A free mommy, and thumbs-up to Dove!

All my big boys are off on a hiking trip, so it's just Babyman and I. I am so proud of Littleman- he broke his hiking record, again! He did 5 1/2 miles, all on his own power, carrying a significant (for him) packload, on a tough trail. What a trooper! Mr. Sweetcheeks rode in the carrier, so let's not forget Billy's accomplishment, either! Hey, it's been a long while since our backpacking days. Everyone did great, I hear.

As for me, I have not been having the blissful time I'd hoped for. Mostly this is because Babyman can be extremely demanding, these days. I'm hoping this is just teething gone wild, or something. In other words, I hope he gets over it soon! But I did manage a few things I don't usually get to do:
- I actually sat down and watched a movie, beginning to end, uninterrupted, and even saw the special features too! OK so the movie was Ratatouille, but I enjoyed it! (Stop laughing, it's a good movie!) LOL.
- I made a big blender-full of fruit smoothie, and drank it all myself. Yum.
- I caught up on some e-mails and some blog reading, and even fulfilled some moderator duties on a Yahoo group I'm supposed to help out with. I also entered a contest to win Photoshop software, but alas I was not the chosen one. :(
- I emptied the dishwasher, loaded it and ran it, all in one go!
- I went to Target and completed some shopping uninterrupted, at a leisurely pace.
- I took a nice hot shower. Ahhhh.
- I finally got around to restringing the crystal that I like to hang from my car's rearview mirror, and now it swings prettily when I drive the van.
- and tonight when I suddenly had a hankering for an Arby's jamocha shake, I just hopped in the car with Babyman and went to get one. What freedom!

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I have been meaning to post about a viral marketing campaign that Dove (soap company) is doing on YouTube. Basically, I love it! I think these are really well done and have a great message. Yes, Dove's parent company has other marketing campaigns that totally undermine the message in Dove's advertising (such as ads for Axe body spray) and yes, the primary driving force behind the ads is still just good old money. BUT. I think it's great that these are out there, and I think they are well done. Anyway, here are just a few:







Thumbs up, Dove!