And So it Begins...

Four children + four different schools = one crazed mama.

Taking a little blogging break this week to get the brood settled in school.  Tune in next week for more tales of mischief and mayhem from the homefront.

In the meantime, how are you faring at the dawn of this new school year?  Do tell!

A Dull Moment, Pretty Please?

Here is a recap of our week:

• A broken pair of glasses with no spare (and you know how uber cool I looked with glasses held together with scotch tape).
• A sailboat adrift off its mooring - twice.
• A missing driver's license.
• a missing kayak (yes, you can actually lose a kayak).
• An incident with the little boys involving a wooden snake, resulting in a trip to the dentist and oral surgeon.

And let's throw in a hurricane for good measure, shall we?

Seriously, all of you in the path of Irene, be safe!

{this moment}

Once again, joining SouleMama and others in a Friday ritual of posting one memorable photo to honor the week: a single, special, extraordinary-ordinary moment.

Fighting the forces of evil

Mmmmm...cookies

Last week we spent a few hours at Wicked Good Cookies, a make, bake, and take cookie place.

Owen colored cookies of his own, with Mimi's help:

Josh and Olivia chose their favorite mix-ins for their cookies from this selection of goodies:

Their picks?  M&Ms, Pretzel M&Ms, Sour Patch Kids, chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, and marshmallows.

And the finished product?  Delicious.  I have to admit I was a little bit skeptical about the Sour Patch Kid/chocolate combination.  But you know, it was pretty yummy!

We have made cookies countless times at home.  However, having someone else deal with the cleaning up part of the process is not a bad deal.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday.

I won't tell you how old he is, although I'm sure he wouldn't mind (truth is, I can't remember).

When I was a kid, I thought anyone his age had to be pretty old.

But old people don't drive a Harley Davidson.


Or ride on this:

photo courtesy of monkeyatlarge at Creative Commons

He's never met a red sports car he didn't like.

I have a very funny shot of him doing the macarena, which I was going to post, but I thought I'd save him from embarrassment.  It is his birthday, after all.

He likes his ice cream:

That's him on the left

And here he is, relaxing after a marathon three-day cross-country drive to visit relatives:

Since I did not take this photo, I have not a clue who the little friend sitting next to him is.  He's not looking too healthy, though.  The mouse, not my dad.

Someday, I hope he and I can travel Route 66 together.  Wouldn't that make a great blog?  Father and daughter take on the Mother Road!

 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

A Special Visitor

This past week, we were so fortunate to spend the day with my niece, Alexis.  She lives in Sweden and comes for an extended visit to the states each summer.  My kids love to spend time with Alex, and my mom adores having all her grandchildren together.  Each year we look forward to Alex's summer visit.

Did you have any special visitors this summer?  Or did you visit a special relative?

I'm guest posting today!

I am honored to be guest posting today on one of my favorite blogs: 









L is a military spouse, wife to Captain Husband and also mama to THE CUTEST baby there ever was (well, besides my own!).  His name is Sammy, and he has the most gorgeous blue eyes.  And most of all, L is extremely creative.  Can she throw a party!  Check out  her Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed baby shower.

I've learned an enormous amount about military family life by reading her blog.  Right now she is en route to El Paso with Captain Husband and Sammy.  I know she'd love it if you stopped by!

A Bloggy Award!

Taryn at Mama Gone Green has just bestowed upon me this excellent bloggy award.

Taryn is a mom of two little ones and lives the green life in Portland, Oregon.  She's got a great blog with lots of environmental tips.  Go check it out!

This award is given to bloggers with 200 or fewer followers.  In order to participate, here are the rules:

1. Thank the giver and link back to them.

Thank you, Taryn!  I especially enjoy your book reviews!  So glad to have discovered your blog.

2. Reveal your 5 picks and let them  know by leaving a comment on their blog.

This was tough!  There are many blogs I follow and love.  

Here are my choices - drum roll, please:

becoming claudine

The -Ing Family
L to the Third

Adventurez in Child 'Rearing'

Young Adventures

3. Copy and paste award to your blog.

4. Have faith that your followers will pass the love to other bloggers.

Go check out these talented ladies, folks!

5. And most of all have Bloggity-blog fun.

What is NOT fun about blogging?  Or reading blogs?

Speaking of blogging, please take a moment to check out the poll in the sidebar.  I appreciate your input as I embark upon year number two of Whoopsidaisy!

Blogoversary

A year ago today, I hesitantly clicked the "publish post" button, and Whoopsidaisy was born.

I had never intended on Whoopsidaisy to be only about me.  Blogging was a way to get myself to write regularly, to have a deadline, and to possibly have readers to be accountable to.

Over the months, I've written about different subjects: staying sane as a stay-at-home mom, frugal living tips, children's book reviews, slice-of-life stories, recipes, and product reviews.  I've featured all-photographic posts.  I'm sure I've stood on a soapbox a few times.

As Whoopsidaisy moves into Year Two, I'd like to give it a little more focus.  However, I want to check with you readers first.  For me, why write if not for an audience?  And as my "audience," I aim to please!

What keeps you coming back?  What part of Whoopsidaisy speaks to you?

Over in the left-hand column is a poll.  Please take a few seconds to make a check or two.  Also, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at tonyamaywrites@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Summer Sparkle

{this moment}

Once again, joining SouleMama and others in a Friday ritual of posting one memorable photo to honor the week: a single, special, extraordinary-ordinary moment.

Wishing you all a happy weekend!!

Ahhhhhh...

Cocktail playdates???

Has anyone seen this piece on GMA?  So what do you think, ladies?   If a mommy feels as if she needs a cocktail at a playdate in order to deal with the demands of mothering, I think we've got a much different issue here.  Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves?  Where is that coming from?

Hey, I like my glass of wine as much as the next person, but I'll have a cup of coffee during my playdates - I need to keep myself awake to deal with my active little guys, not the other way around.

Boys

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes, 
Shy and adventurous, full of surprises, 
With misshapen halos and mischievous grins, 
Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins. 

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while 
Nothing can brighten the world like their smile. 
And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy 
Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!


~Author unknown

"Boys"

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Summer Time Girls

I had the opportunity to chaperone Olivia's fifth-grade class trip back in June to Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH.  Funny thing was, there were so many chaperones, our group ended up being just two people: Livvy and myself.  And the BEST thing was that she was happy to have it that way.  We hooked up with a few of her friends as the day progressed.  A fun time was had by all!


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

August Break, 2011

  

As I mentioned in this post, I am taking part in August Break, 2011.  Bloggers who participate post a photo (or two, or three) per day while taking a respite from the writing part of blogging.  Since there are no hard and fast rules, I may have to sneak a little prose in - I don't think I could keep my yap shut for an entire month!

What I'm really excited about is trying my hand at photography.  Taking pictures for me has always been a matter of preserving memories - I'm looking forward to using it as a medium for artistic expression.

Another blogging goal I have this month is finding a focus for Whoopsidaisy.  I can't believe it's been a year since I began blogging - and I love it more and more each post!  

Here's where YOU come in.  I'm will be creating a poll soon to see what you, dear readers, enjoy the most about this here blog.

Do you enjoy slice of life posts, such as this one?

Or reviews, such as this one?

Or brutally honest posts, such as this?

Weekly {this moment} photos, such as this one?

 

Here is my very first post!  I started Whoopsidaisy as a way to get myself to write on a daily basis, and write what I know about: being a mom.  But I'm other things, too.

And maybe that's what you'd like to read more about - being both a mom AND a woman.  Here is a post about that.

And while I'm at it, here is my favorite post of all.  I don't know why.  It's simple.  Maybe that's what you'd like to see more of - simple posts.

So stay tuned for the poll.  I am so thankful to all of you who read Whoopsidaisy on a regular basis, and I can't wait to see what you'd like to see your responses!

Happy Monday!