Mom Files

Vent Day Wednesday, um not really

Well we know that today is Wednesday. We know how very much you look forward to watching us act foolishly. Sorry, since I had my dental issues it would not have been pleasant to show my swollen cheeks on camera. If you need your Dwayne fix then you can click above this post to view our VDW videos. If you are anything like Dwayne then you might just find yourself laughing at them hysterically even after numerous times. Gosh I hope none of you are like him!

On another note we have updated our blog to give it a little edgy, sexy look. Our header was done by Keep it classy, Jen What do you think? We want honest opinions even if they are negative. We can take it, I promise! Who knows, if you say something bad I might have to have Dwayne put you on blast on the next video (kidding!). We just appreciate your input. Holla at us in the comments!

Monday Madness

Good Monday morning to all. I am waiting on my dental office to call me back to see if there is anything they can do for my toothache. It has been a weekend of agony for me so I hope they have some good news for me or I will be so desperate that I might try to perform my very own oral surgery. If you have ever suffered from a toothache then you know exactly what I'm talking about. On top of that poor Willie has a 100.4 degree temp this morning. Huh?? Didn't see that one coming. This is his birthday week and look how it has started. Poor little munchkin. I can't make an appointment for him until I hear back from the dentist *sigh* Okay, no more complaining. I will think positive thoughts. Perhaps a little chat with the WBC's might do the trick? Hell, anything is worth a shot at this point!

Pajama weekend

It's 4:00 in the afternoon and I am still in my jammies. As a matter of fact, so is the rest of the family. I am just wanting to stay in all day, all weekend at that. We've got rain, cool temps and I have a horrible toothache that I am waiting out until Monday to get fixed. I would prefer to give birth over having a toothache, seriously. Even though I hate big busy cities, I do love the fact that doctors and dental offices are open 7 days a week. I guess that is the downfall of living in a smaller city. My dentist was closed on Friday! I am suffering but hanging in there. I hope to be back in action this upcoming week. What are you up to this weekend??

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to 3Carnations for being the winner of the Personalized Fruit Roll-ups giveaway! Thanks to everyone for participating.

Vent Day Wednesday

Welcome to this week's edition of Vent Day Wednesday. We hope you enjoy the video and make sure to hit us up in the comments with your vents.

Much better night

I think Dwayne might be on to something or it is just a fluke. He came up with an idea to get William to sleep better at night. Here's the plan:

turn of the television
bathe and feed William and then put him on the floor to exercise (wear himself out)
Light candles (out of reach of course)
when he shows signs of being ready to sleep then down he goes.

Outcome: We had to make sure he was okay this morning since he did not want to wake up! 8 am is a good wake-up time if you ask me! Dwayne has one or two good ideas every so often ;)

He is something else

William has acquired a new habit. He wakes up at 2 am every night now for about a week acting as if he never gets fed. He gives the 'hungry cry' and does not seem to stop until he gets a bottle. He is about to turn a year old and we will not be doing the bottle much longer so I am not sure what will happen. Dwayne and I realized that having a boy is way different after having 2 girls. William really thinks he can try to run things. Disciplinary action had been taken already so he knows who's boss around here. I guess we have to exercise patience a bit more with this one.

William is lucky he is so adorable. Whatever he is going through, I am hoping it will soon pass.

Has anyone had this happen with their little one before where they go from sleeping through the night and then the opposite, waking up in the middle of the night to eat? What advice can you give us?

Here are some of my favorite things about living in the friendly state of South Carolina:

I love the wardrobe. Jeans, flip-flops and a Carolina Girl t-shirt.
Mom & Pop shops. They make you feel like you are family and that you are the only customer in the store.
Our every day greeting "Hey Y'all!"
You can have grits for dinner.
Sweet tea, as Paula Deen calls it "House wine of the South"
I love the fact that you can actually get to the country in less than 10 minutes. Seeing the farms, horses, cows and country living is so beautiful. Feels like a getaway.
Southern Hospitality and charm.
The fact that there is an actual senior citizen to greet you when you walk into Wal-Mart. Then as you leave they say in a Southern accent "Thanks for shopping at Wal-Mart, Y'all come back".
Most people hold the door open for you and allow you to cross through the parking lot.
I just could not imaging living anyplace else :)

Vent Day Wednesday

Well it's Wednesday and as promised here is this week's edition of Vent Day Wednesday. We hope you enjoy this video (I know Dwayne did *sarcasm*). Don't forget to hit us up in the comments with your vents!

So much to do

I have not posted in a few days with good reason. I needed a little break. I have had a lot on my plate lately (and in my head) that anything I end up saying might not make any sense. Make sense? One of the things that has had me tied up is making arrangements for some traveling we will be doing over the course of the next 4 weeks for the girls' volleyball teams. How fun is it when they both have a game on the same day except they play in 2 cities that are located in the opposite direction!? Lucky for us Chardie will ride with a friend to her game this Saturday so that is a HUGE help to me. I also have to bring (or send) food, drinks and snacks for both teams. I guess it is a good thing when your kids are into the same sports or activities but it can still be conflicting at times. As long as the kiddies are happy, I will make it happen.

Let's see, little William has his 1st birthday coming up this month. This time has gone by too fast, I want a do-over! He proves to us daily that he is a boy. No mistaking that one. I am trying to make transitions to 'big boy' status and it is going slowly. Yeah, William thinks he's royalty apparently. *sighs* To everyone that told me that I would not be spoiled with this little one like I was with the girls, Thanks. I know this now. He's so darn sweet and cute though :)

I have been working on a few projects that are time consuming. Another post for another time. Tomorrow is Wednesday. Did y'all miss your boy? Well he will be back so get ready. Let's hope he does not put all our business out in the street. Be sure to stop by tomorrow. Well that's all for now. Have a great day!

I can remember being a kid and LOVING Fruit Roll-ups. Even though I am an adult, I still enjoy them! I frequently buy them for my kids' lunchboxes so it's not surprising to see a box (or 2) in my pantry. Sadly we have been known to fight over who gets the last one or who ate the last one! Grown-ups don't always have to be so serious you know. When I found out you can personalize your treats at My Fruit Roll-ups.com, I was so excited! You can create your own designs or pick from the big selection they offer. They are an excellent choice for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, sports teams, business advertising and the list goes on! You can even upload your own photo or logo and add a personalized message.

Look at the design I created for Momfiles. How cute is that?!

Dwayne and I were on the site for about 30 minutes just fooling around with uploading different family photos and making silly captions to match. You have got to try this! Too bad William wasn't older because they would have been the perfect favor for his birthday. These personalized Fruit Roll-ups cost $29.99 (plus shipping and tax, if applicable) for a box of 30 (which is not all that bad considering how much you might spend on goodie bags and the time you put in to making them up). Another cool thing is they have Box Tops for Education coupons on the carton so we can send those in to support the kids' school.

Now you can have a chance to win your very own box of personalized Fruit Roll-ups! We will give you *3 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling us what theme or design you tried or liked on the Fruit Roll-ups site.
2. You can Tweet this giveaway. Just be sure to leave the link to your tweet.

3. You can follow Momfiles by clicking the Follow button at the upper right-hand corner of the blog and indicate it in your comment.

*Leave a separate comment for each entry to count.
This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end at midnight (E.S.T.) on March 10, 2009. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be contacted within 24 hours of the giveaway deadline. Good luck to everyone and be sure to tell your friends and family about this fun giveaway!

This was the day William was born, only 4 lbs 12 oz. Hard to believe he was ever that tiny. Have a great weekend!

I want to know if anyone else has experienced this or if I am just plain crazy. I use a certain brand of diapers and have purchased them at 3 different stores in different quantities. I have noticed that when I purchase them from my usual store they work extremely well and we never have leaks or disasters. Now when I purchase the same brand in another store, they seem different, a bit thinner and the design on the front is not the same. Also, they don't work as well. Has this ever happened to anyone before?? I know that the diaper companies package their product in different quantities for particular stores but shouldn't they be the same thing? Just wondering. Hope I don't find out that I'm crazy. Please share with me if you have encountered this same problem. Thanks in advance :)

Wordless / Vent Day Wednesday

Our household is still under the weather. No video this week but still hit us up with your vents.

These photos are dedicated to men and their chairs everywhere across the globe.

Are you on FB?

Are you on Facebook? Well if you aren't, I encourage you to join! I know some of you think that something like Facebook is for losers but really you would be amazed what a great tool it can be. You can keep in touch with family, friends, blog pals, Twitter contacts and people you haven't thought of in 100 years! I really like the fact that you don't necessarily have to 'speak' to anyone. You can check in on them and see what is new without having the obligation of physical interaction. You can view your friends' photos, videos, notes and more. I have been able to link up with a lot of people from blogland and even those that thought they would never join (you know who you are!) Feel free to add us to your friends list. Those of you that are addicted to FB need to join a support group lol! Trust me, you can get addicted and I am no loser!

I just don't get it. I used to watch TV, go out to lunch with friends, and go anywhere I wanted when I wanted. I walked into my bedroom this afternoon to fold the 50 loads of laundry that have been neglected. I figured I might as well get it done while Willie was actually taking a nap. I picked up the remote control, (from Dwayne's side of the bed of course) I press "power" and there was some random sci-fi movie on (Dwayne again) so I type in the number 28. Problem. Channel 28 is not Food Network, HGTV, SoapNet, local news, or A&E. Channel 28 is Noggin. I am so programmed to catering to my little guy that I automatically turn to his channel!

Now the really ridiculous part is I sit there and get all into the shows! Dwayne, Chardie and Brie do it as well. They even go to Noggin on Demand to watch thier favorite shows over and over. We even love some shows that we claimed we would never watch in our lives. If you have a little one then you know exactly what I'm talking about! I am singing "Go Diego Go!" in my head as I type. Truly my life has been taken over but I am not complaining one bit :)

Flashback Friday and "the chair"

This video was shot in December 2007 and you get to see how "the chair" came about. Yes, the Vent Day Wednesday rocking chair that Dwayne rocks so hard that I feel ill every time we shoot the show. Seriously, I hope I don't get whiplash or something. The bad part is the more he laughs at himself, the harder he rocks! Oh the things I go through dealing with dude!

Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend :)

**sorry it is a bit dark since this was a surprise for Dwayne. We timed it just perfectly too!

William update- 11 months old

Little William is officially 11 months old today. He is a very busy boy these days exploring everything he can get his hands on. He's crawling around and pulling up on everything he can. I can't turn my back on him for more than 2 seconds because he gets into trouble so quickly. I am not excited about the whole walking thing. I guess the real work starts then! He is really a happy boy and who wouldn't be with 2 great big sisters that cater to his every wish! I wish I could have gotten some better photos of the little fella but he has been sick with a cold for a couple days and has not been too happy. As a matter of fact, we will be going to the Pediatrician this morning to get him checked out. Poor little guy, he is absolutely miserable. It just breaks my heart to see him sick :(

Gotta love the old man face

He has the wildest waviest hair ever!!

Vent Day Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Vent Day Wednesday. It's a little lengthy (thanks to you know who) this week. Please be sure to leave your vents in the comments. We want to know what's bugging you. Come on, get it out of your system...Holla!

Random things

I had to run to the pharmacy yesterday and could not pass up the after-Valentine's clearance. I have a rule that we wait until after particular occasions or holidays to buy candy. The kids don't mind waiting. Look what we got for $3! You can't beat that 75% off sale!!

I made this fantastic lasagna the other day. Snuck some spinach in it and nobody noticed. I think they thought it was Italian parsley or something.

This salad was so good. Greek salad with French dressing (that's how the family likes it) Hey, we are International.

Now last thing is the kids and I have all been sick with a cold. It's been one of those lingering nasty kind of cold. I have been lucky to not get hit too hard so of course I have been taking care of the crew. Dwayne walked in from work yesterday and was saying how we all smelled very mentholated, like Vaporub. He said to me in his joking way "You know Vaporub is not perfume right?" I wanted to slap him but just gave him "the look" and asked "Dwayne, why are you the only one in the house that's not sick???"

Magnificent Monday

** A letter to my FB Accountability Group, Just wanted to share with MOMFILES family**

I just want to wish everyone a great week. Keep striving for those goals by pushing yourself. This is only the second month of the year. You are not trapped by your present circumstances regardless of how things look right now. We are all products of our choices, and together we are choosing to be great. It is now time to ACT on that little feeling you have deep down within. You know what I am talking about. That little feeling may be different for all of us, but it will make all our lives much richer and happier. It is time for you to ACT. The first thing you must do is define what you want by reevaluating the blueprint of your life. Are you meeting the expectations you have for yourself? Are your expectations realistic? What will it take to enjoy your life? The next thing you have to do is write your goals down. Finally, you must read your goals over and over, and over and over, and over and over again. You must program yourself for your success. Every single day, you are bombarded by advertising messages from others trying to get inside your head. Why not get your personal message there! It is time to ACT! Let’s break the patterns that have held us back from getting what we want. If you need any coaching, do not hesitate to ask. It is time to Act! It is time to feel ALIVE!

To Your Success,

Dwayne Ismail

GladWare winner...

The winner of the Gladware containers is Tracy!! Thanks for your nice comment and Dwayne feels so special that you are so entertained by his antics. This seems to be the trend with our Momfiles readers and Dwayne if you are reading this, NO you won't get paid because everyone likes you. ha ha! Thanks to everyone else who participated. It feels good to be loved :)

With a title like that I am sure you know who I am about to start talking about. What is wrong with my husband?? Seriously, this Vent Day Wednesday thing is getting out of control. Dwayne sneaks his butt in the office and gets on the computer to do what I think is to check email, blog, website... really he is watching the Vent Day videos and laughing himself to tears. Oh and he watches them over and over and laughs even harder! He has disturbed the baby from sleeping many of nights. What do I do with him!? I thought our Vent day was for just that...VENTING, not the Dwayne and Shelly variety show. Seriously, he is insane! For instance, telling everyone to email me about talking to my white blood cells. He has this Dwayne theory that you must talk to your white blood cells (WBC as She Needs says ) when you feel ill. *WTF?* He has to walk around the house like a drill Sargent motivating his WBC troops to battle. He says he does not take medication, he sends in reinforcements to help out on the front line. Coughing to him is the Army fighting a ground battle and sneezing is the Air Force battle. Now in all this foolishness he does say one thing right. Dwayne always recommends resting when the battle is taking place. However, the most obnoxious part is that he rewards his WBC's after the battle is won. He actually pats himself on the back, and drinks hot ginseng tea. He say he gives his WBC's a nice rewarding jacuzzi bath for a job well done. What can I say the guy is crazy, but there must be something to his madness. Because like he says, he rarely gets sick. Go figure.

Vent Day Wednesday

Welcome to this week's edition of Vent Day Wednesday. Enjoy the foolishness and remember to hit us up in the comments with your vents.

Teachers are the best

Today the parents at my girls' middle school are doing a luncheon for all the teachers for Valentine's Day. The theme is a soup and salad lunch and the volunteer coordinator rounded up moms to get their crock pots ready! I volunteered to make my famous chili that my family so loves. The girls say "it tastes so good, makes you wanna slap yo mama!" Can you guess who might have taught them that one?? I had to let the family 'sample' the chili to be sure if would be safe for the teachers. Well it passed their test and they asked if we could just keep it for ourselves and say I forgot today was the luncheon. Sneaky little devils!

I also baked cornbread muffins since my kids refused to let me buy pre-made ones. I had to label them so they would keep their greedy hands off! Dwayne still thought he was getting one. He says how would the teachers know there was one missing? Typical Dwayne. He was mad at my label. ha ha!! Dwayne, you can talk about me tomorrow for Vent Day Wednesday.

It's Monday already?

Where did the weekend go?? I spent the entire day on Saturday with Chardonnay and William at her volleyball tournament (7:30 am- 6:30 pm) This was a long day but a really great one. Little William behaved so well I can't believe it! I guess as long as he is out and about he does not complain at all. I am really lucky because others did not have it so good. Chardie's team played very well and won a few sets but did not get the desired outcome in the end. That's okay because the girls had fun and played as well as they could, plus they had 3 players down. Briahnna also had a tournament on the other side of town all day as well. Dwayne went to that one and it was a good day for Brie. Her team placed 3rd in the region and got t-shirts for their victory. She was so thrilled! What do you think she wore to school today?? The kids and I went shopping most of the morning on Sunday and they pretty much spent the rest of the day recovering from being wiped out from their tournaments. The weather was so awesome! Not a cloud in the sky and 70 degrees...GORGEOUS!! Sorry to my Northern friends for bragging. Well I sure hope you all had a nice weekend. Now back to the grind! Have a great Monday :)

Flashback Friday and 300 posts!

Today marks our 300th post anniversary! Who knew we had that much to say?! Well I leave you with my all time favorite photo of the girls when they were 1 and 3. I used to dress them up like doll babies about 5 times per day! They were the cutest little things. I miss them so much at that age. We wish everyone a great weekend!!

I have a coupon for up 1 package GLADWARE containers, any size up to 8 count ($10 value) for one lucky reader. If you are like me you use these type of containers on a daily basis to store leftovers, send goodies in lunchboxes or share food with friends or family. All you need to do is leave a comment telling us what you like most about Momfiles. Do you have a favorite post? Favorite topic? We want to know! You have until February 13th to enter*. The winner will be contacted to provide mailing information. Please be sure to leave your email address and first name if you are not registered with Blogger so you we can reach you. Thanks for participating!

*US residents only

This morning I was having conversation with Dwayne over breakfast and he was telling me about a rain water recycling unit we can purchase. He explained that it is a big container that holds rain water and has valves attached with shut-off switches to route water in the direction you want it to go. I know we have had one of those tacky bright blue water barrels before but it was hard to actually collect water in it, plus it was just plain tacky looking! He then tells me that we can have the water go straight to the new garden we are making this Spring. For an investment of $90 we can water our garden for free. This really got me to thinking and I know I don't say this often but Mr. Dwayne might actually have a very smart idea! I guess we are both slowly going in the direction of really trying to conserve resources as best we can. With the way things are going with the economy I guess we all have to do what we can to save money.

Does anyone have one of these rain water recycling barrels? If so, would you recommend it? What things are you doing to encourage green living?

Vent Day Wednesday

Well here is this week's edition of Vent Day Wednesday. We have William telling the world about what is bugging him. The lack of Dwayne and Shelly being in the video is due to the whole extended anniversary thing *winks* Please be sure to leave us your vents in the comments section. Oh, and I do have a vent. Why in the hell does Dwayne have to rock so hard in the rocking chair every time we film our video??!! Ugh, I need some Dramamine cause I'm feeling motion sickness like mad! I hope I don't get whiplash or anything, sheesh!

*sorry this video is a bit dark due to the film crew slacking on the job*

Still celebrating

Is it bad that my anniversary was last week and I am still celebrating it? I don't know what has come over me but I have had no desire to be on the computer and that it a real shocker! Usually you can't tear me away from this darn thing! I figured I needed to post something so I thought what better than some photos of the cutest helper a mom could have. I just love the "old man" smile!! I hope everyone has an awesome day!

It's the weekend baby!!

I know these two guys will be getting into some football action this Sunday. The girls and I will be putting out a spread of yummy nibbles and we will continue celebrating our anniversary. I will post some photos of Will's first Superbowl. Is anyone doing anything special on game day? Please share and I hope that whatever you do this weekend that it's fun and you are safe. Enjoy!!

It's our 15 year Anniversary!!

Dwayne and Sheliza proudly celebrate 15 years of marriage this 29th day of January. We were both only 20 years old with no clue in the world about what our lives would be like later on down the line. We can say that it has been a great big roller coaster ride with many twists and turns, fun times, sad times, crazy times, happy times and a lot of amazing memories. Our choice to get married was not favored by others but we knew we were meant to be together. Nothing and no one was going to stop Dwayne and Shelly from being together!

Check out the looong nails! Hey, when you get your nails done for free, you graciously accept it and move on. My dress, shoes and accessories cost under $75 for everything! Our cake was given to us by a friend as a gift (her mom was a baker). All the food, tables, chairs and the place we got married in was offered up by friends and family.

Dwayne and I did not even want an actual wedding. We wanted to go to the Courthouse and be done with it, but his Aunt convinced us that we had to do it right. Our wedding was done on a $500 budget and I'm glad we did it that way. No Hollywood here!

*If anyone refers to my hair using the words Salt 'n'Pepa or Push it, I will block you! lol!! Kidding*

We honeymooned in the Bahamas (another gift to us) and I really don't know why we were posed like that but something tells me Dwayne made us do it! I would have worn a little dress but it was cold and rainy the whole time we were there. I had to borrow clothes to stay warm since all I packed was a bikini and sundresses. This was the last hour of our time in the Freeport and the sun decided to shine at the last minute!

Everyone wants to know what we are doing for our special day. We will go to lunch, order out for dinner and share some wine and some memories of old times. Nice and simple, just how we like it!

Vent Day Wednesday

Enjoy this week's edition of Vent Day Wednesday and remember to hit us up in the comments section with your vents.

This week's posts will be dedicated to love. Why love you ask?? Well because two people you know, Dwayne and Sheliza are getting ready to celebrate 15 years of marriage. This is a big deal to us and we wanted to share this special time with you all (you know what I mean for those of you thinking very wrong things!) We actually were together for 5 years before officially tying the knot. Hmm, this means a total of 20 years and running with the same person. Most people ask ME how we do it (remember, I am married to Dwayne). I truly feel that we were both meant for one another. It took a woman like me to tame the beast. You let Dwayne tell the story and he will say he decided to keep me around. When he really wants to be annoying he will say "It's cheaper to keep her". Yep, that's my husband *sighs* What can I do, I did promise before God and all our friends and family that we were in it for life. Seriously though, it's a good life! Stay tuned this week for all things "Love". *This is where my kids make the throw-up face and say that they don't know us, ha ha!!

Most people that know me say I am proper... ha!
I love to cook, actually I am very passionate about cooking.
I do not like tardiness...just ask my hubby!
I am a loyal friend.
I appreciate proper grammar usage.
I am usually the one that keeps in touch with others
I have quite a bit of gray hair on the top of my head but I won't color it.
I have 3 sisters, 2 younger and 1 older.
I'm very nice...sometimes too nice.
I have only had one professional manicure and pedicure in my life (totally by choice)
I love Winter and Fall and I would not mind if the Summer bypassed me.
I have learned how to shake things off easily and not allow things to bother me.
Not sure why but most folks think I am organized.
I want to renew my wedding vows in 5 years.
I don't parallel park.
I don't care for movies.
I enjoy driving my girls to school every morning. I am sad if I don't.
I am a coupon shopper.
I am married to the most fun and crazy person I know.
I enjoy giving things to others rather than to receive.
Material things do not impress me at all.
I am the black sheep of my family.
I am not athletic at all. My kids can tell you!
I do not use the word 'ugly' to describe a person's looks EVER.
I'm very happy and quite content :)

Play along if you wish! Please let me know if you do :)

This is a photo of my girls 9 years ago when they were 3 and 5. It was Chardie's first day of kindergarten. They were eating grits with cheese but when they were little they called it gritcheese. I was the nice mommy back in those days that cooked a hot breakfast lunch and dinner EVERY day. I used to put a towel over their clothes so if they accidentally spilled there would be no need to change. Now they make their own breakfast, lunch and help cook dinner. They wash and iron their own clothes, they rarely spill or make a mess, they don't need me as much. Okay, now I'm getting teary eyed! I guess they can't stay babies forever but they will forever be my babies :)

4 x 4 fun!

Katie tagged me, thanks girl for keeping it short and sweet and not requiring me to think too much. You rock!!

Here are the rules:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same.

This is a photo of my sweet William on Christmas Eve. We opened gifts that night since we traveled out of town the following day. He sat on Papo's lap and was very mesmerized by the wrapping paper. He was helping Papo with opening his gift. Of course you all know William by now, he's got the tongue hanging out of his mouth. Gotta love it!

Okay here are my 4 peeps I'm tagging....

1. Paula (my Texan pal!)

2. Stacie Brown (Ms. Awesome Avon!)

3. Tracy (with her cute self!)

4.Renee (Ms. Cutie Booty herself!)

Vent Day Wednesday

Here is our second episode of Vent Day Wednesday. Thanks to everyone that visited last week and took time to comment or call. I'm glad you all see what a fool Dwayne is. Please be sure to leave us a comment on what is bugging you. Remember, this is Vent Day Wednesday!! **Oh yeah, I could not be in this week's video so my daughter Chardonnay filled in. She is great on camera! Enjoy and don't forget to hit us up in the comments...

Snow day but no actual snow

We had yet another day off today from school and work. It was deemed a 'snow day'. We woke up to a light coating of snow all over the cars, trees and rooftops. We were all excited about it and were enjoying watching those gorgeous flakes fall so gently. Fast forward.....2 hours later, it all melted and the we watched the flurries come to a sad halt. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted and we enjoyed a free day off to watch the Inauguration together as a family. South Carolina weather, gotta love it! I hope everyone is having a great day and to my Northern friends, bundle up!

William update 10 months old.

How can this be?? Every time I turn around this little boy is getting to be not so little anymore! Can you believe it, 10 months old already! The older he gets, the more I see his wild side coming out. He is just like his Papo (HELP!!!!) What can I say, he's a happy, healthy and very active little boy. You sure can tell there is a man in that little body of his just by observing his actions. He about wears me out each day and the fact that he barely naps in the daytime makes for a nice long slumber each night. It has been so much fun for Dwayne, myself and the girls to watch William grow each day. I think a favorite thing that we all love about him is his 1,000 expressions he makes. Here are some photos after he had a snack sitting on his high chair. Enjoy!

This last photo is just for you Tanyetta! Did you actually think I would not have one with the tongue sticking out?!

Flashback Friday

This is me when I was 4 years old. I got this dress for Christmas and I thought it was the most amazing dress a girl could have. I wanted to wear it everyday, even to bed!

Here I am senior year in high school, age 17 and a whole 91 pounds!! Check out the white stocking and white flats. How exactly did that go with a Summer skorts/dress I will never know. I was rockin' the big hair too! Ah, 1991 was a good year!

Vent Day Wednesday

Here is our second edition of Vent Day Wednesday. This is the actual video that we should have posted last week but we had major technical malfunctions. I just need to explain something quickly so you don't think we are idiots (at least not me that is). Einstein failed to set the digital camera on memory card and instead set it to internal memory. This lead to the last 8 seconds of video being cut off since the camera stopped so abruptly. Thanks Dwayne (consider that one a mini vent) We hope you all enjoy this very entertaining video and remember to hit is up in the comments with your vents...

Dwayne- New BLYA Logo

Hello to all my fans... I would like to thank the academy and... oops I'm sorry wrong post. I was day dreaming about my Hollywood acceptance speech. (I know Shelly is saying yeah right!) You will see baby, one day I will be a star. However, until then please jump over to BLYA and give your opinion of the new logo. I like comments, good comments, bad comments, any comments, sexy comments because hey I am so sexy (DWAYNE! finish your post and get off my blog! -says Shelly).

Well check out the the logo and give me your 2 cents.

Take care and have a great day.

Sing with me... I'm too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts... (Everybody sing)

DWAYNE!!! said by Shelly.

Okay, I'm out...holla at me!

OMG...LOL!!!

Last night my hubby updated his Facebook account and was typing a comment in response to and old high school ID card photo. Our oldest daughter Chardonnay was with us and watched her dad as he typed away.

My comment to his photo was "Oh lawd, and I married you anyway! LOL!"

He then responds to say something dumb along the lines of "and yes, you continue to praise the heavens above everyday. lol!" *coughs...whatever!*

Chardie then says Uh Bawbie and Papo...LOL??? You are not cool! Please don't think you are just because you say lol!! We laughed so hard and explained that lol has been around a while now, even before she knew it existed.

We then go into the conversation about how kids these days think they came up with everything. For instance the word swagger. Youngsters think this is a word of their time since some rapper put it in a song and made a big hit out of it. Sorry kids, swagger is an old timey word :P I just love listening to my kids points of view on things. They are hysterical!

At the end of the conversation Dwayne and I both claim that we are indeed cool. Chardie agreed that I was cool but that Papo was a straight up fool! Now that one deserves a big LOL!!!

Vent Day Wednesday... (Supposed to be the kick-off)

Okay, where do I start?? I am supposed to be posting a video for this first Vent Day Wednesday post. Where is the video you ask? Well, let's say freakin' technology has failed on me in the biggest ways possible! I am not on my actual computer because I am waiting on Time Warner to come out to check out my modem. *sighs* It really, really sucks not having an internet connection. I hate it when stupid technology gets in the way of completing a simple task. I don't like the fact that the City of Columbia is digging up the lot next to me. I am sure they will find a way to charge us for that. I don't like the fact that the brand spanking new computer I have has to get replaced and I have to wait fifty million years to get it back. Oh yeah and my Twitter account has been compromised and I can't even sign in. Technology really sucks this week in the Ismail house! Uh, okay now that I have vented (not in the way I wanted) it is your turn to vent. Please comment so I feel better that you are having a hard week too :P

***Note: I must have other things going wrong since I did not say one negative thing about Dwayne. I must be losing it for real!

I made my decision

I have made my decision as far as joining Sams Club. After posting about it and taking into account what you all had to say, (along with some local people I know) we have decided not to join. I think my #1 thing is wasting and having to spend such a hefty amount at one time. I feel like if I continue to purchase things on sale and combined with coupons, I will come out better. Also I will not have a membership fee, like Tanyetta said "Why should I have to spend money to save money". I am going to stick to my usual method except I will stock up on things more so I don't get to the point that I am running out of that item. I really appreciate everyone that took the time to comment. You really helped me make my final decision :)

Bath time

Can you tell someone loves to be in the bathtub? Look at his wild hair!! He never seems tired of us snapping photos either. Just like his dad...loves to showcase himself and to be nakey as Dwayne calls it! lol!

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