Army of Mom

Marketing campaign: Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:28:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:31:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:50:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:12:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:39:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:38:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:11:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:07:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:44:00 +0000

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!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:20:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:53:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:05:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:08:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:15:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:02:00 +0000

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.

Officially Oinking

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Well, looks like the H1N1 (swine) flu has hit the AoM household. Pickle started feeling puny on Saturday. Then, this morning Hot Rod woke up feeling sick. AoD and I started feeling a bit achy with hacking coughs this morning and this afternoon Little Bit started coughing some.

Took the boys in and the doctor said he didn't see any reason to test to confirm, he felt they have the flu. Good news was that were not dehydrated (a big deal with Pickle's CAH) and it was not in their chests (good news with Hot Rod's asthma). But, because Pickle is high risk (and we're all in the family), he wanted to be aggressive and treat it with Tamiflu. He said if Little Bit started exhibiting symptoms (which she just has since we got home this evening with a small cough and 99.9 temp) ... to call him and he'll call in the Tamiflu for her.

On a bright note, Pickle's sensei said if he worked hard, Pickle could test for his brown belt this fall. That is a GIANT step for him as it is a three-hour comprehensive test in American karate. Met with Hot Rod's teacher today and he has tested at an 11th grade reading level. She said he wasn't just reading the words, but comprehending them, too! Amazing. Little Bit's teacher said she had mastered most of the first-grade things that they're expected to know by the middle of the first grade, so she's doing well, too. She said the music teacher told her today that she is one of only four first-graders selected to sing solos in the first grade performance in February, too.

So, there is some good with the bad. I was very excited to get an unexpected paycheck (had a magazine fold and leave me hanging for $1000 worth of work, but managed to sell one of my stories for $350), so I was planning to put some of that up for Christmas and some bills, but it will go toward the $160 worth of doctor's visits and Rx. I think I'll be calling in Tamiflu for Little Bit tomorrow. At least we had the money for all of this. That is a blessing. Go Vikings! Gotta hope they'll win tonight or AoD will REALLY be sick. :)

Oink Oink

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:16:00 +0000

Well, this appears to be the classic case of H1N1 for my Pickle.

What are the signs and symptoms of this virus in people?
The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever. Severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus

For more information on flu symptoms, the CDC has this site

As the World Turns

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:57:00 +0000

Well, this weekend would have been completely lovely, but the crud has finally arrived in the AoM household. Poor Pickle, my eldest (who has an immunodeficiency because of his birth defect, CAH) now has caught it. First symptoms were Saturday when we had a day trip to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. He started with a sore, scratchy throat, headache and coughing. By Saturday night, he was achy. Sunday morning brought the fever. And, yep, bright and early this morning brought the squirts from both ends. Poor fella. I keep holding my breath that it will pass by the little kids and us adults, too, for that matter. But, we were in a confined car with the kiddo for about four hours on Saturday, so I'm not holding my breath. Just going to work hard for the next few days in case I'm down with it. I promise to blog more about the park visit, because it was a lot of fun and a national treasure, for sure.

I had a big writing project last week and substituted two days, so I apologize for the lack of blogging. I have a feeling this week may be equally bad - especially with the crud lingering. Cross your fingers, say a prayer and/or do a dance for me, please.

Put Me In, Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Poor Hot Rod had a rough day on the mound today. Not much support in the field and he was wound up, so his control wasn't the best. He didn't pitch poorly, but he was getting flustered.

I like this picture. You can see the ball as it is about to get hit by his friend and former teammate.
He cracks me up with his tongue hanging out of his mouth on the mound and his new Manny Ramirez-style pants are going to take some getting used to. He asked for new pants because he didn't like the tight ones, so I got baggy and man, are they baggy.

Again with the tongue. But, I like this one with the ball in the top of the frame. We play two more games next week. Maybe some bounce back is required.

Girl Power!

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:41:00 +0000

The power of the pink helmet and pink Nike swooshes launched this massive drive *wink* and sent the little girl scurrying around the base path. She has such a good time playing. She's learning. This is her first season to play, so I figure it will take her a little while to get the hang of it, but she's picking it up slowly but surely. I love the crowd reaction. Everyone wants Little Bit to get on base. Unfortunately, she was out at third base. A teammate hit a line drive and the third baseman actually caught it. She was running and about three strides off base before she turned to run back and the kid was smart enough to double her up. Oh well, still exciting to see her get on base. She was very proud of herself and her game ball.

Two Million Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Love me or hate me, I may have 2 million hits to the blog by the end of the month.

My winning ticket

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:45:00 +0000

It must be real (rolling my eyes) when the email subject says "The-Big-Big-Lotto." No scams here.

I'm rich. *snickering*

Your e-mail address attached to Winning ticket number *I'm not going to give you my winning number* with Serial number BIG-************ and lucky numbers (**)****/****/**/** emerged as a winner of £500,000.00 GBP. Contact your processing officer, Mr Beham Cole with the details stated in the mail subject wtih the contact below:Mr Benham Cole ,Email: thebigbiglotto2009@gmail.com

Hee hee. Wouldn't it be nice if it were this easy? I mean, really this easy. *sigh*

Oh well, maybe I haven't won a half million pounds. But, maybe I can look into buying HaloScan for my comments so I can start tracking IPs and blocking the trolls. On second thought, I'm just going to do this the cheap way and enable the comment tracking. So, from here on out, I'm the dictator of Army of Mom. Yep, that's the winning ticket, on second thought. My time of open debates is now gone. I'm the emperor and if you care to tell me I'm wearing no clothes, no one will hear it but me. BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!

A Proverbs Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:56:00 +0000

I'm back from my cousin's funeral and it was a beautiful service. She was remembered for being the wonderful woman that she was. She was full of faith and happiness. I don't recall ever seeing her without a smile on her face.

She was lovely both inside and outside and her loss is profound. Watching her immediate family during the mass made me so sad for them. I grew up with her children, so while she was my cousin, she was much more like an aunt.

The two readings selected for the mass were so appropriate for her. The first was that of the Proverbs woman. This was so fitting for her. She raised four children, including a special needs child who is profoundly retarded among other disabilities. She loved that special child as much as her three healthy children. During the mass today, her special daughter began to laugh. Her caretakers ushered her out because it really wasn't appropriate timing, but I had to smile and think that my cousin had to be pleased to know her daughter was happy and oblivious to the sadness around her.

The other passage was Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

That was another good one for her. She was such a dear woman and I regret not making more time to be a part of her life. But, she was busy with her job, her children and grandchildren and I've been busy with my life, as well. I was curious and looked at our last email exchange, which was right after Little Bit's Nutcracker performance. I shared the video with her and this was her response:

She was adorable, and I can see why you loved it. (B's daughter) was and is our actress, and she never met a stage she didn’t like. Me—I can’t muster the courage to speak in front of more than 5 people! When she was in high school plays, I would get physically sick watching her, because I was nervous for her. Even though she wasn’t one bit nervous and absolutely loves being on stage, any stage. Glad (Army of Dad) got a job, looks like it’s going to get rough out there. My family is fine, Thanksgiving was our first major holiday without (B's sister-in-law - who passed away last year), and it was tearful, but good. Christmas will be tough, too. I hope your family’s Christmas is a blessed one. Say hello to your parents for me.

I saw cousins and aunts that I haven't seen for a few months, so that was nice to at least give them a hug. I didn't get to visit for very long because everyone was going different directions. One of my aunts, who still doesn't like me for whatever reason, recoiled when I tried to put my arm around her. Not sure why I keep trying, but that is just my personality, I suppose. As much as I say I hate people, I really don't. I try to exude love to all those around me and when it isn't returned, I'm usually at a loss.

I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now, to be honest. I'm grateful for my family and their good health and sad that it takes such a tragic loss for me to look around and take stock of my blessings.

Cowboys Release Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Finally, the Cowboys make a move they shoulda made years ago by releasing Jones.

Awww, if only. If only ...

Quality Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Army of Mom) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Occasionally, I look at children today and wonder where our future is going other than to hell in a handbasket. And, then, I encounter incredible kids on the baseball fields or at school and my faith is restored somewhat.

These two football stories will cause you to get out the tissues unless you're just heartless.

For instance, the Arkansas teen who had an open touchdown, but stopped at the 2-yard line because he didn't want to blow out the other team.

And, the freshman football team who could've had a shut out, but let the player with Down's Syndrome score a touchdown.

Yeah, that's what high school sports should be more about.

Today is going to be a tearjerker all day. My cousin's funeral is this morning. She was such a remarkable woman. I just feel so sad for her husband of 43 years, her children and her grandchildren.