moosh in indy.

(photos and links in no particular order.)

I want to be…

As gracious as Chrissy, Edie, Lisa and Sibi.

As unconditionally loving as Frelle and Lee.

As courageous as Ari.

As passionate as Alli and Ally.

As talented as Mishi, Dawn, Lotus, Deana, Angie and Amy.

As fantastic as Carmen, Esther and Mrs. Chicken and Poppy.

As loyal as Rachel and Tanis.

As powerful as Barbara, Catherine, Paula and Liz.

As hysterical as Allison, Marie, Heather, Bridget, Cassie, Michelle, Monica and Christina.

As coordinated as Jessica

As honest as Steph.

As immensely beautiful as Amber, Sarah, Robin, Amy, and Danielle.

I know I forgot people. Please don’t take it personally.

My head is up in the clouds with happiness from this last weekend at Blissdom.

I want you to tell me who is what to you.

Leave me comment saying “I strive to be as ______ as _______” and leave a link to their blog or twitter.

Why would you want to do this?

Because it’s nice.

And because I will pick one person to win this…

A very rare Lisa Leonard necklace. Rare because only the speakers at Blissdom 2010 were given them.

Why am I giving it away? Because. That’s why.

I’ll pick a winner Wednesday, February 10 at Midnight EST.

Based on my very loosely conducted research over the last two days it is physically and mentally impossible to watch The Biggest Loser without snacks.

And not just snacks.

I’m talking snacks.

Also?

I am so happy here.

Have I met you yet?

Tomorrow I travel to Nashville, Thursday I will sit in front of a sold out crowd with her and them as part of a workshop to help those in attendance learn more about the fine art of inspirational writing. Or here at moosh in indy “inspirational writing” is better known as TMI or OVERSHARE.

Eh, it’s what I do.

Now I know someone in the audience is going to be all “What? This girl has no idea what she’s talking about.” So to prove I know *something* I present you with the indispensable guide to small warm people that smell of milk and/or cookies on a regular basis.

Bums of any size in fuzzy footie jammies demand to be patted. See also “Lazy Dino Butt.”

The neck of a little person warmed by sunshine and slathered in sunscreen begs to be sniffed. Often.

Giggles from wee ones are better for ones soul than a full day at the spa and a new pair of shoes.

Hugging a tired little body that has been out playing in the fresh air is as close to hugging sunshine as we will ever get.

Warm sleeping cheeks are next to impossible not to nibble. Or kiss multiple times. Go ahead, I dare you to resist the peachfuzzy goodness. Especially if they are freshly bathed or ate a cookie before bed.

Other highlights?

Stinky baby feet. (This becomes not as cute after about 2.)

Sweet baby breath. (Sweet baby breath has an expiration date no matter how well you supervise brushing and flossing.)

Freshly washed hair (bonus if there’s curls involved.)

Little sleeping hands, gold star if they smell like graham crackers and have a little bit of sticky stuff left on them from the day. Kiss the palm. Feel the happy.

****

Now I ask you.

What is your favorite place to take a hit off of a small human?

Are you able to come to Blissdom? If so who’s in for karaoke on Saturday night? And if you are able to come are you able to come to our workshop?

Can’t wait to see you.

xo

Giveaway now closed. Congrats to Jenny for winning the calories chocolate with your sweet love story!

Have you ever gotten one of these for Valentine’s?

I haven’t.

I’ve never gotten a fruitcake on Christmas either.

There’s a reason the stereotype is there, and I can promise you as soon as you saw the picture of See’s Candy up there you started picking out which one you would eat first. (I’d take that big square one, upper right heart bump.) You really want to torture yourself? Check out all of the See’s Candies Valentine’s gifts.

Let me tell you about Valentine’s Day while you’re the wife of a Law Student.

Two years ago? He forgot.

Last year? We ended up on a Valentine’s Date which actually meant we ended up in the car in the parking lot of an Italian restaurant with me screaming at the top of my lungs and doing the really snotty ugly cry in front of everyone coming and going from the restaurant.

I’m not even sure what we were fighting about. But it was ugly. And I cried. A lot.

(Cody just reminded me, it’s because he wanted me to make a phone call for him. MARRIAGE FTW!)

By the time I was out of tears and energy to cry anymore I flopped down in Cody’s lap across the center console and he slipped a tiny little canvas bag into my hand.

In the bag was the most perfect necklace from Round House Jewelry on Etsy.

Everybody now, aww. Not only did he have perfect timing, but he KNEW WHAT ETSY WAS AND HOW TO USE IT.

So sure, that’s not exactly what one would picture as the most romantic Valentine’s ever, but that’s how we roll here in the house of moosh.

This year we’re going all out stereotype. We’re going to be having one of those candy boxes up there, we’re having a cheeseburger dinner and seeing a movie called Valentine’s Day while tiny gramma babysits our little lump of love.

How about you? Do you want to win a two pound box of chocolates just in time for Valentine’s Day enjoyment? Leave a comment below with your Sweetest Love Story. (or you know, Sweetest moosh-style Love Story.)

Do you really, really want to win? Here are some opportunities for
extra entries, in addition to your comment with your Sweetest Love
Story:

1) Visit the See’s homepage and sign up for the newsletter.

2) Tweet about this contest using the #seescandy tag (you can Tweet
daily and post the link in the comments below!)

3) Blog about why you want to win the Share Your Sweetest Love Story
with links back to this post, as well as to the See’s homepage and post the link it in the comments below.

Enter Now!
Deadline for entries is midnight, PST, Friday, February 5th and I
will notify the winner by email.

(Disclosure-I am being compensated and fed chocolate for this hosting this giveaway, however the opinions are my own. Now go forth and spread the love and win some chocolate.)

You know how you hear about contests or giveaways or programs and a specific person pops into your head, like “HOLY CRAP SHE WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THAT!”

Well the program was the second round of MomCentral’s Frigidaire Test Drive Campaign and the person who found out was Emily and the person she told was me. New house, borrowed appliances and a strong desire for cooking and baking. I applied immediately and was chosen to be a part of the team in charge of testing Frigidaire’s new professional series range and microwave.

I. am. lucky.

I know this.

And I’ve already tested nearly half of bells and whistles on these stainless steel beauties.

There is a button on the microwave that melts butter perfectly.

The oven’s bottom rack slides out as you open the door.

The gas range has five burners, the middle one that can be switched out to a cast iron griddle.

I’ve lived with a hand me down microwave over a decade old for the last four years.

I’ve only baked with the most entry level of stoves and ranges, so entry level in fact that if I stepped away from anything cooking or baking in or on them it would surely end up burnt and sticky. I spent a lot of uneccesarry time parked in front of my oven but for the most part things turned out right.

The first round of Frigidaire appliances promised moms more me-time, to do other things instead of hang out by our appliances waiting for them to do their tasks (and hopefully properly.) In conjunction with the test drive of these appliances by dozens of different moms, Frigidaire has set up the Spin and Win campaign, where you can spin to win one of several different daily prizes or the grand prize, a new Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer. Also for each spin Frigidaire will donate $1 (up to $250,000) to Save the Children.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Range/Microwave to facilitate my review.

So, any challenges for me and my new appliances? My first one? Remember my big fat Ciabatta Fail? IT SHALL BE RECTIFIED.

The Lupron is gone.

I’m back to being a good old fashioned wench one regular week out of the month just like the stereotype dictates.

This past week has been the week of babies 2010. Four of my friends had them, one of them had two at once. I look at their pictures, those snuzzly little babies wrapped up in white cotton all yawny and warm. I found out four more of my friends are pregnant with them and one of them has two where she thought there was only one. All four of the friends are darlings with whom I have discussed the crappy road of infertility and miscarriage.

I am so relieved they got their babies.

I am even more relieved that I am at peace with not getting mine.

Now I’m not saying it’s never going to happen or that I’m immune to the smell of new babies. But I have spent the last two months oblivious to pregnancy math and it’s been WONDERFUL.

I’m happy being the moosh family three. I’m happy to wake up on Wednesday and know that it’s just Wednesday. Not three days before I ovulate and seven days after LMP and nine months from now is November.

I like it just being Wednesday.

I like our playroom being the playroom. Not the playroom that will someday be the nursery.

I liked telling the girl who did my hair last night that Addie is my sidekick and that she’s everything I could have ever wanted in something that popped out from my nether regions.

What I haven’t told anyone about the picture I took of Emily when she first held her baby was that in that moment I realized that if that moment never happened for me again? I would be okay with it.

100%.

I tried to fight it, a natural reaction after fighting so hard for a baby for years. But instead I let it wash over me and appreciated being there with Emily in that moment even more.

I like that when I hear of a new pregnancy I get excited, the way people should get when they hear of a new pregnancy. With hushed whispers and squees, maybe even some jumping up and down. I don’t get angry or bitter or immediately start thinking “WHY HER AND NOT ME?”

To those of you who are left without your babies? My heart knows the ache your heart feels when you get that negative on a pregnancy test. I hope you get your babies, even if it’s not your body that gives them to you.

I am done being bitter. I am done being angry.

All these new babies need to come into a world where love outshines jealousy. And gratitude squelches bitterness and anger.

I am finally there.

And I like it.

Before. Blech.

After. Ahh!

Any questions?

I remember walking out to my car with my friend Leif when I was pregnant with you.

I was having a really hard time with pregnancy and an even harder time being excited about your arrival.

Leif tried to cheer me up telling me all the things I had to look forward to.

I remember saying “I can’t wait to cover my fridge in little kid art. I looove little kid art.”

Kid? You do not disappoint.

(click to embiggen, because it’s awesome.)

And not to ruin the warm fuzzy feeling I have going here, but have you ever watched South Park?

Well HAI DEE HO!
Yeah. Um, it came from what I thought was an innocent Christmas coloring book. Now I’m not so sure.

(thank you thank you to everyone who took the time to vote, we won!)

I have had pictures make it into the finals over at Greeblemonkey’s monthly contest.

Since the very first one the contest has gained popularity and with popularity has come talent.

Serious talent.

I made it this month to the finals. So many of the pictures are better than mine as far as technical details and level of difficulty. I can’t justify asking people to vote for me this time around without explaining myself since there are so many spectacular pictures that I would vote for over mine, you know, if it wasn’t me.

This is the picture that’s in the running, the one I took of Emily the first time she ever held Little Mr.

I never could have imagined this moment in a hundred million years.

To be there for it stopped my heart.

To be able to catch it on camera?

Oof.

It felt as if the entire room had gone silent and still. I felt as though the clicks of my camera were loud as an air horn. Even writing about it seems to be messing with the moment too much.

Emily says she can never repay me for capturing this moment. Truth is I can never thank her enough for letting me be there. I’m really proud of this picture. The whole “a picture is worth a thousand words” thing? Yeah.

It only takes two clicks to vote, and I’d be honored to have yours. Thank you.

(Voting ends tonight at 10 PM EST. Midnight MST.)

Back in November Chevy delivered a 2010 Camaro RS in yellow to my front door for us to drive around for one week. (Back story, I drove one at Blogher in July and told Christopher Barger that driving one a 2010 yellow Camaro was on Cody’s life list, Christopher’s words? “LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN.” And he did. Thank you Chris!)

So first is Cody’s review. He will own one of these cars. And I am okay with that. He grew up with two Camaros in his garage (a ‘71 and an ‘89 IROC.) I don’t think he could find a single fault with the car except that it wasn’t the V8. And that there weren’t enough hours in the day to drive it.

My review? Well, let’s just say the toilet in our new house broke (surprise!) only we didn’t care because we had the Camaro. Not only did we drive to Home Depot at 8pm. We drove to the Home Depot two counties away BECAUSE WE COULD. (There’s actually a Home Depot less than five minutes away from our house.)

We also drove it to church the one Sunday we had it. We had a hard time listening in church with all the bickering the minivans were doing outside over who got to go out of the parking lot behind it when church was over.

I also slammed my finger in the door. The very big. very heavy. very tightly closing door. Ow. I cried. My finger swelled to three times its normal size. I formed a blood blister on the pad of my finger and my fingernail has since turned black and is ready to fall off. But you know what makes it okay? Driving to CVS in a Camaro. To buy a finger splint.

Cody and I went on a hot date in the Camaro and we ended up on the Sirius radio station “90’s on 9″ It was at this moment when rocking out to “Baby Got Back” that ZOMG we’re becoming those people our child will be embarrassed to be seen with! But guess what? Stuff like that doesn’t matter when you’re in a Camaro.

Addie and I also used OnStar. I’ve never used OnStar before, I’ve always wanted to. I know it’s for saving your life and stuff but we used it to find the nearest Dairy Queen. (What? Girl Scout Cookie Blizzards, need I say more?) Not only did the nice lady find us one but the Camaro gave us turn by turn directions to said Blizzards.

Driving past elementary schools in a Camaro? Eight year old boys run to the fence screaming, leaving you feel like a rockstar. (Okay, more like a Wiggle, but whatever.)

Stop at a stoplight in a Camaro? Make sure you’re really dedicated to singing along to “Baby Got Back” because people are going to stare.

I’m going to be perfectly honest. It’s really fun to drive around in such a pretty car. It’s fun to walk out to, easy to find in a parking lot and ooh. fast. Is it necessary to have such a pretty car? No. I’m perfectly happy with mine because it runs and it’s paid off. But we’re still going to own one someday. So there.

Addie’s review?

WHEEEEE!!!!!

Drive one if you get the chance. Buy one if you can afford one (HI CODY’S DAD.) and appreciate that Chevy finally brought the Camaro back and brought it back right. So thanks for that.

(We were paid no money for this, nor did we pay any money for the opportunity (well, gas money, lots of it. Although even driving it the way we did (WHEE!!!) it still got at least 26 mpg.) nor were we influenced in our review. These are our opinions and “WHEE!!!” is not an understatement.)