Duct Tape Diapers and Maxi Pads...

I recently discovered this in my news feed on Facebook:  


I put Johnny* in a jerry-rigged diaper (with duct-tape and a maxi-pad) which was a bit hard to frantically rip off when he stepped in a fire-ant hill. Me? Not mom of the year I imagine.


Umm.......sorry, but WTF!?  Is this the kind of stuff you moms do on the regular?...


To see what else I have to say about this, head over to I Love You More Than Carrots.  I'm guest posting today!  And please, make sure you show AP some love while you're there! 

A Guest Post by AP from I Love You More Than Carrots....

Well, hello there! I’m AP, the voice behind the self-proclaimed sassy and snarky “Mom” blog, I Love You More Than Carrots. I’m absolutely honored, albeit a tad green with envy, to be guest posting for Jen while she enjoys a fabulous Girl’s Weekend Away. Just the sound of that makes me salivate and go weak in the knees for something bubbly and preferably alcoholic.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m the proud Mama of a beautiful 11 month old boy and 103lb. Old English Sheepdog. Throw Husband into the mix and needless to say, there is never a dull moment in our house!
See? Here’s The M Family, minus “Sheepie.”

 

I really admire J for completing her 31 before 31 challenge and it got me thinking. Sure, I have a few years before I turn 30 but I’m terrible at staying ahead of the game, so it doesn’t really make sense for me to make a list now. Chances are I’d start out strong and likely lose the list before too long. That’s pretty much the story of my life.
So after a bit of thought, I figured, “heck, how about a write a list of all the things I’d like to accomplish before the end of the week?” Clearly this is more my speed.
Without further a ‘do, here they are in no particular order:

1. Try at all costs not to lose my s@#$t. Well, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I cursed on J’s blog. {Sorry, Jen!} If you know me at all, s@#t-losing is an all-too-common occurrence. Here you can read all about what constitutes the losing of one’s well, you get it.
2. Try not to lose my child. Sure, you laugh now, but let me just tell you. This is highly possible and/or likely to happen. With a mobile babe running  amuck through the house and plenty of nooks and crannies just desperate for little bodies to sneak into, I may or may not have “lost” C behind the couch a time or two.
3. Cook something for dinner that doesn’t involve the Crock Pot. It’s a shame , really, that someone already beat me to the punch and created a 365 Days of Crock Pot Meals cookbook. They totally stole my thunder.
4. Try and wait until 5:00pm every day for that much coveted, much warranted and most delicious glass of wine. Okay, fine. Try and wait until at least after 2pm.
5. Steer clear of Etsy at all costs. With C’s First Birthday less than three weeks away, Etsy has been my best friend and enabler when it comes to party décor. For those of you wondering, C’s party theme is Vintage Carnival with a dash of Circus thrown in.
6. Make a valid attempt at changing out of my standard Daily Mom-iform. This typically consists of black yoga pants of the cropped variety and a solid color tank. On a special day, one of Husband’s old fraternity T’s may make an appearance. If this is not an ascertainable goal, at the very least, put on a clean pair of yoga pants.
7. Fold a load of laundry fresh out of the dryer. Not one that’s been cycled roughly 14 times.
8. And because I couldn’t just leave on an odd number, after letting Sheepie outside to do his business, remember to let him in. In a timely fashion.  

There you have it. Just a small list, right? For those of you who aren’t laughing, I’m only mildly serious.
A big thanks to Jen for letting me corrupt just a small slice of her beautiful blog with my senseless meanderings! Wish me luck as I tackle that list this weekend. We hope you had a fabulous time and can’t wait to hear all about it!

Dreams Versus Goals - How Their Differences Make Them Similar {A Guest Post by Ashley from After Nine to Five}

For a long time I considered myself goal-oriented. I thought I had enough goals that would get me through the end of time. Things like wanting to move someplace warm, working for myself, or finish college with at least a Bachelor's Degree to my name were my long-term goals that always stuck with me. But after a while, I realized my so-called "goals" were nothing more than dreams.

Some would say they are interchangeable - that they are both an objective that you hope to reach at some point in time. But over time, I realized there was a fine line for me. Goals had action plans attached to them. I had a clearly defined path of achieving it and steps to ensure I stayed on track to the best of my ability. My dreams were just that - thoughts of things I hoped to some day do, but had no idea of when or where. They brought me away from reality when I needed a break, but never did much more.

As soon as I realized the difference, I made a lot of my dreams into my goals. I plotted out my journey to move to someplace with a warmer climate and the courses I needed to take to obtain that degree. I marked milestones that I reached along the way to remind myself of the end goal and that it was no longer something I just dreamt about. And while these two goals have yet to be marked as complete, I did something monumental for myself. I made the dream of working for myself become a goal with a clearly lit path, just waiting for me to find the open door. I found it when I was ready with the help of many small goals along the way and can proudly say that I did it: I made a dream into my reality.

For me, my dreams will never be accomplished unless they turn into a goal. Unless they become that well-defined, thought out objective that I intend to follow from start to finish to see it through. So I'm sure to keep plenty of both goals and dreams - short-term and long-term. The goals keep me busy, leaving something to strive for and something I'm yearned to complete. But the dreams leave me wanting more from a world that I can't seem to get enough of.

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Jen here...I just wanted to say, that I love this way of looking at things!  Really, the only way to make your dreams a reality is to turn them into goals....totally makes sense!

Ashley and I stumbled on each other through the blogging network, and became fast friends.  I'm so lucky to call this lovely lady my friend.  Thanks so much, Ashley!

And readers, please go show Ashley some love:
Read her amazing blog.
Browse through her adorable shop.  {I dare you not to find something you want!}
Follow her on twitter.

Campfire Chic Blog Party...

I'm participating in the Campfire Chic Blog Party today, wishing Kam a Happy Birthday!  Head on over to her blog to check out the festivities and drop her a birthday wish.  There are all kinds of goodies, tutorials, freebies and giveaways going on.  My post is scheduled for 1:00 pm Pacific time.  {I'll post a link when it goes live!} It's live!

If you're visiting from Campfire Chic, I'd like to extend a warm welcome!  I hope you'll look around and if you like what you see, I'd love it if you became a follower.  I look forward to getting to know you!

Have a wonderful Thursday, and I'll see you tomorrow for the return of my random thoughts!