Their hearts have mine

Sometimes I like to see what I was writing one year ago. This one is worthy of a revival from the archives. I still listen to them at night. They continue to have many perfect moments. My girl LOVES her Daddy!
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I am eavesdropping, creeping softly to peek through the cracked door. The room is dim, lit only by the glow of a princess nightlight. My little girl, growing bigger very day, is quiet. Her head rests on Daddy's chest and his fingers gently comb her soft waves of hair.

Mayer & Sandberg: Hurting working moms?

Wow, here is a great conversation-starter. A new opinion column about working women and the effects from two top female C-suite leaders. Are they selling guilt?

Click HERE to read The New Mommy Wars

What do you think?

Knock on my door...

(A bit busy this week... enjoy this one from my archives!)
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If you knock on my door unexpectedly, I cannot promise you will see this family's best. Sweatshirts, no makeup, and toussled hair from playtime would be more likely.

If you come inside, I cannot promise you won't step on stray toys.

#WW: Princesses make good students

Playing teacher with the Disney Princess "Barbies". They are so attentive!

Costumes from #DisneyOZ

I had a brief stint in the costume and scenery department for the theater while in college. I learned a few tricks with some power tools and a sewing machine. I cut some pieces of wood, painted some backdrops, and sewed very mediocre peasant attire.

Circus recap! (once we finally made it) #RBBBATL

Thanks to four events happening in the same location of Atlanta at the same time, our excitement of going to the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey circus: Dragons was quickly turned into stress and frustration. Traffic was the worst I have ever seen! (And I've been here since 1999.) Every street was at a standstill. Our usual 30-minute ride to the city ended up taking almost two solid hours. We were charged 3x the usual cost for parking, and ended up being 45 minutes late for the show. Ooops!

Kid-friendly in the city: Some tips for family fun in Atlanta, GA

The Atlanta Convention and Visitor's Bureau organized a blogger meet-and-greet last weekend and I was lucky enough to score an invite for my little family of three. We browsed information on and conversed with representatives of various Atlanta attractions. I thought I already knew all there was to know about Atlanta's fun spots, but even I learned a new trick or two.

The new international terminal welcomes the entire world to the ATL

Visiting Atlanta with children? What to do:

Dry! Now there's a good idea

I am a "stresser". I get stressed. And when I stress, I sweat. As a teen, I felt completely embarrassed by this on more than one occasion. I remember stuffing tissues in the armpits of my shirt and unfortunately, I also remember the tissue falling out at an inopportune time. Not cool.

I have tried just about any brand on the market in my battle against stress sweat - even men's products! I now use the Clinical Strength antiperspirants on the market and really like them. However, I don't like their prices. Eight bucks hurts a bit when all the other products on the shelf are half the price.

#WW: A healthy fruit dessert

I have been calorie tracking for many months now. I lost eleven pounds in the first few months, and now I am tracking to ensure I keep it off.

I have a major sweet tooth, so desserts are my weakness. Lately I have been adding some gooey caramel goodness to fresh fruit - this week it's raspberries and banana with Smucker's fat free caramel topping. (If you have a batch of pretty tart raspberries, I suggest a sprinkle of Splenda as well.) Depending on my caloric intake for the day, I also add a few Vanilla Wafer cookies for the perfect sweet and crunchy compliment. 

Chocolate sauce over strawberries is another favorite - atop angel food cake if I'm a really good girl. Mmmm.

Mommy & Me: Fun family photo idea!

Do you like fun "personality shots" of your family? We got this one by accident, but what a great idea for a portrait photographer! Take the family to the playground. Get Mom and Dad involved in the play. Smile at each other.

Boom... adorable photo!

Never fear - More Muppets are near!

Okay, so maybe not really "near". You have to wait 13 months. 

THE MUPPETS…AGAIN! releases in theaters on March 21, 2014!

#WW: You go girl!

Amelia begins her first ever soccer practice/games in a couple weeks. Her new uniforms arrived last week!

Strabismus that just won't quit

Ugh... Amelia's eye issues will continue for a while.

After now three eye muscle surgeries, we got word yesterday that she still has a fairly significant eye turn. We are not able to step off this path yet. One year has passed since surgery #1, and we are tired and discouraged.