All that to say that we’re just going to have to go with iPhone pics.  Hopefully, with the help of some snazzy iPhone apps, it won’t be too much of a train wreck.

Now.  Let’s talk a little about Mother’s Day.  It’s a day that I’m conflicted about.  Don’t get me wrong– I love a day that brings all sorts of kid-crafted, construction paper goodness.  And with a three year-old and five year-old, I was BLESSED this year.

Can we just agree, though, that most of these little projects, crafted with love by little hands are designed to rip us to shreds humble us?

Take this little piece of goodness by the three year-old:

Sweet, huh?  I can make out a head, some arms, even a set of earrings.  Some might even call this a masterpiece.  But see that green?  On my face?  That would be boogers.  My sweet baby girl has entitled this “Mommy, Picking Her Nose”.

Presh.

Check out this sweet little book made by my kindergartener:

Harmless enough.  And it is shaped like a handbag, forcryingoutloud!  It even starts out so innocent and sweet.

I mean, 26. That’s what I’m talking about!  Don’t be deceived though.  It contains truth.  The ugly kind.

Now, this wasn’t a set up.  It was a perfect opportunity to for a sweet little boy to let his mommy know that he notices what’s important to her– reading books, singing silly songs to her children, dancing all crazy in the living room.  Or, you know, taking a nap.  Yep, Mommy is lazy.

And, how does this perfectly packaged self-esteem shredder end:

Dial up your nearest social worker, y’all, because Mommy forgets to buckle his seat belt.  With this prompt, is there any way for the to end on a high note?  I think not.

(Before you actually call DHR, please know that I do forget to buckle his seat belt about fifty percent of the time.  However, being the fine, upstanding citizen and obeyer of the law that he is– THAT I AM RAISING HIM TO BE– he alerts me and it’s buckled before we even pull out of the drive way.)

But there is no time to lick my wounds and nurse my delicate ego from the slaughter that we call Mother’s Day.  For I have need to hurry up and spend these beauties:

… I’m expecting a home inspection any day now.

Now, to be fair, BryantsofBham is more Dad than Mom most weeks.  But, as Trav will tell you, I’m the personality.  Of course, he’ll also tell you he’s the looks.  And, well, that’s only true on Mondays, Wednesdays, and some Saturdays (those tend to be my no make-up, greasy hair days).

I can tell you that Birmingham Mag nailed it with the ladies of BirminghamMommy, Boomama, and Grasping for Objectivity, and others.  I have even found some new-to-me moms of Birmingham to read.

In a completely shameless maneuver, I’m going to add my own recommendation to the must-read mom bloggers of Birmingham list — Grass Stains.  Grass (as I like to call her) has been a long-time occupant of our Bluff Park Blogroll.  (I know, right, what an honor in itself!)  I got to meet her in person at the Alabama Bloggers Meet Up last week and, in all honesty, I’d like to put her in my pocket.  Her blog is thoughtful, witty, and funny.  And, if you prefer your hilarity in 140-character doses, follow @grass_stains on Twitter.  She’s positively addicting.

You can see pics of some of the featured bloggers over on Birmingham Mag’s site.  But I suggest you pick yourself up a copy of their May issue to get the full story!

Thanks, Birmingham Magazine, for mention!

1. 1. Call 205.444.7543 (which is the Hoover Public Works office)
2. 2. They’ll ask for your Last Name, Address and Phone Number.
3. 3. Then next week, after the Wednesday, May 9th pick-up, just leave your old puny recycle can by the curb, through Friday night.

The city will be driving around on Thursday, May 10th and Friday, May 11th, with the list of folks wanting the bigger cans. When they get to your house they’ll swap it out. At least, that’s all they told me when I just called to get on the list.

They have only have two issues online (the other is Summer 2011), I hope it becomes a regular thing.

Did you know that the LEGO store, at the Galleria Mall, hosts a Monthly Mini Model Build event where kids get to come in, build something alongside a LEGO employee and then take it home? For FREE? How cool is that?

Last month’s model was a hockey player. Last night we went and walked out with a Spring-time garden scene complete with a LEGO snake. These Monthly Model Mini Builds get pretty crowded and you have to line up around the corner where an employee will hand you a card when it’s your kids’ turn. So take a friend like we did. The line wait is much better when your 5-year-old has someone to cut up with.

People start lining up at 5 p.m. and it goes until the shop runs out of kits. You can download the Hoover store’s complete calendar for upcoming Monthly Mini Model Builds from their site (pdf download).

It’s a large undertaking as far as parenting goes.  You want to do it right.  You need to do it right.  There are some pretty serious implications and some not-so-great habits and attitudes about money that can ruin your child’s adulthood.  And there are as many different ways to do it as there are parental units.

Allowance.

**shudder**

We recently took the plunge and implemented a chore chart system.  We know it’s probably way past time to start it with our five year-old, but my need to pick   Just. The. Right. Chart. System.  kind of held us up.  You see, I’m a bit of a rule follower.  And if I start a system, then I stick to that system.  Failure to do so results in complete failure.  And if I fail, well, there may be some self-loathing involved.

Needless to say, the pressure has been on.

Thanks to a well-timed post from Mary at Giving Up On Perfect, I found a system that piqued my interest over at Simple Mom.  It’s a basic chart that you can customize with your own chore list.  The child gets a sticker for each task completed.  At the end of each week, he/she is paid a nickel per sticker.

We are a few days into the system and it seems to be working well.  C  loves getting to fill in the chart with stickers and is taking pride in some of the new ways he is able to be helpful around the house.

While he is eager to earn some dough for spending, T and I are eager to teach him about saving and giving.  We will be using a jar system much like this one, but since C doesn’t understand percentages at this point, I’m not sure how to direct him as far as how much to save and how much to give.  I don’t really want to mandate amounts or percentages, since I really want to him to develop a heart for giving, not an auto-response to a mandate.  However, I fear that this will yield a couple of scant jars.

Dude loves him a Lego block.

And at this point, he loves it more than he loves the warm fuzzy feeling he gets from helping others or from securing his future with a financial cushion.

So, how do you handle allowance at your house?  Do you require your child to save or give a certain amount?  Is is merely a suggestion?

I haven’t seen a serious timeline for any of this. It’s hoped some of the money will come from Congress, some from the state, etc. Of course, the county probably isn’t in a position to offer much funding help.

But these projects are exactly the kind of long-term sustainable projects that we need around here. It would be great of some of the local municipal governments would continue these ideas outside of some monstrous county-wide initiative and improve avenues for bikes and pedestrians in and around their communities.

I’m so excited to share my friend Mary‘s new book:  God, Grace & Girlfriends.

I met Mary about two and a half years ago when I decided to take a road-trip to Memphis with a van-load of folks I’d only “met” online.

Because that’s safe.  Right?

All of my traveling companions already knew each other and I felt like a stranger for a total of thirty seconds.  After two laugh-filled days, it was clear that this was completely a divine thing that this wallflower chose to step WAY out of her comfort zone and make the trip.  I still keep up with these ladies (and some more that I met on the trip).  They are a daily source of encouragement for me.  I’ve even managed to spend time with Mary since our trip to Memphis.  I could go on for days about her — her snappy wardrobe, her quick wit, but what struck me (and still strikes me) most about her is her realness.

People who authentically live out their faith in an online capacity and in real life are a smidge rare.

Or maybe I’m a cynic.

Anyhoo.

Mary has a passion for God and for gospel-centered friendships among women.  Let’s face it, ladies, friendships with other women can be tricky.  Am I the only one who’s put myself out there only to be taken advantage of?  Probably not.  Mary’s book is filled with wise counsel on the nature of girlfriends, how to get them, how to keep them, how to cut the toxic ones loose, and where their priority should be in your spiritual walk.  Her book is inspiration for women looking for friends and a how-to guide for gathering and growing in your walk with Christ alongside your favorite gal pals.

If you’re not 100% convinced by my glowing words, check out the NBC13′s interview with Mary about her book.

Precious, isn’t she?  (P.S. I think I should be Wendy Garner’s BFF)

So.  Let’s break it down a bit.

If you’re a girl that wants friends, you want this book.

If you’re a girl that has friends, you want this book.

You really have no excuse.

Unless you’re a dude.

But you’re probably a dude that knows a girl who has/wants friends.

So there.

I also am giving away a copy of Mary’s book in one week.  To be entered, all you have to do is leave a comment below.  Contest closes on February 23, 2012.

UPDATE:  Since there were only two entries, both Mary and Keri will be getting a copy of Mary’s book!  Congrats ladies!

We headed out last night to the Galleria for a fundraiser. As we’re cruising down Highway 31 we saw signs going up next to 2nd & Charles announcing that a Tuesday Morning was going in. It’s going to be to the left of 2nd & Charles. I wasn’t all that stoked, but B was.

And now I am seeing the genius in it: a Tuesday Morning right next door to the largest used-bookstore in town. Can anyone say ‘date night’?

I looked up two of our faves:

• Mr. P’s, in Bluff Park, got a 91 back in December
• The Boot, Hoover, got a 95 back in December as well

So we’re good to go! How handy is this!? If Jefferson County ever wants to do an app, I hope they start with this stuff. How did your favorite fare, fare?