Brenda & The Boys

Family is not just who you are born to. Or what color you are. Its who's got your back. -Sandra Bullock, from her Golden Globe acceptance speech for The Blind Side.

The following article is why I love Colt McCoy and why I am such a huge Texas Longhorns fan!! Hook 'em horns! \m/ The Daily Texan > Sports Football: Colt bids farewell With his last game at Texas behind him, Colt McCoy says goodbye to the 40 Acres By Colt McCoy Former University of Texas quarterback Print this article Share this article Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010 Updated: Thursday, January 21, 2010 To the City of Austin and Longhorn fans everywhere: My time at the University of Texas has been filled with countless memorable experiences, from the 45 wins I was fortunate enough to be a part of to the Big 12 Championship this past season. You have been there for me through everything and have shown your unwavering support. You have always believed in me, and for that I will be forever grateful. As much as I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life, I am also saddened at the thought of leaving. I have loved being a student and an athlete at the University of Te...

Soles 4 Souls and WLC are collecting shoes for Haiti. Matthew's school the Weekday Learning Center is collecting the shoes. The shoes can be new or used. WLC will be collecting shoes until Feb. 12.

So have you seen the trailer for the new movie Valentine's Day! ? OMG. It is full of "stars"! Too many to name. It looks so good! I can't wait to see it. --Can I just add that I am not usually a fan of Jessica Alba, but I love how she says, "sparkly!" in this clip. I'm just sayin'!

MTV's show The Jersey Shore is my most recent guilty pleasure. It is so entertaining. Full of tanned guidos and guidettes creeping the boardwalk and fist pumping the night away. Love it. So sad the finale is this week.

My crock pot or slow cooker is my new BFF . The crock pot is an awesome thing/friend to have. It is the one relationship that you can take full advantage of. Put the food in and you can just fugeddaboudit !! No worries!! Cause it will be there for you in the end no matter what. ;) Now that our or should I say the boys weekly extra curricular activities have officially began again. They are both in soccer and in our church children's choir. They practice during the week for both soccer and Sonshine Kids. That takes up several afternoons where I will not have time to cook. And I have been really trying to cook all our meals during the week. That is why I have found the crock pot and have decided to start using him again more often. This will help me keep up cooking meals at home. We eat out too much. Yes, mom if you are reading this...I said it and I admit it. So, 'crock' is going to help me out. Last night he made beef stew for us. When we got back from Sonshine Kids it w...

Matthew just came up to me and said, "Mom, the first day when I am a grown up I want you to teach me how to make hot dogs." "The first day", I asked? I then asked him when he would be a grown up? And he said, "my first day will be when I am 19. So you can teach me then". He then asked, "you do know how to make them right"? "Uh, yes," I said. I made you one for your lunch on Tuesday. He then says, "Oh, that's right". Well, I want dad to teach me on my first day then. What? Fine with me. Honestly, people. I don't make this stuff up. It comes straight from his mouth to my keyboard. Are you LOLing? 'Cause I can't stop. Oh, Matt! P.S. I think I make a rather tasty hot dog. I guess Matt thinks different. :)

Here are the boys at Legoland and Disneyland. Mapage is very important to the Parks boys as you can see. Good thing for me is that I am never lost. Lol!

Tonight the Haiti Earthquake victims are in my prayers as well as the doctors, nurses, all involved in the rescue efforts. I am praying for peace, and comfort, and praying that they begin to get all the supplies that they so desperately need. May God be with them. It breaks my heart to see them especially the children in such pain and despair.

In 2010, I resovle to: 1. Go on an internet/FB diet. I whine and complain about not having enough time to do stuff or get stuff done. So, I am taking some time back by getting off the computer. I will check emails and posts things to this blog and that is it. And Skype from time to time, too. 2. No more packaged panties. Yes, you read that right. I got all my Hanes Her Ways packaged cotton drawers from Walmart and trashed 'em. I then went and bought myself some nice, soft, mixed fabric pretty prints, and colors underwear at Kohl's where each pair is on its own little hanger. I got some fancy pant(s)(ies) now. There now you know Brenda's Secert . :P 3. Spend more time outdoors. Take walks. Play outside with my boys. 4. More home cooked meals. We started this week. We cooked every meal this week except dinner on Friday, a lunch at Chick Fil A on Thurs., and breakfast one day, too. Got our meals planned for all next week already. To be continued...

Dear Target, I just want you to know that you never let me down. You always welcome me with open doors. Your little red clearance tags make me so happy! I love how no matter what department I am in they are there. It is like an egg hunt. Hunting for red tags is so fun! Your popcorn combo though it is now $1.50 and not a dollar anymore still stops me in my tracks. I pick one up as soon as I get my pretty red shopping cart. Sometimes I splurge and get an icee with it instead of my usual regular Coke. Oh, Target how I love you so. XOXO, B

So, while in California last week and spending 4 days out of 7 at Disneyland doing a lot of people watching. I began to ponder. The thing that kept popping in my head was the term Fashion Victim . When we say fashion victim, just who is it we are talking about? Is it the person that is wearing denim cut off short shorts (that are so short I have underwear that covers more. Daisy Duke would blush if she wore these.) with black tights, and boots and a shirt so tight that nothing is left to the imagination that is the "fashion victim" or is it the person forced to look at this ensemble in broad daylight at a fun family place that is the victim to this fashion. Some help? Really I am confused. Is it them or me? Who is the real victim in these situations? I'm just sayin '....

Well, our vacation is over. Our seven days in sunny So-Cal have come to an end. We made so many new memories. Although, I am sad to be leaving, I am also ready and happy to be heading HOME! Texas! There is no place like it. We heard it is pretty cold there. I am ready to snuggle up in my own bed! Maybe make a soup or two, too. :) I hope that you all have a wonderful (warm) weekend were ever you may be.

We are in sunny southern California! It is hard to believe while most of the country is under Arctic temperatures some below freezing, that we have had sunny and 70 degree temps all week. Sometimes feeling so hot that I wish I had shorts and flip flops on. We are here for the National BCS Championship Football game. UT vs. Alabama! Hook 'em Horns \m/!! We got here last Friday. We have visited Legoland , Disneyland, The Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, etc. It has been a great week. I have enjoyed being with the boys so much!! And of course without fail Matthew has had several Matthew Moments. The first being on the first day we got here. We passed a gift shop that sold I ♥ LA t-shirts. He saw one and ran up to it and said, "Look, Dad! It says I love Louisiana!!!" :) My boy knows his State abbreviations. LOL ! It was funny. Then yesterday, we were out and about walking around the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was fun because there were a bunch of UT and Alabama fans out and ...