Army of Mom

Happy National Ammo Day

2009-11-19T07:07:00.001-06:00

Go to the store and celebrate National Ammo Day. If we don't make it to the store today, we'll do it this weekend.

Nobody told me there'd be days like these

2009-11-16T20:45:00.004-06:00

Strange days, indeed. Most peculiar, momma.

Hey, lookit guys ... I'm over 2 million hits now. I sort of missed it with all that is going on in my life.

But, that's sort of cool. Just blogging about 4.5 years (give or take) and little ole Army of Mom reached 2 million hits. Groovy.

Had a weird kind of day. Hot Rod went to the doctor and got the official asthma diagnosis. Made my heart ache for him. *shrug* He's fine; no inhaler or anything. But, still makes me sad. Just an extra challenge for him in life. Pickle has been fighting many in his 15+ years. I just hate to see another of my kids have a struggle. One is plenty.

*sigh*

Then, total randomness - get a call from a casting company wanting to talk to Hot Rod about being on a kids' game show. *shaking my head* He was nominated for his perfect TAKS score last year. Weird, huh? We'll see if he makes it.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

2009-11-15T12:52:00.003-06:00

I always loved this song, but I remember being puzzled by the video. I always thought Bonnie Tyler must have had a bit of a cougar/Mary Kay LeTourneau thing going on her Total Eclipse of the Heart video. But, I really love the literal version that V the K posted. Go have a giggle. Don't be drinking anything, though, or you'll spit all over your monitor and keyboard. No one wants to see that.

Its smiling at us

2009-11-14T16:41:00.003-06:00

Ok, so it isn't as bad as the Christmas dinner goose from "A Christmas Story" but it certainly looks like a happy duck being choked by the 10-year-old in this first image. Actually, it is a wood duck shot by Army of Dad this morning.

Hot Rod went hunting with him. Maybe next year he'll get to do some shooting after a hunter safety course. For now, he's just helping dad out.

Little Bit couldn't be left out of the fun, though.

Those are some proud fellas. AoD used a shotgun that belonged to his grandpa.

And, the pretty little ducks before they were prepped for Sunday supper. Their feathers were very soft.

And, another of the proud boy with both ducks.

Mean Green Mark 1,000 Wins

2009-11-13T22:06:00.002-06:00

The awesome Mean Green men's basketball team earned its 1,000th victory tonight with 80-62 win over Cameron. Pretty awesome.

And, of course, Collin Mangrum looks good while playing. Oh yeah, his play is pretty good, too. My videography? Not so much. But, I'm trying.

I tried to get just a few clips of the beauty in motion. :) Now, I have to wait until Nov. 24 for the next game to attend. *sigh* We can't go to the UTA game next week. Oh well, they'll just have to win without us. :)

I spared you the hippie pics

2009-11-13T17:09:00.003-06:00

Unless, of course, you want to see the hippie pictures. I didn't post any of them here. I got a couple of winners, too. These pics are from the Muir Woods. These are the redwoods in this part of California. Gorgeous.

And, the view from the mountain above Muir Woods, where we got lost when we missed our turn.

Mom and I looking down on San Francisco.

Sunrise over the Bay.

The penguins at the Puma store in Union Station.

Welcome to the Hotel California.

Cute sleeping sea lion at Pier 39. They were fun to watch.

They were pretty smelly, though.

Mom with Alcatraz behind her. I didn't know she wanted to go until the evening before we left. By that time, it was too late to get tickets and a ferry.

Mom, me and SpongeBob. I couldn't talk her into taking the SpongeBob 4D ride.

Mom and I dining for lunch in Chinatown. Not a single tourist in there but us. The food was plentiful, tasty and uber-cheap.

My friends and colleagues out in San Francisco to celebrate my birthday. The staff sang Happy Birthday to me. Afterwards, we walked to an Irish pub and closed the place down. The house band sang to me, too.

Separated at birth?

2009-11-13T16:49:00.003-06:00

Can you pick which one is Oprah's boyfriend and which is our attorney general? I didn't think so.

Mean Green BB

2009-11-12T16:30:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year - yep, the Mean Green men's basketball teams back in the Super Pit. And, for the first time in a couple of years, my favorite player is healthy and was back on the court last night.

I missed the steal when I was trying to video, but got the two points he scored as a result of it.

Lots of hustle.

Sinking two free throws.

And, for the first time ever, we are now Mean Green season ticket holders. I'm very excited.

And, I saved the best for last. Check out Hot Rod the dancing sweeper! I think those are Michael Jackson moves there.

Happy Veterans' Day!

2009-11-11T08:19:00.002-06:00

Happy Veterans' Day to my favorite veteran, Army of Dad (on the left) as seen outside our apartment near Fort Hood circa 1997. This was his best buddy, who is some sort of NCO now. Not sure of his rank any more. Many thanks to all the vets we know and love and those we don't. AoD has a cousin, who is a Ranger, and many other relatives and friends serving. God bless each of you and your families!

I left my heart

2009-11-07T07:41:00.004-06:00

I did leave my heart somewhere, but it is back in Texas - not in San Francisco. I'm missing my honey and my kids as I mark my 41st birthday in The City (as the locals call it). I serve on the board for a professional non-profit and we're having our annual board meeting in SF this weekend. I came out a little early on Thursday and ran into two colleagues who were here for meetings that had been cancelled.

So, I got the luxury of a tour guide. The fella there came from Cleveland, but he lived in SF years ago. So, he rented a car and showed us around all the touristy spots that I wanted to see. The gal is actually from my DFW Chapter of the non-profit. So, we had lunch in Fisherman's Wharf and I got to ride down the crookedest street in the world, too. All in all a great day of site-seeing. Friday I had a digital media symposium and learned some new stuff for work. Supper last night at the Elephant Bar with some of the ladies in the group, too. That was nice.

I also got to meet Ken from the Fifth String on the Banjo of Life and formerly It Comes in Pints blog. Always nice to meet people you've read for years online and see if they're anything like you imagined them to be. Today I'll celebrate my birthday with a non-stop board meeting from 9-5, but I think my colleagues are planning to take me out on the town tonight. Can't wait.

Marketing campaign: Fail

2009-11-01T20:28:00.002-06:00

Email subject reads: "Happy Birthday BBW! Special Offer Inside!"

I know better, but upon first read, I'm thinking that Bath & Body Works is calling me a big, beautiful woman (i.e. BBW) and wishing me a happy birthday (as mine is coming up on Saturday). What they really mean is that the company is marking its birthday. Oops. Don't send that to a chubby gal!

How 'bout them Cowboys?

2009-11-01T18:31:00.005-06:00

Faux Jason Witten and Faux Tony Romo were still pretty cute, even if they weren't the real things. This Romo had some tasty chocolate brown eyes. *hubba hubba* The Witten-wannabe also told some drunk Seahawks fan to leave me alone, too. Gotta love it. Hat tip to AoD for spotting them for me. :)

Us at Jerry World. Some very nice Seahawks fan took the pic for us.
This was my camera's max zoom on Romo from our seats. We didn't have ushers up in the nosebleeds, we had sherpas.
Roy Williams looks like some massive giant on the jumbotron.

And, another example of the view from our seats. I had to make myself watch the game and not the giant TV right in front of me. :) It was cool for replays, especially. More cool angles of the stadium. I really like the design.

This view was from inside the stadium. Beautiful arches are both neat architectural features and stabilizers for the structure. All in all, an incredible day. Cowboys won 38-17. I had never seen the Seahawks in person before either, so that was cool. Many thanks to AoD for scoring the seats from his workplace. :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:50:00.003-05:00

We were supposed to go to a friend's house for Halloween tonight, but I am still recuperating from an awful case of food poisoning. I spent all of the overnight hours yakking and sleeping while hugging the toilet. It was pretty horrendous. So, I've been a homebody today. Army of Dad and Pickle (i.e. Link from the Legend of Zelda) took Mario and Tinkerbell trick-or-treating tonight. I sat on the couch with a book and my witch's hat and doled out candy to the few trick-or-treaters who came by. All in all, not a bad evening. Kids cleaned up on the candy. Me? Still feeling poorly, but at least I feel human today. Sunday? Army of Dad scored tickets to the Cowboys game at JerryWorld. I can't wait. Feeling puny or not ... I'm going with my Romo jersey on. Can't wait!

What's that glow? Oh, AoM's blushing

2009-10-30T17:12:00.004-05:00

I knew it would probably happen at some point this coming UNT Mean Green men's basketball season, but the dreaded moment came Thursday night. Yep, I had to come face-to-face with the smokin' hot Collin Mangrum (whom I've watched lustily) since he was a freshman. First time Army of Dad saw Collin warming up, he elbowed me and smiled. Then, with my face flushing, he said "you're welcome." I just grinned and asked him how he knew I'd appreciate that view and he just chuckled with a response indicating that he knows what I like to look at. He was right.

So, for the past few years, I've been drooling over the poor Mangrum boy. Well, I got busted. Someone alerted his momma that I was lusting after her sweet boy via the blog. So, obviously Collin now knows that I sit a few rows up in the Super Pit with a nice warm fuzzy feeling in my chest every time he's warming up. Or sitting down. Or ... well, you get the point.

*sigh*

Well, it isn't often that I blush, but when I found out his mom was reading the blog and Collin learned of my (now, not-so-secret) crush ... well, then the blushing started in full force. Fortunately, his mom was good-natured about it and not offended. Even knowing that, I was horribly embarrassed at every game after that. His mom invited us to go down to meet Collin and talk with his family after the last few games of the season, but I was so mortified, I couldn't do it. I was just too embarrassed to face Collin.

Last night, however, there was no way to avoid talking to him. He had this look on his face that is hard to explain. He recognized us. That alone was enough to make me want to crawl under a table. The only real explanation I can think of to describe his expression was amusement. I think he knew I was totally flustered and he was trying not to laugh. He was very polite and asked if we planned to go to the games this season. Told him we planned to get season tickets and he asked where we'd be sitting. Told him we'd be in our regular seats in the corner near the players because we liked to razz the officials. And, he said Army of Dad's taunts cracked him up. So, we were glad to know the guys were amused and not irritated by it.

So, I finally had to face him and I didn't die. But, a day later I'm still flustered and blushing.
But, I dealed. Even got a pic of the kids with (L to R) Eric Tramiel, George Odufuwa, Dominque Johnson, Collin Mangrum and Josh White. Go Mean Green!

A treasured gift

2009-10-28T21:39:00.002-05:00

I got an offer from Keepsakes Etc., an e-commerce site that features throw blankets and wall tapestries. The offer was a free holiday blanket in exchange for a few plugs for the business.

Easy enough. Shhh, don't tell, but Little Bit is going to get a personalized Nutcracker throw blanket. It is quite lovely and she's going to be so excited. What a really neat Christmas gift under the tree on Christmas Day. I know it will be a treasured gift.

Simply Bags has some neat purses, laptop bags, etc. that can be personalized for a nice gift, too. There are a wide variety of specialized blankets from collegiate fleece to military themes among many others at Keepsakes Etc. main page. The Christmas throws page has many holiday themes including the Nutcracker one that we got for Little Bit.

I'm really excited about it. A great gift idea for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life. And maybe even the easy ones. A good gift for a college student for sure!

Art?

2009-10-23T10:38:00.002-05:00

Is it me or is this the ugliest sculpture you've ever seen? This is titled "Pegafish" and is in one of the posh downtown Dallas office buildings. It just made my eyes hurt looking at it. And to think someone got paid to create that AND it is on display.

C'mon Angels

2009-10-23T08:11:00.002-05:00

In my best "Bench Warmers" voice: Not a fan!

The Angels are about third or fourth down on my list of most liked baseball teams, so I don't mind rooting for them. I had some fondness for them when I lived in Midland and the Midland Angels were their AA affiliate.

So, c'mon Halos! Beat down the Wankers!

I'm on a Boat

2009-10-21T21:07:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I'm not on a boat anymore ... but I was thinking I ought to keep on sharing these pics. And, after bailing water out of my backyard tonight (for about 90 minutes, I pushed water out the gate with the help of AoD and Hot Rod) ... it reminded me of all the water while I was on the boat.

Ok, I was a little giddy one morning and enjoyed my reflection in the table.

The sunset was beautiful.
We bought one picture, but damn, they're so expensive. I just decided to snap a quick pic when I saw 'em. And, I saw this one and couldn't stop giggling. All that dude needs is a biscuit to sop up that smelly pirate hooker.

And, the mariachi trying to get the little girl to smile is hilarious, too.

Not to be left out of the fun, Army of Dad was ready with his goofy pose, too.

And, these just made me giggle. Check out the little mariachi at the bottom of the pictures. On me: wow, check out the size of that gringa's ass! And, on AoD: check out the size of that dude's junk! *snickering* AoD noticed that the mariachi has a bigger smile in my picture than in the one with him. I would certainly hope so.

The Working World

2009-10-20T22:44:00.002-05:00

After more than five years of working outside the home, I'm getting back in the swing of the working thing. Fortunately, I can work around the kids' schedules some. But, it is taking some getting used to again.

I'm having some success in making contacts, but this is going to be hard. But, then again, anything worth having is difficult. I know when I first transitioned to working from home, it took me a while to get into a rhythm. So, I'm sure it will get easier with time.

The whole blogging thing is getting shoved to the backburner for a while unfortunately. This is pretty time consuming and I want to do a good job.

I got the job!!!

2009-10-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of details right now, but I got the job!

*doing the dance of love*

I got the job! I got the job! I got the job!

Blogger in absentia

2009-10-15T16:53:00.002-05:00

Yeah, Yeah, I know ... I said I'd start blogging more.

I lied.

Sorry about that. I have had a most eventful week. As a freelancer, I have two regular steady gigs that pay me a set amount of money each month that I can count on. The other jobs all fluctuate and can't be depended upon. Some months, I may pick up $2000 in extra gigs, other months it may be only $250. So, my steady jobs are something I depend on.

Well, the writing has been on the wall for a while. One of them - I marked four years writing for them this month - has been cutting staff for the past year. In that time, they reduced from about 18 full-time staff and a dozen freelancers to two editors and three freelance writers. I managed to make the cut each time.

Then, the other shoe fell and I got word that they would be closing shop at the end of this month. And yeah, I got the news on Tuesday. *sigh*

So, I madly started emailing editors asking for more work to supplement this loss in income. Told the school that I'd start subbing more, too. SO, I have three subbing jobs lined up at the end of this month and more assignments than you can shake a laptop at.

On Tuesday when I got the news about the magazine closing, I was devastated and dumbfounded. I was trying not to panic and think logically about the next steps I should take. Then, less than an hour later, I get a call out of the blue asking me if I'd be interested in launching a new online publication in the Dallas area. I would have to cover events and people, but I could still do it all from home without having to set up shop somewhere and make the 8-5 mad commute.

Would I be interested? Uh, yeah. Full-time pay with benefits, too. So, I've been giddy with excitement at the prospect. Today, I have an audition and if I pass, I'll get a one-month provisional hire. If I pass that, then I will be hired.

What a concept to have a regular paycheck and not have to rob Peter to pay Paul. I'll keep you informed. My blog posting couldn't be any less sporadic even if I take on a full-time job. Heck, I might blog more. :)

Happy Birthday Little Bit!

2009-10-12T05:05:00.003-05:00

Today, my little sweetheart turns 7. We had a party at the park for her today with just a small group of friends and she had a ball.

She had daddy swinging her and struck a pose with the girls.

Whacked a pinata.

And whacked it again.

Gathered pinata innards.

With great emotion.

Decorated goody bags.

And, played with bubbles. How much better could it get? Oh yeah, a sleepover with her best friend. What a great night. Today? We're going to the zoo.

Happy Anniversary

2009-10-07T09:08:00.003-05:00

If you come to the blog enough, you'll occasionally see comments from Blessed-with-3. That's my sister-in-law and she's one of my bestest friends in the world. It may be a good thing she lives in Indiana or I'd be a bad influence on her. :) She's one of the most incredible women I've ever met. So, just by association, her husband must be pretty damn incredible, too. They are celebrating their 20th anniversary today. Yep, she was a child bride apparently. In an email exchange last night, she told me "Our little hometown of 2,000 had some nice guys but I still can't believe I am lucky enough to have caught (dear husband's) eye. :)" How sweet is that?

Congratulations to both of you. The world is a better place because of you and your three children are the ones who are blessed. Have a great day!

We're coming, Spankees

2009-10-07T07:15:00.003-05:00

My happy Twins fans back in July 2006 at the Metrodome. They were sick last night, but still watching a great ballgame with the desired outcome. In between hacking coughs, there was a combination of cheering and yelling. What a great game. Can't wait to take on the Spankees. Git 'er done!

I don't like spiders & snakes

2009-10-06T18:02:00.003-05:00

That old Jim Stafford song was a favorite of mine growing up. My daddy used to sing it to me. Of course, my children love spiders, snakes, frogs and toads. The kids were checking out the live exhibits at the Travertine Nature Center at Chickasaw National Recreation Area when a park ranger came over and pulled out critters to show them.

Hot Rod got to wear this little frog. It started out on his arm and climbed up and around his back.

This toad liked to have its head rubbed, as the park ranger demonstrated. It would close its eyes and look all relaxed.

Pickle even got in on the action. He's never been much of a frog-handler like his brother and sister.

The king snake was the hit of the handling, though. Little Bit was in heaven. The snake even tried to slither up her sleeve to hide. I jumped about three inches when I saw it trying to go up her shirt. Still have a house full of sickies. Little Bit seems to have escaped it and I just have a mild case of bronchitis, I think. Army of Dad has something that seems like the flu (he didn't get a flu shot this year either). Pickle seems to be on the mend, but he's been sick since Saturday. Hot Rod may have peaked his sickness. No fever in the kids today, thankfully. Not the same can be said for Army of Dad.