When laden with child, avoid stories like this:

Granted, I'm not a cat, but the fact that this little kitty was born with abnormalities, possibly due to something Mama Cat ingested while pregnant....

kind of alerts me.

Here's the short story:

A kitty in Chongqing, China, is getting some extra-special attention these days:

The furry feline has developed wings!

Though born looking completely normal, once the cat hit the age of 1, he began growing wing-shaped appendages on either side of his spine, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reports.
While some think the bony limbs may be a mutation of some kind

— or even a Siamese twin growing inside the cat —

others speculate it's a genetic change perhaps caused by chemicals ingested by the kitty's mother while she was pregnant- msnbc

Check out the flighty feline:

Maybe I should lay off the watermelon & tuna?

I'd like to thank all those who gave me strength (wipe happy tear now)

Did you know I won the 2009 Mother of the Year Award?

Neither did I until my friend Tiffany sent me this:

2009 Award

I have to admit, I'm a bit gullible.

No, I didn't really think that I, Mrs. Tatwood was the recipient,

but I thought it was a real one that won.

It's not true.

Hopefully you can catch on to that quicker than I did.

My favorite quote is at the end when the anchor-lady says:

"A new study confirms that pulling your hair back into a ponytail is not the same thing as taking a shower."

Send one to your fave moms.

Happy Mother's Day, Ladies!

my 1 & only annoying pregnancy post

First & foremost, thanks to all the well-wishers out there!

I really appreciate your congratulations. Yes, it's exciting.

So I don't want to be the lady that whines for 9 months about harvesting

a human inside my uterus.

That's just not me.

In fact, I really enjoy pregnancy.

But in the throes of barf-hood, I have a few words to say.

Ever watch TLC?

Well there's this show called

I Didn't Know I was Pregnant

My response:

WHATEV! Talk to the hand. You're either a liar or an idiot.

If the "victims" on the show can honestly answer my following questions, then fine.

I'll believe them.

1- Did you not think it was odd that you dry-heaved every time you smelled ketchup or canned green beans for 3 months?

2- Wasn't it a bit odd that you cried at the gym on the elliptical while watching the soldier surprise his child at school on CNN?

3- Speaking of crying, weren't you surprised when you cried ALL NIGHT LONG after watching Marley & Me?

4- Wasn't it strange when your already born child got so bored of watching Curious George & SuperWhy that she got up off the couch , turned off the tv, and said, "Outside, please?"

And your response from the other end of the couch was,

"More George. Mommy's sleeping."

Wasn't that a bit out of the ordinary?

5- Didn't you wonder what was happening when you thought you looked svelt in your skinny jeans on Thursday, & then when you put them on on Friday, they wouldn't button?

6- Isn't it fascinating that your eyes tear up when you hear the dryer stop....b/c you know that means you have to actually move your body to fold & put away clothes?

7- Didn't your husband start to wonder why you were calling in a low, dry-heaving voice every evening around 5pm to see when he was coming home?

8- Didn't you all of a sudden observe that you stopped cooking.

Cold turkey. Just one day the cooking stopped.

In fact, the thought of even entering the kitchen....did that really not ever repulse you?

9- Wasn't it out of character for you to leap up off the couch & scream at the Harley rider down the street for revving his engine while you were trying to nap?

10- Do words & people's names usually escape you in normal life? If not, wasn't that cause for worry when you couldn't for the life of you remember a really good friend's last name until you woke up the next morning?

Not that I've experienced any of these things, but...

Really? For reals?

None of these things ever happened to you?

I just find it extremely hard to believe that someone's hormones can fluctuate at a speed faster than that of traveling light, & not be aware.

Lots a-sproutin' at the Atwood garden

Below are a few pics of our bounteous Spring-time growth.

Some goods will be harvested in the Summer months,
others not until Fall time.

You do the math.

good parenting skillz

You know you're raising your child right when upon walking into Costco,

the first thing she YELLS is:

"SAMPLES! WHERE ARE YOU???"

The Cream of the Crop

You know those moments when you think,

"Wow...am I ever glad I married this guy!"

I have them often, & one just this morning.

Just a public shout-out to the Fella & Little Red for letting me sleep in until

And also thank you for weeding the garden.

This well-rested lady is much appreciative.

I'm not a competitive Easter Egg Hunting Parent. Nope, not me.

Easter Egg Hunt: Take 1: Action:

A million-gazillion people joined us at the E.Egg Hunt at Central Park. The hunt consisted of eager sugar happy parents gathering eggs by the armful while pushing their way through the droves of toddlers. It takes a lot to make me frazzled. This made me frazzled. Out of protection for our daughter's life, we held back from the forces and didn't collect 1 egg. Not a single egg. Grrrr...



Easter Egg Hunt: Take 2: Action:

This hunt went down at a friend's house for a lovely Easter Brunch. It was delicious and fun, as expected. However, the hunt was another story. There was a little toe-head boy, around the age of 6 or 7, following me around and everytime I would point out a "toddler egg" (you know, the one's clearly lying on the ground for tots to add to their loot), he would swoop in and chuck it in his basket! Hello, Little Boy. You can look high and low as far as I'm concerned. The best part was when he looked up at me and said, "Wow! I guess I'm just too quick!" I gave him my biggest "Happy Easter, you little turkey" smile and nodded politely.





Easter Egg Hunt: Take 3: Action:

Success. Both Avy & I collected the necessary amount of eggs to satisfy our hunt craving till next year. Thanks be to all involved with this hunt for following the rules.

A few other pics from our Celebrations:

Why do I have California Love?

Because we can drive a little over 3 hours

for a beautiful weekend getaway to this:

Breathtaking Pismo Beach

A-cakes & Tatty-O swimming

Chasing the disease-infested Birdies

Kite Flying

Risking the lives of my 2 favorite people

Beach Combing

Checking out the Scenery

Gazing at the Aqua-life

Posing for a pic before lunch with our fabulous travel companions, the Pharris Family