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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Dropping The Ball

Jace started Preschool two weeks ago and I have quickly realized that I am a bad school mom. When I dropped him off the first day, I saw dozens of parents with cameras and video cameras who probably got there 10 minutes early to document this important day in their child's life. What was Jace's mom doing? Oh, she was running late and didn't even think to bring the camera (if I had just forgotten it, maybe I would feel a little less guilty, but no- it never crossed my mind to bring the camera) That was ball drop #1. I did bring my camera when I picked him up(hence the photos above), but it totally felt like I missed 'the' moment. Then last Thursday when I picked him up, his teacher handed me the class newsletter which I took home and set on the counter. In my defense, I did intend to read this newsletter, but it got lost. Ball drop #2. When I picked him up from school the following Tuesday, he immediately told me how mad he was that all the kids brought their 'pets' to school for show and tell but him. Ouch. Hello, mom, pick up that stinkin' ball! I totally made him miss his first show and tell- a very important first! And now Jace has a cold today so he couldn't go to school and is going to miss next Tuesday because we will be in VA Beach. His teacher must think I am a total loser. But really, this whole being a school mom thing is just so new to me- I have no idea what I am doing! But I am determined to sign up as a classroom volunteer to redeem myself- I wonder if they have a PTA in preschool? Well, hopefully I learned my lesson and will at least read his weekly newsletter as soon as I get it.

So we are headed to VA beach on Monday-Wednesday. I am super excited! We are camping, which many of you may think is crazy, but we absolutely love this camp site- it is right on the beach and has access to power and showers. And I am determined to get some really great silhouette type family shots of us so I will be sure to post those sometime in the near future.

Until then, y'all have a great Labor Day weekend!!!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Celebrity Look Alike

Ever wondered what celebrity you look like? Well, someone showed me this awesome site where you upload a picture of yourself and it will scan your face and tell you what celebrity you resemble. So I gave it a try and by golly, guess who I look like? I am 83% Angelina Jolie- yeah, baby! What a confidence boost! But then I tried to put in Tim's face and it came up with Jodi Foster. Hmmm, so maybe it is not so accurate. Seriously, I know I don't look like Angelina Jolie(what if I died my hair brown and got lip injections? Hmmm...)but this was totally entertaining! So, give it a try and tell me who YOU look like?
http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/tryFaceRecognition.php



Mel- if it doesn't come back saying you look like Brooke Shields, then it is definitely faulty! And Erica, I put in two different photos of you and both came back with Giselle- not suprising to me though!




By the way, here is the photo I got for the Angelina lookalike:
http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/face-recognition-results.php?temp=3dc77a84i3c9m311&server=Server25&database=2&startYear=1800&endYear=2005&loadMethod=myFiles



And here is my husband as Jodi Foster:

http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/face-recognition-results.php?temp=78f77a849yj01a47&server=Server17&database=2&startYear=1800&endYear=2005&loadMethod=myFiles

BTW, sorry to those of you who have visited my blog in the last few days and saw the 10 different Youtube vids- something is seriously wrong with YouTube! I tried adding those to the blog weeks ago and they just barely showed up. Strange...

Have fun!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Have you seen this?

For all you Harry Potter fans out there, have you seen the new trailer for Half-Blood prince? You can check it out here: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?vid=261978

I am so excited for this movie- this was by far my very favorite of all the books! Apparently this show was supposed to come out this November, but has been moved to July 2009. Bummer! Well, to anyone who hasn't read the HP series, this will give you a chance to do it (AHEM: Mom, Ang!) A definite MUST!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Real Brotherhood Begins




Friday night we were going to have a family movie night which Jace was really excited about (because that means he gets to stay up late). But just before we were going to start the movie, we heard a thud and a shrieking Ethan scream from the boys room. When we got to the scene, there was Ethan standing with a small, bloody cut under his eye and nothing around him except for Jace looking awfully guilty and his full sippy cup on the floor. Jace quickly fessed up, admitting that Ethan wanted his sippy cup and so he threw it at his face rather than hand it to him. Of course in an effort to teach him that we do not throw things at our brother, we had to pass on the movie night (which Jace was devastated about, poor kid!). And Ethan was left with a gash on his eye and a bruise the following day.

Not a very exciting or dramatic story (which I am thankful for!) but I had to write it down because I am sure it marks the beginning of many black eyes/bruises/cuts to come as these two boys grow up together. Ahhhhhhhhhh, boys. Fun, fun! I will be sure to take a picture when Jace is on the receiving end of the injury. I don't think it will be much longer!

Just a few photos of E a few days after the incident- and I threw that last one in there because I thought it was so cute. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Just a random pictureless pity-party post that you do not have to read if you don't want to...

How's that for a long title? Tonight I am bored and kind of depressed and feeling frustrated with myself and all I really feel like doing is wallowing in self pity and venting. Do you ever have days like that? Well, I do! (And oddly enough it seems to always come at the end of the month- hmmmm....) I just got done venting to Tim (thanks, hun) but I just felt like writing and getting it all out of my system so I can move on. I spent some time today looking at some other photographers blogs and I should know better than to do that when I am PMSing feeling down. I have been feeling very creatively frustrated lately anyways, like my work has reached a plateau and I want to improve or do something different and more creative but I don't know what. And looking at the amazing work of other photographers which is far from uncreative just makes me feel like a giant LAHOO-ZAHER! Does any one else ever feel just really annoyed with themselves, like there is something seriously wrong with them? I am feeling that way. Sometimes I swear it is like I have two personalities that are polar opposites. The 'good me' and the 'bad me'. The 'good' me is very positive, very motivated, super-duper ambitious, has great intentions, starts projects(sad that even good me doesn't usually finish these projects but she intends to!), makes written out 'to do' lists and intends to complete each item on that to do list in a timely manner, is occasionally productive, organizes her time, doesn't waste too much time surfing the net and also manages to spend quality time with her kids. Oh, and she will refrain from reading entire Book 4 in a few days because she has too much to do this week. The 'bad' me, my nemesis, is negative, unmotivated and even, at times, down right lazy, very timid when it comes to following through with her ambitions, is very unorganized, very unproductive, spends 90% of her time thinking, stressing and worrying about the seemingly millions of items on her to do list (not the one she wrote down- that is only 'good' me- bad Mandy doesn't write down her to do lists- they just float around and around in her head, feeling much larger than they actually are) and only 10% of her time actually doing those things. Oh, and she can't seem to keep her mouse off of that Internet explorer icon at the bottom of her computer screen. She spend hours looking at blogs, reading the latest drama on ILP, researching the new IPOD nano, then buying the IPOD nano which was probably not in the budget because she convinced herself that she needed it because listening to good music will help her be more creative (doesn't that sound like a business investment to you? I wonder if I can write it off?). Then she proceeds to spend way too much money and time downloading MP3s and ripping her CDs onto her computer to put on said IPOD when really she has lots of editing and WORK to do. (Hopefully when that thing gets here I won't feel so bad). Lastly, she doesn't kid herself- she knows there is no way she will be able to keep away from that book this week. Yes, as embarrassing as it is to admit, this is (or should I say these are?) the real me- and I can't seem to figure out how to get rid of bad me or at least minimize bad me's influence on my life. I want to be more organized with my time, my kids, my business, but bad me just seems to prevent me from moving forward. And I don't know what to do about it.

Tim has agreed to start having weekly planning meetings with me to help me organize my time and help me get moving on some of my marketing projects. Hopefully that will help- I am the type of person that needs to be held somewhat accountable to someone other than myself to keep me on task. Kind of sad that I can't seem to stay on task by myself, but that is just how I am. And I have been thinking for months that I want to do some sort of monthly creative project where I just shoot something fun, some idea I have, just for me. I think this would help a lot- I just need to stop thinking about it and DO it. Maybe I will tell good Mandy to write it on her to-do list.

Okay, I think I am done venting for now. I know this was a very negative post and I hope you don't think the worse of me- I just wanted to write how I felt. And I promise this was not an attempt to get you to feel sorry for me or to stroke my ego- I know I am very, very fortunate to have the life that I have! Sometimes I just lose sight of that- I am human! And if nothing else, perhaps this will be beneficial for posterity purposes- someday my great-grandchildren will read this and either think "Wow, great-grandma Carroll felt that way too?" or "I am so grateful to live in a time when there is a cure for PMS" or "Curse you, great grandma Carroll, for giving me the 'bad me' gene!". Hopefully it is not the latter.

By the way, I just finished eating a half a box of Milk Duds and a half a box of Hot Tamales(I would've eaten the whole box, had I not eaten the other half Friday night!) Gross, I know, but all that sugar has made me feel much better already. But it looks like I will be doing Yoga and running in the morning.

Thanks to anyone who read this whole thing. And now I will thump my chest, raise my fist and shout:

Here's to the banishment of the bad me in us all! Give me a 'Hurrah'!

Sweet Little Devil




Tonight we were just hanging out on the couch, enjoying our lazy Sunday evening when I noticed some really odd behavior from Ethan, or my 'sweet little devil' as I have been referring to him lately (sometimes without the word 'sweet' attached to the front, if I am really being honest). Ethan was running around and playing in the kitchen (one of his favorite pastimes- which once resulted in an incident with a steak knife which I will not go into frightful detail about other than to say this: our what-we-thought-were-well-hidden sharp knives have now be re hidden.) Anyways, I digress. So tonight I noticed a strange noise from the kitchen- it was very quiet and I couldn't put my finger on what it was (and I was too lazy stand up and take the five steps into my kitchen to find out- hey, our couch is very low to the ground!) When I called for Ethan, he came running around the corner and sat in the middle of our living room and began to suck on his toes. "Hmmm," I thought, "Isn't he way past the toe sucking phase?" Then he began to lick the bottom of his feet. Strange. Then he ran back into the kitchen(at which time the odd noise from the pantry returns) then came back into the living room and began sucking and licking his feet again. By this point I was really suspicious- what on earth was he doing? That is when I caught the smell- a strange, STRONG garlicky odor. THAT got me off the couch to go investigate the mystery afoot in the pantry. And there, to my horror, was a large bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch powder spilled ALL OVER OUR PANTRY FLOOR!!! I have to give props to Ethan, though- he LOVES ranch dressing and I am amazed at how quickly he thought of stepping in the powder and then licking his feet- smart kid!

So hopefully you can forgive me for calling my own child a devil. A sometimes very sweet devil- who occasionally tastes like ranch dressing.