Manic Monday - Ghost

This week’s Manic Monday word is Ghost! Oh, how I absolutely LOVE Halloween – when all the ghosts and goblins come out! Halloween is great fun now that we have kids, but even before kids, we always had a great time this time of year! Eric and I actually had our first date on Halloween weekend 1992.

The year we got married, 1994, we went to Boston in October to visit some friends. They took us to Salem, where they were having the Witches’ Festival. Now, THAT is a freaking AWESOME place to be at Halloween! Salem is full of ghosts and witches – one of which read my palm. Thank God her reading didn’t come true. She told me I was going to have twins.

A few years ago – 7 to be exact – Eric and I visited San Antonio in October. This was our last vacation before we had kids. I remember thinking how much fun it would be to stay in a haunted hotel. We stayed at the Emily Morgan, which is right across the street from the Alamo. This hotel is really haunted because it is an old hospital that was converted into a hotel. In fact, when you make a reservation and tell them you’re a ghost hunter, they’ll give you a discount.

It was all fun until I got the bright idea for us to take a ghost tour of downtown San Antonio. We learned all about the ghosts that frequent the Alamo, which was very cool. The freaky part was when the guy focused on our hotel and we heard about how haunted it really was. There was one room that they didn’t even rent out to people unless it was specifically requested because there were too many people who left the hotel screaming in the middle of the night due to the ghostly happenings in that room.

Now let me tell you, as cool as it is to stay in a haunted hotel, it certainly does not seem cool in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep and have to get up to go to the bathroom at 2 am. I actually woke my husband up to walk me to the bathroom in the middle of the night because I was that terrified. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be staying in anymore haunted hotels. They are awfully fun to visit, but not spend the night in.

Friday Craziness

I’m sorry my blog has been lacking lately. I have been so busy with kids and work that I haven’t had time to keep up. I certainly don’t have a shortage of things to write about! I wanted to do a TT yesterday of weird things my kids have done lately, but I ran out of time.

I swear, the kids are definitely getting more interesting each day. Yesterday, Georgia was dancing around with her green Brobee doll. You’ve all seen Brobee, right?


After awhile, I noticed she was holding her doll around the neck (in the same affectionate way she does the cats) and saying “you want a piece of me?” Seriously. I don’t know what the Brobee doll did, but for a second I thought she was going to kick his ass.

Then there’s Eli. After we read stories and put him to bed last night, I went in to check on him after he had fallen asleep. He was lying on top of the covers with no pants on and a jean jacket. I took a picture, but Eric refused to let me put it on the blog.

The kids continue to crack me up each and every day. This weekend, we are really going to hit the Halloween activities hard. Tonight is Freaky Fall Fest, tomorrow is Boo at the Zoo, and Sunday is Trunk or Treat at Georgia’s preschool. Dude! I get tired just thinking about it!

I can’t wait to get pictures of the kids in their costumes. Georgia decided that she was going to be Stephanie from LazyTown. I only hope she’ll keep her wig on this year.


Eli decided he was going to be Speed Racer.


They wanted me to be Hannah Montana for Halloween.


Sorry, I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Fighting Allergies with Clorox

I can’t believe it is the end of October already. With that, comes the cold weather, and you may begin to notice that your kids are spending a lot more time indoors. My allergies tend to be worse in the fall and winter because I’m not able to spend as much time outside. Indoor allergies flourish when you’re cooped up in the house.

Apparently, I am not the only one. Fifteen percent of people suffer from indoor allergies whether it’s dog and cat allergies or dust mites.

I was very pleased when I found out that Mom Central teamed up with Clorox to promote their new Anti-Allergen Fabric Spray, to help us fight those miserable indoor allergies!

Clorox is helping you battle those indoor allergies with the new Clorox Anywhere Anti-Allergen Fabric Spray. It’s easy to keep those countertops and hard surfaces clean, but what about that easy chair you can’t keep your cat out of, or the comforter on the bed where your dog hangs out all day? That’s why I was thrilled when I learned of Clorox’s new Anti-Allergen Fabric Spray. I have used it to spray bedspreads, chairs, ottomans and carpet, just to name a few things.

It is safe to use on any soft surface in your home, and when used correctly, it deactivates cat dander, dog dander and dust mite matter by up to 90 percent! On top of that, it smells great, giving your home a nice fresh scent!

To learn more about the new Clorox Anywhere Anti-Allergen Fabric Spray, visit Clorox’s Web site today, and look for Clorox Anti-Allergen Spray in a store near you!!

Wordless Wednesday - Dancing Queen

Manic Monday - Bite

This week’s Manic Monday word is Bite! As some of you may know, I am a huge Buffy fan just like Mo!! That is the first place my mind went to – those lovely vampires. Oh, there will never be another Angel, will there?

Anyway, I got to thinking about some of the vampire movies that I absolutely love, and one of my favorites is Love At First Bite! Have you all seen this? This 1979 movie stars George Hamilton as Count Dracula, who moves to New York to find his bride, and he falls in love with Cindy, played by Susan Saint James. This movie is flipping hilarious! It’s worth watching just to see Arte Johnson play Renfield. I love this movie! It is a great laugh, and this is the perfect time of the year to cuddle in and watch it. Here are a few great lines from the movie:

Dracula: “I’m going out for a bite to drink.”

Dr. Rosenberg: “You know what Freud said: if you don't pay for it, you don't get better.”

Dracula: “Without me, Transylvania will be as exciting as Bucharest... on a Monday night.”

Dracula: “Ah, Cindy Sondheim, you should have lived in an earlier age. Things were simpler, less complicated. Do you know how many women had nervous breakdowns in the fourteenth century? Two.”

What are some of your favorite vampire shows or movies? Many people have directed me to the HBO show . . . is it Torchwood? I still want to watch that. And I know Twilight is really big. I bought the book, but I haven’t read it yet, and I know there is a movie coming out soon. I have so much to catch up on!!

Have a great Manic Monday! And if you don’t, you can just Bite me!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Manic Monday - Moon

This week’s Manic Monday word is Moon, and as I write this, I looked over to see my daughter’s bare bottom. Originally, I was going to write about something with the full moon for Halloween. I had a whole thing going on in my head about Friday the 13th and the “sh sh sh sh fu fu fu fu” music. Then I thought about my friend Andrea, the nurse, who cringes every month when there is a full moon because she gets all the crazies.

However, when I am constantly faced with my daughter mooning me, I feel that I need to write about that. She has been potty trained now for going on three months, but we have yet to get her to pull her pants up afterward. In the summer, she did okay because we put her in dresses all the time. But now that the weather is cooler, she is wearing pants, and apparently she deems them way to difficult to yank back up after using the bathroom. So what does she do? She pulls her pants down and kicks them completely off, uses the potty, and then runs around the house half-naked. I guess that’s not a huge problem when we’re at home, except for the fact that she sits like a guy with her legs spread wide open.

I would just prefer not to be mooned by my 3-year-old every five seconds. So I try to keep pants on her – a difficult task. I can’t wait until parent-teacher conference at preschool because I am really curious to see if she does the same thing there. Although, I have a feeling if she was running around, airing out her vajayjay, they would have told me by now . . . wouldn’t they?

Share your turkey tales!

Mom Central teamed up with Electrolux in a quest for the perfect turkey! I have made Thanksgiving dinner at my house every year now for the last 14 years, so I have tried making turkey many different ways. For me, it seems like something always goes awry. (Last year, I gave up completely and just served pork loin.) It seems like the turkey is either too dry, too dark, or still frozen in the middle (yes, that actually happened to me).

Everyone has a great turkey story to share, whether it’s horrifying, funny or triumphant. This year, Electrolux and Kelly Ripa invite you to share your turkey tale. What is your memorable story in your quest for the perfect turkey?

Simply log on to electroluxappliances.com and click on Kelly Confidential. You can submit a photo, story and/or video showcasing your turkey tale. Everyone who submits a turkey tale will be automatically entered for a chance to win a stylish new Electrolux wall oven or range with the Perfect Turkey button – just in time for the holidays!!

The perfect turkey quest runs from October 1 through November 14, so don’t waste time! Submit your tale today. I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s memorable holiday cooking experiences!

13 Things I Did Today When I Should Have Been Working

1. Went to Whole Foods to buy truffles.

2. Made hummus.

3. Went to Starbucks.

4. Listened to some vintage Goo Goo Dolls interviews.

5. Cleaned the bathrooms. (Woo hoo – something productive)

6. Cut Georgia’s hair somewhat evenly.

7. Went to the hypnotherapist.

8. Had lunch with Andrea – yum Mexican food!

9. Helped the kids make aliens with the Monster Matter Alien Maker.

10. Spent too much time on MySpace.

11. Backed up my pictures on a flash drive.

12. Cleaned up cat gak – damn leaves.

13. Played Trouble with Eli.

Wordless Wednesday - The Grasshopper

Manic Monday - Leaf

This week’s Manic Monday word is Leaf. Thank you to Janna from Jannaverse for today's Manic Monday graphic!

When most people think of Leaves, they probably think of beautiful fall foliage. I, however, think of an increase in cat gak.

Yes, I’m a realist. I have a cat – Marcel – who loves to eat plants and leaves. It’s like chocolate mousse to him – I don’t get it. His favorite treat is dried up fall leaves. We have a lot of trees around our house, so there is never a shortage of leaves blowing around our house. I’m not quite sure why, but every time one of the kids runs through the door, they create enough of a wind gust that my living room looks like someone dumped out a bag of leaves on the floor.

That’s when Marcel pounces. No matter how much I sweep, there are always leaves on my floor from October through December (at least). I wouldn’t care so much that he ate them if he didn’t puke them all up in strategic places. Yes, Marcel likes the leaves, but they don’t like him. I dread the “crunch crunch crunch” chewing sound because I know that tasty leaf is going to end up as cat gak between my toes at 4 am the next morning when I’m walking to the bathroom.

And that’s another thing – why do cats have to gak it up in high-traffic areas? Why can’t they sidle over to the side of the room, or under the dining room table? Why do they have to throw up in the middle of the family room or kitchen, or (my personal favorite) in doorways? And usually in the middle of the night?

So, that is my curse. Yes, those fall leaves sure are pretty. Until they actually fall and then get hacked up by my cat.

Spot Shot Works

As a mom with two young children, my carpet often looks like a heard of muddy farm animals has trampled through my family room. I have tried several different spot removers to try to get rid of the various stains on my carpet. It doesn’t help that the breakfast bar in our kitchen/family room is also over a carpeted area.

I have tried so many different spot removers, and many of them do nothing but give me a sore arm from scrubbing. When Mom Central and WD-40 teamed up to do a blog tour on the new Non-Toxic Spot Shot® Instant Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator and Spot Shot Pet, I was more than happy to try it out.

I read about Spot Shot before I received it in the mail and was pleased to see that it was supposed to remove old and new stains as well as neutralize odors and incorporate anti-resoiling agents into the carpet to keep stains from returning. Spot Shot Pet is formulated to permanently remove the most difficult pet stains and odors, and can treat every type of carpet.

When I received the Spot Shot in the mail, I pulled it out and ran to the family. I was faced with probably hundreds of stains, so I jumped right in. I sprayed it on a dirt stain right in front of the sliding glass door, and some sort of food stain by the breakfast bar area. I sprayed a little of the Spot Shot on, let it set for a little bit and then rubbed using a cloth. And guess what? It worked! I was extremely pleased to see that the Spot Shot removed several tough stains from my carpet, including a cat gak stain. (I have a lot of those.)

One thing that concerns me about all of my household cleaners is how they will affect my children. I have found some cleaners that work well, but many of them contain chemicals that I don’t want near my children. Spot Shot is very appealing because not only does it work, but it is non-toxic. It is safe to use around children and pets, and it is bio-degradable so it is environmentally friendly for those of us moms who are concerned about going green!

Check out Spot Shot’s Web site for more information about this effective, non-toxic stain and odor eliminator.

13 Things I LOVED About Last Night's Tina Turner Concert!

1. Tina’s legs! That woman is almost 70 years old, and I would KILL for legs like that!

2. Proud Mary – There is no better song to get you pumped up! And she saved it to the end! Love it!

3. The Dancing – Tina’s dancing is really freaking impressive! Did I mention her awesome legs?!

4. The Dresses – We counted seven outfit changes. Seven!! Soooo cool!

5. The Ninjas – When Tina had outfit changes, there were really hot guys, called the Ninjas, who came out to perform on stage. Wow!

6. The Back-up Dancers – The dancers were awesome, but I think Eric got way more out of them than I did. He has a favorite dancer, named Claire.

7. Tina Over the Crowd – There was a big arm that came up out of the stage and swung Tina out into the crowd. That was COOL! I think I just stood there with my mouth hanging open!

8. The Entrances – WOW! She had a cool entrance every time there was a costume change. You never knew where she was going to pop up, but all her entrances were very dramatic!

9. The Pedestal – There was a pedestal in the middle of the stage that would raise her way way up at times. When the show started, the curtain opened to the pedestal all the way up with her on it.

10. The Fireworks – Oh yeah, it’s a good show when fireworks are shooting

11. Tina’s Amazing Voice – WOW again! She’s the best!

12. Did I mention the really hot Ninjas?

13. Her hair! – Dude, I need a Tina wig!!

Wordless Wednesday - Poser

Eli knew I was taking a picture of him, so this is the pose he struck: