Silence Is Golden...

Silence is golden.

Unless you have kids..

It was a normal Saturday morning at our house. I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast. It was quiet.

It was quiet.

That should have been clue number 1.

As I loaded the dishwasher, I thought to myself "man the kids are being so good".

That should have been clue number 2.

I  continued cleaning still amazed that my children were playing so well together.

Playing well together?

And then it hit me. Like all moms when the quietness, and the good behavior, and the playing well together clicked in my mind I know something was up.

I ventured to the boys room opened the door to find a homemade zip-line.

That's right folks, my kids had worked together to build their very own zip-line.

IN THEIR ROOM!

They did it using only a jump rope, the bunk bed, and a single door knob.

Pretty cool right?

If the 9 year old and the 5 year old hadn't been placing their younger brother in an Easter basket for the ride down I might be a little more proud.

I Met Oprah! Well... I Met The Oprah Of Boots!

Well... I met the Oprah of boots!

Actually, I already knew her I just didn't know of her Oprah-ish qualities.

The weekend before last I had the honor of attending the Arkansas Women Bloggers' Unplugged Conference. Much thanks to Country Outfitter for sponsoring me.

Myself and 70+ other bloggers from all over Arkansas gathered at the Ozark Folk Center for a full weekend of fun, learning, and bonding.

Too explain how things happened, or why, or even to sum up the weekend is IMPOSSIBLE! It was great. It was amazing!

It was just AWBU; a once in a lifetime experience really.

So... back to meeting Oprah.

Saturday we all gathered together in preparation of a cookout, a little fiddle playing, some jig dancing, and that AHH Moment only  Oprah (or someone LIKE Oprah) could give!

Meet Stephanie, aka the Oprah of boots.

Saturday afternoon she came to the conference stage and said "You get boots, you get boots, YOU GET BOOTS!' (now you see why we call her the Oprah of boots, huh?)

Stephanie works for Acumen Brands, the parent company of Country Outfitter and thanks to them we were all gifted with a pair of boots of our choice (up to $150)!

We were all given a pair of boots to try out, and review.

I picked these lovelies!

 

 

 

Stay tuned, my review and a GIVEAWAY for you is coming soon!

IT'S HERE

My doorbell just rang. It never rings. I knew in an instant what it was.

As I walked from the kitchen to the front room I saw the FedEx truck in my driveway.

That poor innocent FedEx girl. She didn't know what she was getting into.

I opened the door with a squeal, and said "OMG that's my LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER book from Snapfish"

She couldn't hand it to me fast enough.

It's HERE! The book is here. My heart is full!

And, the book is beautiful. It's the perfect combination of all of us. It's like having a piece of every single person that was a part of the Listen To Your Mother shows.

I will NEVER be able to explain what I got from LTYM. Sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes feelings can't be labeled. Sometimes gifts and blessings can't be counted.

Listen To Your Mother gave me, at the very least, my voice back. This book will be a daily reminder.

I came, I saw, I wrote, I spoke. We cried.

Thank you will never be enough, but, THANK YOU Ann Imig, Lela Davidson, Stephanie Funk McCratic, and Snapfish!

Boy 1 Is Wondering...

So the other day, The Dad and I were spending some time with Boy 1.

We were headed to get some lunch when Boy 1 started to ask questions.

Questions are great.

I love that my kids ask questions because they want to know, or learn something.

What I don't love is the unknown of what said questions may be.

Being a parent is hard.

Anyways, back to the other day. So we are headed to lunch and the questions start.

It's the normal stuff. Woo Hoo!! Nothing to see here people; just a 5 year old boy asking his Momma and Dad "why" about a million times or to change the radio station, or if he can go here or there, and could we do this or that.

Then he asked...

Boy 1 "Dad, do humans make other humans?"

(so glad he asked The Dad)

The Dad "Well what do you think? Your Momma is a human and you came from your momma."

Boy 1 "DUH Dad!! I know Mommies make babies but do humans make other humans?!?"

The Dad "You ARE a human, Momma is a human, babies are human."

Boy 1 "Oh! Oh yeah I knew that."


Man, my kid is a genius ;)

You Did What?!?

So, Sunday while I was gone being a superstar in Listen To Your Mother and the Dad was along to support me, our daughters stayed home with the younger kids. They are 16 and almost 13 and they are pros at helping out with the little ones so I wasn't really worried.

Plus, are neighbors are awesome and always keep an eye out without letting the big girls know.

I checked in with the girls while I was backstage waiting for LTYM to start and just like I thought Daughter 1 said everything was fine. The littlest one had just woke up from a nap so she was going to make him a peanut butter roll up. (It's one of his favorite things) Alright I said and reminded them all, through her, that I loved them.

The Dad checked in with the girls multiple times via text before the show started and after. Each time he got a reply about how great things were going.

No need to worry right?!?

WRONG!!

When we got home, I walked through the door and was greeted with several high pitch squeals and hugs, and then I noticed my baby's hair.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" I questioned. "WHY?" "Why is your baby brother's hair?" "Why is your brother's hair PURPLE?"

Yes, you read that right. They dyed my precious baby boy's hair purple!!

Now, before you go and call anyone, it wasn't permanent. It wasn't even semi permanent. It was the kind you brush in with a mascara brush that comes out without even washing the hair.

Still, the dyed my baby's hair purple!

I bet they were hoping I'd freak out and say something crazy like "You're never babysitting again." Boy, were they wrong. I see a lot of diapers in their future. :)

"Schweddy Balls"

“Schweddy Balls”

Margaret Jo McCullen: Hello. I'm Margaret Jo McCullen.

Teri Rialto: And I'm Teri Rialto.

Margaret Jo McCullen: And you're listening to..

Together: The Delicious Dish, on National Public Radio.

*******

Teri Rialto: Please welcome the owner of Season's Eatings - Pete Schweddy.

[ Pete pulls up to his mike ]

Margeret Jo McCullen: Well, Pete, Teri and I have been looking forward to having you on the show, 'cause we know you're the master of all kinds of Christmas goodies. Tell us about them.

Pete Schweddy: Well, there are lots of great treats this time of year - Zucchini Bread, Fruitcake.. but the thing that I most like to bring out this time of year are my Balls.

*******

Pete Schweddy: A quick plug! If you order from Season's Eatings now, you can still send out a special Schweddy Ball Sack in time.

Margeret Jo McCullen: Great idea. My niece would love a Sack of Schweddy Balls...

(12/12/98 SNL Transcript The Delicious Dish)

I still remember watching this episode on SNL. It has got to be one of my all favorite skits, ever.

It might be my love of NPR, or my sick sense of humor. Regardless, it’s a favorite.

It also fueled my desire to one day be a guest on a National Public Radio show even more.

So, imagine my surprise and delight when I was given the opportunity to speak with Arkansas’ very own Kyle Kellams host of Ozarks At Large on local NPR station KUAF.

It’s happening, I thought. My day has come. I am going to be on a NPR station. Oh My God! Amazing. I will get to sit in a NPR chair, in a NPR station, across from a NPR host, and speak into a NPR microphone. I seriously could die happy now.

Myself, some my Listen To Your Mother cast members, and our director, got to share this wonderfully nerdy experience together. As a bonus, we got to promote our upcoming Listen To Your Mother show.

It was nothing short of a dream come true. Kyle is a pro. He asked all the right questions and made each of us fell like the superstars we imagine ourselves to be. He was kind and supportive and as if that’s not enough, he gave us multiple segments on the show. He aired our segment Friday, April 27, 2012, at Noon, and again at 7 that night. On Sunday, April 29^th, he aired a special segment on the morning show that highlighted some of our writings.

Thank you Kyle, from the very bottom of my nerdy pro public service, and public radio heart!

P.S. He let me say “Schweddy Balls!!”