Just another Southern night

Lightnin’ bugs and root beer floats,

    Rockin’ chairs and music notes.

Friends and neighbors chatting bright,

    Just another southern night.

Eyelids heavy, mama’s hand in mine,

    It is time for bed, and that’s just fine.

For nothing else could feel so right,

    Just another southern night.

I laughed, I cried, two thumbs up!

A couple weeks ago, I received free tickets to a Thursday night screening of the new movie, The Help. I had read the book, and was looking forward to the movie. Free tickets? Sure! On a Thursday night, which meant it would have to be a girls' night? Heck, yeah!

I took my neighbor and friend along for the screening. I figured we'd be a good pair to give opinions:

-She is 9 months pregnant and full of baby-growing hormones.
-I am not pregnant, and generally not emotional.
-She had never read the book.
-I read the book only a few months ago and loved it.

We are both mamas to a preschooler, and happily (wheeee!) ventured into the city for a child-free evening.

The verdict? I can barely express how much we both loved this film. We laughed out loud, we blinked back a few tears, we clapped at the end. Having read the book, I was not sure what to expect. The movie jumps right into the meat of the story, and one storyline was changed (if you've read the book, you'll notice this change towards the end). Neither of these changes affected my enjoyment of the movie. I was quite surprised by how funny it was. And at the same time, how heart-wrenching.

The Help sends you flying through a roller coaster of emotions.

When it was over, I wanted more. I cannot wait to see it again. I will make my husband watch it. I will tell my family and friends to go see it.

Three-word review? IT WAS PHENOMENAL.

My MVA (most valuable actress) award? Goes to Octavia Spencer, who plays Minnie Jackson. I don't think anyone else could have made Minnie more real - or more hilarious.

Mommies, you know you need a night out. Call up some friends, get a sitter (or hand the kiddos to the husband), and buy your tickets for The Help. It is worth well more than the $9 ticket.

Credit: The Help Official Movie Site, DreamWorks Pictures

Credit: The Help Official Movie Site, DreamWorks Pictures

Credit: The Help Official Movie Site, DreamWorks Pictures

Disclosure: I received two tickets to an Atlanta screening of The Help via a connection within my Georgia Social Media Moms group. All opinions are 100% mine. (They didn't even require a review... but I had to share the word!)

Great movie. Really!!!

Classical Cradle (with a #giveaway!)

A couple years have passed since my baby was a... baby. She has blossomed into a fiercely independent and fantastically creative little girl.

Bedtime used to consist of rocking in the cozy chair, listening to soft music, and patting her little bottom. Now, it is a 30-minute event. Playtime, books, funny giggling games, prayers, and back rubs.

When I received the Classical Cradle CD, I was excited to test it out. Amelia's cute little pink and white flower CD player is broken, so I hauled the ancient big black "boombox" into her room. She laughed at me and my contraption (circa 1990). But when the simple soothing piano melodies began to play, she was enthralled. In fact, she did not want to go to sleep - she wanted to wait and listen to every single song!

Classical Cradle is really a lovely bedtime album, featuring some well-known classical medleys via acoustic piano. Unlike some other children's classical albums I own, all of the songs on Classical Cradle have a calm feel and even tempo. It is a fantastic lullaby selection. Even though bedtime means a bit of play these days, we have been turning on the music every night. The entire family enjoys it.

I may want one for the office too! I certainly need some stress relief now and then.
Just as long as I don't fall asleep at my desk...

- - - -
I want you to experience this lovely lullaby album too!

To buy: Visit ClassicalCradle.com

You can also enter this BEDTIME COMFORTS GIVEAWAY!

Prize pack:

• Relaxing Classical Cradle CD


• Cozy Sammie the Pup plush dog


• Soothing Bedtime Bubble Bath & Wash

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Congratulations to Heather!!!

Thank you! Happy sleeping!


Disclosure: I received two Classical Cradle CDs for the purposes of this review. One to review and one for the giveaway. Despite receiving this item for free, all opinions are 100% mine. Other items in the giveaway are not endorsed by the manufacturers... I just like them too.

What comes after potty training...

Before I was Mommy, life was simple. I worked on weekdays and relaxed on weekends. Travel involved packing only for myself. I could grab a few things at the grocery store without having to use the giant, nearly-impossible-to-steer green plastic rocket ship cart.

I could make it in and out of a store without a tour of the bathroom facilities.

Potty training was not easy. I started "training" her when I thought it was a good time. She wasn't ready. I obsessed about the minutes since her last accident. I nagged her incessantly, "Don't you want to go pee-pee? I think you should tinkle now. It's been 13 minutes since you pee-peed in your pants... go try again for Mommy..." I nearly drove myself crazy. If she had known how to unlock the doors at the time, I have no doubt my small child would have tried to run away from home. Not a happy fun time.

We gave up on potty training twice. I let it bother me.

Surprise #1:
She did it when she was ready. She did it, not for me, but for many smiling Tinkerbells and Minnie Mouses who lived on her little size 4 underpants. And for the promise of tasty sugary treats.

Surprise #2:
Ya know what comes after potty training? Preschooler obsession with public bathrooms. The undies may stay dry, but it comes at a price. Another sanity-challenging price.

Gone are the days where I can do my grocery shopping alone and without a visit to the restroom down a dingy hallway near the meat counter. Amelia insists on going potty every. single. place. we. go.

I don't recall ever seeing the inside of the Publix bathroom prior to 2011. I had never experienced the loveliness that is a Kroger restroom. Nor had I tested out the potty at Big Lots, Michael's, or Best Buy. Perhaps, I had "used the facilities" at Target prior to Amelia's new found talent... but not every time.

Now? Thanks to my little bathroom connoisseur, there is not a store toilet I have not seen. If you are a mom of a potty-trained preschooler, I suspect you know exactly what I mean.

Moms are so lucky.

   

Splish splash, break my heart

When will a mother smile and shake her head when her little girl begs to go home?

When will a mother let a stranger dunk her small child underwater?

When will a mother simply look away as her baby sputters and splatters in the pool?

Swimming lessons.

Amelia's very first swimming lessons. Painful for mama and scary for her. Not a whole lot of fun to be had this time around.

But she's learning. And I know she'll be safer around the water.

It's all about the big picture, right?

Sigh.

(Mama's note: I wrote this post after day #2 of lessons. I am happy to report that lesson days #3 and #4 have shown a lot of improvement! My heart is healing a little.)

WW: Bounce, Run, Slide!

Sometimes we've just gotta get out and have fun!



Happy Wordless Wednesday!

What she did for me

When I was a little girl, she was a teenager. When I was Cookie Monster for Halloween, she was a gorgeous princess in a blue and silver gown. When she went to the prom, she let me walk next door to peek at her grown-up and fabulous look. She was a babysitter, but also willing to be a friend.

Later, when my mind was guiding me to a possible career in advertising, I learned that she had already pursued - and grasped - that dream. Once again, she allowed me to look up to her and opened her calendar to schedule time for a tour.

I visited the big-city advertising agency on a Friday. I navigated the parking deck and strolled past a spraying fountain to enter the shiny building. In the elevator, I smoothed my skirt and picked at my hair. When I heard five dings, it was time to step out into the agency. The colorful lobby greeted me with cheer. I affixed my best grown-up look on my face and approached the desk. "Director of First Impressions," said the little placard. This place? Was even too cool to say "receptionist". I had stars in my eyes.

Soon, I was trailing behind my mentor as she pointed out various parts of the agency. She introduced me to agency friends. I should have seized the opportunity to ask questions, but I was mute with nerves. At one point, I noticed a little brown dog. A living, breating, fluffy animal. Sleeping under someone's desk. That is when I learned about Dog Friday. At this office, employees could actually bring their dogs to work! The working world was going to be so cool. I could not wait to venture out of Tennessee and into this big city to start my own fabulous life.

She has no idea what her guidance meant to me back then. We have both moved through varying careers. She left the ad agency world for good, I left once and came back. Not all agencies are funky and fun... in fact, some mimic the worst of sweatshops. But I still believe I made the correct choice for a career. I enjoy it and I am good at it.

I have her to thank for guiding me there.



Everyone remembers that first inspiration or mentor in their lives that made them want to be or do something in their lives, whether you actually followed through with it or not. Tell us about that inspiration/mentor. How did they affect or change your life!