I am spending the day with my sister and niece (who I haven’t seen since October!!) and sorting 200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that Necco sold this season. It’s a busy and WONDERFUL day. For your viewing pleasure…..A video that everyone should watch:

I have super-exciting news, and can’t do it justice today, but let me just say that I will be traveling to New York City on Tuesday to speak with Dr. Karen Reivich, founder of the Fishful Thinking program at a press conference in New York with members …

I don’t have much to say about my favorite pictures of my favorite boys this week. I enjoyed using my new/replacement 50mm lens, and caught AJ watching for the big kids to come home from school, as well as Twizzler blowing up a big yellow balloon. It’s been a busy week. The best part of my week was the moment tonight, after getting the kids ready for bed….and after AJ finally stopped crying after we told him that he could NOT have a cupcake after brushing his teeth…when AJ got …

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Apparently, I am a member of the “finding perfect excuses for not getting fit” club. I am not a couch potato, and I am not extremely over-weight, but I could stand to lose a few more pounds and I frequently find myself getting out-of-breath after less-than-strenuous activity.  I need to exercise (!!!) but I always seem to have an excuse. Whether it’s the excuse of not wanting to pay for child care to work …

A year ago tomorrow: February 26, 2009.
Reese and AJ shared a piece of spaghetti.
My own little Lady and the Tramp.

I love looking through my old pictures and remembering happy moments–the big moments as well as the small ones. I love that my kids love each other. I love that they do silly things like share spaghetti with each other.
Bella Notte.
Bella Vita.

How often have you been sitting in a movie theater or in your own family room watching a DVD and had the thought: “My life is way more interesting than this!”?
Have you ever been in the middle of a parenting catastrophe and imagined the scene acted out on the big screen? I certainly have. I fear that this is the curse of the blogger–always looking at life in terms of what a good story it would make.
As a mother of 5 children, I have amusing experiences daily that would make …

I can’t stop talking about the concert I attended last weekend. Four days later, I’m still raving about the show.
I was offered tickets to the Celtic Woman Songs From The Heart Baltimore show. And since my oldest daughter was going to be at a friend’s birthday party and my husband would be busy taking the other kids to the Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet and our friend’s graduation party, I was compelled to take my good friend, Safire. (She didn’t complain) It was a fabulous girls night out.
When we …

Updated: This giveaway is now closed. The winner is comment #5, Untypically Jia! It’s always fun when a low number wins. Less counting for me. Enjoy, Jia!
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Those who know me know how much music means to me. I listen to music constantly–while I’m working, while I’m playing, while I’m cooking dinner, and even while I’m sleeping. I’ve got playlists on my iPod for all of my different moods. Soft morning music, party music for cleaning (to get me moving!), classical for reading, and a bedtime playlist of a mixture of …

It’s Bloggography challenge time again with me and Manic Mother!

Last week’s tutorial was on aperture, one of my favorite settings to manipulate and play with on my camera. And just in time for this challenge, I got my replacement 50mm f/1.8 lens in the mail last week! Perfect timing! (For those who haven’t heard, I mysteriously LOST my 50mm and finally was able to buy a new one).
Before we get to this week’s challenge, though, I wanted to share one of my favorite entries from our last challenge, on shutter …

Believe it or not, I did not buy a king sized bed so that the whole family would have room to sleep in it together.
I also did not buy a king sized bed so that I could sleep on the couch.
I like my bed. It’s comfortable. Apparently, everyone else in the family agrees with me. Most mornings I wake up with a little 4 year old snuggled up between me and my husband.

Last night, when I headed to bed I found all three of my boys asleep in my bed. …

I’m a few days behind in posting winners for two of my latest giveaways. I apologize!
The winner of the Steven L Miller print is comment #18, Lisa from Chicory Blue! Congratulations, Lisa!
The winner of the SmartKnitKids Seamless Socks is comment #49, MelodicMom! Congratulations to you!
If you weren’t a winner this time, don’t forget to enter my Clean + Green eco-friendly cleaner giveaway (which ends on Tuesday).
Reminder: this Tuesday we’ll be posting a Linky to share your Bloggography challenge photos. Have you been playing around with aperture this week?