Archive for the Just Another Mary Monday Category

I’m not the first to say it – kids don’t play outside enough anymore. YouTube,TV shows on demand, and endless computer games are tough competitors against good old fresh air. The playgrounds aren’t even the same as they used to be! The tall, metal slides and monkey bars have been replaced with small plastic slides, and short, safe climbing walls. Everything from the merry-go-round to the tire swing – all of those perennial favorites – have been deemed unsafe. As a mother of two boys, I can appreciate safety regulations, but I’m not the

Happy Halloween! One of my favorite things about this holiday is that it enables everyone to have a good time. No matter where you’re from, you can find a good neighborhood and knock on doors for candy and a fun scare. Costumes level the playing field where creativity, not cost, determines who looks the best. Recently, I stumbled across some of the most creative costumes I’ve seen in a while. These kids use their wheelchairs or mobility devices as part of their costumes, making some truly next-level outfits that are one-of-a-kind. (Check out Magic

As you probably already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. It seems the whole world has turned pink in well-deserved support of the lady warriors who fight this devastating cancer. The women in my Birmingham Ladies APA Pool League all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer, and we wanted to make sure we did something too. This month we had planned to do a bake sale with the theme “Everything Must Be Pink!” We were originally just planning to wear our best pink shirts to the sale when an idea

Pass the coffee, it was a fun, but exhausting weekend. And now, I’m back! This past Friday, I cut out of work a little bit early in order to go on a weekend vacation with a few girlfriends! My cousin and one of our best friends will be meeting up in New Orleans, the Big Easy, the birthplace of jazz. While there, we enjoyed all that the city had to offer – dazzling nightlife, beignets for breakfast, and one very special guest: our favorite musician, Keith Urban! I couldn’t have been more excited. My

As you read this Monday morning JAMM, I’m celebrating my birthday the best way I know how these days: by sleeping in, staying in my pajamas until noon, and having complete control of the remote while my husband is at work and my boys are at school. They say you’re only as old as you feel, and most days, I still feel like I’m 19. But the truth is: although I can still party like an absolute rock star, it would appear that I cannot recover like one. It’s one of the reasons why I

What’s the first day of Fall for you? Is it Labor Day weekend, your first pumpkin coffee, the first day of school, or the first day you feel that chill in the breeze? For regular readers of this blog, my first day of Fall should be obvious. You know what, let’s not even call it Fall. Let’s call this season by its real name: Football Season! This Saturday kicked off the college football season, and, of course, my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide played the University of Southern California Trojans. Now, Alabama fans are no

It’s back to school time once again! And while past blog posts have seen me fuss about crazy school supply lists, this year, I feel like I have to side with the teachers. Maybe it’s because I have a senior in high school and a fourth grader this year, but I feel like they deserve more respect. Don’t worry, I’m not about to start complaining about ‘kids today.’ It’s that unexpected stick in the spokes of the academic wheel – the parents. While kids today are just the same as they’ve always been (albeit