{ and now for something completely different }

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to do something completely different.

And also, amazing. 

My friend, Kelly, a fabulous photographer (KC Frick Photography), asked me if I would go out to a wedding with her as her second shooter.

Swoon.

We all know how attached to my camera I am. And how much I love taking pictures. And that I don't completely fail at it.

So I was thrilled and flattered and scared out of my mind.

This was so totally different from anything I've done before.

And I loved every minute of it.

The venue was gorgeous - a beautiful state park overlooking the water, with the reception playing out in a rustic barn, illuminated by strands of hanging globe lights. The bride and groom were absolutely radiant and in love. There was dancing and laughing and merriment.

What an honor to be able to share in it. And what a wonderful experience. From setting up shots, to coordinating ideas, to capturing moments. So much energy and adrenaline and creativity, caught in just a few hours.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day.

Thanks again for letting me share in a wonderful day!

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{ in which i didn't have a camera }

Ok. That's not entirely accurate.

I did have the camera.

I just managed to leave the battery at home.

And I was bummed.

Because it was a perfect zoo today.

The weather was beautiful and we were there as a family, with friends. 

It was a wonderful opportunity for Turtle to show his Daddy the dinosaur exhibit he loves so much (by which I mean, he loves it prior to entering and upon leaving, but not acutally during, which is bizarre but true). And to just generally enjoy the day.

Normally, in these situations, I hang back, with the camera. I love to take pictures of Turtle with MacGyver, with his friends, and even by himself. And I love when my husband is present to help make the snapping easier.

But today, when the cheetah took a very leisurely stroll up to and along the edge of its enclosure, and I pulled out my DSLR to zoom and click, I realized, sadly, that my battery was fully charged. At home. In its charger.

Fail.

What made it worse? The animals were on fire today! 

The rhinos were the closest we have ever seen, munching away on some form of rhino munchie. There were three babies: a leopard, a zebra and a bonobo, all on exhibit and active. We fed greens to the giraffe and nectar to the lorikeets. We rode the carousel and the train and brushed the goats in the petting zoo.

There was even a monstrous snake that slithered across our path as we were headed to the train. Completely natural and not part of any lethal exhibit (but terrifying all the same).

And not a moment captured on digital card.

But the memories of today will last just as long as those saved in my files. It was so wonderful devoting myself entirely to my family and friends.

I have to remember to step back and do that more often. Sometimes, it's too easy to get caught up in the things that aren't important, and I appreciate being reminded of that.

Happy Monday. :)

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{ when honest blogging goes too far }

There is a trend in the blogosphere that calls for Real Blogging. Honest blogging. Raw blogging.


Which has somehow morphed into Hold-The-Phone-You-Crossed-A-Line Blogging.


There are some things I've read this week that have really driven that point home to me.


I'm not linking to posts. This is not a callout to anyone in particular. 


Rather, it's a plea to think about the consequences before hitting the publish button. 


Something that's been on my mind a lot lately, as Turtle grows up and the line of what I should share blurs.


Where do we differentiate between what's appropriate and what's not?


As bloggers, writers, creative beings, we can technically share whatever we want. There's a sense of "owning" a little corner of the world wide web, and we  can do with that as we please. 


But just because we can... does it mean we should?


As a blogger, is it fair to share stories that don't belong to us? Is it right to expose anyone besides ourselves?


I'm all for honesty. I share honest feelings here. When I have doubts about myself as a parent, when I'm tired and overwhelmed, when I need a break. I talk about it. I discuss it as my problem, not as Turtle's or MacGyver's. My flaws. My issues. My shortcomings. Not theirs.


It wouldn't be fair for me to involve them for a me-thing, you know?


It's honesty. My honesty. And the point of my honesty isn't to humiliate or hurt or overshare about anyone else. It's not my place. And it's not the point.


I'm the one who made the decision to blog, not them. And while MacGyver knows that any handyman endeavors on his part are absolutely subject to photographic documentation and a post, anything else is pretty much off limits.


As Turtle is starting to develop into a little person, I am loathe to share certain things about him. There were a few events from this past weekend that would have made for amazing blog fodder, but it wouldn't have been fair to my son. I remind myself that as long as the internet exists, what I write is out there for anyone to see. 


I don't ever want him to read the things his mother wrote and feel ashamed or violated or embarrassed (not the typical Mo-om-you're-embarrassing-me schtick that all tweens have, but the real kind). As his mother, it's my job to draw that line and protect him.


i don't ever want his friends, or his friends' parents, or his teachers or employers to read here and find something deeply personal about him that wasn't mine to share.


And I'm happy to do it. Nothing I have to say, no story I have to share, is worth his unhappiness. Ever.


Once up a time; long, long ago; in a time before apps and DVR and even before electricity, there were these amazing things called diaries.

People could write in them, with ink (or blood, in an early nod to the emo movement) or lead, sharing their hopes and dreams; spilling their innermost thoughts and deepest, darkest confessions. 

And then people locked them up and tucked them under mattresses or into hope chests, where they stayed hidden until some doe-eyed couple happened upon them in the attic of their new starter home, and brought them to Antiques Roadshow for an appraisal.

Sue Sylvester uses one. 

Even she realizes that some things are best left off the internet.

Because really, what's a better idea than spewing every single thought and feeling on the world wide web with no thought to accountability or who it affected in the name of Honest Blogging.

Just food for thought. 


I know most bloggers and writers have the best intentions. We would never intentionally hurt the ones we love most.


Thanks for letting me get this out. It's been bothering me for a while now and it was time to hit publish.

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{ supermoon }

You may have noticed some crazy lunar stylings this weekend with the full moon. 

The Supermoon.

Oooooh. Aaaaah.

In layman terms, it was simply a full moon passing the closest to the Earth has it has in 18 years. 

Pretty impressive.

I wish I had better pictures to share, but I'm in need of a better zoom lens. And a tripod (Hint, hint, MacGyver).

These will have to do.

Happy Monday!

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{ top o' the morning }

And Erin Go Bragh and all that good stuff!

It's St. Patrick's Day!

We've been blessed with some gorgeous weather (yes, those are shorts in March), so we went out for a lovely family lunch at a local seafood place.

I also thought it would be a great opportunity to take some cute St. Patrick's Day pictures.

I found this awesome mint green wall and white door.

And Turtle cooperated.

He's such a ham.

And he looks adorable in green, if I do say so myself.

Both my boys. So festive.

And MacGyver got a cute one of us.

Hope you all have a wonderful day, full of green beer, corned beef (if you like that sort of thing), soda bread and all kinds of fun!

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{ tragedy strikes & how you can help. }

I don't know what to say.

I don't know if there's anything to say.

The last few days have seen us glued to the television and the internet, watching coverage of the earthquakes, tsunamis and resulting devastation.

It's horrifying. Heartbreaking. 

I don't have the words.

I can't even imagine what it must be like to live in one of the affected areas - to see land swept away, roads buckled and cracked in half... to know that your country's exact geographical location has been altered... it's mindblowing. How does one wrap one's head around it.

Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims of these tragedies. We are praying that the nuclear reactors can be stabilized and that no more lives are lost.

It's pretty dire. It's also a wake up call. To remember that life is short. That the world around us is unpredictable. That the tables can turn in the blink of an eye. If any good can come of this situation, let it be that.


If you can help, there are many relief organizations responding to the situation. Huffington Post outlines a comprehensive list right here. The list includes Save The Children, Doctors Without Borders, and the Salvation Army, among others.


You can also give to the Red Cross at RedCross.org or by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 directly from your phone.

Some individuals are also donating directly to the relief efforts. 


Etsy seller Maxington Bear has created beautiful, hand-stamped metal cuffs in support of Japan: 

100% of all sales of these bracelets is being sent to Global Giving. Be sure to check them out as well.


If you would like to add any other relief efforts that are not mentioned here, please let me know and I will include them.


Please send your thoughts and prayers to the victims of this horrible disaster. It's going to be a long recovery.

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{ when the support system fails }

I have a friend.

We'll call her Annie. She has asked to remain anonymous and I respect her request.

She has two sons; one is almost 3 and a half, the other is 10 months.

Annie belongs to a rather "popular" breastfeeding "support" group. You've probably heard of it. It claims to be committed to helping mothers to breastfeed through the usual channels: peer support, information and education.

Annie is passionate about breastfeeding and pumping for her sons. She nursed her oldest for three years and his little brother is still going strong. Neither boy has ever had any formula. Which is not the point of this post. It's just a fact.

Despite supply drops and at least six (that's right folks, six) bouts of mastitis, Annie persevered. She relied on her beliefs and the help of her "support" group to keep her going. 

And when her group leader relocated, Annie thought it might be time to pay it forward, using her struggles and successes to help other mothers meet their breastfeeding goals. With glowing recommendations from all other group leaders, Annie sent in her application.

It seemed the perfect decision. 

But, shockingly, there was a bit of a catch.

You see, Annie is also a working mother. 

And it would seem that fact excludes Annie from this group's leadership positions.

At least according to her state and the woman in charge of new leader applications.

It really doesn't matter why Annie works. Maybe her household needs the support of her income. Maybe she feels an overwhelming sense of fulfillment from her career choice. Maybe it's a combination of the two or none of the above. The point is, Annie is out of her home for a period of time, working.

The rest of the time, she practices what most would call "attachment parenting," complete with co-sleeping and babywearing. 

Annie thought she had some valuable experience to share. After all, the reality is that there are lot of mothers who have a difficult time with breastfeeding, and a portion of those mothers do, in fact, work. And Annie did her best to juggle it all and make it work. 

What better person to offer support and reassurance to mothers than the one who had to pump in her car during her daily commute just to produce enough milk for one bottle?

Apparently, that's not the point.

Annie was subject to approximately four rounds of email questioning regarding her being a working mother. Not about the breastfeeding milestones she had hit; not about the strength of her commitment to breastfeeding; not about what she could offer to mothers in similar situations. 

Just about the fact that out of 8760 hours in a year, Annie worked about 1360 of them. If you do the math, that's a mere 15% of the time. 

The final decision came in. 

Annie was told that while her choices may have worked for her and her family, those decisions were not in line with this "support" group's philosophies, and therefore they had "significant reservations regarding the early and ongoing separation [she had] experienced with both of [her] children, and therefore will not be accepting [her] application for .... leadership."

Well, then.

You may want to know why I'm writing about this.

It's simple.

It's outrageous when a group that claims to support and promote breastfeeding would cut off its nose to spite its face because one of its dedicated members happens to hold a job. And rather than accept the fact that working mothers need support from people in the trenches, this group would rather look militantly down its nose from its high horse on a pedestal and alienate Annie. And, potentially, the people who are baffled by the group's actions.

And once again, we have a case of a good mother left questioning herself because of militant judgments.

For what?

Good mothers (and fathers) make the decisions that are best for their children and themselves. I have yet to meet a concerned, loving parent who puts the best interest of her child on the back burner. I know so many mothers who employ such a vast range of child-rearing, and while I don't agree with or do the same as all of them all the time, that doesn't make me right or them wrong.

They're all just different. Different perspectives. Different experiences. Not bad. Not good. 

And that's why the rejection of Annie's application is so troubling. Not because she didn't get the position. But that this "support" group is so blinded by the ideal it believes every mother needs to uphold that ignores the reality of a situation that exists. The reality that a non-working mom will never be able to understand what it means to balance child and work, pumping and sleep, family and profession. That non-working mom surely faces different obstacles, but how can she offer great advice and support in the leadership capacity to someone who is in a completely incomparable scenario?

Their loss, really.

And the loss to the other working mom's in Annie's region who could truly have benefitted from her as a resource.

But, hey. It's not about that. It's not about support. And it's not about helping other mothers.

Which is sad. Because we mothers need all the support we can get, no matter what our choices.

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{ cascade ice water giveaway announced }

Happy Friday!

Today, we announce our Cascade Ice Water Winner from this week's great giveaway.

I plugged our entrants into random.org and let the generator work its magic.

Which would make our winner....

Congratulations, Christine C! You'll now be able to give that Raspberry Lemonade a try, as well as regular Lemonade, Peach Mango and Acai Blueberry Pomegrante!

Please email me in the next 48 hours so you can claim your prize!

Thanks for playing!

PS - if you didn't win today, that's ok. We're going to have another giveaway soon!

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{ i can do it }

Independence has swept into our house with hurricane force.

And I'm not sure where I stand on our relationship.

For as much as the word "no" irritated me, the chirp of "No, Mommy! Can I do that? Let me do that!" might be worse.

Turtle has suddenly decided he can do it all. From pouring milk, to making dinner, to putting on his own pants, to showering. He has got it covered, and he's not afraid to show you. Or me. Or anyone who wants to watch.

And it's great, really. It's nice that he's showing self-sufficiency and is so eager to help out.

Like the other morning, when I went out for a run? Well, I guess MacGyver hadn't closed Turtle's door all the way when he put him down to bed, so Turtle decided to get out of bed while MacGyver was showering. He marched himself downstairs, helped himself to a bottle of water, turned on the TV and let Bentley out of his crate. 

MacGyver only realized something was afoot when Bentley showed up in the bathroom, panting for breakfast and a turn in the backyard to relieve himself.

It's just kind of progressed from there. 

But I can't deny my heart doesn't stop every time Turtle prances to the refrigerator and pulls out a gallon of milk to pour his own (I put some in a plastic measuring cup that he can then pour into his own cup - same concept, less chance of spilled milk). 

I get frustrated, too. Because where it used to take me about 20 seconds to pull out a snack for Turtle has now turned into a several minute job, where he has to get out his own bowl, and get the stepping stool in just the right place, and then he has to transfer the grapes/apples/goldfish/pretzels from the original container to the bowl of his choosing. And mommy must maintain a 12" distance from this project at all times.

Unless mommy has to remove a cap or open a jar. At which point Turtle somehow, inherently and quite magically, knows the nanonsecond at which he will be able to take over and continue without my help, and shrilly proclaims "I can do it now, Mommy!"

I have to call on my patience a lot more, now. I love that he is so excited about his own capabilities and it's so incredible that he knows no limits in his mind. I have to remind myself to let him have that and revel in it. That I can't cringe at splattered ketchup or leaked toothpaste, because really. It's not battery acid. It all cleans up.

And he's so proud of himself.

As well he should be.

We're proud of him, too. 

He's growing up so fast. I don't like to think about it, but I really do cherish it when he asks me for an assist. After all, he's not going to want me to do it forever.

But I'll always be here when he does.

Don't forget - if you haven't entered to win some Cascade Ice Water, there's still time! Just click here for details!

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{ fair play }

Before MacGyver and I were stricken by the Great Stomach Bug of Winter 2011, we did manage to go have some fun at a local fair.


It was small and full of really great traditional rides, the kinds I used to love when I was a kid.


Chances are, they haven't been updated much since then.


I love the silhouette of a ferris wheel in the fading sun.

Turtle took great pride in handling the tickets.

He loved riding the carousel.

And the motorcycles.

And the tractors. The bumpy ones. With the flags.

We played some games on the midway and he won this ginormous hammer. Of all the toys, he picked the one that was orange. Go figure. It's bigger than he is. And it's just lovely in our home. Really.

He had such a wonderful day. And MacGyver and I were grinning almost as much to see him so happy.

And Turtle got to try his first taste of cotton candy.

He declared it "sticky" and then requested "more." So, all in all, it was a hit. I still think popcorn is his fair food of choice, though.

Share your favorite fair memories with us. Your favorite rides, favorite treats, that kind of thing. We'd love to hear it.

Also, don't forget to enter our Cascade Ice giveaway! Just a few more days to go!

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{ review & giveaway: cascade ice waters } CLOSED

I have confessed this before and I'll confess it again: I'm a (diet) soda addict. Love the stuff. 

I know it's not good for me. But I can't help myself. 

Hey, we all have our vices.

However, I'm always willing to try new things in order to break the habit.

Enter Cascade Ice Water.

Cascade Ice is sparkling water, flavored with natural juice. There are only 2 little calories per serving. Not only that, it's gluten free, sodium free, caffeine free, and boasts 0 grams of sugar and no carbs. 

Pretty impressive.

I chilled a few bottles and got to tasting. 

Folks, Cascade Ice Water is gooooood.

It's got just the right amount of fizz for those of us who are carbonation lovers. Teeny tiny little bubbles to tickle the taste buds. 

The flavors are great. A little pop of sweetness for people like me who just can't handle straight water.

And it's done right. Sometimes seltzers and sparkling waters are too salty or too flat, or too something. But not Cascade Ice. It's really absolutely perfect for people like me who just can't seem to make the official jump to water.

There are 19 flavors of the original Sparkling Waters (including Raspberry Lemonade, Acai Blueberry Pomegrante, and Peach Mango); six flavors of 0-calorie Organic Sparkling Water, and (be still, my heart) nine kinds of sparkling cocktail mixers (Cosmopolitan, anyone?)!

What a selection.

You can check out the whole lineup on the Cascade Ice Water website, or visit (and like) their Facebook page for new product information and details.

                                                                                                              

Want to try some?

I just so happen to have a selection of four flavors (3 of each) for one lucky winner!

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me how excited you are to try Cascade Ice and which flavor sounds the most delicious. And don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

You can get one extra entry by Tweeting: "I entered to win @CascadeIceWater from @3pugsandbaby! http://tinyurl.com/4te99jx" or something similar. Please leave a separate comment with your Twitter name and a link to the Tweet for your additional entry!

The winner will also receive some awesome Cascade Ice swag, just for fun!

You have until Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 2PM EST to enter. I'll draw a winner via random.org and announce on Friday, March 11! Any entries received after that time will be disregarded. Open only to US residents. Winner has 48 hours to contact me via email in order to claim their prize (if I don't hear from the winner in the noted time period, I will select a new winner).

Good luck!

Statement of Disclosure. Cascade Ice Waters has provided me with their product for purposes of providing a review and giveaway. I received the waters at no charge to me for my personal use and to give away. The above review is a reflection of my opinion of the product received and I would happily purchase from Cascade Ice Water based on the positive experience I had at this time.

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{ blogging from quarantine }

It started with a little sinus pressure. 

Which turned into a raging headache.

Which somehow morphed into a vile stomach bug.

And one of the bigger tragedies was that MacGyver picked me up one of these

and the mere sight of it sent me running for the hills.

Sob. 

(He did put it in the freezer for me and I was able to manage a little taste today, but I need to go back for a fresh one. Perhaps on Free Fry Friday.).

So I spent a frightening amount of time (for me) in bed.

With Molly.

Who flat out refused to leave my side.

Seriously. This dog is something else. She went out at around 6pm on Tuesday night, hopped her little butt up next to me, refused to leave my side for the duration of the night. In the morning, she woke me up with kisses. Because she's that awesome. And then? When I led her to the stairs and told her to go find Daddy and go out, she went halfway, realized I was not following, and came back to find me! Then she proceeded to skip breakfast to spend the rest of the morning in bed. 

She is currently snoring on my leg while I am writing this. 

Loyalty, they name is Molly.

Turtle made out well in the whole affair. He got to hang out with Daddy most of the day. And when I finally felt well enough to rejoin the family, we laid on the couch, all in pajamas, watching Nemo and munching on popcorn. Good times. It was like Christmas and his birthday, all rolled into one.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day and the funk will have vanished into thin air.

But, there are good things this week. 

We went to a local fair this past weekend and Turtle got to try something fabulous for the very first time.

And I also have a great review and giveaway coming up!

Thanks for your patience! Slowly, but surely, we are getting back on track!

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