Halloween 2009

Go Tigers!

Be Proud To Be Out Of Your Mind and Out Of Control and One More Time Loud As You Can, How Does It Go?

Oh, free time, why do you elude me? Why must you avoid me? Where do you go? I used to spend hours in front of the tv, night after night John and I would have what I would consider a date now, Amazing Race on Sundays, Dancing With The Stars on Mondays, Survivor, The Office and Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays, throw some House in there, some How I met Your Mother and a CSI NY or two and you could round out our weeks. I can't remember when I had the time to change a light bulb, scoop the kitty litter, or get pictures developed. I guess it hit me tonight when I realized I have to give the car back on Friday. What? I had all these ideas swimming in my head of videos and blog posts, and ways to promote and I feel like I've only done the bare minimum. I had this BRILLIANT idea to get John and Chuck to learn this choreography



in front of the car, even had Chuck bribed with wine, but John backed out. I had an idea to have the marching band learn the dance, or play their instruments in the car. I have a video half done that pertains to work, I have a video completely in my head that requires more video editing than I know, but I'm still going to try...

I looked back a year ago on this blog where I told you I was pregnant and I was worried that we would have no money and no time for each other and man did I call that one. We had a date on October 30th (thank you Amanda and family), but that seems like light years away. We have started calling each other on our cell phone on our way to work in the morning to catch up. How pathetic is that?

I'm going to be on Great Day St. Louis tomorrow, and I'm so excited I hope I can sleep tonight. Wouldn't matter anyway because we have started sleep training Charlotte and what I remembered was after we sleep trained Cecilia we all slept better and I stopped feeding her in the middle of the night. What I forgot was that it takes days, I mean nights, hours and hours of up in the middle of the night soothing her without picking her up, listening to her cry (oh gosh so sad.) We're all exhausted over here. Maybe I need Visine for tomorrow's tv appearance. It's only supposed to be 3 or 4 minutes and we all know how fickle tv can be, but I bought a new top anyway. I originally bought this

but John said it wouldn't work so we bought something else tonight.

Don't think for a minute that I'm complaining that I have kids or that all this leads to that, not in the least. Last night Charlotte rolled over from her back to her belly and I told the babysitter about it this morning and she said she did it yesterday too. What!?! I missed the very first roll over from back to front? I cried when I got to the car. How am I missing all this? How am I paying someone else to do what comes so naturally and feels so right?

It's time for bed. It's only 9:52 p.m., but it feels like 11:30 p.m. Wish me luck on the tv tomorrow. Then I have to head back to work tomorrow afternoon. Gah. Even though I had Friday off and had a nice time in Chicago, I'm already in need of another vacation.
Or at the very least some Calgon.

Forever Young

my little butterball

My cousin's wife Anne in Chicago is a professional photographer and when we met up with everyone on Saturday at The Morton Arboretum she snapped these gorgeous photos of the girls. I'm pretty sure these deserve a permanent place in my home.

I Don't Want To Come Back Down From This Cloud

My two girls

Blogging from Chicago

This is John's last Saturday of work for awhile, and I took the girls to Chicago to visit Aunt Linda and Uncle Ken, or as the girls refer to them as "Mimi" and "Papa." We're having a great time, many more pictures to come.

Have You Seen This One Yet?

Untitled from Elaine Mooney on Vimeo.

August 1977

Here's me at 22 months.

Who's idea was it to do this again? It's only the 4th day and I'm already feeling burdened.

Welcome to My World... Good Times

Sleepy Baby

happy baby!

Julia Child's Potato and Leek Soup

I've made it twice already-

5 ingredients, potatoes, leeks, salt, water and cream (garnish with chives.) So, so yummy and easy.

I Might Be a Little Biased, But...

have you ever seen anything more beautiful? (besides Charlotte, of course.)

Somewhere in Middle America

Dad and I went to Wisconsin last week and bought 12,000 pounds of cranberries to ferment for next years Cranberry wine and Mary let me put on her hip boots and get in the bog. Have I told you how beautiful Wisconsin is in the fall? Every year I fall more in love with a state that I would have always guessed is just like Missouri. Those coastal state people don't know what they're missing about the middle part of our nation. Shh, don't tell them, it's our little secret.

Guess I won't forget that anytime soon.

I Remember When I Lost My Mind

I made this video for the Mommy Madness website, but I'm not exactly sure how to get it to show up over there, and it's possible I am so technically challenged I can't even seem to properly email the IT guy to ask what I'm doing wrong over there. I do know how to post it over here, and so I will.

Becky steals the show much like Neil Patrick Harris steals the show on How I Met Your Mother.

Had the sunroof open today in that car, so awe-wait-for-it---some. =)

Have you test driven the Chevy Equinox or Traverse yet? What do you think? Did you get your free massage? Again, awesome. Totally off subject, but have you heard that new John Mayer song, "Who Says?" It's very Simon and Garfunkel-y. Awesome. (last one of the day, I promise.)

One last thing, can anyone recommend an inexpensive (read free) video editing software? I have this great idea for a video for the car, but need the video to be in fast forward.

Oh, maybe one more thing, Mike, I need you to talk to John about another video that I want to do to promote the car that he won't agree to. Tell him whatever it is, you won't laugh. =)

A Rare Nap in Our Bed

I'm Holding the Keys to a Brand New Chevrolet

Click here to go to the Mommy Madness website where I'm talking up the Chevy Equinox. I already have three blog posts up under Team Equinox. Click here to vote for me as the "Best Mom." I will win a weekend getaway and you know I deserve one. You can vote over and over again (hint hint.) I would do it for you, you know I would. Also, if you want to tell everyone you know that #1 The Chevy Equinox rules, #2 anyone can get a free massage at any Massage Envy location if they test drive a Chevy Equinox or Traverse (boys are you paying attention? gift certificate for a free massage! Christmas is something like 68 days away!), and #3 to vote vote vote for me!

Yay For Best Friends!

This one here, she's a keeper. Love you, Beck.

I think you know I'm damn precious

Shhh...don't tell Cecilia that Charlotte was sitting in the high chair yesterday.

Replacing that "New Car Smell" with Garlic.

The new car is in the garage- Whooppie! I'm driving the Chevy Equinox, and it is all decked out. Can't wait to show you a picture- there's no missing me when I drive down the road. Too funny. Ironically I scratched myself on the Cavalier getting Charlotte into the backseat last night.

Things are super busy over here, and my good little sleeper, Charlotte, has turned into a horrible sleeper in the past two weeks. Last night she was up 4 times including not wanting to go back to sleep at 3:30 a.m. What happened to my 4 month old that slept through the night?

John got me this cookbook for my birthday and there's 3 recipes I want to make in the first couple pages about soup, Potato and Leek soup, Cream of Mushroom soup, and Garlic soup. Mom loved Julia Child, and Becky and I went to see Julie and Julia a couple weeks ago. She writes about the Garlic Soup, "A head of garlic is not at all too much for 2 quarts of soup. For some addicts, it is not even enough." Ahh, she speaks right to my garlic filled heart.

I have a zillion blog posts in my head, car related and otherwise. The website where I'll talk up the car nonstop will be live on Monday, so definitely stay tuned for that link.