TMD's Cookie Jar

*click the above image to go to TMD's Cookie Jar *

HEY PEOPLE! - Exciting news for mamas who love to buy and/sell handmade items!

The Mama Dramalogues is getting ready to launch The Cookie Jar, which is a monthly limited sampler box of handmade goodness, all made for moms (and their tots), by moms.

Put together by the fabulous Holly (aka Winklepots), these boxes are filled with sheer awesomeness. They'll be going on sale April first, so get ready to grab one fast!

Here are some of the items that will be found in the April box:

*be sure to read the FAQ's (here) for more details*

Chocolate Cashew Clusters

Nicole's Homemade Treats

"I Heart You!" Series 5x7 Print

(HEY! That's me!)

Elegant Snobbery

*****

Crocheted Sandals, Booties or Beanie

Crochele Handcrafted

*****

Felt Flower Embellishment

Stitch N Stones

*****

Bzzz Off! All Natural Insect Repellent

Teddy Started It!

*****

Ribbon Trimmed Burp Cloth

Tiny Stitches by Kathleen Gordon-Ross

*****

Wooden Doll Pendant

The Peanut Butter Bandit

*****

Sock Monkey Card

Aunty Ann Designs

*****

Big Sis Bracelet

Monkeys N Munchkins

*****

Lip Balm or Perfume Solid

Suds & Scrubs Bath and Body

*****

Korker Pony-o Bow

Winklepots Clothing & Accessories

*****

I know, right? Awesome.

Have questions? Send an email to Holly at cookiejarcontact@mamadramalogues.com

xoxo,

Outta the Mouths of Babes: The Frustrated Mom Edition

Annelie, holding out the ginormous bouquet of allergies
she gathered just for me, despite knowing my house rule:
All Nature Stays Outside
I admit this bouquet is kinda cute though...
even if it did leave me sneezing and scratching at my eyeballs for ages.

Okay, so I know that being a mom is super rewarding and all that... but honestly, I don't get paid enough sometimes. Here are our snippets from this morning, inspired by Wendiwinn and her Sunday Snippets hilarity. Only mine aren't so much hilarious as they are unbelievable.

Setting: Me in living room listening to 4-year old Gracie and 3-year old Annelie playing in bedroom

Gracie [to Annelie]: Open your mouth and you're dead.

Me: WHAT?? Where did you hear that?

Gracie: We're playing Snow White.

Me [muttering to self]: I do not remember that part of the Disney movie. Holy {enter colorful word}, I'm raising a psychopath.

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Setting - Kitchen, just after lunch. I'm staring at the floor, eyes bugged out of my head.

Annelie [smiling sweetly]: Can I have a donut?

Me: No, of course you don't get a donut.

Annelie: Aw! You're really mean!

Me: I'm not mean. I told you to eat your lunch and instead you smashed it into the floor with your tap shoes.

Annelie [pouting]: I don't love you anymore.

Me [muttering to self]: Fantastic. And she's not even a teenager yet.

Life is fun.

Hope you're having an enjoyable weekend!

xoxo,

Friday Flashback: Two Girl Kittens

Today's Flashback Friday post is... well, actually a flashback to yesterday, and the last few months when I was of the belief (thanks to what the shelter and vet told me) that we adopted two little girl kittens.

Because REALITY CHECK, we do not have two little girl kittens. Nope. Somersault, my frisky, destructive baby girl... now has testicles.

SURPRISE!

Um, where the heck did they come from? I do not know. But they are there, and mating season is in full swing, and though we were scheduled for a kitty fixin' session next month, things are gonna happen ASAP because life with mating cats is not fun.

Ah, remember the good ole days of yesterday, when life was simpler, and kittens were baby girls and the calico wasn't glaring at you with a look like, "Get this effing orange cat off my back right NOW, Mom, before I punish you all, by spraying your favorite couch." ??

I do. But it is quickly becoming a distant memory.

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Have a flashback to share? Head on over to Tia's blog and join in the Flashback Friday awesomeness.

xoxo,

Out with the Slime, In with the Rainbows, Butterflies, Kittens and Beth Orton

Butterfly Collection - Digital Collage
by Thompson Designs

Some days suck. Like, really suck. And sometimes the suckage lasts and lasts until I'm ready to rip out all my hair in frustration and cry.

These past few days, my allergies have been terrible, my kids have been whiny, the weather has been cruddy, the cats have been destructive, I'm hormonal (ie really scary - think Wicked Witch of the West) the house needs cleaning, the book I'm slowly but surely writing unexpectedly hit a very, very bad slime patch and I spent the last few days deleting 15,000 words (which is approximately sixty pages) and writing approximately nothing...

BUT THEN, days like today appear, straight out of nowhere, and butterflies and rainbows and fluffy kittens and bunnies frolic in the imaginary garden that is my life, and I wake up to a message from my awesome friend Betty who has the Superpinkymandy album by Beth Orton (love!) for me - which I have wanted for AGES but cannot find without dropping a starting bid of $300 on eBay for (ew, seriously, who has that kind of money for one CD?)(Even if it is a rare CD by Beth Orton).

And so now, not only have my allergies taken a rest, but my kids have stopped whining, the sun is shining, my house... well, that still needs help, but most importantly, I fixed the slime that is my book, and I am ready to try rewriting it - this time listening to Superpinkymandy on my iPod, which was what my book needed in order to survive (Yes, I am that neurotic).

So here's my song obsession:



Yay! And Betty, you are the epitome of all things awesome!

Happy Monday to all, and I hope your day is filled with butterflies and rainbows and kittens and fluffy bunnies, too!

xoxo,

Friday Flashback: Dressin' Up

I'm the pink ballerina.
The little cross-dresser with the upside-down glasses
and the out-of-control awesome collection of
jelly bracelets (remember those?) is my brother Dan
circa 1985

I was digging though my pile of photos, searching for something Flashback Friday-worthy and I couldn't find hardly a single photo of myself at the age of four(ish) that didn't have me wearing something super fancy.

Ballerina Marisa, Princess Marisa, Little House on the Prairie Marisa... and much, much more. Which cracked me up, because I'm always going on about how dress-up is a way of life when it comes to my daughters... and I hadn't really considered that the dress-up gene is probably hereditary.

Here I am in preschool, age four, with my BFFs. Clearly comfort was key in the 80's - we all wore our fancy dresses, dressy-uppy hair bows, and patent leather mary janes to preschool on a daily basis. And then added... what is that I'm wearing, a pillow case? ... on top.

And the third and final photo for the day... nothing, and I mean nothing, dresses up Garfield and Odie quite like a sparkly princess cone hat.

This is actually my favorite dress-up photo because I remember that night so well. I was four, and in Paris visiting my Grandparents and college-aged Aunt Sharon (who was the absolute coolest person in the world), and check OUT my fancy clip-on earrings.

I showed Gracie and Annelie these photos today and they pretty much flipped out and told me that I was the most beautiful little girl (Gracie even added a little 'awwwww!') and it made me feel all pink and sparkly all over again. Quick - someone get me some ginormous gold clip-on earrings and a tiara!

You can take the girl out of the dress-up, but you can't take the dress-up out of the girl, eh?

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Have a flashback of your own to share? Head on over to Tia's blog and join us! Happy Friday, folks!

xoxo,

I love Mozart; She Loves Balloons.

When you see this photo... do you think, Oh! Monet's Bridge at Giverney!
Or do you think, Oh! Leo, Annie, June, and Quincy!

Hey! Today is Wednesday, which means y'all need to head on over to The Mama Dramalogues.
I had quite an argument with my three year old, which sparked my thoughts on sharing classical music and art with kids... and I'd love for you to share your thoughts!

Just click the above picture and off you go!

xoxo,

My Kind of My Little Pony Movie

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: I hate kids movies.
I do. I really do. Especially animated ones featuring singing and dancing ponies (which we have a bunch of - My kids love and adore Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle)

Until now...
My Little Pony: Reign of Buttercup Sprinkles



LOVE it.

(yes, I'm sad it's not actually a real movie. I would totally go and see it)

xoxo,

Oh, For the Love of... Cinderella.

So, it's no secret that my kids are heavily into dress up. I think pretty much all of the pictures I have of them, they're decked out in their Disney costume finest. And like most dress-up loving preschool-aged girls, its the Disney princess that seem to capture their hearts the most.

Annelie is currently obsessed with Cinderella. She watches the movie just about every day. She has passages memorized, she pretends that Gus Gus is her BFF, she sings and dances to Sing Sweet Nightingale. And, like other dress-up loving girls, she loves to pretend that she is part of the whole Cinderella world, as she plays.

Sweet isn't it?

But wait. I haven't told you everything.

Annelie doesn't love to pretend that she is the sweet, vulnerable, servant girl, being tormented by her evil step-mother and step-sisters, with only the birds and mice and her love for singing to get her through her hardships....

And she doesn't love to pretend that she is the fancy, fairy godmother gifted girl, who is lucky enough to snag the handsome prince while decked out in a gorgeous silvery blue gown and glass slippers...

Nope.

When 3-year-old Annelie dresses up and plays Cinderella, the characters that she loves to be the most are...

Anastasia and Drizella.

Yup. Cinderella's evil step-sisters. Are you surprised? If you have been following my blog for more than a week, probably not.

But seriously, that's pretty worrisome, isn't it? That of all the Disney characters, the ones that my daughter relates to the most are the villains. And while playing dress-up, Annelie gets into it... terrorizing the cats, the dog, her sister, the furniture, me...

Oh joy, I can't wait to get those phone calls from the principal, once Annelie starts kindergarten, letting me know just how evil-stepsister she's been to all of her classmates...

I'm such a lucky mom!

Today is Mama Drama Monday, over at The Mama Dramalogues.

Have a story about your kids to share? Hop on over and join us!

xoxo,

I love You, Mommy

Warning: Do not be fooled by that sweet face.

When I hear three-year-old Annelie sweetly say the words, "I love you, Mommy," my heart stops and my stomach sinks.

Wait now, hold your horses. Don't judge me as a cold-hearted mother just yet.

You see, Annelie only ever walks over to me, stands in front of me, and tells me she loves me in her sweetest voice possible, when she has done something naughty.

Annelie, bless her little heart, is a hellion.

Here is a page straight from the Hopkins Family Dictionary:

I-LOVE-YOU-MOM-MY
interj.
1. the dog's water dish is now filled with all the clean socks and underwear in the house.
2. a library book has been shredded. You will find it hastily shoved under the coffee table.
3. the closet was illustrated by a red paint pen during time out.
4. there is a banana smashed all over the dining room floor. Right NOW.

(pl. We love you, Mommy)
[Alternate: You are very pretty, Mommy]
Common reply: Oh man... what the heck did you do now?



I am a lucky mom indeed, to have such a loving, thoughtful daughter!

And, of course, after the whole "I love you, Mommy," moment, after my stomach has dropped to my toes and I expect the worst, its up to me to put on my private investigator hat and figure out what she's done this time.

Annelie doesn't give away a single clue. She's actually quite good at covering her tracks. Why yes, that is worrying, thankyouverymuch.

In case you are wondering... today's I love you, Mommy matched up with definitions #1, #3, and #4.


Now, when she says, "I love you, Mommy" as I'm tucking her into bed at night, or cuddling with her first thing in the morning...

Well, that's a good one.
I never get tired of hearing that.

But the other kind... no thanks, I'll pass.

xoxo,

LOST - The Missing Intro

Will and I were just saying the other night, how glad we are that the show LOST doesn't have a TV intro like 80's and 90's shows always did.

BUT THEN.... I saw this:



And I have changed my mind.

Love. It. So. Much.

xoxo,

Mama Drama Monday

*click the picture to read my post*

Hey folks! I'm over at The Mama Dramalogues today, for Mama Drama Monday, our new weekly meme. Come on by and share your drama with us!

And, of course, read my post.

If you're thinking that it might involve a lost library book, a decapitated Ken doll, and me padding my wallet with money from Gracie's piggy bank... well, you'd be right!

xoxo,

Things That Make Marisa Happy - The Official List

I'm sure you are all wondering what makes me happy. I'm pretty darned positive that you think about it frequently. At least Kearsie does, and I know this because she tagged me with a WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY post.

So, here is what makes me happy, Kearsie, and everyone else out there, sitting at the edge of your seat, just dying to know:

1.) Captain Wentworth

I know! Its been a long time since I've swooned over my most favorite Regency love on this blog, hasn't it? Well, here I go again. Oh Captain Wentworth, I do love you so!

www.paperdolls.com

Oh! And also, check out this Captain Wentworth paper doll. Oooh, he is such a dapper gentleman in his double breasted waistcoat, white breeches (sexay!) and cravat (cravat! swoon!). Woooo....calm down, Marisa, its just a paper doll... okay, moving on.

2.) Books that I love so much I find myself smiling at the covers for a good hour after I've read them, unable to set them down and move on with my life.

Including, but not limited to:

Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta
Lament - Maggie Stiefvater
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Luna - Julie Peters
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale - Mo Willems

(such a great book)

3.) Ridiculously cheesy pop music that makes me want to get up and dance, and chew pink Bubblicious at the same time.

Like Shake It by Metro Station.



The funny thing is, I HATED music like this when I was younger. I think my taste in music has regressed with each year I get older. I'm actually almost embarrassed to post this one at all. But then I'm also at the age where I don't care what people think of me anymore... I just wanna DANCE to cheesy music, by golly, and you can't stop me!

4.) The Vicar of Dibley

Okay, so this show has been off the air for ages, but it never fails to crack me up. Best Show EVER. Dawn French, I heart you.

5.) When my kids play nicely together for long periods of time, giving me much needed peace and quiet.

Tia took this picture... isn't it the sweetest?

6.) Champagne Cocktails - ooooh, yum.

7.) When my husband takes the kids and does the grocery shopping

Which he actually does quite a lot. Its like a 2 for 1, wrapped up with a golden bow - peace and quiet PLUS a weeks worth of groceries... best husband EVER.

8.) Coffee

Sinead O'Connor might sing that nothing compares to you... but she's wrong. Because nothing compares to that first sip of coffee every single morning. Nothing.

9.) Caller ID

I love having the ability to screen calls.
Don't worry Holly, Alyssa and Will... I always answer when I see that its you calling.

Everyone else... well, I'm screening you. Just so you know.

10.) Writing

I don't often blog about the fact that I'm working on a book (YA fiction) but I work on it every day, so it consumes all of my free time (ie when my kids don't notice me hiding from them) and I love it.

Okay. That's all. Now I'm supposed to spread the happiness by forcing 10 people to bare their souls... Um... I may lose some friends over this. Sorry in advance

1.) Holly (because I always tag you, and you always tag me, and that's the way it will always be)

2.) Alyssa (because you get tagged all the time and now you have to do it again. HA! Sucka!)

3.) Melissa (sexy fanged immortals are too obvious a choice... you have to pick 10 other things)

4.) Jon (This is my way of thanking you for giving me a blog award. Don't you just love me?)

5.) Amanda (because your blog always make me happy. Oh! I should have put that as one of my choices!)

6.) Am I done yet?

7.) I'm not? Okay, fine.... um...

8.) Tia (because I hope you post lots of pretty photos to go with yours)

9.) April (because you make delicious cupcakes. And those cupcakes make me happy. Therefore, you make me happy. Although, I like you for more than just your cupcakes, I promise.)

10.) Um.... this is too hard. I quit.

PS, everyone else only posts one word answers in their lists... but I'm not everyone... I'm long-winded. People who I've tagged - you don't have to be as long-winded as me. Just sayin'

xoxo,

Outta the Mouths of Babes.3

Why yes, she is wearing a plastic bag, thankyouverymuch.
These are tough economic times
and we must get creative with our dress up clothes.

In case you've been wondering if I've fallen of the face of the Earth... kind of, yeah.

I've been sick with the flu, which is no bueno, so I'm taking a nice long break from life.

However, for your reading pleasure, I've gathered a few things that have been said around the house this week. Perhaps its my fever-induced haze that makes them so hilarious, or perhaps they really are funny... you can be the judge of that.

So here you go -

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Scene: Kitchen. Annelie standing on the scale (I don't know why its in the kitchen...)

Me [to Annelie]: How much do you weigh?

Annelie [very seriously]: 4 o'clock

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Scene: Kitchen - eating dinner. Gracie and Annelie are plotting an adventure through the woods, to take place immediately after dinner.

Gracie: We're going into the deep, dark forest. And we're really brave and aren't afraid of anything. Except skanks.

Me [snorting my spaghetti - yes, its possible. Painful, but possible]: Um... skanks?

Gracie: Oh. I mean snakes.


(I think she had it right the first time. I'm deathly afraid of skanks...)
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Scene: Movie time, on couch.

Gracie: My tummy has very bad manners. Its saying, 'Give me food, right now,' and it's not even asking nicely.

Me: Uh... okay. Do you want some juice?

Gracie: Oh yes! My tummy loves juice!

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Okay, I'm sure there have been more, but I've been drugged out of my mind with Nyquil, so I don't remember anything. And if you're wondering why I would offer Gracie juice when she's only just said she was hungry (as opposed to thirsty) ... um, yeah, I'm wondering that, too. Must be the Nyquil talking.

Enjoy!

xoxo,