I Heart Faces :: Excited

Posted by Alli on October 13, 2009

This week’s I ♥ Faces challenge is Excited!

I am in love with this picture of Tebow and just how excited he is over all. He was excited to be outside and Fuller was running circles around the house, making Tebow excited everytime his big brother made another lap.

More excited photos over at I ♥ Faces!

[tags]I heart faces, portrait, excited[/tags]

 A random encounter

Posted by Alli on October 8, 2009

A few minutes after The Office finished airing tonight, we had a visitor at our front door. It was a woman we had never seen before and she was looking for her husband. She told us her fear of drugs, alcohol, another woman, and that she was going to find her husband dead.

Thing was, we were able to tell her her husband wasn’t dead. We were able to tell her about an hour and half earlier we saw him being driven off in a police car.

Around 8:15 we heard our front gate open. Damon went to see who it was and encountered someone who was obviously confused. It was a man who at first glance seemed to be unaware of where he was. After a few moments it was obvious he had been drinking and even though the purpose of the man’s visit was still unclear, Damon was offering to call someone for him. The man wasn’t really talking, not wanting us to call anyone but not being clear at all why he stopped at our house.

Parked on the street next to our house was a car with a few beer cans on the roof. Based on the beer cans and the drunk man in front of our house, I assumed the car was his. I was thankful Damon was asking if he could call someone because it seemed this drunk man was going to be driving somewhere.

Except, he wasn’t. The car wasn’t his. It belonged to a visitor at our neighbor’s house. The neighbor and his visitor were outside, and the visitor went to the car, took the beer cans off the roof, and got into the driver’s seat. This made the drunk man angry and he went to the car, opened the door, and started to beat up the driver. Our neighbor tried to help his friend and called 911 at the same time. D also called 911, in hope to diffuse the situation quickly.

I was holding Tebow, so I took him inside and put him in his bed. I grabbed Damon’s hiking stick (the neighbor had asked us if we had a baseball bat or something) and went back outside. I could see from the porch the neighbor’s friend was driving away and the drunk guy was making an attempt to chase our neighbor.

During all of this D remained in our front yard. All the real action was happening outside the perimeter of our fence. Then the drunk guy came back to our house. He asked if we had called the police. Damon told the guy our neighbor did and drunk guy got angry, opened our gate, and started trying to fight Damon. Damon had the hiking stick but the guy brushed it aside and slapped Damon upside the head.

I called 911 again and Damon pushed the hiking stick towards drunk guy. He decided to retreat back to the street, outside our front gate. Soon cops were speeding toward our corner. The cops took a statement from Damon, the neighbor, and the neighbor’s visitor (who came back after moving his car). Turned out the visitor had been beaten by the drunk pretty badly, he was bleeding from a cut on his face. They cuffed the man and took him to a police car where he promptly passed out.

Ever since it happened, ever since we closed our front door and the police cars drove away to continue protecting and serving, we have been just amazed at the weirdness of the event. It was so random and it could have turned out so badly. Damon kept thinking how happy he was he wasn’t going to have to fight the guy.

But even though our neighbor’s friend was injured and Damon was assaulted (which was scary to watch from the front porch), I have to think the randomness did serve some purpose. When that man’s wife came to our door asking if we had seen him, telling us she was worried she was going to find out he was dead, we were able to tell her we knew he had gone with the police. And while I wish the whole incident hadn’t happened, I’m glad she was able to stop knocking on doors and worrying he was dead.

 Works for Me Wednesday :: Ikea Blue Bags

Posted by Alli on October 7, 2009

This week’s Works for Me Wednesday has the “cleaning tip” theme, and even though I often fail in housekeeping I can offer something that I think is an awesome tip.

I have seen the shows Clean House and Clean Sweep so many times, I can tell you exactly how it works. It always starts with clearing out the rooms/ house and sorting out the stuff and/or clutter. The family gets to go through everything and put it into three piles: keep, sell, trash. (Stuff that doesn’t sell at the yard sale gets donated to charity.)

The thing that has always bothered me about the shows is how they sort things into these plastic bins or baskets. The show provides a seemingly endless supply of these costly organizers. They can go for about $12 a pop. If you wanted to stage your own Clean Sweep, then you would need to figure out a way to sort the clutter and not shell out a ton of money to start.

Sure you could use cardboard boxes (recycling at its finest) or those plastic grocery bags (which aren’t very big), but those two option have drawbacks. For one thing, the cardboard boxes might not all be the same size and that feature of the plastic baskets actually helps in this kind of clean sweep. And the grocery bags are not big and often rip.

My cheap solution: Ikea Blue Bags.

Ikea Blue Bags are used for patrons to put their purchases in when they check out. Ikea charges 59 cents for each bag (usually found right at check out). The bags are plenty big, very sturdy, and are easy to move with their large handles.

We had two for a long time, using one to collect the paper/ cardboard recycling. Then one day I had an inspiration: I could replicate my desire for many, many sorting bins (a la Clean Sweep) for cheap and they didn’t take up a lot of room to store. And it would be a solution that was less than $10.

So, the next time we went through Atlanta, we stopped at Ikea and picked up 11 more (it was supposed to be 10, but I was using self check out and messed up the scanning).

I can sort paper clutter quickly and if I need to move my piles, I just stack them on top of each other in another room (keeps baby at bay). I have used them to sort the baby clothes and recently D used them to help pack for his trip with Fuller (it’s cheap Swedish luggage!).

We don’t live in a town with an Ikea, but there is one two hours away and another on the way to visit my parents in Ohio. If you aren’t near an Ikea, that’s ok, you might have connections with someone who is near one and can send them to you.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out We are THAT Family. The Linky has lots of them!

 Five years of motherhood

Posted by Alli on October 5, 2009

What five years of motherhood looks like.

Fuller turned five today. This means I have been a mother for five years.

I wanted to be a mother for such a long time. I knew I wanted to be a mom before I knew I wanted to be married. I even had grand plans to be a single mother who adopted children from overseas (blame Raising a Mother Isn’t Easy, a book I read several times as a kid).

I’m glad I got married. And I’m happy after five years of marriage, five years of longing and trying, we held in our arms a little boy named Fuller. And after those five years, holding that boy in my arms, I became a mother.

Five years later, I’m here, sleep deprived, juggling homeschool, housework, baby sleep routines, and whatever else it is I do. I’ve had ups and downs, moments where I was ready to run and moments where I was so happy to be here.

Today, as I celebrate the five years of the life of Fuller, I also celebrate the five years I have been a mother. The roller coaster of parenthood is the best roller coaster I have ever been on. I sit here smiling with a heart of joy and peace. (And no, I am not full of joy and peace everyday.) And I look forward to five years more, and five after that, and on and on and on.

 Chick-fil-a Song

Posted by Alli on October 2, 2009

Chick-fil-a was one of the Type A Mom sponsors. They gave us a quick “grab and go” lunch on Saturday, making it possible for me to finish packing the car between rain showers. I have to say, one of the things people like to talk to about in reference to Chick-fil-a is the sweet tea. Me, I’m in love with their lemonade. It has the right amount of tart to sweet (more tart than sweet) and it really quenches my thirst.

Hey, if Kristen can blog for Chick-fil-a sweet tea, I think I should be able to blog for their lemonade. Let’s see if we can get the ball rolling on that…

[tags]chick-fil-a, sweet tea, lemonade[/tags]

 (Not quite) Wordless Wednesday

Posted by Alli on September 30, 2009

D and Fuller spent the weekend away. It was hot and D decided to spend some time in the sun without a shirt. He asked Fuller to put the sunscreen on his back. And this is what happened:

I see a profile of a face, looking to the left. I also see the reason why I will never ask Fuller to put sunscreen on my back.

[tags]sunscreen fail, skin protection, Wordless Wednesday[/tags]

 My Type A Mom Come to Jesus Moment

Posted by Alli on September 29, 2009

I’ve been home for three days now and I’m still overwhelmed with organizing my thoughts about the Type A Mom Conference. But, I’m going to give it a go.

The conference was well organized with lots of intriguing sessions and very smart people on panels. Some of these people I knew of via the blogosphere/ twitter and others I was being introduced to for the first time. But I had enough respect for Kelby (the original Type A Mom) to know these people were in front of us because Kelby respected them, therefore I sat there and listened intently.

While I sat there and listened to others tell their blogging stories and dish advice, I realized over and over again the word “community” was being used in reverence and awe. Other moms had stories of their communities stepping up to support them, their communities bringing them joy, or their communities pushing them to be better people. These communities were formed via their blogs and internet relationships.

And it was sitting the Crowne Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Tennis & Golf Resort that I had a come to Jesus moment: I didn’t really have a community. And it is totally my own fault.

I went to the Type A Mom conference not really knowing anyone. I knew of people who would be there. I had interacted with some of them or just watched their tweets fly by on my twitter stream. I knew of six women I wanted to talk to, but I had tons of trepidation wondering, “Does she know me? Would she want to meet me?” I think I missed out on some of the joy of the conference that I saw in other moms who were meeting up with “sisters” or blog BFFs.

Part of feeling overwhelmed in these three days is the way I was challenged and knowing that in order for Type A Mom to have been worth it, I need to actually step up and meet the challenge. If I don’t do that, then the money and time spent was a waste. Realizing a lack of blog community was probably hurting me as a blogger has spurred on other thoughts re: Alli as a blogger.

First, I have to decide what my blogging goals are. Do I just want to write and take pictures? Do I want to be asked to go on PR trips? Should I be asking companies to loan me cars or computers? Do I want to make money for lattes? Or do I want to make money for mortgage payments? There are so many more questions I have to ask myself, but really, I need a goal.

Secondly, I have to make a plan and stick to it. I know I can’t just open my wordpress dashboard and start typing every night. This has been made even more apparent since Tebow made his appearance.

And third, I need to participate. I need to quit skimming and start participating in blogs by commenting and supporting the writers. I want to try my hand as guest posting or posting original content on community sites. I should maybe get a mentor (anyone want to sign up?).

So, I have these things to mull over and move on. And as I post in the future, I hope I not only become a better blogger, but start building a stronger community. Next year at Type A Mom, I want to find joy in seeing my “sisters.”

[tags]type a mom, conference, blogging conference, blog community, sisterhood[/tags]

 Decompression before debriefing

Posted by Alli on September 27, 2009

Late last night I was driving home from Asheville, counting the miles until I was pulling into my parking spot. And once I was here, I worked quickly to get Tebow and our stuff inside so I could get us both to bed. Even with sleeping late and taking a nap this afternoon, I’m still exhausted. Physically I’m tired. Mentally I am dealing with the feelings that come soon after a conference, the low of being home and away from all the wonderful women I met and interacted with.

I have business cards to go through and twitter accounts to follow, pictures to process, and thoughts to compile. But right now, I am resting and enjoying my entire family. I spent a good portion of the day at a minute clinic with Damon who has an ear infection, but it was still good to reconnect with him and Fuller.

And tomorrow, I bring the vingettes and recap from Type A Mom. Right now I can tell you, it was amazing and affirming.

[tags]blogging conference, type a mom[/tags]

 I came, I saw, I’m having fun!

Posted by Alli on September 24, 2009

This morning I left my driveway at 10 a.m. on the dot. With a bit of traffic to deal with and a couple of stops to help Tebow, I made it to the Type A Mom Conference.

After registration (complete with swag bags), I let Tebow explore the room while I got situated. A little before the first planned activity, I dropped Tebow off at Kidcon. Being at a conference that is kid friendly is such a joy. While I think it would have been great to be completely on my own (mainly so I can get a break from the song and dance we do each night to get Tebow to sleep), being at a conference where childcare is an option is an excellent selling point (and I’m sold!).

The first session was speed dating- blogger style. We sat at tables, went around the table and introduced ourselves in 30 seconds (or more). After a certain amount of time we swapped. It is the kind of activity that I need, a push to force myself to introduce myself to anyone and everyone. It was the complete opposite of the Welcome Reception where I found myself almost hugging the wall and wondering if I should just go to bed early (obviously not).

I’m having fun meeting people and really looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions, connecting with more and more people.

[tag]type a mom, blogging conference[/tag]

 Camera in a coma

Posted by Alli on September 22, 2009

So Saturday Damon and I got caught in a deluge of rain. I think he told me he read that Jordan-Hare Stadium got 4 inches of rain during the downpour of doom, which is a lot of rain for the amount of time it rained.

While the student section was being carefree about the rainy situation, we were taking heed the advice of the loudspeaker and making our way to the cover of the concourse. As I mentioned before, I had a poncho. I had my camera on its strap underneath the poncho, thinking it was enough protection. But due to the flimsy nature of the hood opening, rain still got to me and the camera.

When I got to the concourse I headed to the ladies room to make use of the changing table. I was able to spread out my belonging and assess the situation. The camera was wet and working for the moment, but I knew it was precarious. So I took out the battery, wiped stuff down with a paper towel, and prayed hard.

I spent at least the first quarter of the game pouting and worried. This meant I spent a lot of time sitting while the folks around me were getting up and down. In the second quarter the ball was coming toward our section, so I decided to get into it. I put the battery back in the camera and tried to shoot some pics. Nothing but a big old “err” message on the viewfinder. The LCD screen was blank. And I wanted to cry.

Damon was very sweet about it all, telling me we would work to replace the camera if it was truly a goner. This lifted my spirits and I took the battery out again.

Once we got back to my grandmother’s house, Damon turned her laundry room into a dry room. He used a space heater to warm up the room and spread out his costume to dry. I put my camera lenses and camera body (with the mirror exposed) out on the ironing board. I put both batteries out with the sensors up. And Damon took the memory card out later (because I forgot). And I didn’t touch them at all.

Damon put a lens back on the camera to come home. Once we were settled I went ahead and put a battery back in the camera. I turned it on and started taking some pictures.

It worked! It worked! It worked!

I am so happy the camera is better. It was going to be such a disappointment to go on a field trip today (which was canceled) and not be able to take pictures. I was going to be scrambling to have a camera for my trip to the Type A Mom Conference on Thursday. And so much more.

Going to the game I had downsized what I normally take in order to travel lighter. I regret that now. I regret not taking the water resistant camera bag. I regret not checking the hour by hour weather on weather.com to see what could be coming our way. I regret not putting my camera under my shirt.

A wet Nikon D40 can be catastrophic, but I was fortunate and have learned my lesson. I hope no one else ever has this problem.

Pictures I was able to get before the rains came are on Flickr.

[tags]Nikon D40, wet DSLR, Auburn football[/tags]