Local Celebrities ;-)

Nicole Burns, with Harry, 1, at left, and Angela McConville, with Lane, 2, get their daily exercise at Haywood Mall.


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MALL
FROM PAGE 1C
Haywood Mall’s website says a lap around both levels, hugging the outer edges of the interior, totals 1½ miles per lap. Nicole Burns, a Greer resident who’s pushing 1-year-old son Harry in a stroller alongside her friend, An­gela McConville, with Lane, 2, in his own stroll­er, is amazed at the dis­tance they cover.


“I didn’t know it was that far,” she said. “We will do six or eight laps.”


The two are part of a moms group that gathers almost daily for group outings. Each day of the week is a different activity, with Fridays usually re­served for walking. Both moms agree this isn’t just for them; they’re also trying to wear out their children so they’ll take a nap later.


So today, they get exer­cise themselves before heading to the lower level where Lane and Harry can run wild in the mall’s play area.


McConville is very pregnant and says she enjoys the air-conditioning in the mall. Burns says the mall allowed her to keep exercising during her own pregnancy.


“This was the only place I could go because it was so hot,” she said. “I couldn’t go outside.”

excerpt taken from the Greenville News.

Do you like how he says"McConville is very pregnant..." Nice! We got press..so what if it was because we walk the mall!!! :-)-

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Just another Manic Monday

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo........
it sure was. I usually am a fan of Monday because the chaos of the weekend is behind us and it's back to routine. But this Monday...not so much. It started out with a Dentist appt. at 7 am. WHY? What possessed me to schedule a DENTIST appt. at 7 am on Monday morning? I have no idea. I think it was because I was in mommy-of-2 thinking mode. Like, what if I delivered already? I can't take 2 kids to the dentist. Yeah, I have 4 weeks until I'm due...what was I thinking?!

Anyway, Matt wasn't particularly happy with that choice because it pushed his departure for work way back. I got there at 6:57 thinking they could start right away because who else is going to be there at 7 am for an appointment. No waiting. That would have been fine, but I beat everyone to the office and the hygienist was 20 minutes late getting started on me so that was not good. Monday-1 Angela-0

When I got home, I had some breakfast and waited for Lane to wake up. When he finally did, I got him some breakfast and answered some e-mail. I had a bunch of loose ends to tie up and I needed a few minutes, a few minutes to think and gather my thoughts, but all I could hear was 'momma' 'momma' 'momma.' Crap. Lane and Monday-2 Angela-0

This child has been potty-trained for one month now. We have our good days and bad, but today he literally was pooping his pants as I was asking him if he had to go potty and he said 'no.' Oh really?!?! Ya coulda fooled me....Lane and Monday-3 Angela-0

Practically the minute Lane wakes up, he is asking to go bye-bye. It's partially my fault. I fill his social calendar. So when nothing is on the calendar for the day, he has expectations that I sometimes can't fulfill. This morning was no different. The only thing on the agenda was grocery shopping and those loose ends that I never got to tie up. How fun can that be? Not very. At about 9:30 he was saying 'shoe on' 'bye bye' 'sock on.' The child was clearly ready to leave. So I dressed him as I was answering a phone call. He literally is pulling me by my hand and leading me to the door. I barely have time to grab my purse. I know I forgot something! Lane and Monday-4 Angela-0

On our way to the grocery store, I decide to take a detour to the zoo. It's 5 minutes from our house, it's on the way to the store, we have a membership so it's free. Yeah we were just there last week, but they have a really great toddler park in there and we have passes so it's free. Who says we can't go to the zoo just to play at the park...and if we are so inclined, we will visit the elephants or lions as we make our way to the park. Plus, there's nothing a little park and zoo action can't take care of when you're having a not so good day. Oh and this would have been a good day to actually use my camera...my real camera and not my phone camera. But wait, Lane rushed me out of the house and I was on the phone so do you think I grabbed my camera....um no! Lane and Monday-5 Angela-0

The zoo was good. The park was good. We headed to the grocery store where I spent $20 under my grocery budget for the week! Woo Hoo! Lane was occupied by a water bottle the whole time so he wasn't grabbing at the groceries in the back of the cart or smooshing the bread. Lane and Monday-5 Angela-1

And finally we are back home. It's almost 12:30. We managed to occupy a whole morning even though we didn't really have any set plans and now it's time for lunch and nap! Lane and Monday-5 Angela-2

Monday still clearly won, but the second half of the day has gone much better!

And some pictures and a video from my not-so-great iphone camera:

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I love being pregnant

BUT...

I want to hold my toddler on my lap again...I mean really on my lap, pressed up against my flat stomach, and not cocked off to one side where he winds up being wedged between a rock and a hard place my belly and the arm of the chair.

I want to be able to keep up with him again too! Is that possible?

I want red wine...DEEP red wine, a shiraz or pinot noir. I want a big full glass, especially while I am cooking...mmmm...I can taste it now and just in time for chilly fall nights!

I want to bend over comfortably to put on my shoes, paint my toes, put on my pants.

I want to walk and sleep and not be in pain.

I want to sleep on my stomach.

I want my normal clothes back.

I want to spring up from the couch at a moment's notice and not take 5 minutes to move each body part wincing in pain.

I want my normal clothes back and did I mention I want Red wine?

I want to run and workout (I think) or maybe being pregnant is just a good excuse not to!

I love being pregnant, but I'm ready for this big ol' belly to be gone!

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I have butterflies...

it's like the first day of school. But it doesn't even happen until Wednesday. Yes, in 3 days, my little guy starts "school." I'm sure the anticipation of it all is really worse than the actual event. But it's still there and it's still real and I'm still nervous. Think of me Wednesday morning at 9 am. I will be dropping off Lane at school and leaving him for 3 hours. (After I drop him off, I am attending a play date...without my kid...but going in hope for some support) I am sad. I want to cry. Yet I know it's going to be good for us all. I'll report back after the first day, with hopefully, some really great stuff! Until then, I'll just anticipate for it to happen and hope it doesn't kill me before then.

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How's that for a close-up

We went to the zoo yesterday and the animals were crazy. We had never been there right when it opened @ 10am. We think it was a combination of getting there early and the cooler temps that helped the animals come out of their shells! It was sooo neat! The monkeys were very vocal, the orangutans were somersaulting and acting as silly as ever, the leopard was pacing back and forth right in front of the window.






But the best part was the lion and tiger.




Whenever we see these guys, they are always snoozing away on a rock or under a tree. Not today!




They were chasing each other and interacting with the kids.

It was actually a little intimidating to see a giant tiger paw swatting at your son's face.

It was fogging up the glass and making fingerprints.

HELLO Lane!


Lane grabbed Jade's hand and they walked like that for a while. It was so cute!

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It's still summer...

but yesterday morning it felt like Fall.

*Disclaimer*
*Fall in The South is still swimming weather so it wasn't the Fall with a crisp breeze and rustling leaves that you might be thinking of*

BUT it was glorious. When Lane and I pulled out of our garage I cranked up the air. As we drove down the street I looked at the temperature gauge and it read 78...at 10 am??? Whaa??? It's usually 97 by now. So I shut off the air and rolled down the windows and low and behold...the breeze felt good. I didn't get smacked in the face by humidity and it wasn't 78* with a RealFeel of 118. GLORIOUS!!!



We trekked on downtown where we met friends. We had plans to play in the fountains. Even though the water felt "cold" today, the kids still played.



















The moms sat and watched...and talked...probably about birth because what do you expect when you get a pregnant lady and a doula together. :-) The sun came in and out of the clouds, the breeze was so refreshing as it hit me in the face AND believe it or not, I didn't even sweat...not one drop. That hasn't happened since March!

We were enjoying the weather so much, that when the fountain play was over, we walked to Starbucks for a treat and then sat outside to enjoy it. What a great *Fall* morning!

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Greenville Macaroni Kid

So I mentioned back in June that I was starting a new wobby called Macaroni Kid. I have been plugging along for 2 months now and have really accomplished a lot! (somewhat, to my surprise)

As a refresher, it's a weekly newsletter that I publish for the Greenville community. It lists all the kid and family friendly activities that happen in Greenville and has become a one-stop resource for parents to plan their children's social calendar. In addition, to listing events, I also have the freedom to write articles, do reviews on music and books, list recipes, craft ideas, etc. It really has become a passion of mine. I enjoy it so much! Who would have thought!

I was hesitant to do it at first. Macaroni Kid is a national company, but as a publisher for Greenville, I have the exclusive rights for our area. I don't get paid from Macaroni Kid, in fact, I pay them a monthly fee just to have the rights. So what's the catch?

Greenville Macaroni Kid is my baby so I have the freedom to publish what I choose. In addition to publishing, I also offer advertising space for local businesses. So not only am I trying my hand at "publishing," I am also dabbling into some marketing and advertising. Yikes! It's been fun though and I am already seeing some awesome benefits! Of course, I am getting paid from advertisers in the form of a monthly monetary amount, but I am also receiving some pretty awesome perks because Macaroni Kid loves to barter for ad space as well.

Example: I advertise for Greenville Yoga and I get to take yoga classes for free. I advertise for a 3D/4D Ultrasound business and get one for free! I have also been sent several children's books in the mail to read and write a review on, as well as trying out different products and writing reviews for. I just finished picking out labels that I am going to try out and write a review on for all my readers. Click here and you can see all the labels to choose from! They are pretty neat and one of my readers is going to win a set of the Back-to-school ones. I am expecting bag tags and the Ultimate Back-to-School combo for Lane to arrive in the mail any day now (just in time for him to start school). All for FREE!

I have reached my first Macaroni Milestone! When a publisher gets 250 subscribers, they are considered a "Pink Daisy" level. Besides for this, ah-em, stylish necklace ;-) that I received in the mail last week,



I get certain privileges that not all publishers get...like the Mabels Labels offer. Not everyone received the privilege of getting free labels and reviewing them for their readers! Out of 219 cities that have Macaroni Kid, only about 50 are Pink Daisy members! I was pretty proud of that.



My next big Macaroni Milestone will be a "Blue Daisy" Level. This is when you reach 500 subscribers. I am about 80 away from that and I plan on making a big dent in that number this weekend. I am attending an event called Switch-a-roos. It's a HUGE consignment sale and I will be there with a table and some crafts for the kids signing people up! Wish me luck!

So needless to say, this is taking off a little more and bigger than I expected. I know there are people out there that would be awesome at this. If you are one of them, let me know! There may be a Macaroni Kid waiting to start in your town! I have lots of good things to say about Macaroni Kid. The company is really awesome and supportive. They give you everything you need to get started and continue to be successful. It's fun, it's pushed me out of my comfort zone (which is probably the BEST benefit) and you can really earn some extra money by doing it!

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How's that for colors of the rainbow...

Trying to eat the colors of the rainbow everyday can be hard, unless you make this for dinner:


Sunday night I made Pasta Primavera...another great dinner that incorporates tons of fresh veggies! (stir fry is also good for this too, in fact, these 2 meals show up at our house several times a month!)



We had the red, orange, yellow and green plus some whole wheat pasta enriched with OMEGA 3's. I could feel myself getting healthier ;-) And since we were missing the blue/indigo/violet, I tossed some grapes and blueberries in a bowl and we had that for dessert. Yu-mmmmmy!

It was definitely Lane-approved!

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A fly on the wall...

Did you ever have one of those moments where you wish you were a fly on the wall. I had one Saturday! Jackie and I took a photography class in Columbia, which is halfway between our house and their house. The class was from 10-4. Jared and Matt decided they would come along for the ride and hang out with the kids while we were at class.

First of all, they both had on camo shorts...lol!


They combined baby gear all into Matt's car


and headed off to the Children's Musuem in the morning. They had a good time. We have pictures and text messages of the kids playing at the museum to prove it! Those Daddies had it down. They even remembered to send updates to us Mommas who were wondering what our littles were doing. They met us for lunch where Jackie and I loved on our babies a bit and filled our bellies and then it was off to our afternoon portion of the class!

The guys and Miss Isla hit up the zoo in the afternoon. Apparently, it was pretty hot, but they had lots of fun. Case in point: They brought my baby back like this:


Now that's the sign of a good day!

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You've seen Lane LIVE

now it's McBaby's turn.

For Macaroni Kid, I signed on an advertiser called Vision of Life. They do 3D/4D ultrasounds. As part of our "deal," I was given a monetary amount + a free 3D/4D ultrasound in exchange for 3 months of advertising. Pretty cool! Friday night was the night we got to visit with McBaby. We never had one with Lane, so it was a new experience for us!

McBaby was very active...sticking out the tongue,

chewing on the feet

swatting at the cumbersome umbilical cord that fell in his/her face! Yup, it was quite the sight and from what we saw, not such a calm, mellow baby we have envisioned. :-) In fact, we saw temper tantrums...yes temper tantrums at 35 weeks. We witnessed McBaby throwing his/her head back several times and arching his/her back. Yeah! I know! We're preapring now.

We learned that McBaby already has hair and we could even see several strands.

It also has chubby cheeks and a double chin.

The tech. told us it's a BIG baby!

This picture looks just like a picture that Matt took of Lane just minutes after he was born.

We saw McBaby have the hiccups for a long time that made him/her mad and also saw him/her drinking lots of fluid.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It truly was a neat experience!

Sooo, McBaby's first photo shoot yielded 95 pictures and I wasn't even the one taking them! I think that's good practice for what's about to come :-) I cannot wait to meet this little person so active inside!

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In case you were wondering...

what a 2 year old at 6 pm after bath looks like when he decided not to nap that day...it's this:

In case you were wondering what he did during "nap" it was pull off his bed sheet and throw it on the floor of his crib...not once, but two times.

In case you were wondering why we left the zoo after only seeing the elephants and moneys it was because that same nap-repelling 2 year old peed his pants and we had to leave.

In case you were wondering if I have done anything in preparation for McBaby the answer is NO. I have to buy a car seat, wash clothes, bassinet sheets and pull out baby gear. :-)

In case you were wondering why...I am too.

In case you were wondering what my favorite "Lane sayings" are at the moment...they are:
"Momma, LOOK!" and "Hey, watch this!"

In case you were wondering what my XS maternity shorts that I bought back in April are fitting like these days...they are, well, fitting XS...especially after a dryer session...yikes!

In case you were wondering what my living room and bedroom looked like this morning, well you'll have to keep wondering...I have no pics...just know that it looked like my closet and dresser drawers threw up and my laundry room got a complete overhaul...very little was salvaged.
In case you were wondering...I started this post yesterday which motivated me to start doing "baby" stuff and as we speak, I have a load of onesies in the dryer.

In case you were wondering what Lane wanted for snack yesterday....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In case you were wondering why it's sideways...??? for some reason all the video I transfer from my phone to the computer ends up sideways???
In case you were wondering what prompted the cracker as a snack...it was the duck container that he had. He got it for Easter from Grandma Loretta and she filled it with goldfish. Now everytime he sees it, he asks for crackers and wants his snack in the container.

In case you were wondering...all these pics and videos are from my phone. It's usually the closest thing to me and the most convenient to use.

In case you were wondering why this somewhat-gaudy daisy necklace is so important to me...I have a post coming up about it soon!

In case you were wondering what in the world a beer cap is doing on Lane's sippy...he put it there. He found it on the table and said "bee-er?" and then placed it on his cup. Yes he knows that cap belongs to a beer bottle and he also knows what coffee is...why? you ask...look at his father! :-)

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