Me and My Little Guy

This is Cubbie and I last fall, out for a little hike.

Yes, I know, I don’t post pictures of myself very often. But friends, you have to understand, due to my profession, I have to be careful. This week, not only was there a story in the news about a mi1itia group targeting police officers, but then there was the website I mentioned yesterday. I have to, at all times, keep not only my safety, but the safety of my family in mind.

I love being a mom blogger. I love meeting all of you. I love reading your blogs. But there are times that I second guess being so open about being a cop. Every once in awhile, I even consider taking this thing down for fear of the unknown. I post pictures of my kids. I write about my life. Yes, I don’t use my real name and I don’t say exactly where I live, but any internet savvy person could figure it out if they wanted to. Plus, I have to keep my department in mind too.

That being said, I am a Christian and God did not create me with a spirit of fear. Everything I do on this blog is from my heart and hopefully, with God’s blessing. I have found a wonderful community of online moms (and a few dads!) that I enjoy having read my blog and I enjoy reading theirs.

In the end, I guess I will just continue to walk a fine line of being careful what I post without being too paranoid. I love sharing my photos and stories and just plain goofy stuff sometimes! That’s just me :-)

Link up at:

and

“Mama Guilt Mondays” Meme

Why talk about "Mama Guilt," you ask? Because I think it’s good to share our Mama Guilt so we know we are not alone. We all struggle in this wonderful, chaotic, ever challenging thing called motherhood! See the MckLinky at the bottom of this post to link up.

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Here’s today’s optional prompt:

Picky Eaters: What Do YOU Do?

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Here’s mine:

Spaghetti O’s and condensed Chicken Noodle Soup.

I never thought I would give my kids such processed, canned foods. But over the past year, I have found myself buying them more and more. Talk about Mama Guilt. I know better! But come dinner time, if I’ve already tried giving Sprout five other good foods with no luck, and I don’t want him to go to bed without eating, what am I supposed to do?

That’s why, this past week, when Sprout asked to have a “tree” (broccoli) from DH’s plate, we were more than happy to oblige. Check this out:

     

Broccoli!

Sprout now asks for it on a regular basis! I am hoping this is finally a step in the right direction.

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Do YOU have any Mama Guilt on your mind today? Here’s what you do:

1. Blog about YOUR Mama Guilt, funny or serious. Using the prompt is optional.

2. Mention “Mama Guilt Mondays” in your post by putting a link back here or copy/paste the button into the HTML.

3. If you want, you can grab the MckLinky BlogHop code and paste it into your blog HTML, so others can join.

4. Enter the link for your post into the MckLinky.

Or share YOUR Mama Guilt in the comments below!

*Dads are welcome here too!

"Mama Guilt Mondays” Prompt: Picky Eaters

 

Here is tomorrow’s optional prompt, in case you’re not sure what Mama Guilt to share:

Picky Eaters: What Do YOU Do?

See ya back here tomorrow! The MckLinky will be up early!

A little history: Mama Guilt Mondays was one of the first blog posts I ever did. It stemmed out of the guilty feelings I get every Monday morning as I drive in to work. I miss my kiddos and the weekend we just spent together. I also wanted a place to share my struggles and challenges of being a mother. It’s so valuable for me to hear what other moms are dealing with too. So, I guess, in the end, Mama Guilt Mondays hopefully is a supportive place for moms to be real about motherhood!

My Boy Got His License!

A little recap of my week:

1. *Warning* Quite possibly the worst picture ever taken of Sprout! (He was a tad bit cranky on picture day.)

Yes, my darling little 3 1/2 year old proudly came home with his preschool driver's license yesterday. I bet you didn’t even know there was such a thing! (Neither did I.) Sprout wouldn’t let it leave his hand and I actually just put him to bed with it firmly in his grasp.

2. DH convinced me he needed better tires on his truck. So he sold these perfectly good ones on Craigslist:

 

to get these ones:

Me: “Um, Honey, they look the same.”

DH: “No, look at the tread!”

 

Me: “Well, I guess they look…manly?”

DH: “They’re C rated all-terrains!”

 

Yeah, ok, whatever babe. You’re paying for them out of YOUR envelope (and I don’t think Dave Ramsey would approve!)

(Can you believe I just showed tire treads on my blog? You never know what crazy stuff you’re in for when you come here, huh? :-)

3. Now it’s time for something pretty, flowery, and girly! I won this adorable bag from Borsa Bella Bags thanks to Working Mommy’s giveaway!

I’m so thankful!

Happy Friday! What was the highlight of YOUR week?

Link up at:

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Before and After

This is a straight out of the camera shot of my DH and the boys from last fall. Not bad, right? Take a second look at the horizon. Do you see something…um, crooked?

 

Here’s my first edited version. I rotated the picture slightly, cropped it, and upped the color a bit. But, I lost the clouds!

 

So here I barely tweaked the color so I could keep the clouds.

 

Then, I tried black and white. I used Creative Memories Memory Manager 3.0 for editing.

Which photo do YOU like best?

To check out more Before and After pics, head over to:

My Baby Boy

 

Linked to: 5 Minutes for Mom

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Counting Calories Made Easy: MyNetDiary

I have been struggling to lose my last ten pounds of baby weight. Considering Cubbie is now 21 months old, I knew I needed to get serious about what I eat.

The hard part – tracking those calories! Let’s be honest, pulling out a pen and paper every time you put a morsel of food in your mouth is not exactly realistic. That’s why I am so excited to tell you about MyNetDiary:

.

It’s an online food diary where you can track your calories and activity.

The best part for me, it has a Blackberry App! (iPhone App too.)That means I can log what I eat on my phone right after a meal.

Here are the highlights:

1. Food entries: MyNetDiary instantly and intelligently searches while you type. You can enter foods 2-3 times faster than with any other app. MyNetDiary remembers your food choices, so the next time you only need to type in the first few letters to find it.

2. Food Database: With over 86,000 food listings, I have yet to manually enter in a food label. I even found organic brand names.

3. Log Your Calories Anywhere - Online or Mobile: When you’re out and about, use your smartphone. Once home, you can go online and analyze your diet, view reports, or download Excel files from the comfort of a large screen and keyboard.

Interested? Head over to MyNetDiary, browse their website, and see if their tools are right for you.

Disclosure: I received a free six month membership to MyNetDiary. I was not paid for this post. This is just my honest opinion after trying out their product.

This post is linked with permission from Kim at Mom Tried It to “Try and Tell Tuesday”

“Mama Guilt Mondays” Meme

Why talk about "Mama Guilt," you ask? Because I think it’s good to share our Mama Guilt so we know we are not alone. We all struggle in this wonderful, chaotic, ever challenging thing called motherhood! See the MckLinky at the bottom of this post to link up.

* * * * * *

Here’s today’s optional prompt:

Tell us about a time you did something absent minded as a Mom!

* * * * * *

Here’s mine:

Friday afternoon, just as I was about to leave work, a Commander came in my office. He needed to discuss details of a case…for the next HOUR! I finally logged off my computer and started gathering my things, hinting that I needed to leave. He finally got it when I put my jacket on. I bolted out the door and into the parking lot because I had to get to our day care before it closed.

As I drove away from work, I kept replaying the Commander’s words and what I’m going to do next in my investigation. Suddenly, I realized I had missed the turn for the day care! And not just by a little bit, but by a quarter of a mile! I had to get off the busy highway, turn around, and head back.

Luckily, I made it before my provider closed, but still! Talk about Mama Guilt! I have to admit, sometimes I have trouble turning work off even after I leave HQ.

* * * * * *

Do YOU have any Mama Guilt on your mind today? Here’s what you do:

1. Blog about YOUR Mama Guilt, funny or serious. Using the prompt is optional.

2. Mention “Mama Guilt Mondays” in your post by putting a link back here or copy/paste the new button into the HTML.

3. If you want, you can grab the MckLinky BlogHop code and paste it into your blog HTML, so others can join.

4. Enter the link for your post into the MckLinky.

Or share YOUR Mama Guilt in the comments below!

*Dads are welcome here too!

Mama Guilt Mondays: New Button and Prompt!

 

How fun! Mama Guilt Mondays now has a button! Just copy and paste the code from my upper right sidebar into the HTML of your post.

Also, there’s now going to be an optional prompt, in case you’re not sure what Mama Guilt to share. Here’s tomorrow’s prompt:

Tell us about a time you did something absent minded as a Mom!

See ya back here tomorrow! The MckLinky will be up early!

A little history: Mama Guilt Mondays was one of the first blog posts I ever did. It stemmed out of the guilty feelings I get every Monday morning as I drive in to work. I miss my kiddos and the weekend we just spent together. I also wanted a place to share my struggles and challenges of being a mother. It’s so valuable for me to hear what other moms are dealing with too. So, I guess, in the end, Mama Guilt Mondays hopefully is a supportive place for moms to be real about motherhood!

I Once Guarded Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Yes, it’s true! And why am I telling you this?

Because it's time for:

Here we go...

1. Have you ever had a celeb sighting?

Yes, in 1995, Mr. Schwarzenegger visited a large mall in another town where, before I was a cop, I was a security guard there. And guess who they picked to be his body guard for his visit? Yep, lil’ ole 5’0 me!!! (Well, along with 3 other security guards, his own personal guard, and his entire entourage.)

He was very polite and respectful and greeted people as they stopped him along the way. At one point, a lady approached him in a department store, child sized shoe box in hand, little boy in tow. Mr. Schwarzenegger immediately offered to buy the shoes for her son. The lady said, “Oh, no thanks, I’ve already paid for them, I just want you to sign the box.” And he did!

2. What temperature do you keep your house? Ha ha ha, this is always a point of contention in my house. I’m a freeze baby, but DH actually sees the heating/AC bill, so he gets his way.

3. Do you notice dust at other peoples homes? No because mine is probably worse!

4. What's the worst job you ever had? You mean, other than my current assignment??? Just kidding, but seriously my case load is insane right now!

5. What is your most sentimental possession? Baby pictures of my boys and our wedding photos.

So hop on over to Mama M’s and link up too!

Happy Friday, everyone! Any big weekend plans for YOU???

Friday Follow!

Isn’t it fun meeting new bloggers! Thanks for stopping by.

Leave me a comment so I can link back and follow you too!

Join in over at One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades!

Just click on the button below:

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Breakfast

I kneel in the booth

Devouring pancakes with too much syrup

As my drunken mom and slurred step-dad

Laugh too loud

At their friend’s stupid jokes

That aren’t even funny

Or maybe I just don’t get it

The night started out at the dive bar near our trailer house

In the country

Then on to the more lively, loud juke box playing bar

In town

And now here, the local truck stop

Open 24 hours

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Author’s note: I was about 8 or 9 at the time. I always debate writing about heavier stuff, but in the end, what I learned from my mom's drinking has made me a better mom today.

This is linked to the prompt, “Breakfast” at Theme Thursday.

Plant Those Seeds!

It’s seed starting time!

Last year was our first time attempting a vegetable garden. It was a bit of trial and error, but the fresh lettuce and crisp green beans were worth it!

Sprout was so excited to help Daddy drop the teeny tiny seeds into the little compartments.

 

He did a great job! And DH did a good job being patient with him!

 

This one I couldn’t resist but have in color! Now I just hope they actually LOOK like this! :-)

Do YOU plant a vegetable garden? If so, what are YOUR favorites???

Link up at:

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