Give-Away...Girl World Tour

YAY for Give-aways!

So...the good people at Weber Shandwick contacted me recently to give YOU or YOU or YOU free tickets to this amazing, inspiring, event called the Girl World Tour! It is lead by Roselin Wiseman, best selling author of Queen Bees and Wannabees, the book that inspired the movie Mean Girls.

Here are the event details:

WHEN: Tuesday February 23, 2010

TIME: 6:30-8:30pm

WHERE: Saint Richards Episcopal School

33 West 33rd Street

Indianapolis, IN 46205

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://rosalindwiseman.com/events/girl-world-tour/

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PRESENTED BY:

So how do YOU get these one of kind tickets?

STEP 1: Post a (non anonymous) comment telling me who the most inspiring woman in your life has been and why!

THAT'S IT!!

I will choose 2 Winners one week from today! The two winners will receive either a gift bag of freebies from Dove Go Fresh Deodorant and Body Mist OR two tickets to the Girl World Tour event! I will do a blog post naming the winners and will also send you an email if you are said winner!

NOTE: The featured event is geared towards a mother-daughter pair, specifically mother's of tween's. I know a lot of my blog stalkers have young children (or none at all) so you don't necessarily fit into this category but the fun part about this give-away is you can STILL win something even if you don't qualify for the event!! The wonderful people with Weber-Shandwick and Dove Go Fresh Deodorant and Body Mists have offered to send you a lovely gift bag with freebies (if you do not qualify for the Girl World Tour Event).

Not that this helped...

...but they sure were/are DAMN good! Thanks to Exgf and her recipe she shared with the blog world last week I made the below for our Superbowl party. I had a feeling it was potentially a bad omen because without even knowing Exgf (translates to, I just stalk her blog) I am thinking due to her location in the world she is more of a Saints fan , therefore I was making a Saint's fan recipe on the big Colts day....oops!



INTRODUCING THE AMAZING OREO CAKE BALLS (or as I called them...the Colt's Balls...I know I am so funny).

It worked out well though because there is nothing better than drowning your sorrows in sweetness right??

If you want the delicious recipe, click HERE (recipe is towards the bottom...but read the whole thing people, it will be worth your time. :)

On a side note...who else is ready for some March Madness?? I know this girl is! Seriously, one of my favorite times of each year!

Doppleganger Week

Two blogs in two days...what? I know, right?! Anyway Its Doppleganger week on Facebook so I participated. I don't normally get all into that stuff that Facebook does but thought this was fun!


I have frequently been told that I look like two pretty famous people...

DJ Tanner (aka Candice Cameron), FULL HOUSE

Scarlett Johansson

I used Scarlett as my Facebook profile pic because I may as well right? She is gorgeous and I will take that compliment from anyone willing to dish it out. I really don't think I resemble either of these women....who cares though...its fun to play pretend.

Myheritage.com is a website you can use that will use a picture of yourself that you upload and output celebrities that look like you. Scarlett nor Candice Cameron showed up on my list (see below) but I will tell you who did...DAVID HASSELHOFF!! Yep, all 70% of his bad self. Nothing like being told you look 70% like a man. Oh and I am pretty sure my number one match is some sort of porn star! Sweet!

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Cele

brity - Collage - Morph

Blogging about nothing

I have realized this task, you know, the one that has me sit down to write about "nothing" is harder than it once was. But today I am going to do just that.



I have the winter blues or am allergic to winter. Walking in a Winter Wonderland is only fun if and when it is done at Christmas. Thought about going tanning to let the "sun" shine on my face but I haven't done this in years because I don't want my skin to be leather by the time I am 35. It may be anyway considering all the time I USED to spend in those things and the fact that I didn't start wearing sunscreen until...umm...last year?! So I can't undo what is already done but I don't want to do more...but I was thinking it would help. We just got word from Mr. Weatherman that we should expect 8 INCHES of snow this weekend. Stupid groundhog.



I have been working out consistently for over a year...part of which I even had a personal trainer. Due to this fact alone, I think I should be skinnier. Just sayin...not freaking out...just sayin...oh and that my lovely prego stretch marks...yeah wishing those would have magically dissapeared too. Just sayin.


I have been pretty diligently looking for a job as of late. I was even offered a job in early December. I didn't take it, wasn't right for me and the fam. Trying to figure out what is right for all of us that accomplishes what I really want to do is not an easy task. I never would have thought I could have or would have enjoyed this stay at home gig as much as I have. But this momma needs an outlet. Its what I am good at...working. Everything is organized in our home, and JD is so so so ready for an outlet himself that doesn't include his momma.



P-Daddy and I are going on a cruise to the Greek Isles this spring. He won this big trip through work. We will fly into Venice, Italy and then go from there. I have never been abroad and kind of hate flying but the closer this trip comes the more excited I get.



GranBeck's is moving here very soon. I couldn't be more excited! WE couldn't be more excited! You never know how nice it would be to have your parents close until you have a child. I haven't lived in the same city as my mother since I was in high school. Long time...can't wait!



Volunteering for my former sorority keeps me young. Or makes me feel young again. Something like that...but I enjoy it none-the-less. Going back to our former campus floods memories, good ones in my head. College students don't know how good they have it. I sure didn't.



JD is talking up a storm and I love it! He is able to communicate what he wants or needs and I couldn't be happier. A lot of women get frustrated with the repatativeness of their toddler's words. I revel in it (most of the time) because I realize he is just so excited to be able to say whatever he is saying. Kind of like I get excited to say whatever I am sayin and Lord knows I have been sayin lots of words a lot of the time for a long time. Just sayin.


I recently bought these amazing shoes from WHBM and have still never worn them. They are those fabulous shoes that I fear may sit in my closet for a few years before I am ever brave enough to wear them. *GASP*...I think I bought shoes that are more fashionable than me! HA! They are gorgeous though and when I do bust them out everyone will be talking don't you worry. Now...to find that perfect outfit to go with them...


Speaking of clothes...I recently dove into the deep end of the pool and purchased skinny jeans. I said I would NEVER do this but I have enough tall boots that I really wanted to wear over jeans that I caved. I rock them. They are basically denim spandex. They are so comfortable I want to sleep in them. I still feel like they are "tight rolled" at the bottom (if you were in middle/high school in the nineties you know what I am talking about) but I am not going to lie, I wish I had 20 pairs. It is scaring me though that COLORED jeans are coming back in? I hated fashion in the 80's and colored jeans feels very 80's. But so does spandex jeans I guess...damnit if that means I will be rocking electric blue dyed denim next season!



Side note: I still stand by only wearing my skinny jeans with boots that hide the fact that they are skinny. Can't rock high heels with them. I am pretty sure (no-POSITIVE) I would look ridiculous.



I have been leaving church sort of angry lately. Mostly because the sermon's are just ludacris (if you ask me of course). A few Sunday's ago we went, they read the verses of that week, I really liked said verses (and was excited to hear how Mr. Priest was going to relate to them to the real world), and then the priest stood up and discussed the fact that people should treat church like they would a wedding and dress up because it is distracting to him if people show up in Colts jersey's.
REALLY?
We are really going to focus an entire sermon on what people wear?
Do you not realize Mr. Priest that your church is PACKED this and every Sunday?
That these people come to listen to the word of God and to have you make sense of it all?
So that day, everyone left feeling shamed if they were wearing or had ever chosen to wear a jersey to church and heard nothing about how much God LOVED THEM? PS-don't think I am angry about this because P-Daddy and I were one of those people...we aren't the jersey type personally...but we were wearing jeans and apparently that is also not good enough either. Don't get me started. Maybe I wouldn't have been as angry if we hadn't already sat through an entire sermon on how birth control of any form is abortion. UGH! We need a new church.

Interesting that church talk was the longest paragraph...I guess we really do need to find a new place of worship.

I am making Rachel Ray's Shepherds Pie tonight for dinner...30 minutes my ass. But I don't care, I love to cook and if it takes me two hours I will be fine with it. Just sayin...no way its 30 minutes. Maybe if its pretty and delicious I will take a picture and share the recipe. I should do that more often...because people like looking at pretty food.

Thats all I got. Happy Hump Day!

Traveling with a Toddler 101

Lake Tahoe Christmas was our destination and surviving it (and finding time to enjoy it somewhere in there too) was our plan.

Here are the trip details...the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Left via US Airways Christmas Eve. Had two flights that day and an hour drive to final destination once we landed in Reno. The first flight was the longest. I would highly recommend this if you are traveling with a toddler and have to do two flights. US Airways was not accommodating to senior citizens or people traveling with children. I would not recommend. JD cried (rather screamed), I cried, it was the definite UGLY part of our trip. Side note: who knew SO MANY PEOPLE traveled on Christmas Eve? Every flight was jam packed!

"Not amused by the length of this flight mom"

Arrived in Lake Tahoe where GranBeck and Tracey were waiting for us at the airport. This was the first highlight of JD's trip as he loves GranBeck. We also arrived to beautiful snow capped mountains and a clear crisp day.

Drove through the beautiful mountains (and very safe roads I might add, which I appreciated) to get to our home that GranBeck's rented for the week. We arrived to a whole new world for JD and a lot of new family for all of us (JD's favorite being 4 year old cousin Alex who he is still talking about daily). Everyone was excited to be together, that was clear. We were excited we survived the first leg of travel safe and sound. We also asked and received for a rather stiff cocktail and appreciated our new family even more when they gave it to us! :)

Christmas was filled with lots of eating, presents, stockings, family, laughs...and a new one for us...gambling. HA! After JD went to sleep on Christmas night...mama and P-Daddy (and Uncle VP) could be found at one of the local Casinos. It was weird but fun at the same time. I think what I found most odd was how many people were there. I don't know...I just kind of felt like we were the odd ones for going to a casino on Christmas. Apparently my logic was off because everyone in Nevada seemed to be joining us.

The entire crew at Christmas dinner

GranBeck and JD Christmas morning

In the remaining time there we shared more laughs, decorated sweatshirts (in true GranBeck fashion), relaxed, sledded and gambled a bit more. Oh and JD slept like a CHAMPION. Call it baby stress from all the traveling, call it being 6300 feet above sea level, or being worn out by his new cousin Alex...we aren't sure but it was AWESOME! People we are talking 3 hour naps and 14-15 hours of sleep every night!

Uncle VP and JD chillin in the snow

We flew home on Southwest Airlines. JD has a peanut allergy and they are one of the few airlines that still serve peanuts as their free snack so this was an obvious worry of mine going into it. BUT I have to tell you they could not have been more accommodating and nice to us. We filled out the appropriate paperwork online when we booked our flight and when we checked in reminded them of this and were treated like royalty... not like we were putting them out. Which is interesting because we kind of were a pain in their rear because once you fill out that information they are flagged to take all peanuts off that plane and ask all passengers to not open anything containing peanuts that they may have brought onto the plane. They never once made us feel like this was an inconvenience.

Our first leg of the flight was again the longest and this time we went scream free. WOOHOO! We made several trips to the airline bathroom (as JD decided right before we left that going potty in a real potty was super fun), ate lots and lots of snacks, and listened to lots and lots of songs on mommies ipod which as a combination all worked! It was no less stressful because I was on edge that he was going to scream but he didn't and that made it one successful 4 hour flight.

We arrived in Chicago, Midway wayyyy past JD's bed time and had a stupidly long layover. Note to parents: when traveling with a toddler DO NOT FLY THROUGH CHICAGO MIDWAY. It seriously is one of the worst airports I have ever flown through. Way too crowded and the gates are not large enough to accommodate the amount of people.

In general it was a wonderful trip filled with lots of firsts and great fun. But I don't think we will be traveling with OUR toddler on a plane anytime soon. :)

Here are a few other items we found helpful...just in case you decide to travel with yours...


1. Children's Benadryl (specifically the "perfect measures")=does not make our son drowsy AT ALL. But as a side note (and before I get baraded about giving my 2 year old benadryl) this was mostly due to JD's peanut allergy and we were taking precautions before getting on an airplane that sold snacks with peanuts in them. Oh and I do hear that OTHER parents use Children's Benadryl for the purposes of drowsiness when they fly and I would have been TOTALLY okay with this happening to us too but, alas JD loves to defy all odds and so awake he was! :)

2. Lots of favorite snacks. For us this includes cheez-its, fruit snacks and dried fruit. We threw in some snack sized oreo's which were a HUGE hit because JD doesn't get sugary snacks that often and he loves "cookies."

3. Antibacterial wipes. This is especially important if you are traveling with a baby/toddler with a peanut allergy because you can wipe down the seats, windows, etc just in case there was anyone sitting there before that had peanuts. We were given this advice before we left and were grateful for it! And really, in the Swine Flu world we live in, this isn't a bad thing to do anyway I guess.

4. While in an airport, anything that moves such as the "people movers" (shown below) can keep a toddlers attention for quite some time. Would highly recommend. Helps pass the time for parents and toddlers very well. :)

5. IPOD with non children music. Yep, thats right our son loves rap music (Timbaland is his favorite) and this held his attention for a good 45 minutes on one of the legs of the flight.

6. Once at destination, if car travel is required of any distance other than 15 minutes, must stop at the nearest fast food place and pick up fries for cranky toddler who has already been traveling for too many hours to mention. This will buy you some time before a meltdown.

7. After arriving be sure to have another toddler or child there available to play with at all times. This one is HUGE and highly important if you would like to also get to enjoy yourself on said vacation.

JD, P-Daddy and Alex on Christmas Day

A Big Thank you to GranBecks for organizing this special trip...one we will remember forever!

TIVO TALK

A few things before I begin...
I agree that it is absolutely ridiculous that I haven't posted anything of substance since my New Years post.
I am having serious writers block when it comes to the recap of Lake Tahoe Christmas Vacation but promise its a blog in the backlog
I would be remiss if I didn't plug Shallow Thoughts here because she is not only a rock star in my eyes because she read a book a DAY in '09 AND blogged about that book EVERYDAY but now she has continued her blog but has added her thoughts on television. LOVE IT...and we are getting ready to talk about my Tivo, so this plug works!

Now onto the good stuff...

Notable items on my TIVO (and listed in order of importance...of course!):
How I Met Your Mother (Can you tell this one is still winning in my book?)
Modern Family
Desperate Housewives
Project Runway
The Good Wife
60 Minutes
Cougar Town
Shark Tank
Iron Chef America
American Idol

Its hard to believe that American Idol has fallen as low as it has...but its true. I would skip AI to view any of the other shows above it, any day! And you know why? I JUST don't think they are ever going to find another Carrie Underwood. Nope. Don't think they can do it. But THIS guy...well he is brilliant...



If you aren't watching Modern Family you are seriously missing out. And here is a PERFECT example:



The Good Wife was one I wasn't so sure about when it first started but now P-Daddy and I find ourselves glued to the TV when its on. Its nice because there is a different story line every week but on the back side there is an on going story line. And its based in Chicago...which I think I already mentioned in the last Tivo Talk...but apparently I find it that appealing. Just sick of every show being based in NYC.

60 Minutes, if you aren't already aware is (in our humble opinoin) one of the best news shows on television. I really don't watch a lot of news nor do I read a lot of news online or in print. I don't need a daily dose of depressing stories and lets be honest, the news thrives on it. But every Sunday I am sucked into every story on this amazing news show. Whether they are talking about elephants, the 2009 campaign, or the United States border patrol I am way into it! You can't beat Andy Rooney's take on life at the end either:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Shark Tank, if you don't know is a show where 5 unique investors (including but not limited to the guy who owns FUBU) sit on a panel and people bring their products to them. In bringing their products they are also asking for a certain dollar amount in exchange of giving up a portion of their company. Its sort of like a lame show that was on television a few summers back that was called "American Inventors" (that I am sad to say we watched), but because it involves investors its a bit different. All of the investors have HUGE ego's which makes the show (of course) that much more interesting...and lets be honest some people and their "inventions" are for sure TV worthy. This was my favorite company...and the video doesn't explain it but these guys invented a website where college students can upload (and sell) their notes from a class (within their College/University), the notes are proofed to make sure they are "worthy" and then other students can go and purchase those notes. Why didn't I think of this??



What is my TIVO missing?
LIFE, we Loved this show and frankly I am pissed that I will never know what happened.
Friday Night Lights, although I hear that this one will be returning this summer I was ready for it to come back now!
Alias...I know, I know this show as done years ago...but I still miss it

What my TIVO is adding?
The Deep End, begins this Thursday 1/21...below is the preview



I would be kidding you and you and YOU if I didn't also mention JD's TIVO list (in order of importance of course) because most days I feel like I watch more of whats on his TIVO list than whats on mine (within the half an hour he is allowed per day of course-HA!)
Handy Manny
Sesame Street
Imagination Movers (which used to creep me out because there are grown men in jumpsuits but now I know every song by heart...crap)
My Friends Tigger and Pooh



PS-If you were over my videos and didn't click on one of them, please appease me and go back and watch the Modern Family one...its worth your time I promise!!

New Year, New Name..

Yes that is right, we have a new name! The header is currently my work in progress...but it was time for Rhyme and Reason (which equals I never liked it to begin with) to go and for something fresh and new! If you have read this blog long...you can tell I kind of love change. And not to worry its not just on the internets...I have been known to rearrange in the whole house while P-Daddy is at work (I have freakishly weird woman strength). The blog name is no exception apparently. However...I didn't change our blog address this time...cause that was just silly before. :)

And yes, we do heart The Boss in this hood. And yes, we are totally naming our blog from his song Glory Days...cause you don't want to let em pass you by...Glory Days...in the wink of a young girls eye...okay I will stop. But now how fun is it that every time you visit this here blog you will sing that there song. Its awesome, we know.