Reporter Turned Mommy

Apr 26

The gift of life

by reporterturnedmommy

If you’re a reader of this blog, you may remember that a few months ago, I mentioned that our beloved niece and nephew were killed in a car accident in April of 2010. Erin, age 16 and Andrew, age 13, were killed as they pulled out of their driveway on their way to school. A fellow student was speeding and hit their car. Erin died instantly and Andrew died the next day.

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This Saturday marks the two year anniversary of their tragic death. I am writing about them today, not only to keep their memory alive, but to honor their mother, my sister-in-law, Laura. Laura and my brother-in-law Chris, decided to donate Erin and Andrew’s organs and they saved many lives. They are now very involved with LifeBanc, trying to educated others on the importance of donating organs.

This week, Laura was honored with LifeBanc’s Legacy of Life Award. You can hear more about Erin and Andrew’s story and see Laura accepting her award here.

http://www.newsnet5.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=19214

Are you an organ donor? I hope this post makes you think about donating life, if you never have before. As Laura says about Erin and Andrew, “They live in you, they live in me.”

 

 

 

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Apr 24

I’ve been thinking…..

by reporterturnedmommy

Since I’ve been away, I’ve had a few things on my mind.

First off, Democratic Pundit Hilary Rosen really ticked me off, and I’m a democrat!

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If you haven’t heard, she said Ann Romney never worked a day in her life. Mrs. Romney stayed home and raised her five sons. Yes, I know the Romney’s are millionaires, and yes, she probably had help. The comment still gets my blood boiling.

Democrats trying to “fix” Rosen’s comment have also managed to infuriate me. I couldn’t care less about the fortune of those running for president. I’m tired of the argument that because the Romney’s are wealthy, they can’t relate to the common man. Why? Because EVERY presidential candidate is wealthy, whether they were born that way or worked for it. I’m not saying that’s the way it should be, but that’s the way it is.

I could go on and on about this topic, but instead I’ll leave you with this tongue-in-cheek drawing from my friend Diane. We are both stay-at-home-moms and she posted this on my facebook wall.She titled it, “Ready to start my Monday”….haha. I love it! If only that’s what it was really like to be a stay-at-home-mom.

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Next topic…I have a new obsession. SPARTINA 449

Spartina 449 was started by a woman who lives on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. Daufuskie is an Island right by Hilton Head. Her hand bags, clothes, and beautiful accessories are now in more than 1,000 stores.

Here’s a look at a few of my favorite items.

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All of her items are very beachy and airy. I have a purse, wallet and apron. A portion of the proceeds also go to the Daufuskie Island Historical Society. You can check out more of her beach bags, purses, clothing and accessories by clicking here. Spartina 449 was also recently featured in Southern Living.

Lastly, I am still researching our family tree (on my family’s side) and I discovered a shocker! We are primarily Irish and English, and I thought that is all I would continue to find as I kept researching. My mother’s maiden name is Neely, which is a very Irish name and we were always told it was Irish and a form of McNeely. Well, notsomuch!

Neely is actually from Neleigh and it is German! GULP!

We were shocked. I had to go back to my mother’s sixth-great-grandparents to crack the code. I guess we will be celebrating Oktoberfest this year! :)

 

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Apr 23

I’m back!

by reporterturnedmommy

It’s a cold Monday in Cleveland and I am definitely feeling like I am back to reality. I spent a wonderful 12 days down south in Hilton Head with my family.

My parents and brother and sister-in-law live in HHI and we go several times a year and we never miss the Heritage Golf Tournament!  My parents live on the course and it is always our favorite vacation of the year.

Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to.

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Dean, Blake and I, getting ready to walk the golf course.

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Blake and Daddy loved playing on the golf course at the end of each day. Check out the kiddie golf clubs in the back ground.

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We spent our days enjoying the sun and warm weather, going to the beach, playgrounds and eating great food.

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Dean vacationed with us for four days, and Blake and I spent the rest of the time with my side of the family.

We also extended our stay by three days and decided to drive back with my parents. We made the nine hour drive back to West Virginia with my mom. It was Blake’s first long road trip.He did pretty well, all things considered! We made the trip in 10 hours. Not bad.

Now I’ve got a million things to do to get our house back in order….and the forecast today is calling for a rain/snow mix. YUK!

I’ve missed reading many of your blogs and I plan on catching up ASAP. Do you all post while on vacation? I feel weird about it because I don’t want just “anyone” to know we are out of town. What are your thoughts?

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Apr 16

Busy in the lowcountry!

by reporterturnedmommy

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I’ve been out of blogging commission for the past week because we’ve been here in the lowcountry! We’ve had such a fun and busy time here with friends and family. I will start posting some pictures of our adventures at the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament and more later this week.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and weekend! I will be back to my regular blogging schedule by the end of the week.
Kathleen

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Apr 5

Chili Cookoff!

by reporterturnedmommy

Tuesday night was so much fun! My friends Diane and Laura (who is also my SIL) and I went to the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland’s annual Chili cook-off!

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I was a “celebrity” judge and I ran into lots of people I know from my TV days. The event was packed!

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Around 30-35 different restaurants made chili for the event. I was assigned nine different chili’s to taste. I had to judge them on taste, aroma, and color, on a scale of 1-10.

  Here I am judging and tasting!

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The chili was really VERY good. Some were a little too creative and had a few strange spices, but most were delicious and hit the spot!

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Here’s Diane trying some chili. Diane and Laura were great judging assistants! haha

There was also a silent auction and Chinese raffle and guess who won a basket filled with beauty products?!!?

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That’s right! Yours Truly! My SIL and I just finished saying that we never win anything, then they called my ticket number! We all promised to share our winnings, if we won anything, and NOT be like that lottery ticket winner who worked at McDonald’s.  (the one who won’t share her mega-millions!)

It was a great night, for a great cause, and I was glad to be a part of it!

Now, things are very busy here as we get ready for Easter and a trip down south to see my family.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and Easter!

 

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Apr 3

Versatile Blogger Award!

by reporterturnedmommy

Fun “Mommy Blogger” Mom on the Go in Holy Toledo presented me with the Versatile Blogger Award! That was so sweet of her to give me a shout out on her blog and I am so happy I can return the favor!

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award…

1. Thank the award-givers and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this award along

4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Now here are 7 random things about me….

1. I studied abroad my junior year at Ohio University. I was one of four E.W. Scripps School of Journalism students selected to study journalism abroad. I spent Fall Quarter 1999 at the University of Wales in Cardiff, Wales.

2. Every time I go to a Broadway show, I wish I was up there performing with the cast. If I could only sing and dance! I feel the same way when I watch Glee!

3. I was editor of my high school newspaper and was named West Virginia High School Journalist of the Year. Here’s what I looked like back then! (pictures with my friend Jennifer who is still one of my bff’s)

Look at my bangs! Can you say “Coal Miner’s Daughter”?!! haha I was so afraid to get rid of my bangs back then. They were my security blanket!

4. My husband just finished his second full term as Mayor of Parma, Ohio at the end of 2011. It was a challenge, at times, while I was still reporting at Fox 8, because I had to recuse myself from covering stories in Parma, even basic breaking news. Management at my station also wouldn’t allow me to cover state or national elections anymore because of my husband’s elected position. That was VERY difficult for me.

5. My first name is actually Tara, after my mom, though I’ve never been called Tara. Kathleen is my middle name.

6. My husband and I honeymooned in Italy for 12 days and it was amazing! My favorite part was the Almalfi Coast and the City of Positano!

7. I never, in a million years, thought I would be a stay-at-home mom, but now that I’ve done it, I can’t imagine not spending all day with my son.

Now to pass on the Versatile Blogger Award!

Dee’s Adventures

Hines-Sight Blog

Lady Plus Baby

Why Cle

This was fun to write and I hope you enjoyed my interesting/embarrassing random facts!  I hope your week is off to a great start!

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Apr 2

A visit to the Easter Bunny!

by reporterturnedmommy

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This weekend, we took baby boy to see the Easter Bunny! My husband and I were convinced this visit would NOT go well. Blake was terrified of Santa and we have a priceless picture of him crying his eyes out!
We were pleasantly surprised, however, that he liked the Easter Bunny! I think there are a few reasons why….
1. We didn’t leave his side. You can see hubby in this picture! We stepped away during his picture with Santa and we think that added to his anxiety.

2. The Easter Bunny looks like a big, fluffy, cartoon character! I thought the sight of a large bunny, dressed with glasses, might scare Blake. It was just the opposite. He thought the Easter Bunny was hilarious, as opposed to the scary old man named Santa who is a real person!

Even though Blake isn’t smiling in this picture, he smiled during his visit and now that we finally have a picture without him crying, we are calling the visit a success!

What about you? Have you taken your kids to see the Easter Bunny yet? What was your experience like?
Happy Monday

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