but we definitely did have a Freak-out (or freaky) Friday.
I got a call from Little Man's preschool in the middle of the day yesterday (never a good sign!) that he was freaking out and wanting to come home. It basically consisted of running through the Montessori preschool and yelling at the top of his lungs (with a big smile on his face) and saying he wanted to go home. Throwing work and saying he wanted to go home. Saying "I make bad choices and I go home" Not so fast, little mister. Had he come home he would have had a very not-so-fun day with no TV or fave toys. But, we all realized that the last thing we should do was cave and give him what he wanted, or else he would never forget it and always act out when he wants to go home. He apparantly got sat on, I mean, put in time-out multiple times until he eventually pulled himself together.
Later on that day another five-year-old boy got in trouble and got sent home. My son asked the teacher "Why he make bad choices and he get to go home?" "Because he DOESN'T want to go home!!"
Here is to a freakin' great Friday next week! :)

State of the Union

2010-01-20T21:32:00.001-08:00

The union that we hoped to make through an adoption, that is. Some of you know that we have been hoping to find Little Man a little sister. We even had a near miss this year with a pregnant teenager that I know. She met with me a couple of months ago, saying that she had decided that she wanted me to adopt her baby that is due this spring. But, as she was saying it, my gut told me it wasn't going to happen. She has since decided to keep the child, and I am happy for them that they are able to make it work.

Meanwhile we are on a waiting list with an agency in another state. We have had a couple of near misses with them, too. Actually they called about a baby who was born a couple of weeks ago, but we did not act fast enough and the situation got away. The timing was awful though. I was getting my stitches out (from my crazy accident) that day, driving my mother-in-law to the airport, and in the process of closing on our new house. Not exactly great timing to leave town for two weeks. I just have to trust that it was not meant to be.
I really would love to have another child. But, now with it taking so long, and Little Man turning five, I wonder about the age difference starting all over again with a newborn. We are thinking an older infant or toddler might be a good fit and are interested in adopting from Ethiopia (though that would still take a while). Or, if there was some way to adopt from Haiti we would love to find out about that, too.
I am trying to trust that the best thing -- for all involved -- will happen!

Got MLK

2010-01-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Since there is no school today I am searching the web to find ways to educate my little boy about Martin Luther King, Jr on Martin Luther King day. I may do a craft of paper dolls (once I am finished blogging, haha). Here is a link I found about MLK activities for kids. http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/martinlutherking.html

I also wanted to share a link, for adults, of my "brother",cowriter/producer, Don Henry, doing his amazing song, Beautiful Fool, about Martin Luther King at the Bluebird in Nashville.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=665B5fWd0V8

Happiness is ...

2010-01-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

I got tagged by Molly at I'm A Sleeper Baker on a "meme" ... a ten things that make me happy list. Sooo, off of the top of my head, here goes ...

1) singing goofy or retro songs at the top of my lungs with friends
2) playing with kids and animals
3) my family, of course!
4) springtime and daisies and the color purple
5) daydreaming on a walk on the beach with a balmy breeze
6) art projects
7) the Beatles
8) dancing for fun or exercise (Zumba, baby!)
9) getting in bed with a great book
10) being swept up in a new project

oh ... and blogging! :)

now I have to tag 10 peeps ...

Amo at Where A Woman Shakes Her Tablecloth
Modern Mom at How to Survive Life in the Suburbs
Amy at Milkbreath and Margaritas
Helene at I'm Living Proof That God has a Sense of Humor
The Girl with the Flour in her Hair, Pealing an orange with a Screwdriver
Margaret, Take A Walk with me
Lori, Family Trees May Contain Nuts
Magda, I'm Just Sayin'
Blue Violet, A Nut i a Nutshell
Margaret, Facts From A fact Woman

New Zoo Review

2010-01-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

The zoo? My wacky life. ;) The review is of my book, A Journey To the Son, by fellow Nashvillian/author and blogger Leisa Hammett. She makes mention of the importance of social networking for authors and bloggers. So true. Here is the link to the piece for anyone who would like to check it out. Thanks, Leisa!

http://leisahammett.typepad.com/the_journey_with_grace/2010/01/a-journey-to-the-son.html

British Invasion

2010-01-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

This morning in a flurry to get out the door in time for preschool I asked my little character to come on out the door.
"Okay, mate!"
"Mate???"
"I from England!"

Where does he get this stuff?
Jolly good, then!

In The Heart of a Child, Part II

2010-01-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

My dad's sweet kitty, Tigerlily, just passed away this week. She was almost eighteen, so it was sad, but for the adults in the family it was not totally unexpected.
Little Man, however, who still seems to be a little obsessed with such subjects, had a million questions about it when my dad ate dinner with us the other night.
"Why Tigerlily DIEEE, because she was really, really old and really, really sick?" "Yes, honey" One minute later, "Why Tigerlily dieeeeeeeeeeee?"
"Is she in heaven with Poppie now?(His paternal grandfather)""Is heaven in outer space?"
Considering other options ...
"She live in my HEART now!" Then, putting his left hand to one side of his heart, "Tigerlily meet Poppie", then his right hand to the other side of his heart "Poppie meet Tigerlily!"
Then, pondering the possibilities and touching his heart again with a grin, "Tigerlily, meet MICHAEL JACKSON!"

wacky weekend

2010-01-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

Our snowday cabin fever turned into a party marathon. Friday night Little Man had his "first sleepover EVER" (a line he repeated, ummm, a gazillion times!) We went to our neighbor/friends and had dinner and watched "Up" and "slept" there. Well, actually, the kids were so excited they didn't get to sleep until 11:30. My friend and I, paranoid that my impulsive and curious boy might decide to go for a stroll to our house in the middle of the night, found ourselves laughingly creating baracades at the front door at 2 AM, just in case! Little Man, still excited, woke up at the crack of dawn wanting to plaaay, in spite of my pleas to pleeease sleep a little longer.
Later that morning, amped on caffeine, we set off for back-to-back birthday parties. Important not-to-be-missed parties ... one of his first friends from playgroup and also his best little buddy from preschool. The first party was a "fairy party" at a gym, mostly girls with him and one other little boy, so he went in his Peter Pan (friend o' fairies) costume and had a blast jumping from the rope into the foam pit. Then, off to the 2nd partay at "Pump It Up", one of those inflatables places, for a b-bouncing extravaganza. It was all big fun, but this mama was "whooped" and ready for a good nights sleep! And a hope to chill for the rest of the weekend.
The next morning (today) Jim and I were discussing how to lazily spend our Sunday when an agent called wanting to show our (absolutly and COMPLETELY WRECKED) house in 1 1/2 hrs. UGH! We got it together somehow, but it was NOT easy! :)

Snow-ish Day

2010-01-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Gotta love Nashville! Big to do over a big predicated snow storm. Everyone goes batty, going to the grocery store to stock up on supplies "just in case we get snowed in", schools close, so much anticipation! Then, drumroll please, we are going to get ... 1/2 inch, mayyyybe one inch today. woohoo! Still fun though, and "purty". Happy "Snow" Day!

Horray For Bloggywood

2010-01-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Okey doke- fellow bloggers are making bloggy goals for 2010, so I figured that I would jump in and do the same.
For Christmas I hit 100 followers, finally meeting that little milestone. Which is great because when you first start blogging, it is a bit like yelling from a mountaintop, not knowing if you are the only one hearing the echo.
I posted for the first time on March 12, 2009. So, I have had this new obsession, er, hobby for almost a year now. I hope in the new year to do exotic things some of you girls do, like strike-throughs. I tell you I am a total tech-flunky. I don't see myself doing a lot of give-a-ways in the new year, but, you nevah know. I will do the occassional review, or let people know about a product if the right situation presents itself. But, mainly, I enjoy whining, I mean pontificating (see where that strike-through would come in handy?) about the journey through mommyhood and any discoveries and blunders I may make along the way. I want to continue posting special events in my little guy's cherished little life and hope to collect the best ofs for him to have someday. And I am journaling the trial and error of being an indie artist, writing a book/CD about this journey and seeing where it all leads. I hope to stage it as a musical and pitch a screenplay and get on Oprah before she goes off the air (a girl can dream, can't she?) but, like being a mommy, there are certain things you feel compelled to do regardless of the outcome.
It has been amazing to make some new friendships through blogging and to feel the unity of this rockin' rollercoaster called parenthood. Lots of love and looking forward to new adventures for all in the new year! xo

Happy 2010!

2010-01-02T08:54:00.001-08:00

I am clinging to last lazy holiday days in jammies as long as I can. Monday, it is back to real life. And, I have decided, Monday is when my New Years resolutions kick in as well! (With New Years day on a Friday, I think we have some flex time!) We have a move coming up, I'm not sure what is going to happen in adoption land, and I have lots of work to do so I am enjoying chill time (and bad habits) as long as I can. :)
December 30th we went to my "brother", co-writer/producer Don Henry's annual birthday bash at the Bluebird Cafe, the well known "listening room" for Nashville songwriters where you can often hear the person who wrote hit songs performing them themselves with just a guitar or keyboard. Their slogan is "shhhhh" because it is all about the song there and people want to actually hear the lyrics, so if you talk during songs you get shushed! Anyway, the show was a blast. It was Don, Craig Carothers, Annie Mosher and Nathan Bell in the round and I got to sit in and do mine and Don's "Mud Mama" song from our A Journey to the Son project. (There is a button on this page where you can hear Mud Mama for yourself, by the way! And if you decide you simply cannot live without it, there is ordering info on here as well ;)) Anyway, it was big fun! Lots of o' great special guests and the night ended with Danny Flowers (w/ the gang) doing his song "Tulsa Time" (recorded by Don Williams and Eric Clapton).. pretty cool! I wish my buddy Don 50 plus more incredible years!
New Years Eve we decided to go up the block to our friends/neighbors kid friendly shindig. Little Man was in heaven watching the fireworks and running the house/playing with the toys and friends. He cried pretty hard when we pulled him away at 10 pm because he desparately wanted to have a sleepover with his friends (we promised to have one in the new year). He counted down the New Year (early) in his bed and was out like a light. Jim and I saw the new year come in at home. A great home which we will be leaving in the new year for a new chapter.
I was happy to see that Rockin' Moms included two of my songs (Breast Intentions and Dec 11) in their New Years Eve podcast. Thanks Tiffany!
New Years Day was one of the rare jammie days I was referring to. Bliss. We made a fire and the traditional Southern New Years day fare of hoppin' john (black eyed peas and rice) with collard greens and corn bread. After Little Man fell asleep (in his new tent, AGAIN!) Jim and I watched Julie and Julia using our new Roku box. Julie and Julia is a pretty cool blogger success story for my fellow bloggers who haven't seen it yet.
And now here we are, the day after new years day. Lots I need to start doing for the move and to gear up for the new decade. The last decade brought a lot of exciting things and I look forward to lots of great things in the decade to come. But, I hope to remember the sentiment Don and our friend Tom Occhipinti expressed so beautifully in their song at the Bluebird ... The Road to Paradise IS Paradise.
I wish you all love and laughter and music and magic in 2010 and beyond! xoxoxoxo

Twas the day after Christmas ...

2009-12-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

We had a great holiday. Christmas Eve we went to "Aunt" Karen's and "Uncle" Ronnie's around the corner for a lovely dinner and relaxed family time. We know this will probably be our last Christmas as neighbors, since we will be moving sometime in the new year.
Dad and Ronnie had their traditional Scrabble match while Karen, Jim and I chatted and watched Little Man play with his gifts from them (a cool mini automatic bumper car and the game "Silly Sentences" which he did great at and really enjoyed, gotta love those educational toys!) Then it was home to bake cookies for Santa and to prep "Christmas casserole" (my vegetarian/fat free version), an egg concoction that you put together in the fridge the night before and then pop in the oven Christmas morning to bake while ya do prezzies.
Grandbobby spent the night and we all awoke to "Santa came to my house!" He was so excited! He found a picture of a great play gym and a note saying that a swingset just like that one is waiting for him at his new house. (The one we haven't moved into yet) He read most of the note himself! Elves were there all week putting it together, NOT an easy task! He also got his own boom box for his room, CDS, a "Cars" tent and sleeping bag (which he slept in last night and is back in now!)

and he got various other goodies as well. It is great to see the magic through his five-year-old eyes. On Christmas day we stayed in our jammies all day- what a treat-and had a Tofurky dinner and watched Elf! Today we will actually get dressed and go to the new house to play with the swingset. Lots to be thankful for. :)

The Present

2009-12-21T14:42:00.001-08:00

"The past is history, the future is a mystery, and this moment is a gift. That is why 'this moment' is called 'the present'."

-Anonymous

This phrase keeps going through my mind today. I went to a memorial service for an old friend, Chris Feinstein, who passed away unexpectedly last week in New York. I had not really seen him much in a lot of years except for as a facebook friend, but he was a super talented musician (Ryan Adam's/The Cardinals bassist), a fixture of my youth and the alt-music scene here in Nashville (as someone put it at the memorial, we were all like a graduating class together), and just an absolute sweetheart of a guy and everyone who knew him loved him. He was too young, too full of life, and it "wasn't supposed to happen".

As I looked around the room at all of the people touched by him, people I had known for years, I was reminded again how precious life is and how important it is to cherish every day we are here and to let those we love know that we love them.

As all this was floating through my head I got back into mommy mode and realized that I never put a Christmas card together this year. If you didn't get anything in the mail from me this year it was not really a conscious effort to diminish my environmental footprint, it just got away from me with book promotions, five-year-old birthday parties and closing on a new house. So I decided to take a quick cell phone shot of Little Man by the tree to send out in a little e-greeting. Ironically, look what he chose on his own for his prop ...

It felt like definite synchronicity!

Enjoy your present everyone! It truly is a beautiful gift.

xoxo