Looking at Her

Today is Friday...my day to highlight what I see.

I really enjoy watching Noodle do anything.

Natalie 14 months from sara moon on Vimeo.

Sounds of Thursday (on Friday)

Little Peeks into my brain on sounds I am loving.

OK. This is old news, but I've been meaning to shout from the rooftops that the BEST SONG I HAVE HEARD IN YEARS:

Did you know that I loved Matt Giraud on American Idol? He was my fave. (On that note, Also: love The Fray.)


I am really digging that humble cutie Kris Allen now. His rendition of "Heartless" by Kanye West was brills. Also: love Kanye West.

Miss Regina Spektor (oh I love her so) has a new album coming out June 23rd. Can't wait.

I will try and post another sound I am loving but it will take me awile. Be back soon.

Yay oh yay oh yay!

So, the good news is...all the Waldorf peeps from Lily's school have taken on a huge task. I will be helping out however I can.

Yay! Behold: Great Oak School

Smelly ol' Wednesday

Lame post alert!! Lame post alert!! (I'll be better next week on this topic...I hope.)

Hmmm...I'm sitting here thinking about what the heck to write about smells as a blog topic. And to think I have to do this every week...yikers. This might be the day I find hardest to blog about.

My favorite smell factoid: How it can take you back in time like nothing else ever could. I find that freaking fascinating.

Love these smells: onions, bread baking, popcorn (but not to eat), coffee, patchouli (recently discovered this), lavender, freshly washed hair, just before it rains, fresh cut grass, sweet olive trees in bloom,

Hate these: rose/flower perfume of any kind, poopy diapers, pee diapers, mustard, moldy clothes that sat in the washer too long, pickle juice, jalapenos, olives,

Did you know:
Everyone has his or her own unique odor-identity or “smell fingerprint. No two people have the exact same odor-identity or “smell fingerprint” which is determined by many factors including: our genes, skin type, diet, medicine, mood state and even the weather.

No two people smell the same odor the same way. In other words, a rose may smell sweeter to some people than to others. In fact, according to neuropsychologist, Robert Bonkowski, a person never experiences one smell the same way twice. Furthermore, an individual’s ability to detect odors changes from day to day, depending on his or her physiological condition.

Our sense of smell becomes stronger when we are hungry.

Your nose can smell directionally, telling you where an odor originates.

Your sense of smell is least acute in the morning; our ability to perceive odors increases as the day wears on.

A woman’s sense of smell is keener than a man’s. However, her sensitivity does change over the menstrual cycle. These changes are influenced by estrogen, which increases smell acuity in the first half of a woman’s cycle. It peaks at a time when women are most fertile and most sexually responsive.

Peace out, see ya tomorrow with something much more interesting...let's hope.

Tuesday: Touch

Touch Tuesdays can be literal or emotional. Today it is emotional.

I do love me some reality TV. I do love People magazine (and US Weekly). I don't read any other entertainment magazines or tabloids and I have long since given up on Entertainment Tonight. I have standards!

The most recent voyeuristic event I am fascinated with however, and touched by, is this Jon and Kate fiasco. I have nothing negative to say about either person. I FEEL their pain. I feel it down to my toes. I get it, I empathize, I've been there, I know, I understand, and it sucks. Of course I'm not a TV star, but that's so not what this is about. If you've seen either of them speak about this issue or caught glimpses of this story and lingered to watch - it's real. And again, it has nothing to do with their show. It's what's inside them, their personalities and temperaments, way down to the core.

Marriage is hard work. HARD work. Raising kids? Ohmygoshharderthanyoueverthinkitcouldpossiblybe. Put those two tasks together with the right (or wrong) personalities and you have a recipe for disaster. A long and winding and very bumpy road. I identify with this Jon and Kate story. To be just as honest as I always am...it's pretty much my story. Minus 6 kids and the TV show. Mike is Jon and I am a less demanding Kate (yes, I am LESS demanding!)

Except, except: Mike and I still have lots of embers burning inside that can be fanned and nurtured. If I am reading their body language and faces correctly (and I am an expert reader of people) for Jon and Kate...I hate to say it...but I see their fire as smoking coals that probably can not be lit again. I can read it on their faces - especially Jon's.

I guess it's a little odd I'm writing about these people that I don't know, and that I'm being dragged into the tabloidness of their very sad situation. But the thing is...what they are dealing with is so real, so raw, and so the lives of many many people.

It just touches me. Makes me sad. I feel for them. (Mike and I are fine, by the way...so no worries. We are definitely on our own very bumpy road, though.)

New Vibe

Going to try thematic posts for each day of the week to keep me focused and current.
Mondays: Taste
Tuesdays: Touch
Wednesdays: Smell
Thursdays: Sound
Friday: See

Taste:
If you'll notice in my Sara's Internet Find of the Week, I've finally posted a new link to Urban Nectar. Isn't that a cool name? Check it out.

Also:
One of the everyday blogs I read, My Happy Little Life, has started a new foodie-type focus. She posts healthy recipes as part of her weekly menu planning that I think are quite doable. Check this out too.

Finally:
Anything you can recommend that you are loving to eat right now? I'll start. I am loving frozen waffles. Could eat them all day everyday. Specifically, Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Oat brand.

Latest Drama (why me?)

i think i attract drama like flies to sh*T. so serious.

the latest?

lily's waldorf school is closing. yes, closing. how in love with her school was i? very.

actually it's merging with another school - that's not waldorf. WTF????

i'll keep you posted on the latest developments - because there are some and they are drama filled (not related to me, but in my orbit...)

i don't know if you remember a loooong time ago on noodle and bean i posted about this fabulous gym i joined? i was a member for exactly two weeks and it closed up shop OVERNIGHT. i was absolutely loving it. it was small, run by these amazing women, the gym was classes only! spinning, yoga, cardiofit, etc. they had a dispute with the landlord and had to immediately close up one weekend or lose all their equipment. anyway, i was soooooo loving it and excited and whammo. over.

now this school that i love and that there are EXACTLY ZERO others around like it. it's not like i can go to the waldorf school across the street. the only other waldorf school in texas is in Austin.

so, if this all falls through i am seriously considering moving. i want austin, mike wants portland, and our budget wants a trailer park.

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

Hilarious

Some of these seem too good to be true, but some are fur reaaaaaaaaaaaal!
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

vote for me!!

For Family Photographer
in Houston

Actor's Studio Questionnaire

Claire-issa posted her hilarious answers on her blog here. Below is my go:

What is your favorite word? effervescent
What is your least favorite word? vomit(or lotion)
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
creatively: the beauty in imperfection
spiritually: natural beauty of any kind
emotionally: niceness
What turns you off? mean anything (unless it's about republicans)
What is your favorite curse word? f**k - oh yeah, baby.
What sound or noise do you love? Every.single.one.of.Natalie's.happy.babbles.
What sound or noise do you hate? my kids whining, nails on a chalkboard, when our smoke detectors beep b/c of a low battery. the list goes on.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Rock Star - The guitar playing front-woman kind. Without a doubt.
What profession would you not like to do? Janitor/Principal
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? You did great down there.

I love this invitation to play along:
**Your turn! If those asshole actors can do it, so can we! ~ by Clarissa**

Donations Needed

Hello local readers,
If you can help out, please do. Contact me at saramoonphotography@gmail.com. I will figure out how to get your donations where they need to go. Read below. This is from the coordinator of the volunteer committee at my mom's company in the Woodlands. She just happened to send it to me to get any baby girl clothes we no longer need and it really made me sad and thankful at the same time.

"I'll give you a little background info on Victor...started with my company in 2002 after coming to the States from Guatemala. His first couple years here were trial and error, but after meeting his wife, he has changed his life for the better. She is deeply religious, and opened Victor's eyes to God. If we pick up furniture from a customer that is to be disposed of, Victor will take it and donate it to his church even though he could sell it. After learning that they were expecting, I asked him what he needed and the only thing he said was a crib. So, I gave him Avery's crib. A week before she was due, I did go to Target and pick up things, just to make sure they had them at the apartment. Well after several hours of labor, 3 hours of pushing, she was rushed for an emergency c-section. I went to their apartment the day they came home from the hospital because they have no family here, and saw that they needed much more than I thought. I went to Target that day and bought sanitary pads, nursing pads, a nursing bra (she didn't have any of these things), baby towels, baby wash, baby shampoo, lotion, alcohol, diapers, a few outfits, blankets and dreft. They are basically in need of so much. Items I think they could use.....a swing, baby clothes 0-3 months and up, high chair (for later on), exersaucer. As far as their house goes... pots and pans, dishes, basically anything. (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, deodorant). Work has been so slow and he has not been getting the hours, so he really needs his cash to pay for rent and bills. Let me know if you have any questions, and I can't thank you enough for your help with this."

A Mom and her Toddlers

This mom totally reminds me of you. And you. And you...and me.



At this point I'm squealing with excitement. They're coming they're coming!! (This is a pond right by Lily's school. We stop every week on the way to school and check on the babies. They have already grown a ton. Hmmm...sounds familiar.)


Below, the mom duck is saying, "Where in the heck are they running off to now? I was all the way across the pond, watching the Today show and they just had to interrupt the interview with Briston Palin and her baby..."


Now she's saying, "Aw, I guess I can forgive them. They are so.dang.cute."

And so are you. And you. And you...and I am, too.

(Hope you didn't get bored with all the duckling pics! It was either these, or pictures of Lily's coxsackie blisters that are ALL OVER her little body.)

Who Needs Swine Flu when you've got...

COXSACKIE VIRUS!?!? (hand, foot and mouth disease)

Yeah, our virus name beats the pants off the swine flu.

Both girls: blistery tongues, blistery palms and soles of their feet, and other wonderful maladies.

If you have a friend who tells you they've been exposed to it, or they've had it but are better - steer clear for a looooooooong time. We haven't seen the person who gave it to us for over 10 days, THEN we get it. Our friends hadn't seen the person THEY got it from for over 10 days, then THEY got it.
It's a sneaky little virus.

I hope to be back later today to post some pictures of baby ducks. Now those are some sweet words to combat COXSACKIE VIRUS.