…seems all better now.

And I didn’t mean you had to comment on MY posts, sweet internets. Trust me – when it comes to commenters, I feel well-loved indeed. Whether you comment or not, I’m just glad that you’re here. :-)

I just meant you might want to comment on the OTHER posts that you visit as you make your way through Mr. Linky.

That was all.

Carry on. :-)

…with Site Meter. With my Site Meter, at least.

It’s telling me that I’ve had 22 vistors so far today, and since I’ve had more than that number comment since 7 this morning, and since that number is way less than the number Site Meter was giving me at 7 this morning, I think they’re having some technical difficulties.

All that to say: when you visit someone’s post (one that’s listed in Mr. Linky below), it would probably be nice to let them know that you’ve been there by leaving a comment. Looks like today is a day when SM won’t accurately tell the bloggy traffic tale.

And I am not in fact going out of town, but I’ll update you on that later (because I’m sure y’all are, you know, sitting on pins and needles as you wait to hear about my travel plans).

You may now resume your regular bloggity business. :-)

Have a great day, everybody!

We’re going out of town this weekend (ATTENTION, ALL AREA THIEVES!), and I will once again find myself at the mercy of my parents’ dial-up. I don’t know if y’all remember, but when we did the whole Tour of Homes thing I was also at my parents’ house and wrasslin’ with their dial-up, and boy, that was a real, um, treat when I tried to load all my high-resolution pictures into my post.

Ahem.

It was a veritable carnival-o-frustration.

So I know better than to try to post while I’m at Mama and Daddy’s. That’s all I’m sayin’.

But then, this morning, I had an idea.

WHAT IF, I thought, WHAT IF I gave people a way to attract some new readers to their blogs over the weekend – not just in the comments, but in one of my posts?

WHAT IF I did a “Best of Blogs” sort of thing – so that even if you don’t have time to post anything on this busy Labor Day weekend, you can still get some traffic because people are reading stuff that’s new to them?

WHAT IF, instead of a Tour of Homes, we have a spontaneous little Tour of Blogs?

So here’s the deal.

At the end of this post, you’ll see a Mr. Linky thingy. If you want to participate, enter your name and link to a SPECIFIC POST. Not to your whole blog – to a specific post. Pick the post that you think best exemplifies your writing – whether it’s funny or serious or touching or, you know, a grocery list.

The only qualification is that your post be family friendly, and by “family friendly” I mean no abundance of bad language, no links to inappropriate material, no writing that’s inflammatory or derogatory toward another person.

As my mama would say, “Just use the sense that the good Lord gave you.”

And I reserve the right to remove any link. If you don’t like that rule, I’m just as sorry as I can be.

Whether there are four or forty of you who participate, I think it’ll be fun. I love the thought of being able to surf through some new blogs instead of having to post to my own this weekend. And a practical benefit, of course, is that you can get a steady flow of bloggy traffic for little-to-no-effort. In other words: it’s a win/win.

Just for kicks, you could also link to someone else’s post that you think is a must-read – just make sure to leave a comment and take credit for leaving the link if you do.

Y’all have fun – and link away!

For the last month or so, D. and I have had a hard time keeping Alex away from and off of the computer. It’s not that he wants to do anything other than mash the buttons at high rates of speed, but typically, when dealing with computers, pressing random sequences of buttons brings about techy disaster. We’ve had enough of those in our house without the aid of a three year old “programmer.”

So yesterday I decided that despite my resolve to never ever buy toys unless it’s a birthday or Christmas, I was going to have to cave for the sake of sanity. Alex and I went to Walmart, found an adorable little “computer,” purchased it, and OH if the little man didn’t think he had hit the big time. He kept asking me, “Mama? Is it MY computer? Are we gonna take it HOME?”

I assured him that yes, it was his; yes, we were going to take it home; and no, this wasn’t like all the other toys he gets to play with while Mama shops in Walmart but then has to put aside at the cash register before we pay for our stuff. MERCIFUL DAY IN THE MORNING, he was going to get a toy JUST BECAUSE (well, technically because he is obsessed with computers and the other day opened up every single application on the laptop when his daddy’s back was turned for justasecond).

The child was totally unable to comprehend his good fortune.

And y’all, I’m not sure, but I think it has changed my life. I think that it is most definitely the best $20 I have ever spent in my whole life ever. I’m not even kidding.

Listen to this.

Last night, after his bath, Alex SAT ON THE COUCH (I repeat: he sat on the couch. He did not climb up on the arms of the couch and catapult himself onto the cushions and then roll onto the floor. He SAT ON THE COUCH) with his little “laptop,” and his daddy showed him how to play a couple of the games. The child was in heaven.

I guess part of his fascination is that he has long been wild about letters and numbers, and his new toy totally plays into that. When the voice in the “computer” would say, “Can you find the capital letter ‘B’?” Alex would reply with “OH! THANK YOU!” (grateful for the opportunity, I guess?) Then, when he’d mash the letter and the computer would congratulate him, he would clap his hands, scream “MAMA! I GOT IT!” and thank his trusty laptop all over again.

This went on for a solid hour.

And this morning, when A. got out of bed, he spied his computer on the coffee table, ran to it, told me he wanted to play letters, and then ran with his beloved new toy to the table while I unwrapped his PopTart fixed him a homemade breakfast.

I would offer you photographic evidence, but Blogger won’t let me.

Please remind me how thrilled I am with this new toy in about three days when I’ve been listening non-stop to the voice inside of it squeal “WHEEEEEEEEE” everytime Alex successfully locates the letter ‘T.’ Because that’s going to get a little old.

But a three year old who knows no greater joy than to punch in a letter or number in his “laptop” and then accept electronic congratulations as he claps and shouts with glee?

I think I can deal with that for the next, you know, year or so.

Mighty cute, the little man is.

***Now, with a picture!

So it’s taken me a little while to get a post done today because I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not but COLLEGE FOOTBALL STARTS TONIGHT with a 7:00 match-up between my beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Or, as we like to call them in Alabama: chickens.

I am beside myself with joy. Giddy, in fact.

This morning I hopped out of bed, made a pot of coffee, walked to the front closet and engaged in a bit of pre-game ceremony. I awakened our big M-State flag from hibernation and placed it in the flag holder on the front porch (is that what it’s called? a flag holder? flag bracket? why am I struggling to remember this basic fact? am I so excited that basic vocabulary eludes me?).

I have also played the fight song several times, watched the Game Day Cam on the interweb (see that tree on the front right? I’ve eaten many a piece of fried chicken under that tree…it’s where we used to park for games when I was a little girl), and wished with all my might that I could be there in person. Unfortunately, three year olds don’t really enjoy having to sit still on their assigned twelve inches of bleacher space, and since I am a mama who wants to watch the game, NOT chase a toddler up and down section 204 of Davis Wade stadium, we’ll be staying home for this one and counting on ESPN to make us feel like we’re in the middle of the pigskin action.

I could bore y’all to tears with memories of Football Games Past, but suffice it to say that this is my favorite time of year. There’s been a little bit of breeze outside today, and while it’s still so humid that with every two steps you feel like you’re walking into a wall-o-dampness, there’s an undeniable hint of fall in the air. And when the Dogs run out of the tunnel in Starkville tonight – well, I’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the most glorious time of year is here. It makes me smile.

And whether we win or lose, there are a few non-negotiables that go hand-in-hand with football season:

1) My sister and I will talk at least 10 times tonight. Probably more. Pretty much all it takes to prompt one of us to pick up the phone is a decent run, a first down, a solid hit, a touchdown, or an annoying announcer. We give the announcers much grief, especially when they say stuff like, “What he’s hoping to do here, Bill, is score.”

REALLY? PLAYERS WANT TO SCORE? I HAD NO IDEA!

2) Sister and I will also be doing a lot of vacuuming. We both like to clean while we watch the Bulldogs – it’s a way to channel the energy. So when things get tense – 4th downs, drives that make it inside the 10 yard line, clocks getting too close to 0:00 for our comfort – we pull out our vacuums.

I never claimed we were normal, people.

3) We’ll be eating rotel dip in our house. I went to the grocery store this afternoon, and it’ll be Game Day Buffet in our living room tonight, even if there are only three people “tailgating.”

4) I will at some point yell so loudly that I either scare our dogs or wake up our child. I know. I should be more quiet – and I try, y’all. I do. But it is impossible for me to watch State (or any SEC team, for that matter) without getting VERY vocal. Somehow I convince myself that the players can hear me, and it makes me feel better to cheer for them specifically (“Go, Brandon! GOOOOOOO!”).

Now you’re sort of worried about my mental state, aren’t you?

Really, I’m fine. Promise. I’m just a Southern girl who loves me some football.

5) Win or lose, I’ll go to bed happy. I mean, SEC football AND rotel dip? All in one night? I’m golden.

So if you’ll excuse me, I need to fry some hot sausage for that rotel dip. I’m already wearing my State t-shirt, and D. has already programmed my phone to play “Hail State” when it rings, so I think all that’s left is to dig out my cowbell and commence with the ringing.

Did I mention that I’m excited?

I’ll see y’all tomorrow.

Happy Football, everybody.

So this whole 80’s fashion comeback has had me in a bit of a dither, because in addition to the fact the the clothes were (and are!) ugly, I now have to re-think what I like to call my “mama uniform” – what I wear when I’m out running errands, when I take A. to birthday parties, when I want to convey the message that “I may be a mama, but I’M STILL SASSY!”

The sad part is that when I’m not intentional about being Sassy Mama, I tend to convey the message that “i am a mama, and i have given up completely.” There’s not much of a happy medium with me.

When I’m Sassy Mama, I have streaky highlights in my hair – with maybe a little red thrown in on top of the blonde. I have a fun haircut with what I like to call “lots of piece-y thingies.” I (try to) coordinate my clothes so that I look a little funky – yet modest and age appropriate – and I put on make-up before I leave the house. MASCARA, even.

I know!

But when I’m i’ve-given-up mama, I have roots that are two inches long. I begin to use my sunglasses like a headband (on a good day – mostly I just surrender to the clippy). I throw on one of D.’s long sleeve shirts over a pair of stretchy capri pants, and nary a trace of make-up touches my face.

SO not sassy. But SO much easier.

And therein lies my dilemma.

Sassy Mama can usually put on a pair of boot cut pants, some fun shoes, a white t-shirt and a denim jacket and look presentable. My other favorite option is a knee-length skirt and some form of cotton shirt (don’t all mamas have about 15 cotton shirts? isn’t that some sort of requirement for motherhood? don’t they, like, take your babies away if you can’t produce evidence of your cotton shirt collection?) with some fun, chunky sandals. As I told Big Mama earlier this week, flats will never, ever do. I NEED a chunky sandal to balance out my calves.

(Why, you might ask? Well, I’ll tell you: because my calves are enormous. I can do four calf extensions and my calf muscles will practically ricochet out of the back of my legs. It’s so bad that I can’t wear boots unless there’s stretchy fabric involved, and even then the boots are so tight around my calves that I lose a great deal of the circulation in my feet. Which is a problem when, you know, walking. And please understand that the substantial calf muscles have absolutely nothing to do with actual physical effort and everything to do with genetics. My daddy is 74, and his calves are RIPPED. And now this sidenote has taken on a slightly disturbing tone and I will cease with the talk of the calves.)

So anyhoo.

I was talking about what, exactly?

Oh yes. Clothes. And my dilemma.

Now that the 80’s stuff is in style again, what in the world will Sassy Mama wear?

Because I can guarantee you that it won’t be skinny jeans. No ma’am.

LEGGINGS? I don’t think so. I mean, if I’m going to have to wear leggings and flats again, I’d just as soon resign myself to i’ve-given-up mode and call it a fashion-challenged day.

I guess I could start working out so that I can run around in my workout clothes and do the whole Busy-Mama-Who-Just-Left-The-Gym look.

Or! Maybe I should just BUY the workout clothes and PRETEND I’ve just left the gym so that I don’t have to deal with putting together an 80’s ensemble (or, you know, actually exercising).

Which brings me to my question (and praise the Lord for that, you’re thinking): what do you wear when you’re running your errands? Do you sass it up? Or do you dress it down? Or do you have the whole Busy-Mama-Who-Just-Left-The-Gym thing down pat?

And if you tell me that you’re running around town in a pair of skinny jeans, my calves and I are going to be very distressed indeed.